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A25209
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A sermon upon the wonderful deliverance by His Majesty from assassination, the nation from invasion by Vin. Alsop.
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Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing A2911; ESTC R23666
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37,849
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39
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Be exhorted to praise that God whose ever watchful Providence has discovered and defeated the Contrivances of the Enemies when a Promise is converted into Performance then Believing must be converted into Thanksgiving Psal. 124.6 7. Blessed be God who hath not given us up a prey to their teeth our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler the snare is broken and we are delivered Where you have the Enemies of the Church compared to a Beast of Prey for their Cruelty and to a Fowler for their Subtilty 1. The Enemies of Israel are compared to a Beast of Prey and a most dreadful and terrible one he is described in the Vision Dan. 7.7 After this I saw in the night visions and behold a fourth Beast dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly and it had great Iron Teeth it devoured and broke in pieces And it had ten horns This is that Beast of which Israel is now in danger unto this Monster holy Providence has seen it fit and just to deliver up a considerable part of the World and to leave a great part of the visible Church to be trampled under its feet For our parts God has delivered us in these Nations for many years from becoming its prey but how often have we been in its Paws though by Miracles of Mercy we have been delivered from its James Being therefore delivered out-of the Mouth of this Lion out of Teeth of this Beast le ts own our selves monuments of great mercy and raise up to our Savour monuments of praise 2. The Enemies of Israel are compared to a sly fowler and he goes secretly to work he has Baits to allure us he has Nets to take and hold us And let the poor delivered Bird that has escaped the Snare and Net mount up to Heaven on the wings of Faith and Love with the notes of praise singing its Almighty Deliverer for the Snare did not fail did not miss to catch us only a gracious and powerfull hand of providence broke the Snare and we are delivered 2. Let us be exhorted to pray unto our God that he who has delivered us and doth deliver us would proceed still to deliver us That our King our Nobles our Magistrates our Ministers may be still preserved from the unwearid Machinations of our Enemies Let us pray with David Psal. 141.9.10 Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me from the grins of the workers of iniquity Let the wicked fall into their own nets while I with all escaph Amen And they have fallen some of them into their own nets they that thirsted for blood have had blood to Drink The venomous Spider has been caught and swept away in the sine nets she spun out of her own Bowels Providence has overratcht them in their own Politicks foold them in their own Counsels and out shot them in their own Bow They that drew the Sword of Cruelty have perished by the Sword of Justice and may we ever keep up the spirit of servent Prayer that God would deliver us from but not deliver us up to their merciless Mercies Amen Books Printed for John Barns at the Crown in Pall-Mall 1696. DEcus Tutamen or Practical Godliness the Ornament and Muniment of all Religion Being the Subject of several Sermons Preached at Westminster upon Titus 2. 10. Duty and Interest United in Prayer and Praise for Kings and all that are in Authority From I. Tim. II. 1 2. Being a Sermon Preach'd at Westminster Upon the late day of Thanksgiving Sept. 8. 1695. Both written by the same Author FINIS
GOD in the MOUNT A SERMON UPON THE Wonderful Deliverance OF His Majesty from Assassination The Nation from Invasion By VIN ALSOP Minister of the Gospel Hitherto hath the Lord Helped us 1 Sam. 7.12 LONDON Printed for J. Barnes at the Crown in the Pall-mall 1696. PSAL. CXXI 4. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep UPon the strength and warrant of this word has the Church of God subsisted in all Ages and upon the same security may she still depend and hope to the end The Psalmist therefore introduces this great truth with a solemn note of attention that he might recommend it to our serious consideration Behold All the promises of God and those providences which subserve their accomplishments do challenge our highest faith and most critical observation The Works of God are but a Commentary upon his Word and whatever he speaks with his mouth he fulfils with his arm And yet which is our great reproach we are often in a deep sleep in the midst of our greatest Dangers and are hardly well awake when God has wrought out our Deliverance we sleep when our Enemies are awake to contrive our destruction and are but in a Dream when watchful Providence has brought Salvation so was the Church Ps. 126.1 When the Lord turned again the Captivity of Zion then were we like them that dream and that because we are slow to believe there should be so much malice in men to plot the ruine of them that are innocent or so much mercy in God to save them that are so guilty And therefore our God awakens our dull and drowsie souls to consider how faithfully he that keeps Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep In the words these particulars offer themselves to our special observation 1. Let us observe the special object of watchful Providence Israel A Name given at first to Jacob upon the account of his wrestling and prevailling with God in Prayer Gen. 32.28 Thy name shall no more be called Jacob but Israel for as a Prince hast thou power with God and men and hast prevailed And it will deserve our special Remark that he who can prevail with God will easily prevail with or against men thus Jacob having wrestled and prevailed with the Angel easily prevailed with his incensed Brother Esau. 〈◊〉 his reflects severely upon us that we rather imitate Jacob in his halting before God than in his prevailing with God This Name Israel was in process of time given to Jacob's posterity and by that Title were they distinguisht from all other people who as they constituted the whole visible Church of God at that time in the world so were they fenced about with many special and peculiar Priviledges Promises and Providences such were those among others Psal. 130.7 8. Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and plenteous Redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Psal. 131.3 Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever But yet it must be noted that this appellation of Israel had a more large and a more restrained acceptation 1. In the more large and general sense it denoted the whole body of the people which under that dispensation composed the whole visible Church of God and was commensurate to and with the body politick the Church and the State making up one Community Rom. 10.1 My hearts desire and prayer for Israel is that they may be saved Nor were the priviledges and promises small that were made to Israel under that more general notion Rom. 9.4 Who are Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises 2. But yet in a more narrow and restrained sense there was an Israel in the midst of this Israel the invisible Church which denoted only such of them and among them as were effectually called home to God sanctified by the spirit and the Apostle gives us ground for this distinction Rom. 9.6 They are not all Israel that are of Israel v. 7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seed be called v. 8. That is they which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed As therefore we shall take this Israel in a more enlarged or restrained sense so will the promises providences and all the privileges carry a more general or special meaning 2. Observe we next the matter of this promise The Lord keepeth Israel which denotes the continuance the unwearied protection of divine Providence God has undertaken her protection has engaged himself has obliged all his attributes especially his wisdom and power to defend his Church against all her enemies so we have it in this Psalm v. 5. The Lord is thy keeper he is thy shade upon the right hand v. 7. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy seed v. 8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for ever A complication of promises adequate to all Israels necessities against all Israels enemies serving Israel in all cases preserving her against all evils and enduring firm and strong for ever 3. Lastly we may observe the vigilancy of Providence in keeping his Israel he neither slumbers nor sleeps The watchful eye of God will not wâ—â—k his eye-lids are not heavy his head is not drowsy his heart is not weary all which expressions tho they are spoken after the manner of men yet must we reverently interpret them in a manner after the spiritual incorporeal nature of God whence I raise this one Observation Watchful Providence has undertaken to preserve and keep safe his beloved Israel This important truth is notably set forth in 2 Chron. 16. 9. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro thro the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him wherein we cannot but note 1. Divine Providence is represented as having eyes when almighty power is most conspicuous in the deliverances of Israel then all is ascribed to the hand to the arm of God but when discovering of infernal practices when defeating of accursed machinations are most visible then Providence is said to have eyes altho omniscience is always attended with omnipotence and infinit power guided by infinit wisdom Now Providence is said to have eyes 1. Because there 's nothing so deep so secret but he sees it 2. Nothing so confused and disordered but he directs and guides it Thus we read Ezek. 10.12 The wheels were full of eyes round about strange intricate turnings motions there are of Providence which we judge irregular but still they are all guided by an unerring wisdom which conducts them all to his own gracious ends The affairs of this lower world and especially of his Church and all her