world haue not the loue of the Father Yea though the world shall passe away the lusts thereof and they onely that doe the will of the Father shall abide for euer For meates cannot make men Euerlasting but there must be an end and perchance the sooner for abusing them and then there must come an account euen for the abuse of them But as these offend in an excesse of quantity so others offend in an excesse of quality and put as much sinne into a little roome as others doe into a great A great summe of money is contracted into a single dish and there is an ambition to make vp a great excesse in as little a forme as they may Thus the shapes of vices are altered but vices are retained and there must bee new fashions in sinnes as in clothes Surely the Nature of these times doth not call for these studies and without study this Art of Excesse cannot mount to this Height When God calleth for pouerty wee should not meete him with prodigalitie when hee calls for humilitie wee should not meete him with pride and when he calls for fasting we should not meete him with excesse of Riot But let vs feare the Consequences of such incongruities and let this feare teach vs to auoide them Surely the Iudgement which God himself hath denounced against them is fearful there wants nothing but faith to beleeue it and then it will appeare as fearefull as it is In that day did the Lord of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning Esay 22. 12. and to baldnesse and to girding with sack-cloth And behold ioy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow wee shall dye And it was reuealed in mine eares by the Lord of Hosts Surely this iniquitie shall not bee purged from you till yee dye But to those that tremble at the word of God and conforme themselues to his will as in all things so in the right vse of his Creatures the Scripture offereth more grace For the Grace of God which bringeth saluation Tit. 2. 11. hath appeared and teacheth vs That those who deny vngodliness and worldly lusts liuing godly righteously and soberly in this present world they may comfortably looke for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Sauiour Iesus Christ. For verily there is a reward for the righteous Psal. 58. 11 verily there is a God that iudgeth the earth 17 But to what purpose Not onely particular sins but a generall roote of wickednes is among vs. doe I seeke to cut off the branches of particular sinnes by the sword of the Spirit as long as there remaineth among vs a Roote of gall and wormewood that can bring forth all sinnes at once For if we cure sinnes one by one and while one is curing many spring forth the disease ouergroweth the cure Yea euen that very sinne which we seeke to cure after a little while will breake forth againe because the Roote of it is still aliue This Roote of Bitternesse is a naturall prophanenesse euen a contempt of God and the Truth of Religion I say the truth of Religion for there may bee an eye cast toward Religion out of custome or for company or for some remaining impressions of the first Creation that may make men to feare there is a God But to loue Religion in the true shape of it and because it is true this is it that I find farre banished by this Roote of Prophanenesse And though I much lament it yet I doe not greatly wonder at it for I see a Cause of it and therein I see that while men are nothing but men this will be their fashion For Religion in the Truth of it must needs be Spirituall Ioh. 4. for it is the worship of him who is a Spirit and therefore cannot bee pleased by any worship but of Spirit and Truth Now if Religion bee Spirituall how can it bee but it must needs be contemned yea hated by men that are carnall For the carnall minde is enmity against God Rom. 8. 7. and the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other And from this Contrariety ariseth that Enmity and from that Enmity ariseth Persecution euen from the beginning vnto the end of the world For this two fold seed of the flesh and the spirit hauing the foundations of it laid in Paradise the Enmity then also was enacted between them And as then Cal. 4. 29. I meane as soon as men were borne he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit so is it now Now doth the flesh despise and oppose spirituall worship and spirituall worshippers which opposition so farre as it doth preuaile so farre doth the generall roote of sinne preuaile and the sins springing from that roote And because the Diuell is the Prince of this Enmity hee fitteth weapons for this warre wherwith the sonnes of the flesh may fight his battells against the sons of the spirit And of all the weapons which he hath prouided in these last Ages I thinke he neuer inuented any Engine made of words more seruiceable to him than one which of late hee hath brought into fashion For it is a sharpe-pointed word directed to runne into the very eye of true Religion it is a Canon mounted to batter the very Kingedome of Christ to lay wast all holinesse of life the fruite and effect of that Kingedome and this word is then shot off when a Saint is called a Puritane K. Iames in his Preface to Baâ—â— Doron And though King IAMES a King higher than the Kings of the earth in Learning and Iudgement tied the propertie of this word to Anabaptists their Sectaries it is now diuerted to Saints euen to those that doe not walke in the broad way of common and sociable vices and especially if they goe somewhat higher than ciuil and naturall Righteousnesse If the spirit doe but shew it selfe in some expression of a clearer light or more heauenly vertue than the darkenesse of the flesh comprehendeth it is to bee beaten down and quenched with the Title of Puritaisme Yet Christ plainely calleth his Disciples to excellent things Mat. 5. 20. 〈◊〉 16 3. New Tran and Dauid calleth the Saints by the Title of Excellent yea and for this very Reason in them is all his delight because they are Excellent and for this very Reason doth the man of flesh hate and persecute them And indeed in this very Excellence wherin the spiritual man exceedes the carnall and naturall man stands the glory of Gods Kingdome of Grace For when men doe those workes which the carnall and naturall men doe not sauour and therfore doe them not then are mens eies turned away from the men that doe them to God the Author of them and so seeing their good workes to shine
persecution were ended wee receiued the word with ioy in the holy Ghost wee did then runne well who doth let vs from running so still Yea then God mightily prospered vs and made his owne word good vnto vs 2. Chro. 15. 2. The Lord is with you while yee be with him Why then should wee not bee still with him as at first that hee as at first may stil be with vs Those that are of God the word and wisedome of God should moue them for that saith to them Ier. 6. 16. Inquire the old way and Remember from whence thou art fallen Reu. 2. 5. and repent And those that are of the world the wisedome of the world should moue for thus saith their Oracle It is more cleare than the day Disc. vpon Liuy lib. 3. cap. 1. that such bodies of Common-wealths c. doe not endure except they bee renewed and the manner whereby to renew them is to bring them backe to their beginnings And then comming to Religion wherof hee discourseth vnder the name of Sectes he saith It is manifest that such renewings are necessary euen by experiments in our Religion And indeede by his owne Rule if Religion decay a Kingdome and Common-wealth will decay therfore he aduiseth lib. 1. c. 12. He that wil maintain a Kingdome in his entirenesse must aboue all take care that Religion doe not decay and by little and little come to bee neglected Thus should Religion bee reuiued and mainetained in ancient vigour by all By those that know it truely because of the goodness which is in it By those that know it not in the inside but onely some outward goood effects of it because it is good for themselues if the good of the Kingdome wherein they liue be their good 21 The great remedy of Repentance and Conuersion being taken downe into the hearts and soules of vs Vpon the foundation of Repentance sure hope of mercie is builded I would not doubt Act. 27. 22. but wee should see Paul standing forth againe and heare him saying I exhort you to bee of good cheere for there shall bee no losse of any mans life among you And I speake it not without ground for God himselfe hath giuen vs some earnests of this safety For as the same Paul gaue this for the reason of his Encouragement There stood by me this night the Angel of God so may I say for a ground of our Comfort Not onely the Angel of God but the Lord of the Angels hath stood by vs in the night of our sufferings and chastisements and by a manifest grant of our petitions vpon humiliation hath giuen vs good proofe that more humiliation may obtaine more safetie and deliuerance Vpon a little humiliation for a little space grace hath bin shewed from the Lord our God Ezra 9. 8. to leaue vs a remnant to escape and to giue vs a nayle in his holy place that our God may lighten our eyes and giue vs a little reuiuing The first Fast was followed with miraculous successe Neuer a greater pestilence in our greatest Citie recorded in these later ages and I thinke neuer so great a pestilence so soone so cleane swept away Yea though the Citie were not long after thronged with a double meeting so that it should be thought that the chambers of death were filled with the liuing yet death being cōmanded to sheath his sword could not touch life though fallen into the armes of it So death by Gods mercy was turned to vs Gen. 31. 29. as Laban toward Iacob though it had a hurtfull power it had no power to hurt vs. But when the greatest Pestilence hath thus the speediest end it is a very wonder and plainely shewes a hand aboue Nature And what hand doe we finde to be the cause of extraordinary changes but Dextera excelsi the right hand of the Highest And if wee looke below by what lower meanes the right hand of the most High hath beene moued to make these changes euen to repent of the euill Ionah 3. which hee said hee would doe Ioel. 2. and did it not wee finde that Humiliation with Fasting is a principall meanes Wherefore this way being taken by vs and this effect following it what can wee thinke but that by this way Gods mercy came vnto vs A second blessing following a second Fast was the stay and turning away of a Famine And this also was strange and extraordinarie euen by a strange and extraordinary change For the Famine was posting apace towards vs yea it flew on the wings of the cloudes which dropped downe death and destruction by destroying the fruites of the earth Yet in the very speed of this blacke Horse the Fast gaue it a stop and the word of God set that day for a bound to it And concerning that day a command came to the cloudes Thus farre shall yee goe and here shall yee stay your destroying waters For wee know that this very day was the end of that iudgement Now when wee see a Iudgement stop in such a day what shall we thinke but that the worke of that day was the stop of the iudgement For otherwise that day wherein wee were relieued had no more vertue than the dayes wherein wee were punished Besides by both rule patterne in the Scriptures wee finde that this effect by such causes may bee produced The Scripture saith 1 Cor. 11. 31. If wee iudge our selues wee shall not bee iudged God was readie to iudge vs with a Famine which is a Fast of necessitie We vnderwent a voluntary Famine by a voluntary Fast So the Famine meeting with a Famine went no farther but dyed in it The businesse which it should haue done was done and the end being attained that which moued to the end rested And it is not without patterne that spirituall workes haue bounded the iudgements of God with a day Yea God himselfe doth call vs to set a Marke on that day and by that on others that are like it When the Iewes for the neglect of a worke that tended to Gods glory were punished with pouerty and scarsitie yet in that very day wherein they began that worke which God required there was a change of curses into blessings whereupon God calls vpon them Consider from this day Hag. 2. 18. and vpward from this day will I blesse you Thus by the good hand of God vpon vs there hath beene a change and deliuerance from two of the great scourges wherewith God professeth that hee scourgeth the sinfull Nations of the earth Ezek. 14. And if in two euills hee haue deliuered vs why may we not hope that hee will deliuer vs in the third If he haue deliuered vs from the Beare and the Lyon why may wee not hope that hee will deliuer vs from a third though it be as bigge as Goliah It is a sure signe that Gods eare is yet open to vs and while his eares are open
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