out and adored for the true crosse of Christ yet the bulk is nothing to the vertue ascribed to it The very wood which is a shame to speak is by them Sainted and deifyed who knowes not that stale hymne and unreasonable rime of Ara crucis lampas lucis sola salus hominum Nobis pronum fac patronum quem tulisti dominum Wherein the very tree is made a mediator to him whom it bore as very a Saviour as he that dy'd upon it And who knowes not that by these Bigots an active vertue is attributed not only to the very wood of the cross but to the Airie and transient form and representation of it A vertue of sanctifying the creature of expelling Divells of healing diseases conceits crossely superstitious which the Church of England ever abhorred never either practised or countenanced whose cross was only commemorative and commonitive never pretended to be any way efficacious and therefore as far different from the Romish cross as the fatall tree of Christ from that of Judas Away then with this gross and sinfull foppery of our Romanists which proves them not the friends but the flatterers of the Cross flatterers up to the very pitch of Idolatry and can there be a worse enemy then a flatterer Fie on this fawning and crouching hostility to the crosse of Christ such friendship to the altar is a defiance to the sacrifice For these Philippian Pseudapostles Two wayes were they enemies to the Cross of Christ in their doctrines in their practise In Doctrine whiles they joyned circumcision and other legalities with the cross of Christ so by a pretended partnership detracting from the vertue and power of Christs death Thus they were enemies to Christs death as this In practise following a loose and voluptuous course pampering themselves and shifting off persecution for the Gospell Thus they were enemies to the cross of Christ as theirs Truth hath ever one face There are still two sorts of enemies to the cross The erroneous the licentious The erroneous in judgment that will be inter-commoning with Christ in the vertue and efficacy of his passion The licentious in life that despise and annihilate it In the first how palpable enemies are they to the cross of Christ that hold Christs satisfaction upon the cross imperfect without ours Thus the Romish Doctors profess to do Their Cardinall passes a flat non expiat upon it boldly Temporalem poenam totam nisi propria satisfactione cooperante non expiat lib. 4. de paenit c. 14. § Neque vero Our penall works saith Suarez are properly a payment for the punishment of our sin And which of the Tridentine faction sayes otherwise What foul Hypocrisie is this to creep and crouch to the very image of the cross and in the mean time to frustrate the vertue of it Away with these hollow and hostile complements how happy were it for them if the crosse of Christ might have lesse of theâ—r knees and more of their hearts without which all their adorations are but mockery certainly the partnership of legall observations was never more enemy to Christs cross then that of humane satisfactions For us God forbid that we should rejoyce in any thing but in the cross of Christ with St. Paul Our profession roundly is The cross is our full redemption let them that show more say so much else for all their ducking and cringeing they shall never quit themselves of this just charge that they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ The licentious secondly are enemies to the cross of Christ and those of two sorts whether carnall revolters or loose-livers The first in shifting off persecution by conforming themselves to the present world they will do any thing rather then suffer caring more for a whole skin then a sound soul Meere slaves of the season whose poesie is that of Optatus Omnia pro tempore nihil pro veritate All for the time nothing for the Truth Either ditty will serve Hosanna or Crucifige Such was that infamous Ecebotius such was Spira such those in the primitive times that with Marcellinus would cast grains of incense into the Idols fire to shun the fire of a Tyrants futy such as will bow their knees to a breaden God for fear of an inquisitors flie and kiss the toe of a living Idol rather then hazard a suspicion the world is full of such shufflers Do ye ask how we know I do not send you to the Spanish trade or Italian travails or Spa-waters The tentative Edict of Constantius descryed many false hearts And the late relaxation of penall laws for religion discovered many a turn-coat God keep our great men upright if they should swerve it is to be feared the truth would find but a few friends Blessed be God the times professe to patronize true religion If the winde should turn how many with that noted time-server would be ready to say Cantemus domino c. let us sing unto the Lord a new song There is no Church lightly without his wethercock For us my beloved we know not what we are reserved for let us sit down and count what it may cost us and as those who would carry some great weight upon a wager will be every day heaving at it to inure themselves to the burden before they come to their utmost tryall so let us do to the cross of Christ let us be every day lifting at it in our thoughts that when the time comes we may comfortably go away with it It was a good purpose of Peter though I should dye with thee I will not deny thee but it was a better grounded resolution of St. Paul I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus Act. 21.13 Let us in an humble confidence of Gods mercy in upholding us fix upon the same holy determination not counting our life dear unto us so as we may finish our course with joy Thus we shall not be more friends to the crosse of Christ then the crosse will be to us for if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him Besides carnall revolters loose livers powre shame upon the crosse Christs crosse is our redemption Redemption is from sin and death whiles therefore we do wilfully sin we do what in us lies frustrate the cross and make a mock of our redemption every true Christian is with St. Paul crucified together with Christ 2. Galat. 20. his sins are fastned upon that tree of shame and curse with his Saviour the mis-living Christian therefore crucifies Christ again each of his willing sins is a plain despight to his Redeemer The false tongue of a professour gives in evidence against the Son of God the hypocrite condemns Christ and washes his hands the proud man strips him and robes him with purple the distrustfull plats thornes for the head of his Saviour the drunkard gives him vineger and gall to drink the oppressor drives nailes into his hands
God so marvelous that it is able and worthy to take up all our thoughts but we may not suffer our hearts to dwell in any one work of his but inlarge them to more we may not rest in the contemplation of his mercy only but we must look to his judgments else we shall grow secure we may not rest in the view of his judgments only without meet glances at his mercy els we shall grow to an heartlesse distrust and despair As we say in our philosophy Composita nutriunt only compounds nourish those things which are merely simple can give no nutriment at all so it is in spirituall matters there must be a composition in those objects of contemplation whereby we would feed and benefit our soules our resolution for our thoughts must be the same that the Psalmists were for his song Of mercy and judgment will I sing Now that we may descend to the particularities the Psalmist begins at judgment What desolations c. This is the right method as in the very being of both judgment leads the way to mercy so in the meditation and view of both As it was in the Creation The Evening and the Morning were the first day The darknesse of the night led in the brightness of the morning and as the Prophets word was post tenebras lucem when we are humbled and astonished with the consideration of Gods vengeance upon sinners then and not till then are we meet for the apprehensions of his wonderfull mercies In this regard it is truly verified that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and his judgments are they that make him feared It is the thunder and rain that prepares the hearts of Israel for Samuels good counsel 1 Sam. 12. It is with the hearts of men as with the Earth and the seasons of the fruits thereof If there be too much ease in the winter and the Sun send forth gleames of heat towards the entrance of the spring it brings forth the blossoms hastily which after by later frosts are nipped in the head and miscarry but if there be kindly frosts and colds at the first that hold in the juice of the plants they are in due time drawn forth by seasonable heates and prosper First therefore let us be wrought upon by the meditation of judgments and then we shall be fit for the beneficiall applicatications of mercy We are then here first invited to a Tragicall sight we are carried into the Camera dimorte to see the gastly visage of deaths and desolations all the World over then which nothing can be more horrible and dreadfull you are called out to see piles of dead carcasses to see whole basket fulls of heads as was presented to Jehu a wofull spectacle but a necessary one See therefore what desolations the Lord hath wrought in all the Earth Desolations by warrs how many fields have been drencht with blood One would wonder that so many should have had a bâ—ing upon Earth Our Florignes tells us that in the year 665. there was so great a mortality in this Island that men run up by troups to the tops of the rocks and cast themselves into the Sea and composted with carcasses how many Millions of men have been cut off in all ages by the edge of the sword Desolations by famine wherein men have been forced to make their bodies one anothers Sepulchers and mothers to devoure their children of a span long Desolotions by plague and pestilence which hath swept away as our story tells us 800000. in one City Desolations by inundations of Waters which have covered the faces of many Regions and rinsed the Earth of her unclean inhabitants Desolations by Earth quakes which have swallowed up whole Cityes and those great and populous Desolations wrought by the hand of his Angels as in Egypt in the tents of the Assyrians 185000. in one night in the camp of Israel in Davids pestilence Desolations wrought by the hands of men in Battails and massacres Desolations by Wild-beasts as in the Colonyes of Ashur planted in Samaria Desolations by the swarms of obnoxious and noysome creatures as in Egypt and since in Africk He spake the word and the Grashoppers came and Caterpillers innumerable Ps 105.34 Insomuch as in the consulship of M. Fulvius Flaccus after the bloody warrs of Africk followed infinite numbers of Locusts which after devouring of all herbs and fruit were by a suddain wind hoysed into the African sea infection followed upon their putrefection and thereupon a generall mortality in number fourscore thousand dyed upon the Sea coast see twixt Carthage and Utica above 200000. Desolations every way and by what variety of means soever yet all wrought by the divine hand What desolations he hath wrought whoever be the instrument he is the Author This is that which God challengeth to himself neither will he lose the glory of these great executions We men have a rule in the course of publick administations and we think a politick one that all matters of favour Princes should derive from themselves but all acts of harshnesse and severity they should put off from their persons to subordinate agents God will not stand upon such points he rather professes to lay claim to all the memorable acts of vengeance upon sinfull Nations and People Israels revolt under Jeroboam is owned by him in his message to Rehoboams Captains Ashur is the rod of his wrath He slew great Kings and overthrew mighty Kings He hisseth for the Fly of Egypt and for the Bee of Assyria I say 7.13 Thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arme Ps 89.11 Good reason that God should claim the propriety of these Acts For they are the noble effects and proofs of his vindicative justice Justice renders to all their own Publick Desolations are due to publick wickednesses And if this should not be done how would it appear that God took notice of the notorious sins of a people or were sensible of their provocations As in outward Government if there were no Assizes or Sessions to judg and punish malefactors how could we think other but that all were turned lawlesse and that no respect is given to law or justice the Wiseman could observe that because judgment is not speedily executed upon wicked men the hearts of men are set in them to do evil But surely if it were not executed at all men would turne Divells But now that God calls sinfull Nations to account for their iniquity by exemplary judgments men are ready to say with the Psalmist Doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth the Earth Ps 58.18 God will be glorified even for hell it self Topheth is ordained of old Isa 30.33 2. Even these desolatory judgments are a notable improvement of his mercy There cannot easily be a greater proof of his respects to his own then in sweeping away their enemies Which smote Egypt with their first born for his mercy indureth for ever which overthrew Pharaoh
and his Host in the sea for his mercy indureth for ever which smote great Kings and slew mighty Kings for his mercy indureth for ever Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Basan for his mercy indureth for ever Ps 139. Neither is there a greater demonstration of his mercy in his strokes then in his warnings for surely God intends by these examples of his just vengeance to deterr all others from following the footsteps of those wicked men whom he thus plagues as good Princes and Magistrates do so order their executions that paena ad paucos terror ad multos some may smart all may fear It is excellent and pregnant which the Apostle hath 1 Cor. 10.11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come See I beseech you God hath further drifts in his executions of judgments then we can imagine he intends them not only for acts but patterns he means not so much to punish as to teach every judgment 't is a new lesson and to teach not the next successions but all generations of men to the end of the World and if we do not make this use of his terrible proceedings we shall be much wanting both to him and our selves and no marvell if we be whipt for dull non-proficients in Gods School if we be not taught fear and obedience by his so many judgments We need not cast our eyes much back to the view of former ages though there we may meet with worlds of examples let us but look at the present estate of our miserable neighbourhood of the wofull ruines of Germany once and in our time one of the most rich and flourishing countreys of the Christian world famous for goodly Cities for a plentifull soyl for frequence of trafique for the seat of the Empire now wasted with the miseries of a long and cruell warr wallowing in blood buried in rubbidge and dust Oh see the desolations that God hath wrought in this part of the earth and pick out of them as we well may pitty fear thankfulness Pitty and just commiseration of the grievous sufferings of that desolate Nation fear of that just hand of God which hath thus humbled them and might no less deservedly have fal'n as heavily upon us thankfulness for those gracious immunities which he hath given us hitherto from their evills and mercifull respites of repentance for those sins which have called down these judgments upon them And this is the former particular object which the Psalmist calls our eyes unto worthy of our view but yet not the main and intended subject of this dayes discourse rather the other that now followes the cessation of armes and the blessing of peace He makes Wars to cease in all the World c. however the sight and due meditation of the miseries of war and the vastations that follow upon it may be a good preparative to us for setting a true value upon the benefit of peace For us Alas we had rather a threatning then a sense of war our neighbours entred into our borders not with a publick denunciation of an offensive war but with a profession of defence And if some blood were mutually shed in the passage it was not out of a professedly hostile intention on either part which had it been might easily have proceeded to a far greater slaughter but out of the suddain apprehensions of the intervening crosses of each others purposes And if the long abode in those our quarters have been not a little chargeable to us yet it hath been without any violent and bloody prosecution on either part and now thanks be to God they are passed away in peace But even this little glimpse of a dry war is enough to show us the wofull misery of a war denounced prosecuted executed to the height of cruelty where there are nothing but intentions of killing spoiling desolation The anguish of this very touch is sufficient to make us sensible of the torment of the full shock of a destructive war Out of the sense whereof let us look at this great work of contrary mercy which is here set forth unto us He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth Wherein we have an intimation no lâ—sse of the wonder then the benefit of peace It is a work of power mixed with mercy that he so restraines the spirits of men that they are composed to peace Desolation is not a work of so much power as peacemaking is naturally every man hath the seeds of war and quâ—rrell sown in his heart and they are apt to come up on every occasion Through pride men make contention saith Wise Solomon From whence are wars among you come they not from hence even of your Lusts that war in your Members saith St. James 4.1 Lo the outward wars come from the inward The unquiet thoughts of the heart arising from ambition from malice and envy and desire of revenge are those which are guilty of these generall affrayes and bloodsheds of the World and what heart is free from these Every man naturally hath a tyrant in his bosome We are all by nature thornes or nettles and cannot be touched without some stinging or pricking when there were but two Brothers in the World one of them rises up against the other and dashes his brains out Surely as we do all partake of Adam our Grandfather so we have too much of our great Uncle his Eldest Son Cain naturally affected to violence slaughter Hence in the next age after the deluge Nimrod was a mighty hunter Gen. 10. pursuing men doubtlesse no lesse in his tyranny then beasts in his game And ever since Lord how hath the World been over-run with battails and murder Here one Prince findes his Territories too straight and hath a minde to enlarge himself with the Elbow-room of the neighbouring Region There another scornes to be incroached upon by an injurious usurpation and repells a lesse violence with a greater Here one pretends to the title of a Crown wherein he hath no more interest then he can hew out with the sword There another under colour of ayd thrusts himself into that throne which he pretended to succour here one picks quarrells with the defect of justice done to his subjects and makes sudden embargoes and unwarned inroads into the adjoyning Country There another takes advantage of the violation of leagues and coulours his ambition with the fair name of a just Vindication Here one if he can have no other ground will make religion a stalking horse to his covetous and ambitious intrusion it is bellum Domini a sacred war that he manages for the reducing of Hereticks to the unity of the Church or punishing their perfidiousnesse There another will plant the Gospell with the sword-point amongst Infidels and massacres millions of Indians to make room for Christianity It is a rare thing if where great Spirits and
strike and case wound and heal again which is the next and must be for fear of your over-tiring the last subject of our discourse heal thou the sores or breaches thereof That great and ineffable name of God consisting of four letters which we now call Jehovah no man knowes what it was or how pronounced but being abridged to Jah the Grecians have been wont to expresse it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to heal the sense whereof is answered by that name which the Heathens gave him Jupiter as juvans pater This healing then is a proper kindly and naturall act of God whereas the other as dividing striking wounding commoving are a◠it were forced upon him by men Surely else he that is essentiall unity would not divide he that is stability it self would not move he that is salus ipsa would not wound he that is all mercy would not strike we do as it were put this upon him and therefore he cries out Why will ye die O house of Israel but when we shall returne to our selves and him and be once capable of mercy and cure how doth he hasten to our redresse The Son of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 Lo here is healing for his act and wings for his haste Those breaches which are made in the earth by the shaking of it are as so many wounds gashes or sores in a vast body and both of these resemble those either divisions or calamities which fall out in the bodies of Churches or States the hand that made them must can will only heal them Heal thou the breaches And how doth he heal them in matter of calamity First by removing the grounds of it Surely the great and true sores of the Land are the sins of the Land which till it please him to heal by working us to a serious repentance in vain shall we complain of our breaches which follow them These are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a noysome sore and grievous Rev. 16.2 Not only in the Knees Leggs Deut. 28. but in the very bowels vitallest parts as Jeroboams was 2 Chro. 21. Wo is me how full we are of these sores Longae pacis mala we are what an Ulcerous body are we grown like to that great pattern of misery that was totus ulcus all but one botch I would not be querulous but I must say so What shall I say of our blasphemies prophanesses uncleanesses drunkennesses oppressions sacriledges lawlesse disobediences contempt of Gods messengers and all that rabble of hellish enormities enough to shame Heaven and confound Earth These are sores with a witnesse Alas these like to Davids run and cease not they are besides their noysomnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sure and old sores But yet stay my brethren we are not come to that passe that Jehoram was that the Wound is incurable or to the State of the Sareptans Son that there was no breath left in him but like Eutichus rather bruised but yet breathing And still still there is balme in Gilead let our Wounds be never so deep repentance may can will recure them let not us think onwards to heal Gods people with good words this is the way to fester them within No let us who are Gods Chirurgions make use of the probe of Wise Austere judgment let us gage the sore to the botome and tent it home with the applications of the Law let us take off the proud flesh with the corrosiving denunciations of vengeance to the impenitent sinners and then when it is thoroughly drawn let us lay on the soveraign emplaisters of the most precious and meritorious mercy of our blessed Redeemer Thus thus must all our spirituall sores be healed and oh that we could obtain of our own hearts to addresse our selves to a saving use of these sure remedies how happy were both for our soules and for our Land whose sores yet lye dangerously open how soon would our justly provoked God take off his heavy judgments Is it an Enemy that would afflict us He can put a hook into the Nostrils and a bridle into the Lips of the proudest Assyrian at pleasure Is it a Pestilence He can call in the destroying Angel and bid him Smite no more Is it Famine He can restore to us the years that the Locust hath eaten the Canker-worme and the Caterpiller The Floores shall be full of Wheat and the Fat 's overflow with Wine and Oyle In matter of division secondly the way to his cure must be by composing all unkind differences and uniting the hearts of men one to another the hearts even of Kings much more of Subjects are in his hand as the Rivers of Waters and he turnes them which way soever he pleases sometimes dreadfully forward to a right down opposition sometimes side-ways to a fair accomodation sometimes circularly bringing them about to a full condescent and accordance But as we commonly say the Chirurgion heals the wound and yet that the Plaister heals it too the Chirurgion by the plaister so may we justly here it is God that heals and the means heal God by the means and the means by and under God and surely when we pray or expect that God should heal either of these breaches we do not mean to sue to him to work miracles this were as St. Austin said truely in the like case to tempt God but we beseech God to give and bless those means whereby those breaches may be made up As for the calamitous breaches those we wish may be healed so far as the arme of flesh can reach by the vigilance and ower of Soveraignity by the prudence of wise Statesmen by the sage Councell of the State and Kingdome by wholsome provisions of good Lawes by carefull and just executions As for quarrellous and discontented breaches there are other Remedies to heal them the Remedies must be as the causes of them from within Let the first be a resolution of confining our desires within the due bounds not affecting mutuall incroachments or unnecessary innovations Not Incroachments first Good Lord what a stir these two great wranglers Meum and Tuum make in the World were it not for them all would be quiet Justice must do her part betwixt them both holding the balance even with a suum cuique and sayes with the Master of the vineyard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Take that which is thine own and go thy way Mat. 20.14 remembring in all states that heavy word of the Apostle But he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done and there is no respect of persons Colos 3. ult It is but right that wrong should receive a payment in whose hands soever it be found and if this retribution fail sometimes with you men of might whom earthly greatnesse may perhaps for a time bear out in hard measures to your impotent inferiours yet there is no respect of persons above except this be it potentes potenter
God hath taken at our thus Grieving of him his Indearments our Ingagements his Expectation were we a people that God had no whit promerited by his favours that he had done nothing for us more then for the savage Nations of the World surely the God of Heaven had not taken it so deeply to heart but now that he hath been more kind to us then to any Nation under Heaven how doth he call Heaven and Earth to record of the justnesse of his high regret Hear O Heaven and hearken O Earth for the Lord himself hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me Esa 1.2 and excellently Jerem. 2.31 O generation see the word of the Lord have I been a wilderness to Israel a land of darkness therefore it followes Behold I will plead with thee ver 35. Neither are his indearments of us more then our ingagements to him for what Nation in all the World hath made a more glorious profession of the name of God then this of ours What Church under the cope of Heaven hath been more famous and flourishing Had we not pretended to holiness and purity of religion even beyond others the unkindness had been the lesse now our unanswerablenesse calls God to the highest protestation of his offence Be astonished O Heavens and be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord for my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters and have hewen them out Cisternes broken Cisternes that can hold no water Jer. 2.11 And who is so blind as my servant Esa 42.19 Now according to his Indearments and our Ingagements hath been his just expectation of an answerable carriage of us towards him the Husbandman looks not for a crop in the wild desart but where he hath Gooded and plowed and Eared and Sowne why should not he look for an harvest And this disappointment is a just heightner of his griefe what could I have done more for my Vineyard that I have not done I looked for grapes and it brought forth wild grapes And now I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the hedge thereof and I will lay it wast Esa 5.4 5. Wo is me we do not hear but feel God making his fearfull word good upon us I need not tell you what we suffer the word of Esay is fulfilled here It shall be a vexation onely to understand the report Esa 28.19 Alas we know it too well what rivers of blood what piles of Carcasses are to be seen on all sides would God I could as easily tell you of the Remedy and why can I not do so Doubtlesse there is a remedy no lesse certain then our suffering if we had but the grace to use it too long alas too long have we driven off the applying of our redress yet even still there is Balme in Gilead still there is hope yea assurance of help if we will not be wanting to our selves we have grieved our God to the height Oh that we could resolve to make our peace with our provoked God at the last Excellent is that of Esay 27.5 Let him take hold of my strength and make Peace with me and he shall make peace with with me Oh that we could take hold of our strong Helper who is mighty to save that we would lay hold on the strength of his marvellous mercies Oh that we could take Benhadads course here as they said of the King of Israel much more may I say of the God of Israel He is a merciful God let us put sackcloth upon our loynes and ropes upon our heads and go to the God of Israel and say Thy servants say I pray thee let us live 1 K. 20.31 Oh that it could greive us thoroughly that we have greived so good a God that we could by a sound and serious humiliation and hearty Repentance reconcile our selves to that offended Majesty we should yet live to praise him for his mercifull deliverance and for the happy restauration of our peace which God for his mercies sake vouchsafe to graunt us Thus much for the grieving of the holy Spirit in himself by way of allusion to humane affection Now followes that grievance which by way of Sympathy he feels in his Saints Anselme Aquinas Estius and other latter Interpreters have justly construed one branch of this offence of the Holy Spirit to be when through our leud despightful words or actions we grieve and scandalize those Saints and Servants of God in whom that Holy Spirit dwells It is true as Zanchius observes well that it is no thank to a wicked man that the Spirit of God is not grieved by him even in person he doth what he can to vex him the Impossibility is in the Impassiblenesse of the Spirit of God not in the Will of the Agent But although not in himself yet in his faithful Ones he may and doth grieve him They are the Receptacles of the Holy Ghost which he so possesses and takes up that the injuries and affronts done to them are felt and acknowledged by him As when an enemy offers to burn or pull down or strip plunder the house the Master or Owner takes the violence as done to himself We are the Temples the Houses wherein it pleaseth the Spirit of God to dwell what is done to us is done to him in us He challengeth as our Actions The Spirit of God prayes in us Rom. 8.26 so our Passions also he is grieved in our grief such an interest hath God in his that as Christ the second person in the Trinity could say to Saul why persecutest thou me So the Holy Ghost appropriates our injuries to himself If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye saith S. Peter for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified 1 Pet. 4.14 Lo the Holy Spirit is glorified by our sufferings and is evil spoken of in our reproaches the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is blasphemed so as it is a fearful thing to think of to speak contumelious words against Gods children is by the Apostles own determination no better then a kinde of blaspheming the Holy Ghost See then consider ye malicious uncharitable men your wrongs reach further then ye are aware of ye suffer your tongues to run ryot in bitter Scoffs in spightful slanders in injurious raylings against those that are truly conscionable ye think ye gall none but men worse then your selves but ye shall finde that ye have opened your mouthes against Heaven I speak not for those that are meer outsides visors of Christianity making a shew of Godliness and denving the power of it in their lives I take no protection of them God shall give them their portion with Hypocrites But if he be a true childe of God one that hath the true fear
be and be acknowledged the sons of God Let us put on as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long-suffering forbearing one another forgiving one another if we have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave us and above all these things put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse Colos 3.12 13 14. And lastly forsaking the mis-guidance of Satan the World and our corrupt nature which will lead us down to the chambers of death and eternal destruction let us yield up our selves to be led by the holy Spirit of God in all the wayes of righteousnesse and holynesse of piety justice charity and all manner of gracious conversation that we may thereby approve our selves the sons and daughters of God and may be feoffed in that blessed inheritance which he hath laid up for all his to the possession whereof may he happily bring us who hath dearly bought us Jesus Christ the righteous to whom with the Father and the blessed spirit one infinite God be given all praise honour and glory now and for ever Amen THE MOURNER IN SION ECCLESIASTES 3.4 There is a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance I Need not tell you that Solomon was a wise man his wisdom as it was in an extraordinary measure put into him by him that is wisdom it self so was it in a more then ordinary way improved by his diligent observation his observation was Universal of times things persons actions events neither did he look his experiments up in the closet of his own brest but by the direction of Gods Spirit laid them forth to the World in this divine sermon which not as a King but as a Prophet he preach't to all posterity Every sentence here therefore is a dictate of the holy Ghost it is not Solomon then but a greater then Solomon even the holy Spirit of the great God that tells you there is not a time onely but a season too for every thing and for every purpose under Heaven that is as I hope you can take it no otherwise for every good thing or indifferent as for evill things or actions if men find a time yet sure God allowes no season those are alwayes damnably-unseasonable abuses of times and of our selves not to meddle with other particulars our thoughts are now by the divine providence pitch't upon a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance or rather onely upon the time to weep and mourn for our time of laughing and dancing is past already and perhaps we have had too much of that in our former times which makes the causes and degrees of our now weeping and mourning as more uncouth so more intensive we must be so much deeper in our mourning by how much we have been more wild and wanton in our laughter and dancing To fall right down therefore upon our intended discourse without any previous circumlocutions There is a threefold time of just mourning 1. When a man is sensible of his punishments 2. Of his sins 3. Of his dangers Of his punishments first or rather which is more general of his afflictions for all afflictions are not intended for punishments some are fatherly chastisments onely for our good whereas all punishments are afflictive when we are whip't then when we smart with the rod we have cause to weep and if in this case we shed no tears it is a sign of a gracelesse heart It is time therefore to mourn when we are pressed by sufferings whether from the immediate hand of God or mediately by the hands of men whether by private or publique calamities are we smitten in our bodies by some painfull and incurable diseases Doth the pestilence rage in our streets Hath God forbidden us the influence of Heaven and curst the Earth with barrennesse Hath he broken the staffe of bread and sent leannesse into our souls Hath he humbled us with the fearfull casualties of fire or water by wracks at Sea by lightnings and tempests by land hath he sent murrain amongst our cattle and destroying vermine into our barnes and fields now God tells us it is a time to mourn are we disquieted in our minds by some over-mastering passions of griefe for the miscarriages of children for the secret discontents of domesticall jars for unjust calumnies cast upon our good name are we molested in our mindes and spirits with impetuous and no lesse importune then hatefull Temptations now it is a time to mourn do we find in our souls a decay and languishment of grace a prevalence of those corruptions which we thought abated in us Do we find our selves deeply soul-sick with our sinfull indispositions Shortly do we find the face of our God for the time withdrawn from us Now now it is a time to mourn If we turn our eyes to those evils which are cast upon us by the hands of men Do men find themselves despoyled of their estates restrained of their Liberties tortured in their bodies Do they find the wofull miseries of an intestine war killings burnings depopulations do they find fire and sword raging in the bosom of out Land now it is a time to mourn Were these evils confined to some few persons to some special families they were worthy of the tears of our compassion for it is our duty to weep with them that weep but where they are universal and spread over the whole face of any Nation there cannot be found tears enough to lament them Punishments then are a just cause of our sorrow and mourning but to a good heart sin is so much greater cause of mourning by how much a moral evil is more then a natural and by how much the displeasure of an Almighty God is worthy of more regard then our own smart Doth thine heart then tell thee that thou hast offended the Majesty of God by some grievous sin now is thy time to weep and mourne as thou wouldest for thy only son Zechar. 12.10 now it is time for thee to be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne Thy soul is foul wash and rince it with the tears of thy repentance go forth with Peter and weep bitterly Dost thou finde in the place where thou livest that sin like some furious torrent bears down all before it now it is time for thee to mourne for the sins of thy people and to say as the holy Psalmist did Psal 119 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Lastly as our sufferings and our sins make up a due time for our mourning so do our dangers also for fear is no lesse afflictive then pain yea I know not whether there can be a greater pain then the expectation of imminent mischiefs Do we therefore see extremities of judgments hovering over our heads ready to fall down like Sodoms fire and
all Religion is expressed by the name of fear and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by Timoratus indeed where this fear is there can be no other then a gracious heart for this will be sure to work in a man true humility the Mother of vertues when he shall compare his dust and ashes with the glorious Majesty of God when he sees such an Heaven roling over his head such an Earth and Sea under him how can he but say Lord what is man this will make him think himself happy that he may be allowed to love such a God that such a worme as he may be admitted to have any interest in so infinite a Majesty this will render him carefully conscionable in all his wayes that he would not for a World do any thing that might offend such a God yea it will make him no lesse fearfull of sin then of Hell see Gods own connexion when he gives a Character of his Servant Job A perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill Job 1.8 Lo he that fears God will therefore eschew evill will not dare to sin if Satan shall lay all the Treasures of the World at his feer he will say in an holy scorn Thy Gold and thy Silver perish with thee if all the philtrâ—s and wanton allurements of a great and beautifull mistress shall lay seige to him he will say with good Joseph Gen. 39.9 How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God But O God who hath believed our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Is there such a thing as the fear of the Lord amongst men Can we think that the common sins of the times can stand with the least scruple of the fear of the Almighty wo is me what rending and tearing of the sacred name of God in pieces with oaths and blasphemies do we meet with every where what contempt of his holy Ordinances and Ministers What abominable sacriledges what foul perjuries what brutish and odious drunkenness and epicurean excess what fraud and cozenage in trading what shamefull uncleanness what merciless and bloody oppressions Oh where then where is the fear of a God to be found the while yea to such an height of atheous boldnesse and obduration are the russians of our time grown that they boast of it as their greatest glory to fear nothing Neither God nor Devil they feast without fear they fight without fear they sin without fear But hear this ye carelesse and profane epicures that say Tush doth God see it Is there knowledg in the most high Hear this ye formall hypocrites that can fashionably bow to him whose face you can be content to spit upon and whom ye can abide to crucifie again by your wicked lives Hear this ye Godlesse and swaggering roarers that dare say with Pharaoh Who is the Lord You that now bid defiance to fear shall in spight of you learn the way to fear yea to tremble yea to be confounded at the terrors of the Almighty Those knees that are now so stiff that they will not bow to God shall once knock together those teeth through which your blasphemies have passed shall gnash those hands that were lift up against Heaven shall shake and languish If ye were as strong as Mountaines before his presence the Mountaines fled and the hills were moved If as firme as rocks who can stand before his wrath His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken before him Nahum 1.6 If as the whole Earth whose title is That cannot be moved The Earth trembled and quaked because he was angry saith the Psalmist yea if as wicked as Devils even they believe and tremble and if when he doth but thunder in his clouds the stoutest Atheist turnes pale and is ready to creep into a bench-hole what shall become of them when he shall put forth the utmost of his fury and revenge upon his enemies Lo then ye that now laugh at fear shall yell and houle like hell-hounds in eternall torments and God shall laugh when your fear commeth ye that would not now so much as with Faelix quake at the newes of a judgment shall irrecoverably shiver in the midst of those flames that can never be quenched But for us dear and beloved Christians far be it from us to be of that iron-disposition that we should never bow but with the fire no we have other more kindly grounds of our fear Great is thy mercy saith the Psalmist that thou maist be feared Lo it is the amiableness of merits that must attract our fear it is a thing that mainly concernes us to look where and how fears are placed Far be it from us to bring upon our selves the curse of wicked ones To fear where no fear is as this is the common condition of men Alas we are apt to fear the censures and displeasure of vain greatness whereas that may be a means to ingratiate us with God shame of the World whereas that may be a means to save us from everlasting confusion poverty whereas that may possess us of a better wealth death whereas to the faithfull soul that proves the necessary harbinger to eternall rest and glory in the mean time the same men are no whit afraid of the displeasure of God and their own perdition wherein they are like to foolish children who run away from their parents and best friends if they have but a maske or scarfe over their faces but are no whit afraid of fire or water Away with all these and the like weak misprisions and if we tender our own safety let it be our main care to set our fears right which shall be done if we place them upon our infinitely great and glorious God in that relation both of mercy and goodness wherein he is here recommended to us as our Father and that awfull apprehension of Justice wherein he is set forth to us as an unpartiall judge of us and all our actions Consider then that from the duty we may descend to the motive that this fear is of a Father and therefore a loving fear but this Father is a judge and therefore it must be an awfull love how will these two go together a Father and a Judge the one a stile of love and mercy the other of justice What ever God is he is all that he is all love and mercy He is all justice That which God is in the pure simplicity of his essence we must imitate in our compositions namely to unite both these in one heart He is not so a judg that he will wave the title and affection of a Father he is not so a Father that he will remit ought of his infinite justice in any of his proceedings upon both these must we fasten our eyes at once we must see the love of a Father to uphold and chear us we must look upon the Justice of a Judge that we may tremble and
of evil inclinations and actions which yet will never reach to evince our son-ship to God How easily were it for me to name you divers Heathens which have been eminent in all these and yet for ought we know never the nearer to Heaven yet lower there are some speciall gifts of the Spirit which we call Charismata rare endowments bestowed upon some men excellent faculties of preaching and praying power of miraculous workings as no doubt Judas did cast out Devils as well as the best of his fellow-Apostles gifts of tongues and of Prophesie and the like which do no more argue a right to the son-ship of God then the Manuaries infused skill of Bezaleel and Aâ—oliab could prove them Saints yet lastly there may be sensible operations of the Spirit of God upon the soul in the influences of holy motions into the heart in working a temporary faith and some fair progresse in an holy profession and yet no sonship the world is full of such glow-wormes that make some show of Spiritual Light from God when they have nothing in them but cold crudities that can serve for nothing but deceit Will ye then see what leading of the Spirit can evince us to be the Sons and Daughters of God know then that if we will hope for a comfortable assurance hereof we must be efficaciously led by his sanctifying Spirit first in matter of judgment secondly in our dispositions and thirdly in our practise For matter of judgment ye remember what our Saviour said to his Disciples When the Spirit of truth is come he will lead you into all Truth John 16.13 That is into all saving and necessary truthes so as to free us from grosse ignorance or main errour Whosoever therefore is enlightned with the true and solid knowledg of all those points of Christian doctrine which are requisite for salvation is in that first regard led by the Spirit and in this behalf hath a just title to the son-ship of God as contrarily those that are grosly and obstinately erroneous in their judgment of fundamental truthes let them pretend to never so much holinesse in heart or life shall in vain lay claim to this happy condition of the Sons of God For our disposition secondly If the holy Spirit have wrought our hearts to be right with God in all our affections if we do sincerely love and fear him if we do truely believe in him receiving him as not our Saviour only but as our Lord If our desires be unfained towards him If after a meek and penitent self-dejection we can find our selves raised to a lively hope and firm confidence in that our blessed Redeemer and shall continue in a constant and habitual fruition of him being thus led by the Spirit of God we may be assured that we are the Sons of God for flesh and blood cannot be accessary to these gracious dispositions Lastly for our practise it is a clear word which we hear God say by Ezekiel I will put my Spirit into the midst of you and will by it cause you to walk in my statutes and keep my laws Ezech. 36.27 Lo herein is the main crisis of a soul led by the Spirit of God and adopted to this heavenly son-ship It is not for us to content our selves to talk of the lawes of our God and to make empty and formal professions of his name Here must be a continued walk in Gods statutes it will not serve the turne for us to stumble upon some acceptable work to step aside a little into the pathes of godlinesse and then draw back to the World no my beloved this leading of Gods Spirit must neither be a forced angariation as if God would feoffe grace and salvation upon us against our wills nor some suddain protrusion to good nor a meer actual momentany transient conduction for a brunt of holinesse and away leaving us to the sinful wayes of our former disobedience and to our wonted compliances with the World the Devil and the Flesh but must be in a steady uninterrupted habitual course of holy obedience so as we may sincerely professe with the man after Gods own heart My soul hath kept thy Testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 119.67 Now then dear Christians lay this to heart seriously and call your selves sadly to this triall What is the carriage of our lives What obedience do we yeild to the whole law of our God If that be entire hearty universal constant perseverant and truly conscientious we have whereof to rejoyce an unfailing ground to passe a confident judgment upon our spiritual estate to be no lesse then happy But if we be willingly failing in the unfained desires and indevours of these holy performances and shall let loose the reins to any known wickednesse we have no part nor portion in this blessed condition Mark I beseech you how fully this is asserted to our hands in this saith the beloved Apostle the Children of God are manifest and the children of the Devil whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loves not his brother 1 Joh. 3.10 Observe I pray you what test we are put to ye hear him not say who so talks not holily or who so professes not godlinesse in these an hypocrite may exceed the best Saint but whosoever doth not righteousnesse withall see what a clause the Disciple of love superadds to the mention of all Righteousnesse neither he that loves not his brother surely the Spirit of God is a Loving Spirit Wisdom 1.6 and St. Paul hath the like phrase Rom. 15.30 To let passe then all the other proofes of our guidance by the spirit Instance but in this one Alas my Brethren what is become of that charitable and christian carriage of men towards one another which God requires of us and which was wont to be conspicuous amongst Christian compatriots Wo is me instead of that true and hearty love which our Saviour would have the Livery of our Disciple-ship the badg of our holy profession what do we see but emulation envy malice rigid censures and rancorous heart-burnings amongst men In stead of those neighbourly and friendly offices which Christians were wont lovingly to performe to each other what have we now in the common practise of men but underminings oppressions violence cruelty Can we think that the Spirit of him who would be styled Love it self would lead us in these rugged and bloody pathes No no this alone is too clear a proof how great a stranger the Spirit of God is to the hearts and waies of men and how few there are that upon good and firme grounds can plead their right to the son-ship of God Alas alas if these dispositions and practises may bewray the sons of an holy God what can men do to prove themselves the children of that hellish Apollion who was a man-slayer from the beginning For us my beloved Oh let us hate and bewaile this common degeneration of Christians and as we would