may be though God haue this Office of an vniuersall Iudge ouer all the world yet this Circuit is so large that he wants Power or Meanes fully to execute it This cannot be imagined the contrary so euidently appeares thorough the whole Scripture Gen. 6.12 When all flesh had corrupted their waies vpon earth an end of all flesh is presently determined by the Iudge of heauen and the whole world is sentenced to be drowned and the sentence is as easily executed as if it had beene pronounced but against some one particular man Gen. 18. When the crie of Sodome and Gomorrah had pierced the heauens God adiudged them to be burned with fire and brimstone and presently he rained fire and brimstone vpon their heads I will not trouble you with heaping vp more examples of Gods power in this kinde I had rather stirre you vp to feare and obedience vpon consideration of the vnresistable power of this Supreame and Vniuersall Iudge Shall the Lyon roare and shall not the beasts of the field quake Shall the great ludge of heauen threaten vengeance against rebellious sinners and shall not dust and ashes fall downe at his feete and humbly sue for mercy Shall the Diuell himselfe vpon the knowledge of Gods supreame Iudiciary power beleeue and tremble and shall men more Diuelish then the Diuell beleeue God to be an Omnipotent Lord and Vniuersall Iudge and yet neuer tremble at the matter It were hard to thinke there were any such Gyants in the world who durst fight against God and despise both the Office and Power of this Soueraigne Lord and Vniuersall Iudge but that wee see them daily with our eyes and heare them with our eares Is not the strong Churh-robber one of these Gyants who dares openly say Psal 83. Come let vs take the houses of God into possession neuer fearing that which followes O my God make them like a wheele and like stubble before the winde Is not the abominable swearer one of these Gyants who dares tosse and tumble the reuerend name of God in his foule mouth though God haue threatned that for such irreligious oathes the land shall mourne Is not euery filthy fornicator euery beastly drunkard and in a word euery shamelesse and daring sinner of the race of these Gyants who knowing and confessing that this great Iudge hath already passed a sentence of death against these sinnes 1 Cor. 6.9 yet sport themselues with them and gibe at the Iudge himselfe Iush the Lord shall not see it neither will the God of Iacob regard it But I hope there is none heere of this rebellious rout nay I hope euery man heere present is in all humility obedience ready to say vnto this great Lord and Iudge as the Israelites doe in the Text. Behold wee come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God And now let vs passe from the Generall Motiue vnto the more speciall in the two last words Our God Our God The former Motiue was common to the Israelites with all other nations for God is the Creator Protector and Iudge of all men but this is proper vnto them as they made the Body of Gods visible Church for it is the Church alone which can challenge God by peculiar right to bee her God And this shee may doe in a double respect Iure confederationis Iure redemptionis By right of Couenant or confederation and by right of Ransome or Redemption First by right of Couenant established betwixt God and the seed of Abraham I will establish my Couenant betwixt mee and thee Gen. 17.7 Verse 10. and thy seed after thee And for further ratification of this couenant God would needs haue the seale of circumcision put vnto it If this bee not enough God ouer and aboue hath confirmed it Ezek. 16.8 by swearing thereunto I sware vnto thee and entred into a couenant with thee and thou becamest mine In respect of this speciall Couenant God claimed the lewes for his speciall inheritance peculiar people and they challenged him for Their God in a more speciall manner then all the world besides could doe Now as God was by a speciall couenant God of the Iewes vnder the Old Testament so now he is become God of the Christians vnder the New Our Baptisme is the sealing of this Couenant wherein the blessed Trinity Father Sonne and Holy Ghost receiue the party Baptized into speciall fauour and protection and the party there indents with the same blessed Trinity so soone as he shall come to vnderstand this Couenant presently to forsake the Diuell and all his workes constantly to beleeue Gods holy Word and obediently to keepe his commandements Now I haue shewed the Nature and quality of this Couenant which then warranted the Israelites and now warrants vs Christians to call God Our God let vs consider how forcible it is or ought to be to draw vs all vnto obedience First this very Couenant must put vs in minde of obedience because otherwise wee loose the Benefit there of for not Taking hold of the said Couenant Chap. 56. Verse 4. The Prophet Esay hath taught vs that the keeping of Gods commandement and chusing the things that please him is the very taking hold of this Couenant and therefore it will follow from the contrary that he despising of Gods Commandements and doing those things which he hates is the loosing of this hold Againe we are farther to consider that all our happines or vnhappines in this life and after this life depends vpon the keeping or breaking of this Couenant Esay 1.19 If yee will consent and obey you shall eat the good things of the land But if you will not obey Leuit. 26. Verse 15. but despise mine Ordinances and breake my Couenant then I will set my face against you c. It is a Chapter worthy of our most diligent perusall For in it as in a glasse we may cleerely see how it comes about that we the people of this Land who were sometimes crowned with all Gods blessings begin of late to be stripped out of them one after another and are in danger of being depriued of them all We may likewise see from whence it comes that wee haue beene consumed at home with plague pestilence that abroad wee haue fallen before the sword of the enemy in these and all other iudgements which haue or shall light vpon vs we must take notice of Our God Leuit. 26. Verse 25. as auenging the quarrel of his Couenant What quarrell can God haue against vs about this Couenant He hath a double quarrell First for our Hypocrisie in that wee call him Our God and make shew as if we were his peculiar people in that we call him Our Father and pretend that wee are his true children and yet in the meane time wee will neither serue him as Our God nor loue him as Our Father Ieremie 3. Verse 19. It is Gods agreement with his people Thou shalt
call mee saying My Father and shalt not turne from me He that will needs call God Father and yet will turne away from him in the course of his wicked life If God call him sonne it will be no more to his comfort then when Abraham said to the glutton in hell Sonne Luke 16. Remember that thou in thy life time tookest thy sinnefull pleasures and therefore now thou must be content to vndergoe eternall torments But yet God hath a farther quarrell against these Couenant breakers and that is not only for their hypocrisie but for their plaine treacherie For as if it were not bad enough to forget the Couenant established betwixt God and them they most traiterously account Heb. 10. Verse 29. the bloud of this Couenant as an vnholy thing and make a new confederacy with Gods knowne enemies the world the flesh and the diuell They shame not to boast and brag of this their new league Esay 28.15 We haue made a Couenant with death and with Hell we are at an agreement But let euery man that by vertue of the Couenant calls God his God detest all by pocrisie abhor all treachery and remember that his happinesse depends not vpon the entring into a Couenant with God but vpon the true keeping of the Couenant And for the more effectuall stirring vp of euery man here present to repentance and newnes of life according to the tenor of the Couenant I wil adde this one thing That whatsoeuer our carriage hitherto hath been this very Couenant may assure vs that Our God and Our Father neither will nor can refuse gratiously to accept vs into fauour vpon our submission and amendment He is ingaged by speciall promise 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people among whom my name is called vpon doe humble themselues and turne from their wicked waies then will I heare in heauen and be mercifull to their sinne August and heale their land Promissa haec tua sunt quis falli timeat cum promittu ipsa Veritas These are thy promises O Lord and who needs doubt the performance where Truth it selfe makes the Promise But if any man should doubt whether this Promise be strong enough to binde God to accept the submission of a rebellious seruant yet there is no doubt but his tender fatherly affection is strong enough to make him accept the submission of a Repenting Childe Ier. 3.14 Ephraim is my deare sonne therefore my bowels are troubled for him and I will surely haue compassion vpon him saith the Lord. Let vs therefore now at last come vnto our God with humble lowly and penitent hearts and then wee shall speede no worse then the Prodigall childe did That is our louing Father will haue compassion vpon vs hee will run and fall vpon our neckes Luk. 15.20 hee will kisse vs and put the best Robe euen the rich Robe of his wel-beloued Sonnes righteousnes vpon vs. There remaines the other title of Redemption to be briefly touched in regard whereof the Israelites terme God their God and on the other side God also termeth them his peculiar people And this Redemption was twofold God was called their Strong Redeemer and they were stiled the people whom God had Redeemed in regard of that famous and miraculous deliuerance out of the Egyptian thraldome God esteemed this Temporall and Corporall redemption so great a benefit and so forcible an inducement to Obedience that hee thought it fit to bee ingrauen in the forefront of his ten Commandements Yet this is not it which I purpose now to insist vpon There is therefore another Redemption wrought by the bloudy Passion of the Messias obscurely represented in the Leuiticall Sacrifices more plainly described by the Prophets but most euidently painted out vnto vs by the holy Apostles This is our Spirituall and eternall Redemption whereby we are redeemed out of the lawes of the diuell from eternall Death and Damnation of body and soule which otherwise we must haue vndergone indured world without end Now albeit the Generall Power of this redemption extend it selfe vnto the whole world yet the Declaration Application thereof belongs in speciall manner vnto the Church therefore it is the Church which out of this respect calls God her God and it is likewise the Church which for this cause God owns as his peculiar people This is the Redemption whereof euery member of the church ought with holy Iob to take speciall notice Scio quod Redemptor meus viuit Iob 19. I know that my Redeemer liueth And not onely so but I know that this my Redeemer hath ransomed both my body and soule not with gold or siluer but with his owne precious bloud 1 Cor. 6.20 to the end that being thus Bought with a price I may glorifie him both in body and soule If all which hath beene formerly vrged cannot perswade men to returne to the obedience and seruice of God yet this Motiue that he is Our God and that by Right of Redemption should inforce vs thereunto Our Creation out of nothing was an infinite benefit and ties vs straitly to God our Creator But this our Redemption at such an inestimable price when we were worse then nothing is infinitely greater then that other infinite benefit and ties vs in a more strait band vnto God our Redeemer Our Creation cost God no more but the word speaking Dixit factum est hee said it and hee did it but our redemption was not so easily wrought Multa tulit fecitque Deus sudauit alsit What man so thanklesse that would not for euer acknowledge him for his good Lord and Patron and striue to doe him all acceptable seruice who had but redeemed him from the Turkish slauery and rowing chained in their gallyes How much more then stand we obliged in all duty and seruice vnto our God who hath redeemed vs from beeing the slaues of Sathan from the chaines of darkenesse and euerlasting damnation They haue no sense of this Redemption nor no part as yet in it who are not inflamed thereby to serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse Tit. 2.14 and to become a peculiar people vnto him zealous of good workes But alas where shall God our Redeemer finde such zealous seruants amongst millions of men that confesse and professe themselues to be redeemed with his blood The World and the Flesh haue a world of Seruants at command nay the diuell himselfe is so well attended that Saint Cyprian brings him in thus bragging against our Sauiour Christ and insulting ouer vs silly and sinfull wretches Serm. de Eleemosyna Ego pro istis necsanguinem fudi c. I haue spilt no one drop of bloud for any of these I haue taken no paines to doe them any good nay all my study and paines euer was and euer shall be to bring them to death and eternall damnation Notwithstanding all this Ibid. Tuos tales demonstra mihi Christe O Christ if thou canst shew me so many so busy so painefull so dutifull seruants of thine as I am able to shew vnto thee euery where of mine O what a shame is it vnto vs all that beare the name of Christians Hec dici potuisse non potuisse refelli That such things may truely bee obiected against vs by the diuell and cannot truely be denied or confuted by vs. O what a griefe is it vnto our Lord Christ that a cursed Murtherer should be able to entise away so many seruants from a blessed Redeemer This point should rather be prosecuted with teares then words nothing now remaines but that euery man heere present search into his owne heart and life inquire and finde out his owne proper sinnes turne speedily from his wicked waies and that all of vs say with a ioynt and constant resolution as these Israelites did Behold wee come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God THat Almighty God who hath this day called vs vnto him by his word draw vs vnto him by the effectuall operation of his holy Spirit that so renouncing the seruice of the World the Flesh and the Diuell and returning vnto the Seruice of our true Lord wee may recouer his fauour here and enioy his euerlasting fauour hereafter Grant this most mercifull Father for the infinite merits of thy wel-beloued Sonne to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all Praise Power Maiesty and Dominion this day and for euer Amen FINIS
are wedded to our owne lusts wee cannot come But who hath made this marriage betwixt thine owne heart and thy sinfull lust Who is it that perswades thee to forsake the commands of God thy Father and of Holy Church thy Mother and to cleaue vnto this strumpet which thou callest thy wife Sure the Author of this is neither better nor worse but euen the diuell himselfe Now consider seriously is the infinite Maiesty of the great God of heauen a fit Subiect to haue such a scorne and contumely put vpon him What earthly King would not storme and rage at the Indignity if calling one of his seruants to come vnto him he should answer Sir I am sporting with some of mine idle companions and therfore your Highnes must bee content to waite my better leisure But if hereunto hee should adde heere is an old Rebell and Arch-traitor against your Maiesty who perswades me not to come at your call and I must be ruled by him this would aggrauate the matter and make it bee taken farre more hainously This in effect is all that the Fornicator the Drunkard the Couetous the Ambitious person hath to say for himselfe why vpon Gods call he comes not presently vnto him His sinfull lusts intreate him to imbrace them yet a little while longer and the diuell whispers vnto his heart Nazianzen Da mihi quod praesens est Deo quod futurum est mihi florem aetatis illi reliquias Giue me the present time allow God the Future giue mee the flower of thy youth let God haue the bran of thine old age Thus wretched men to the infinite dishonour of their Creator let the diuell take his choice and put God to waite for his leauings which in all likelihood will in the end proue either nothing or worse then nothing The second Mischiefe which followes vpon it when wee come not presently at Gods call is the manifold wrongs and Hurt which thereby wee doe vnto our owne soules Wicked men whilst they linger on the time of their returning vnto God thinke that they doe their Soules great pleasure at least that they doe them no great harme but they consider not that whilst the Soule takes her sinfull pleasure shee withall takes her deadly bane Shee falls into a Consumption of spirituall grace if euer shee were indued therewithall and is not a Consumption a dangerous disease Shee contracts a Schirrus or spirituall hardnesse which makes the Soule scarcely penetrable by the dew of grace whensoeuer it falls vpon it and is not this a grieuous malady Last of all if God be not wonderfully mercifull shee comes to haue a cauterized conscience and to be giuen ouer vnto a Reprobate sense which is vltimum Terribilium the last and most terrible euill that can befall a man who is not yet in hell These things considered should make a Christian who hath any care of his own soule to beware of the diuels Dilemms who alwaies aduiseth men in the point of Repentance as the Philosopher did in the case of marriage If a young man aske his counsell when shall I repent and returne vnto God his answer will be Nondum not yet it is a great deale too soone If an old man aske him the same question his answer will bee Nunquam not at all it is now much too late But we may build vpon it that whensoeuer God calls vnto vs as at this very present hee doth vnto vs all it is neither too soone nor too late and therefore let young and old presently come vnto him The third and last Mischiefe which attends vpon Delay is a Number of vnknowne dangers whereupon such men put themselues euery moment that they continue impenitent in their sins They trifle away their time and delay their comming vnto God but in the meane time who can assure them that Gods vengeance will delay the comming vnto them It is safe and wise counsell Make no tarrying to turne vnto the Lord Eccles 5.7 and put it not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord breake forth and in thy security shalt thou be destroied The longer thou makest the patience of God expect thy returne the heauier will the load of Gods iudgments light vpon thee Gregory for not returning Quo diutius expectat durius damnat The longer he waites the harder he strikes Dost not thou tremble to thinke that whilst thou art sporting with thy sinfull lusts Heb. 3. Verse 11. God may be Swearing in his wrath that thou shalt neuer enter into his rest What was it but delaying to come when God called which drowned the old world which consumed Sodom with fire and brimstone and which at length carried away the Iewes into the Babylonian Captiuity And why may not England feare lest by the same fault wee suddenly draw vpon vs the like destruction O consider this Psal 50. Verse 22. yee that forget God least he teare you in peeces and there be none to deliuer you O consider this yee that feare God and that he may imbrace you within his armes of mercy say presently vnto him from an vnfeined resolution Behold wee come vnto thee Hauing spoken of the Generality of the Persons which must come and of the Present haste to bee made in comming the last Circumstance remaines which is the Direct Course heere vsed Wee come vnto That They come in a most Direct line vnto God himselfe And in this streight line they mooue not onely towards him or till they come some what neere him but they come vp close vnto him neuer resting vntill they come to rest as it were in his very bosome This alone is the Streight Short and perfect way of comming vnto God other courses are but crooked by paths or circular compassings and will not answer the expectation of the Commers as shall be cleered vnto you in the particulars It is a rule in naturall Philosophie Omnis motils est propter indigentiam Euerie thing moues for supplying some want wherein it stands Now the sinner by this motion which we call Repenting Returning Conuerting or Comming for all is one seekes after three things whereof no one can be had but by comming directly vnto God himselfe for it And the least of these three things is of more worth then all the wealth all the honour yea all the world besides and therefore must be duly sought The first is Venia Pardon for all our sinnes passed for obtaining whereof who can imagine a more proper and direct course then to come immediately and directly vnto God the Father by the True Way God the Sonne taking for our guide God the Holy Ghost In this motion there is no crooked turning into by lanes no circular and friuolous running in a round but a most direct and streight comming vnto God And this is iust as God would haue it Ieremie 4. Esay 43. O Israel if thou returne returne vnto mee saith the Lord I euen I am hee