Two Sermons Preached to the House of Commons at their Public Fast, Title page – Preface
TWO SERMONS PREACHED TO THE HONORABLE House of Commons Assembled in PARLIAMENT. AT THEIR PVBLIQVE FAST, NOVEM. 17. 1640:
BY Cornelius Burges D. D. AND Stephen Marshall B. D.
Published by Order of that House.
LONDON, Printed by T. B. and I. O. for S. Man, P. Stephens, and C. Meredith, at the Swanne and Gilded LION in Saint Pauls CHURCH-Yard. 1641.
TO THE HONOVRABLE HOVSE OF COMMONS now Assembled in PARLIAMENT.
WHen first it pleased You to require our service in Preaching at Your late Publike Fast, we resolved to close our eyes against all Clouds of discouragement arising from our owne unworthinesse and insufficiency, and to set our selves wholly to seek what the Lord would command us to deliver in his Name, at such a time, to such an Honourable and awfull Assembly,Psalm. 82. with a totall deniall of our selves.
And albeit we should have beene glad to have beene spared this exposing of our selves to the publike view; yet, You appointing otherwise, we hold it equall that the joynt entreaty of the Representative Body of the whole Communalty of the kingdome should be regarded, and have chosen rather that others should censure us of weakenesse, than You should charge us with Disobedience: Your Request being no lesse than a command; and Your acceptance sufficient to give value to things of themselves both meane and worthlesse.
Wherefore, according to our Duty, so willingly as the consciousnesse of our slender performances would permit, we obey Your Order, and doe now, although somewhat late, humbly offer these two plaine Sermons (for, who expects other in a Fast?) at the footstoole of Your Tribunall, as a lasting Monument of Our Gratitude for Your encouraging Approbation of, and solemne Thankes for our weake endeavours in the preaching of them.
If in some places we have taken that just liberty which all others have done before us, we trust it shall not be imputed; so long as in the most materiall passages we have kept to the very words which at first wee used, so farre as was necessary; and have not wittingly swerved an haires bredth from the sense and substance in the residue.
Wee have indeed pared off some Repetitions, which in speaking had their use, the more to inculcate, and the better to set on the matter, but would not have been so gratefull in Writing, because Readers account every thing too long that hath any thing too much. We have likewise contracted some expressions, which in discourses of so much length, could hardly be so concise as wee desired, Memory being not alwayes at hand to give birth to every Conception of our minds in such formes as wee intended. And some few things we have added, where straites of time, or defect of memory made some balkes in the first delivery.
What ever our performances be, we humbly leave them in Your hands, and under Your Honourable Protection, which we are bold to expect, because they are by Your owne Act drawne from us, and that in a time so queasie and distempered as can hardly beare that food, or Physik which is needfull for it. Seldome doth a wise Reproofe, a necessary Exhortation, or wholsome Doctrine meet with an obedient Eare.
The God of Heaven steere all Your weighty consultations by his own Counsell, to his owne Glory; cover You still under his own Wing, and make You the most accomplisht, best united, & most successefull & glorious house of Commons that ever sate in that High Court; but chiefly in the effectuall endeavouring of a further Sanction of, and stronger Guard about our true Palladium, the true Religion, already established among us; in the perfecting of the Reformation of it; in the erecting, maintaining, protecting, and incouraging of an able, godly, faithfull, zealous, profitable, Preaching *This was our joynt & earnest suit to You, in Preaching; and we now again beseech You to set your hearts and hands to this work, as Benhail, Obadiah and other Princes in Iudah did.Ministery, in every Parish Church and Chappell throughout England and Wales; and in the interceding to the Kings sacred Majesty for the setting up of a Faithfull, Iudicious, and Zealous Magistracy, 2 Chr. 17. 7, 8, 9.where yet the same is wanting, to bee ever at hand to back such a Ministery: without either of which, not only the power of Godlinesse will soone degenerate into formality, and zeale into Luke warmenesse; but, Popery, Arminianisme, Socinianisme, Prophanenesse, Apostacy, and Atheisme it selfe will more and more croud in upon us, and prevaile against us, doe You all You can by all other meanes.
And now, commending You to God and to the Word of his grace,Acts 20. 32. which is able to build You up further, and to give You an inheritance among all them which bee sanctified; and these our Labours to his further blessing, whereby all may speedily be brought under the line of his Covenant,The Summe of both Sermons. which is our Safety; that hee may continue with us, which is our Glory; and wee with him, which is our happinesse: we rest,
Yours, most devoted to the service of Your Faith in all Dutie,
Cornelius Burges.
Stephen Marshall.
The Preface used in Preaching, before the Text was read.
THat great Apostle Saint Paul, The Preface, shewing the reason of the choice of this Subject.when he had to doe with wise men, held it a point of wisdome to passe by some things which he would not have wayved among meaner capacities. His practise shall be now my president.
This honourable Assembly having designed me to beare so great a share in this weightie Worke, I hold it my dutie to consider, that, how weake and unworthy so ever I my selfe be, yet I am now to speake to Wise Men, who need not so much to be Catechised touching the Nature, as to be incited and quickned to the principall Use of a Religious Fast, which consisteth not solely in such drawing neere to God by extraordinary Prayer and Humiliation as may produce a totall divorce from our deerest Lusts, but also (and that more principally) in a particular, formall, solemne, entire engaging and binding of our selves, by an indissoluble Covenant, to that God whose face and favour we seeke, and implore.
And this I apprehend to be a subject more necessary, by how much this dutie appeares to be lesse heeded and regarded by the greater number of the choycest Christians.The Preface.
For, as it too often falls out, even among the best, in participating that sacred and dreadfull Ordinance of the Lords Supper, (whereof also we are shortly to communicate) that moe labour more to discerne, and feed upon his blessed Body and Bloud, spiritually by faith, to make Christ their owne, (which must be done too) than actually, totally, and absolutely (then) to devote, resigne, and yeeld up themselves unto him, in the act of receiving, to be his servants: So it doth not seldome happen in the exercise of holy Fasting, that not a few of that small handfull which desire to approach the presence of God in trueth, are more conversant in searching, confessing, bewailing of sinne, and in craving of mercy, (all of which are necessary duties) than in working up their hearts to that indispensable pitch of heavenly resolution, sincerely to strike through a religious and inviolable Covenant with their God. Whereas, without this, all their labour will be utterly lost, their expectations frustrate, they take the glorious Name of God in vaine, provoke the eyes of his Glory more against them, causing him infinitely to loath and abominate both their persons, and service; nor shall they ever, by all their crying, and sighing, no not by whole rivers of teares, be able to draw down an arme of Mercy from Heaven to come and save them.
The more effectually therefore to provoke both my selfe and you at this time, to the due performance of this most neglected (but most necessary) dutie, I have thought fit, in a very plaine and familiar way sutable to the nature of this exercise (which ought to be as serious, as solemne) to worke and chafe into all our hearts the strength and spirit of that good Word of God, which you shall finde written for our instruction in▪