Israels Peace with God Benjamins Overthrow, Title page – Dedication
ISRAELS peace with GOD BENIAMINES Overthrow.
A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, at their late ſolemne Faſt, Auguſt 31. 1642.
By William Carter.
Publiſhed by Order from that Houſe.
NEHEM. 8. 10.
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
LONDON, Printed for Giles Calvert, and are to be ſold by Chriſtopher Meredith at the Signe of the Crane in Pauls Churchyard. M. DC. XLII.
Die Mercurij, ultimo Auguſti, 1642.
IT is this day Ordered by the COMMONS Houſe of PARLIAMENT, That M. Sollicitour and M. Salloway, doe returne thanks unto M. Carter for the great pains he took at the intreaty of the Houſe, before the Members thereof at S…. Margarets Weſtminſter this day of the publike Faſt, and that they doe intreat him from this Houſe to Print his Sermon: And it is alſo Ordered and required that no man ſhall preſume to print this Booke or Sermon but he whom M. Carter ſhall aſſigne under his hand.
H. Elſynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I Appoint Giles Calvert to Print the afore-ſaid Sermon.
WILL. CARTER.
TO THE HONOVRABLE HOVSE OF COMMONS now Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
YOur commands have hardened me, againſt the conſcience of my poore abilities, to offer to you my two mites, one from the Pulpit, this other from the Preſſe.
The wiſe God is pleaſed to truſt the treaſure of his Goſpell, in earthen 2 Cor. 4. 7.veſſells. Such glorious and ſweet diſcoveries of himſelfe the Lord hath given us in it, that the weakeſt 2 Cor. 10. 4.may by it be helpfull inſtruments unto the ſtrongeſt. The weapons of our warfare are mighty, not from our ſelves, but through God, who glorifieth ſtrength in2 Cor. 12. 9. weakeneſſe.
This truth of his, concerning reconciliation with him, is one of the principall; by it the ſoules of men are overcome to doe for God ('its called juſtification of life, Tit 2. 11, 12.(Rom. 5. 8.) becauſe the putting forth of ſpirituall life in us begins in that,) and God himſelfe is overcome to doe for men.
I ſtudied how to ſpeake a word in ſeaſon: as for a day of Faſt, it is the buſineſse of that day, to make attonement; As for your ſelves, of all the preparations you can make, for that great work you have in hand, it is the chiefe. This ingageth heaven for your aſsistance, fits you for the worke, rayſeth your affections to it, continually gives aPſ. 23. 3. new and freſh increaſe of ſtrength; it reſtores the ſoule, which otherwiſe growes weake in all it's acts, by decayes of nature in the body, and the guilt of ſinne upon the conſcience; when ſinne is pardoned our youth returnes, and Pſ. 103. 5is renewed like the Eagles: It will knit you all together in a mutuall and an heavenly love. The Thebans in theirforeign. Athen. l. 3 Armies had a band of men they called ſacra cohors, which conſiſted of ſuch only, who were joyn'd together in the bonds of love; theſe they eſteem'd the prime of all their ſtrength in battell: This is the priviledge of thoſe who are at peace with God; they are an holy band, all knit together by that heavenly bond.
Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Jeſus, the great ſhepheard of the ſheep, through the blood of the everlaſting covenant, make you perfect in every good worke to doe his will, working in you that which is well pleaſing in his ſight, through Jeſus Chriſt. This is the prayer of
Your daily Oratour and humble ſervant in Chriſt WILL. CARTER.