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A52388
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Delay of reformation provoking Gods further indignation represented in a sermon preached at Westminster to the honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament at their late solemn monethly fast, April 29, 1646 / by James Nalton.
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Nalton, James, 1600-1662.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing N122; ESTC R30736
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35,648
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50
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to fight against Amurath He for a while prevailed and had like to have got the victory but Amurath seeing the great slaughter of his men plucked the writing out of his bosome wherein the League was contained and holding it in his hand with his eyes lift up to heaven said Behold thou crucified Christ This is the League that thy Christians in thy Name made with me and now have violated If thou be God as they say thou art Avenge the wrong done to thy Name and unto me Instantly after in the very same Battell was Vladislaus that had broke the League slaine and his Head carried on the poynt of a Launce through their Cities as a token of the Turkes Trophee Now is it so dreadfull a sinne to breake Covenant with men What is it to breake Covenant with that God who can cast Soule and Body into hell fire Certainly if we breake our Covenant our Covenant will breake us Helpe 3 Thirdly Let us get more publicknesse of spirit to say with the Psalmist e Psal 137.5 If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning Let all private interests be drowned in publick concernments looke as when publicke men have a private spirit it is a great curse unto a Kingdome so when private men have a publick spirit it is a great blessing let that be our honour which was Davids f Acts 13.36 to serve our generation to be be usefull in the times and places whereinto God ha's cast us Helpe 4 Fourthly study unity and unanimity that in the cause of God and Gospell ye may all have one heart and one hand and one minde and one mouth Doe as the Tribes of Israel did in a publicke cause g Judg. 20 8. They all arose as one man Sure it is there is not one plot or project wherein the Devill more labours or bestirs himselfe then this How he may cast in a bone of Division blow the coles of contention and breake the band of unity among Brethren Therefore looke how farre any man nourisheth the spirit of discord and dissention in his brest so farre I dare tell him from the Lord he is Instrumentall to the Devill Boards joyned together make a Ship disioyned they cause Shipwracke Agreement among Christians builds up Jerusalem disagreement puls it downe In the building of Solomons Temple there was no noyse neither hammer nor axe nor any toole of iron was heard while it was in building h 1 Kings 6.7 O that in setting up the building of Reformation for which we have lift up our hands to the most high God there might be no noyse of jars or janglings crossings or thwartings envyings or hart-burnings Helpe 5 Lastly Get your hearts fired with a burning love to Christ and an enflamed zeale for his honour and advancement of the worke of Reformation that ye may be fervent in spirit i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seething hot Rom. 12.11 a peculiar people zealous of good workes k Tit. 2.14 and remember this for your encouragement If every thought of your hearts were a rapture and every word an extasie and every action a sacrifice If ye had a thousand lives to spend for Christ and ten thousand estats to lay down at his feet If ye did spend and were spent in his service He is able abundantly to recompence you both here and hereafter Your labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord l 1 Cor. 15.38 To draw to a conclusion Let me winde up the three Doctrins on one Bottome Particular Application to the Members of the Honourable House and so addresse my speech to you Noble SENATORS whom God ha's honoured and betrusted with so great a Worke as the steering of our Ship in a storme and the setling of a poore tottering trembling Kingdome Ye have heard That God See's all our Provocations a 1 Point That God Breath's out against us his comminations b 2 Point That God Cal's aloud for speedy Reformation c 3 Point I beseech you as a poore Messenger of Jesus Christ lay these things to heart and apply them to your owne Soules For example First Do's God see all your wayes with an impartiall eye for he accepts not the persons of Princes nor regardeth the rich more then the poore m Job 34.19 Then give me leave to propound that question to you which the Prophet Oded did to the men of Israel 2 Cro. 28.10 Are there not with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God I come not hither either to accuse or to censure any of you There is a witnesse within you will doe the one there is a Judge above you will doe the other But ye will suffer me to intreat you to Beseech you by the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to him at that great day To be true to your owne spirits to look into your owne hearts and to watch over your own wayes that ye give no occasion to the Lord to say I have seene the provocations of these or these Parliament men Take heed therefore lest by the dignity of your places your hearts be lifted up above your Brethren and remember the greater your places are the greater must your reckoning be Be carefull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to use the Apostles phrase n Gal. 2.14 to tread with a straight foot to walke uprightly according to the truth of the Gospell Remember that speech of Job o Job 13.27 Thou lookest narrowlly to all my paths thou fettest a print upon the beeles of my feet If ye doe but tread awry or step out of that way that God hath appointed you to walke in Shall not God search this out for he knowes the secrets of the heart p Psal 44.21 Let there be none among you that drive on your owne particular designes and serve God and his cause no further then they serve your owne ends and interests Do not spare those whom God would not have spared It cost Ahab dear when he spared Benhadad q 1 Kings 20.42 God tels him Thy life shall goe for his life and thy people for his people Doe not discourage those whom God would not have discouraged Beware lest out of Cowardize or carnall feares out of sinfull complyance and conformity to the wils of men ye TOLERATE what God would not have TOLERATED for I conceive it worthy the consideration of the wisest whether the Devill would not thinke he had made a good bargaine and gained well by the Reformation if he could exchange the Prelacie for an Vniversall Liberty Take heed lest there be any found among you that are zealous for vindicating Civill Liberties but when Church-government comes to be setled ye shrinke and start and withdraw the shoulder as being afraid of a Reformation that will be too strict Ye have of late caused the Scriptures to be searched desiring that the minde of Christ in point of government and
DELAY OF REFORMATION PROVOKING Gods further Indignation Represented in A SERMON Preached at WESTMINSTER to the Honourable House of COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT at their late solemn Monethly Fast April 29. 1646. By JAMES NALTON Minister of the Gospell and Pastor of Leonards Fosterlane London LEVIT 26.23 24. And if ye will not be reformed by these things but will walke contrary unto mee Then will I also walke contrary unto you and will punish you yet seven times for your sinnes LONDON Printed for Samuel Gellibrand at the signe of the Brasen-Serpent in Pauls-Churchyard 1646. TO THE HONORABLE HOVSE of COMMONS now Assembled in PARLIAMENT Noble SENATOURS I See You are pleased to have not onely Bezaleel's and Aholiab's a Ex. 31.2 6 choyce and skilfull workemen in that reverend Assembly of Divines imployed in purging and beautifying the house of God but you will have some other poore Labourers also set on worke to bring stones and mortar to the building And truly had not I looked above my selfe at that great God who when we are faint and feeble doth gird us about with strength b 1 Sam. 2.4 The waight of the worke together with the sense of my owne extreame unfitnesse to carry the Name of God before such an Auditory might have overwhelmed me with sinking discouragments But if Gods power may get glory by my weaknesse I will rejoyce in my Infirmities c 2 Cor. 12.9 I hope there is none shall have so low a conceit of my poore parts or paines but I my selfe shall have a lower The marke I levelled at in this plain homely piece now presented to your view was the pressing and promoting the Worke of Reformation which how it ha's been retarded since we entred into that Solemne sacred League I need not tell you Sure I am if either Atheists or Papists Neuters or Hereticks Sectaries or Seducers Hypocrites or carnall Gospellers can doe the Devils worke viz. either persecute the Woman or stifle her Childe in the birth or devoure it as soone as it shall be born d Rev. 12.4 this Male-childe of a long expected much desired Reformation shall never be brought forth to light But looke about you for God looks on you nay God looks within you Hee exactly views as my Text will tell you every one of you how you Act your parts on the Stage where he imployes you The Lord ha's holpen you to carry on your Worke the preservation of a poore distressed distracted Kingdom Therfore he now expects that you should help him to carry on His Work even That for which you have lifted up your hands to the most high God Let it never be said of any of you sitting in that honourable Assembly what was said of the Nobles of Tekoah e Neh. 3.5 They put not their necks to the work of their Lord. God forbid that occasion should be given to fasten that complaint on any of you which the Apostle utter's with some regret f Phil. 2.21 All seeke their own not the things which are Jesus Christs Certaine it is the more we seeke our selves the more we lose our selves the more we deny our selves and our own ends and our owne honour the more will God honour us both in our persons and in our places O that the zeal of Gods house might even eat you up g Joh. 2.17 O that your hearts were so fired with a burning Love to Jesus Christ and his Government that you might say with David h Psal 132.4 5. I will not give sleepe to mine eyes or slumber to mine eye-lids untill I finde out a place for the Lord an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Never was Parliament so lifted up to heaven in extraordinary discoveries of Gods providence and protection which have beene as a Pillar of a cloud by day and a Pillar of fire by night to conduct you through the Wildernesse of a Bloody Warre bringing you from Shittim to Gilgal i Mic. 6.5 even to the skirts of Canaan Therfore that which Joshua spake to the Israelites when upon the fresh memoriall of God's miraculous mercies towards them he renewed a Covenant between them and their God k Josh 24.25 27. This Stone shal be a witnes to us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us The like may I say to you All the Mercies Victories and Deliverances vouchsafed to you all the Promises Protestations Covenants and Engagements lying on you wil witnes either for you or against you at the great day of your Account The Lord Jesus Christ still stand by you Let his everlasting arms be alwayes under you and so establish your hearts in his truth and feare that he may delight in you as polished shafts in his own quiver and happy instruments of further advancing Temple-work the compleating whereof will be to you a Name of Renowne and to us the joy of our hearts and the crown of our hopes It is and shall be the constant prayer of The weakest and unworthiest of them that serve you in the Gospell James Nalton A SERMON PREACHED TO the Honourable House of COMMONS on the Monethly Fast-day April 29. 1646. JEREM. 13.27 I have seen thine Adulteries and thy Neighings the lewdnesse of thy Whordome and thine abominations on the Hils in the Fields Woe unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made cleane When shall it once be THIS Text may well be called an awakening Trumpet sounding a loud alarme in the eares of an impenitent unreformed people Many warnings had God given to Judah and Jerusalem before they felt that fatall blow in the Babylonish Bondage One among the rest is proclaimed in this Chapter ver 14. I will dash them one against another even the Fathers and the Sons together yea I will dash them in pieces like bottles of Wine ver 12. Alas alas poor England in this bloody intestine Warre ha's made a sad Comentary on this mournfull Text Upon this warning God cals them to a deep Humiliation ver 18. Observ Say unto the King and to the Queen humble your selves and sit down Great ones and Nobles Senatours and Statesmen in a day of Humiliation must forget their greatnesse fit downe in the dust and lye low before the Lord as well as the meanest of the people They notwithstanding this Summons are so farre from Humiliation that they are entertaining thoughts of self-justification ver 22. Wherefore come these things upon me Hereupon the Lord deales more sharply with them evidently convinceth them of their sinfulnesse and severely threatens them for their stubbornnesse I have seen thine adulteries and thy neighings c. The Text will spread it selfe into three Branches I. An undeniable conviction I have seen thine adulteries c. II. A dreadfull commination Woe unto thee O Jerusalem III. A patheticall expostulation Wilt thou not be made cleane when shall it once be Observ In the first God silenceth their complaining that they might