Englands Hoped Mercies and Required Duties, Title page – Dedication
ENGLANDS Plus ultra, BOTH Of Hoped Mercies, and of Required Duties: SHEWED IN A SERMON PREACHED to the Honourable Houſes of PARLIAMENT, the Lord Major, Court of Aldermen, and Common-councell of London; together with the Aſſembly of Divines, at Chriſt-Church, April 2. 1646.
Being the day of their publike Thankſgiving to Almighty God for the great ſucceſſe of the Parliaments Army in the Weſt, eſpecially in Cornwall, under the Conduct of his Excellency Sr THOMAS FAIRFAX.
By JOSEPH CARYL, Miniſter of the Goſpel at Magnus neer the Bridge, London; and a Member of the Aſſembly of DIVINES.
LONDON▪ Printed by G. M. for John Rothwell at the ſign of the Sun and fountain in Pauls Church-yard, and Giles Calvert at the ſign of the black-ſpread-Eagle at the weſt end of Pauls, 1646.
Die Veneris, April 3. 1646.
ORdered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, That Thanks be given to M. Caryl and M. Peters for the great pains they took in the Sermons they preached yeſterday before the Lords and Commons, and City of London at Chriſt-Church in London, at the entreaty of both Houſes, being a day ſet apart for a publike Thankſgiving to God for the great ſucceſſes it pleaſed him to give the Army under the Command of Sr Thomas Fairfax Knight, Generall; and that they be deſired to print their Sermons. And it is ordered that none ſhall preſume to print their Sermons without licenſe under their hands writing. And that Sr Arthur Heſilrig and M. Prideaux do give them thanks, and deſire them to print their Sermons accordingly.
H. Elſyng. Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I Appoint John Rothwel and Giles Calvert to print my Sermon.
Joſeph Caryl.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE LORDS and COMMONS Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
WHen that holy Prophet fore-told the ſorrows and ill uſage which the Sonne of God ſhould finde among ſinfull men in the days of his fleſh, he cries out, Who ſhall declare his Generation (Iſa. 53. 8.) which many understand of his eternal, ſome of his Generation in the fulnes of time, the myſtery whereof was beyond words: Others of his holy ſeed, his croſse being fruitfull, and his death giving life to an innumerable Generation. But beſides all theſe we may with good probability interpret the word Generation *foreign Eſt generatio, ſeculum, tempus vitae humanae & per Synecdochen, homines una aetate & generatione viventes Buxt.for the time or age in which Christ was born, lived and died. And then the meaning is: whoſe tongue ſhall be able to ſpeak, or pen to write the Hiſtory of His Age? Where ſhall Rhetorique enough be found to draw out or delineate with lively colours, the malice and enmity, the plots and conſpiracies, the villanies and cruelties contrived and acted against that innocent Lamb Jeſus Chriſt: Together with his moſt glorious victories and triumphs over them all? Who ſhall declare his Generation?
I believe there hath ſcarce been a Generation, ſince that of Chriſts ſo journing upon the Earth, more hard to declare then this. We may well cry out, Who ſhall declare this Generation? What Age hath brought forth ſuch monſtrous births of man, or ſuch marvellous births of God? When did man or God ſhew more of Himſelf? Did men ever aſſay to deſtroy a Nation by pollicies and by power, by threatning and by flattering, by confederacies abroad and combinations at home, as ſome have aſsaied to deſtroy this Nation? Or hath God aſsaied to deliver a Nation by temptations, by ſigns, and by wonders, and by warre, and by a mighty hand, and by a ſtretched-out arm, and by great terrours, according to all that the Lord our God hath done before our eyes? Some have ſaid of Zenophons Cyrus, that ſurely it was written (Non ad hiſtoriae fidem, ſed ad Principis effigiem) not to ſhew what Cyrus perſonally was, but what a Prince in exacteſt compleature may be fancied to be. Such cenſures I am perſwaded after Ages will give of the true Stories (I hope ſome pens will write the truth) of theſe times, that ſurely they are poeticall raptures, or feigned Romances to ſhew the height of imagination, not the realitie of action. For whether we conſider the ſtrange beginnings, the difficult proceedings, the variety of judgements, the contrarietie of opinions, the ſtands and motions, the effects or iſſue; of theſe warres and troubles, together with the faithfulneſse or falſeneſſe of men, the power and goodneſſe of God diſcovered in them, it will be found the most improbable relation that ever was put to paper.
The providence of God, which acts in all Nations, hath (as it were) ſtriven to repreſent ſuch ſcenes of action in England as are hardly parallel'd by any that are past. His works among us, have not only juſtice, but beauty and wonder; not only merciemercy, but skill and art in them (Though to do them be his propertie, not his ſtudie, his nature, not his labour) Man cannot ſo much as be ſuſpected to have done theſe things, God hath done like God. The Lord needs not ſubſcribe his name to his work, for, that his Name is neer, his wonderous works declare. It muſt be ſaid by way of aſſertion, This God hath wrought, as well as by way of admiration, What hath God wrought?
God hath done ſo much for us, that the most which remains for us to do, is to Admire and be Thankfull. If theſe Talents of mercy have not fair improvements, we ſhall be caſt for the moſt unprofitable ſervants and idle Stewards that were ever truſted by the great Maſter of heaven and earth. Sad will their reckoning be, who ſleight theſe mercies, but theirs ſaddeſt of all, who put forth a hand to corrupt and ſpoil them. The reaſon given by the holy Ghost, why his blood muſt he ſhed, who ſheddeth mans blood, is this, becauſe in the Image of God made he man. God hath made our victories and deliverances in his own image; There's not one of them, but looks like God. What their doom ſhall be, who by envie or ſelf-ends, who by ſowing diviſions or making ſides, who by ſomenting jealouſies or nouriſhing diſcontents go about to murther them, the perpetuall equity of that firſt ſtatute-law puts into the mouth of every ludge. Right honourable, that theſe works of God may be aeclared by all manner of declarations, perfected into all manner of perfections, and that God who hath wrought them may be honoured with all manner of honours ſhould now be Your ſpecial care and ſtudy: the care alſo and ſtudy of all, who taſt the comforts and ſhare in the bleſsings of them: of which number, I thankfully ſubſcribe my ſelf, and,
Your Honours humbly devoted in the ſervice of the Goſpel Ioſeph Caryl.