Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A81578
|
A sermon preached on the fast-day, December 22. 1680. In the Cathedral Church of Rochester. By Robert Dixon, D.D vice-dean of the said church
|
Dixon, Robert, d. 1688.
|
1681
(1681)
|
Wing D1748aA; ESTC R225588
|
42,897
|
68
|
because we are ripe for Judgment coming upon us like an Armed man that cannot be resisted 2 For our Miseries fears of Want of War Pain and Confusion for Distraction in our understandings Perplexity in our Wills Madness in our Passions boyling over in Dispair Which makes the Wicked Raging Forlorn Desperate Cursing and Blaspheming Foaming and Tearing like a Wild Bull in a Net 3. For our Deliverances from Sin and Miseries a Harbour out of a Raging Ocean a Calm in a Storm an Anchor a Rest a Rock in a dry and weary Land In a Tempest every man cries to his several God In Distress every man takes care for his Body and for his Soul pities himself should pity others helps himself and should help others prays for himself and should for others labours for himself and should for others Shifts for himself at last We know not what to think speak or do but look one upon another and all upon God SECT IX All Experiments Cordials 1. If ever there was a time of trial surely it is now Behold and see O all ye that pass by was there ever any Sorrow like unto my Sorrow wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger For these things I weep my eye my eye poureth out tears because the Comforter that should relieve my Sorrow is far from me Can we believe and will we believe now Do we dare to be honest still If ever Faith be found faithful it will be now If we cannot be happy now we shall be sure to be happy hereafter Veniet aliquando dies Time will end in Eternity All tears shall one day be wiped away from our eyes We have cause to be taken off from things below and to fix upon things above If there be deliverance it will come if none God's Will be done Sit down under the Judgment If we perish we perish Ly prostrate at the Footstool of God's Grace we cannot everlastingly perish Faith and a good Conscience will bring us peace at the last We know the worst 't is but a Temporal Life We can loose Great heart akings fear not them that can kill the Body and go no further but fear him that is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell fire The Lord can find away to deliver us which we cannot think of if he have any heart towards us or if we have any heart towards him He will seek to do us good if we will seek to do our selves good We have studied to do our selves good and our labour is in vain without God but our labour shall never be in vain in the Lord. Wo be unto them by whom the offences come it had been better for them if they had never been born or that they had been like the untimely fruit of a Woman which never saw the Sun 2. Is this a time to contend about Trifles Parties We had more need unite them and not Scratch and Devour one another as we do We must live and die together then let us live and die in love together Seek to reconcile all Parties at least bear with them and love them then look up to God and try if we shall be heard otherwise if we make many prayers he will not hear know this for certain the Party that is bloody and false shall be destroyed A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand There will be Parties as long as the World lasts and those Parties will be of several Judgments as long as the World lasts These may instruct one another whither they will hear or whither they will forbear they must not devour one another therefore if they do both parties are guilty the innocent party may complain and defend themselves Is this a time to hunt after Honours Riches Pleasures till the Flood come and sweep us all away Throne of Grace 3. The last Refuge is the Throne of God's Grace never to depart from that is to be sure of Glory We know well what to do for our Eyes are upon God Signs of good 4. There are signs of fair Weather God remembers that we are but Dust and that the Breath is in our Nostrils and therefore he will not be always chiding lest the Spirits of men should fail before him and the Souls should die and perish which he hath Created God propounds the way of Peace 1. By opening unto us the Danger and discovering the Contrâ—vers of it 2. By raising up the Spirits of men to that pitch of detestation and utter abhorrence of those damnable Doctrines and Practices as are so universally destructive to the Church and Commonwealth 3. By offering ways and means to recover if we will take them God hath done his part but our business will not be done except we do our part What could God do more for his Vineyard which he hath not done but still we bring forth Wild Grapes God can and will save us if we will be saved 4. By giving us a Seed of Rare Champions Giants for Piety and Learning 5. If God had no delight in us Why hath he done so much for us already And why is he so ready to do for us still If we will yet repent we shall not perish Preparation for the worst 6. Prepare for the worst Hope for the best If we must die let us die together In Love in one anothers Arms. 2. In Faith in the Arms of God 3. In Justice doing no harm to one another in Righteousness having a good Cause and a good Conscience free from presumptuous sins and from blood guiltiness The will of the Lord must be done whither we will or no 't is best for us to be willing even against our Will we sin but God suffers and we suffer and God suffers we suffer altogether take heed we do not sin altogether We are not alone in sufferings let us not be altogether in sinnings God is with us in sufferings God is not with us in sinnings God is with us if we live not nor die not in sin this is comfort but God is far from us if we live and die in unrighteousness this is sorrow Look to Thoughts Words and Deeds that they be good now They that are profane and wicked as they were in times of safety are worse now in times of danger 'T is a bad sign to be bad still Will nothing do Then if your Sons and Daughters commit whoredoms and other Abominations let them alone for why should they be punished any more they will revolt more and more they that are wicked shall be wicked still But they that have fear'd the Lord and do fear the Lord and speak often one to another a Book of Remembrance is written of those men and God shall make up these Jewels carefully these have done what they can and can do no more they have satisfied themselves and shall satisfie God through Jesus Christ their Lord who hath satisfied for them because they have
was too late But none of these was Jehoshaphats case nor will the letter of the Text bear it nor the Spiritual sense Nor is this the true Case of a Christian nor will I hook it into the Text by violent wresting thereof Sin may bring into Temporal streights and does but Grace and Love casteth out these legal fears The Spirit of Adoption speaks Liberty and the Blood of Christ speaks better things than the Blood of Abel and the Gospel than the Law God bids us to speak comfortably to his People And Christ saith Let not your hearts be troubled and leaves his Peace ever with his Church I will not therefore fright poor tender Consciences into despair I understand better things Listen not therefore to the sad complaints and outcries of the Flesh in passions and furies against all reason but give ear to the sweet melody of the Spirit in Religious fellowship with God above all carnal grievances whatsoever Say not only in the flesh We know not what to do for if you look no further you will not know what to do indeed But say in the Spirit Our eyes are upon God and then you will know what to do indeed for the Spirit will teach you what you should do and lead you into all Truth and Peace with joy unspeakable and full of glory In and in order to the work of Regeneration Men cry out to their Companions Men and Brethren what shall we do as being pricked in their hearts and being willing to do any things for God's glory and their own good desire to know what they should do that they might be saved and to God Lord what wouldst thou have me to do And the Answer is ready from God Repent and be baptized and wait till the times of refreshment shall come from the Lord. Forget those things that are behind and look to those things that are before pressing on to the mark and to the Price of the high Calling which is laid up for us in Christ Jesus There was a time of Legal fears it is now the time of the Gospel we are not to fear after that fashion but are bidden to rejoyce alway in the Lord and again to rejoyce to mortifie all Earthly fears and joys and to exult because our Names are written in the Book of life The Jews had Faith only for Temporal Deliverances but Christians have Faith for both We have not that Spirit of Bondage to fear as they did but we have received the Spirit of Adoption to hope as they did not Children in Minority as Women are fearful but the Adult quit themselves like men When I was a Child I thought as a Child spake as a Child I did as a Child but when I became a man I put away Childish things The Gospel is Tidings of great joy which shall be unto all People Therefore for Christians to be alwaies sighing and groaning and crying whipping and tearing themselves going in Pilgrimage bare-foot and bare-legd lying on boards in Sackcloth and Ashes I think savours not of a right Spirit So to fast this great Day is not to disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast or to hang down their heads like a Bull-rush for a day but to undo the heavy Burthens and to let the oppressed go free to do Righteousness and love Mercy and walk humbly with their God See God in all these The last Remedy is best Our Eyes are upon God because God's Eyes are upon us God's Care is upon us because our Trust is upon God So men look one upon another and cannot help one another So men look upon God and he helps them all As two Friends look one upon another to pity and help one another if they can And one Friend may be able to help himself and his Friend and all his Friends and the other Friend and Friends are helpless altogether either of themselves or their Friends One Friend may have no need of help but the other hath But all have need of help at one time of other from each other and at all times have need of help from God God is able and willing so are not Men not all Men nor at all times One Deep calleth upon another The depth of Sin and Misery on our part calleth upon the depth of Grace and Mercy on God's part SECT IV. This Doctrine easily falls into use and practice Application as followeth at large 1. Against sinful Hopes from the World the Flesh and the Devil they do us harm 2. Against sinful Fears from the World the Flesh and the Devil they do us harm as of Damnation here or hereafter The most Wicked are the most fearful fearing where no fear is at every shadow at every noise even to the shaking of a leaf because there is guilt within The most Righteous are most hopeful where most despair is for substance and Clamours over their heads 3. But Faith is above Hope and contrary to Hope and Faith is above Fear and contrary to Fear And Love advanceth Hope and casteth out Fear and Patience overcometh Fear keeping Love and Hope 4. In Sins who should we look unto but to God alone for who can forgive Sins but God alone 5. Miseries who should we look unto but to God alone for who can save from Miseries but God alone 6. Humiliation therefore is necessary under Sins and Humiliation is necessary under Miseries And this kind goeth not out but by Prayer and Fasting SECT V. It will be no unreasonable Prodigies nor unseasonable Excursion I hope if I decry all sinful Fears or Hopes arising from Prodigies which do minister hugely to the Spirit of Bondage in Gospel Times To seal men with the Mark of Cain who feared that every Man that met him would kill him and that his Sins were greater than could be forgiven him Or with the Mark of a Hypocrite whose hope shall certainly perish and his expectation shall be utterly cut off as the Spider's Web before God perish and come to a fearful end The old Prophets by their Learning Holiness and Gifts did create Reverence to their Persons and Messages under the Law And doth Heaven now make use of Monsters Spectrums Comets or other Meteors as of Blazing-Stars c. or of Unclean Spirits as his Publick Heralds under the Gospel Signs Moral Signa Moralia I grant As the gradual lessening of the glory of the Jewish Polity and Paedagogy by the ceasing of Prophets the absence of Heavenly Fire unextinguished upon the Altar the want of the Ark of the Covenant the Schechinah the Vrim and Thummim The lapsing of Government from Kings to Dukes from Dukes to the Sanedrim from the Sanedrim to the Roman Yoke No Kings were Types of Christ after David and Solomon except Hezekiah may come in The splendour of Moses's Worship waxing dim might be a sign of the Sun of Righteouss's arising in a state of more Spiritual and Inward glory The Jews used Signs much