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A33242
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The time of finding shewing when the Lord will be found and by whom, and when there will be no time of finding : also the persons are describ'd who shall not finde the Lord though they seek him with tears : likewise some reasons why the Lord hath suffered his work and good old cause to be stopt, and how it shall certainly be reviv'd again : also something is here shewed about the manner how it shall be reviv'd, and the time when / by John Canne.
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Canne, John, d. 1667?
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1658
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Wing C442C; ESTC R25965
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112,945
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of honesty and liberty but you shall hear them bitterly exclaim against some persons for their falshood Covenant-breaking seeking themselves and opposing the work of God yea now and then a discontented houshold-servant will be twitting his Master publickly at his nose for casting off the interest of Christ and his people and complying with the Malignant party What said Nabals servants of him to their Mistress e 1 Sam. 25 17. He is such a son of Belial that a man cannot speak to him Belial signifies one without yoak or lawless as if they should say There is not a man alive worse then our Master he cares not what he says nor what he does nor who he wrongs his will is a Law and ordinarily they who have done him most good as David for example he is most spightful and malicious against and if any man do but speak to him of his covetousness cruelty unthankfulness or seem to cross him in his pride and wilfulness he will stamp and stare and curse like a mad-man or devil and do him what mischief he can Therefore certainly evil is determined against our Master and against all his houshold Reader take notice when thou hearest some SERVANTS to call their Master a son of Belial that is one that will be under no yoke no Law or Government one that is an enemy to good people and cares for none but such as wil be servants to his lusts and will this is a great return of prayer for howsoever some servants have not the grace nor honesty to leave such a Nabal nevertheless speaking so openly against his wickedness as they condemn their own sinful standing so they justifie all other servants which have cast off such a SON OF BELIAL Lastly There is another sort who like their places as ill as their Masters and have not a good word for either onely the old Serpent hath taught them a trick to cozen their own souls which is to keep their places in hope to serve their Country the better if a turn or change should come Mock on we know well enough did not these men love themselves a great deal better then they do their Country they would not support oppression as they do for their base pay hire But an ill-favoured face needs painting Fourthly the Lord hath been earnestly cal'd upon that howsoever the Witnesses should be slain f Rev. 11.9 Rev. 12.17 yet not suffered to be burnt but that a remnant of the womans seed might be preserved to keep up the memory of the work and cause of Christ Now truly I think the Father of Mercies hath not in any one thing more clearly answered the Soul-Groanings of his people then in this For 1. Consider how grievously Gods people have been tried and tempted these three or four years not onely by great poverty and outward wants but by the entisements baits of worldly advantages as riches honor promotion pleasure h Mat. 4.9 all these things will I give thee IF THOU WILT c. A man that should stand before the mouth of a Cannon going off or walk upon the ridge or pinacle of a Tower or sail among most dangerous rocks and sands it would be thought very strange if he should escape all danger Some of Gods people lately have had a more wonderful deliverance if the snares be minded which the Lord hath broken for them i Psa 107.8 O let them confess to Jehovah his mercy and his marvelous works 2. Howsoever the love of many is grown cold and they are turn'd with Demas and with the Dog to the world and their vomit again yet hath the Lord preserv'd a litte flock Rev. 3.4 a few names which have not defiled their garments by partaking with the last Apostacy but through grace l Jam. 1.27 have kept themselves unspotted from the world When Gideons Army of 32000 came to be 300. then indeed it was excellent and glorious Judg. 7.7 and meet for the Lord to work Israels deliverance by it Though the followers of Christ are very few in number to the worshippers of the Beast yet this I may say as the prophet saith of the Figs they are n Jer. 24.2 very good the Lord having by their many temptations trials purified them unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works CHAP. VIII FIftly It is A Time of Finding when there is no staggering at the Promise But the things asked are by Faith obtained A Time of Finding when the things asked are seen and received by Faith So certain as if they were already in our own hands Thus o Sam. 1.18 Hannah was sure of the Child as if he had been in her armes So p Exod. 14 13 14. Moses at the Red Sea saw Pharoah and his hoste drown'd before ever they went into the water In dividing the Land of Canaan not onely did Joshua and the people by lot lay out the Inheritance of every Tribe in the Countreys which they had conquered But likewise all other parts of the Land which at present they possessed not And this they did believing what was not yet in their hands it should be theirs so sure as the parts and places already taken No lesse confident and certain are Saints now i. e. as some of the Canaanites are cast out Moncks Fryers Arch-Bishops Bishops So q Lev. 18.28 the Land ere long shall spue out the rest of r Dan. 7.27 them And it shall be given to the Saints of the most high Though the Israelites after they came out of Egypt had a stop for forty years in the wilderness yet God gave them the peaceable possession of Canaan according to his promise So Jerusalem and the Temple were built Howsoever thorough the malice of the Enemy there was some stop put to the worke awhile True it is the worke of God THE GOOD OLD CAVSE hath met with A TROVBLER an ACHAN for through the falshood and hypocrisie of some men it hath been killed and layen in the street like the dead bodies of the Witnesses howsoever not suffered to be put in graves But what of all this so mercifully hath the Lord answered the Cries and Tears of this people as by faith they see it risen and like a Conquerour standing on its feet to the Terror Shame and Ruin of the Adversaries Quest But wherefore hath the Lord suffered his work to be stopped and to lie as it were under a death Ans Howsoever neither men nor Devils could have stopped it had he pleased not to have had it so Yet he would have it stopp'd a while for these Reasons 1. To dismisse from the worke some Regiments of prophane Esau's and worldly Demasses who followed it not for love but loaves Such Hypocrites and rotten hearts the Lord could not endure to see in his work and therefore brought his Army out of the Field to disband them and to Å¿ Ps 125.5 lead them forth with the
Ah ah Doe ye think that sobs and groans will doe it Of such Libertines and profane scoffers David speaks t Psa 14.6 The Counsel of the poor afflicted ye would make abaâ—hed because Iehovah is his hope that is Ye have derided the Godly when yee heard them in affliction to call upon the Lord and would discourage them from making God their Hope by faith and prayer Indeed this strikes deep when the Enemy reproacheth our prayers Iob found it so u Job 12.4 I am as one mocked of his neighbor calling upon God And David sadly complains of it x Psa 42.3 My tears have been my meat day and night while they continually say Where is thy God Again y vers 16. As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me while they dayly say unto me Where is thy God A man that hath a weapon thrust to the bone cannot bear it long he must have it forth or dyes Though it be a grievous thing to have our prayers reproach'd yet this help we have by it namely it will force us to be the more fervent and earnest with God and not to rest day nor night till there be A TIME OF FINDING We finde in Scripture that the tryumphing of the wicked hath layn very much upon the Spirits of Saints and therefore have desired a Time of finding that the Enemy might not insult z Psa 13.34 Consider and hear me O Lord lest mine enemy say I have prevayled against him and those that trouble me rejoyce Again a Psa 140.8 Grant not O Lord the desire of the wicked further not his wicked device lest they exalt themselves What is it that Apostates and other wicked men would have That Mourners in Zion might have no Time of finding And what would they do should they have their desire It is not to be uttered the wickedness they would commit The Jewes report of one presuming to enter into the Holy of Holiest and abusing the Treasure there was by the hand of God immediately smitten The prayers and groanings of Saints are no other then Choyce things in the most Holy place And therefore when men begin to deride and reproach these Holy things surely judgment is not far off I remember Hezekiahs words b Isa 37.3 This is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy for the children are come to birth and there is not strength to bring forth What he speaketh there is our present case when the child is at the birth the woman hath her sorest travel then either death or a speedy deliverance That our Tears Prayers and Sighings are reproach'd it hath brought the Work to the Birth Ah! how Zion now travels as having her last and sharpest pangs and throws upon her Methinks I hear her cry c Luk. 8.24 Master Master we perish But fear not Zion hear what thy God speaketh d Isa 66.9 Shall I bring to birth and not cause to bring forth As the Lord by the blasphemous reproaches and scornings of the Enemy viz. Priests Lawyers and Soldiers hath brought the work to the Birth and put the sharpest pangs now upon thee so he will speedily work out thy salvation e Isa 9.7 The zeal of the Lord will perform this 2. Because the Lord knowes we are weaklings Secondly Mourners shall have a Time of finding Because the Lord f Psa 103.14 knows their frame and remembreth they are dust Things that are brittle and tender should they be roughly handled would soon break to pieces As the Lord knows we are weaklings Babes Bruised reeds and smoaking flax so g Heb. 4.15 He is touched with a feeling of our infirmities and h Isa 57.17 will not contend for ever lest our spirits should fayl before him If a father should see his child at his foot gasping for life would he not pity him and preserve him if he could from perishing i Jon. 2.7 When my Soul fainted within me said Jonah I remembred the Lord and my prayers came unto thee into thine Holy Temple And this also makes me think a time of finding is nigh Because the Name of God and the Cause of Christ lies with such weight upon the Spirits of Mourners as they are even fainting under it Poor Hagar could not indure to hear the death-groans of her child for though she had heard him awhile weep and cry for water yet when she thought he was fainting away k Gen. 21.15 16. She leaves him and goes a good way off and lifts up her voyce and wept As DEATH-GROANS are now upon travelling Zion so the Lord sees it and he will not do as Hagar did go off from her there is no need for the water is not spent in his bottle but out of his fulness he will speedily supply her by granting her a blessed time of finding If a man should hear lamentable groanings and screeches at his gate and looking out at his window should behold poor people ready to starve through cold and hunger he could not having enough by him suffer them to perish It is thus with many of Gods people at this day they lie ready to starve before the Throne of Grace either FINDING or FAINTING And will he suffer such to famish Surely he will not he cannot for his promise l Pro. 10.3 Psal 107.5 6 7. is to do otherwise Suppose a Beast carry a burden so long as through weakness it begins to sink what man would not pitie it though it be a Beast and ease him of it The BURDEN hath been so long on the Lords Little ones and the m Dan. 7.25 Horn so weared them out as poor hearts they seem almost tyr'd One cries n Psa 94.14 My foot slippeth another o Eccles 7.7 Oppression makes him mad others p Ezek. 37.11 Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost c. others q Psa 125.3 The rod of the wicked hath been so long upon them as they are ready to put forth their hands to iniquity All this God knowes to be true and he knowes r Mat. 26.41 the flesh is weak and * Ephes 6.4 Col. 3.21 Parents must not provoke ther Children lest they be discouraged But what may we gather from it Our God will suddenly come and not keep silence to save all the meek of the earth Better one man should die then the whole Nation perish Methinkes things are come to that STRAIGHT that if Christs Enemies live his faithful Friends die if their spirits fail not the others will If God do not suddenly arise for his great Name some Sobbing-hearts wil break at his foot But fear not thou Worm-Iacob Å¿ Isa 43.3 I will give men for thee saith the Lord and people for thy life He will give the Little Horn to the burning flame The Last Apostacie shall perish THE HYPOCRITE SHALL REIGN NO MORE rather then thy Spirit shall fail for