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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89577	A sacred panegyrick, or A sermon of thanks-giving, preached to the two Houses of Parliament, His Excellency the Earl of Essex, the Lord Major, court of alderman, and common councell of the city of London, the reverend Assembly of Divines, and commissioners from the Church of Scotland. Vpon occasion of their solemn feasting, to testifie their thankfullnes to God, and union and concord one with another, after so many designes to divide them, and thereby ruine the Kingdome, Ianuary 18. 1643. By Stephen Marshall, B.D. minister of Gods Word at Finching-field in Essex. Published by order of the Lords and Commons.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1644 (1644)	Wing M772; Thomason E30_2; ESTC R9118	32,433	40

David and his adherents in the defence of his innocent righteous Cause were oftentimes brought very low to a dead low ebbe yet in the end God brought all about againe and Davids party grew stronger and stronger and their malignant Enemies grew weaker and weaker You will find also in this Chapter That such as did adhere to David in his low condition when the Lord had tryed and humbled them all found to their comfort in the end that they were no losers by it They afterwards being made his Worthies his Counsellors and Princes And this That in the end God open'd the eyes of many of those who were most malignant and opposite not only to see the righteousnesse of Davids Cause but their hearts came cordially to joyne with him And this also that among all the Nobles Princes Rulers and Leaders the more godly the more wise the more cordiall any were to Davids Cause the greater power they had and the more their brethren were at their command This also you will find that no cost danger pains or difficulties were ever stuck at by them whose hearts were rightly affected to Davids Cause And this also you may observe That God gave to Davids helpers such courage and strength that oftentimes ten of them could chase a thousand an hundred put ten thousand to flight These many more such things as these which would be very profitable for our meditation in these our distressed times you may find in reading this Chapter but I am resolved to confine my selfe to two Observations the one shall be from that which was the matter of their joy at this time the other from the manner of expressing their joy The matter of their joy you have in these words that they were of one heart and one mind to set David to be their King The manner of expressing their joy was this they were eating and drinking and feasting at the cost of all the Tribes in whose precincts their meeting was Those of Zebulon and Napthali and Issachar did in abundance expend their Oxen and Sheepe and Wine and Oile and all the delicates to refresh their Brethren for the Army was I thinke no lesse then two or three hundred thousand of them who upon this occasion were come together from these two I shall endeavour to handle these two Lessons The first is That it is the greatest matter and cause of joy that can bee to any People to find a concurrence of Nobles and Commons and Souldiers and Citizens and Divines to set up David for their King such an union and concurrence is a matter of the greatest joy in all the World Secondly That this joy springing from such a concurrence to set up David to bee their King may very lawfully and comely be express'd in feasting eating and drinking I begin with the first of these That it is a matter of the greatest joy in all the World that can bee to any people to finde such a concurrence as there was in this Chapter to set up David to be their King Where first we must inquire what is here intended by setting up David to bee their King Know therfore beloved that David is to be considered two wayes he stands in a two-fold relation even in this his Coronation The first is Typicall the second is Politicall Typicall and so David is Christ Politicall and so David is intended by God to be the pattern of a good King the patterne and the Copy that all true Kings should write after and both these are so plaine I dare say I might give you twenty severall places of Scripture for proof of both the branches First David was a type of Christ Christ is ordinarily called David you will not find any one person who was a type of Christ by whose name Christ is expresly called in his kingly office but only David I will give them David their King upon the throne of David he shall sit so David in the typicall relation is Christ Then in the politicall relation the Lord in tended him the patterne of a good King and therefore you shall finde that all the Kings that for foure or five hundred yeares did succeed in Israel and Judah when the Lord came to give any one their testimony who they were how neare they came to the Standard this is the rule by which hee judged of them Such an one walked in the way of David such an one did that which was right in Gods sight as David such an one did well but not with such a heart as David such an one walked not in the wayes of David such an ones heart was not like unto Davids so that David was in all intended by God to be the patterne o● a good King Now this first Lesson thus opened I must therefore divide into two branches the first is That there can be no greater matter of joy and rejoicing to any people in the world then to finde a concurrence of heart in the Nobles and Princes and Souldiers and Ministers and the heads of their Tribes to set up the Lord Jesus Christ to bee the King of the Church among them that shall bee the first The second is this That there can be no greater ioy to a nation for aniething that concernes this present life then to finde concurrence of hearts in these Nobles and those that are named in the chapter to set up a David that it to have the Prince that should rule over them like into David In these two things God willing I shall spend the most of this time the other part of the Text I shall only point at For the first That to finde such a concurrence to set up the Lord Christ to be King is a matter of the greatest joy and rejoicing in the world You may see it first in the 〈◊〉 Secondly in Gods promise Thirdly in the Church●s performance First you shall see it in the Type in David bringing up the Arke 2 Sam. 6. 12 first he called all his Parliament together and the Convocation of the Ministers also and there they consulted to goe and bring up the Arke of God from Kiriath-jearim which Arke of God was a Type of the Lord Jesus Christ they all agree to bring it up to set it in his owne place in a better state then formerly it had been for the glory of it and the welfare of the Church Now when they concurred in this action you shall finde that David and all the house of Israel plaied before the Lord on all manner of instrument on Harps and Psalteries on Timbrels and on Cornets and on Cimbals with shouting and sound of Trumpets and the King himselfe being cloathed with a linne Ephod danced with all his might and gloried in his dancing though we know Michal his wife despiled him for it as if he had played the foole and all this because they so well agreed in bringing

the worke that they would build though they built with the sword in one hand and a Trewell in the other and though they wrought both night and day and that some slept whilst others waked and on they would goe the Rulers and Heads being the forwardest of all when the enemie saw that the Text saith they were extreamly cast downe because they saw the worke was wrought by the hand of God So that enemies faile in their spirits when they see without changing the Nobles and Leaders are resoluedly set to carie on this worke That Christ shall be set vp for Lord and King And thus Beloved I have cleared the first Branch of this observation That the greatest joy that can be to any people is to see such a concurrence of heart to have the Lord Christ set vp for Lord King For the Application of it I shall insist only vpon two things First what infinite cause have all wee that are here gathered together to blesse the Lord for this day for this very day and all these dayes wherein we now live I confesse Beloved I discerne there are very many with whom you shall never talke but they are complaining of the miserablenesse of our dayes oh the times are miserable what glorious times had we three or four yeares or five or seaven yeares agoe for then they had trading plenty and ease and every one could sit vnder his owne vine and his figge tree no adversary nor evill occurrent and now they heare of nothing but warres and blood and exhausting of treasure and losse of their children and kinred and plundering their goods every where so that there is nothing but complaining amongst a world of people as if our dayes were most miserable Now Beloved give me leave to speake my thoughts freely I will set aside my Text and the matter I am in hand with and yet I will cofidently affirme that our dayes now are better then they were seaven yeares agoe Because it is better to see the Lord executing Judgment then to see men working wickednesse and to behold a people lye wallowing in their blood rather then apostating from God and embracing of Idolatry and superstition and banishing of the Lord Christ from amongst them Set the worke of this Text aside and the dayes are not so miserable now as they were then but take this in which I am handling and I will here in the wisest and greatest Auditory that any man in this Age hath preached unto not feare to say that since England was England since any Booke was written concerning England never was their that cause of joy and rejoyceing as there is this very day in England Was there ever a Parliament in England knowne which laid the cause of Christ and Religion so to heart as this Parliament hath done Did ever any Parliament till now with David sware as in the 132. Psalm That they will never give rest to their eyes nor slumber to their eye-lids till they have found out a place to set the Ark of Christ upon to set up Christ for their King Did ever Parliament call such an Assembly of Divines and make them by solemne Vow or Oath ingage themselves to present nothing to them but what should be to their best understanding the very will of the Lord God was there ever Parliament and Nobilitie and Ministers and Citizens and so many ten thousands of all sorts in England till now who did joyne in such a Covenant yea the two Nations together that they will to their uttermost indeavour the Reformation of Religion in the purity of it and preservation of it according to Gods Word Did ever when heretofore England hath been engaged in warre and blood the City of London the rest of the Tribes the Godly Party throughout England so willingly exhaust themselves only that Christ might be set up and willingly saying every day to the Lord God Lord take all so Christ may be but King Did ever any of you reade it to be thus with England till now My heart is towards the Governours of England which thus willingly offer themselves and I cannot but tell you that I think you should all doe as David and the Nobles did when they fetched up the Ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim And I the father instance in it because their case and ours were very like for there the Ark had been in Captivity amongst the Philistines and when it was brought out of Captivity and placed at Kiriath-Jearim ●it was but in Confinio Philisti●●●um neere the border of the Philistines whither when Gods people went to worship they went in danger they were sub●ect to the incursions of the Philistines and therefore it is said all Is●●el mourned after the Lord that is They could never goe to Worship but they went in fear of some mischief but now when David and the Nobles joyne together to bring up the Ark of God and to set it in a fit place for the glory of it they all danced and skipped for joy and King David the most joyfull Dauncer among them Though Michal scoffed at him and if this be to be vile saith hee I will be more vile then thus I will daunce againe before the Lord Thus should we doe When Jehoiada the high Priest on a suddaine brought out young King Joash when the people thought they should have alwayes laine under the Tyranny of Athalyah and never seen a Prince more of Davids race when such an unexpected favour was bestowed upon them how did they shout and joy Thus should our souls doe Honourable and Beloved had you ever more cause of joy Verily if there be any in this Assembly that thinks not this a sufficient retribution and satisfaction for all his Twentieth Part for all his Contributions for all his Payments and Hazards if he think himself not well appayed to see the Lord doing all this I say he is blinde I say his heart is not right with God hee hath no share in this present businesse But to the rest of you who know the glory and excellency of this worke which the Lord God is doing amongst us I beseech you rejoyce in it and goe your ways and eat the fat and drink the sweet praise the Lord for all the good he is doing to this our Israel and now that the walls are setting up doe as they did in Nehemiahs dayes when they had built them they shouted and rejoyced so that the noyse was heard I know not how many miles off so let all England Cry that our blood our Armies our Poverty our Millions wherein wee are ingaged are all abundantly repayed in this That there is such a Concurrence to set up the Lord Christ upon his Throne to be Lord and King over this our Israel And then Secondly Let me exhort you all to goe on in this Work which you have set your hearts and hands unto And wherein the Lord hath mercifully Carried you on thus farre and let

me be bold first to speak to you Right Honourable the Lords and Commons of the Parliament of England wee have infinite cause all of us every day to blesse God for your unwearied labours that thus you stick to it night and day and are not discouraged But goe on still I beseech you make England a happy Nation and though many have disserted you be not dismayed I tell you their names shall be written in the Dust when yours shall be written in letters of Gold and the Generations to come shall say That these Glorious walls of Hierusalem were built in a troublesome time these foundations of Gods house were laid and the building reared up in times of Calamity but blessed be God for such Lords for such Commons which would not be taken off Carry on the work still leave not a ragge that belongs to Popery lay not a bit of the Lords building with any thing that belongs to Antichrist or Antichrists stuffe but away with all of it root and branch head and tayle throw it out of the Kingdome and resolve not to leave till you can say Now Christ is set upon his Throne and England is subdued to him and the Good Lord carry you on to doe so And you my Righ Honourable and Excellent Lord and the rest of the Noble Commanders that are ingaged in this service let me speak a word unto you I acknowledge what cause England hath to blesse God I hope your hearts beleeve how deere your labours are unto all that love God and your unwearied paines which you take how they are presented at Gods throne every day goe you on Noble and Resolute Commanders goe on and fight the Battells of the Lord Jesus Christ for so I will not now fear to call them for although indeed at the first the enemy did so disguise their enterprises that nothing cleerly appeared but only that you were compelled to take up Armes for the defence of your Liberties and to bring Rebells and Traytors to condigne punnishment but now they have ingaged all the Antichristian world so farre that all Christendome except the Malignants in England doe now see that the question in England is whether Christ or Antichrist shall be Lord or King all in the world I say again except our Malignants see it the Protestants owning the one and the Papists and Popish-affected the other as their cause Goe on therefore couragiously never can you lay out your blood in such a quarrell Christ shed all his blood to save you from hell venture all yours to set vp him vpon his throne that you may be made happy under him that you may preserve your Liberties and Lawes and preserve us out of the hands of them who would destroy all And you likewise Reverend Fathers and Bretheren you the Assembly of Divines and the Reverend and honourable Commissioners of the Church of Scotland joyned with them for the effecting of this worke goe you on I beseech you wait upon God humble your selues for former pollutions endeavour to see the patterne of the Lords house that you may hold out the true discription of the Lambs wife that England may be in love with it that you may have in due time the glory and praise of being Masierbuilders in this great worke of God And thou Right Honourable and welbeloved City of London of whom I utterly want words when I would speake goe on and be a patterne to all the Cities in the world as thou art this day in expending all for thy Glorious King the Lord Christ whom thou hast thus farre owned and whom thou lovest the Lord hath given thee great weatlh and estate grudge not still to lay it out in his cause if he had tooke it an other way thou wouldest have been contented if fire had burnt it if pestilence had wasted thy inhabitants if famine or plunder or any thing thou wouldest have been contented but now though there goe pound after pound and thousand after thousand and Regiment after Regiment when it is for the Lord Christ and purity of Religion which the enemy would deprive thee of together with thy civill Liberties never could it goe so honourably so nobly for his glory and thy owne comfort Goe on therefore I beseech you all and cary on the worke and for your incouragement remember and observe how the Lord your God goeth before you observe him in all his goings how he watcheth over you every day no weapon can prosper that is forged against you no tongue ariseth up in Judgment against you but the Lord condemnes it every one that pleads against you the Lord pleads against him though you loose many of your Noblest and wisest men the Lord supplies all to you if you had all the Intelligence in the world I know not how you should have things discovered to you so as the Lord hath discovered them so that if you have Raine one day you have sun-shine another and sometimes both of them mingled together And although as yet this day of our visitation is like that day in Zacharie Neither darke nor light but between them both in the evening you shall have light abundantly attend therefore upon the worke and resolve the Lord assisting you never to give over till you have set up David to be your King that is Christ upon his Throne and for your helpe in it I will commend to you certaine quallifications which you shall finde in this very Chapter amongst them that came thus to set up David to be King I shall name you six or seaven of them but I will insist only upon one of them 1. Look into the Chapter and you shall finde that they were many of them wisemen that knew the times and what belonged to every one of their dueties labour for that you have a Promise That God will grant wisedome to those that seek it Secoondly They were skillfull men every one of them able to doe that which belonged to his place Doe not you undertake any thing but what God hath fitted you for Thirdly They were Couragious men their faces were like Lyons they abhorred any danger when it was in Davids cause labour for such a spirit say as Nehemiah did should such a man as I flie no not to save my life flie when I am ingaged for Christ Fourthly They had a Spirit of Love infinite love to David and his Cause you shall finde when some of those that David most suspected came unto him when hee was at a very low ebbe he asked them whether they came friendly and heartily they answered presently thine we are David Peace be unto thee c. So say thine we are Lord Christ thine we are peace be to thy Cause oh come with Love that is the greatest means of all it is the band of Perfection and the only way to build up the Church of Christ I will saith Paul shew you a more

excellent way and that is Love a more excellent way then coming wth interpretation of Tongues a more excellent way then Prophecying the most excellent of all others they came with infinite readinesse of spirit so ready that no man should need to call goe ye and goe ye but let us goe every one striving which should be first Another which indeed was a great one was singlenesse of heart sincerity no man driving any work or designe of his own verily the doing of that the looking of self-ends hath been the way of them who have built up Anti-christs Kingdome but an abhorred thing among them that build up Christs Kingdome they desire no other reward but only to see Christ on his throne set up that and you give them Peace enough Gold enough Honour enough you give them enough of all so the worke may be done for which they are imployed all these are in that Chapter But the greatest of all is that which I would more fully speak of and commend unto you even the Concord and unitie of heart and unitie of minde of Spirit free from devisions and dissentions among themselves so my Text saith All these came with one heart and one minde and again all of them with one perfect heart to set up David to be their King This I would commend to you as the greatest means of all the rest beloved there is innumerable arguments for the perswading of you to it it is the work of this day you are this day met together to praise God for it and therefore it will be very seasonable for me to commend it to you 1. This vnity of heart and concurrence of spirit to this worke is the beautifullest thing in all the world behould how comely a thing it is for bretheren to dwell together in vnity nothing more beautifull then vnity and concord in a good worke All that write of beauty say that Symotry is the best part of it to have a sweet joyning of spirits and hearts together to set vp Christs Kingdome is the loveliest thing in the world 2ly It is vtile aswell as jucundum strong aswell as lovely it is the greatest meanes of safety in all the World to have vnion and concord among them that are engaged in Christs cause an Arch is the strongest building and a circle the strongest Figure because in both each part supports and strengthens one another in truth it is the greatest meanes of safety to any weake people It is well observed by one that a few despised Jewes when they are but of one heart and one minde resolved every man to stand close to other for their lives they have strength enough against their enemies of 127 Provinces that they dare not stir against them yea it strikes terror into their enemies when they see how resolutely and boldly they will stand out in it so when the Lords people they that own Christs Cause are as Solomon saith the Church of Christ is terrible like an army with Banners with their Banners displaied and well ordered there is no strength of enemies able to stand before them and it is observed of France that if it do not combat it self all the world cannot conquer it and Tacitus observed it long since that the Romans had never conquered England if their petty Princes had not been divided among themselves and some Historians shew how that all the times when England was conquered by the Romans Saxons Normans it was alwayes caused by the divisions that were among themselves O therefore I beseech you since this unity and concord is such a strength labour to be all of one heart and all of one mind in this Work And there are three things before your eyes which may extremely whet up your spirits to it the one is the practice of your adversaries do but mark what combinations they make The Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmalites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalech the Philistims and they that dwell at Tyre Ashur joyned with them and the children of Lot all of them in one Look upon them in Ireland in England you shall see them bound by Oaths by Covenants you shall see them sending into France offering offensive and defensive leagues to Antichristian people so they will but joyne to come and help to ruine us shall there be this care among them to destroy us and shall not we be united Secondly you see and this dayes work sets it before your eyes what infinite indeavours they use to oppose all our union if the City and Parliament be united if the two Houses be united if England and Scotland be united what extreme indeavours are used what stone is not rolled what sort of men is not attempted what Profession soever they be of be they Jesuites be they Friers be they Priests be they Professors be they such as they call Puritanes they try them all to see if they can but divide the City from Parliament the Houses one from another the English from the Scots what would they not buy it at Hoc Illiacus velit magno mercentur Atridae millions of gold would they give to effect it Thirdly consider their greatest hope and our greatest danger is in our divisions A Diamond they say is easily cut with its owne dust and a House is then most like to fall when all the joynts of it begin to part one from another unity and concord among brethren are well compared to the bars of a Castle not easily broken and while they remain firme give safety and security but when they are once broken they will hardly be made whole they are also fitly compared to a Cable roap which will not easily break but if once cut asunder its hard to tye a knot upon it again I beseech you therefore you honourable Lords and Nobles and Commons you Reverend Divines you Valiant Souldiers you worthy Citizens I know you cannot in all things be all of one minde but in what you can be all of one heart though you cannot in all things be of one minde let confusion and division belong to them that build Babel let there be no noise heard at the rearing of the Lords Temple Next to the guilt of our sinnes I feare nothing so much as our divisions but could we first be reconciled to our God by faith in the blood of Christ and be firmely united together and set all our shoulders as one man to this work our enemies designes would all faile and the work of God would prosper in our hands I will conclude this first Branch with that Councell of the Apostle Phil. 2. 1. If there be therefore any Consolations in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels mercies fulfill my ioy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord and of one mind And with that 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now

their own too then that we should have a Prince like unto David that is Iust ruling in the feare of the Lord to be like the morning light and the morning without clouds when the sun ariseth I suppose none of these men are here present and I love not to speak much of absent men but onely tell you what cause we have as to curse them so to blesse the Lord God who hitherto hath delivered us out of their hands and let the Lord the righteous Lord be iudge between us and them The other use of it is to you Honourable Reverend and beloved who next unto the setting up of Christ have hitherto indeavored by your Petitions your Remonstrances your Supplications and by all means possible so rescue our Soveraign out of their hands that not only there might be a right understanding betwixt us and Him but that He might in truth raign over us as David and His Throne made like unto Davids I humbly pray you go on in these indeavours that if the Lord see it good it may be so if He will have it otherwise we shall have the more comfort what ever betides us in the unfeignednesse of our desires and indeavours after it If you demand what hope is there of it or what further means may we use for the attaining of it I shall speak only as a Divine in commending these three things The first is Be all of you humbled before God for your own sins and for all the sins that England lies guilty of for though we are ready enough to impute it to such and such that are about Him or it may be to some Principles of His own believe it Beloved what Salomon saies of the change of Princes For the iniquity of a Land many are the Princes of it so for the iniquity of the Land it is thus with us this day and that is in truth the greatest cause of it the Lord could blow all this over presently and certainly would if hee were but reconciled to England David did one Act which cost a matter of three score and ten thousand mens lives in a few dayes a vain-glorious act in numbring the people but if you mark the Text it saith That Israel had provoked God to wrath and then God let Satan loose upon David to move him to that vile act and the Lord did but take that as an occasion and so when the Lord had an intent to destroy the men of Shichem who had set up Abimelech to be their King is said The Lord sent an evill spirit between Abimelech and them that they might devoure and tear one another Why was it even for the wickednesse that the people as well as their King had been guilty of so then if ever you would have your Prince restored as a David to be a blessing to you labour all to be humbled every one for the iniquity of his own heart and life and for all the prodigious wickednesses that this Kingdome stands guiltie of Secondly Commend him to the Lords working upon his heart by your daily prayers The Kings heart saith Salomon is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water hee turns it which way he pleaseth meaning plainly there is no way in the world to alter the spirit of a Prince but only by the work of God and God can do it in a moment Esau came against his Brother with four hundred armed men full of deadly rage resolving to destroy him Iacob spent a night in prayer on a sudden God turned Esau's heart that hee fell upon his brothers neck and kissed him as if hee had been the dearest brother in the world to him And had the King forty thousand of the bravest souldiers under heaven were all our Armies dissolved were our Gates opened were they marching in with a resolution to plunder our Cities to ravish our wives and make our City flow with blood if the Lord did but speak the word their hearts would be turned presently therefore do as Nehemiah did when hee was to deal with a King that was of a nature rugged enough when he was to goe to him he first made his prayer to God and the Lord turned the heart of the King toward him do as the good people did in the Psalme beg of God that the King might heare Save Lord Let the King heare us when we call commend it to the Lord and the Lord can bring it about easily Thirdly especially you that are in great place that are the Lords and Commons our Senators if ever you would have it well you must do your utmost to remove all the wicked from his Throne and in stead of them you must indeavour to have men of wisdome and godlinesse placed about him this must be done if you will hope for a blessing in Gods way Take away saith Salomon the drosse from the silver then there shall come forth a vessell for the refiner a choyce vessel fit for an honourable use but otherwise let him make up a vessell of drosse and silver together who will regard it So saith he Take away the wicked from the King and his Throne is established in righteousnesse And certainly if wicked men be pests and plagues in what part of the Land soever they are found they are much more so when they are found in the Courts of Princes Labour therefore to remove them and to set others in their room Salomon saith excellently in that place of the Proverbs For the iniquity of the Land many are the Princes of it then it followes But by a man of understanding and knowledge the State thereof shall be prolonged I think he means it not only of a wise Prince but he means this that as the wicked men corrupts their Princes drawes them to dissolutenesse tyranny c. and so to ruine them and the Land So grave and good Counsellors prudent men about him are great means to prolong the tranquillity of it I could shew you by examples how not only wise and good Princes wise and good States-men but even women as some of them have been the ruine of many Princes so by the seasonable advice of women Princes and Cities have been preserved you know the wise advice of Abigail kept David from shedding innocent blood And there was a poor woman in the City of Abel who by speaking to Ioab delivered all the City and Solomon tels you in the ninth of Ecclesiastes of a poor wise good man who delivered a small City when a great King came against it with a great Army I beseech you therefore let it be in your indeavours to get such about him I hope you imagine not that I would have such set about Him for their own preferments or gain no no the man that aims at such things will never be good for any thing hee who once sets up Mammon to be his God is not fit to serve either God or

A Sacred Panegyrick OR A SERMON OF THANKS-GIVING Preached to the two Houses of Parliament His Excellency the Earl of Essex the Lord Major Court of Aldermen and Common Councell o● the City of LONDON the Reverend Assembly of Divines and Commissioners from the Church of Scotland Vpon occasion of their Solemn Feasting to testifie their thankfullnes to God and union and concord one with another after so many Designes to divide them and thereby ruine the Kingdome Ianuary 18. 1643. By Stephen Marshall B. D. Minister of Gods Word at Finching-field in Essex Published by Order of the Lords and Commons PSALME 133. 1. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity Psalme 144. 15 Happy is that People that is in such a case Yea happy is that People whose God is the Lord London Printed for Stephen Bowtell and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Bible in Popes-head-alley 1644. TO THE ●●IGHT HONOVRABLE he Lords and Commons Assembled ●n Parliament His Excellency the Earle of Essex with the rest of the Noble and Worthy Commanders The Right Honourable the Lord Major the Court of Aldermen and Common Councell of the City of London The Reverend Assembly of Divines The Honourable and Reverend Commissioners from the Church of SCOTLAND THis worke was too high for me but as it s now done by so weake an hand is too low for so many judicious eyes with any favourable respect to look down to But 〈◊〉 own Children though lesse beautifull we can behold with ●●ve and even stoope to take them by the hand that wee may hold and lead them that cannot goe or stand by themselves ●●ch a weakling is this that is now before you the defects ●●d weaknesses whereof I acknowledge are mine but the ●●rth is Gods and yours to him I humbly present it for 〈◊〉 blessing and to you for your acceptance and helpe that may better goe abroad whilst all shall know that it is ●●rs more then mine and therefore to bee disposed of rather by you then by my selfe By your Command for so I interpret all your requests to me it was Preached and is now Published and this with the more boldnesse because with some confidence that it will passe the better without others censure because it hath already passed your scrutiny with allowance and acceptance But whatever the lot of it in that kind shall be it will be abundant satisfaction to me if the main end be attained by it which by you and me was intended in it viz the help of our selves and all the more to adore the infinite wisdome and power and goodnesse of our God who can make light to shine out of darknesse discords intended by enemies to make up our more harmonious consent and divisions of tongues that scatter the builders of Babel to help up the more compact building of his Church Hee once turned the day of his peoples griefes and feares to the quite contrary so that they had then joy and gladnesse a Feast and a good day insomuch that many of the people of the Land became Jewes for the feare of the Iewes fell upon them Now hee that hath wrought for us the like turne of things be pleased in mercy to worke a greater turne in all our Enemies hearts that so now and ever our Lord Iesus may appeare to be the wonderfull Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father whilst thus the Prince of his Peoples Peace So prayeth His and Your most Unworthy Servant STEPHEN MARSHALL THE PREFACE to the Sermon RIght Honourable and Beloved in the Lord this day is a day purposely set apart for feasting and it is like one of the Lords feasts where you have a feast and a holy Convocation And you are first met here to feast your soules with the fat things of Gods house with a feast of fat things full of marrow and wine on the lees well refined and afterward to feast your bodies with the fat things of the land and the sea both plenty and dainty But if you please you may first feast your eyes doe but behold the face of this Assembly I dare say it will be one of the excellentest feasts that ever your eyes were refreshed with Here in this Assembly you may first see the two Houses of Parliament the Honourable Lords and Commons after thus many yeares wrastling with extreme difficulties in their endevouring to preserve an undone Kingdome and to purge and reforme a back-sliding and a polluted Church you may behold them still not only preserved from so many treacherous designes secret treasons and open violences but as resolved as ever cheerfully to goe on with this great worke which God hath put into their hands Here you may also see his Excellency my most honoured Lord the Generall of all our forces by land and neare him that other noble Lord the Commander of our forces by Sea and with them abundance of noble and resolute Commanders al of them with their faces like unto Lions who after so many terrible battells and abundance of difficulties and charging in the face of so many thousand deaths are all of them still preserved and not a haire of their heads fallen to the ground Here also you may behold the Representative body of the City of London the Lord Mayor the Court of Aldermen the Common Councell the Militia and in them the face and affection of this glorious City This City which under God hath hitherto had the honour of being the greatest meanes of the salvation of the whole kingdome and after the expence of millions of treasure and thousands of their lives still as faithfull and resolute to live and die in the cause of God as ever heretofore Here you may likewise see a Reverend Assembly of grave and learned Divines who daily wait upon the Angel in the Mount to receive from him the lively Oracles and the patterne of Gods house to present unto you All these are of our owne Nation and with them you may see the Honourable reverend and learned Commissioners of the Church of Scotland and in them behold the wisdome and affection of their whole Church and Nation willing to live and dye with us All these you may behold in one view and which is more you may behold them all of one heart and one minde after so many plots and conspiracies to divide them one from another and thereby to ruine them all And which is yet more you may see them all met together this day on purpose both to praise God for this union and to rejoice in it and to hold it out to all the world and thereby to testifie that as one man they will live and dye together in this common cause of God of our Lord Iesus Christ his Church and these three Kingdomes O beloved how beautifull is the face of this Assembly Verily I may say of it as it was said of Solomons throne That