Jacob Raised, License – Dedication
Die Jovis 31. Decembr. 1646.
ORdered by the Lords in Parliament Aſſembled, That this Houſe gives thanks to Mr. Goode, one of the Aſſembly of Divines, for his great paines taken in his Sermon preached the laſt Faſt before the Lords of Parliament in the Abby Church Weſtminſter: And he is hereby deſired to print and publiſh the ſame, which is to be printed only by authority under his own hand.
John Browne Cler. Parliamen.
I do appoint Nathanaell Webb and William Grantham to print my Sermon.
William Goode.
JACOB RAISED: OR, The means of making a Nation happy both in ſpiritual and temporal Priviledges.
Preſented in A SERMON Preached before the Right Honorable Houſe of PEERES in the Abby Church at Weſtminſter, at the late Solemne Monthly Faſt, Decemb. 30. 1646.
By Willam Goode B. D. and Paſtor of Denton in Norfolk.
Publiſhed by Order of the Houſe of Peeres.
Pſal. 68. 1. Let God ariſe, and let his enemies be ſcattered.
Ezek. 36. 11. I will do better to you then at your beginnings.
1 Chron. 22. 19. Now ſet your heart and ſoul to ſeek the Lord your God, ariſe therefore and build yee the Sanctuary of the Lord God.
London, Printed by T. R. and E. M. for Nath. Webb and Will. Grantham at the ſign of the Grey-hound in Pauls Church-yard. 1647.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE The Houſe of PEERES Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
Right Honorable,
AS the goodneſſe of God, that hitherto hath afforded a miraculous preſervation to the Parliament of England, and hath never failed to give in mercifull Deliverances in time of need, and to make many admirable returnes of Prayer, doth manifeſt that God is with you in your pious endeavours for the ſettling of Truth and Peace: So is it evident that our ſinnes do with-hold good things from us, that notwithſtanding the Balm that is in Gilead, and the Phyſitians there, yet we are not healed.
The Sword is not ſheathed, the Peſtilence not ceaſed, and Famine a Plague worſe then theſe, begins to threaten us. Ignorance, Prophaneſſe, Hereſies, get ground in many places of the Land; and hence ſuch as are enemies to Peace and Reformation, encourage themſelves with hope to ſee the time when they ſhall cauſe your work to ceaſe, and bring us back again to Egypt.
It therefore highly concernes all of all conditions, to examine what their iniquities are, that put a ſtop to the current of Gods Mercies towards us; and when they have ſtoned the Achans in their owne boſome, to mourn for the ſinnes of others, and to wreſtle with God for pardon, and ſuch a ſpirit of repentance as may fit the Land for thoſe high and excellent Mercies, both for ſoul and body, which hitherto have been the object both of our prayers and hopes.
Now as no meanes of cure are ſucceſſefull further then Gods owne power and bleſſing have a concurrence with them; ſo the onelyonly way to procure Gods aſſiſtance, is, to make ſuch application to him as may moſt ſtrongly engage him to be with you in all your endeavours. And ſeeing God doth all things for his owne glorie, to advance ſuch waies as will make the name of God moſt glorious in the Land, muſt needs be the greateſt engagement you can make of God.
Some few directions for this purpoſe by your Lordſhips command I preſented to your eares; and now by the ſame command preſent them to your eyes. The chief whereof was this, the advancement of Goſpel-truth, and the power of godlineſſe.
The Pſalmiſt tels us. In Jury is God well known, his name is great in Iſrael: Where God is beſt known, he is moſt glorified; God is rightly made known only by his own truth revealed in his Word▪ and as this is more or leſſe defended, propagated, and obedience thereunto yeelded; ſo is▪ God more or leſſe honoured by any Nation, and their ſpirituall and temporall priviledges more or leſſe enlarged.
Baſill and Ambroſe ſay of the Echineis or Remora a little fiſh, that if it joyn it ſelf to a Ship under ſayle, it will make it ſtand ſtill and quiet, though driven with the greateſt tempeſts. Like this Echineis to a Ship, is Religion to a State, which while your Lordſhips have endeavoured to reforme and eſtabliſh, you have been preſerved in ſafety, while ſo many dreadfull ſtormes have blown from one end of the Land unto another. God therefore having truſted you in a ſpeciall manner with the guarding of his Truth and Ordinances, let it be your greateſt care to preſerve and propagate theſe in their power and purity; And then you may commit both your own and the Kingdoms ſafetie with confidence unto Gods keeping. And whatſoever ſtorms ſhall be raiſed againſt you, and ſuch as be with you in the Cauſe of God, he will quiet them in his appointed time, and give a prevailing command to all your enemies, ſaying, Deſtroy not the Cluſter, for there is a bleſſing in it, Iſaiah 65. 8.
Thus may your Honours not only be Phyſitians to heal our Land, but make plentifull proviſions for your own happineſſe to eternity: whereas otherwiſe thoſe great talents of honour, authority and wealth, which God hath entruſted you with, will be but the improvement of your everlaſting miſery. Alcibiades bragging of his great poſſeſſions, Socrates to abate his pride, fetched him a Map of the World, and deſired him to ſhow him where his poſſeſſions lay, but there he could not find them; All Athens in that being but a point. Remember, that what ever poſſeſſions great men have here, yet Not many wiſe, not many rich, not many mighty, ſhall have inheritances in heaven.
As therefore God hath done great things for you, ſo do you great things for God. Let your authority be the bulwark of the innocent, the axe to cut downe prophaneſſe, injuſtice and oppreſſion in the Land: Let Ireland be releived, and ſuch at home as the Publike ſervice hath made Widows or Orphants, or neceſſitous, be ſuccoured. Let thoſe little Siſters that have no breaſts, be provided for all the Kingdom over; Let grace and holineſſe be ſeen in their own colours in your lives and examples, that your copies which are ſeen and read of all men, may make them in love with godlineſſe, that, when God ſhall diveſt you of your great poſſeſſions here, he may inveſt you with a glorious inheritance among the Saints in his own Kingdom for ever, which that he may do, is the prayer of
Your Lordſhips humble ſervant in the Lord WILLIAM GOODE.