expressly from God to cry unto us Yet forty dayes and Nineveh shall be destroyed yet seeing the mouth of eternall truth hath taught us that a Kingdome divided is in such danger of ruine and destruction that morally speaking if it continue divided it cannot stand and seeing the strange and miserable condition of our Nation at this time may give any considerable man just cause to feare that as in Rehoboams case so likewise in ours 1 King 12 24. The thing is of the Lord intending to bring his heavy judgement upon us for our great sinnes and our stupid and stupendious security in sinning and to make us instruments of his designed vengeance one upon another peraduenture it would be a seasonable and necessary motion to be made to our King and his Nobles to revive this old Proclamation of the King of Nineveh and to send it with authority through His Majesties dominions and to try whether it will produce some good effect who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that we perish not Who can tell whether he that hath the hearts of King and people in his hand and turneth them whithersoever he thinketh best may not upon our repentance take our extreamity for his opportunity Kuk 19 42. and at last open our eyes that we may see those things that belong to our peace and shew us the way of Peace which hitherto we have not known but this by the way for my purpose I observe that this repentance which when the sword of God was drawne and his arme advanced for a blow stayed his hand and sheathed his sword againe was not a meere sorrow for their sinnes and a purpose to leave them nay it was not only laying aside their gallantry and bravery and putting on sack-cloath and sitting in ashes and crying mightily unto God of which yet we are come very short but it was also and that chiefly their uniuersall turning from their evill way which above all the rest was prevalent and effectuall with God Almighty for so it is written And god saw their works that they turned from their evill way â—â—nah 3.10 and God repented him of the evill that he sayd he would doe and he did it not In the gospell of S. Luke cap. 24. The condition of the new Covenant to which remission of sinnes is promised is expressed by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in his name which place if ye compare with that in the Gospell of S. Matthew Mat. 28.29 Go teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost teaching them to observe all whatsoever I shall command you It will be no difficulty to collect that what our Saviour calls in one place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repentance that he cals in another observing all that he hath commanded which if repentance were no more but sorrow for sin and intending to leave it certainly he never could nor would have done And as little could S. Paul Act. 20.21 professe that the whole matter of his preaching was nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Iesus Christ It being manifest in his Epistles he preaches and presses every where the necessity of mortification regeneration new and sincere obedience all which are evidently not contained under the head of Faith and therfore it is evident he comprized all these under the name of Repentance In which words moreover it is very considerable as also in another place Heb. 6. where among the fundamentalls of Christianity the first place is given to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I say it is very considerable that though the word may not very absolutely be rendred repentance yet we shall doe much right to the place and make them much more cleare and intelligible if in stead of Repentance we had put conversion as it is in some of the best Latine translations so for example if instead of repentance to God Act. 20. and repentance from dead works in the Epistle to the Heb. which our English tongue will hardly beare we should reade conversion to God and conversion from dead workes every one sees it would be more perspicuous and more naturall whereas on the other side if in stead of repentance we should substitute sorrow as every true and genuine interpretation may with advantage to the clearenesse of the sense be put in place of the word interpreted and read the places sorrow towards God and sorrow from dead workes it is apparent that this reading would be unnaturall and almost ridiculous which is a great argument that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which forgivenesse of sinnes is promised in the Gospell is not only sorrow for sinne but conversion from sinne And yet if it be not so but that Heaven may be purchased at easier and cheaper rates how comes it to passe that in the new Testament we are so plainly and so frequently assured that without actuall and effectuall amendment and newnesse of life without actuall and effectual mortification regeneration sanctification there is no hope no possibility of Salvation Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire So S. John Baptist preaches repentance it is not then the leaves of a faire profession no nor the blossoms of good purposes and intentions but the fruite the fruit only that can save us from the fire neither is it enough not to bear ill fruit unlesse we bring forth good Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Not every one that sayeth unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven so our Saviour Matth. 7 21. And againe after he had delivered his most divine precepts in his Sermon on the mount which Sermon contains the substance of the Gospell of Christ he closeth up all with saying he that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not and yet these were the hardest sayings that ever he sayed I will liken him to a foolish man Mat. 7 26.27 which built his house upon the sand that is the hope of Salvation upon a sandy and false ground when the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house it fell and great was the fall of it They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts So S. Paul Gal. 5.24 they then that have not done so nor crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts let them be as sorrowfull as they please let them intend what they please they as yet are none of Christs and good Lord what a multitude of Christians then are there in the world
Generall of an Army or an Embassadour to some Prince or State were assured by the King his Master that the transgressing any poynt of his Commission should cost him his life and the exact performance of it be recompenced with as high a reward as were in the Kings power to bestow upon him can it be imagined that any man who believes this and is in his right mind can be so supinely and stupidly negligent of this charge which so much imports him as to oversee through want of care any one necessarie article or part of his commission especially if it be delivered to him in writing and at his pleasure to peruse it every day Certainly this absurd negligence is a thing without example and such as peradventure will never happen to any sober man to the worlds end and by the same reason if we were firmely perswaded that this book doth indeed contain that charge and commission which infinitely more concerns us it were not in reason possible but that to such a perswasion our care diligence about it should be in some measure answerable seeing therefore most of us are so strangely carelesse so grossely negligent of it is there not great reason to feare that though we have professors and protestors in abundance yet the faithfull the truely and sincerely faithfull are in a manner failed from the children of men What but this can be the cause that men are so commonly ignorant of so many articles and particular mandates of it which yet are as manifest in it as if they were written with the beams of the Sun For example how few of our Ladies and Gentlewomen do or will understand that a voluptuous life is damnable and prohibited to them â— Tim. 5.6 Yet Saint Paul saith so very plainely She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth I beleeve this case divinely regards not the Sex he would say He well as She if there had bin occasion How few of the gallants of our time doe or will understand that it is not lawfull for them to be as expensive and costly in apparell as their meanes or perhaps their credit will extend unto which is to sacrifice unto vanitie that which by the Law of Christ is due unto Charity and yet the same Saint Paul forbids plainely this excesse even to women also let women he would have said it much rather to the men array themselves in comely apparell 1 Tim. 2. â— with shamefastnesse and modestie not with embroidered haire or gold or pearles or costly apparell and to make our ignorance the more inexcuable the very same rule is delivered by Saint Peter also 1 Epist 3 3. How few rich men are or will be perswaded that the Law of Christ permits them not to heape up riches for ever nor perpetually to adde house to house and land to land though by lawfull meanes but requires of them thus much charitie at least that ever while they are providing for their Wives and Children they should out of the increase wherewith God blesseth their industrie allot the poore a just and free proportion and when they have provided for them in a convenient manner such as they themselves shall judge sufficient and convenient in others that then they should give over making purchase after purchase but with the surplussage of their revenue beyond their expence procure as much as lyes in them that no Christian remaine miserably poore few rich men I feare are or will be thus perswaded and their daily actions shew as much yet undoubtedly Mat. 19.19 either our Saviours generall command of loving our neighbours as our selves which can hardly consist with our keeping vainely or spending vainly what he wants for his ordinary subsistence layes upon us a necessity of this high liberality or his speciall command concerning this matter Mat. 19 2â— Quod superest date pauperibus that which remaines give to the poore or that which S. Iohn saith 1 Epist 3 17. reacheth home unto it Whosoever hath this worlds good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up the bowells of his compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him Which is in effect as if he had said He that keepeth from any brother in Christ that which his brother wants and he wants not doth but vainely thinke that he loves God and therefore vainely hope that God loves him Where almost are the men that are or will be perswaded the Gospell of Christ requires of men Humilitie like to that of little Children and that under the highest paine of damnation That is that we should no more over-value our selves or desire to be highly esteemed by others no more undervalue scorn or despise others no more affect pre-eminence over others then little children doe before we have put that pride into them which afterwards we charge wholy upon their naturall corruption and yet our blessed Saviour requires nothing more Rigidly nor more plainly then this high degree of humility Mat. 18 â— verily saith he I say unto you he speakes to his disciples affecting high places and demanding which of them should be greatest except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Would it not be strange newes to a great many that not onely adultery and fornication but even uncleanenesse and lasciviousnesse not onely idolatry and witchcraft but hatred variance emulations wrath and contentions not onely murthers but envying not drunkennesse only but revelling are things prohibited to Christians and such as if we forsake them not we cannot inherit the Kingdome of Heaven and yet these things as strange as they may seeme are plainely written some of them by S. Peter 1 Epist 4. chap. But all of them by S. Paul Gal. 5 15. Now the workes of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanenesse lasciviousnesse c. of the which I tell you before as I have told you in times past that they who doe such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God If I should tell you that al bitternesse and evill speaking nay such is the modesty and gravity which Christianity requires of us foolish talke and jesting are things not allowed to Christians would not many cry out these are hard and strange sayings who can heare them and yet as strange as they may seeme they have beene written well nigh 1600 yeares and are yet extant in very legible Characters in the Epistle to the Eph. the end of the 4. and the beginning of the 5 chap. To come a little nearer to the businesse of our times the chiefe Actors in this bloudy Tragedy which is now upon the Stage who have robb'd our Soveraign Lord the King of his Forts Townes Treasure Ammunition Houses of the Persons of many of his Subjects and as much as lyes in them of the hearts of all of them Is it credible that they know and remember and consider the example of David recorded
him and so upon the matter curse himselfe as oft as he sayes Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us How few depend upon God onely for their dayly Bread viz. the good things of this life as upon the onely giver of them so as neither to get nor keepe any of them by any meanes which they know or feare to be offensive unto God How few desire in earnest to avoyd temptation Nay who almost is there that takes not the Devils office out of his hand and is not himselfe a tempter both to himselfe and others Lastly who almost is there that desires heartily and above all things so much as the thing deserves to be delivered from the greatest evill sinne I meane and the anger of God Now beloved this is certaine he that imployes not requisite industry to obtaine what he pretends to desire does not desire indeed but only pretends to do so He that desires not what he prayes for prayes with tongue onely and not with his heart indeed does not pray to God but play and dally with him And yet this is all which men generally doe and therefore herein also accomplish this prophecie having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof And this were ill enough were it in private but we abuse God Almighty also with our publike and solemne formalities we make the Church a Stage whereon to act our parts and play our pageants there we make a profession every day of confessing our sinnes with humble lowly and obedient hearts and yet when we have talked after this manner 20. 30. 40. yeeres together our hearts for the most part continue as proud as impenitent as disobedient as they were in the beginning We make great Protestations when we assemble and meet together to render thanks to God Almighty for the benefit received at his hands and if this were to be performed with words with Hosanna's Hallelujah's and gloria patri's and Psalmes and Hymnes and such like outward matters peradventure we should doe it very sufficiently but in the meane time with our lives and actions we provoke the Almighty and that to his face with all variety of grievous and bitter provocations we doe dayly and hourely such things as we know and he hath assured us to bee odious unto him and contrary to his nature as any thing in the world is to the nature of any man in the world and all this upon poore trifling triviall no temptations If a man whom you had dealt well with should deale so with you one whom ye had redeemed from the Turkish slavery and instated in some indifferent good inheritance should make you fine speeches entertaine you with Panegyricks and have your praises alwayes in his mouth but all this while doe nothing that pleases you but upon all occasions put all affronts and indignities upon you would you say this were a thankfull man Nay would you not make heaven and earth to ring of his unthankfulnesse and detest him almost as much for his faire speeches as his foule actions Beloved such is our unthankfulnesse to our God and Creatour to our Lord and Saviour Mat. 21 9. M rk 15.13.14 our tongues ingeminate and cry aloud Hosanna Hosanna but the lowder voice of our lives and actions is crucifie him crucifie him We Court God Almighty and complement with him and professe to esteeme his service perfect freedome but if any thing be to be done much more if any thing be to be suffered for him here we leave him we bow the knee before him and put a reed in his hand and a Crowne upon his head and cry Haile King of the Iewes But then with our Customary sinnes we give him gall to eat and vinegar to drinke we thrust a speare in his side naile him to the Crosse and Crucifie to our selves the Lord of Glory This is not the Office of a friend to bewaile a dead friend with vaine lamentation Sed quae voluerit meminisse quae mandaverit exequi to remember what he desires and execute what he commands so said a dying Roman to his friend and so say I to you To bee thankfull to God is not to say God be praised or God be thanked but to remember what hee desires and execute what hee commands to bee thankfull to God is certainly to love him and to love him is to keepe his Commandements so saith our Saviour Ioh. 19. If ye love me keepe my Commandements If we doe so we may justly pretend to thankfulnesse which beleeve me is not a word nor to be performed with words But if wee doe not so as generally we doe not our talke of thankfulnesse is nothing else but meere talke and we accomplish Saint Pauls prophecy herein also Having a forme of thankfulnesse but not the reality not the power of it If I should reckon up unto you how many direct lies every wicked man tells God Almighty as often as he sayes Amen to this forme of godlinesse which our Church hath prescribed If I should present unto you all our acting of piety and playing of humiliation and personating of devotion in the Psalmes the Letanies the Collects and generally in the whole service I should be infinite And therefore I have thought good to draw a vaile over a great part of our hypocrisie and to restraine the remainder of our discourse to the contrariety between our profession and performance only in two things I meane Faith and Repentance And first for Faith We professe and indeed generally because it is not safe to do otherwise that we believe the Scripture to be true and that it containes the plaine and onely way to infinite and eternall happinesse But if we did generally beleeve what we doe professe if this were the language of our hearts as well as our tongues how comes it to passe that the study of it is so generally neglected Let a book that treats of the Philosophers stone promise never so many mountains of gold and even the restoring of the golden age againe yet were it no marvaile if few should study it and the reason is because few would beleeve it But if there were a book extant and ordinary to be had as the Bible is which men did generally beleeve to contain a plain and easie way for all men to become rich to live in health and pleasure and this worlds happinesse can any man imagine that this book would be unstudied by any man And why then should I not beleeve that if the Scripture were firmly and heartily believed the certaine and onely way to happinesse which is perfect and eternall it would be studied by all men with all diligence Seeing therefore most Christians are so cold and negligent in the study of it prefer all other businesse all other pleasures before it is there not great reason to feare that many who pretend to beleeve it firmely beleeve it not at all or very weakly and faintly If the