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A09506
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Gods visitation in a sermon preached at Leicester, at an ordinary visitation. By T.P.
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Pestell, Thomas, 1584?-1659?
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1630
(1630)
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STC 19788; ESTC S107478
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22,551
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46
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respecting a mans selfe vnhallowing of Gods Temple a dismembring the body of Christ respecting others and defiling of the most holy and solemne couenant on Earth a keruing asunder those whom God hath ioyn'd and therefore stands the Commandement forbidding it betwixt Theft and Murder Lastly respecting the Land it is a fire as Iob speakes here at Ver. 12. deuouring foundations and hurling the flame round about it And are not they who haue power of coercion if they doe it not as so many spreaders of this fire as so many bawds and pandars if for bribes they wilfully palliate or winke at this disorder or looke vpon it through a false and colour'd medium And if euer there was cause to cry loud and lift vp the Trumpets voyce to waken both you and the whole state is it not now when like Egypt plagu'd with Frogges the Land euen stinkes of this corruption and had we no other infection enough to bring some fearefull curse vpon vs all But are our liues so cleare they neede no visiting neede none from you no Is not a debaucht and drunken minister within your powre Drunkennesse a crime hatefull in the lay but hideous in the cleargie man a sin in them but sacriledge in vs And are not you to visite for these things and vindicate our mother from this staine But when when shall we see a great and rich adulterer performe the open penance of the Church Or when shall I heare an Arch-deacon a Commissarie a Chancellour or a Bishop rather for that 's the title of God here an Ouer-seer rattle and fright some of these swolne and putrid offall of the Leuites these hatefull roaring drunkards in the midst of the assemblie of their brethern Remember God in his visitation on Sodome saith he will goe downe and see whether so or no So should you stay to inquire and not make the Visitation as the Countrey calls it in scorne a busie taking onely or passing ouer vs like a vision rather then a Visitation But who should helpe it how can there any thing be reformed without presentment this concernes a second sort of Visitors Church-wardens And what saith your bill my Masters Some poore Rascall will not pay his leuie or the p per hath got a bastard but how many hath your Land-lord gotten Alas Sir we are poore people and it would be our vndoing to m ddle with such But what your Minister they say is a lewd Tosse-pot a very drunken Sot O no! Omnia benè a good Fellow a little giuen to company keeping thus the best of you are content to mince it or some perhaps readie to defend him and reason why they keepe the Ale-house and he 's the prime guest if it were not for him they might knocke downe the signe Blessed be God I am perswaded you know not manie such as I describe but yet I fear'd there be some still within the compasse of these markes And dare not you present them Nay dare you present any thing Shall men in office Visitours Wardens nay Watchmen sworne thus play with their oaths What a wretched thing is it thus to feare men and despise God That great Lord Warden of his Church who when he shall visite you for this periurie what will you answere him A third sort of Visitours are our selues Seers call'd in the old Testament and Ouer-seers in the new Acts 20. all Bishops Phil. 1.1 Let vs then learne to discharge it first by heeding and visiting our owne hearts reflecting on and examining our owne soules whither the God in our Bookes in our Sermons be such in our secret brests and whether we heare or feele our selues rather when wee preach or whether our preaching run not through vs like a wooden Spowt like the old riddle of Through the wood neuer touch it neuer touch neuer affect the heart And then ore looke our learning and striue to mend our nets giuing our selues as Tully saith recoquendos till wee become workemen that need not be asham'd diuiding the word aright able to exhort and conuince soundly Tit. 1.3 for this is Ars artium regimen animarum which to performe as commonly 't is done flatteringly or lazily and perfunctorily is both easie and acceptable but it is too most miserable and damnable And then ore-see our liues and those exempt and defend from basenesse but specially that odious sinne which goes too much in blacke drunkennesse The way to make the Seer ouerseene to lose the eyes of his minde to drowne his holy vnction in drinke and suffocate the Spirit of grace he must be apt to teach saith the Apostle and addes not giuen to wine 1. Tim. 3.2 and againe be not drunke with wine but fil'd with the spirit as if the first would emptie vs of the second Briefly see to your charge whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers 'T is an high trust God makes me ouerseer of his will that will wherein he hath bequeathed so many golden Legacies and shall I not discharge this trust and reueale the whole Will of God What though the people complaine not the Court takes no very strickt bond of vs will not God require it Sonne of man I will require their blood at thy hand and the Apostle therefore pronounc'd himselfe free from the blood of all men because he had disclosd the whole counsell of God Thinke of the Apostles and Pastors gone before vs Speake and testifie you glorious companie of Apostles in heauen and you goodly fellowship of antient Prophets is there a roome in your royall armie for that cowardly or lazie souldier that betraies or preuaricates the cause of his Lord and Sauiour and respects not the precious soules of his people Thinke on the Deuill what a carefull Visitor how he goes about like a Lion roaring after his prey compassing the earth and his agents and factors those mountebanke Iesuits that creepe into houses and leade captiue our silly women boasting of their conquests and victories and triumphs and are in danger of being dull'd by assisting at so frequent conuersions Which though I take for a braue lie of the shaueling yet let vs learne sedulitie from these our professed aduersaries Last of all if nothing else let the reward aduance our industrie When the great Bishop of our soules who now cries Pasces oues and vrges vs be instant in season c. will in due season visit vs and if he come and finde vs so doing as he commands we know the blessing by heare say now but shall feele and taste it then and because we cannot comprehend it we shall then be comprehended of it We are not able to conceiue it now it cannot enter into vs but we shall enter into it then Well done good and faithfull seruant Enter into thy Masters ioy To conclude all We all are Visitors as men and as Christians to looke to our bodies estates else worse then infidels to visit God in his holy Temple to meet him often and grow familiar with him in his Word Sacraments in our Prayers to doe these things while the doores of his Temple are open and the Gospell offer'd lest there come a famine or a darkenesse seize vpon vs and then to visit men the Saints and Seruants of God and not those that are rich onely for they haue many friends many visitants too too many euen to a wearinesse tota salatatrix turba peregerit orbem like walking ghosts tormenting whom they visit but God would haue his poore members regarded Papists will tell you of pilgrimages and trauailing to shrines but not the dead images but these liuing images are in Gods Care and if we care for his finall doome at that last and most dreadfull day of his great visitation wee must visit them when poore and naked and sicke and in prison or else be visited then for our not visiting now Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire But if we doe our dutie in this hospitall below wee shall bee chear'd and refresh'd with him and them in his dining Roome in his palace of heauen aboue with a Come ye blessed of my Father c. The last application of the Text is in our Prayers to God O Lord our great and gracious Visitor c. FINIS