'■ Brilaiinoruni inaccessa Ronianis loca, Christo vero subdita. Tertiil.
UNCHANGEABLE, FREE IMEKCY. 31
what shall we say to these things ? 'O (iaOoc;, O the depth, &c.
Use 2. Let England consider with fear and trembling the dispensation that it is now under: I say, with fear and trembling, for this day is the Lord's day, wherein he will purge us, or burn us, according as we shall be found silver or dross: it is our day, wherein we must mend our end. Let us look to the rock from whence we were hewed, and the hole of the pit from whence we were digged. Was not our father an Amorite, and our mother an Hittite ? Are we not the posterity of idolatrous progenitors ?'^ of those who wor- shipped them who by nature were no gods? How often also hath this land forfeited the gospel? God having taken it twice away, who is not forward to seize upon the for- feiture. In the very morning of the gospel, the sun of righ- teousness shone upon this land; and they say the first potentate on the earth that owned it, was in Britain;* but as it was here soon professed, so it was here soon abused. That part of this island which is called England being the first place I read of, which was totally bereaved of the gospel, the sword of the then pagan Saxons fattening the land with the blood of the Christian inhabitants,^ and in the close wholly subverting the worship of God. Long it was not e'er this cloud was blown over, and those men who had been instruments to root out others, submitted their own necks to the yoke of the Lord, and under exceeding variety in civil affairs, enjoyed the word of grace ; until, by insen- sible degrees, like summer unto winter, or light unto dark- ness, it gives place to antichristian superstition, and left the land in little less than a paganish darkness, drinking deep of the cup of abominations, mingled for it by the Roman harlot. And is there mercy yet in God to recover a twice lost over backsliding people ? Might not the Lord have said unto us, What shall I do unto thee, O island ? How shall I make thee as Admah ? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? But his heart is turned within him, his repent- ings are kindled together : the dry bones shall live, and the fleece shall be wet, though all the earth be dry. God will
^ Britanniam in Christianara consentire religionem. Origen. Iloni. 4. in Ezek. e Niceph. lib. 2. cap. 40. Epist. Eleutli. ad Luciura, an. 169. apiid Bar. ' Anno 469, the Saxons entered.
dZ A VISION OF
again water his garden, once more purge his vineyard, once more of his own accord he will take England upon liking, though he had twice deservedly turned it out of his service. So that, ' coming as a refiner's fire, and as fuller's soap, to purify the sons of Levi, to purge them as gold and silver, to offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness,' to reform his churches, England, as soon as any, hath the benefit and comfort thereof. Nay, the reformation of England shall be more glorious than of any nation in the world, being carried on neither by might nor power, but only by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. But is this the utmost period of England's sinning, and God's shewing mercy, in continuing and restor- ing of the gospel ? No, truly: we again in our days have made forfeiture of the purity of his worship, by an almost universal treacherous apostacy, from which the free grace and good pleasure of God hath made a great progress again towards a recovery.
There are two sorts of men that I find exceedingly ready to extenuate and lessen the superstition and popish tyranny of the former days, into which we were falling.
(1.) Such as were industriously instrumental in it, whose suflPrages had been loud, for the choice of a captain to re- turn into Egypt; men tainted with the errors, and loaded with the preferments of the times; with all those who blindly adhere to that faction of men, who as yet covertly drive on that design : to such as these, all was nothing, and to them it is no mercy to be delivered. And the truth is, it is a favour to the lamb, and not the wolf, to have him taken out of his mouth : but these men have interest by those things which have no ears, against which there is no contending.
(2.) Such as are disturbed in their optics, or have gotten false glasses,^ representing all things unto them in dubious colours : which way soever they look, they can see nothing but errors, errors of all sizes, sorts, sects, and sexes, errors and heresies from the beginning to the end ; which have deceived some men, not of the worst, and made them think that all before was nothing, in compa-
s Nunc igitur si noinin'is odium est, quis nominum reatus? qum accusatio voca- bulorum ? nisi aut barbarum sonat aliqua vox nominis, aut maledicum aut impu- dicum.' 'I'ertul. Apol. ad Gen. cap. 3.
IIXCHAXGEABLE, FREE MERCY. 33
rison of the present confusion. A great sign they felt it not, or were not troubled at it : as if men should come into a field, and seeing some red weeds and cockle among the corn, should instantly affirm, there is no corn there, but all weeds, and that it were much better the hedges were down, and the whole field laid open to the boars of the forest: but the harvest will one day shew the truth of these things. But that these apprehensions may not too much prevail, to the vilifying and extenuating of God's mercy, in restoring to us the purity and liberty of the gospel, give me leave in a few words to set out the danger of that apostacy, from which the good pleasure of God hath given us a deliver- ance. I shall instance only in a few things. Observe then that