the whole earth And is this matter for you to scorn at Let me further tell you that please your selves in a scornfull spirit and in the out-going of it that delight your selves in your scorning and will not turn at Gods reproof by his Word and by his judgements by both which he loudly cals but ye refuse to answer he stretches out his hand but you will not regard but set at naught all his counsels and will none of his reproofs He also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your feare cometh Prov. 1. 24. and so forward and know as the Lord speaks by his Prophet Ezekiel chap. 7. These things have a reality in them and are not as an eccho the sounding againe of the mountaines While I am declaiming against such a Generation of men as is before mentioned I see cause to be under such a sad seizure as was holy David who gives us this account of himself Psalm 55. Psalm 119. Fearfulness and trembling did come upon him that horrour had taken hold of him and overwhelmed him and wherefore all this what was it that troubled him he tells us it was because of the wicked that had forsaken Gods Law By the way observe what a contrary spirit most men yea men professing Godliness are possessed with and acted by that can see and hear the abominable impieties committed in the Land and not be moved at all and is it not almost grown quite out of fashion to lay to heart other mens sins and high horrid provocations they think its well if they take any notice of their own but this is it I drive at It may well raise up wonder and astonishment to consider that any such persons should be found in this Nation after such a time of Gospel Light and Grace and plentifull means of Salvation which one might think would have levened the land all over and Sainted the whole Kingdom and as after such means so under such dispensations as at this day are ordered out that should bear so high and drive so desperately so furiously as many do in City and Country carring as if they would dare God to his face make a challenge to him and as it s said in Job 15. 20. They stretch out their hands against God and strengthen themselves against the Almighty they run upon him even on his neck upon the thick bosses of his bucklers such are men of high dareing spirits I should think it would do well for them to take up a little and when they are in their fullest career to make a stop and pause somewhat of consideration and moderation would not do amiss nor would I ever wish a man to provoke the Lord unless he first be sure of this that he is stronger then he for so the Apostle Paul argues 1 Cor. 10. 22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie are we stronger then he I would wish such kinde of persons to consider o◠Pharoachs case and Gods expostulation with him Exod 9. 17. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people I will smite thee and thy people with pestilence c. If any shall reply and say but wha◠occasion is there thus to speak I answer it well known observed what cruel actings there are at this day on the part of under-officer against their fellow subjects such as perhaps hi◠Majesty and the Parliament would not so well like of as being supra statutum and that to a high degree But what is the day and dispensations of it that w◠speak of I answer It is not the day of Judgment the Doctrine whereof is the terrour of the Lord 2 Cor. 5. Concerning which I have often thought that arming our selves with that and other weapons of our spiritual Warfare which are not Carnal but Mighty through God we may be bold to encounter and graple with the proudest and stoutest of the sons of men upon the earth This Terrour of the Lord is that which where it comes in the power of it upon a defiled Conscience will make a man to be a Magor Missa bib i. e. a terrour to himself as Jeremiah speak Chap. This day of Judgment we all ought to be perswaded of and to be in a daily expectation of and preparation for But though this present day be not the day of Judgment yet it is a day of Judgment and many Preludiums there are both in Scripture and in the course of Providence which we may look upon as anticipations of that Great and Terrible day We have somthing signified to such a purpose in Psal 50. 3 4 5. verses Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devoure before him and it shall be very tempestious round about him He shall call to the heavens from above and to the earth that he may judg his people Gather my Saints together unto me those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice Where the Lord calls upon the sons of men from one end of the earth to the other and makes a general citation of them to gather themselves together he himself being upon a solemn appearance with devouring fire As for the present day I call it a day of Judgment the Lord whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem Esai 31. 9. hath kindled his fire and is heating his Furnace in England and London its good for us to strike while the Iron is hot we may be guided so to strike as that our Iron may be turned into Gold and by means of this firy furnace well improved many rusty Vessels may come forth as Vessels for the finer and fitted for the masters use We have these latter years had an account of many terrible Apparitions and Prodigies and other stupendious acts of providence which have caused much amazment and amuzment for the present But the impression of them are almost quite worn out the remembrance of them is past and gone and we are yet to seek as to a genuine interpretation of them There is Mistery Christ Mistery Gospel Mistery Zion Mistery Godliness Mistery Sin Mistery Babylon so is th Mistery Providence that God that hath his way in the Sanctuary hath his way in the Sea and his paths in the great Deeps and his footsteps are not known Psalm 77. the scriptures have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is things hard to be understood so hath the book of Providence there are Misterious Texts in it the holy Prophet found it so Psalm 73. It was dolor in Oculis in the study of which his eyes were made to water his head and heart to ake again And perceiving how apt he was to run upon dangerous mistakes he calls himself a Behemoth a foul beast and acknowledging his Ignorance and folly recovers himself and sees it to be his best course to draw neer to God and so he did and found the benefit and comfort of it to his dying day The sword of Warr hath lately been drawn and
shall be peace exactors righteousness and very much to that purpose the whole chapter is full of marrow and fatness it drops like the dropping of a honey comb the 21. and 22. Chapters of the Revelations also speak at a very high rate and tell us of new Jerusalem comming down from heaven as a bride made ready for her husband Of a City that shall be of a glorious constitution and that all things shall be made new and very much to this purpose which I conceive doth as the other passages before mentioned referr to a state in this life I cannot but mention the second of Peter chap. 3. We according to his promise look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness and scripture which I have cause to remember with a most thankfull acknowledgment of a mercifull providence ordered out to my self When I had preached over the whole Chapter to that Verse and had ingaged to the verse and preached one Sermon upon it and had a more numerous multitude of Auditors Ministers and others then ordinary upon the account of the Argument which the Text led me unto After I had preached that Sermon which was at seven of the clock in the morning of the Lords-Day according to my ordinary course that very day there was some disturbance in the City and it is known what was performed by them and what after proceeding there was on the part of the Powers then in being ingaged I then was to the prosecution of the Text the next Lords day it was apprehended that it was no way safe for me to proceed in the discourse but that it was my wisest course either wholy to wave it or at least to intermitt the prosecution of it for a time I disputed the matter within my self commended my cause to God in a way of Prayer and thereupon I judged thus that if I should baulke my Text which I had handled in part and was falln upon in course having preached upon the whole foregoing part of the Chapter I should do great disservice to my Lord and Master and cast the whole Congregation under disappointment which would expect to hear what I had further to say upon the point and it would turn to my prejudice so to do I brake by the help of grace the force of the temptation proceeded in my course gave some tollerable satisfaction to my Auditors had some good approbation of my Labour and all was well very well I had peace the people profit but this by way of digression For the apprehension and opinion concerning a more glorious State of the Church here on earth I own it and conceive that the Scriptures alleadged with multitudes more give abundant ground for it For the opinion concerning the Thousand Years and the personal reign of Christ I know it hath great patronage from learned and godly men Others are of a different apprehension and judg it to be more proper to interpret the fore alleadged Scriptures of a glorious estate in the world to come In the heaven of glory I mean Whatever the difference between them be and however the interpretation proceeds I wish there may be no litigant spirit among the learned and godly concerning it knowing that it is Melius dubitare de occultis quà m litigare de incertis as was the speech of Austin of old and whatever our expectations be whether of a more glorious estate here on earth or of a perfect estate of glory in heaven let you and me set our hearts to make the best preparation we can for the appearance of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ and that we may appear with some suteableness to the future productions of former predictions for may we not think there will be occasion to say with respect to the performan ce of these things which are purposed concerning the Church of God in a way of mercy and grace and to cry out as Balaam did with respect unto dreadfull productions in a way of judgment and severity as in Numbers 22 23. alas who shall live when God doth this and what will it avail us to see new Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a bride in her beauty and bravery and our selves found in a state of deformity and beggery in rotten raggs to have New Jerusalems Lâ—ght and Glory breaking out and have neither eye to see it nor shoulders to bear up under the weight of it to have all things made new and nothing of newness of heart to have the marriage of the Lamb kept and we no wedding garments to be found on us There is a letter lately come forth to publick view bearing the Earl of Marleboroughs name which I had an account of by a manuscript I hear it is now in Print whether with any variations and amplification I cannot say what I heard I judged Primo auditu to be Verbum Scriptum viro nobili dignum he therein asserting pleading the reallity substantiality of Religion and Godliness which many too many at this day most impudently insolently audaciously in suam perniciem give judgment upon as a meer fancy and humane device as if that Athistical spirit had a stamp of truth upon it Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor fear and fancy have given the first being to God and Religion and so they sleight it disgust it decry it making nothing of it O! Monsters of men in quibus ne mica sanae mentis ne granum salis men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith as Paul speaks is it not my friends a time for God to work when men make void his Law Psalm 119. and not onely his Law his Institutions and appointments but himself and his very being too Is it not time for God to appear and awake to Judgment after a long time of silence and his seeming to be a sleep to vindicate and plead his Name his Cause his World his Worships as now he hath begun to do no wonder that at this day he answer us out of the Whirl-winde as he did his servant Job who had made a little too bold with God that now he hath drawn his Sword and bent his Bow put his Arrows upon the string and let them fly on every side and what would we have him to do tell me my friends for I would be willing to know what entertainment this Letter of the Earls finds how it takes on one side or other especially on the part of the Grandees Gentry what judgment they make of it and whether it be a Ludibrium or a Documentum a matter of scorn or a Scholiast by which they are willing to be animadverted upon both as to their persons and manners whether they slight it and set light by it as stramineuâ— quid stercorcum quid the issue of a fanatick friendlike brain or to be solid and judicious of a profitable improvment and such as hath a tendencie to move and provoke men to consider more seriously of
ye must have heaven come down from God out of heaven here in grace and holiness or else you shall never come into heaven after you go out of this World Wicked men and unbelievers begin their hell here in the sinfull part of it and hereafter they shall have their hell compleated in the suffering and tormenting part of it so on the other hand godly persons begins their heaven here in the gracious part of it and then the glorious part is superadded hereafter and it is but the parting with a little breath and the sending out that it s but the knocking down of a weak mud wall and the impenitent sinner oh miserable he will have his hell compleated The godly believer oh blessed he will have his heaven compleated and both one and other be in a standing condition such as shall never know nor admitt of changes to all eternity there is no such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 between heaven and earth but that there may be an entercourse and converse now but there is a vast gulf between heaven and hell Luke 16. and whereas I speak of eternal life begun here I say it is by the means of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which must be understood spiritually and spiritually performed not in the Letter but in the Mystery We must not here Terrenum concipere it s the spirit that quickens the flesh profits nothing I am of this belief and perswasion that if a man that was present at the Crucifying the Lord of Life had gotten a piece of his holy flesh and eaten it and catcht some of his blood and drunk it down it would have profited him nothing as to his Souls condition and the concernments thereof but that by the way I have been and am perswading to look to the main to minde and make after real and substantial godliness and to be cordial to it I presse it still deal not complementally with it and in the way of Courtship make it your main business and not as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a matter by the by and be sure that it be commander in chief and so it must and will be or it will be nothing it s of too noble and generous a nature to be an underling to any man or to any mans lusts in the world be he who he will and while I urge and press godliness I would have old godliness considered of and owned I mean Abels godliness and Enocks godliness and Abrahams godliness which was as good godliness as ever was in the world let us think it no scorn to be commanded by their examples to write after their coppy Let us not be sloathfull but followers of the holy Patriarchs that by Faith and Patience inherit the promises Concordet vita mea cum Patriarchis maneat in Eternum anima mea Compatriarchis only look diligently with all possible care to this that we be not mistaken about godliness for its a much mistaken thing in the world and the mistakes about it though very common yet are they of most dangerous consequence and will be found so to be ere it be long let you and I walk before God as Enock and Abraham did in the humility and integrity of our hearts and keep close to him while others study sinfull and unwarrantable latitudes and walke at a losse Be we carefull that whatever the times be we never be the worse for them nor they the worse for us that it may not be said of us as of Judah of old Hosea 11. verse 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies and the house of Israel with deceit but Judah yet ruleth with God and is faithfull with the Saints This is the way to bring a blessing upon us and let times and providences be what they will it shall go well with us if greater storms and tempests arise upon us then ever yet our eyes beheld in respect of mans actings we shall have a weather-shoare a shelter a hiding place a refuge a chamber of retirement let Gods appearances be never so formidable and dreadfull God will be the hope of his people and Godlinesse and a good conscience will befriend them to purpose and make them sing like birds of Paradice when others shall houle and lament for the misery that will come upon them being cast under a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation that shall devoure the adversary And to the honour of godliness be it spoken the beauty and benefit of it is never more seen and found then in times of publick Calamity and days of Vengeance Consider what our Saviour speaks in Luke 21. 25. And there shall be signes in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars and upon the earth distresse of Nations with perplexity the Sea and the Waves roaring Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth For the powers of heaven shall be shaken c. When these things begin to come to passe what then then even then look you up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draws nigh The acceptable year of the Lord and the day of Vengeance of our God are joyned together Esai 61. When Vengeance comes upon the Wicked then is God in suo bene placito then is he in his fullest complacency The Psalmist tells us Psalm 58 The Righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance Esa 66. 5. Your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my names sake said let the Lord be glorified but for what I marvel what for hating their Brethren and casting them out O bona causa But what follows he shall appear for your joy and they shall be ashamed my servants saith the Lord shall eat and ye shall be hungry my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty my servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed my servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall houle for vexation of spirit chap. 65. verse 13. When was it that those Caelicolae the much people in heaven voiced out their Hallelujahs and the sour and twenty Elders consorted with them and said Amen Hallelujah but when the smoak of Babylon and her Torments ascended for ever and ever and upon the beholding of which the Kings and Merchants of the earth Cry out alasse alasse that Great City Babylon that mighty City for in one hour is thy judgment come It is as I hinted to you before a day of Judgment and terrible appearance of God amongst us in the way of Pestilence and what would we have God to do would we have him always to be silent and sit still in heaven as one that takes no Cognisance of what is done on earth and not sensible in the least of all the provocations wherewith he hath been provoked to his face from day to day such apprehensions and athiestical conceits have possessed the
minds of others of old Ezek. 8 verse 12. for they say the Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the earth The like we have in Psalm 94. verse 6. 7. They break in pieces thy people O Lord and afflict thy herritage Yet they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it Would ye have the Mighty and most holy Jehovah so to un God himself with Reverence be it spoken and so to carry as if he had cast off the Government of the World and regarded not which end went forward or as if he were now grown old and impotent disabled for mannaging affairs as formerly or such a God as Elijah in way of holy Sarcasm and Scoffingly propounds Baal to be 1 King 18. v. 27. Cry aloud for he is a God either he is talking or he is pursuing or he is in a Journey or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked surely there is no gracious spirit in the World can endure that the most blessed God should be under such reproach and scorn but rather that he should awake up and shew himself in a way of vindication of his own name and glory which is better then all the Angels and men in the world The Church of old hath made lively discovery of an excellent spirit to such a purpose Psalm 94. verse 1. O Lord God to whom Vengeance belongs O God to whom vengeance belongs shew thy self Esai 60. verse 1 2. Ob that thou wouldest rent the heavens that thou wouldest câ—me down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence As when the melting fire burneth the fire causeth the waters to boyle and wherefore all this mark what follows to make thy name known to thine adversaries that the nations may tremble at thy presence And let God alone to plead his own cause be sure he will look to his name and glory mark what he speaks by the prophet Psalm 50. v. 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes So likewise the Prophet Isaiah chap. 4â— ver 13 14. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man he shall stir up jealousie like a man of War he shall cry yea roar he shall prevail against his enemies I have long time holden my peace I have been still and refrained myself Now will I cry like a travelling woman I will destroy and devour at once So that a man shall say verily there is a reward for the righteous he that seeth cause so to say shall see a like cause to say as verily there is a reward for the wicked even as verily as there is a God that judgeth the Earth Psalm 58. 11. We have somwhat of Justification hereof at this day among our selves the sword of Pestilence as I said before is wakened and the terrible God is causing his terrour to manifest it self the great men of the earth do reckon it to their honour to appear very formidable and dreadfull and to raise up and cause their terrour to be known in their Dominions and to those that are under their Government We finde in Ezekiel chap. 32. That five or six times in few verses it is thus expressed Such and such caused their terrour in the Land of the living but at last themselves were brought to the pit and slain with the Sword uncircumcised as they were and while they had their swords under their heads they had their iniquities upon their bones verse 27. and then this account is given of them the terrible God who sometimes manifests himself terrible to Kings and Princes and Nations he comes in speaking thus verse 32. I have caused my terrour as if he had said they have taken their times and turns to shew themselves terrible and I will take my time with them and make it appear that I can cause as much terrour as any of them God can carry and act as men do excepting their sinfull actings as in the 18. Psalm With the mercifull thou wilt shew thy self mercifull with the upright thou wilt shew thy self upright with the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure with the meek thou wilt shew thy self meek with the humble thou wilt shew thy self humble But with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward and with the terrible thou wilt shew thy self terrible The Lord carries at this day as if he had seen and heard somthing I referr to that expression in Zechariah chap. 9. v. 8. when the Lord speaks by the Prophet thus I will encamp about my house c. for now have I seen with mine eyes Surely God hath seen somwhat that is not very gratefull to him for it is now more then the burthen of the word of the Lord no It s the burden of the wrath and judgment of the Lord not in the denunciation of it but in the execution of it I have signified in part already what is the proper work for us all in such a day and I am now turnd upon the same point again And what if it be as of old according to what the Prophet Esaiah speaks Precept upon precept line upon line here a little and there a little You my dear Friends and others with you will not be offended and as for others be they who they will that are curious captious and critical if any such should come to the view hereof If they be not pleased I passe not nor shall I be displeased I am at a point I 'le trouble them as little as I can and it may be never more in this kind If you and the rest to whom this is intended accept and reap any benefit by what I have performed for your sake in a paraenetical and perswasory way it is enough for me I have my ayme Our common work besides other is to pray but for what That God would remove his heavy stroake true but with all that he would sanctifie it and do us much good by it knowing that Covenant affliction and Judgments sanctified are better much better then common mercies Pray that God would purge away our Drosse and take away our Tinn what there is of drosse in point of Doctrine Discipline and Worship and Morals and in our own hearts that he would purge all this away Pray that the Plaister may lye on till in some measure it hath eaten out proud excrescences Fruit of Judgments is better then freedom from them There are it seems some hopes at the present while I am Writing that the strength of the storm is over that there will be a great abatement this week and so for the future And it s said that our busie Astrologers who I wish do not make too bold with God encourage this hope I would say as Jeremiah speaks concerning the vessels of the Temple when Hananiah the son of Azur the Prophet which was in Gibeon spake unto him in