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A64233
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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem a visitation sermon. / preached at Gainsbrough, May 7th 1691 by Nathanael Taylor ...
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Taylor, Nathanael, d. 1702.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing T547; ESTC R33904
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20,217
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32
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the State See how St. Paul brands those who cause Divisions and deters us from them Now I beseech you Rom. 16.17 mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrin which ye have learned and avoid them For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own Bellies and by good Words and fair Speeches deceive them that are simple And the same Apostle tells us of some that withstood Moses and Gods Institution among the Jews as Jannes and Jambres 2 Tim. 3.5 to 9. and he parallels the Christian Schismaticks with them who having a shew of Godliness but not the power of it creep into houses and lead silly Women captive Lev. 10.2 We read also of some that usurped the Priests Office under the Law as Nadab and Abihu but their false Fire provoked God to burn them Nemb 16. and Korah doing the like the Earth opened and swallowed him up and Fire burnt his Companions Let this deter all from Schism and usurping of the Priests Office who are not called to it as God under the Law and Gospel appoints called by God Heb. 5.4 Exod. 28. and consecrated by Men in Authority to do it as Aaron was Yea Christ himself tho' endowed with a greater measure of the Spirit than any now can pretend to yet took not on him that Office without a Commission from his Father 1 Joh 3.1 2. as Nicodemus grants And as God sent him he sent his Apostles ordaining them to the Work of the Ministry 1 Joh. 20.21 and they ordained others 1 Tim. 5.22 and appointed Bishops over Churches and charged them to lay hands suddenly on no man and to ordain them whom they found fit for the Ministerial Office Titus 1.5 Let the black Mark St. Paul as is premised sixeth on the Schismatick deter from it and surely none can be fond of becoming their Proselytes whenas twice St. Paul stiles all such simple People and silly Persons Titles with which few are pleased And as the ill Consequences of Schism in the Church may incite us to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and oblige us to unite among our selves so surely the Danger and Fears of a Civil War in the Nation the usual Effect of Schism in the Church will enforce us to the Duty Methinks that dreadful Account of the Civil War between Caesar and Pompey Lucan l. 2. v. 102.3 Lucan gives us may affright us Stat cruor in Templis multaque rubentia caede Lubrica saxa madent nulli sua profuit aetas Non senis extremum pinguit urgentibus annis Praecipitasse diem ne primo in limine vitae Infantis miseri nascentia rumpere fata Infandum Domini per viscera ferrum Lucan lib. cit v. 145. Exegit famulus Gnati maduêre Parentis Sanguine certatum est cui cervix caesa parentis Cederet V. 180. Avulsae cecidere manus exsectaque lingua Palpitat muto vacuum ferit aere motu Hic aures alius spiramina naris aduncae Amputat c. But we need not go so far for sad Instances of the Effects of Civil Wars if we look back into our late Times might we not find our Church a Chaos and the Nation an Aceldama when Persons out of a pretended Zeal against Popery murdered their Lawful Soveraign and were imposed on by Popish Emissaries in their several Conventicles What Person was then so sacred What Place so secure but it was profaned and injured The Royal Diadem and Sacred Mitre trod under-foot and no tye of Religion or Nature hindred them from Sacrilege and Murder From which Wounds our Church and Nation yet retain Scars and the Original of all our late or present Fears may be thence dated Let then the fiery Zeal of those of the Roman Communion whose most cogent Arguments are Sword and Faggot make us abhor that Religion which the Christian World grows weary of and I hope will in short time throw off Let the Commotions in Germany the sad Catastrophe of our Royal Martyr and the dreadful Effects of those times disswade us from being imposed on by such Incendiaries and oblige us to pray for and to our utmost power endeavour the Peace of Jerusalem Because Lastly of the Motive in the Text They shall prosper that love thee Buxtorf Bithner â—ansenius Prosper where the original Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes from the Radix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which fignifies Tranquilli erunt faelices erunt they shall be happy both in Mind and Body all inward Contentment all outward Felicity shall be enjoyed by them that are at Unity with and uniform to our Jerusalem our Church of England which I am consident will be continued and preserved by God as long as he hath a Church upon Earth Let then all Dissenters from us I beseech them see the design of their and our Enemies of Rome whose grand Endeavour is to divide us and so destroy us by our selves and let it influence them to unite with us against a common Adversary Let them lay aside that unreasonable and unjust Prejudice against our Church of being Popishly affected by asking themselves seriously What Party of Dissenters did or dared to speak or write against Popery a few years since when they at the same time did apprehend it coming in like a Deluge Nay they rather then closed with and are now fond of a Liberty of Conscience whereby Popery is most probably to be promoted and the Dissenters imposed on in their own Meetings by Popish Emissaries It was as must be confess'd the Church of England Men alone who from their Pulpits and the Press as they had no Reason to be ashamed to own their Religion so were not afraid to defend it and have shewn that 't is our Church which is the greatest Bulwark against Popery by daring rather to suffer for it than betray it to arrive at the greatest Honours or keep the grandest Priviledges And would our dissenting Brethren but unite with us which they have just cause to do 't would free them from the Trouble and Distracting of halting between divers Opinions this would free the Nation and Church from Schism and Faction cause both to enjoy peace make us all happy at home and formidable abroad This would in a word prepare us for Gods Spirit and its Graces in the Church where all its Members were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2.1 of one mind when the Holy Ghost descended on them and would entitle both Church and State to Gods protection that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us And therefore with the words of my Text let Tongue and Heart of every one of us pray earnestly for and let all our Endeavours be to the promoting of the Peace of our Jerusalem and we need not doubt but the God of Mercies who ever took care of his Church amongst us will grant us the gracious Answer of the next words They shall prosper that love thee To which God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Three Persons and one God be ascribed of us and all the World all Praise and Thanksgiving now and evermore Amen FINIS
habere Deum deceat tamen habendum sciat And the Philosopher tells us how God is known by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist de Mundo c. 6. T. 1. p. 863. And as they acknowledged a God so they seldom mentioned his Name especially Jove's which may probably be a Contract of the Jews and our Jehovah without some Epithet declaring their Esteem of and Honour for him as Jupiter Optimus Maximus Immortalis c. And 't is probable they had some notion of a Christ and the Son of God becoming Man and perhaps this was the reason why about the time of our Saviour's Birth Sueton. Aug. Caesar c. 53. Bishop Taylor L. of Christ S. 4. p. 25. Platina f. 6. Euseb Hist l. 2. c. 2. Augustus Caesar in Honour to our Saviour Dominum se posthac appellari ne a Liberis quidem aut Nepotibus vel serio vel joco passus est However 't is certain Tiberius Caesar under whom our blessed Saviour suffered would have had our Christ reckoned among the Number of their Gods And as they had thus a Notion of God and Honour for him so they made it their first and chief Business to take care of his Worship Thus one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag. v. 1. Phocyl v. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nor was the Worship of God their chief Business but they were zealous and uniform in it Ovid. Metam l. 1. thus Ovid brings in Jupiter declaring it Signa dedi venisse Deum vulgus precari Coeperat And of Dencalion and Pyrrhus's Zeal Ovid tells us thus Vt Templi tetigere gradus procumbit uterque Lib. eodem Pronus humi gelidoque pavens dedit oscula saxo But it would be tedious to insist on their Devotion let one Instance serve for all to shew their Zeal for Religion Val. Maximus saith of the Heathen Rome Val. Max. l. 1. c. 1. n. 9. Omnia post Religionem ponenda semper nostra Civitas duxit etiam in quibus summae majestatis conspici decus voluit Surely then we Christians and Ministers of the best of Churches ought to esteem its Peace and our Religion more than our Lives and Fortunes A Religion far better than they poor Creatures could pretend to Their Heathen Idols even that at Delphos being silenced at our Saviour's Death as Plutarch himself grants Plutarch de Orac. defect Dr. Cave introduct to v. 1. L. Fath. p. 10. Dr. Heylin's Cosmog l. 2. Phocis and others witness which was a Demonstration that Christ came to put an end to their Idolatry and certainly if they were so zealous for their Idolatry it should excite our Zeal for Christianity and our Prayers and Endeavours for the promoting and continuing the Peace of our Jerusalem 2. Consider the fidelity of the Jews to their Temple and Religion Scripture abounds with Evidences of their strictness in their Services and Devotions and how hardly any of them closed with Christ when he came tho' their promised Messiah but in zeal to their Law and Church they cryed out Crucifie him crucifie him And as for the Honour the Jewish Nation had for their Temple at Jerusalem 't is recorded Philo Legat. ad Cajum cited by Bp. Usher in power of Princes obed of Subject p. 191 to 198. That when the Emperor Cajus after our Saviour's time would have had his Image set up in the Temple at Jerusalem with the Title he had assumed to himself of New Jupiter all the Old Men Young Men and Boys in one rank all the Old Women young Ones and Virgins in another offered themselves to be slain by the Emperor's Fury rather than they would suffer their Temple to be prosaned with Idolatry Euseb Hist l. 3. c. 5 6 7 8. Dr. Cave v. 2. L. F. L. St. Simeon p. 94 95. v. 1. L. F. L. St. Stephen p. 11. L. St. Cyril p. 352 353. Tho' afterwards this Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus Vespasian and scarce one stone left upon another according to our Saviour's Prediction Matth. 24. And when the Emperor Julian to prove Christ a false Prophet did encourage the Jews to rebuild it no sooner had they cleared the Rubbish and laid the Foundation but a terrible Earthquake shaked it down and all the Buildings about it and destroyed the Undertakers of it And when the next day others attempted it a great Fire broke out and forced them to give over as is attested by Writers Heathen as well as Christian By which the ever-blessed Jesus demonstrated his putting an end to the Jewish Oeconomy and his bringing the World to a purer Religion that of the Gospel Christianity And surely if the Jews were so zealous for and so faithful to their Religion which was so obscure and chargeable so burthensom and troublesom we should joyn all our Prayers and use all our Endeavours for the Peace of our Jerusalem and the Welfare of our Religion which sets us free from that Yoke of Bondage Gal. 5.1 Mat. 11.28 29. easeth us of those Burthens and makes our Service perfect Freedom Especially 3. If we consider the Zeal of the Primitive Christians who rather than they would comply with the Worship of false Gods or suffer their own Worship of the true God to be profaned were themselves sacrificed and rather chose to part with their Lives Dr. Heylin 's Cosmog in 4o. l. 3. p. 193 293. Leigh on Caesars p. 247. 9. than their Religion witness the Disciples and Apostles of the ever-blessed Jesus most of whom died Martyrs witness the Ten Primitive Persecutions in the last of which under Dioclesian 't is said 5000 Christians were martyred for every day of the year except the first of January on which they shed no Blood as St. Hierom writes Nor did our Religion lose by their Sufferings but was rather the more propagated occasioning that Christian Adage Sanguis Martyrum est semen Ecclesiae Let the like Zeal be in us our Faith is the same our Hopes and Encouragements of Support under and of Glory after Sufferings are as great as they had they were Flesh and Blood as well as we Let us not then fear to bear a Cross with Christ on Earth if call'd to it since we expect to wear a Crown with him in Heaven Death we must meet with and to suffer it for Christ's and our Religion's Cause will make that which is a Debt to Nature an Advantage to us our thus suffering here adding to our Crown of Glory hereafter 2 Cor. 4 1◠18. For assuredly if they who live to Christ shall be happy with Christ much more shall they be glorious who with the Noble Army of Martyrs die for Christ rather than they will disown or betray him 4. Let us be earnest and zealous in our Prayers and Endeavours for our Religion and the Peace of our Jerusalem from the sad Effects of Schism in the Church and Civil War its usual Product in