A81220:68
A sermon pressing to, and directing in, that great duty of praising God. Preached…
A sermon pressing to, and directing in, that great duty of praising God. Preached to the Parliament at Westminster, Octob: 8. 1656. Being the day of their solemn thanksgiving to God for that late success given to some part of the fleet of this Common-wealth against the Spanish fleet in its return from the West Indies. / By Joseph Caryl, minister of the Gospel at Magnus near London Bridge.A sermon pressing to, and directing in, that great duty of praising God. Preached to the Parliament at Westminster, Octob: 8. 1656. Being the day of their solemn thanksgiving to God for that late successe given to some part of the fleet of this Common-wealth against the Spanish fleet in its return from the West Indies. / By Joseph Caryl, minister of the Gospel at Magnus near London Bridge.
London: printed by M. Simmons, 1657
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
As if God had said by Job, I know oppressors never think their dust heap big enough, and therefore they care not whom they oppress, so they may but heap up Silver for themselves as the dust, yea they heap up silver as the dust that they may be strong to oppress; well let them go on and prosper, let them prepare it, but I will prepare heirs for them which they never thought of, unless how to oppress and vex them, ⟨p. 19⟩The innocent shall divide the Silver. And that word divide hath a sound of war in it; seeing after victories obtained, spoils are divided.
As if God had said by Job, I know oppressors never think their dustheap big enough, and therefore they care not whom they oppresse, so they may but heap up Silver for themselves as the dust, yea they heap up silver as the dust that they may be strong to oppresse; well let them goe on and prosper, let them prepare it, but I will prepare heires for them which they never thought of, unlesse how to oppresse and vex them, ⟨p. 19⟩The innocent shall divide the Silver. And that word divide hath a sound of war in it; seing after victories obtained, spoiles are divided.
I know, some are ready to take offence at this day of thanksgiving, because it is a thanksgiving for prey. But let such remember: First, 'tis prey taken from an enemy. Secondly, 'tis prey taken from an enemy who hath swallowed up Nations greater then his own, without offence given, or recompense made, as a prey. And thirdly, we have enough in this text to answer such objectors; here's King Davids order for a day of thanksgiving because God had given meat or prey to his people, as he hath given to us this day: We have as much (I might say more) reason to give thanks to God for meat gotten by a lawful war, as for meat gotten by our lawful labour. Therefore let us eat it, or enjoy the benefit of it, and praise the Lord. If while this meat is in our mouths, the praises of God be in our mouths too, certainly, if they be in our hearts and lives too, we shall not need to fear (though we cannot be too much cautioned about it) that (as it befell the Israelites who fell a lusting in the wilderness) the wrath of God should fall upon us, and slay the fattest of us, and smite down the chosen men of our Israel (