Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A64233
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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem a visitation sermon. / preached at Gainsbrough, May 7th 1691 by Nathanael Taylor ...
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Taylor, Nathanael, d. 1702.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing T547; ESTC R33904
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20,217
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32
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Congregation with which all Congregations of our Church through the Nation joyn must be more acceptable to and prevalent with God than the private Prayer of a single person that hath scarce another in the whole World joyning with him But however they please to act let us the Ministers and Members of the Church of England adhere to our Liturgy and Uniformity in Worship Let the Ashes of our Reformers and its Compilers warm us with Zeal for it and make us ashamed to disown that for which they died Let us shew our selves the Tribes of the Lord Psal 122.4 as the Text imports by our Uniformity of Worship in our Jerusalem that our Prayers may be prevalent for its peace And let others that will not do so answer it at their perils the Text implying they are not nor do belong to the Tribes of the Lord that neglect this uniform Worship of him as St. Prosper remarks on that Verse St. Prosper in loc 3. A third thing tending to the peace of Jerusalem is Impartiality of Discipline The People of the Jews had God himself for their Legislator and had both Civil and Ecclesiastical Laws to punish Sin by and so have we Christians from the same God and Christ in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament the just and holy God endeavouring in them by Threats of Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Misery to deter the Wicked from the evil of his way and by Promises of Felicity for both Soul and Body here and hereafter to encourage the Good in the way of Holiness But alas such is man's stupidity that he is led more by Sense than Faith and is more afraid of temporal Mulcts and Punishments from the Civil and Ecclesia stical Magistrates than of the Frowns and Threats of Eternal Vengeance from the great God And therefore as the Philosopher observed Arist l. 5. c. 5. de Moribus T. 3. p. 79. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Law of Nature commanding us to live according to every Vertue and forbidding every Vice All Nations have provided Laws for the punishment of the one and the encouragement of the other And were the Statutes and Laws Civil and Ecclesiastical of our Nation impartially executed we should soon see Sin disgraced the Sinner ashamed the Sabbath better kept our Churches fuller and have greater hopes for the peace of our Jerusalem Let not then those to whom the Executive Power of them is committed connive at or partially punish sin lest we incur the Censure we cast on the Church of Rome too justly of selling Pardon of Sins for Mony I would gladly hope the Concern of our Religion Letter to Bishops 1689. the Danger we are in the late Request and Command of our Governours will engage the impartial procedure of Justice to punish Vice where-ever But this being not mine but the Civil and Ecclesiastical Magistrates Province I shall leave it and only beg they would endeavour by such a good Administration the Peace of Jerusalem to which nothing can more conduce than it as what would promote what I shall urge in the last place for Jerusalem's Peace and that is 4. Integrity and holiness of Conversation in all its Members Plautus Persa Act 4. Sc. 4. The Comedian's Observation is very true Oppidum si incolae bene sint morati pulchre munitum arbitror But if Vice abound in a City or Nation Centuplex murus rebus secundis parum est And the sacred Writ affords as many sad Instances of persons whose sins cried for Gen. chap. 6 7. and pulled down Vengeance on the places of their Habitations witness the Inhabitants of the old World and of Sodom and Gomorrha Gen. chap. 18.19 Sin disturbs inward Peace hinders outward Comforts and exposeth to inevitable Ruin no wonder then every of Gods People the Jews were charged to be Holy Lev. 11.44 as their God was Holy and we Christians are commanded if we dare to name the Name of Christ to depart from Iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19 Titus 2.11 12 14. And if we expect Salvation through him hereafter to be a peculiar People to him in serving him here And if the sins of common Christians add to the sins of the Nation and Church and call for Vengeance on both much more will the sins of Ministers be provoking The Learned Dr. Dr. Cave 's Introduct to vol. 2. L. Fathers p. 32. Cave tells us the very Heathen Emperor Julian commanded the Heathen Priests to abstain from all vile and wicked Actions to study and live strictly performing Religion with a great care We are sure the great God forbids all Natural much more Moral Deformities in his Ministers under the Law Lev. 21.23 and charged them to bear on their Breasts Vrim and Thummim Learning and Sincerity Exod. 28 30 36 39. c. and on their Foreheads or Conversation Holiness And Christ under the Gospel expects no less The Charge St. Paul gives to St. Timothy and in him to all Ministers is great 1 Tim. 4.14 To be an Example in Conversation as well as Doctrin in Purity as well as Faith And no Church can more strictly injoyn her Ministers an Holy Life than ours doth Can. 75. But since the best of men on this side Heaven have their failings and as St. Rom. 7.18 to 24. Paul himself found reason to complain of his sinfulness I shall turn my Advice to you into Prayer to God for us all Prayer for Ernber Week in our Church's Words for all her Ministers That God would so replenish all of us called to this holy Function with the Truth of Doctrin and Innocency of Life That both by Life and Doctrin we may set forth the Glory of our God and set forward the Salvation not only of our selves but of all men And I promise my self that all of us will endeavour effectually to answer Amen And thus have I considered the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things that make for the Peace of Jerusalem which we ought to pray for and endeavour after Vnanimity in Doctrin Vniformity in Worship Impartiality in Discipline and Integrity in Conversation And to incite to the practice of these I shall very briefly add a few Motives 1. The Zeal the Heathens had for their Religion For tho' by our Apostacy we depraved Gods Image Rom. 3.23 in which we were created yet the very Remains of that Image in fallen Man did dictate to him the Being of a God and that he ought to be worshipped Cicero l. 2. 〈◊〉 Nat. Dâ—oruâ—… so that the Roman Orator brings in one Saying Omnibus innatum est in aninto quasi insculptum Deos esse esse Deos ita perspicuum est ut id qui negat vix eum sanae mentis existimem And the Orator himself saith Cicero l. 1. de Legibus In hominibus nulla Gens est neque tam immansueta neque tam fera quae non etiamsi ignoret qualem