Reformations Remora, Order – Dedication
Die Jovis 26. February, 1645.
IT is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament, that this Houſe give thanks to Mr IENKYN, for his great pains taken in the Sermon he Preached yeſterday in the Abbey Church Weſtminster, before the Lords of Parliament, it being the day of the publike Faſt; And he is hereby deſired to Print and publiſh the ſame: which is not to be Printed by any, but by authority under his own hand.
J. Brown, Cler. Parl.
I Appoint Christopher Meredith to Print my Sermon.
William Jenkyn.
REFORMATION'S REMORA; OR, TEMPORIZING the ſtop of building the Temple.
A SERMON Preached before the Right Honourable the Houſe of PEERS, in the Abbey-Church at Weſtminſter, upon the 25th of February, 1645. being the day appointed for their ſolemne and publike Humiliation.
BY WILLIAM JENKYN, Maſter of Arts, and Miniſter of Gods Word at Chriſt-Church London.
Text. HAG. 1.2.
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, ſaying, This people ſaith, the time is not come, the time that the Lords houſe ſhould be built.
Calv in loc.
Hinc videmus quàm bene conſuluerit Dominus Eccleſiae ſuae, dum voluit ext rehanc objurga…ionem, no hodie nos ſoliciter, & metum vel pudorem incu…iat.
LONDON, Printed by G. M. for Chriſtopher Meredith, at the Signe of the Crane in Pauls Church-yard. 1646.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE the HOƲSE of PEERS aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
My Lords:
I If this enſuing Sermon preſent you with ought worthy your eſteem, 'tis the jewel of plain-dealing; Twas preach't to a Noble audience, and (I confeſe) with the liberty of much plainnes; Ezek. 2.6. Tit. 2.11 Ʋt poſt …ulgura pluvis, ita poſt prae dicatoris verba, auditorum lacbiymoe ſubſequamur. Illivs dectoris libenter vecem audio, non qui ſibi plauſu…, ſed qui mihi plactum mover. Si perſuadere vis, gemendo id magis quàm declamando fludeas. Bern. Ser. 59. in Cant. Vxod. 15.11.but he that made you Noble, enjoined me to be faithfull.
I dare not flatter attentions into ſmiles, no not upon a day of Thankſgiving. So poor are our improvements of rich mercies, and ſo fearfull (yea) in praiſes is the God of our victories, that even upon a feſtivall, the ſtage ſhould keep it's diſtance from the Pulpit. And if Sermons deſerve to be ſuſpected which on a day of rejoicing walk in the attire of flattery: ſhould they goe in that garb on a night of mourning, ſurely they deſerve to be apprehended. My Lords, mine was a Faſt-Sermon. Soothing which is alway bad, would have been this day, abominable.
The faithfulleſt meſſengers that ever God employed, Duplici ſub specie divinus ſpiritus ſe mundo oſtendit, columbinâ & igneâ, quia omnes quos implet & columbre fimplicitate manſuetos & igne zeli ardentes exhibet, Greg. 2. part paſt. c. 11. Moſes ſic amavit ent quibus praeſuit ut pro eis nec ſibi parceret, & tamen delinquentes ſic perſecutus eſt, quos a mavit, ut eos etiam Domino parcente proſter…eret. Cauſam populi apud Zeum precibus, cauſam Dei apud populum gladijs allegavit. Intus amans ir…e divinae ſupplicando obſiſtit: foris ſaeviens culpam feriendo conſumpſit. Gregor. Mitis Stephanus cum lapidaretur, ſed ſeviebat cum non audiretur. Aug. in Pſ. 32.have ſet us a copy of freenes in reproving: they are known examples of Moſes, his deportment towards Pharoah, and (after) toward his own people, of Elijah, towards Ahab, of Nathans toward David, of Jeremiah, John Baptiſt, Steven, Paul; All which were as full of zeal for God, as pity to people, and as holily impatient againſt others ſins, as holily patient under their own ſufferings; against thoſe they had tongues of fire, though under theſe they had the temper of a dove. They who when they were with God mourn'd and prai'd for the people, when they came among the people expreſsed their zeal in pleading for God.
My Lords,Clem. Alex. paed. lib. 1. cap 8, 9, 10. foreign. Id Ibid. Charitas piè ſolet ſaevire, ſine dolo muleere, patienter novit iraſ…i, hu…tliter indiguar…. Bern. ep 2. ad Fule. Ineſſe rectoribus debet & juſtè conſo…ans miſericordia, & pie ſaeviens diſclplina. Greg. 2. p. paſt. Remiſſa tenita… amputanda ſevera integritas albibenda, Sit amor ſed non emolliens pieta… ſed non pluſquam expediat parcens. Greg cap. 6. Moleſtus eſt medicus ſurenti phrenetico & pater indiſciplinato fuio, ille ligando iſte coelendo, ſed ambo diligendo. Aug. ep. 1. ad Bonif. Hoſt is redemptor is eſt qui per rect a opera quae ſacit, ejus vice ab eccleſiâ amari concupiſcit. Adulterinae co…itationis eſt reus ſi placere puer sponſae oculis appetit per quem ſponſus dona tranſmifit. Greg. cur, paſt. par. ſec. cap. 8. In your commanding me to preach, there was (at leaſt) an implicit forbidding of me to flatter. Sermons muſt ſhew a right way, not a ſmooth way, the way of duty, not of delight, the way which you ought, not which haply you love to go in; The work of a Preacher is not to prepare you ſauce but phyſick, not ſo much to take away pain, (eſpecially on a day of afflicting the ſoul) out of your wounds as to prevent feſtering: And ſo for our ſelves, we get not up into the Pulpit to be ſafe, but to be ſerviceable, not for our own pleaſure, but our maſters employment, to win and woe you to Chriſt, not to our ſelves.
Your Lordſhips never deſerved the leaſt hurt at my hands, ſure I am,Cenſura intermiſſa aliquando proficit, …unquam remiſsa. Bern. ep. 24. ad Hug. not that which being a ſinne can never be a debt, ſhould never be payment, Plus perſequitur lingua adulatoris quam ma…us interfectoris, Aug. in Pſ. 70.I mean the ſoothing of your ſouls into deſtruction: nay the danger of flattering you, is extenſive beyond your ſelves. Flattery bound up in a Sermon and thrown into a Parliament, Naturali ducimur malo, adulatoribus libenter favemus, & quanquam nos reſpondeamus indignos, & calidus rubor ora perſundat, taemen ad laudem ſuam intrinſecus anima letatur. Hieron. ep. 22. ad Euſtoch.is no better then a bag of poyſon caſt into a common conduit ſerving for the uſe of a whole City.
May we that are Miniſters ever tremble to hold our eſteem by ſo crazy a title as holding our peace. Every one muſt be accountable for his idle words, Non ſolum ille tranſgreſſor eſt, qui palam denegat veritatem, ſed qui propter timorem tacet veritatem. Auth. op. imperf. Mat 10 33. Iure iſt am vitam quā do divinitus affl…untur amaram ſeutiunt cujus amando dulcedinem peccantibus amari eſſe nolunt. Aug.and a Minister for his idle ſilence 100. The greateſt enemy to reproofs is unable to put in ſecurity to ſave either himſelf, or the flattering Miniſter harmles another day nay even in this life (as Auguſtine excellently) God makes the world bitter to Miniſters by ſufferings, becauſe they make it ſo ſweet to wicked mgn by flatteries.
Beſide, flattery is no other then Court-idolatry, and why ſhould this piece of it be longer lived then the reſt, eſpecially among thoſe that profeſſe a deteſtation of it in every part.
My Lords, Your only worke that now remains (for God hath done the reſt to your hand) is the ſetting up the Temple, and the only ſtop is the ſerving of the time. My text is a harp tuned by the finger of God himſelf, and 'tis to drive away this evil ſpirit of temporizing, in a time of Temple building. I confeſſe he that of late uſed that harp, wanted the hand of David; and therefore 'twas his fear he ſhould not do the worke of David, but I and ſure he hath not wanted the ſpear of Saul, and therefore 'tis his hope that he hath endeavoured to do it. My Lords, I deſire to rejoyce in any ſuffering for the ſervice of your ſouls: I conſeſs my ruins would be very unworthy to ſet up the leaſt peece of abuilding of glory to Jeſus Chriſt, or to make the ſmalleſt addition to the ſtructure of his Temple, but may they in the leaſt conduce to ſuch an end, my enemies though againſt their wills, endeavour my happines.
The Lord give you a diſcerning eye 'twixt friends and flatreries, 'twixt the Mephiboſheths and the Zibahs of theſe times: Diſhearten not your plain-hearred friends, who dare not wear it to ſave their ſouls (much leſſe to thwart an oppoſite way, or to lay rubs in the way of Reformation) dare not (I ſay) break their Covenant, or be falſe to their own principles; That God would increaſe the numbers of ſuch as for him ſerve you, and your reſolutions to ſerve him and love them, is the prayer
My Lords of him who is your ſervant for the good of your ſouls, WILLIAM JENKYN.