that doth such things or shall he break the Covenant and be delivered You know who said so and upon what occasion 8. Be humbled for old Superstitions Eighthly Be humbled I beseech you for former Superstitions It concerns you that are the Nobles of the Land and all that are call'd to be our Reformers as well as the Ministers of the Gospel to be deeply sensible of your former Compliances with Episcopal Superstitions and Idolatrous mixtures in the Worship of God It is the very Law upon which God hath engaged himself to take off the vail from before Reformers eyes Ezek. 43.11 If they be ashamed of all that they have done shew them the form of the house and the fashion thereof the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof and all the forms thereof and all the Ordinances thereof and all the forms thereof and all the Laws thereof and write it in their sight c. Who knows whether our Unhumblednesse for these things be not the cause that the Curtain is not yet drawn 9. Be tender of Christs prerogative Ninthly Be tender of Christs Prerogative You are very jealous of your own Priviledges whoso toucheth them toucheth the apple of your eye Do you think Jesus Christ will not be as jealous of his own Prerogative And oh if you should do any thing which the Parliament in heaven that upper House for I know you look upon your selves but as the nether House of Parliament should vote a breach of Priviledge a trespasse upon the Prerogative Royal of the King of Saints how would ye be able to answer it in the day of Accounts Oh therefore see I beseech you to these things 1. That Christs person be adored that men honour the Son Joh. 5.23 even as they bonour the Father 2. That his Ordinances be preserved in their purity 3. That his Officers be preserved in their power 4. That his Offices be preserved in their latitude 5. That all his Administrations and Censures be put into faithful and proper hands If we come into your Houses we see no confusion there The Groom doth not usurp the Steward's Office The Cook doth not croud into the Bed-chamber The Secretary doth not do the Chaplain's work Even so Christ hath ordained that in his House all things be done in decency and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 Vers 32. and that the spirit of the Prophets be subject to the Prophets 10. Look to Self-Reformation In the Tenth and last place Especially look to Self-reformation Reform your Persons reform your Families say as Joshua I and my house will serve the Lord. Do as Jacob did who when he went to build an Altar to the Lord Josh 24.15 said to his family Put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments If they will not put away their strange gods their lying their swearing their whoredoms their Sabbath-breaking c. Do you put them away Say with David He that walketh in a perfect way shall serve me Psal 101.6 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell in my house he that telleth lyes shall not tarry in my sight c. And for your selves 7. I will walk in my house with a perfect heart Verse 2. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes c. It was David's resolution 3. when he came to the Kingdom and set upon the work of Reformation he resolved he would begin at home Oh shew your selves the sons of Jacob the line of David An Vnreformed Reformer is a drie Sea a dark Sun a cold Fire an ungood God Contractio in adjecto a Monster among men a devil among Saints a what not Oh that we could see Religion in your families the power of godlinesse in your persons Noble-mens houses paterns of Pietie then should we hope God meant to do England good indeed Finde me a man and I will pardon it In a word Jer. 5. Noble Peers and Patriots you have in your hands the fairest opportunity and the richest advantages to make Christ glorious the Church beautiful the State honourable your Names precious your selves so many Moses's and Joshua's the Saviours of the People that ever Nobility or Parliament had Oh take heed of sinning away such an opportunity One word to all that stand before God this day To All. and the whole people of this Land and I have done Despair not 1. Despair not though you may see the work at many a losse and many a dead-lift as you have seen it already When was it otherwise Call for the Chronicles read over the Stories of all Church-deliverances when was it otherwise If ye will not believe Isai 7.9 surely you shall not be established Know this a Deliverance of Gods promising and setting on foot shall go on in spite of all Set-backs and opposition there is Comfort Ob. I but we have no promise for our Deliverance as Israel had for theirs Answ 1. If we had an unbelieving heart will be an unbelieving heart in spite of promises It is not a promise will make us believe if we want faith As long as we have Israel's heart we should doubt though we had Israel's promise 2. Note this in the Second place that Special yea personal Promises made to the Saints in Scripture are ours so far as Their straits are ours Their work ours Their faith ours Their concernments ours I had never look'd for my share in Joshua's promise had not the Holy Ghost taught me to apply it Be content with such things as you have for he hath said Heb. 13.5 ex Josh 1.5 I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE NOR FORSAKE THEE 3. There be standing Promises in Scripture which are the Magazine of the Church thorowout all her descents and Generations 4. Know this also that Scripture Command supplies the want of Scripture Promise Go with me to Heb. 11.13 and ye shall finde Abraham with his staff in his hand and his sandals on his feet and his loyns girt Please to let me ask him Two or three questions by the way see what he will answer Reverend Patriarch Whither are you going Answ I know not When shall you return Answ I know not How will you subsist Answ I know not He is in haste as well as we and therefore I 'll ask him but one question more Abraham Why then do you go at such UNCERTAINTIES To this he will answer I go not upon uncertainties I have a call I have a Command and that will secure my person and bear my charges By faith Abraham when he was CALLED to go into a place which be should after receive for an inheritance OBEYED and went out NOT KNOWING WHITHER HE WENT Heb. 11.8 3. Christians observe a Call is as good as a Promise at any time With a Call a man may travel from one end of the world to another though he hath not a peny in his purse And whether or no you have a Call a Warrant a Scripture-Command for what you do I hope it is not now to dispute 5. But lastly we have not onely a Call but a Promise not in general onely but in special The whole Book of the Revelation is nothing else but one great Promise of the downfall of Antichrist and Gospel-Reformation and that is the work Parliament and Kingdom have now in hand in these three Nations Be of good courage both it and you that are faithful and called and chosen are in the hands of a God that knows how to carry on his Work not onely against but by the opposition of men and devils 2. Obstruct not hinder not the work 2. Onely therefore in the next and last place Take heed that none of you be obstructions in the way your selves labour to remove the hinderances that lie at your door what they are you saw before Studie to promote this great Designe by your counsel purses persons prayers REFORMATION with all you have and all you are and the work is done at least your work is done Here is our exceeding mistake and mischief We stand like Jacob's sons looking one upon another and can very hardly be brought to think Ecces 9.18 that one mans Sin can do much harm or one mans Reformation can do much good But be not deceived Brethren God is not mocked Achan was but one and yet he troubled Israel Jonah was but one and yet he had gone nigh to have sunk the Ship Adam but one and yet he sunk all the world In a word the holy Ghost will tell you One sinner destroys much good And if thou should be that one or one amongst many how wilt thou look when thou shalt see the Kingdom afire about thine ears with the flames which thou hast kindled And when thou art buried in her ashes this shall be thy Inscription that shall stand till Dooms day Here lies a State-murderer a Church-killer a Destroyer of himself and of Reformation On the other side remember for your encouragement Joshua was but one and yet he brought Israel to Canaan Caleb was but one and yet he still'd the people Phineas was but one and yet he turned away Gods wrath Paul was but one and yet he saved the ship Rom. 5.16 17 18 19. Isa 63.3 Jer. 5.1 Job 22.30 and Christ Jesus the second Adam was but one and yet he redeemed the world I trod the wine-presse alone c. In a word you hear God promising Finde me one man and I will pardon and the holy Ghost telling us He shall deliver the Island of the innocent and it is saved by the purenesse of thy hands And if thou shouldst be that one or one of those few what an honour would it be to be called The Repairer of the breaches the Restorer of the desolate paths to dwell in the Saviour of Church and State Isa 58.12 Obad. v. ult However Happie yea thrice happie shall he be called that can be able to say when he comes to give up his Account Lord I have done my best to promote Reformation and to save the Kingdom FINIS
Deliverance-Obstruction OR The Set-backs of Reformation Discovered in a SERMON Before the Right Honourable The House of Peers IN PARLIAMENT Now assembled Upon the Monthly Fast March 25. 1646. By THO. CASE Preacher in Milk street London and one of the Assembly of Divines Isa 49.1 Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that he cannot save c. Hos 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Vers 13. He is an unwise son for he should not stay long in the place of bringing forth children London Printed by Ruth Raworth for Luke Fawne at the signe of the Parrot in Paul's Church-yard 1646. Die Veneris 27 Marcii 1646. IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament assembled That this House gives Thanks to Master Case one of the Assembly of Divines for his great pains taken in the Sermon he preached on the last Fast-day before their Lordships in the Abbey-Church Westminster And he is hereby desired to print and publish the same which is to be printed by Authority under his own hand onely Jo. Browne Cler. Parliamentorum I appoint Luke Fawne to print my Sermon THO. CASE To the Right Honourable the House of PEERS In Parliament now assembled MY LORDS WHat Complaint that blessed Reformer HEZEKIAH sent once to the Prophet ISAIAH that the ISAIAHS of our time do now make in your ears who are our REFORMERS The children are come to the birth 2 King 19.3 and there is not strength to bring forth To make some discovery where the OBSTRUCTION lieth is the humble and faithful endeavour of this Sermon which as it waits the second time upon your Commands so if your Lordships please at your sparer times to let your eye second the travel of your ear it may through his power Rom. 4.17 who quickens the dead and calls things that ARE NOT as though they WERE become some way serviceable to the Work you have in hand the end of its first and second attendance upon your Honours There was a time when Temple-work * Ezra 6.14 PROSPERED in the hands of the LORDS AND COMMONS OF JUDAH by the prophesyings of HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH O that such might be the blessed fruit of that abundance of GOSPEL-PROPHESIE which hath been preacht in the ears of Englands Parliament since the time you were first engaged in this great Work not onely of STATE but of CHURCH-Reformation Truely my Lords we desire to look upon your Call of us the poor Ministers of Christ to this Service not a STATE-COMPLEMENT but as your truely * Acts. 17.11 NOBLE desires of consulting with the Oracles of God And for a real evidence thereof give me leave I beseech you to become an humble Petitioner to your Honors for two things First that now you are in the work of Temple-Reformation you would provide an Antidote against Gospel-contempt in some remarkable punishment to be inflicted upon Sermon scorners especially when they shall dare such a wickednesse in the face of Heaven and earth of God and the Church since it cannot but be taken notice of by your Lordships that there be some who to this day hear Sermons in the very same posture they were wont to see Stage-plays to the infinite scandal of Religion and provocation of Almighty God Secondly that in your own persons you will give a president to all the Kingdom of your willing and ready submission to the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST With what eyes you are pleased to look upon the Ministers thereof I know not sure I am whatever faithful advice in their humble Addresses to you hath the Imprimature of SCRIPTURE upon it comes arm'd with the AUTHORITY OF HEAVEN He that heareth YOU heareth ME and he that despiseth YOU despiseth ME Luke 10.16 and he that despiseth ME despiseth HIM that SENT ME. Vpon such an account it was an heavie word which the Prophet spake once to a King I know God hath determined to destroy thee BECAUSE thou hast not hearkned to MY COUNSEL The contemptible Prophet had no contemptible GOD to back him The application of it be to the enemies of CHRIST and of the WORK you have in hand However it is a thing not to be thought of without trembling at All power in heaven and earth is in HIS HANDS Matth. 8.18 2 Cor. 10.6 to avenge all Gospel-Disobedience to WHOM great and small must give an account and who knows how soon what they have done with all the Sermons that ever they heard Which that it may be seriously and savingly laid to heart by Parliament and Kingdom shall be the instant Supplication of Your Honours to serve you while you serve Christ Tho. Case A SERMON Preached before the Right Honorable House of PEERS EXOD. 5.22 23. And Moses returned unto the Lord and said Lord wherefore hast thou so evil intreated this people why is it that thou hast sent me For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy Name he hath done evil to this people neither hast thou delivered thy people at all YOu have in these words 1. A Grievous distresse 2. A Gracious addresse The Addresse indeed is first in the order of words but the Distresse is first in the order of time and sence And this it was briefly Moses and Aaron according to their Commission had been now with Pharaoh to deliver their Embassie and Command from God concerning Israel's dismission Let my people go c. Vers. 1. The Israelites wait to hear what news from Court full of glad expectations of a speedie and present Deliverance from the Egyptian servitude Chap. 12.40 under which they had groaned now these Four hundred and thirty yeers But the tidings doth not answer their expectations Vers 2. Pharaoh will not let Israel go he knows no God but himself neither shall Israel stir Yea their hopes of enlargement are turn'd into the doubling of their bondage in stead of keeping Holy-day in the wildernesse they must to work again in the Brickils of Egypt yea make Bricks they must Vers 7 8 9. and finde themselves straw too more work and lesse wherewithal to do it This was sad news indeed Yet they had some hopes that this might be but the cruelty and encroachment of the Commissioners set over them therefore they 'll to the Court themselves with their Petitions happily the King may give them a better answer it is possible His Majestia gave no such command concerning Israel But when they come they finde it was no mistake Pharaoh speaks the same language the Task masters did Ye are idle ye are idle get you to your work Vers 17 18. there shall be no straw given you yet shall ye deliver the tale of Bricks c. This kills their very hearts now they see themselves worse then ever Vers 19. and thus coming out from the Presence-chamber full of anguish and impatience they meet with Moses and Aaron Vers 20. fall foul upon them charge them with being the cause of bringing
reduce Israel again into their old Servitude and Bondage And I would He had been the last Pharaoh the Church had been troubled with But no though that Pharaoh was drown'd in the Sea there arise up after him new Pharaoh in every age of the Church that know not the Lord and that will be opposing and fighting against the Deliverance and enlargement of the Church of God though they venture another tumbling cast in the waters for it Whether they be open opposers or secret underminers of the Churches Peace and Reformation Tobijahs and Sanballats Ezra 4.1 2. who under a pretence of building with the Jews do hinder the work Such as since the beginning of this Parliament have been members of either House who did his Majestie better service at Westminster then they could have done at Oxford These by what principles they are led Tyrannie Ambition Pride Covetousnesse Revenge c. some by one and some by others I cannot stand to discover Sure I am they are all acted by that great principle of Enmity spawn'd into them by the old Serpent the Devil whereby they are carried out into desperate hatred and opposition against the Government of Christ Nolumus hunc regnare Luke 19.14 We will not have this man to reign over us there is the first and great Quarral And Secondly against the Peace and Welfare of the Church Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel be no more in remembrance Psal 83.4 Minu. Foelix like their father the devil that sets them awork ad solamen calamitatis suae non desinunt perditi perdere c. lost themselves they seek to destroy as many as they can Hence it is that the Church is never in travel with a Man-childe some eminent and famous deliverance and Reformation but there is a great red Dragon standing before her Revel 12.4 ready to devour the childe assoon as ever it is born But I must leave these it shall content me but thus to have given you a touch in general of the opposition which the Churches Deliverance meets with from the Enemies And truely well I may for I professe unto you the Enemies Satan and all his Imps do not do the Tenth part of that mischief to the Church in obstructing and retarding her Deliverances as the Church doth her self take it for the mixt multitude of those that make up a visible Church in the profession of the true Religion and Worship of God which brings me to The Second Spring-head of Reasons follow Second sort of Reasons The Delivered taken from The Delivered or Subjects of Deliverance Happie were it for the Church if the oppositions and Set-backs of her Deliverance were managed onely by her Enemies Look upon the instance here before us and you shall finde that God was now as much troubled with Israel if I may so say as before he was with Egypt yea you shall finde that the work stuck not so long on Pharaoh's and the Egyptians hands as it did after upon Israel's First indeed Pharaoh hardned and Pharaoh hardned c. but then you shall finde And Israel hardned and Israel hardned c. not perhaps in the letter but in the reality And God made quick work with Pharaoh that conflict lasted not long probably a matter of Fourty days ended that dispute and controversie about Israels departure but of Israel you hear God say Fourty yeers was I grieved with this generation Psal 95.10 c. That journey unto Canaan which might have been dispatcht in Fourty days they quarrell'd and sinn'd into a Fourty yeers mazing of it in the wildernesse neither are they the last instances of a People that have laid in desperate obstructions and Set-backs in the way of their own Deliverance and Enlargement It was so 2 Chron. 20.33 Hos 13.12 13. But I must not stand upon Instances How the Delivered hinder their own Deliverance The Ways and Mediums how they have done it is the thing which I would as briefly as may be represent unto you In general all sin will do it any sin will do it witnesse what God said once to Israel Isa 59.1 Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that he cannot save neither his ear heavie that he cannot hear 2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you A passage quoted out of the * Num. 11.23 history of the Wildernesse and therefore the more proper But in special These sins 1. By Pride 1. Vnhumblednesse of spirit Pride of heart It was not Pharaoh onely that knew not the Lord surely Israel himself knew not their God what a world of pride and stomackfulnes and selfwih'dnesse and impatience they exprest not in Egypt onely Num. 14.3 but in the wildernesse too Sometime they will make them a Captain to return into Egypt anon they will advance forward Vers 40 41. they will up into the mountain whether God will or no and yet the Text tells us verse 39 The people mourned greatly but alas they were unhumbled in their mournings their hearts were not broken on they will against an expresse Command Go not up for the Lord is not among you Vers 42. Vers 44. But they they presumed to go c. and for this they smarted And so afterward even while they were in the Babylonian Captivity where they kept two solemn Fasts every yeer Zech. 7.5 Sc. in the fifth and seventh moneth Hos 5.5 yet neither their Captivity nor their Fasting humbled their hearts The pride of Israel testifieth to his face And again The pride of Israel testifieth to his face and they do not return to the Lord their God nor seek him for all this and for this the yoke of their Captivity was strenthned upon them and their deliverance retarded They shall go with their flocks and with their herds Vers 6. to seek the Lord but they shall not finde him he hath withdrawn himself from them 2. By Vnbelief 2. A second Deliverance-obstructing sin is Vnbelief deeply laid to heart by God Numb 14.11 How long will this people provoke me how long will it be ere they believe me for all the signes which I havo shewed among them To tell you the story of their unbelief were endlesse but this was the sum of it They had not faith enough to carry them from one miracle to another Let God do never so great wonders for them to day in the next strait they were as far to seek as before they could not dispute faith into the conclusion from the strongest premises which Omnipotence it self could make nay they got a wretched art of perverting Gods Logick they dispute Gods arguments backward Psal 78.20 Behold he smote the rock that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed can he give bread also can he provide flesh also for his people CAN HE nay they
of tongues Mark 3 25. neither can the house divided stand long 6. By Carnal confidence Jer. 17.5 Sixthly as much have they disadvantaged themselves by Carnal confidence a sin not onely cross'd but curs'd Thus saith the Lord Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm Why The reason follows whose heart departeth from the Lord. Look how much men DEIFIE men by so much they UNGOD Jehovah by how much a people IDOLIZE Parliaments or Armies or the best of Creature-helps by so much they withdraw their confidence and dependance from the Rock of Ages and therefore for this doth God oftentimes infatuate Counsels and blast all the beauty and strength of a people wherein ther trusted The wisdom of their wisemen shall perish Isa 29 14. and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid Chap. 20.5 They shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and of Egypt their glory Alas can a people prosper that have forsaken their strength for weaknesse that have exchanged God for the Creature Can a designe thrive that is under a Curse Therefore cries the Prophet in the ears of all the world Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils Isa 2.22 for wherein is he to be accounted of And therefore on the contrary when Israel after her Captivity is put into a thriving posture she is brought in repenting of and disclaiming all her Creature-confidences with the Spouse in the Canticles coming up from the wildernesse of Captivity LEANING UPON HER BELOVED Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses Hos 14.2.3 neither will we say any more to the work of our hands You are our gods she had said so before but she will say so no more for with thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy We break our stays by leaning too hard upon them Seventhly by undervaluing thoughts of a Deliverance or Reformation An ignorant inadvertency of the worth of such a mercy is very distastful unto God Oh Jerusalem Luke 19.42 hadst thou known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace HADST THOU KNOWN the worth HADST THOU KNOWN the necessity God will have a people know what he doth for them God will have a deliverance valued before he perfect it When Garlick and Onions are as good as milk and honey when trading and lands and riches and honours c. be as good as a Reformation and men can take up with these and let Reformation go its own pace and come at leasure if at all Let them wander saith God in the wildernesse till they know what CANAAN IS WORTH Hos 5. ult I will go and return to my place till they seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early This I suppose is that account given why the Reformation in good Jehoshaphat's time was not a thorow-Reformation Though much was done Chro. 20.33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers I come now to the Third Spring-head of Reasons or Causes arising from The Deliverers obstructions in Deliverers â—art For certainly the work of Deliverance and Reformation may stick long upon the hands of them that are to be the Deliverers and Reformers of a people Yea you may observe it sometimes God hath more trouble to speak after the manner of men to deliver a people from their Deliverers then he hath to deliver them from the enemies of their deliverance yea though the work be intrusted in the hands of a Moses and an Aaron God hath enough to do to keep them from spoiling of it a great part of the Deliverance is to deliver a people from their Deliverers before he deliver them by them So little is God beholding to second Causes You shall see it in the Instances or Causes Take in the first place Luthers account There be three things saith Luther that are the bane of Christian Religion Melch. Ad. in vita Luth. p. 151 〈◊〉 Oblivio beneâ—â—ctorum ab Eâ—â—angelio acceâ—â—torum 〈◊〉 Deinde secuâ—itas quae passim ubique regnat and therefore much more of a REFORMATION First Forgetfulnesse of former mercies Secondly for I will put them together Security They were both the sins of as famous a Reformer as ever the Church of God knew Hezekiah's for which the work of Reformation and the whole Kingdom suffer'd deeply I 'll but read you the Text But Hezekiah RENDRED NOT AGAIN ACCORDING TO THE BENEFIT DONE UNTO HIM Chro. 37.25 for his heart was lifted up therefore THERE WAS WRATH upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem Unthankfulnesse and Pride had like to have undone all that he had done Oh when Reformers forget old Mercies and old Deliverances and them it may be that God hath used as Instruments of them and new mercies and successes serve but to make them secure and swell them with pride to overlook their Brethren and overvalue themselves to think themselves no longer Stewards but Lords not onely petty kings but little gods to do what they PLEASE in the work and with the people of God this shakes the very foundation of Church and State God is highly displeased You have a sad instance in Vzziah of whom the holy Ghost records 2 Chro. 26.15 16. He was marvellously helped till he was strong But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction for he transgressed against the Lord his God and went in to the Temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the Altar of Incense Alas how was the man and all the worthy things he had done for Church and State of which you may read from the beginning of the Chapter forward even lost in Pride Vnthankfulnesse and Security Sapientia mundi qua vult omnia redigere in ordinem publicae utilitati impiis consiliis mederi Exod. 32.22 23 24. 1 King 12. from vers 26 to the end of the Chap. Joh. 11.48 Thirdly Carnal policie worldly wisedom which applies fleshly medicines to Spiritual distempers when men will cast the affairs of Christs Kingdom in the moulds and models of humane policie and principles Aaron he will make a GOLDEN CALF to still the people and secure his own life and Jeroboam will make two ordain Offices Feasts Worship which never come into Gods heart to secure the Kingdom to himself though by this very means he lost it The Builders in Christs time would not own Christ for their King and Deliverer for fear of forfeiting their kingdom to the Romanes and thereby ran upon that very mischief they would avoid yea they lost Two Kingdoms while they would secure one So dangerous a thing it is when men will be wiser then God or at least then God would have them HUMANE POLICY before Scripture-precept or Scripture-patern is nothing else but DISLOYALTY it gives God counsel when God looks for obedience Fourth sin Vnprayerfulnes
Church-affairs as you have spent on State-businesses might have done the deed Verse 8. Vp to the mountains fall a building Gods house that lies waste and do it in good earnest if you mean to prosper That is the sum of the Prophets speech And therefore it was the singular wisedom and piety of Hezekiah recorded to his everlasting honour that in the first yeer of his reign 2 Chron. 29.3 4 5. in the first moneth he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them and brought in the Priests c. He made Church-Reformation his first work And so Josiah In the eighth yeer of his reign while he was yet young 2 Chron. 34.3 4 c. he began to seek the Lord and in the twelfth yeer he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places It was a brave Speech of one that was once a Member of Parliament Oh that there had been such a heart S. E. D. For my part let the Sword reach from the North to the South and a general Perdition of all our remaining Right and Safety threaten us in open view it shall be so far from making me to decline the first setling of Religion that I shall ever argue and rather conclude it thus The more great the more eminent our perils of this world are the stronger the quicker ought our care to be for the glory of God and the pure Law of our souls In the Ninth place you shall finde that want of due execution upon Delinquents hath obstructed if not dasht hopeful beginnings in the Churches Deliverance and enlargement Saul spares Agag it was a present stop in the work and had like to have been the after-ruine of the whole seed of the Jews Haman that plotted their Massacre in Babylon Esth 3.1 was an AGAGITE i. e. of the posterity of Agag Out of the Serpents root came a Cookatrice Isa 14.29 and his fruit had like to have been a fiery flying Serpent to have consumed the whole house of Judah And how Ahab sped for sparing Benhadad the story will tell you 1 King 20.42 Ninthly Want of solid and substantial Principles in Reformers hath been not onely sad but fatal in the Churches affairs when her Counsellers have been young unexperienced unprincipled men led rather by fancie then by judgement taken with every new thing that hath a fair and specious face upon it and not able to dive into the bottom and difference of things A company of young giddy-headed fellows that never knew any more of true Policie or Religion then a few Complements in both came to lost Rehoboam a King as wise in taking their counsel as they in giving his Kingdom which makes me think that Wo to thee O Land when thy King is a childe Eccles 10.10 was the Legacie which his father SOLOMON left behinde him by a kinde of Prophetical spirit as well as a Caution to after-ages And when God would plague a people to purpose he says but this I will give children to be their Princes Isai 3.4 and babes shall rule over them In the tenth and last place Irreformednesse in Reformers doth exceedingly trouble and hinder their work when they that should reform a people are Swearers or Drunkards or Vnclean persons or Haters of the power of Godlinesse c. this is an obstruction of a double influence 1. An influence of sin For will a wicked man think ye prepare a yoke for his own neck or a rod for his own back will he be forward and active to settle a Rule to make a Law that he knows will curb and crosse his own lusts No their endeavour shall be some way or other to bring down the Rule to their hearts when they love not to bring up their hearts to the Rule 2. It hath an influence of Divine Justice For will God use such think ye or honour such in his service No saith God Them that honour me Sam. 3. I will honour Shall he reform MY HOUSE that will not reform HIS OWN Shall he reform OTHERS that will not reform HIMSELF No Every one of the House of Israel which setteth up his Idols in his heart and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face Ezek. 14.7 and cometh to enquire concerning me I the Lord will answer him by my self I will answer him according to the multitude of his idols Vers 4. God may use indeed a Cyrus a Darius about his Out-Works but Sanctificabor in appropinquantibus mihi I will be sanctified in all them that draw nigh unto me Levit. 10.3 The Princes and Lords of Israel brought wrath not onely upon themselves but upon the people by their whoredomes Numb 25.1 so far from bringing them into the land of promise that they were a means to slay them in the wildernesse They that accompany the Lamb must be CALLED and CHOSEN Revel 17.14 and FAITHFUL I come to the Fourth and Last Account sc The Reasons taken from the Author of Deliverance God himself For truely in all these things God hath an over-ruling hand it pleaseth God Reasons on Gods part for reasons best known to himself to suffer a Deliverance or Reformation of his own promising or setting on foot to meet with many desperate oppositious and set-backs which do render it many times in the eye of rational conjecture a lost Designe no Deliverance We will glean up some of those accounts which he hath been pleased to let fall in Scripture for our support and satisfaction herein 1. For trial of mens spirits First God doth it for the discovery of mens Spirits for the discovery of them to others for the discovery of them to themselves Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these Fourty yeers in the wildernesse to humble thee Deut. 8.2 and TO PROVE THEE TO KNOW WHAT WAS IN THY HEART c. Oh suffering times are trying times Set an empty pot over the fire and it will break and flee in your face so will men of empty hollow spirits over a fiery trial which is therefore called Gods fire and Gods furnace Isa 31.9 and 48.10 because thorow this fiery furnace God will bring his choice ones to be vessels of honour Oh what a discovering time hath this time of Jacobs troubles been I how many hundreds and thousands of Hypocrites and rotten spirits of all ranks have been discovered that had the work of Reformation go on as we vainly hoped at first it would have done had lien hid to this day I and I am almost confident God hath not done his discovering-work yet Goldsmiths use to run their metal more then once thorow the fire Look to your hearts the furnace is not yet extinguisht 2. To humble his people To Humble his people also God doth this the last quotation told you so beforehand TO HUMBLE THEE and prove thee Proud men are not fit for a Reformation
Isa 63 12. Thus shall be known to be God oppositions lift up God Israel sees the Creature NOTHING God ALL in a deliverance so fetcht out of the fire He led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious Arm dividing the water before them TO MAKE HIMSELF AN EVERLASTING NAME And again At a beast goes down into the valley Verse 14. the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest so didst thou lead thy people TO MAKE THY SELF A GLORIOUS NAME Here is nothing to be seen in such deliverances but God God God will out his people by this means of themselves their own wisedom their own counsels their own strength c. and God will be All in All. The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day Isa 2.11 10. By this means God endears deliverance Tenthly and Lastly By this way and these methods God endears Deliverances unto his people If they were easily got they would be light set-by but O how sweet is a land of Rest after fourty yeers travel how sweet Peace after War how beautiful a Creation when it comes out of a Chaos as heaven is worth two heavens to a poor soul that comes out of hell so Deliverance is Deliverance indeed and Reformation is Reformation twice told that is fetcht out of the jaws of Difficulty out of the bowels of devouring apposition it will be meat indeed when it comes out of the eater and sweetnesse indeed when out of strong conflicts and long expectation then may the Church tune her Psalms of Thanksgiving with the sweet singer of Israel Psal 40.1 I waited patiently for the Lord and he enclined unto me and heard my cry and so forward O the depth of the riches both of the wisedom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements Rom. 11.33 and his ways past finding out And thus Right Honourable and Beloved I have dispatcht the Fourfold account of this sad Truth c. That a Deliverance of Gods own promising and setting afoot may meet with such desperate non-plusses and setbacks as may make it seem a lost designe As for the other part of it sc Why the people of God even a Moses himself may so judge of it how it comes to passe that they should so mistake the ways and meanings of God were indeed an account worth the enquiring into were there time and room for such a work which since there is not I must hasten to make some improvement of what hath been already spoken for Vse and Application Wherein notwithstanding it is possible we may meet with some opportunity and occasion to give you some little kint and touch of this also First therefore 1 Use for Caution not to judge of Undertakings by Successe Eccles 2.9 it may serve to Caution us not to measure the lawfulnesse or unlawfulnesse goodnesse or badnesse of a Cause or Vndertaking by the encouragements or discouragements the present successe or opposition it meets with No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them Wicked hellish designes may go on smoothly and prosperously hardly meet with a rub in the way as it is said of the wicked themselves There is no bands in their death Psal 73.4 or as the Hebrew signifies no * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knots in their death they live like Lions and Wolves tearing and devouring and yet die many times like Lambs not any knot to untie no doubt of their salvation no trouble of conscience a Lamblike death the great Idol of carnal ignorant people So it is with their designes there is no bands or knots in their designes they meet with no rub in their way they go off as smoothly as heart can wish many times the devil driving them on and God in a secret and a just judgement permitting for the hardning of wicked men to their own destruction Whereas Designes of Gods own forming and animating may you see meet with such dismaying Crossings and Turnbacks that many times might make one think there is no life in the businesse And therefore call not in question the goodnesse and warrantablenesse of the work of Reformation in hand or any other Gospel-designe because of the obstructions and oppositions it hath or may meet with we are very prone to it The Israelites after their first and second discomfiture before their Brethren of Benjamin Judg. 20.23 are at their Shall I go up again to battel against the children of Benjamin my Brother and so again Shall I go up Verse 23. or shall I cease thereby secretly making a doubt of the warrantablenesse of their War although God expresly bid them go And so you may finde the Israelites even Joshua himself Josh 7.7 repenting of their adventure as it were Would to God we had been contented and dwelt on the other side Jordan they distrust their Cause though it had the Imprimatur of heaven upon it a promise of above Four hundred yeers old And have not we done so upon the desperate exigences and straits and non-plusses into which this designe hath been driven up many times Have we not been at our Ifs and our Would-to-Gods c. Remember I beseech you what reasonings and discourses you have had in your own hearts And get a better and a more infallible Rule to judge the goodnesse of Publike or personal designes by not successes or opposition but the Word Psal 73.34 if it be according to that Rule Wait on the Lord and keep his way the issue shall be good whatever the present posture of things be Secondly if so then take heed when you meet with such Turn-agains and non-ultra's in your work take heed I say of charging God foolishly 2. Not to charge God foolishly take heed of entertaining any hard thoughts of God This is our sin and our folly That when any Church-deliverance is on foot we think it must be carried on without any interruption it must be done all at once and so when the work meets with unexpected hardship and contradiction of sinners we are ready to call Providence as well as the Cause into question I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes You know whose complaint it was Psal 31.22 And Sion said The Lord hath forgotten me Isa 49.14 and my Lord hath forgotten me HARD THOUGHTS And so we are ready to think the work is at an end we have seen the best on 't Moses you see is at this passe here I would be loth to do the good man any wrong but methinks he dasheth a little upon God in his complaint though there be a great deal of grace in it too Wherefore hast THOU evil intreated this people Why hast THOU sent me THOU hast not delivered c. Ah good man he think this was hard dealing of God and fears he is at his furthest it will all end in a cloud And the reason of all this is to give you
the hint intimated before Because the people of God take their eye off God and the promise and fix it upon Second causes Why the people of God reason thus unbelievingly in their straits Isa 33.10 Isa 15.17 because they do not wisely consider Gods times how that the Churches despairing times are Gods helping times Now will I rise c. They do not wisely ponder Gods methods Moses might have remembred how that God when he made Abraham a promise of bringing his seed out of Egypt he shewed him also as in a glasse the Methods he would use in doing of it in that Embleme of the smoking furnace Gen. 15.7 and the burning Lamp the smoking furnace passeth before Abraham first an Embleme of black opposition of sad and affrighting discouragement and trouble and then comes the burning Lamp an Embleme of JOYFUL AND GLORIOUS DELIVERANCE Psal 97.11 Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart Alas Moses might have thought with himself and have said to God Lord this opposition of Pharaoh this doubling of thy peoples bondage is nothing else but the vision thou shewedst to thy servant ABRAHAM whereby we know assuredly the WORK IS BEGUN it is the arrow of the Lords deliverance we are now Lord in the SMOKING FURNACE the BURNING LAMP WILL APPEAR SHORTLY O hasten it Lord and help thine Israel well thorow this Smoking furnace that they may not be weary nor faint in their mindes nor sin against thee by IMPATIENCE and UNBELIEF till thou pleasest to cause the BURNING LAMP TO ARISE upon us c. And with these words he might have quieted and still'd the people also But the people of God have their failings and faintings their short spiritednesse and short sightednesse they look not to the time and methods of God they eye not the ends and aims which God hath in these kinde of dispensations of his providence and hence it is that they give way to Vnbelief and misgiving thoughts And therefore since by this short hint you see what the bottom of the disease is labour to make a Cure of this Discovery Take heed of hard thoughts of God Second Use Examination And yet in the Second place though in such Exigencies and Emergencies as these be we should labour to keep up good thoughts of the Cause 1 King 8.47 and good thoughts of God yet there is great reason that we should at such times turn in upon our selves and bring back to heart our own ways and our own doings to see what the CAUSE may be on our parts why Gospel-designes Church-deliverances stick so long in the birth meet with such desperate retardings and retrograde motions for this is certain Deliverance seldom sticks in the birth but there is some sin and folly at the bottom Ephraim is an unwise son Hos 13 13. for he should not stay long in the place of bringing forth children A metaphorical expression importing thus much that he should not have stayed so long for his deliverance out of Babylon had there not been some great folly bound up in his heart Prov. 22.15 which was to be fetcht out with this rod of Correction Truely Honourable and Beloved Christians we had need then to lay our hand upon our heart and bring our selves to the Bar this day This is certain God is angry wrath is gone forth against us we have great cause to fear Object You will surely say What cause the War goes on prosperously never had Joshua better swifter successe in the conquering of Canaan then our Armies in all places of the Kingdom almost have had in reducing this almost-lost nation Eighty admirable successes in eight months We have had as much successe as we could desire more by oddes then we could expect The War is as good as finisht Answ It is true Brethren if you will look upon these progresses as Mercies we have great cause to be thankful but if we would look upon them as evidences I see not any strong argument of rejoycing in them I see not any bottom in them upon which a man if he will look with both his eyes can build any clear conjecture what God will yet do with us My Reason is this The War goes on I but does the Work go on Oh there is as sad a face of things in the Kingdom as ever was either since the War or since the Parliament began and sadder in as much as now the obstructions do arise from our selves whereas formerly they have risen from our enemies And O happie Israel it was when the obstruction of their deliverance lay on Pharaoh's hand onely it stuck but a few days there God quickly conquered those briars and thorns he went thorow them and burnt them together But when the obstruction lay upon Israel's part in those days God began to cut Israel short the Deliverance stuck there many yeers Quest. But how may we know whether the work rest on our part or on Gods and the enemies Answ Truely very easily Take this Rule When there be but difficulties in the way though huge and many Enemies may be in it and God over-ruling those enemies and their designes to his own ends For this cause I have raised thee up Exod. 9.16 to shew my power c. But when we see sin in the way then know the work sticks upon a peoples hands and this may make us tremble Truely as I say when we consider how God carries on his work it looks as if it would be a Deliverance God works as if he were in good earnest and we have cause to turn our days of mourning into days of rejoycing But when we consider how we work truely it looks as if we were in jest or as if we we afraid of Deliverance afraid of Reformation and we have cause to turn days of Thanksgiving into days of Humiliation and mourning For thus it is while God is working wildernesse-wonders we are working wildernesse-sins wildernesse-prevocations I appeal else to the List and Catalogue of those sins which on the Delivereds part you have seen to be the great obstructions and set-backs to their Deliverance Sins of England First Pride doth not the Pride of England testifie to our very faces Alas neither Judgements nor days of humiliation have taken down the pride of our hearts Oh the pride of Apparel the pride of Houses the pride of our Tables but above all the pride of Judgement and the pride of Heart that is found in the midst of us to this day England is very proud Again Vnbelief Heb. 3.12 Is there not yet an unbelieving heart in the midst of us causing us to depart from the living God to depart from his Truths and to depart from his Commands and to depart from his Promises Surely we have not faith enough left to carry us from one miracle to another Though God hath caused us to walk upon the waters yet if there do but arise one