these things and shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this Jer. 5.9 I might likewise here have shewn how that these things not only merit destruction but also are the immediate causes inlets and Instruments of that from which we chiefly fear our miseries I mean that Irreligion is the chief means to bring in Popery For when men are indifferent about Religion any Religion is alike to them supposing it comply with their corrupt inclinations and interests Now 't is likely they will soonest chuse that wherein they are deluded with hopes of sinning securely and yet dying happily 3. One thing that inhances a Nations sins and hastens their ruine is when they are persisted in after Judgments that God hath used to reclaim them It is clear that Incorrigibleness is in mens esteem an addition to other offences and renders the person unworthy of pity And to be sure it is thus in Gods esteem Amos 4.6 to 13. Englands case in many respects runs parallel with that of Israel beginning at the tenth verse May not God say to us I have sent among you the Pestilence after the manner of Egypt when my destroying Angel slew such multitudes in London and other places of the Nation Your young men have I slain with the sword In the late Civil wars I gave the Sword a Commission to destroy multitudes when Father was against the Son and the Son against the Father when there were so great confusions brought upon the Land when a pious King was cut off his Son exiled the Nobles debased the usurping government frequently changing that England being emptied from one Vessel to another might be purified from her dregs and yet she continues filthy and impure Besides the multitudes that have more lately been slain in wars with your Neighbours Yet have you not returned to me saith the Lord. Besides this that you might in one dreadful spectacle behold a monument of my wrath against sin I have wrought a thing that neither you nor your forefathers ever beheld nor could have expected I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha I made your City that was your pride and glory a desolation reduced that place to Ashes which made England admired envied and feared by her neighbours And may not God add yet have you not returned unto me 4. Another aggravation of a Nations sins is when they are committed against signal favours when we dare to offend him while he is loading us with his Benefits Moses frequently mentions mercies received as a strong obligation to the Israelites to obey him who had wrought such great things for them If God delivered them from bondage wrought mighty things for them in Egypt and at the Red Sea if he provided food for so great a multitude in a barren wilderness acted towards them as a nursing Father chose them for his peculiar people God justly expects a stricter obedience from them for whose sakes he had done all this And therefore afterwards God on this account aggravates their sins by his Prophets As Jer. 2.4 5 6. Now certainly if God ever dealt graciously towards a Nation he hath acted thus towards us and consequently we are a vile ungrateful people if we live in Rebellion against him Hath not God planted us in a fair place given us a Land flowing with milk and hony bestowed on us manifold Blessings which our own Country produces and by our shipping the Riches of other Nations Hath he not bestowed spiritual Blessings on us in a great measure that we have his Candlestick in the midst of us that we enjoy the Gospel so clearly preached that we are a Church so excellently reformed so as to reject the corruptions of Rome and yet to retain that Government which hath continued from the Apostolick Age Hath not God graciously delivered us from the designs of those who have endeavoured to reduce us under the Papal Tyranny and to introduce their corrupt doctrines and superstitious practices I might mention Gods bringing to light and disappointing the Plots laid against Queen Elizabeth and the Hellish conspiracy of the Powder-Traitors and other mercies of ancient date As also the deliverance of us from sad confusions by the happy restauration of our Gracious Sovereign But that which now chiefly challenges our observation is Gods discovery of the abominable traiterous designs of the Papists to murder the King and others that stood in their way and hence to subvert our Religion and Government And that God should discover this when it was so near taking effect We cannot but own these to be singular favours if we duly considered them and consequently our selves to be a wretched unworthy Nation if notwithstanding all these we go on to provoke that God who bestowed them on us 5. I might have named another circumstance or two which heighten a Nations Guilt viz. when sin is committed with an High hand and wickedness is impudent and bare-faced as also when the Guilt is universal when all ranks and degrees of men are degenerate But seeing this excellently handled by Dr. Stillingfleet in a Fast Sermon on 1 Sam. 12.14 15. as also I am not so well able to apply this as the former from my ignorance of the state of this Nation I leave others to consider whether a Spirit of Irreligion and contempt of what is Sacred hath not overspread the face of this Land and whether from hence many abominable practices which former Ages would have blushed at have not been boldly committed among us Lay all this together and we may conclude our Guilt is great and our fears of Punishment too well grounded When our sins are great and of such a nature as ordinarily provoke God to plague a Nation when committed notwithstanding former warnings and chastisements which he hath used to amend us when persisted in notwithstanding Gods signal favours which he hath vouchsafed to us to lead us to Repentance So that God may say to us as he did to the Jews Esay 5.4 5. What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done to it Wherefore when I looked it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes And now go to I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up And break down the wall thereof and it shall be trodden down And I will lay it waste Lastly when our Kingdom is so overspread with guilt and hardened in iniquity when they have as Isaiah speaks Chap. 5.3 made their faces harder than a rock and refused to return may we not expect that sentence to follow which is denounced ver 9. Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this 6. Though we have just ground to fear the wrath of God if we persist in our Rebellion against him yet withal we have sufficient ground to hope that if we
chiefly addressed to private Christians Such would I intreat both in their own persons to walk circumspectly and in reference to others to endeavour to reduce such as walk in sin and to train up such as are committed to their care in the fear of God and in the paths of Righteousness that they would teach their children what Religion that is and what the principles and precepts thereof are to which they were devoted in Baptism and withal what obligations they have to walk therein that they would restrain what vices they see in their children and both direct and incourage them in the practice of Piety This would tend to make the present and future generations happy But I shall conclude this with the words of Samuel 1 Sam. 12.20 to the last Verse Fear not ye have done all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart And turn ye not aside for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake Verse 24 25. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you But if ye shall still do wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your King As our Sins are just grounds of our Fears so likewise are our Divisions and breaches which I handle distinctly not as if they were not sins but because on many reasons they have a particular unhappy aspect on these Kingdoms And consequently II. Union Peace and Love are a chief means of averting the miseries we fear and securing the blessings which we now enjoy I shall endeavour to make this appear by considering what influence our Divisions and Animosities have upon our miseries and what reasons we have from hence to fear lest our Jesuitical Enemies should prevail against us And that 1. as they provoke Gods displeasure against us 2. and as they afford our Enemies so great advantages to hurt and destroy us 1. Our Divisions may justly provoke the God of love and the Prince of peace to be displeased at us in that we find him so frequently and earnestly pressing us to seek peace and ensue it and as much as in us lieth to live peaceably with all men Rom. 12.18 In that he represents that wisdom that is from above as first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated without partiality Jam. 3.17 When likewise we find in his word that love joy or rejoycing in others good peace long-suffering gentleness goodness are fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Whereas on the other side Hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings are called the works of the flesh Verse 20 21. When withal we find Loving one another made a Character of Christs disciples John 13.35 and those that separate themselves are joyned with such as are sensual and that have not the Spirit Jude 19. Now can we imagine that God should act with that kindness which he shews to his obedient Servants towards those who disobey his strict command of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Or vouchsafe those favours which belong to his people to such as walk contrary to the Spirit of Christianity Strife Contention and Divisions proceed from the Devil who hath his names in the sacred languages of Satan and Diabolus from his Enmity to mankind and his false accusing of Gods people And if it be too severe to make Hell the rise of these things yet to be sure they proceed from the worst thing on Earth viz. mens Lusts Jam. 4.1 Now can we suppose that God will own those for his people or have regard unto their prayers who do the works of the Devil and indulge themselves in the works of the flesh Have we ground to hope that God will hear us when we present our supplications for our King and those that are in authority under him that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty when we do not lift up pure hands to God without wrath and debates 1 Tim. 2.8 No we are so far from having reason to expect Gods favour that we have just ground to fear that God will deliver us up to suffer in the same cause under the same Enemies that then at least we may learn to lay aside our animosities As it happened in the differences betwixt those two eminent Bishops and fellow-sufferers in Queen Maries days Ridley and Hooper 2. Our Divisions afford our Enemies great advantages against us It is an ordinary but yet withal a true observation that civil discords have done more to ruine Nations than foreign invasions However that from hence Enemies have been incouraged to invade such as are before weakned and prepared for slavery such who are so heated against each other that they will not unite though for their common safety This is particularly observed by Tacitus a grave Historian in vitâ J. Agric. how the ancient inhabitants of this Nation became subjected to the Romans Non aliud adversus validissimas gentes pro nobis utilius quam quod in commune non consulunt Nothing more helped the Romans to overthrow the valiant Britains than their not agreeing among themselves for the common interest I wish some of our Brethren who pretend to be the greatest Enemies of the Roman Religion and decry all they dislike in the Polity of our Church as Popish would seriously consider what the consequence of their Zeal is like to be while carried forth in opposing them who are equally concerned with themselves to oppose that common Enemy Nay I wish all sorts of men among us who hate the corruptions and usurpations of Rome would consider this so as to abate their heats towards each other to study those things which make for peace and union and heartily endeavour so far as lies in their power the healing of our breaches lest we become surprized amidst our divisions and Britany which God prevent be once again brought under the Romish yoke It hath been long thought and is now more manifest that the hand of the Jesuite is in all our divisions They send their Emissaries to personate sometimes one party sometimes another hereby to increase our flames to heighten our distractions and to weaken the Protestant interest that hence they may the more easily prevail against us The discovery of the late horrid Plot hath brought to light their devices of this kind how the Jesuits have interested themselves in our feuds and as Preachers among dissenters have animated them against the established government and they knew if they could effect this we should with greater ease become a Prey to their teeth Further it is well known how they make use of our Divisions to perswade persons to their communion where if they may be believed is nothing but union and concord and not only so but the readiest
the whole Church of God in all Ages and places from the Apostles time or however the next Ages after them have used Forms and Liturgies till some few of late among our selves have condemned them How Protestant Churches beyond the Seas use them is too well known to be here insisted on About this therefore I would only intreat you to consider 1. whether any Christian when he begs Gods blessing on his meat in the same words he hath used formerly or renders thanks to God after his meals in that form or those expressions he hath aforetime used is he for this guilty of sinning against God This must follow if the use of Forms of Prayer be sinful 2. If our Non-conforming Brethren use the same expressions or the same method doth this involve them in guilt 3. Consider if Forms be unlawful it is impossible that Christians should joyn together in the same publick Prayers to God in that whatever Prayer is uttered though it be extempore in reference to him that speaks it yet it is a Form to them that joyn with him therein they being tied up to his words It will not be enough for any to make this a plea for their Separation that it is required of Ministers to use the Surplice and the Cross after Baptism supposing they are not satisfied of the lawfulness of them much less those Declarations and Subscriptions which are required of Ministers For though these are required in order to the Exercising of their Ministry yet are they not required as Conditions of communion with us Hence our Non-conforming Brethren may acquit themselves to God and their own Consciences if upon sincere endeavours used they cannot satisfie their judgments to do those things and therefore lay aside the exercise of their Ministry Nay further this is enough to cause us to judge and act charitably towards them while we find them in other things conscientiously submitting to authority I will further add that when we find many such this should cause us to desire if it may seem good to our Superiours that some means might be contrived for the admittance of such to the Exercise of their Ministerial Function Yet on the other side when those Subscriptions c are not required of them as conditions of Communion with us this cannot justifie them or any other private Christians in their separating from our Assemblies much less in their setting up congregations in opposition to ours If our Brethrens Consciences will not permit them to Subscribe c. doth their Consciences forbid them to joyn in our Prayers however to attend on the Preaching of our Ministers in order to which no such condition is required of them Having a little gone beyond my first intentions viz. to speak only to private Christians I will take leave briefly to answer one Objection that is made in behalf of our Non-conforming Brethren If we should do thus we must hide our Talents in a Napkin live unsuitably to that office we are called to be unprofitable and unserviceable in our Generation In answer to this I will not repeat what Non-conformists have in this case answered when urged by the Brownists especially that published by Mr. Rathband and recited in the Second Part of the Friendly Debate pag. 183. That the Bishops act is the act of the Church that it lies in them to depose that may ordain c. But this I say first that as many have so more might improve their abilities to the advantage of Gods Church by their useful writings others might be highly beneficial if in their private converse they instructed the ignorant resolved the doubts of them that are under scruples of Conscience and the like pious offices which they are not forbidden by the Law 2. I add supposing our Superiours permit it they might preach publickly in some parts of this Kingdom which are ill-provided with Ministers as I have heard of a worthy person who thus imploys himself in Wales and not in great places that are well furnished with Preachers As their preaching in such places might be beneficial so their undertaking would be approved by most connived at by all 3. If they preach in other places is there any necessity in order to the imploying their gifts that they preach at those times when our publick Assemblies are held for Gods worship or are they hence constrained to set up Congregations in opposition to ours If God require of them to preach the Gospel doth he also require of them that they should by their practice oppose and defie the Congregations of Gods people that are legally established Lastly cannot they use their Talent of preaching without administring the Sacraments in anothers charge and without withdrawing members from the flocks of others I am sure the old Non-conformists abhorred these practices and condemned them in the Brownists And we know who were offended at such things in later days when they were Ministers of Parochial Churches I wish they would consider whether those Arguments they then used against others be not now of like force against themselves But leaving this digression I return to the Pleas which people make for their Separation And here I again say that when there are no Declarations or Subscriptions required of private Christians as conditions of their Communion these things are unjustly urged as Reasons of their Separation As also the pretence of the Surplice when that is not to be worn by you nor the Cross after Baptism to be used by you how can these then be grounds for you to forsake us As for Kneeling at the Lords Supper I know indeed this is required as a gesture in that Ordinance but certainly unjustly excepted against For what Law of God forbids this or requires any other gesture If Christs example obliges us it equally obliges us to celebrate the Ordinance after Supper in an upper room and cloathed with a seamless Coat If we are obliged by Christs Example then we are tied to the particular gesture which Christ used and that was the Tricliniary gesture lying on a bed c. As for those that except against this Gesture as if herein we complied with the Papists in adoring the Host these persons if learned speak against their own knowledge in that the adoration the Papists pay to the Eucharist is their falling down when the Priest lifts up the Host in the Consecration of it when withal the Church of England professes in the Rubrick at the end of the Communion Service that this is only meant for an humble and grateful acknowledgment of the Benefits of Christ And declares that thereby no adoration is intended or ought to be done either unto the Sacramental Bread and Wine there bodily received or unto any corporal presence of Christs natural Flesh and Bloud that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians Read the rest I will only speak to one thing more which is the chief ground why many well-meaning persons desert us We can profit more