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A86336
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Strength made perfect in weakness In four sermons preached by William Hickocks M.A.
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[Hickocks, William, fl. 1674]
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1674
(1674)
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Wing H1918A; ESTC R230656
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47,395
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104
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thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee God will be with his People underneath shall be his everlasting arms God was with his People of Old in Egypt in the Wilderness in Captivity he was with Daniel in the Den with Paul and Silas in the Stocks with Peter in Prison with John in Pathmos Secondly God will do us good by our trouble Rom. 8. vers 28. All things shall work together for good to those that love God c. and in very faithfullness thou hast afflicted me saith David and it is good for me that I have been afflicted c. and who can harme you if you do well saith Paul God will draw us off from sin by it make us meet to be pertakers of Heaven our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Thirdly God will in due time bring you out of trouble God will not alwaies leave his People in trouble the Rod of the wicked shall not alwaies rest upon the back of the righteous and Psal 34.4 I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me and vers 17. The Righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles Oh let 's labour to have an humble Spirit to be affected with and humbled for our sins and a praying Spirit and God will deliver us waite but for a time c. It is good for a man to waite and quietly to hope for the Salvation of the Lord. Lam. 3.26 For God will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able but will make away to escape But to go on And stablish you c. Doct. Christians should labour to be Established First in every good word let your speech be alwaies seasoned with grace our discourses should never be frothy but Savory Eph. 5.3.4 Foolishnes and filthy talking let it no be once named saith the Apostle and by the way take heed of deriding Scripture of jesting with Scripture Phrases but the meaning of the words is that you may be stablished in the Truth of the Gospel that is in all Doctrinal and Practical truths the meaning is I pray saith the Apostle that you be not led a side by the errour of the wicked either in regard of unsound Opinions or unholy conversation hold fast the form of sound words walk in the truth with well doing buy the truth and sell it not labour to be sound in God's statutes in regard of your judgment and sincere in your practices I should have given you many Motives to press you to this duty of stablishing Motive I. This will be to the honour of God and make the world believe that God is in this People of a truth certainely ther 's a God in Heaven that makes his People on Earth to be steadfast in their service of God that they will not turn aside from the commands of God Motive II. Again this will be the joy of Ministers here and hereafter 3. Epistle of Job ver 4. I have no greater joy then to hear that my Children walk in truth and Paul tells us of these Thessalonians that their steadfastness did comfort him in all his afflictions 1. Thes 3.7.8.9 Therefore my Brethren we were comforted over you in all our afflictions and distress by your faith for now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord for what thanks can we render to God again for you for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God I this will rejoyce our hearts indeed if you hold fast stand fast and we cannot tell how to be thankfull enough to God for it oh what a joy is this that God hath honoured us so far that the word of God in our mouths was not in vaine but that People continue in the truth and so it will be the Ministers joy hereafter 1 Thes 2.19.20 For what is our hope or joy or Crown of rejoycing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming for ye are our glory and joy There will be the glory of Ministers when they come before the judgment seat of Christ when they can say Lord here am I and the Children thou hast given me and then to conclude with that Phil. 4.1 Therefore my brethren dearly beloved and longed for my joy and Crown so stand fast in the Lord my dearly beloved Motive III. And lastly this will be for your comfort in this World and in another world by this you will make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.11 And so an entrance shall be Ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom c. and that you may be so Means I. First labour to converse much in the Scriptures do but as they direct you and you will not do a miss this was the commendation of the Bareans they were called Noble because they searched the Scriptures most People erre from the truth not knowing the Scriptures Psal 1. Therefore if you would not walk in the Counsel of the ungodly not stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornfull let your delight be to meditate in the Law of the Lord. 1. Joh. 4.1 Beloved believe not every spirit but trie the Spirits whether they be of God trie them how Trie all Doctrines bring them to the Touchstone to the word take no Opinion upon trust weigh Opinions in the balance of the Sanctuary Isa 8.20 To the law and to the Testimony c. and 2 Pet. 1.19 We have a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto you do well to take heed c. Means II. Secondly if we would be established let us be very watchfull and that the rather because unsound Doctrines and ungodly Practices are very suitable to our corrupt Natures be watchfull that you may be strengthened in the waies of the Lord take heed that you fall not from your own steadfastness Means III. Thirdly be earnest with God in prayer that he would stablish you and that Reason I. First because none can stablish you but God Joh. 15.5 Without me you can do nothing there is so much unbelief remains in the heart of the best men in the World that we shall soon depart from God unless he keep us therefore we must watch our hearts Now he that stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is God 2 Cor. 1.21 Reason II. Secondly let 's pray to him for stablishing because he hath promised to stablish his People in every good â—ord and work though God's people my backslide for a time yet if they belong to God he will humble them for their sins it shall cost them dear and as Paul prays for it 1 Thes 3.13 That they might be stablished so he tells them of God's promise Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good Work in you will perform it untill the day
that will not be long for as the Apostle speaks What is your life it is even as a vapour that soon passeth away if always afflicted whilest thou livest remember the time is hastning that thou shalt dye and then no longer disturbed this saddens thy Spirit that so long thy condition hath been uncomfortable let this support thee thou shalt not be for ever miserable Psal 68.13 ver Though ye have lien among the pots yet shall ye be as the wings of a Dove covered with Silver and her feathers with yellow Gold though you have been in this afflicted and uncomfortable estate yet the time of joy and prosperity is coming to you remember that temptations may be sore and great and may seem to be long yet they will be but for a time they will not last always these clouds will be blown over after rain will come Sun-shine though the Lord hide his face for a moment weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning I may say to many of us let our troubles be what they will those that believe in God and endeavour faithfully to serve him to them is alotted the more troubles If we have lived but any considerable time in the World I may say to you that are elder as the Apostle saith in another case The night is far spent the night of your sorrow is almost at an end the day of the resurrection a coming that day of gladness when you shall not know what affliction means when Pharaoh asked Jacob how old he was he tells him and afterwards saith he Few and evil have been the days of my life If the days of our life be evil let this comfort us they are but few they shall be few you know the life of man it is not many years many of us have out-lived most of those years it will be â—ut for a season the time is coming all these sorrows and miseries will be out of season The length of a trouble doth greaten it though it be small in it self a little burden carryed a great way is great and so the shortness of a trouble doth much lessen it though our troubles be great yet remember they shall not last always they shall be but for a season Lift up therefore the hands that hang down and the feeble knees I may say as the Apostle doth Fourthly If need be saith the Apostle you are in heaviness through manifold temptations If need be why then this is implied that sometimes there is need you should have temptations there is a necessity for it from whence the Doctrine is this Doct. I. That there is need sometimes why the people of God the faithful people of God should be under manifold temptations should be afflicted in the World As distempered bodies need Physick as well as food so Souls that are distempered with sin need afflicting providences as well as holy Ordinances Gods own children are not such but sometimes they need the rod as well as the Word they need affliction as well as Instruction there is need if need be there is sometimes a necessity in the ordinary way of Gods providence why Gods people should be under trouble Quest If any should ask what need there is I thought to have Answered it in these twelve Particulars but I will only speak to some few of them First There is need why Gods people should be afflicted or tempted to discover the truth of their graces there is need therefore of affliction that they may be made to appear what indeed they are times of trouble are times of tryal and thence it is that afflictions are in this verse called by the name of temptations Through manifold temptations that is through manifold troubles and trials or through diverse trials diverse troubles I say afflictions are here and so often elsewhere called temptations because they try what people are Psal 66.10 ver Thou O God hast proved us thou hast tried us as Silver is tried How were they tried how by affliction by the troubles they met with in the World as the 11. ver shews Thou broughtest us into the net thou layest affliction upon our loyns thou hast tried us that is by these afflictions thou hast tried us as mettals are tried by the fire so are Gods people in the furnace of affliction 1 Pet. 1.7 ver That the trial of your faith being much more pretious then of Gold that perishes though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ These temptations are for your trial Job 23.20 ver Job speaking to God saith He knows the way that I take and when he hath tried me I shall come forth as Gold When he hath tried me how is that why that is by the trials he sends me he discovers what I am then I shall come forth as Gold by troubles and crosses in the World he tries his people he tries their faith in him and their love to him he discovers their sincerity Quest But what need of these trials I may Answer Negatively and Affirmatively I. Negatively God need not try us by troubles for he knows what we are he knows what we are before he afflicts us and what we shall be when we are afflicted thou understandest my thoughts a far of God is fully acquainted with all our ways not only the ways that we have gone in but the ways that we will go God can tell when we prosper what we shall do when we come to suffer he understands our thoughts a far of God can tell when we are in flourishing condition whether we shall flinch from his Service when it is like to bring us to suffering The heart is deceitful above all things and yet I the Lord search the heart and try the reins Though man doth not know his own heart how he shall carry himself in a time of suffering yet God knows it 2 King 8.12 13. ver God could tell when Haziel was a Subject what he should do when he was a King he could tell what a bloody cruel man he should be God could tell who should be his peoples Persecutors long before they knew it they are not needful in reference to God Joh. 2.23 24. vers Jesus Christ it is said there of him Many believed in his Name when they saw the miracles that he did But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men and needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man it is spoken of him as he was God God doth not need to send troubles to discover to him what we are God knows us before hand II. But Affirmatively God seeth it requisite to discover to our selves and to discover to others what we are and in these two respects there is need of temptations for the trial of Gods people and sometimes they are a means to discover us to our selves sometimes to others Sometimes to our selves