The Duty and Honor of Church-Restorers, License 1 – Errata
Die Mercurii 30. September. 1646.
ORdered that Mr. Long do from this Houſe give thanks to Mr. Palmer, for the great pains he took in the Sermon he preached this day, at the intreaty of the Houſe, at Margarets Weſtminſter (it being the day of publique Humiliation) and to deſire him to Print his Sermon, And he is to have the like priviledge in printing of it, as others in the like kinde uſually have had.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. Dom. Com.
I Appoint Thomas Vnderhill to print my Sermon.
Herbert Palmer.
THE DVTY & HONOVR OF Church-Reſtorers: Set forth in a Sermon preached to the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS, Septemb. 30. 1646.
Being the day of the Monethly Solemne FAST, AT Margarets Weſtminſter.
By Herbert Palmer, B. D. Miniſter of Gods Word at Aſhwell in Hertfordſtire, and a Member of the Aſſembly of Divines.
Micah 6.8.
He hath ſhewed thee O man what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do juſtly, and to love Mercy, and to walk humbly with GOD?
Amos 9.11.
In that day will I raiſe up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen, and cloſe up the breaches thereof, and I will raiſe up his ruines, and I will build it as in the dayes of old.
I Sam. 2.30.
The Lord God of Iſrael ſaith, Them that Honour me, I will Honour, and they that Deſpiſe me, ſhall be lightly eſteemed.
LONDON, Printed by R. W. for Thomas Vnderhill, at the Signe of the Bible in Woodſtreete. 1646.
TO THE HONOVRABLE The Houſe of Commons now Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
THe Reformation of England, is the great expectation of the world, I thinke I may ſay of Angels, as well as men; and the Parliament of England, under God, is the great hope of the Chriſtian world, to bring this reformation about. If any would ſet himſelfe to ſtudy abſtractly, how God might prepare a company of men to carry on ſuch a worke, he would not eaſily finde out any thing, which God hath not already fitted the Honourable Houſes with. Great preſſures to helpe to make them humble before their meeting: Manifold dangers all along from the beginning of their meeting to helpe keepe them humble: A mighty concurrence of providence to neceſsitate their meeting together: And an unparalleld overruling of hearts, for their continuance together, without limitation of time, oother then their owne prudence ſhould determine: A watchfull eye, and a ſtrong hand, to preſerve them from all ſorts of attempts, to diſſolve their meeting: Marvellous and manifold actings of Gods almighty power and richgrace, in making their enemies fall before them, notwithſtanding their frequent expectations, and moſt probable hopes of ſwallowing them up ſuddenly, and in making the people every where to ſtoope to every part of reformation by them promoted, notwithſtanding all their habituated and doted on cuſtomes to the contrary; the most ſolemne engagements to carry the worke on for God, and accordingly to God, that are to be found upon earth, or are directed by heaven: A ſpirit of reformation in the hearts of many thouſands throughout the Kingdome, and more particularly neer unto the place of their ſiting, breathing out prayers and ſupplications to God for them day and night, with giving of thanks, that the reformation may proſper in their hands, and be perfected by their hands: And finally, most frequent entercourſes between God and them, by his ſending to them, (and even directing them to call to themſelves) his ſervants in great variety and frequency; to pray with them daily, to faſt and pray with them monthly, (beſides extraordinary dayes of humiliation, and to pray and give thanks with them upon extraordinary dayes of thankſgiving, and theſe extraordinary dayes both of the one and the other ſort being not a few, put them altogether) and upon all theſe publike and ſolemne occaſions, to ſpeake to them in the name of God, words of direction & incouragement, and all this as a joynt body together, with the advantage of having every affecting Sermon perpetuated to them, by Printing ſuch as they ſee cauſe, orapprove; (while in the meane time the ſeverall members have the opportunity of conſtant hearing from God every Sabbath, and many of them every morning.) And with all this to have a ſelected number of men, c…ſen by themſelves, to attend years together, meerly … giving them advice about this reformation; may I not now ſay in the cloſe of all, what could have been done more for ſuch a company of men, to make them willing and able to do Gods whole work for his Church and people, for a full and perfect reformation?
And is not this your ſtory (honourable and worthy?) is it not the manifeſt ſtory of Gods providence toward the Parliament of England? And what doth he now expect from you? Or what may we expect further from him? Surely from him, for my part I can expect no leſs, but that his intents are (though yet through ſome further difficulties perhaps) to carry your ſpirits, and the ſpirits of the whole Parliament ſtrongly and powerfully on, to finiſh this ſo bleſſed a work. He hath pardon, & grace, & wiſdome, and ſtrength enough to anſwer and overcome all that can be ſaid or thought to the contrary; in this perſwaſion I have divers years lived, and I hope in it I ſhall dye, if I muſt dye before the work be perfected; this perſwaſion and hope, as it directed me to chooſe for you this text, which is here diſcourſed upon, ſo it commanded me to ſpeake what I could underſtand God expected, & doth ſtill expect from you: wherein as for the generall, I am ſure I have pointed you to the whole councell of God; ſo for the particulars I bleſſe God that I can ſay, your ſelves have manifeſtly owned divers of them, in making ſome Ordinances accordingly, and that addes to my confidence and comfort, that all other things of Gods will towards you, ſhall be fulfilled by you, according to his will from time to time; in which work, both by prayers, and all faithfull endeavours in my ſtation, I am, and ſhall ever be in him,
Your moſt humble, and moſt devoted Servant, Herbert Palmer.
Errata.
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