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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47400	A discovery of some troublesome thoughts Wherewith many godly precious souls are burthened, and extreamly pressed: that like a canker eats out all their comforts, and keeps their souls under continuall fears and distractions. Together with a compound of some Scripture and experimentall cordials, for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a disease; and through the blessing of God, may prove medicinall, to the cure of some, and the comforting of others. By Daniel King, preacher of the Word.	King, Daniel, preacher near Coventry.	1651 (1651)	Wing K489; ESTC R216092	52,316	69

find the Lord He lookt behind him before him on both hands but to no purpose And so the Church Cant. 3.1 2. By night on my bed I sought him whom my sould loveth I sought him but I found him not c. She 's industrious but finds him alone Causes why God keeps off What should be the reason may some say that the Lord should keep aloof off when a man sets himself so seriously about it I mean to find him 1. Because God would have the creature know that he is free in working He is not tied to come to preparations or qualifications of the creature but to his own preparations The preparations of the heart and the answer of the tougue is from the Lord saith Salomon Prov. 16.1 2. He would let his people know that he will be waited on to come in when he pleases yet the creature must do his duty Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore Psal 105.5 Paul prayed thrice before he had an Answer of grace 2 Cor. 12. 3. Many times the people of God have too much self-ends in their duties and the Lord would have them to see it Zach. 7.5 Did you fast unto me even unto me saith the Lord. And did you not eat for your selves and drink for your selves It may be self-love may drive a man to it to obtain some blessing that he wants rather then to enjoy God himself And God would shew him this errour and take him off from it 4. That they may see their former Slothfulness and Negligence Cant. 5. When Christ had waited and called for admittance and could not have it he withdraws to let his Spouse see how he did distaste her Sloth and Neglect and Excuses 5. That he might be the sweeter to thee when he comes in again and that thou mightest stick the closer to him when thou hast found him again 6. To try thy Faith and Patience and Constancy whether thou wilt persevere in following him and wait upon him as the woman of Canaan did though thou have repulse after repulse and little hopes in reason yet to try if thy faith can conquer reason And that thy faith may be seen with the greater lustre when it is tried For God by delaying and putting off discovers to you the temper of your Spirits whether you will willingly wait the Lords leasure or whether you will fret and fume and wait no longer As we do sometimes by beggers put them off or give them no answer and if they be indeed in great wants and of meek spirits they will lament and weep and be thankful for a little when it comes But your stout sturdy beggers when they are not answered they will fall a reviling and cursing and give high words so that by delaying you may see their spirits So doth the Lord by this means shew you your spirits and temper of heart The ninth ground of fear 9. He complaines he hath hurt the cause of God when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God perhaps to have suffered And so his Soul is wounded and he fears his condition And did not Peter do so Did not he fly off when all had forsaken Christ and break his word and resolution and shamefully deny his Master contrary to his former profession So Moses and Aaron Num. 20.12 Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eies of the children of Israel saith God Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land c. These men hurt the cause of God and failed when they should have stuck to it and yet all real converts The 10. ground of fear 10. You cry out you have oftentimes relaps't into the same sins which formerly you have pursued with particular sorrow and grief and prayed and resolved against them and that makes you question the truth of your state This is indeed a sad condition But this doth not prove thy state naught for it hath been the case of the servants of God sometimes Therefore ye have this confession Our backslidings are many so that you see it was oftentimes again and again The Prophet Jonah relapsed into passion and discontent with God He was discontent with the work God set him about therefore he flieth to Tarshish Jonah 1.2.3 And sorrowes for it and confesseth Chap. 2.8 They that trust upon lying vanities forsake their own mercies yet see Chap. 3.1 When God had shewed mercy to Niniveh how discontent he was with the Lord again It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And when the Lord that might have confounded him reasons sweetly and mildly with him to take him off from his passion as appears Chap. 3.3.4 and provides for him what he wants yet upon a small occasion again the taking away of a gourd or shrub and the Lord had a gracious end in it too the convincing of him of his folly in being so waspish he breaks out again into the same passion or worse as if he had never seen the evill of i● or been humbled for it Chap. 4.8.9 I am greatly angry Or I do well to be angry even unto death saith he See how often he relapsed into this sin and Peter denieth Christ not only once but again and again † And perhaps the prodigal sets out unto us a Christian relapst for he was a son before and with his Father and then went away from him and spent all And yet he was not quite undone but returned again And this comes to pass sometimes 1. To let you see your own weaknes that you can do nothing of your selves cannot withstand nor resist nor overcome that ye may be taken off of all false confidences and rest upon God and God alone for help That ye may resist stedfast in the faith 2. For the advancement of the praise and honour of the wisdome skill and goodness of God the Physitian of our souls that can and doth cure when the disease is more dangerous when thou art relaps't and it grows worse and worse as in curing the woman that had the bloody Issue that was worse and worse notwithstanding all the means she used till she came to Christ 3. This advanceth his Mercy the more that he doth not quite forsake thee when thou hast done what thou canst to drive him away as Micha 7.18.19 Who is a God like unto thee that pardons Iniquity that passeth by the trangression of the remnant of his heritage He retains not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy Oh but I have relaps't and driven him away saith the poor soul But mark now ver 19. He will turn again he will have compassion on us he will subdue our Iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea And the prodigal saw the compassion of his Father the greater in receiving him again after he had run away from him The eleventh ground of fear 11. He hath

Kingdom to be set up within them and without them in heart and life and then he seems a Tyrant Let me tell thee whosoever thou art that art of this temper I have said nothing to thee nor for thee in this Treatise This comfortable Cordiall that I have endeavoured to compound for the comfort of Souls really sick shall become thy poyson if thou offer to meddle with it Taste not one sip of it I charge thee and if thou dost I am guiltless of thy bloud having given thee a fair warning I have written it for the use of those whose hearts God hath touched and are sick of love for him who is altogether Lovely Not for such as turn the grace of God into wantonness So I commit it to the blessing of God and the approbation of the Churches of Christ † As namely the Churches of Christ in London meeting usually at the glasse-house in Broad street The Church in Coventry The Church in Warwick The Church at Hook-Norton in Oxfordshire And the Church meeting neer Martin-Hinmarsh in Gloucestershire or any others to whom I am neer related and such in them as are most experienced in the dealings of God with troubled souls And desire to continue as by the grace of God I am A servant to Christ and the meanest of his Saints DANIEL KING From the Lime-kiln at Pickle-Hering in Southwark this 7 th of the 11 th Moneth A Discovery of some troublesome thoughts wherewith many Godly Precious Souls are burthened and extreamly pressed Together with a Compound of Scripture and experimentall Cordials for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a Disease c. Luke 24.38 And he said unto them Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts THe words contain a reproof or reprehension of the Disciples of Christ by Christ himself laid down by way of Interrogation Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Like that of Mar. 4.40 Why are ye so fearfull and Matth. 21.25 Why then do you not beleeve on him and according to that Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my Judgement is passed over from my God Division The words consist of two parts 1. The thing for which Christ reproveth them though in a loving sweet manner I confess for being so troubled 2. The ground of this their trouble Thoughts arising in their hearts And it appears it was a reproof of them because he laboureth to take them off from this distemper in the next words Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self for they were troubled through a mistake thinking they had seen a spirit and not Christ And therefore he did not app●ove of it but reproveth it Consider further 1. Who it was that speaketh here Christ himself 2. To whom he spake To his Disciples beleevers 3. At what time And that was when he himself came in among them and was present with them and saluted them with peace Vers 36. Meaning of the words For the meaning of the words I will be brief 1. Troubled Trouble This word is set out to us diversly in Scripture 1. Sometimes it signifieth povertie 1 Chron. 22.14 In my trouble or povertie saith David I have prepared for the house of the Lord. This is spoken Metonymically the cause for the effect 2. It signifieth to be shortened Job 21.4 Why should not my Spirit be troubled The Hebrew reading is shortened When a man is straightened and cannot be so enlarged as he would be It s a phrase taken from one that is overburthened and is so pressed down that he cannot look up nor go forward but falleth short of what he would reach or attain to And so is filled with perplexities and fears 3. It importeth weariness or to be tired under a burthen Nehem. 9.32 O our God let not all the trouble seem little before thee the Hebrew reading is Weariness It meaneth so to be burthened as not to be able to stand up under it Ps 38.6 I am troubled Hebr. Wryed I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day So that it is to be writhen or wryed aside and bowed down under some Burden into a mourning condition The word is sometimes joyned with anguish shewing the vexation of the heart Job 15.24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid sometimes with sorrow Psal 116.3 I found trouble and sorrow Now all these are ingredients into these thoughts and it is as if Christ should have said why are ye so poor that ye have no confidence nor no Joy in your hearts Why are so distempered and wearied and burthened in your selves Why are ye so straightened and so full of anguish and sorrow that ye cannot stretch out your hearts to beleeve and quiet your souls in God through Christ Again consider where the seat of this trouble was in the heart or spirit It was not upon the Body nor state nor name but upon the Soul Consider again whence this trouble arose from thoughts Some Translations read it doubtings It signifieth distracting thoughts turbulent thoughts or debatings and Reasonings whereby the heart is discouraged and begins to sink under its burthen and is tired with musings and tossings up and down through fear and doubt like that Mat. 6.25 Take no thought for your life that is distrustfull thought to be of doubtfull mind or to hang in carefull suspence * Luke Such thoughts Christ endeavoureth to Arm them against Mar. 13.11 And such thoughts David speaketh of Psal 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my Soul Thoughts arising from a mixture of unbelief so this place sheweth they beleeved not that it was Christ and thereupon thoughts arose Contrary to that Matt. 21.21 If you have faith and doubt not But these were like Peters thoughts about the vision Act. 10.17 When he knew not what to pitch upon nor how to have his heart satisfied But sticks in doubts and fears and scruples and cannot get our And such kind of thoughts trouble the heart exceedingly Dan. 5.6 Then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so verse 10. O King let not thy thoughts trouble thee So Mary Luke 1.29 It is said She was troubled at the Angels saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be It stuck in her mind and troubled her for the present Arise in your hearts It is a metaphor taken from the rising of clouds or mists whereby the shining face of the Sun is obscured from the Earth So by the rising of these thoughts and doubts the sweet presence of Christ that was among them now was obscured and not so pleasant to them Sometimes me thinks The Interrogation carrieth the face of an Admiration Why are YE troubled YE And why do thoughts arise in YOVR hearts What you my Disciples that are beleevers John 14.1 Ye beleeve in

right hand of my righteousness O but may some say I am a poor worm have nothing that is lovely nor desireable in me an unworthy wretch Why see vers 14. Fear not thou worm Jacob and yee men of Israel I will help thee saith the Lord and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel And saith Peter 2. Pet. 1.4 There is given to us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you should be partakers of the Divine Nature Now the Divine Nature is not subject to these vexations and troubles Therefore from the frequency of the promises and the end of them we may well conclude God would not have his people lie under discouragments 2. Because he hath given them of his Spirit to cry Abba Father Now if he give them the spirit of adoption it argues clearly he would not have them discouraged Joh. 14.16 I will pray the father saith Christ and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the spirit c. Rom. 8.16 The spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God Now if he give his spirit to this end to comfort the Saints and witness their adoption then it must needs follow he would not have them discouraged 3. Because he cals for and requires that the ministry of consolation be performed Isa 40.1.2 Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem tell her her iniquity is pardoned and her warfare is accomplished See what a strict charge here is to comfort the people of God Yea and God challengeth the false prophets for not performing this ministery but acting contrary to it Ezek. 13.22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad whom I not made sad therefore ye shall see no more vanity nor divine divination c. And Cap. 34 16.17.18 When the prophets neglected tending and tendring the sheep see what the Lord saith I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the fat and the strong and I will feed them with judgement Now then if God take such care that they may be comforted and undertake for them then he would not have them discouraged 4. Because God the Father hath givtn Commission to Christ to take special care of them that they be not overborn And Christ hath undertaken it A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax will he not quench he will bring forth Judgement into victory Isa 42 3. This is the glory of Christs Kingdom that he shall support the weak and this Christ gives in charge to Peter if he love him to feed his Lambs John 21. And the Apostle gives speciall charge to the Churches to comfort one another 1 Thess 4.18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words And 5.14 I beseech you brethren support the weak comfort the feeble-minded Therefore he would not have them lie under discouragements 2. Reasons why God would not have his people troubled The 2. sort of Reasons are why he would not c. 1. Because he is very pitifull and tender A good body would have no body hurt no not so much as a prick with a pin nor a fillip with the finger a quiet meek spirit is so tender So is God of his people Jam. 5.11 The Lord is very pitifull consider the end the Lord maketh that he is very pitifull he delighteth in mercy Mic. 7. And not in oppressing thy soul Lam. 3.33 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men He took it ill that his people should father and fasten their discouragements upon him Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid fro● the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Why dost say so Israel there is no cause at all he is so far from slighting thee that he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength therefore he would not have them sink into Anxiety and sadness 2. It appears to be so From the excellency of holy rejoycing and the acceptableness of it to God God delighteth more in this then in all services whatsoever for all other works of the spirit flow into this And therefore he that was to bring his sacrifice Deut. 26.34 among other things which he professed this was one I have not eaten thereof in my mourning Mal. 2.12.13.14 And this have ye done again covering the Altar of the Lord with tears with weeping and with crying out insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more nor receiveth it with good will at your hands Psal 100.2 Serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence with singing and Psal 2.10 Rejoyce with trembling Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Rejoyce evermore c. Now if God be so well pleased with holy rejoycing then he would not have his people lie under sorrows wounding their hearts and breaking of them to pieces under terrors 3. Because discouragements drive from God and are contrary to Communion which God delights in therefore Christ knocketh at the door and calleth for opening Rev. 3. Cant. 5.2 Psal 14.8.9 and saith he would sup with the Soul And his father and he would make their abode there John 14. A man will never go to his judge and executioner one that will cut his throat till he be perswaded of favour Terrours drive Cain into the land of Nod from the presence of God Therefore saith the Lord I drew them with the cords of Love In Gods presence is fulness of Joy therefore the more oppressing sorrow the further from Gods presence Discouragement made Peter cry out Luke 5.3.9.10 Lord depart from me for I am a sinfull man for he was astonished and afraid as appears by Christs incouraging of him 4. Because this deadens the actings of all the works of the spirit in the heart God hath not the glory of his spirit in this way a sad sullen discouraged spirit deadens all 2 Cor. 7.10 The sorrow of the world worketh death It killeth the spirit not the body but death of duty it makes a man he cannot come off with any dexterity of duty death of care clearing of your selves indignation fear vehement desire zeal revenge it deadens these Nay it makes a man utterly unfit for some services of God as spirituall rejoycing This causeth crying not singing and rejoycing and singing is a piece of Gods service Isa 65.14 My servants shall sing for joy of heart Sorrow made Hemah unfit for the service of God 1 Sam. 1.7 And Solomon saith Prov. 12.25 Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop but a good word makes it glad The heart is down when it is heavy and not so fit for spirituall services 5. Because by this discouraged troubled frame of

spirit thou art made unfit for Gods consolations to receive them or rejoyce in him it is distastefull to thee As he that taketh away a garment in cold woather and as vinegar upon nitre so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart Prov. 25.20 It will not be born Therefore mark when God sends Moses with a message of mercy to Israel and he delivered it according to Gods Command yet they harkned not to him what was the matter Why for anguish of spirit and sore bondage That unfitted them for the beleeving the message of God and receiving mercy And the Psalmist in his overwhelmings of spirit Psal 77. saith My soul refused to be comforted 6. Because Christ took their troubles upon him and bare them Therefore was his soul troubled Joh. 12.27 and 13.21 Surely he took our infirmities and carryed our sorrows saith the Prophet Isa 53. Therefore he would have us to rejoyce yea he would have his joy remain in his Disciples John 15.11 Now then if God be so tender and pittiful If holy rejoycing be so acceptable to him If trouble of spirit drives from God I mean discouragement and be contrary to communion If it deadens the actings of the works of the spirit If it makes the soul unfit for Gods consolations If Christ have born our sorrows of purpose to ease us Then it must needs follow that Christ would not have his people discouraged But all these are true Therefore the other Objection But some may say The Apostle James 4.9 Biddeth Be afflicted mourn and weep And Christ saith Blessed are ye that mourn Therefore this cannot be so I answer that in James is his councel to those that had adulterated themselves with the world as appears by the former part of the Chapter and this mourning is nothing but repentance Godly sorrow which Paul was glad was in the Corinthians But the sorrow we speak of is doubting discouraging sorrow of which James speaks not And that of Christ is a mourning in regard of afflictions and persecutions of the Gospel which they were to suffer for Christs sake or Godly sorrow and therefore declares them blessed Not to mourn with a distrustful distracting mourning So that it makes nothing against the point that Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements Object 2 But some may say again This is a needless poynt for the people of God in Gospel times are not troubled in their hearts I Answer Yea but they be which appears by these considerations 1. Because sometimes they want that measure of comfort and joy that they should have and might have Col. 2.2 That their hearts might be comforted This was the end of Pauls conflict and Iohn 16.24 Aske and ye shall receive that your joy may be full This shews that their hearrs wanted comfort and their joy was not full Therefore their hearts are troubled in Gospel times 2. Because the Apostle took order that the people of God and Saints might be comforted Sometimes by sending men of purpose to them to comfort them which need not have been in case they had not wanted comfort Ephes 6.22 Paul declareth that he sent Tychicus of purpose to them among other things To comfort their hearts And the same man counselleth the Corinthians 2 Corin. 13.11 to be of good comfort And he sent Tychicus to the Collossians to comfort their hearts Col. 4.8 And he sent Timothy to the Thessalonians to comfort them concerning their faith 1 Thes 3.2 And exhorteth them Chap. 4.18 to comfort one another and. 5.14 comfort the feeble minded Somtimes by praying that they might be comforted 1 Thes 2.17 Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God even our Father comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work This labor and prayers might have been spared if saints wanted no comfort in Gospel times Uses of the point Now I come to Application 1. Of Information Is it so That Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements Then it informs us that we may boldly say and conclude that God is willing Christians should abound with the consolations of God It is the will of God you should have peace look up rejoyce and have consolation what I the Saints make a question whether it be not Gods will they should lie under sorrow and when terrors upon themselves and not take comfort of the good word of God when it is Gods minde they should beleive and be cheerful and rejoyce in God and not lie dejected but look up with Spiritual triumph in the Lord. But we cannot be perswaded of this lesson and hence we think we can never afflict our selves enough and rake into our hearts and study how to keep our selves from the consolations of God Take heed of this for this doth not please God that men should thus discourage themselves and be turned out of their right spiritual joy Lam. 3.31 The Lord will not cast off for ever But though he cause grief yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies for he doth not afflict willingly nor greive the children of men To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most high To subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not vers 32.33.34.35.36 All this is brought to this very scope to shew it doth not delight the Lord thou shouldst be oppressed and afflicted but rather rejoyce and take comfort the Lord approves not of thy subverting thy self in thy cause no more then of another subverting three It is against God that we should afflict our selves Let me tell thee It is utterly against God that we should afflict our selves and languish under terrors and affright our selves with the apprehensions of wrath All the reasons make it clear that God would have his people ioyful and chearful Nehemiah 8.10 The joy of the Lord is our strength So that this is against God in divers respects 1. It is against the nature of God which is filled up with Ingredients of goodness it is eight to one Exod. 34.6.7 I will make all my goodness pass before thee saith the Lord And he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gratious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity trangression and sin and that will by no meanes clear the guilty c. So that this argues that Gods nature in his dispensation towards us is mildness goodness sweetness However equal in himself yet towards us he hath magnified his word above all his Name Psal 138.2 Now his word declareth his attributes especially his attributes of grace 2. It is against his offices look into the order of the three persons and they all flow into this let poor-souls be comforted Here is the Father the fountain set open The sons merit that poor souls debt be paid The Spirits distribution for the supplying comforting of poor