A Door of Hope, Treatise 1 · Part 6
The Stoppage of Miſchiefs that were begun amongſt us.
THe fire was kindled that had like to have devoured us all, the voines were opened by which we had like all to have bled our ſelves to death, and all this no longer ſince then about a yeare agoe; Now for the Lord to quench that fire, and to ſtanch that bloud (Brethren) I tell you this was no ordinary mercy.
But you will aske me (perhaps) what ſire, Queſt. what veines were thoſe?
I will inſtance but in two. The one Civill, Anſw. the other Eccleſiaſticall. I meane, in State, in Church.
1. The Civill Miſchiefe in State ſhall be, that bloudy, and more then Civill war, which was not only come home to our doores, but had one foot over the threſhold. Two Armies of Brethren were in the field, ready to ſheath their ſwords in the bowels of each other, as thoſe twelve men of a ſide before Jeab and Abner. 2 Sam. 2. v. 16.They caught every one his fellow by the head, ver. 14.and thrust his ſword in his fellows ſide. And all this to play, or to make sport before ſome Abuers our enemies. O what a diſmall ſight, or hearing was it (if we were ſenſible to ſee) Subject againſt Subject, Proteſtant againſt Proteſtant, yea Brother againſt Brother, ready to dig out the bowels of each other. We have read the Hiſtory of Iſraels war againſt Beniamin, eleven Tribes againſt the twelfth, there the cauſe was very warrantable, and yet how ſad is the iſſue? Judg. 21. v. 2.And the people came to the houſe of the Lord, and abode there till Even before God, and lift up their voyces, ver 3.and wept ſore, And ſaid, O Lord God of Iſrael, why is this come to paſſe in Iſrael, that there ſhould be to day one tribe lacking in Iſrael? But it would have been far nearer and ſadder, to have had one Kingdome lacking in three; yet I doe ſuppoſe the leaſt (and that which ſome men accounted the beſt) but what if that the Scot in falling ſhould have pulled downe our Engliſh Fabricke too, as Sampſon did the houſe on the Philistines; Judg. 16.30.ſo that both Kingdomes ſhould have claſhed together? where then had we been? Let us conclude touching this Stoppage of the war, and concerning the inſtruments thereof, as did David to Abigail; 1 Sam. 25.32. ver. 33.Bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael which ſent that meeting betwixt us at Rippon, and bleſſed be that advice, and bleſſed be thoſe which kept ƲS from ſhedding of innocent bloud, and from avening our ſelves with our owne hand: ver. 34.For in very deed as the Lord God of Iſrael liveth, which hath kept us backe from hurting each other, except God had haſted, there might not have been left a remnant to both Kingdomes.
2. Another Stoppage (in which I ſhall inſtance) was of a miſchiefe more Eccleſiaſticall, a ſpirituall wickedneſſe. Suppoſe thoſe now apparently illegall Cannons, and that ſweeping oath had gone onwards, what had become of our moſt tender and conſcientious Miniſters by this time? Ye remember the monethmonth and day, November the ſecond, one thouſand, ſix hundred and fourty. Doubtleſſe it is a MonethMonth much to be obſerved through our generations for a double deliverance; One from the Popiſh Gun-powder treaſon intended againſt the Parliament, November the 5e. the other from this Convocation Oath provided for the Miniſters, November the 2d. (I hope tis no ſchiſme nor pamphlating to ſpeake of our Deliverances) Brethren, it might be a notable whetſtone to our thanksgiving, ſometimes to reade over that Sixth Canon of theirs, and to conſider ſeriouſly of the heape of penalties there provided againſt the refuſers of the Oath. And I preſſe the more to the conſideration of this point, becauſe it is a common and Cannel-argument or ſhift of the delinquent party, that there are but ſome members diſeaſed in our Church (as they call it) and therefore they conceive it too ſevere and riged a cure to alter the whole. Object. What (ſaith one) though ſome tyles of my houſe are looſe, ſhall I run preſently, and pull downe the whole ſtructure? What (ſaith another) though my Diamond hath a ſpot in it, ſhall I therefore beat it to pouder, or caſt it away?
For your Diamond, I anſwer, true, Sol. if there be none other but that ſpotted one to be had, I muſt make the beſt of that which cannot be exchanged; but what if I may take my choiſe of two gems, of which one indeed is ſpotted, but the other not ſo, there, I thinke, you would account it both diſcretion, and good husbandry to refuſe the former for its ſpots. And for your looſe tyles (why may not I ſuppoſe, as freely as your ſelfe whoſoever you are? If I may, then) ſuppoſe in ſtead of looſe tyles, Lev. 14. v. 21.that the houſe be leprous, and that it hath been ſcraped round about, and that they have poured out the duſt that they ſcraped off; ſuppoſe that they have taken other ſtones, and have put them in the place of thoſe ſtones which were infected, ver. 42.and yet the plague comes againe, and breaks out in the houſe, ver. 44, 45.then you know that the caſe is altered, and what muſt become of ſuch a Fabricke? So much for anſwer to thoſe common inſtances and trite ſimilitudes. And now to ſpeake home to the maine bulk of the Objection, 'Tis pretended that there were but few perſons in our Church that were amiſſe, ſome few members diſeaſed, ſome few ſpots in the whole garment. For anſwer, I ſay, let us looke upon the Inactors of that Oath, and thoſe Canons, doe they not all run ſtill in a plurall number? yea in an univerſall? is it not We, and Ʋs, the holy Synod, this ſacred Aſſembly, &c. throughout the whole booke? Well, I ſee ſome bodies Church may erre; and therefore whatſoever the opinion of many may be in that point, yet in practiſe they have ſhewne themſelves ſo far Proteſtants.
But to the point in hand, are not theſe Stoppages (then) a great mercy? what, when the bloud, ſpirits, and life, yea, the very heart-bloud and ſoule of a Kingdome were letting out, and that the whole was expiring, that then the good Phyſitian and Biſhop of our ſoules, bodies, and eſtates ſhould ſtep in and ſeare up theſe bleeding veines? Oh let every Parent leave this in writing for the poſterities of his unborne poſterity, Pſa. 102.18.and ſo the children that ſhall be borne ſhall praiſe the Lord. So much concerning Stoppage.