The Danger of Desertion

Mr. HOOKERS FARVVELL SERMON, At his departure out of ENGLAND.

JEREMIAH 14.9. at the latter end.

We are called by thy Name, leave us not.

TWo things are intended and expressed by the Holy ghost, from the 1. verse, to the thirteenth.

First, a denuntiation of judgement, and that reacheth to the 17. verse, and that is sword and famine. First, he p. 2would send the famine, and then the sword, and would not be intreated.

Secondly, in the 8. verse, we have the importunate prayer of the Church, to turne away these judgements; and the prayer is marvellous sweet, partly in confession, where they confesse their sinnes, and seeke to God for succour against them: As if they should say, Loe we are as base as base can be, and therefore help for the Lords sake, and thus they make their supplication in the 7. and 8. verses, and this short prayer discovers it selfe, partly in the things prayed for, and partly in the manner, and the holy Prophet intending this is very sweet in it.

First, they pray that God will not take away his presence from them, Why stayest thou but a night? As if he should say, it is marvellous strange, that thou behavest thy selfe as a stranger.

Thou seest our sorrowes, and helpest not. Thou seest our trouble, and succourest not. Thou standest, and seest Jerusalem in trouble, and Iuda in misery, but thou helpest not. It is strange that thou the great God of Hosts standest as a man astonished: thou hast received us, but now thou standest as a man amazed, as if thou wast weary of thy worke, and couldest doe no more: As if he should say, Ierusalem cannot be succoured, & Iudaea cannot be saved.

Secondly, they beg that God would not take away his presence from them, Leave us not to our selves. Let us see thy face, if that we dye in thy presence, though thou helpest not, yet it dothus good to looke on a Saviour, they are acquainted first that thou art the hope of Israel. Alas! if thou forsake, p. 3us, our hope is lost, our hope is not in the means, our hope is in thee, leave us not.

Secondly, thou art the Saviour of Israel, and it is that that thou takest upon thee, and thou hast made thy selfe a Saviour, and now is the time of trouble, performe what thou hast undertaken.

p. 3Thirdly, thou art in the midst of us, thou art a great comforter, ready to succour us. What wilt thou see us perish when thou art so near us? 1 Sam. 4.6. Even as the Arke in the midst of the campe: as if he should say, he lives in the midst of us, and will not save us.

Fourthly, we are called by thy Name, we have interest in thee, to whom should servants go for safety, but to their Master? to whom should the wife goe, but to her husband? we have interest in thee, leave us not.

Now we will meddle only with the latter clause, leave us not. God might leave them, but they beg that he would not, that is their Amento the Petition, though thou standest by, and wilt not help, yet let us not dye in thy presence. This is the great request of the Saints, they desire not to be left of God, though God may justly leave them,

That God may justly leave off a people, [Doct.] and unchurch a Nation. Israel suspected it, and feared it: It is that that they prayed against, that God would not leave them. I doe not say that God will cast off his elect eternally; but those that are onely in outward covenant, with him he may, Isa. 1.2. Heare O ye heavens, I have nursed up children, that is, the Iewes, there is an outward vocation, and for such God may p. 4cast them off. Brethren, cast your thoughts afar off. What is become of those famous Churches, Pergamus and Thyatira, and the rest? Who would have thought that Ierusalem should have bin made a heap of stones, and a vagabond people? Hos. 7.9. Plead with your mother, and call her Loammi, ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Thus as I may say, he sues out a bill of divorcement, as it was in the old Law, those that had any thing against their wives, sued our a bill of divorcement, and so doth God, Hos. 2.2. she is not my people, nor my beloved, let her cast away her fornications and idolatry, lest I make her as at the first, that is, in Egypt poore and miserable: as if he should say to England, plead with England my Ministers, in the way of my truth, and say unto them, let them cast away their rebellions, lest I make her as I found her in captivity in the dayes of bondage.

p. 4But how doth God depart from a people? [Ob.]

When he takes away his love from a people, [Ans.] and as his respect, so his means too.

2. When he takes away his protection by taking downe the wals, that is, these two great meanes of safety, Magistrates and Ministers.

3. When instead of counselling, comes in bribing, and in stead of teaching, dawbing, when God either takes away the hedges, or the stakes are rotten, then God is going.

4. When God takes away the benefit of both these helps, and they are signes of Gods departing.

May God cast off a people, [Vse.] and unchurch anation? p. 5then let it teach us to cast off all security, for miseries are nigh by all probabilities. When we observe what God hath done for us, all things are ripe for ruine, and yet we feare it not, we promise safety to our selves, and consider not that England is like to be harrowed, wee cannot entertaine a thought that England shall be destroyed; when there are so many professors in it, we cannot be perswaded of it, according to the conviction of our judgements, either it must not be, or not yet, as if it were impossible for God to leave England, as if God were a cockering father over lewd and stubborne children: God may leave a Nation that is but in outward covenant with him, and why not England?