An Ark against a Deluge: OR Safety in Dangerous Times. Discovered in A SERMON Before the Honourable House of Commons, At their late Extraordinary Fast, October 22. 1644. By Obadiah Sedgwicke, Bachelor in Divinity, and Pastor of Coggeshall in Essex. Published by Order of the said House. PROV. 28. 14. Happy is the man that feareth always, but he that hardeneth his Heart, shall fall into mischief. LONDON, Printed by J. Raworth, for Samuel Gellibrand, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Brazen Serpent, in Paul's Churchyard. 1644. TO The Honourable House of Commons, Assembled in Parliament at Westminster. YOu were pleased to appoint a Solemn and Extraordinary Fast, for your united Armies: and since that you have twice desired the Assembly of Divines to Importune God for them: How acceptable all this hath been unto Him, you have experimentally found by the news of our Brethren surprising of Newcastle (the last week) and the Castle itself (since that) and also by the news of happy success upon your Armies (near to Newberry) this week: It is not in vain, Nay it is very good to draw near to God: No one prayer that gets to heaven is lost: Sometimes divine Wisdom doth take respite, but at this time divine goodness made haste: you had scarce begun your prayers, but God prevented you with Answers: Our work on earth is done best, when our work in heaven is done first; you plainly see that God can (and which way he can) provide for his own glory, his people's safety, and his enemy's shame; It is a superlative wisdom to interest our persons in God, and God in our actions: when we have once gained and engaged him, we are then above all the world. All that I would humbly press upon you is this: Fellow God, what you see him doing, do you the like: his special care is for his Church, let yours be so: For my part, my great design shall be, my own Salvation, and the Church and Kingdom's safety: For these we Preach, for these we Pray, for these we Lend, for these we Live, for these we Dye: the God of all mercies Heal these, and Settle these, and ever guide and bless you for the good of these. This shall be the constant prayer of him, who desires to live no longer than he is a servant to Truth, and both these, OBADIAH SEDGWICKE. A Sermon Preached before the Honourable House of COMMONS, At their Extraordinary day of Humiliation. October 22. 1644. HEBREWS 11. 7. By Faith Noah being warned of God, of things not seen as yet, moved with Fear, prepared an Ark to the saving of his house. THese words contain in them 4. parts. 1. An Alarm given: wherein observe, 1. The party giving it, God: [Being warned of God] whether in a dream, as to Abimeleck, Jacob, others, or by voice extraordinary, or by some Angel, or by some singular impression, The Scripture is silent, and I dare not be so curious as to determine it. 2. The matter of it, [Things not yet seen] He means the deluge, or drowning of the whole world; Great Judgements may be preparing by God, though for the present no effects of them appear to man. 2. The Alarm Taken: where again observe. 1. The Person Taking it, [Noah] called in Gen. 6. 9 A just man and perfect in his generations: Godly men are first acquainted with God's intentions; His secrets (in this sense also) are with them that fear him; 2. The manner how he took it: the Text saith, 1. By faith: Faith is the first hand to take a mercy, and the first eye to discover a Judgement: Sense may apprehend Dangers, when Acting upon the visible Stage, but faith only espies them, when contriving upon the private anvil. 2. By Fear: when faith seethe a good God, than it causeth joy: when it seethe an Angry God, than it raiseth fear: it proportions out all our affections, as God is pleased to proportion out himself: I see an inundation threatened, and it will certainly come, saith Faith: O I tremble at it, saith Fear, and how shall we do to escape it? 3. The Alarm Improved: and that's by prudence: A wise man seethe the evil and hides, or secures, himself: Faith is not opposite to Fear, nor is either of them opposite to care and wisdom: Noah's wisdom appeared in 2. Things. 1. He sets upon the proper Remedy [He built an Ark] there was a deluge coming, and nothing was so proper a safety against a deluge of waters, as a Ship or Ark. 2. He doth this in Time: the Text saith [He prepared an Ark] his action was suitable, and it was seasonable too: A right season, seasons all our works: purposes ill-timed, commonly prove ill or useless: Noah's Ark was not to make when the waters came, but it was prepared, and he in it, before they came. 4. The success of all [To the saving of his house] I shall not finger all the particulars above mentioned, Two only of them I intent to prosecute at this time, viz. 1. That when Dangers Threaten us, we should be moved with Fear. 2. That against a destroying flood, it is duty and wisdom to prepare a saving Ark. That when Dangers threaten us, we should be moved 1. Prop with fear: Thus the Text, Noah being warned of God, etc. was moved with fear. When Jacob heard that Esau his brother was coming with 400. men, to meet him, He greatly feared, Gen. 32. 6. 7. When Jehoshaphat heard that the Moabites and Ammonites, with those of Mount Seir, were ready to invade him, He also feared, 2 Chron. 20. 1. 3. When Micab the Morashite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, saying, Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, Jer. 26. 18. Then Hezekiah feared the Lord, vers. 19 When the King of Syria, and the King of Israel confederated against Judah, the Prophet saith, They were moved as the trees of the wood are moved with wind, (i) They exceedingly feared, Esay 7. 2. compared with, verse 4. Bernard hath long since well taken notice of four Ser. in Psa. Qui habitat. sorts of men. 1. Some who Neither Hope, Nor Fear: such are Atheistical sinners, to whom God's mercy seems no Harbour, and God's wrath seems no Terror. 2. Some who Fear but hope not: such are despairing sinners, who look only upon mount Sinai, full of thunder and lightning, but never look upon mount Zion, which is as full of Grace and Mercy. 3. Some who Hope but fear not: Such are presumptuous sinners, who like the Heathens of old that made their gods suitable patrons to all their lusts; so these fancy a God only of mercy and Indulgence, without any Justice to account with them for their sins, and therefore fear not. 4. Some who both hope and fear: Such are all truly pious people, who hope in a good God, and yet do fear a just God: rejoice in his favour, but tremble at his displeasure: when he smiles they bless him, and when he frowns they fear him. Now fear (which is the shrinking, the recoiling, the crouching, the flight of the soul in the apprehension of an absent, imminent, prevalent, and approaching evil,) the Schoolmen and others distinguish thus: There is a threefold fear. 1. Timor poenae: A fear of punishment (which some call Timorem Gehernalem & Servilem) this is raised by the justice of God, threatening by no means to clear the guilty. 2. Timor offensae▪ a fear of sinning, and this is raised by the kindness of God, whose presence and bounty causeth an exceeding fear to offend him. 3. Timor Reverentiae, A Reverential fear, and this is raised by the Greatness, and Majesty, and Ability of God, and it is like that of a child to his Father, or of a wife to her Husband: some use I shall make of this distinction anon, but for the present take me thus. There is a double Fear. G. Paris. Pusillanimitutis. 1. One of Distraction, or amazement, which routs the soul, and crusheth all its faculties, disabling their command and use in matters either spiritual or civil, take heed of this fear; fear such a fear as this, which is too hard for Reason and Religion too. 2. Another of Discretion, and Judgement, flowing Cantae Declinationis. from faith: Timor debitus, as Aquinas styles it: a fear when a man should fear, and as a Christian should fear: to this shall I apply my discourse: such a fear as this should be in us, when God threatens dangers: And it comprehends 4. things in it. 1. An awaking of the Souls of men: a rousing of 4. Things in duc Fear. them out of a Lethargy, a shaking off, of the Spirit of slumber, and deep sleep: Fear speaks to the soul as the Mariners to Jonah, when the ship was endangered, Awake thou sluggard, why sleepest thou? It opens those careless and secure eyes, to see the Lord displeased indeed, and now upon the way marching towards the destruction of a Nation or person. We can see wrath and fury in men, and be moved: but right fear seethe wrath in God, it sees the King of heaven and earth displeased, and all the arrows of vengeance (which fly up and down) all of them taken out of his Quiver, and cast abroad and shot by his just and mighty hand: That the controversy with the land, is his controversy; and the sword which is bathed in blood is his sword, and that it shall accomplish his pleasure to the full, till he be pacified with us. 2. A Concussion of the Soul under this Apprehension: the Text doth not say, only, that Noah feared, but it saith, that he was moved with fear: the meaning is this, That God thus apprehended in the Greatness of his wrath and power, should exceedingly affect us: the Indignation of the Almighty should make a dint Heb. 12. 19 21. and strong Impression upon our hearts: As Moses when he was upon the mount, and heard the sound of the Trumpet, and the voice of words, and saw also the burn with fire, he did exceedingly Fear and Quake: So when we hear either by the voice of God's Ministers, or by the Trumpet of God's real warnings, or by the devouring flames of his acting wrath, that God is provoked by us, and incensed against us; this must make us, like David, to fall flat down upon our faces, or like Moses to quake, or like Habakkuk to quiver with fear: Who should not fear thee O King of Nations. There are three sorts of behaviour under God's anger 3. Sorts of men. and Judgements. 1. Some utterly careless, disrespective, and deaf, though God cries aloud in the ways of vengeance: these men are like foolish children, running out to play in the midst of thunder and lightning: or rather like Zimri and Cozbi, then impudently sinning, when God was judicially destroying the Camp for sinning. Secondly, some are only amazed and astonished at the first blow: perhaps at the beginning of a judgement, a little hushed and stirred, and wrought on; but perceiving the danger to keep a distance, they grow bold to sin still: like the Frogs we read of, all silenced on a sudden, when Jupiter threw down the great beams among them, but observing their immunity, they put on their confidence and old note again. Thirdly, others are throughly affected and stirred in the apprehension of God's displeasure: As seeing more than heaven in his favour and more than hell in his wrath: our protection, safety, happiness in that; and our loss, desolation, and complete misery in this: These are persons who will Fear the Lord, and His displeasure, For who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? Nahum. 1▪ 6. 3. A solemn consideration upon both the former. The Schoolmen say, that Timor facit consiliativos. And the Philosopher saith, that Fear makes men wise, for it makes them flee to counsel. There is nothing more suspicious and more inquisitive than Fear: for as in Love, all the soul is called in to obtain or rejoice; so in Fear, all the soul is called in to consider and advise how either to prevent or to sustain the approaching evil. Now there are two grand inquiries which Fear makes, upon the apprehension of God's displeasure: one is, What have we done thus to provoke God? Two inquiries of Fear. another is, What may we do to pacify this provoked God? As when Joshua's heart melted with Fear, because God went out against his own people before Ai: why? What is the matter Lord (saith Joshua) that Israel turn their backs upon their enemies? Israel hath sinned (saith God) And now Joshua makes a narrow search to find out the sinner, he searcheth from Tribe to Tribe, from family to family, from man to man, till Achan was found out: And when Achan (who was the cause of God's displeasure) was found out, Joshua stones him to death, and then all was well again. 4. A quick care to use all proper means by which God may be pacified, and judgements removed: You never knew a man full of Fears, who was not also a man full of Cares: Give me a Christian who fears about his eternal salvation, this man will take care and give all diligence to work out his salvation, and to make his calling sure: Give me a person who fears his corporal safety; this person cannot sleep for care, how he shall preserve and secure himself. Grief makes men heavy, and Pleasure makes men careless, and Despair makes men useless, and Fear makes men careful and diligent. The Lord threatens Nineveh with destruction; the Ninevites believe this, and fear: this fear commands Jonah 3. an immediate Fasting, and humbling, and crying unto God, and repenting. Jehoshaphat apprehends the danger of Invasion, and 2 Chron. 20. 3. the Text saith, He feared; but than it immediately subjoins, And set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a Fast. Jacob he feared his brother Esau; I fear him (saith Jacob) lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. But this Fear sets on Prayer, and wrestling Gen. 32. with God; and one while he presseth God with his Command, another while with his Promise, and at length so closeth with God, that he is resolved God shall not get free of him, unless he bless him. I should now give you the Reasons, why we should Three Reasons. fear when God threatens dangers: as 1. Because our own sins endanger us with all dangers threatened. 2. Because God hath brought the dangers to people which he hath threatened, witness the old world, and the Flood; witness Israel, and the Captivity; witness Jerusalem, and her desolation; witness England, and the Sword this day. 3. Because the dangers will be the sooner, and the greater, and the surer, if we fear not. But I shall not need to demonstrate the truth of the Proposition; it rather calls for Application. First then, If Fear be requisite and necessary in Times of danger, certainly Security (which is opposite thereto) is a most evil Quality in evil Times. No Judge so unjust as he, who said, I fear neither God nor man: nor is any sinner more fearful, than he who fears not. Nazianzene spoke the truth; This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. is fearful indeed, when a sinner is not fearful: So did Augustine; This should make thee to tremble, because thou hast not an heart to fear. And yet (the Lord be merciful to us) we have multitudes in this Land, yea, I fear that the greatest part of the Land, and of ourselves too, are without Noah's Fear, in this time, not of threatened, but inflicted Judgement. There are three Things which show that a Person or a Nation are a Three evidences of Security. Fearless and secure people in time of misery. 1. A sensual and voluptuous course of life. You read in Amos 6. 1, of a secure company of sinners: What was their Posture? see vers. 4, 5, 6. They lie upon beds of Ivory, and eat the Lambs out of the flock, and chant to the sound of the Viol, and drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments; and they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. The like you may read in Isai. 56. 12. We will fetcb wine (say they) and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. O that I could not apply these passages of old to our present times! Good Lord! what amazing times are our times? some Christians starving, and crying out for a bit of bread, others in gluttony, and throwing to the dogs: some bitterly lamenting, others cheerfully spoiling: some tumbling in blood, others tumbling in vomit: some feeding on ashes, and drinking of tears, others faring deliciously, like Dives, and drinking themselves drunk, like Elah. It is with us, as it is spoken of in Esther 3. 15. The King and Haman sat down to drink, but the City Shushan was perplexed. Is this to fear an angry God? 2. A strange stupidity, benumbedness, I know not what to style it, an unmovednesse, a dull inconsideration, a drowsy imperception of our own sins, and God's hand upon us. It is generally with us, as with Ephraim, that had a silly heart; though grey hairs were here and there upon him, yet he perceived it not: or as with Israel, though set on fire round about, and burning in the fire, yet they laid nothing to heart. Though all the Churches of Christ (almost) are crying out, The Sword, the Sword; though the pangs of death be upon ourselves; though Gods (usually) last Judgement be upon us (the Sword) and in the quickest way of destruction (an Intestine War) and helped on by infinite Divisions: yet men generally intent their own Gain, their own ways, their own ends; as if an angry God were not risen up to be avenged of a sinful Nation. 3. A general neglect to make peace with God. If we did fear his wrath, would we not seek his friendship? Because I will do this unto thee, therefore prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. God is actually doing, doing his Am. 4. 12. strange work amongst us, and yet we prepare not to meet him: You read that those of Tyre and Sidon, when Herod was highly displeased with them, they with one accord use the best means to make their peace with him, because that Country was nourished by Act. 12. 20 his Country: These will rise in judgement against us: they tremble at man, we tremble not at a God; they hasten to pacify an angry man, and we all this while come not in to make peace with an angry God: they seek for peace, because their Country depended on Herod; and we sue not for peace, though our eternity depend upon God: we stand out against a threatening God, and against a destroying God. We may well take up that of the Prophet; The way of peace they know not, and there is no judgement in their do. Beloved, Isa. 59 ●. there are two ways wherein perhaps the Lord may yet meet us with mercy: one is, Serious Humiliation; the other is, Real Reformation. Believe me, Prayings will not do it, Fast will not do it, Declarations and Professions will not do it, Covenanting will not do it, Counsels, Armies, Assemblies, nothing will do it, God will never be pacified, till we become an humbled and reformed People. But then as in Jeremiah, so may God now say of this Land, I harkened and heard, but they spoke not aright; Jer. 8▪ 6. no man repent him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the Battle: Fearless, and venturous in sin still. What one person (almost) in this great Congregation, hath (since all our calamities) left one sin? yet this is the fear of the Lord (this is a true character of it) To departed from evil. A man durst not continue in a course which provokes God, if he did truly fear God. Now what shall I say of this common security amongst us? I would say of it as Daniel did of Nebuchadnezars Dream, Dan. 4. 19 The dream be to them that hate thee, and the Interpretation thereof to thine enemies. O that we ourselves, and the people of this Land, would remember two things: 1. That Security (in times of judgement) is one of the greatest sins. There are three provoking hearts in such times: 1. An hard heart. 2. An unbelieving heart. 3. A secure heart. A secure sinner keeps up all his sins, he slights all Repentance (of which you heard much in the former Sermon) and he slights and contemns an angry God; he still provokes a provoked God. 2. It is the sin which immedately goes before destruction; as a great Calm (usually) goes before a great Earthquake. If Security be within the door, Judgement is at the threshold: It is the flash of Lightning before the crack of Thunder: or much like that Silence spoken of in Revel. 8. 1. after which the seven Angels sounded their Wo-Trumpets. In Amos 6. 1. you read of some who were Secure in Zion: and vers. 3. did put far away the evil day. But then read vers. 7. These God resolves shall go captive; nay, They shall go captive with the first. In their own opinion they were the farthest from misery; but in God's determination they are the very next, the first men for it. So in Isa. 47. 8. you find Babylon drowned in proud Security, following her pleasures, dwelling carelessly, lifting up herself, (I am, and none else besides me) promising safety to herself, (I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children) But then read the very next verse, v. 9 These two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, The loss of children, and widowhood; They shall come upon thee in their perfection: exact ruin and sudden ruin upon secure Babylon. I think you cannot in all the Bible pitch upon any secure sinners, but presently you may find a stroke of judgement upon them. The old world were in eating, and drinking, and marrying, and knew not (saith Christ) till the flood came Mat. 14. 38, 39 and took them all away: they were drowned in security, and then presently drowned in a flood. Sodom and Gomorrah were a people whose sins did cry to heaven: they were high in sin, and deep in security: sinned in the night, shined upon by the Sun in the morning, and all of them consumed to ashes before noon, Gen. 19 23. 24. The people of Laish were careless, quiet, and secure, and now the Danites suddenly come upon them, and smite them with the edge of the sword, and burn their City with fire, Judg. 18. 27. Agag comes forth delicately (as the Scripture styles it) and confidently too; Surely (saith he) the bitterness of death is past: and presently he is hewed in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal, 1 Sam 15. 32, 33. The Amalekites are drinking, and dancing, and revelling, because of the great spoil they had taken, but are immediately assaulted, and routed, and killed by David, from the twilight until the evening of the next day, 1 Sam. 30. 16, 17. Nabuchadnezzar is proudly vaunting in his palace, Is not this great Babylon which I have built, for the honour of my Majesty? Dan. 4. 30. But (vers. 31.) while the word was in the King's mouth, (the very next word is) There fell a voice from heaven, O King! To thee (thus proudly secure) it is spoken, The kingdom is departed from thee. When Belshazzar was feasting, and carousing, and quaffing, (inter pocula) Then the hand-writing appeared, and notwithstanding all his confidence on the great River, it was drawn aside, and the Persians entered the City, and slew him that very night, Dan. 4. 5. 30. So true is that of the Apostle, 1 Thess. 5. 3. When men shall say, peace and safety, Then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. O, said one of security, Thou art my first enemy, and my chiefest enemy: thou killest fear G. Paris. which is my Guardian, and art the enemy which disarms me in the midst of all my enemies, the soft pillow which betrays me, the kiss of Joab which murders me: I can neither provide for my Salvation when God is displeased, nor for my safety when man is displeased, because of thee. If fear should be stirred, when God threatens dangers: Use. 2 why then (Right honourable and the rest) let us all this day hear and fear: O that there were in us such an heart as to fear! the Scriptures tell us, that fear is our treasure, and our strength, and our wisdom, and our blessedness: Bernard saith, it is Vigil Animae, the Captain of the Watch, and Custos animae, the Captain of the Guard: Nay, saith one, Custodit ipsos custodes, Fear doth guard all our guards; all our graces are preserved by fear; it is their Sentinel, and in some sense their security, their shield and buckler: O that we did Repent and fear, believe and fear, pray and fear; do every fit work, and still fear. There are four portions of fear which I would earnestly commend unto you. 1. Timorem Displicentiae, a fear to anger God, and a fear of God when he is angered: O be afraid of an angry God It is a fearful thing (saith the Apostle) to fall into the hands of the living God: God's anger is (usually) in Scripture set out by fire, and by consuming fire: Let us fear lest we fall into a consuming fire. When Jehu sent to the Elders of Jezreel to come out and fight for their master's sons, they were afraid; Two Kings (say they) could not stand before him, and how shall we? Why? Beloved, two of our Kingdoms cannot stand before an Angry God Nay a whole world could not stand before an angry God, and how can we? He is above all the wisdom of men, and above all their dignities and powers: He can lift up the mighty mountains by his voice, and tread under his feet all the Sceptres on earth at his pleasure: he can thresh the Nations to dust, and dissolve the Potentates into nothing: O fear him who can do all that he speaks; as easily make the work as say the word: fear him who can accomplish all his will, and none can rise up to stay or hinder him: Fear him who can destroy bodies and souls too: fear him whose displeased looks have made the best and strongest of his servants to cry out and roar, whose little finger made Balshazzars joints to unlose and tremble, whose anger made his best child to sweat drops of blood, and to cry, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 2. Timorem paenitentiae: a fear of continuing in sin, and of committing any more sin: Stand in awe and sin not, said David: O that we could be afraid to let so many sins (of which we are guilty) to stand uncancelled before the eyes of an angry God, and lie so close to our hearts, as yet not penitentially broken for them: O that we could fear all sin for time to come: not only not commit sin, but fear (as Joseph did) to commit it: Non sustinere, as well as abstinere: Fear an Oath, as well as not swear, etc. 3. Timorem Reverentiae, A fear of Reverence: fear to omit, or neglect, or delay to do what God would have you to do, in these evil and dangerous times: when you have God's work, and Gods warrant. Now fear the Lord, and none but him: Be not afraid of men, be not afraid of events, But sanctify the Lord himself and let him be your dread and fear: The time was when I pressed you not to be afraid of your enemies and evil men; At this time I press you also Not to be afraid of your friends, and good men: I beseech you do the work which God looks for, and fear not that a party will fail you, or will not be pleased with you, or will not hearken unto you, or will thwart you: O that in the work of Reformation (so much desired, and so long expected) you would not know Father nor Mother, nor Friend, nor Enemy, nor Minister, nor any but God alone. We had returned ere this, said jacob's sons unto him, hadst thou let Benjamin go: I am persuaded the land had been well nigh settled by this, had we let go the fear of our enemies, and the fear of our friends, and exalted the fear of God above all other fear. I have read lately a Passage in Luther, Timor est idem quod Deus. Fear is (in some respect) God himself; this though I may safely say, That Fear doth (as another hath it) deificare Deum. It is that which doth set up, and exalt the True God; Yea (but take me candidly) it makes men somewhat like God, especially if that be true which one speaks, Qui Deum Timet, eum omnia timent, All things stand in awe of him, who stands in awe of his God; Assuredly you shall find an awful fear falling upon them who are under you, if your Superlative Fear be of him who is above you; 4. Timorem Providentiae: A provident Fear: Beloved! as Faith makes us to depend upon God's Promise, so Fear makes us to serve God's Providence: That Fear which makes us over-feare, or over-negligent, which shrivells up all endeavour, or all care; I cannot think but it is either despair, or folly, or Treachery: Give me that Fear which is a servant to Faith, a Gale to Prayer, a Spur to Repentance, and an edge to Prudence: which can judge of evils, and hasten Remedies; which can fore-see-Dangers, and be prepared with Antidotes: which makes the Eye open, the Head Serious, the Heart faithful, the hand quick, and the work seasonable: which cries out about a Soul, O Harken, Repent, Believe, whiles it is called to day, for heaven may be lost, and it too in an hour! which cries out about a Kingdom, It may be lost or saved, in less than in one day, and therefore let us not trifle, let us Act for it with all our strength: In a word, Give me such a fear like this in Noah, which found him Righteous, and made him Industrious to prepare an Ark to the saving of himself, and of his House: This is the second part, and follows orderly and seasonably to be handled: [prepared an Ark to the saving of his House] whence learn, That against a destroying flood, it is duty and wisdom 2 Proposition. to prepare a saving Ark. An Ark (in the Scripture) is taken two ways. 1. Literally, So it is either the Ark of the Covenant which Moses made, or the ship of safety, which Noah made. 2. Analogically: so it notes something, which in the use and virtue of it, doth Answer unto that Ark which Noah made. viz. Some Qualities, or Actions that will keep us safe, though judgements, destroying judgements break down into the world. But here's the Question; what Ark of Safety may Question. that be? To this demand, I answer. Solution. 1. In the General. 1. That Ark which saved Noah, was such a Fabric, as God himself commanded: see Gen. 6. 14. Go (said God) and make thee an Ark; Many men are apt to make an Ark, but few are making such an Ark as God commands; The jews made an Ark of their own Righteousness, but this could not save their souls; and sometimes they made an Ark of the Assyrians and Egyptians, but this could not save their lives: The Papists also do make an Ark of their own Merits (which Bellarmine dares not think safe and sure) and of the Intercessions of Saints departed; Nay, they make an Ark of water (their Holy-water) and a wooden Ark too of Images and Crosses, Arkes in the Air, vain Arkes, which can neither save themselves, nor them that make them: And ignorant people make an Ark of their Good meanings, and devout Service-Booke: Thousands in the Land, place all Religion in it, it is their God, and if you take away that, what have they more: And profane Persons make an Ark of Presumption upon God's Mercy: yea, every Sectary makes an Ark of his own fancy: but when a deluge breaks forth, men's souls will be drowned for all these: No Ark is safe, which is not built upon God's Word. 2. That Ark which saved Noah, he himself made it: Gen. 6. 22. Other men's Arks will never be safety to us: we cannot live by another man's foul, nor be nourished by the bread which another man eats, nor be saved by the faith which another man hath. The just shall live by his own Faith, Haback. 2. 4. And those three Righteous men could deliver but their own souls, Ezek. 14. 14 The wise Virgins had no oil to spare, they had no more than would serve for themselves. 3. That Ark which saved Noah, was made by faith; so the Text, By faith Noah prepared an Ark; Nothing will be safety without Faith; Prayer (I confess) may save, but than it must be the Prayer of Faith, Jam. 5. 15. Tears may save, but they must then be tears in the eye of Faith: and Repentance may save, but than it must be raised by faith: nothing will save us without Faith, even our Saviour will not save us without faith. 4. The Ark which saved Noah, was made of Gopher wood: Interpreters cannot tell where to match or find the like in all the Scripture: It was a rare kind of wood, solid, choice, most apt to keep above water: It must be some rare thing, which is a sinner's safety: That which every man can have, will save none: every man's portion, will be no man's security. 5. The Ark which saved Noah, cost him a great deal of pains to make. The saving Ark, is a costly Ark; O it will cost us many Heart-searching, and humblings, and Prayers, etc. to save our souls: A working out, as Paul speaks, and All diligence, as Peter speaks; it is not an easy work to be holy here, or happy hereafter. 6. Noah made the Ark, though he met with much opposition, and many a scoff: They who intent to be safe, must hold to their saving work, against all the jeers and reproaches of men who are lost. 7. Lastly, the Ark which saved Noah, was that which God shut him in, when he entered into it. All means must be used, but none can be safety, unless God himself make us safe. Secondly in particular. And now I beseech you heed me: There are five things which will (certainly) be an Ark of Safety to a Person or Nation, whensoever dangers break out like a deluge. 1. A God reconciled: Happy is that people, and that man, who hath the Lord to be his God: let all the floods in the world burst forth, and rage, and swell, and threaten, yet if God be our God, If we lie in the Arms of his favour, If he hath pardoned our sins, If enmity be slain; If his good will be towards us, if he saith, I am your God, fear not, I will uphold you, I have blotted out your iniquities, you and I are friends, I will cover you with the shadow of my hand: O this is an ark indeed, This is a shield indeed, A strong Tower, a Refuge from the storm, an All-sufficient Banner of Safety. But if God be not Reconciled to us, what can be safety to us? the waters now will rise in strength, and cover all the mountains: A very sad condition, when man is mine enemy about me, and Conscience is mine enemy within me, and God also is mine enemy above me. 2. A Christ possessed: when Christ came into the ship, the storm ceased presently: now all was calm and safe, though the Disciples were in danger before: how much more is it our safety, when Christ not only is in our ship, but is our very ship; when a Person is in Christ, and Christ is in him: All the houses of the Israelites were safe from the destroying Angel, which had the blood sprinkled upon them: Christ's blood is a securing blood, his blood covers us from the wrath of God, and his Blood makes our peace with him, who can make peace on all the earth, Yea, our very enemies to be at peace with us. A Person, who hath Christ, may be upon many waters, but he shall never be under the waters; His Ark may be tossed, but it shall never be drowned: it may be troubled, but still 'tis safe: Christ is an Ark, that can save at a pinch, and that can save to the uttermost. 3. A Conscience purged: purged of dead works, and purged of deadly works: All the Ocean cannot drown a ship, whiles without it; but if they get into the ship, then is the fear of drowning; If Conscience be purged from the love of sin, and from the service of sin, if it be kept sound, and hail, why! this will be as the Apostle tells us, 1 Pet. 3. 21. Like Noah's Ark, it will be confidence to us, and safety to us: O friends! we have no Enemy like sin: All our dangers lie in our own sins: The drowning deluge breaks out of a damning deluge, I mean, out of our own fountain of sin: Therefore, if you love your safeties, if you love your lives, if you love your souls, if you love yourselves, if you love the Land, Away with sin: If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend, said they of Christ; but I say, If you let your sins go uncrucified, you are not God's Friend, nor your own friend, Nor the Kingdom's friend. 4. Sincerity maintained; you may read in Esai. 33. 16. that the upright person dwells on high (above the regions of danger, above the reach of a deluge) And his defence is the munitions of Rocks: If he should be where dangers are, yet he still is where defences are; and no defences are like the munitions of Rocks, which none can well assail, or undermine; In common dangers, if the Lord takes care for any person in the world, it is for the upright person: Noah was an upright person, and here is an Ark for him; Abraham was an upright person, and God was a shield to him; Lot was an upright person, and Zoar is reserved as a security for him; David was an upright person, and he had an Ark which preserved him safe from first to last, through all troubles and dangers. 5. Truths obeyed, and defended. Truth saith to a Nation, as he to his Buckler, (Epaminondas it was) Defend me, and I will defend thee: Keep that safe, and that will keep you safe: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of Temptation, which shall come upon all the world, said Christ to the Church of Philadelphia, Revel. 3. 10. the like you read in Esa. 26. 1. We have a strong City, salvation will God appoint for walls and Bulwarks, open ye the gates, that the righteous Nation, which keepeth the Truth, may enter in: These are saving Arkes indeed, none like them to save ourselves, and the whole Kingdom. And now (Right Honourable!) Give me favour to Use. bring this Text in some nearer application to yourselves: I look upon you as the Noah's of our Age, and I look upon the condition of our times, as very much resembling that state wherein Noah lived: In his time the sinnings of the world grew common and high; do they not do so in our time? In his time the spirit of God warned them of an ensuing destruction; Hath not God given us many warnings, vocal and real? In his time, the Spirit of God did strive with them to draw them from their sinful courses, and to repent? Hath not the same Spirit striven and wrestled with this Land for that purpose? Towards them God exercised a long patience, or suffering; He waited upon them an hundred and twenty years; Hath not the Lord borne and forborn us almost as many years? But after all these callings, warnings, strive, long-sufferings; God still saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually, they grew impudent and incorrigible: O that it could not be so affirmed of this land in general: Hereupon God resolves to forbear no longer (He will bear long, but not for ever.) A flood of water is justly determined to be their destruction, whom an Ocean of Divine Mercy and Patience could not persuade to Repentance and salvation: God grant that we have not given effectual occasion for an answerable resolution in him concerning ourselves: yet in the midst of this Righteous resolution, he thinks upon his servant Noah, and instructs him to make an Ark to save himself, and all his house: I trust, the Lord hath instructed you so to do for yourselves, and the Land, against the deluges which sorely threaten us. I have but three things to put you in mind of, this solemn day of your Humiliation, Nay, the God of heaven put you in mind of them, or else it is in vain for me. 1. You have an House to save: Nay, let me call in that expression, it is too short, for you have no less than three houses to save. First, your own House; Every man's soul is an house, (Domus Dei, & domicilium Christi) The lofty God, dwells in the highest Heavens, and in the humblest Souls: He is the master of this house, you are but the Tenants, your Lease will shortly be out: As you expect a blessed eternity, look well to the saving of this House. The second is, The Kingdom's House: The House of Parliament, it is the great House of all the Kingdom, in which are laid up all their Liberties, all their Safeties, Estates, Refuges, Reliefs and Lives: And truly, if this house be not kept safe, I know no house in England, that can or shall be safe: If this house be suffered to fall, we shall all have cause to say, (yea, they too who fight to pull down this House) as of that House in Matth. 7. 27. The rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of that house: The fall of a Parliament, will be the greatest fall that ever Englishmen heard of: I am confident, it would prove the fall of the Three Kingdoms, and I fear it would endanger the fall of most of the Churches of Christ. The third is, God's House; this is an House to be looked unto before, and above all other houses: as Aeneas had a care of his household gods, before he took care of his household goods: Princes of old did strive to join their Palaces next to the Temples, & set the Temples above their own Palaces: God's House must be looked unto, before any of our own houses: They in Haggai found it by woeful experience, that their neglect of God's House in the first Haggai. 1. 2. 4, 6. etc. place, was very distasteful to God, and unprosperous to themselves; and so shall any Statesmen find it, notwithstanding all their Politic conceits: I do not know three such Houses in the world again as these, therefore it behoves you to have a singular care of them. 2. But then in the next place, I must tell you, that there are Deluges, many Deluges, not only probably, but also actually breaking out to endanger the drowning of all these: for the first House (our Souls) O how many sensual lusts break forth, and how many worldly lusts break forth to drown the soul (as the Apostle speaketh) in perdition? And for the second House (the Parliament) what an inundation of lies and scandals; what raging waters of Papists, Delinquents, and other people; what a deluge of blood hath been gushing out to overwhelm and swallow up that House? And for the third House, what floods are Papists. Arrians. Socinians. Arminians. Anabaptists. Brownists. Antinomians. Libertines. cast out of the mouth of the Serpent to bear down the House of God? A deluge of errors, a deluge of Blasphemies, a deluge of Schisms, a deluge of odd opinions, a deluge of dissensions, and divisions. So that all cry out unto you, as the Disciples in the Storm to Christ, Master, save us or else we perish: your souls cry out, O save us! and the Kingdom cries out, O save us! and the Church of God cries out, O pity and save us! 3. The safety of all which consists in making of an Ark both proper and seasonable: for the contriving whereof if I should a little miss of Art in my subsequent directions, yet pardon me, for I shall not fail in will and desire that all may be saved: Thus then, 1. For your Souls (the first House I mentioned) Two things (really got & exercised) will assuredly save them; Repentance and Faith: 2. For the Kingdom's House (the second that I mentioned) four things will exceedingly conduce to the saving of it. 1. An effectual care that Justice be executed: why? it is lamentable to behold how lose the reins of Justice are in the Country? every man (almost) does what seems good in his own eyes; swear, and cheat, and lie, and swagger, and slight sabbath-days, and Fasting-days, and wallowin uncleanness and drunkenness, etc. and there is scarce a Justice of Peace to put them to shame: Good Lord, what will become of us if matters continue thus? sins of all sorts will become out of measure sinful, and God will be extremely provoked against us. I beseech you therefore take care not only to name Justices, but that they be sworn, and execute judgement; The life of all Laws (you know well) lies in their execution. O that your care would appear about this, which I speak not only from myself, but from thousands more; For my part I had rather live where nothing is lawful, then where every thing is lawful: The Lacedaemonian being asked by one, how they came to be so strong a people, Answered well, The Laws do govern us, and we by them do govern the people: Believe me, if you do not carefully see Justice done upon sin, God himself will see Justice done upon you: 2. A mutual complying amongst yourselves, in matters which necessarily refer to the public preservation; how familiar is Machiavils destructive maxim to your minds and tongues, Divide & impera, rend them and ruin them; and yet there is not a more sad spectacle to us, who stand below upon the earth, then to hear of those rents and divisions in that upper Region which is above us! Divisions in Counsels, divisions in Armies, divisions in all: I confess that division once made a Tower of Babel, but it never made a saving Ark: I once wished (when I preached before you) that the Parliament had no friend (you remember the sense wherein I spoke it) And now I wish that the Parliament had but one man left in it: Nay, do not wonder at the expression, there is no hurt at all in it: I say, but one man: Nothing but Unity, no division at all: that all of you might be as one man, of one heart, of one mind, of one endeavour to save our divided and perishing Kingdom. 3. Timely Supplies: Beloved! there are three After-games, which every Judicious man accounts very ill and sad: The first is for a man's Name; The second is for a man's Soul, And the third is, for a Kingdom's Safety: O how my heart hath ached for the neglecting of our late Army in the West! God knows where the fault rests: every eye was open to see our opportunity both offered, and lost: Let me freely tell them (whosoever they were) that were guilty of delaying their help; That a few more such omissions will shake the Thoughts and Hearts of the people, if not also the safety of the whole Kingdom: unless any amongst you can assure to themselves the Power of Christ, to raise Lazarus, when he is Three or Four days dead; I beseech you, and again I beseech you, let no more seasons be lost; But what you do, do in time: for ought you know, the Kingdom might have been settled, if timely succour had been forwarded. 4. Your now prepared Propositions of Peace: The Scriptures tell us, That we must follow Peace, yea, though it be flying from us: And Peace with all men, much more amongst ourselves; Now then, if your Terms of Peace be such (as I presume they are) That Peace and Christ do meet together, that Peace and Holiness do meet together, that Peace and Truth do meet together, That Peace and Reformation meet together, That Peace and Justice meet together, That Peace and Safety meet together, I will be bold to say, That such Terms of Peace, will speak for you before God, and will acquit you before all the World; They will be our comfort, if obtained, However, they will be our safety, though denied. 3. Lastly, For God's House (the other which I mentioned) I humbly conceive, That the Ark to save it, may be made (as Times are now with us) of two Acts of yours: 1. One is, your Abhorring of the mentioning, yea, of the very thoughts of Tollerating all opinions in the Church; This were such a monstrous Prodigy! such an Intolerable way of Confusion! Such a mocking of the people of God Such a mocking of God himself, To whom we have all Solemnly engaged our utmost for Unity in Doctrine, and Uniformity in Discipline; such a speedy Grave for the Kingdom and Church, that mischief itself could not easily dig the like: Such a spirit to revive Arrianisme, Pelagianisme, the Turkish Alcoran, the Popish Host, etc. And yet I have seen walking Books, and Printed Books for this purpose: For my part (Right Honourable!) If God thinks fit, I should rather wish to lie in my Grave, then live to behold such an intolerable Toleration. Most of the Arguments for this wildness of late, I have found heretofore used by one who styled himself Martinus Bellius, a friend to that monstrous Heretic Servetus; all which are related and confuted by learned and pious Beza in his book de Haereticis a civili Magistratu puniendis: 2. The second is, Call upon the Assembly to hasten their work, unto which you have summoned them; be pleased to command the sight of that Government, which you desire to have settled in the Church of Christ: If I mistake not, you may find most of the Principals agreed upon, as for the fillings up, let them (if time supply us) be debated at leisure: And that no more rubs may lie in the way. If there be any party more considerable than another, use your Authority, that they may clearly and fully represent the whole platform of their Government, that we may try it by the Infallible Touchstone of the Scriptures, where if it can endure the Trial, and find Approbation, we will with all our hearts embrace it; If not, then neither they should, nor we, nor any else countenance or submit unto it. And thus have I (as I trust) faithfully discharged my duty unto you this Day: If God will be pleased to incline your Hearts to regard what hath been said, I shall not doubt, but that an Ark of Safety will attend you, and all of us, notwithstanding all the dangerous Deluges which now threaten us. FINIS. Die Martis 22. Octob. 1644. Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament: That Mr. Ashurst and Mr. Gourdon, do from this House give Thanks to Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick, for the great pains he took in the Sermon he Preached this Day at the entreaty of this House, at St. Margaret's Westminster, it being a Day especially set apart for a Public Humiliation; and to desire him to Print his Sermon: And it is Ordered, that none shall presume to Print his Sermon without leave under his hand writing. H. Elsing Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Samuel Gellibrand to Print this SERMON. OBADIAH SEDGWICK.