A Caveat to Prevent Future Judgments, Part 1
Afterward.
THat is, after this cure wrought, and perſon healed, Chriſt findes him in the houſe of prayer, and (returning) found him thankefull: which Precedent deſerueth followers; Doct.and teacheth vsus after a benefit receiued from God, to be thankfull to him: greatly after a great benefit; and preſently, after any. So Melchizedech bleſſed God for Lot recouered by Abraham, Gen. 14.20. and Moſes and the Iſraelites ſang vntounto him in praiſe for the Egyptian yoke broken, Exod. 15.1, 2, 3, &c. and the Iewes kept a feaſt of memoriall for their ſafety and the deſtruction of their enemies, and of that wicked Haman, Heſt. 9.17. In Pſal. 51.15. Dauid deſireth God to giuegive him cauſe and matter, and then promiſeth to praiſe God with ioyfull lippes; not diuiding betweene the effect and cauſe. Hence further, he debates with himſelfe about rendring to God in this manner, Pſal. 116.12. and, in another Pſalme, ſummons all within him to this duty, Pſal. 103.1. The Apoſtle Paul ioynes with prayer thankeſgiuing by an inſeparable tie, Philip. 4.6. and good reaſon: for, as he ſaith; Coloſ. 4.6. praiſe ſets the watch in our prayers, without which they would fall aſleepe in our mouthes: the Scripture is full in this point: the reaſons:
Wee ſit at an eaſie rent by ſuch a returne: Reaſons 1 for, what eaſier then to confeſſe the liberality of ſuch a Land-lord by taking words vntounto vsus, and by ordering our waies? Pſal. 50.23. Secondly, thankfulneſſe ſanctifieth all our receipts, without which they are vncleane vntounto vsus, Exodus 12.14. and no better then ſtollen waters, Pro. 9.17. Thirdly, true Chriſtians muſt ſtand in ſome diſtance from Hypocrites, and diſſemblers with God: the difference ſtands in point of praiſe, and not of petition: for, Hypocrites can make a good ſhew in prayer: their neceſſities and deſire of ſupply will kindle a fire of earneſtneſſe this way, Luke 17.13. but, when they ſhould returne with acknowledgement, where are they? verſe 17. Fourthly, prayer is a ſweet oblatiō to God: but the ſoule of it, and that which quickens it, is true thankfulneſſe, Pſal. 50.23. and heere, what the body is without the ſoule; that is, prayer for a benefit, and no praiſe for it. Fifthly, of all the Sacrifices in the Law, this of praiſe was moſt acceptable to God, Pſal. 50.13.14. which made our fathers in the eſtate of the Old Teſtament, often, and in many words to vow this oblation to God, and (as it were) to enter into bond vntounto him to pay it, Pſal. 66.13.14. Eccleſiaſt. 5.4.5. Sixthly, if nothing elſe could moue vsus to be thankfull after a benefit, yet our owne good by the hand, ſhould; for, the remembrance of an old benefit prepares the way for a new: and what eloquence more forcible to draw from a man what wee craue or need, then the ſhewing of our ſelues thankfull for what we hauehave had already? God ſets no other rent-charge vponupon all he giues (who giues all freely) but the old rent of a thankfull heart, and of thankfulneſſe in our liues: and, if this be done, we ſhall be ſure to be great gainers at Gods hands. Seuenthly, we are thankfull to men for ſmall matters: and ſhall we be vnthankful to him that giues vsus all things? ſhall the wicked Heathen praiſe their gods of ſiluer, and gold, of braſſe, of yron, of wood, & ſtone, who were made themſelues, Dan. 5.4. and ſhall not we praiſe that God that made vsus, and all the world?
The Vſe of this is for all England: Vſe 1 but more ſpecially for London, and other Townes and Cities vponupon which the Sword of Peſtilence hath bin lately laid: for, ſhould not theſe be found in the Temple with this man, healed by Chriſt? And, for London, the prime Citie of the Kingdome; ſeeing that ſo lately, the waies of it ſo lamented, being al ſhut vp, Lam. 1.4. which now clap hands for their opening againe, and for their being ſowen with the ſeed of man: ſhould it not regiſter in marble of remembrance a worke of mercy toward it, ſo ſingular, and ſo ſtrange? ſhould it not cry grace, grace vntounto it? Zach. 4.7. for, from 44.63. dead and buried of the mortality of Plague in one weeke, in that Citie, the Bill fell in few weekes to no leſſe then halfe a ſcore; yea to foure onelyonly: and can ſuch an abatement, ſo wondered at, proue as the wonder that laſts but nine daies? Rather, may not the Citizens, and may we not all ſay (this admirable decreaſe conſidered) as the people of Sion in captiuity, after their returne, ſaid: We were like them that dreame? Pſal. 126.1. Surely, we cannot denie, that our mouth is filled with laughter, and our tongues with ſongs, v. 2. and, ſhall they be empty of his praiſe, who hath done ſo great things for vsus, whereof we ſing? v. 3. When Ioſh…ah had made a great ſlaughter of Amaleck and his men; euen ſo great and ſo long as Moſes his feeble hands could be held from falling downe, which was till the Sunne went downe, Exod. 17.12. Gods charge to Moſes was, that it ſhould be written, for better remembrance, in a booke, and rehearſed to Ioſhuah, verſe 14. This was a great bleſſing of God, and this ſo great bleſſing of his, muſt, both be written and ſpoken of: was it a bleſſing bookeable, which God ſhewed to Iſrael againſt Amaleck, who waſted ſo many of his weake and feeble people? and, is it not worthy (both) to bee ſpoken of and bookt with letters of laſting praiſe in our hearts and mouthes, that God hath, in manner, remoued, ſo cleane and quickly, from a Citie of ſo great vſe to the whole Realme, that Amaleck of waſting Peſtilence? But our dulneſſe hath need of much ſpurring, and and of thoſe nailes that Salomon (the wiſeſt King and wiſeſt Man) ſpake of, faſtned by the Maſters of the Aſſemblies, Eccleſ. 12.13. for, how ſoone had we forgotten a worke of this nature, (a worke all made of mercy) by quitting London, as now, of the mortality of 3300. and odde, falling there of a like ſtroake of Plague in one weeke, and in the yeere 1603. This, for ſome yeeres after, lay dead, and as buried in ſome perpetuall graue: therefore hath God opened our graues againe, by killing with the Plague of Peſtilence in that ſame Citie, and thereabouts, from about Aprill or after, to the 15. of December, 1625. no fewer then 35417. And I pray God this may be a warning for thoſe of London, and of all England to keepe better in remembrance, and to better purpoſe the Acts of Gods mercy; and to keepe both them and vsus from falling after the like manner of diſobedience. If it be not; and if ſtill we will proue vnfaithfull; though the Plague were quite gone; God hath other Vultures (as one ſaith) to ſend vponupon the carion of a Realme, dead in ſinnes, and treſpaſſes: for, beſide the Plague of Peſtilence, he hath his glittering Sword (which is a grieuous Plague) that he can put into the hand of an enemy of a fierce countenance, and of an implacable deſire to our Land. But God turne away the euill: and to doe our parts to doe it; let the laſt grieuouſly deuouring Peſtilence in and about London, and in other Cities and Townes abroad be, the graue of our luſts, Num. 11.34. and let a ſound confeſſion of ſinnes, and turning to God from ſinne, burie them: elſe, it will be but to a greater hardning, that the Lord in his ſingular mercy, at his laſt great aſſiſe of commune mortality, reprieued vsus, pulling ſome then, as a brand out of the fire, Zacharie 3.2.
A reproofe of thoſe who bury Gods benefits ſo deep in Sepulchers of obliuion, that, Vſe 2.(like as it fared with the nine clenſed Lepers, Luke 17.17.) there is no returning to giuegive thankes. Many in ſome plunges of ſickneſſe (as diſſembling Saylors in a ſtorme) will fall to their deuotions; who yet, (when the weather is ouer, and a calme skie of health ſucceedes) drowne all remembrance of the danger, then, in their prophane Cannes of Wine and Beere. Then, (as vnthankfull Sea-men) inſteede of finding them in the Temple, you may finde them in ſome Ale-houſe or Tauerne, toſſing their Cannes to the health of the diuell. What is this but to receiue a bleſſing from God, and to thanke the diuell for it? but, what man beſtowing a benefit vponupon vsus, and looſing his thankes, will ſend another after it? and, can we imagin God will, when men deale with him like thoſe vnthankfull Iſraelites, whoſe prayers and praiſe ended almoſt aſſoone as they had paſſed the red ſea? The Heathen did offer continually vntounto their falſe Gods their cynamon and frankinſence: and ſhall it be enough for vsus, or will it diſcharge vsus, for a day, or ſome few daies, and that in no true meaning, to offer our tribute of praiſe to IEHOVAH, the true God, who is worthy, (and onelyonly) to be ſerued in righteouſneſſe and true holineſſe all the daies of our life? Luke 1.75. Shall wee thus requite the Lord, as a people fooliſh and vnwiſe? Deut. 52.6. vnthankfulneſſe is a cloſe Thiefe: and will wee ſo cunningly deceiue God (indeed our ſelues) by robbing him of the praiſe that is due vntounto his name? Rather, ſhould we not extoll him with our lippes, and with our liues praiſe him? But who will not ſay, that he thankes God for all? To whom I ſay: true thankfulneſſe ſtands not in words, but in obedience to Gods Word: nor in ſaying, but in giuing thankes: nor in labour of lippes, but in purity of life. Then, to come to an iſſue. Thou ſayeſt thou thankeſt God for all: but art thou a repentant and amending ſinner? when God openeth his treaſury, doſt thou open thy mouth, and art thou liberall of his praiſes, Pſal. 66.16.17. rather, and contrarily; when hee ſhoureth bleſſings vponupon thee, doſt thou not drop thankes vntounto him; praiſing him ſlenderly, when he giues to thee plentiouſly? or, is not thy thankes cold thanks, and thanks onelyonly in words; not zealous from the heart, nor faithfull with a ſingle heart? further, doſt thou thanke God with continuance; not churliſhly, and with the thankes that hath ſoone done? doeſt thou praiſe God with thy praiſe-worthy life? Is thy tongue an inſtrument of the truth, and of his honour? Is his word thy counſellor? are his beſt Seruants thy beſt Companions? his Sabbath daies, thy beſt daies? his Communion Cup thy ſweeteſt Cup? his Seruice thy liberty? and his yoke thy crowne, and thy glory? If this bee ſo; thou maiſt bee numbered among the thankfull to God: but if not ſo, & thou be ſtill the ſame man thou waſt: a drunkard ſtill, a fornicator ſtill, ſtill a ſwearer, and prophaner of Gods Name and Sabbaths; a cold hearer or no hearer of the Word, and at Prayer and Sacraments carnall: ſo often as thou ſayeſt; The Lord bee thanked, thy mouth doth not bleſſe God, but mock him: for, out of the ſame mouth proceedeth bleſſing and curſing, praiſe and vnthankfulneſſe, Iames 3.10. So much for the circumſtance of the time, that of the Perſon followeth.