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A04284
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The true guide to glory A sermon preached at Plympton-Mary in Deuon, at the funerals of the right vvorshipfull, and ...
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Barlow, John, b. 1580 or 81.
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1619
(1619)
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STC 1440; ESTC S114791
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30,821
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66
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and billowes of the Sea proudly passe by the dangerous Rockes and polling Pyrates in hope that his Barke shall one day returne filled fraughted with the richest Spices What Patient so flegmatique desperate but will swallow the most bitter pill suppe off the most loathsome potion being before-hand perswaded that it will not kill but cure him Shall we then be dead on the nest want spirit and haue no heart to vse the meanes that might either beget it awake it or preserue it Doth not hope of the end set all men aworke in their seuerall proceedings and shall wee haue such a prize as this in our hands and haue no hearts Consider then what Faith is and be idle if thou canst Is not Faith a Prince that wheresoeuer he pitcheth his Tents is accompanied with royall attenâ—â—nâ—s Doth it not purifie the heart settle and secure the soule quench Sathans darts and ouercome the world I say more Faith is the very essentiall forme of a Christian Are we not by it from all other persons distinguished what action good before God but from it as it proper cause hath proceeded By faith we are enliued moued iustified and finally saued Therefore heare reade pray conferre and receiue daily the signes and seales of thy Masters comming the very foode and nourishment of it out-face sinne out-liue sinne seeing thou art assured that thy labour is not lost vaine in the Lord. And thus wee proceede to answer an Obiection that some might cast in the way Obiect If Faith neuer faile then it continues for euer Sol. Some hold it ends at death others at the day of iudgement because all things till then as the Resurrection of the body the revnion of the soule and fulnesse of glory are not in perfect vision And we want not those who thinke that it abideth for all eternity In briefe I answer that it shall neuer faile thee or forsake thee so long as it may make for the glory of thy God and the good of thy soule So let vs come more directly to the words themselues where we note this second Instruction that Doct. 2 God guideth man in his spirituall iourney There be inferiour and subordinate leaders but in this voyage the Lord is the principall conductor we may all of vs thus farre safely confesse with Balaam Numb 24.13 that We cannot passe the commandement of the Lord to doe good of our owne minde And that which the Prophet speaketh of Nebuchadnezzar or Ashur may be in generall applied to all the sons of Adam The way of man is not in himselfe Ier. 10.13 neither is it in man to direct his owne steps Dauid knew it well as you may see in the 119. Psalme the point proued neere 119. times and Paul about to trauell with his friends to Thessalonica praieth 1 Thes 3.11 Now God euen the Father of our Lord Câ—rist guide our iourney vnto you and how easily may Reasons be brought to confirme it Reason 1 Why hath not man the eye of his minde put out 1 Cor. 2.14 is he not borne with a veile ouer his vnderstanding hâ—w can he then finde out the right way or discerne betwixt pathes that differ If any demand how came thâ—s strange thing to passe wee may truely answer Rom 3.11.23 Our Parents haue sinned and wee too in them so that wee are all borne blinde Ionathans eye waxed dimme by fasting but ours and our fathers too Rom. 5.12 were cleane put out by feasting And though Man be in honour Psal 49 vlt. yet he hath no vnderstanding but is like the perishing beast Euery man is a mole Reason 2 Againe hath he any power to trauell is he not lame too are not his anckle-bones crooked and the feet of his affections turned backeward The Creeple who lay at the poole of Bethesda was no more vnable to step into the water of himselfe then we to walke in the pathes that lead to the kingdome of heauen we must first be cured and healed Therefore the Prophet so often as one that had experience of his owne infirmitie prayeth Giue me the Spirit of life and power Psal 119.32.37 and Then shall I runne the way of thy commâ—ndements when thou hast set my heart at liberty That sinne which put out our eyes hath also depriued vs of strength so that we cannot creepe or crawle in this our spirituall iourney vntill the Lord bid vs and giue vs power too to arise and walke Reason 3 Moreouer are not the imaginations of his heart euill Gen 65. hath hee power so much as to thinke a good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 can he of himselfe study to find out the way No he will not giue his mind to turne vnto his God Hos 5 4 Ier. 6.16 he saith in his heart I will none of thy pathes I will not and yet he cannot if he would walke therein 〈◊〉 â— 16 For it is not in him that willeth or in him that runneth â—ut in God that sheweth mercy Reason 4 Adde to all this that he is possest with the spirit of errour and what will you say then can ye denie the truth of the doctrine Alas Ephes 2.2 1 Tim. 2.26 doth not Satan rule in the sonnes of men take them captiue at his owne will and leade them at his pleasure to the land of darkenesse And let none obiect and say that these things are onely so in the children of disobedience 1 Cor. 13.9 for the best man doth but know in part beleeue in part Rom. 1.17 7.9 Gal. 5.17 and is but healed in part and who Christ onely excepted that hath not in his best condition been led out of the way plodded some by-path yea stumbled fallen and wounded himselfe in this his pilgrimage for no sooner can any get the least peepe of light but Sathan clappes on a vaile gather any strength but he labours to weaken it or haue so much as a minde to returne to his heauenly countrey but he hales him on by power policy or some pleasant obiect as the Shepheard or Butcher doth the poore lambe by a greene branch in his hand from the fold and it's bleating Dam vnto the house of slaughter and destruction So that this point is true concerning all persons Shall we make some vse of the same Vse 1 And here also is confuted another point of Popery which would make man the first mouer of himselfe in this his heauenly voyage They haue certaine distinctions as ex congruo ex condigno and compare a man to him that went from Ierusalem to Iericho and fell amongst theeues indeed this Text Luke 10.30 and wee too are fallen among Theeues for say they The eye of the mind is but dimmed the will wounded and the soule weakned but Christ saith Without me ye can doe nothing Ioh 15.5 Eph. 2 1. and his disciples that we are dead Now all men know that hee who is dead can neither see heare
their Doctrine would not haue beene so well credited neither they haue vnderstood hauing no reuealed rule of direction to what Townes or Cities Acts 16.9 especially they should haue preached Reason 2 Againe may not God and his word as the end and goodnesse of a thing be conuerted In many thing Rom 7.12 I am sure they may God is holy and iust and good and is not his word the same hee is true and faithfull and no accepter of persons may we not conclude the like of his word What God commands it commands what he wils it wils what he intends it intends and if the word haue a Quarrell with thee note this Rom. 7.7.8 the Lord hath a Quarrell with thee for they are not contrary Masters but agree in all things And so I passe briefly to the Vse Vse 1 Where first wee are to checke the Papists and confute a third point of their Doctrine who take away the word from the common people Is not this to depriue them of God to make them like the auncient Gentiles Ephes 2.12 strangers from the common weale of Israel and meere Atheists Truely it is no better who is so blinde that seeth it not or so incredulous that beleeues it not Instead of the Law they must haue Traditions a Picture for the Gospell of Christ Did not the children of Israel when they left the law work wickednes forsake God and serued him not 2 Chron. 15 3. c. And for this thing are they not said to haue followed Baalim and Ashtaroth Iudges 10.6 and the gods of the children of Ammon Be not therfore deceiued for these Papisticall Priests world compassing Iesuites are but wandring planets blinde pilots after whom whosoeuer shall saile the ship of his soule shall split her at the day of his dissolution vpon the rocke of that dangerous position and then what can follow but perpetuall condemnation I haue wondered at these mens madnes for the knowledge of the rule is of absolute necessity in all arts or functions to the wel-doing of an action For example Can a Marriner rightly guide his ship thorow the sea without the knowledge of Card and Compasse The Carpenter build a house in comely order being ignorant of that patterne by which it is to be framed Or a schoole-boy speake exact phrase and true Latine and haue no vnderstanding in the precepts of Grammar And yet in the most curious worke these deceiuing guides would haue vs want the Rule Exod. 31 3. 1 Kings 7. This is not to iudge righteous iudgement Vse 2 Againe this meeteth with those spirits that stand all vpon Reuelations immediate motions who say that No Christian should take his ground first from the word but the Spirit for the Diuell alleadgeth Scripture and doth wrest it to his purpose But poore soules these know not of what spirit they themselues are would aske such a man this Question How can he discerne the motion of the spirit to be from the Spirit He will answere Because it 's good and tends to holinesse Well how can he tell what is good or euill must he not goe to the Rule to try it These would see the image of God without a glasse vnderstand truth before they heare it vttered Alas professing themselues to be wise Rom. 1 22 they are become fooles For what a strange Position is this if it be true that came lately to my hands how that Grace being once wrought in the heart the spirit abolisheth all former knowledge and they bid Away withall Scripture knowledge These will try the spirits I feare till a lying spirit possesse them 1 Tim â— 5. Let vs therefore beware of if we know any such Vse 3 And in the next place if they that be guided by God are guided by his word we are informed what to thinke of all those that liue in palpable more then Egyptian darkenesse who neither know God or vnderstand any one sentence in the sacred Scripture Is not their estate fearefull who is these mens guide surely Sathan sinne and the fashions of the world And that if God giue the blessing I might a little moue these people to come out of Babilon and fire them as it were like Ioab to Absalom to returne vnto their God Let them heare what iudgements haue befallen the ignorant what be threatned against them that tread these darke steps Did not the people of God goe into Captiuity Isai 5.13 for want of knowledge Say this was but a temporall punishment yet it had a curse with it And how doth the Lord complaine Hos 4.6 My people are cut off for want of knowledge We count it a miserable thing and it causes wringing of the hands folding of the armes and many a teare shed when we see at the Assises a proper man cast away hauing had his Booke could not one word by art or tell a letter Oh say we he might haue beene saued if he could haue read But what a day will that be when all ignorant men and women must hold vp their hand at the Tribunall Throne of Christ and be cut off and cast into vtter darkenesse because they knew not him or his Gospell Therefore thou that art ignorant and hearest me this day Get knowledge get vnderstanding for if thou dye in this condition thou shalt dye the second and eternall death Why hath not Christ threatned to come in flaming fire 2 Thes 1.7.8 c. to render vengeance vpon all that know him not and obey not his Gospell Did not the Prophet imprecate that the Lord would poure out his fury vpon such as knew him Ier. 10. vlt. not and the families that called not on his Name I cannot by the way but commend you in that you haue gotten guides but Learne the Law at their mouthes practise what is deliuered square your actions by this word so shall it goe well with you at your latter end But if for all this you will walke in darknesse be not deceiued one day to darknesse ye shall goe Io. 12.35 Iude 13. for if it be eternall life to know God and whom he hath sent then by the rule of contraries How shall the ignorant escape the damnation of hell Io. 17 3. Vse 4 Last of all Is this Doctrine a truth then here is comfort and tidings of great encouragement to all such as are guided by the word Cast not off this yoake breake not these bonds asunder what scoffes soeuer thou receiue of the world Let them play but doe thou pray let them shuffle the cards search thou the Scriptures let them sit at home and goe to Dice and Tables goe thou to heare the word in the publique Congregation For I am sure the one is lawfull the other at the best is doubtfull And for my owne part I wish neither to approue or practise matters of that nature I say therefore to all such be not weary in so doing