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A36938 The Christian's compass, or, The mariner's companion being a brief compendium of the principles of religion, in the things which are necessary to be known and practised by all who profess the name of Christ / long since prepared, and now published by John Durant ... Durant, John, b. 1620. 1658 (1658) Wing D2671; ESTC R8810 36,678 107

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Affection and give you short Rules for so the Rules of Art ought to be in these things to make up the mystery of spiritual soul-navigation CHAP. III. Things necessary to be known by a spiritual Sea-man according to the points of his compass THE first thing which God made was light And the first piece of the new Creation is knowledge That therefore we may begin aright wee l begin with this and shew what are the principal things necessary to be known by a spiritual Sea-man Now ere I proceed I will premise this That I shall make the Se●… compass as it were the rule and pattern of my discourse which indeed was the occasional ground of these contemplations And answerable to the general points of the compass I shall hint such things as I conceive necessary to be known and done by a Christian in order to the steering rightly and safely to the blessed Port or Haven of happiness Upon this account I shall lay down four heads of truth to be known according unto the principal points of the compass and in allusion unto them I shall make God my North Christ my East Holiness my South and Death my West points Now the reason of this my allusion is this Jerusalem hath been generally conceived to be in the midst of the Earth and therefore some have called it the Navel of the World for as the Navel is in the midst of the body so say they is Jerusalem in the midst of the earth And hence it was that especially in Scripture-notion and language places have their denomination of scituation according as they lay about or stood with reference unto Jerusalem Eying therefore Jerusalem as our center I remember that on the North-side of it was the City of the Great King on the East the Mount of Olives on which Christ stood when he came at first to that City and on which he shall stand when he comes again Zach. 14.4 On the South-side was Mount Sion called the Mountain of holinesse Psal 87.1 And on the West-side was Mount Calvery and the valley of dead mens bones Upon this account it is I shall make my allusion to the North for God to the East for Christ to the South for holiness and to the West for death Now there can be no exception against this Allegorical speculation as to the handling of the things alluded unto save onely the first is not so clear viz. that the North should be for God It 's clear enough to any eye that as to the other three particulars there can be no ground to question their parallelling But why the North should be put by way of parallel for God may seem not so evident To clear that therefore consider that of Psal 48 2. Beautiful for scituation the joy of the whole Earth is Mount Sion on the sides of the North the city of the great King The meaning of which I cannot conceive as some do viz. that its spake of Mount Sion as if that were on the North-side of Jerusalem Our Maps and Geographers shew the contrary Mount Sion being on the South but I take it thus that on the North-side of Sion was the city of the great King i. e. Jerusalem or that part which was called the City lay North-ward of Sion as Josephus and others attest and so when it is said The joy of the whole earth is Mount Sion on the sides of the North the city of the great King the meaning is clear that the North side of Sion was the city of the great King Hence I conceive was that speech of the pride of Lucifer who when he would exalt his throne above the stars of God adds he would sit also in the sides of the North Isa 14.13 i. e. on the side which was accounted Gods which if it should be understood of the Mount Moriah as some do it still holds with our notion of the Norths being eyed as the place of God for Moriah was on the North-side of Sion and why may not I harmlesly at least collect that God stands for the North from that in Psal 75.6 where promotion is denyed to come from the East or South or West and without mention of the North it 's said to come from God as if it were a known motion God put for the North I will therefore presume that if I erre in the exactness of my allusion that yet 't is pardonable and therefore I 'le proceed hereupon as I said to put North for God East for Christ South for Holinesse and West for Death A Jove principium Let 's begin therefore as Mariners do with our North-point i.e. with God surely we shall not make a prosperous voyage without him sith he is the first to be known And being wel skilled in this point we shall presume and may expect fair weather will come out of this North as the phrase is Job 37.22 to make us happy in our spiritual failing Concerning God therefore I shall lay down these particulars as necessary to be known which I shall not expatiate upon only clearly and distinctly mention 1. We must know that God is Heb. 11.6 we must beware of saying with the fool there is no God Creation Providence even rain and fruitful seasons are his witnesses A●● 14.17 not to mention those grand and undeniable testimonies of scriptures and conscience But this is the first set it in your hearts that there is a God and however Heathens speak of many yet to us Christians there is but one God 1 Cor 8.5 6 2. We must know that this God is the chiefest good It 's onely himself and the light of his countenance which can make us happy Psal 4.6 7. Blessed are they that see i. e that enjoy him Mat. 5.8 Mat. 18.10 Now this is a principle necessary to be known viz. That God is that supreme good in the enjoyment of whom all true happinesse lyes All our love and labour to and for God depends upon this principle and the knowledge and belief hereof is of absolute necessity to make us happy 3. Life eternal lying in God and he being incomprehensible and unconceivable in essence as being a spirit We must know our best way to eye him is in his attributes Exod. 34.5 6 7. and works as Rom. 1.20 Especially in his Son as 2 Cor. 4.6 Read these Scriptures rememember them Gods Names declare his Nature his works intimate his being but his Son is the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person 4. We must know that as God is a spirit so our onely and chiefest way of knowing enjoying serving and walking with him is in the spirit likewise Joh. 4.24 As God is so he ought to be known and served And he being a spirit he is only in a saving way known by the light of his own spirit and served in the simplicity and strength of our spirits These four things are the least that we can know in order to happiness concerning