Gods Warning to England, Title page – Dedication
Gods warning to England BY the Voyce of his ROD.
Delivered in A SERMON, Preached at Margarets Weſtminſter, before the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, at their late Solemn Faſt, Octob. 30. 1644.
By HENRY SCUDDER, Rector of Collingborn-Ducis in Wiltſhire.
Publiſhed by Order of the ſaid Houſe.
ZEPH. 2. 1, 2, 3.
Gather your ſelves together, yea gather your ſelves together, O Nation, not deſired. Before the Decree bring forth, before the day paſſe as the chaffe, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lords anger come upon you. Seck ye the Lord, all ye meck of the earth, which have wrought his Judgements, ſeek Righteouſneſſe, ſeek meckneſſe; it may be ye ſhall be hid in the day of the Lords anger.
LONDON: Printed by J. R. for Philemon Stephens and Edward Blackmore, and are to be ſold at their ſhops in Pauls Church-yard. 1644.
ORdered by the Commons Aſſembled in Parliament; That Mr Rous, Mr Long, and Mr Wheeler, do from this Houſe give Thanks to Mr Scudder, for the great pains he took in the Sermon he Preached this day, at the Intreaty of the ſaid Commons, at S. Margarets Weſtminſter, (it being a day of publique Humiliation) and to deſire him to Print his Sermon; And it is Ordered, that none ſhall preſume to Print his Sermon, but whom ſhall belicenſed under the hand writing of the ſaid Mr Scudder.
H. Elſynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I appoint Philemon Stephens and Edward Blackmore to Print my Sermon.
HENRY SCUDDER.
To The honourable Houſe of Commons Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
THis is a time of Englands trouble, moſt ſad, and tempeſtuous: and if we look upon the face of things as now they are, and of the gathering of new clouds to the darkning of the heavens over us; and upon the ordinary courſe of Gods Providence in the way of his Judgements, who can but Judge, and feare, that theſe are but the beginnings of troubles, and that they will be much greater and much worſe then yet they are?Iſai. 4. 5. 7.
The Lord doth as well create darkneſſe as forme light, and doth as well create evill as make peace. And there is a viciſſitude of theſe, a ſucceeding of theſe, one in the place of another in Gods Government of the ſons of men.
Firſt, he giveth Peace and proſperity, and tryeth what the riches of his goodneſſe will work upon men: he aſſayeth toHoſ. 11. 4. endear and draw them to himſelf, by the cords and bands of his love; to bring them to Repentance and Obedience.
But ſuch is mans unhappineſſe, ſince the fall of Adam, that uſually this goodneſſe and bounty of God is deſpiſed and abuſed: men quickly forget God, and grow proud, tyrannous, and Luxurious; and, waxing fat with Proſperity, they are wanton, and kick againſt God, and do exceedDeut. 32. 15. in all manner of Impiety, uncleanneſſe, and unrighteouſneſſe.
Yea, amongst them, Gods own people, who profeſſe his Name; even they will be too much tainted with the common ſins of the times, and places where they live.
With theſe, yet, God beareth a long time, being very loath to alter the courſe of his bounty, being unwilling to afflict or grieve the Children of men: but they continuingLam. 3. 33. and increaſing in their wickedneſſe, he is enforced by his Juſtice and Truth, to Create and bring evill upon them, to plague and puniſh the whole world, or a great part of it, even ſo much of it as doth partake of like ſinnes, with Famine and Peſtilence, or other diſeaſes, and laſt of all, with war, the ſoreſt of his plagues.
In ſuch Generall Viſitations it is Gods manner commonly to begin with his own people.
For he is most provoked with their ſins, and taketh it moſtDeut. 32. 6. unkindly at their hands: as he ſaith, You onelyonly have I known of all the Families of the earth; therefore I Amos 2. 3.will puniſh you for all your iniquities.
He may alſo firſt begin with them, that they may repent and give good example to the reſt of the world round about them.
Alſo, that all men may ſee that God is Impartiall in his puniſhments.
And alſo that the wicked enemies of Gods people may know that they certainly ſhall not go unpuniſhed, as God ſaith, Lo, I bring evill upon the City, which is called by Jer. 5. 29.my Name, and ſhould ye go unpuniſhed? ye ſhall not be unpuniſhed: for I will call for a ſword upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
In the dayes of King Aſa there was war, not onelyonly againſt2 Chron. 14. 9, 10. gainſt Judah, but in all Countries thereabout. It was with them then in that part of the world, as it is now with us in Europe. No peace was to him that went out, or came 2 Chro. 15. 6.in, but great vexations were upon all the Inhabitants of thoſe Countries. Nation was deſtroyed of Nation, and City of City, God did vex them with all adverſities.
The like Generall puniſhing of the Nations by war, we read of in the Propheſie of Jeremiah, which ended in theJer. 25. deſtraction of Babilon.
The like, when after Chriſts death, Jeruſalem was deſtroyed.Mat. 24. 6, 7.
God hath his houres of temptation to bring upon all Rev. 3. 10.the world, to try them that dwell therein, ſometimes in one kinde of tryall, ſometimes in another.
At this time God is viſiting of Europe and moſt of the Chriſtian world with the fearfull Judgement of War.
About ſix and twenty years ſince there was Peace and great proſperity in moſt, if not in all, parts of Europe: but the inhabitants thereof; nay, the Churches of God ſerved not the Lord, with joyfulneſſe and gladneſſe of heart, for that their abundance of all things. They corruped their wayes, and became notoriouſly wicked in all ſorts of abhominations. The Religion of the beſt, take them in the generality, was but a form of Godlineſſe without power, ſuch as the Apoſtle Propheſied of, ſhould be in the laſt times, which temper in Religion God hateth. And as they were increaſed 2 Tim. 3. 1. 5▪ſo they ſinned. Wherefore the Lord changed his countenance towards us; and hath taken the Rod and ſword in hand to correct and puniſh us.
He cauſed the fire of war, the fire of his anger to begin to burn and break out in Bohemia, and in the Palatinate, (none of the worſt of the Churches) yea it is run through all Germany, and where is it not now in Europe? It is now, to our woe, come into Ireland and England, and Scotland is not altogether free.
This war layeth all waſt before it in other Countries: How can we think it ſhould do any otherwiſe in England?
The Symptomes of a deſolation that ſhall over-run this kingdome are too too manifeſt: It was a true ſaying of our Saviour, A Kingdome divided againſt it ſelf, is brought to deſolation. Do not our diviſions continue?Mat. 12. 25. do not they increaſe? Diviſions in the Church, Diviſions in the Common-wealth, Diviſions in the Armie, Diviſions in Counſells, Diviſions every where; amongſt all ſorts in the Kingdome, Whilſt God doth thus divide us, and doth in his juſt judgement, give us over thus to make Diviſions, certainly he meaneth that by our ſelves we ſhall be deſtroyed. We would not in time of Peace agree together to ſerve him with one conſent; he will therefore that we ſhall agree in this, By our diſ-agreements to deſtroy and conſume one another.
I beſeech you take into your ſerious conſideration thoſe Symptomes which argued our utter ruine and deſtruction to be neere, if not ſpeedily prevented; as you heard them, ſo you may help your memories, if you can gain time to read them in the enſuing Sermon, which as it was Preached, ſo now is Printed by your Order.
Are not gray haires upon us here and there already?Hoſ. 7. 9. Is not much of our ſtrength devoured? Are we blind? Or will we ſtill winke with our eyes, and not ſee? And not know all this? Doth not our wickedneſſe (which aboundeth more and more in England, even while we are under the Rod) teſtifie unto our faces, that we do not return to the Lord our God; and ſeeke him with our whole heart for all this?
When you were pleaſed to call me to go before you, and to bear a part with you, in your day of Faſt and ſolemn Humiliation; I looked upon our Nation in this ill Condition, I knew no better Subject to Treate of, to be applyed to your ſelves and to all that then heard me, then to teach you, or atleaſt to remember you of a timely and profitable Uſe-making of the Rod of God, which is now ſo ſore upon us; Namely, to learn what God teacheth us by it.
To be ſhewed our danger in which we are, and the neereneſſe of our ruine, for our ſinnes; will be no diſcouragement unto you in the work of ſtanding in the gap, andPſal. 106. 23. making up the breach, in which you have ſo long ſtood; and which with unweariedneſſe and undauntedneſſe you have (to your eternall Renown) endeavoured, maugre all the mountains of oppoſition and difficulties which you have met withall. But it ſhould rather put an edge to your courage, as all difficulties do to men of courage and true valour. You are, Honoured and worthy Patriots, the repairers of our breaches, under God: Be ye Moſeſſes, and Phineaſſes to our Iſrael. When Iſrael ſinned in the matter of the golden Calf, God ſaid, He would deſtroy them, had Pſal. 106. 23.not Moſes his choſen ſtood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, leſt he ſhould deſtroy them: When Phineas executed Judgement the plague was Pſal. 106. 30.ſtayed; you are called not extraordinarily as he, but in an ordinary way to do it: God when he foretold his purpoſe to deſtroy the Kingdome of Judah, did look for ſuch as you are, to make up the hedge and ſtand in the gap, before Ezek. 22. 30.the Lord, that he might not deſtroy it.
Theſe Worthies by prayer held Gods hands from ſtriking,Exod. 32. 10, 27. and by executing judgement for him, did ſave the Kingdome, did ſave the people from deſtruction.
Whatſoever the event may prove, Noble Sirs, Let the fear of the Lord be upon you; Be ſtrong: Let 2 Chron. 15. 7.not your hands be weak, deal couragiouſly, The Lord will be with the good; and your work ſhall be rewarded; 2 Chron. 19. 11.and you may expect a happy iſſue: But however, it is honourable for a Souldier to dye in maintaining, or making up the breach; and your work ſhall be with the Lord, and if you ſave not the Kingdome, you ſhal withoutEzeck. 14. 18, 20. fail (as it is ſayd of Noah, Job, and Daniel) ſave your own ſouls, and may expect ſome temporall deliverance.
Neither ſhould the knowledge of our likelineſſe, and neereneſſe to ruine diſanimate any, or ſhould it weaken the hands of the people of the Land: For when God ſent Jeremiah to Propheſie againſt Jeruſalem that he would deſtroy it, and that they ſhould be carried Captive, this is the inference from it: Therefore amend your wayes Jer. 25. 13.and your doings, and obey the voyce of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent him of the evill Jer. 18. 7, 8.that he hath pronounced againſt you.
Moreover, let it be conceived that God is peremptorily determined to deſtroy a Nation, which we cannot be certain of, though we can ſee a Nation deſerving it, and is neer to it; For God is not limitted, nor can be preſcribed to do what in like caſe he hath done, yet it will be profitable for a people to be warned of it: For they that fear God, will thereupon endeavour to prevent it; or toEzek. 9. 4. prepare for it. That making their own peace with God, they may be marked for ſafety as thoſe in Ezekiel were, and may make their adreſſes to God, as to a ſafe and ſtrong tower, thereby entring into the chambers ſpoken of in Iſaiah, and ſhut the doores about them; and hide themſelves for a little-moment, that is, caſt themſelves upon Gods Providence and Protection, ſecuring themſelvesIſai. 26. 20. in him, untill the indignation of the Lord be overpaſt.
No man can apprehend miſery and deſtruction more certainly to come upon a people, then the Prophet Habbacuk did, at which, at the firſt hearing he was much terrified: yet it was much for his good and advantage. For it did cauſe him to humble himſelf before God, and to ſeek his face, That he might reſt in the day of Hab. 3. 16.trouble, when the Chaldeans ſhould come up and invade them with his Troops; Through faith he could ſee ſafety, and matter of comfort and joy in God: ſo that he could ſay, though he ſhould be deprived of all livelihood, and means of ſubſiſtance for his perſon and outward man; Yet I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God Hab. 3. 1….of my Salvation, &c.
I have here given you ſome account of the choiſe of the Subject, whereof in my Sermon I ſpake unto you, and have proſecuted more fully ſomething which I did then but hint unto you; I take the boldneſſe to publiſh it and put it forth under the ſhelter of your honourable patronage.
I have onelyonly this maine ſuite unto you, that you would continue reſolute for God, and his true Religion, for the Kings Majeſties juſt Rights, for the Laws of the Kingdome, and just Liberties to which we are all born. And the Lord of Hoaſts and King of kings, our good God, He bleſſe and proſper the work in your hands, wherewith you are intruſted, The Lord proſper your handy work: So prayeth dayly
The unworthieſt of thoſe, which you have imployed to ſerve you in the Lord, HENRY SCUDDER.