Zeal for Gods House Quickened, Title page – Dedication
ZEALE FOR GODS HOUSE QƲICKNED: OR, A SERMON Preached before the Aſſembly of Lords, Commons, and Divines, at their ſolemn Faſt Iuly 7. 1643. In the Abbey Church at Weſtminſter.
EXPRESSING The Eminencie of Zeale requiſite in Church Reformers: BY OLIVER BOWLES, Paſtor of Sutton in Bedfordſhire.
It is good to be zealouſly affected alwayes in a good thing, Gal. 4.18.
Publiſhed by Order of both Houſes of Parliament.
LONDON, Printed by Richard Biſhop for Samuel Gellibrand, at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard, 1643.
Die Iovis 27. Iulij 1643.
IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament, That Mr. Bowles hath hereby thanks given him, for the great paines he took in the Sermon he made at the Faſt for the Aſſembly of Divines in the Abbey Church, Weſtminſter, on Friday the ſeventh of this inſtant Iuly: And is hereby deſired to cauſe his ſaid Sermon to be forthwith Printed and publiſhed.
Io. Brown Cler. Parliamentor.
To the Right Honourable the Houſe of LORDS: AND The Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT: AND To the Learned and Religious DIVINES called by them, and now aſſembled to conſult about matters of RELIGION.
Right honourable and moſt worthy,
OVt of your vigilant care for the common good you have found out a way amidſt your many diſtractions to convene an Aſſembly of grave and learned Divines, with whom you might adviſe concerning the ſettling of Doctrine, Worſhip, and Church Government.
You ſaw cauſe which might move you ſo to doe in reſpect; firſt, of thoſe licentious ſpirits, who took occaſion, as to vent their own fancies, ſo to attempt any thing in matter of Doctrine and Worſhip; ſecondly, in that for want of an eſtabliſhed Church-government, we were and ſtill are in danger to fall from a Tyranny to an Anarchy; thirdly, In that evill minded men, ſeeing no effectuall meanes provided to ſuppreſſe ſuch variety of Sects as did ſtart up, were ready to cenſure you, as the fautors of ſuch opinions. What you have done, hath been done with much prudence in that you have given way for the admittance of Divines of different Iudgements to be choſen, to whom a liberty is not denied to plead every one for his own party: And not only ſo, but you have further embodied divers of your worthy Ones of both Houſes, as Members of our Aſſembly: by which priviledge, we have many and ſingular advantages. When this Aſſembly, for the greater part, was by your ſummons gathered together, you were pleaſed, out of a due conſideration of the weighty affaires to be tranſacted, to appoint a ſolemne Faſt to be kept (chiefly) by the Members of the Aſſembly: And when you had ſo done, your pleaſure was to lay your command upon my ſelfe, though the unworthieſt of many, to bee employed in the ſervice of that day. Surely, it was not but that you had your choyce of many other moſt able and worthy Divines, only it was your pleaſure, that dayes and multitudes of years ſhould ſpeak.…b.
The Grace I choſe as moſt meet to treat of, was that of Zeale, as converſant about Gods Houſe; firſt, for that it doth directly oppoſe Lukewarmneſſe, the moſt dangerous and yet the Epidemicall diſeaſe of our time; ſecondly, for that no one grace doth more promote the work of Reformation, (as will appeare in the ſubſequent diſcourſe;) thirdly, for that among all other ornaments, there is none that doth more beautifie a Reformer in the eyes of God and man. Prov.There are many creatures, ſaid the wiſe man, that are comely in there going; but none ſo comely as a Zealous Reformer. Accordingly then (you Parliamentary Worthies) goe on and proſper, ceaſe not to carry on your Work, which is Gods work, with Zeale and Courage. It is Perſeverance alone that will both crowne you, and perfect your endeavours. What encouragement have you had, in that the Lord, amidſt your greateſt dangers, hath beene mightily ſeene in the protection of your perſons! No weapons of warre that have beene formed against you, have proſpered; the tongues of men that have riſen up in judgement against you, hath he condemned. Hath not the ſame God aſsisted you to doe many glorious works, whereby his name hath beene honoured, his people unſpeakably benefitted? How hath the Lord kept you together untill this day! notwithſtanding the endeavours of all the Devills in hell, and wicked men on earth, to ſcatter you, to divide you! What a foundation hath the Lord laid of your continuance together till your work be done! Surely, it is for that hee hath yet ſome great things for you to doe. If you (which God forbid) ſhall faint, and out of by reſpects withdraw your ſelves from the ſervice, bee ſure God without you will accompliſh his work, but tremble to think what will become of you and yours. How would it bee a thing much to be bewailed that you (Noble and brave ſpirited Patriots; who have hitherto borne the heat of the day, the brunt of the buſineſſe, ſo farre denied your ſelves, as to runne the hazard of all that you are, have, or might expect) ſhould now by failing in your laſt act, looſe your crown, forfeit your reward from God and man!
And now for you (my Reverend and much Honoured Brethren in the common work of the Miniſtry,) Who can but bleſſe the Lord, for that degree of his ſpirit, (no doubt, it is the effect, as of your own prayers in the day of your ſolemn humiliation, ſo of many of the prayers of his people) which hee hath ſhowred down upon you! Not only do your learned debates, your exact and judicious Scripture-diſcuſsions, your Scholaſticall diſputes, the diſcovery many of you have made of your exact knowledge in Antiquity, ſhew that God is among you, as he that hath fitted you for the work: but further your ſweet amicable converſe, your following of the truth in love, your differences in judgement carried on without alienation of affection, doe not they all ſay that God is with you? God forbid, that either the Devill, or wicked men, ſhould break aſunder that ſweet bond of Amity, wherewith God hath lincked you in one. Bee incouraged then (dearely beloved in the Lord) from one whom God was pleaſed, though the unworthieſt among you, yet to make his mouth to you, to goe on as carried along with a Spirit of indefatigable zeale in the purſuance of the work you are called unto. Behold it is ſoule-work, and that of neereſt concernment, that God hath put into your hands to bee tranſacted. Is not your work a Counter-work to that great and long plotted deſigne, whereby Popery ſhould have been re-advanced, Gods ſaving truth been ſuppreſsed, his worſhip ſubstantially corrupted, and utterly deſtroyed? Is it not a work of the largeſt extent, as that which concernes all other Reformed Churches, whoſe happineſſe or miſery will bee involved in ours? Yea, ages to come will either bleſſe or curſe you, as you ſhall follow or neglect the opportunity.
And now for my ſelf, be pleaſed to take notice that my ſtrength and voice failing me by reaſon of my weakneſſe, I have made bold to make a ſupply of that which at the time of the delivery I could not inlarge: Further, (this being a fixed rule to me, Inter concionandam emineat ver…un Dei.That Gods Word ſhould in preaching have the preeminence,) wonder not, that I alledge Authors, in ſuch caſes wherein the al…egation of them does not prejudice Scripture: As firſt, when an Hiſtoricall truth is to be made good; for though the Scriptures do only determine, Quid verum, quid falſum, What is true and what falſe; yet for the information of our ſelves, Quid novum, quid antiquum, we muſt have recourſe to the writings of men: Secondly, if God himſelfe, when hee would ſhame men for their evils, ſends them to learne from the creatures, 2 Ierem. 10.6. Prov. 6. 1 Cor. 1….14.why may not wee ſend men living in the dayes of light to learn of darker times? Thirdly, when being to reprove the evils of the time, for removing of prejudice, wee deliver our reproofes rather in the words of Antiquity than in our own. Facilè patimur reprehenſores qui remotiori feculo vixêre. So the Papiſts did embrace many things in the writings of the fathers as Catholike, which they condemned in Luther as Hereticall.
And now what remaines but that wee all humbly pray the God of all truth and peace, who alone is able to facilitate all difficulties, to direct and guide you, Honourable Senatours, to poure upon you that ſpirit of wiſedome and courage, that you may goe with a ſettled reſolution, never to give over, till you have eſtabliſhed truth and peace in our borders; and the ſame God magnifie his power in our weakneſſe, and multiply the gifts of his Spirit upon us, whom you have been pleaſed to call together, to adviſe with in the great affaires of the Church, that we may ſo diſcharge our duties, that God may have glory, and his people the good that they expect and pray for, and your and all our enemies may have their faces covered with ſhame,
So prayes Your ſervant in the Lord Oliver Bowles.