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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43318	A sermon preached to the honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, December 27, 1643 by Alexander Henderson ...	Henderson, Alexander, 1583?-1646.	1644 (1644)	Wing H1439; ESTC R15067	23,280	40

A SERMON PREACHED To the Honourable HOVSE OF COMMONS At their late solemne Fast Wednesday December 27. 1643. BY ALEXANDER HENDERSON Minister at Edenbrugh NUM 21.14 Wherefore it is said in the booke of the warres of the Lord what he did in the red Sea and in the brookes of Arnon Published by Order of the House LONDON Printed for Robert Bostock dwelling at the signe of the Kings-head in Pauls Churchyard 1644. Die Mercurij 27. Decemb. 1643. IT is this day Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament that Master Solicitor doe from this House give thankes unto Master Henderson for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of this House at Saint Margarets Westminster being the day of publike Humiliation and to desire him to Print his Sermon It is also Ordered that none shall presume to Print his Sermon without being authorised under his hand writing Hen. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Robert Bostocke to Print this Sermon Alexander Henderson To the READER THIS Sermon such as it is was preached to the honourable house of Commons at their desire and is now by their Order printed for thy use and by the blessing of God for thy benefit The desire endevor of the Preacher was according to the scope and nature of the Text to shew that after so often renued and long continued humiliation and after solemne entring into Covenant with the most high God The true reformation of Religion is the readiest meane to turne away the still pressing wrath of God from the Kingdome And to bring the desired blessings of all sorts upon Church and State which yet will prove but uneffectuall unlesse the Reformation intended by the Honourable Houses of Parliament and the reverend Assembly of Divines be attended faithfully followed with Renovation and Repentance in the people Repentance for every knowne Sin and how can Sin be unknowne in the midst of so many burning and shining lights But repentance especially for sinnes 〈◊〉 the matter of Religion the present Epidenticall disease of this Land which threatneth changes Armies of sorrowes so it pleaseth the Lord to give more then a taste of the bitter fruits of bad Church-government and a sad representation of the face of the Kingdom if every man should be left to preach professe and print what he will O that my people had harkned unto me Israel had walked in my ways I should soon have subdued their Enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of God should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured for ever Hearken therefore unto the voyce of God in the spirituall plaine and powerfull preaching of his servants one of the greatest evidences that the Lord hath a purpose of mercy toward you and walke in his wayes Marke them which cause devisions and offences amongst you be wise unto that which is good simple concerning evill the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you A SERMON Preached at the late Fast before the Honourable House of Commons EZRA 7.23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven for why should there be wrath against the Realme of the King and his Sonnes THE Lord who is the Father of Spirits hath a great diversity of influence and operation upon the minds and hearts of the children of men he can send a dream upon Nebuchadnezar while he is at rest in his house and florishing in his palace which maketh him afraid and the thoughts upon his bed and the visions of his head to trouble him a While Belshazzar the King maketh a great feast to a thousand of his Lords he can make a hand to write over against the Candlesticke upon the plaister of the Wall which maketh the Kings countenance to be changed and his thoughts to trouble him so that the joynts of his loynes were loosed his knees smote one against another and his wise men and Lords were astonied with him b he can make Balaam when he is called to curse the people of God contrary to his owne intention the desire of Balaak to blesse them three times c He can make Cajephas to prophesie what he understandeth not that one man should die for the people and that the whole Nation perish not d And the Lord can reveale his will to Joseph Daniel and his Prophets concerning things to come for the comfort of his Church e Againe the Lord can renue the hearts of his Enemies and make such a Persecutor as Paul sometime was to be a beleever and Zealous Preacher f He can restraine the impetuous violence of the heart of man thus dealt he with Laban that he durst not speake to Jacob either good or bad g he can also and doth indeed overrule the hearts and wayes of his most Malignant and desperate Enemies whom he neither renueth nor restraineth and contrary to their Counsels and intentions bring them mervelously about to his owne ends as he dealt with Judas Herod Pilate and the people of the Jewes who devised and did mischiefe against Christ but God meant it for good to save his people from their sinnes h There is yet another way of divine providence and Soveraignty when the Lord is pleased neither to proceed to farre as to renue nor doe so little as to restraine but thinketh meet to change the affections of the heart of man whether from particular hatred and opposition as he dealt with Esau comming against Jacob i and Alexander the great marching against Jerusalem k or from that common and innate hatred that all men naturally beare against the true Religion and Church of God Of which we have the example of Ahashuerus in the booke of Ester of Artaxerxes in the booke of Nehemiah of Cyrus and Darius in this booke and of the same Artaxerxes in this Text In whose eyes Ezra did find such favour and of whom he had as ample testimonie of royall benevolence and bounty toward Jerusalem and the house of God there as his heart could have wished and as made him humbly to acknowledge that the good hand of the Lord his God was upon him and to blesse the Lord God of his fathers which had put such a thing in the Kings heart as to beautifie the house of the Lord God which was at Jerusalem In the letter of Artaxerxes expressing his munificence and containing the Commission and instructions given unto Ezra for this purpose the clause which I have read is worthy of a starre or finger in the margent wherein we may perceive that the King as he had heard and learned not from a flattering Court-Chaplaine but from faithfull Ezra beleeveth that the great wrath of God shall come not onely upon himselfe but which was more upon his Kingdome

man into his own house Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew and the earth is stayed from her fruit like unto that in Deut. The heaven that is over thy head shall be brasse and the earth that is under thy feet shall be iron But afterward he speaks comfortably The glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts And in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts And again consider now from this day and upward from the foure and twenday of the ninth moneth even from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid consider it From this day will I blesse you Jehosophot and Hezekiah are two Witnesses of this truth The Lord was with Jehosophat because he walked in the first wayes of his father David and sought not to Balaam but sought to the Lord God of his father walked in his Commandements and not after the doings of Israel therefore the Lord established the Kingdome in his hand and all Judah brought 〈◊〉 Jehosophat presents he had riches and honour in abundance c. Hezekiah teacheth the Levits themselves this Lesson that for trespasses of this kind the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah Jerusalem he had delivered them to trouble to astonishment and to hissing There be as many pregnant examples of this truth in the book of God as of any other but he who desireth a full Commentary or Sermon upon this point of the Text let him read the 2 Chap. of the book of the Judges and he shall see the ebbing and flowing of prosperity peace and safety according to the course of Religion The reason of it is because where true Religion hath not place there is nothing but prophanenes uncleannesse excesse oppression violence deceit and falshood The lawes of men may doe some hurt for repressing outrages but how shall the floods be dried up unlesse the fountaines be obstructed There is great difference betwixt outward restraint from man and inward mortification from God Where Religion taketh place men neither dare nor will commit sinne and doth not the wrath of God for these things come upon the Children of disobedience Men need not in searching out the periods and fatalities of Kingdomes and States trouble themselves with the intricat numbers of Plato Predictions of Astrologers or particular Prophesies {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} impiety iniquity luxury which must needs have place where true Religion hath nor place are causes for which the Lord bringeth alterations upon Kingdomes By this we may easily discern who are Malignants and Enemies to the peace and prosperity of the Kingdome Religion is the touchstone Such as are mockers of the Reformation of Religion and of their owne lives have brought on and hold on this heavy wrath but they who desire endeavour the Reformation setling of Religion are in the right way to bring honor and happinesse upon the Kingdome of the King and his Sonnes It is a damnable and cursed policy by dispencing with any thing which God hath commanded to be done for his house to seek after peace and deliverance It was the policy of Jeroboam it turned to his ruine It was the policy of the Jewes and it brought their City and Nation to desolation In this thou walkest contrary to God and therefore God will walk contrary to thee Thou think●st to turn away wrath by the neglect of Religion of the house of God but God hath said that wrath shall be upon the Kingdome unlesse what he hath commanded be done for his house Art thou wiser then he or art thou stronger then he will thou against the will of God against the experience of all ages against thy owne conscience run in a way contrary to Gods way Salvation shall come to the people of God and his house shall be built but thou thy house which thou makest an Idoll and preferrest to the house of God shall certainly perish God will not he mocked I must therefore take the boldnesse according to the charge and trust committed unto me at this time in the name of God to exhort in the bowels of Jesus Christ to intreat that the house of God be diligently looked unto and that first of all Religion be reformed and setled No man must be of Gallio's temper to care for none of those things as if they were but light matters in comparison of civill and secular affaires or as if they were impertinent for him Nothing in the world that doth concern thine owne private or the state and publike is of so great weight importance nothing so pressing pertinent as this of Religion No man must be of Gamaliels temper he was a grave learned and peaceable man of great esteem amongst the people yet his counsell was crafty corrupt unchristian somewhat in it was good he aimed at peace he laid this ground that the work was either of God or of man and what was of man would come to nought and what was of God could not be overthrowne But in this very corrupt that he would have us to judge of Religion by particular events and that we should do nothing for the advancement of a good cause but leave it to the providence of God His arguments were fitted to his purpose but true Religion is neither a matter of fancy as was that of Theudas nor of sedition as was that of Judas of Galile and therefore all men ought to bend themselves to the setling thereof by all good and lawfull means Nor must yee in this work linger or delay upon any consent or concurrence whatsoever It is true where matters are darke or doubtfull yee should seek for light and resolution and yee have to that end a learned and godly Assembly but where matters are clear manifest if yee lye still waiting for the consent of others yee are like to lose both the opportunity and the thing it selfe as many have done and rep●●ted themselves too late There be some things wh●●●in we are subject to God alone and in thi●● of this kind we are not to wait for counsell or c●●sent from others It was the saying of Dioclesian 〈◊〉 a good and wise Emperour is often-sold by his Cou●ers who have a guard about his eares and traduce go●●men forevill and commend evill men for good As Ba●●am dealt not faithfully with God so the messengers 〈◊〉 unto him did deale unfaithfully with King Balaa● It also true that as at Rome so in other places patres 〈◊〉 scripti are sometimes patres circumscripti Nor must feare opposition or enmity and thereby trouble to 〈◊〉 State while Yee are seeking after Reformation Wh●●Cassander one of the successors of Alexander was p●●swading them to receive Alexander to be worshipped ●mongst their Gods and that if they refused he would ●●nounce war against them Demades their Orator to them that it was to be feared while they were hold● the heavens they should lose the earth But I change 〈◊〉 words with Peter Martyr that it is to be feared ne 〈◊〉 Rempublicam terrenam curatis defenditis nimium 〈◊〉 lum amittatis while Yee stand for the State that Y●● lose Religion If Zerubabell Ezra or Nehemiah had d●layed the building of the house of God upon the opposition of enemies or because there was Lyons and For● in the way the worship of God had never bin set up 〈◊〉 Religion reformed but the builders with one of the●● hands wrought in the worke in the other hand held weapon In this posture I leave you till the house of the Lord be built amongst you your swords be turned into plough-shares and your speares into pruning-hook● that is till truth peace be established in your borders The Zeale of the Lord of Hosts will performe it To him be praise for ever Amen FINIS The Lord worketh diversly upon the hearts of men a Dan. 4.4 5. b Dan. 5.5 c Num. 24.10 d John 11.49 50. e Gen. 37. Dan 2. 4 5. 7. c. f Acts 9. g Gen. 31. h Act. 4.27.28 i Gen. 33. k Joseph antq Judaic. lib. 11. c. 8. The Text divided l Ezra 10.2 The wrath of God laid open m Psal. 103. Rom. 1.18 Deut. 32.22 In the hight and depth thereof n Gen. 2.1 o Gen. 2.4 Vse 1. p Heb. 10.30.31 q 2 Sam. 24.14 r Exod. 34.14 s Deut 29 2● t Ezek. 5.13 Vse 2. u Exod. 32. x 1 Kin. 19.10 y Acts 17.16 z Pet. 2.8 a Rev. 3.16 b Rom. 12.11 In the bredth thereof c 2 Sam. 24 1 Kin. 21. d Prov. 28.2 e 1 Sam. 12.25 f 1 Sam. 35.31 In the length thereof g Numb. 1● h Exod. 14. i 2 Sam. 12.9.10 Vse Matth. 23.35 The me●nes to avert and prevent the wrath of God The first mean The second mean The third mean Jer. 34. Considerations about the third mean 1. The Rule of Reformation Vse 2. The extent of Reformation * 2 Chron. 15.7 * Isa 27.9 Isa. 1.26 27.28 Galat. 5.7 8 9. Vse 3. The manner of going about Reformation * Pro. 10 26. Pro. 27.8 Reasons hereof The first Reason Isa. 6.1 2 3 4. Isa. 46.1 Reason 2. Esth. 1.22 Isa. 45.14 Ezek. 48.35 Vse 2. The third part of the Text Pro. 22.3 Hag. 1.9 10. Deut. 28.23 Hag. 2.9 Hag. 2.18 19. 2 Chr. 17 3 4 5 6. 2 Chr. 29 6 7 8 9 10 11. Judges 2. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Acts 18.14 15 16 17.