Baruchs Hurt and Cure:

Set forth from

JBREM: Chap: 45. Verf: 5.

And feekeft thou great things for thy felfe? feek them net.

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SERM.II

At

Odob.18.10

F ever a word spoken in due feafon might be 4t St Macompared to Apples of Gold in pictures of Sil-ries Oxo ver, fuch a one is here reprefented to your view, being a word of comfort opportunely adminiftred unto a man of a forrow full fpirit. (And) in the front of my Text is a connexive particle, and drawes down the Context unto the Text. Take a review of the precedent History in this briefe relation. The iniquities of Ifrael and fudab are full ripe, and now it's high time for the destroying Angell to thrust in his fickle and cut them downe: But fuch are the tender bowels of our Father of mercies, and God of all confolations,that he gives warning before he fmites: It's his accustomed method, to leave no meanes unattempted for his peoples recovery, and for the healing of their backflidings. How often doth he draw them with the bands of a man, even with cords of love? What prefuafive arguments, what alluring Rhetorick doth he ufe, enough to breake the Rock within thee, even an heart harder then Adamant, and to melt it into the love of God, here behold bowels o

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pened,

Jer. 36 .4.

pened, like the founding of an Harpe, and once more rol'd together. The Lord denounceth moft heavy judgments, and yet in the midst of Judgment entertaines fome thoughts of free love and mercy. The Lord reveales his fecret intentions to his fervants the Prophets. He makes the prophet fremy of his privy counfell. The Lord himfeife becomes the inditer of a dolefull writing fraught with lam.ntation, mourning,and woe: Jeremy dictates from the mouth of God unto Baruch, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of feremiah all the words of the Lord, fer.36.4. Forthwith they are communicated unto the King, and Princes of Judah. The King being no whit affected with these difmall tidings, but rather hearing them as it were in a dreame, he cuts the role in peices,and cafts it into the fire, O the Sottish Lethargy of a rebellious finner! Hee's fetled upon his lees, at ease in Zion, come what will come, he thinks himselfe secure, that no evill shall happen unto him. Security is the harbinger of ruine. But wickedneffe ftands not still,it's a teeming mother, though of a fpurious iffue. To make his finne compleatly finfull, he fends hue and crie to apprehend the prophet, and the fcribe: Heel'e be reveng'd on the inftruments, though for the performance of their obliged duty. O ungratefull patient, who when he hath trampled foveraigne phyfick under his feet, ftraightway plots the destruction of his phyfitian! but humane power is circumfcrib'd with certaine limits, and compaffes, and cannot gee one jot further then the fupreme overruling hand permits the motion. Man purpofeth, but the Lord difpofeth of that purpose as it pleafech him: God himfelfe becomes an hiding place unto his fervants: But the Lord hid them, Jer. 36.26. the kings expreffe commands must be fruftrated, his meffengers muft returne without their errand, for God hath more worke for the prophet, and the fcribe: A new role must be writ: The nationall rebellions muft ftand upon record, legible to pofterity: This God gives in precept, and they immediatly put in execution. And over and above the text is expreffe in the clofe of the forecited chapter, that there were added befides unto them many like words. New rebellions renew their forrowes; and continuance in fin, abundantly aggravates the punishment. By this time Baruch is perplex'd with multitudes of forrowes, the apprehenfion of the Kings wrath makes him feare,and tremble, he is fen. fible of a burthen too heavy for him to beare, the weight whereof

mak's

mak's him fall groveling unto the ground. The Lord becomes the remembrancer of his paffionate expreflions: Thou didst fay,woe is me now, for the Lord hath added greife to my forrow, I fainted in my fighing, and find no rect v. 3. Addidit dominus fcriptionem Scripti ni, one writing after another; I hardly fcap't for my former writing, and now I put my felfe into the very mouth of the lyon, adding a fecond danger to the former, and fo expose my selfe unto a continuall fucceffion of miferies. In the mount, in the greatest ftraits, and extremities the Lord will be feene. Now comes the Lord and brings out a precious cordiall, which he refserv'd for a languishing condition: Now he fhewes himselfe indeed a very present helpe in this needfull condition, and time of trouble. Hee's the good Samaritan, he powrs oyle into the wounds, and binds them up, hee'l in no wise quench this [moking flax, nor breaks this Matth. 12, 20 bruifedreed: Otast, and see,O Baruch,how good, and gracious the Lord is to thee, in particular! There's an univerfall conflagration,and yet thou art as a brand pluck't out of the burning. There's a generall maffacre, and yet thy life is given thee for a prey, whitherfoever thou goeft. The Prophet brings this tidings from the mouth of God, v. 4. behold that which I have built I will breake downe. Goodly edifices must be Teveld with the ground, and not one stone left upon another: It followeth and that which I have planted, I will pluck up,ven this whole land. The vineyard of Gods own plantation must be laid waft, and pluck't up root and branch. The Lord,when he begins, will make an end, Lafa patientia, fit furor, Patience abused breaks forth into extremity of fury: his wrath is incenf'd, and his jealoufy burnes hot like fire. If any thing,(queftionleffe) a fhowre of teares might quench this burning, but their hearts are unbroken, their fallow-ground is not plowed up; they are paft relenting, and fo fhut against themfelves a dore of mercy. And now, Baruch, thou fonne of Neriah,where's thy fympathy? why doft not thou call thy comforts Ichabods? Doft thou thinke to fare well at home, whilft the Church of God is under hatches abroad? wouldst thou be in the floate of profperity, whilst the Church is in the ebbe of adverfity: As the marriners in a tempeft rowf'd Jonah and cryed, what meanest thou, O fleeper, arise, call upon thy God, Jonah 1. 6. fo fay I, arife, and lay to heart the afflictions of thy brethren. When private calamities come in competition with,

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publick

Baruchs Hurt and Cure.

1. An A.

2. An Object, 3. The perfon,

publick, let the latter preponderate: Thou must not stick to foregoe thy own reft, eafe, tranquility, nay thy life it felfe, when thou halt a lawfull calling to lay it downe in thefe times of horrour, and confufion. Let this advice from heaven in my text have an effectuall influence upon thy fpirit, & tu quæreres tibi res magnas? ne quarito and fiekeft thou great things for thy felfe feike them

not.

there's

My text may be ftil'd Baruch's hurt,and cure. If he or any other would with the forcerer boft himfelie to be fome great one in the world, if he fet upon the purfuite of great things in this world,an arrow from God will be fent,and pierce his foule through with many forrowes: th re's his hurt. But if fo be he become endowed with a felfe denying fpirit, fo that fublunary things are below his notice, he can bid adieu unto them, as unfutable to his elevated affections, hee's a man of a fingular temper,hee'l difcerne a fun ofrighteousneffe with healing wings there's his cure.

So then in the words formally confidered, there's a Question and an answere. In the Question I recommend three particulars unto your obfervation. 1. An act, and feekeft thou. 2. The Object, great things. 3. The perfons, one and the fame,thou for thy felfe.

The Prophet anticipates Baruchs anfivere, and gives it himselfe, fecke them not. This dehortation is diametrically oppofite. It itands like the Cherubims with a flaming fword to keep the way of the tree of life. A finner rides full speed in a fwift career of ungodlineffe: Here's a Remora which purpofely meets him, and Itops his paffage. Hee's bid to ftand, by the watchman of the Lord of Hofts. You fee then (my Brethren) what I am to preffe upon your affections, that ye would get rayf'd fpirits, and fue out a divorce between your felves, and the world. The Argument of my difcourfe is Heavenly mindedneffe. The enlargement of this Theme is moft futable to these prefent diftractions, where there are such fad thoughts of heart for the afflictions of fofeph, and for the divifions of Reuben. Is it now a time for purchafing of Lands, and revenues, eating the fat, and drinking the fweet, to folace our felves in all variety of voluptuoufneffe,and epicurifme,to ftretch out our felves in beds of Ivory, to drinke wine in bowles, and yet remaine infenfible of the afflictions of fofeph? If by fuch projects as these we feeke to get a name upon earth, we may build a Babel of our own confusion.

But

But let us learne to deny our law full pleafures, and make our teares our meate and drinke, imitating St James, whofe knees (as Eufebius records) became like camels hoofs by the affiduity of his devotion. Where's the man that fpares the more either from his Eufebius Eccle. belly, or his back, that proftrates himfelte in the duft before the Hift. throne of Grace, whofe foule is alike affected with Jeremies to weep in fecret for the fins of the times? I feare our times are just like thofe before the deluge,eating, and drinking,and making merry. God grant that wee imitate not the Swans,who (as they lay) fing fweetly before their Funerall. Caft your eyes upon the bleeding. condition of Ireland, and that which comes neerer home the miferable distractions of the land of our Nativity: Is mirth, jollity, seasonable at a Faft, or Funerall? Is it a difcourfe futable for a dying man to talke of honours, high places, and promotions? shall a man drencht in teares, purfue paftimes, and pleasures? shall bu mility and lowlineffe change the fcene into pride, and ambition? fhall poverty inveft it felfe with ftately robes? fhalt thou O Baruch, when all the world is in combuftion, be fo fpiritually benummed, as to have thy heart doting upon the momentany pleasures of this wicked world? doth thy heart hanker after thy pleasures? and with Lots wife, döeft thou looke back upon the delights of Sc dom? Let her ruigtos be thy warning peice not to feeke great things for thy felfe.

Thus having paraphraf'd the words, I fhall profecute them ac cording to my propofed method, intending the queftion for the doctrinall part of my text: and feckest thou great things for thy felfe? And the dehortatory answere fhall be my ufe, and applications feeke them not. In the unfolding whereof, I fhall purposely indeavour to enlarge my felfe in a plaine and familiar difcourfe, making my text my Apology, not to feeke great things for my felfe, not any tublime compofures to gratify any wanton eares of Athens, but to condifcend unto the capacity of the meaneft Auditor that heares me this day.

In the profecution of the words I fhall not feparate the act from the object: they are joyn'd in the fenfe,and therefore Il'e not divide them in my difcourfe: And fo Il'e refume them jointly: Et qua ris tibi grandia?and feekeft thou great things? And now, O Baruch thon fonne of Neriah, let me once more on this wife expoftulate

the