A Humble Plea for the Quiet Rest of Gods Ark, Conclusion
The Close.
And now Men, Brethren, and Fathers! Are we in earnest? Do we sincerely desire this Holy Ark of God might be at rest amongst us? O then let us turn every one from the evil of our ways. Let there be all due exemplariness in the Clergy, all religious conformableness in the Laity; all true Piety and Loyalty in both.
Let not Eli's Sons cause the Sacrifices of God to be abhorr'd through their profaneness, lest it proves Shilo's fall, as well as their ruine. Let not Uzzah dare to touch the Ark pragmatically with his Lay-hands; lest it pulls down another Peretz uzzah, Gods displeasure, and some fatal breach upon us.
We have no less than Life and Death this day set before us. On the left hand all the woful miseries of our Divisions, if we will needs wilfully persist in them. Then must it be *Non mihi si linguae certum sint orague centum, Schismatis infandos valeam memorare dolores. Parei Iren. de discidiis Evangelicorum componend. 74., Ichabod, Ichabod. Farewel thou dear Ark of God. The staves of Beauty and Bands are broken. And poor England left bleeding in its own Dissentions, biting and devouring one another, till we are consumed one of another. At so dear a rate do we buy our joyless differences.
On the right hand we have the comfortable fruits of Concord and Union. Our present dangerous Collisions, our sore Convulsisions might then be fairly cur'd. The inveterate envy (of so long standing) between Ephraim and Judah would then cease for ever. A perfect Amnesty of all former Animosities. Our Gracious Soveraign highly pleas'd, and truly great in the good harmony of his people. The Church even over-joy'd in the re-imbracement of her children. The ancient honour of our English Nation safely retriev'd. And (which is yet far more) that worthy name of God, by which we are all called, would then be but one, and his praise one throughout the Land.
I must be bold to say, we have here mercies Quis non vità etiam suâ redimeret submotum istud infinitum discidii scandalum? Bucer.more worth than our very lives. Our bowels cannot but secretly yern within us. O that we might see such good days, and peace upon Israel.
You will give me leave to call to you as that man of Macedonia; Come over (O let all good men) come over, and help us. That the great things of Religion, the practick part of Piety and Vertue, so much impaired, so manifestly obstructed by our unkind breaches, may be henceforth as effectually carried on by our better accord.
And thou London, the Imperial City of our Great King, whose Merchants are as Princes, and whose Traffickers as the honourable of the Earth; let no man take thy Crown from thee: but be thou a leading example to all England herein. O let us never be, as that infamous Babel, a by-word of confusion: Where we may (with so much thanks and ease, with so much honour and comfort) be as Gods Jerusalem, a people of unity and decent order.
I beseech you bear with my iterated importunity. The extreme importance of the matter exacts it from us. Your selves right well see, how far the Honour of God, and of our holy Religion; the welfare of our native Countrey, and all our comforts lie at stake. *Metuendum ne diuturnis hisce ac funestis contentionibus (quod Deus avertat) suum omnes accelerent interitum. Davenant. adhort. ad pacem. Quid nobis felicius, si positis discidiis concorditer versemur in domo Domini? Erasm. de Eccles. Concord.Our gainsaying as Core (if not given over) will most certainly undo us. A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand. Pray let a generous united zeal for our happy Government in Church and State preserve us.
If others could heretofore think the Pulpit a fit place, from whence to tell their hearers, They desired to be look'd upon as those who came to beat a Drum in their ears, though that Drum The persons name is forborn.was little less than a Drum of downright Rebellion: I hope it cannot be offensive to any, if all modest earnestness be used in the discharge of our Sacred Ministry, to recommend (what better becomes the Gospel) the things which belong to our Peace.
That it might be no longer so wildly said, Lo here, and lo there: but rather a sober unanimous practice of that indisputable Scripture Uniformity: Come let us go to the house of the Lord, for thither the Tribes go up, the Tribes of the Lord; Psal. 122. 4.to the testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
To which I hope no good man will scruple saying, Amen.
Now to him that loveth the Gates of Sion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob; to him be Glory in thé Church through all ages.Psal. 87. 2.
AMEN.
FINIS.
End of the text · Samuel Crossman, A Humble Plea for the Quiet Rest of Gods Ark (1682)