A Caveat to Prevent Future Judgments, Title page – Dedication
A CAVEAT to preuent future IVDGEMENTS: Or, AN ADMONITION to all ENGLAND; more ſpecially, to LONDON and other places where the death of Plague hath lately beene. (*⁎*)
By ROBERT HORN Miniſter of the Word.
PSAL. 50.22.
Now conſider this, yee that forget God, leſt I teare you in peeces and there be none to deliuer.
LONDON, Printed by G. M. for Philemon Stephens and Criſtopher Meredith, and are to be ſold at their ſhop at the golden Lyon in Pauls Church-yard. 1626.
TO THE VVORSHIPFVLL AND REVEREND MAtron, Miſtreſſe AGNES DANET of Weſthope in Shropſhire, Widow; the comforts of this life, and the glorie of the next.
WORSHIPFVLL M rs. DANET▪
YOur Obligation vponupon Me, binds me, at leaſt, to acknowledgement. I with my wife, liued with you in houſe twenty yeeres, ſaue ſome few weekes. Moſt of which time, or (ſaue ſome few moneths) the whole of it, I liued Preacher to your Tenants and priuate familie, at a Chappell by; being there ſet and left by that rightly worſhipfull and truly religious old Gentleman, your moſt kinde husband, IOHN DANET Eſquire, long ſince with God. The inſtructiōs you receiued that while from me, & before that while of time from faithfull men elſewhere, I doubt not but you remember and will practiſe for your part and time heere. Some teſtimony you lately gaue in your zealous and conſtant obſeruation of thoſe Faſts which were (weekely) commanded for London by Royall authority, notwithſtanding your often infirmities and great yeeres: which makes me now, vnderunder your name, to ſend forth this ſmall Sermon, and to entitle you to it as to your owne by many intereſts. In regard of the Plagues late fearefull increaſe in London, and other places about, and further off, there came a commandement from our Auguſtus (King CHARLES) that all of the Realme, that could, or were fit, ſhould meete together in a publike weekely Fast on Wedneſdaies, to beſeech the Lord by prayer and ſupplications, vntill it ſhould pleaſe him to ſay, as ſometime he ſaid to the deſtroying Angel, with his ſword ouer Ieruſalem; it is enough, hold now thy hand, 2. Sam. 24.16. To this, and to vsus his Royall Maieſty began in a rare Preſident: and ſo, did no more by precept then what he firſt ſealed by practiſe in his owne high Perſon. The Plague was great: and ſo we faſted, and beſought our God for it: and he was entreated of vsus, Ezra 8.23. vponupon the ſucceſſe (wonderfull in our eares, moſt ſtrange in Londons eyes) his Maieſty, hath ſince publiſhed his Royall pleaſure for publike thankes to God, through all the Kingdome. All which ſhould moue all of vsus of this Land (if we hauehave not loſt all life of motion) euen now to turne vntounto the Lord with all our hearts. And therefore, for my particular, and to ſet my ſelfe (ſome ſteps) forward inſo good a way, I hauehave left this little pawne in the Sanctuary for mine own engagement. Where, I deſire you (Good Miſtreſle DANET) to goe on in the ſame good way, you hauehave been long vponupon, and that till you finiſh your courſe: which, that it may be with true comfort, to your Bliſſe eternall, I will pray (as I daily doe) while we hauehave being together. The time cannot be long to you or me: which ſhould make vsus therfore (and I pray God we may be made;) to redeeme all the good houres of it for the power of godlineſſe and a pure conuerſation in Chriſt. Which gift alſo I humbly craue at Gods hands for thoſe you hauehave Adopted into your family, as the charge of your prouidence: that, to Gods pleaſure, they may longer yet hauehave the comfort of you, your Tenants in like manner, and that whole Neighbour-hood, in that light which now you beare vp among them by your life in the Goſpel, and your beeing in the world, He ſaith Amen vntounto it,
Clon-bury neere Ludlow; Iune 1. 1625. Who is yours truly for his beſt meanes in the Word of Faith. ROBERT HORN.
AN ADMONITION TO ALL ENGLAND: More ſpecially to LONDON and other Cities and townes in England, where the death of Plague hath (lately) beene. (*⁎*)
IOHN 5.14.
After theſe things Ieſus findeth him in the Temple, and ſaid vntounto him; behold thou art made whole: Sinne no more leſt a worſe thing come vntounto thee.
THis Scripture is a Scripture of admonition, and containeth matter of important counſell; which, directed to a man whom Chriſt looſed from his chaine of a long ſickneſſe, concerneth vsus to amendment, that are ſicke of ſinne. Hee was held in his infirmity thirty and eight yeeres: verſe 5. ſome of vsus hauehave beene held longer in the chaine of our ſinnes. Now, after he was cured, (not knowing by whom) he was found in the Temple, to wit by Chriſt who cured him. And ſo, hauing ſtrangely, and by miracle, without meanes, receiued health and power to walke, he walkes to the Temple, (the houſe of prayer and praiſe) probably, (I thinke I may ſay purpoſely) to giuegive thankes for his corporall health, and to pray for ſpirituall. Doing ſo; his Phyſition, who had done one good worke vponupon him, purpoſing to doe another, and better in the cure of his ſoule, returnes (after he had, for a while, withdrawne himſelfe) and comes to the Temple, where he found his Patient. Being found there, he beginnes (inſtantly) the cure of ſinne in his ſoule: puts him in remembrance how long a ſeruant he had beene to ſinne vnderunder an old infirmity; and telling him what a bleſſing he had receiued in his body, which was made whole, wiſheth him to hauehave care of his ſoule by breaking off his ſinnes, or the courſe he held in them, after the courſe of the world: which, if he did not, would coſt him deare, for a worſe thing then matter of ſickneſſe would befall him in a worſe place: at leaſt, whom God could not amend with his Rod of correction, he would breake with his yron rod, puniſhing him yet ſeuen times more, that is, grieuouſly, for his ſinnes, Leuit. 26.18. Thus I hauehave opened the Text, which is the effect of the miracle here wrought; & ſheweth where Chriſt found the Man, whom he had made whole; and what he ſaid vntounto him: for the firſt; it hath two circumſtances; as of time, when he was found, and of perſon, who found him: for the ſecond; it containeth a precept, ſinne no more; and the reaſons perſwading it: and they are; the benefit he had receiued, thou art made whole; and the perill, if he ſinned ſtill; a worſe thing would come vntounto him.
The circumſtance of time, in this word Afterward, or after theſe things, being a word of context, and referring to the ninth verſe before, ſheweth what it was, that more ſpecially, moued this Man, at this time, to viſit Gods Temple, and to be found in it; and that is the healing of him by Chriſt vponupon a word ſpeaking: riſe, take vp thy bed and walke, v. 8. But I wil take vp no longer time, either for the further opening of this ſentence, which is not hard; or for the taking in of Texts in coherence with this, which is not neceſſarie. And therefore I paſſe to the Doctrines of this verſe, their grounds or reaſons, with their Vſe, and Application.