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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74782	A sure stay for a sinking state, presented in a sermon preached at Margarets Westminster before the Honourable House of Commons at their solemne fast, Nov. 24. 1647. / By Richard Kentish, preacher of the Gospel at Katharines, near the Tower London.	Kentish, Richard, Rev.	1648 (1648)	Wing K320; Thomason E416_30; ESTC R204500	24,581	40

God for it And then let us think seriously of our fallings of our defections yea let us think upon them with these two aggravating considerations First We have declined while we were under Gods afflicting hand God hath been correcting for former fallings and before he hath laid down his rod before he hath sheathed his sword we fall again we have been like the people spoken of in Isa 9.13 The people turneth not unto him that smiteth them neither doe they seek the Lord of hosts And that may be applyed to us that is spoken of Jer. 5.3 God hath stricken us but we have not grieved God hath consumed us but we have refused to receive correction we have made our faces harder then a rock and have refused to return What shall the childe grow worse while the father is correcting We grow worse while God is afflicting we are worse now then we were before the sword came among us What a sad case is this Oh that we would lay it to heart Secondly A second aggravating consideration is this We have declined after mercies were conferred upon us Sins against mercy are heinous sins if we had sinned onely against judgement mercy would have pleaded for us but having sinned against mercy what shall intercede now We have sinned against generall speciall mercies 1. We have sinned against generall mercies Some have died by the samine vvhile we have had our tables full Many have died of the plague yet it hath not come near many of our dwellings Thousands have been slain by the sword they have fallen some on our right hand and some on or left but our lives have been given us for a prey We have seen our adversaries laid low we can set our feet on the necks of our enemies The Lord hath not dealt so with every Nation Germany cannot say as we can Ireland cannot say as we may and what shall we sinne after all this Oh what an aggravation of sinne is this See what Ezra speaks Ezra 9.13 14. Seeing that thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve and hast given us such deliverance as this should we again break thy commandments Wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us so that there should be no remnant nor escaping God hath given us deliverances with an Emphasis Such deliverances as These Wonderfull unspeakable deliverances and yet doe we fall back decline wax worse and worse sinning against God against his mercies certainly this must needs provoke him exceedingly Oh th●● we would so consider of it that we might be affected with it 2. We have sinned not only against generall but also against speciall mercies against Gospel mercies Never had nation better Gospel-preaching then England Never had England better Preaching then since this Honourable Parliament Never had Parliament so many powerfull soul searching Sermons preached to them as this Parliament hath had What and yet doe we decline Yet doe we wax worse and worse God hath long waited on us Christ hath been long woeing of us We have had the sufferings of Christ for poor sinners set before us in the Gospel and yet are we declining What a sad thing is this This falling doth wound Christ this apostatizing doth crucifie Christ afresh and puts him again to open shame Beloved should we see the drops of bloud trickling down Christs precious temples should we see his side pierced and the bloud gush out there should we see his hands and feet nailed and withall hear him cry out Oh ye poor sinners of England these things have your sinnes brought upon me Certainly t' would move us t' would melt us Why all this we have in effect spoken to us and set before us in the Gospel for the preaching of the Gospel is nothing else but the preaching of Christ crucified 1 Cor. 1.23 Oh that this might prick us at the heart Act. 2.37 2 Cor. 7.10 and bring us unto such godly sorrow as may work in us repentance to salvation never to be repented of This shall suffice for that particular 3 Particular The third particular follows which is Reformation in these words and doe the first works Here note Doct. That repentance though it begin in the heart yet it doth not end there Mr Perkins in loe It never perisheth in the heart but alwaies breaks out into action in this life Vse 2 This is a thing the rather to be corsidered of because many will say they have repented and been heartily sorrow full for such and such things which they have ungodly committed but we see no such matter in their lives A repenting heart and an unreformed life doe not usually go together A good tree brings forth good fruit and a bad tree brings forth bad fruit a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Therefore let us take heed we doe not deceive our selves But to come to another point Mat. 7.17.18 Which is this Doct. That fallen professours must doe the first works This they are exhorted to in the text And this was the thing the Lord would bring Israel to Hos 2.7 Then shall shee say I will go and return to my first husband See Mr Burroughs in Hos 2.7 she had played the harlot she had apostatized but now she shall say I will return to my first husband and doe my first works To this the Prodigall is brought at last though it were long first Luk. 13.18 I will arise and go to my father from thence he came at first and though he hath played the prodigall and run rambling abroad now he will return to his first place to his fathers house Reas And the reason is Because this is the wisest course 't is better to doe the first works then to apostatize See what Israel saith in that forenamed place Hos 2.7 I will return to my first husband for then it was better with me then now and the prodigall found it better being at his fathers house then any where else there was bread enough and to spare but elsewhere he must perish for hunger Luk. 15.17 So in doing our first works there is farre more comfort and benefit then in apostatizing See here what a sad case all those are in Use 1. Of terrour that have declined but are not returned that did run well but have been letted and have not since begun to doe their first works What will they begin in the spirit and end in the flesh will they set their hands to the plough and look back and continue so to doe Let the Apostle tell them their state 2 Pet. 2.20 21. If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again entangled therein and overcome the later end is worse with them then the beginning for it had been be●ter for them not to have known the way of righteousnesse then after

they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them This is a wofull conclusion to be worst at last Oh that such persons had hearts to lament this condition Use 2 Of Exhortation If those that are fallen must doe the first works this may serve to exhort First all Christians that have a little declined to doe their first works Labour oh backsliding Christians for such a love to Christ to his ordinances as you had when God first began to work upon you Be as frequent in duties as once you were Time was when you could not let a day passe but you must have some converse with Christ not only in family but also in closet performances oh let it be so again Time was when you had more love one towards another then now you shew you could rejoyce to see the face of such a Minister or professour oh let it be so again Time was when Christians could meet together for edification and not for such unprofitable disputation as now oh let it be so again Time was when Christians were not so divided in affection as they are now because one last will not fit every shoe oh let it be so again And here let me speak a word to those that differ in judgement So farre as you agree together I would to God you would walk together and not set up party against party to the prejudice of all as the manner of some is It was a good saying of the King of Navarre When he entertained George Gluchus the Danish Ambassadour at a banquet Navarraeus dixit Luthe●●● Calvi●●● in 40. articulis a papâ 〈…〉 nuviter disse●tire in ●●●e in 39. articulis consentire unum contraver su● restare dandam o●eram ut mutuis animis virthas in papam fingule partes u●r●●que prtmum triuerent uti papa oppress● tum de contraverse illo articulo componendo und cogitaretur Com. de star Rel. Reip. Gal. pag. 1. lib. 2. he bid the Ambassadour tell his Master that he hoped by that time a year were expired the Gospel should be freely preached throughout all France The Ambassadour desired him to promote Luthers doctrine rather then Calvins as the Kings of Denmark and Sweden and other Princes had done to whom the King of Navarre answered Luther and Calvin differ from the Pope in fourty points and agree among themselves in nine and thirty so that there is but one point of differe●●● 〈…〉 them Let therefore both 〈…〉 forces against the Pope and when he is subdued see if they can fairly compose that one point of difference among themselves So say I to our differing parties in the Kingdom perhaps t is but in one point about an appeal that you differ in other things you agree Oh that you would join together against the common adversaries and those being subdued see if you can fairly discusse that one point and if it be possible at last to agree Secondly be ye exhorted Noble Worthies to do the first works More especially 1 Labour to exalt Christ this is a work of some worth God hath exalted Christ Let me intreat you to exalt him 1. Exalt him in your own hearts let Christ have the highest seat in your souls Exalt him in all his offices Let him be your King your Preist your Prophet the chiefest among ten thousand 2. Exalt Christ in the nation let him be Englands King Let him have all his ordinances set forth and set up in their full power and purity among us Do this first work 2. Labour to promote an able Conscientious Ministry this is a work you have been about Goe on and the Lord make you to prosper in it First Let Conscientious Ministers be countenanced by you they are your horsemen and chariots Let not men of malignant spirits have power to molest them though in some minus principalibus they do differ from some others Secondly Let them not want competent maintenance I plead not for tithes by Bishops land or some other waies a competency may be had But if you leave them to the alms of the people many Ministers in many places must feed upon short commons for charity groweth very cold Thirdly I beseech you labour to do justice you are the supream Magistrates of the Kingdome If justice come not to us from you whence shall we have it 1. I beseech you judge for the poor Psa 82.3 4. Defend the poor and fatherlesse do justice to the afflicted and needy Deliver the poor and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked Many a poor Minister is miserably afflicted by some wicked rich men in his parish because he dares not give them the Sacrament which would be as a cup of poyson to their souls and many a poor widow suffers much at the hands of the mighty I beseech you let the cause of the poor innocent be heard 2. I beseech you be impartiall in justice Do not let the great flies break through the web while little gnats are intangled Inven. Sat 2. Dat veniam corvis vexat Cens●ra columbas To spare the great birds and destroy the small not so hurtfull is no good justice There are many wonder there are no more delinquents called to the bar Take heed you spare not Brother Benhadad Dum M●g●s●●at●● reos absolvunt gravissimorun ●●i●inum pecca●●●ecrum sese obligant P. Nar● in 1. Reg ●0 42 least you and the Kingdome fare the worse for it as the Prophet told Ahab 1 Kin. 20 42. Because thou hast let go a man whom I had appointed to utter destruction thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people I beseech you think of this and be impartiall 3. I beseech you do justice speedily let not men wait for justice norly long before they come to tryall Justice should run You have many of your delinquents grow exceeding bold because they see Justice is not speedily executed Eccl. 8.11 Because sentence against an evill work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is sully set in them to do evill which may as well be applyed to mans delay Vide C●a Lap. Tho. Cart. in loc as to Gods delay in punishing offenders And the truth is delayes in executing justice may prove of as dangerous consequence as delayes in war Oh therfore do justice speedily 4. Be perswaded to do justice freely Among the Jews the Judges sat in the gates men might have as free recourse to the Judges as to their Cities I am confident this honourable Parliament scorns to judge for rewards yet some say it costs vijs modis much money as well as much waiting to have an Order upon a Petition I beseech you let Justice be more free Fourthly There is one work more which I would beseech you to do And that is to let Ireland be remembred Ah poor Ireland how art thou forgotten If we hasten not help before it be too late we may