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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09981	A liveles life: or, Mans spirituall death in sinne Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. The doctrine of humiliation. Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne, dangerous. Being the substance of severall sermons upon Ephes. 2. 1,2,3. And you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at Lincolnes Inne, on Gen. XXII. XIV. Delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1633 (1633)	STC 20235; ESTC S122552	73,904	134

as great things as ever he was yea and doth so too when there is the like occasion In like manner when our Saviour Christ was brought to the very brow of the hill by the people to bee cast downe from it why then he went a way thorow the midst of them so is the Lord able to doe with us and will also if there be the like need and therefore let us learne to trust in the Lord and in all things to depend upon him One would have thought it impossible when fortie men had secretly vowed neither to eat nor drinke till they had killed Paul for that to bee revealed and Paul to be delivered when so many that were able enough to destroy a poore prisoner had conspired against him yet we see the Lord delivered him from that great streight and therefore let us wait still upon the Lord for it is but the staying till the time be out and then he that can save will save and will not tarry And so much for the second thing The last point observable from these 〈◊〉 That godly mens extremities are but tryals sent for their good and not punishments sent for their hurt and ruine The Lord did this but to prove Abraham hee meant him to hurt at all in it And so the Lord doth by afflicting others of his owne people he doth not meane to hurt them by it And therefore when you see an affliction to bee so great as if it would undoe those on whom it is yet you shall see in the issue it was but like an evill for when Abraham was bid to take his onely Sonne Isaack whom he loved and offer him in a Sacrifice to the Lord and was suffered to bee the three dayes in the tryall yet the Lord meant him no hurt here was indeed a great apprehension of evill yet it was no evill but it might as much worke upon him as the evill it selfe Even so is it with us in our afflictions they are not evils but meere tryals and therefore we are not much to be dismayed for the greatest afflictions that can befall us in the world because they are but trials that doe befall thee from God I but will some say what shall I get by it Why so much that there is so little cause to be sorry for it that thou hast cause to rejoyce if thou woudest beleeve as it is said in the first of Iames 2. My Brethren count it great joy when you fall into divers trials It is a very fit Text for the purpose for the Lord said hee would prove Abraham and all is no more but to try us and not to doe us any hurt and this is a good reason why it is so in that wee are bid to rejoyce in it now we have no cause to rejoyce in that which wil hurt us neither will the Lord lay any unreasonable command upon us I but what if the tryals bee many Yet hee bids us rejoyce though they be of divers kindes when wee are not onely afflicted in the losse of goods and our friends forsake us in which wee might have some comfort if our healths and liberty might bee enjoyed or if all the outward man were afflicted yet if the spirit were whole it would beare out infirmitie I but what if that bee wounded too Why if there bee tryals of all sorts and you fall into them all and that of a sudden too as a fall of waves one comming upon the necke of another as they did upon Iob yet wee are bid to rejoyce Why one would thinke it were enough for a man to bee patient in that case yet saith the Apostle you must rejoyce in it yea count it exceeding joy that is as your trials are greater so let your joy be greater Why that is a strange command you will say I but though you see not the reason of Gods Commandements yet there is a great reason in them which if you saw you would keepe them most willingly And the reason of this Command is the greater the tryall is the more will bee the good and therefore the more cause of joy for if the most painefull bee the most gainefull then they that have them have the greatest cause to rejoyce in them It was a tryall for Abraham to goe from his owne land and to cast out his sonne Ismael I but this was the greatest and this brought him the greatest fruit that ever hee had I but what is that good Why this first it shall increase grace in your hearts for as the gold when it is tryed loseth nothing but drosse and so is made the better thereby so it is with our afflictions for the triall of our faith saith the Apostle bringeth forth patience so the greater thy tryall is the more it strengthens thy faith and so increaseth comfort for when the afflictions of the Apostle abounded his Consolation abounded also And hence it is that our Saviour Christ saith You shall receive an hundred fold with persecutions that is when the tryall doth abound the comfort shall abound Againe you shall have the greater wages for when a man hath a friend that hath be one employed about any great thing for him why the greater the trouble was which he did undergoe for him the more will hee bee beholding to him and the greater reward will hee bestow upon him even so the greater the tryals are from the Lord the greater benefit will come to us by them and therefore when you see the greatest tryals befall the Church and people of God bee assured by this which hath beene said that some great benefit is comming to them for doe you not thinke this is a usefull doctrine it may bee it concernes some of you now at this present if not it may doe and therefore lay it up before-hand and let us not thinke of our afflictions as of things that will undoe us but as tryals that will bring us profit For as the Spyes that went to Canaan were of two sorts and looked upon the Gyants that were in it with a double eye and so some of them said O the land is a very good land and incouraged the people to goe up into it and others that were afraid they said nay but the land eats up the Inhabitants thereof and discouraged the people to goe up into it Even so it is with many amongst us when they see afflictions befall the Church and people of God O they presently are afraid and therefore they say Who would be as these men let me be of such as be in prosperity and have friends and some that will provide for mee but what is the reason of this Why they send forth wrong spies and therefore they bring backe a false report but if thou wouldest send forth thy faith and spirituall wisdome which ought to be in thy heart then thou shouldest see it were no such matter And therefore let this be our practice

Seeing that by nature all of us are children of wrath and dead in trespasses and sinnes This should stirre up those that are quickened to be thankefull to God therefore Above all wee ever labour to bee most thankefull to him that hath saved our lives and this God hath done for us let us therefore stirre up ourselves to thankfulnesse Paul as we may read Rom. 7. 24 25. joynes these two together his deliverance and his thankfulnesse O wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from this body of death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. I confesse the world esteemes not this but if they have riches therein they rejoyce and so like the dunghill Cocke or unskilfull Lapidaries preferre vaine things before this precious Jewell but they that have once found the sweetnesse of it will not lose it for a world for if wee have but this what though wee lose wife children goods credit and good name they are all too light being layd in the ballance with this Doe yee every one therefore consider who it was that gave thee this and to him yeeld all thankfulnesse Let us love much because as much is forgiven so much is given to us Paul was much stirred up with this consideration thinking that he could never doe enough for Christ who had done so much for him as appears in many places of his Epistles The fourth Use we will make of this point is If we are all dead in trespasses and sinnes then this teacheth us how we should esteeme of the means of grace if wee are dead then it must bee an Omnipotent power which must quicken us All the meanes as the Word preached the receiving the Sacraments c. are but dead letters they are but as pennes without inke God must put inke into them if ever they be effectuall and therefore as wee must not give too little to the meanes so wee must not give too much nor rest in them When wee come to heare the Word preached it is not the hearing of the Minister but Christ in the Word preached which makes us live It is good to heare the Minister but except wee heare another voyce speaking to the heart as his doth to the eare we shall never be the better it is Christs voyce in the Word which doth quicken and put life in our soules But here let mee warne you to take heed of breaking the Conduit-pipe from the Fountaine if thou hearest and profitest not know that it is because Christ speaketh not to the eares of the heart as well as the Minister to our outward eares The fifth and last Use wee will make of this point shall be If that naturally all men are dead in sinne this should teach us to try our selves and see whether wee are dead or alive Consider the shortnesse and uncertainty of thy life here Mans life is like an houre-glasse if it runnes his course it is but an houre and it may be broken before it is run out ye have but a short while to live here according to the course of Nature and yet perhaps that course may not runne out too it may bee broken off before wee are aware and then for ever either in heaven or hell wee must abide hereafter Oh then never be quiet vntill you see wihther you shall goe to eternall blisse or everlasting woe Here the Diuels triicke is to put it into mens heads that a civill life will serue the turne but he dealeth with them as those that take gold from infants and give them counters and rattles and thus he would keepe them from this consideration perswading them of the latitude of religion and telling them that they are well enough seeing they are troubled for some sinnes and doe some duties perhaps in private but this you may doe and yet be dead still If he cannot prevaile this way then he will labour to hinder them by drawing them on in a voluptuous course of life or with worldly cares and so draweth them from themselves and so makes them never to consider what they are doing nor whit●er they are going and therefore is it that in the Gospell of Saint Luke chap. 16. the prodigall Son is sayd to come home to himselfe when he once beganne to consider his estate Although their conscience tell them all is wrong yet the tabrets of lusts and pleasures make such a deane where they are that they heare it not and so never consider nay if that Christ himselfe againe or the sonnes of Thunder should speake yet except Gods Spirit should inwardly worke it would not make men seriously to consider their estates It is the hardest thing in the world to make men sensible of life and death Let us therefore bee moved in particular to consider whether we are dead or alive If thou art quickened thou shalt finde one time or other these two things in thee First Thou once hadst a deepe and sensible consideration of thine estate by nature thou wert deeply affected with it so that thou sawest what need thou hadst of Christ till thou hast had this consideration thou art a dead man I know God can save thee without this hee could come without the terrible voyce as Christ could have come without Iohn Baptist before him but hee will not neither ever doth because it is impossible for a man highly to esteeme of Christ till hee is thus humbled for hee never will preferre him in particular actions and take him with all crosses and losses till hee fully see what need hee hath of him which he cannot untill he is thus humbled Secondly Consider if thou wer● ever changed from what thou formerly wert neither is it a slight change that will serve but it must bee both constant and generall it must not be for a month or a yeare but daily and continually It must bee such a change that all where thou livest may see it thou must become a new soule in another body Thy change must be so great that thou mayst say Ego non sum ego I am not my selfe I am quite another man There must be as great a change in thee as there is in a white cloth when it is died blacke Such a change was in Paul he was converted from a persecutor to a Preacher So thou must of a Lion be made a Lambe there must as much difference be in us as is between winter summer And now seeing the time of the Sacrament is at hand let us all examine our selves we must not make excuses to keepe from the Sacrament but as all Nehem. 9. were to come to the Passeover else they were to be cut off from their people except they could shew some good cause so I know no reason why it should not be so still for the Sacrament But againe on the other side if wee doe come and are dead men wee come unworthily and eat and drinke our owne damnation in not discerning the body

yet commonly the father loves all alike so God although they had better gifts than we will grant our prayers as soone as he did theirs But some man will here bee ready to make a question and askeme what I would have him doe for the Church now he is but a singleman and therefore is unable to doe much himselfe alone I answer Though thou canst not doe much yet these things thou mayest doe and therefore 1. Pray for it God delights to bee called upon for else his hand is not taken notice of but then we see his hand and acknowledge it when wee see him granting our desires So that the strength of a land lyes in Christians and their strength lyes in their prayers as Sampsons strength did in his haire Oftentimes prayer is more available than fighting Moses prayer in the mountaine did more than Ioshuahs fighting in the vallies If Noah Daniel and Iob stood before me saith God Ezek. 14. 20. they should not prevaile which sheweth that if any thing could have prevailed their prayer would So also Luther attributes all to prayer as may be seene in divers of his Treatises Now this prayer which I urge unto you must 1. Not onely be small expressions of the mind but now God lookes for strong cryes and long continuance in prayer Moses prayed all day Christ which had lesse need than we have prayed all night Daniel three weekes therefore wee that have more wants and needs ought to bee the more fervent 2. Our prayers must be Spirituall not out of selfe-love as to desire the safety of the Church that so under it we may lead a safe and quiet life but out of meere respect to God and love to his Church 3. It must be a prayer of faith so the Apostle saith Iam. 5. 15 16. The prayer of faith shall save the sicke c. And a little after The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Now there is no man righteous without faith so according to their faith Christ still yeelded to them 4. Pray with constancy and fervency it is not for a snatch and away that is pleasing to God but a constant performance of duty which hee accepteth 5. It must bee the prayer of a righteous man Therefore Micah 2. the Prophets sought unto God in the time of trouble but prevailed not because they were not righteous for it is said there vers 7. Doe not my words doe good to him that walketh uprightly 6. It must be with humilitie and that consists First in confessing how unworthy we are to obtaine any thing at the hands of God Secondly how unable to helpe our selves and therefore to have our eyes onely towards God Another way to doe good to Gods Church is to be more zealous seeke unto God extraordinarily The cause of the destruction of a Land is chiefly the sinnes of the godly When they grow cold and dead and lose their first love then God as Rev. 2. will remove the Candlesticke from among them and take away his Gospell Indeed the carnalnesse of dead men their prophanenesse in contemning of Gods Saints and his Gospel c. hasten Gods Judgements on a Land but chiefly the Luke-warmnesse of Professors doe it when Israel as Hosea saith is as a cake halfe baked Let us therefore rectifie our lives renew our repentance quicken our zeale else shall wee be guiltie of the destruction of Gods Church by our sinnes 3 A third meanes to doe good to Gods Church is to stirre up others to take to heart the miseries of the Church to pray to renew their repentance It would be good if Ministers would bee as Beacons to give warning to others and to set them on fire Thus the old Christians did as it were make an armie manu facta against God by joyning together in prayer This is a blessed action to stirre up others thus they did in the Prophet Malachies time Mal. 3.16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one unto another see the issue of all and the Lord harkened and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name So Zach. 8. 21. there they did so And the Inhabitants of the Citie shall goe one to another saying Let us goe speedily to pray before the Lord and to seeke the Lord of hoasts I will goe also Let us therefore as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 10. 24. consider one another to provoke our selves to this good worke of fasting and prayer for the Church let us marke who is a likely man to joyne with us and not let him passe 4 A fourth meanes to doe good to the Church is to doe it in due time Jerusalem had a time to seeke God if then shee would have sought shee might have beene saved And Christ complaines Luk. 19. 41 42. saying If thou hadst knowne even thou in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes And so before Christ the Prophets of old complained of the people as Ier. 8. 7. Yea the Storke in the heaven knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their comming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. The time to seeke unto the Lord is now Some Judgements are sudden and have no fore-runners as the Gunpowder-treason in such God lookes not that wee should meet him by repentance because we know them not Others use lingring such as send feare and rumours before them as are those mentioned by the Prophet Ezek. 22. 30 31. there God expects we should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before him and so meet him with repentance to stop the judgement 5 The fifth meanes to doe good to the Church is this Let us doe it with continuance It may be while the newes is fresh wee will bee fervent in prayer but often the newes altereth and sometimes it happens to be good and then wee leave off But this must not be wee must bee constant in this dutie to the very uttermost end of all there may be ebbs and flowings but it is the last issue which brings all therefore let us continue in this dutie of fasting and praying that wee may trie that last issue of al. It is the common fashion to make the afflictions of the Church onely a wonder of nine dayes This was the Jewes fault Ier. 34. 10 11. When they heard of their enemies for a while they would pray But although the newes bee good yet still continue as the importunate widow did to the Judge and your importunitie will move God Set therefore to it and continue in it Pray for Ierusalem let those prosper that love her peace Psalm 122. 6. Mourne apart every familie apart It is not enough to heare this and to let the Ministers voyce be to

giving them leaves instead of silver and gold so doth hee deale with thee here for except there be a supernaturall frame of thy hear● there is not cause of comfort notwithstanding all thy civility and therefore thou must bee sure to have something in thee more than nature for civility will not bring to heaven 2 Formall performance of holy duties as praying reading c. that puffes men up and keeps them from humiliation If you either omitted them altogether then your conscience would checke you or performed them well then your heart would be bettered and you would be humbled but this formall doing of them keepes the heart dead and senslesse Remember therefore that no sacrifice is acceptable to God but that that comes from a Broken heart Psal. 51. 3 The badnesse of your nature you would doe better but your nature is so bad that you cannot But remember first That that aggravates your sinne and God likes you the worse for that and will the hardlier pardon you even as wee our selves are readiest to pardon an offence in a good nature Secondly your selfe is the cause of the badnesse of your nature God gave you in Adam a good nature but you have lost it and since by many sinnes have made it worse by farre 4 Gods mercy he is mercifull therefore you will not feare but what if hee be mercifull hee calls not thee thou art not burdened with thy sinnes he cals onely such Come unto mee all ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you What hast thou to doe with mercy which seest not thy misery thou hast no part in it as Iehu said to Iezabell 5 The making conscience of many things so Herod did many things after Iohns preaching so the Gentiles did by nature the things contained in the Law yet were without God Rom 2. but there is no example like unto that of Amazia 2 Chron. 25. 2. he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord for a long time but not with a perfect heart One may make conscience of praying in private and of doing many good duties and yet have no true grace but doe all out of a naturall conscience for feare of punishment 6. Because Judgements come not swiftly and are not speedily executed Ministers threaten but they feele nothing But wee must know that the lesse afflictions we have had the more are behind and I know not a more miserable condition than this is it is a most dangerous signe thou art ordained to death when thou art thus let alone vnpunisht As we use to say when men are frequently sicke there is no danger of death but when they never have beene sicke and at length fall into it it is very dangerous so it is to be feared that when once God beginnes with thee hee will make an end as hee threatned to Hophnie and Phincas hee will so strike that he will not strike twice so that nothing can be worse than for a sinner to goe on without trouble 7. Men judge their estates and sinnes in a false ballance of opinion none say they thinke ill of them but a few that are more precise than wise But consider 1 That Ministers are onely the men by whom ye beleeve not whom ye should beleeve take our words but so farre forth as they are proved unto you by Scripture and if they be true then although few be of that minde yet you ought to beleeve them 2 Consider whether that latitude of Religion which thou stickest unto and hopest to bee saved by will serve thee on thy death-bed and at the day of Judgement 3. Consider that it is the part of holy men and of none else to discerne which are the wayes of God every one is to be beleeved in his owne art therefore beleeve them Men thinke that it concernes onely some to bee holy as Ministers c. and not all I will answer such with the saying of Wisedome The way of godlinesse is too high for a foole If thou wert wise thou wouldest thinke it concerned thee also Now I beseech you brethren humble your selves and so much the rather because now the time and necessity of the Church requires it now while shee is thus in her mourning gowne seeke not after your profits and pleasures drinke not Wine in bowles use not now the liberties that otherwise lawfully you might Remember that saying of Vriah 2 Sam. 11. 11. The Arke and Israel and Iudah abide in tents and my Lord Ioab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open fields shall I then goe into my house to eat and to drinke and to lye with my wife c. And doe as Daniel did chap. 9. Now practise all the parts of Humiliation now Gods Church needeth it although you your selves were free yet humble your selves for the sinnes of others continually pray to God for them Remember what God threatneth to those Esa. 22. 12. that when he called to mourning they followed their pleasure hee saith He will not forget it to the death so Esa. 66. 4. God is angry with all that neglect this duty and will not bee stirred up to performe it but those that doe call on him he will heare The unrighteous Iudge Luk. 18. was overcome by importunity and then much more will God if we humble our selves as Mordecay Ester 4. 14. concluded excellently Their deliverance shall arise from another place so may we then certainly the Church shall stand and Antichrist shal fall as a mill-stone into the sea never to rise up againe I grant hee may rage very farre he hath raged farre already and how farre more he shall rage God onely knowes yet in the end certaine it is he shall fall the Church shall stand Let us all therefore be humbled you which have not yet begunne this humiliation now beginne and yee which have begunne bee stedfast therein knowing that your labour shall not bee in vaine in the Lord. Mercy to be found in Christ. The next thing to be shewed after this doctrine that wee are dead in sinne is the meanes of recovering our life and that is by Christ as it is in the Text you hath hee quickened that were dead c. Hee that is Chist hath done it Hence learne this doctrine of comfort as a refreshing cordiall next after the bitter potion of humiliation That Whosoever will come to Christ may come and finde mercy Rev. 22. 17. Whosever will let him taste of the waters of life freely Here I will shew 1 What is meant by will whosoever will that is he that will receive Christ with all his conditions to be his Lord and his Ruler c. Whosoever will thus take Christ hee may if wee would take Christ before wee were humbled we might but till we be humbled we will not take him It is Christ that gives life but till we be hungry we wil

was restored that he knew the Lord was God 2 Chron. 33. 13. Why did hee not know that before No not as now hee did for now hee knew the Lord by experience and the want of this is the cause why many feare not God for because they have no changes they know him not by experience and therefore they feare him not And for this cause when the Lord did ever manifest himselfe in any speciall manner to any of his people ye shall see it alwayes to bee upon some great change that befell them As when Iacob was forced to leave his fathers house to flye from his brother Esau then did the Lord in a speciall manner manifest himselfe unto him and so likewise at his returning home againe when his brother Esau came against him with foure hundred men to destroy him which was a great change then the Lord appeared to him againe so still upon the great changes of his people doth the Lord appeare unto them and as hee did to them in former dayes so he doth to us now hee doth appeare unto us sometimes by ●●erience of his goodnesse which that he may doe he brings us to extremities Lastly The Lord doth it for proofe and tryall for so it is said in the beginning of this Chapter God did prove Abraham and therefore said unto him Take now thine onely Sonne Isaack whom thou lovest and offer him up on one of the mountaines which I shall shew thee Now seeing the Lords intent was to prove him whether hee would part with his sonne Isaack for his sake therefore he lets him goe to the very place and utmost period of offering his sonne for if the Lord had taken this tryall of him before hee had brought him to the very utmost hee had not beenetryed but when the knife was as it were going to the throat of his sonne then was heefully tryed And like unto this doe we deale with friends one towards another for when you will try how another will trust unto you you will let him alone till there be none else to help for if there be any other for him to go to it is no tryall but if it is come to this that you must doe it or none will then have you tryed him and not before in like manner did the Lord prove Abraham in this place The Use of it is That wee might searne never to be discouraged whatsoever our case is let us never suffer our hearts to be cast downe in us for as we are very prone to let goe our hold upon all occasions so is it a very great fault so to doe We see how David doth recollect himselfe together when h●● soule was disquieted within him asking himselfe why it was so which hee would not have done if the other had not beene a fault in him and therefore why doe wee so cast downe our soules If we say it is because it will be long before the Lord will come and undertake our helpe I answer no it will not for as soone as he doth see thee fit for helpe hee will give it for when things are most desperate then his helpe is nearest for as he is able then to doe it so is hee most willing to doe it then And to this purpose is that place Hos. 14. 4 5 6. I will heale their backesliding I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from them I will be as the dew to Israel he shall grow as the Lilly and cast forth his roots as Lebanon his branches shall spread his beautie shall be as this Olive and his smell as Lebanon When Israel was fallen into a very low condition and had taken to him words and repented of their sinnes then the Lord healed their back-sliding which was the cause of their misery and then though they were outwardly miserable yet he will be as the dew unto them that though they be as the Lillies in winter which hath neither colour scent nor beauty yet consider in the spring time what I doe unto them and learne to know me by the workes of nature for if I doe but send a little dew such as is in the time of spring it shall grow againe yea and bring forth such a flower whose beauty shall exceed Salomon in all his Royalty and if the Lord can doe so in nature to the hearbs of the field doe you not thinke he is able 〈◊〉 doe it to you in the ordinary passages of his providence If hee shall but shine on you with the light of his Countenance yea though you were as the Lilly in the Winter yet shall you spring againe as the Lilly in the Spring that is you shall spring quickly I but you will say and quickly wither againe No saith the Lord you shall be confirmed and established in your estate for hee will fasten your roots as the trees of Lebanon and they were faster than the trees in other places for though they be tall and so their boughes might bee moved yet the bodies of the trees hold their owne because they were well rooted and in Lebanon they were faster than in other places because it was a firmer ground so that if the Lord list to plant you you shall be sure to remaine firme I but what shall I be good for I know not how to be usefull neither for God nor man but to bee laid aside as a thing for which there is no more use Nay saith the Lord I will not onely make you beautifull as the Lillies and rooted as the Cedars but I will make you as the Olivetrees which are fit for use And put the case thy name and credit bee lost yet your smell shall be as the smell of Lebanon that is as Lebanon had many sweet blossomes and sweet smels so shall it be with you whatsoever your condition be This place then is a place of comfort aganst discouragements which you may see exemplified in divers examples As in the example of Iob you know in what a case hee was he lost all hee had that he had not a friend left him no not his wife nor servants that would sticke unto him but was brought to the very Mount to an extremity that could not goe further for he was at the very brim of the hill yet when Iob was fit for mercy when hee had humbled himselfe you see what a change the Lord made how his beauty did returne againe and how all his health prosperity and friends did returne unto him in so much as he was in all things as before yea and beyond it So in the fourth of Daniel 26. who would have thought it possible for Nebuchadnezzar ever to have beene restored that had lost his kingdome and wits too which is the onely meanes to bring a man in againe yea hee had lost all his beauty for hee was a beast of the field yet the Lord made a change with him now a man

concerning the estate and condition of the Church at this time and needfull it is wee should so doe for doe you not see the dangers that they and we are in and the confusion that is almost throughout all Europe yet God hath not forgotten us neither will he leave us if wee can but rest upon him what though there should be a sudden change so that all things were with us as it was in Hesters time yet could the Lord bring forth some good thing out of it that should tend much to his glory and our good Put the case all were turned upside downe as it was in the confused Chaos wherein heaven and earth was mingled together and the waters overcomming all the rest yet as then when the spirit of the Lord did but move upon the waters many beautifull creatures were brought forth and the Sea divided from the rest that those waters that seemed then to spoyle all serves now to water all and without it we cannot bee Even so were the Church in never so confused a condition yet the Lord shall so order the things that seeme to undoe us that they shall bring forth something of speciall use that is something to water and make fruitfull the house and people of God and therefore be not out of hope whatsoever befalls thee onely bee humbled for there is great cause so to be and the Lord calls thee to it by his Ministers and wee are his messengers to declare his will unto you and as we must bee humbled and take to heart the cause of the Church so wee must consider the time that wee may bee throughly affected thereby for it was Ephraims fault not to doe it and thou must see this distresse so as it may bring thee into the Mount for it is not an extremity simply that will cause the Lord to helpe thee but when thy soule is plowed up therewith and then the Lord will cast in the seed and water it so as thy soule shall spring againe and therefore let us still maintaine our hope in all conditions whatsoever And for this end did I fall upon this Text at this time That in the Mount will the Lord be seene FINIS The scope of the Chapter Three false guides among the Ephesians Doct. The Doctrine proved first by Reason Secondly by Scriptures 1 What this death is Two things a naturall and a spiritual death Dead workes why so called The seat of this death Ephes. 5. 1● 2. The kinds of this death How terrible the taking away of Gods presence is 3. The signes of this death Foure signs of bodily death 1. Privation of reason Obiect Answ. A difference betweene knowing spirituall things and knowing them in a right manner 2. Privation of sense 3. Want of motion 4. Want of beauty and vigour Obiect Answ. How wicked men may have moral vertues 4. The degrees of this death The death of guilt The death opposite to the life of grace Three degrees of this death The first The second The third The death opposite to the life of ioy Obiect Ans. 1 Ans. 2. Ans. 3. A difference betweene the spirituall and corporall death 5. The Vses of this point Vses 1. Not to defer repentance How the devil deceives men in perswading them to put off their repentance Saving repentance what it is Simile An example of Spira Vse 2. How to esteem civill men Simile Simile Vse 3. To stirre up to thankfulnesse for being quickned Vse 4. How to esteeme of the meanes of grace Vse 5. To examine ourselves whether we have life in us or no. Simile How the divell deceives civill men Two signes of our quickning 1. An application to examine our selves before we receive the Sacrament The nature of dead men Two kinds of spiritually dead men First starke deadnesse Three positive signes of dead men A careless neglect of goodnesse A lying still in any lust A living lust what it is An antipathy to God and godlinesse Five Privitive signes of dead men Privation of speech Privation of heat Obiect Answ. Stiffenesse Simile Privation of sense Obiect Answ. Matth 13. 13. opened No sympathizing in the miseries of others Two things to move us to consider the Churches misery Quest. Answ. What we must doe for the Church Pray for it Our Prayers must be fervent Spirituall Of Faith With Constancy Of righteousnesse With humility Be more ●ealous Stir up others Performe duties in due time With Continuance The Divels cunning to deferre men from doing good Duties Signes of civil men that seem to have life but have none indeed They doe not Grow They are moved by an outward Principle They doe it but in some places and company They speake from the teeth not frō the heart Iunius converted by a country-mans harty speaking Two meanes to get life Doct. No translation to life without apprehension of Gods wrath due to sinne Things considerable Three things keepe a man from Christ 1. Vnbeleefe 2. Neglect of him 3. Vnwillingnesse to part with other things for him Three things to be set against these to bring us to Christ. The necessity of a deepe humiliation Without sound humiliation we will not come to Christ. We will not stay with him Humiliation compared to the sout sorts of ground Matth. 13. We will not suffer or doe any thing for him Reas. 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reas. 4. The Doctrine of Humiliation must goe before Sanctification Vse Simile Three questions Quest. 1. Answ. True humiliation consists In seeing our lives abound in sinne In considering that there is nothing good in thee In smiting th● heart with a● apprehension of Gods curs● Quest. 2. Answ. What sorrow is required to true humiliation Quest. 3. Answ. How to know true sorrow How true Humiliation differs from other sorrow In the rise In the continuance Bousion Cons. 299. Simile By the signes and effects Contrition of heart 1. Heales our Sinnes Simile 2. It causeth love to Christ Signs to know whether we love Christ or no. 1. Obedience 2. Affection towards him 3. The light prizing of spirituall things 4. Contentednesse with the meanest condition 5. Feare of offending God 6. The finding of sweetnesse in the word of God 7. Meekenesse of spirit Obiect Answ. Humiliation changeth our nature Quest. 4. Answ. The differen● of humiliation in one well educated and a grosse sinner Quest. 5. Answ. The least degree of humiliation will make us count sin the greatest cuill Christ the greatest good A mans conversion consists in three things Quest. 6. Answ. The Law the onely meanes of humiliation Obiect Answ. The spirit of bondage what and why required to humiliation Obiect Answ. How afflictions and the Law concurre to humiliation Five meanes to humiliatiō 1. Meanes to consider our estates 1. Meanes to suffer sorrow to abide on us 3. Meanes see sinne in 〈◊〉 effects 4. Meanes to make these evilspresent by faith Two things ought to be present before vs. 5. Meanes To take heed of shifts Eight shifts whereby