A Memorial of Gods Judgment, Title page – To the reader
A MEMORIAL OF GOD'S JUDGMENTS, Spiritual and Temporal. OR SERMONS To call to Remembrance. Firſt Preached and now Publiſhed for Publick Benefit.
By Nic. Lockier Miniſter of the Goſpel.
A Pſalm of David to bring to Remembrance.
Pſal. 38. & 70. Title.
And thou ſhalt remember all the way, which the Lord thy God hath led thee, theſe forty Years in the wilderneſs, to humble thee & to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his Commandments or no.
Deut. 8.2.
Veteris incommodi reminiſci.
Caeſ.
Tempus illud reminiſcitur moerens.
Ovid.
London, Printed for Dorman Newman, and are to be Sold at his Shop at the Kings Arms and Bible in the Poultry, 1671.
To the People of God, and to the Readers of the following Tract, Grace and Mercy by Jeſus Chriſt.
Reader,
THeſe Sermons were preached, when God's Judgments were deſtroying theſe Nations, by Sword and Peſtilence, to ſecond the works of God with the word of God, for the ſaving edification of the puniſhed. Now becauſe we are apt to forget the Rods of God, and his words, and our duty urged by them both, I have thought it might be profitable (at leaſt) to ſome, to publiſh theſe Diſcourſes, ſuch as they be, and leave them to the bleſſing of God, and the good and candid acceptation of ſuch, as ſhall pleaſe to peruſe them The Sword and Peſtilence were not ſtrokes of God, which only concern'd the City of London, but the whole three Nations, and therefore theſe Inſtructions are due and proper to all the People of God, and to any that have a heart to make uſe of them. Our Fathers went under five Miracles, ſaith One, through the Wilderneſs, the Cloud, the raining of daily Manna, the following of the Waters from the Rock Horeb, the continual newneſs of their Cloaths, and the untiredneſs of their Feet. The People of God in theſe Nations, have gone under many wonderful Providences, to that ſtate of tranquility wherein now they are, this among them all is a ſtanding one, that the Buſh hath ſo long burned, and yet is not quite conſumed, neither by Plague nor Sword, nor any other hard things done unto them.
How the late Judgments were uſhered in amongſt us, with ſigns in the Heavens, in the Earth, and in the Seas, we cannot quite forget: Several blazeing Stars in one Year's ſpace, the like ſcarce not known, and other multiplyed Prodigies many ways; and how they are all gone off, with heightned ſecurity, and multiplied prodigious wickedneſs, may juſtly affect us much to conſider, and affright us more to think, what worſe things may quickly come upon us. Our lives during the late Judgments did hang in doubt from God and man, whether God would ſpare us from the Pestilence, or Man ſpare us from the Sword. The dread of the Sword was not ſmall, when the Seas did roar, and the Rivers alſo at our Doors. The dread of the Plague was many Plagues; I am ſure the beſt Christians that felt it, will ſay, that ſpiritual stroke not to have been ſmall, though their lives ſince (I fear) may more than ſay it to be ſo. The deſtroying Angel paſsed over few Houſes, and ſome he ſwept clean, and no Lord have mercy on us, heard for ſo much as one. Other Houſes had ſome ſpared, but with Hezekia's mark, a Plague ſoar on their Bodies, and a worſe upon their hearts, both which continue to this day. Under all this dreadful Diſcipline, what was done then and ſince, to ſhew repentance, reformation, thankfulneſs for ſuch great eſcapes, may well cauſe great and deep thoughts of heart. From Adam to Moſes were Twenty-Six Generations, and accordingly doth the Pſalmist praiſe God ſix and twenty times, according to the numeral letters of the word Jehova, who did all the wonders for that People, which are mentioned in that 136 Pſalm. And ſurely ſix and twenty times over, hath the Lord merited praiſes, and all worthy walking, at all our hands, high and low, for the many great things he hath done for us at Sea and Land, but I pray God we be not found ſix and twenty times worſe than then we were.
Some remindings of God's great works amongst us, by his word (I think all will grant) are therefore needful, and pitty it is but the word of God, ſhould go freely forth over the Nations for ſuch great ends, to preach over the puniſhments of God afreſh unto us; If the puniſhments of God must repeat and preach themſelves again, for want of the word, that will not be ſo pleaſing, nor it may be, not ſo profitable for us. Many thouſands were killed by the Sword and Peſtilence, but few (I fear) made ſpiritually alive by either. The word, O the powerful preaching of the word of God; This, this kindly convinceth and converteth, yea and diverteth Sword and Peſtilence, and Famine, with all other judgments, as all experience and divine Hiſtory ſheweth. What proſperous times for health and wealth, peace and plenty, were in Juda, when they were zealous to promote the word and true worſhip of God! when we fall out with theſe, God, he falls on upon us with one judgment or other; If men do not believe this, they may feel it ſeven times more. Our nature is enmity to all good, ſome thing is treated of this and its cure, in this tract, which indeed is the cure of all evils; for whence come Wars and contentions? Come they not from our unmortified lusts, which war in our corrupt hearts? Death, whether by Sword, or Peſtilence, or any how, is no good friend to an ill life: ſome thing alſo is ſaid of this, in this Tract, to make us remember our later end, to live and die well. In miſeries of all ſorts we need friends, mercy from Men, as well as mercy from God; ſome thing therefore is ſaid in this Tract, to quicken to this, to be pitiful and tender hearted one to another. Clouds return after rain, and make more and greater ſtorms; ſome thing is ſaid of this too, and much more may be felt, if we do not repent. Kadeſh Barnea was ſo called, from a double puniſhment which was there inflicted.GOD may ſanctify Himſelf upon Us, becauſe he is not ſanctified in Us. And he may make us wandering Sons, becauſe we ſtill wander much from Him. It was called Kadeſh, becauſe there the Lord ſanctified himſelf upon the People, for their corporal and ſpiritual Whoredomes with the Midianites: And it was called barnea, or the wandering Son, becauſe there was the Decree made, for their long wandering in the Wilderneſs. Pray God we be not called Kadeſh Barnea too, for our making ſo little good uſe of former puniſhments. God's double puniſhments and troops of calamities, even all his waves may paſs over us juſtly: ſome thing of this alſo is ſaid, in the last part of this Tract; the Lord bleſs all to all that peruſe theſe things.
The People of God loving one another fervently, profiting one another with their Gifts, Graces, Eſtates; being ſober, ſound in the faith, holy, heavenly; and about this glory a defence will make States and Nations bleſsed. Surely if we (the Lord's People) were but as zealous to uſe liberty and priviledge well, as we are to have it, it would come faſter than it doth. Let us look more into our ſelves, and more up to God, as the readieſt way to all good: Theſe are the thoughts, deſires, and prayers of Him, who is
Yours ever in the Lord. N. L.