rison of the present confusion. A great sign they felt it not, or were not troubled at it: as if men should come into a field, and seeing some red weeds and cockle among the corn, should instantly affirm, there is no corn there, but all weeds, and that it were much better the hedges were down, and the whole field laid open to the boars of the forest: but the harvest will one day shew the truth of these things. But that these apprehensions may not too much prevail, to the vilifying and extenuating of God's mercy, in restoring to us the purity and liberty of the gospel, give me leave in a few words to set out the danger of that apostacy, from which the good pleasure of God hath given us a deliverance. I shall instance only in a few things. Observe then that [1] The darling errors of late years were all of them stones of the old Babel, closing and coupling with that tremendous fabric, which the man of sin had erected to dethrone Jesus Christ; came out of the belly of that Trojan horse, that fatal engine, which was framed to betray the city of God. They were popish errors, such as whereof that apostacy did consist, which only is to be looked upon as the great adverse state of the kingdom of the Lord Christ. For a man to be disorderly in a civil state, yea, oftentimes through turbulency to break the peace, is nothing to an underhand combination with some formidable enemy, for the utter subversion of it. Heedless and headless errors may breed disturbance enough, in scattered individuals, unto the people of God; but such as tend to a peace and association, 'cum ecclesia malignantium,' tending to a total subversion of the sacred state, are far more dangerous. Now such were the innovations of the late hierarchists. In worship, their paintings, crossings, crucifixes, bowings, cringings, altars, tapers, wafers, organs, anthems, litany, rails, images, copes, vestments, what were they but Roman varnish, an Italian dress for our devotion, to draw on conformity with that enemy of the Lord Jesus? In doctrine, the divinity of episcopacy, auricular confession, freewill, predestination on faith, yea, works foreseen, limbus patrum,' justification by works, falling from grace, authority of a church, which See Canterbarian self-conviction. See Ld. Dee. Coll. &c. VOL. XV. D none knew what it was, canonical obedience, holiness of churches, and the like innumerable, what were they but helps to Sancta Clara, to make all our articles of religion speak good Roman Catholic? How did their old father of Rome refresh his spirit, to see such chariots as those provided to bring England again unto him? This closing with popery was the sting in the errors of those days, which cause pining, if not death in the episcopal pot. In [2.] They were such as raked up the ashes of the ancient worthies, whose spirits God stirred up to reform his church, and rendered them contemptible before all, especially those of England, the most whereof died in giving their witness against the blind figment of the real presence, and that abominable blasphemy of the cursed mass. especial, how did England, heretofore termed ass, turn ape to the pope, having set up a stage, and furnished it with all things necessary for an unbloody sacrifice, ready to set the abomination of a desolation, and close with the god Maozim, who hath all their peculiar devotion at Rome? up k [3.] They were in the management of men which had divers dangerous and pernicious qualifications: as 1st. A false repute of learning; I say, a false repute for the greater part, especially of the greatest; and yet, taking advantage of vulgar esteem, they bare out as though they had engrossed a monopoly of it; though I presume the world was never deceived by more empty pretenders, especially in respect of any solid knowledge in divinity or antiquity; but yet their great preferments had got them a great repute of great deservings, enough to blind the eyes of poor mortals adoring them at a distance, and to persuade them, that all was not only law, but gospel too, which they broached; and this rendered the infection dangerous. 2dly. A great hatred of godliness in the power thereof, or any thing beyond a form, in whomsoever it was found; yea, how many 'odious appellations were invented for bare profession, to render it contemptible? Especially in the i Coal from the altar. *Altare Christianum. Antidotum Lincoln. Case of Greg. 1 Sapientior sis Socrate; doctior Augustino, &c. Calvinianus si modo dicare clam vel propalam, mox Tartaris, Moscis, Afris Turcisque sævientibus et jacebis execratior, &c. exercise of their jurisdiction, thundering their censures against all appearance of zeal, and closing with all profane impieties; for were a man a drunkard, a swearer, a sabbathbreaker, an unclean person, so he were no puritan, and had money, patet atri janua ditis,' the episcopal heaven was open for them all. Now this was a dangerous and destructive qualification, which I believe is not professedly found in any party amongst us. 3dly. Which was worst of all, they had centred in their bosoms an unfathomable depth of power, civil and ecclesiastical, to stamp their apostolical errors with authority, giving them not only the countenance of greatness, but the strength of power, violently urging obedience; and to me the sword of error never cuts dangerously, but when it is managed with such a hand. This I am sure, that errors in such are not recoverable, without the utmost danger of the civil state. m Let now, I beseech you, these and the like things be considered, especially the strong combination that was throughout the papal world for the seducing of this poor nation (that I say nothing, how this vial was poured out upon the very throne"), and then let us all be ashamed and confounded in ourselves, that we should so undervalue and slight the free mercy of God in breaking such a snare, and setting the gospel at liberty in England. My intent was, having before asserted this restoration of Jerusalem to the good pleasure of God, to have stirred you up to thankfulness unto him, and self-humiliation in consideration of our great undeserving of such mercy; but alas! as far as I can see, it will scarce pass for a mercy; and unless every man's persuasion may be a Joseph's sheaf, the goodness of God shall scarce be acknowledged. But yet let all the world know, and let the house of England know this day, that we lie unthankfully under as full a dispensation of mercy and grace, as ever nation in the world enjoyed, and that without a lively acknowledgment thereof, with our own unworthiness of it, we shall one day know what it is (being taught with briers and thorns) to undervalue the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus. Good Lord! what would helpless Ma cedonians give for one enjoyment? O that Wales! O that Ireland! O that France! Where shall I stop? I would offend none, but give me leave to say, O that every, I had almost said, O that any part of the world had such helps and means of grace, as these parts of England have, which will scarce acknowledge any mercy in it! The Lord break the pride of our spirits, before it break the staff of our bread, and the help of our salvation. O that the bread of heaven, and the blood of Christ might be accounted good nourishment, though every one hath not the sauce he desireth. I am persuaded that if every Absalom in the land, that would be a judge for the ending of our differences, were enthroned (he spoke the people's good, though he intended his own power), the case would not be much better than it is. Well, the Lord make England, make this honourable audience, make us all to know these three things: (1st.) That we have received such a blessing in setting at liberty the truths of the gospel, as is the crown of all other mercies, yea, without which they were not valuable, yea, were to be despised; for success without the gospel is nothing but a prosperous conspiracy against Jesus Christ. (2dly.) That this mercy is of mercy, this love of free love, and the grace that appeareth of the eternal hidden free grace of God. He hath shewed his love unto us because he loved us, and for no other reason in the world; this people being guilty of blood and murder of soul and body, adultery, and idolatry, and oppression, with a long catalogue of sins and iniquities. (3dly.) That the height of rebellion against God, is the despising of spiritual gospel-mercies. Should Mordecai have trodden the robes under his feet that were brought him from the king, would it not have been severely revenged? Doth the King of heaven lay open the treasures of his wisdom, knowledge, and goodness for us, and we despise them? What shall I say? I had almost said, hell punishes no greater sin; the Lord lay it not to our charge. O that we might be solemnly humbled for it this day, before it be too late! Use 3. To discover unto us the freedom of that effectual grace which is dispensed towards the elect, under and with the preaching of the word: for if the sending of the out ward means be of free undeserved love, surely the working of the Spirit under that dispensation, for the saving of souls, is no less free: for, who hath made us differ from others, and what have we that we have not received?' O that God should say unto us in our blood, live; that he should breathe upon us when we were as dry bones, dead in trespasses and sins! Let us remember, I beseech you, the frame of our hearts, and the temper of our spirits, in the days wherein we knew not God and his goodness, but went on in a swift P course of rebellion. Can none of you look back upon any particular days or nights, and say, Ah Lord, that thou shouldest be so patient, and so full of forbearance, as not to send me to hell at such an instant! But, oh Lord, that thou shouldest go farther, and blot out mine iniquities for thine own sake, when I made thee serve with my sins!' Lord, what shall I say it is? It is the free grace of my God. What expression transcendeth that, I know not. Use 4. Of caution. England received the gospel of mere mercy, let it take heed lest it lose it by justice; the placer of the candlestick can remove it. The truth is, it will not be removed, unless it be abused; and woe to them from whom mercies are taken for being abused, from whom the gospel is removed for being despised. It had been better for the husbandmen never to have had the vineyard, than to be slain for their ill using of it: there is nothing left to do them good, who are forsaken for forsaking the gospel. The glory of God was of late by many degrees departing from the temple in our land. That was gone to the threshold, yea to the mount: if now at the return thereof, it find again cause to depart, it will not go by steps, but all at once. This island, or at least the greatest part thereof, as I formerly intimated, hath twice lost the gospel; once, when the Saxons wrested it from the Britains, when, if we may believe their own doleful moaning historian, they were given over to all wickedness, oppression, and villany of life, which doubtless was accompanied with contempt of १ • Non libertate gratiam, sed gratia libertatem consequimur. Aug. 4 Gildas de Excid. Britanniæ. Omnia quæ Deo placebant, et displicebant, æquali Iance pendebantur, non igitur admirandum est degeneres tales patriam illam amittere, quam prædicto modo maculabant. Hist. M. S. apud Foxum. |
