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A80485
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A sermon preached at the assizes in Salisbury upon Saturday, July 23. 1653 By Henry Carpenter, vicar of Steeple-Ashton in Wiltshire.
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Carpenter, Henry, 1605 or 6-1662.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing C614A; ESTC R222501
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33,242
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47
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should the People do Pray for All in Authority 1 Tim. 2 2. that they may have in their Heads and Hearts as well as in their Hands to do it to do it quickly before the Decree be sealed and the Nation prepared for universal Desolation Ezek 9.4 And what we cannot Prevent be we sure to Lament that the Man with the Pen and Ink-horn may mark us from destruction Hezekiah rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth c. Isai 37.1 2 3 14. when he heard the Blasphemies of Rabshekah That day of Blasphemy was a day of Trouble and vexation to him though the Blasphemy was from an Assyrian And shall the days of greater Blasphemies be days of less trouble and grief to us not from professed Assyrians but from professing Christians What Christian heart that hath any true blood of Christianity running in the veins of it can chuse but be deeply affected and afflicted with it I fear we do not generally not cordially enough sigh and cry for all the Abominations that be done in the Land That the Man clothed in Linnen with the Writers Ink-horn by his side may set a mark upon our foreheads from a National Destruction which the suggestions of my fear make me bold to prophecy wherein my love to my Nation would make me glad to be found a false Prophet And now I beseech you to consider with me the wonderful Patience and compassionate Forbearance of our God with us who though his Soul abhor sin infinitely though he cannot go out of sight and hearing as we may but must see and hear all the unpunished blasphemous impious Dishonors done to the Three Dearest to him in all this world more to him then all the world His Name and Worship His Word and Truth His Saints and Children Though Heaven and Earth even sweat again under these Provocations yet hath God Patience to see and hear all Oh! Then come you my Brethren in Christianity Who are we that we must not be crost in the least Toy or Trifle that doth occur of Body Goods or Name but we must run presently to the hard hasty Arguments of Steel and Iron Not only as Zedekiah pleaded with the Prophet a word and a blow 1 King 22.29 2 Sam. 13.22 Cap 20.10 but as Absalom with Amnon a blow without a word strike and say nothing Our sword like Joabs dropping forth upon all occasions discoursing with a neighbor as he did with Amasa in the fifth rib speaking Daggers points unto him Who are we that we cannot put up any Illations of wrongs and injuries with quiet minds Are we Christians Nay are we Men that we will not we cannot bear with men as God bears With men as God did I say Nay with God himself He must showre and shine when we will have him strike and stroke when we will have him else we question sometimes his Power sometimes his Truth sometimes his Providence Oh shame Be we more patient as our Father which is in Heaven is patient Be we Followers of God as dear Children Who are we Oh! Then come you my Brethren in the Ministry Is God so wounded with Blasphemous Reproaches in his Word in his Name and bears it and must not we be toucht in ours Mat. 10 25 Shall the Master of the House be called Beelzebub and must not we of the Houshold be miscalled Remember Uriah's words 2 Sam. 11.1 The Ark and Israel and Judah dwell in Tents and my Lord Joah and his servants abide in the open fields and shall I then go into mine house to eat and drink c. And say we every one Shall my Lord Jesus in his Ordinances the Tokens of his Presence be threatened with Tents and exposed to all the Injuries incident to the open field and shall we then go secure to our houses and enjoyments from all threats of violence and disturbance Lord who are we Men we are as they are and that is for their sakes because they cannot hear the voyce of God himself and live Sinful we are as they are and that is because we are men Mortal we are as they are and that is because we are sinful Yet still though men sinful and mortal 2 Cor. 5.2 we are the Messengers of God and Embassadors of Christ Now in that we suffer as men sinful and mortal Mic. 7.9 Lam. 3.22 we should bear it patiently and give God his Glory the Glory of his Justice that we are Afflicted and the Glory of his Mercy too that we are not Consumed But in that we suffer as Ministers eo nomine as Ministers If our Adversaries should write a Book against us we might with holy Job Take it upon our shoulders and bind it to our heads as a Crown Job 31.35 36 we should bear it gladly Rejoycing with the beaten and abused Apostles That we are counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name Acts 5.41 For alas the worst is not Ours but Theirs whilest Christ himself suffers in our wrongs as his Ministers Exod 16 8 And what are we said Moses and Aaron Your murmurings are not against us but against the Lord He that rejecteth Me Joh. 12 48. and receiveth not my Word There Christ interested himself in the quarrels of his Word He that despiseth you despiseth me Luk. 10.16 There Christ interested himself in the quarrels of his Ministers as his Ministers The mighty Nimrods of our Times deal with us as Hunters do with Hedges leap over them or tread them down in the pursuit of their Pleasure and Game and run to them for shelter in a Storm When God shall restore them to their right minds his Word and Ministers shall be restored to their Honors again Then they will glorifie God and honour his Word and Ministers in the day of Visitation 1 Per. 2 12 And till then my Brethren let it be accounted scandalous to receive Honour at their hands or tongues by whom Gods holy Name is blasphemed his holy Son dishonored his holy Spirit resisted his holy Word and Ordinances despised 1 Tim. 5 17 Should such ungodly Miscreants present us with their double or single Honour it were not a proud but an holy disdain to fling it back into their faces again as unworthy of the honour 1 Sam. 2.30 to honour the servants of Christ whom God doth honour Now no more of this Question Will you bear but one Question more Question 3 Why the Devil seems more familiar with men in our Time then in former Days Why Witchcraft so much abounds As Examples shew in other Circuits abroad and would there had been none in ours here at home Shall we say it is because of Reformation that the Devil so bestirs him beyond former wont Reformation is a good word yea glorious both name and thing such as would rather provoke the Devil unto his most outragious Tyranny then invite him unto Familiarity Oh that we were an
and shame The first Occasion 2. Upon the Churches just sentence of Excommunication Clave non errante rightly and duly administred for some crying sins and scandalous offences An heavy Ordinance which casts men out of the Church into ghostly torments and spiritual agonies in Conscience by Satan St Paul may well say 2 Cor. 2 6. Sufficient is this Punishment c. which cutteth men off from communion with the Saints of God Sufficient indeed which cutteth men off from communion with God himself the God and all the Good of the Saints Sufficient indeed for dismal Consequences the hiding and withdrawing of the light of his Countenance the witness of his Spirit and the comforts of his gracious Presence Sufficient to such a one c. He needs no more punishment to be sure created Nature being capable of no greater here This is the Case of the incestuous Corinthian and it admits of two heavy Aggravations in that very Text 1 Cor. 5.4 5 both from the Judg and Executioner 1. In the Name and with the Power of the Lord Iesus Christ Verse 4 That is by a Commission from Christ which issuing out in his Name when the Church proclaims it on Earth Christ signs it in Heaven And this is an heavy case to be cut off and cast out by Christ the Redeemer by Jesus the Saviour It is not a small cloud that will hide this Sun Rev. 6 16 not a light matter that will anger this Lamb. 2. Vers 5. 1 Pet. 5.8 Rev. 12.9 Psa 27.12 To deliver such an one unto Satan the grand Adversary of Mankind the Devil And this also is an heavy case David deprecates it as a fearful evil To be given over unto the will of his enemies though but corporal and temporal Of how much deeper deprecation may it be thought worthy to be delivered up unto the will of The Enemy spiritual and immortal who is big with Malice never satisfied but with blood and death 1 Sam 22.18 Fall upon him Doeg was an hard saying of Saul Fall upon him Devil a harder saying of God And yet that same Text affords as many Extenuations both from the Restraint and End 1. For the destruction of the flesh Lo Satan is restrained in destroying Ps 104 26 Iob 38.11 That Leviathan hath bounds set him as well as that Element he plays in Hitherto shalt thou come and no further Iob 1.12 and here shall thy proud waves be stayed As there in Job's case first restrained to his Goods and Children Hitherto and no further Iob. 2.6 then to his Body only Hitherto and no further So here in the Corinthians case the Destroyer is restrained to the flesh For the destraction of the Flesh Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed 2. For the destruction of the flesh That the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Lo Satan is ordered and overruled to another End then he intends not to accomplish 1 Tim. 1.19 2 Tim. 3.13 2 Pet. 2.20 but to spoyl his own works however he get his own end with Hypocrites carrying them on to more sin waxing worse and worse their latter end worse then their beginning but with Gods own he is compelled to Gods end 2 Cor. 12.7 As there in Pauls case That he might be humbled to that end and no other So here in the Corinthians case That his flesh might be destroyed and his spirit saved to this end Rom. 6.6 Rev. 3 2. and no other That sin might decrease and grace increase That the old man might be crucified and the new enlarged in him Thus by the Devils Commission upon the Churches Censure for scandalous Crimes which is the second Occasion 3. Upon Gods own Excommunication by Divine Desertion the Church neglecting her office in that kind God himself sometimes doth cut off and cast out as it were excommunicate mens spirits from his gracious Presence and deliver them up to the Devil by terrors to fright them back and whip them home to himself again As in the cases of Job and David giving them occasion to say of such terrors preventing sin as David to Abigail preventing blood Blessed be thou of the Lord that thou hast met me this day 1 Sam. 25.32 and blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me c. God often sets the Devil to hedg up the way of Christians with his Terrors and evil men with Afflictions and Persecutions as it were with thorns as was threatened or promised the Church of old Hosea 2.6 I will hedg up thy way with thorns c. And blessed thorns which hide and stop every path to sin Upon all these Occasions God grants the Devil some power in commission in common as it were over Good and Bad but with great difference Over the Bad Ephe. 6.12 Ephes 2.2 2 Tim. 2.26 1 Cor 12 2 2 Cor 4.4 as their Ruler The Rulers of darkness of this world as their Head Working in the Children of Disobedience as their Conqueror Taken captive by him c. as their God The God of this world hath blinded their minds c. Over the Good only as a Jaylor over his Prisoners For a righteous Judg may commit his own son that is a Malefactor into the hands of a Jaylor not at his absolute arbitrary power to kill or rack or whip at his will and pleasure but according to warrant and commission And thus God commits some of his own into the hands of this Jaylor as by the particular warrant appears This Warrant is recorded by which the Jaylor is in greater Chains then the Prisoners Rev. 2.10 Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison that ye may be Tryed And ye shall have Tribulation Ten days The Church of Smyrna whom it concerned is bid Behold Behold their Jaylor as well as themselves his Prisoners Behold their Jaylor in Chains of Three Limitations Limitations in all the Circumstances of Persons Time and Place of Affliction 1. In the Persons and Number of the Afflicted The Devil would have All in his hands but he is there in Chains Not All but some of you 2. In the Place and Nature of the Affliction The Devil would have it Hell and Destruction but he is there also in Chains Not so but into Prison and Tribulation that ye may be Tryed 3. In the Time and Duration The Devil would have it like his own Chains Everlasting but he is here too in Chains of Limitation Not so but for Ten days And then shall be heard the saying that was prophecyed Prisoners go ye forth and ye that are in darkness shew your selves Isai 49.9 Therefore Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer but be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of Life And thus for the Manner and Occasions of Gods granting the Devil such Power