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A39935
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Reformation sure and stedfast, or, A seasonable sermon for the present times shevving the life and death of reformation : preached June 15, 1641.
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Ford, Thomas, 1598-1674.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing F1515; ESTC R8197
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12,088
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28
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REFORMATION SURE AND STEDFAST OR A SEASONABLE Sermon for the present times SHEVVING THE LIFE AND DEATH OF REFORMATION PROV. 15. 23. A word spoken in due season how good it is Preached June 15. 1641. Published by order from a Committee of the Honourable House of Commons LONDON Printed by J. D. for Henry Overton and are to be sold at his shop at the entrance into Popes-head Alley out of Lumbard street 1641. To the Reader GOd hath layd the foundation among us long agoe and God be thanked we have held it hitherto though with much adoe and some hazard for Pioners both within us and without us have beene digging at it but could never undermine it to blow it up for thereby wee have beene comely though blacke and therefore they have gone another way to worke and built upon it to wit wood hay stubble so that though the power of godlinesse hath preserved us yet this combustible matter hath kindled such fires amongst us as have almost ruined us For it 's dangerous to separate what God hath joyned together though Power may give as a subsistence yet never a bene esse without Purity to which wee now hope wee draw neere by the marriage of these two together amongst us but then they must have these properties of marriage they must not only joyne hands but hearts and that for ever for Cordiall unanimity and constant perpetuity make up such a Reformation as only will make us But I will not prevent the Sermon by preaching it in the Epistle only borrow so much as may shew how needfull it is for Ministers to ioyne with Magistrates and to imploy the Word as they the Sword this way that so it may not bee done by halves but throughly and that not only in Action but affection For God sayes give me thy heart which is the summe and substance of this Sermon and that it may bee the practice of us all so prayes Thine in the Lord T. F. REFORMATION Sure and stedfast or a seasonable Sermon for the present times c. ZEPHANIAH 1. 1. The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the sonne of Cushi the sonne of Gedaliah the sonne of Amariah the sonne of Hizkiah in the dayes of Iosiah the sonne of Amon King of Judah THree things there are exprest in the Text and a fourth implyed First The authority of the Prophet Secondly The Prophets qualitie Thirdly The time of his Prophecy and fourthly The Argument or substance of it which is the thing implyed in the Prophets text and fully opened in his Sermons 1. The authority The word of the Lord And therefore you are to take notice I am not now opening to you mens opinions or reading a Lecture to you out of a Philosopher or an Historian which you may like where you will and leave where you list heare or beleeve ab libitum But the word of the Lord who must be beleeved when he speakes most above our apprehensions or crossest to our present wills and affections 2. The Quality of the Prophet Which came unto Zephaniah the sonne of Cushie c. His Father and Grandfather and great Grandfather and great great Grandfather are named Whence it appeares that Zephaniah was a man of an honourable House because his Ancestors are mentioned to the fourth generation * And hence wee see that Almighty God hath made use of men of all degrees to bee Ministers of his Word Isaiah came of the bloud Royall Jeremiah of the stocke of Aaron Daniel and Zephaniah of honourable Families Amos a heardman Elisha a husbandman and other Prophets as Malachi Obadiah Haggai and Habakkuk whose naked names wee have without their Pedegrees And thus we see that as the Lord doth send his Word to all sorts of men so he sends it by all sorts of men And hereby the most true God does the more cleare his Word from jelousie and suspition Here also wee see it is calling honourable enough for men that are most honourable by birth to bee Ministers of Gods Word As Zephaniah a Noble man by birth was not undervalued but advanced by his calling to be the Lords Minister A Ministers Calling is honour enough to him without other accumulations 3. The time of his prophesying In the dayes of Josiah King of Judah and therefore one of the last Prophets before the Captivity and a Contemporarie with Jeremiah 4. For the substance and subject of his prophecy we shall find It is composed of very reproving and very threatning Sermons partly indeed against some others but principally against Judah I but what should such a Prophet a reproving Prophet a threatning Prophet doe in Josiah's time a time of great reformation and a very reforming Prince I answer that though Josiah himselfe had a right spirit in way of Reformation yet the spirits of the greatest part of the Nobles of Judah and also of the Commons inclined to their old superstitions in worship and corruptions in government The Idolatrous wayes of their former corrupt Princes were still in their hearts And however the King was sound yet the greatest part of the Subjects both Rulers and People were rotten-hearted towards Josiah's Reformation Which appeares both by some expresse places of Scripture and by good consequence from other In the 2 King 22. 17. and Chro. 34. 25. It was absolutely charged upon the Inhabitants of Judah that they burnt Incense to other Gods which charge was in Josiah's time So that notwithstanding the religious reformation hee had endeavoured amongst them yet they had their old haunts of superstion and therefore then censured as well as charged If it be put to Case and objected that this charge might have relation to Iudah's Idolatrie in Manasse's time as might seeme from that passage in 2 King 23. 26. Let this Question be put upon this Objection Why should such a difference be made in that charge and censure betwixt Josiah and his people saving that he was sound and they still corrupt I confesse it hath reference to Manasse's time yet not only thither for its plaine to Josiah's also And this will be without scruple upon the view of some passages in the Prophet Jer. 3. 6. and 10. The Lord also said unto me saith Jeremiah in the dayes of Josiah the King Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly or in falshood saith the Lord Though the King and happily some few of his Nobles and People were very Cordiall in reformation yet the major part both of Nobles and Commons had reformed faces but not reformed hearts Again by consequence it is cleare For wheras Josiah though young was upright-hearted himselfe and likewise towards the reformation of his Kingdome Why yet it seemes it was the twelfth yeare of his Raigne before he could get the Kingdome in any readinesse to a Reformation So it is recorded in 2 Chro. 34. 3. That in the twelfth yeare of his Raigne he began to purge Iudah and Ierusalem from
Though it be no error to take away some corruptions yet it is an error not to take away all What hath beene the spring of the miseries of some of Christs Churches as in Germany since they were reformed but their partiall reformations Gualther and other judicious Germane Divines were in this note whilst they lived There is no perfect peace in a State without full Puritie of the Church The times of laying downe weapons of beating Swords into plow-shares and Speares into pruning hookes and of learning warre no more and of every mans sitting under his Vine and under his Figge-tree without feare Micah 4. 3. 4. are the purest times of the Gospell The times when the Gentiles shall be earnestly calling upon the Jewes that they may walke together in the glorious light of the Gospell compare that of Micah with 2 Isa. 4. And againe Churches are very subject to relapses when not throughly healed and relapses are dangerous the last error is worse then the first New Idolaters after a reformation are more dangerous then former Consider the Idolatrous times of Judah after reformations and it is plaine Idolaters were more dangerous after Hezekiah's reformation then before witnesse Manasses time and still more dangerous after Josiah's reformation then before witnesse the Captivity And it is not in vaine to looke upon the next Idolaters after King Edw. reformation And if wee be not blind we may see in our owne dayes that popish spirits are more deepe and desperate then ever yet But I am not preaching to reformers therefore to you my Auditors I commend and in the name of God may command these three things carefully to bee looked unto by you even in these times wherein the Lord doth dispose the spirits of Prince and Governours to a Reformation First to your utmost abilitie the preparation of the peoples hearts For Jehoshaphat tooke not away the High places because the people as yet had not prepared their hearts to seeke the Lord God of their fathers 2 Chro. 20. 33. And your primest way for this is powerfull prayer Secondly the strengthening of your owne and their hands whose hearts are prepared the holding up and out of your and their courage and zeale for reformation For the weakening of the hands of the people of Judah was a lonâ— stop to the perfecting of the Temple Ezr. 4. 4. And lastly And the surest way for this is to enter into a sure Covenant the way is lead for us Thirdly it must be your speciall care that you neither Idolize the Instruments of reformation nor under-value them or bring up an ill report of them For the first branch Wee our selves know the Churches of Germany have had a sore checke from God for too much confidence in man * When whilst wee lay our pipes directly upon the Fountaine for derivation we are sure to have our pipes full if once we set the Cisterne in the Springs place we are sure to find emptie vessels This may bee an error But that which certainly is the error is an undervaluing of the Instruments of Reformation It is likely there are many Belials that mutter against Reformers now as Sheba did of David a Reformer of Israel 2 Sam. 20. Wee have no part in David neither have wee inheritance in the sonne of Jesse every man to his Tents O Israel Some such base spirits no question wee have amongst us whose hearts rise against Reformers of Church and State and had rather every man should walke by will in both then by rule in either We shall observe it usually in Reformations in Scripture the Devill hath stirred up Anti-reformers whose designes have bin to contrive the disgrace and basest esteeme of the Instruments of Reformation Thus Korah and his company plotted amongst the people to cast an aspersion upon Moses and Aaron that they tooke too much upon them Num. 16. In Zerubbabels reformation Rehum the Chancellour and Shimshai the Scribe insinuated to the people That Zerubbabel and Jeshua in their reformation and restoring the Temple wronged the King and Countrey and signified as much to the King also by politique but lying Letters Ezra 4. And in Nehemiah's reformation Sanballet and Tobia enemies of the same spirit When our Saviour was in reforming the state of the Church in his time and preached against the errors and superstitions of the Jewes and their Church then the high Priests and Scribes Et cetera insinuated to the people that Christ was but a Wine-bibbet a companion of Publicans and though he did strange things yet the cast out Divels by Beelzebub prince of Divels Beloved as the case is with us your cure must be great against carnall reason For carnall reason might have disputed against Josiah's reformation he was but a Child and medled also with the very rooting out of things that his godly Ancestours left standing both in state and Church So carnall reason might have objected more in Hezekiah's reformation That he did not only pull downe the High places set up by men but the Brazen Serpent formerly apponted by God And thus it may bee some men if they conferre with carnall reason may cavill at our present Reformers As that they make themselves wiser then their Fathers and remove things out of Church and State which their Predecessors found no fault with And had they beene men of such spirits as these so might the people have stumbled at Asa's taking away some things in his latter reformation which he left in being in his former fifteene yeares before 2 Chro. 15. My Brethren I conclude with this Paralell in this point and I beseech you take it to heart As those Israelites that brought up an ill report of the Land of Canaan whither Israel was going were not only barr'd from comming thither but dyed of the Plague in the Wildernesse Numb. 14. So let those Cavellors against the Canaan whither this Church of Christ is going expect assuredly that they shall never enjoy the sweetnesse of it And for a farewell word If any feare lest the enemy should hope to strengthen themselves by seeing here where our strength lyes I must tell them they feare where no feare is For the mysteries of the Kingdome of Heaven made knowne to us are made Parables to them And be confident in it That God does never discover duty to us to ensnare us but to keepe us out of snares that are laid for us FINIS * Besides the names of his Ancestours tell him to be honourable Quest Answ. Doct. 1. Reas. Vse Note Doct. 2. * I have heard and read that the Renowned King of Sweden Item'd so much unto them before his death