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A69644
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The life of faith in times of trial and affliction cleared up and explained from Hebrews X:XXXVIII ... / by Ioh. Brown ...
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Brown, John, 1610?-1679.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing B5034; ESTC R7844
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214,019
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528
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Church here should taste of the Worm-wood the Gall of Affliction and wade thorow Trouble and Persecution He hath seen it fit that she should be in a wilderness Condition here And so it hath been in almost all ages as might be evidenced if necessary 2. Not only hath the Church of God met with Affliction but the cup hath been long at her Head without any intermission The seed of Abraham were to be strangers to serve and be afflicted foure hundereth yeers and more even from Ismaels beginning to mock until they were delivered out of Aegypt Gen. 15 v. 13. Act. 7 6 7. with Exod. 12 41. Was not the Church keeped fourtie yeers wandering in the Wilderness before she came to rest And when settled in the promised Land how many yeers together was she oppressed by Enemies sometimes Eight Iudg. 3 8. then Eighteen vers 14. then Twenty Iudg. 4 v. 3. Then Senventie Years in captivity in Babylon And we know how the Christian Church was in an afflicted and persecuted condition in the primitive times three hundereth Yeers untill Constantine the great came to the Empire and how long she hath groaned under Antichrist's tyrannie 3. The Lord also thinketh good to renew the daies of the Church her sorrow after some warm blainks and some short respite as the primitive Church had in the intervals betwixt the Ten vehement and fiery Persecutions some whereof were of longer some of shorter continuance After a respite He sendeth a new storme so that her calamites are like waves of the sea ere one be well away another cometh Hence the Psalmist saith Ps. 129. vers 1 2. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth 4. Yea moreover the Lord seeth good to afflict her with billowes of waves of His displeasure and to afflict her very sore as Esai 64. vers 9 10 11 12. Be not wroth very sore Thy holy cities are a wilderness Zion is a wilderness Ierusalem a desolation Our holy and our beautiful house where our fathers praised thee is burnt up with fire and all our pleasant things are laid waste wilt thou refraine thy self for these things O Lord wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict us very sore This was a sore stroke which destroyed both Church and State 5. Some times the Church hath to do with moe Enemies than one at once See Psal. 83. ver 5 6 7 8. For they have consulted together with one consent they are consederat against thee The Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines with the Inhabitants of Tyre Assur also is joined with them they have holpen the children of Lot This was a dreadful conspiracy of all the Enemies round about both far and neer and their designe was to cut off the people of God from being a Nation that the Name of Israel might be no more in remembrance vers 4. As Herod and Pilat will agree when they are to concurre to the cutting off of Christ so these Enemies though sometimes at variance among themselves yet can agree in one to joine their forces together to destroy and cut off if they could the Inheritance of the Lord. 6. Withall the Lord may hide His face in the midst of these outward calamities and refuse to give light comfort counsel or direction She may be afflicted and tossed with tempests and withall not comforted How hath the Lord said the Church Lam. 2. v. 1 3. covered the Daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger He burned against Iacob like a flame of fire See also Chap. 3 8 9 10 11 c. and several other passages 7. Sometime the Lord so ordereth the affliction as that the very timeing of it maketh it much more heavy than otherwise it would be as when His people are secure and crying peace peace The Israelites thought all was well when they were gote out of Egypt but ere they were awar how quickly were they invironed with new Difficulties pursued by Pharaoh all his hosts having the red sea before and no way to escape upon either hand doubtless the very season time of this new difficulty made it very grievous It cannot be but sad when it is with the Church as Ieremie saith of the Church in his time Ier. 8 v. 15. and 14 19. We looked for peace but no good came for a time of healing and behold trouble 8. Not only is the Church put to contend with open Enemies but she is also much molested with false friends who under pretence of friendship seek to ruine her These prove most dangerous Enemies as traitours within a besieged place While she is prospering many offer their service to her and seem to be cordial friends and yet are but a mixed multitude who when the first occasion offers will seek to returne to Egypt for all their profession of kindness and friendship when a fit opportunity offereth there are none more bitter Enemies than they are So that it oft fareth with her as Paul said it would fare after his death with the Church of Ephesus in respect of Hereticks and false Teachers Act. 20. vers 29 30 For I know this that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall men arise speaâ—…ing perverse things c. 9. Yea so low may the Church sometimes be brought under the feet of adversaries that little hope may remaine of her recovery yea she may be looked on by one and other as in a desperat and forlorne condition so that even many of the faithful may be shaken in their hops and saying will the Lord be favourable no more Are His mercies clean gone Doth His promise fail for ever more Hath He forgotten to be gracious Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies Such may be her condition that all humane probability of her recovery may be gone and the faithful have nothing but a bare haire ofhop to hold by or a small plank ofa promise that also under the waters of contrary dispensations to stand upon and so far may the delivery be out of sight that when it beginneth to dawne they may be as those that dream Ps. 126. vers 1. 10. Yet withall it is considerable that notwithstanding of all the opposition made by the Devil and his Instruments against the Church she hath been a burning bush and yet not consumed though she hath been many a time afflicted and that from her youth yet her adversaries have not prevailed against her the plowers have often plowed upon her back and made long their furrowes yet still the righteous Lord hath cut the cordes of the wicked Psa. 129. vers 1 2 3 4. Many an arrow have they shot at her yet mount Zion stands and she hath her Towers Bulwarcks and Palaces Psal. 48. She is founded upon the rock of ages and the ports of hell cannot prevail against her Mat. 16. No
thus hate Him and corrupt His Ordinances This was also given as a cause of the destruction that came on this People 2 Chron. 36 v. 14. They polluted the House of the Lord which He had hallowed in Jerusalem So Ezek. 5 vers 11. it was threatned Wherefore as I live saith the Lord God surely because thou hast defiled my Sanctuary with all thy detestable things and with all thine abominations therefore will I also diminish thee neither shall mine eye sparer neither will I have pity See also the following Verses where the dreadfulness of the blow is laid forth yea saith he Vers 13. thus shall mine anger be accomplished and I will cause my fury to rest upon them and I will be comforted And all is sealed in end Vers 17. with this I the Lord have spoken it So Ezek. 7 vers 20. As for the beauty of his Ornament he set it in Majesty But they made the Images of their Abominations and of their detestable things therein This was their sin and what followeth Therefore have I set it far from them or made it unto them an unclean thing And further in the following Verses He threatneth to give it into the hands of strangers for a prey and to robbers who shall defile it c. See likewise Chapt. 8. throughout and Chap. 23 vers 38 39 So Jerem. 9 vers 12 13 c. The Land was perishing and was burnt up like a Wilderness that none passeth thorow And wherefore was this Because saith the Lord they have forsaken my law which I set before them and have not obeyed my voice neither walked therein but have walked after the imagination of their own heart and after Baalim which their Fathers taught them c. 4. When a land or Church maketh defection from God apostatizeth breaketh wedlock renounceth their Covenant relation then a sword is to be expected wherewith the Lord shall avenge the quarrel of His Covenant Levit 26 25. there is ground to fear that judgment shall inevitably overtake such sinners For thus was it with this people of Judah Ier. 2 9 10. 11 12 13. So Ier. 4 16 17 18. They had forsaken God and rebelled against Him and therefore came destruction upon destruction v. 28. and Ier. 11 10. Because they brake God's Covenant which He had made with their Fathers Therefore v. 11. He threatned to bring evil upon them which they should not be able to escape and that He would not Hearken though they should cry unto Him And then followeth vers 14. Therefore pray not thou for this people c. So Ier. 22 6 7. The Lord threatned to make them a wilderness and Cities not inhabited in so much that Nations shall be astonished and enquire what can be the cause of this And the answere they shall receive is this v. 9. Because they â—…ave forsaken the Covenant of the Lord their God and wâ—…rshipped other Gods srved them And in this same place Ier. 15 6. it is said Thou hast forsaken me saith the Lord thou art gone backward therefore will I stretch out mine hand against thee destroy thee I am weary with repenting See what was threatned for breach of Covenant Ier. 34 v. 17 18 19 20. The Lord said He would proclame a liberty to the sword to the pestilence and to the famine and would make them to be removed into all the Kingdomes of the earth and give all ranks among them into the hands of their Enemies and give their dead bodies to be meat unto the fowls of heaven and to the beasts of the earth We see Ezek. 16. how the Lord deduceth along process against them and proveth them to have plaid the harlot and that in a most impudent manner And how therefore he saith that He will judge her as a woman that breaketh wedlock v. 38. make his fury towards them to rest and his jealousie shall depart and He will be quiet vers 42. and againe v. 59. He saith I will even deal with thee as thou hast done which hast despised the oath in breaking the Covenant See the like charged upon Israel as the ground of their desolation Hos. 4 12 13 14. 5 4 5 6 7. 8 1 2 9 1 2 3. 13 16. 5. When this Defection and Apostasie from God in the matter of Religion is accompanied with gross immoralities fearful sins against the Second table of the Law which the very light of Nature condemneth then may the guilty fear an unavoidable stroke a blow of justice that shall not be evited for the Lord will not have it said or supposed by strangers that He will bear with gross impieties in His own professed people and suffer them to exceed the heathen in wickedness without control or punishment We see this people of Judah upon whom inevitable ruine was coming were charged likewise with many gross and hainous impieties Ier. 5 26 27 28 29. There vvere among them wicked men they did lay waite as such as laid snares they set a trap they watched men their houses were full of deceit yea they did overpasse the deeds of the wicked thereupon it followeth v. 29 Shall I not visite for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soul be avenged of such a Nation as this So Ier. 9 1. They were all adulterers an assembly of treacherous men they bend their tongues for lies like bowes they did proceed from evil to evil they taught their tongues to speak lies and deceived their Neighbours they spoke peacably but in heart they did lay wait Therefore it is added v. 9. Shall I not visite them for these things c. So Jer. 21 12. O house of David thus saiâ—…h the Lord execute judgement in the morning and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressour lâ—…st my fury go out like fire and burn that none can quench it because of the evil of your doings These things were neglected by them and therefore wrath came upon them at length and there was no remedie Jer. 22 3 4 5 6. And the Prophet Ezekiel hath the same charge against this people Chap. 5 5 6. They changed Gods judgments into wickedness more than the Nations and his statutes more than the Countreys And therefore the Lord threatned v. 8 9 10. to execute judgment in the midst of them and to do that unto them which He had not done before and the like whereof He would not do any more He would bring on them an unexemplified stroke and a stroke that should not have a parallel And againe Chap. 9 9 10. The iniquity of the house of Israel and of Judah is exceeding great and the Land is full of blood and the city full of perversness And therefore it is added mine eye shall not spare neither will I have pity but I will recompense their way upon their head Therefore was it that commission was given to the Lord's executioners to go thorow and slay Old and young