Englands Preservation, Part 6
2. To you of publique employment.
MAny excellent works are fallen into your hands, ſome of them you have gone through with already, and more (we are perſwaded) had received their ſeale, had not the excellency of your attempts raiſed againſt you, the enmity of manifold oppoſitions and contradictions; my humble and earneſt intreaty of you, is only this, let not thoſe remaining excellent works (if it bee poſſible, ſo much as in you lies) for ever ſtick in the birth; let them not die in meere intentions or propoſitions, but ſtrive to bring them unto their due and much deſired perfection; you have begun ſome things,
1. About erronious Doctrines.
2. Againſt ſuperſtitious practices.
3. Againſt Idolatry, and ſeducing Prieſts and Jeſuits.
4. With notorious delinquents and offenders.
5. Againſt ſcandalous Miniſters and Innovations.
6. For the ſetling of a faithfull and laborious Miniſtry.
7. For an honourable maintenance and encouragement of it; (O never let us ſtand to the courteſie of the vulgar!)
8. For the eaſing of tender conſciences.
9. For the vindicating of the Lords day.
10. For the ſetling of all diſtractions, and hopes of a Church-Reformation according to the Word of God, againſt which malice it ſelfe cannot juſtly open its mouth.
11. For the ſuccouring and relieving of poore and diſtreſſed Ireland: Haſten all that you can, leſt it prove too late.
Now God forbid, that ſuch works as theſe ſhould ever fall to the ground, after ſo many yeers miſery, after ſo many thouſand prayers, after ſo many gracious overtures which you have made: let it not be ſaid of you in theſe works, as hee ſaid of his owne, Faciebam, non feci: he was doing of them, but they were never done. Take up your firſt thoughts, and engage your hearts and reſolutions, and all your endeavours ſpeedily and ſucceſſefully to carry on (at leaſt) this one work of all works, a ſolid Reformation: Beleeve me, it is the work which will bring a bleſſing upon all your other works: peruſe that place well in Haggai 2. 18. Conſider now (ſaith the Lord) from this day, even from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid, conſider it. (verſ. 19.) from this day will I bleſſe you. Now whereas Zerubbabel might reply, we would ſet to this work, but that we are afraid of warlike oppoſition; To this the Lord anſwers, in Verſe 22. and 23. I will overthrow the Throne of Kingdomes, and I will deſtroy the ſtrength of the Kingdomes of the Heathen; and I will overthrow the Charrets, and the Horſes, and the Riders: And I will take thee Zerubbabel my ſervant, and I will make thee as a Signet, q. d. Look you to that work, and I will aſſuredly look to your perſons and ſafeties.
Now that you may effectually carry on all theſe great works (and eſpecially that of Church-Reformation) ſo that all may be proſperous, and in the event come to ſomething; make uſe of two Two Directions.directions, which I humbly propound unto you.
Firſt ſtrip your ſelves of all the things which will weaken your hearts, and make your endeavours ſtill ſlow and fruitleſſe; therefore
Firſt put off your ſinnes, or elſe they will put off your work: evill men are ſeldome apt for, or prove ſucceſſefull in good attempts: There is nothing which intricates our actions more than our ſinnes, which doe likewiſe enſnarle our ſouls; Enterpriſes ſet upon, either without God, or againſt God, are like arrowes ſhot up aloft, which never doe good, but many times doe much hurt. It is affirmed only of the godly man, That whatſoever he doth, ſhall proſper, Pſal. 1. 3.
Secondly, you muſt put off irregular feares: Ecquid hoc infort…i age, corpus quidem occidere po…unt, animam non poſſunt they were Z…inglius his laſt words.you will never be exactly ſerviceable to God nor Religion, if you have any thing to loſe: ſhould ſuch a man as I flee? ſaid Nehemiah, Chap. 6. 11. guilty perſons who are contriving againſt the foundations of a Church and State, they may well feare; their conſciences may read terrours, and dangers, and loſſes to them. But perſons royally Tibi adeſt nimia humilitas, ſaid Luther to Stanpitius.ſummoned, and piouſly employed for the right ſetling of a Church and Kingdome, as their attempts are above all contumely, ſo their hearts 1 Pet 3. 13.ſhould be above all fancies and feares: If yee Poene ſecurus ſpectator ſum & … minaces & ſcroces Papiſtas non hujus facio: ſi nos ruemus, ruet Chriſtus unâ ſcilicet ille regnator mundi, ſaid Luth. in lib. edit. 1549.bee followers of that which is good, who is hee that will harme you. There can never bee any true danger nor loſſe by being good, or by doing good in our callings. The King of Poland, when his ſervant Zeliſlaus loſt his hand in his warres, ſent him inſtead thereof a golden hand: you ſhall never expend your ſtrength for God in vaine, his ſervice is good, and reward ſure.
Thirdly, you muſt put off favours: a publike man as hee ſhould have nothing to loſe, ſo hee ſhould have nothing to get: he ſhould be above Olim didici quid ſint munera, ſaid a worthy man.all price or ſale: Truth and publike good ſhould only ſway and command him; he hath too impotent a ſpirit, whoſe ſervices (like the diall) muſt be ſet only by the Sunne, who ſaith to advancement and reſpect, as Tiberius once anſwered Iuſtinus (though upon a better ground and end) Si tu volueris, Ego ſum; Si tu non vis, ego non ſum; I am only thy clay and wax. It was a brave commendation of Luther (though not intended by that Cardinall who ſpake it) That German Beaſt cares not for gold. And Henry, afterwards Duke Anno. 1539.of Saxony rather adventured the hopes of the Dukedome, than that he would be bound not to change and reforme a corrupt Religion.
Fourthly, you muſt put off prejudices: If the great work of Church-Reformation ſeemes to any of you either fordid and contemptible, or hopeleſſe and impoſſible, or needleſſe and idle, or unſeaſonable and inconvenient; you will either be formall in attempts, or ſubtle to entangle, or profeſſedly oppoſite to cruſh the work, and bring it to nothing; But yet Worthies of our Iſrael, know, that Reformation is
An Honourable work: It is a work fit for a Honourable to you, and honourable to the Church, which the more pure it is, the more excellent it is.God, fit for the greateſt Monarchs on earth; and the greateſt Reformers in Religion have attained thereby to the greateſt ſplendor and glory, as Hezekiah, Iehoſophat, Ioſiah, King Edward, &c.
A poſſible work: Though there be many knots, and blocks, and rubs, and alarums; yet doe you unanimouſly and ſtrenuouſly act, act and the work is done; poſſunt (ſaid he) quia poſſe videntur: the Hiſtorians aſcribe moſt of King Alexanders ſucceſſe to his courage, there was nothing he attempted, but hee conceived it might bee done. All works for God are both honourable and fecible: As Tertullian, in comparing the Reſurrection with the Creation, ſaid it was more eaſie reficere quam facere, to make up the body againe, than ſimply to make it to be; that ſame holds true in this caſe, it is more eaſie to reforme than to forme a Church; as the work is eaſier to cure a diſeaſed body, than to enliven a dead body.
A needfull work: A Reformation is needfull when a Church is like to be poyſoned with errours, or to be rent with contrariety of opinions, or is ſick with manifold corruptions. This is our condition, and beſides all this, we ſee great judgements hanging over us, which have befallen other Churches: were it not better to reforme before judgements, than under them? who can tell but it may be an effectuall meanes to prevent them?
Laſtly, it is a ſeaſonable work: If you judge it a fit ſeaſon for our Church to be humbled, aſſuredly then it is a fit ſeaſon for it to be reformed: that which puts us upon the one, directs us alſo to the other; but I paſſe on.
Secondly, If you would carry on this work for good, then you muſt get into your hearts, and cheriſh in your thoughts all thoſe things which will quicken you to the perfecting of ſuch a work.
Firſt, you muſt labour to poſſeſſe your hearts with thoſe active, induſtrious, and unwearied graces of ſelfe-deniall, of ardent love of God, of enflamed zeale for his glory, and of ſublime faith, which will raiſe your ſpirits above all difficulties and oppoſitions, above all clouds and ſeas: were men thus qualified, they would then count nothing too deare, or too much for God, but would moſt cheerefully ſpend and be ſpent for him, they would lend all their honours, places, gifts, abilities, all to the ſervice of Chriſt.
And ſecondly, you muſt cheriſh quickning thoughts: I will make bold to propound ſome unto you, only to adde, at leaſt, to what you have, and doe know already.
Firſt, minde much the dignity of the work, and minde little the malignity of the oppoſers: when the Temple was to bee re-built, you know what oppoſition Sanballat, and Tobiah, and others made, what accuſations, what letters, what attempts, and devices againſt Zerubbabel and the reſt; but they minded the work of the Temple the more, their eyes were upon God and his ſervice: So when Luther began the Reformation in Germany, you read that the Pope and his Cardinalls, and their currs preſently opened their foule mouthes, crying out, that he was (mendax, perfidus, apoſtata, tuba Vide Mel. Adam ia vita Lutheri pag. 144 145.rebellionis, quod omnia quae de moliminibus Papae ſcripſiſſet, ficta erant & ementita &c.) a liar, perfidious, an Apoſtate, a trumpet of rebellion and ſedition; and that all which hee charged on the Pope, were but his owne vaine ſurmiſes and devices: yet Luther went on with the work, and maugre all contradiction, prevailed and proſpered: The like we read in our owne Chronicles, when King Edward ſet upon Reformation, what ſcorns, deriſions, oppoſitions, ſides, tumults encountred it by the Friars, and the Popiſh party; yet hee kept on the work, and greatly proſpered in it: the excellency of the work, and a conſciouſneſſe of his duty, and confidence in God, made his Arke to ſwim upon all thoſe raging waters.
Secondly, minde your encouragements more, and all diſcouragements leſſe: Tolle Coelum, & Chriſt did once die for ſinners, but he ever reigns ſor truth: ſo Luth. in an Epiſtle to Melanchion.nullus ero, ſaid Empedocles once: Take away heaven, and I am no body; all ſerenity comes from above us, the damps riſe from that which ſhould be under our feet. Worthy Sirs, as the Prophets charriots with him were more than the charriots of the adverſaries againſt him, ſo I may ſay, there are more with you (being in Gods work) than can be againſt you: In a good work you have a God commanding (as once to Ioſhua, chap. 1. 9. See Iudges 6. 12, 14.Have not I commanded thee? be ſtrong and of a good courage;) and a God protecting you (as in the ſame place, the Lord thy God is with thee whitherſoever thou goeſt,) and a God promiſing to bleſſe Read Eſay 41. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, &c.and reward you: me thinks all this ſhould lift up your hearts, and ſtrengthen them much. I have read a ſtory of one Iulius Pflugius, who had been employed by the Emperor, but was much wronged and injured by the Duke of Saxony, of which complaining, Caeſar returned him this anſwer, have a little patience, Tua cauſa erit mea cauſa, thy cauſe and condition ſhall be mine owne, and Cauſa ut ſit magna, magnus eſt actor & author ejus, neque enim noſtra eſt: Luth. Melan.this was heartning enough; God ſaith the ſame to you, make you the ſame in livening uſe of it; weakneſſe (ſaid he in Sophocles) is ſtrong enough if God will fight.
Thirdly, minde the ſtrength which you have by prayers, more than the words that are againſt you and evill minded men; the language of wicked men is but an empty breath, it may declare malice, but doth not aſſure us of power, but the language of prayer is a mighty & doing breath, it can ſhake Heaven and Earth; the prayer of one good man hath wrought wonders, it hath conquered God, and Men, and Devils: wicked adverſaries may ſet men to work, but prayer ſets a God to work. And you (Right Honourable) you have millions of prayers almoſt every day ſent up to Heaven for you: It cannot be, ſaid Saint Ambroſe to Monica, that a childe of ſo many teares and prayers ſhould periſh; ſo ſay I, it cannot be, that ſuch Worthies, who are every day compaſſed about with ſo many prayers, ſhould miſcarry; you have the prayers of three Kingdomes for you, and I am perſwaded alſo, the prayers of all the people of God throughout the whole world.
Fourthly, minde the excellency of the iſſue, and not the difficulty of the progreſſe: We ſay in Philoſophy that Finis dat amabilitatem & virtutem; the end maketh the work amiable, and gives ſtrength to the workman. This I obſerve, that great and choice ſervices are more difficult when they are in agitation, than when they are in action, more when we are contriving of them, than when we are doing them; but though they be difficult to be wrought, yet when they are finiſhed they are glorious and excellent: The Temple was long in building, but when it was finiſhed, there was not the like in all the world, for it was filled with the glory of the Lord from the Mercy-Seat. O what a glory unto our good God, what a beauty to our Church, what an honour to our Nation, what a ſatisfaction to all pious hearts, what a ſafety to this Land, what an influence to all the Churches of Chriſt will this Reformation prove if it could be once effectually wrought by Gods bleſſing and your ſucceſſefull endeavours.
FINIS.
End of the text · Obadiah Sedgwick, Englands Preservation (1642)