Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A66890
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Anti-boreale an answer to that seditious and lewd piece of poetry upon Master Calamy's late confinement, supposed his who wrote Iter boreale.
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Womock, Laurence, 1612-1685.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing W3334; ESTC R31824
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84,472
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126
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mercy to the Adversaries of this Church God hath filled their faces with shame that they might be induced to joyn with the Church in a due and decent conformity to seek his Name And so let all the Combinations of thy Churches enemies perish O Lord but let them that love thee and thy Church be as the Sun when he goeth forth in his might Judges 5.31 that our Land may be filled with piety devotion and glory and so have rest to all generations God hath done great things for us already whereof we rejoyce and what he hath done he is pleased to make his ingagement to do more if we do not render our selves utterly unworthy and forfeit our Tenure by our obstinate perversities This is one ground of our hope And there is A 2d. The Church of England hath a praying people a people whose devotions are solid and fervent regular and constant a people that do frequent the Publick Prayers of the Church out of humility and obedience out of judgment and prudence and yet do importune God in their Closets day and night too though they love not so much to play the Hypocrite as to sound their Trumpet to tell the world they do so You know the interest of ten righteous persons was so considerable to Almighty God that it should have prevail'd with him for the preservation of five most lewd and vitious Cities and God be blessed we have that number I trust many hundred times told over But because if we continue in sin the Epha a Zach. 5. will be full at last and if we neglect so great salvation and the things that do belong unto our peace those things will be hidden from our eyes and we shall bring upon our selves swift destruction b 2 Pet. 7.2 and then the devotions of holy Prophets will be injoyned silence by Gods own Order Jer. 7.16 Pray not thou for this people for their good c Jer. 14.11 c. 11.14 neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee And though they should pray earnestly and continue their importunity receiving no such express Order as that Prophet Jeremy had to the contrary yet their prayers in this case in this juncture of affairs when the harvest of sin is ripe how effectual soever for themselves would not prevail they would be fruitless as to the generality of persons and the calamity of the Nation for when I bring my sore judgments upon the Land though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it as I live Ezek. 14.14 10. saith the Lord God they should deliver neither son nor daughter they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness Therefore to prevent this dreadful severity of Almighty God give me leave to propound some few Caveats and Directions to you touching your behaviour in reference to the Ark of God by which I understand his sacred Ordinances and so I shall conclude When God was about to descend upon Mount Sinai at the promulgation of the Law Exod. 19. he commanded Moses to set bounds to keep off the people that they might not press upon so dreadful a Majesty to their own ruine The presence of God with his holy Ark in his holy worship is no less sacred no less dreadful than it was on Mount Sinal I must therefore draw a line and set up rails about it as well to secure your interest in it as to preserve that respect and veneration that is due unto it These shall be made up of a six fold Caveat You must 1. Not over value or deifie it 2. Not undervalue or blaspheme it 3. Not invade or profane it 4. Not slander or belye it 5. Not intrude or pry into it 6. Not rifle or plunder it 1. You must not over-value or deifie it A very high esteem and reverence you must have for tthe Ark of God and you may relie upon Gods promise and confidently expect what God hath engaged to do for you by the Ministry thereof But you must not turn the Ark into an Idol exhibere cultum Dei creaturae est Idololatria saith Aquinas if you devote that service to it and place that affiance in it which is due to God alone you do then make an Idol of it You make the Type of Christ to become his Rival you make him jealous of his own Representative and you eclipse his honour by that shadow that was design'd to illustrate and set it off And yet there are some that do more then this worse then this amounts to they do Hyper-deifie it advance it above God yea against God for God will not patronize the guilty Christ will not save the impenitent 't is a desperate presumption to think they will if you expect this from the Ark you do not only turn it into an Idol set it up in Gods stead but you do more then so you exalt it above God you pretend to make it do what God will not do what Christ cannot do you make it a real Antichrist For Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil and to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself And if you make the Ark a Sanctuary for Malefactors you set it up in opposition to Christ and provoke him to Arm himself as it were against it in vindication of his own glory Upon this very account it was that he delivered the Ark under the Law into the hands of the Philistines 1 Sam. 4. and Jer. 7.3 Thus saith the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel amend your ways and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place but trust ye not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord as if that had been a threefold fortification to secure them against all possible calamity But ye trust in lying words that cannot profit will ye steal murder and commit adultery and swear faâ—sly and burn incense unto Baal and waâ—k after other gods whom ye know not and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my name and say we are delivered to do all these abominations is this house that is called by my name become a den of robbers in your eyes Behold even I have seen it saith the Lord But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh where I put my name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel c. That Ark which was the visible Symbol of his presence and the especial Instrument of his worship and service they set it up in opposition to his glory they would have it patronize their sin and protect them in their impenitâ—ncy against Gods severe judgements and this provokes God to give it up to be defiled by reproach and prophanation Let this be a Caveat to you therefore not to over-value or deifie the Ark of God 2. And yet
Victory they had taken the Ark indeed but they had made no conquest of it for it fell upon the Reer of them and smote them in their hinder parts it discovered so much of their nakedness and turn'd their inside so much outward and put them to so much shame and anguish that they were glad to send it back with a trespass-offering and beg to be reconciled to it the Israelites they were instructed likewise that it was not out of ill will to the Ark nor for want of strength in God that the Philistims prevailed to take it captive but only out of a justindignation to revenge the prophanation of that sacred Instrument which was the visible obsignation of his grace and favour to them And when God was about to suffer his holy Temple to be defiled upon a like account he sends his people to be schooled by that example Jer. 7.11 12. Is the house that is called by my name become a den of robbers behold I have seen it But go now to my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel And because of your wicked works I will therefore do to that house that is called by my name as I did to Shiloh Is there any here amongst us that can plead not guilty hast not thou prophaned the Ark of Gods Worship that was amongst us hast not thou been unthankfull for it hast not thou been unfruitfull under the Ministry of it there is no person in this Congregation if he be of a competent age but his heart will tell him that he did contribute something to the captivity of this Ark. If we had as much ingenuity I am sure we have as much cause as Mr. Bradford in the Book of Martyrs had or as the Christians that were banished in Q. Maries days had to accuse our selves for our wilful betraying the honour of our Religion and the interest of the holy Gospel We may all say For my sins and for thy sins was the Ark the solemn worship and service of God taken captive and upon this account it becomes our duty to present a burnt sacrifice for our atonement now upon its restitution But wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the most high God Mic. 6.6 the Psalmist hath resolved us Psal 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise This is our burnt sacrifice 2. But to this we must add a peace-offering and that must consist of a double ingredient 1. A dutiful submission to this settlement of the Ark. And 2. A joyful gratulation for it 1. A dutiful submission to it In the the 24. Psal we find the people invited to a solemn reception of the Ark Psal 24.7 Lift up your heads O ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in Fuit beneficium Dei non vulgare saith Mr. Calvin quod Deus visibili symbolo in medio ipsorum residebat In Psal 24.7 coelesteque suum domicilium volebat in terrâ conspici It was no ordinary favour of God See 1 Kings 8.6 with 11. that he would reside amongst them in a visible representation and suffer his sacred habitation be seen on earth it should be their ambition therefore and zeal to entertain it Therefore lift up your heads Oh ye gates and the King of glory shall come in but what are those gates that should be so solemnly opened for the admission of the King of glory Sub ratione typi fuerunt portae Templi Ames in Psal 24.24 1 Kings 8.6 11. saith Amesius Reipsâ vero sunt fidelium corda Isa 66.1 2. they were the gates of the Temple in type but the hearts of holy men in reality they are the Tabernacle that Gods Ark and worshâ—p should reside in We must therefore inwardly in our very hearts and souls submit to this outward settlement of it in the Tabernacle or Church of God and this upon a fourfold Consideration 1. In regard of the place where the Ark is setled not in Barnes or Stables not in a Forreign far distant place 't is within thy Neighbourhood and yet appropriated to this service Though God be not confin'd to any place though he hath not chosen any peculiarly to put his Ark in as among the Jews yet for our sakes he delights in such places as our devotions have made his propriety The Lord loveth the gates of Zion mâ—re then all the dwellings of Jacob and in compliance with him herein the devout soul cries out Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thy honour dwelleth and the Zeal of thy house hath even consumed me and make not my Fathers house a house of Merchandize it is observable though our Saviour in the first year of his Ministry foretels that all inclosures should be thrown open and the worship of God no longer be confined as it had been to Jerusalem Joh. 4.21 yet to signifie that he would still for all that accept and own plaâ—eâ— dedicated to his solemn service all the world over in the fourth year of his Ministry he makes his claim and vindicates the honour of his own interest Mark 11.17 2. We must submit to this settlement in regard of the Authority by which it is seâ—led here are David and the Elders and the Captains of thousands the King the Nobles and the Representatives of all the Commons of England what comes to us derived in so full a current of Authority not to speak of the miraculous restiâ—ution of this Authority should prostrate every private jâ—dgment and make the passions interests and opinions of all men stoop before it There is a necessity laid upon us yea and a wo will betide us if we submit not Let every soul be subject to the higher powers Rom. 13 1. Nay ye must needs be subject and that not only for fear of wrath but for conscience sake Ver. 5. and there is another sake no less considerable to engage you the Lords sake 1 Pet. 2.13 14. Submit you selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supream or unto Governours as those that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doersi and for the praise of them that do well Time was when an Ordinance not so venerable as that St Peter speaks of did signifie something with you when lesse then one link of that threefold Cord of Authority would serve to engage and yoak you to draw the Ark a side if you will not now submit to the Settlement of it upon the obligation of those Laws which come to us in the greatest solemnity that a just and full Authority can recommend them by I shall say no more but this that your Consciences are strangely blinded and they are prodigiously perverse and obstinate And yet this is not all For