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B02407
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Counsel for sufferers, or Helps under sufferings from [sic]
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1683
(1683)
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Wing C6514B; ESTC R227098
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28,641
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57
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Ps 119.114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield I hope in thy word He made the word the man of his Counsels and so it was the man of his comforts Fifthly labour to get a right esteem of sufferings esteem them as a priviledge an honour as well as a duty that will make you suffer joyfully ye must not onely look to your innocency to take heed that you suffer not from God while you suffer for God but turne your afflictions into a right stream and channell to us it is given saith the Apostle not onely to beleive but also to suffer for his sake he looked upon it as a Largess Chrysost saith of Paul that he boasts most of this I Paul the prisoner of the Lord he does not boast of his high offices knowledge of arts and sciences great and glorious Revelations no but the glories in his sufferings as in his own narrative it appeares 2 Cor. 11.23 ad finem capitis 2 Cor. 11 23. in labours more aboundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in death oft c. Sixthly take heed of consulting with flesh and blood the flesh is a jade that will kick at sufferings when Peter grew carnal and fleshly his voice was no better then this Master save thy self which motion Christ rejected with a get thee behinde me Satan Looke not at the making of your own Interest but advance the Interest of Christ and the Gospel your endeavours to save your own selves will but make you stumble at the Cross of Christ Direct 7 Seaventhly labour for a double portion of the Spirit of grace of love and of a sound minde This is our victory whereby wee overcome the world even our faith love is as strong as death as powerfull as the grave the waters of affliction cannot quench but will enflame it 't will make you chose as Moses did rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin which are but for a season Eightly Direct 8. 1 Cor. 15.31 Heb. 13.13 1 Cor. 7.30 take heed of being overcome with love to the world I protest by your rejoyceing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord I die dayly Wee must goe forth unto Christ without the Camp bearing his reproach If wee would rejoyce in the world it must be as if wee rejoyced not and if wee buy as if wee possessed not Our rejoyceing should be in God not in the world for the fashion thereof passeth away in a day of prosperity wee are too apt to be fil'd with carnall joy Gal. 6.14 and oft tymes wee have the more heavenly joy in God in a day of Adversity God forbid I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of Christ whereby the world is crucified unto me and I am crucified unto the world A holy contempt of the world will best lead you to a holy joy in God Direct 9 Ninthly be much in the consideration of Heaven that will make amends fot all your sufferings on earth thou shalt make me glad with the light of thy countenance thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy at they right hand there are pleasures for ever more And in the Acts 2.25 26. it is said of David in the person of Christ Psal 16. ult that he foresaw the Lord alwayes before his face therefore did my heart rejoyce and my tongue was glad moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope O the blessed enjoyment of God reserved for the next world the glorious vision and fruition of God that is to be enjoy'd in heaven the communion that is to be enjoyed with the glorious Angels and Saints in Heaven will sweeten all Rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven Luke 10.20 Luke 10.20 in the Lambs book of life if your names are written in blood or in water in the worlds Calander yet they are written in gold in the Lambs book of life with in a few dayes you shall enter into your Masters joy I reckon not the sufferings of this present tyme worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us Look upon sin and hell and then sufferings and heaven will appear the highest good I read of one that spent his tyme in reading of three leaves the black leafe of his own sins the red leafe of Christs blood and the white leafe of Heaven and Eternity Three leafes worth the reading of For this cause wee faint not while wee looke not at the things which are seen and temporall but at those things which are not seen but eternall Labour to make a right comparison between the horrour of hell and the happiness of Heaven get a greater assurance of Heaven 1 Pet. 1.3 that ye may rejoyce in the hope that is laid up for you in Heaven This was that those scattered Sants blessed God for Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his aboundant mercy hath begotten us againe unto a lively hope by the resurrecton of Jesus Christ from the dead To an inheritance incorruptable and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you This made them breake out into a triumphant doxology this made the Martyrs hearts leap for joy under their sufferings for Christ even the thoughts of Heaven and that blessed eternity to which they were going holy Ignatius triumphed going to suffer at Rome yea gloried and triumphed to think that the Lord would come to reckon for blood Tenthtly and lastly labour to get your hearts discharged of carnall and slavish fear perfect love casteth out fear be not affraid to die and you will not be affraid to suffer Yee may thresh the body of a poor man but yee cannot hurt the jewel of his soul Threaten saith the Emperour what yee will I fear nothing but sin fear not them that can kill the body and after that have no more that they can doe but I will forewarn you whom yee should fear fear him that when he hath kill'd hath power to destroy both body and soul in hell fire Why shoul'st thou fear a mortall man that hath his breath in his Nostrils or his bigg words or staring face doe men threaten imprisonment God threatens hell Doe they promise great rewards if ye will but comply with them Aske them as the Father did whether they can give that to you they would take from you The sixt Proposition is this That the Consideration of Christs name that is concern'd in the sufferings of the Saints is sufficient to encourage them under them Doct. 6 They rejoyced they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name sake not for their own name The great ground of joy under sufferings is Christs name 2 Cor. 4.11 For wee which live are alwayes delivered unto death for Jesus sake that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortall flesh Christs
COUNSEL FOR SUFFERERS OR Helps under Sufferings from Acts 5 41. And they departed from the presence of the Councel rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name Sapienti meliora sunt in votis deteriora vero in expectatione Plut de tranquil Gravius est vulnus quod non expectatur illa agrius tollerantur quibus homose non prius assue facit Aug. London printed for JOSEPH HALL Book-seller Book-binder on Tine-Bridg New Castle upon Tine 1683. To the Christian READER CHristian Reader I nothing doubt but the worthy Author will be in esteem with and get the approbation and testimony of all that either now are or hereafter may be trysted with a suffering lot for their owning of and cleaving to the truths of Jesus Christ for his plain free and faithfull endeavours in the following treatise It needs no testimony from man to an impartiall Reader for it is stampt with such a divine image and bearing such clear lineaments of heaven-born truths as testify it to be of God and therefore oblidgeth us to receive it as into our houses so into our hearts Further I make bold to tell thee Reader who ever thou art if thou haste received a spirituall relish thou shalt taste much sweetness in this it being so sutable and seasonable following discourse which clears up these six solid sound and most necessary propositions First That the condition of Gods people in this world is a suffering condition To suffer c. Secondly that shame is one great peice of and ingredient in their sufferings To suffer shame c. Thirdly that the profession of Christ's name is the great ground of the saints sufferings To suffer shame for his name c. Fourthly It is a great dignation of God to call out his people to suffer for his name Worthy to suffer shame for his name c. Fifthly that an opportunity to suffer shame for the name of Christ ought to be esteemed and entertained not onely willingly but joyfully Rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name c. Sixthly The consideration of Christs name being in our sufferings is sufficient to quicken us to joyfullness in them And they departed c. In the handling of which it may be truely said of the Author Alluding to that Prov. 31 29. many Daughters have done vertuously but thou excellest them all if there be any thing wanting here which happily thou might have exspected impute it to the want of the Authors hand subscription how ever I would not keep from thee what is here though I could not give thee what is wanting It is storied of Democritus that he put out his eyes that he might contemplate the better I doe not counsel thee to doe soe but if ye would wink with one the eye of carnall reason and slavish fear captivate every thought to the obedience of Christ thou might with that other of faith take the better aime at the marke to obtaine the price of the high calling in Christ Jesus Thus not willing longer to detaine thee from the perusall of the Book it self I commend both thee and it to the blessing of God and bids yow fare wel Acts Cap. 5. vers 41. And they departed from the presence of the Councel rejoycing that they were Counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name IT was the saying of Bishop Jewel that famous and shining light of our Church That it becomes a Bishop or Minister of the Ghospel to die preaching It was Austins wish of old That he might die either preaching or praying Accordingly wee finde the Apostles in this chapter preaching in the face of death it's self wee finde them breathing out Gods grace to man while they are breathing out their lives into the Armes of Gods grace Commending of God to the world while they live in the world yea when they were leaving of the world while the world persecute Christ the Apostles preach him It was a tyme of great opposition and publick persecution as yee may read in the History of this Book yea of this very chapter But the Apostles continued in the work of the Ghospel They went not a foot of the way of their Calling and station notwithstanding all the malice of their enemies but continued the same by many signs and miracles for by the hands of the Apostles Chap. 5.12.13 were many signs and wonders wrought among the people so as their persons received honour and a great accession was made unto the Church by their Ministry God will not own his people in haltion dayes but in stormy and tempestuous times Paul that was once a great persecutor after conversion turns a great preacher and professor Grace where it comes makes a great change and the Cross of Christ is the best Pulpit to read a Lecture of Gods grace to souls out off But the High Priests and officers alwayes the severest enemies of Christ and Religion if they prove not of and with the people who commonly follow their heads that go before them if the Apostles cannot now keep their mouths shut they 'l endeavour to keep their persons close wicked men who cannot hinder the burning of holiness in wardly in the hearts of Gods people will if possible hinder the shinning of it openly in their lives They laid hands on the Apostles and put them in the common prison V. 18. The worst if any thing could be worse then another as for them But while their mouths are shewing forth Gods praise He opens a Doore for their deliverance But the Angel of the Lord by night V. 19. opened the prison doors and brought them forth He makes his Angels instruments of their deliverance yea and he doth not onely deliver them out of prison but immediatly sets them to work again which they did accept and fell to work again immediatly V. 21. and when they heard that they entered into the Temple again early and taught they Eccho'd to the voice they were journey-men at Gods call ready no sooner could he command but they were ready to obey in whatsoever he would have them to doe God ow'ns them and advises them gives new orders to them Mans interdiction cannot hinder Gods commission nor invalidate his commands Moses goes in again and again to Pharaoh notwithstanding of all his threatnings against him so do the Apostles here fall too and follow their work what ever was threatned against them but no sooner had they got into the Temple but the high Priest and his train was at their heeles called Councel and finding them not in the prison but in the Temple they said unto them did not wee straitly command you that yee should not teach in his name and behold yee have filled Jerusalem with your Doctrine and intend to bring this Mans blood upon us A guilty conscience was within and they could not endure the Doctrine of the Ghospel Peter there turns prolocutor and he makes a noble