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A33249 A second defense of the present government under K. William and Q. Mary delivered in a sermon preached October the 6th 1689 at St. Swithin's in Worcester ... by R. Claridge. Claridge, Richard, 1649-1723. 1689 (1689) Wing C4435; ESTC R37670 18,377 36

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A Second Defence OF THE Present Government UNDER K. WILLIAM and Q. MARY Delivered in a SERMON Preached October the 6th 1689. At St. Swithin's in Worcester Wherein is shewed What God hath done already for us by their Majesties Means in respect of our Civil and Religious Rights What present Supports he affords us under their Conduct The prospect we have of his future Care and Protection And the Invalidity of the Assertions of the REFVSERS of the New OATHS By R. CLARIDGE M. A. Rector of Peopleton in the County of WORCESTER London Printed for John Mountfort Bookseller in Worcester and sold by Richard Baldwin in the Old-Baily MDCLXXXIX Licensed Novem. 23. 1689. TO All that Cordially Love THE True Protestant Religion and Interest In the Parish of St. Swithin in WORCESTER Gentlemen I Presume to Entitle this Discourse to your Patronage not for any Correctness in it but because it was Well Meant and Preach'd among you And I do declare if any charge me with too much Keenness and Acrimony in my Reproofs that this is my Apology before God and the World I had no Intention to Expose but to Convince the Refusers of the New Oaths having no Pique or Quarrel at any Man's Person though I must be excus'd as to his Opinions and Actions I am fully satisfied in the Present Settlement and had no popular Applause or worldly Advantage in my Eye but the Justice of the Cause the discharge of my Conscience and sincere Affection to the true Protestant Religion and Interest I knew the Sores of my Country too well to bind them up with Lenitives when Lancing was more necessary St. Jude has told me that some must be saved with Fear pulling them out of the Fire and the Prophet was not to speak pleasing words but to Cry aloud spare not to lift up his Voice like a Trumpet and to shew the People their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their Sins When I considered the general Stupidity of the meaner sort the Indifferency and Luke-warmness of some of the better Rank and the Activeness and Intriegueing of the High-flown Monarchical Men I thought it not convenient to put Honey into the Sacrifice instead of Salt and to bring the smoothness and remisness of Eli when there was more need of the Zeal and Courage of Phinehas I am inform'd I shall meet with very severe Usage from some Men whose Names I purposely omit because we hope in due time they may see their Error and Retract Which is the hearty Prayer of Your most Affectionate Servant Richard Claridge THE SECOND DEFENCE OF THE Present Government UNDER King William and Queen Mary c. ROM 8. 31. the latter part If GOD be for us who can be against us THOUGH God be the Soveraign Lord of All by Right of Creation Dominion and Providence in which Sense he is a God to the profest Enemies of his Truth as Jews Pagans Mahometans and Hereticks the Denyers of his Being not excepted they subsist and are maintained by his Bounty for he giveth them Life and breath and all things Acts 17. 25. and maketh his Sun to rise on the Evil and sendeth Rain on the Vnjust Mat. 5. 45. yet he is in a more special manner the God of the Faithful he is their God in Covenant and they his People Jer. 32. 38. To these he imparts his Graces and deals out his more than common Favours These are his Elect his Chosen out of the World A peculiar Treasure a Kingdom of Priests and an Holy Nation Exod. 19. 5 6. The School-men set forth their Relation to him in a three-fold Respect of his singular Care of them the Holy Service they perform to him and the great Reward where with he Crowns them And therefore with a little variation of the Words we may say to them as Moses did to Israel Happy-are ye O Believers Who is like unto ye O People saved by the Lord Deut. 33. 29. The eternal God is your Refuge and underneath are the everlasting Arms Deut. 33. 27. But though the Church be God's peculiar Favorite and under the watchful Eye of Heaven yet the Devil and his Instruments bear a mortal hatred to Her and render her Condition a perpetual Warfare upon Earth But her security being laid in the Divine Protection which still encompasseth Her with Favour as with a Shield Psal 5. 12. In vain are all Attempts and Designs of Her Enemies For If God be for us who can be against us I might consider these words with respect to the particular Cases of the Faithful and shew how God is with them by his Spirit Graces and Providence to Guide Assist and Protect them and how he secures them against the many Fears that arise from inward Corruptions and outward Assaults by strengthening their Faith against all that is formidable in the World and confirming their Hope in the Love of God in Christ Jesus from which nothing can separate them But having an intention to re-mind you of the signal Mercies vouchsaf'd this Nation no less shamefully abusted by some than unthankfully forgot or misapplied by others I shall handle them with relation to this Church and People And I. Give you the importance of this Phrase If God be for Vs II. Remember you wherein God hath manifested himself for Vs already III. Shew what Present Supports he affords Vs And IV. What prospect we have of his future Care and Protection of Vs I. Then this Phrase If God be for us imports two things God's Gracious Presence and His Particular Providence First by God's Gracious Presence with a Church or People I understand his being so with them as to set up and maintain Truth and Gospel his Worship and Ordinances amongst them and to gather to himself a willing and obedient People that desire to know him and his Law and to serve him with Reverence and Godly Fear and who diligently observe the Sacraments and Rites of his Institution against the apparent Encroachments made upon the Church by the Inventions and Traditions of Men For Humane Additions are not only Vncommanded but Forbidden in the Service of God and the Apostles Mat. 28. 20. and consequently the Church had the promise of God's Presence granted upon no other Terms but an exact Conformity to what he had Commanded There must be a Divine Warrant for our Faith and Practice let subtile Men devise what Distinctions and Evasions they can to reconcile the Scriptures and their Innovations or we cannot expect God's merciful Acceptance of our Services For to stamp any thing of but a Humane Original with a Divine Character and thrust it upon the Consciences of Men to bind unto Obedience is the advancing of our Own in Opposition to Christ's Supreme Authority who is the only Law-giver to his Church Secondly this Phrase If God be for us imports his Particular Providence over a People or Nation By which I mean his more immediate Concernment for them as when he visibly asserts their