The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 6 · Query 5 – Argument 2
5. Quere.
5. How ſhall wee know, that God will work a wonder for us?
Wee are now in ſad and diſtreſſed conditions; and a wonder muſt bee wrought for the helping and relieving of us. But whether God will work a wonder for us, or no: There is the great queſtion. This I am ſure of, If God do not work a wonder for us, wee ſhall bee made a wonder. Nay, three Wonders to all Nations.
1. Wee ſhall bee made a wonder of folly, a wonder of madneſs. Who, becauſe none elſe could, therefore we would with our own hands ruine our ſelves. Which ſhould wee effect, it would bee the grief of our friends, the joy of our enemies, the Popes Holy-day, Germanies tears, Irelands ruine, Scotlands hazard, and our own overthrow.
2 Wee ſhall bee made a wonder of ſcorn, a hiſsing, and a by-word to all Nations: That England, (that was Compendium Mundi: Of which I may ſay, as did the Hiſtorian of Ormus, that if the whole World were a Ring, England were the Diamond) that England ſhould ruine her ſelf, and with the fooliſh Woman in the Prove…bs, pull down her houſe with her own hands.
3 And a wonder of miſery. For all the World were not able to bring that miſery upon us, that wee ſhall bring upon our ſelves. In which combuſtion, if wee preſerve our Jewels, though wee loſe the reſt, it's well. But wee may fear all will bee indangered; if thoſe, (who were the firſt movers of our trouble: ſuch, who Viper-like would eat out the heart of their common Parent) bee not taken away.
Well then. The caſe is ſo with us, As a wonder muſt bee done, or wee ſhall bee made a wonder: a wonder of folly, ſcorn, miſery: But whether or no, God will now do wonders for us; Here is the Queſtion.
And I muſt confeſs, there are many ſad preſages of evil amongſt us: many things which ſpeak, that God will rather make us a wonder, than do a wonder for us.
1 Grounds of Fear.I will firſt give you the grounds of my Fears, and then give you the grounds of my Hopes, that God will not deſert us at this time.
The Grounds of Fear are
1 Either Spiritual
2 Or Natural.
1 Spiritual grounds of Fear.1 Spiritual; and they are
1 The Univerſality of ſin
2 The Impudency.
3 The obſtinacy of ſin amongſt us.
1 Univerſality of ſin.1 The Univerſality of ſins. All perſons, all places are fill'd with all kinds of ſins. The Land is full of Adulteries, full of Oathes, full of Oppreſſion, full of Injuſtice, of Pride, Prophanation of the Sabbath, contempt of the Ordinances; full of Drunkenneſs; the whole land is defiled with blood: Prince, and People; Magiſtrates and Miniſters; great and ſmall, poor and rich: Wee are all defiled with ſin. Wee may take up the complaint of the Prophet, Iſa. 1.6. from the ſole of the foot, even to the head, there is no ſoundneſs in it, but wounds and bruiſes, and putrifying ſores: they have not been cloſed, nor bound up, nor mollified with ointment.
But there are four ſins eſpecially that threaten evil to us, and thoſe are ſuch, as do more immediately concern God and his worſhip.
1 Idolatry.1 Idolatry.
2 Prophanation of his Ordinances
3 Prophanation of his Sabbath.
4 Contempt and abuſe of his Miniſters.
Any of which are enough to ſink a Nation, though guilty of no more.
2. But ſecondly, Adde unto this, The impudency of ſin. 2 Impudency of ſin.Sin hath gotten a Whores-forehead, without modeſty, or reſtraint. Men are not aſhamed to publiſh ſin as Sodom, and their iniquities like unto Gomorrah. Not aſhamed to ſwear, to drink, to prophane the Sabbath, to contemn Ordinances. Many are more aſhamed to pray, than others are to ſwear.
3 And thirdly, Adde to this, The obſtinacy of ſin. 3 Obſtinacy of ſin.Sin is not only univerſal and impudent; but it is grown obstinate, ſtubborn and incorrigible. Inſomuch, that neither Mercy, nor Judgement; Word, nor Works; Promiſes, nor Threats will bee powerful to perſwade with men. Then indeed may ſin bee ſaid to bee incorrigible, when it is grown too ſtrong for that means God hath ſet up, to keep it down. When ſin is too ſtrong for the Ordinances, and Offices God hath ſet up for the ſuppreſſing and keeping down of ſin: Then it is incorrigible, Jer. 6. ult. The Bellows are burnt. The Prophets lungs conſumed.
Beſides theſe, diverſe others might bee named.
1 Too much fleſhly confidence.
2 Our unanſwerable walking to the means and mercies wee injoy.
2 Natural grounds of Fear.2 Natural grounds of Fear.
1. The great oppoſition of wicked men, and unſound ſpirits, againſt the indeavours of Reformation.
Too many there are, who hate to bee reformed. Old bottles will never brook with new Wine. Nor will old hearts cloſe with a ſpiritual way.
It is now with us as the Lord complained of Ephraim. Hoſ. 7.1. When I would have healed Iſrael, then the iniquity of Ephraim was diſcovered. All the while before their corruptions did lye a ſleep; they little thought there were any ſuch ſpirits in them: But when the Phyſician comes, then they appear.
2 The Schiſmes and Diviſions among us: which threaten evil upon us. If wee had joyned our mutual ſtrength againſt the common adverſaries, and not turned the heat of contention upon our ſelves, wee had not now been ſo weak, nor our adverſaries ſo ſtrong.
But I hope wee ſhall bee like ſheep, that though a fair day hath ſcattered us all over the field, one from another; yet a ſtorm will drive us together again; ſeeing herein our concernments are mutual and reciprocal.
3 The wilful blindneſs and ſecurity among us. That men will not ſee how much their Religion, their Liberties, and Priviledges are concerned. Or, if they do, yet (with Gallio) they care for none of theſe things. At leaſt, not ſo much as to hazard and adventure any thing for the ſecuring and upholding of them.
4 Miſsing of Opportunities. O Jeruſalem! Jeruſalem! Hadſt thou known, even thou, at leaſt in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes, Luk. 19.41, 42. There are ſome ſpecial times when God doth put advantages into the hands of his people; the loſs whereof is never recovered again.
It is not here as with Tides, that if wee miſs this, wee may go with the next; but if wee miſs this, perhaps wee ſhall never have another.
And theſe are the chief grounds of my fear, that cauſe croſs thoughts in mee, and give way to ſuſpition, that God will not do wonders for us.
2 Grounds of Hope.Yet to theſe let mee adde the grounds of my hope. That even at this time, God will do wonders for England.
Now then the Arguments that may perſwade with us, and the Reaſons, which may induce us to beleeve, that God will do wonders, are theſe five:
1 From God.
1 From God.1 Such as are taken from God, and that
1 From the goodneſs of his Nature. Hee is gracious and mercifull. Gracious in himſelf, and exceeding gracious to his Saints.
Though wee have never a Promiſe for a particular deliverance at this time; yet wee may venture our ſelves upon the good nature of God, That hee will not deliver us up into the hands of cruel, mercileſs, and bloody men, who ſeek our ruine.
Though our ſins bee many, and God might ſcourge us ſharply, as wee deſerve; yet hee loves his People ſo well, as not to put them into the hands of ſuch cruel men to bee puniſhed.
You have ſome ground for this ſuggeſtion in Deut. 32.27. When God was highly diſpleaſed with Iſrael, and threatned to deſtroy them; yet hee feared the wrath of the enemy. Hee feared they would deal too hardly; that they would deſtroy them rather than ſcourge them. Hee knew not how to put them into their hands, Though Iſrael had ſinned, yet hee was loath to make uſe of ſinners to puniſh ſin: He knew the Mercyes of the wicked were cruel mercys.
2 A ſecond Argument from God is, Becauſe Gods glory is now much concern'd. It is not alone our good, but his own glory, that is concerned: and hee will have a care of that. Though hee will not do it for us, yet hee will do it for his own Names ſake.
There are many things, which hee will not do for our ſakes: yet will hee for his own ſake. You ſee in Ezek. 36.32. Not for your ſakes, do I this, O houſe of Iſrael. But though hee would not do it for their ſakes, yet he would do it, becauſe his glory was concern'd; Hee would do it for his own Names ſake; you have the like expreſſions, Exod. 32.12. Deut. 9.28. Iſa. 48.9, 10, 11. Though Iſrael had provoked God, yet for his own Glory ſake he would deliver them.
And if wee do not look with two partiall eyes, I cannot ſee, that Ever the glory of God was more neerly and cloſely concern'd, in all the ſtories, I have read, than it is at this time.
Gods Glory in his Truth, in his worſhips, in his Saints, in his Ordinances; they are all neerly concern'd at this Time.
And how would wicked men triumph, how would our enemys inſult and glory? What pious heart could indure to hear thoſe Blaſphemies, they would caſt up againſt heaven, and thoſe contempts caſt upon the People of God.
2. Arguments from the Church.
2. There are ſome Arguments taken from the Church of God in generall. And that is,2 From the Church in general. that
The good of moſt of the reformed Churches in the Chriſtian world, doth depend upon the welfare of England. And in a great meaſure, Upon the good ſucceſſe of this preſent Parliament.
If it ſhould not go well with us, Scotland would be hazarded, Ireland ruinated, Germany irrecovered; And all the reformed Churches in the Chriſtian world would feel the ſmart of our ſtripes.
And therefore, ſeeing the preſervation and deliverance of England, is of ſuch publick concernment, it may much perſwade with us, That God will rather do a wonder, than England ſhall not be preſerved.