Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n
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A45683
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Two sermons lately preached at the Assizes in St. Maries Church in Leicester the former March 23, 1670, the latter July 27, 1671 / by Robert Harrison.
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Harrison, Robert, fl. 1648-1672.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing H909; ESTC R25412
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38,889
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70
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leaves yet being firmly rooted they keep the Cawsey from decaying and mouldring away thus the holy seed notwithstanding all their failings do support and bear up the Nation which but for them might be suddenly wasted and brought to utter desolation For the sake of the Godly saith Grotius God will not suffer the City to be taken Lastly They are the Pillars and Foundation of Church and State Prov. 10. 25. As the whirlwind passeth away so is the wicked no more but the righteous is an everlasting foundation or the foundation of the world as Arias Montanus hath rendred the words They are the very Atlasses of the world that support and bear it up and keep it from falling upon the heads of the ungodly In Psal. 75. 3. David saith that he himself bare up the pillars of the earth If once these Pillars were removed the whole Fabrick of the world would presently tumble down and be turned into a Chaos of confusion As soon as ever Jesus Christ by the Preaching of the everlasting Gospel hath gathered together the number of the Elect the Elements shall then melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up It is for the sake of Christs little flock of that sorry handfull of sincere Believers who are so much scorned and despised by the unrighteous and accounted the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very filth of the world that the world hath still a being and was not long ere this on a flame as it shall be at that great and notable day of the Lord. The Lord accounts of the world by his Church and upholds it for his Servants sake were it not for Jehoshaphat I would not look towards thee nor see thee said Elisha to Jehoram so may God say to the wicked were it not for my people I would have no regard at all to you Thus you have shadowed forth under several Metaphorical expressions the real serviceableness of righteous ones in order to the exaltation of a Nation I am in the next place to instance in some particular Blessings which Nations have enjoyed for righteousness sake and still may enjoy upon the account of the Righteous And these besides many others which I shall not now so much as name are Truth Peace Plenty Victory over enemies and Preservation from ruine First It is for the sake of his people that the Lord gives and continues the great truths of his Gospel his blessed ordinances the means of salvation to any Nation hence St. Paul was commanded and encouraged of God after his first vision to go into Macedonia in a second to continue preaching the Gospel at Corinth because the Lord tells him he had much people in that City so that it was for his peoples sake that the Lord sent the Apostle to Corinth to preach the Gospel Yea he loved the people all his Saints are in thy hands and they sat down at thy feet every one shall receive of thy words The Psalmist reckons the enjoyment of Gods word and ordinances as the greatest mercy which the Jews were bless'd with above any other people and therefore had more abundant cause to praise God for his great goodness Psal. 147. 19 20. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his Statutes and his judgments unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for his judgments they have not known them praise ye the Lord. There are many 't is to be feared in the Christian world that have no serious apprehension of this singular great mercy but look upon it as an enjoyment that may well enough be spared Preaching is counted but foolishness and all the means of grace are thought to be unnecessary and undesirable yet if it were but well considered that it is not onely a great mercy in it fels which impenitent sinners will not be perswaded to believe but also that this is a blessing which seldome comes alone for where God sets up the light of his Gospel he usnally sends peace and plenty and many other mercies to accompany it so that where the means of grace have been most pure and powerful other outward blessings have been there most plentiful and abounding If this consideration I say was but once well digested in the hearts of the sons of men many that heretofore have had low thoughts of the means of grace might see reason enough to have them in greater estimation for the time to come Blessed are your eyes saith Christ to his Disciples for they see and your ears for they hear And blessed is the people that know the joyful sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance 2. The Lord gives that sweet and much to be desired mercy of Peace for his peoples sake thus righteousness and peace have often kissed each other Psa. 85. 10. and 't is promised Isa. 45. 13 14. Great shall be the peace of thy Children When the Prophet Isaiah brought that starâ—tlig news of the Babylonish captivity to Hezekiah the good King comforts himself with this that the judgement threatned should not fall upon the Nation in his dayes Isa. 39. 8. Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken He said moreover for there shall be peace and truth in my dayes He firmly believed God upon his word who had already assured him that he would defend this City to save it for his own sake and for his Servant Davids sake It is reported of Luther that he was known to pray often with much earnestness and fervour of spirit That so long as he lived Germany might be quiet and enjoy peace and when he foresaw a black cloud of judgment hanging over that people he told some of his Friends that he would do his best to keep it from breaking in his dayes yea he believed also that it should not and he said moreover when I am gone let them that come after me look to it I 'le conclude this particular with that precious promise Isa. 32. 17 18. And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places Thirdly The great blessing of Plenty God gives for his peoples sake Thus God blessed Laban for Jacob's sake Gen. 30. 30. It was little said Jacob to Laban which thou hadst before I came and it is now increased into a multitude and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming Potiphar also prospered greatly whilst Joseph was with him Gen. 39. 5. And it came to pass from that time that he made him over-seer in his house and over all that he had that the Lord blessed the Egyptians for Josephs sake and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field Yea the
mighty stream Amos 5. 24. I shall now begin where I formerly ended and advance through divine assistance more vigorously to inculcate and press home the very same duty from these words of wise Solomon which may be considered as a twofold Argument taken from Reward and Punishment those great Incentives to duty exciting us thereunto From the due praise of righteousness and the manifest peril of sin we shall find sufficient cause to be enamoured with the one and to detest the other to abhor that which is evil and to cleave to that which is good What the Lord himself said to Rebecca when Twins lay strugling in her the same may be spoken of this Scripture Two Nations are in its Womb and two manner of people shall be separated from its bowels But it must not be so with these as it was with Jacob and Esau for the Elder is here the beloved and the Younger is hated of God Righteous ones are acceptable and pleasing in his fight and they shall be rewarded Sinners are an abomination to him and they shall not be unpunished Say ye to the righteous it shall be well with him for they shall eat the fruit of their doings Wo unto the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him So then not to multiply particulars because I would not fall into either of those Extreams of being too nice and curious or too negligent and careless in the division of my Text for as Seneca saith Idem vitii habet nimia quod nulla divisio you have here 1. The blessed fruit of Righteousness and 2. The cursed product of Sin Righteousness exalteh a Nation but Sin is a reproach to any people I shall speak to the parts as they lie before us after a brief explication of the termes And first to give you a taste of the fruit of Righteousness it will be expedient to enquire into two things as 1. VVhat is that Righteousness which exalteth a Nation 2. VVhat is meant by the exaltation of a Nation These two Quaeries being resolved I shall undertake the farther Illustration of the Assertion First then VVhat is that Righteousness that exalteth a Nation In answer thereunto we must distinguish of the word Righteousness There is a twofold Righteousness viz. of Imputation and of Implantation The Righteousness of Imputation is wrought by the merit of Christ for us the Righteousness of Implantation is wrought by the Spirit of Christ in us the one is the Righteousness of our justification the other is the Righteousness of our sanctification Now 't is the latter of these which is here said to exalt a Nation and Cajetan phraseth it an Vniversal Righteousness which is Influential into all the actions of a Christian and streams through the whole course of his life it is so very conspicuous and casts such a shine upon it as evidenceth him that hath it to be holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all manner of conversation as in 1 Pet. 1. 15. Righteousness is a word of great latitude Justitia latissime patet ac omnes complectitur virtutes saith Ludovicus Vives in his Commentary upon Austin de Civ Dei It includes not only all moral virtues but also all Divine and Spiritual Graces Aristotle calls it omnis virtus and saith it excels all other quantum Lucifer inter astra as the bright and Morning-Star excels the rest in beauty and splendor It is a virtue in a stricter sense that doth Suum cuique tribuere that renders to every one his due to God the things that are Gods as Faith Fear Love Thanksgiving and Obedience and to men the things that are mens as Honour Tribute and Subjection to Kings Reverence Respect and Service to Superiors Love Kindness and Justice to Inferiors Truth and Equity in our mutual dealings and negotiations in the world a doing to others as we our selves would be done by according to that sacred and standing Rule of our blessed Lord and Master Mat. 7. 12. This Righteousness is to be found in the several VValks of Gods Commandments it runs as one saith through every Precept as it were the veins of every Law in the second Table and calls for obedience due to parents Natural Ecclesiastical and Civil in the fifth Command our care to preserve our Neighbours life in the sixth Chastity in the seventh Estate in the eighth good name in the ninth our desires in their due bounds against coveting what is our neighbours in the tenth And take but the word in the most comprehensive sense and it is the obedience of the whole Law This is the Righteousness that exalteth a Nation not as a Cause producing an effect but as a means conducing to such an end The Lord doth not thus reward our Righteousness ex debito but ex bene placito not for our merits that plea will sail us but for his mercies sake This for the Answer of the first Quaery Secondly What is meant by the exaltation of a Nation when may a Nation be said to be exalted Then is a Nation any Nation exalted as well as the Jewish whose Doctors would have this former part of the Text speak them the only happy people in the world excluding all others when it is blessed made prosperous and flourishing in the enjoyment of Truth Peace and Plenty VVhen the Almighty for it is his doing enlargeth the borders of it strengtheneth the bars of her gates and blesseth her Children within her VVhen he maketh peace in her borders abundantly blesseth her provision and satisfieth her poor with bread VVhen there is no breaking in nor going out no leading into captivity nor complaining in the Streets And when the Lord with an higher hand yet blesseth a people with all spiritual and heavenly blessings when he placeth his Sanctuary in the midst of a Nation his Tabernacle is with a people and he sets up among them the glorious light of the Gospel in the golden Candle stick of his Ordinances VVhen he turns to the people a pure language that they may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent or with one shoulder as it t s in that Gospel-promise Zech. 3. 9. Then may it be rightly said of such a Nation or People according to the Psalmists conclusion Psal. 144. 15. Happy is the People that is in such a case yea happy is that People whose God is the Lord. Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God Now is a Nation exalted made honourable and renowned or born on high as judicious Cartwright understands the expression which he judgeth to be a metaphor taken from heavy bodies lifted up and carried aloft by joint force and united strength Thus a people brought low made vile and miserable because of their fins by the administration of justice and the exercise of righteousness are lifted up