the glory in the destruction of their enemies So as God was glorified in raising vp their Lownesse so is hee also glorified while by their Lownesse hee takes downe the Height and Pride of the enemie For the weakness of those who ouercome giues away the glory of ouercomming from themselues vnto God who by weaknesse ouercometh power This God plainely sheweth to bee a way by which hee workes out his glory in that storie of Gideon For as long as Gideons armie had in it the strength of a multitude the multitude was a hinderance to this glorie For so the victorie might haue been taken from God and giuen to men because they were many Therfore he findes fault with his armie as being vnfit for his glorie while there was any such number in it as might possibly take away the glorie of the victorie from God to it selfe Therfore he saith The people that are with thee are too many for me to giue the Midianites into their hands Iudg. 7. lest Israel vaunt themselues against me saying Mine own hand hath saued me Wherefore God pares his armie and makes it fit for his glory by many diminutions neuer leauing vntill hee brought it to so few hundreds that there was left no ground of glorying in it self but that hee who glorieth must needes glorie in the Lord. The Israelites were kept downe by the Egyptians in most cruell slauery and bondage for they made the Israelites to serue with rigour Exod. 7. 13. 2. 23. so that they sighed and cried by reason of their bondage And when they did but speake for libertie their burdens were encreased and that so heauily that they were in meere despaire and deadnesse of heart so that when Moses told them of freedome they hearkned not vnto Moses for Exod. 6. 9. anguish of Spirit and for cruell bondage But for this hopelesse and distressed Nation which had no helpe nor hope in it selfe did God glorifie his power vpon the pride of Pharaoh and the strength of Egypt So that for the victorie which God alone gaineth vpon the Egyptians for Israel but without out Israel Iethro duely glorifies him Exod. 18. 11. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods for in the thing wherein they delt proudly he was aboue them God that taketh down the proude when there is no helpe in man to bring them downe getteth to himselfe the glorie of their abasing It were infinite and endlesse to produce the patternes and presidents of this kinde of working by which God workes out his glory When Kingdomes and Empires are at the greatest then GOD takes them downe commonly by low and contemptible meanes And so euen at the height of the Romane Empire that Empire was taken down by the Northren people whom they in contempt did account and call Barbarians And if it please him so can he take down the present pride of the Romane Empire which I especially place in that man of sinne who is the veriest Emperour of Rome surmounting the other in his owne opinion and in the opinion of his Disciples as much as the Sun excelleth the Moone in glorie And therefore most blasphemously this title is ascribed to him The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords But let vs remember that God himselfe saith All the Tyees of the Forrest shal know Ezek. 17. 24. that I the Lord haue brought downe the high Tree haue exalted the low Tree haue dryed vp the greene Tree and haue made the dry Tree to flourish I the Lord haue spoken and haue done it Wherfore let Israel trust and hope in the Lord euen hope against hope that though they bee humbled euen to the earth and Pharaoh mount vp with his pride to heauen and against heauen saying who is the Lord yet the Lord will bring Israel out of Egypt and will triumph ouer Egypt and Pharaoh with a mightie power and out-stretched arme So shall Israel say Thy right hand O Lord is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lord Exod. 15. 6. â— hath dashed in pieces the Enemy And in the greatnesse of thine excellency thou hast ouerthrowne them that rose vp against thee Yea much people in Heauen shall say Alleluia Saluation and Glory and Honour and Power Reu. 19. 1. 2. vnto the Lord our God for true and righteous are his iudgements for he hath iudged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath auenged the blood of his seruants at her hand And surely great glory must needs arise vnto God both from heauen earth when God by his Church being low and little iudgeth the great Whore Little and weake things when they produce great effects it plainely appeares that they haue borrowed power from elsewhere and from whom can the creature borrow power but of the Creator the fountain of power whose weakness that is whose least power being added to the creature 1. Cor. 1. 25 is stronger than men euen than all the strength of men God and three hundred are able to ouercome an Host Iudg. 6. 7. that are like Grashoppers for multitude yea God and Israel onely by walking about a towne and fighting with no other weapons but Trumpets of Rams hornes can make the strength of Iericho to fall before them God and a woman euen Deborah can iudge Israel and deliuer them from a King that hath nine hundred chariots of Iron But when by weakenesse God ouercommeth strength it cannot bee the strength of weakenesse that ouercommeth but the strength of God Therefore all glorying here also is excluded from man and referred vnto God And accordingly Deborah rightly giues God the glory saying Iudg. 5. 13. The Lord made mee haue dominion ouer the Mighty Secondly God suffers his Church to bee low and weake before hee exalt it in regard of Man And first we may take notice that in the lownesse of the Church God hath an eye and leuells as it were at the very enemies of the Church which are indeed his owne enemies For by the lownesse weaknesse of the Church Iudg. 4. 7. hee drawes out these enemies vnto a full and finall ouerthrow Hee encourageth and hardneth them to a full aduenture in a warre against God that God may fully bee auenged of them and fully triumph ouer them The Lord knoweth that the distressed estate of the Church doth engage their enemies in great and full prosecutions of them that so comming forth with their whole forces to ouerthrow the Church their whole forces may bee ouerthrowne The Lord himselfe sheweth vs this his dispensation For hee professeth that therefore hee brought Israel into straites betweene the Mountaines and the Red Sea because Pharaoh will say Exod. 14. they are intangled in the Land the wildernesse hath shut them in And I will harden Pharaohs heart saith the Lord that hee shall follow after them and I will bee honoured vpon Pharaoh and vpon all his host When the
his Humanitie wherin the Diuinitie was apparrelled like a Man yea like a Seruant He euen hee hath prouided the food of eternal life to which all temporall blessings are annexed by promise for those who in this Egypt this sinfull land or world of sin doe goe downe to the Vallie of Teares in a full and hearty repentance what remaines but that with a full and whole repentance wee purchase these temporall and eternall blessings that wee may not die but liue 11 This full and consummate Profitable and necessary Associates of Repentance Repentance should be followed with Inuocation or we may rather say it doth follow it For Inuocation and Prayer is indeede the naturall Issue of true Repentance For sinne being put away by Repentance which stood as a Cloude betweene God and the soule and did hide the Face of God from the Eyes of the soule now the light of Gods countenance shineth on the soule and the comfortable beames of his fauour doe refresh her God doth meete the soule with a fauourable aspect from which gathering courage and comfort shee dares speake vnto him and say Psal. 51. 18. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem When the soule feeles the weight of sinne abated and lightned by Repentance hope of pardon increaseth and from hope increasing ariseth confidence then from this confidence springeth vp prayer Againe when the bodie of sinne is diminished and brought low by Repentance then the new man flourisheth and prospereth The flesh and the spirit are like two seales whereof one being depressed the other mounts vp and now the flesh being put down by Repentance the spirit riseth vp and growes strong and the spirit being strong vttereth strong cries and grones that cannot bee expressed Shee speakes to God in the very language of Heauen which flesh and blood vnderstands not but he knowes the meaning of the spirit who gaue the spirit vnto man There is an Abba Father which no man knowes but he that hath it and he that hath it cannot expresse it it is like the earning of a Lambe whereby she owneth her Damme by which she owneth her but knowes not her selfe whereby by she owneth her There is a secret earning and owning of God for a Father put into the soule of a sonne of God by the Spirit which new-begetteth him and thereby he calls God Father and yet not he but the very feed and spirit of his Father in him And when this call ascends vp vnto God it moueth his bowels of compassion So that if a mother could forget her childe yet God cannot forget his sonne Esay 49. 1◠It is it selfe a forcible motiue to bring down blessings and it makes way for other preuailing petitions and therefore Christ doth set this word of Father as an head on his absolute praier that by it the petitions following may pierce like an arrow and enter into the presence and acceptation of the Almighty Wherefore hauing our hearts sprinkled from an euill Conscience Heb. 10. 22. and our bodies washed with pure water let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith Hauing repented let vs aske mercy and forgiuenesse and that remission of punishments which followes the remission of guilt Yea if our hearts bee hard and cannot repent as we desire let vs aske the grace and spirit of Repentance For on the one side it is condemned in the Iewes that they pray not for Repentance in their punishments for sinne So saith holy Daniel Dan. 9. 13. 14. All this euill is come vpon vs yet made wee not our Prayer before the Lord our God that we might turne from our iniquities and vnderstand thy Truth Therfore hath the Lord watched vpon the euill and brought it vpon vs. And on the other side it is said All things that yee shall aske in Praier Mat. 21. 22 beleeuing ye shall receiue Luke 11. 13 Yea God will giue the Holy Ghost to them that aske him Pray then for the Spirit of Compunction and Repentance of him that hath promised to giue it and pray for the Compunction and Repentance when thou hast the spirit making this the burden of thy Psalme Turn vs againe O Lord of Hosts And not onely so but adde hereunto Psal. 80. Cause thy face to shine and wee shall bee saued that is pray for Repentance and hauing repented pray for the fauour of God and the Saluation or Deliuerance which attend it And indeed so inseparable is Deliuerance from Prayer that if God doth promise to send a Deliuerance yet he expects that Prayer should come to fetch it of him God had promised a Deliuerance to the Iewes from the Captiuitie of Babylon after seuenty yeeres Yet he saith Ier. 29. 12. Then shall you call vpon me and shall goe and pray vnto me and I will hearken vnto you And euen vpon this foundation did Daniel Dan. 9. 2. build his excellent prayer vnto God for his Nation Wherefore let vs take Gods owne way which he points vnto vs to come to his owne Blessings A way so often beaten and tried to leade assuredly to blessings and euen to the blessing of Deliuerance from the punishments of sinne that the storie of the Iudges is full of continuall patternes Neh. 9. 27. 28. These Nehemiah summeth vp When they cried to thee thou heardest them from Heauen and according to thy manifold mercies thou gauest them Sauiours who saued them out of the hand of their Enemies Yea he saith again When they returned and cried vnto thee thou heardest them from Heauen and many times didst thou deliuer them according to thy Mercies Wherefore since crying to God is the way to deliuerance let vs neuer leaue going in this way vntill we come to Deliuerance 12 But let vs know withall To preuaile with God our petitions must aime to Gods glorie Psal. 50. 15 that he which said Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer you 〈◊〉 this also And 〈…〉 glorifie me To glorifie 〈…〉 God must 〈…〉 intended by vs when we seeke a Deliuerance and performed by vs when wee haue it Yea hauing receiued some deliuerances already let vs bee thankefull for them and that is the way to get more For when God hath the fruite of his Mercies he will not spare to sow much where he reapes much First we must intend the Glorie of God in the Praiers which wee make for Deliuerance from troubles or any other blessing Yea by this very point of Gods glory let vs binde and adiure him For that is a principall meanes by which to preuaile with God to make Gods glory the scope of our prayers Therefore our Sauiour who is the wisdome of God makes the first petition of his perfect prayer That Gods Name may bee hallowed For hee knew that if in the first and chiefest place we
and the root of Grace too much starued and pined But let vs feare this building of our owne houses with the contempt of God and his houses for hee hath blasted it with a Iudgement and his owne mouth hath told it vs. Haggai 1. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the Prophet saying Is it time for you O yee to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye waste Now therefore saith the Lord of Hostes Consider your wayes And againe Consider your wayes You looked for much and loe it came to little and when you brought it home I did blow vpon it why saith the Lord of Hostes Because of mine house that is waste and yee runne euery man to his owne house Wherefore that the Church spiritual which is the house of God and the Church materiall which is the house of the hosue of God may bee edified and built vp yea that all good fruites euen all good works may prosper and increase let not the roote of prophanenesse starue and keepe downe the roote of holinesse for hee that thus wageth warre against good workes by killing the roote of them puts away from himselfe the name of a Christian and puts on the title of a Libertine Fourthly it is a thing most fearfull and followed with infinite misery For they that fight against the grace of the spirit fight against the spirit whose grace it is So when the Prophets were resisted by the Iews in whom Gods spirit instructed and spake S. Steuen saith Nehem. 9. 20. 30. Act. 7. Yee doe alwayes resist the holy Ghost And S. Peter most plainely The spirit of glory 1 Pet. 4. 14. and of God resteth vpon you which on their part is euill spoken of but on your part hee is glorified Behold a fearfull thing with which Gamaliel affrighted the hard-hearted and stiff-necked Iewes Act. 5. 39. Lest yee bee found to fight against God For when the pot will fight with the Potter wee know it can expect no end but breaking in pieces Psal. 2. 9. Thou shalt breake them with a rod of Iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a Potters vessell Wherefore kisse the sonne lest he be angry and yee perish from the way Kisse the spirit of the Son by which spirit hee kisseth the soules of those that loue him and are loued of him This is the way to eternall happinesse and saluation But if in stead of kissing you kicke against his Spirit bee yee sure yee shall perish from the way of saluation For holinesse is the way to happinesse and if we resist the spirit by which men are sanctified yee put from you the Author of that holines by which we walke to happinesse It is a prayer of our Church That our life may be pure and holy so that at the last wee may come to Gods eternall ioy Wherefore if purenesse and holinesse bee the way to eternall ioy why dost thou hate stop vp the way that leades to eternall ioy Surely if thou stop vp this way to thy selfe and others there remaines no other way for thee but that broad way which leadeth to eternall destruction Behold the end of Gods enemies wherefore feare yee also Lest yee bee found fighters against God and remember that when you call Saints Puritanes you are Gods enemies and the titles which follow that are children of wrath and sons of perdition But though it be a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 2 Thess. 1. 6. 7. yet to you that are troubled rest shall be with the rest of the Saints when the Lord Iesus shall bee reuealed from heauen And in the meane time follow the example of the same Lord Iesus pitty their ignorance and out of that pitty pray for them Luk. 23. 34. Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe If a man distracted doe raile on thee thou art more sorry for him than for thy selfe Doe the like in a case not vnlike Doe according to thy owne knowledge and not according to his ignorance Secondly know the Diuells aime in it and then thou art safe His aime is to take thy holinesse from thee and to quench the spirit or some fruites of the spirit Be thou most carefull to keepe what hee is most carefull to take away for be thou sure that is a most precious Iewell which thy greatest enemie seekes most to take from thee Thy enemie plainely tells thee the worth of it by his endeauours to steale it Wherefore let his malice be a very motiue to keepe that purenesse holinesse which his malice setteth at so high a price Thirdly vnderstand the diuells language thou maist be very well pleased for in the Diuels language a saint is a Puritane Wherfore know that when for so me good worke hee calls thee Puritane vnderstand that in his language he calleth thee Saint See More Medit. wherfore let this turn to thee for a testimoniall that euen thy enemies being Iudges thou art such a one as is truely honourable here in earth shall eternally be honoured hereafter in heauen Matt. 5. 1. For blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God As for other sins wherewith this Land is pressed downe I wish they were so inuisible that men should need to looke into bookes to finde them It may not be doubted but where such a bitter roote of prophanenesse and irreligion preuaileth so strongly the cursed fruites of it are too plentifull But men bend not their mindes to that counsell of God Hag. 1. Consider your wayes Yea the tree of knowledge of good and euill hath so infected mens iudgements with a carnall wisdome that they looke only for good and euill in outward and carnall things If those things goe well all is well And euen for this very cause doth God punish vs in outward things that by the euills which we regard wee may be brought to take notice of the euills which we regard not For though the carnall man doe not see sinne to bee euill but only thinkes that to bee euill which hee feeles yet that euill which he sees not is the cause of the euill which hee feels For there is an euill way of sinne which drawes on the euills of iudgement Ionah 3. 10 and as they come together so they goe together For when man turnes from the euill way by repentance God turnes from the euill which he said he would doe and doth it not But of these euills of sinne I haue often spoken and brought them before mens eyes but I pray God to annoint our eyes with that eye-salue of his spirit by which spirituall things are seene and discerned that rightly seeing our sinnes and rightly iudging them wee may escape the iudgements of God All should aduance this repentance And first be Magitrate 19. From the sinnes to be repented of we passe to the persons that ought to be principall Agents
heart but if yee shall still doe wickedly yee shall be consumed For though prayers of Prophets and Priests be powerfull with God to draw down his mercy yet there is no vsuall course of mercy to bee expected by a sinfull and impenitent Nation Wee reade and heare that though God shew a great mercy euen mercy vnto thousands yet it is on them that loue him Luk. 1. 50. and keep his commandements And the mercy of God is vpon them that feare him from generation to generation Therefore before Samuel vndertakes to offer sacrifice and prayer for Israel hee speakes vnto Israel to put away their sinnes to prepare their hearts vnto the Lord and to serue him only And when they had done so and with fasting acknowledged their sinnes 1 Sam. 7. 3. c. then Samuel prayed and the prayer of Samuel was heard and the Lord sent them a deliuerance from heauen Wherefore let not the people thinke to cast all on the Ministers and imagine that good men in the Ministerie will serue to saue bad men in the Laitie But let them striue to be such by repentance and holines that the prayers of the Ministrie may bee heard for their preseruation For otherwise by their sinnes they binde the hands of the Ministers which they desire should bee lifted vp for them yea they cause God both to stop his owne eares and the mouthes of the Ministers For when they loue to wander and refraine not their feet from euill then comes forth that fearefull command Ier. 7. 16. Pray not for this people neither lift vp cry nor prayer for them neither make intercession to mee for I will not heare thee And for their owne prayer that will not be heard though it come with fasting which also is and hath beene otherwise an aduancer of vndenyable prayer Ier. 14. 11. 12. When they fast I will not heare their crie Wherefore it concernes the people by turning from their sinnes to make themselues capable of the prayers of their Ministers and not to vrge them to speake by intreaties and to stop their mouthes by sinnes Let euery particular man search his particular sinnes according to directions already giuen and especially when hee feeles any griefe or sees any terrour let them feele and behold it as a spurre to repentance So shall lesser iudgements keepe off the greater it being a great mercy of God to chastise with rods to saue punishing with Scorpions and a great wisdome in man to make a right vse of this mercy Wherefore let the Land mourne for their sinnes that it mourne not for an vtter desolation All the families together Zach. 12. 12 13. 1. and euery familie apart and euery man apart And then in that day there shall bee a fountaine opened for sinne and vncleannesse to wash them away and the iudgements that follow them But howsoeuer the multitude doe Num. 11. 4. who most commonly are like the old mixed multitude rather giuen to murmuring when their lusts are vnsatisfied than to turning vnto him that smites them Esay 9. 13. let the mourners that are marked Ezek. 9. 4. doe the office for which they are marked If they reply that they are few and their fewnesse doth discourage them it may be answered The fewer they are the more they should mourne to supply that mourning which is wanting in others yea to mourne for that want Againe thou maist bee the man that may make vp the ten the twenty or thirty euen that set number which may saue a Sodome a sinfull City or Kingdome yea sometimes one man may stand in a gap and bee the repairer of a breach Amos Amos 7. was a man subiect to infirmities as we are and hee was but one yet a Iudgement being denounced when he said O Lord forgiue I beseech thee by whom shall Iacob arise for hee is small Then the Lord repented for this It shall not bee saith the Lord. Lastly though thou seeme to thy self to be alone and with Elias thou knowest no more yet with Elias thou maiest be deceiued 1. King 1. 6 10. 18. and there may bee seuen thousand which thou knowest not that haue not bowed their knee to Baal and thy mourning ioyned to the mourning of that remnant which the Lord hath left Esay 1. 9. may saue vs from being like vnto Sodome and Gomorrha Howsoeuer do thy part let the Souldier of Christ be found in his place euen when iudgements are comming If thou saue not all thou shalt be sure to saue thy selfe perchance temporally Ier. 1. 19. 39. 18. without doubt eternally And now to summe vp all I wish that both Magistrate Minister and people may go so throughly with the truth of repentance that sinnes and sinfulnesse being put off the iudgements that cleaue vnto them may also be put off And because this is not done but by putting on the spirit of Christ Iesus by the power wherof the kingdome of Sathan is put downe and the kingdome of Christ erected I pray that wee may come to this point of putting on the spirit of Christ Iesus All the rest is but the forme of godlinesse but in the spirit of Christ is the life of godlines howsoeuer men may flatter themselues they are not Christians except they bee one spirit with Christ Iesus For CHRIST being called Rom. 8. 9. Christ because he is anointed 1. Cor. 6. 17 aboue his fellowes with the Psal. 45. 7. spirit without measure Cant. 1. 3. wee are truly to bee called Christians by beeing annointed with the same spirit according to our measure But no annointing no true Christianitie But if this ointment dwell in vs 1. Ioh. 2. 27. then haue wee Christ Iesus and with him all the promises of God 2. Cor. 1. 20 21. for in Christ Iesus all the promises of God are Yea and Amen Psal. 78. 49. Then haue wee power to wrestle and ouerthrow the principalities and powers which are often the Inflicters of the iudgements of God and continually the Tempters prouoking vs to those sinnes for which iudgements are inflicted For it is the Spirit of Christ only that settles a Church and makes it a pillar of Truth vnremoueable by Sathan And most commonly where a Church is thus settled the Nation is also settled which containes such a Church and the Diuell is not suffered to preuaile against the later because of the former But when a Church growes spiritually cold turnes from the life and heart of godlinesse to an outside of profession then God growes cold to vs in loue but in wrath hee growes hote against vs. If a Nation turne from the spirit to the flesh though they be as great as the gyants in the old world and as the Anakims in the new yet they are but great pieces of flesh and an ouerflowing floud will destroy the one and a destroying sword will cut off the other When the daies of