Sermon 28 October 1646, License – Dedication
Die Mercurii 28. Octobr. 1646.
ORdered by the COMMONS aſſembled in PARLIAMENT, That Mr Boſevile doe from this Houſe give Thankes to Mr Lockyer, for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached this day at the intreaty of this Houſe at Margarets Weſtminſter, (it being the day of Publique Humiliation) and deſire him to print his Sermon, and he is to have the like priviledge in printing of it, as others of the like kind uſually have had.
Hen. Elſynge Cler. Parl. dom. Com.
I appoint John Rothwell, and Hannah Allen to print my Sermon.
A SERMON Preached before the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS aſſembled in PARLIAMENT:
At their late ſolemn Faſt, Octob. 28. 1646.In Margarets Weſtminſter.
By NICHOLAS LOCKYER, M. A.
And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, ſo that ſhe hath no ſtrong rod to be a Scepter to rule: this is a lamentation, and ſhall be for a lamentation, Ezek. 19.14.
And in that day will I wake Jeruſalem a burdenſome ſtone for all people, all that burden themſelves with it ſhall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together againſt it, Zech. 12.3.
And he ſtayed yet other ſeven dayes, and againe he ſent forth, and the Dove came in to him [in the evening] and loe in her mouth was an Olive leafe pluckt off, Gen. 8.10, 11.
LONDON, Printed by Matthew Simmons, for John Rothwell, at the Sun and Fountaine, in Pauls-Church-yard, and Han. Allen, at the Bible in Popes-head Alley. 1646.
THE EPISTLE Dedicatory.
Honourable Worthies,
WHen the Prophet was to be plaine*Ezeck. 3.23.27., God ſet him upon a plaine, and ſpake to him. When you called, bowels bid me viſit the ſick and weake, and truly theſe alone ſtirr'd, all other parts of body and mind were utterly againſt it; and as I went, Chriſt and Conſcience, in ſuch a caſe, bid me be faithfull, leſt I brought in two houres, the bloud of two Nations upon mine head. Jeruſalem was pourtrayed to one of the Prophets upon a Tile, and (ſome thought) was England to mee in you when I was before you; and truly I had a good deſire, to bring forth a Nation of a day to Chriſt. I want ability to give milke to babes, much more to give ſtrong meate to ſuch ſtrong men as you; and 'twere well if friends would indeed believe it, and pray for me more. Legs are precious limbes to the lame: mine owne weakneſſe makes the power of God ſtill the more admirable to mee. When I left you Jeremies rapture tooke hold on mee,Jer. 18.3. Behold he wrought a worke on the wheeles. Our acceptation with you, was in word and deed, for which I account my ſelfe much obliged to the Lord and you. Your way is much in the darke, ſo many perſons and things are before your eyes; I was willing to get as many prayers for you, to ſet as many dryed cheeks and bowels a bleſsing of you, as I could, theſe will make ſuch great wheeles goe ſafely and ſwiftly, when wit nor wealth nor any thing elſe will. One Prophet felt in ſo many dayes, what all the people of Iſrael ſhould feele in ſo many yeares;Ezek. 4. if I had any degree of ſuch an advantage ſpiritually, I ſhould be a better ſervant to you and my native Countrey then I am, both in praying and preaching. My petition to Chriſt oft is, that he will make impreſſe upon my ſpirit, ſuitable to all his purpoſes towards this poore bleeding Land; I get as neere him as I can, and as much out of al noyſe, to hearken and heare diſtinctly what he will ſpeake, peace or warre, life or death; and if in this Goſpel way God will but grant mee that Prophets favour*Ezek. 12.3., to remove in my ſight, and to dig through the wall of Englands welfare in my view, I hope through the ſtrength of Chriſt I ſhall be faithfull to tell her of it, though it ſhould coſt mee much. Would I knew how in this ſhaking time, to eat my bread with confidence, and yet with quaking: If the pleaſure of the Lord were dearer to us 'twould eaſe much, the many hard things which are yet before us. I came, Honourable Worthies, very trembling to you, and ſo truly departed from you, to thinke how little ſervice I had done, for perſons and employments of ſo great conſequence as yours. At what time I feared I believed, which was Chriſt laying his right hand upon mee, like that upon John, ſaying, Feare not, I am the firſt and the laſt *Rev. 1.17.. If God be found firſt or laſt wherever I come, or in what ever I undertake, I and all with me will be bleſſed; and ſo will it be with you, and thoſe many thouſands for whom you act. I would people would be patient, and thinke lower thoughts of their owne wiſdome, and higher of Chriſts and yours, as an Ordinance of God for their good, and in all your travels, travell with you, and cry out for a man mid-wife from heaven for you, when you are like to miſcarrie, and not fill Citie and Country with unnaturall and unchriſtian clamour. I judge a free Parliament, the moſt naturall Ordinance (and the neareſt that Divine government which once was) for the true good of a Nation that would not be ſlaves to ſinne and mans will, of any yet knowne, or in uſe in the world; and if my Judgement were of any weight in a buſineſſe of this nature, I would thinke thoſe the more unnaturall to themſelves and others, who otherwiſe ſpeake and act amongſt us. Our luſts would be Lawes and Judges of them too, and may, as well one as tother; 'tis thus with us, tis thus with you; 'tis ſo in Divinity, 'tis ſo in morality, 'tis ſo in the firſt Table, 'tis ſo in the ſecond. Chriſt meant civill Government really, when he bade us ſubmit to it, and pray for it, and practiſed it himſelfe by giving to Caeſar the things which were Caeſars; if in theſe laſt and worſt dayes we need it leſſe then then, I do not yet underſtand it. Wilde beaſts love no bound, but if this ſhould be, then all the world would be a wilderneſſe, and where ſhould we live without tearing in pieces? I thinke juſt Government in a Turke to be a beame of God, and we admire it abroad, and trample upon't at home. Violence is riſen up into a rod of wickedneſſe. Men are ſo violent,Ezek. 6.11. and yet ſo voyd of reaſon, that they are a rod to themſelves and many ſober men; complaine of obſtructions and yet make them, by mad motion a this ſide truth and their place: Chriſt beares all this about his Kingdome and government, and ſo muſt you about yours.Ezek. 6.5.13, 14. Chriſt will lay the carkaſſes of men before their Idolls; mens perſons in prepoſterous courſes fall, or their eſteeme, and then is man a moving carkaſſe before his Idol pride. Purity is indeed of Majeſtie:Ezek. 1.22. wee read of terrible cryſtall; Let your courſe be patient and pious before men who are not ſo, and this will keep God and good men with you, and all others below your peace, if not below their owne. He is not ſo fit to adviſe you, as to pray for you, that you may be in the ſecret of his people, who is and ſhall be ſtill theirs and
Yours, at the Throne of Grace, NICHOLAS LOCKYER.