that reward which the faithfull sheep of Christ who heare his voyce shall attaine unto Thus much for that poynt The Expostulation followes Wouldst thou not bee angry with us This Expostulation implyes a strong affirmation as not onely here but in many other places of sacred Writ as if he should have sayd doubtlesse thou wouldest be angry with us Now God is not subject to any passion or perturbation of minde as men are And therefore this and many such like speeches are spoken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 humanitus after the meanner of men God is not angry affective but effective not by any turbulent passion as the creature is God is not angry affective but effective not by any turbulancy of internall or subjective passion but is so said to be in regard of the effects as when God doth to men as one man in his anger doth to another then God is said to be angry as to frowne upon him to chide him to dis-affect him to strike him punish him kill him or the like and hen God doth the like then he is said to be angry for these and the like are the signes of his anger Wouldst not thou be angry with us Angry with us for what the fore-going words import For joyning in affinity with the people that live in Idolatry and uncleannesse whence note that it is the peoples impiety that provokes God to bee angry Deut. 32.21 These provoked me to anger with their vanities And Deut. 31.16.17 God having foretold how the people should goe a whoring after other gods in a strange land and that they would forsake him and break the Covenant which he had made with them then hee tells them that for this his wrath would waxe hot against them and then see the fearefull effects of it in that place To the like purpose read the seventh Chapter of Jeremiah the 18 19 and 20. Verses And Psal 78. from 30. to 34. where the many benefits are Catalogued which God did for Israel yet they were not estranged from their lust but whilst the meat was in their mouthes the heavy wrath of God came upon them slew the fattest of them and smote downe the chosen men that were in Israel for all this they sinned still and believed not for his wondrous workes therefore their dayes did he consume in vanity and their yeares in trouble And Verse 58. they provoked him to anger with their high places and moved him to jealousie with their graven Images And Numbers 25.3 when the Israelites had committed whoredome with the daughter of Moah It is there said That the anger of the Lord was kindled against them Thus we perceive the Doctrine plaine and the Scriptures are every where copious of it The reasons why a peoples impiety provokes God to bee angry are many I will onely content my selfe with these three The first may bee drawne from the purity of Gods nature to which nothing is more opposite than the ugly impurity of sin Hab. 1.13 Thou hast purer eyes than to behold evill and thou canst not look on iniquity That is thou canst not looke on it viâ approbationis or delectationis sed viâ indignationis thou canst not looke upon it by way of approbation or delectation but by way of indignation The second may be drawne from the holinesse and equity of the Law of God which is transgressed and so God made angry by a peoples sinne when they preferre their owne lust before the observance of such a Law Deut. 4.8 What Nations is there that hath statutes and judgements so righteous as all this Law which I set before you this day And shall hee not be angry then at the breach of such a Law The third and last may be drawne from man himselfe God is angry to see man worke his owne ruine that the sweet poyson of sinne should bewitch him to destroy himselfe When God had forewarned Israel of sinne and yet saw him sinne against what he had fore-warned him of See how mournfully he expostulates with them Why will yee dye O yee house of Israel And Hos the sixth Chapter from the fourth to the eighth Verse Oh Ephraim what shall I doe unto thee Oh Judah what shall I doe unto thee for your goodnesse is as the morning cloud and as the earely dew is goes away therefore have I shewed them by the Prophets I have slaine them by the words of my mouth and they judgements are as the light that goeth forth c. But they like men have transgressed the Covenant there have they dealt treacherously against me Thus God is angry to see his owne Image defaced and that men should walke in darknesse rather than light when he had so cleerly made the way of salvation known unto them Well is this so that a peoples impiety provokes God to be angry this then plainly lets us see what it is that hath so much provoked Gods wrath and anger against this land and nation Oh it is sinne First it is great and grievous sinnes Secondly such sinnes unpunished Thirdly and lastly such sinnes also unrepented of in private For the first What sinne is it that England hath not beene guilty of what sinne was in Israel that hath not beene in England I will runne but through some capitall ones by way of parallel and ex pede Herculem c. was it shedding the bloud of the Prophets Luke 13.34 what havock was made of such as could be catched in the Marian dayes and how much more should be spilled now if the bloudy and cruell Romanists and such like could but attaine their ends but their curbe is that they have so many of their Priests in prison already that they dare not beginne to give way to their fury to the full for feare that these Pot-mongers yet holy Catholikes doe too speedily answer it and bee helped towards their purgatory in an hempen string Yet so many as God suffers to fall into their hands they doe use most basely doggedly and unworthily and irreverendly testifying by their facts what they wish in such cases and these times can tell what inhumanity and cruelty have beene used to some of them even to the very death Secondly was it pollution or prophaning of the Sabbath Ezekiel 20.13 Wee have prophaned our Christian rest or Sabboth if a man may so call it and no be accounted a Sabbatarian because the word is Hebrew I know no reason else the world knowes we meane no Jewish Sabboth but be it the Lords day equivolently wee meane the same no thankes to some that we have a day to humble our selves in before God and acknowledge our sinnes and confesse our faith and learne his will called by either name We have prophaned this by a Law and have set men at liberty to sinne so that God might have the name of it and mans lusts and the devils most of the practice Before wee restrayned the preaching of the Word and so quarrelled with the Prophets that wee made
A SERMON Preached at Kingston upon Hull VPON The Day of THANKES-GIVING after the Battell and that marvailous Victory at Hessam-Moore near YORKE By J. W. B. D. LABORE ET CONSTANTIA LONDON Printed by T. Badger for Matthew Walbank and are to be sold at his shop at Grayes-Inne Gate 1644. A SERMON Preached at Kingston upon Hull upon the day of Thanksgiving after the BATTELL and that marvellous Victory at Hessam-moore neere YORKE Ezra 9. The last clause of the 13. and 14 verses And hath given such deliverance as this Should wee againe breake thy Commandements and joyne in affinity with the people of these abominations c. THe people of Israel saw that they were in evill case when they were to make the whole number of bricks and yet want straw Exod. 5.7.8 and in what case may 〈◊〉 Ministers of the Gospell thinke themselves to 〈◊〉 that are to compose their whole number of Sermons and yet went bookes Such hath beene the mâ—ery of the parts of my acoustomary residence that not onely our goods within nor our cattell without our apparel to cloth us or our â—ands livings to seed us can suffice their insatiable inhuâ—nin and miserable ingluviousâ—essâ— but the very wealth of our callings the fruits of many cold winters and hot summers studies ouâ— books our maniscripts our whole Libraries are defâ—ced plundred I may not say stollen that is out of use burned or torâ—e in peices or for the honour those creatures give to the subject matter therein contained they use them to give fire to their Tobacco pipes or for worse offices In qualia incidimiu tempora was the complaint of the glory of the Roman language long agoe Lord into what manner of times are we saâ—â—en â—urely wee may use the words of the Prophet Lamentations 1.10 The enemy hath stretâ—hed out his hand over all our pleasant things and as for us we sigh and are in heavinâ—ssâ— whilst the present â—ries in the Church of God say like those of old Lament 1.16 Let us 〈…〉 certainely this is the day we looked for we have 〈◊〉 and seene it Oh but let our comfort be this God will certainely say to their wickednesse as to the waves of the Sea Iob 38.11 Hithert shalt thou come and no far her and here shall thy proud waves be stayed and call to mind this of the good Prophet Ieremiah in the great distresse of the Church of God Lam. 3.31 32. The Lord will not forsake for ever But though he send affliction yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies but I draw nearer the words of the text This Book in which lies the words of our text is stiled the Booke of Ezra and no doubt but was penned by him would you know who this Ezra was you may reade Chap. 7.12 He was a Priest a Scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven one that coppied out the Scripuâ—es and the Law of God revealed from Heaven a man inspired with the Spirit of God a pious man a famous instrument for the good of Gods Church and a great promoter of reedifying of the second Temple what the Prophet Ieremiah had foretold Ezra the Priest lives to see performed and that in a twofold respect First in regard of the returne out of the captivity of Babylon Secondly iâ— regard of the building of the second Temple for the returne of the captivity Ier. 29.10 After seaventy yeares be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you and porfor ne my good word towards you in causing you to reâ—urne to this plaoe yea and to that end that wicked men may see that it is no privilâ—dge to be an instrument of punishing the people of God Jeremy 25.1 at that time when J deliver you I will punish the King of Babylon and that Nation 〈…〉 their iniquity In the 〈…〉 long agoe and that the Nations may know that the words of the Prophets were not windâ— I will bring against that Laâ—d all that Ieremiah hath prophesied against it and against the Nations That returne I say which Ieremiah foretold Ezra lived to 〈◊〉 Ezra 2.1 Ezra 8.1 And some of those 〈◊〉 that went 〈◊〉 with Ezra Oyâ—â— may read of Ezra 7.6 7. Secondly for the building of the Temple you may read Ezra 1 1 2 3. foretold also by Isaiah Chapt 44. last that sayes of Cyrus he is my Shepheard and shall performe all my pleasure Even saying to Ierusalem Thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy foundation shall be land And 〈…〉 City and let goe my Captives not for 〈…〉 No 〈…〉 fold for 〈…〉 shall be 〈…〉 Naâ— he was so farre stcan taking any price 〈…〉 ward that he canfed much to be given to them Ezra 1.4 Whosoever remaines in any place where he 〈…〉 of his place 〈…〉 with 〈◊〉 and with gold with good 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 will offering for the House of God that is 〈…〉 This 〈…〉 that the heaâ—â—s of King◠〈…〉 the hand of God and what 〈…〉 they shall performe Secondly that he can make strangers to 〈◊〉 truth the favourers of his Church as 〈◊〉 to proâ—ate his honour Thirdly and lastly 〈…〉 they 〈◊〉 need to bring 〈…〉 God so over-rules the King of Persia that when the period of the persecution of Gods people is come they shall come out But after such a delivery as this sayes Ezra shall wee againe break his Commandements and after such a delivery 〈◊〉 shall we again break thy Commandements In the Text not we these five poynts First a gracious Commemoration Secondly a pious Interrogation Thirdly a particular Explication Fourthly an Expostulation Fiftly the effectâ— and they are two A gracious Commemoration And hath given us such 〈…〉 as this A pious Inter rogation Should we again break thy 〈◊〉 A particuler Explication And joyne in affinity with the people of these ab 〈◊〉 nations An Expostulation Woulast then not be angry The effects sollow The viewing of the fortâ—er should restrain us from the latter and Gods unspeakable mercy work upon our obdurancy Of these then in Order and first of the gracious Commemoration or the rehearsall of his gracious dealing with his people in giving them such deliverance as this And hath given us such deliverance as this In the Text mention is not onely made of a Deliverance but magnified with an emphasis of such a deliverance such deliverance as this Many a time did God deliver his people but such a deliverance as this ought to be of speciall notice Many a time God did deliver them as we may see in the Book of Iudges but yet which was such a deliverance as this The deliverance out of Egypt was a more miraculous deliverance but not such an easie and peacâ—able deliverance as this When God will punish it 's be that delivers into the hand of the enemy Iudg. 2.14 When Gods anger was hot after the death of Iâ—shua it was he that delivered them into the hand of the spoyler that spoyled them but when he
and what he will Ezra 1.1 The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia that hee made a Proclamation c. v. 3. Whosoever would go up to Ierusalem to build the Temple he might And Ezra 6.9 see how God stirred up the spirit of Darius to second this And Ezra 7.13 Artaxerxes had his heart also so wrought upon by God for his peoples good that he made a Decree in his time to the same end Thus you see in brevity how God gave such a deliverance as this And hath given us such deliverance as this This may teach us when we are in captivity prison or misery not to exclude Gods hand from working our happinesse If friends intercede yet are they stirred up of God It is he likewise that inclines the hearts of the Captivators to hearken to their requests over-ruling their spirits for his owne honour and his peoples peace so that we may say to such instruments as David to the widdow of Tikoab when he instructed her first and then imployed her for the reducing of Absolon into his fathers favour 2 Sam. 14.19 Is not the hand of Ioab with thee in all this So may we say is not the hand of god with you in all this And now from their such deliverance give me leave a little to looke upon our late deliverance which when we have discoursed a while we shall finde worthy an emphasis and a such deliverance too Concerning which take this halfe a dozen of poynts First the name of the enemy to whom in some places no lesse than a second Caesarian fortune veni vidi vici came viewed and overcame Some Dung-hill spirits and daunted hearts were vanquished with shewes never came to blowes the many advantages the enemy gained by treachery celerity and vigilancy made them looked upon by some as formidable Their Treachery breakes vowes promises and covenants as Sanpson did his threeds of Tow and so they may gaine their owne ends they conscience not the medinums but often use inhumane cruelty to a stooping and submitting enemy which one day shall more disadvantage their designes than all their policies have put them for ward Secondly Celerity seldome monething it upon any one designe or grazing their Quarters too low in any corner of the Kingdome but by swift motion visits one Countrey after another dividing the prey and taking the spoyle of what they never sweat for If any victory for our impiety it is approved to the utmost whence wee might surely learne something Thirdly and lastly their Vigilancy in scouting by horse and intelligence by foot which are the two eyes of an army to look into the very bowells of an enemy How advantagiously of late did they chuse out their ground upon which God would have them receive their overthrow no doubt more busied to finde out those than him How suddainly did their Allarme reach the enemy which put the chiefe Commanders to an hasty collection of their spirits how furious their first assault how gradually did god abate their pride It puts me in minde what I have read of the French that in the first onset they are more than men but ever after lesse than women God would let man see that an Arme of flesh could not prevaile against him Though in their presumption they thought to have devoured up all with open mouth but they sought against more than they saw not more than they felt against a Deity who made an impresse upon their impiety and was pleased to give his poore people victory against all their Treacherie Celerity and Vigilancy Secondly such a delivery if we consider their quantity But thiâ— wee cannot expresse punctually some relate 20000 some 23 thousand some much more but magnus minimus the least number great Yet was God pleased from all these to deliver us and as the Psalmist hath it When they would have eaten up our flesh they stumbled all fell and all the men whose hands were Mighty found nothing Thirdly such a delivery if we respect their quality men of sâ—ill men of will yea and men of ill too men of cruelty men of bloud men as yet not satiated with the bloud of the Saints many of them forraigne and savage beasts in the shapes of men others of them bloudy obstinate and malicious Papists who are glad to see the day they may be loosed out of their Collers to worry such as have for many yeares kept them in by the power of good Lawes yet themselves even then had small cause to complaine for they were layd upon them with a gentle hand but alas now who feeles not the misery of that undeserved clemency many others their associates strengthen their hands against them innocent and faithfull in the land whose consciences can assure them before that great Tribunall that they are forced to stand up as true English hearts for their lives for their liberties for their religion for their tender posterity that are but themselves renewed and should beare their names yet they will not see the bent of those to whom they associate but help unnaturally with fire and word to waste the land of their nativity the very heathen may rise up in judgement against them for this What though these tell us how they hate Popery and are as much for the Protestant Religion truely called Catholike as the best We may answer them in St. Austins words in another kind Verba quid audeo facta dum video to what end doe they give us such words when we see such deeds when they have imprisoned as many Masse Priests as they have done painfull Pastors and learned and godly Preachers and plundred as many Papists as they have robbed good Protestants and made as much roome for Sermons as they have made for sacrificing hisce peractis causam ventibabimus then we are willling to heare their plea till then they doe but surdo canere spend words upon us for their profession in vaine What though they be not so devoyd of reason as directly to ayme at that advance yet in directly and by consequence reason must nearer informe them â—hat that faction by their meanes cannot out be strengthned And what though they gaine a bubble of honour for themselves in their course yet their posterity would curse them for beslaving their liberty Isaiah 7.2 The Prophet tells us that Aram was joyned with Ephraim but now Ephraim is joyned with Aram for feare that Iudah should want spoyling Yet Isaiah 8.9 10. Mark what God said by his Prophet Gather together on heaps O yee people and ye shall be brokâ—n in pieces and hearken all yee farre Countries gird your selves and yee shall be broken to pieces gird your selves and yee shall be broken in pieces take councell together yet it shall be brought to nought pronounce a decree yet shall it not stand for God is with us Fourthly their resolution most of them being desperately wicked whom Sathan hath principled to make haste for hell there is no