The Faithful and Wise Servant Discovered, Title page – Dedication
THE FAITHFUL And Wiſe Servant.
Diſcovered in a Sermon preached to the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, at their late private Faſt in the Parliament Houſe, Jan. 9. 1656.
By Matthew Barker, a Servant of Chriſt, and his Church in the work of the Miniſtry, at Leonards Eaſtcheap, London.
And his Lord ſaid unto him, Well done thou good and faithful ſervant.
Matth. 25. 21.
Keep therefore and do (my STATƲTES and JƲDGEMENTS) for this is your wiſdom, and your underſtanding in the ſight of the Nations, which ſhall hear all theſe Statutes, and ſay, Surely this great Nation is a wiſe and underſtanding People.
LONDON, Printed by J. Macock, for Luke Fawn, and are to be ſold at his Shop at the Signe of the Parrot, in Pauls Church-yard, 1657.
To the Truly Honourable, the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
THE Great Leſſon that the Lord hath been teaching man in all Ages (which, alas, he hath yet but a little learned) is, That he is nothing without God. David ſought to teach his Son Solomon this, in that Pſalm that he compoſed on purpoſe for him, Except the Lord build the Houſe, they labour in vain that build it: Except the Lord keep the City, the Watchman waketh but in vain. Salomon he knew was to ſucceed him in his Throne, and to have affairs of a Publique and weighty Import in his hands, and therefore would have him well digeſt this firſt and beſt Rule in Chriſtian Policy, That the creature acts in all things in vain, wherein it acts without God.
No rule is more needful for Magiſtrates to learn, and which when once well learned, and well practiſed, will of all other things (if the world could but once believe it) moſt avail to the proſperity and ſucceſs of their Affairs.
When God called Gideon forth to a Publique Work, he firſt tells him he would be with him; and then adds, Go forth in This thy might.
If the Creature goes forth in any might but this, it is a poor weak thing.
It is Recorded in Sacred Story, that the Iſraelites followed Saul trembling, when he went to Battel againſt the Philiſtims.
They thought they ſhould be ſtrong, and victorious when they had gotten a King, and no ſooner had they him, but they follow him trembling. Such will all creature ſtrength be to us, it cannot deliver us from Fear, and Falling; or be a Rock to the heart of Man.
Your deep ſenſe of this (Right Honourable) was that which I ſuppoſe moved you to ſet apart a day for a more ſolemn ſeeking Aid and Counſel from God; and wherein you was pleaſed to call for my poor Service in that days work, together with two others far more able. That we might do for you, (according to what Jonathan did to David when he was in ſtreights, in the Wilderneſs of Ziph) ſtrengthen your hands in God.
You were then as in a Wilderneſs, and you did not clearly ſee your way; but have your hands been ſince more ſtrengthned in God?
You was pleaſed to command (for ſo is your Deſire to me) that I ſhould ſpeak ſomthing from the Lord to you; and what I ſpake, as it was calculated for your Meridian, ſo I intended it for no wider a Sphaere then the Walls of your own Houſe: But ſeeing you are pleaſed to call for it to walk abroad, I have obeyed you, though not without ſome reluctance.
The Work you met upon was Serious, and the Day Solemn; ſo that I durſt not but preach plainly, as thoſe will find that read.
Only I muſt acquaint you, that the latter end of the Sermon I preached not, becauſe I was prevented by the time, chuſing rather to be abrupt then tedious.
Which indeed was a further Motive to me to yeild it to the Preſs; and that I might preſent that to your Eyes, which I could not then preſent to your Ear….
And here and there I have added ſomthing above what I ſpake, as being then compelled to ſhorten, where I could with least loſs.
So that this I can ſay, I have preſented you with a fuller expreſſion of what was in my thoughts and papers in the Sermon as Printed, then the Sermon as Preached.
VVhat-ever it is, though it ſhews forth much of my weakneſs, yet I aſsure you it ſhews forth my hearty willingneſs to ſerve Christ, and to ſerve you in a ſubordination unto him.
One generation paſſeth, to make way for another; and ſo men ſerving their generations, have past away that others might come in, Moſes was taken off, that Joſhua might come in, and David to make way for Salomon; And ſo other Powers, and Parliaments have past away to make room for you. And now ye are upon the Stage, and therefore endeavour to Act Nobly, to Act Gallantly, as ſtanding in the view, not of men only, but of God, and that when you go off you may go off with the Applauſe, I will not ſay of men, but of God himſelf.
There is a Providence that orders in what Generation every man ſhall be brought forth; and therefore every man ſhould be enquiring, why was I brought forth in this generation, and not another? And what is the work of this Generation wherein the Lord expects that I ſhould come forth, and ſerve him? And it is Satans deſign and policy to amuſe men about other work that concerns them not, that ſo he might divert them from that which is their proper work.
And ſhall I be bold here, (Honoured Gentlemen) to put you in mind of that, which I hear hath been ſome time already under your conſideration; and that is to do ſomething toward the payment of the debts that are yet behind upon the Publique faith, eſpecially to the poorer ſort: Many poor honeſt people live yet in hope that that Faith will not fail.
I know the wants and expences of the Nation are great, yet Mercy and Juſtice never to this day did any wrong to a State.
The condition alſo of poor Priſoners, that would pay if they could, as I was ſolicited to preſent it before you, ſo I humbly leave it to your Juſtice and Wiſdom to conſider of it.
I know alſo your work is great, and God may cut out more work for you, and for his people in this Nation ere long, then they are …t aware of. Oh it is an happy thing to have Spirit fitted to what work God will engage us in.
And let us take heed that calm times do not make us ſecure, and ſettle in the world.
You know when Sampſon ſlept in Delilah's lap, then he loſt his ſtrength, and loſt God: and when he went to rouſe up himſelf as at other times, then he felt his weakneſs.
So if through ſecurity, and lying in the lap of any beloved Delilah, we do fall aſleep, we hazard the loſs of our ſtrength, and the departing of God, and then when we may be called forth to any work, we may ariſe and think to prevaile as in the days of old, when alas our strength is gone.
Oh be watchful, faithful, low in your own eyes; and the lower you are thus, the more will God delight to honour you, and the more honour he puts upon you; the lower be you ſtill.
As we read of Moſes, Gideon, David, Salomon, yea and Saul, when the Lord came to call them forth to publick work, and put honour upon them, then were they loweſt in their own eyes.
God delights to work by ſuch Inſtruments that are low in their own eyes; yea that may be low in the eyes of others; that glory may bee his alone.
And to be ſerviceable in your Generation to Chriſt, his People, and the Nations whereof you are the Meſsengers: if you pleaſe at your leiſure to peruſe the following Diſcourſe, you ſhall find it to be your greateſt Intereſt▪ …nd your Trueſt Wiſdom, and as I have in my S…on endeavoured to diſcover it; ſo, that you may eminently attain it, ſhall be the earneſt prayer of him, who would fain approve himſelf to be the
Faithful Servant of Jeſus Chriſt, and of Your Honours in him, MATTHEW BARKER.