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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	adversity_n	brother_n	time_n	850	5	3.9961	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31961	An Exact collection of farewel sermons preached by the late London-ministers viz. Mr. Calamy, Mr. Watson, Mr. Jacomb, Mr. Case, Mr. Sclater, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Jenkin, Dr. Manton, Mr. Lye, Mr. Collins : to which is added their prayers before and after sermon as also Mr. Calamy's sermon for which he was imprisoned in Newgate : his sermon at Mr. Ashe's funeral and Dr. Horton's and Mr. Nalton's funeral.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1662 (1662)	Wing C241; ESTC R1910	251,365	374

please him 2. Do you please God and he will please you Mercy pleaseth us and Duty pleaseth God Now when we please God in a way of Duty he will please us in a way of Mercy If we order our wayes so as to please God he will order his wayes so as to please us 3. Great is the benefit of pleasing God even as to men and this Solomon sets before you Prov. 16. 7. When a mans wayes please the Lord he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him and he hath such another expression Prov. 22. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart the King shall be his Friend the meaning of this Scripture is this When we keep close to God and walk in complyance with his will and make it our great design to please him He will give us to find favour in the eyes of men He that maketh God his Friend God will make that mans Enemies to be his Friends Men are possibly full of anger revenge and exasperation be it so do you desire to please God God can turn their hearts towards you God can sweeten them in their spirits and take away that venome that is in them so you know he did in the case of Esau to his Brother Iacob 4. This is the way to Heaven and Happiness God will be pleased before the Sinner shal be saved Heb. 11. Enoch before his translation had this testimony that he pleased God there is no way to Heaven but by this way the Child pleaseth the Father and then the Father giveth him the Inheritance So it is here 5. Let me return to the argument in the Text God will never 〈◊〉 them alone that desire sincerely to please him 〈◊〉 this should be a very prevailing Motive to you 〈◊〉 now Please God and he will never leave you no not in a time of distress and trouble Here is the great difference betwixt a faithfull God and a false Man In time of trouble adversity men leave us forsake us in time of prosperity then they flatter as and preten●… a great deal of friendship and kindness But as no man looks upon the Dial when the Sun is under a cloud so these very men that pretend so much of Kindness and friendship if so be we do but come under a frown or into trouble then their Friendship and Kindness is at an end as Paul said No man stood by him when he came to be tried before Nero all men forsook him but God did not forsake him The Wiseman hath an expression Prov. 17. 17. A friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity But where shall we find such a friend and indeed where shall we find such a brother But now if you will please God God will stand by you when all men leave you When you have the greatest need of God he will then stand by you If you be in a Prison he will be with you If you be banished he will be with you If Sin doth not part God and you certainly no Affliction shall part God and you Study to please God Oh is it not a sad thing for God to leave you that is the saddest of all when we lose God we lose all Hos. 9. 12. Wo unto them when I depart from them What are all your mercies if God leave you no more than if a man should have a fair pleasant House and never see the Sun more Oh do the things that alwayes please the Lord and he will never leave you under mercies under afflictions he will be with you and then your mercies shall be very sweet and your afflictions shall not be very bitter You know how earnest Moses was Num. 10. 31. with his Father in law Hobab the Midianite Leave us not I pray thee forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness and thou maist be to us as eyes Oh keep God to you especially when you are entering into the wilderness of trouble God will be to you instead of eyes he will be your Counsellor your Comforter your Guide your Treasurer your Portion your All. I might add one thing more in the last place Study to please God because he is so easie to be pleased this is a motive to us to endeavour to please those persons who are easie to be pleased a Child that hath a Father that is easie to be pleased a Servant that hath a Master that is easie to be pleased will study to please them Sincerity pleaseth God though in the midst of much infirmity He is so gracious and merciful that whensoever a poor sinner doth but desire to please God he will accept of those desires If we can but please God it is no great matter whether we please men or not I shall conclude this branch with 1 Thes. 4. 1. We beseech you brethren and exhort you in the Lord Iesus that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and please God that you would abound more and more Use. By way of direction I should here shew you how you are to please God I told you in general in the morning this pleasing of God lieth in two things 1. In suitableness to his Nature 2. In subjection to his Law If you would please God in all your Actions look to this That what you do may bear some resemblance to his Nature and hold forth obedience to his Law Consult the Will of God and in all things act in conformity to that Will do not allow your selves in the Commission of any known sin for that will certainly displease God as it was said of David when he took Bathsheba to Wife but saith the Text The thing displeased the Lord. Do not bauk any known duty for that will displease God In a word be holy in all manner of Conversation This being too general I shall not insist upon it only in a word more particularly Do those things now make Conscience of those Duties which now lie upon you in the doing of which you will certainly please God And they are such as these Be stedfast in the good wayes of God in the midst of a backsliding and apostatizing age stand fast to the law of God Phil. 4. 1. Contend for the faith which is delivered to the Saints the 3d. Verse of the Epistle of Iude. Be not ashamed to own Christ before all the World if you be ashamed of him on Earth he will be ashamed of you in heaven and wo be to that Sinner whom Christ is ashamed to own Reckon Reproaches for the Name of Christ better than the Pleasure of sin that is but for season When God calleth you to it assert the purity and spirituality of Gospel-worship Do not place Religion in a few Shadows where the Substance is neglected but chiefly mind Self-denial Mortification Crucifixion to the World keeping up close Communion with God Love the people of God whatever the World say or think of thee for God is

Gospel see there what Christ is and thy necessity of him Believing will open the door to entertaining of him assent will procure thy consent Thirdly Keep up no Idol in thy heart against him Turn out that that keeps out Christ. How dear soever it seems now at last thou wilt see it more necessary to detest than keep it I come now to exhort all poor weak Christians that they would make after confirmation and grow to a greater measure in Grace as they have received Christ. It is not enough to be conceited that you have been converted and it will not be enough to the assurance of your conversion or safety of your souls that you think you are converted and sit down there he that is content with the opinion that he hath Grace and therefore desires to have no more because the promise of salvation is made to the Truth of Grace it 's a sign he never had Grace strength in Grace is your own felicity 't is part of your happiness Your eternal happiness will partly consist in your personal perfection and without personal perfection all heavenly glory will not be a perfect felicity If you have fixed your Anchor in Gods Promises this engages you to look up make after and proceed c. Take these Motives First Consider there is the same reason to move thee to grow and proceed as there was to move thee to thy first believing Why did you become Christians but because of the necessity of the riches and excellencies of Christ and that there was better things in Christ than in the World And are they not so still Is the case changed If Christianity was reasonable then it is reasonable now if it was necessary to begin it is necessary to hold on and proceed in your Race till you have obtained the Crown Secondly Your receiving Christ essentially contains in it an obligation to proceed and go further actually to trust and obey him whom you have taken for your Lord and Saviour from the very offices and relations of Christ received If I be a Father where is my fear If I be a Master where is my Honour If I be a Saviour where is your Confidence in me Submission to my saving-work Obedience to my healing Precepts If I be your Lord and Master why do not you learn of me as your Master c Your first Covenant engages you to proceed in fulfilling the things promised in your Covenant c. Better not to have promised to be his people than to promise and break this promise The very Mercies also you received from him pardoning your former sin entertainment in his Church and all the blessings there found are as so many obligations to proceed 3. Ever since we came home to Christ we have had an addition of Reasons besides the first Reason we had to believe Every day brings in new c. Certainly if a little were desirable more were more desirable If the people that stood afar off and never tried what Christ and Grace is were bid to come in those that have tried and tasted are bound to proceed much more You have the Spirit of God experiences of his love tasted the bitterness of sin have had some trial of the truth of such things of which we speak when others have eyes and see not c. And will you turn back that have tasted c. 4. Consider how much hath been lost upon many a soul for want of care to take rooting and to proceed How much labour of the Ministry mercies of God pains and care of their own I speak of those that have seemed sincere not been indeed so that have many times comforted the hearts of their Ministers and Friends and have had some kind of comfort to themselves in that taste they have had of the good Word of God How many times hath the Preacher been gladded to see such a one come to him seemingly with a broken heart seeming to set himself in the way of life yet the flesh prevailed for want of Confirmation How many years have some spent in duty in hearing prayer gracious society profession of Religion yet afterwards the World hath drown'd all What cause have you to see you lose not the things you have wrought 5. Consider how much of the Work of your own salvation since you are converted is yet undone Though you are sure your conversion is true how many temptations to resist enemies to conquer duties to perform and Heaven to be taken upon all those terms as is the tenour of your Christianity therefore you had need to stand fast and having done all to stand you had need not only to believe but to wait and be patient in believing and to proceed in the way you have chosen 6. The want of strength and building up makes the lives of many full of lamentable languishingweaknesses scandals unto others pain calamity and trouble to themselves How long in healing And how much smart and pain while the fruit of their own folly is cured How easily and how frequently do temptations prevail And hence as in a Wilderness they are going one step forward another backward no evident keeping in God and all through the fruit of their own languishing weakness The fruits of the sins of Professors have been such that it should make you do all you can possibly to escape the troubles at home and reproaches abroad 7. A life of spiritual weakness is usually a burden unto him that hath it it doth not only occasion his falling into sin and so renews the wounds of his soul but is a constant burden to him not that any measure of Grace is troublesome but that which consists with so great a measure of remaining corruption this is the burden Sickness is burdensome though there be life Methinks you should not then be reconciled to your fears you should methinks see so great a difference between the sick and well that for your own peace-sake you should seek after confirmation Every duty they do is their pain which is anothers pleasure prayer c. their burden sometimes tired wearied dull c. presently overwhelmed with temptation every duty is a grievance to them through the weakness of their grace and by their corruption 8. Christians that are weak and not confirmed lose abundance of the fruit of Gods Ordinances that are improved by others How many a truth that tasts exceeding sweet to others hath no great relish to them nor growth by it A healthfull man hath more relish in ordinary fare then a sick person in varieties The full stomack loaths the Honey-comb 9. The weak and unconfirmed Christian is unprofitable comparatively unto others not that the Church would wish the weakest Member out but comparatively unconfirmed Christians are very unprofitable unto others like little children in the family that must be looked to make work for a great many more about them What doth a sick person but the work of others is to feed support and be

if God take them away c Answ. 'T is not the denyal of publick liberty that loses that loses that relation between a Pastor and his Flock nor any word from man should cause a poor soul to trust it self for guidance of Salvation to one that is not able a man's soul is not to be hazarded upon damnation by being deprived of the Officers and Ordinances of Christ and cast upon the conduct of a blind guide meerly for the pleasuring of a meer man 6. Be sure you understand the nature of Church-union and necessity of maintaining it and abhorr all wayes that are truly Schismatical that would rent and divide the Church of Christ. As you must not under pretence of avoiding Schism cast your soul upon apparent hazard of damnation so you must maintain the necessity of Church-Union and Communion when Christ's members walk in Communion with Christ's members supposing that which is singular to the generality of judicious men Take heed of any thing that would withdraw you from the Communion of the generality of those that are sound in the Faith Take heed of withdrawing from the main body of Believers Christ is the Head of his Church he will never condemn his Church walk in those substantials Christ's Church hath walked in Divisions among Christians is a sin God hath described as odious and tending to the ruine of Christians Be very suspicious of any that would draw you from the main body of Believers and keep Communion with the Universal Church of Christ with the generality of the godly in love and affection c. 7. Be sure your own hearts and ways be the matter of your dayly study and when hypocrites have their work abroad let yours be much at home while they make it their business to censure this and that man let the main of your business be in dressing the inward of your own hearts in keeping all right between God and you Observe your hearts inclinations if any inordinate inclination after any thing set a special guard mark which way your thoughts go that you may know your inclinations by your thoughts In an especial manner preserve tenderness of Conscience fear of sin loathfulness to displease God let truth have the mastery maintain such a Conscience that dares not sin to save your lives be sure you sin not willfully obey the light 8. Be sure to keep up continually a lively apprehension of the state and place of your everlasting happiness to live by faith upon the unseen world Know where your happiness lies and what it is that you grow not to carnal apprehensions of your happiness Live upon Heaven and let that be it that shall animate your faith to duty and all that you may still be weary of vexations and sensible of the vanities here below Let your conversation be above Be confirmed in your apprehensions of the certainty and excellency of eternal blessedness grow more in Heavenly-mindedness and in satisfaction of soul in the hopes you have of these things 9. Understand the nature method and power of temptations how to resist them and live in watchfulness Be not a stranger to Satan and his methods of tempting what you have to watch against and oppose where you must be armed Understand the nature of Christian watchfulness keep up a constant resolution and courage in resisting especially the temptations you carry about with you of your calling constitution company and of the times set them down remember them keep a special Observation of them all and say This and this it is I am in danger of and 't is my integrity and salvation that 's in danger and here place a special guard and make it your business to resist The principal cause of Christians negligence in this is the security of their Consciences and love of their Sins did you know your danger you would better look after your safety 2 Cor. 2. 11. 10. Especially understand how much the flesh and carnal self is an Enemy to God and your souls and how much you are engaged by the Christian Covenant to live in a warfare against your selves and against your flesh You must not think the life of self-pleasing is consistent with Religion understand how you are bound to take the flesh for your enemy to watch against it and to live in a continual combat with it Col. 3. 5. The flesh is your chiefest enemy the very senses themselves are all grown inordinate and the work of faith is very much seen in its exercise this way if you get an opinion that you may eat and drink and cloathe c. and do all things to gratifie your selves c. then no wonder if you find but little increase in spirituals while you grow so carnal Understand and practise the duty of Self-denial Self is the very heart of sin Humor it not under pretence of liberty in Religion 11. Give not way to a formal heartless seeming Religiousness Customariness without the life but keep your souls in a continual seriousness and awakedness about God Immortality and your great Concernments If one duty be dead take heed lest that incline you to a deadness in another and so grow to a customary deadness Take heed of spiritual slothfulness that makes you keep your hands in your bosom when you should be doing for your souls stir up to and in duty when you have but little time for life eternal do not pray as if you prayed not or hear as though you heard not but when upon duty doing Gods service do it with all the seriousness and vigour you can To grow lazie and negligent is the declining way Use such considerations as may stir you up Rom. 12. 11. Tit. 2. 14. 12. Remember alwayes the worth of time and greatness of your work and therefore so value time as not negligently or slothfully to lose a moment it will quickly be gone and when you are at the last you will better know its worth harken to no temptation that will draw you to any trifling abusing wasting of your precious time If thou hast no argument against thy sports trifling pleasures c. but this It loses my time take it for a greater argument then if it lose thee thy money friends or any thing in the world especially value the preciousest of your time your Youth your morning hours especially the Lords day lose not any part of it but improve it with your selves and families lose not a moment of the Lord's-day nor any of thy precious time thou canst spare and redeem if thou hast lost any be humbled for it and be carefull to redeem the rest look back Do you approve of the time that is past could you not have spent it better remember what you have lost let that quicken you look before you remember what is to be done and do that first which must be done and then leave trifles to that time you have to spare It is ignorance and idleness and not want of work that

of this world only but spiritual things in some sort as to enjoy them and partake of them in this life have their inconveniences and disparagement annext and are mingled with something that abates of their worth an instance of which we have here in this present Scripture which the Apostle Paul signifies to us concerning the enjoyment of the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ. He had in the verse before the Text told us the great priviledge that both Ministers and others had in having the glorious Gospel viz. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ shining into our hearts the consideration of which is of great encouragement to us yet adds this as a qualification of it viz. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels c. That which doth qualifie it is That this excellent treasure hath its conveyances through weak and mean persons men of frailty and mortality In the words there are two main parts I. The Dispensation it self II. The Account of it I. The Dispensation it self This Treasure we have in earthen Vessels c. II. The account of it That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us I shall begin with the first the Dispensation it self which hath two branches 1. The Depositum the thing laid up 2. The Repository in which this Treasure is laid up First The Depositum or thing laid up which is a Treasure and what is this Treasure but the Gospel of Jesus Christ The Gospel is a Treasure according to a twofold consideration In respect of the 1. Matter of it 2. Ministry of it Both make up a treasure The Matter of it the things of the Gospel are rich things and the conveyances of it the Ministerial gifts and ability by which the Gospel is administred do make up the Treasure 'T is a treasure in both respects 2. In respect of the matter of it therefore it is we read of the Riches of Christ of the Riches of the Gospel The Scripture makes mention of three things wherein the Gospel is agreeable to a treasure 2. A Treasure is a thing of dignity and worth it is not a company of pebbles though many that will make up a Treasure a Treasure consists of things of worth and dignity and thus is the Gospel in it are contained excellent and admirable truths the Mysteries of salvation by Christ the doctrine of the Gospel brings glad tidings of peace and reconciliation with God in Christ there we have the gifts and graces of God there we have glory and immortality c. and those things in the Gospel Gospel are administred to us there is no science in the world brings such treasure as this 2. The Gospel is a treasure for variety abundance and plurality 'T is not one thing of worth but many that makes up a treasure if few yet much worth must be comprehended in them so in the Gospel we have the manifold wisdome of God the rich Treasures of Wisdome and Knowledge The Gospel though it be but one for substance yet 't is many for improvements 't is a chain of many links one saith but divers articles of it so it is a treasure in that respect 3. 'T is a treasure for its closeness we do not open a treasure to every one but it is kept close The Gospel is a secret mystery hidden not revealed to every one it is not discovered to carnal worldly men though it may be revealed to them in the outward proposition yet not in the spirituality of it But where shall wisdome be found and where is the place of understanding saith I●…b ch 28. v. 12. The peace of the Gospel is a treasure hid in the field not found by every one 2. The Gospel is a treasure in respect of the Ministry of it so the Apostle hints 't is not only light but a shining light which hath shining into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God c. 'T is a treasure in this respect viz. in the discovery and shining of it the conveyances the several gifts and graces of the Ministery by which the Gospel is conveyed to us makes up a treasure and as the Ministry is a treasure so the opportunities and advantages thereof are Thus the Gospel and the Ministry thereof is precious and ought to be esteemed and made use of by us We should highly account of the Gospel and put a high value on it for it is a treasure yea it is a treasure in the want of other treasures they are rich that are made partakers of it Silver and gold have I none saith St. Peter to the Cripple but such as I have I give it thee this is the priviledge of Ministers though it may be poor in respect of themselves yet are rich to others These excellent riches are committed to us and accordingly we must not only make use of them our selves but make them known to others the Gospel is a treasure not for us to keep but to discover reveal and manifest to others to give the light of the glory of God c. This is the work of the Ministry We have indeed this treasure but not for our selves only but for others so we are to keep it to preserve and maintain it but so as to be diligent to impart what is committed to us for the edification of others Every Scribe instructed in the Kingdome of Heaven as a good house-holder bringeth forth things new and old The Gospel is a treasure therefore we ought to carry our selves answerable to it As 1. We must labour for it be diligent in the search of it dig for it as for hidden treasur●…s Lift up thy voice for understanding c. Prov. 2. 2 3 4. Dig for it you know there is a great deal of pains taken and labour used to get worldly treasure Wh●…t would not men venture for it they will go over Sea and Land go through fire and water expose themselves to all dangers for earthly treasure make unto themselves Friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness pass away a great deal of time and take a great deal of care for it 2. Esteem this treasure this heavenly wisdome this Evangelical knowledge even the Gospel of Christ labour to understand it and have the efficacy of it wroug●… it upon your hearts 3. Rejoyce in it how do men rejoyce in earthly treasure so should we as the Merchant in the Gospel when he had found the Pearl of Price rejoyced exceedingly so we ought as being made partakers thereof I rejoyced at thy word even as one that had found great spo●…ls saith David so should we rejoyce alwaies in this treasure 'T is said of those that sate under Iohn Baptists Ministry that they rejoyced but for a while and that is the condition and misery of many The City of Samaria when they had received the Gospel 't is said they had great joy Act. 8. 9.