Judgment and Mercy, Title page – Prayer 1
Judgement and Mercy: OR, The Plague of Frogges inflicted, removed.
Delivered in Nine SERMONS, By that late Reverend and Learned Divine, Mr. IOSIAS SHUTE, Arch-deacon of Colcheſter, and Preacher at St. Mary Woolnoth, in London: With his uſuall Prayers before and after Sermon.
Whereunto is added A Sermon Preached at his Funerall, By Mr. EPHRAIM VDALL.
Eccleſ. 12. 10.
The Preacher ſought to finde out acceptable words, and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
Imprimatur.
Ja. Cranford. Octob. 29. 1644.
London, Printed for Charles Greene, and are to be ſold at his Shop in Ivie Lane at the ſigne of the Gun. 1645.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
TO commend perſons, or things of worth in a perfunctory, ſlight manner, is little better then to diſpraiſe them; therefore I ſhall forbeare Encomiums of this worthy Author, or his Labours, leſt I run that hazard; Let his own Workes praiſe him in the gates:Prov. 31.31. only lengthen thy patience to the thorow peruſall of theſe enſuing Sermons, and thou ſhalt finde that that may heighten thy eſteeme both of him and them,
I am confident that thoſe who were his uſuall Auditors will herein finde his owne veſtigia, both for matter, and phraſe. And my hope is, that by the bleſsing of God, many honeſt hearts may reape benefit by theſe his Labours,Heb. 11.4. (whereby he being dead yet ſpeaketh) that had not opportunity in his life time to partake of his indefatigable Miniſtery. As for others, as this worthy man once ſaid of the chiefe in Magiſtracy, (upon occaſion of the death of King Iames, that when the body turnes traytor, it is juſt with God to behead it) ſo may I ſay for the Miniſtery, when God in Mercy ſhall ſet up ſuch burning and ſhining lights, and men in ſtead of walking by them ſpit at them, God is juſtly provoked to extinguiſh thoſe lights,Jer. 13.6. and leave men to ſtumble upon the darke mountaines. But I ſhall no longer detaine thee from the worke it ſelfe, but commit it and thee to the bleſsing of God.
H. W.
Morning Prayer before the SERMON.
MOſt glorious Lord God, and mercifull Father in Jeſus Chriſt; we poore wretched and miſerable ſinners doe here proſtrate our ſelves before thee, humbly acknowledging that to thee belongs all honour and glory, whoſe pure eyes can behold no iniquity; and to us nothing but ſhame and confuſion of face, for our manifold tranſgreſſions committted againſt thee.
If we looke upon our ſelves as we lye in the loynes of our firſt parents, we are a part of that tainted ſeed that might juſtly inherit thy wrath: our underſtandings are darkened; and our wills inſtead of conformity to thine, are growne rebellious; in as much as that by nature, there is not one good thought in us; but a proneneſſe to all evill whatſoever.
And if we conſider our ſelves in our actuall tranſgreſſions by our ſinnes of ignorance, our ſinnes of infirmity, and of doubting, our ſinnes againſt our owne knowledge, and againſt our vowes and purpoſes, and promiſes of better obedience; Wee have greatly diſhonoured thy glorious name, and grieved thy good Spirit, and weakened thy graces more and more within us, and have juſtly expoſed our ſelves to thy eternall curſe.
Even at this time, Holy Father, in the middeſt of thy Temple, we come before thee clogged with ſo many imperfections; that if thou ſhouldeſt be extreame to marke what is done amiſſe, the beſt of us were never able to abide it. It is thine infinite merciemercy that we are not conſumed; and therefore doe we live to put up this poore imperfect prayer to thee, becauſe thy compaſſions fail not.
But, O God, though in our ſelves we be miſerable, and weak, and forlorne; ſuffer us to caſt up our eyes to the hills from whence commeth our helpe, to importune thee by the Gracious Name of Father, and to intreat thee for the merits of the Sonne of thy love, to be mercifull to us. Remember thine owne promiſe, that if we confeſſe our ſinnes, and leave them, and come to thee in the Sonne of thy love, we ſhall finde mercy. Lord we renounce our former ſinnes; it grieves us that we can be no more ſorry for the ſame. By the bleſſed aſſiſtance of thy holy Spirit, we intend to live more conſcionably for the time to come.
And we come to thee for Chriſts ſake, deſiring thee to ſpeake peace to our ſoules through his bloud, bury all our ſinnes in his grave, that they may never riſe up in this world (to ſhame us, and to be a reproach unto us, to terrifie our conſciences to deſperation, to intercept thy bleſſings, or our prayers) or in the world to come everlaſtingly to condemne us.
And becauſe the foundation of all our comfort ſtands in the aſſurance of this. Lord multiply to every one of our ſoules the bleſſed evidences of this thy reconciliation. Send the holy Spirit of thy Son into every of our hearts to renue us to that glorious Image of thine from whence we are fallen, and that may worke every ſaving grace in us; True faith in thy promiſes, that though thou kill us we may truſt in thee, reſolution in all good cauſes, feare and reverence of thy glorious Majeſty; a groaning and daily mourning under our owne imperfections that ever we offended ſo good a God, and ſo gracious a Father: a good uſe making of all the afflictions, and chaſtiſements upon others. And teach every one of us, upon whom theſe dayes of our peace and proſperity, and health are renewed (who know not how ſoone we may be drawn to a reckoning) to prepare our ſelves, that whenſoever thou ſhalt come neare us, either by that generall, or more particular judgements, wee may be able to ſtand in the day of our viſitation.
And becauſe thou of thine infinite wiſdome haſt ſet apart the Miniſtery of thy Word to fit us for that time. Lord bleſſe it at all times, and at this time; enable me that am to ſpeake it, the moſt unworthy of all the ſonnes of Levi: Lord cover all my ſinnes and manifold imperfections, in that mercy of thine that hath no meaſure; and be pleaſed ſo to aſſiſt me by thy more particular helpe, that I may deliver thy word boldly, truly, feelingly, and ſincerely. Circumciſe the hearts and eares of this people, that they may heare attentively, treaſure it up in their hearts carefully, and bring forth the fruit in their lives and converſations conſcionably, to thy glory, and the aſſurance of their owne ſalvation in the day of Jeſus Chriſt. To whom with thee, O Father, and thy Bleſſed Spirit, be aſcribed, as due is, all honour, and glory, both now, and for evermore.
Amen.