A word in season, for a warning to England: or a prophecy of perillous times open'd and apply'd. Wherein the signes of bad times, and the means of making the times good, are represented as the great concernment of all good Christians in this present age. First exhibited in a sermon preached in the Abby at Westminster, July 5. 1659. and since enlarged and published. / By Thomas VVilles, M.A. minister of the Gospel, in the city of London.

The fourth Case. Contempt of Gods Ordinances Countenanc't.

WHen men under the Countenance and [unspec IV] Protection of the higher Powers can securely cast contempt upon the Ordinances and worship of the most high God, the dayes must needs be evil, the Times perillous. If when the Ministers of the Gospel are despised, Iniquity does abound, surely when the Ordinances of God, the very means of grace, are contemned, sinne must needs superabound. And superabounding sinne, will certainly at length bring the overflow∣ing scourge. When the Beasts of the Field shall defile the Waters of the Sanctu∣ary; and the filthy swine shall trample down the green Pastures, wherein the shepherds of Israel are wont to feed their Flocks. When the Courts of the Lord shall be covered with the Filth of Re∣proach; and the Gold of the Sanctuary shall be trampled under feet. When men shall cast dirt into the Galleries of the great King; and disgrace the Throne of his glory. When men shall vilifie the Lords Taber∣nacles,

and spit in the face of the Beau∣ties of Holinesse. When men shall cast stones at the Windows of the Sanctuary, by which the Sun of Righteousnesse sheds forth his beames of light upon the chil∣dren of Zion. When men shall cut in two those golden Pipes, by which the Waters of Life are convey'd from the Wells of Sal∣vation, for the refreshment of the City of God. When men presume to act these Im∣pieties, and are therein countenanc't by the higher Powers, the Times are sad and perillous.

Contempt of Gods holy Ordinances is a very provoking sin. 'Twas a high charge against Judah,† Thou hast despised my Holy things, and hast profaned my Sab∣baths. To cast reproach upon Divine in∣stitutions, is to blaspheme the Name of God. So sore an evil must needs make sad Times. Of this does the Psalmist com∣plaine, and expostulate with God. O God (sayes he) how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy Name for ever? He reproaches Caesar that vilifies the coine that beares his Image and Superscription. The Ordinances of the Gospel are that Gold of Sion which bears the Royal stamp. When men shall reject this Gold and call it Drosse, surely† Re∣probate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

The dayes are evil, when vile sinners

(who yet account themselves the onely Saints) shall contemptuously trample up∣on the precious Ordinances of Jesus Christ. When those blessed Gospel-Ordinances of INFANT-BAPTISME, by which onely the children of Believers are admitted in∣to the Church, and Sacramentally washt from their sins in the blood of their Savi∣our; ORDINATION OF MINISTERS, by which onely fit persons are authoriz'd to preach the Gospel, and dispense the Seales of the Covenant; SINGING OF PSALMES, wherein the Church on earth becomes a lively Image of Heaven, and the Saints of God have a kinde of Pre-possession of Paradise; when these blessed Ordinances (I say) shall be slighted, vilifi'd, contemn'd by a company of hypo∣critical Professors, who have taken up a shew of Religion onely to delude men, and dishonour God, the times must needs be perillous; especially when such ungodly Ones shall be protected and promoted by the higher Powers, by whom they ought rather to be punish't for their Irreligion and Profanesse in their open contempt of God, his Authority, Worship and Honour in these his holy institutions. Yea, when they shall be countenanc't, not onely in the con∣tempt of these Divine Institutions, but also in the Introduction of sundry humane Inventions, instead of these and other Or∣dinances of God, to the utter exclusion of

Gods true Worship, and the setting up of a false worship, founded in their own Will, in the World. As when they shall intro∣duce into their Schismatical Societies, false∣ly called Christian Congregations, the RE∣BAPTIZATION OF BELIEVERS, which is nothing else but an actual Renunciation of their former Baptisme, and so consequent∣ly of the Covenant of their God, and a† counting of the blood of the Covenant where∣with they were sanctifi'd, an unholy thing: Horrid Impiety! Also, the constant PREACHING OF GIFTED BRE∣THREN, who are so farre from being cal∣led to the work of the Ministry, that they wickedly scoff at the onely Gospel-Call thereunto, Ministerial Ordination; yea, which is yet worse, when these proud In∣truders, presumptuous Usurpers of the Mi∣nisterial Office, shall be accounted the one∣ly Gospel-Ministers, such as will preach the Gospel freely to poore Creatures. This is a very sore evil; for as much as under this pretence of exercising their GIFTS, the vilest Hereticks in the world, shall have an opportunity of poysoning the peo∣ple of God with their damnable Doctrines, by publick preaching in the open Assem∣blies. Horrid stratagem of Hell, for the subversion of soules! Moreover, when BREAKING OF BREAD by the pre∣tended Pastors of Churches, shall be intro∣duc't in stead of the Supper of the Lord,

which is indeed no better then a mock-Sacrament, being administred by them that are no Ministers of the Gospel, and so have no authority at all to administer any of the Ordinances of God. For if the changing of the Bread and Wine in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper from a common and ordinary to a sacred Sacramen∣tal Use, be an act of Ministerial Autho∣rity, as doubtlesse it is, then this their breaking of Bread is no better then a mocking of God in an Apish imitation of the sacred actions of one of his holy Ordi∣nances. So when instead of singing of Psalmes, they shall introduce into their Assemblies the singing of silly HYMNES, of vulgar Composure, which whether for Rime or Reason, are not much to be pre∣fer'd before those which the common Ballad-mongers sing in the streets under the Name of Godly Ballads. When Gods holy Ordinances shall be contemn'd, and these fearful Corruptions in his worship and service shall be introduc't and allow'd, needs must the Times be extreamly evil and perillous.

Yea, when a wicked Generation of men shall be suffer'd, with Impunity, to cast Contempt upon all the Ordinances of Gods Worship; to vilifie and reproach the Assemblies of the Saints, calling them the Synagogues of Satan, with many more vile reproaches, which I think not meet

to mention; what shall we think, are not the Dayes evil, the Times perillous? When those shall be countenanc't, ho∣nour'd, advanc't in the State, being set in Places of Power and Trust, who do what they can to cast an Odium upon the Ordi∣nances of the Gospel, are not the dayes evil, the Times perillous? These sacred Ordinances are the paths of Christ wherein he walks amongst his People, and hereby do men reproach the footsteps of Gods a∣nointed. Hereby do vile persons cast dirt at the Chariots of the King of glory. Here∣by is the Lord continually provoked to de∣part from such a people, and therefore the dayes which are defil'd with these Abomi∣nations must needs be perillous Times.

Notes

• †

  Eze. 22.8
• Ps. 74.10
• †

  Jer. 6.30
• †

  Heb. 10.29
• Ps. 79.51