Sermon 29 November 1643, Title page – Order
A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, At their Publique FAST, Novemb. 29. 1643.
BY VVILLIAM BRIDGE, ſometimes Fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, now Preacher of Gods Word at Yarmouth.
REVEL. 16. 15. Behold I come as a theef, bleſſed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments leſt he walke naked, and they ſee his ſhame.
LONDON, Printed for R. DAWLMAN. M. DC. XLIII.
TO THE HONORABLE THE KNIGHTS, Citizens, and Burgeſſes of the Commons Houſe of Parliament.
Right worthy Senators,
ACcording unto your command I have preſented theſe notes unto your hands & the worlds view; give me leave withall to preſent my humble thankfulnes, for your unwearied labour of love to theſe three Kingdoms, and in them unto all the Churches of Chriſt: for as once the Poles Ambaſſador ſaid in regard of the Turk, Per latus Poloniae petunt Europam, I may ſay in regard of your and our enemies, through the ſides of England, Scotland and Ireland, they ſtrike at all that i… truely called Chriſtendome, your wiſdome therefore doth well to make good theſe paſſages.
It is true indeed your work is, 1. great, but it is for the Sicut calere contra frigidum hoc eſt repugnare frig… do, virtutis eſt▪ atque vigoris, ſic amare…t appet…re▪ inſuav… ſiv… moleſtum, &c. Pariſ. de fide.great God, and Solomon ſaith, The houſe that I build is great, for great is our God, 2 Chron. 2. 5. Shall not we do great things for him who hath done and ſuffered great things for us, and by us?
2. Your worke is clogged with many difficulties; but if it were not ſo, how ſhould the ſtrength of your love appeare either to your God, or to your Country? a man may be ſaid to love the truth before the winde of oppoſition riſeth, but he cannot be ſaid to hold it faſt or cleave unto it till he meets with ſome that would take it from him, Deut. 13. 1, 2, 3, 4. Difficulty doth commend duty; there was a ſtone rolled upon Chriſts grave, And there is a difficulty rolled upon every truth or way of God, which through the evil of the times hath been buried; But when you come to the graves mouth, the place where you think to meet with moſt difficultie, Operum difficultates coelotum ſaa…tates conſequuntu….there, and then, the ſtone ſhall be rolled away. The more difficulty in doing, the more ſweetnes in the work done.
3. Your work is berounded with many dangers, but the Nec menda…ii utilitas eſt diuturna, nec veritatis damnum diu nocet.neglect of it is more dangerous, and the frown of a Prince may ſometimes ſtand with the favour of God; neither ſhall flattery alwayes hold in credit, nor truth ever continue in diſgrace.
4. Your work is reproached ſometimes, and calumniated by divers adverſaries; But as Seneca ſaid to his friend (male de te loquuntur homines, ſed mali) ſo Cur reſpondet Sacerdoti, ſed Peninnae non reſpondeat Anna? quia Peninna …rat perſona privata, ſacerdos autem publica: item Peninna loquebatur ex odio, ſacerdos ex zelo: unde allud negligendum e…at, ille inſtruendus. Mend. in Sam.may I ſay to you, Men ſpeak evil of you, but they are evil men, and it may be, yea tis likely, God will heare the language of your Peninnahs, & make you the more fruitfull, eſpecially you doing as Hanna did, who though ſhe was willing to anſwer to the charge of Eli, becauſe he did ſpeak from Zeale, yet ſhe would not anſwer the reproach of Peninnah, becauſe ſhe ſpake from hatred. Surely Malignants clamours are beſt anſwered when neglected. Tutius aliquando agit qui calumnias non exaudit; Jeſus Chriſt was eclipſed, that Gods ſervants might ſhine.
5. Your work alſo is or may be diſadvantagious unto your own particular intereſts, your publike imployments cannot but hinder your private affaires, yet be pleaſed to remember Moſes and Joſhua, who were men of great ſervice in their generation, having as full an opportunity to have made themſelves rich as ever men had, yet we do not read of any great lot they ſhared out to themſelves or their poſterity: You are now employed upon Gods ſervice, As for your own private affaires, if you afford them ſome Reliques of your love, and ſo much onelyonly as the publike Toleramus potius praeſentia quam diligam…. Aug.leaves, it is enough; for what is too cold for God, is hot enough for the world; yet as the baggage unto an Army, ſo are things temporall to ſpirituall, and perſonall eſtates to publike employments.
And in the throng of all your diſcouragements, be pleaſed alſo to remember how good, how honourable, how ſucceſſefull your ſervice is and will be.
Tis good, firſt, in regard of the State; for you are now in travail for your Countries liberty, which though it may ſtick ſome time in the birth, and a dragon ſtand before you to devoure it before it is borne, yet in due time it ſhal be brought forth, and we ſhall not onelyonly be liberati, but foreign Qui diruit maceriam, eum mordebit ſerpens: qui legum conſtitutiones impingit, non feret impune; qui Religionis ſacra violat, non erit a poena immunis. Druſius proverb.liberi. The Hebrews have a Proverb which they have borrowed of Solomon, That Whoſo breaketh down the …edge, ſhall be bitten with ſerpents. The hedges of the State or Church are the Laws, (as Druſius interprets it) or the Ordinances thereof: Thoſe enemies of yours or ours, that have or would tread down our hedges even to the ground, ſhall not ever goe unpuniſhed. When the hedge is loweſt, the ſerpent is neareſt.
2. Good in regard of the Churches; for through your paines and labour of love, thoſe ſwelling parts (I had almoſt ſaid wens) which engroſſed all the outward nutriment unto themſelves, (the direfull preſage of a peoples … in corpore humano (cui … in … epiſtolarum ſuarum paſ…bu… compa…a…) quod ſi nut…imentum luit ad unum membrum, ita ut …no…miter ingroſſetur & al…a … attenuatione demacerentur nonpoteſt …; ſicin c…rpore Eccleſ. ſi ſupe…iore… fiant ita graves attractione ſubſtantiae quod in…res vix poſſunt pra inopia ſe ſuſtinere, hoc eſt ſignum …am prop…nquae ruinae. Gerſom.death and ruine, ſaith Gerſom) are either taken off, or made more proportionable.
2. Your ſervice is very honorable; for what greater honour, then under Ieſus Chriſt, to be your Countries ſaviours, and your Lords ſervants? VponUpon Moſes death it was ſaid, Moſes the ſervant of the Lord is dead; not Moſes the Prince of the people, but the ſervant of the Lord: So Pſalme 18. in the Title of the Pſalme it is ſaid, A Pſalme of David the ſervant of the Lord; not a Pſalme of David the Anointed King of Iſrael; but as if it were more honour to be Gods ſervant, then Iſraels King, tis ſaid the ſervant of the Lord: ſuch honour have all our Worthies.
3. Your ſervice is and will be moſt ſucceſſefull; tis truth you ſtand for; And though the truth may labour, (as HieromVeritas laborare poteſt, vinci non poteſt. Hier. Quid enim foreign lo inexpugnabilius? v…ritas arcem in coel… collocavit. Pſ. 119. Mend. ſpeakes) it cannot be overcome; For what (ſaith Mendoza) is more impregnable then the Heavens? and Truth hath built it ſelfe a towre there. Thy word, O Lord, is ſetled in the Heavens, Pſal. 119. Wherefore worthy Sirs, as heretofore, ſo now much more be alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord, in due time you ſhall reape if you faint not. If you want money to carry on your (yet not your, but Gods) publique Deſigne, remember what was promiſed unto Cyrus, who in regard of re-building the Temple, was to doe your worke in the type: I willEſay 45. 2, 3. goe before thee, ſaith God, and make the crooked places ſtreight; I will breake in pieces the Gates of braſſe, and cut in ſunder the barres of iron, and will give thee the treaſures of darkneſſe, and hidden riches of ſecret places. And doth not your owne experience tell you, thus, even thus hath our God dealt by us? for the treaſures of darkeneſſe, and hidden riches of ſecret places have beene brought forth unto us; Gold and ſilver that hath not ſeene the light for many yeares before: God is the ſame God ſtill, and his promiſe, which is your Mint, the ſame.
If you want outward ſtrength and power, then remember how often when the Iews were to build the Temple, and therein to meet with enemies; the Lord inculcates that his Attribute upon them, The Lord of Hoſts, (Thus ſaith the Lord of Hoſts) thrice in one verſe, Zach. 15. 3. and five times in foure ſhort verſes, Hag. 2. Silver is mine, and gold is mine, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts; I will fill this houſe with my glory, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts, &c.
And if you finde not the hearts of the people comming up alwayes to your forwardneſſe, then your wiſdome knoweth how to improve the heates of their hearts while they laſt; all things you know are eaſie and beautifull in their ſeaſon; And becauſe men know not time and judgement… therefore their miſery is great upon them.
But above all things let your eye be upon that moſt which Gods eye is moſt upon, Truth, Reformation, and pure Religion; State-hypocrites deſire truth for peace ſake, godly Stateſ-men deſire peace for truths ſake; warre is for peace, but peace for truth: Wherefore that I may ſerve you herein, I take the boldneſſe to lay theſe few lines before you.
The Sermon calleth for exactneſſe of Reformation; if I have not beene exact whilſt I have called for exactneſſe, your goodneſſe knoweth as well how to connive at what is mine, as to embrace what is God. Goe on right worthy Patriots, ſtill to defend your Countrey, to contend for truth, to be willing to loſe and be loſt for Chriſt; whilſt I live I ſhall live praying for you, and when I dye I hope I ſhal dye praiſing God for you.
Your humble ſervant in the Goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt, WILLIAM BRIDGE.
Die Mercurii 29. November. 1643.
IT is this day Ordered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, that Sir Robert Harley doe give thanks unto M. Bridge, for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached this da… (at the intreaty of the Commons) at S. Margarets Weſtm. it being the day of publique Humiliation, and to deſire him to print his Sermon.
H. Elſyng Cler. Parl. D Com.