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A87672
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A sermon preached before the Commissioners of both kingdomes, the same day they delivered the propositions to the Kings Maiesty, for a safe and well-grounded peace. / By Samuel Kem, Batchelour in Divinity.
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Kem, Samuel, 1604-1670.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing K255; Thomason E346_14; ESTC R201011
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22,136
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38
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into Covenant and to blesse them Balak thought it in the power of his heart to curse the people Numb 22. ult sends to Balaam a Sorcerer to this purpose Balaams heart is now in his owne power In the 8. Verse Lodge here and I will bring you word againe as the Lord shall speake unto me First read what followes Verse 12. and Verse 24. Numb 13. There is no sorcery against Iacob See Esay 8. Verse 9 10 11. It is not to be held counsells Saul had spent much time in the pursuit of David and his heart was set for evill against him and yet God upon their meeting disposeth of his heart and tongue to blesse him read 1 Sam. 26.25 Princes hearts have been nay they still are there you see it is but improving of proportionable Nationall and Personall interests and strength with our God in duty and without all question we may gaine this eminent mercy and have his heart with us before his person who thinks on or grudgeth his hazardous voyage to the Indies when he considereth a probability of getting gold pearles and diamonds we never think of the hardships of warfare and the difficultie of duties when we are bent upon honour and were we resolved for Nationall mercy and such a blessing as the Kings heart to subscribe to the just desires of all his Kingdomes we should not stick at any duty if we were but a little love-sick of mercy it would break a little more out of our lips And thus having given you reasons for this truth I shall supplicate you for a little patience whiles I apply it Use 1. For information of us how much they are to blame that do not at this day supply the lamentable imploring necessities of the Church of God in both Kingdomes but are extreme short in duty if they consider the length heighth depth and bredth of their misery little water will not quench or decrease a great fire no rather increase the flame the taking away a little bloud will not cure the Calenture the body must in such a case be brought low the leaving of a few grosse sins will not cure the Churches evill nor the simple performance of monethly duties no the Church of God is brought low but our hearts are not brought low no they must if ever we will do good on it be brought much lower yet 2 Such as consider not at all or take no notice or looke a squint on the Churches misery Amos 6.1 Woe to those that are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountains of Samaria that put farre from them the evill of the Nation and lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves on couches and eat the lambs out of the flock and calves out of the stall And so Ver. 5 6. That chant to the sound of the Viole and invent to themselves instruments of musick That drink wine in bowles and annoint themselves with the chiefe oyntment but they are not grieved for the affliction of Ioseph How many in the Kingdome keeping the Churches fasting dayes as feasting days instead of neither eating nor drinking day nor night drink if not eat day and night 3. Such as delay the answering the Churches necessity in misery by performance of proportionable dutie like Solomons sluggard A little more sleep a little more slumber and a little more folding of the hands and so misery eats in like a gangrene it is an old saying Quod cito fit bis fit An oppâ—rtune remedy is a double curtesie he that helps at a pinch helps to purpose he that cryeth spare the child when the stripes are given gives little case gets little thanks O that we would know what belongs to the Churches peace Luk. 19.41 in this our day before these recovering mercies are hid from our eyes he speaks too late to the Judge for a reprieve when the ladder is turned It may be God will now heare and grant to morrow he will not In Cant. 2. the Church that drowsily neglected her safety after in the third Chapter seeks it night and day but found it not It is good stepping into the poole upon the motion of the waters if you misse your wind you may lose your voyage the season hath pantings and swounding fits already take heed it go not away in one of these fits Fourthly they also are much to blame who proportion their duties to the measure of their own pressing necessities and so are injurious to the cause of the Church of God Jeremy was not hurt for the hurt of himself but the daughter of his people Many are praying and fasting for their owne interests no Esther thinkes not of her self but her people so it must not be thy life or my life or thine or my goods estate children c. or thy personall suffering that must affect thee and afflict thee but the sufferings of all the members of Jesus Christ In all their afflictions thou must be afflicted and for them all thou hast must be hazarded And now right honourable and well-beloved suffer me to come to you in a word of Exhortation with some few Motives and I shall conclude all with supplications for God to guide your hearts to such personall preparations that you may this day find favour in the sight of God and the King and return at least with hopes of Peace or some small branch to show the waters are abated and that God in due time will cause the Arke which is the Church of God to rest safe upon the mountaines of hope 2. Use of Exhortation That by way of preparation for your addresse to His Majestie for the Churches preservation you and the Church of God would learn and practice that lesson that you may be prayerfull and powerfull You see Esthers practice for her distressed people Nay you see the three Kingdomes like that man that fell among theeves wounded and bleeding to death Oh be not like the hard-hearted Priests and Levites that minded more the market then their neighbours miserie But put on the good Samaritans compassion and go and do likewise let your bowels yerne towards the poore wounded lacerated halfe-dead Kingdomes looke out for oyle betimes to poure into the deepe wounds of it O apply such plaisters as may cat out the putrifying cores and if yet you cannot heale yet keep open and sweat the wounds of the Church of God I know you are men of skill and know how to doe it you indeed with those Honourable Houses that sent you under God are the Physitians must doe it It is you that must heale up the wounds make up the breaches that must bring backe God to his people and fetch the Kings heart to his God and your selves and his people And I heartily pray there may be found no Mountebanks amongst you who are more affected wâ—â—h the goods of the Nation than the good of the Nation such who mount the Stage to vent old drugs by faire bumbasted expressions for wholesome and
if Moses had any self-ends or aimes proposeth something to take him off and stop his mouth for he promiseth to make him a multiplying Nation Indeed self-aiming men that shall look to their own ends will never stand the Church in a strait in any stead No he saw the people threatned to ruine See how Moses argues and wrastles with God Vers 3.14 15 16. and then closeth and gaines upon God by Prayer giving as it were the other hug in this wrastle in the 17 18 89. Verses Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of the people See Vers 20. And the Lord said I have pardoned according to thy word See 1 Nehemiah 2 3 4. I have loved you saith the Lord c. Acts 27. Paul perceiving the voyage would be exceeding dangerous to those in the Ship Vers 21. the Text saith he used long abstinence you have our Saviour Christ also for an example when he beheld the contraction of his Fathers brow wrinkled up with full pleats of displeasure and pure wrath against our souls and a Decree against us to suffer hell and damnation and none could or durst enter to endeavour a reverse when he beheld the plot against us and our precious immortall souls undone for ever and liable to Satans fury he immediately disrobes himself of glory and immantles himself with the rags and badges of poverty and enters into the veile of flesh and then and there plies it night and day contesting with men and Devils nay wrastles with God with the deep groans of his spirit sweats at this work water and bloud and never quit his free undertaking untill he sweetly breathed it out to us that the great businesse of his Church was done and that they were delivered from all their enemies with an It is finished Precious and high-prized mercies must cost us some labor we must not look to carry home that which all the treasure in the Land cannot purchase for nothing your words or the Propositions you present may not take with the Kings heart but your suitable performances by way of preparation to the Churches present misery to God may take with God and God can take his heart and dispose of it as pleaseth him Ezra 1.1 The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to build his house There are many Arguments and perswading Reasons as sinewes to strengthen the Truth proved by fore-mentioned Scriptures and Examples First Why exact and proportionable duty to the Churches misery is required of al those that are interested in seeking its delivery 1. Argument That we may make it appear we are cordially sensible of its condition that we beleeve indeed it is as miserable as it showes for and that God is as angry as he seems to be with the Kingdome that it complaines not without a cause we can never yerne in our bowels with compassion to those though never so neerly related to us who we beleeve not be in passion and affliction The sense of the Churches mourning in misery must precede in our hearts our groaning for mercy the tender hearted mother then and not before then makes it her work all things set apart to send for a Physitian and to Physick and tend her sick child when shee hath laid to heart the simptomes of its disease and considered the consequences of it When we imagine slight hurts we afford them slight healings like those 8. Jer. 11. but when laid to heart then Oh! Is there no Balm in Gilead no Physitian there Jer. 9.1 Oh! that my head were waters and mine eyes fountains of tears that I may weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people c. It was an old fault which the Prophet complained of that no man laies to heart the miseries of the Church 2. Argument That we may make it appear that we set a high estimate on the Churches safety that we intend to gaine it whatever it cost that we think not much nor repine no not any layings out for it truly we have bid little of nothing nationally or personally for this great mercy as yet Object Why have we not freely offered our superfluous riches have we not cashiered our vain pleasures have not many hazzarded the displeasures of their eminent friends procured to themselves many enemies ventured their lives nay have we not made many prayers observed many Fasts and is this nothing Sol. Truly as the case may stand it may be worse then doing nothings and God may say to us as to those that professed to be his people Esa 1.11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices here you hear of many sacrifices much cost God knowes to little purpose of no purpose we bid very much I confesse for mercy but we would have God take our publike faith for it we would still have God take our promises for it when he expects performances for it he is so well acquainted with our backslidings that he is unwilling to trust us any more It 's true we come often to cheapen mercy it may be once or twice a moneth publikely or privately for the Church in misery and for a day hold down our hearts like a bull-rush as if we were undone if we had it not but when the price is set at a word and God fallen as low as he can to save by it to his glory and the honour of his justice For the most part the most men are apt to flink away or to promise to come again or the like What is it to bid and bid for a rich jewell again and again yea a thousand times over if we under-bid for it surely it argues a slighting of the jewel must needs be a great provocation to the Merchant God had as live you bid nothing as all you have bidden or abidden if you come not up to his price wht's that why it is expressed and set downe Esa 1.16 17. Wash ye make you cleane put away the evill of your doings c. also Isa 58.3 The Jewes question God why though they bid faire for mercy they cannot have it Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not c. God gives them accompt in the last words of the third and fourth Verses Behold in the day of your fast ye find pleasure ye fast for strife and debate c. wherefore he cannot part with it at that rate sets down what he resolves to have Vers 6 7 8. Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to deale thy bread to the hungry c. you must bid as the Nenevites did Ionah 3.7 8. Let neither man nor beast herd or flock tast any thing let them not feed nor drink water but let them cry mightily unto God let them turne everyone from his evill way c. Or as the people in Joel 1.13 14. God will not part with deliverance and mercy for his Church till we depart from our sin Hosea 14.3 Take away all iniquity