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A19871 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. Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641. 1628 (1628) STC 6299; ESTC S117129 22,536 58

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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 SARVM LONDON Printed for Richard Badger and are to be sold by Iohn Stempe at his shop at the East end of S. Dunstans Church-yard in Fleet-street 1628. IEREMIE 3.22 the latter part of the Verse Behold wee come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God SOme wonderfull sight out of all question was heere to be seene or else men neuer durst haue beene so bold as to haue called to the great God of heauen to behold it Some pleasing spectacle out of all doubt was to be exhibited or else the great God of heauen would neuer haue vouchsafed the casting downe of his gratious eye vpon it It was so indeed A wonder aboue all other wonders the stony and rebellious hearts of men suddenly turned into soft and obedient hearts A ioyfull spectacle vnto God aboue all other spectacles runnagate seruants returning vnto the seruice of their Souereigne Lord rebellious children repenting and running as it were into the bosome of their gratious God and louing Father If wee will beleeue him who is Truth it selfe this is the principall if not the onely sight vpon earth which giues contentment and brings ioy vnto Heauen Luke 15.7 vnto the Saints vnto the Angels yea vnto the blessed Trinity it selfe I haue chosen this as a Text fitting the present occasion because we are now doing the very same thing which the Israelites then did For tell me I pray what doe we intend by this solemne generall Assembly or what doe we pretend by this publique Fasting Praying and humbling our selues vnder the hand of Almighty God but this serious protestation Behold we come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God Bold prophane and wretched men we are if wee deride our Maker and call vnto him that he would out of heauen behold a Sight heere vpon earth when in truth there is no such Sight to bee seene Dutifull holy and happy men we are if God looking downe from heauen behold in vs that which we pretend and he expects Now that we may the better vnderstand what this is let vs come to a particular consideration of the Text which is nothing else but a short and direct answer of Gods people vnto a Proposition which God had made vnto them in the words immediately going before Gods proposition was this O returne yee back sliding children and I will heale your rebellions The Israelites answer hereunto is very punctuall and direct Behold we come vnto thee for thou art the Lord our God In which answer we may obserue these two generall parts 1. A protestation of their sincere obedience Behold wee come vnto thee 2. A declaration of the motiue inducing them thereunto For thou art the Lord our God This protestation consists not of many words and yet it containes many matters of great importance which I will speake of in order as the words shall offer them vnto me 1. The first is the Inward Obedience of their Hearts implied in the word Ecce Behold For howsoeuer the Heart bee not expressely named yet this Ecce calls as it were vpon God to take notice of the secret resolution of their hearts and to behold their obedience in bowing and bending of them vnto his most iust and holy commands In all acceptable obedience vnto God the Heart must be the ringleader if that be wanting the seeming good actions of a Heartlesse Christian are but like the walking or stirring of a liueles body Seneca which affrights many but pleaseth no beholder Omnia honesta opera voluntas inchoat It is the Heart or Will which giues the beginning vnto euery good action and this is it which in the first place the Israelites presented vnto God And surely there was good reason and a iust cause of their so dooing First because their vnfaithfull and stubborne heart was it that had lead them out into open rebellion against God and therefore it was necessarily required that a loyall and obedient heart should also be their Leader in this their Submission and comming in vnto Almighty God Againe whensoeuer God calls vnto a Sinner to returne his meaning is that his heart should first answer vnto the call My Sonne giue me thy heart and Hebrewes the 10.22 Let vs draw neere vnto God with a true heart As good stay behinde as come when God calls and leaue our hearts behinde Last of all it is the Heart vpon which Gods eyes are principally fixed whensoeuer we present our humble seruice vnto him and it is one of his Royall Prerogatiues to be the Discerner of Hearts Wee may therefore well suppose that these Israelites durst neuer haue called God to Behold their comming had not their hearts beene their leaders For they could not be ignorant of that peremptory conclusion If I regard wickednesse in my heart Psal 66.18 the Lord will not heare me Now if any man aske me whence came this admirable change that men of brasen foreheads and iron hearts are so suddenly become men of humble soft and religious hearts all that I can answer is this The same God that had long called vnto them for their hearts had now at length giuen them new hearts and a new spirit Chap. 36. Verse 26. Prosper and had taken the stony heart out of their body as the Prophet Ezekiel speakes Bona voluntas est hominis propria sed Deo inspirante concepta A good will or a good heart is a mans owne when he hath it but it is the diuine inspiration from whence hee hath it Let vs now for a while leaue the consideration of these Israelites and their new hearts and come to consider our owne We all make the same protestation this day of our obedient and penitent hearts which they did Wee all in effect intreate GOD to looke downe from heauen and to Behold this vnfeined and sincere resolution of our Hearts Take heede of drawing neere vnto GOD with your lippes and remoouing your hearts farre from him Be sure of that constant resolution which was in holy Dauid when he made this profession Psal 40. I desire to doe thy good will O my God yea thy law is within my heart Pars prima bonitatis est velle fieri bonum The first part of goodnesse is to haue the Will of beeing good I cannot pierce into your hearts and see your secret intentions and purposes God can and doth and your owne hearts also can and doe take notice of your inward resolutions Hath any man therefore had a filthy lustfull and adulterous heart aske it whether it bee now resolued to keepe it selfe a pure chaste and vndefiled heart Hath any man had a couetous or an ambitious proud heart let him search into it and see whether it now be resolued to renounce the world with