A Divine Cordial for a Devout Soul, Afterword
A word to the preſent Occaſion, and ſo an end.
IT may now be expected, happily on ſome hands, that I ſhould take upon me to exhort theſe learned, reverend, and religious*The R. Honorable John Wilde, Lord chief Baron of the Court of Excheq; & the R. H. Edward Atkins one of the Juſtices of the Court of Common Pleas. Judges, but truly I dare not make ſo bold; I can ſay it upon my owne knowledg of them, that they are ſuch as who do defire toaActs 13.36. ſerve God in their generationb3 John 5.: faithfully, (within their ſtation) and to doe all*Dout. 1.17. impartiall Juſtice even for*2 Sam. 23.3. Juſtice ſake; What the Scriptures (out of which I muſt have ordered my ſpeech unto them) direct for the Work, and Duty of ſuch Eminent Magiſtrates, their Practiſe is an exact Comment upon it: Wherefore, let us all (I am ſure the men of my profeſſion have great reaſon ſo to do) bleſſe God (by whoſe providence, andcRom. 13.1. power they ſit in Judgment) for them, end enlarge our*1 Tim 2.2. devotiont for the ſupport and continuation of them: They will obſerve what is ſaid in my Text; that as there is a ſinne unto Death, ſo alſo a ſin not unto Death, and will themſelves (asdExo. 22.28. Pſal. 82.6. Joh. 10.34, 35. Gods with Men) temper Mercy with Juſtice, Hab. 3.2.
As to M.*M. George Luttrell of Dunſter Caſtle Eſq High Sheriff, he, as he is deſcended of a Family of a good extraction, ſo he is an honorer of Magiſtracy, as is conſpicuous to all who view this goodly Poſſe Comitatus now in his Retinew, many of quality; lovers (as himſelfe, who cannot but be a Leader therein) of the right Religion, of the purity of Gods Ordinances, and of their Countrey: He will not but enoble himſelfe by doing acts worthy of his ſtation, in advancing the glory of God, in his Perſon, in his Family, and before all; that ſo ſtriving as Boaz, to doeeRuth 4.11. worthily in Ephrata, he ſhall be famous in his Bethlehem.
As to the grand Jury, upon your fidelity and truſt, almoſt the whole tranſaction of this ſolemn, publique meeting reſteth: Gentlemen, men of goodfActs 6.3. report, and repute, men ofgExo. 8.21. truth, and fearing God will doe like themſelves, be tender of Gods honour, by a ſtrict enquiry after the Blaſphemers of Gods name, his precious Ordinances, Goſpel, and worſhip, or whatſoever is contrary to the life, and power of godlineſſe, or to the peace, and proſperity of this Commonwealth: But if indeed I might ſet a ſpeciall Accent upon my intimations to them, it ſhall be with the moſt ſharpeſt perſpicacity to make a diſquiſition, and diſcovery of thoſe grand Incendiaries of the Chrſtian world, the brood of Jeſuites, who like Serpentsh2 Tim. 3.6. creep into every angle, and under variety of ſhapes, into moſt Aſſemblies in the Land, having Jeſus in theiriRev. 9.11. Name, and lips, but Abaddon, and Apollyon in their hearts: In my conſcience, I am perſwaded, they have been inſtrumentally (though in a*2 Pet 2.1. foreign, hoc eſt, fur…im, clam, & ſubdole ſubintroducemi ſpeciem pietatrs, & nomen eccleſiae proetendens fraudulenter & Gerh & Auretius ad locum. clandeſtine, and imperceptible way) the rayſers and fomenters of the greateſt part of all the rufull diviſions, and diſtractions that have been among us: I have heard ſome perſons of quality ſay, That moſt of the Engliſh Seminaries abroad are become empty, that perhaps, there may be the more Emiſſaries to deceive at home, God of his goodneſſe unmasque them, thoſe ſecretk2 Cor. 11.14. Satans transformed like to Angels of light, and deliverl2 Tim. 3.13. ſeduced ſouls.
As to the petty Jurers, Witneſſes, and others employd in the preſent publique affayres, be adviſed, andm2 Chr. 19.6. Take heed what yee doe; n1 Tim. 1.10.Perjury the God of Truth will not holdoExo. 20.2. guiltleſs; remember, it's a degree, and a great ſtep towards this ſin unto Death, to offend againſt knowledge, chiefly if it be of malicious wickedneſſe (as ye heard but now) diſtinguiſh between the Perſon and the*Pſal. 9.4. Cauſe, know, God will not be pGal. 6.7.mocked, He is rJohn 2.24, 25. & John 21.17. Ier. 23, 24. Pſal. 7.9.omniſcient, views your moſt ſecret purpoſes, aimes, andfPſ. 139.1, 2. Pſal. 11.4. intentions; He is foreign, as Agapetus once ſaid to Juſtinian, and underſtanding full of many eyes; labour then to be affected with the conſideration thereof, and be as the Sun and Moon in the Heavens,tPſal. 89.36, 37. faithfull witneſſes,u1 Cor. 16.13. quit your ſelves likewHeb. 13.18. honeſt men, and conſcientious Chriſtians.
To all the people of God in generall I ſay,xPſal. 37.27. 1 Pet. 3.11. Eſchew euill, doe good, which two make up a true Nathanael, and an IſraeliteyJohn 1.47 indeed; as yet, thezRevel. 2.5. Candleſtick of the Church is among us, andaMat. 5.15, 16. lights ſhining in the ſame, ObIohn 5.35. rejoyce in thoſe lights whilſt they are among you; Commit not by yourcMat. 21.43. unfruitfulneſſe, or unthankfulneſſe, that the Kingdome of heaven be taken from you: dIſa. 30.21. 1 Theſ. 5.20.Cheriſh grace by thoſe ſanctified meanes by which the Lord at firſt conveyed it into your hearts, owne, andePhil. 2.29. 1 Theſ. 5 12, 13. honour thoſef1 Tim. 1.12. allowed publique inſtruments, who as the Lordsg2 Cor. 5.20. Ambaſſadors brought theh2 Cor. 4.7. treaſure of thei1 Tim. 1.11. glorious Goſpel unto you, though but in earthen Veſſels, leaſt God in judgment ſend you akAmos 8 11. Famine, if not of Bread and of water, yet of hearing the word of the Lord, even that word oflJam. 1 18. truth, which is able tomJam. 1.21. ſave your ſoules: Take heed of ſinning againſtnRom. 1.32. light, or againſt your owneoRom. 5.4. Phil. 1.9. foreign. experience of Gods goodneſſepRom. 5.5. foreign. diffuſed in the Ordinances; ſhun*David, Pſal. 19. prayed to be delivered from preſumtion foreign from p. ides, foreign zadah arrogano fuit, ſpirituall pride, the inordinate overweening, and admiration of ſelfe-excellencies, the Mother, and Nurſe of moſt, or of all ſoule-diſtempers, it's a ſin now raigning above many, it makes the ſoule moſt unlike to God, and moſt of allr1 Tim. 3.6. like unto the Devill; yea, rather be yeſ1 Pet. 5.5. cloathed with humility, and let that betforeign of foreign a knot (the word here only uſed) tie humility to you, as curious women do knots on their garments for ornament. your Ornament, which is both the receptacle, and conſerver of all true grace, and that wherein the Spirit, anduPet. 5.10. God of all grace taketh up a cheerfull and a chearingwIſa. 57.15. foreign. Mac. Homil. 19. Reſt, keeping the ſoule and conſciences from the ſin unto death.
And ſo the very God of peace x1 Theſ. 5.23.ſanctifie you wholly: and I pray God your whole ſpirit, and ſoule, and body be preſerved blameleſſe unto the coming of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt: Ʋnto whom with thee, O Father, and thine Eternall Spirit, be all prayſe, honour, and immortall glory, both now and for ever. Amen.
Chriſtian Reader, If any faults have eſcaped the Preſſe (the Author being abſent when this pious learned Sermon was printing) thou art deſired to correct them with thy pen.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Sclater, A Divine Cordial for a Devout Soul (1653)