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B12473
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A sub-poena from the star-chamber of heauen A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the 4. of August. 1622. With some particular enlargements which the limited time would not then allow. By Dan. Donne, Master of Arts, and minister of the Word.
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Donne, Daniel, d. 1646.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 7021; ESTC S121163
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55,741
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137
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fruit be hewen downe and cast into the fire Consider this all yee whom the Lord hath blessed with the fruite of the Wombe least this temporall blessing proue 7 Parents your eternall bane Thinke it not enough that yee bring forth children into the world and prouide for them an earthly inheritance vnlesse yee also bring them vp vnto the Lord and so fit them for the Kingdome of Heauen Alasse what is their first generation more then their Corruption for they are shaped in wickednesse Psal 51 5. and conceiued in sinne and so poore Infants Damnati antequam nati they are damned before their mothers are deliuered and being so what is your Temporall prouision vnto them though neuer so plentifull if after their ioy in this World if they know any they be so farre from knowing any in the next that on the contrary they lye howling in Hell flames for euer If therefore you truely loue your Children for their sakes vndertake a second labour and bring forth this good fruite of your Fatherly loue towards them once more trauell in paine of them but as Paul did of the Galathians till Gal. 4. 19. Christ be formed in them labour that they may be begotten a new in Christ by 1. Pet. 1. 23. the immortall seede of the Word and bee made heyres of the Kingdome of Heauen Let it be your care whatsoeuer it cost to haue them brought vp euen from their Child-hood in the feare of God That when they leaue this world they may attaine vnto the Land of euerlasting life there to raigne with Christ world without end And if you will not doe thus much for their sakes at least doe it for your owne sakes For know to bring forth this good fruit of true fatherly affection to bee carefull for the Spirituall well-fare of your Children and to promote and further it to the vtmost of your power is a dutie God strictly inioyneth And if through neglect hereof your Children Ephes 6. 4. rebell against God he will require their blood at your hands For as God doth visite the sinnes of the Fathers vpon the Children So he doth visite the sinns of the Children vpon the Fathers For an instance remember Old Eli when his 1. Sam. 2. Sonnes trespassed against God He did not sharpely reprooue and correct them but suffered theÌ„ to run on in their Sins this was his ruine In a word remeÌ„ber the IudgeÌ„t here threatned in my Text be moued thereby to bring forth the good fruite of true Fatherly affectioÌ„ instruct your Children in the feare of the Lord reproue correct theÌ„ wheÌ„ they offend the Lord least the Lord hew you downe and cast you into the fire In like manner yee Children remember the Rocke out of which yee 8 Children were hewen the Stocke whereof yee are stemmes your Parents from whom next vnder God yee haue receiued your naturall beeing Oh wound not their tender hearts with your vntoward carriage and rebellious courses the only course to accelerate and hasten their heads to the graue but like good Children bring forth the good fruit of filiall feare and affection that yee may exhilarate reioyce their Soules to the prolonging of their dayes Reuerence them inwardly in your hearts outwardly in your Behauiour yeeld vnto them all dutifull obedience in the Lord least ye pluck their Curse vpon your heads and the Lord hearing it hew you downe cast you into the fire 9 Masters of families Yee that haue the care of Seruants committed to your charge bring forth the Good fruite of Good Masters in your seuerall Families doe vnto your Seruants that which is iust and equall Col. 4. 1. knowing that yee also haue a Master in Heauen Command them not but in the Lord and that louingly Allow them a befitting competency be it in matter of indâ—ment for the Backe or aliment for the Belly and doe not with-hold their wages from them But aboue all instruct them in the knowledge and feare of God as well by your examples as precepts and allow not their profanation of the Lords Sabaths the least Conniuence Least the Lord hew you downe and cast you into the fire And yee that are Seruants serue your 10 Seruants Masters faithfully both in word and deede and obserue them with all respectiue reuerence and submit your selues vnto them to obey them in the Lord least the Lord hew downe you also and cast you into the fire In a word to drawe towards a conclusion giue me leaue to drawe out an Eare or two of the Corne we haue already inn'd for I feare growing too voluminous and large in particularizing farther Yee haue heard how gracious and bountifull a God the Lord hath vowed to shew himselfe vnto all those that submit themselues vnto his lawes and labour to serue him faithfully in bringing forth good fruite in leading a holy and religious course of life that he will reward and crowne their holy endeauours with an eternall weight of Glory in the kingdome of Heauen Yee haue likewise heard how seuere and terrible a Iudge hee will reueale himselfe vnto all such as runne disobedient and rebellious courses that hee will wound the hayrie Scalpe of euery one that goeth on in his wickednesse yea that hee will hew downe and cast into the fire euery Tree not bringing forth good fruite If therefore the sweete blessings of Gerizim the louing mercies of God cannot worke vpon our rebellious hearts to reclaime vs from our wicked wayes let the bitter cursings of Eball the dreadfull terrours of the Law make vs feare to offend least the Lord in his wrath deliuer vs vp vnto a reprobate minde and in that fearefull estate hew vs downe that is by a violent Death rent our Soules and Bodies a sunder cast vs both soule body into the fire to be intollerably eternally tormented in the flames of Hel. My beloued as God is Iealous of so he is Zealous for his glory if he be not glorified a nobis of vs by our conuersion he will be glorified de nobis vpon vs by our confusion if we do not turne vnto him he wil turne vs into Hell â—or it is a conclusion so ratified as neuer to bee repealed that Euery one whether Iew or Gentile bond or free high or low rich or poore Euery tree not bringing forth good fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire O then let euery one of vs make a diligent search into his owne bosome iudge himselfe least he be iudged of the Lord. Let vs dissect rip vp that body of sinne which is within vs not only that Naturall corruption which we haue all alike succâ—ssiuely receiued from our first PareÌ„ts but also those personal transgressioÌ„s which euery man hath made himselfe guilty of more or lesse Then hauing faithfully laid open our sinfulnes let vs look on it with a loathing eye a lamenting heart vnfeinedly deploring the time
the wayes of peace in a word we must giue all our members seruants vnto righteousnesse Rom 6. 19. in holinesse Abounding in the fruits of the Spirit in loue peace long suffering Galat. 5. 22. gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse patience and in euery good worke that may make vs perfect men in Christ Jesus For this were wee elected before the world God the Father did chuse vs in Ephes 1. 4. Christ his Sonne before the foundations of the world that wee should bee holy and without blame before him in loue For this were we created into the world wheras all things were made to serue for the vse of man man was made to serue his Maker For this end were we redeemed out of the world For Christ deliuered Luke 1. 74. vs from the hands of our enemies that we might serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life For this purpose doth God sanctifie vs in this world with his Holy Spirit I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walke in my Ezek. 36. 27. Statutes and ye shall keepe my iudgements and doe them And for this shall we bee glorified in the world to come Come yee blessed of my Father take the Inheritance Matth. 25. 34. of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was an hungred and yee gaue mee meate c. Thus will God crowne the holy liues of his seruants with an eternall weight of glory Such honour shall haue all his Saints which are fruitful in good works not that they doe by their fruits of holinesse No man can merit heauen and workes of pietie merit so glorious a remuneration alas what can we pleade for by way of merit at Gods hand seeing when we haue done all that we can doe yea that wee are commanded to doe which is more then wee can doe we are but vnprofitable seruants Luke 17. 10. saith our Sauiour And what is the reward for vnprofitable seruants which God will render vnto them at the last day Why this is their fearefull Sentence Cast yee the vnprofitable seruant into Matth. 2â— â—â— vtter darkenesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth No my beloued Eternall life is not of mans merit but of the meere gift of God through Iesus Rom. â— â—â— Christ our Lord As a reuerend religious Prelate of our Church hath obserued Doctor King 〈◊〉 of London wee may read of a Mercy-seat in the Temple of God but neuer heare of a Steole of Merit but in the Chappell of Antichrist Indeed God doth in many places of his Scripture promise the kingdome of heauen to all that leade a religious and holy life but this his promise is not grounded vpon a foresight of any merit in man but proceedeth meerly from the free grace and bounty of God who herein dealeth with vs as a louing and bountifull father with his child promising him some gift of great worth for the performance of some small piece of seruice happily for making vnto him a legge or the like that so by his bountie hee may bring his childe on willingly to tender that reuerend respect which otherwise of dutie he is bound to doe Holinesse of life and conuersation is that which God strictly commandeth and accordingly requireth from euery Christian It is as you haue heard the end of our Election Creation Redemption Sanctification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring forth good fruit If we search the Bible from the beginning to the ending we shall find this to be the very pith the marrow the maine subiect and life thereof yet behold the great goodnesse of God what he might command and compell vs vnto in the name of our Soueraigne Lord and maker he doth considering our weaknes and infirmitie intreat and wooe vs vnto in the language of a louing and bountifull Father As S. Augustine most Serm. 3. de verbis Domini sweetly Nobis praemia repromittit vt nobis obsequia debita seruitutis extorqueat he doth make vnto vs a promise of remuneration to draw vs to the performance of that seruice which in dutie we owe vnto him in the whole course of our life and conuersation Vt quos nolle seruire conspicit sponte suorum beneficiorum possit promissionibus inuitare that whom he sees will not freely serue him of his owne accord he might louingly and friendly inuite by promising a reward This doth God to make it knowne VVhy God doth promise a revvard to good vvorkâ—s and manifest vnto the sonnes of men 1. how sweet and pleasing a sauour the sacrifice of our holy Obedience doth send vp into the nostrils of the most High 2. That none shall euer inherit the ioyes of heauen but such as doe wholly endeuour and bend themselues forward to bring forth good fruit here on earth such as labour for the inward sanctitie and lead a holy and religious course of life And 3. that they shall be as sure to participate of this his promised bounty as if by their deserts and merits they were interested in it And that the Sunne of Gods grace and bounty may yet more clearly and freely reflect its beames vpon the eyes of your vnderstanding I hold it not vnfitting before we proceed any further in a word or two to remooue out of the way the opinion of Mans merit which like a thick mist and darke cloud the enemies of the crosse of Christ haue cast before it to the great obscuring and impayring of the glorious splendor thereof It is a point I take it well worth the time and may iustly plead for your Christian attention Sure I am it maketh much for the promoting of Gods glory and the furthering of our owne Good for when wee seriously consider the insufficiency of our owne works to saue vs we may learne a poynt of true wisedome not to leane vpon the broken staffe of our owne Merits which will surely deceiue vs but wholly to relye vpon the louing mercies of God which are sure and will neuer faile vs. Thus Gods shall be all the glory and ours all the good I am not ignorant that many of our moderne Diuines haue not a little studied this point and left the fruits of their learned Labours vnto the broad eye of the world that who so list may looke into them and receiue satisfaction to the full for nothing of substance can bee super-added vnto that which they haue already set forth yet I think it not amisse considering the present occasion to borrow a little handfull out of the liberall haruest of their labours and present you with a taste of their fruits dressed after my owne fashion I doubt not but it will be pleasing vnto some I hope and pray that it may be profitable vnto all Happily I may herein seeme to some to make an impertinent digression froÌ„ my text but who so well weigheth the drift of the