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A67641
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Derekh leshalom shalom betsok ha-e͡tim, or, The surest way to the safest peace, in troublous times delivered in a sermon preached before the right honourable Sr. John Eyles, kt. : then lord mayor of the City of London, on September 30, 1688 / by James Warner ...
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Warner, James.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing W894; ESTC R7053
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21,263
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44
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Favour There is no Peace saith the Lord to the Wicked Isai 48. ult and chap. 57. ult God is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity and hath evidently displayed his Holiness even in the only way of Redemption it self which is by nothing less then the precious Blood of Jesus Christ which he shed to purchase a peculiar People zealous of good Works And without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Therefore while the Land hath so great Prophaneness as there is visibly in it we are in great Danger of those Miseries that always attends such Impieties Thirdly Apostacy and Backsliding from God doth provoke him to hide his Face if we leave him he will forsake us 1 Chron. 28.9 If thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever 2 Chron. 15.2 If ye forsake him he will forsake you If any man draw back saith God my Soul shall have no Pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 39. But we are not of them that draw back unto Perdition saith the Apostle The Backslider in Heart shall be filled with his own Ways Pro. 14.14 And saith God Wo unto you when I depart from you Hos 9.12 Now the Just shall live by Faith saith the Apostle Heb. 10.38 which must be by a constant view of God and therefore the nature of Unbelief is set forth by a departing from the living God. Heb. 3.12 Take heed Brethren lest there be in any of you an evil Heart of Vnbelief in departing from the living God And indeed what Quiet and Peace can we expect when we leave the God of Peace the Pountain of all Good For every good and perfect Gift comes from him James 1.17 Fourthly Unfruitfulness under the means of Grace God hath afforded the Gospel the Ministration of the Word which is able to save our Souls Acts 20.32 Jam. 1.21 and build us up by which we must be judged Now where God is at this cost he expects Fruit or will destroy the Unfruitful so saith the Apostle Heb. 6.7 8 9. For the Earth which being often watered bringeth forth Herbs meet for him by whom it is dressed receiveth Blessing from God But that which beareth nothing but Briars and Thorns is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned The like our Lord Jesus saith of the Barren Tree These three years have I come seeking Fruit and finding none Cut it down why cumbreth it the Ground Luke 13.7 and by the Parable of the Unfruitful Vineyard Isa 5.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. God displayeth the Equity of his Judgments against them He saith I Planted and Hedged it and what more could have been done that I did not do unto it And yet when I looked for Grapes behold it brought forth wild Grapes Therefore saith he I will take away the Hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and I will lay it waste and it shall be trodden under foot Now saith he The Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel and the Men of Judah And for this he denounceth Destruction against them So saith our Lord to the Fig-tree that had Leaves only Never man gather Fruit on thee more and it immediately withered Mat. 21.20 So that whereas we have had Liberty and Ordinances for our Edification and the promoting of Holiness which our Holy Profession calls for and yet there is no Fruitfulness in a growing Holiness any ways proportionable to the means of Grace afforded us We cannot groundedly expect any continuance of Quiet but sudden Destruction unless a speedy Repentance prevent it and that it be attended with a due and diligent Improvement of the present Opportunities we do yet enjoy for our Reformation Fifthly An Unreformed People an impenitent and stubborn People that will not hear Isai 9.13 verse 12. The Syrians before and the Philistines behind devour Israel with open Mouth for all this his Anger is not turned away but his Hand is stretched out still Verse 13. For the People turneth not unto him that smiteth them neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel Head and Tail Branch and Rush in one Day Here observe former Judgments on a People if they are not followed with Repentance are then but Warnings of greater Judgments Approaching Prov. 29 1. He that being often reproved hardneth his Neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without Remedy 'T is high time that God's Strokes should smite us when his Word is not heard by us and when Persons refuse to hear and receive Instructions they are on the Brink of Destruction Jer. 6.8 Be thou Instructed O Jerusalem lest my Soul depart from thee lest I make thee desolate a Land not Inhabited Jer. 44.4 I sent saith God my Servants the Prophets saying Do not this thing which I hate but they harkned not where fore my Fury and mine Anger was poured forth on the Cities of Judah and on Jerusalem and they were desolate as at this day v. 5 6 7 c. Gen. 6.3 God saith My Spirit shall not always strive with man. And likewise before the Captivity of Judah God sent his Prophets 2 Chron. 36.15 16 17. early to them because he had compassion on them but they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his Words and Misused his Prophets until the Wrath of the Lord arose against his People till there was no Remedy therefore he brought upon them the King of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the Sword in the house of their Sanctuary c. So likewise Ezek 20.6 7 c. This Sin is set forth by the scum that goeth not out of the Pot by boyling and saith Wo to the Bloody City to the Pot whose Scum is therein and whose Scum is not gone out of it First He bids them pour water into the Pot but when that did not do to set it on a greater fire in the Empty Pot that the Brass might melt it if less Judgments will not do greater must ensue unto utter destruction on an Impenitent People And this Sin likewise is too manifest among us Few regard what they hear to do it which is for a Lamentation because remediless Misery attends it 2 Chron. 36.16 Thus far we have enquired into those Sins which provoke God to hide his Face from a People and these Provocations are all too plain among us our first work is to beg of God to turn our hearts and give us Repentance least Judgments break forth against us without Remedy Prov. 29.1 Secondly As to the manner of God's withdrawing or hiding his Face from a People it is generally gradual 1. He is long a going the long suffering of God waited long in the days of Noah God saith How shall I give thee up Ephraim and make thee as Admah and set thee as Zeboim 2. And long gone when departed the Ark was in the Phylistines Countrey Twenty Years 1 Sam. 7.2 3. 'T is long in Returning oft so the
whereby godliness hath the Promise of this Life as well as that to come and Sinners a Punishment here that they may know there is a Judgment Now this disposal of trouble God hath assumed to himself Isa 45.7 I Form Light I Create Darkness I make Peace I Create Evil viz. of trouble I the Lord do all these things Job 5.6 Although Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither doth Trouble spring out of the ground c. Amos 3.6 Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it So that God ordereth trouble by his own hand and therefore where he giveth Quiet none can cause Trouble because none hath the disposal of it but himself Again Secondly As he hath all trouble it self in his own hands so he hath all the Instruments of Trouble at his own ordering nothing can move without him without his Power and Permission All Instruments of Trouble may be reduced to these Heads either 1st Persons or 2ly Things 1st Persons and these are either 1st Evil Angels 2ly Evil Men. First Evil Angels Satan is called ho Ecthros the Enemy Apollion and Abaddon the Destroyer who goeth about as a Roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 Now the Malice and Motion of Satan to hurt us is under the Special Restraint of God hence it is said in Job Satan saith Thou hast set an Hedge about him Job 1.10 And in seducing Ahab to go to Ramoth Gilead the Evil Spirit doth first get leave to seduce him 1 Kings 22.22 23. The Devils could not enter into the herd of Swine until that Christ gave them leave so to do Mat. 8.31 32. Christ saith unto Peter Simon Satan hath desired to have thee that he might winnow thee as Wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not Luk. 22.31 And that God ordereth these things doth further appear if we consider what God permits Satan to Assault us for if we are Proud to Humble us if Secure to Awaken us to Prayer and Watchings he is Conquered by Christ and reserved in Chains to the Judgment of the Great Day Jude 6. Now if God speak Peace Satan cannot cause trouble because much of the trouble he is permitted to cause is upon God's Controversie with us for God will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able but will with the Temptation also make way to escape 1 Cor. 10.13 God knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations c. 2 Pet. 2.9 And as Satan himself cannot hurt us without permission So 2ly The worst of wicked men those who give themselves to the Devil that they may do mischief viz. Wizards and Witches cannot harm us as we see in the instance of Balaam Num. 23.23 There is no inchantment against Jacob nor Divination against Israel Balaam loved the Wages of Unrighteousness and would have cursed Israel but God made him say I have not beheld Iniquity in Jacob nor seen Perverseness in Israel the Lord his God is with him and the shout of a King is among them Num. 23.21 This God bids them remember what Balack King of Mohab consulted and Balam answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal that they might know the righteousness of God Mica 6.5 Again as men are Instruments of Trouble they are so either 1st By their Heads and Counsels or 2ly By their Hands and Power or 3ly By their Hearts Inclinations and Affections Now all these are ordered and disposed by the Lord and cannot move against him First The Heads and Counsels of Men it is certain that much of the safety of a Nation depends upon the Consultation for its good and much of its Trouble depends upon the Conspiracies of Men for its hurt Now There is no Wisdom nor Counsel nor Device against the Lord Prov. 21.30 He bringeth the Devises of the Heathen to nought the Counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations Psal 33.10 11. His Counsel shall stand and he will do all his pleasure Isa 46.10 He over-ruleth all the Counsels that are in the World and hath brought to nothing the devices of the Crafty Job 5.12 When Absalom rebelled against David and Achitopel was with him who was esteemed an Oracle of God for Counsel David prayeth to God to turn his Counsel back to defeat it which he did accordingly answer him in by the Counterpoise of Hushi 2 Sam. 15.31 Chap. 17.14 So of the Enemies of the Jews Neh. 4.15 Of the Wicked Job 5.13 Chap. 10.3 The Heathen Psal 33.10 Of Syria Aephraim Isa 7 5 7. Chap. 8.10 Of Egypt Isa 19.3 11. Now God hath many ways to bring the Counsels of men to nought as he did Hamans against Mordecai Esther 6. Chap. 7.9 10 ult The King of Syria against the Prophet Elisha 2 Kings 6.12 13 to 20. The Jews against Paul Acts 23.12 16. Jacobs Sons against Joseph Gen. 37.20 Pharaobs against Israel when he said let us deal wisely Exod. 1.10 and that was to destroy them but he was destroyed thereby So Haman the Gallows built for Mordecai he first hanselled Ester 7.9 10 ult The Pit they dig for others takes their own feet and they fall therein So God defeated the Philistines Plot against Sampson Saul defeated in his designs again David sometimes by strife as Jehosaphats Enemies 2 Chron. 20. Cross Interests arise Great Men who are as wheels in the Work die and all their Thoughts and Designs perish with them Secondly As their Heads so their Hands and Power is ordered by the Lord. So that when he giveth Quiet there 's no Hand can cause Trouble For the Sword is at the disposal of the Lord Job 5.12 He disappointeth the devices of the Crafty so that their hands cannot find their Enterprise Isa 54.17 ult No weapon that is formen against Sion shall prosper and every tongue that riseth up in Judgment against her God will condemn Psal 46.9 10. He maketh Wars to cease unto the ends of the Earth he breaketh the Bow and cutteth the Spear in sunder and burns the Chariots with Fire and saith Be still and know that I am God For 't is he that bendeth the Bow the Sword is his Weapon and goeth at his bidding Job 19.29 ult Be afraid of the Sword for wrath bringeth the punishment of the Sword that ye may know there is a Judgment Judg. 5.8 They chose new Gods then was War in the Gates Dout. 32.41 If I whet my Glittering Sword and my hand take hold on Judgment Isai 34.5 6. The Sword of the Lord is bathed in Heaven and it shall come down upon Idumea and the People of his curse to Judgement Isa 66.16 By Fire and Sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many Jer. 12.12 The Spoilers are come upon all high places through the Wilderness for the Sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the Land even to the other end of the Land no