Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A31975
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The fixed saint held forth in a farwell sermon preached at Mary-Aldermanbury, London, August 17, 1662 / Mr. Edmond Calamy.
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Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.
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1662
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Wing C244; ESTC R2986
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9,163
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24
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THE FIXED SAINT Held forth in a Farwell SERMON PREACHED At Mary-Aldermanbury London August 17. 1662. By Mr. EDMOND CALAMY LONDON Printed in the year 1662. To the Reader THe good acceptance that Mr. Calamy's work of faith and labour of love have found and the good success they have had among the people of God have encouraged us to the recommendation of these his last words wherewith he commended his people to God and the word of his Grace which is able to build them further and give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified to the world There is something considerable in the last words of all men so there are two things useful and seasonable in these 1. The cause of affliction to humble us 2. The use of affliction to instruct us by the one we learn That a living man should not complain a man for the punishment of his sin By the otherâ— we learn That though no affliction for the present seemeth joyous but is grievous yet it may yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby wherein we rejoyce though now for a season we are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the tryal of our faith being much more preciousâ— then that of gold might be found unto our praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Christ whom we have not seen yet love him in whom now though we see him not yet do we believe and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Mr. Calamies FAREWELL SERMON August 17th Ann. Dom. 1662. Sam. 24. 14. And David said unto Gad I am in a great strait let us fall now into the hand of the Lord for his Mercies are great and let me not fall into the hand of man IN which words we have three parts 1. Davids great perplexity and distress I am in a great strait 2. Davids resolution 1. Affirmative Let us fall into the hand of the Lord. 2. Negative Let me not fall into the hands of man 3. We have the reason of Davids choice For the mercies of God are great the mercies of wicked men are cruel therefore let me not fall into the hands of men but the mercies of God are many and great therefore let us now fall into the hands of God 1. For the first that is Davids great distress wherein we must speak 1. To the distress it self Then 2. To the person thus perplexed I am in a great strait David a great man David a godly man 1. In the perplexâ—ty it self we shall consisider 1. The reality of this perplexity 2. The greatness of it 1. For the reality of it after David had sinned in numbring the people God sends the Prophet Gad to him and puts three things to his choice as you may read in ver 12. God was determined to make David smart for numbring the people but leaves it to Davids liberty whether he would have seven years famine or three months to flee before his enemies or three dayes pestilence this was a posing Question and David had cause to be in a great strait for these objects are not amiable in their own nature they are objects to be avoided and declined in the first view of them they seem to be equally miserable therefore David had cause to say he was in a strait This perplexity was not only real but exceeding great I am in a great strait and there are two things made this so great 1. The greatness of the punishments proposed Famine Sword and Plague these are the three besomes with which God sweeps mankind from off the earth these are Gods three iron whips by which he chastiseth sinful man these are the three arrows shot out of the quiver of Gods wrath for the punishment of man they are as one calleth them Tonsurae humani generis In Revel 6. you shall read of four Horses when the four first Seals were opened a white horse a red horse a black horse and a pale horse after Christ had ridden on the white horse propagating the Gospel then follows the red horse a type of War then the black Horse an Hieroglyphick of Famine then the pale horse the emblem of Pestilence Now God was resolved to ride on one of these horses and David must choose upon which God should ride this was a great strait Let me present Davids lifting up his eyes to Heaven and speaking to God thus O my God what is this message thou hast sent me Thou offerest me three things I am in a strait I know which to refuse but which to choose I know not shall the Land of Canaan a Land flowing with milk and honey shall this Land endure seven years famine and be turned into a wilderness and dispeopled and shall I whose hands thou hast taught to fight and whose fingers to war shall I that have subdued all my enemies shall I in my old age and all my Captains fly three moneths before our enemies and be driven to Caves and Rocks to hide ourselves O thou my God who art my refuge shall I and my people be a prey to the pestilence that walketh in darkness and destruction that walketh at noon day O my God I know not what to do I am in a great strait 2. The second reason why this strait was so great was because of the guilt of sin that lay on Davids spirit for David knew that this severe message was the fruit of the sin he committed in numbring the people but you will say why was it a sin in David to number the people Moses had often numbred the people three times and it was not counted sin Iosephus answereth the sin of David was because he did not require the halfe Shackle he was to have had from all were numbred Exod. 30. 12. 13. Others said he sinned in numbring all ages whereas he was to number but from 20 years but these are but conjectural reasons I conceive the sin of David was because he did it without a lawful call and for an unlawful end siâ—e causa Legitima he sinned in the manner rather then in the matter for there was no cause for him to number the people but curiosity and no end but vain glory ofâ—srael â—srael and number the people that I may know the number of my people ver 2. Davids heart was lifted up with pride and creature-confidence he begins to boast of the multitude of his people and to trust in an arm of flesh therefore God sends the Prophet to David to prick the bladder of his pride as if God should say I will teach you to number the people by lessening the number of your people Now the burden of his sin did add much to the burthen of his heavy message ver 13. After David had numbred the people his heart smote him the message smites him and his heart smites him and he said I have sinned greatly in that which I have done now I beseech thee take away the