A Door of Hope, Treatise 1 · Part 4
1. Ʋſe.
To check a ſort of Anti-Deliverancers amongſt us, Ʋſe 1 men that care not to heare talke of any ſuch great Deliverance that hath bin wrought for us, but are up with their What? how? and wherein? Tell them, as here, that the Lord hath done great things for us, and they are angry preſently and part companyes. Tell them of a captivity of Zion that is turned, and they laugh as much at the turning as at the Zion. But are ye aware of their reaſon? Queſt. Anſw. I conceive it to be this. The men are delinquents perhaps in perſon, or elſe in party, and therefore ſhould they acknowledge a Deliverance. Next, it will be enquired from what, and whom we are delivered? And the Anſwer to this Queſtion might ſtart new queres which may reflect upon themſelves, their friends, or faction. I therefore commend the pollicy of the men, though neither their Piety, nor Ingenuity.
1. Not their Piety, for had they piety either towards their Religion or Country, they might ſee, and could not but be ſenſible of the many great inrodes and invaſions, which have bin made (of late) upon both, and thoſe by no meane ones too, as we ſee the juſtice of this Bleſſed Parliament doth daily diſcover more and more, foundations out of courſe in Church and State.
2. And their Ingenuity ſeemes as little too, in that they deny or leſſen that which the finger of God, and the juſtice of the whole Kingdome (repreſentative) have both found and poynted out. But to ſtop the mouthes of ſuch detracters by Authority (therefore) let them now know, and ſee to their peril, that Thankeſgiving for Deliverance is in print, commanded by the ſupreame Court and Councell of the Kingdome; therefore we are delivered.
Queſt. From what or whom?
Anſw. From Warrs, which would have bin juſt as he ſaid, Pluſquam civilia, betwixt Brethren, wars with thoſe whoſe fidelity and loyalty we are now commanded to proclaime to all the world. And on the other-ſide we may, we muſt, lay open all the Zibas, Doegs and Hamans, which were Incendiaries to thoſe Commotions. O give me leave here to digreſſe a little (for joy is an excurſive affection) You know how Ziba by his ſlander upon Mephiboſheth did gaine all his Lands for a while, 2 Sam. 16.3, 4.yea and Mephiboſheth during that time is accounted by king David little leſſe than a Traitor: 2 Sam. 19.24. &c.but at laſt, truth that is ſtrong, doth prevaile; the ſlander is diſcovered, and the poore, honeſt, mortified, loyall Mephiboſheth, is found to have bin the Kings conſtant good friend and true Subject. So though Doegs villany did ſucceed a while to the deſtruction of many of the Lords Prieſts as conſpiratours with David, Pſa. 52.yet at laſt, a prayer full charged with curſes and heavieſt imprecations is let fly after the accuſer, and doubtleſſe did overtake him in due time, Eſt 3.8, 9. &c.becauſe it proceeded from the Spirit of the Lord. But the example of Hamans ſinne and puniſhment is for our purpoſe more remarkable then both the former. He had accuſed, bought and begg'd of King Ahaſhuerus the whole Nation of the Jewes; his pretence was, ver. 12.becauſe they were a ſcattered, dangerous, factious and rebellious people. The Decree for their deſtruction was written by the Kings Scribes, ſealed with his ring, and the letters for diſpatch were ſent by Poſtes into all the Kings Provinces, ver. 13.to deſtroy, to kill and to cauſe to periſh, all Jewes, &c. But whats the iſſue? Eſt. 6.Surely on Hamans part it is two-fold. Firſt, Haman is commanded by the ſame King publikely to honour Mordecai in perſon. ver. 10.Then the King ſaid to Haman, make haſte and take the apparell, and the horſe as thou haſt ſaid, and doe even ſo to Mordecai the Jew that ſitteth at the Kings gate, let nothing faile of all that thou haſt spoken. Then tooke Haman the apparell and the horſe, and arraied Mordecai, and brought him on horſback through the ſtreet of the City, and proclaimed before him, Thus ſhall it be done unto the man whom the King delighteth to honour. ver. 11.Let us but imagine with our ſelves how ſcurvily did Haman looke, when like a page he did lacky along before Mordecai's horſe, yea and how faintly and unmuſically did he ſigh out that Proclamation, Thus ſhall it be done unto the man, &c. This was the firſt iſſue. But the ſecond (the Cataſtrophe of all) was more ſad: Eſt. 7.10. Eſt. 8.2.for Haman ſupplieth the place of Mordecai upon his owne gallows, whilſt Mordecai fils up Hamans roome in the Court and favour of the King. So true is that Proverbe of the Spirit of God by the wiſe man, Pro. 11.8.The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his ſtead. But to returne from this digreſſion to my Antideliverances again, and to expoſtulate the matter with them more fully, I muſt tell them yet farther that they are guilty of a double tranſgreſſion; for,
1. Firſt, they are ingratefull both to the Lord, and to his choyce inſtruments, they doe trample unparalel'd Nationall mercies under foot, and ſo are unworthy to breath in theſe bleſſed times which we ſee. Is this your thankfullneſſe to the Lord, the King, and the ſupreame Councell of the Kingdome, all which doe deſerve your praiſes and ſelves, for their protection, wiſdome and watchfullneſſe over us? or what els thinke you, are not King and Parliament ſo wiſe, ſo Orthodox, ſo well affected to the publike good, as your ſelves? Shall the Lord ſhew his ſpeciall providence in an aſtoniſhing Deliverance, ſhall the greateſt in the Land acknowledge it, and ſhall publike command be given to proclaime it, and yet will (nay durſt) ye ſtill to bite the lip, to ſhake the head or to grumble ſecretly at ſuch proceedings? Brethren (I ſpeak to all true Proteſtants and cordiall Subjects) I charge you by your thankfullneſſe, and by all the mercies lately received, that ye obſerve, marke out and purſue (lawfully) to the uttermoſt, all ſuch murmurers and repiners at the preſent bleſſings of Deliverance and Reformation. They are Ingratefull in a high meaſure.
2. Secondly, they are no friends to our greateſt good neither: for who are they which doe now ſuffer, but Delinquents and Delinquencies? Who are they which do purſue, but the juſtice of God and man? Again, what is it that is now laboured for, by thoſe great Steerſ-men above, but to ſtabliſh and defend true Religion, Soveraignty, Laws, Parliaments and Liberties? And yet we have men, who either expreſly, or about the buſh, dare tell the people of a kind of perſecution, afflictions, hard times now, and I know not what. And indeed it is common with menſlayers and fellons to account the publike Aſſizes, a time of afflictions. Yea with all Delinquents the execution of Juſtice is nick-named a perſecution: and is it imaginable then that this Tribe can give hearty thanks for the preſent worke of Deliverance? Note them out therfore for men of corrupt minds, back-friends, yea back-biaſes to the weal-publike, and ſuch to whom our gladneſſe is but their ſadneſſe, Rumpatur, quiſquis, rumpitur invidia. In a word, do but marke (my Brethren) what perſons (Lay or Clergy) are moſt dull and backward to the means and pieces of this Reformation, as firſt, To dayes of publike humiliation injoyned, Next, to the late Ʋow and Proteſtation, and finally, to this laſt duty of publike joy and thankeſgiving; but on the contrary, are very quick, free and forward to promote or favour Arminian, Antiſabbatarian, licentious papers, pamphlets or practiſes; mark theſe, and then ye have found them (ten to one) which I call Anti-Deliverancers, Anti-Reformiſts.