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A50559 A sermon concerning zeal for religion consistent with moderation preached at Edenburgh on Sunday the 27th of April, 1690, before the Lord High Commissioner and the Estates of Parliament of Scotland / by Mr. George Meldrum ... Meldrum, George, 1635?-1709. 1690 (1690) Wing M1637; ESTC R9041 14,624 20

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A SERMON CONCERNING Zeal for Religion Consistent with Moderation Preached at EDENBVRGH On Sunday the 27th of April 1690. BEFORE The Lord High Commissioner and the Estates of PARLIAMENT of SCOTLAND BY Mr. GEORGE MELDRVM A Presbyterian Minister and till of late one of the Episcopal Clergy of that Kingdom Printed at Edenburgh and Reprinted at London for Richard Baldwin near the Black Bull in the Old-Baily 1690. Advertisement THE Reverend Author of the following Discourse is so well known in his Countrey for his Learning and Piety that there needs no Character of mine to Recommend his Sermon Only I think fit to acquaint the English Reader that he was Minister at Aberdeen under the Episcopal Clergy till within these few years and that he left that Party upon the account of some Scruples wherewith he has sufficiently acquainted the World upon several Occasions since PSALM 137 ver 5 6. If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning If I do not remember thee Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth The words of the Text follows If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy THis Psalm seems to have been penned by some of the Priests or the Levitical Singers in the time of the Babylonish Captivity it being their Office to sing Psalms and Songs of praise unto God with the voice and to play on Instruments of Musick to his praise as ye will see it 1 Cron. 25 and something like this of Singing and using of Harps you have here in the 2 and 3. verses of this Psalm In the first six Verses you have an account of the condition and state they and the people of God were in at this time and how they were affected therewith Where were they in Babylon and Captivity there and as in the first verse Sitting by the rivers of Caldea where there were many By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and how are they affected why they weeped and this grief was not so much for their own privat particular distress as on the account of the desolation of the Church and of the ruine of the State It was when they remembred Zion in the first verse and remembered Jerusalem in the 5 and 6 verses Yea so much were they taken up with this That when they that had carried them away captives desired them to sing the songs which they used to sing in their own Land whether in mockage or out of curiosity I shall not debate Yet those persons could not admit a thought of joyful songs in a time when Jerusalem and Zion was in such distress They had such an abhorrence at any thing like mirth at such a time that they ingenuously and with great seriousness profess That ere they forget Jerusalem with its distress they would rather chuse never to sing with their Tongue or play with their hand while they live Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth and my right hand forget her cunning Yea so much are they taken up with the welfare of Jerusalem and Zion if it did not fare well with Jerusalem they valied no joy they rather wish such things to themselves ere they forget her whose welfare they count above their chief joy If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy These last words of verse 6 which I have chosen for the ground of my following Exhortation they describe to us the disposition and temper of a gracious heart what is that They prefer the publick good the welfare of Church and State above their own Interest If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy let me never have skill or ability to sing or play any more These words will be plain if I shew you what is meant by Jerusalem and what by preferring Jerusalem to our chief Joy And how shall we better understand what is meaned by Jerusalem than by a reflection on Psalm 122. where there is a description of this Jerusalem there is the House of the Lord verses 1 9. The place whither the Tribes go up to the Testimony of Israel verse 4. It is then the place of the Publick Worship Jerusalem is also the place where the Thrones of Judgment are set even the Thrones of the House of David verse 5. The Seat of publick Justice Therefore I may well conclude that by Jerusalem is meant here both Church and State the Church of God where is his Worship and State where Justice is administrat this is it 's meant here by Jerusalem if I prefer not the welfare of Jerusalem i. e. of the Church and State above my chief joy in the Hebrew it is the head of my joy the highest and chiefest of my joy and comfort of all my private concerns and comforts if I prefer not the publick good of Church and State to the chiefest of these let me never have any comfortable day any more From this we may learn and observe That it is the duty of all and will be the practice of every good man to prefer the publick good and welfare of Church and State to their own private Interest even to the highest of their private Comforts Behold the frame of the People of God in the Text If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy then let my right hand forget her cunning Ere we do any thing that looks not like a preferring of Jerusalem to all our own privat concerns and comforts we rather wish we never have a joyful or merry day after If we prefer not Jerusalem above our chief joy see this enjoyned and practised Psal 122. ver 6 7. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem let them prosper that love thee for my brethrens sake I will now say peace be within thee Joel 2.17 Let the Priests the Lord's Ministers weep betwixt the Porch and the Altar and say Spare thy People and give not thy Heritage to a Reproach And Jer. 51.50 Remember the Lord afar off and let Jerusalem come into your mind O remember its state we will find this temper and disposition of heart has possest the Saints of God in all Ages what an eminent height of it was in Moses Exod. 32.11 12 31 32. after the sin of the golden Calf when the Lord threatens to destroy the People on that account how pleads he Lord remember Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Egyptians will say thou hast brought them out for a mischief pardon this people if not blot me I pray thee out of the Book which thou hast written What a height of a publick spirit was this and Nehemiah though he had all the Honour and Comforts the Court could afford Neh. chap. 1. Yet he fasted and weeped and took no comfort so long as Jerusalems walls lay in rubbish so much did this affect his heart that the King could not but discern it in his Countenance why art thou sad said he And here is the cause says he The place of my Father's Sepulchre and the City of Jerusalem lies