Holy Dedication Both Personal and Domestic, Part 2 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. The Concluſion of the whole Diſcourſe.
I Have brought you now juſt to the ſhore, where I will land you immediately. I have (thorough God's gracious aſſiſtance) gone thorough what I propounded to open and apply, viz. Holy Dedication, both Perſonal and Domeſtick: The nature of both hath been explained, and the Practiſe of both hath been enforced by thoſe Arguments and Conſiderations which were proper to the matter in hand. And ſo I have done, (though with much weakneſs), what was to be done on my part, that which remains further to be done, is on your part. Shall this twofold Dedication be acted by you? will you fall down before the light and evidence of that Truth, which hath been here ſet forth? and live in a bleſſed Conformity and ſubjection to it? will you come up to what hath been preſs'd upon you, in your Perſonal and Relative Capacity? I ſay will you do this, or will you not? Shall theſe poor Labours of mine have ſome fruit, or ſhall they be altogether in vain? ſhall it fare with this inconſiderable piece, as it doth with many excellent Treatiſes? (whoſe price is asked, may be they are bought, nay, may be they are peruſed; but in a little time they are thrown aſide, never minded more, nothing comes of them, and the Reader is but juſt where he was before). O that this was not the entertainment which the worthy Labours of ſome did find from too many! If mine (which are not worthy to be named with Theirs), do meet with the ſame entertainment, it will much afflict me upon a double account; firſt, that God will not uſe me as an inſtrument for the doing of that good which I earneſtly deſire to do; Secondly, that means uſed prove ineffective and ſucceſsleſs, as to the promoting of the Salvation of your precious Souls. I ſay, theſe two things will give me much trouble: but as for other things, wherein credit, esteem, reputation are concerned, I hope I ſhall value them no more than the dirt under my Feet. You may think of me, and ſay of me, and of this poor Birth of mine, what you pleaſe; but know that the matter ſpoken to, is of great weight and importance, and that which calls for your higheſt reſpect, and moſt ſerious Conſideration. Let but that be duly entertained by you, and then for perſonal reſpects or diſreſpects, you have to do with one, who is very indifferent and much unconcern'd.
Dearly beloved Citizens, I renew my Advice to yon, and I beſeech you in the bowels of Chriſt, for God's ſake, for your own ſouls ſake,
1. That you will dedicate your perſons to God, (as this Perſonal-Dedication hath been deſcribed). Hezekiah ſpeaking to this very Argument, he preſſes it upon the people of Iſrael by theſe Conſiderations; 2 Chron. 30.6. &c. Turn again unto the Lord God, &c. and he will return to the remnant of you, that are eſcaped out of the hand of the Kings of Aſſyria: And be not like your Fathers, and like your Brethren, which treſpaſſed againſt the Lord God of their Fathers, who therefore gave them up to deſolation, as ye ſee; Now therefore be not ſtiff-necked as your Fathers were, but yield your ſelves unto the Lord, &c. and ſerve the Lord your God, that the fierceneſs of his wrath, may turn away from you. Are not theſe Conſiderations applicable to you in this City? you are a remnant eſcaped out of terrible judgments; though Plague and Fire have raged amongſt you, yet you live; God hath wrought dreadful deſolations in your City, as you ſee; what wrath yet remains, you cannot tell; how ſhall it be prevented? O yield your ſelves to the Lord, dedicate your ſelves to him; that's the way, to turn away the fierceneſs of Gods wrath. Providential diſpenſations that are past, (ſome in the way of mercy, others in the way of judgment), the preſent ſtate and poſture of things, (wherein further judgmensts ſeem to be impendent over us), all call upon you for this. Doth God uſe to begin in this manner, and doth he not go on, till he hath atttained his end, one way or another? How ſhall we put a stop to him in theſe judicial proceedings, but by the yielding of our ſelves to him? Self-dedication, and Houſe-dedication will prevent City-deſolation. O therefore let Self-love (if nothing elſe will prevail) and love to this poor City, put you upon Self-dedication. And beſides this, pray conſider what costly and glorious dedications, the great God hath brought about in Chriſt for you, Heb. 9.18. Whereupon neither was the firſt Teſtament dedicated without blood. Heb. 10.20. By a new and living way, which he hath conſecrated (or dedicated) for us, thorough the vail, that is to ſay, his fleſh. I meddle not with what is Controverſial from this place, (for the Romaniſts find here their Limbus Patrum); I only aim at this; here's coſtly dedication and conſecration for us; ſhall not we now dedicate and conſecrate our ſelves to God, in a way of thankfulneſs? (I touch upon theſe Motives here, becauſe I ſaid nothing to them in the former Diſcourſe, when I was urging the duty upon you). O that I might prevail with ſome, (with many, if it be the Lord's good pleaſure), to dedicate themſelves to God; ſo as to give up themſelves to Him, to ſurrender their wills to his Will, to reſolve for God to ſeparate from a carnal courſe and a common converſation, to enter into Covenant with God, and to devote themſelves to his glory: What can lie nearer to the heart of Chriſtianity, than theſe things do?
2ly. When this is done, than I further intreat you, to dedicate your Houſes to God: Perſonal Dedication ſhould not go without this, as this cannot be without that. What a City ſhould we have, if it might be made up of dedicated Houſes! Religion would put a greater beauty and glory upon it than all our new models in building. O will you ſeriouſly weigh what hath been preſented to you? will you make your Entrance into your Houſes with Prayer and Praiſe? will you ſolemnly commit them to Gods Almighty Protection? will you ſet up and advance, Religion, Piety and Godlineſs in them? (and ſo conſecrate them to God)? will you devote all your Domeſtick mercies to God? I hope what hath been ſaid, may have ſome good effect upon ſome of you, to bring you to the practiſing of theſe things. If you reſolve upon them than I have but two things further to ſay to you.
1. Do not only enter upon this Houſe-Dedication, but renew it, as occaſion and ſpecial caſes ſhall call for it. The Antients would not have Temple-dedication to be repeated or reiterated; Extat inter Canones Concilii Nicaeni conſcriptos à Gratiano, Canon qui pracipit, Eccleſias ſemel conſecratas, non iterum conſecrari debere vid. Hoſp. de Orig. Tem. fol. 701.but ſurely Houſe-dedication may be, and ſhould be repeated; In three caſes eſpecially:
1. Ʋnder ſome great turn or change of life. Suppoſe it to be marriage; O then there is more of duty to be performed, more of comfort to be enjoyed; then there is a greater need of God for the ſanctifying and ſweetening of the relation; and therefore then 'tis good for perſons, again ſolemnly and explicitely to dedicate their Houſe and their All to God.
2ly. After the commiſſion of ſome great ſin, by which the Houſe is much defiled. Dedication ſome make to be nothing but Purification; to dedicate the Houſe, 'tis to purifie the Houſe; Surely after great pollutions by ſin, the Houſe ſhould be waſhed and purifi'd again. Many Interpreters bring in the Dedication of the Text, upon this; Abſalom had greatly defiled David's Houſe, upon his return therefore he purifi'd it, by a new dedication: Great pollutions call for new dedications.
When Ahaz had defiled the Temple, Hezekiah conſecrated it again, 2 Chron. 29. The like was done by Judas Maccabeus after Antiochus his polluting of the Temple. (as hath been ſhown). Do you thus do, as to your private Houſes; do not ſuffer ſin to lie upon them; of all filthineſs let that be waſhed out; when they have been defiled, let them be purifi'd; How? By Faſting and Prayer.
3ly, After the receipt of ſome ſignal and eminent mercy: Some make that to be the occaſion of David's dedicating of his Houſe (though they do not agree in the ſpecifying of the particular mercy).Gratias agit pro restititâ valetudine Bucer. Principale Argumentum bujus Pſalmi videtur eſſe Gratiarum actio, pro recuperatâ po…t infirmitatem ſalute. Munſt. vid. Freidlib. Qu. 146. in Pſalm. Bucer and Munſter make it to be, his recovery from ſome dangerous ſickneſs: The firſt and ſecond verſes in this thirty Pſalm ſeem to point to that mercy. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou haſt healed me: O Lord thou haſt brought up my ſoul from the grave; thou haſt kept me alive, that I ſhould not go down to the pit. *Magis credibile est, &c. in loc.Calvin thinks this was rather his Reſtauration to his Kingdom, and his victory over Abſalom. Well, we cannot determine what the mercy was, but ſome great mercy David had received, and upon this he doth anew dedicate his Houſe to God. If it ſhall be thus with you at any time, do you do the ſame: Were you preſerved when ſo many Thouſands fell by the late Plague? I think your Houſes then ſhould have been anew devoted to God: Were they ſo miraculouſly kept in the late fire? I think there ſhould have been a freſh dedication of them. As the dedication ſhould be lasting for conſtant mercies, ſo it ſhould be renewed for new and ſignal mercies. This is the first thing.
Then ſecondly, I would ſay this to you, live under a due ſenſe of this, that your Houſes are dedicated; and let this fill you with an holy awe, Dedicantur Templa, ut eis invitetur adventus Angelorum; & Homines in eas intrantes, étiam ab exili cogitatione ſe contineant. Alevin de Caen. Dom. (citat. in Gavant. Theſ. Rit. p. 4. tit. 16. p. 293).of committing, or permitting ſin in them. Alcwin tells us, that the reaſon why Churches were dedicated, was this, That men being in them, upon the conſideration of the Sacredneſs of the place, they might abſtain from every little vain thought. Surely if men did but revive this upon their thoughts, that they and their Houſes are dedicated, they would carry it better than they do. O, ſhall I abuſe the good Creatures of God, to luxury and exceſs, in that Houſe which is dedicated to God? ſhall I defraud, exact, deal diſhonestly, in that Houſe which is dedicated to God? Shall I ſuffer Atheiſticall, irreligious perſons, or practiſes in that Houſe, which is dedicated to God? I ſay, it would be of great advantage to you, to live under a conſtant ſenſe of this, that your Houſes are dedicated to the Lord.
I will add nothing more: Only I ſhall endeavour daily to ſecond (what here I have wrote) with the moſt ardent and earneſt prayers, that God will be pleaſed to bleſs that counſel which hath been given; and to make it effectual towards the attaining of that bleſſed end, for which it is intended; that theſe endeavours of mine may not only be, a bare Teſtimony of my Affection to you, (Dear Citizens), but that they may turn to a good account in the day of Jeſus Chriſt. O ſet upon your duty, and go as far in it as you can, and then whatever events you may meet withal, as to your ſelves, your Relations, your Eſtates, your Habitations, you will have comfort in God, in the Teſtimony of Conſcience, and in the tenure of the Covenant. Although my Houſe be not ſo with God, yet he hath made with me an everlaſting Covenant, ordered in all things and ſure; for this is all my Salvation, and all my deſire, although he make it not to grow. 2 Sam. 23.5.
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, inviſible, the only wiſe God, be Honour and Glory, for ever and ever, Amen.
FINIS.
ERRATA corrigenda.
Firſt Part.
PAge 19. for foreign, make it foreign p. 42 lin. 4. enables for enable. p. 54. maglignity for malignity. p. 99. Treaſure for Treaſury. p. 126. foreign for foreign. p. 143. lin. 3. read and ſo there paſſes a mutual obligation upon both. p. 189. upon. which all is built.? dele?
Second Part.
Pag: 18. in the margent, Et murorum Civitatis Ʋ. dele. p. 31. lin. 22. within for with this City. p. 34. l. 25. an encouragement, dele an. p. 49. Gualt. in Marc 12. read Gualtper. p. 69. l. 7. for u make an &c. p. 80. in the Citation out of the Whole Duty of Man, at the words, was ſo careful, make an &c. p. 103. l. 17. to conſider theſe few things, dele to conſider. p. 112. l. 10. for would not, make ſhould not, or could not. p. 122. faco for fuco. p. 133. ut meam amplius, for me amplius. p. 141. ſoluciti for ſoliciti. p. 167. Die Scripturarum &c. for de &c. p. 168. foreign for foreign p. 191. l. 2. Inconvenien- for Inconveniencies, Suburbanna for Suburbana. abſcence for abſence. p. 200. l. 4. more most prone, dele more. p. 211. lutun for lutum. p. 213. Purvulae for Parvulae.
End of the text · Thomas Jacombe, Holy Dedication Both Personal and Domestic (1668)