A FIREBRAND PLUCKT OUT OF THE BVRNING A SERMON PREACHED AT Margarets Westminster before the Honourable House of Commons at their late solemn Fast Novemb. 27. 1644. By Benjamin Pikering Minister of Gods Word at Buckstead in Sussex and a Member of the Assembly of Divines Published by Order of the said House Jer. 50.33 34. Thus saith the Lord of hostes The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together and all that took them captives held them fast they refused to let them goe Their Redeemer is strong The LORD of hostes is his Name he shall throughly plead their cause that he may give rest to the land and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon LONDON Printed by I. L. for Philemon Stephens and Samuel Gellibrand in Pauls Church-yard 1645. Die Mercurii 27. Novem. 1644. ORdered by the Commons Assembled in Parliament That Master Sallowey and Master Knightley doe from this House give thanks to Master Pikering and Master Gipps for the great paines they took in the Sermons they preached this day at the intreatie of this House at S. Margarets Westminster It being the day of Publique Humiliation and to desire them to Print their Sermons And it is Ordered that none shall presume to Print their or either of their Sermons without leave under their or either of their Hand-writing H. Elsying Cler. Parl. D. Com. I Appoint Philemon Stephens and Samuel Gellibrand to print this Sermon BEN. PIKERING TO THE HONOVRABLE House of Commons Assembled in Parliament HOnourable Senators Your patient attention unto and thankefull acceptance of my undeserving paines in this Sermon now according to your Order printed and in all humility presented unto you emboldens me againe to reinforce my exhortation that you would be of good courage and goe on zealously to work with God untill he be pleased to make you and all Gods people happy and blessed in ordaining peace perfecting Reformation and working all your workes for you Nothing is so preiudiciall to your proceedings nothing so much hinders good things from us as many grievous provoking sinnes in the midst of us Hence is it that when peace and freedome with Truth in purity have beene flowing in toward us as a River the Lord hath caused them as Iordan to be driven backwards the night seemed to be past and the day of the glorious Gospel with peace on earth seemed to spread it selfe over us but now the shadowes are againe stretched out black clouds hang over our heads still threatening a day of darkenesse and gloominesse The profanenesse and incorrigiblenesse of the multitude declare that we are ripe for iudgement indisposed and unfit for such mercies as have beene ever since the happy beginning of your sitting tendering themselves unto us The vitals of this Kingdome are fearefully distempered the whole head is sick and the whole heart faint Our sinfull distempers threaten the dissolution of the whole body Therefore through the wrath of the Lord of Hosts is the Land darkened and the people are as fuel for fire and their carkasses lye torne in the midst of the streets for all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Certainly it will be acceptable to God available to the healing of the Land and reducing us to a fitnesse for Reformation if you could as you have begun set up a faithfull Ministery and establish iudgement and iustice in the Gates If iudgement had its free course in Citie and Countrey the course of Gods iudgements would determine Let your zeale for the Lord burne and this burning which the Lord hath kindled would be quenched Phinehas stood up and executed iudgement and the plague ceased Let not the sonnes of Belial say There is no law now Let them not be as when there was no King in Israel every man doing that which was right in his owne eyes let them know that the Kingly power resides in his High Court of Parliament Let your terrour be on all the wicked bring the wheele upon them or make them flee into desolate places to cut up the mallowes by the bushes Job 30. and Juniper roots for their meate If iniquitie were purged and the wicked tooke away God would leave off melting Jer. 6. Satan would be rebuked the enemies unarmed no weapon formed against you should prosper Every knowne sinne suffered amongst us if not prevented nor punished by you will be as yours and will give the enemie advantages Greg. Moral 10. â— 20 Therefore some thinke that Satan is said to stand at Ioshua's right hand and so of his fellow reformers as having iust accusation and therefore too hard for Ioshua and his fellowes Nam dextra fortius aliquid majus significat to this purpose they bring that in the 109. Psalme Let Satan stand at his right hand and thus expound it fac ut Satan in judicio superiores habeat partes The reason why they thus thought was because Ioshua did not carefully oversee and instruct the people in Babylon he was not zealous in exciting to the building of Gods Temple And although we read not that he was faulty in marrying a strange woman as some say but without Scripture he did yet this was accounted his sinne that his brethren and somes by his neglect or sufferance had done so Rabb Hieron As Sanctius hath it Ezra 10. Thus farre this is usefull to excite you to prevent sinne in others and to take away occasion from all that seeke occasion either to asperse or hinder your pious proceedings in building the Lords House and setting up his Worship and Ordinances in puritie O be carefull lest the Adversary get advantage for you are not ignorant of his devices Iustice also requires that you should make speed to heare and to releeve the innocent that cry to heaven that cry to you as Gods on earth let not their eyes faile with waiting Be zealous for Christs cause delay not to establish his government and discipline with vigour proceed so on in your reforming and treating that glory may dwell in our Land that mercy and truth righteousnesse and peace may meete together and kisse each other Let your wisdome find out a way so that for circumstantiall differences there be no rent made by those who are one body The wisdome which is from above which is pure and peaceable so direct you that you may take away all pretences of separation or schisme that every mouth may be stopt that brethren may dwell together in unitie serving the Lord with one shoulder that the God of love and peace may be amongst us Your religious approbation and expediting of the Directory for Gods worship is no small refreshing to the spirits of all the godly you have gone farre but forget the things that are behind and presse on toward the marke So long as the Iewish builders and reformers minded more themselves and their owne houses then the House of God Satan prevailed by the Kings wicked Counsellours
divisions of Gods people there should be great thoughts of heart as for the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts and great seachings of heart It is to be lamented with the teares of us all to see brethren agreeing in all substantials serving one God having one Father and Hope c. yet for some circumstances in matters of Discipline their contentions are as the barres of a Castle and the heat is increased as betweene Guelphs and Gibellines Honourable Senators here your Wisdome yea a Divine Wisdome from above must be obtained for you would shine if you could repaire all these breaches and compose things so that brethren might with peace of conscience dwell together in unitie then we should see that the Lord would delight over us to goe on to doe great things for us and the graces of God would then shine in his servants when they would in the spirit of meeknesse yeeld one to another so that the unitie of the spirit might be kept in the bond of peace This onely I adde If ye bite and devoure one another Gal. 5. take heed that ye be not consumed one of another Fourthly when we have had mercies showring down from heaven we have slackt our hands in prayer when Moses hands fell downe Amalek prevailed and so through our slacknes coldnesse in this dutie and others more then through the slacknesse of our Armies the enemies who were not long since even prayed downe have strengthened themselves to our reproach and danger Fifthly Selfe-love which sets us upon selfe-seeking and selfe-ends is so predominant that the publique concernments are not so promoted If we had publique concernments are not so promoted If we had publique spirits our endevours would have had a further influence into the publique good then yet they have had And many provocations there are amongst us to bewaile many Achans amongst us many cursed things not onely hid in the tents but brought forth in the sight of the Sunne they declare their sinne as Sodome and hide it not much cause of humiliation these are unto us all this day and we must not looke to see Gods work-perfected till we All mourne and repent for the many evils in the midst of us How long shall I see the Standard and heare the sound of the Trumpet Jer. 4.21 It is answered in the next words by the Prophet My people is foolish c. Junius reads it So long as my people is foolish and sottish and wise to doe evill And Honoured Worthies I beseech you to admit of me that I may use boldnesse This burden concerns all and cals upon all it is for admonition to all but especially You When Israel had provoked the Lord by their spell and bodily uncleanesse the people were plagued in a fearefull manner there fell in one day foure and twenty thousand Moses was not blamed Num. 25. but the Heads of the people Hang up the heads of the people that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel Why the Heads of the people They should have lookt better to the people in governing so to prevent sin or they should have beene more swift to execute judgement when they fell into sinne It is not enough that you are not grosse sinners that you are reformed so long as there are in the midst of Citie and Kingdome even where your Power also reacheth many abominations there are as Ezekiel speakes Ezek. 22. in thee in thee much excess many profanations horrible uncleannesse I speake what I know even abominable incest not onely acted once or twice but continued in to the just provocation of Gods anger against you and all of us and there is no course for redresse none to punish or put them to shame there is in the midst of us oppression and crueltie there are in the midst of us many Innocents whose faces are ground and their bones crusht and broken most injuriously they cry for reliefe they stretch out their hands to you for helpe O releeve the oppressed and judge the cause of the helplesse lest the Lord heare their cry and it be sinne unto you Delay not make speed to seeke judgement to bring the wheele upon the wicked put not off such things the delaying of which delayes all your hopefull proceedings delay not one day to trouble those that trouble Israel but as Ioshua said so doe ye God shall trouble thee this day These and many such things lye upon you therefore provoke your spirits to zeale and courage feare not faint not if Christ had fainted in the worke of our Redemption what had become of us he fainted not not was discouraged till he set judgement in the Earth do ye likewise Observe how the Lord describeth the Horse Iob 39. His neck is cloathed with thunder he paweth in the valley and rejoyceth in his strength he goeth out to meet the armed man the quiver rattleth at him the glittering speare and the shield he saith among the Trumpets aha and doth God care for horses glorifie God in the creature and learne courage from him break through all like lightning as in naturall motion so the neerer you come to your haven where you would be let your motion be swifter The Lords beginnings engage him to finish ye are Gods as Psalme 82. Follow God the Lord hath beene very zealous for you and us take heed of coldnesse in this heat labour to hasten Reformation in the Church that it may be the gladnesse of Gods people to goe to the beautie of holinesse that the Tribes may goe up to the Testimony of Israel and for the better governing the Common-wealth let there be set thrones of judgement in all places as Psal 122. And to conclude Let us all put to our helping hands armes purses counsell encouragement for the helpe of the Lord against the mightie let the Ministers of Christ be carefull to maintaine unitie to provoke Christians to peace to unite against the common Enemie on some have compassion making a difference and others save with terrour pulling them out of the fire O let all be humbled before our God this day and put our mouthes in the dust and then our prayers will be very prevalent with God our legions would be thundering legions as Christian armies of old dreadfull to the enemie let us all helpe with our constant prayers be the Lords remembrancers give him no rest till he refine his Church and pull it out of the fire he that hath neither purse nor weapon nor hands nor counsell to helpe hath a heart O poure it out in prayer give not over till the Lord hath made Ierusalem a praise in the earth It is usuall to put words into a Delinquents mouth whereby he is delivered from death The Lord deales thus with us he bids us take words and he also suggests words whereby we may be delivered from iniquity received graciously Hos 14.2 So Ier. 3.19 He deviseth a way for us how we should obtaine the lengthening of our tranquillitie It is the Lord that asketh the question How shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land even a goodly heritage of the hostes of nations And I said thou shalt call me My Father and shalt not turne away from me This then is the Lords way that he would have us take to cry Father Abba Father to pray to devote our selves to God and never to turne from him No people ever had more encouragements and more needs then we have to wrastle with God O wrastle with God leave him not till he blesse us give him not over till we prevaile when we are Princes and prevailers with God then shall we see Mercy and Truth meeting Righteousnesse and Peace kissing then would the Lord be with us in these fires or pull us as brands out of the fire and then and not till then we shall be prevailers over men FINIS
Cant. 8. many waters cannot quench this love c. In wrath he remembers mercy and will not contend for ever lest the spirit should faile before him Isa 57.16 and the soules that he hath made The Lord will repent himselfe for his servants when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shut up or left Deuteronomie 32.36 The tender mercies of the wicked are cruell their malice is endlesse but the Lord in wrath remembers mercy When his people are humbled his repentings are kindled his bowels are troubled and acknowledgeth that Jerusalem hath received double at his hands for all their sinnes Isa 40.2 Duplum in Christo Junius And so one addes an Argument besides those I have set downe out of these words which may silence the Devill and all implacable enemies Thus This people is sufficiently punisht therefore God is not to be urged to adde to their punishment Sanctius Fourthly the enemy shall not alwaies blaspheme the Lord will stop the mouth of iniquitie he will still the enemy and avenger Deut. 32.26 27. the Lord would have scattered the Israelites into corners and caused the remembrance of them to cease from among men were it not that he feared the wrath of the enemy Fifthly thus the Lord takes course for his own Name although not for our sakes yet for his owne Names sake he will worke for us that his Name be not polluted And so Ioshua pleads Josh 7. Chap. 7. that for this reason the Lord would not leave his people in the enemies hand for then What saith he wilt thou doe unto thy glorious Name Fourthly here is implied that if the Lord beginne in mercy he will finish Psal 102. Psal 138.8 when the time to favour Sion the set time is come then the Lord will perfect his worke concerning us he will doe it in despight of all Devils and Antichristians though there be mountaines before his Zerubbabels God will make them plaines and bring forth the head-stone of his worke with shouting He can make the hardest resistance as Clay or Wax to the Signet the greatest impediment shall give place as Euphrates did to Cyrus that he might take the old Babylon He saith to the deepe Isa 44. Be drie and so will the Lord doe that he may be avenged on Rome Revel 16.11 Yea things adverse shall not onely yeeld but concurre The Lord will make away in the wildernesse and rivers in the desert the beasts of the field shall honour him the Dragon Isa 43.19 20 21. and the Owles c. As the beginnings of the ruine of the wicked evidenceth their certaine totall ruine If Haman begin to fall he shall not faile but fall so the beginnings of deliverance from our Romish enemies are pledges of compleat deliverance the beginnings of the repairing of Gods Temple evidence the certaine finishing of it beginnings of woe were signes to the Iews of the extremitie of woe and beginnings of blessednesse and puritie are like signes of perfect blessednesse and puritie First for the Lord hath chosen Ierusalem and his beginnings declare what he hath decreed If God hath decreed to deliver to build to beautifie the place of his Foot-stoole and make it glorious who can hinder the Lord God hath purposed and who can disanull it Isa 14.24.27 he hath stretched forth his hand and who can turne it back Secondly It stands God upon for his honour to goe on in mercy when he begins in mercy his Truth his Wisdome and Power are ingaged Moses therefore was much affected when the Lord threatened to destroy Israel as one man after he had puld them out of the Egyptian burnings Exod. 32.12 Lord saith he why doth thy wrath waxe hot against thy people which thou hast brought forth out of the Land of Egypt with great power and with a mightie hand Wherefore should the Egyptians speake and say for mischiefe did he bring them out to slay them in the mountaines Num. 14.15 16. And now if thou wilt kill all this people as one man then the Nations which have heard the fame of thee will speake saying Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into Canaan he hath slaine them in the wildernesse The Lord would not have us such unwise builders as beginne and cannot finish such builders are exposed to scorne and shame therefore the omnipotent onely wise God will not doe so The Lord also is tender of his servants honour he will still the enemie Psal 8. Sanballat Tobiah and Geshem will laugh Nehemiah and other Worthies to scorne Neh. 2.19 20. What is this thing that ye doe Neh. 4.2 3 4. Will ye rebell against the King What doe these feeble Iewes will they fortifie will they sacrifice Then his fellow Even that which they build if a Foxe goe up he will breake down their stone wall but Nehemiah and such may be confident and say The God of heaven will prosper us therefore we his servants will arise and build and make all knowne to God who careth for your persons your names and honours Heare O our God for we are despised and turne their reproach upon their owne head The reproach of his servants he will wipe away Isa 66.5 The Lord will appeare to your joy when they shall be ashamed Thirdly God is constant so is his love and resolution to doe us good he is not as the sonne of man that he should repent Num. 23.19 Mal. 3.6 1 Sam. 12.22 he is God and changeth not The Lord will not forsake his people for his great Names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people Therefore when the Lord beginnes he goeth on as Naomi said of Booz The man will not be in rest untill he finish the things this day Men are mutable discouraged weary but the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not Natura not dilassatur opere as the heavens are never wearie the Sunne after millions of revolutions continueth still rejoycing as a mighty man to runne his race much lesse is the God of Nature and the God of these Heavens weary shall the Lord then begin and not finish Shall I bring to the birth Isa 66.9 and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord The Lords care over his Church is also a constant care his eyes are continually upon it upon one stone that is Christ Iesus the Corner-stone on whom we are built there are seven eyes that is many eyes the Lords eyes are upon Gods House Populi causam Deus semel tucudan suscepit ac proinde qua est constantia â—â—nquam deseret cam Drusius his chosen and so shall be till all be perfected concerning his people They may be in the burning but they shall certainly be rescued and if so perfectly delivered The constant zeale of the Lord of Hosts will performe this First sympathize and pity Ireland almost burnt Vse 1. Levit. 10.6