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A19871
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One of the sermons preached at Westminster the fifth of Aprill, (being the day of the publike fast;) before the Right Honourable Lords of the High Court of Parliament, and set forth by their appointment. By the Bishop of Sarum.
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Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 6299; ESTC S117129
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22,536
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58
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saying Behold wee come vnto thee to begge that which we know wee cannot merit Rom. 3. For all haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God and haue no other hope to obtaine it Rom. 6. but by way of free gift through Iesus Christ our Lord. And yet let me tell you this that if we come vnto God for it as we should that is by faith and holinesse of life this verie comming is a most certain leading way thereunto though not a deseruing cause thereof It is a short but a sound determination of S. Bernard that good works or a godly life is Viaregni non causa regnandi The Apostle hath taught vs the same doctrine Rom. 2.2.7 that by continuance in well doing wee seeke glory and honour and immortalitie and eternall life But alas how manie be there in the world that dream they seek after eternall life and yet neuer take this direct course of comming vnto God for it Will your proud Papisticall merit mongers come to God for it and begge it at his hands No sure They will rather vrge God to bring it vnto them and paie it as a due debt which by their condigne merits they haue long ago deserued secundum aequiualentiam rei adrem as their Iesuiticall Doctors haue taught them to speake Doe prophane Epicures and vngodly worldlings seeke it by comming vnto God for it No questionlesse They rather seeke it from the diuell as if they beleeued not onely that boasting lye of his Luke 4. All the Kingdomes of the earth are mine and to whomsoeuer I will I giue them But as if they beleeued that which the Father of lyes durst not affirme that the kingdome of Heauen was at his dispose and that by his seruice it might be gained Last of all Doe hypocrites thinke you and dissemblers come to God for eternall life Nothing lesse They make a shew sometimes of comming towards God drawing very neere vnto him but in their hearts they are resolued neuer to come at him It should seeme they thinke to get into heauen not by comming vnto God in the plaine and direct way of a liuely Faith and a holy life but by deceiuing God and shipping in at some blinde back-dore of their owne making But to shut vp this point and withall the former part of my Text. Let euery man that desires either pardon of his sins or release from Gods iudgements that hopes either for infusion of sanctifying grace here or participation of eternall glorie hereafter come to God for all these and come to him in that direct way which he hath appointed And thus much for the Israelites protestation of obedience We are now come to the other branch of my Text which containes a Declaration of those Motiues which induced them to obey in these words For thou art the Lord our God Heere is a double chaine to binde men vnto obedience The strong iron chaine of Gods infinite Power and vniuersall dominion which ties all men alike For thou art the Lord The pleasant golden chaine of Gods speciall loue and mercy which in speciall manner tied these Israelites vnto him Our God He that acknowledgeth God to be the vniuersall and Omnipotent Lord ouer all the world feare should driue him to obey his commands He which beleeues him to be His God loue should draw him to obey his commands He whom this double chaine cannot binde vnto obedience is in a farre worse case then that Demoniack in the Gospell Marke 5.3 Whom no man could binde no not with chaines Let vs beginne with the former God is heere acknowledged The Lord. Not a Lord ouer this or that Nation within the precincts of this or that place but The Lord ouer all nations ouer all countries ouer all Lords ouer all Creatures I am The Lord this is my name and my glory I will not giue to another Esay 42.8 Now God is such an vniuersall Lord in three respects First he is the Lord Creator that makes all his subiects that makes the subiects of al other Lords yea that makes the Lords themselues and that out of Nothing Our bodies with all the members thereof our soules with all the faculties thereof are of his making Psal 100. It is hee that made vs not we our selues Not our earthly parents who were vnable to frame the least part of our bodies much more vnable to breath into vs liuing soules Qui silium generat Lactantius non habet potestatem vt concipiatur vt nascatur vt viuat He which begets a childe hath neither the conception the birth nor the life of his owne childe within the limits of his power If our Parents had beene our Makers wee had beene but like dead idols which haue eyes and see not eares and heare not hands and handle not feet and walke not This ground worke beeing now laid that God is the Lord of all men by creation let vs consider whatforce this ought to haue in drawing vs to obedience First I am sure that God himselfe iudgeth it a most forcible motiue Why else should he set such a Memento vpon it Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth Eccles 12. Out of doubt God knew that it was impossible euen for a young man to grow rebellious whilst he remembers the Lord to be his Creator Why should God charge euery wicked and vngodly man Deut. 32.18 with an Oblitus es Domini Creator is tui Thou hast forgot the Lord thy Maker but that he knowes if this were not forgotten his commands would neuer be disobeyed Not onely God but all good men haue conceiued the force of this motiue to be so great that vpon the apprehension thereof they presently conclude in their owne soules Come let vs fall downe and kneele before the Lord our Maker If Grace were wanting yet Reason is able to make this inference If God be my souereigne Lord by right of Creation I cannot resist him but to mine owne destruction For woe will be vnto him that striues with his Maker Esay 4.9 This reason makes all creatures though deuoid of reason ready to obey at Gods beck God made the Sunne and therefore if hee bid it stand still in the firmament it dares not but stand if he bid it goe backe so many degrees it dares not but goe backe though in its owne nature it reioyceth like a Gyant to runne his perpetuall course God made the fire therfore if he forbid it dares not burne the three children no not singe so much as one haire of their heads The like obedience to their Creator hath shewen it selfe in the most fierce beasts in the most rauening birds in the most venemous Serpents What shall we say then is the cause that this most forcible reason hath so little force in moouing reasonable men vnto obedience That whereas euery childe if he bee asked who made him can presently answer God yet few men when GOD who made them
askes for their obedience haue learned to answer from the heart Behold we obey I can giue no better reason here of then this that men deceiue themselues whilest they suppose they firmely beleeue that as an Article of their faith which they onely assent vnto for company or fashion sake because other Christians hold it for an Article Such a beleefe is but a slight opinion swimming in the braine it is no true and liuely faith rooted in the heart Such men when they call God their Creator deale with him as the lewes did with Christ who clothed him in a royall robe and salute him with the royall title of a King and yet at the same time they scorne him buffet him and spit in his face Doth not the Drunkard the Fornicator the Sweater and in a word euery bold and rebellious sinner deale with God in the same manner He calls him his Creator he bowes the knee vnto him as to his Maker and yet he seares not to cast the filth of his sins into the very eyes of this his Lord and Maker Cuires nominisubiecta negatur Tertullian nomine illuditur It is but a flat mockery to giue God high titles and to denie him answerable duties and those which doe it are but Christians in name and Infidels in deede and truth The true Christian that beleeues from a sound heart God to be his Maker cannot but in some good measure from the heart obey God his Maker Secondly GOD is not onely The Lord Creator but also The Lord High Protector or Generall Preseruer of all his creatures and more especially of mankinde For God is not like an artificer who when hee hath finished his worke quits his hands of it and leaues it for-lasting or perishing to the strength of the materials whereof it consists No we must conceiue a perpetuall Manatenentia diuina as the Schoolemen terme it without which men and Angels heauen and earth with all the creatures in the world would in a moment fall backe into that Nothing out of which they were at first made Something Vpon this ground Durandus maintaines Durand Verum est dicere de quauis creatura quod quamdiu est creatior à Deo We may truely say of any creature that so long as it Is so long God Creates it His meaning is that Creation and this Conseruation are the same action being considered in God and only differ thus That Creation respects the Being of the Creature as newly produced out of Nothing by Gods infinite power and this Preseruation respects the Beeing of the same creature as continually supported from falling into nothing by the same infinite power of GOD. But to let Schoole-speculations passe the Scripture can best teach vs how this title of Vniuersall Lord Protector belongeth vnto the Almighty Colos 1.17 He is before all things and in him all things Subsist saith the blessed Apostle And againe Omnia portat Hee beareth vp all things by his mighty power Heb. 1.3 So that if this our great Supporter should but for a moment withdraw his Preseruing power the whole world in the twinkling of an eye would vanish into Nothing Neither is it our Being only which depends vpon Gods continuall preseruation but all our well-beeing is also deriued from his gratious prouidence and protection It is this bountifull Lord which opens his hand and filleth vs with his blessings which holdeth his hand ouer vs and keepes vs out of manifold dangers which stretcheth out his helping hand vnto vs and pluckes vs out of all our miseries Such a Generall Powerfull and Careful Lord Protector is our God vnto vs. Now this being granted is it not an effectuall motiue to make all men dutifull and obedient vnto such a Lord I am sure that our Souereigne Lords vpon earth for this very cause of protecting their subiects and maintaining them in peace and safety challenge and iustly challenge Rom. 13. Verse 6. both obedience and tribute at their hands How much more then may the Souereigne Lord of Heauen who protects both Prince and People challenge the tribute of obedience frō them both Out of doubt he will and doth require it and therefore it is our best to pay it The wise Salomon tells vs Pro. 3. There is no rising vp against the King And the Hebrewes haue a Prouerbiall saying Migrandum ex loco in quo Rox non timetur It is time to leaue that Countrey where the King is not feared as if alwaies some great iudgement were hanging ouer it What then may we think is like to befall that Nation which is vp in rebellion against their heauenly King which deny obedience to their omnipotent Lord and gratious Protector I am either much deceiued or this matter doth very neerely concerne vs. No Nation in the world hath seene more apparent effects of Gods admirable protection ouer them then we haue done No Nation in the world hath been more laded and ouer laded with plenty of all manner of blessings then we haue been And which I am sorrie may truly be added no Nation in the World hath shewed themselues more carelesse and thanklesse and gracelesse towards so gratious a Lord and mighty Protector then wee haue done I cannot thinke of the generall impietie of these times but me thinkes I see withall a terrible blacke storme gathering ouer our heads mee thickes I see God withdrawing his wonted fauourable protection from vs and suffering vs to be ouerwhelmed with such iudgements as our folly and impiety hath long agoe deserued There is but one meanes to preuent those miseries which hasten towards vs and that is betimes to cease from farther prouoking our mighty and gratious Protector Ieremie 25. Verse 6. Prouoke me not to anger by the workes of your hands and I will doe you no barme it is Gods owne promise by the mouth of the holy Prophet I am now come to the third and last Respect wherein God is truely stiled The Lord that is the Vniuersall Lord ouer all mankinde And this is in regard of his Iudiciary Office and Power which makes him the true Lord Chiefe Iustice through the whole world For the Office it is in expresse termes ascribed vnto him by the Psalmist Psal 9.7 The Lord hath prepared his throne for iudgement for he shall iudge the world with righteousnesse and the people with equity And this Office doth not onely extend it selfe to the punishing of the wicked who hate God but to Gods owne children also when they disobey him Psal 89.32 I will visit their transgressions with the rodde and their iniquity with stripes None but such prophane Atheists who wish God out of this Office durst euer denie it to belong vnto him Marcion was anciently branded in the fore-head for this heresie Iudicis officium à Deo remouet ei solum bonitatem adscribit saith Tertullian But no doubt long since his owne experience hath made him recant this error in hell It