Englands remembrancer, or A warning from heaven

ENGLANDS REMEMBRANCER.

WE in England, Scotland, and Jreland, have beene like the people of Laish, Judg. 18. secure and carelesse. Like the old world in the time of Noah, and like the men of Sodom in the daies of Lot, Luke 17.27. Eating and drinking, and saying, We shall have peace though we walke in the imagi∣nations of our evill hearts, Deut. 29.19. We would not hearken to the voyce of our God, and Jsrael would none of him, therefore may hee now justly give us up unto our owne hearts lust: he hath called, but we have refused; he hath stretched out his hand, but no man regarded; we have set at naught all his counsells, and would none of his reproofe; therefore may he now laugh at our calamity, and mock when our feare commeth, when it commeth as desolation, and de∣struction as a whirlewind, that all men may see and say, that the turning away of the simple hath slaine them, and the pro∣sperity of fooles hath destroyed them. God hath given to this Nation of ours many a faire warning, as loath to smite till needes hee must; hee hath sent his Ministers early and late to thunder in our eares, yet except we repent, we shall all likewise perish. God hath set our Neighbours house on fire as a beacon to give us warning; I meane the Judgements that have be∣fallen our brethren beyond the Seas, and hath made the Re∣bells

in Jreland rods to his owne people; we have beene worse to our God then Joab was to Absalom, 2 Sam. 14.29, 30, 31. for Absalom sent but twice, and Joab refused him, but God hath sent many and often to us, and wee would not heare. When Absalom set Joabs field on fire he came, but God hath set our field on fire, and we come not. Our God hath given Jacob for a spoile, and Jsrael to the robbers, because wee have sinned a∣gainst him, for we would not walke in his waies, neither were obedient to his law, Isa. 42.24. therefore he powred upon us the fury of his anger, and the strength of battell, he hath set us on fire round about, yet wee know it not, & it burneth still, but we lay it not to heart; the sword of Almighty God devoureth flesh, and drinkes our blood, yet neither mercies nor judgements move us: Still Ephraim eates the arme of Manasseh, & Manasseh Ephraim. The Kingdom is like a mad man distracted, that saves the cruell enemy a labour, and with his owne bloody hands pulls as it were the haire from the head, the skinne from the flesh, the flesh from the bones, the bowells from the bellie, the heart from the brest, and teares & rends all in peeces, yet scarce ever sighes or weeps or groanes for all, but swells, & sweares, and laughes, and rages, and rores to death: God hath formerly sent many small judgements before as forerunners of this great judgement which now is come as little gunshots before the great murthering peece. It hath beene told us before, that if we repented not, God would doe such a thing in England, that whosoever should heare thereof both his eares should tingle; thus the cockes crowed before the storme, after many grievous diseases, and plagues he hath sent the sword & he can make our streets swim with the blood of us all, and both with and after sword send famine as hee hath threatned, Levit. 26. I will yet punish them seven times more, and if that will not doe it, seven times more; The Lord will not cease to smite so long as we cease not to sinne. Consider Jerusalem in the whole book of the Lamentations, and consider Germany, they were Gods people as well as wee, yet had they their little ones dashed a∣gainst the stones, and their women ravished, and abominable Idolatrie set up, and all turned topsie turvie, upside downe. We have had the cleare light of the Gospel many yeares, wee

have had many deliverances, especially those of the Gunpow∣der Treason, and Eighty eight; we have had more peace, plen∣ty, and prosperity then any Nation, yet wee have loved darke∣nesse rather then light, we have trampled Christs blood under foote in the contempt of the Gospel, and with bloody oathes and prophanation of his Sabbaths, with cursed Idolatry, rio∣tous drunkennes and Atheisme, Adultery, Bribery, Oppression, Vsury, Simony, Fraud, Hypocrisie, Pride, Idlenesse, many still have a shew of godlynesse, but deny the power of it, many lukewarme Christians, shall not God visite for these things? Isa. 1.2, 3.

I take no delight to upbraid mine own Nation, or to de∣file mine own nest; I cannot hold my tongue for Sions sake: let me perish if I see my Country perish, and give them not warning. Wherefore I beseech yee my deare brethren (all true hearted Englishmen) in the bowells of Christ Jesus, who died for us, and shed his owne heart bloud for us, as you regard your owne soules, bodies, and estates; as yee wish and desire the peace and prosperity of this our Sion, dally with the Lord no longer, God will not be alwayes mocked, turne now at the last unto the Lord with al your hearts; turne yee, oh turne yee, why will yee die? Seeke the Lord whilest he may be found, call upon him whilest he is neere; draw neere to God and he will draw neere to you. Oh that I could even weepe over this Land, as our Saviour did over Jerusalem, and say: O England, England, thou that rejectest my Prophets, and de∣spisest those that are sent unto thee, how often would I have ga∣thered thee together, as a henne gathereth her chickens under her wings, and yee would not; wherefore thy house shall be left un∣to thee desolate: oh that thou wert therefore now wise yet in this thy day to consider those things that belong unto thy peace, lest at length they be hid from thine eyes. Woe to thee O England, if the great workes which have been done in thee, had beene done in Tyre and Sidon, in Sodome and Gomorrah, they had repented in sackcloth and ashes long ere this: And thou Lon∣don, London, which art lifted up to heaven, for abundance of spi∣rituall meanes, shalt be brought as low as hell, [unspec 23] except thou re∣pent: wherefore I beseech yee againe and againe for Christ

his sake, for the Gospels sake, for your Countreys sake, for your owne soules sake be entreated; Repent, repent; Search, even search your selves O nation not worthy to be beloved, before the decree come forth, and yee be as chaffe that passeth on a day: looke into your lives, consider your wayes, goe apart, and se∣riously aske your soules; What have we done? Let your mirth be turned into mourning, your feasting into fasting, weepe and lament bitterly for your sins, cry mightily for mercy, e∣ven as for life and death; cease to doe evill, learne to doe well; wash you, make you cleane, put away your sinnes from before God his eyes; rent your hearts and not your garwents, amend and change your wayes, bring forth fruits meete for repentance: that so yee may get the sword againe into his sheath, which is al∣readie drawn out, and will give every one of us our deaths wound, except we repent; and may quench that wrath which is already kindled, and will burne hotter and hotter, and never cease untill it have utterly consumed us, if in time we quench it not by the teares of true repentance: wherefore now prepare to meet thy God, O England; It is more then high time to repent, deferre no longer, if the last blow be once stricken, that is, cut it downe, even utter desolation; there will then bee left no place for repentance. Oh that I could therefore perswade you; but it is not I, it is the Lord that must doe it; now Lord doe thou perswade Japheth; for we cannot: Turne thou us unto thee O Lord of hosts, make thy face to shine, and we shall be saved; convert us unto thee, and we shall be converted, renew our dayes as of old; Lord thou longest for our conversion; thou standest waiting & crying; Wash thine heart, O England, wilt thou not be made cleane? oh when will it once be? Lord cleanse thou us, and we shall be cleansed; wash thou us, and we shall bee whiter then snow; cause us to come unto thee, why hast thou harde∣ned our hearts from thy feare? O Lord thou art our Father, we are thy clay; thou art the Potter, wee are the worke of thine hands; oh destroy not the worke of thine owne hands; frame and fashion us, and make us such as thou wouldest have us to be: spare thy people, O God, spare thy people, and bee jealous for thine inheritance, Why shall the people say, Where is their God? O Lord heare, O Lord consider, and doe it, deferre not

for thy names sake, for thy Christ his sake, pitie the desolati∣ons of thy Sion, of the Citie where thy name is called upon? Wilt thou O Lord, forsake for ever? Why is thy wrath thus hot against the sheepe of thy pasture? Our sins indeed testifie a∣gainst us, that we are a rebellious and stifnecked people, we lye downe in our shame; and confusion covereth us; thou art righteous and just when thou judgest, but we are a perverse and froward generation; we would not heare when thou calledst, but stopped our eares, like the deafe Adder, therefore thou maist now justly laugh at our destruction, and mocke when our feare commeth: but there is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared, we beseech thee in wrath remember mercy, have mercy upon us according to the multitude of thy compassi∣ons, oh Lord save us; or else we perish. Comfort us according to the dayes that thou hast afflicted us: Returne O Lord, how long? and be pacified towards thy servants. Continue still to bee our God, and let us be thy people; remove thy judgements which lye heavie upon us, and destroy us not uttterly for thy names sake: Make us al to turne to thee from the highest to the low∣est by speedie and unfeigned repentance, that so thou maist not utterly cut us off, even head and taile, roote and branch, in one day; but maist still delight to doe us good, to multiply thy blessings upon us; and make us as worthy to be beloved in and through thy Sonne Christ Jesus, that Sonne of thy love, as we have beene for our long peace and prosperitie of all the Nations of the earth admired: even so be it Lord, so be it.

This is the first and generall Remedie which a Nation must use for the removall and preventing not onely of the Plague, but of any other judgement whatsoever; namely, true repentance, which stands in sorrow for sin, and reformati∣on of life. If yee consent and obey, yee shall eate the good fruits of the Land; but if yee refuse and be rebellious, yee shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Now if so be I cannot prevaile with the whole Land; then I turne to you that feare the Lord: I hope to have audience in your cares. If yee cannot prevaile for others, yet make sure of your owne soules; learne to hide your selves, to build an Arke for the safetie of you and yours. But yee will say, how may that be done? I answer.

We must separate from the sinnes of a land, if we would

not be partakers of their plagues, Deut. 4.3.4. Zeph. 2.3. The more wicked the times grow, the more holy we should grow, like bright orient stars the deeper they goe in the dark night the brighter they shine, like the light of Goshen in the darkenesse of Aegypt, like Upright Lot in wicked Sodome, like righteous Noe in a bad world.

We must mourne for the sinnes of the times, Ezek. 9.4. and for our owne sinnes, and we must trust to God for safety. Nahum. 1.7. Psal. 33.18.19. Psal. 91.1. Pro. 18.10.

Lastly, Let us betake our selves to prayer: Pray, pray, pray therefore, cry and say: O Lord we know not what to doe, only our eyes are up towards thee: what shall we say unto thee O thou preser∣ver of men? we are even ashamed and confounded to lift up our eyes to heaven; wee have sinned exceedingly, wee, our Rulers and Governors. Prince, and people; we have all sinned; our sinnes are gone up as an heavy loade, too heavy for us to beare; hea∣ven and earth even groane under the burthen of them, they cry mightily for vengeance, but heare the groanes of thy servants, let their cryes be lowder in thine eares; heare the pleadings and intercessions of thine own Sonne for us; his bloud cryes louder for mercy, then our sinnes can doe for judgement, had it not been for that, we had all long agoe pe∣rished, and been utterly consumed. O thou the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why art thou as a stranger, in the land, as one that passeth by to tarry for a night? Why art thou as a man astonied, as a strong man that cannot helpe? Yet thou O Lord art in the middest of us, thy name is called upon us; forsake us not. Hast thou utterly reiected Judah? Hath thy soule abhorred Sion? Why hast thou smitten us, that we cannot be healed? We loo∣ked for peace, and behold no good; for health, and behold trouble: we acknowledge O Lord, our wickednesse, and the wickednesse of our fathers, we have all sinned: doe not abhorre us for thy names sake: cast not downe the throne of thy Glory; remember and breake not thy covenant with us; we have no helpe but of thee, thou art our God, therefore save us; oh be favourable unto thy Sion; build thou the walles of Jerusalem: so shall we praise thy name for ever, and teach all ages to keepe praises for thee in store. Oh give salvation to thy people out of Sion; when thou shalt restore againe the captivity of thy people, then shall Jacob rejoyce and Israel shall be lagd.

Notes

• Luke 13.34.
• Mat. 11.21.
• Zeph. 2.1.
• Dan. 9.19.
• Jerem. 13.27.
• Isay. 64.8.
• Pro. 1.26.27.
• 2 Chron. 7.13.14. Jerem. 18.7.8. Isa. 1.19.20. Jere. 14.11.12.
• Ier. 14.8, 9.
• Psal. 51.18.
• Psal. 53.6.