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A42655
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Irelands advocate: or, a sermon preached at a publike fast held by authorie, July the 27. in behalfe of bleeding Ireland. By John Geree, pastour of Tewkesbury, in Glocester-Shire. Published by authoritie.
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Geree, John, 1601?-1649.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing G596A; ESTC R223673
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15,404
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25
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vow that whosoever came not up to help the Lord should be put to death Iudg. 21.5 And the men of Iabesh Gilead being found delinquents vers 9. They fell every mother and mothers son none were saved but 400. young Virgins So unworthy a thing was it esteemed not to help the Lord against the mighty Deut. 23.34 There 's an heavie curse layd upon the Ammonites and Moabites vers 3. and why because they help'd not the Lord in his Church they met not his people with bread and water vers 4. But hired Balaam against them Reas 1. Because not to help the Lord in his Churches quarrel s discovers a trayterous and rebellious heart against the Lord and his people And you know treason and falsenes against a King and his leige people how odious and dangerous it is it drawes the weight of the Kings displeasure on the guilty And Christ our King hates treachery as much as any He that is not with me saith Christ is against me Mat. 12.30 And he that is against Christ doth deserve and will not avoid his Curse He whose heart is right accounts Christs cause his owne and cannot choose but be active Want of help discovers then a trayterous heart to Christs Kingdome By the like reason in this present Irish Rebellion if any will not put his hand against the Rebells may we not aswell conclude his heart is with them and so it is trayterous to Gods people and in them to the Lord. Reas 2. He that commeth not to the help of the Lord doth asmuch as in him lyeth expose the Name of God to dishonour and the Church to ruine and so will be Accessorie to all the dishonours of God by the insultation and blasphemie and all that the Church suffereth by the cruelty of their enemies Qui non vetat peccare cum possit jubet he that hinders not when he may commands and he that helps not the Lord hinders not his enemies Here for ought that the Merozites did the Church might have continued under the bondage and crueltie of Iabin King of Canaan and the Lord thereby under reproach and blasphemy Yea Barao and Deborah might have been overthrowne in this service their innocent bloud shed the Tyrants more enraged and God more dishonoured if every man had sit at home like the inhabitants of Meroz And is it not a sinfull and accursed thing not to help the Lord against the mighty Reas 3. He that comes not to the help of the Lord in the quarells of his Church breakes many bonds and engagements We are the work of Gods hands made after his own Image in him we live move and have our being we professe Redemption by him are in league with him and should we desert this Lord what ingratitude were that For Subjects to desert a gracious King in a good cause wherein he will take good care for their indempnitie how vile were it so is the case between us and Christ And is it not an accursed thing not to help the Lord Besides we also neglect the bonds and engagements between us and the Church which are many great and precious Reas 4. Neglect to help the Lord comes from such evill Causes as do discover it to be an accursed sin For whence ariseth it but either from Hypocrisie when our persons are with the Church but our hearts with the enemies Or from prophanenes when men are not affected with the dishonours of God or his Cause as it is like the men of â—abesh Gilead were not Iudg. 21. Or from an heart hardened against the miseries and moanes of the Church Or from carnall feares arising from the enemies greatnesse as it is like it was with the men of Succoth Iudg. 8.6 Or from diffidence of Gods protection All which rootes are of so hatefull a nature to God that he cannot chuse but cast his curse on so foule a sin flowing from them Quest How many wayes may help be afforded to the Lord in his Church Answ Help to be yeelded to the Church is either Spirituall or Temporall Spirituall are Preces lacrymae Prayers and Teares 1. Repentance Lacrymae Teares for sinne The worst enemies of the Church are her Sins Their Sins strengthen their enemies and weaken their friends Dan. 8.12 An Host was given the grand enemy of the Church to cast the truth to the ground and why because of transgression And he practised and prospered See Transgression makes Errour to prevaile against Truth So Isa 59.1 2. Sin weakens Gods hand as it were who is our best friend Hence Psa 78.58 61 c. for the superstition and prophanenes of his people Gods strength is said to be delivered into captivitie and his glory into the enemies hand They then in the first place doe the Church great assistance that help to take a course with Sinne that drowne sinne in the Sea of penitent teares that kill it by mortification For were it not for sinne one would chase a thousand Deut. 32.30 2. Preces Supplication to set God on work God can overcome if he would but stirre but he will not stirre for us unlesse he be set on work by us We must overcome God by our prayers and then we shall overcome by Him Gen. 32. When Esau was comming with an Army against Iacob Iacob staies behinde as is conceived to wrastle with God in prayer and thereby he prevayled with God and so with men See Gen. 32.24 28. Hos 12.4 5. When Israel was fighting with Amalck Moses did so help by holding up his hands that victory depended more on that then on Ioshua's Valour So those that can Pray well are as the Horsemen of Israel and the chariots thereof and help the Lord against the Mighty There is also Temporall help which is either 1. in the purse by gift or loane to support the oppressed or to maintaine the warre For which God will give you opportunity shortly for Ireland Or 2. It may be in person when men are called as Barac Yea Deborah would goe rather then faile And the Princes and Tribes are praysed that offered themselves willingly All may help some of these wayes and some may help in all of them The Cases where in God hath need of help are either of an higher nature as in open murthering warres or of inferiour alloy as when the Christian and Antichristian party are striving in our land like twins in the womb of Rebeccah who shall have the upper hand and advance the Cause they professe Vse 1. To informe us what a Curse this land in generall lieth under which to take off ought to be one speciall work of this day There 's a quarrell this day in Ireland between the limbes of Antichrist and the Lord Iesus in his truth and members And the Lords enemies are mighty if not in their particulars yet in their multitude Insomuch that the Lords flock is driven away and the Lord hath been as I may say put to the worse And have we help'd the
Irelands Advocate OR A SERMON PREACHED AT A PUBLIKE FAST HELD BY Authoritie July the 27. in behalfe of bleeding IRELAND BY John Geree Pastour of Tewkesbury in GLOCESTER-SHIRE 2 Chron. 19.11 Deale couragiously and the Lord shall be with the good Published by Authoritie Printed at Dublin and re-printed at London for William Bladen 1642. TO THE HONOVRABLE Sir John Temple Knight MASTER OF THE ROWLES and One of His Majesties most Honourable Privie COUNCELL SIR THis pious Advocate of ours like the good Samaritan at a dead lift stirred up by God to be so charitable doe I with the more humble boldnesse thus send abroad in your Honours Name that in so great a worke it may help to further Him who to my knowledge much honours it both in Your own Person and honoured good friends in England His own Worth makes him most welcome where ever he is knowne his sweet disposition and great gifts Here where he is a Stranger Your Honours Countenance will ingratiate him to all pious mindes and every where much advantage the Cause that he hath in hand Which I recommend to Gods Blessing together with Your Honours Zeal Praying for more Blessings thereon than to Your Honours many wayes much bounden Servant Joh. Harding Irelands Advocate OR A Sermon preached at a Fast held by Authority July 27. in behalf of bleeding Ireland IUDGES 5.23 Curse ye Meroz said the Angel of the Lord curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty THe speciall Occasion of this dayes solemne Assembly is for the People and Cause of God in Ireland Great Might is there raysed against Gods people and so against the Lord. They sue for help to Our dread Soveraign and Parliament Help is spirituall or temporall This latter is restrained to fewer the former belongs to All. Both have their seasons On this day we are assembled by the gracious Command of Authoritie to yeeld our Brethren spirituall help which that we may be earnest and hearty in what can be more moveing then this censure of the Holy Ghost against all that desert God and his Church in the times of grand Opposition Curse ye Meroz c. These words are part of Deborahs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Song of triumph for their victory over Sisera Wherein 1 Chief Glory is ascribed to God as the Author of all the good which they received which is amplified by the greatnes of their miseries before deliverance vers 2.8 2 Due thanks and praise is given to the instruments of this deliverance which is illustrated by their freenes they were all Voluntiers vers 9. c. 3 There 's an expostulation with the Tribes who did not put their helping hands to this work There 's an Action of unkindnesse as it were commenc'd against them And yet because they were not without excuse by reason of distance of place there 's no severe censure denounc'd against them vers 15.16 17. 4 There 's more sharp dealing with Meroz a City it seemes neare who had opportunitie and wanted onely heart to the work so there was either coldnesse or falsenesse and therefore their burthen was heavie as you heare Curse ye i.e. pronounce misery and mischief upon her from God saith the Angel of the Lord that is Barac say some All that are indued with the Spirit of God say others Or what if we understand here the Angell of the Covenant the Redeemer of his Church who appeared to Joshua with a drawn sword as the Churches Deliverer and Avenger Josh 5.13 14 15. whom ever we understand in particular it imports thus much in the generall That this was no â—arnall Curse flowing from any carnall spirit of revenge but dictated by the Spirit of God And as it was not carnall so neither was it rash for it is reiterated and aggravated Curse ye bitterly Let her undergoe the bitterest censure without remorse But what 's the Reason of this so great severitie Were the Merozites persecutors or abettors of the malignant partie No there 's no such intimation But they were not helpfull They went not forth they would be at no cost paines or danger to help the Lord. Why hath the Lord need of help or was the warre against him Answ The warre in as much as it was against the Lords people was against the Lord. And God as in an ordinary way he works by meanes may be sayd to need help that is fit instruments to serve his Providence to effect his pleasure His Church needs help and that is the Lords need And here againe is a rhetoricall repetition or musicall expolition to the help of the Lord against the mighty The Greatnes of the enemies that made help needfull its likely discouraged these faithlesse cowardly Merozites that they pul'd in their hornes as many now adayes doe being afraid to shew themselves in the Lords Causes against the mightie So then here you see 1. A Curse denounc'd 2. The injoyner of it which shewes the Purity and Validity of it The Angel of the Lord. 3. The iteration of it with aggravation Curse ye bitterly shewing the seriousnes and certainty of it 4. The Object Meroz and her inhabitants Vrbs Civitas as though Meroz should be made like Iericho desolated in regard of building and inhabitants unlesse we understand a Metonymie in the first 5. The Cause for not helping the Lord against the mighty I will not now insist upon all the points that this Text holds forth I will not stand to inlarge my self on this That the Churches enemies and battles and needs are the Lords Nor will I stay to show you that the enemies of God and his Church are many times mighty Though points neither unusefull nor impertinent would the time permit the handling of them But being it is now the latter end of the day I shall studie rather to be lively than long and therefore content my self with this one observation Not to yeeld aid to the Lord against the enemies of the Church is a most accursed Sin Doct. This omission exposeth to the severest judgements Iudg. 8.6 7. When Gideon had discomfited the Midianites and was in the pursuite of his victory he and his men waxed faint and he required help from the men of Succoth but they rejected him wherefore they were first threatned and after felt a most fearefull punishment being torne with thornes and bryars of the wildernesse vers 16. to teach them more to respect the Lord in his battles Into the same sin ranne the men of Penuel vers 8.9 And they received answerable misery vers 17. Iudges 20. When such folly was committed on the Levites Concubine and the Tribes were asse nbled to put away sinne from Israel by punishing the sinners which was to be done by Warre because the Benjamites would take upon them the protection of their brethren children of Beliall vers 12.13 14. The children of Israel then vowed a