The Commemoration and Exaltation of Mercy, License 1 – Dedication
Die Lunae, Novemb. 9. 1646.
ORdered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, that Mr Strode doe give thanks to Mr Strong, for the great paines he took in the Sermon, which he Preached at the entreaty of this Houſe, at Margarets Weſtminſter on Thurſday laſt (being the fifth of November) the day of the damnable Powder Treaſon, and that he be deſired to print his Sermon: And that hee have the ſame Priviledge as others have in the printing of their Sermons.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I doe appoint Francis Tyton Stationer, to Print my Sermon,
William Strong.
foreign THE Commemoration and Exaltation OF MERCY.
DELIVERED IN A SERMON Preached to the Honourable, the HOUSE of COMMONS, at Margarets Weſtminſter, Novemb. 5. 1646.
Being the day of their publike thankſgiving, for that eminent and Ancient Mercy, the Deliverance of them, and the whole Kingdome in them, from the Popiſh and Helliſh Conſpiracy of the Powder Treaſon.
By WILLIAM STRONG, a Member of the Aſſembly of Divines.
ESAY 54.15.
Behold they ſhall ſurely gather together, but not by me: whoſoever ſhall gather together against thee, ſhall fall for thy ſake.
VERS. 17.
No weapon that is formed against thee ſhall proſper, and every tongue that ſhall riſe againſt thee in judgement, thou ſhalt condemn. This is the heritage of the ſervants of the Lord, and their righteouſneſſe is of me, ſaith the Lord.
Quae De…s contulit gratis, tollit ingratis: Quod i…lo dante fit noſtrum, nobis ſuperbientibus fit alienum,
August. Homil. 14.
LONDON, Printed for Francis Tyton, at the three Daggers neare the Inner Temple …
To the Honourable THE COMMONS OF ENGLAND, Aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
GOD hath made all his Miniſters Stewards, 1 Cor. 4.1.2.and a great Truſt hee hath committed to them,Heb. 13.17. The myſteries of God, 2 Cor. 2.17.and the ſoules of men. That they may rightly diſcharge this Truſt,2 Cor. 3 11. a double qualification is required in them, foreign and foreign, Epheſ. 4.…4.ſincerity of ſpirit and liberty of ſpeach: We are neither to uſe a foreign, a ſleight of hand to wreſt the word to our ſenſe; nor a foreign, to temper it to the luſts of men.foreign. Clem. Alex. Strom. l. 7. foreign. Iuſtin. Mart. Epiſt. ad Lenam & Serenum. 2 Cor. 4. 2. Ier. 23.31. Let falſe Prophets ſmooth their tongues, and fill the eares of deluded ſoules with ſpirituall flatteries. Thoſe that God hath ſent, muſt ſpeak as the Oracles of God, not ſparing the ſinnes, nor fearing the faces of men, leaſt they be confounded before them: And amongſt all that confluence of mercy, which I deſire may be powred down upon your Honourable Aſſembly from Heaven, this is not the leaſt, that God may give you, and continue unto you Paſtors after his owne heart, who may diſcharge their truſt with boldneſſe and faithfulneſſe towards God and you; and that you may receive with meekneſſe the engraffed word, which is able to ſave your ſoules.
What is here preſented to your veiw, I hope gave no offence in the delivery, neither will it in the reveiw, being made publike by your command. However, I have diſcharged what I apprehended to bee my duty,Bonae. res neminem ſcandalizant, niſi mala… …entem, Tertul de veland. virgin. cap. 7. to God, to you, and to the whole Kingdome in you; for the wounds of this people will never be healed with ſweet words. If any one ſhall conceive ſomething to be ſpoken here, as ſavouring of too much boldneſſe and plainneſſe; I muſt anſwer him with Salvian in a like caſe, Non à mea ſibi haec linguâ dici aeſtimet, ſed à conſcienti ſuâ; It is not my tongue, but his own heart which makes the Application.
Two great evils God hath blamed in his people in all Ages,Vt accipinat importuni, donec acceperunt inquieti, & …bi acce…erunt ingrati. Bern. de conſider, l. 4. c. 2. unthankfulneſſe for mercies, and wantonneſſe under them.
1. Vnthankfulneſſe; Wee are very apt to bee importunate for mercies, when we want them; and to deſpiſe and under-value them when we doe enjoy them. Its a very hard matter to have the ſame eſteeme of them in our prayſes, which we had in our prayers. God hath honoured, loaden, yea crowned you with mercies; his faithfulneſſe and truth hath been your ſheild and buckler: Hee hath not onelyonly given you theſe Ancient mercies, that of 88 and this: The Remembrance of which you did upon this day celebrate; but hee hath ſhewed you greater things then theſe; that you and the world may wonder; hee hath ſince delivered you, from many invincible Armadoes, and many Powder Plots at once. Let theſe mercies never wax old to you;Haec beneficii intet duos lex eſt. Alter ſtatim obliviſci debet dati, alter accepti nunquam. Sen. de beneſ. l. 2. c. 10. it is an evill that we are all prone to, that as time will weare out the ſenſe of ſinne, ſo it will the eſteeme of mercy; and hee that ſhall keep either the one, or the other alway freſh before him, had need be annointed daily with freſh Oyle. Docuerunt linguam ſuam grandia loqui, cum operentur exigua. Largiſſimi promiſſores, & parriſsimi exhibitores, &c. Bern. de confider, l. 4. c. 2.Neither ſhould our thankfulneſſe bee onelyonly the fruit of the Lips, but of the Life, The Lord is better pleaſed with the language of our hands, then with the language of our tongues. And this muſt not be for a day and no more; mercies are eternall obligations; and while wee enjoy the fruit of them, its but reaſonable that God ſhould have the glory; and that we ſhould ſay with Hezekiah, The Lord was ready to ſave us, therefore wee will ſing our ſongs to the ſtringed inſtruments, all the dayes of our life in the houſe of the Lord, Eſay, 38.20.
2. Wantonneſſe under mercies; Ieſuron may wax fat and kick; and when the filling of a people is according to their paſture, Deut. 32.15. Ieſhuron à foreign aſpexit ſolicite, obſervavit: quia Iſraelitae viderunt preſentiam gloriae divinae. Shind l. Hoſ. 13.6.their hearts may be lifted up, and they may forget the Lord; It was Vzziah his ſinne and ruine, hee was mightily helped till he was ſtrong, and then his he…rt was lifted up to his own deſtruction. To looſe the fruit of an affliction is a great provocation, but much more the fruit of a mercy; when cords of love make a people ſit more looſe from God, to draw iniquity with cords of mercy, this is the higheſt way of ſinning.
Its a great teſtimony that is given of Iehoſaphat, The Lord eſtabliſhed the Kingdome in his hand, 2 Chron. 26.15 Perdidiſtis utilitatem calamitatis, & miſerremi facti eſtis & peſsimi p…rmanſiſtis, Auſtin. de civit. l. 1. c. 33. 2 Chron. 17.5.6. His vincit, qui ſe vincit in victoria.and all Iudah brought him preſents; and hee had riches and honours in abundance; and his heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord. Wee ſhould be like a ſpire Steeple, which is minimus in ſummo; leaſt in our own eyes, when God hath made us greateſt in the eyes of other men; we ſhould acknowledge the Lord to bee the God of our mercies, make him the God of our prayſes, and conſecrate not onelyonly the mercy to him with Hannah, but our ſelves alſo, as Hezekiah exhorteth, to give the hand, and as the Churches of Macedonia did, who gave themſelves to the Lord. 2 Chron. 30.8.There is as great danger of mercies as of any of Gods diſpenſations:2 Cor. 8.5. Our mercies may become our ſnares, and that which ſhould have beene for our welfare may become a trap, to take us; for the ground that drinks in this raine of mercies, as well as that of ordinances, and brings not forth herbes meet for him by whom it is dreſſed, is nigh to curſing. Theſe will make the ſinnes of people like Summer fruits,Socrati cum multa multi pro ſuis quiſque facult… hus offerrent, Aeſc…ines pauper Aud…tor, Nihil (inquit) dignum te, quod dare tibi poſſim, inve…o. Itaque dono t…bi quod unum habeo, me ipſum, Sen. de benef. l. …. c. 8. Amos 8.1. ripen them the ſooner.
If it prove ſo with us, wee muſt remember that there bee changes of the right hand of the moſt high; Pſal. 77 10. foreign mutat…ones dexiera, Cal.hee may repent of theſe mercies, as he did, that he had made Saul King; he may become our enemy, and fight againſt us, and may reſolve to deſtroy us, after he hath done us good.
The light that God hath cauſed to riſe to us in obſcurity,Ioſh. 24.20. Zach. 14.6. is ſuch as is neither clear nor dark; we are in continuo crepuſculo; we cannot as yet ſay all our feares are over, and that the Sunne hath riſen upon us to a perfect day; and hence it comes to paſſe, every mans heart is become a merchant, foreign Pſal. 38.10.traffiking too and fro, not knowing where to reſt. Leave your former mercies with God, but ſo as to improve them for God; while you doe enjoy them, commit the keeping of your mercies to him as well as of your ſoules in well doing; that if he change his hand towards you againe, your hearts may not reproach you, and ſay, the time was we had a price in our hand, but wee had no heart. Let your mercies make you more faithfull, more fruitfull; and then doubt not, but if God lead you into new troubles, if the buſh be brought into the fire againe, the good will of him that dwelt in the buſh, ſhall bee with you.
And though the Enemy, now his power is gone, ſets all his Policy on work, and it may bee, hopes to effect that by the one, which hee could not by the other; Yet the GOD of your ſalvation, who hath given you theſe former mercies,Pſal 74.14. as the Head of Leviathan for food to your faith, and hath in the latter mercies, opened to you in the Valley of Achor a doore of hope; Hoſ. 2.15.I ſay, the ſame GOD who hath taken the Lions, will in his own time, take the Foxes alſo; For hee takes the wiſe in their owne craftineſſe; Which is the daily prayer, and ſhall be the conſtant expectation of him,
Who is devoted to your Service in the Goſpel, William Strong.