The Churchs Duty for Received Mercies, Order – Errata
Die Mercurij 24th. Februarij. 1646.
ORdered by the Commons Assembled in Parliament, That Sir Robert Harley do from this House give thankes unto Master Greene, for the great paines he tooke in his Sermon preached on this day at Margarets Westminster before the House of Commons; and that he do desire him to print his Sermon: wherein, hee is to have the like priviledge in printing of it, as others in the like kinde usually have had.
H. Elsing Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I doe appoint Philemon Stephens to print my Sermon.
JOHN GREENE.
THE CHVRCHES Duty, for received Mercies.
Discovered in a SERMON Preached before the Honourable House OF COMMONS: At Margarets Westminster, FEB. 24. 1646. being the day of the solemne Monthly FAST.
By JOHN GREENE Minister of GODS Word, and a Member of the Assembly of DIVINES.
DEUT. 4.7. For what Nation is so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that wee call upon him for.
VER. 10, 12. And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to feare the Lord thy God, to walke in all his wayes, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soule.
LONDON, Printed by F. B. for Philemon Stephens, and are to bee sold at his shop at the gilded Lion in Pauls Church-Yard. 1647.
To the Honourable House OF COMMONS, now Assembled in Parliament
THere is not any more inriching act of the Soule, Meditatio mentis distatio.or of greater prevalencie to provoke unto duty, then the Soules reflection upon it selfe by meditation, if serious: nor any more working this way, then the distinct consideration of what God hath bin to us, what wee to God; what our receivings from him, what our returns unto him. David in one psalm calleth up his soule to this duty, Psa. 103.2.Blesse the Lord ô my soule, and forget not all his benefits; in another consults with him selfe, how he may doe it, 116, 12.what shall I render unto the Lord, for all his benefits towards mee? We have the Creatures leading us … the way unto this duty. First, by what they are mutually to each other; what water the earth receiveth from the sea in small springs, it returneth in great rivers; what vapours and exhalations the celestiall bodies draw up from the earth, they send down (though sometimes in storms) yet ordinarily in refreshing deaws & fruitfull showres. Secondly, By what they are to man; 1 Cor. 9.7.doth not the Vineyard we plant, yeeld us fruit? The flocke wee feede afford us milke? Isa. 55.10.the ground we manure and till, give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater? Thirdly, By what they are to God; Psal. 19.1.Doe not the heavens declare the glory of God? doth not that which may seem most unruly, 1, 8, 8.stormy wind fulfill his word? It was a divine saying of that heathenish Philosopher Epictetus, Alsted. Theol. nat.admiring the singing of birds, si luscinia essem, &c If I had bin made a Nightingale, I should have sung like a Nightingale; now that I am made a man, a reasonable creature, shall J not praise and serve God in that station wherin he hath set me? Origen conceiveth, that one of the foulest and shamfulest things that the creatures shall lay to mans charge at the day of judgment, is, that all other creatures from the Creation have beene obedient to God without the least digression; only man (for whose service all else made) hath failed in his service, and proved rebellious. To quicken us unto that service, which God in our places requireth, was the principall drift of my weake meditations, so unworthy your eare, as J know not how they may endure your eye; wherof though I may say, as is reported of Malcotius a governour of the Turks under Mahomet the great (as it was also of Augustus) that the majesty of his countenance, with the resplendent beames issuing from his eyes, was of such piercing brightnesse, that no man was able with an immoved and fixed eye long to behold the same: yet that benign aspect & favourable acceptance which those find whom you call out to your service, your present commands also requiring it, give incouragment to tender my poore endeavours to the publicke view; wherby if any the more provoked to render unto God, according to all that good they have received from God, let all the glory bee the Lords, who worketh when, and where, and by whom he pleaseth; for whose mercifull assistance, direction and blessing in and upon your pious consultations and resolutions, are and shall be the constant and continued prayers of
The unworthiest of those devoted to Your service, John Greene.
Some few faults have escaped in the Authors absence, which may be thus corrected. Though few of them will interrupt the Reader.
PAge 8. l. 31. r. malice, p. 10. l. 26. Deu. 32.4. l. 29. Ioh. 14.6. p. 11. m. Ioh. 4.23, 24. p. 13. r fleshie, p. 14. r. observed, l. 7. r. is est quisque, p. 15. m. Maginus, p. 17 l. 18. m. 86.11. p. 19. l. 25. 2dly, p. 21. r. victories, p. 22. m. Isa. 63.9, 10. p. 23. m. Isa. 9.10. Psa 80.13. p. 25. r. impaired, l. 23. r. those, p. 26. m. l. 2. cent. 3. l. 19. r. flow, l. 25. r. as like p. 27. r. Lacedae monians, 28. l. 1. Heb. 4.13. m. l. 5. 2dly, l. 29. the Island Scyrus, p. 30 blot out of, p. 31. l. 22. r. oppressours, l. 32 r. for shelter, p. 33. r. comfortably, p. 35. r. effect, l. 24. and glorious, p. 36. l. 19. is come. p. 36. r. Nathanael.