Divine Drops Distilled from the Fountain of Holy Scripture, Part 10
Expoſitions and Obſervations on PSALM 116.
I love the Lord becauſe he hath heard my prayer, and my ſupplications:
Becauſe he hath enclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
The ſorrows of death compaſſed me, &c.
I Promiſed if the Lord would give me ſtrength, to ſpeak a word unto you this afternoone, concerning the mercies of God unto us in the victories of Scotland, but eſpecially of Briſtoll, becauſe we have more knowledg of it, and more relation to it, the moſt of us. And therefore I would briefly from this Pſalm, take occaſion or ground of what I have to ſpeak to you. Two things briefly I ſee here laid down in this Pſalm.
The firſt is, the Pſalmiſt doth expreſſe the great merciemercy of God to him, in ſome ſpeciall deliverance. And that he doth illuſtrate by the miſery he was in: for he was in a very low condition, full of tears, and prayers, and ſorrows, and his feet were ready to fall, ſo the Lord heard his prayer, and delivered him out of his troubles, whatſoever they were. That is one thing, he takes notice of the great merciemercy of God to him.
The ſecond is, he doth conſider, what he ſhould do to God: now God having delivered him, what is his duty? For it is a known leſson among us, that the mercies of God require ſomewhat from us (though all be by his grace) And thoſe are here laid down in the Pſalm, they are various, I will love the Lord, I will call upon him while I live, I will walk before him in the land of the living, and diverſe ſuch duties he lays upon himſelf in conſideration of Gods great mercy to him. Now I have not time and ſtrength to go over all, which are many in the Pſalm, and therefore I will onelyonly tell you a few thoughts that I have concerning Gods merciemercy in beſtowing Briſtoll upon us again, and that according to Davids method here, which is the moſt naturall, and the moſt uſuall by the Saints.
Firſt, to take notice of Gods goodneſs in that mercy.
And ſecondly to conſider what is our duty.
Concerning the firſt, there are abundance of mercies and kindneſſes, couched, and wrapped up together in that. It was not only the taking of a Garriſon, but there are abundance of mercies in it, and mingled with it, you Gods mercy in the taking in of Briſtoll conſidered in five reſpects. 1. In regard of the potent oppoſition.eſpecially that are concerned in it, and are godly, you know: but in my eye theſe are the chiefe that I ſee, and am affected with.
The firſt is. I look upon the greatneſſe of the merciemercy, I ſee that all were great things in, and about it, there was no meane, inconſiderable thing in it. I know it is a great City, the ſecond in the Kingdom; and I know alſo, there were great works to keep it, I know there were great, and ſtrong, and numerous ſouldiers in it. There were great reſolutions in thoſe ſouldiers, And I am ſure too, there was great miſerie in the City among the poor people, and round about the City, & hath been theſe two yeers, the plague, ſcarſity of proviſion, and other things. And no man doubts but it is of great conſequence, if the Lord make it a bleſſing to us, if the Lord ſanctifie it, it will be of great conſequence, not only to thoſe parts (being the chiefe City in that part of the Kingdom) but to this City and to the whole State, and Kingdom, I ſee nothing in it but great things.
And therefore me thinks that he that ſhould do this for us, ſurely he muſt needs be a great God, that pulled down the great pride of that City, and the gariſon in it, that muſt throw down thoſe Bulwarks (as it were) And therefore, let us exalt God, let us conceive of God according to his greatneſſe: for ſurely, he that did that work there, no man will doubt, or deny that it was God, and that God that did it, any man that will ſeriouſly conſider of the work, will ſay he is a great God: therefore let us glorifie him in his greatneſſe.
Another thing very obſervable that we ſhould take 2. In regard of the hazard in ſtorming.notice of, is, that the Lord hath there preſerved our friends, preſerved our Army in ſuch a wonderfull manner in ſtorming that City. I have no skill in war, but I think there are no people that go about ſtorming, but they reſolve to loſe many a man, therefore they will do any thing rather then ſtorme, if it may be gotten otherwiſe, and to ſtorme ſuch a City, ſuch Forts, ſuch ſtrength, ſuch a Caſtle, double lined in ſome parts, and to do it by no very great Army neither, and that the Lord ſhould pleaſe to preſerve them, that ſo few ſhould be ſlaine or wounded, it is a wonderfull mercy. For truly (beloved) when there were but a few in the City, when the other ſide ſought it, they had it not ſo cheap, it coſt them the lives of many hundreds of them: but this was the Lords goodneſſe to his poor people, and truly we may ſay as David doth here, he hath inclined his ear to us, and heard our prayer.
Then a third bleſſing, that I take notice of in it, is, 3. In preſerving it from the Peſtilence.that God ſhould preſerve our friends from the peſtilence. We alway conceived that if they had that City, they knew not what to do with it, becauſe of the peſtilence, that might ruine, and deſtroy the Army after they had took it: and as we hear, though they be in the ſame houſes, and quarter where the ſickneſſe was, and have lain in the beds where men have been ſick, yet we hear little or nothing of the infection coming among them. Surely, this can be no other but the finger of God, conſidering how hot, and violent it was.
Then I look upon it further, as to conſider what 4. In that this ſucceeded a ſeries of mercies.mercies there had gone in a ſtreight line before, and how this comes after, mercy upon mercy, God adding alway greater to the leſſe. This hath not been Gods way with us hitherto, but if God heard us in one mercy, he gave us a correction preſently, if we did get one garriſon, we loſt another, if we have one victory, we loſe another. Now that God, that is a Zealous God, ſhould go on, and not ſee iniquity in his people, and paſſe by their infirmities, and ſhould go from on Fort to another, and from one garriſon to another, and bring in this great City to the reſt. I ſpeak of it, becauſe the chief thing in this City is to deſire to ſee the glory of God as Moſes did, to deſire above all things to ſee God, perfect God. We know God is perfect, and uſeth not to work by halves: but God hath hidden that attribute in a great meaſure among us. He gave us many overtures of merciemercy, but he called for them back again, and ſo preſently turned our joy, into ſorrow. It hath been familiar in all his diſpenſations to us, for theſe two, or three yeers; Now that the Lord ſhould go on from one thing to another, without interruption, and caſt nothing in by the way to imbitter our mercies, and to go from leſſe to greater in this manner, me thinks the Lord hath ſhewed himſelf a perfect God, as he did to our fathers before, and that is a glorious attribute.
Beſides, it is not a little merciemercy that the Lord hath 5. In reſpect of a confiding Governour.inclined the Parliament to beſtow a governour upon that City that they may confide in: that is a greater mercy, then we can now ſpeak of.
And truly if you will give me leave to tell you what I think (for we may haply judge of Gods merciemercy in this, becauſe of our concernment further then ſome of you) it is a great merciemercy in our apprehenſion, that the Lord hath cleared his people that came thence. For when they came up, I remember well, of all people that came from any part of the Kingdom, as I apprehend (pardon me if I miſapprehend) the Briſtoll people, and thoſe parts (though they received much kindneſſe from this City, which they are bound with thankfulneſſe ever to acknowledg, yet) they lay under a blurr, becauſe they were looked on as faulty, and defective, and negligent, that they loſt the City, and endangered the Kingdom. That truly beſides their loſſes, and ſufferings that you cannot imagine unleſſe you had ſuffered with them) this was not a ſmall affliction, to ſee ſo many frown on them, and to add affliction to affliction, as though if they had been more valiant, and couragious, they might have kept the City, and have ſaved it, &c. I meddle not with the commanders, and governours; but I ſpeak of you that are here, and the good people of Briſtoll that uſe to be here: I ſay the Lord hath reſtored the poor people, to their home at leaſt (though that be naked enough for them) and hath taken away their reproach, for though we ſaid before, that we did what we could to ſave the City, and ſtood out, yet it was generally thought, that we might have done more: but now it appears to the world, that now there were many more then we had, at leaſt three for one, and there were two yeers works, forts, and lines built more then there was then, and we kept them out three dayes in ſtorming, and I hear not that they did one. As ſoon as we loſt the City we capitulated, ſo did they as ſoon as they loſt it. I ſay not but that we had weakneſſes, and (it may be) from the greateſt to the leaſt wanted skill in mannaging it: but I know (and I ſhould know as much as one… that the people of Briſtoll were valiant from the leaſt to the greateſt. The Lord hath taken away the reproach: for whereas all others in the Kingdome were pitied, many frowned upon Briſtoll men after all their ſufferings. There are many other things that are not now expedient to inſiſt upon. I leave it to your ſerious conſideration.
And what the goodneſſe of God is to us in the victory in Scotland, no man (though we know it but in generall) can be ignorant, how that Kingdom being ſubdued, the enemy would have been over us, and all the three Kingdoms would have been gone in the eye of reaſon: but God hath ſent them ſeaſonable reliefe beyond all expectation: A great merciemercy!
Now from all this, I will tell you my thoughts, what you, and I ſhould learn.
Firſt, for ever hereafter we ſhould learn patiently to wait upon the Lord, when we have made our prayers to him, and he hath made his promiſes to us. We had many promiſes in our eye, and we made our prayers, but when the Lord gave the City into their hands, we thought the promiſes, and our prayers were loſt; neither did we ſee, or could underſtand, how any thing ſhould become of them but onelyonly ſhame, and reproach. For we boaſted of God in the Pulpits, and in the ſtreets, and at our work, that the Lord was our God, and would help us, and yet the Lord turned it againſt us, and there were few of us that had ſo much grace as to wait patiently on him, and to know that though nothing appeared the viſion would ſpeak and would not lie. But now we are convinced of our folly, and we ſee that God hath fully anſwered thoſe prayers of Briſtoll. For thoſe prayers I believe did ſpeak loudeſt, of all the prayers in England, in getting that City, And I value one of thoſe prayers more then an hundred now, for they are old prayers in ſtore, ſtale prayers are good. And they were prayers from broken, afflicted ſpirits, and believing hearts. And now you ſee how the Lord hath graciouſly provided food, and raiment for his people, and done the ſouls of many of them much good, and in due ſeaſon reſtored their dwellings, and habitations to them. Therefore there is a word in Rom. 10. that I did think to open. The Apoſtle there comparing the righteouſneſſe together, he ſaith, ver. 5. that the righteouſneſſe of the law is thus deſcribed by Moſes, The man that doth theſe things, ſhall live in them. That is the language of the law, he that doth theſe things, he that keeps the law ſhall be ſaved. But the righteouſneſſe of faith (the way of faith, as the Apoſtle calls it, Gal. 3. or the way of the Goſpell) ſpeaketh on this wiſe, it hath another kinde of language, ſay not in thine heart, who ſhall aſcend into heaven? or who ſhall deſcend into the deep? But what ſaith it? The word is nigh thee, the word of faith which we Preach. That is, this is the language of faith, that Jeſus Chriſt hath fulfilled all righteouſneſſe for us. And how do we come to know this? Here is the word, and then the Spirit of faith; this is the language; this is the way of the Goſpell, the way of faith.
But you will ſay, What is that word of Faith that this is grounded on?
The Apoſtle chooſeth one Scripture, verſe 11. in ſtead of all other as there are abundance of Scriptures ſetting forth the Goſpell way: but he takes this as one of the chief among the reſt) whoſoever believeth on him ſhall not be aſhamed. He takes it out of Iſaiah 28. whoſoever believeth on him ſhall not be aſhamed. He takes (I ſay) that as one of the chief Scriptures of Goſpell, that is to be the foundation of the way of faith: and though you may apply it for the ſoul, and principally ſo; yet you may for every thing elſe, that this is a generall and ſure rule, he that believeth on God ſhall not be aſhamed. So the Lord hath removed our reproach. We heard with our ears jeering of God, and Preachers, and Preaching, but now bleſſed le God we need not bluſh, we may own our prayers, and ſtand to our preaching, and glory in the promiſes of God: he that believeth ſhall not be aſhamed.
Therefore, hereafter, though God doth delay a long while, (as this was about two years, and a monety) yet notwithſtanding learn to believe in God ſtill, wait upon God patiently, and either the whole Goſpell will not hold, or elſe this will: for this is the pillar of it; he that believeth ſhall not be aſhamed. The patient abiding of the meeke ſhall not be aſhamed. If God ſee a man meekly, and patiently wait for him, his waiting ſhall not be in vain, and though it be long in our eyes, yet a thouſand yeers with God are as one day, and one day as a thouſand yeers. And the delay of a thouſand yeers is as it were but a day, yet he brings about all his promiſes of mercies ſweetly for his glory, and the good of his people.
Therefore, whatſoever we would have for his glory, and the good of his people, let us follow God, and reſt on his word. Remember that Goſpell pillar (I ſay not promiſe, but pillar) he that believeth ſhall not be aſhamed. That is one thing.
Another is this, that we ſhould (but God knows when we will learn it: for people are further, and further from learning it every day) me thinks learn hence a little in due order and manner to honour the Saints, and people of God. A man would think ſo: but blinde men cannot ſee. We know that there is an Army, the generality (I hope I may ſay ſo of them) being godly people: an Army (I think truly, I may ſay without diſparagement to any other fearing God, and ſeeking his honour, as much as any Army under the cope of heaven theſe five hundred yeers. Bleſſed be God that put it in your hearts to reform them, if there be any evill among them, it is one of the moſt glorious works that ever you did. Now it is no diſparagement to God, that under God, and in God we honour his people. Therefore wo to them that call light darkneſſe, of which to this day the ſtreets are full all the week long, notwithſtanding the humility, the love, and unity, the ſelf-deniall, and all the graces that are to be ſeen as cleare as the ſun in the firmament in this Army, yet you ſhall have people, and many that would be called profeſſors to reproach them, and raile, and ſay, A ſcandalous aſperſion upon the Army, that when they had got the power they intended to rule both King and Parliament. The admirable graces obſerved in the Army by the Author long ſince.they fight for their own ends, they ſeek themſelves, they are no friends to the Parliament; they meane to get a little power, and then to rule King, and Parliament too. O blaſphemous ſpeeches! Beloved, for my part, I have not been there oft, but I ſaw more grace, in that ſmall Army (poor wretches) then in all the Kingdom beſides.
Firſt, I ſee more love there, their love is true love, and it is love to one another as they are Saints, as they are honeſt men; and not as ſuch a one holds a faction this way, or that way. If one man be wounded, they will all venture their lives to fetch him off; and if one be ſick, every one contributes to his wants; there is abundance of ſweet love: There is unity: here is biting, ſuch a one is a Presbyterian; another is an Independent, another is an Anabaptiſt: there is no ſuch biting there: They look not in mens mouthes, as men do in horſes mouthes, and ſay is he a Presbyterian, or an Independent? but is he an honeſt man, a godly man? if he be, he is a companion for any godly man.
We are the moſt miſerable men in the world, this poor City: if a man had as much grace as Paul had, if ſome Independent ſee him, and ſay he is inclining to Presbytery, or if a Presbyterian ſee him, and ſay, he is inclining to Independencie, then let him go, and cut his throat. The Lord pity you, that ſo Chriſt Ieſus in the ſouls of people may be the object of your love. Is there grace and Chriſt there? be there what there will if there be not that, I have nothing to do. Now if one that is carnall joyn with me, or another, or a third man in faction, we take him. The Lord pity us; it is not ſo in the Army, It would do you good to go among them twenty four hours to ſee the unity that is among them. I ſay, learn to honour the Saints.
Then there is a ſpirituality there, there is a thing that may be called ſpirituality in the Army. There is not onelyonly a profeſsion, and duties, &c. as we have here, but a kind of flower of godlineſse, ſome ſparklings of their graces; there is not onelyonly grace, but grace flying. As when I was in the Army, I ſaw ſome glory ſhine in their graces, that would dazle a mans eyes almoſt as the Sun, an excellencie of grace, the ſpirituality of grace. We ſtrive about low, carnall things, about this and that, but they, about the myſteries of the Kingdom of God, you may ſee it gloriouſly.
And then what ſelf-deniall is there! Who lives there by plundering, and ſtealing, as many have done; and do? And then, when honour is got, how doth every one ſtudy to caſt honour on his brother, and not on himſelf! and ſtudies ſilence not to have his name mentioned, but that God may have glory, O it is a glorious thing.
And then what fidelity! If there were nothing in them of all thoſe things in that flaming manner, yet me thinks their fidelity as ſubjects ſhould make them honourable,
How?
I will tell you how; becauſe that having no encouragment almoſt, but railing, and ſcoffing, and contemning of them, and raiſing reproaches on them, &c. and the liberty of their conſcience threatned day by day, and impaired very much every day by thoſe that ſtay at home here, and eat the fat the while; yet notwithſtanding they do not (as diverſe have done) lay down their Armes, and ſay, I ſee my conſcience will be in ſlavery when all is done, and I have ventured my life: therefore I will go beyond Sea, as many godly men have done: but they reſolve, I will die for the Parliament, let them take away my liberty, and make me a ſlave, yet we will do it, all the reproaches cannot diſcourage them; it is the joy of their ſouls, when they hear of a skirmiſh, or a fight, they leap. What a glorious ſpirit is on Engliſh men!
Therefore (I beſeech you) take heed of calling light darkneſſe, there is nothing that provokes God more: take heed of raiſing, and nouriſhing a curſed reproach againſt the Saints. I ſay not againſt Independents, or Presbyterians, or Anabaptiſts, but I ſay againſt godly men: I will ſtand to it, there is the hatred againſt Chriſt, and godlineſse in them, and then they put it upon Antinomians, and Presbyterians, and Anabaptiſts, and Independents: but they are blind wretches that hate godly men, and ſeek to ruine the Kingdom, and to cut the throats of them. Therefore take heed, honour thoſe that God honours, If God have honoured them, and they honour God, and love God, let us in and for God give them honour alſo.
Shall I teach you another word (and ſo I have done) Learn hence by experience (though it be not the beſt miſtreſs) to ſet forward godly men (as much as you can) to the work. It is not a dallying time; the Kingdom is almoſt ſunk, and we have made experiments of men, and things to try concluſions, till we have almoſt ruined the Kingdom, though we ſee it not here. It is not a time to dally when the Kingdom gaſps, you know there is a party of wicked men at Oxford: here was a great company of treacherous men choſen for the Parliament that went to the King: Then we have had experience of all Committees, what things are done by men that are not right, that are not godly, I meane, not that are not of this or that faction, but that are not godly.
O Learn, and O that God would teach England and London, and all to be wiſe at laſt, that now in all places, and Offices, and occaſions of war, and at home, and in Committees and any thing. Look not how I may pleaſe my Landlord, or how I may pleaſe ſuch a Gentleman, but if he be a faithfull godly man, O ſet him forward. That is the way to ſave this poor Kingdom, you will never ſave it as long as you ſay, I have ſuch a kinſman, and he ſhall be a Colonel, and I have ſuch a Coſen-German, and he ſhall be a Committee man, you will never do good ſo. Therefore if God would, and O that he would put it into the hearts of the Parliament to imploy godly men in this Army, that lay idle before, and did nothing: you ſee how the Lord hath wonderfully bleſſed them, you ſee things done that have not been done in our age before, ſuch ſucceſsions of victory, and worthy actions. Therefore imploy godly men, faithfull men, Presbyterians, or Independents, look not at that, but ſee if they be godly men. Let us pray to the Lord that God may do it, that God may put it into the hearts of all ſo to do.
I ſhall ſay two or three words more, and ſo I have done.
One is, from this of Briſtol, learn to believe that the ſtrongeſt afflictions will work for our good. We know this was a ſtrong affliction, a ſore affliction that had confounded. There was not a man of us when we came out of Briſtol, that could render a reaſon, what God did mean in ſhaming our prayers, and our preaching, and in ſcattering the poor Saints: it amazed us, we knew not what it meant, yet now we ſee plainly that God did mean to do our ſouls good; God hath done the ſouls of many of his people good, and God will do their bodies good, and every thing ſhall be for the beſt; and we hope alſo, that they now knowing what the cruelty and oppreſsion of the Enemy is, it will make them more carefull to ſave the City, whereas before, all the world could not make the generality confident to the Parliament: but now we ſee God was wiſer then we, therefore if God bring ſtrong afflictions on our ſelves, or our wives, or children, that we know not what to make of them, let us learn to be quiet and patient, and to ſee that God means us well, and that it ſhall turn to our good.
Another thing is this, that you may learn a little for your ſouls from it, to reaſon from the greater to the leaſt, and from the leaſt to the greater, it is the ordinary way of Scripture, If God hath given us his Son, ſhall he not with him give us all things? So, I ſay, thus me thinks you and I may reaſon, that the Lord that hath battered thoſe Forts, thoſe Caſtles, or done as good as broken them, that all their preparations theſe two years could not keep them, but God hath thrown them down; why ſhould I not hope that God will batter down the bulwark in my heart? I prayed, and you prayed that God would deliver that Caſtle and Forts and thoſe things to our Forces, and they were ſtrong and mighty, and God did it, and ſhall not the Forts and Bulwarks that Sin and Satan hath in my heart be thrown down? Truly, that ſhould help our faith a little to follow God to throw down the one as he hath the other. Thoſe ſtrong hodls, thoſe ſtrong luſts that are there, unbelief and worldlineſs, and pride, and wantonneſs, and ſuch like things that are in the ſouls of people variouſly. Methinks this might increaſe our confidence, and ſtir up our more earneſt prayers to God, that he would be pleaſed to throw down theſe, as he did the Works of Briſtol, and to make way for the King of glory to come into them.
And I could wiſh laſtly, that you would help poor Briſtol people a little, as much as you can to ſettle them comfortably in their habitations according as the Parliament gave order, for they will finde naked walls there; and if there be any thing, the Plague having been there, it may be they dare not go in. Therefore incourage them, pray for them, and if it be in your power any way, help them a little, for they are but a few that are here, and weak. Pray for them that they may have good Officers, and good Common-Counſel-men, and good Miniſters, and the like, you have more friends that live here, and it may be more underſtanding then they have, and now is the time if you can do any thing, help them a little in that: otherwiſe for them to go home, among a company of carnal Aldermen, and carnal Common Counſelmen, and carnal Miniſters, what help ſhall they have? Therefore pray for them, and help them, as God ſhall give you opportunity.