his mercy. It was a good saying ^ of Augustine, ' If God give pro- sperity, praise him, and it shall be increased ; if adversity, praise him, and it shall be removed, or at least sanctified.' It is sad to think that among so many that pretend to the 8[)irit, there should be so many that have such a spiritual palsy on their tongues, as that they cannot be thankful for the works of the Spirit. The stork is said to leave one of her young ones where she hatcheth them, and the ele]ihant to turn uj) the first twig toward heaven when she comes to food, and both do this out of some instinct of gratitude : and shall not Christians be thankful for greater mercies ? When Tamerlane had taken B;ijazet, amongst other questions he asked him whether ever he had given God thanks for making him so great an emperor. He confessed ingenuously he had never thought of it. Ah, it were well if we had none such among us, that do never think of the great things that God has done for them !
[2.] The second thing that the glorious appearances of God for you does besi)eak of you, is to he greatly magnanimous for God. Right Honourable and beloved, God does expect that you, and all his people in the land, should appear magnanimous for him. God does now expect that all his people should be taken up with those things that have most of God, and most of Christ, and most of heaven in them, and for these his people should be most magnanimous. Your feet should be where other men's heads are. It was a good saying of one, Vtre magnum est magna facere , et teipsum putare nihil, Great men should do great things, and count themselves nothing, [Euseb.] As Cleopatra said to Mark Antony, It is not for you to be a-fishing for gudgeons, but for towns, and forts, and castles : so I say. It is not for you, for whom God has done such great things, to exercise yourselves about poor, low things, but about high, noble, and honourable things, that may ansAvcr to those great things God has done for you. You must not be like the king of Navarre, who told Beza that he would launch no further into the sea, than he might return at pleasure to the shore, though he did shew some countenance to religion. It was an excellent saying of Pacunius, ' I hate the men that are idle in deed and philosophical in word.' God loves, saith Luther, curistas, not qna'ristas. When Demosthenes was asked what was the first part of an orator, he answered, Action ; what the second, he answered. Action ; what the tliird, he answered, Action. Oh that Severus the emperor's motto might be still in your eye, and still upon your hearts, La- boremiis. Let us be doing.
[3.] The third thing that the glorious appearance of God for you does bespeak of you, is to fake heed of great sins after these great mer- cies, Ezra ix. 13, 14. David, Lot, Solomon, and Noah, fell foulest after great mercies. Of all sins, sin after great mercies are most pro- voking to the Cod of mercy: 1 Kings xi. 9, 'The Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned back from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared to him twice.' The Hebrew word that is rendered ' angry ' is from a root that signifies to snuff and look pale — 5^3J<, anaph — with anger, to shew how greatly God was angry witli him. 0 beloved, if God snuff with anger against Solomon,
' Tlic anc'cnU used to say, Ingratum dixerif, omnia dirctis.
IsA. X, 6.] DETECTED, ANATOMIZED, ETC. 381
because his heart was turned back from that God who had appeared gloriously to liim twice, what tongue can express how the anger of the Lord will burn against you, if your hearts should be turned back from him that hath appeared gloriously, not only twice, but many hundred times to you, and for you ? I beseech you seriously consider that great sins after great mercies will cloud the face of God, and make the greatest wounds in conscience, and imbitter present mercies, and prevent future mercies, and cloud your evidences, and weaken your graces, and raise your fears, and heighten your enemies' hopes, and strengthen their hands ; and therefore take heed of great sins after great mercies. Boleslaus, king of Poland, when he was to speak or do anything of importance, he would take out a little picture of his father that he carried about him, and kiss it, and say. Dear father, I wish I may do nothing unworthy of thy name. Ah souls ! this should be your constant wishes and endeavours, that you may do nothing unworthy of that glorious name that has done such glorious things for you.
[4.] The fourth thing that the glorious appearance of God for you does Ijespeak of you, is to own God, and cleave to God in the face of all discouragements, ivho has oiuned you in the face of all you7^ weak- ness and unicorthiness and unrighteousness before the luhole iDorld. God, by his owning of you, does with open mouth bespeak you to own him. Caleb owns God, and follows God in the face of all discourage- ments ; and this was to him a praise and an honour. Num. xiv. 24. The word that is rendered ' followed' is taken from a ship under sail — N^Q, racde — which is carried strongly with the wind, as if it feared neither rocks nor sands. So Caleb followed the Lord in the face of all discouragements, without any slavish fears; and this was his crown, and for this he shall enjoy that mercy that most were shut out from. You for whom God has done such great things, must be resolved with Diony sius, come life, come death, to worship none but the God of heaven and earth. Thus did those worthies in Dan. iii. and those in Heb. xi. And thus did Chrysostom, Luther, Calvin, Galeacius [Carraciolus,] and Basil the Great, with many more, own Christ and cleave to Christ in the face of all discouragements. And why should you degenerate from their examples, which is your highest honour to follow? Oh, shall Cleombrotus, in hope of immortality, tumble himself down a ]iill,i and Socrates smile upon his hemlock, and Sca3vola burn his own hand with- out ever gnashing his teeth at it, and Marcus Cato scorn his own life because given him by his enemy, and tear off the salve from his bleed- ing side ; and will not you do as much, yea, more, for that glorious God who has wrought so many wonders for you ? Oh let not God have cause to say, Lo, here is a parliament, here is a commonwealth, that I have owned in the face of all their sins, unworthincss, and unright- eousness ; and they have disowned me when troubles and trials have been upon them. There is nothing that takes God more than men's owning of him in the face of all discouragements : Jer. ii. 2, ' Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember
^ The philosopher of Ambracia ; Callimach., epigr. 60 ; Cicero, pro Scaur, ii. 4 ; Tusc. i. 34 ; and Augustine, de Civitate Dei, i. 22. Kead a 'high wall,' not a 'high hill.'- G.
382 THE HYPOCRITE [IsA. X. G.