The Necessity of Utmost Venturing for the Churchs Help, Title page – Dedication
THE Neceſsity and Encouragement, OF UTMOST VENTURING FOR THE CHURCHES HELP: TOGETHER WITH The Sin, Folly, and Miſchief of Self-Idolizing. Applyed by a Repreſentation of—
1. Some of the moſt notorious Nationall ſins endangering us.
2. The heavy weight of wrath manifeſted in our preſent Calamities. Yet withall, grounds of—
3. Confidence, that our Church ſhall obtain Deliverance in the Iſſue.
4. Hopes that the preſent Parliament ſhall be ſtill imployed in the working of it.
All ſet forth in a Sermon, Preached to the Honorable Houſe of Commons, on the day of the Monethly ſolemn Faſt, 28. June, 1643.
By HERBERT PALMER B.D. and Miniſter of Gods Word at Aſhwell in Hertfordſhire.
Publiſhed by Order of that Houſe.
MARK 8. 35.
Whoſoever will ſave his life, ſhall loſe it; and whoſoever will loſe his life for my ſake and the Goſpels, the ſame ſhall ſave it.
JER. 18. 7, 8.
At what inſtant I ſhall ſpeak concerning a Nation, and concerning a Kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to deſtroy it: If that Nation againſt whom I have pronounced, turn from their evill, I will repent of the evill, that I thought to do unto them.
London, Printed for JOHN BELLAMIE in Cornhill at the three golden Lyons neer the Royall Exchange. 1643.
TO THE HONORABLE the Houſe of Commons, now Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
THe God of Heaven hath called you to a work of the greateſt Honour, and greateſt Difficulty, that lies upon any number of men, throughout the whole world at this day: Obad. ver. laſt.To heal the wounds of Zion, and be her inſtrumentall Saviours; the Repairers of the breach, Eſay 58. 12.and the Reſtorers of paths to dwell in; and to build up the old waſts, and lay the foundations, even of many generations; To ſave and reſcue two Kingdoms, (as you have helped to do a third already) from moſt desperately-endangering ruin; and make way,Revel. 11. 15. in them, for that bleſſed Proclamation of the ſeventh Trumpet, Now are the Kingdoms of this world, become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chriſt!
To ſtrengthen your hearts, and hands in this ſacred imployment, as this Sermon, by your call, firſt preſented it ſelf to your attentive ears, ſo by a ſecond command of yours, it is now tendred to your favourable eye; and withall expoſed to the publike view of all, whether friends, or foes to the Peace and welfare of our Ieruſalem, or Neuters. In it I have laboured ſo to speak to every ones conſcience, that did hear it, or ſhall read it, as to make them 1. Senſible of what they ſhould have done, and what they have done; and then 2 Apprehenſive of what God hath done, and means to do with the generall, and with them in particular, according to both his threatnings, and promiſes; and 3. by all, Zealous for God and his Church, and confident of his grace to his Church, and all her faithfull helpers.
In the mean time, ſince it hath pleaſed him, who is the onelyonly wiſe God, and the ruler of all things; All whoſe paths are mercy and truth, to ſuch as keep his Covenant, and his Teſtimonies; to exerciſe your humility, fidelity, faith, and patience, by tidings unexpected from divers parts of the Kingdom; And you have ſo far apprehended his purpoſes in it, as to call us all, in and about the City, with your ſelves, to a ſolemn and extraordinary publike Humiliation, before the Monthly day comes about: I truſt, there is, and will for ever, be written upon your hearts, that holy care which I was bold to recommend unto you, to enquire where the cauſe is, why God at any time expreſſes his diſpleaſure; and that not onelyonly in reference to the Nation generally, or any particular perſons in it, but even to your own ſelves, and that as a Body; that ſo you may thereby be both directed, and excited to fulfill the will of God, according to whatſoever you do, or ſhall finde amiſſe in any.
In all which, give me leave once more, to beſeech you, in the Name of God, and his Churches, to make us and your ſelves at once happy. You are our Healers, and while you ſubſiſt, as we ſhall not be altogether miſerable, ſo neither without your ſpeciall faithfulneſſe, and zeal, can we attain to any ſetled proſperity. I ſhall not now inſtance in any other particulars, having touched upon divers in this diſcourſe, which you are now pleaſed to make one of your spirituall Remembrancers. In it, I have taken the freedom of others, to inſert a few things, which either ſtraits of time, or ſhortneſſe of memory, forced an omiſſion of in the delivery. *Whereof the chief are ſome enlargement, of our dangers in the firſt Uſes, and of the Uſe of examination, about our helping the Church, and the inſertion of the Catalogue of ſins againſt the ſeverall Commandments in the Uſe of Humiliation.The God, whoſe truth it is, ſanctifie You and us all by it, as by all the reſt of his Word of truth…, So ſhall the Truth make us and you free from all our dangers and fears, of all kindes, temporall, and spirituall, and finally, glorifie us all, in and with him, who is the eternall Truth, and eternall Life, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; In whom I am ever
Your moſt humble, and Devoted Servant HERBERT PALMER.