A Peace Offering to God, Preface
The Preface to the SERMON
RIght Honorable and beloved, It was a priviledge and merciemercy which the Lord promised by the Prophet Isaiah, Isa. 66. 10That they should reioyce with Ierusalem who had mourned with her. This merciemercy the Lord hath in great degree vouchsafed to my self this day: the same good hand that cast it to be my lot (though most unfit and unworthie) to help this Honorable Assemblie in the day of their humiliation,Psal. 84. 6. to dig pits in the valley of Bachah, hath now designed me to sing with them in the valley of Berochah. 2 Chron. 20. 26.That after I had helped to carry out their precious seed with teares, I should come with ioy and help to gather in their sheaves, that after our Lamentations we should together sing Canticles and Halleluiahs unto our God. Thus the Lord in merciemercy mingles rain and sunshine. Oh that we had hearts suitable to all his administrations!
The duty of this day,Preface. is to reioyce, and to give praises unto God, a service easier to the flesh, then that of fasting and mourning, but harder to the spirituall part. In a day of humiliation even wicked men have affections stirring in them, consciousnesse of evill, guiltinesse of minde, sense of wrath, astonishing and oppressing feares arising from the apprehension of neare and unavoidable danger, are naturall meanes to make even Pharaohs, Ahabs, and Ninevites mourne and humble themselves before God: But in keeping a day of spirituall reioycing unto God, little or no help is to be expected from the flesh, and that is one reason, why commonly dayes of thanksgiving are translated with much lesse affection, life, and savour then dayes of humiliation. You should therefore have chosen Asaphs, Ieduthuns, and Hemans who might skilfully have helped you to lift up the praises of God: but its now no time to complaine of your choice, neither will it be needfull, if the Lord please to be present,Isa. 35. 6. who can make the tongue of the dumbe to sing, and can ordain his praise out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings: Psal. 8. 2.trusting therefore his assistance, I beseech you attend to his holy Word, as you shall finde it written.