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<DATE>2014-01-30</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Simon Charles</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SERMON PREACHED AT the Publicke Fa&s;t. TO The Commons Hou&s;e of Parliament. APRIL. 5^t^h. 1628.</P>
<P>By IER. DYKE Mini&s;ter of GODS Word, at <HI>Epping</HI> in ESSEX.</P>
<Q><BIBL>ROM. 13. 11.</BIBL>
<P>And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of &s;leepe.</P></Q>
<Q><P><HI>Obtice&s;cant ergo linguae dioentium, manducemus et bibamus, cras enim moriemur. Pror&s;us et vos re&s;pondete, et dicite. Ieiunemus &amp; oremus cras enim moriemur.</HI></P>
<BIBL>Aug de Diuer&s;is. Serm. 120.</BIBL></Q>
<Q><P><HI>Qui aut abundantia nimia, aut &s;ecuritate vitiantur de&s;i|nunt e&s;&s;e perditi, cum de&s;titerint e&s;&s;e &s;ecuri.</HI></P>
<BIBL>Salu. de prouid. lib 6.</BIBL></Q>
<P>LONDON: Printed for ROBERT MYLBOVRNE, and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop in Pauls Church yard, at the &s;igne of the Gray Hound. 1628.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>&leaf; TO THE HO|NOVRABLE A&s;&s;embly of the Commons Hou&s;e of Parliament.</HEAD>
<P>_I Know my &s;elfe and mine owne vnwor|thine&s;&s;e too well, to be &s;o far in loue with a|ny thing of mine own, as to thinke it worthy publicke view. That which once <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> &s;pake of him&s;elfe in humility, I mu&s;t &s;ay
<PB REF="3"> of my &s;elfe in truth: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Serm. de Di+uer&s;is. 32.</NOTE> <HI>Quis &s;um e|go? Homo &s;um vnus de multis, non de magnis.</HI> And I know the truth of <HI>Saluians</HI> ob&s;eruation. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Contra. Auarit. lib. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Om|nia dicta tanti exi&s;timantur quan|tus e&s;t ip&s;e qui dixit, et qui legunt non tam con&s;iderant quid legant quam cuius legant, nec tam di|ctionis vim atque virtutem quam dictatoris cogitant dignitatem.</HI> So that vpon the&s;e grounds I had great rea&s;on to haue for-borne the Publi|&s;hing of this Sermon. Yet agayne, &s;ome rea&s;ons there were that were preualent with me, to put it forth. Fir&s;t, that I might a little inlarge &s;ome things that &s;treights of time would not in the deliuery, permit to be medled withall. Secondly, it was my de&s;ire to leaue a Monument,
<PB REF="3"> and to giue a publicke te&s;timony of my thankefulnes to the Honourable Hou&s;e, for your &s;o faire acceptance, and recompence of &s;o weake, and vn|worthy a Seruice, as was done you in this Sermon. La&s;tly, endeauours in this kinde haue a ble&s;&s;ing from God, and want not their &s;ucce&s;&s;e: I ea&s;ily fore-&s;ee to how many cen&s;ures I ex|po&s;e my &s;elfe by this cour&s;e, but I haue &s;et vp my re&s;t with him. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Saluian. contr. Auarit. lib. 4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> <HI>Suffi|ciunt nobis in hac parte &s;ancto|rum &s;en&s;us et Iudicia, quibus idem &s;entientibus at&abque; nos certi profecto &s;umus Deum ip&s;um &s;entire nobi&s;|cum: Pravorum hominum &s;en&s;us aut parvi ae&s;timandi &s;unt, aut nihil omnino faciendi.</HI> If I find acceptance with tho&s;e that be good, and hereby may doe any good, I haue enough.
<PB REF="4"> The God of Heauen guide and ble&s;&s;e you in all your weighty deli|berations, and make you an happy healing Parliament, to make vp all the breaches of the Land.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours humbly devoted. IER. DYKE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="4">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>HEB. 11. 7.</BIBL>
<P>By Faith <HI>Noah</HI> being warned of God of things not &s;eene as yet, moved with feare, prepa|red an Arke, to the &s;aving of his Hou&s;e.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN the latter end of the former Chapter, the Apo&s;tle had exhorted vnto per&s;e|verance in the faith. To pre&s;&s;e this home the better, he &s;hewes the excel|lency of the grace of Faith.</P>
<P>That he &s;hewes
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. By the <HI>excellency</HI> of it, in it &s;elfe con&s;idered. Ver&s;. 1, 2, 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. By a <HI>Cloud of witne&s;&s;es,</HI> by the examples of all their fore-fathers in both the Worlds, the World before, and after the Flood.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>By all tho&s;e examples giuing them to vnder&s;tand that all the goodly things that their Fathers had, or did, they were beholding vnto faith for them. It is the Apo&s;tles purpo&s;e in this Chapter to &s;et the gar|land vpon the head of faith, and for the making of this garland, he picks and gathers all the mo&s;t choyce and godly flowers that growe &s;cattered through the garden of the Scriptures, and &s;o crownes Faith
<PB N="2" REF="5"> therewith, to make it a louely, and an amiable grace in the eyes of all.</P>
<P>This &s;eauenth ver&s;e contaynes the example of the Faith of <HI>Noah,</HI> who was the la&s;t Patriarch of the old, and the fir&s;t of the new World. In the ver&s;e we haue con&s;iderable, two &s;peciall things.
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Gods</HI> gracious <HI>goodne&s;&s;e</HI> and mercy to <HI>Noah,</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>In giuing warning.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Being warned of God.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Noahs</HI> great <HI>wi&s;edome</HI> in taking warning.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>This wi&s;edome of his is &s;et forth in three degrees,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. He <HI>beleeues</HI> the warning giuen him. <HI>By</HI> Faith <HI>being warned,</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. He feares it: <HI>Moued with feare.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. He <HI>makes good v&s;e</HI> of the warning, and there|vpon followes the Coun&s;ell of <HI>God.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>For <HI>God</HI> did not only giue him warning of the dan|ger, but gaue him al&s;o coun&s;ell, and direction, how to &s;ecure him&s;elfe from the danger, and he taking the fayre warning, takes al&s;o the good coun&s;ell, and pre|pares an Arke: And all the&s;e be three degrees of one and the &s;ame thing, each i&s;&s;uing and flowing out of other. <HI>God</HI> giues warning therefore. 1. He <HI>beleeues.</HI> 2. His <HI>faith,</HI> breedes <HI>feare</HI> of the calamity approach|ing. 3. His <HI>feare</HI> breeds a <HI>care</HI> of the pre&s;eruation of him&s;elfe, and family. Why builds he an Arke to &s;aue his hou&s;e? Becau&s;e he <HI>feared:</HI> Why doth hee feare? Becau&s;e hee <HI>beleeues Gods</HI> warning: <HI>God warnes</HI> him, therefore he <HI>beleeues:</HI> He <HI>beleeues</HI> therefore he <HI>feares:</HI> He <HI>feares</HI> therefore hee <HI>prouides</HI> agayn&s;t a rainy day, and takes a cour&s;e to hide him&s;elfe, and his family in the day of wrath. For the fir&s;t: <HI>Gods</HI> mercy and goodne&s;&s;e to <HI>Noah. Being warned of God.</HI></P>
<PB N="3" REF="5">
<P>The old World was growne to an horrible hight of iniquity. The Children of <HI>God,</HI> the po&s;terity of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">h,</HI> made mongrell matches with the daughters of men, the po&s;terity of <HI>Caine.</HI> Tho&s;e mongrell mat|ches brought forth a mon&s;trous brood, who defiled, and polluted the very earth. <HI>God</HI> &s;aw the earth &s;o de|filed with their villanies, that he determines to bring &s;uch a iudgement vpon the earth, as &s;hould not on|ly &s;weepe tho&s;e mon&s;ters from off the earth, but &s;uch an one as &s;hould lay the earth a &s;oake, and &s;hould wa&s;h and wrince it from the filth and defilement where-with they had corrupted it. <HI>God</HI> hauing &s;et downe this determination, he doth not pre&s;ently put it in execution; but fir&s;t acquaints <HI>Noah</HI> with his pur|po&s;e, and giues him warning of it, and that to this end, that he might giue the world warning. For as <HI>God</HI> by immediate reuelation, gaue <HI>Noah</HI> warning; &s;o <HI>Noah</HI> by preparing the Arke, gaue the World war|ning of a iudgment comming, and that vnle&s;&s;e &s;ome cour&s;e was taken to preuent it, they were all in dan|ger to bee &s;wept away with a Flood; from which cour&s;e of <HI>Gods:</HI> Learne.</P>
<P>Gods faire dealing in the admini&s;tration, and ex|ecution of Iu&s;tice: Seldome or neuer doth <HI>God</HI> bring generall iudgements vpon a people, but he giues them faire warning. Hee doth not &s;trike men at vnawares, and &s;uddainly &s;urpri&s;e them, without any notice gi|uen of his purpo&s;es. <HI>Ezech.</HI> 33. 3. <HI>When the &s;word comes vppon the Land, hee mu&s;t blow the Trumpet, and</HI> warne <HI>the people.</HI> The Prophet <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 7. <HI>Mu&s;t heare the Word at Gods mouth, and</HI> warne <HI>them from him.</HI> Yea, &s;o carefull is God that it be done, that if in
<PB N="4" REF="6"> ca&s;e it be neglected, he threatens to reckon &s;harply with tho&s;e whom hee betru&s;ts with that office, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 8. God will require <HI>blood</HI> at &s;uch mens hands. God doth not &s;natch vp the &s;word into his hand, and pre&s;ent|ly cut men of; but <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 7. 12. Fir&s;t, God <HI>whets his &s;word, bends his bow, makes it ready; prepares the in|struments of death.</HI> And all this whetting time, the time of making ready, and preparing, is a warning time. God whets, and makes ready in mens &s;ight, and in mens hearing, that the very noy&s;e of his whet|ting, may giue them warning of his intentions. And <HI>Deut.</HI> 32. 41, 42. God fir&s;t <HI>Whets his Sword before it devoures fle&s;h;</HI> and God fir&s;t <HI>takes hold on iudgement,</HI> before his judgements take hold on men.</P>
<P>God liu'd by his owne rule, and by the &s;ame Law, he gaue his people in their warres. <HI>Deuter.</HI> 20. 10. 13. Hee would not haue them fall foule pre&s;ently vppon their enemies, but they mu&s;t deale fairely with them. And it was the benefit of this Law, that the wi&s;e wo|man of <HI>Abel</HI> challenged at the hands of <HI>Ioab,</HI> 2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 20. 18. and blames him that hee was come to <HI>&s;wal|low vp,</HI> and neuer according to the ancient Law of Armes giues them any parley, or warning of his pur|po&s;es. So fairely deales God in his infinite goodne&s;&s;e with men, before hee comes to &s;wallow vp, and to de&s;troy; hee fir&s;t giues warning, and offers fayre quarter. Therefore, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 8. God <HI>blowes the Trum|pet</HI> before he drawes the &s;word; not a Trumpet for an Alarme, and for the battle; but a Trumpet to giue warning that a battle is like to come. God hath his warning peeces; and his murdering peeces: God neuer di&s;chargeth his murdering, till hee
<PB N="5" REF="6"> haue di&s;charged his Warning ones.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Syria</HI> his plot and policy, was &s;udden|ly and at unawares, to &s;urpri&s;e the King of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> 2. <HI>King.</HI> 6. 8. He would go covertly, and clo&s;ly to work lea&s;t the King of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> having intelligence of his de|&s;igne, he might thereby fru&s;trate his action. God goes not &s;o covertly to worke, but as one that would be willing to be kept off, and put by, he him&s;elfe giues intelligence of his intentions, hee doth afore-hand acquaint men with his projects. <HI>Ier.</HI> 18. 11, <HI>Behold I frame evill again&s;t you, and devi&s;e a device again&s;t you. Thus God deales, and giues warning.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. That if it be po&s;&s;ible, men might bee brought to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> Repentance, as might prevent the threatned e|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">. <HI>Ier.</HI> 18. 11.</P>
<P N="2">2. That he may provide for the good of his owne. Sometimes God will deliver &s;ome of his people from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> calamity. Sometimes he will haue &s;ome of them <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">dergo it. In reference to both, he giues warning.</P>
<P N="1">1. To &s;uch as &s;hall be delivered in the day of wrath: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> wrath &s;hould come without warning, it might <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">de of Gods owne people, from vnder couert, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> they might prooue a prey to the judgement. <HI>Exod.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">. 18, 19. God had a purpo&s;e that many of the <HI>Egyp|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">s</HI> &s;ervants and Cattle &s;hould e&s;cape, and not bee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">ayne, in that terrible &s;torme of fire and hayle. God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">erefore giues warning of the &s;torme, that &s;o they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">ight be hou&s;ed that &s;hould e&s;cape. If they had had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> warning, they had heene abroad in the fields; and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> in the fields when the &s;torme came, they had pe|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">ht inevitably. God hath a purpo&s;e in a &s;torme to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;ome of his, therefore hee giues them warning
<PB N="6" REF="7"> that they may get an hou&s;e ouer their heads before the &s;torme come. What had <HI>Noah</HI> beene better then all the re&s;t of the vngodly World, if God had not giuen him warning: <HI>God</HI> warned him that hee might be &s;afe in the evill day. When iudgements come, and are walking abroad, <HI>God</HI> would haue his people within doores, in their Chambers, their doores &s;hut vpon them. <HI>I&s;.</HI> 26. 20, 21. and therefore to this end giues them warning. 2. In reference to &s;uch as &s;hall vndergoe common calamity, <HI>God</HI> giues them warning that they may lay in, and lay vp that which may &s;upport and vphold them in the time of di&s;tre&s;&s;e. <HI>God</HI> would haue the demeaner and behauiour of his people in the day of calamity be different from other mens. He would haue them be of erected &s;pirits, free from tho&s;e di&s;tre&s;&s;ing perplexities, that others &s;halbe &s;wallowed vp withall. Therefore hee giues warning that &s;o they may gather that which may &s;trengthen them at &s;uch a time: certainely if <HI>God</HI> &s;hould giue no warning, there would bee little difference &s;eene and di&s;cerned betweene the <HI>righteous, and the wicked; be|tweene him that &s;erueth God, and him that &s;erues him not. Mal.</HI> 3. 18. Little difference would bee &s;eene in their carriages vnder the pre&s;&s;ures of calamity: You &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Euery man with his hands on his loynes, as a Woman in trauaile, and all faces turned into pale|ne&s;se. Ier.</HI> 30. 6. <HI>God</HI> would haue his people haue more blood in their faces, then the common &s;ort wil haue in &s;uch a time. <HI>God</HI> would not haue Faith and Religion &s;o pale faced, and &s;o white liuer'd, as ciuility, and morality, will be at &s;uch a time. Therefore <HI>God</HI> giues them warning, that &s;o their proui&s;ions may be
<PB N="7" REF="7"> &s;uch agayn&s;t the day of euill; as that their carriages may be ma&s;culine, be&s;eeming <HI>God</HI> and Religion.</P>
<P N="3">3. That <HI>God</HI> may be iu&s;tified, and cleare, when he iudges. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 51. 4. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Talis non vis flagellari cum mundo, aut fla|gellatus mur|muras &s;ub fla|gello? Serue male, feci&s;ti quod Dominus iu&s;&s;it, qui ne vapulares, i&s;ta flagella ante tibi praedixit? August. de tem. Barb.</HI></NOTE> <HI>God</HI> doth it to gag, and to muzzle the mouth of iniquity; and to put to &s;ilence the cauelling ignorance of fooli&s;h men. What can be pleaded agayn&s;t the iu&s;tice of <HI>Gods</HI> proceedings, when <HI>God</HI> may &s;ay to men, as <HI>Reuben</HI> to his brethren. <HI>Gen.</HI> 42. 22. <HI>Did not I warne you, &s;aying, &s;in not.</HI></P>
<P><LABEL>Que&s;t.</LABEL> How doth God giue warning of wrath, and iudgements comming?</P>
<P><LABEL><HI>An&s;.</HI> 1.</LABEL> <HI>God</HI> giues warning many wayes.</P>
<P N="1">1. By extraordinary, and immediate Reuelation. Thus was <HI>Noah</HI> heere warned of God, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">. The &s;ame word that is v&s;ed of the warning giuen to the wi&s;emen <HI>Math.</HI> 2. 12. <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">, warned of God. <HI>God</HI> in a dreame immediately warned them. And thus were all the Prophets warned of <HI>God,</HI> of the iudge|ments that were to come vpon the Iewes, and other Nations. And thus &s;pecially is that to be vnder&s;tood. <HI>Amos</HI> 3. 7. <HI>Surely the Lord God will doe nothing, but he reueales his &s;ecrets vnto his &s;eruants the Prophets.</HI> God by the extraordinary reuelation of his &s;pirit, gaue them warning what hee meant to doe. Thus God made knowne to <HI>Nebucadnezar</HI> what &s;hould come to pa&s;&s;e afterwards. <HI>Daniel</HI> 2. 29.</P>
<P N="2">2. By prodigious &s;ignes, and &s;trange wonders, both in Heauen and earth. <HI>God</HI> calls his worke of iudgement, <HI>a &s;trange worke;</HI> and <HI>a strange act. I&s;a.</HI> 28. 21. And when <HI>God</HI> doth the&s;e <HI>strange acts,</HI> and workes of nationall iudgements, hee giues warnings many times thereof by &s;ome &s;trange precur&s;ory &s;ignes
<PB N="6" REF="8">
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<PB N="7" REF="8">
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<PB N="6" REF="9">
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<PB N="7" REF="9">
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<PB N="8" REF="10"> and prodigies: Commonly &s;ome &s;trange praemoni|tory &s;ignes fore runne, &s;trange executions of iu&s;tice: We haue a text for it. <HI>Luke</HI> 21. 11. <HI>Great earthquakes &s;halbe in diuer&s;e places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearefull fights; and great &s;ignes &s;hall there bee from Heauen:</HI> And &s;o it came to pa&s;&s;e before the de|&s;truction of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> by a prodigious comet, and o|ther fearefull &s;ights <HI>God</HI> gaue them warning of their approaching ruine.</P>
<P>Wee &s;hall &s;eldome finde any calamitous time to haue befallen this kingdome which hath not had a fore-warning giuen of it by &s;ome prodigious things &s;uch as was the rayning of blood at Yorke, &s;ometime before the Danes entrance into the Land, and others many of the like nature, as they know well that are but any thing &s;eene into our Chronicles. And what in|conuenience can it be to coniecture, that God by that prodigious blazing Starre, <HI>Anno</HI> 1618. gaue the chur|ches warning of the heavie and lamentable times that haue &s;ince en&s;ued, &amp; yet happily are to en&s;ue. God had a <HI>&s;trange worke,</HI> and a <HI>&s;trange act,</HI> to doe, and he gaue warning of it by as &s;trange a blazing Starre as had bin &s;eene in many ages. God &s;peakes by all &s;uch &s;ignes, and therefore wee reade of the <HI>words</HI> of Gods <HI>&s;ignes and wonders, P&s;al.</HI> 105. 27. &s;o the words are ori|ginally. And &s;o of the <HI>voyce</HI> of his &s;ignes, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4. 8. <HI>If they will not hearken to the voyce of the fir&s;t &s;igne.</HI> Ther|fore Gods &s;ignes haue <HI>wordes,</HI> haue a <HI>voyce</HI> they &s;peake not onely to our eyes, but to our eares al&s;o. They are not onely to be gazed upon, but to bee hearkened to, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 106. 7. <HI>Our fathers</HI> vnder&s;tood <HI>not thy wonders in Egypt,</HI> Gods wonders then haue a language, and they
<PB N="9" REF="10" MS="y"> are not onely to bee lookt vppon, but their language mu&s;t be vnder&s;tood. Now their words are Monitory words, their language is a Monitory language, and they giue vs warning that &s;ome great iudgements are at hand.</P>
<P N="3">3. God giues warning by the Mini&s;tery of the word. Though Gods mini&s;ters haue not an Oraculous war|ning by Immediate Revelation; yet they may &s;ee an e|vill in the cau&s;es, as a &s;torme in the black cloudes, and by con&s;idering, and comparing things pre&s;ent, with things pa&s;t, and looking into Gods ancient wayes may &s;ee in the general that mi&s;chiefe is comming, and &s;o from God giue warning. <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> hath his &s;word as well as <HI>Iehu,</HI> and <HI>Hazael.</HI> 1. <HI>Reg.</HI> 19. 17. And when <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> vn&s;heathes and brandi&s;hes his &s;word, it is a faire war|ning that the &s;word of <HI>Iehu,</HI> and <HI>Hazael</HI> are at hand. <HI>God cuts downe by his Prophets, and &s;layes by the wordes of his mouth. Ho&s;e.</HI> 6. 5. before hee bringes in enemyes to kill and &s;lay, and when his Mini&s;ters are killing and &s;laying it is a warning &s;igne that enemyes &s;hall come to doe the like. So Ieremy <HI>rootes out, pulles downe, de|&s;troyes, and throwes downe Kingdomes. Ier.</HI> 1. 10. And when Ieremy begins to plucke vp &amp; de&s;troy, it is an ill &s;igne that Babilonians, and other nations are com|ming at hand to doe the &s;ame worke. What&s;oeuer ye bind on earth &s;halbe bound in heauen; and &s;o what&s;oe|uer yee roote out on earth &s;halbe rooted out in hea|uen; is not onely true of an extraordinary and prophe|ticall Mini&s;try, but of the ordinary &s;tanding mini&s;try of the Church, when Mini&s;ters go to worke <HI>Claue non erante,</HI> and follow the rules and grounds of the word. The watchman giues warning. <HI>Eze.</HI> 33. 3. but how? <HI>if</HI>
<PB N="10" REF="11"> <HI>he blow the trumpet, and giue warning.</HI> When Gods watchmen blow the trumpet, then God giues war|ning. Specially then are the warnings of Gods Mini|&s;ters to be taken as warnings from God, when God &s;hal &s;tirre vp the harts of his &s;eruants euery where in all parts, &amp; places of a kingdome far di&s;tant, and remote each from other, to giue warning to a Kingdome. That looke as it is an argument of the diuine authori|ty of prophetical Scripture, that the Prophets though they liued in diuer&s;e places and ages of the world, yet they &s;o al agreed in one &amp; the &s;ame truth as if they had all &s;poken by one mouth. <HI>Hence Luke.</HI> 1. 70. <HI>As he &s;pake by the mouth of his holy Prophets.</HI> There were many <HI>Pro|phets</HI> yet but one <HI>mouth,</HI> they all &s;o agreed that though there were diver&s;e per&s;ons, yet but one mouth, <HI>as hee &s;pake by the mouth,</HI> not the mouthes of his holy Pro|phets <HI>which haue beene &s;ince the world began.</HI> So here, when God doth &s;tirre vp his &s;eruants in all parts of a kingdome, and &s;ets them all on worke as with one mouth to giue warning of wrath, it may be taken for no le&s;&s;e then a diuine warning from God him&s;elfe.</P>
<P N="4">4 God giues warning by his admini&s;tration, and dealing with other nations, and Churches. Gods rods are not only &s;marting rods to them vpon whom they are, but they are monitory &amp; <HI>warning</HI> rods to tho&s;e v|po~ who~ as yet they are not. <HI>Zep.</HI> 3. 6. 7. <HI>I haue cut off nati|ons, I haue made their &s;treets wa&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> what was one end God had in it? To giue Ieru&s;alem warning. <HI>I &s;aid, &s;urely thou wilt feare me, thou wilt receiue instruction, &s;o their dwellings &s;hould not be cut off.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Oportet abie|tem vlulare quia cecidit Cedrus, ac ali|os vicinorum plaga erudiri atque per ali|ena mala re|bus &s;uis probe con&s;ulere. Greg. Naz.</HI></NOTE> God then aimed at this in his Iudgements vpon other nations that Ieru&s;alem &s;hould take warning. Then <HI>God</HI> giues warning whe~ he
<PB N="11" REF="11"> puts the &s;word into Co~mi&s;&s;ion. It is warning when he whets his &s;word, but much more when he giues the &s;word a Commi&s;&s;ion. <HI>Ezekel.</HI> 14. 17. <HI>If I &s;ay; Sword goe through a land, &s;o that I cut off man and bea&s;t from it.</HI> There is the &s;word put in Commi&s;&s;ion, and being &s;o put in Commi&s;&s;ion, there is warning giuen of ap|proaching calamitie. We may know the &s;word to be in Commi&s;&s;ion as wee know the Iudges of A&s;&s;ize to bee. When we &s;ee the Iudges ride circuite, and goe from one &s;hire towne to another, and doe executions vppon malefactors: then wee know they haue their Commi&s;&s;ions: Iudges may not ride circuit without their Commi&s;&s;ions. So when wee &s;ee the &s;word ride circuit, and doe Executions euery where as it goes, and cannot bee &s;taide, but it pro&s;pers and preuailes, then without all que&s;tion it is in Commi&s;&s;ion. When it goes through Lands, and Prouinces, and Churches, and cuts off man and bea&s;t, then que&s;tionle&s;&s;e God hath &s;aid, <HI>Sword, Go.</HI> See <HI>Ier.</HI> 47. 6, 7. <HI>Oh thou &s;word of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou bee quiet: put vp thy &s;elfe into thy &s;cabberd, re&s;t and be &s;till.</HI> Like inough <HI>A&s;h|kelon,</HI> and the Phili&s;tins v&s;ed all the policie, and power they could: but all their Combinations, Confedera|cies, Leagues, Vnions, could do no good. For all the&s;e the &s;word was re&s;tle&s;&s;e, and pro&s;pered &s;trangely, and not by any weakene&s;&s;e of theirs, nor by any &s;trength of the enemy the victory &s;till lo&s;t: &s;o as a diuine hand of God was manife&s;t therein. What might the rea&s;on of all this be? It had a charge: <HI>How can it be quiet, &s;eeing the Lord hath giuen it a charge again&s;t A&s;hkelon.</HI></P>
<P>When the &s;word hath a Commi&s;&s;ion, it doth as <HI>Samuel</HI> did, 1. <HI>Sam.</HI> 7. 16. <HI>He went from yeare to yeare in</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="12"> <HI>circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal and Mizpeh, and iudged I&s;rael in all tho&s;e places, and his returne was to Ramah.</HI> Now looke then, as when <HI>Samuel</HI> was at <HI>Bethel,</HI> then they had warning that hee was comming to <HI>Gilgal,</HI> when he was at <HI>Gilgal</HI> then had they warning that hee was comming to do Iudgment at <HI>Mizpeh:</HI> So when the &s;word is once walking circuit to iudge, if it bee come to <HI>Bethel,</HI> it is a warning that it is comming to <HI>Gilgal,</HI> if at <HI>Gilgal,</HI> there is a warning for <HI>Mizpeh.</HI> Let other Kingdomes, and Churches, that &s;tands by and looke on, let them take this as a warning from God, that the &s;word is comming to execute iudgements a|mong&s;t them. Then it is a warning that God will giue men to the &s;word: <HI>when euill goes forth from nation to nation, Ier.</HI> 25. 32. And why &s;hould other nations bee amazed, and their Kings be horribly afraid, and trem|ble euery man for his owne life in the day of Egypts fall by the &s;word, <HI>Ezech.</HI> 32. 10. were it not but that Gods dealing with Egypt, were a warning of the like wrath, and ruine comming vppon them&s;elues?</P>
<P N="5">5 God giues warning by doing, as <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 78. 50. <HI>He made a way to his anger,</HI> he <HI>gaue their life ouer to the pe&s;tilence.</HI> God brought the pe&s;tilence among&s;t them, but yet fir&s;t he made a way for his anger, and his ma|king of a way, was a warning that wrath was com|ming. God when he meanes that wrath &s;hall enter in|deed: hee doth not pre&s;ently let it breake in; but fir&s;t <HI>makes a way</HI> for it, takes all things out of the way, that may &s;top or hinder it in its pa&s;&s;age, or be any rub to it in its entrance. Now then when we &s;ee God prepa|ring, and <HI>making the way,</HI> then hee giues warning of wrath comming, and being at hand. When Chri&s;t
<PB N="13" REF="12"> was to manife&s;t him&s;elfe in his mini&s;terie, fir&s;t <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> mu&s;t come before him, and his office was, <HI>Mark.</HI> 1. 3. <HI>To prepare the way of the Lord.</HI> Now then tho&s;e that had eyes to &s;ee <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> preparing a way for Chri&s;t, might ea&s;ily &s;ee that God gaue war|ning, that Chri&s;t him&s;elfe was &s;hortly to come: be|cau&s;e Iohn was <HI>preparing a way</HI> for him. So when God is preparing a way for wrath, &s;uch as haue eyes to &s;ee the way preparing, may &s;ee God giuing warning, that &s;ome heauie iudgement and calamitie is at hand. When the Kings harbengers come before, and pre|pare for the King, it is a warning to &s;uch places that the King is comming. God &s;o deales in the bringing in of iudgements vpon a nation, as he did in bringing in that great plague vppon the Church, in bringing in Antichri&s;t into the world, 2. <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2. 7. <HI>The mi&s;tery of iniquitie doth already worke, onely hee who letteth will let, vntill he be taken out of the way.</HI> That plague was breeding long before it brake forth and came to ripe|ne&s;&s;e: but there was a <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span">; namely, the Romane Ethnick Emperours that &s;tood in the way, and till they were fir&s;t done out of the way, the man of &s;inne could not enter: but when that let &s;hould be taken out of the way, and &s;o a way made, <HI>Then &s;hall that wicked one be reuealed, v.</HI> 8. So that when that let was done a|way, and &s;o a way making, &s;uch as had then eyes to &s;ee it, might &s;ee that God gaue warning that Antichri&s;t was now comming into the world. So it is in this ca&s;e, Iudgement is breeding long before it comes. God hath a purpo&s;e to bring it, but yet many times there bee &s;ome lets in the way that it cannot well come till they bee remoued; God therefore prepares, and
<PB N="14" REF="13"> makes a way for the intended Iudgement by remo|uing, and taking out of the way euery <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span"> eue|ry let that may hinder it when it comes. And when <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">he way is making, God giues warning that the Iudg|ment is comming. Now God commonly makes the way by two things; The <HI>Moath</HI> and the <HI>Hornet.</HI> And when tho&s;e two come then are the harbengers come, and the Iohn Bapti&s;ts of the Iudgement.</P>
<P N="1">1 The <HI>Moath,</HI> when God meanes to bring a Iudg|ment vpon a Kingdome hee fir&s;t giues warning by making way for it by the <HI>Moath.</HI> God threatens, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 5. 14. a terrible Iudgment that hee will be to <HI>Ephraim as a Lyon, and as a young Lyon to the Hou&s;e of Iudah, that hee will teare and goe away, &amp;c.</HI> But will God giue no warning, yes that he will, and faire warning too. And how? <HI>By making way,</HI> for the Lyon by the moath v. 12. <HI>I will bee vnto Ephraim</HI> as a moath, <HI>and to the Hou&s;e of Iudah as rottenne&s;&s;e.</HI> The <HI>moath</HI> is a &s;ecret in|&s;en&s;ible Iudgment that gradually, and in&s;en&s;ibly eates out the heart and &s;trength of a State, and by the weakning of a State prepares it for a fatall de&s;olatory Iudgment.</P>
<P>A <HI>moath</HI> eates now one threed, then another, makes now one hole, then another, and &s;o by degrees wa|&s;ting, and rotting the garment perpares it with much ea&s;e, to be rent in pieces. It is difficult to rende in pieces a &s;trong &s;ound garment, but when once it is all moath eaten, and rotten, how ea&s;y is it for any: much more for a Lion to rende it: thus therefore would God prepare Ephraim for the <HI>Lion</HI> by the <HI>moath,</HI> and by the <HI>moath</HI> giue him warning of the <HI>Lion.</HI> VVhat this <HI>moath</HI> is wee may &s;ee plainely by
<PB N="15" REF="13"> that, <HI>I&s;ay.</HI> 3. 1. 2. 3. with the eight ver&s;e. In the eight ver&s;e, God threatens the <HI>ruine and the fall of Iudah and Ieru&s;alem.</HI> But wil God come &s;uddainly vp|pon them? No, hee will giue them faire warning: But how? By making way for their fatall blow, and for the <HI>Lions</HI> clawes by the teeth of the <HI>moath.</HI> Fir&s;t before the <HI>Lion</HI> comes they &s;hal &s;ee a way making for him by the <HI>moath. ver.</HI> 1. 2. 3. <HI>for the Lord of hoa&s;t doth take away from Ieru&s;alem, and from Iudah the &s;tay and the &s;taffe.</HI> Fir&s;t God before he ruines them will weaken them, and by &s;ome precur&s;ory Iudgement wil infeeble them by taking from them what&s;oeuer might &s;trenghten them again&s;t an enemy, that when an enemy comes, they &s;hal haue no &s;tay, nor &s;taffe to re&s;t vpon again&s;t him. If an enemy doe offer to make an inva&s;ion; yet if a people be well &s;tored with proui&s;ions, they haue good &s;tore of bread, trading be quick, that there be no generall pouerty and penury in the Land, it is a great &s;tay again&s;t an enemy, it is a &s;trong threed in the gar|ment. Againe if an enemy doe attempt an inva&s;ion, yet if the State be wel furni&s;ht with Prudent, Ancient, experienced Coun&s;elors, if withal it be wel prouided of braue &s;ouldiers, men of war, mighty men, Captaines of fifty, braue Leaders, &amp; Commanders, this is a great &s;tay to a State, the&s;e be &s;trong threeds in the cloth that will not &s;uffer it ea&s;ily to be rent. It will bee hard to rend &s;uch cloth a &s;under that hath &s;uch &s;trong threeds in it; Therefore that it may the ea&s;ier be rent in peices God will &s;end &s;ome Iudgement before hand that moath-like &s;hall eate a&s;under tho&s;e threeds, hee will bring in the decay of trading which is the bread of a Land, hee will now take away one Prudent man, then
<PB N="16" REF="14"> another, now &s;uch a man of warre, and then another, and thus by degrees &s;o weaken them that when an enemy &s;hould come hauing al re&s;i&s;tances remoued he may with all ca&s;e ruine Iudah and Ieru&s;alem. Thus Iu|dah by the <HI>moath</HI> had warning of the <HI>Lyon,</HI> and when God made their State and their Kingdome a motheaten Kingdome, he thereby gaue them warning that they &s;hould a&s;&s;uredly fall, and ruine.</P>
<P N="2">2 The <HI>Hornet.</HI> When God meanes to bring Iudg|ment vpon a Kingdome he giues warning thereof by premi&s;ing and fore-&s;ending, the <HI>hornet. Exod.</HI> 23. 28. I <HI>will &s;end Hornets before thee which &s;hall driue out the Hiuite, the Canaanite before thee.</HI> What that <HI>Hornet</HI> is wee may &s;ee <HI>v.</HI> 27. <HI>I will &s;end my feare before thee, and will destory all the people to whom thou &s;halt come and I will make all thine enemyes turne their backes vnto thee.</HI> This <HI>Hornet</HI> then was nothing el&s;e but the mi&s;giuing feare of the Canaanites &s;elfe-condemning con&s;ciences, which &s;hould take all heart and courage from them, that they &s;hould not be able to &s;tand it out in the day of battaile, but their owne guilty con&s;ciences repre|&s;enting vnto them their de&s;erts, &s;hould <HI>Hornet-</HI>like &s;o &s;ting the~ with feare, that they &s;hould turne their backes to the I&s;raelites. And this was that which <HI>Rahab</HI> told the &s;pies, and vpon which &s;hee concludes that the Land was theirs, <HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 2. 9. 11. <HI>I know the Lord hath giuen you the land.</HI> How did &s;he know it? &s;he &s;aw the <HI>Hornet</HI> was come before, and had &s;tung the Canaanites, and thereby gaue warning of ruine, <HI>And that your</HI> terrour is <HI>fallen vpon vs,</HI> and <HI>that all the inhabitants of the land faynt becau&s;e of you, And as &s;oone as we had heard the&s;e things our hearts did melt, neither did there remayne any</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="14"> <HI>more courage in any man becau&s;e of you.</HI> Here was the <HI>&s;tinge</HI> of the <HI>Hornet,</HI> here was the <HI>Hornet</HI> making way for wrath. If the Canaanites had had courage and &s;pirit, and &s;hould haue &s;tood &s;toutly, and brauely to it, it would not haue been &s;o ea&s;ie a matter for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to haue conquered <HI>Canaan,</HI> but now becau&s;e <HI>God</HI> would ruine the Canaanites, and giue <HI>I&s;rael</HI> their land, therefore hee &s;ends the <HI>Hornet</HI> before to make way for their entrance, and &s;o to &s;ting them that all <HI>Courage,</HI> and <HI>Heart</HI> might bee taken away. And when the Canaanites feele this <HI>&s;tinging Hornet,</HI> then haue they plaine warning that their De&s;olation is approa|ching. This is that <HI>Hornet</HI> which <HI>God</HI> &s;ent before the <HI>Medes,</HI> to make way for the de&s;truction of the <HI>Babylo|nians, E&s;ay.</HI> 13. 7, 8, 9. And this is that <HI>Hornet,</HI> that made way for the <HI>Babylonians</HI> to <HI>ruine Ieru&s;alem, Ier.</HI> 6. 24. <HI>Wee haue heard the fame thereof, our hands waxe feeble, angui&s;h hath taken hold of vs, and paine as of a woman in trauaile.</HI> This was that <HI>Hornet,</HI> that made <HI>Pharaohs armes fall downe, Ezech.</HI> 30. 25. and his <HI>&s;word to fall out of his hands, v.</HI> 22. Hee was &s;o &s;tunge at the heart with the feare of the King of <HI>Babylon,</HI> that he had neither &s;trength to lift vp his arme, nor to hold his &s;word in his hand. As the <HI>Moath</HI> takes away all out|ward &s;tayes and helps, &s;o the <HI>Hornet</HI> takes away in|ward Spirit, and Courage. And when both the&s;e are taken away, how faire a way is prepared for an enemy. Where euer then mens hearts melt with the feare of an enemie, from the guilt of &s;elfe-condemning con|&s;cinces, it is a warning from <HI>God,</HI> that wrath is com|ming.</P>
<P N="6">6 <HI>God</HI> giues warning by his graduall departure from a Nation and a Church. When <HI>God</HI> meanes that
<PB N="18" REF="15"> Iugdement &s;hall come, hee him&s;elfe will fir&s;t depart, and as Iudgement &s;hall come, &s;o will he goe. Iudge|ment comes not all at once vppon a nation but by de|grees, and <HI>God</HI> giues it an admi&s;&s;ion by a graduall re|ce&s;&s;e and departure. Now then when&s;oeuer <HI>God</HI> be|ginnes to goe, then is it a faire warning that Iudge|ment is comming. In the ninth, tenth, and eleuenth Chapters of <HI>Ezekiel, God</HI> makes diuers remoues. And we &s;hall &s;till ob&s;erue that as hee goes out, &s;o &s;ome new Iudgement comes in. 1. He remoues from the Che|rubins, in the Oracle to the thre&s;hold, <HI>Cap.</HI> 9. 3. and vp|pon that remoue &s;ee what followes, <HI>ver.</HI> 5, 6, 7, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> 2. Hee remoues to the Cherubins on the right &s;ide of the hou&s;e, <HI>Cap.</HI> 10. 1. and vpon that remoue &s;ee what followes, <HI>v.</HI> 2. 3. He remoues to the Ea&s;t gate of the hou&s;e, and the fir&s;t entrance into the Temple, <HI>Cap.</HI> 10. 19. and &s;ee what followes vppon that, <HI>Cap.</HI> 11. 8, 9, 10. 4. He remoues to Mount Oliuer quite out of the ci|tie, <HI>Cap.</HI> 11. 23. And when <HI>God</HI> was gone quite out, then followed the fatall calamity in the ruine therof. Thus &s;till as <HI>God</HI> went out, Iudgement came in, and by the&s;e &s;teps of his departure, hee gaue warning of the comming of Iudgement. When <HI>God</HI> is at the thre|&s;hold, Iudgement is at the doores. So <HI>Amos.</HI> 9. 1. <HI>I &s;aw the Lord &s;tanding vppon t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">e Altar.</HI> But what doth the Lord &s;tanding vppon the Altar? His &s;tation was be|tweene the Cherubins in the Holy place: <HI>Giue eare thou that dwellest betweene the Cherubins. P&s;al.</HI> 80. 1. What then meanes the Lords &s;tanding vpon the Al|tar? &s;urely it meanes no good. It is a &s;igne God was going, he hath made a &s;tep from the Cherubins to the Altar, and &s;ee what followes in that place: namely; a terrible &s;entence of Iudgement. <HI>God</HI> is at the Altar
<PB N="19" REF="15"> when this &s;entence is pronounced. It is in this ca&s;e as it was in that. <HI>Numb.</HI> 12. 9, 10. <HI>The anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.</HI> When <HI>God</HI> is angry, then will he depart. And what if he doe, what wil follow? <HI>And the cloude departed from off the Taber|nacle, and behold Miriam became Leprous.</HI> No &s;ooner doth <HI>God</HI> depart, but Iudgement comes in his roome. So that when <HI>God</HI> beginnes to &s;et his fir&s;t foote for|ward, it is a faire warning of euill comming. The de|&s;troying Angells could do nothing to <HI>Sodome,</HI> &s;o long as <HI>Lot</HI> was there: neither can de&s;olatory Iudgements haue power ouer a Nation &s;o long as <HI>God</HI> is graci|ou&s;ly pre&s;ent with them. Therefore as when <HI>Lot</HI> went out of <HI>Sodome,</HI> in that day fire and brime&s;tone came downe vpon <HI>Sodome,</HI> &s;o when <HI>God</HI> once goes, then are calamities ready to crowde in vpon a Nation.</P>
<P>Now <HI>Gods</HI> departure hath certaine foote-&s;teps, which are Ominous pre&s;ages of &s;orrow at hand.</P>
<P N="1">1 When Idols and Idolatrie enter into a land. When Gods Arke came into Dagons Temple, then Dagon dropt downe, but when Dagon comes into Gods Temple, and ri&s;es and is aduanced there, then God is going. See <HI>Ezek.</HI> 8. 5. 6. There was an <HI>Image of Iealou&s;ie,</HI> and therefore <HI>God would go farre off from his Sanctuary.</HI> Specially are <HI>Gods</HI> jealous eyes prouoked, when the ca&s;e is as <HI>Ezek.</HI> 43. 8. <HI>That but a wall betweene God, and Idols.</HI> Hee likes no &s;uch neere neighbours, hee will be gone rather then brooke &s;uch neighbourhood. Nay, it is a &s;igne that <HI>God</HI> is already in &s;ome mea&s;ure gone, for had he held his owne &s;tation and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, how could they haue entred. Such a &s;tep pre&s;ages great calamitie.</P>
<P N="2">2 When the mini&s;terie of a Church, beginnes to grow corrupt and vnfounde in doctrine and man|ners:
<PB N="20" REF="16"> when Trueth and Holine&s;&s;e departs, <HI>God</HI> departs. Hereupon a corrupt mini&s;trie made a pre&s;age of cala|mitie. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 9. 7. <HI>The dayes of vi&s;itation are come, the dayes of recompence are come, I&s;rael &s;hall know it,</HI> Nay I&s;rael may know it before they come: But how? <HI>The Prophet is a foole, the &s;pirituall man is mad.</HI> When Prophets, and &s;pirituall men once beginne to bee fooles, and to bee mad, to bee out of their &s;pirituall wits, and out of the way of truth, then looke for the dayes of vi&s;itation: becau&s;e when trueth goes, <HI>God</HI> goes, and when he goes no good can come.</P>
<P N="3">3 It is a manife&s;t &s;tep of <HI>Gods</HI> departure, when it is with a Nation, as it was with <HI>Samp&s;on. Iudg.</HI> 16. 20. <HI>He wist not that the Lord was</HI> departed <HI>from him.</HI> But <HI>God</HI> was departed from him, and how appeared it? <HI>v.</HI> 19. <HI>She began to afflict him, &amp; his &s;trength went from him:</HI> he thought he <HI>would do as at other times,</HI> but could not. At other times he brake the greene withes, at o|ther times hee brake new roapes, at other times hee went away with the pin of the beame, at other times hee was &s;till too good for the Phili&s;tins, but now hee could not doe as at other times. <HI>God</HI> was departed from him, and therevpon followed that mi&s;ery, <HI>v.</HI> 21. <HI>They put out his eyes, they put him in fetters of bra&s;&s;e, &amp;c. Gods</HI> departure gaue warning of all this &s;orrow, and in that his &s;trength went from him, that he could not doe as at other times; this was the impre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Gods</HI> departing foote. Thus is it with a State and Na|tion. If <HI>God</HI> depart from them, he thereby giues them warning to looke for Phili&s;tins, fetters of bra&s;&s;e, and the pri&s;on hou&s;e. And then may a Nation know that <HI>God</HI> is departing if not departed, when their &s;trength is departed from them, and they cannot doe as they haue done at other times. That &s;ame is an euident &s;tep
<PB N="21" REF="16"> of <HI>Gods</HI> departure, <HI>P&s;.</HI> 60. 10. <HI>Wilt not thou O God which had&s;t ca&s;t vs off? and thou O God which did&s;t not go out with our armies.</HI> When <HI>God</HI> the~ goes not forth with a peoples armies, he ca&s;ts them off, hee departs from them. And thus <HI>God</HI> departed from Egypt, and gaue them by this &s;tep of his departure, warning of their de&s;truction. <HI>Ier.</HI> 46. 14. 19. <HI>Standfa&s;t, prepare thee, for the &s;word &s;hall de|uoure round about thee, furni&s;h thy &s;elfe to goe into captiui|tie.</HI> But what &s;igne or likelihood of Captiuitie? See <HI>v.</HI> 15. 16. <HI>Why are thy valiant men &s;wept away? they &s;toode not be|cau&s;e the Lord did driue them; he made many to fal, yea one fell vpon another, &amp; they &s;aid: Ari&s;e, let vs goe againe to our owne people, &amp; to the land of our natiuity from the oppre&s;|&s;ing &s;word. God</HI> was departed from them, their enemies beate them, great rea&s;on hath Egypt to take warning of &s;word and Captiuitie comming vpon her: when a Nati|ons &s;hield is gone, what can they looke for, but to bee bread for their enemies. And thus doth <HI>God</HI> giue war|ning in the&s;e particulars.</P>
<P><LABEL><HI>V&s;e</HI> 1.</LABEL> Take wee heere notice, of <HI>Gods</HI> gratious dealing with this &s;infull Engli&s;h nation. Our &s;innes are &s;uch, that <HI>God</HI> might haue done with vs, as with <HI>Sodome, Lam.</HI> 4. 6. <HI>That was ouerthrown as in a moment. God</HI> might &s;uddenly haue &s;urprized vs, &amp; haue let in the flood of his wrath to haue &s;wallowed vs vp in a moment. But heere may I &s;ay as <HI>Paul, Rom.</HI> 11. 22. <HI>Behold the goodne&s;&s;e, and the &s;eueritie of God:</HI> The <HI>Seuerity</HI> of <HI>God</HI> in his purpo&s;es of wrath again&s;t vs: The <HI>Goodne&s;se</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> in his gratious warnings, wher|in he giues vs intelligence of his Intentions. This day is this trueth fulfilled in our eyes. Wee &s;ee it true for our parts, that <HI>God</HI> giues faire warnings before Iudgement ceaze vpon a people. <HI>God</HI> neuer gaue any fairer warning then he hath giuen vs: we haue had warnings in all the&s;e kindes: For,</P>
<PB N="22" REF="17">
<P N="1">1. What if I &s;hould &s;ay that <HI>God</HI> giues vs warning by Oracle? Seemes he not to doe it, <HI>Apoc.</HI> 3. 10. Speakes he not of an <HI>houre of temptation which &s;hall come vpon all the world?</HI> Seemes not that <HI>houre</HI> to be already begunne? Surely if that Scripture looke &s;o farre towards the ends of the world, and if meant of an <HI>houre of temptation,</HI> to come in this la&s;t houre of the world: then may we &s;ay of this, as our Sauiour Chri&s;t of that, <HI>This is the houre, and the power of darkene&s;&s;e.</HI> The pre&s;ent troubles of the Church, may &s;eeme to be the beginning of that houre. But to let this pa&s;&s;e, if <HI>God</HI> warne not vs thus yet want we no warnings.</P>
<P N="2">2. If prodigious &s;ignes and wonders bee warnings, then judge if <HI>God</HI> haue not warned vs. Be&s;ides that com|mon warning, which <HI>God</HI> gaue vs with the re&s;t of his Churches, in that prodigious Comet wee haue had pe|culiar warnings in this kinde. <HI>God</HI> gaue vs warning in that wonder of the doubled tydes in the riuer of <HI>Thames. God</HI> gaue vs warning in that Earth-quake March 27. 1626. <HI>God</HI> gaue vs faire warning in that prodigious &s;torme in the Citie, that fetcht the dead bodies out of their graues: together with that &s;tupendious &s;ight vppon the water. And among&s;t diuers others, I dare not &s;light that hand of <HI>God</HI> in &s;ending <HI>Iohn Friths preparation to the Cro&s;&s;e,</HI> in the fi&s;h bellie to the Vniuer&s;itie of <HI>Cam|bridge,</HI> a little before the Commencement. That &s;uch a booke, &s;hould in &s;uch a manner, and to &s;uch a place, and at &s;uch a time be &s;ent: when by rea&s;on of peoples conflu|ence out of all parts, notice might be giuen to all places of the land, (in my apprehen&s;ion) it can bee con&s;trued for no le&s;&s;e; then a diuine warning, and to haue this voyce with it, <HI>England prepare for the Cro&s;&s;e.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Of which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">hing I may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">y with a litle <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">hange, as Aug. &s;peakes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">f a prodigi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">us warning God gaue the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">omanes. <HI>Quod quanti <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ali &s;ignum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">it? Quod &s;i <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">oc &s;ignum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">ntum ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">um <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">it, quantum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">alum erit il|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">d cuius hoc <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">gnum fuit? Aug. de ciuit. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">i lib.</HI> 3. <HI>c.</HI> 23.</NOTE> </P>
<P N="3">3. And how long, and how loude hath the Mini&s;te|riall
<PB N="23" REF="17"> Trumpet &s;ounded in our eares? Hath it not &s;oun|ded like the Trumpet in Mount Sinai, <HI>Exod.</HI> 19. 13. 16. Haue wee not heard it <HI>very long,</HI> and <HI>exceeding loude,</HI> Haue not <HI>Gods</HI> watchmen from their watch-Towers a long while cryed as <HI>E&s;ay,</HI> 21. 8. <HI>A Lyon, A Lyon.</HI> Haue we not in this kinde beene warned vnto weary&s;omne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="4">4. But what warnings hath <HI>God</HI> giuen vs in the ca|lamities, and mi&s;eries of our neighbour, and &s;i&s;ter Chur|ches? <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nec illos natu|rale robur cor|porum facit vi|uere, nec nos naturae infirmi|tus vinci. Ne|mo &s;ibi aliud per&s;uadeat. Nemo aliud ar|bitretur, &s;ola nos morum no|strorum vitia vicerunt. Salv. de prouid. l.</HI> 7. <HI>I|deo infirmis ho|&s;tibus tradidit vt o&s;tenderet &s;cilicet non vi|res valere &s;ed cau&s;am vt cog|no&s;ceremus meritorum hoc fui&s;&s;e non vi|rium. Id.</HI></NOTE> Haue wee not &s;eene the &s;word in Commi&s;&s;ion and vpon Circuit? Hath it not circuited from <HI>Bohemia</HI> to the <HI>Palatinate:</HI> from thence into other Prouinces of <HI>Germa|ny,</HI> and &s;o vp the borders of <HI>Denmark:</HI> Haue we not &s;eene a diuine hand in all the Churches lo&s;&s;es, victory and &s;uc|ce&s;&s;e going with the enemie: though there haue not wan|ted equall power, and forces to match with them? Nay, to come neere home: Hath not the &s;word ceazed vppon our owne armi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">? Hath it not begunne to eate Engli&s;h fle&s;h, and drinke Engli&s;h blood? Warnes it not vs faire|ly, that it is bending its cour&s;e, and laying its roade to|wards vs? The Lord threatens the Edomites. <HI>E&s;ay.</HI> 34. 6. <HI>That the &s;word &s;halbe filled with blood, and bee made fat with fatne&s;&s;e:</HI> and el&s;e where, that it &s;halbe <HI>drunke with blood.</HI> The &s;word hath beene a long while kept leane, hun|gry and thir&s;ty, and hath not fed on our fle&s;h, and blood. Is it not to be feared, that now it hath got a &s;match, it will like an hunger-&s;terued wolfe, fall &s;o much the fierce|lier, and greedilier vpon vs? <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nos non vicinos no&s;tros tantum ardere vidimus &s;ed ip&s;i iam ar|&s;imus. Et quid hoc (pronefas) mali e&s;t. Ar&s;i|mus Ar&s;imus &amp; tame~ flam|mas quibus ar|&s;imus non ti|memus. Salv. de Prouid. l.</HI> 6.</NOTE> Yea, doth not <HI>God</HI> hereby giue warning, that hee will prouide a more liberall fea&s;t for the &s;word euen vnto <HI>fatne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>drunkenne&s;&s;e?</HI> If the &s;word vppon other Nations, bee <HI>Gods</HI> warnings to vs of this Nation; then much more the &s;word vppon tho&s;e of our owne Nation is a warning from <HI>God</HI> to vs, that he in|tendes to haue a great &s;acrifice among&s;t vs.</P>
<PB N="24" REF="18">
<P N="5">5. And who is &s;o blinde, as that he hath not &s;eene the <HI>Moath</HI> at worke now a long while together? How hath it &s;heared a &s;under the &s;trong threeds of our cloath, &amp; how is our garment become Moath-eaten? What el&s;e meanes the common cry, and complaint of the decay &amp; deadne&s;&s;e of trading, of the pouertie &amp; penurie of ma|ny places in the land? What hath it bin, that within the&s;e few yeares hath taken away &s;o many braue, and worthy &s;ouldiers, men of note for birth, worth, skill and courage, that like tho&s;e <HI>Iudg.</HI> 5. 18. Would haue <HI>ieoparded their liues in the high places of the field:</HI> What I &s;ay hath it bin that hath by degrees picked out now one then another but the <HI>Moath</HI> &s;ent of <HI>God</HI> to prepare, and make way for a rending, and a ramping <HI>Lyon?</HI> As if <HI>God</HI> had &s;aid, I am determined to bring a &s;marting judgement vppon <HI>En|gland:</HI> but I &s;ee &s;uch a mightie man, &s;uch a man of cou|rage and skill, he will be a great hinderance to an enemie at his comming in, hee may bee a &s;top, and a rub in an e|nemies way: therefore I will take him out of the way, that &s;o judgement may pa&s;&s;e on &s;moothly without any checke. And when we haue heard the fame, and rumour of enemies approaching; alas what a deadly &s;ting hath the <HI>Hornet</HI> &s;tricken into our heartes? how haue our &s;elfe-condemning hearts, vnder the con&s;cience of our per&s;o|nall and nationall guilt melted like water?</P>
<P N="6">6. La&s;tly, vnle&s;&s;e wee will wilfully &s;hut our eyes, may we not trace <HI>God</HI> in the foote-&s;teps of his departure from vs? May wee not finde him from betweene the Che|rubins, and remoued not onely to the thre&s;hold: but in a manner to the Ea&s;t-gate of the hou&s;e, as if hee had but one remoue more, to bee gone quite and cleane from vs? <HI>They haue &s;eene thy goings O God, euen the goings of God my King in the Sanctuary, P&s;al.</HI> 68. 24</P>
<PB N="25" REF="18">
<P>So may we &s;ee the goings of God, euen the goings <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">f God our King from his Sanctuary. What el&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">anes the &s;pread, and growth of Popery and Idola|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">y? What el&s;e meanes the departure of our old Truth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> the increa&s;e of Arminiani&s;me? Shewes not this that God is at the thre&s;hold, if not at the Ea&s;t gate? And what meanes the going away of our &s;trength that wee cannot doe as we were wont to doe as at other times. <HI>When Ephraim &s;pake, there was trembling, but when he offended in Baal he died.</HI> Ho&s;. 13. 1. <HI>Ephraim</HI> was terrible to all his neighbours about him, and who dur&s;t budge again&s;t the name of <HI>Ephraim;</HI> but when <HI>Baal</HI> was come God was gone, and then euery paltry aduer&s;ary trampled vpon him, and feared him no more then <HI>a dead man.</HI> How dreadfull hath the Engli&s;h name, and the Engli&s;h &s;word beene to all our aduer&s;a|ries; when <HI>England</HI> &s;pake, there was trembling? <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vbi nam&abque; &s;unt antiquae Roma|norum opes &amp; dignitates? for|ti&s;&s;imi quondam Romani erant, nunc &s;ine viri|bus. Terrebant Romani veteres, nos timemus. O infaelicitates no|&s;trae! ad quae de|uenimus.</HI></NOTE> <HI>But Lord what &s;hall I &s;ay,</HI> &s;ayes <HI>Io&s;hua, when I&s;rael turnes his backe vpon his enemies?</HI> And Lord what &s;hall we &s;ay when <HI>England</HI> turnes her backe vpon her enemies? What &s;hall we &s;ay? What can we &s;ay, but that God is departing from vs, and giues vs warning thereby, of fearefull afterclaps like to follow. <HI>Ichabod, Ichabod, where is the glory? The glory is departed.</HI> And it is with vs as with them: a people terrible <HI>hitherto,</HI> but not &s;o now. <HI>Hitherto</HI> haue we beene terrible; but it is a &s;igne the Lion is dead, when Hares in&s;ult ouer him. Surely God giues vs warning that our &s;hield is going, and that if we take not a cour&s;e to fetch him backe a|gaine, and &s;et him betweene the Cherubins, that wee are no better then bread for our enemies.</P>
<P><LABEL><HI>V&s;e</HI> 2.</LABEL> If God giue warning, men &s;hould take the
<PB N="26" REF="19"> warning he giues. To what end are warnings giuen&punc; if not taken. <HI>If the trumpet giue an vncertaine &s;ound&punc; who &s;hall prepare him&s;elfe to the battell?</HI> 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 14. 8&punc; But when the trumpet giues a certayne &s;ound, then i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> is time for men to looke about them. Two thing<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hould make vs take warning.</P>
<P N="1">1. The great danger that will follow vpon warning&punc; neglected. Gods warnings neglected, doe but exa&s;+perate wrath, and will make vengeance &s;o much the &s;marter when it comes. See the danger of not taking warning. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33. 3. 4. 5. <HI>If the watchman blow the trumpet and warne the people, then who&s;oeuer heares the &s;ound of the trumpet, and takes not warning, if the &s;word come and take him away, his bloud &s;halbe vpon his owne head; he heard the &s;ound of the trumpet, and took not warning, his bloud &s;hall bee vpon him.</HI> Calamity &s;ingle and alone, will prooue burden heauy enough; calamity with guilt, and iniquity vpon our heads, the guilt of the neglect of Gods warnings will prooue ca|lamity vn&s;upportable.</P>
<P N="2">2. The great en&s;uing benefit vpon warning taken. Let things be euer &s;o dangerous and de&s;perate, yet if men would take Gods warnings, there were po&s;&s;ibili|ty enough to &s;aue all. Safety and preuention of dan|gers lies in taking of warning. <HI>Noahs</HI> taking of war|ning, was the <HI>&s;auing of his hou&s;e.</HI> Hee that <HI>takes war|ning &s;hall deliuer his &s;oule. Ezek.</HI> 33. 5. The King of <HI>Syria</HI> find many dangerous proiects again&s;t the King of <HI>I&s;rael; Eli&s;ha</HI> &s;till giues the King of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> warning of the danger. 2. <HI>King.</HI> 6. 10. The King of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> took his warning, and what was the i&s;&s;ue? <HI>Hee &s;ent to the place which the man of God had told him, and warned</HI>
<PB N="27" REF="19"> <HI>him of, and he &s;aued him&s;elfe there not once nor twice.</HI> The way to &s;aue our &s;elues from the dangers wee are warned of, is to take Gods warnings. Looke vpon all the warnings God hath giuen vs, and con&s;ider if it may not be &s;ayd of vs as of <HI>Moab.</HI> Ier. 48. 16. <HI>The ca|lamity of Moab is neere to come, and his affliction ha|&s;teth fa&s;t.</HI> Yea con&s;ider, if we haue not the <HI>buds</HI> of the <HI>figtree,</HI> telling vs that <HI>&s;ummer is nigh,</HI> and <HI>that iudge|ment is neere euen at the doores.</HI> And ha&s;tens our af|fliction, and &s;it we &s;till? As wee de&s;ire to preuent the fatall ruine of this renowmed Church and Kingdome, &s;o in the feare of God be wee per&s;waded to take war|ning.</P>
<P>But how is that to be done, wherein &s;tands this taking of warning? That is now the &s;econd thing in the Text. <HI>Noahs wi&s;edome</HI> in taking warning. God giues, and he takes warning; and that 1. in <HI>beleeuing</HI> it: 2. in <HI>fearing</HI> it: 3. in <HI>making v&s;e</HI> of it for &s;afety.</P>
<P N="1">1. In <HI>beleeuing</HI> it. <HI>By faith Noah &amp;c.</HI> That &s;hould indeed be mens wi&s;edomes to take Gods warnings by <HI>beleeuing.</HI> God is to bee beleeued in his threatnings, a&s;well as in his promi&s;es. And this was the <HI>Niniuites</HI> wi&s;edome. <HI>Ion.</HI> 3. 5. <HI>So the people of Niniueh beleeued God.</HI> And this is the fir&s;t ground of &s;afety. If <HI>Noah</HI> had not <HI>beleeued,</HI> he had not <HI>feared;</HI> if he had not <HI>fea|red,</HI> he had not <HI>prepared</HI> an Arke; if an Arke had not beene prepared he had peri&s;hed. But now his Arke &s;aues him; out of fayth and feare hee builds his Arke. And this is it God lookes for at our hands, that after &s;o many warnings we &s;hould beleeue him. <HI>Noah</HI> did &s;o; and though hee were warned by immediate Reue|lation, and in that regard had more rea&s;on to beleeue
<PB N="28" REF="20"> then wee haue, yet againe in &s;ome re&s;pects wee hau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> more rea&s;on to beleeue then he had. For</P>
<P N="1">1. He was warned onely once, and that an hundre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> and twenty yeeres before the flood came; we reade o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> no more warnings that hee had. In an hundred an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> twenty yeeres he might haue an hundred and twent<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> doubts and que&s;tions in his heart, whether it &s;houl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> be &s;o or no. But we haue had warning vpon warning&punc; &s;euerall kinds of warnings, and euery of the&s;e iterate&punc; So that as God &s;peakes to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in that ca&s;e, <HI>Exod.</HI> 4 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. &s;o it may bee &s;ayd of vs. So that i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> regard of the variety and frequency of our warnings&punc; we haue more rea&s;on to beleeue then <HI>Noah</HI> had.</P>
<P N="2">2. He was warned, as the text &s;aith, <HI>of things as yet not ene;</HI> and yet he beleeues, there was nothing in na|turall cour&s;e that pre&s;aged the flouds. He &s;ees nothing till the floud begins, and yet he beleeued. Now in this regard wee haue more rea&s;on to beleeue than hee. He was warned of things not &s;eene, but we are war|ned of things &s;eene; we cannot &s;ay in this ca&s;e as the Church complaines in another, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 74. 9. <HI>We &s;ee not our &s;ignes:</HI> we &s;ee our &s;ignes, euen all &s;ignes of a flood that may be. <HI>Except ye &s;ee &s;ignes and wonders,</HI> &s;aith our Sauiour in another ca&s;e, <HI>ye will not beleeue, Ioh.</HI> 4. 48. it was &s;omewhat yet, that they would beleeue then: we &s;ee &s;ignes and wonders, and yet wee beleeue not. <HI>Except I may &s;ee and feele,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Thomas, I will not beleeue, Ioh.</HI> 20. 25. but when he did &s;ee and feele, he beleeued. We if we haue not lo&s;t our &s;ight and &s;en|&s;es, both &s;ee and feele, and yet will not beleeue.</P>
<P><HI>The people of Nineveh beleeued God,</HI> when <HI>Ionas</HI> warned them, yet forty dayes &amp;c. The men of <HI>Nineveh</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="20"> will ri&s;e vp in iudgement again&s;t vs of this Nation: they had farre le&s;&s;e rea&s;on to beleeue than wee haue, and yet they beleeued; we haue farre more rea&s;on to beleeue, and yet we beleeue not. 1. They had but one witne&s;&s;e, we are compa&s;&s;ed about with a cloude of witne&s;&s;es. 2. They were warned but once, we haue beene warned vnto wearine&s;&s;e. 3. They could &s;ee no likelihood of any &s;uch &s;uddaine danger, they knew of no preparations abroad; they &s;ee no enemies begirting their City with a &s;iege, they were a &s;trong and a well prouided City; we heare and know of enemies, of potent and provoked enemies, and of their great pre|parations. 4. They were Heathens and Idolaters that profe&s;&s;ed not the name of God; we glory in our Chri|&s;tian title and profe&s;&s;ion, in our beleeuing in God. 5. They were warned onely by a &s;tranger, one of a nation held in &s;u&s;pition and ielou&s;ie. If &s;ome Spani|ard &s;hould now come into <HI>England</HI> and threaten it with de&s;olation within forty dayes, what little regard would we giue vnto it. But we are warned and threat|ned by tho&s;e of our owne nation, of who&s;e loue, loy|alty, and fidelity wee can make no doubt; by tho&s;e that pray for the welfare of the Nation, and wre&s;tle mightily with God for the peace of it. Here is a great deale of oddes betweene <HI>Englands</HI> and <HI>Ninevehs</HI> war|nings, and yet <HI>Nineueh</HI> beleeued God, and wee be|leeued him not. We haue more warnings, they more fayth. The men of <HI>Nineueh</HI> will iudge this nation for their vnbeleefe.</P>
<P>How long, and how often hath God warned vs by his Mini&s;ters, and yet may they &s;ay as <HI>I&s;.</HI> 53. 1. <HI>Lord who hath beleeued our report?</HI> How truely agrees that
<PB N="30" REF="21"> to vs. <HI>Hab.</HI> 1. 5. <HI>Behold and regard, and wonder mar|uellou&s;ly, for I will worke a worke in your dayes which ye will not beleeue though it be told you.</HI> It is iu&s;t our ca&s;e, though wee heare that which may make both our eares tingle, yet we will not beleeue it. It is iu&s;t with vs as it was in that ca&s;e. <HI>Act.</HI> 27. 10. <HI>Paul</HI> there giues them fayre warning: <HI>Sirs, I perceiue that this voyage will be with hurt, and much dammage not onely of the lading and the &s;hip, but al&s;o of our liues.</HI> And &s;o it proo|ued in the &s;equel. But <HI>v.</HI> 11. <HI>The Centurion beleeued the ma&s;ter and the owner of the &s;hip more then tho&s;e things which were &s;poken by Paul.</HI> We are warned of a &s;torme, and that no &s;mall tempe&s;t is like to lie vpon vs, and that all hope that wee &s;hall be &s;aued is like to be taken away, and yet for all this we are readier to be|leeue any that will comfort vs with &s;ome poore &s;ha|dowes of hope, then to beleeue Gods <HI>Pauls.</HI> Nay wee are wor&s;e then the Centurion, for he yet beleeued the Ma&s;ter, and the owner of the &s;hip, and if hee had told him of danger, hee would not haue loo&s;ed from <HI>Crete.</HI> Why now the <HI>Ma&s;ter</HI> and <HI>Owner</HI> of the &s;hip, he and not <HI>Paul</HI> alone tells vs of the danger. Our &s;o|uereigne Lord the King in his Proclamation for the Parliament, and for the Generall Fa&s;t, giues vs to vn|der&s;tand of potent and dangerous enemies, and their preparations. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nam ita cun|ctos &s;ua crimina praece&s;&s;erant, vt nec metuerent periculum &s;uum praeno&s;cebatur captivitas, nec formidabatur. Ablatus quippe erat &agrave; peccato|ribus timor ne po&s;&s;et e&s;&s;e cau|tela</HI> Salv. de prouid l. 6.</NOTE> If <HI>Paul,</HI> Gods Mini&s;ters, will not be be|leeued, yet let the <HI>Owner</HI> of the &s;hip, Gods annointed, be beleeued. Faith would &s;aue vs in this kinde. If the Centurion had beleeued <HI>Paul, Act.</HI> 27. 21. the &s;hip had beene &s;aued. <HI>Sirs, ye &s;hould haue hearkened vnto me, and haue gayned this harme and lo&s;&s;e.</HI> They be|leeued it at la&s;t, when the forepart of the &s;hip &s;tucke
<PB N="31" REF="21"> fa&s;t, and the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waues. It is too late to beleeue when all is lo&s;t; it is good beleeuing when &s;omewhat may bee &s;aued by it.</P>
<P N="2">2. In <HI>fearing, mooued with feare.</HI> This mu&s;t bee a|nother point of wi&s;edome to take warning &s;o as to feare. The warnings of wrath &s;hould worke deepe impre&s;&s;ions of feare in our hearts. <HI>Hab.</HI> 3. 16. <HI>When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quiuered at the voice, rottenne&s;&s;e entred into my bones.</HI> Am. 3. 8. <HI>The Lion hath roared, who will not feare?</HI> And v. 6. <HI>Shall the trumpet be blowne in the City, and the people not be a|fraid?</HI> And yet people are not afrayd, though their feare would much conduce to their &s;afety. This is the way to be hid in the day of trouble, <HI>Hab.</HI> 3. 16 <HI>my bel|ly trembled &amp;c. that I might re&s;t in the day of trou|ble.</HI> And <HI>Exod.</HI> 9. 20. <HI>He that feared the word of the Lord made his &s;eruants and his cattell flie into the hou|&s;es;</HI> and &s;o they were &s;aued from the &s;torme. Much might be &s;ayd to this point, but I mu&s;t contract and ha&s;ten.</P>
<P N="3">3. In <HI>making v&s;e</HI> of it for &s;afety, and in taking a cour&s;e for the preuention of tho&s;e dangers hee was warned of, <HI>prepared an Arke.</HI> And this is the &s;peciall point of wi&s;edome aboue the re&s;t. <HI>Prou.</HI> 22. 3. <HI>A wi&s;e man fore&s;eeth the euill.</HI> That indeed is &s;ome wi&s;dome, but that is not all; <HI>And he hides him&s;elfe.</HI> That's the &s;peciall wi&s;edome which takes a cour&s;e for &s;afety a|gain&s;t approaching euills. This is that we are to doe, and then indeed wee take Gods warnings when wee prouide for the wor&s;t. And thus it concernes vs to do now, if euer. Doe we not &s;ee a flood comming? Why
<PB N="32" REF="22"> then are we not at our Arkes? Why will wee wilfully peri&s;h and ca&s;t away our &s;elues? When a flood cames, what would a man giue for an Arke then? Ah when the flood is come, what will be the mi&s;erable madding feares of &s;uch as &s;hall not haue an Arke ready then? See their pitious condition, <HI>Ier.</HI> 47. 2. 3. <HI>Behold the wa|ters ri&s;e vp out of the North, and &s;halbe an ouerflowing flood, and &s;hall ouerflow the land &amp;c. Then &s;hall the men crie and the Inhabitants of the land &s;hall howle &amp;c. The fathers &s;hall not looke backe to their children for feeblene&s;&s;e of hands.</HI> How deepe and weighty is the oppre&s;&s;ion of &s;uch feares, as make parents grow vn|naturall?</P>
<P><LABEL>Que&s;t.</LABEL> What is to be done then for the making of an Arke? How may we prouide for future &s;afety?</P>
<P><LABEL>An&s;.</LABEL> For the making of an Arke and prouiding for future &s;afety, there be fir&s;t &s;ome things to be done <HI>by all</HI> in generall. Secondly &s;ome things <HI>by &s;ome</HI> in &s;peciall. 1. Tho&s;e things that are to be done <HI>by all,</HI> are two. 1. Humiliation and deepe aba&s;ement of our &s;oules vn|der Gods threatning hand. So that here wee haue cau&s;e by the way to breake out into thank&s;giuing, and to &s;ay as <HI>Ezek.</HI> 7. 27. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed bee the Lord God which hath put &s;uch a thing as this into the Kings heart:</HI> as to call forth the whole Land to the duties of Humili|ation that we may yet beg for our liues. Well, If e|uer we will make an <HI>Arke</HI> for the land, and prouide for our &s;afety, this is the fir&s;t piece of timber that mu&s;t be felled and &s;quared for it. They bee great things that Humiliation will doe if it be done aright. Iob. 22. 29. 30. <HI>When men are ca&s;t downe then &s;halt thou &s;ay, There is lifting vp, and he &s;hall &s;aue the humble per&s;on.</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="22"> <HI>He &s;hall deliuer the I&s;land of the innocent.</HI> Alas, we are downe, exceedingly downe from the ancient excellen|cy of former times. How now might we recouer the ancient glory of this I&s;land? Let men <HI>ca&s;t them&s;elues downe</HI> this day, euen downe to the du&s;t, and lay their mouthes in the du&s;t, in the depth; a truth of humilia|tion: and though it were ten times lower with vs then it is, God would &s;ay, Behold <HI>England is ca&s;t down, There &s;hall be a lifting vp.</HI> What is our errand this day in the&s;e duties of humiliation, but that God would be plea&s;ed to take off pre&s;ent euils from vs, and that the future things might goe well with vs? And would wee now in good earne&s;t preuayle with God in the&s;e things? Humble we then our &s;oules &s;eriou&s;ly this day before our God. Humiliation indeed will doe the deed. See 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 12. 6. 7. <HI>The Princes of I&s;rael, and the King humbled them&s;elues, and they &s;aid, The Lord is righteous: And when the Lord &s;aw that they hum|bled them&s;elues, he &s;ayd, They haue humbled them&s;elues, therefore I will not de&s;troy them &amp;c.</HI> And againe v. 12. <HI>And when he humbled him&s;elfe, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that hee would not de&s;troy him, and al&s;o in Iudah things went well.</HI> How welcome &s;hould that man be vnto vs, that could put vs into a cour&s;e that might put vs in hope that all things now &s;hould <HI>goe well with vs?</HI> Loe here is a cour&s;e will doe it. Our feares and dangers are exceeding great, but be they neuer &s;o great, yet if we this day do all deepely humble &amp; afflict our &s;oules, &amp; powre out broken and bleeding hearts, &amp; buckets of water before our God, I dare be the man that &s;hall promi&s;e you hope yet of &s;auing all. I dare the bold|lier doe it, becau&s;e I haue a text for it. Ezr. 10. 1. 2. <HI>yet now</HI>
<PB N="34" REF="23"> <HI>there</HI> is hope <HI>in I&s;rael concerning this thing.</HI> Now <HI>there is hope.</HI> Why now? There was praying, confe&s;&s;ing, weeping, and the people <HI>wept very &s;ore,</HI> they <HI>wept a great weeping.</HI> Yet <HI>now,</HI> &s;ayes <HI>Shecaniah there is hope:</HI> as if he had &s;ayd, though our danger is great, yet now vpon this humiliation, there is hope all &s;hall bee well. As therefore wee would this day goe home from this duty with <HI>hope,</HI> &s;o doe we then to the purpo&s;e; Let hearts &s;plit in &s;under, rend to peeces, mourning and melting hearts in confe&s;&s;ion and &s;upplication. Doe we as <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> did, 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 33. 12. <HI>He humbled him|&s;elfe greatly.</HI> Great humiliation will &s;end vs away with great hope.</P>
<P N="2">2. Per&s;onall reformation and amendment of our owne euill wayes and prouocations. Euery &s;oule this day quit his hands of his per&s;onall guilt. It is the wrath of God from whence all plagues and iudge|ments come. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nos coele&s;tis irae ignem accendi|mus, &amp; excita|mus incendia quibus ardeamus: &amp; rect&egrave; utique quoties i&s;ta ma|la perferimus, ad nos dici illud Propheticum</HI> (<HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 50.) <HI>po&s;|&s;it. Ite in flam|mam ignis quam accendi|&s;tis.</HI> Salv. de provid. lib. 8.</NOTE> They bee our &s;innes that kindle this wrath; they be the fuell that kindle and feed this fire. The King of <HI>Nineueh</HI> &s;aw this to be a &s;peciall proui&s;i|on for &s;afety from threatned wrath. <HI>Ionah</HI> threatens &s;peedy wrath: he proclayms a fa&s;t, he enioines &s;trickt ab&s;tinence from food and apparell. Would that &s;erue the turne? No, he will haue prayer al&s;o added thereto, and not ordinary prayer neither, but <HI>crying</HI> prayer, nor any crying praier neither, but let them <HI>crie migh|tily.</HI> And would this &s;erue? No, hee will haue more, he will haue &s;erious repentance and for&s;aking of &s;in, and this not only of &s;ome few, but of all, <HI>let them turn euery one from his euill way.</HI> Now one would thinke nothing could be added to all this, and yet hee hath not done; there is one thing more behinde that makes
<PB N="35" REF="23"> vp all. Be&s;ides their generall repentance, hee requires a &s;peciall per&s;onall reformation of their &s;peciall per&s;o|nall &s;inne, <HI>And from the violence that is in their hands.</HI> So well did he &s;ee the vanity of all the re&s;t without this la&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is &s;omething to bee done <HI>by &s;ome &s;peciall per&s;ons.</HI> And that is by you that are now met in this great and honourable Councell of the Land. You therefore that are the great Senate of the land, vpon whom our eyes and hopes next vnder God and the King are; Bee ye entreated in the bowels of the <HI>Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> to take notice of Gods many warnings giuen to this Land, and &s;o to take them to heart as to take a cour&s;e for the preuention of threatned and im|minent euils. God giues you fayre warning of foule weather, and of a dreadfull flood, that is like not only to <HI>ouerflow and goe ouer and reach to the necke,</HI> as that <HI>I&s;ai</HI> 8. 8. but of a flood like <HI>Noahs,</HI> that is like to ouer|top the highe&s;t hills euen many cubits. The Phari&s;ees <HI>Matth.</HI> 16. 3. were weather wi&s;e, <HI>It will bee foule wea|ther to day, for the skie is red and lowring,</HI> but could not di&s;cerne <HI>the &s;ignes of the times,</HI> as the face of the skie. Ca&s;t vp your eyes, you honourable Senate of the Land, and you &s;hall &s;ee that foule weather is towards, <HI>for the skie is red and lowring.</HI> Ye &s;hall &s;ee a cloud not onely as that 1. <HI>King.</HI> 18. 44. as big as <HI>a mans hand,</HI> but as <HI>v.</HI> 45. <HI>The heauens all blacke with cloudes and winde.</HI> Li&s;ten and you &s;hall heare <HI>a &s;ound of abun|dance of raine.</HI> Doe yee not already begin to feele the drops falling in your faces? We que&s;tion not but your wi&s;edomes di&s;cerne the &s;ignes, and the dangers of the times as well as the Phari&s;ees did the face of the skie,
<PB N="36" REF="24"> and that you &s;ee all &s;ad pre&s;ages, and progno&s;tications of a flood.</P>
<P>Now then &s;o many of you as God hath called to this Parliamentary &s;eruice, we haue to tell you what God and this Realme and Church with the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed parts of Chri&s;ts Church abroad, looke for at your hands. God hath called you together to bee the publique Arke-wrights for the &s;afety of this Church and &s;tate. The eyes of the&s;e Dominions, and the weeping eyes of Gods Churches beyond the Seas are vpon you as vpon &s;o many <HI>Noahs. Lamech</HI> when his &s;onne was borne gaue him the name of <HI>Noah,</HI> that is, one refre|&s;hing with re&s;t, bringing comfort and con&s;olation; you &s;ee his rea&s;on of the Impo&s;ition, <HI>Gen.</HI> 5. 29. <HI>He called his name Noah, &s;aying, This &s;ame &s;hall comfort vs con|cerning the worke and &s;orrow of our hands, becau&s;e of the earth which the Lord hath cur&s;ed.</HI> Now this is that we all pray and hope for, that this pre&s;ent a&s;&s;em|bly may be an a&s;&s;embly of <HI>Noahs,</HI> that this Parliament may comfort vs concerning the feares and griefes of our hearts, and becau&s;e of the land which of late the Lord hath not ble&s;&s;ed. This is that we all pray for, we all looke for. Now then if you would proue right <HI>Noahs</HI> to vs, &s;uch as may bring vs con&s;olation, then for Chri&s;ts &s;ake fall to the making of an <HI>Arke,</HI> and there|by make your &s;elues <HI>Noahs</HI> and <HI>Barnaba&s;&s;es,</HI> the ble&s;|&s;ed &s;onnes of con&s;olation to this Church and State. Thinke when you &s;it together in your &s;olemne a&s;&s;em|bly that you heare the State and Church cry out vnto you, as once <HI>Peter</HI> did to Chri&s;t when the winds ro&s;e, and the Sea grow rough, <HI>Mai&s;ter, Mai&s;ter &s;aue me, I peri&s;h.</HI> So thinke you heare the people crying from
<PB N="37" REF="24"> all the quarters of the&s;e Dominions, <HI>Fathers, Elders <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">iue vs, build vs an Arke, or el&s;e we &s;inke, or el&s;e re|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">edile&s;&s;e we peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>Thinke as you &s;it together in councell that you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">eare a voyce from all parts of the Land from whence <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">e be come, crying in your eares, Helpe, Helpe, or el&s;e <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">e are all but dead men, Exod.</HI> 12. 33. Pre&s;ent vnto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">our thoughts the &s;ad and di&s;con&s;olate condition of the Church beyond the Seas. Thinke you heare the &s;hrikings of &s;laughtred and butchered infants dragd from their mothers brea&s;ts to haue their braines da&s;ht out again&s;t the &s;tones of the &s;treets. Thinke that you heare the &s;orrowfull and dolefull lamentations of ra|vi&s;ht matrons, and defloured virgins in the bitterne&s;&s;e of their &s;pirits, wringing their hands and rending the hayre from off their heads. Thinke that you heare the Church both at home and abroad, crying out vnto you, <HI>An Arke, An Arke,</HI> for Gods loue prouide vs an Arke. Improue all the wi&s;edome of your hearts, and all the power of your places to which God hath now called you, to &s;aue vs from the rage of the merci|le&s;&s;e waters. Gods watchmen haue a long time cried, <HI>a Flood, a Flood,</HI> Gods people now crie <HI>an Arke, an Arke.</HI> Now therefore in the name of God fall clo&s;e to the building of an Arke. <HI>Noah</HI> built an Arke but for the <HI>&s;auing of his hou&s;e,</HI> what is an hou&s;e to a <HI>Church?</HI> to a <HI>kingdome?</HI> to <HI>many Churches?</HI> to <HI>many king|domes? Noah</HI> built an Arke for the &s;auing of <HI>eight per|&s;ons:</HI> what are eight per&s;ons to millions and worldes of Chri&s;t an people that are like to peri&s;h, and be ouer|whelmed by the mercile&s;&s;e enemies of Gods grace? that <HI>make a noy&s;e like the noy&s;e of the Seas, that make</HI>
<PB N="36" REF="25">
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<PB N="37" REF="25">
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<PB N="38" REF="26"> <HI>a ru&s;hing like the ru&s;hing of many waters, like the ru&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">+ing of mighty waters. I&s;.</HI> 17. 12. 13.</P>
<P><LABEL>Que&s;t.</LABEL> But what cour&s;e is to be taken, and what i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> to be done for the building of an arke?</P>
<P><LABEL>An&s;w.</LABEL> I will not take vpon me to direct your wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">+domes, but &s;ince it hath plea&s;ed you to call me to thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;eruice, giue me leaue &s;o long as I keepe my &s;elfe withi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> the bounds of my profe&s;&s;ion to adui&s;e what I conceiu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> may make for common &s;afety. If therefore you woul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> make an arke, 1. make choyce of <HI>good materials,</HI> wher+with to build.</P>
<P N="2">2. Haue a care to goe to worke in a <HI>due manner.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Your <HI>Gopher</HI> wood or building materialls they be the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. The publique reformation of all &s;uch national<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> prouocations as haue made God angry with the land&punc; <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Illud magni &amp; &s;ingularis e&s;t me|riti, non &s;olum ip&s;um labe non pollui, &s;ed pro|videre etiam ne unquam alij pol|luantur. Procu|rator enim e&s;t quodammodo &s;a|lutis humanae, qui non tantum id agit ut ip&s;e bonus &s;it; &s;ed effi|care hoc nititur ut alij mali e&s;&s;e de&s;i&s;titant.</HI> Salv. de provid. 7.</NOTE> This mu&s;t be the very keele of your arke, heere yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> mu&s;t begin: all arkes that want this <HI>Gopher</HI> wood i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> the keele will prooue but <HI>cocke-boates.</HI> Alas, wha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> poore reliefe will a cocke-boat affoord in a &s;torm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> when the cur&s;t <HI>Euroclydon</HI> &s;hall blow. A cocke-Boa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> will neuer liue in a &s;torme. All cour&s;es you can take for &s;afety and deliuerance, publique reformation being neglected, will prooue but &s;uch <HI>Arkes,</HI> as that wherein <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was expo&s;ed. <HI>Exod.</HI> 2. 3. <HI>Arkes of bulru&s;hes&punc;</HI> Alas, what &s;uccour will an <HI>arke of bulru&s;hes</HI> yeeld in an vniuer&s;all deluge? Doe what you will, what you can, yet if this be not done, nothing is done. There be three things that conduce to publike &s;afety. 1. The ioint endeuours of the Parliament in plotting, and the people in praying. 2. Warlike proui&s;ions and prepa|rations. 3. And fa&s;ting. There is indeed much &s;afety
<PB N="39" REF="26"> in the&s;e, and yet if Reformation be neglected, there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> a vanity in all the&s;e, and no good will they doe. See <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> in particular.</P>
<P N="1">1. People may pray hard, and you may worke hard, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">et if no reformation no &s;afety. You haue a good gale <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">f prayer at your backes, there is a great &s;pirit of prai|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> vp in the Land at this time; and I am verily per|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">aded that neu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> any Parliament in this Kingdome <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">as more hartily prayed for. Be&s;ides we doe with all thankfulne&s;&s;e acknowledge the great goodne&s;&s;e of God to vs in you being reputed as wi&s;e and iudicious able hou&s;e as euer &s;at. So that when we con&s;ider the earne&s;t prayers of the whole kingdome, and the great wi&s;dome of this Honourable Senate; I confe&s;&s;e they are as <HI>a valley of Achor, a doore of hope.</HI> Ho&s;. 2. 15. We haue great grounds of hope of much good. But yet neuerthele&s;&s;e let me be bold to tell you, that if there be no reformation of angring prouocations, all will come to nothing, and God will bla&s;t our hopes. It is much that prayer can doe; it is the locke and key of heauen, and yet it is little it will doe without reformation. It is much that wi&s;edome can do. The wi&s;edome of one wi&s;e man will do much. <HI>Eccl.</HI> 9. 14. 15. <HI>There was a little City and a few men within it, and there came a great King again&s;t it and be&s;ieged it. Now there was found in it</HI> a poore wi&s;e man, <HI>and</HI> he by his wi&s;dome <HI>deliuered the City.</HI> Therefore what great things may a whole Parliament hou&s;e of wi&s;e men doe? And yet neyther our prayers, nor your endeuours and wi&s;e|domes will deliuer the land vnle&s;&s;e &s;ome cour&s;e bee ta|ken for reformation. It will bee no better in this ca&s;e with vs, then it was with the mariners. <HI>Ion.</HI> 1. 4. 5. <HI>There</HI>
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<PB N="40" REF="29"> <HI>was a mighty tempe&s;t in the &s;ea, &s;o that the &s;hip was li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> to be broken.</HI> The mariners v&s;e all meanes they can &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;afety, they crie to their gods, they lighten the &s;hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> and yet all will not doe, yea after they knew the cau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> of the tempe&s;t, v. 13. <HI>the men rowed hard to bring t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> &s;hip to land, but they could not, for the &s;ea wrought an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> was tempe&s;tuous again&s;t them.</HI> So then neither cryin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> to their gods, nor ca&s;ting foorth the wares, nor row+ing, nor tugging at their oares, will bring the &s;hip t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> land out of the danger of the tempe&s;t, till <HI>Ionas</HI> wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> throwne ouer boord. And &s;o &s;oone as that was done&punc; &s;ee what followed, <HI>v.</HI> 15. <HI>They tooke vp Ionah, and ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters"> him foorth into the &s;ea, and the &s;ea cea&s;ed from her ra+ging.</HI> It is &s;o heere; let all the people in the Land tug and row with all their might in prayer, and doe you row with all the &s;trength of your wi&s;edome in your Parliamentary endeuours, yet till our <HI>Iona&s;&s;es</HI> and <HI>Iu|da&s;&s;es</HI> the prouoking &s;innes of the Land that cau&s;e the &s;torme, and endanger the &s;hip be ca&s;t ouer boord, till they bee reformed, there is no hope of bringing the &s;hip &s;afe to land.</P>
<P>And heere by the way let mee adui&s;e euery Parlia|ment man that intends to further the worke of refor|mation, and in it to prouide for the Lands &s;afety, to begin fir&s;t with the reformation of his owne per&s;on. The worke of reformation mu&s;t not bee vndertaken with foule hands. God will haue no honour from guiltie hands. God &s;ends <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to doe a great &s;eruice for his Church, hee goes about it with a guiltie hand, with the neglect of his childes circumci&s;ion, therfore God would haue killed him by the way. He mu&s;t fir&s;t reforme his owne &s;inne before hee mu&s;t meddle with
<PB N="41" REF="29"> I&s;raels deliuerance. And when God ray&s;ed <HI>Gideon</HI> for the &s;uccour of the afflicted &s;tate of I&s;rael, before hee mu&s;t meddle with that worke, God &s;ets him another taske, Iudg. 6. 25. he mu&s;t fir&s;t downe with <HI>Baal.</HI> That which the Emperor <HI>Sigi&s;mund</HI> once &s;pake at the councell of <HI>Con&s;tance</HI> is a good rule here, one &s;aid in the councell, <HI>Oportet reformationem incipere &agrave; Mino|ritis,</HI> meaning the Minorite Friers, To which the Em|peror an&s;wered, <HI>Imo vero &agrave; Maioritis,</HI> meaning the Pope, Cardinals &amp;c. So I &s;ay if you will goe with a right foot to the worke of Reformation, begin it <HI>A Ma|ioritis,</HI> that is, from your &s;elues, you are are of the <HI>Ma|iorites</HI> of the kingdome, begin with your &s;elues, your eyes will be the clearer, and your hands the cleaner for the worke.</P>
<P N="2">2. Warlike proui&s;ions and preparations will not do it without reformation. There be no &s;uch traytors to the &s;trength of a land, no &s;uch vnderminers and weakeners thereof as are vnreformed prouocations. It is but a folly to tru&s;t to our &s;trength &s;o long as no re|formation. Thinke vpon that Ezek. 33. 26. <HI>Ye &s;tand vpon your &s;word.</HI> As if he &s;hould &s;ay, It is but a folly for you &s;o to doe, your &s;word &s;hall doe you little &s;eruice. Why &s;o? <HI>Ye worke Abomination, and yee defile euery one his neighbours wife, and &s;hall you po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;e the Land?</HI> Shall your &s;words keepe you in, whil&s;t your &s;innes ca&s;t you out of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion? Reformation is it mu&s;t &s;trengthen our Arme, and &s;harpen our &s;word again&s;t our enemies.</P>
<P N="3">3. And what can doe more then fa&s;ting? and yet little &s;eruice is it, it will doe without Reformation; <HI>Ier.</HI> 14. 10. 12. <HI>When they fa&s;t I will not heare their cry.</HI>
<PB N="42" REF="30"> What may the rea&s;on be? There was fa&s;ting without reformation <HI>v.</HI> 10. So <HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 7. deepe and harty was <HI>Io&s;huaes</HI> aba&s;ement, but yet &s;omewhat el&s;e was to bee done. <HI>I&s;rael hath &s;inned,</HI> v. 11. and they mu&s;t away with the <HI>accur&s;ed thing.</HI> There was a <HI>Babiloni&s;h gar|ment</HI> in the camp. What if there had beene a Babilo|ni&s;h God? what if a Babiloni&s;h Idoll? what if a Babi|loni&s;h Prie&s;t? what if &s;warmes and crowdes of Babi|loni&s;h Prie&s;ts? It is not fa&s;ting that will make a water|light Arke vnle&s;&s;e the execrable thing be remooued. Reformation mu&s;t doe it. The way to ea&s;e our &s;oules of all our grieuances and feares is to grieue the &s;oule of God. Doe this and then there is hope of &s;afetie. <HI>Iudg.</HI> 10. 16. <HI>And they put away the &s;trange Gods from a|mong&s;t them, and &s;erued the Lord:</HI> there was reforma|tion. And &s;ee what followes. <HI>And his &s;oule was grie|ued for the mi&s;ery of I&s;rael.</HI> And then God ray&s;es <HI>Iephthah</HI> for their deliuerance. And this is the fir&s;t thing to be done.</P>
<P N="2">2. God we &s;ee is going and departing from vs. La|bour to reduce him, and to &s;et him in his primitiue &s;tation betweene the two Cherubins the <HI>power</HI> and the <HI>purity</HI> of religion. If we haue &s;inne among&s;t vs, he is the one <HI>Arke</HI> in the world again&s;t a <HI>flood. His Name is a &s;trong tower</HI> for deliuerance, <HI>Prou.</HI> 18. 10. main|taine that tower. He is <HI>a &s;trong Hold in the day of trouble, Nah.</HI> 1. 7. make good that Hold. He is an Arke in the time of a flood. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 32. 6. 7. <HI>In the floods of great waters they &s;hall not come nigh vnto him. Thou art mine hiding place, thou &s;halt pre&s;erue mee from trouble.</HI> Yea hee it is that can preuent the flood, <HI>I&s;.</HI> 59. 19. <HI>When the enemy &s;hall come in like a flood, the</HI>
<PB N="43" REF="30"> <HI>&s;pirit of the Lord &s;hall put him to flight.</HI> Therefore as you would prouide for the &s;afety of the Land, &s;o pro|uide for Gods returne and re&s;idence among&s;t vs. Doe as the two di&s;ciples did when Chri&s;t made as though he would haue gone from them, <HI>Luk.</HI> 24. 29. <HI>They con|&s;trayned him &s;aying, Abide with vs.</HI> The common complaint is, that Popery &s;preads, that Arminiani&s;me &s;preads, as the&s;e come in, &s;o God will goe out; the&s;e will &s;oone driue him out to mount Oliuet, take &s;ome cour&s;e therefore to &s;uppre&s;&s;e the growth of the&s;e. Let mee neuer pro&s;per, if the State pro&s;per vnder the&s;e. Keepe our old God, and our old truth, vnder which the kingdome hath enioyed &s;o long and happy peace, and hath had &s;o wonderfull victories and deliueran|ces. It will bee with new doctrines and nouell opini|ons, as it was with new Gods, <HI>Iudg.</HI> 5. 8. <HI>They cho&s;e new gods, then was warre in the gates.</HI> As ye loue your old peace, &s;o maintayne, and doe your be&s;t to main|taine your old truth, the old way and the good way. The Lord is with you while&s;t you are with him.</P>
<P N="3">3. That &s;ame is a &s;peciall peece of Arke-timber, right <HI>Gopher</HI> wood indeed to make Arkes withall, which we finde <HI>Ezr.</HI> 7. 23. <HI>What&s;oeuer is commanded by the God of heauen, let it bee diligently done for the hou&s;e of the God of heauen; for why &s;hould there bee wrath again&s;t the Realme of the King, and his &s;onnes?</HI> The way to preuent a flood is to preuent wrath, the way to preuent wrath and keepe it from a Realme is to doe <HI>for the hou&s;e of the God of heauen</HI> what&s;oeuer is commanded. There bee three things commanded to be done for the hou&s;e of the God of heauen.</P>
<P N="1">1. His hou&s;e lies wa&s;te beyond the &s;eas, mi&s;erably
<PB N="44" REF="31"> ruined. The God of heauen commands that his hou&s;e be repayred. And God &s;eemes to &s;ay now to you, as <HI>Iehoa&s;h</HI> to the Prie&s;ts, 2. <HI>King.</HI> 12. 7. <HI>Why repaire ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> not the breaches of the hou&s;e?</HI> While&s;t Gods hou&s;e lay wa&s;te, there was wrath vpon the Land. <HI>Hag.</HI> 1. 4. 5. 6. But when once the hou&s;e built and repayred, then <HI>Hag.</HI> 2. 19. <HI>From this day will I ble&s;&s;e you.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. He commandes his hou&s;e to be purged, 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 29. 5. Sanctifie the hou&s;e of the Lord, and carry forth the filthine&s;&s;e out of the holy place. For this filthine&s;&s;e was the wrath of God vpon <HI>Iudah</HI> and <HI>Ieru&s;alem, v.</HI> 8.</P>
<P N="3">3. He commands an able preaching Mini&s;tery in his hou&s;e. In this re&s;pect many hou&s;es of God in this land lay wa&s;te. Many congregations want Preachers, many Mini&s;ters want maintenance, and many coue|tous Impropriatours want con&s;cience. They haue learned that language, <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 83. 12. <HI>Let vs take to our &s;elues</HI> the hou&s;es of God <HI>in po&s;&s;e&s;sion.</HI> The God of hea|uen commands a preaching Mini&s;tery in his hou&s;e, that cannot be had without maintenance. Denie the Leuites <HI>their portions,</HI> and the <HI>hou&s;e of God will be for|&s;aken, Nehem.</HI> 13. 10. 11. And yee &s;hall haue tho&s;e in their fields who &s;hould bee in the Temple. Doe this one thing which the God of heauen commands for his hou&s;e; and you &s;hall notably prouide for the &s;afe|ty of the Land. Mini&s;ters of the word are <HI>the hor&s;emen and chariots of I&s;rael:</HI> we feare enemies, <HI>Hor&s;emen and chariots</HI> will be good defence, prouide &s;tore of hor&s;e|men and chariots. How confident was <HI>Abijah</HI> a|gain&s;t <HI>Ieroboam,</HI> 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 13. 12. that <HI>Ieroboam</HI> &s;hould not pro&s;per in fighting again&s;t him? What was his ground? <HI>With vs are the Prie&s;ts of the Lord with &s;oun|ding</HI>
<PB N="45" REF="31"> <HI>trumpets to crie alarme again&s;t you.</HI> But what &s;afe|ty was therein? Exceeding much, for <HI>Numb.</HI> 10. 9. <HI>And if ye goe to warre in your land again&s;t the enemie, then &s;hall ye blow an alarme with the trumpets, and yee &s;halbe remembred before the Lord your God, And yee</HI> &s;halbe &s;aued <HI>from your enemies.</HI> The trumpets of the Prie&s;ts were as good as all the &s;words in I&s;rael. Would ye &s;aue vs from our enemies then? Prouide that the &s;iluer trumpets may be blowne and may &s;ound in eue|ry Pari&s;h of the Kingdome. No &s;uch Arkes to &s;aue from approaching dangers, as Pulpits well furni&s;ht. How happy was the poore figge tree, <HI>Luc.</HI> 13. that had &s;uch a dre&s;&s;er of the vineyard that could <HI>dig</HI> a&s;wel as <HI>beg.</HI> His <HI>mattocke</HI> kept off the <HI>axe.</HI> We are now in feares of enemies, and dangers; would we not be glad to haue our feares taken off, and to haue them be vp|on our enemies, that they might make no war again&s;t vs? Heere is the way to doe it, to prouide preaching Mini&s;ters in all places of the kingdome. Con&s;ider &s;e|riou&s;ly that pa&s;&s;age of Scripture, 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 17. 7. 8. 9. <HI>Ieho&s;haphat</HI> &s;ets vp a <HI>teaching mini&s;tery,</HI> not only heere and there, but <HI>in all the cities</HI> of <HI>Iudah.</HI> And what was the &s;equele? That <HI>v.</HI> 10. <HI>And the feare of the Lord fell vpon all the kingdomes of the lands that were round a|bout</HI> Iudah, <HI>&s;o that they made no warre again&s;t</HI> Ieho|&s;haphat. It is worth our noting, that at the &s;econd ver&s;e of the Chapter it is &s;ayd that <HI>Ieho&s;haphat placed forces in all the fenced cities of</HI> Iudah, <HI>and &s;et garri&s;ons in the land of</HI> Iudah. And yet thereupon it is not &s;aid that the <HI>feare of the Lord fell</HI> vpon the neighbouring kingdomes; but when hee had e&s;tabli&s;hed a teaching Mini&s;try, then his enemies <HI>had a feare, and made no</HI>
<PB N="46" REF="32"> <HI>warre.</HI> Forces and garri&s;ons will not make a kingdome &s;o dreadfull to an enemy as an able and godly preach|ing Mini&s;try will doe. Haue a care of this, and in do|ing this you &s;hall do that which &s;hall tend exceeding|ly to our &s;afety and pre&s;eruation.</P>
<P N="4">4. That is another good piece of timber for an Arke, <HI>Ezr.</HI> 7. 26. <HI>Who&s;oeuer will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the King, let iudgement be executed &s;peedily vpon him, whether it be vnto death, or to bani&s;hment, or to confi&s;cation of goods, or to impri&s;onment.</HI> There is a generation that will neither doe the <HI>law of God,</HI> nor of <HI>the King;</HI> who both by the <HI>law of God,</HI> and <HI>the King,</HI> are men of death. Oh that life might be put into tho&s;e lawes, and iudgement might be &s;peedily execu|ted, whether vnto death &amp;c. The Romi&s;h Locu&s;ts &s;warme euery where in the land, and they goe about to draw away men from obedience both to God and the King. And the&s;e they be whom we may thanke for the increa&s;e of Popery, what wonder is it that &s;o many are drawne into the whores bed, when there be &s;o many Panders in euery corner enti&s;ing men to commit for|nication with the Romi&s;h &s;trumpet. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Audite &amp; vide|te in ip&s;is vete|ribus factis om|nia futurarum rerum &s;igna &amp; indicia. Inveni|tur Sara afflixi&s;|&s;e Agar ancil|lam, &amp; afflixit cam graviter Sara, &amp; fugit &agrave; facie eius. Ecce libera afflixit ancillam, &amp; non vocat illam per|&s;ecutionem Apo|&s;tolus, ludit &s;er|vus cum Domi|no, &amp; per&s;ecuti|onem vocat. Af|flictio i&s;ta non vocatur per&s;ecu|tio, &amp; lu&s;io illa vocatur per&s;ecu|tio. Quid vobis videtur fratres? Nonne intelligi|us quid &s;ignifi|catum &s;it. Sic er|go quando vult Deus concitare pote&s;tates, ad|ver&s;us haereti|cos, adver&s;us di&s;&s;ipatores Eccle&s;iae &amp;c. non mirabimur: quia Deus conci|tat vt &agrave; Sara verberetur A|gar, cogno&s;cat &s;e Agar, &amp; ponat cervicem.</HI> Aug. in Euang. Ioan: tract. 11.</NOTE> Lay the axe to the roote of the tree. Cleare the Kingdome of the&s;e frogs that come out of the mouth of the bea&s;t, and the fal&s;e Prophet. Neuer thinke to haue your Arke wa|ter-light, nor to prouide for our common &s;afety till iudgement be executed vpon them. It is no cruelty to call for Iu&s;tice, nor per&s;ecution to doe Iu&s;tice vpon &s;uch, vpon whom Iu&s;tice being done, you may procure mercy from God vpon a whole Church and Nation. It is worth your notice that after the hanging of the &s;onnes of <HI>Saul,</HI> 2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 21. 14. it is &s;aid, <HI>After that God</HI>
<PB N="47" REF="32"> <HI>was entreated for the land.</HI> The land for three yeeres had beene vnder a iudgement and there was (doubt|le&s;&s;e) <HI>entreating</HI> of God for the land; but when they were hanged, then God was <HI>entreated for the land,</HI> and then it went well with the land. And as God will in &s;ome ca&s;es haue mercy and not &s;acrifice; &s;o in &s;ome he will haue iu&s;tice, and not &s;acrifice. This day is a day of &s;acrifice in prayer and humiliation for the &s;afety of the land.</P>
<P>Honoured in the Lord, God will haue iu&s;tice and not &s;acrifice, <HI>Prou.</HI> 21. 3. <HI>To doe iu&s;tice and iudgement is more acceptable to the Lord than &s;acrifice.</HI> Nay the doing of iu&s;tice is a &s;acrifice, with the &s;acrifices of your prayers and humiliations let God haue the &s;acrifices of iu&s;tice, <HI>for with &s;uch &s;acrifices God is well plea&s;ed,</HI> and for &s;uch &s;acrifices will be well plea&s;ed with the land. It was zeale yet in the <HI>Egyptians. Exod.</HI> 8. 26. <HI>Loe &s;hall we &s;acrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not &s;tone vs?</HI> How foule a &s;hame for <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> then, that they can &s;uffer the abo|minable &s;acrifices of <HI>Egyptians,</HI> you are afraid that God may let in oppre&s;&s;ing enemies vpon vs, you &s;ue this day for mercy to God in that thing; execute iu&s;tice and iudgement, and then may yee pray as <HI>Da|uid</HI> did, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 121. <HI>I haue done iudgement and iu&s;tice, leaue me not to mine oppre&s;&s;ors.</HI> And &s;o I haue done with the materials of your Arke, the particulars whereby our &s;afety may be procured.</P>
<P N="2">2. The manner followes how yee &s;hould build this Arke. That &s;tands in the&s;e things, Goe to worke.</P>
<P N="1">1. With a &s;pirit of concord and vnitie. The Churches haue lo&s;t too much already by di&s;union.
<PB N="48" REF="33"> My praier and hearty de&s;ire is that it may be with both the hou&s;es of this pre&s;ent A&s;&s;embly, as God promi&s;es to doe with the <HI>two hou&s;es of I&s;rael and Iudah,</HI> Ezek. 37. 19. <HI>that the Lord would make them one in his hand.</HI> And wee &s;hall &s;ee el&s;ewhere the mi&s;chiefe of it when the&s;e two, were two, <HI>Zech.</HI> 11. 7. There were two &s;taues, of <HI>Beauty</HI> and of <HI>Binders.</HI> That <HI>&s;taffe of Binders</HI> was none other but the bond of vnity, by which the two hou&s;es of <HI>Iudah</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were knit together. God breakes the <HI>&s;taffe of Binders, v.</HI> 14. and the <HI>brotherhood</HI> breakes, <NOTE PLACE="marg">So <HI>Iunius</HI> ex|pounds it.</NOTE> and then <HI>v.</HI> 15. 16. followes the threatning of &s;ending into the land forreine and Romane Gouer|nours that &s;hould eat the fle&s;h of the fat, and teare their clawes in pieces. See the mi&s;chiefe of a <HI>&s;pirit of peruer&s;ities, I&s;.</HI> 19. 14. 16. 17. making way for the ru|ine of <HI>Egypt.</HI> Be it therefore the vtmo&s;t of your cares and wi&s;domes to keepe the <HI>&s;taffe</HI> of <HI>Binders</HI> vnbroken. Knit together in and for God to doe him and his Church all po&s;&s;ible &s;eruice.</P>
<P N="2">2. Set vpon the worke with &s;peede. As Chri&s;t &s;pake to <HI>Iudas</HI> in a ca&s;e of taking away life, &s;o I &s;ay to you in the ca&s;e of &s;auing the life of the &s;tate. <HI>That which ye doe, doe quickly.</HI> It is high time that the Arke were already made. It will be too late to build Arkes when the waters are broke in: you had need doe in this ca&s;e as <HI>Aaron</HI> did in that <HI>Numb.</HI> 16. 46. <HI>Goe quickly,</HI> for wrath is gone out.</P>
<P N="3">3. Goe to worke thorowly, and &s;ub&s;tantially; make &s;ure worke: God bid <HI>Noah</HI> pitch his Arke within, and without. Hee be&s;towed a great deale of time in building it, he made an huge ve&s;&s;ell, but if he had not pitcht it well within, and without hee had lo&s;t all his
<PB N="49" REF="33"> co&s;t and labour; both his Arke and him&s;elfe had been ca&s;t away. Therefore God appoints him <HI>Copher</HI> as well as <HI>Gopher;</HI> pitch, as well as Pine or Cedar trees.</P>
<P N="4">4. Goe to worke couragiou&s;ly. Betray not the State and Church with any carnall and ba&s;e feares. <HI>If I be bereaued of my children I am bereaued</HI> was <HI>Iaa|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">bs</HI> conclu&s;ion. <HI>If I peri&s;h, I peri&s;h,</HI> was <HI>E&s;thers</HI> re&s;o|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">tion. Let the &s;ame be yours al&s;o. It is better to pe|ri&s;h for a Kingdome, than with a Kingdome. If the Kingdome peri&s;h who can hope to e&s;cape? If the publike wracke, who can hope to &s;aue his priuate <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">ake? It is a folly when the whole Ship is in danger &s;o to take care for ones priuate cabin, as not to put ones &s;elfe in danger to &s;aue the Ship. If the Ship drowne, what becomes of the cabins then? I &s;ay no more but as 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 19. 11. <HI>Deale couragiou&s;ly, and the Lord will be with the good.</HI> Thus we &s;ee the ma|terialls wherewith, and the manner how this &s;auing Arke mu&s;t be built. Now the Lord giue all you, our <HI>Noahs</HI> and Parliament Arke-wrights, hearts to &s;ay as <HI>Nebemiah</HI> &s;pake of building the wall of <HI>Ieru&s;alem. Nehem.</HI> 2. 20. <HI>The God of heauen hee will pro&s;per vs, therefore wee his &s;eruants will ari&s;e and build.</HI> You his &s;eruants take notice of Gods fayre warnings, take notice of our feares and dangers, take notice of the hopes and expectations of the Church at home and abroad, take notice of the eyes of the kingdome, and of all Chri&s;tendome that are vpon you, <HI>Doe you a|ri&s;e and build, and the God of heauen pro&s;per you.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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