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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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faithfully admonished and not in the least bolstered up in our wickedness if when we see ruine just before our eyes we will not go out of our way to avoid it You cannot name any one of this Church that hath confidently prophesied of glorious times Nor above one impious Writer of any note and he not pretending to the Ministry that hath laid down Principles to incourage men in wickedness and irreligion And therefore if we will notwithstanding run on in our evil courses it is a sign we have no heart to any thing else but that this is our inclination nay our resolution and that we being unreformable must perish because we have no mind to be saved in Gods way but to hurry on to destruction in our own Never any Nation perhaps perished if we must be undone against so much Reason against such plain warnings against so many mercies to invite us to do better and so many judgments to deter us from our evil ways against so many convincing instructions clear and rational arguments solid confutations not only of all leud and atheistical Principles but of Popery and of all Fanatical Doctrines There can be nothing therefore pleaded in our behalf but we must be left as the man without a Wedding Garment perfectly speechless A sad and most wretched condition Sad because we shall be extremely miserable and sad because we shall not be able to say why we were so frantick as against so many restraints to cast our selves into such miseries Which I beseech you let every one of us for our parts endeavour to prevent by timely repentance never to be repented of For that 's the thing I have shewn you still wanting for our preservation And I must tell you further in the last place 6. That as the case now stands it is not an ordinary Repentance and Reformation that will serve the turn We are gone too far I doubt towards ruine to be delivered without some extraordinary endeavours to put a stop to it and therefore I must say to you for a conclusion of all as our Lord Christ doth to the luke warm Church of Laodicea Rev. III. 19. Be zealous therefore and repent Repentance is not sufficient for the recovery of a Church when there is a great Apostacy and defection in Faith and in Manners but we must join zeal with it which is a pious warmth in our affections for all that is good and vertuous and that will certainly do the business We need not fear then the most desperate Enemies no not our sins but look upon all the Judgments God hath sent upon us as tokens of his love to us if they awaken us to zealous repentance For so our Saviour there incourages us to hope in the words foregoing As many as I love I rebuke chasten be zealous therefore and repent There would be some hope of us if we could but see that indifferency that chilness nay deadness which is in too many spirits turn'd into a warm nay burning zeal both in the Service of God and for his Service I. Be zealous therefore first in your Devotions of which I have spoken something already But let me again beseech you to stir up your selves to make your supplications to God with more inflamed affection for the King for the Parliament for the Bishops and Pastors of the Flock of Christ for the Magistrates for one another that all and every of these in their several places may attend their duty and perform it faithfully and zealously Instead of finding fault as the manner is with this and the other person whose actions do not please us let us fall upon our Knees and with fervent prayers intreat the Divine Majesty that he will bend their hearts to study to do those things which are pleasing and acceptable in his sight and to do them with all their might remembring there is no work nor device in the Grave whither they are going We tell God every day in the Collect for our Soveraign Lord the King that we most heartily beseech him he may alway incline to Gods will and walk in his way O that there were indeed such a heart in us as Moses speaks and that we would constantly with more fervour than ever put up that Petition for his Majesty Beseeching him also by whom Kings reign to be his defender and keeper and not to suffer any of the Sons of violence to approach to do him hurt With the like ardent zeal should we daily say the following Prayer for the Queen his Royal Highness and all the Royal Family that he would endue them with his holy Spirit and enrich them with his heavenly grace Of which things did we make a greater conscience and were not careless and frozen in our Devotions we might hope to obtain that which we so much desire a clearer discovery of the snares our Enemies have laid for us For which I beseech you to pray with all the ardour that you are able to raise up in your hearts that God would bring to light still more and more the hidden works of darkness Be importunate with him who sees into the greatest secrets to lay bare to the very bottom all the wicked contrivances that are against us Call upon him likewise with the same fervour that he would endue his Ministers with righteousness and inspire them with such courage that they may behave themselves like men who have not received the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind Pray also that he would raise up the Spirits of those who are assembled in the High Court of Parliament to consult for our good unto the loftiest pitch of Christian resolution wisdom and integrity Beseech him to send among them a Spirit of might and power whereby they may act so resolutely and worthily that if any be false they may be daunted if any be faint-hearted they may be incouraged Finally pray that all the Lords people may Watch and stand fast in the faith quit themselves like men be strong and do all their things in charity loving one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Cor. XVI 13 14. 1 Pet. I. 22. II. But we must not content our selves meerly with this zeal in our devotions we must be zealous also of good works Tit. II. ult In order to this which is all the time will now give me leave to mention every soul of us must bestir himself to give a severe check to all vitious affections and actions and to root them out of himself and his family and wheresoever he hath any power looking upon these as the greatest Traitors in the Nation And since true zeal will always begin at home where we have most power to reform let every man search out with great care and cast out with great indignation whatsoever he finds in himself that is contrary to his Religion having a holy jealousie over himself lest any thing should escape his strictest examination For why should
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