A Warning Piece to Afflicted England, Testimonies

A Warning Piece to Afflicted England · Testimonies

p. 26The First testimony which seems in part to favour this Position is, that of Mr. Greenhil upon Ezekiel, cap. 3. v. 12. p. 311. put forth in the year of our Lord, 1645. The Happiness (saith he) of a people is to have the Lord and his glory amongst them, and their greatest misery is to have God depart from them; most think the happiness of a people to lie in liberty, honour, plenty of all things: David once subscribed to it, Psal. 144. 15. Happy are the people that are in such a case, but he quickly crosseth out that subscription, and saith, Yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord: There's the happiness to have God amongst them, he is the glory of a people, Zach. 2. 5. He was the glory in the midst of Jerusalem, there God dwelt, as his worship, laws, oracles, miracles testified, and so he made Jerusalem glorious among all Nations: Where true Religion is, pure worship, and Ordinances, and God working for the good of his people, defending them, that is the glory and excellency of a Kingdome; Chron. 13. 25. saith Abijah, God is with us for our captoin; this was more then all the strength of Judah beside, when Jeroboam came against him with 800000 chosen men, with you are the golden Calves, ver. 8. you have a great number, but God is not with you to be your glory and defence, you have the calves, which is your shame and nakedness, but God is with us who is our glory and defence: and when Jerusalem fell to Idolatry, God tels them, that they had changed their glory for that that did not profit, Jer. 2. 11. they had driven away their glory, and here was the beginning of their wo; that's the misery of a Kingdom to have God depart from it, then publike enterprises prosper not, 2 Chron. 22. 24. then counsel fails, 1 Sam. 28. 15. protection is gone Isa. 5. 5. then peace, loving kindness and mercies go, Jer. 16. 5. this is as taking the Sun out of the Firmament, the eyes out of p. 27the head, or soul out of the body; now a Kingdome and people he exposed to all evils and mischiefs, Hosea 9. 12. Woe to them when I depart from them; all mischiefs presently step in, croud in upon a people left of God; famine, wars, captivity, a perverse spirit, and treacherousness one to another came upon this people when God left his place; and so after Christs death, when God left them, and that voice was heard in the Temple, Migremus hinc, which Tacitus in his Annals also mentions, Audita major humana vox excedere Deos, simul ingens motus excedentium; after this dreadful misery befell them, war, famine, dispersion was their portion; they are without God, Christ and mercy to this day, an undon and most unhappy people. We had almost driven God away by our sins, specially by our Idolatry and superstition, but God and his glory are not quite gone, Jer. 14. 9. Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name leave us not. Thus far Mr. Greenhill he confesses at that time God seemed about to depart, God and his glory are not quite gone, and this indeed is true yet, and may it ever be a truth amongst us; God is not quite gone, but if he be upon going and go farther and farther, what shall we say at last. Let us hear the complaints of Gods Ministers since that time, which was thirteen years agoe, and see if they complain not still in like sort.

The next year after this God sets the same note upon Mr. Lockiers The 2^d Witness.heart, An. Dom 1646. upon Colos. 1. See both his Epistle; and upon v. 20. he saith thus: Sinners view these times, they are very bloody, God is out with us certainly, how much doth it trouble you? are you not the same men you were? in the same wayes? can a man live in his sins and be at peace with God? can a man be at peace with his lusts and with his God? security slayes us, nothing will break our bones; we flatter our selves but rise not to our duty: men thus in with themselves are certainly out with God; tis Englands heavy plague. God looks not as man looks; when you feast, he mourns. Victories speak not God reconciled: p. 28what victories do you see truth make upon mens lusts? are not men as dead-hearted, as stout-hearted, as rotten-hearted as ever? The Works of God must be acknowledged but not abused; you must have other things then this or that external victory to make a true medium to demonstrate God reconciled to you; when justice kills bodies on our side, it may kill as many souls on the other side: wrath works without and within. Lord how many are hardned and fatned by the blood of others? evil men understand not judgment, but they that seek the Lord understand all things. Prov. 28. 5. A man had need pray over one act of Providence a thousand times ere he venture to interpret it once; tis the highest wisdome in the world, to understand the works of God; the words of God are ambiguous, the works of God are more ambiguous, yet compared they will illustrate one another; but few do this at all, not one of a thousand an artist this way; and hence tis that Persons and Kingdomes cry peace, peace when there is no peace; we take up words and works by rote, and ruine our selves and others; if all the Kings side were slain, yet were we never the neerer peace with God if we continue to resist his will; he hath many wayes to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant, and to make all sides know their own. National peace and personal peace have one foundation, a through imbracing of Christ, as you see Persons or Kingdomes pursue or faulter herein, so fear or hope. He is our peacewhich hath made two one, & broken down the wall of Partition. Christ is our peace, as we become one with him, we become one with God and the creature; Christ and we two, God and we are two; God and we out, we must needs be out with one another, and with all the Creation.

The same Reverend Author goes on farther pag. 185. What condition but is full of mutation? brave States, brave Kingdomes, bleeding to death, and brought almost to nothing. Our sin is ripe, wrath is gone forth; England that was the Queen of Nations for all fulness is wasting to nothing: Natives that for a while have left us, and now return to visit us, scarce know their mother land, her face which looked so pleasantly, is now so p. 29besmeared with blood; here was the seat of my ancestors, but tis burn'd; there had I brave and sweet kindred, but now they are slain, and those that live wish for death, because nothing left to live upon; we had treasure as the flints of the brook, estate to accomplish any thing, but now we faint in every undertaking for want of silver sinnewes. We had many Callings, as so many several Ornaments and pillars of State, now all is turned into one, all grave-makers one for another, every one with his spade by his side, to dig into the heart of his brother, to dig out a subsistence: Light was little, but Love was much; truth could not be found, but if it could, O how sweet (said we) should it be unto us, dearer then all? truth now shineth in our consciences and we care not for it: Ah Lord! this is the saddest change of all, the living are dead, the souls living are slain with an evil time; Gods vowes were upon us, but now thrown off and because the time will not bear them. Outward changes are bad, but inward changes are far worse: England where are those flames of love which blazed so gloriously a few years agoe? brethren in new England were precious▪ Othat we had Ilium in Italium, New England in Old; Brethren in Holland were precious, O that we had them again, and the mercies which there they enjoy! and now they are with us, they are trampled upon as the dirt, and all their pains to hold forth Christ and truth to us: are not these sad changes? Englands out-side, in-side, all changed; from vertue to sin, from love to malice, from wrath to blood, and thus lies weltring and no eye pitties her, neither Gods eye nor her own; is this Naomi? Twas Naomies friends speech to her, her condition was so altered that they knew her not: is this pleasant? O no, saith she, call me not pleasant, call me Mara, bitternesse, for the Lord hath dealt bitterly with me: so may I now say, is this England? pleasant England? O no, call it Mara, bitterness, for affection is turned into gall and wormwood, she deals very bitterly with God and his people, and the Lord deals very bitterly with her; sin multiplies and hightens it self as misery doth; if God be not very merciful, twill make misery last till there be not a man of us left.

p. 30Hear another witness speak of the danger of the times, Mr. 3. Witness.Willtam Bridg in a Sermon before the Parliament, May the 17. 1648. Upon Math. 25. 6. pag. 20. We read of two sorts of signs which goe before the comming of Jesus Christ; some that are more remote and transient, some that are more immediate and just at his coming. Those that are more immediate and just at his coming, ye read of in the 20. of Math. v. 29. 30. Immmediately after the tribulatian of those dayes shall the Sun be darkned, and the Moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the son of man comming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

There are yet to come, but those that are more remote, all seem to be past already, Before the coming of Christ (sayes the Apostle) the man of sin shall be revealed, that is past; before the coming of Christ there shall false Prophets arise, and say I am Christ, and another I am Christ, this is past: before the personal coming of Christ, there shall be wars and rumours of wars, this is past.

And before that day, there shall be great divisions even in the matter of Religion; one saying, Lo here is Christ, and another, Lo there is Christ; this is already: and immediately before, and at his coming, men shall be smiting their fellow servants, eating and drinking with the drunken; this is already: the wise and foolish virgins shall be all a sleep, and was there ever a time when both wise and foolish were more a sleep then now? when men set themselves to sleep they draw their Curtains, put out their lights and will have no more light come in; so now. When men are asleep their senses are bound up that were open before, they see not, hear not, tast not, smell not, their senses are lockt up; sleep is ligatio sensuum. And was there ever time when mens senses were more bound up that were formerly exercised, then now? are there not some that would pray, and hear, and read, that will not now? who have now thrown off all duties, Ordinances, and means? O what sleeping is here? was there p. 31ever such sleeping among professors as now there is? if ever wise and foolish Virgins were asleep, they seem to be in our dayes.

The same Reverend Author witnesses again, July the 15. 1649. in his Vindication of Ordinances on Deuter. 18. 15. pag. 27.

I do exhort you, by the sweat of all your Ministers dead and living, by the love you bear to your own precious souls; hold and keep close to Ordinances in these declining times; see where they are in purity, and power, but keep close to them. I am perswaded that there is never a one of you but would be a friend to Christ, sayes Christ Then are you my friends if you do what soever I command you. And can my heart tell me, that I am a friend to Christ if I cast off all his appointments, and all his Ordinances; I am perswaded that there is none of you, but desire to be the children of God. Wisdome is justified of her children, Christ is the wisdome of the Father, and if you be the children of wisdome, you will justifie Christ in all his appointments, but if Christ the wisdome of the father shall give you such institutions and Ordinances, and you cast them off and say, they are low and fleshly and the like: Oh how will you justifie Christ the wisdom of the Father? wherefore I say, you that are professors, hold your hold in these declining times, and if you know any of your friends that are departed from the good Ordinances of God, Oh stand and mourn and lament over them, and say, alas! alas! my friend how is his crown fallen from his head; if you have a neighbour that hath a monster born in stead of a child, you will lam ent over your neighbour, and say, my neighbour instead of a sweet child hath an ugly monster with the head of a hog and the eares of an Asse: Ah my poor neighbour hath a monster born in her family. Why this Non-Ordinance is Englands monster and as people carry monsters up and down to shew them, so in other Countries they go up and down, and say, come and behold the English Monster, a thing never seen before, that Professors should deny Ordinances: And yet good Lord, how many families in this Kingdom have this Monster born there! Ah! will you p. 32not pray, weep, and lament over the families of your friends? Christian hold thy hold, in these sad and declining times hold thy hold.

Another Witness is Mr. Baxter in his Saints Rest, part 3. c. 5. The 4th Witness.Sect. 3. An. Dom. 1650. who complains thus, Christ hath been pleading with England these fourscore yeers and more, by the word of his Gospel, for his Worship, and for his Sabbaths, and yet the Inhabitants are not perswaded; nay he hath been pleading these six years by threatnings, and fire and sword, and yet can prevail but with very few; and though these bloodie arguments have been spread abroad, and brought home to people from Parish to Parish almost as far as the Word hath gone, so that there is scarce a Parish in many Counties where blood hath not been shed, and the bodies of the slain have not been left, yet multitudes in England are no more perswaded then they were the first day of their warning; and they have not heard the voice of the rod, which hath cryed up and down their streets, yet O England, will you not sanctifie my Sabbaths, nor call upon my Name, nor regard my word, nor turn from your worldliness and wickedness? God hath given them a lash and reproof, a wound, and a warning; he hath as it were stood in their blood with the sword in his hand, and among the heaps of the slain hath he pleaded with the living and said, what say you? will you not worship me, and fear me, and take me for your Lord? and yet they will not: Alas, yet to this day England will not! Let me here write it, and leave it upon record, that God may be justified, and England may be ashamed, and posterity may know if God do deliver us, how ill we deserved it, or if he destroy us how wilfully we procured it; and if they that pass by shall ask, wherefore hath God done thus to a flourishing and prosperous Land? you may give them the true, though doleful answer, They would not hear, they would not regard, he smote them down, he wounded them, he hewed them as wood, and then beseeched the remainder to consider and return, but they never would do it; they were weary of his ways, they were weary of his wayes, they polluted his Sabbaths, p. 33they cast his word and worship out of their families, they would not be at the pains to learn and obey his will, nay, they abhorred his Ministers and servants, and holy paths, and all this at the last breath; when he had slain five thousand at a fight, the rest did no more reform, then if they had never heard of it: nay, such a spirit of slumber is fallen upon them, that if God should proceed, and kill them all save one man, and ask that one man, wilt thou yet seek me with all thy heart? he would rather slight it. Lord have mercy upon us! what is gone with mens understanding and senses? have they renounced reason as well as faith? are they dead naturally as well as spiritually? can they not hear and feel, though they cannot beleeve? that sad judgement is faln upon them mentioned in Isai. 42 24, 25. Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel (England) to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient to his Laws; therefore he hath poured upon them the fury of his anger, and the strength of the battel, and it hath set them on fire round about, yet they knew it not; it burned them yet they laid it not to heart. Yea this much more let us leave upon record aagainst England; they have been so far from reforming and taking up the worship of God with delight after all this, that multitudes have contrarily abhorred it at the very heart, and fought against it as long as they could stand; and when they have been wounded and overthrown in one conflict, they have been as forward to the next, as if they had never felt the hand of God at all, and to root out the sincere worshippers and worship of God is their continued endeavour, and still they that succeed them do the like. Lord, how hast thou deserved so much ill at these mens hands! what harm hath praying, and reading, and preaching painfully, and sanctifying the Sabbath, and fearing to offend done to England? have they suffered for these, or for their enmity to these? And for the Discipline of Christ, though all parts of the world have much opposed it, yet where hath it been so powerfully resisted? the Lord grant that this hardned, willful, malicious p. 34Nation fall not under that heavy doom, Luke 19. 27. But those mine enemies who would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and slay them before me.

Hear another witness for God against the present times, whom Witness.I should have named with the first, because his Testimony was given in his Sermon before the Parliament, August 13. 1644. I mean Mr. Herbert Palmer upon Psal. 99. 8. p. 32, 35, 39. Those that some yeers ago made great Conscience of the Sabbath, and of family duties, are now many of them come even to question, Whether the Sabbath be at all to be observed or no? and though they deny not that family devotions are duties, yet they themselves do …ttle regard that their families should observe them; some that were by their own confession, so greatly conscientious of secret prayer, as that they could never omit it without an inward check, now do not make any the least shew that they take any time for it day or night. The faithful Ministers are set against, their tithes …nd dues with-held and denied, with pretence one while that they are Jewish, another while that they are Popish, any thing that they may weary them out, and that they may have no Ministers at all, or only those that are altogether according to their own lusts; formerly even in ill times, a conscionable Minister in some places could do somwhat toward the bringing his people to knowledg, who now wholly cast off the yoke (because there is no government neither Ecclesiastical nor Civil that they think will at all meddle with them, how refractory soever they be) and grow more brutish and barbarous every day then other. And now above all former times, whoredom and adultery do fearfully abound and grow impudent; even incest is to be found in divers places, and no punishment to be found for it. I cannot forbear putting you in minde of that expostulation of the Prophet, Ezek. 23. 24. &c. The people there flattered themselvs with a conceit that God intended to give them peace in possessing the land, from whence their brethren were driven or carried away captives. Abraham say they was one, and he inherited the land, but we are many, the land is given us for an inheritance; but God answers them with an appeal to p. 35their own consciences, and then with a peremptory threatning of the contrary, v. 25. &c. You eate with the blood; and lift up your eyes toward your Idols, and shed blood, and shall ye possesse the land? Ye stand upon your Sword, ye work abomination and ye defile every one his neighbours wife; and shall ye possesse the land? Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Surely they that are in the wast shall fall by the Sword, &c. Have not we too much of such confidence as they express? and yet no less cause to fear such an answer from God as that was. You thus and thus misbehave your selves, and shall you have peace? shal you have setling? shal you possess the land? may we not also much more admire the patience and longsuffering of God towards us all this while, that a complete vengeance hath not been taken upon our misdoings, as well as upon Germanies and Irelands and even upon some parts of our Kingdom and Nation? and if we sadly consider how God did not spare those faithful men the text points at, did not let faithful Moses and Aaron the Saints of the Lord, live to see the happiness of his people, inheriting the Land of Promise, may we not upon the remembrance of our greater provocations, tremble least none of us should be suffered to live to see an end of our troubles, and the Church of God peaceably setled in an holy Reformation? Sure we have no reason to expect it, unless we live to see and help to procure our own hearts, and lives, and families, and whole party, to be apparantly more faithful.

Hear also another Witness, and an acute Observer of the times, The 6th Witness.An. do… 1646.forewarning our danger, Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs, in his Heart-Divisions, upon Hos. 10. 2. c. 1. p. 203. [The Lord convince us of and humble us for the sinfulness of our Divisions by his Word, that desolating judgments be not upon us to convince and humble us. St. Jerome in his Comment upon these words notes, That the Scripture, 2 Kin. 17. tels us, That Hoshea was the last King of Israel, and in his time Israel was carried Captive, yet v. 2. it is said He did not evil in the sight of the Lord▪ as the Kings of Israel that were before him. Now the Jewes put this question, Why was not Israel carried captive with their King, when they had the worst p. 36King, but rather when things seemed to go something better then before? God yet chuses this time. The answer they give is, Because in former times the people might pretend they could not tell how to help what they did amiss in the matter of Worship. Indeed they worshipped the Calves, but they were forced to it by the tyranny of their Kings; it should be the loss of all they had if they did not. But say they, in the dayes of Hoshea there was more liberty given then before: Now those who would might go up to Jerusalem to worship; and that they say is the reason of that expression, That Hoshea did not evil as other Kings had done; but when they came to have more liberty, they came to wranglings among themselves (which is an usual concomitant of liberty) now their division rose high, some would go up to Jerusalem to worship, others would not; those that went up, cryed out of those that went not; those that went not, vilified those that went. Now their hearts are thus divided, now shall they be found guilty; the desolating judgment must now come, this the time for their captivity, now he gives them up to the enemie; God was exceedingly provoked with their contentions one against another at this time. What? (sayes God) when I was in some way of favor towards them, when I took off (in great part) the yoke of Bondage that was upon them that sore oppression that was before, none of them (a while since) dared go to Jerusalem to worship, and now their Governors are more moderate, their oppressing Courts are down, there is more liberty in the Land for my true Worship, and do they fall out, contemn, divide, wrangle one with another? Let them go into Captivity, let the enemy come in upon them, my soul takes no delight in such a crooked and perverse generation as this is. Our Condition seems to parallel with theirs very much, we lately were under sore and ciuel bondage, nothing was more dangerous then the worshipping God in his own way; we were under hard task-masters, oppressing, undoing Courts; the Lord hath in a great measure eased us, it is the unthankfulness, the sinful distemper of mens spirits that makes them say, what is done? it is as ill with us, as ever it was; No, we have much ease, such liberties, as were our p. 37forefathers raised out of their graves to see, they would admire Gods goodness, and bless him with meltings of heart, we spend that strength in siding, wrangling, contending, quarrelling, urging and oppressing one another, that we should spend in magnifying, blessing and praysing the name of God for that mercy we enjoy; we are a divided people whose hearts are divided, and heads too, and hands too; peace and unity seems to be flown from us, and a spirit of contention and division is come upon us; Kings and subjects are divided, Parliament is divided, Assembly is divided, Armies are divided, Church is divided, and State is divided, City is divided, Country is divided, Towns are divided, Families divided, Godly people are divided, Ministers almost every where are divided; yea, and what heart almost is there at this time, but is divided in it self? the thoughts, the counsels, contrivances, endeavours, wayes of men, almost of all men, how are they divided? O blessed Saviour, are these the times thou speakest of, wherein five should be in one house divided, three against two and two against three; the Father against the Son, and the Son against the Father; the Mother against the Daughter, and the Daughter against the Mother? Oh woe unto us! we find it so amongst us, and yet there is found no healing; we are broken and there is no binding up; it is with us as it was with Ezek. 2. 6. Briars and thornes are with us, and we dwell amongst scorpions. ▪ O Lord, what is this thy curse at this time upon England? briars and thornes shall it bring forth; we are rending and tearing, and devouring one another, while the adversary stands before us ready to devour. Ephraim is against Manasseh, and Manasseh against Ephraim. A fire is come out from Abimelech and devours the men of Shechem, and fire comes from the men of Shechem and devours Abimelech; yea there is a fire kindled in our own bowels, it rises from our selves. Ezek. 19. 14. Fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a Scepter to rule; this is a lamentation, and shall be for a lawentation: this is amongst us at this day, and how long it shall continue, God only knows. What this people were in p. 38their divided condition, that we are; and what does this threaten but that we should be as they a while after this were? namely, a people given up to the rage and fury of the enemy, which the Lord forbid.

The last witness I shall produce, is Mr. Stronge in his Sermon before the Lord Major and Aldermen of London, Nov. 5. 1653. upon Revel. 18. 4. pag. 20, &c.

Consider the instruments that are abroad in the world; we read of frogs sent out of the mouth of the Beast, Rev. 16. 13. that is by his special command and commission, and these go forth unto the Kings of the earth in all shapes; and we have to fear (nay apparent ground to believe) that besides the men of corrupt minds risen up among our selves, there are many of those sent in among us; it were well if we could look upon our Cities, Army, Navy, yea Councels to be free; and so much the rather it is to be feared because we see all ancient Heresies revived. Arrians, Macedonians, Montanists, Patriparsians, yea that conceit of Joachim Abbas, that there is a Gospel of the Spirit, another Gospel then that preached by Christ; and to observe by what mean persons these Doctrines are vented, and yet all the ancient arguments used to maintain them; a considering man observing this, can hardly imagine, but that there be some that do secretly, and with the best advantage instill such into them, and that in an unobserved way; for they are said to be spirits, that is, though they act very powerfully, yet invisibly; their motions, wayes and practises are not known. Consider that constant pressing of liberty of conscience, which if granted, must be universal, for who hath power to lay a restraint upon one mans conscience more then another? and therefore the patrons of this opinion do plead for a toleration of Popery, upon a religious account. As also that Doctrine of Mariana the Jesuite, now so generally insisted upon, and pleaded for Princeps nil statuat de Religione, the magistrate is not to meddle with matters of Religion.

These two principles received, lay all open to Popery or Atheisme; for if popery, as a religion, receive but a toleration, and p. 39the same countenance that otheres do (it being a religion most agreeable to nature, as corrupt, and so exactly fitted to it) it will soon have the most followers; for when Popery first appeared in the world, the whole world wondered after it, as it had done after Arianisme a little before. Look upon the Apostasie of the present age, men falling from all things in religion, and with an impudent face denying, deriding all; the Scriptures, the Trinity, the Godhead of Christ, his sufferings and satisfaction, justification by imputed righteousness, the Law of God as the rule of obedience, and whatsoever Doctrines Christian Religion is built upon: Now we know that a great Apostacy did make way for popery, 2 Thes. …, …. God giving them up to believe a lye, and by this means the man of sin foreign the lawless one was revealed. And there is great cause to fear, that the present Apostacy amongst us may have such a tendency; for we see men fall from one thing to another until they hold to nothing in matters of Religion; Such an Apostacy (as I think I may without breach of charity say) that there hath not been the like in any Christian Church since the great Apostasie before named: and being thus become as it were an outward Court, may we not fear that God should give us over to be trodden down of the Antichristian Gentiles again? and not receiving the truth in the love thereof he should give us up to believe that lye.

See more, Ibid. for I am weary of holding the pen of those learned Scribes and writing after them, and my heart akes, and my spirit sinks within me to consider how many dreadful cleer warnings God has given by his spirit in the Prophets of these times, foretelling our ruine that is so nigh, and yet their words are laid aside, as if they had never been spoken, or pass as the winde which no one takes notice of. But to draw up my argument in short from the testimonies of those worthy Prophets. Say now you that have heard the witnesses of God speak over again to you what they formerly delivered, What think you? doth not all that they have spoken amount to a confirmation of this truth in hand: That the present state of the Church is a state p. 40of desertion in a great measure? though they say it not expresly yet do they not equivalently intimate it; do they not say that very condition in reality is befaln us that we call a true Desertion.

If any one will be contentious farther I appeal to as many of those faithful Witnesses as are yet alive, and to all the faithful godly Ministers of these Nations, to say, whether all this horrible apostacy from God, his Ordinances and truth, which is confest; those vile and abhorred sins that are got loose amongst us, those sad and dismal temptations that make men weary of themselves; whether all these mutations, overturnings, tempests, shipwracks, wherewith the Princes, Nobles, Ministers and People of this land have been broken before our eyes, whiles we live to observe them and tell posterity what sad Monuments of Gods displeasure lie along by our shore; whether all these sad calamities (I say) that have befallen us, do not witness a reall and plain desertion.

The Lord convince us and our poor posterity after us of the present general judgment, that we or they may be humbled under his mighty hand, and cry mightily to God to stop it timely, before it make an utter end; for this is Gods method from which he varies not, that when he is in a way of desertion, he ceases not to inflict one judgment after another, until he hath utterly consumed that impenitent people that contend with him.

I thought to have struck off here, affecting brevity in this work that so it might be soon read over, but one objection farther requires answer, and it is this.

Grant there has been a great measure of Desertion upon the times, yet is it not now well over, is not the war at an end, and our swords beaten into plowshears, the adversary overcome and great rest given us on every side?

Blessed be God for this, who has remembred mercy in the midst of judgment, and does not contend for ever; but this I take to be but a parly, a short breathing; did not God draw off Nebuchadnezers army from Jerusalem, and diverted him upon Egypt, and then afterwards set him on again, and caused him to lead away Zedekiah and all his Princes, and p. 41the people of the land captive, and when they thought after this that the wrath of the Lord was at an end; do we not hear of Ishmaels massacre and carrying of Johanan and the remnant into Egypt. It is not then for us to be secure because God hath made a little stop; and I will give you my reasons for it, joyning testimony with a faithful Minister of God whom we have named before, Reverend Mr. Bridg.

First, Because the hand of the Lord seemes to be stretched out still in a way of displeasure. What year hitherto produces not the sad effects and tokens of wrath, a breach upon Parliaments, a breach upon Princes, a breach upon the whole Church of God, and the holy Ministers of God, a breach upon man and beasts, a breach upon the fruits of the earth and trading of the Land. Surely we may conclude as the Prophet, That for all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

2. Reason, God is not reconciled to us, because we are not yet reconciled one to another. Our love is a reflection of Gods love; his love is the cause of our love, and our love the sign of his love; so on the contrary: Therefore when the Lord had said of those evil times by the Prophet Mic. 7. v. 5. Trust ye not in any friend, put ye not confidence in a guide, keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom, for the Son dishonoreth the Father, the Daughter riseth up against her Mother, the Daughter in law against her Mother in law; a mans enemies are they of his own house. What followes? Sure enough this is a sign of Gods anger upon the Nation; and therefore v. 9. it is added, I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him. Alas! sayes the Church, God is out with us; we will humble our selves before the Lord, and bear the indignation of the Lord in all this, for the cause of all this evil is our sin.

3. Reason, How can we think but that God is still angry with us because the former sins that God hath been punishing all this while, and which are the very causes of desolation do still abide amongst us.

Defection from the worship of God, declining from our first zeal and love, tollerating of wicked and erroneous persons in Church-fellowship, lukewarmness in religion. Jer. 15. 6. Mic. 6. 2, 3, 8. Mal. 3. 7. Judg. 8 33, 34. Rev. c. 2, 3. Judg. 10 6, 7, 8, 9. Rejection of the Word of the Lord sent by his faithful Ministers and abusing them, Zech. 1. 4, 5, 6. & 7. 11, 12▪ 13. 2 Chr. 36. 15, 16, 17. &c. 1 The. 2. 15, 16. Luk. 21. 12. 13, 16 20. 1 Sam. 12. 14, 15. Evil customes, unrighteousness and oppression in Courts of Justice, Mal. 3. 5. &c. Isa. 5. 7, 8 & 1. v. 10, 17, 21, 23, 24. Jer. 22 1, ad 19. Remisness in Government, Judg. 8. 32, 33, 34. & 4. v. 1. & 10. v. 5, 6 ad 9. Cruel usage and persecuting of the people of God by profane ones, Lu. 21. 12, 13, 16, 20. Isa. 59. 15, 18. Mic. 3. 2, 3, 4. 1 Sa. 15. 1, 2, 3, 4. &c. Ezek. p. 4225. 16. and following Chap. Hab. 1. 13, 15. Sacriledg, pride, rioting, regardlesness of Gods judgments, open profaneness, notorious villanies, Impenitency & forsaking the Covenant of God, & profanation of his Sabbaths Mal. 3. 8. ad 12 ch. 3. 5 &c. c. 4. 1. Lev. 26. 2, 14, 16, 43. Is. 3. 9 c. 5. 11. 12, 8

4 Reas. That makes us conjecture further wrath, is the opinion of godly Divines & learnedst Cronologers upon the times, expecting the slaying of the witnesses & advancement of popery yet again, to which they conceive the mystery of iniquity works apace. Adde to this the inundation of the Emissaries of the Church of Rome into this land▪ the acceptation of Arminianisme and spiritual popery amongst the vulgar, the recess of many English Divines and gentlemen unto that Church, and favourable compliance with the grand abettours thereof, and then consider what the end will be.

Go to then, and let us draw up the conclusion of the whole matter: It is evident that the Church of God hath been for many years, and yet is under a great measure of desertion, which hath crept down along like a gangrene from the Churches of Germany, Bohemia, and others unto our dayes, and even to these Kingdomes, God striking all afar off before he would touch this choice and lovely vine of England, which he had high esteem for. Now what the end of the judgment will be the Lord only knowes, this we may humbly say, that as all desertions use to do, so this must at length fall into one of these points.

Either an utter desolation and general ruine, or else through mercy and our repentance, a purifying of the house of God, and advancement of the true worship of God, and power and Kingdome of our Lord Jesus Christ amongst us or our posterity: If this lamentable desertion should end in a general ruine and desolation▪ Oh, what heart does not break to hear it. Surely it stands us upon to let fall all private interests and set our selves with perpetual fasting and humiliation to propitiate God, and regain his presence before he be utterly gone. Or if it be like to end well, as▪ sometimes terrible desertions doe, yet still it calls upon us mightily to seek God, and put away all that does offend him, that we may make way at length for mercy, that we perish not.

Ah, who amongst us pitties not himself and his poor posterity, and the Church of God, and the Nation where his lines are cast? who lies a sleep like Jonah in the keel of the Ship when this tempest threatens us all? Oh, you Ship-masters, the Governors of the people of God go about and see, and if any sleep, rouze them by your authority; pity your selves and us who are in like danger, search what is the matter that withall this earnest rowing you cannot bring the Ship to land and set it in a safe harbour; Alas, we are like to perish, because in our vessel there is not only One Jonah asleep but Many.

FINIS.

End of the text · John Maudit, A Warning Piece to Afflicted England (1659)