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A28339
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Eben-ezer, or, Profitable truths after pestilential times being some meditations upon Isaiah 4, 2, shewing the mercy and the duty of those that have escap'd the slaughtering pestilence : as also, that all slaughter shall end in the exhaltation of Christ and the setting up of his kingdom : together with an epistolary preface to the citizens of London & Westminster / by Thomas Blake.
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Blake, Thomas.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing B3140; ESTC R24659
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97,235
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207
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yet the Blessings of Israel stand open for thee and the Door of Grace is wide open be confident if thou dost enter in close with and accept of Grace it will be as well with thee as with any of the Israel of God Consider thy hearty closing with Christ will not onely let thee into Mercy and Blessing of the present Day but it will let thee into Blessings of all kinds it will bring a Blessing upon thee in every Work and Way it will let thee into a part and share in the highest Priviledges that the Children of Men are capable of it will let thee into Sonship and Friendship with the great and holy God it will make thee blessed for Time and for Eternity Therefore fight not against thy own Mercies mind really and heartily what freeness and heartiness there is in the great God in setting before sinners all the Grace of the Covenant and what gladness it doth produce when poor Souls are willing to kiss the Son it will not onely produce Joy in thy own Soul it will not onely make glad the hearts of many of thy Relations and of thy Friends for possibly thou hast Relations and Friends that long to see Christ formed in thee that in every petition at the Throne of Grace their hearts are working for thy Soul and begging that thou mayst be a plant of Righteousness of the Lords own planting and nothing would glad them more then to see thee a Son and Heir of the Kingdom of God but also there will be Joy in Heaven Father Son and Spirit are gladded to see the designs of the death of Christ graciously accomplished upon the hearts of poor sinners Remember therefore I do this day in the Name of Christ invite thee to partake of all the Mercies which be the Mercies of Gods Israel And truly the Mercies of Israel are many there is Pardon there is Purging there is Adoption Sonship there is the Spirit to comfort you to lead you in every work and way there be the Promises made over to them there is mercy now and for ever A Kingdom the Lord has prepared for them that love him I invite thee to take a part in these things this day and forget it not that thou hast had a Call from the Lord at this time Soul I tell thee if thou dost stand it out against this Call of God truly though thou art escaped and thy life is given thee for a prey yet thou maist possibly be sealed up unto destruction thou maist be left to dye in thy sins and to fall for ever under the weight of divine displeasure for thy neglect and contempt of Gospel-Grace Be confident as Jesus Christ is now waiting upon poor Souls and offering Mercy to poor Sinners so when he comes to the glory that is reserved for him he will be found of power sufficient to recompence all that have trodden under foot the Blood of the Son of God and made light of those overtures of Mercy that have been tendred to them The Light is now with thee and the Lord is calling of thee therefore make peace while thou art in the way lest the Lord come forth against thee in his hot displeasure VSE IV. SOme methinks there are that are of trembling hearts and they cry It is true I am escaped but I fear I am none of the Israel of God My Use therefore would be to such as are of trembling spirits When they consider how good God has been to them they may possibly tremble lest at last they should lose the Mercy of this Mercy because they are not found among the Israel of God Many a Soul there is possibly cries out Israels Priviledges are too great for me to hope to have a part in them and Israels Spirit is a Spirit more excellent then ever I have been found in and therefore though I am escaped this day yet I want that which is the best piece of the Mercy of an Escape I would answer Know this O Soul that among the Israel of God there are many that are of fearful Spirits although they are really among the number of the Lords precious Ones they have not an Eye to see it nor Faith to believe it and so may possibly go mourning many days But what are thy Objections What makes thee fear Do not fear thou know'st not what nor why As we are to give a reason of our Hope so I would not have you fear without a reason Objection 1. Methinks the Soul says Gods Israel are a chosen People and the Election of God lies deep it is a secret lock'd up in his Bosom and I fear I have no part in the Election of God I fear the eternal thoughts of God did not concern themselves about such a weak and worthless Worm as I am Answer It is true the Election of God is a secret in the heart of God and secret things belong unto God things written and revealed belong to us It is not for me or thee to climb Heaven to search Records and at first dash to turn over the leaves of the Book of Life and to see whether we may find our Names therein written It is a great mistake upon which many run that would think to prove the truth of their being called by finding out whether they are elected or no it is an endless it is an impossible work This therefore know is thy work and mine to consult what effects of Electing Love we can finde upon our Souls if any thing of that be in thy heart thence thou mayst safely conclude thou wast in the heart of God from Eternity There is a Scripture that answers fully I think whatever the Soul can say in this matter 1 Thes 1.4 5. Knowing Brethren beloved your Election of God for our Gospel came not unto you in word but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake Consider whether the Gospel hath had its work upon thy heart whether it hath come with power upon thy Soul and if so others may know and thou mayst know from thence thine Election Election is an act of God that he passeth from Eternity but Calling is a work and Fruit of Election upon the Soul of a poor Sinner by which it may come to discover that it was in the thoughts of God before the foundation of the World was laid If therefore thou canst trace the footsteps of Gods going upon thy Soul and of his working in a Gospel-way upon thy heart thy Soul is safe and the thoughts of God thou mayst conclude were towards thee before thou hadst a being But Objection 2. The Soul objects I fear God hath not been at work upon me I could conclude Gods election of me if I could find a work of the Gospel passed upon my Soul I know the work of the Gospel is to cleanse and purifie the heart but sin and filthiness
God to pour out a Spirit of Union which he hath promised to do The Lord shall be one and his Name one in all the Earth Zach. 4. and Jer. 32.39 I will give them one Heart and one Way to serve me When Christ shall be advanced our Divisions shall be broken and whatever the Devil and wicked Men have cast in as a snare and means to rend and divide shall be taken out of the way It is then that we shall be enlightened in the things wherein we vary one from another What is the ground of all our differences they are partly ignorance and partly pride our ignorance we cannot see into Truth one thinks one thing and another another and because we cannot see into every thing we disagree which is furthered by our Pride cleaving unto our own imaginations but this will be removed God will lay low the pride of men and we shall have more light we shall see that we never saw and be enlightened as we never were Isa 60.20 Thy Sun shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting Light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended The Lord shall at that day let us into the knowledge of much of his mind which yet we grope in the dark without light in and then there shall be a great Union among Saints Now to all these ends to the Glory of Christ and good of his People Christ is working by his slaughtering-Providences Those things that we wonder at and know not what they tend to it is to that end they subserve and shall be crowned with that issue And thus I have dispatched what I intend for the Doctrinal part I shall now proceed to the Application VSE I. IF this then be a Truth That the end of Slaughters shall be to make Christ glorious and his Glory shall be greatly for the advantage of the Israel of God that escape in times of slaughter It will then certainly be found a Truth very useful many ways and that which first is upon my heart to give forth to you is that which I hope will be also upon your hearts to put the question to your Souls Whether you are really the Israel of God or no. Escaped we are hitherto through Grace we stand alive in the presence of God but what state is it in which we stand Can you say Through Grace you have good hopes the Lord hath not onely spared you but also implanted you into the number of his own People and made you of the number of his own Israel The Mercy and the Good of an Escape is limited in the Text unto the Israel of God others may escape as well as they but in the conclusion it will be little to their comforts Israel had his name given to him from his wrestling with God in Prayer and prevailing and the Name is applied 1. To the natural Seed of Jacob the People of the Jews are often times in Scripture called Israel promiscuously one with another 2. It is applied unto the spiritual Ones among the natural Seed of Jacob those of the Jewish People that were really brought into a subjection unto and an acquaintance with the Lord they are by way of distinction from the rest of the Seed of Jacob called Israel 3. It is applied unto all both Jews and Gentiles that are really brought within the Bond of the Covenant Scripture dignifies them often with the title of Israel This is therefore the question that you and I are to put seriously to our Souls What testimony and witness have we that we are brought within the Bond of the Covenant and that our preservation is this day a Covenant-mercy to our Souls That is the question that must be asked Unbelief hath certainly proved the destruction of very many I mean the eternal destruction and Presumption hath been the slaughter of not a few and if I judge not amiss Presumption is oftentimes the root upon which Unbelief grows Many sitting under the Gospel of Christ and having some Form and Profession for God upon them do run away hastily concluding they are really of Gods Israel God Almighty give to you and me a greater Spirit of Wisdom that we may not upon slight grounds draw conclusisions that we are within the Covenant but may build our hope upon some good Foundation My Friends it stands you greatly in hand to be faithful and serious in this enquiry into your Spirits in this matter for if you should not be of the Israel of God it would not onely rob you of much mercy you might enjoy in this life it would not onely strip you of a part in the good that shall come to the Israel of God when the Branch of the Lord shall be glorious but what is more and what is worse it will cut you short of the glory that shall be put upon the head of the Saints in Eternity when Christ shall have given up the Kingdom to his Father and God shall be all in all Brethren upon many serious thoughts I may tell you that there is great ground why every Soul should be jealous over his own heart and should not hastily determine concerning its state Great are the mistakes false grounds and bottoms of hope upon which many poor creatures build and it concerns you to act curiously and warily lest you should be also mistaken To quicken you a little and to possess your Souls that there is need and great need for poor hearts to have a jealousie over themselves in this matter I would take leave to commend and open to you two Scriptures that I find in the Book of Truth one is in Rom. 9.6 7. Not as though the Word of God hath taken no effect for they are not all Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all Children Look to the fourth vers and you will finde that there are great Priviledges reckoned up that did appertain to Israel Who are Israel to whom pertaineth the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenant and the giving of the Law and the Service of God and the Promises How might some of the Jews say do these things belong unto Israel why surely Israel are cut short of them for there is not one of many of them that have received Christ and so are cut short of these Priviledges of the Gospel To that the Apostle answereth vers 6 7. Not as though the Word of God hath taken no effect for they are not all Israel which are of Israel c. as if he should say You must not judge that these great things are entailed upon the Jewish People because they are Jews or the seed of Abraham but it is through Faith they come to an Interest in these great things And in these words the Apostle doth remove a double bad Foundation upon which many poor Creatures are apt to build a hope 1. They are not Israel