A Warning Piece to Afflicted England, Maxim 7
The seventh Maxime.
In times of Desertion terrible preternatural accidents are set forth by the hand of God in the Heavens and Elements, to give men warning and work them over to a holy fear of the Lord and his judgments; dreadful and unusual Eclipses, Comets, flaming Swords, Apparitions in the Firmament; intension of light, or creation of some new Star in the eight Sphere; the Sea, and Earth, and Fire, being a womb of frequent, monstrous and extraordinary dreadful effects, monstrous births amongst mankinde and beasts, Luke 21. 11, 25, 26. Joel 2. 30, 31.
NOw what more sad and dreadful condition can people fall into then to be forsaken of God, and yet it is hard for us to be convinced that we are under such a condition, or going apace into it: First, because it comes on gradually; Gods departure is not altogether of a suddain, but by little and little, and therefore the more insensible; the Lord notes it in his people when he tels them, that gray hairs are here and there upon them, and yet they could not be perswaded that they grew old because old age had crept upon them by little and little; yea, God had set fire round about them, and burnt them up, yet they did not feel themselves hurt.
A second Reason is, Men take up with the outward enjoyment of some Ordinances in a formality, and are contented with a little Religion, so that as long as they have something left of Religion they are well enough contented; the Calves in Dan and Bethel served Israels turn, as well as the true worship of God at Jerusalem, and in Judah; they cryed, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, at the very last, thinking they were well enough, because they had a little form and outside of Religion left.
3. The more God draws off from us, the greater our insensibleness grows; and therefore we cannot discern Gods departure for want of a sensible heart.
4. Some mens portion is still fat, and they want not for mirth and all fulness, and therefore they think all is well; this temptation is apt to hold those that are in great power and places, as it did Zedekiah and his Princes, and the Lords of the Philistines when they delayed and sent the Ark about from citie to citie, thinking all that mortality was but a chance, and all that while it reach'd not unto them it was well enough.
5. Reas. Some men are intangled in their own particular troubles and interests, as they cannot be at leasure to think how it is with the publike and Church of God: Thus a strange stupiditie grows upon the hearts of men, and the farther they go off from God, the more miserable and more insensible of their misery.
The Lord convince us, the Lord who onelyonly can deal with a heart of stone, and pull it out of our bosomes, when it passes all the art of Men and Angels; the Lord, I say, convince us before it be too late, and state this case aright: How is it with us! How it is between us and him? Doubtless it would be the greatest point of our wisdom to inquire into the truth of this our present case, which though sadly hinted at now and then by the gracious and faithful Ministers of this age, yet has not hitherto been stated ex professo by any; We want not, Oh blessed be God, that yet we want not faithful able Prophets and Seers that would give counsel from the Lord, and shew us how great our danger is, and what is to be applied as a Remedie, unless we mean to let all go for lost, and past recovery. Thus they said in Jeremies time, There is no hope, there is no remedy, past cure; and in Samuels Jer. 2. 25.time, though they had wise and godly Ministers of the Sanctuary, and a Prophet, so singular a Prophet, as that Samuel was, by whom God spake so evidently, yet asked they not after the Lord in his time for 20 yeers together. O ye vigilant Shepherds of Gods people, ye Princes and Ministers of the Church of God, see you to this betimes, for it chiefly concerns you, for verily in times of Desertion, the heaviest blowes of Gods displeasure in general judgments are most sure to fall upon you, if you sit careless and mindless of the flock in this condition: Woe to the idle Shepherd that regardeeh not the state of the flock, the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his righe eye, his arm shall be clean dryed up; and his right eye shall be utterly darkned, saith the Lord. Alas! how manyZech. 11. 17. men had not died if they had not been over confident of their life; and how many goodly Kingdomes and Churches had not been over-thrown, if they had not been secure when the mighty hand of God was lifted up against them, this is our temper we know not our time. Man knoweth not his time (saith Solomon) but like as the fish is caught in an evil net because he knoweth not his time: so is man; he takes not his time to avoid the danger that is gathering about him.
What is our case? is it nothing to us? all this that hath been spoken, is it nothing to us? Ah, I wish heartily it did not at all concern mine own Country; may that ever be the blessed aboad of Gods presence and never be forsaken; but is it in truth nothing to us? like Nathans parable to David doleful story, but nothing to him until the Prophet said, Thou art the man. Then give me leave, O beloved England, and dear Christian brethren, give me leave in very faithfulness and love, and deerest love, and dolour of my very heart to say, that that is the case of this afflicted Land and Nation. We have surely been under a great measure of Desertion already, and what the end will be, I dread to think; its true, we are not yet wholly given up, but yet I grieve to say, we are far gone, and promise our selves better times then I see ground for. Look back upon the years that are past; for these thirty years together and more, how little of God hath beene in our Civil and Ecclesiastical Councels? Yea, what a conspiracy was there in that Kings Reign, by prostituting the Word, Sacraments and Sabbaths of God, and abusing and banishing the Godly Ministers of the Land? What a conspiracy was there to drive God out of the Land, and the purity and power of true Religion, and set up Superstition and profancness? and certainly there hath been a great miss of Gods presence, even in the great Councels of the Nation in these latter times. Sometimes God hath stirred up the spirit of his faithful Ministers, who delivered the mind of God to them, as appears by several Sermons upon record against this generation; but their complaints have not been hearkened to, they turned away the shoulder even to this day, and have not accepted of the Kingdom of God offered to them: Go search through the Tribes of our Israel, and see how small the number is of those that bear up a profession of Christs name, but generally how opposite are the people of the Land to the work of Reformation? which indeed is the very great work that Christ calls for in these dayes if we mean to prevent our ruine that cometh on fast upon us. This I have noted, as a fatal mark upon a people and generation a little before their destruction, that God said of them, They would none of my Counsel, they despised all my reproof, they put out the eyes of their very Seers, and said to their Seers, see not, and to the Prophets prophecy not; now how are a people like to have the counsel of God, when they say (as that wretched Ahab) of their Prophets, They hate us and will prophecy no good bus evil to us; they cry down the advice of holy Ministers and Church councels, as needless, by whom if by any upon earth, God uses to send his counsel to the nations, then to be sure the destruction of that people is nigh, God is not amongst them; They dig deep; saith the Lord, to hide their counsels from me, and when they cry I will not hear.
Again, how have we been delivered up to our own counsels, and toiled in our own devices, and carried about with the fierce tempest of strong temptations through manifold mutations back and forth, which wise states-men use to observe as a forerunning cause of the overthrow of Republikes, as Physicians do also of their sick men, when they cry, carry me from bed to bed for I find no ease, then is death nigh: Thus are we toiled till our hearts be almost broken, and no one knows what to do, or what to advise poor Sion crying out, is there none of my sons that I have brought up that is able to help me? Divisions, cavellings, self-seeking have toffed men about like light chaffe in a whirle-wind. How has the whole blessed Trinity groaned over us and stirred with great indignation against us. The Father casting off his people, as if they were a burthen upon his heart; reaching as if he would spue them out of his mouth into other lands, yea out of the land of the living, throwing thousands and hundreds of thousands into the grave. How has the Lord Christ watched like a Lion, and like a Leopard, and catched the very choice ones of the flock and rent them in pieces? How has the Spirit striven and reproved this people till he be now almost weary? for methinks I see that blessed and most active Spirit sitting down and saying, I will strive no more, if they will be a lost people let them be lost, I have done, I have done with them, the work of conversion shall cease, let the world now make converts of them and their posterity.
Again, Note how generally hath the wrath of the Lord gone through the land even almost to make a full end: what County, what City or Country, what family in these three Nations hath not tasted of the bitter cup of Gods displeasure; and that too in a very terrible manner, yea and for a long season too? Wrath hath been climbing higher and higher, even for these 30 years, and if the ancient ones might speak, perhaps they would set the account higher.
Look upon the three great marks of the Church of Christ upon earth, and see how they are clouded and darkned: How is the word slighted, dis-savour'd, quenched? The holy Sacraments thrown by and fled from, as if the flesh of Christ were not our meat, but our bane, and we could be better without it. The peace and order and Government of the Church broken to shivers and cast off, so that unless I look into some by-corners of the Nation, here and there, I can scarce find the splinters and relickes of the true notes of the holy Church of Christ amongst us. O sad word; what are we declining to after all our professions, vowes declarations? what will we fall off from the Church of Christ like withered leaves in winter, will we banish our selves, exclude our selves, flie from the sweet and precious spouse of Christ, and mother that bare us, and paps that gave us suck? Look farther yet upon the Ordinances of Magistracy and Ministry and look with wakeing eyes, and with sighing hearts: are these become as dead corps, a liveless Effigies, little vigour, and honour and power in them? do they lye in thy streets. O Sodom, like the slain witnesses, fitter for the grave then for the Throne, whiles the profane ones make merry with the liberty they have, and insult over them as those, that whiles they had the power of God were bonds and cords to them and tormented them. What sad breakings have our eyes seen upon Parliaments, and Princes, and Councels, as if the Lord did say, in vain do you trust in broken cisterns when you have forsook the cistern of living water. We have had a little hope sometimes, and said, but now we hope God hath provided faithful zealous magistrates for his people, and painful ministers, but how soon hath God turned his hand and took them away again? yea how soon have they turned their hearts and said, we have no power in the things of God, if the Lord be God he will plead for himself? See and acknowledg what checks have been set against many good purposes of repairing the breaches of the Nation, and setling the Government thereof in righteousness, when we are carried back again into Egypt almost. Look upon our Courts of Justice and wisest Councels of the Nation, and do not they answer the distressed as that King of Israel, Alas! if God do not help we cannot help; is there not a great cry of the oppressed in the land, surely God hears it. What luke-warmness and indifferency upon the Churches? the best complain of decay of vigour for God, of the growth of sin, of the continuance of judgments; as that poor people so are we, we roare like bears and mourn like doves. Yea lastly, consider, hath not God wrote dreadful characters in the heavens and earth, enough to make the stoutest spirited Belshazer tremble if he had any sense left, and do not we yet conclude of our danger? What is it that bears up our hopes? What Obj. 1 would we object; would we say, we hope no such danger? for God has set up amongst us godly magistrates and ministers now adayes? Blessed be God for them; but yet this argues not but that there has been a great desertion upon the land aforetime, and even yet also it may continue: God set up godly Magistrates in the raign of Josiah over Judah, and yet their desolation and captivity was not prevented.
But there is some little work of reformation begun, and therefore Obj. 2 we hope God means not to cast off the Nation.
So it was in Josiahs time likewise, and Zedekiahs time there was a very glorious work begun by Josiah, and the worship of God set up with more solemnity ten times then now a dayes; Prince and people joyning like one man in that blessed work, and yet it prevented not their ruine; whereas the reformation amongst us is so little, and the opposition so eminent; that I must say, that even for this, for the very discouraging and opposing of the kingdome of God amongst us, we deserve to be all ruined together. Oh! tell it not in Gath and publ…sh it not in Ashkelon, least the uncircumci ed of the Nations mock at our shame, for what Nation has had God so nigh them, offer'd to them in his Gospel, and invited by so many great salvations, and answer of prayers in our calamity, as this Nation of England, and yet we do not own God as he expects, which makes him go on in a course of judgments amongst us still.
But God has done well for his people in these sad times; casting Obj. 3 out their enemies that sought their subversion and the subversion of the true Worship of God, and giving his people liberty in their profession, and exalting them in the room of those that held them in bondage, and therefore we hope these are not times of desertion.
I answer two ways to this Objection: First, that it is usual with God thus to do in times of general desertion, to minde in a special manner his poor peoples good; when he leaves other things to the plunder, yet at that time he makes up his jewels, and hides them in a safe place: when he strikes at all, yet he knows where his blowsMal. 3. 5. fall, and he lays the heavier end of his staff upon his foes, whiles his children crowd under his arm, and least there should be any mistake, he sets a mark in their foreheads too, that he may be sure to make a difference. But yet because they are spared, it does not argue that others were not beaten, and because he passes by their door posts, it cannot be said there was no general plague in Egypt. This is the very thing that God aims at in general desertions, to refine his people thereby, and so to settle their peace; see Isai. 5. 13. compared with 17. When God had said, Therefore my people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge, and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst; but what, is it so with Gods own choice people, doth the Lord make no difference? Note what follows, Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat: it does not follow therefore, that it is no time of desertion upon the Land, because God provides well for his people at such time.
Again, take another answer, The desertion may not be yet over, it may fall heavy, though you have been spared hitherto, your turn may come next, and the sooner because of your ingratitude, unfruitfulness and security under judgments; nay if you come in the room of those that God cast out before you, and sin even as they, it shall be worse with you then with them, as God threatned his people when he dis-possessed the Amorites to make room for Israel. Now ah! doth not your apostasie and lukewarmness, yea coldness in love and zeal, and drawing back from holy fellowship and Gospel precious Ordinances? yea, doth not oppression, pride, worldliness, hardness of heart, and loosness, and other abominable filthiness of Sodom, witness against you that profess better things? therefore I fear there will come a time wherein those also shall have their share. Hear ye that are afar off, what I have done saith the Lord, and ye that are near acknowledge my might. The sinners in Sion are afraid, fearfulness hath surprized the hypocrites: Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of Isai. 33.bribes, that stoppeth his ear from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evill: He shall dwell on high, his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks, bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure.
But this is your opinion onelyonly; who is there of those famous Object. 4 Lights and godly Ministers yet among us, that is of this judgment, for in the mouth of two or three witnesses every truth is established? But what Witnesses joyn with you in this: That the State of the Church hath been for many yeers, and yet is a State of Desertion?
Indeed I must confess I have not met with any that have ex Answ. professo stated this case, and therefore I had many waverings in my self in undertaking of it, and to say truth, I had never adventured upon it, had not the Lord put the little book into my mouth and made me eat it before I published it; mybelly was made bitter with the disgust thereof, for so it pleased the Lord, first to lead me by the irresistible terrible hand of his soveraignty against much reluctancy of my spirit through this sad and doleful condition that I might have experience of Gods dealing herein, and be more sensible of the Churches case. Now the light that the Lord had communicated to my heart, I durst not set under a bushel, for God seems to require it of me, and if I should with-hold it, in the consciousness of mine own infirmity, it would be to my peril. I know it is a sceptical age wherein we live, and the plainest truths of God are cavell'd at, and hard to be received, yet whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear, God uses to give warning by his faithful Ministers, with whom his secret is, and I beseech the Lord to give his own people understanding, that they may know the thoughts and counsel of his heart therein. And yet I think the Lord has not put me forth singly upon this work neither; but whiles I was thus fluctuating amongst many discouragements, it pleased God to bring to my hand providentially the testimonies of several godly precious Ministers of this age (which has indeed abounded with many) collaterally abetting this truth, and strengthning my hands, as Ezekiel did Jerem…ah, preaching the like word.