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A13075 Christian observations and resolutions, or, The daylie practise of the renewed man, turning all occurrents to spirituall uses, and these uses to his vnion with God I. centurie : vvith a resolution for death, &c. / newlie published by Mr William Struther ... Struther, William, 1578-1633. 1628 (1628) STC 23367; ESTC S1007 124,060 389

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warrand of their doing or comfort in their trouble And I wonder at many Ch●istians whō God hath blessed with this Booke but they know not their bl●ssing hereein they find more delight in other books thā in this And some affect such Treatises as may be instrumēts of their vncleannesse or ambition and trifling complementing Filthie and obscene Pamphlets are bought and reade more greedilie than this sacred VVryte But this is a discouerie of mens profane disposition It is a token of profannesse to loath Scripture but a note of true Grace to delight into it And of a growing grace to grow in that delight The happie man that walketh not in the way of the wicked nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seate of the scornefull commeth to all this blessednesse because his delight is in the Law of God and hee meditateth therein night and day Let good Christians choose our these Pearles while the Swine eat vp their husks It seasoneth the heart with an heauenly taste and inducth it with diuine p●operties If the Iewes did recei●e an odde temper of body and Spirite because of Manna shall wee not haue a greater excellencie by this heauenlie Manna and Iesus Christ in it If wee would be sure of the life of God in vs let vs continually drink in these heauenly Oracles The daylie seasoning of our Soules by holy Scripture keepeth in vs the vigour of that life and fostereth our Soule constantlie in a spirituall taste 66. The fearfull calamitie of Warres AS the Earth-quake to Earth so is VVarre to Mankinde a fearefull commotion The calamities of it destroyeth Ciuilitie Libertie Lawes Religigion and Humanitie it selfe It is a grieuous thing to see man made for the good of man so earnestly to destroy his neighbour and that with the hazard of himselfe For the desire of the life and blood of his Brother to be prodigal of his own And for the opinion of most manfull men to turne beastes voyd of humanitie in destroying their owne kynde and deuils in defacing the Image of God God commanded man to increase and multiplie but they turne it in diminishing of mankynde and make a craft of it to destroy one another I cannot thinke but mankinde mourne more to finde such rent in her bowels than the persons so disposed It is one worke but hath diuerse respects in it Some thereby ambitiously seeketh preferment some avaritiouslie hunt for gaine Others cruelly seeke the sythment of a reuengfull heart and others in that loosing of all order seeke a licence to all wickednesse But God both intendeth and worketh his good ends into it It is his Chirurgrie to draw some superfluous blood of mankynde And his discipline to such as are dissolute Doubtlesse God hath some as Cornelius warriours fearing God but it is as sure that many are voyde of the feare God they initiate themselues for warres in the Aile house and Bordell And so soone as as they are girded with the Souldiers girdle they loose themselues to all profannesse God disciplineth them with the Muscat Canon and Sword in the fielde who would neither abide the admonition nor censure of Pastors at home It is his ehastening of his Church she abuseth her peace in warring against him by sin therfore he maketh mā to war against her to bring her to repentance No warres are so cruell as these for Religion In ciuill jarres it is but as one Deuill smiting another the strokes will bee soft But heere Sathan is smiting the Light and the bearers of it and that with certaine victorie to Gods enemies so long as Gods quarell remaineth against his Church It is a parte of his processe against her and his enemies are a scourge in his hand therefore they must preuaile till his Church be sufficiently humbled Heere the case of the victor is worse than of these who are ouercome for the one are corrected in a wrath mixed with mercie but the other is imployed in that seruice in a simple wrath And while they are Gods instruments to punish the sinnes of his Church they are filling vp the cup of their owne sinnes that full vengeance may ouertake them It is our best not to fight against God in our peace and if hee bring warre on vs not to rest till wee bee at peace with him The rage of Warre is bounded if wee bee one with him hee will either giue vs our Soule for a prey or take vs to a better life All deaths are sanctified to the Elect and to die for Religion is a most glorious death Souldiers call it the bedde of honour to die in the battell though many of them bee dead in sinne but to die in the Lord is the bedde of honour indeede to lay downe our life for his cause who gaue it and to turne the naturall debt of Death in so glorious a sacrifice It is a token of Gods honourable accompt of vs to charge vs with such a seruice of his presence with vs in so triumphing a Grace and a pledge of the greatest degree of Glorie in Heauen 67. God seeth the heart THat GOD seeth the secretes of our heart is a point terrible to the wicked but joyfull to the godly The wicked are sorie that their heart is so open It is a boyling potte of all mischiefe a fornace and Forge-house for euill It grieueth them that man should heare and see their wordes and actions But what a terrour is this that their Iudge whom they hate seeth their thought If they could deny this they would But so many of them as are convinced and forced to acknowledge a God are shaken bee times with this also that hee is All-seeing Other proceed more summarlie and atonce deny a God-heade in their heart and so destroy this conscience of his All-knowledge But it is in vaine the more they harden their heart on this godlesse thought the more feare in them while they chock and charme their conscience that it crow not against them It checketh them with fore-sight of fearefull vengeance and for the present conuinceth them of the conscience of a God-head the more they preasse to suppresse it But the godly rejoyce heerein it is to them a rule to square their thoughtes there is no libertie of Thinking VVilling VVishing Affecting in the heart where that candle shineth all are framed as worthie of him and his sight whom they see seeing their heart This worke is all secrete and knowne of them alone in whom it is The stranger shall not meddle with the joye of that Soule It seeth GOD All-eye looking on it and layeth it selfe open both to see him and to bee seene of him And that not onely for to bee directed but to bee allowed The first is the warrand to doe The second is the seale that it is well done It is their comfort against man traducing their words and actions When man that seeth not their heart expoundeth them contrare to their heart they solace themselues in
of vs in our tyme Hee fulfilled the Law tooke away Sinne satisfied Gods Iustice and so brak the jawes of Death Shall I then feare to follow such a Captaine Hee hath made Death but a carcase of an enemie I haue neither to feare in it Sinne which is pardoned nor Law which is fulfilled nor Iustice which is satisfied It is a Serpent without the Sting a Gyant without bones or armes though it swallow mee vp in a naturall dissolution it shall cast mee out as the Whale did Ionah in an immortall condition when this mortalitie shall bee swallowed vp of life When Dauid had killed Goliah the Israelites ranne as fast to see him as they fledde before from him beeing aliue Doubtlesse they contemned that sometimes terrible Gyant they trod vpon him with their feete and cut him with there swords They did that securelie because hee was dead Hee who was euen now the matter of their feare his lifeles carcase is turned a matter of their contempt and his death a cause of their joye Death may separate thee from this Bodie but neither from God nor his life in thee it shall the more vnite thee to him this Bodie that dyeth by thy departing shall liue in Death It dyeth as a creature the part of such a one but it liueth as a member of Christ and the Temple of the holie Spirit both because it is separate from all spirituall corruption of Sinne and quickened spirituallie by the holy Ghost who departeth not from it and in the Spirit of Iesus who remaineth our Head euen in Death And lastlie because thou my best part shall bee in libertie with God Death may destroy naturall life but not the Spirituall neither in Grace nor Glorie It can sease on no more than I had when I sinned in Adam I got nothing then but a sinfull body but now in Christ I haue a new bodie created to his Image who is Life it selfe so farre is it from either destroying mee or dissoluing my union with him that it both saueth mee setting mee at libertie from sinne and perfecteth mine union absolutelie with him It rusheth indeede furiouslie on mee but grippeth nothing but my shaddow I am in God in Christ as I am beloued and chosen called and sanctified As I am such Death cannot finde nor grippe mee While hee grippeth nothing but this bodie of dust as Potiphars wife laying hold on Ioseph I goe to God and leaue my garment in his hand I am dead to the world and sinne and my life is hid with Christ in God and when Christ my Life shall appeare then shall I in Soule and Bodie appeare with him in Glorie Resent thine owne estate and thou shalt finde what I say Hast thou not dyed to the world and left it before it left thee And hast thou not left the bodie before it leaue thee If thou had not come to God till the world had forsaken thee and the bodie chased thee out hee had found just cause to forsake thee and send thee backe in disdaine to these thy beloued false friends But now since in thy prosperitie thou renounced the worlde and in thine health and strength thou went daylie to God choosing rather to bee in him than in the bodie Surelie hee will welcome thee That is a token of thy liuing in him and his liuing in thee Marke how thou hast euen in this life preuented the buriall of thy bodie Hast thou not with Ioseph of Aramathea hewen thee a Sepulchre in the Rock And cropen in by the holes of that Rocke that was pearced for thee How oft hast thou gone in by these wounds of Christ to his heart by his suffering to his loue and the loue of God in him and washen thy selfe in the blood of his satisfaction Hast thou not also prepared the fine Linnen and wrapped thy selfe in the winding-sheete of his righteousnesse Thy sinnes are buried in the Seas of his mercie and thy selfe is hid in him before euer thy bodie be layed in the dust And hast thou not prouided Oyle for thy Lampe that when thou goest out of this bodie thou wander not in darknesse but enter streight way in Heauen All thy care in this life hath beene to get Oyle and to make it shine to find light and walke in that light The Rock thy Sepulchrie hath inclosed thee the Linnen of his Righteousnesse couered thee and that burning Oyle in thy Lampe shall not waste till thou enter in Heauen Since God euen thy God hath anointed thee with some measure of the Oyle of gladnesse hee hath prepared thee for his Heauenlie buriall and the smell of his Oyntments powred out on thee hath wrought a distaste of all worldlie pleasures Foure speciall thinges bring solemne joyes in this life and if we bee in Christ they all meete in vs at Death Birth Mariage Triumph and Coronation Death is my best Birth day If the childe in the wombe knew that hee were comming foorth to a free light hee would not weepe at his birth but Nature in him taketh his deliuerie for destruction so maketh him mourne at the just cause of his joye My first birth brought me out of the prison of the wombe My second brought mee out of Nature and Sinne This third and last shall bring mee perfectlie out of the world and all miserie It is my Mariage day with Christ mine Husband he hath loued mee with euerlasting loue and betrouthed mee to himselfe in righteousnesse and trueth And our Bandes are daylie proclaimed in his worshippe his Gospel preached is the signification of his loue on his part and our Prayers and desires are the signification on our part since I am glad of the Match and rejoyce at the proclaiming of these Bannes why should I fray at the solemnizing of the Mariage God sendeth out Pastors as Abraham did his seruant to choose a wife to Isaak These Messengers haue found me continuallie about the well of liuing waters The sight of Abrahams riches euen the chose Graces of God haue wone mine heart to Isaak and I haue gladlie condescended to forsake all and goe to him Though I finde him at the Euening and Sun-sette of my life I shall enjoy with him an euerlasting day of heauenlie contentment Esther was not sorrowfull but rejoyced to be takē by Ahashuerosh to wife and should not I rejoyce when the Lambe of God Christ Iesus sendeth for mee It is an glorious triumph Dauid was glad whē he heard the people sing of his victorie ouer Goliah shall I not rejoyce when God hath stramped all mine enemies vnder my feete when the deuils are howling for their defeate and the good Angels● and Spirits doe welcome mee with joyfull Acclamations It is more seemelie that I put in my part with the glorious Spirits in the heauenly harmonie than with the euill ones in howling To bee dashed in Death is to let the present victorie goe out of mine hands Sathan shall then ouercome mee when
Parents in this Towne send their sicklie Children ouer this Firth not to leaue them on the other Shore but by Sea-sicknesse to purge their Stomacke and cure them of their infirmitie So thou can imbark thine owne in the Ship of the sentence of Death and Resolution for it and bring them back againe and cause them cast out some noysome corruption in renouncing the world Thou knowest O Searcher of hearts that I neither loue this life nor desire to abide in it for it selfe but for thy Glorie Though I bee full of dayes yet if I can honour thee in it I care not what miseries I vndergoe I had neuer greater contentment than when I was most injured for thy cause As I count of no life but in thee so I desire not to liue but for thee If thou bring mee backe againe serue thy selfe of mee in mercie and doe with mee as seemeth good in thine eyes If thou hast decreed that at this time I shall not die but liue then grant that I may declare the mercies of the Lord That in my lent and prolonged dayes I may magnifie thy glorious Grace in Christ in teaching sinners thy wayes turning them to thee That thy vowes may bee on mee O Lord and I may pay them in the sight of thy people in the great Congregation that when thou hast redeemed my Soule from Death mine eyes from teares and my feete from falling I may walke before the Lord in the Land of the liuing Psal. 116. And may both feele and say with thine holie Apostle Blessed bee God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort Who comforteth vs in all our tribulation that wee may bee able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith wee our selues are comforted of God For as the sufferinges of Christ abound in vs so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether wee bee afflicted it is for your consolation and saluation Or whether wee bee comforted it is for your consolation and saluation 2. Cor. 3. 4. 5. 6. I looke for a glorious Resurrection and eternall day of light and comfort after it all my deliueries in this life hath some night of affliction following and the verie day of prosperitie may both haue gloumie cloudes of miscontentment and the eclypses of thy face in some desertion But that day in Heauen shall haue no night following none obscuritie by raines or cloudes of affliction None eclypse by desertion but the constant enjoying of thy face for euer Thou will wype all teares from mine eyes both the teares of sorrow vnder temptation to sinne and vnder guiltinesse for sinne committed and vnder affliction As also the teares of joy I shall then rejoyce without teares for my bodie shall haue none excrementitious humour to cast out at mine eyes And that joye shall not bee by way of passion as now but of a glorified affection it shall not bee mixed with feare of ending but endure eternallie Who can refuse to die for to obtaine such a Glorie Death is but short and that Glorie beyond it is euerlasting and shall wype away all sorowes both of this life death Dauids Worthies for a litle water of the well Bethlehem brak throgh the Armie and shall not we for the well it selfe of liuing waters aduenture vpon Death Men sicke of Ambition cast away there life in battells or combats where the victorie is vncertaine and the following fame is but smooke And shall wee not combat with Death where the victorie is certaine and the following glorie is weightie and eternall I haue had an longsome toyle in the world now I am called to the Lords Rest I had no rest heere but in him and it is kindlie that I finde it more in him in the Heauen There I shall rest from my labours There thy wearisome journey shall end in the owne home O my wearie Soule thou needeth goe no further than thine home and thy growth shall end in that thy perfection There is no way beyond the end nor growth aboue perfection Though there bee sundrie degree of of Glorie in Heauen yet the least degree if perfection can bee little shall haue fulnesse It can neither desire more nor receiue more When desire is satis●ied and capacitie filled that is absolute perfection Goe then to this rest and sute it of God vpon all these rights which his mercie hath furnished to thee Thou hast his right of the promise in the Couenant Of his acquisition in the purchase of Christ Of his Legacie in the Testament Father I will that these which thou hast giuen mee bee where I am Of Infeftment by the earnest of the Spirit Of begunne possession by the first fruites and of perfection by so many fulnesses Thou art full of dayes and full of labour both of Gods worke in thee and by thee in other in thy calling and full of desire of dissolution and of that better life What then can hold thee out of it God is the Donatour and hath it in his hand Since he hath made thee all these rights hee will maintaine them and put thee fullie in the possession Goe and claime it of his mercie thy claime will bee admitted of him who hath both founded and fraimed it in himselfe How can I but expect the happie end of thy worke in mee O Lord who haue found thee so mercifull in the bygone course of it As thou beginnest in thine own so thou proceedest till thou crown it with glorie My feeling of it is by parts and degrees but in it selfe and in thee it is a continued and compleete worke Thou didst begin in it my free election and seeing mee lye in the lost masse of mankinde didst choose mee in Christ Thou broughtest mee in the world in a time and place where the Gospel was preached and Grace offered And scearcely was I borne when thou washed mee in Baptisme in the blood and renewed mee by the Spirit of Christ. When I was offered to thee in that Sacrament little did I knowe what grounds of Grace thou was laying in mee Thou broughtest mee vp in humane learning vnder good Masters and hemmed in the folie of my youth with the care and proficience in learning With these good occasions thou blessed mee with the hearing of godlie Pastors who did sow the seed of godlinesse in mine heart so that in the verie throng of Schoole-studies thou drew me to a set dyet of priuate deuotion in reading thy word in calling on thy Name So soone as I could discerne any thing thou inclined mine heart to the sacred Ministerie and made mee desire to serue thee in it aboue all callings And sweyed all my thoughts and studies for the obtaining of the abilities of that worke In the verie course of humane learning thou put thine hand in mine heart and entred mee in the grieuous exercise of Conscience to prepare mee for thy seruice and
the strictnesse of veritie and secureth them from rigorous censure for that slippe And their hyperbolees doe passe for good coyne But the Complementer doe lie without either libertie or licence And their hyperbolees are none other thing in broad tearmes than lyes in folio Their speaches run vsuallie on three thinges 1. large praises of some excellent worth in them whom they idole 2. Officious offers of seruice as due to it 3. And large wishes of all happinesse to them In the first their idoles know they are speaking false except they be as sensles of flatteries as there flatterers are shamelesse In the second their owne heart giueth them the lie For they think themselues more worthie of seruice than hee to whom they offer it In the third their Conscience checketh them for mocking of God For they pray for that which they desire not to bee granted Yea they would bee grieued if it were granted They are equivocaters minding one thing and speaking another Many doe practise the Iesuits mentall Reseruation who know not their doctrine It must bee a cousening Religion that teacheth practiseth alloweth such cousening I neuer suspect them more than when they double their complements Hee is short and shallow witted who is glosed with these flowrishes Let them paint out their speach and gesture I wil giue lesse credite to so onerous and insidious speach I shall trow the heart and the person so affected as it deserueth An honest meaning simplie expressed hath more weight than all these buskinges and fairdings The heart that God made but they abuse hath the owne meaning I trust that but not the person which they assume and laye downe as soone as they haue spent their borrowed breath The next momēt and the first man they meete with findeth them in another if not in a contrare minde it cannot byde in their heart which bred not in it nor was neuer in it Their wordes are but carcases of language and let the credulous beleeuer looke for no more than carcase of offices Belike they thinke their words either not to bee idle or that they shall not giue an accompt of them at the last day The Soule indeede must bee filled with something but wee may soone choose better substance to fill it withall ●han that wind of frothie complementing While they are feeding themselues with their fancies let the children of Trueth speake the Trueth from their heart Let complementing haue the owne due without a complement It is the birth of an emptie braine the maske of hatred enuy Refined hypocrisie with simulation and dissimulation her twins ingraned the breathing of an euill mind vnder hope of good deede Hee who knoweth it can neither bee moued to offer it nor patientlie admitte it 83. Consciencious Knowledge If our hearts were narrowlie searched Atheisme would bee found in them wee know better then wee doe and we worshippe not God as wee know him Wee can say That God is good and yet neither loue nor seeke him that he is just and powerfull yet wee feare not to offend him That hee is wise yet wee submit not our selues to his Wisedome that hee seeth our heart and thoughts afarre of and yet wee breede and feed wicked thoughts in our hearts which wee would bee ashamed to shew to our neighbour Wee beleeue there is an Hell for euill deedes and yet goe on in the way of sin And that there is laid vp a Crown of glorie in Heauen for well doing yet we are not moued to doe good What is then in our heart for all our knowledge but Athiesme and Infidelitie Our actions giuing our wordes the lye and proclaming to the Worlde that wee beleeue not the thing that wee speake The want of the worke of Conscience is a speciall cause of this fleshly disposition Without that worke Christianitie is nothing but a speculation Wee consider all things in abstract but take them not in our persons and to our heart Wee can abhorre sin in it selfe and in our neighbours but excuse it in our selfe wee magnifie Vertue and Grace in it selfe but yet thirst not for it Papists talke mightilie of the worth of Faith but doe scorne the sense Conscience of it And many Christians will heare and read their owne sinnes convicted by the word of God and yet not thinke themselues particularlie taxed nor byde at the conviction Happie is that man whose Conscience pulleth all to his heart his heart to God who turneth his knowledge to Faith his Faith to feeling and all to walke worthie of God and to liue in Christ as hee learneth him daylie He hath not rest but in walking according to the light of a well informed Conscience when theorie is turned to practise and speculatiō to a consciencious sensing doing then wee are Christians indeed Gods word is his stamppe hee hath deeplie sunke his Image in it but it doth not instamp our heart except some power thrust it vpon vs When the holy Spirit maketh our conscience to set that word to our heart then wee are stamped and take deeplie the impression of his holinesse in the inward habits and expresse it euidentlie in our life and conuersation God hath blessed vs with many meanes of knowledge but they doe no more than propone and open matters to vs They inlighten the minde and goe no further But the Conscience worketh mightily on the heart It letteth nothing abide in generalities but turneth all to our particular and personall respect and that not in the minde alone but most in the heart As it reduceth all dueties promises and threatninges to our persons so it joyneth affection to light and moueth the heart according to thinges knowne And out of all draweth actions that serue to expresse that knowledge and doeth all as in the presence of God When Conscience bringeth Religion to the heart and from the heart to the life then wee are truely religious 84. The wise mixture of mankinde HOw wiselie hath God tempered humane societies All are not of one disposition some hotte and some co●de some harsh and headie in their judgement and violent in their actions other ryper wits calmer in their affections posed in their doings Some againe as grossely senslesse some craue the bridle and some the spurre If a man cast his eyes on a multitude he shall obserue as much diuersitie in their disposition voyces opinions as in their faces If all were of a firie humour the world would fire at once If all were sluggish it would fall downe in the pot Stirring wittes as quickning barme put the dou●nesse of the simple to working and the slownesse of the other tempereth their fordwardnesse and so both these extreamities are brought to mids If either extreame preuaile matters goe wrong but our wise God maketh that counterposing bring the ballance to an equall standing and so tumultuous meetinges bring oft-ten foorth just conclusions There can bee no standing of matters if either witlesnesse or wilfulnesse predomine