Sermon to House of Commons, Title page – Dedication
A SERMON Preached to the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, IN PARLIAMENT Aſſembled: On January 31. A day of Solemne Humiliation.
With a Diſcourſe about TOLERATION, And the Duty of the Civill Magiſtrate about RELIGION, thereunto Annexed.
Humbly Preſented to them, and all Peace-loving Men of this NATION.
By John Owen, Paſtor of the Church of Chriſt, which is at Coggeſhall in Eſſex.
LONDON, Printed by Matthew Simmons, in Alderſgate Street, 1649.
Die Mercurij, 31. Januarij, 1648.
ORdered by the Commons Aſſembled in Parliament, That Maſter Allen, do give the Thankes of this Houſe, to Maſter Owen, for the great paines he tooke in his Sermon, Preached before this Houſe this day, at Margarets Weſtminſter; And that he be deſired to Print his Sermon at large, wherein he is to have the like priviledge of Printing it, as others in the like kind uſually have had.
Hen: Scobell Cler: Parl. Dom. Com.
To the Right Honourable the Commons of England, Aſſembled in Parliament.
Sirs,
IT hath always ſuited the wiſedome of God, to do great things in difficult ſeaſons. He ſets up wals in troublous times. Dan. 9. 25. His builders muſt hold Swords and Spears, as well as Inſtruments of labour, Neh. 4. 16. Yea while ſin continueth in its courſe here (which began in Heaven, and having contemporized with the Earth, ſhall live for ever in Hell.) Great works for God, will cauſe great troubles amongſt men. The holy, harmleſſe Reconciler of heaven and earth, bids us expect the Sword, to attend his undertakings for, and way of making peace, Mat. 10. 34. All the waves in the world, ariſe to their height and roaring▪ from the confronting of the breath of Gods ſpirit, and the vapours of mens corruptions. Hence ſeaſons receive their degrees of difficulty, according to the greatneſſe and weight of the workes which in them God will accompliſh. to their worth and excellency is mans oppoſition proportioned. This, the inſtruments of his glory in this generation, ſhall continually find true to their preſent trouble, and future comfort.
As the days approach for the delivery of the decree, Heb. 12. 26, 27to the ſhaking of Heaven and Earth,Dan. 7. 27. and all the powers of the World,Ego niſi tumultus iſtos viderem, verbum Dei in mundo non eſſe dicerem: Luth. de ſ. A. to make way for the eſtabliſhment of that kingdom which ſhall not be given to another people (the great expectation of the Saints of the moſt high before the conſummation of all) ſo tumults, troubles, vexations and diſquietnes, muſt certainly grow and increaſe among the ſons of men.
A dead woman (ſays the Proverb) will not be carryed out of her houſe under four men. Much leſſe will living men, of wiſedome and power, be eaſily & quietly diſpoſſeſſed of that ſhare and Intereſt in the things of Chriſt, which long continued uſurpation, hath deluded them into an imagination of being their owne Inheritance. This then being ſhortly to be effected, and the ſcale being ready to turn againſt the man of ſin, notwithſtanding his ballancing it in oppoſition to the witneſſe of Jeſus, with the weight and poyſe of earthly power, no wonder if heaven, earth, ſea, Iſa. 34. 4, 5.and dry land, be ſhaken in their giving place to the things that cannot be moved.Revel. 16. 16. God Almighty having called you forth (Right honourable) at his entrance to the rolling up of the Nations heavens like a Scroll, to ſerve him in your Generation in the high places of Armageddon, you ſhall be ſure not to want experience of that Oppoſition which is raiſed againſt the great work of tbe Lord, which generally ſwels moſt, againſt the viſible inſtruments therof.
And would to God, you had only the deuoted ſons of Babel to contend withall, that the men of this ſhaking earth were your only Antagoniſts: that the Malignity of the Dragons tayle, Revel. 12. 4.had had no influence on the Stars of heaven, to prevaile with them to fight in their courſes againſt you. But jacta eſt alea, the providence of God muſt be ſerved, according to the diſcovery made of his owne unchangeable will, and not the mutable intereſts and paſſions of the ſons of men. For verily the Lord of Hoſts hath purpoſed to pollute the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the Honourable of the Earth, Iſa. 23. 9.
The contradictions of ſinners againſt all that walk in the paths of righteouſneſſe and peace, with the ſupportment which their ſpirits may receive (as being promiſed) who purſue thoſe wayes, notwithſtanding thoſe contradictions, are in part diſcovered in the enſuing Sermon; the foundation of that whole Tranſaction of things, which is therin held out, in reference to the preſent diſpenſations of providence (being nothing but an entrance into the unravelling of the whole Web of Iniquity, interwoven of Civill and Eccleſiaſticall Tyranny, in oppoſition to the kingdome of the Lord Jeſus) I choſe not to mention. Neither ſhall I at preſent add any thing thereabout, but onelyonly my deſire that it may be eyed as the granted Baſis of the following diſcourſe. Only by your very favourable acceptation of the making out thoſe thoughts, which were the haſty conception, and like Jonah's Gourd, the child of a night or two (which with prayer for a rooting in the hearts of them to whom they were delivered, had certainly withered, in their owne Leaves, had they not received warmth and moyſture from your commands in general, and the particular deſires of many of you, to give them a life of a few dayes longer) I am encouraged to the annexing of a few lines, as a free-will offering to attend the following Product of obedience.
Now this ſhall not be to the Oppoſition which you doe and ſhall yet further meet withall, but as to the Cauſes, real, or pretended, which are held forth as the bottom of that contradiction wherwith on every ſide you are encompaſſed.
The things in reference whereunto, your proceedence is laden with ſuch criminations, as theſe ſad dayes of recompence, have found to be Comets portending no leſſe then blood, are firſt Civill, then Religious.
For the Firſt, as their being beyond the bounds of my Calling, gives them Sanctuary from being called forth to my conſideration, ſo neither have I the leaſt thoughts with Abſolom of a more orderly carrying of of Affaires, might my deſires have any influence into their diſpoſall. Waiting at the throne of Grace, that thoſe whom God hath intruſted with, and enabled for the Tranſaction of theſe things, may be directed and ſupported in their employment, is the utmoſt of my undertaking herein.
For the other, or Religious things, the generall intereſt I have in them as a Chriſtian, being improved by the ſuper-added Title of a Miniſter of the Goſpel (though unworthy the one Name, and the other) gives me not onelyonly ſuch boldneſſe as accreweth from enjoyed Favour, but alſo ſuch a Right as will ſupport mee to plead concerning them, before the moſt Impartiall Judicature.
And this I ſhall doe (as I ſaid before) meerly in reference to thoſe criminations, which are layd by conjecturall preſumptions on your Honourable Aſſembly, and made a cauſe of much of that oppoſition and contradiction you meet withall. Now in particular, it is the Toleration of all Religions or invented wayes of worſhip, wherein your Conſtitutions are confidently Antidated in many places of the Nation, the thing it ſelfe withall, being held out, as the moſt enormous apprehenſion, and deſperate indeavour for the deſtruction of Truth and Godlineſſe that ever entred the thoughts of men, profeſſing the one and the other. The conteſt hereabout, being adhuc ſub Judice, and there being no doubt, but that the whole matter, commonly phraſed as above, hath (like other things) ſinfull and dangerous Extreames. I deemed it not amiſſe, to endeavour the powring a little cold water upon the common flames, which are kindled in the breaſts of men about this thing. And who knowes, whether the words of a weake Nothing, may not by the power of the Fountaine of Beings, give ſome light into the determination and Eſtabliſhment of a thing of ſo great concernment and conſequence, as this is generally conceived to be. What is in this my weake undertaking, of the Lord, I ſhall begg of him, that it may be received, what is of my ſelfe I begg of you that it may be pardoned. That God Almighty would give you to prove All things that come unto you in his way, and to hold faſt that which is good, granting you unconquerable Aſſiſtance, in conſtant perſeverance, is the prayer of,
Your devoted Servant in our deareſt Lord: JOHN OWEN. Coggeſhall, Feb. 28.