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A32826
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A sermon preached on the fast-day, November the xiiith, 1678 being appointed for fasting and prayer / by Benjamin Camfield ...
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Camfield, Benjamin, 1638-1693.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing C385; ESTC R1375
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24,011
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55
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by that very invocation The Lord then is He whom we are to direct our Prayers unto the Living God and not Dead Idols the Lord of all and not any of his Creatures not the best of them Saints or Angels As for Idols you may remember what Elijah said to Baal's Priests 1 King 18.24 Call ye on the Name of your Gods and I will call on the Name of the Lord. Verse 26. Accordingly they called on the Name of Baal we read from morning even until noon saying O Baal hear or answer us But there was no voice neither any that answered And Elijah mocks them upon it Verse 20. Cry aloud for he is a God he is talking or meditateth that is in a deep study or be is pursuing or he is in a journey or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked Their Idols Psal 115. saith the Psalmist of the Heathen are Silver and Gold the work of mens bands They have mouths Psal 135. but they speak not eyes have they but they see not ears but they hear not c. They that make them are like unto them so is every one that trusteth in them O Israel trust thou in the Lord He is their Help and their Shield c. q. d. Aid and Defence is to be had from Him and from him only We must renounce all Confidence and Dependence upon any other thing whatsoever Psal 20.7 8. Some trust in Chariots and some in Horses but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God They are brought down and fallen but we are risen and stand upright Prov. 18.10 The Name of the Lord is a strong-Tower the Righteous runneth into it and is safe God is offended when we seek other Refuges Hos 7.10 11. The Pride of Israel saith the Prophet testifieth to his Face and they do not return to the Lord their God nor seek Him for all this Ephraim also is like a silly Dove without heart They call to Egypt They go to Assyria c. Jer. 17.5 6 7 8. Thus saith the the Lord Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the Heath in the Desert c. Blessed be the man who trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is For he shall be as a Tree planted by the Waters c. It is the Character of the Ungodly Lo Psal 52.8 This is the man that took not God for his Strength but trusted unto the multitude of his Riches †See Psal 62.8 9 10. Neither may we call upon Saints or Angels to help us Rev. 19.10 22.9 for they are all God's Creatures and Servants as well as we they refuse this Worship at our hands and bid us give it unto God only whom they together with us adore I may here use the words of Eliphaz which yet some of the Romish Church have been so absurd Chamier Panstrat Vol. 2. l. 2. c. 2. as to quote for the invocation of Angels Call now Job 5.1 if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn Secondly As to the person invocating he must be Righteous at least in the Gospel acceptation that is a sincere and hearty Penitent For God heareth not Sinners John 9.31 viz. Such as continue in a course of Sin Prov. 15 8-29 The Prayer or Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him Unto the wicked saith God Psal 50. What hast thou to do to take my Covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed Prov. 1.28 c. 28.9 To such he threatens They shall call upon me but I will not answer He that turneth away his Ear from hearing the Law his Prayer shall be an abomination To such he saith again Isa 1.15 c. When ye spread forth your Hands I will hide mine Eyes from you Yea when ye make many Prayers I will not hear Your Hands are full of Blood Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine Eyes cease to do Evil learn to do Well seek Judgment relieve the Oppressed judge the Fatherless plead for the Widow Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. That is upon these terms and no other Vers 19 20. we may meet as Friends If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land but if ye refuse and Rebel ye shall be devoured with the Sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Seek the Lord Ch. 55.6 7. while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near but to that end let the Wicked forsake his way and the Unrighteous man his thoughts Ch. 58. ◠c. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer Thou shalt cry and he shall say Here I am If thou takest from the midst of thee the Yoak Verse 6. c. the bands of Wickedness before spoken of Jam. 5.16 'T is the Prayer of a Righteous man that availeth This our Psalmist was very sensible of Therefore saith he I will wash mine hands in Innocence so will I compass thine Altar O Lord. Psal 26.6 The Eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous 34.15 and his Ears are open to their Prayers 66.18 If I regard Iniquity in my Heart the Lord will not hear me And in this very Psalm Psal 18.20 c. The Lord rewarded me according to my Righteousness according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God or not departed from my God as the wicked doth for all his judgments are before me and I did not put his Statutes from me I was also upright before him and kept my self from mine Iniquity Eschewed mine own wickedness Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my Righteousness according to the cleanness of my Hands in his Eye-sight And yet this Psalm was most probably indited if we keep to the series of the History See Dr. H. in Loc. where 't is first recorded 2 Sam. 22. after the Commission of those great Sins of Adultery with Uriah's Wife making him Drunk contriving his Death and Living for some considerable time before Nathan came to him from God under this guilt These many expressions therefore of his Universal Uprightness must be Interpreted and Understood as the Scripture elsewhere speaks with the exception of that matter of Uriah 1 Kings 15.5 David did that which was right in the Eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite And we are farther to remember That for that too he had Repented before the Composure of this Psalm And Repentance when sincere restores to God's