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A56695
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A sermon preached at St. Pavl Covent-Garden, on the late day of fasting & prayer, Novemb. 13 by Simon Patrick ...
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Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing P840; ESTC R23234
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28,516
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39
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he there gives directions how it should be built and orders how it should be furnished with a Table and Dishes and Spoons and Candlestick and Snuffers and abundance of other houshold-stuff Whereof no reason can be given but this that it might represent in the most familiar manner to the grossest souls in the Nation that God dwelt and as it were kept house among them 5. And that it might be more apparent this was his House and that herein he dwelt among them this House was seated in the midst of their Camp Numb XI 17. v. 3. and there was also a glorious cloud covered it whereby it was sanctified to be his habitation Exod. XXIX 43. The pillar of the cloud and fire that is which had led them out of Egypt and was the special token of his presence with them he there promises should rest upon this House and consecrate it to himself And accordingly you find that as soon as Moses had finished this habitation and set it up A cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle So that Moses was not able to enter into the place because the cloud abode thereon and the glory of the LORD filled it Exod. XL. 34 37. On the outside of the house that is there was a smoak but within there was a most glorious brightness which sometime broke forth in an amazing splendor as a visible token of his presence in the midst of them So you read in many places which I cannot stand now to mention that the Glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud and stood in the door of the Tabernacle and appeared to all the congregation dazling their eyes and frighting them when they were in the greatest tumults and rebellions against Moses and Aaron For it lookt then like a consuming fire which they thought would presently devour them Lastly Gods dwelling among them was so clearly demonstrated he was so nigh to them and made himself so familiar with them that he is said to be seen face to face among them So you read Numb XIV 14. Where the people being in a mutiny against the only good men amongst them The Glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle and the Lord threatned to disinherit them and had then done execution upon them had not Moses interposed for them by this argument that the people of Canaan would make an ill construction of it For they have heard that thou LORD art among this people that thou LORD art seen face to face and thy cloud standeth over them c. Read also Deut. V. 4. And when you have considered all this seriously you will see there was reason to say that the LORD was in the midst of them and in an extraordinaary mnner sensibly present to this people They were above all others dear to him and had the highest marks of his favour and love None could more presume of his indulgent kindness to them or be more assured of his tender and affectionate care watching over them to preserve them Unless it be our selves who have a greater grace vouchsafed to us and more illustrious demonstrations of his powerful presence with us to bless protect and defend us than the Israelites though so much in his favour could boast of We whom he hath Elected to be his peculiar people called to be Saints and sanctified excell them as much as they did other Nations He hath exalted our praise far above theirs who were heretofore so much renowned and hath approached so nigh to us and made us so near to himself that we may glory in his holy Name and say in a far more noble sence than they could that he hath spoken to us face to face For no man hath seen God at any time but the only begotten Son who is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him And the Word was made flesh say the Apostles of our Religion and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father Joh. I. 14.18 God shone into the very hearts of these holy men to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. IV. 6. And what they saw and heard they have declared to us that we might also have fellowship with them and they protest that truly their fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. I. 3. Who is the image of the invisible God and the brightness of his glory By whom God looks upon us and speaks to us through our own flesh for he dwells not now as he did among them in a Tabernacle made of Curtains and beasts Skins or in a house of stone but hath made our Nature his dwelling-place The flesh of man is become the Sanctuary of God wherein he will dwell for ever As our Lord hath assured us by sending down from his holy place the HOLY GHOST the Spirit of glory upon us whereby all Christians are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Ephes II. 22. Who hath delivered to us his Oracles in the holy Gospel where such things are revealed unto us as the Angels desire to look into 1 Pet. I. 12. For the New Jerusalem of which we are Citizens came down from God out of Heaven and when it descended S. John heard a great voice out of Heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God Rev. XXI 2 3. Nor was all this proper only to those times when Christianity was first planted in the world but we have still visible assurances of his gracious presence among us and of his dear love to us And that is in the holy Sacrament of our Lords Body and Blood where he really and indeed makes himself present to all the faithful and is in the midst of them There he calls unto us and says See the love I bear to you Behold the tokens of my everlasting remembrance of you Believe it I am with you always to the end of the world I assure you hereby that my Body and Blood shall preserve you to eternal life Because I live ye shall live also And though you may imagine this to be a priviledge common to all Christians yet if the matter be well considered it will appear that we have a peculiar Claim to this honour of being a people nigh unto him or may at least in a double regard challenge a special interest in his favour above all those who endeavour wholly to ingross and limit it to themselves First In that we have the blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood more entirely and purely administred unto us Whereby we are assured he is there present among us when-as they that depend upon the intention of their Priests can have no certainty of so great a blessing We have him presented to us
be thus zealous both in our prayers and in our endeavours to fortifie our selves and one another to rouse up our courage to maintain what God hath so long by many wonderful providences maintained and preserved because he doth not seem to have a mind to leave us if we will not basely desert him and his cause For mark I beseech you what incouragement he gives us to hope that notwithstanding our vile requitals of all his loving-kindness we may be delivered if we will at last take such a pious course as I have described First of all he hath graciously heard the Prayers of his faithful people who have often besought him that he would bring to naught all the evils which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us He hath strangely when we lookt not for it detected their secret Counsels and thereby delivered our Soveraign whom God long preserve from the detestable design which was against his life This was the Lords doing alone and it ought to be marvellous in our eyes and excite us to do all we can for our own preservation seeing he hath done so much already For unless the Lord had been our help our souls had quickly dwelt in silence Ps XCIV 17. Another incouragement is the happy agreement hitherto between the two houses of Parliament who both are industrious to make further discoveries of those ungodly devices which are in part come to light and to provide the best means they can think of for our safety His Majesties gracious Declaration also that he is ready to joyn with them in all the wayes and means that may establish a firm security of the Protestant Religion as our own hearts can wish is a further encouragement But the greatest of all is that God hath done all hitherto for us himself for his own Names sake notwithstanding our high provocations There hath been little of man seen in all this business or in any of our former deliverances which have been a succession of Miraculous works for the preservation of this Church and Kingdom We cannot say that it was the prudence the diligence the watchfulness of our Councellors which brought to light the deeds of darkness but Gods infinite mercy alone who toucht the heart of one man to reveal those secrets which for the present hath dasht their designs in pieces As confident as they were they are faln short of their aim and the prey is snatcht as it were out of their very teeth They opened their mouth against us they hissed and gnasht their teeth but have not as yet been able to say we have swallowed them up certainly this is the day that we looked for we have found it we have seen it Lam. 2.16 No Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth Which we may very well look upon as a token for good saying with David Psal XLI 11. By this I know that thou favourest me because my enemy doth not triumph over me When they were in so fair a way to it then to be disappointed of their triumph is a manifest sign I think that God hath a kindness for us And may incourage us to say when we see them rave and hear them still brag that the day shall be their own Talk no more so exceeding proudly let not arrogance come forth out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed He will keep the feet of his Saints and the wicked shall be silent in darkness for by strength shall no man prevail 1 Sam. II. 3 9. Did we thus religiously depend upon him and trust in him I am very confident he would still defeat our enemies and not suffer them howsoever they may boast to triumph over us even for this very reason because they are so insolent and barbarous That 's a new thing to be considered for our encouragement The savage cruelty and bloodiness of their designs against those among whom they live peaceably and who have been kind as well as gentle to them is an argument that God abhors them as much as we can do and that he will confound them if we do not provoke him to abhor us and cast us off for our ingratitude and gross negligence in that Religion which hath been so often most wondrously preserved We may make the same complaint to God that David did and thereby move him to pity us that they are not only our enemies wrongfully but have rendred us evil for good and hatred for our good will which is the character of the worst natures in the world It would have been easie for us were we so disposed as we find them to be to have destroyed them all long ago Our Numbers and strength being so vastly greater that nothing could have restrained us from it but only this that our Religion is better Which may make us hope God will be farther merciful to us and not let them prevail who are emboldned by nothing else to attempt to destroy us but by this alone that we are taught to be so kind to them as not to destroy them If David made this an argument why God should defend him from those that rose up against him because they were gathered together not for my transgression nor for my sin O Lord as he speaks Psal LIX 3. We may much more urge the same motive with a little alteration of his words saying Deliver us from the workers of iniquity save us from bloody men For lo they lie in wait for us the mighty are gathered together against us not for our transgression nor for our sin O Lord but quite contrary because our fear of thee forbids us to destroy them They run and prepare themselves without our fault awake to help us and behold the danger wherein we are Thou therefore O Lord God of hosts the God of Israel awake to visit them be not merciful to any wicked transgressor Consume them in wrath consume them that they may not be and let them know that God not they ruleth here and unto the ends of the Earth And it is a singular comfort surely to know and stedfastly believe that as the Psalmist saith elsewhere Psal XCIX 1. according to the old translation The Lord is King be the people never so unpatient he sitteth between the Cherubims i. e. governs the world be the earth never so unquiet Upon him therefore let us depend and commend our selves piously to his protection and we need not fear all the power on earth that they can raise against us As for their interest in heaven we are sure it is very small For if the Lord had not been on our side when they rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick when they were so wrathfully displeased at us They depended it's like very much upon their supposed interest in the Saints whom they ply hard with their prayers and it is probable besought their help