Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A09646
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The cure of hurtfull cares and fears. By master Thomas Pierson late rector of Brompton-Brian, in the county of Hereford
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Pierson, Thomas, ca. 1570-1633.
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1636
(1636)
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STC 19910; ESTC S111955
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18,628
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96
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blessings to his servants and of their deliverance from evills he retayneth and exerciseth divine liberty and soveraignty Some he maketh high others low some rich and others poore Iob 34.19 To one he giveth five talents to another two to another one Matthew 25.15 He suffered no man to doe wrong to Abraham Isaac and Iacob but rebuked Kings for their sakes Psalm 105.14 Yet he will suffer Ioseph to be sold for a servant and to be layd in irons wrongfully verse 17 18. and hee suffers his servant Iob to be robbed of his goods bereaved of his Children sore afflicted in his body and grieved by his dearest friends so as he escaped but with the Skin of his teeth Iob 19. verse 19 20. 3. Gods good pleasure to exercise his Children in affliction for their good foure wayes 1. To purge out some corruption For the third it pleaseth God many times to exercise his deere children under sore afflictions for his glory in their good sundry wayes as First to purge out some corruption and to make them white Dan. 11.35 Some of them of understanding shall fall to try them and to purge and to make them white Iob 23.10 When hee hath tryed mee I shall come forth as the gold 2. To teach them obedience Secondly to teach them obedience as well in eschewing evill Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word as also in doing good so Christ Iesus learned obedience by the things he did suffer Heb. 5.8 and the Apostles learned by afflictions to trust in God 2 Cor. 1.9 Thirdly 3. To try their faith and patience to try their faith and patience as hee did in Iob whence great afflictions are called fierie tryalls sent to try Gods Children 1 Pet. 4 12. as Hebr. 11.36 37. Others also were tryed by cruell mockings and scourgings yea by bonds and imprisonments they were stoned sawen asunder tempted slaine with the sword c. Fourthly 4. To further them in holines and happinesse for their furtherance in grace and holinesse here and in joy and happinesse hereafter Iames 1.3 The tryall of faith worketh patience Hebr. 12.10 God doth chasten us for our profit that we might bee partakers of his holinesse verse 11. though it bee not joyous for the present yet after it yeeldeth the quiet fruit of righteousnesse Affliction is Gods Schoole wherin he teacheth the soules of his Children many a sweet lesson as Psalme 119.71 It is good for me that I have beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes This brings down their hearts and causeth them to be more frequent in humble and earnest prayer and more carefull to meditate on Gods word and works as Psalme 77.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord verse 3. I remembred God I complained I considered the dayes of old c. all which are notable means of growth in grace whereby no doubt their present joy future glory shall bee much increased for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternall weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 The tryall of faith shall be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Christ Iesus 1 Pet. 1.7 If wee suffer we shall also raigne with him 2 Tim. 2.12 All which are great benefits of afflictions and may well perswade us that in the very extremity of them Gods love in Christ is constant towards us For what shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword c. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerers through him that loved us For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord Rom. 8.35.37 38.39 God correcteth every son whom he receiveth and therein offereth himselfe unto us as to sonnes Hebr. 12.6 7. These things well understood and thought upon will much enable faith to quiet and stay the heart in any distresse whatsoever Application of the doctrine in a case of spirituall distresse through feare of damnation For to beginne with the greatest matter of all say thy soule is perplexed about thy salvation thou hast great feares of hell and little hopes of heaven what must thou now doe Answ First look thou stand rightly in covenant with God through faith in Christ Iesus in whom hee revealeth himselfe to bee the God of grace and mercy justifying the ungodly and saving sinners and believe in the Lord Iesus Secondly whether thou use the means ordained to this end Now Gods meanes for this blessing is to believe in the Lord Iesus Acts 16.31 Beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Iohn 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life What it is to believe Now thus to beleeve is to rest and rely upon that which Iesus Christ as Redeemer and Mediator hath done and suffered for the salvation of his Church Aske then thine owne heart whether thou bee not perswaded that which God in Christ Iesus is plentifull redemption and salvation and in none other demand againe whether thou doe not unfeignedly desire to be found of God in Christ and to rest and rely upon that which hee hath done and suffered for thy justification and salvation Then consider whether thou doe use Gods Ordinances conscionably and in an holy manner to get this grace of faith and to grow therein Gods Ordinances we know GODS means for faith the Word and Prayer are the word and prayer for faith commeth by hearing the word of God preached Rom. 10.14 17. and prayer obtaines the HOLY GHOST Luke 11.13 Which is the spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4.13 therefore did the Disciples by prayer seeke faith at Christs hands saying Lord increase our faith or put faith into us The holy manner of using the meanes of faith in 3. things 1. Breaking of the course of every knowne sinne Luk. 17.5 The conscionable and holy manner of using the foresaid Ordinances stands in three things First breaking off the course of every knowne sinne which is a worke of darkenesse wherein wee cannot live and have fellowship with Christ 1 Ioh. 1.6 Therefore Solomon saih Turne you at my correction Lo I will powre out my spirit upon you Proverbs 1.23 and Iohn Baptist prepared the way of the Lord by preaching repentance unto the people Matth. 3.1 2 3. without which there is little hope of attayning true faith in Christ Mat. 21.32 Secondly 2. Hartily desiring the grace we seeke for we must truly and hartily desire the grace we seeke for This desire is spirituall hunger and thirst whereto God
Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matthew 27.46 know therefore thou that makest conscience of thy wayes that this feare of Gods forsaking thee in times of distresse is from humane frailty which the best have in them while they bee in this world and will more strongly assault them upon the remembrance of former sinnes though repented of and upon the conscience of corruption remaining though it doe not raigne as wee may see in Iob when he saith unto God wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest mee for thine enemy For thou writest bitter things against me and makest mee to possesse the iniquities of my youth Iob 13.24 26. and more fully in David acknowledging his frailty in this very case My spirit saith he was overwhelmed I am so sore troubled I cannot speake Will the Lord cast off for ever Is his mercy cleane gone Hath God forgotten to be gracious And I said this is mine ininfirmitie that is this is my great weakenesse to doubt of Gods mercy because of my present troubles Psalme 77.3.4 7 8 9 10. Here thou must bring thy heart to the third thing before commended to thy observation viz. That GOD is pleased to exercise his own deare children under great and sore afflictions for most excellent ends as before is shewed And indeed what distresse can befall thee wherein faith set a worke to consider of Gods dealing with his own children may not set before thy view some of the Lords worthies better than thy selfe who have suffered the like or far greater evills then are upon thee Was not righteous Lot taken captive in Warre with all his goods Gen. 14.12 14 Was not Ioseph sold for a servant cast into prison and layd in irons Psa 105.17 18. Was not the Prophet Ieremy smitten and cast into the myrie dungeon Ier. 37.15 16. Was not David hunted after to bee slaine by Saul as one hunteth a Patridge in the Mountaines 1 Samuel 26.20 Was not Ziklag where David and his men dwelt burnt with fire by the Ama lakites and their wives and Children with all their goods taken captives 1 Sa. 30.1 2 5. Were not the Lords Priests to the number of fourescore and five persons their City both men Women and Children and sucklings Oxen Sheepe and Asses smitten with the edge of the sword by the command of their owne King upon a false surmise of conspiracy with innocent David 1 Sam. 22.13 18 19. Was not Ionathan Davids dearest friend slaine by the uncircumcised Philistims 1 Sam. 31.2 Nay was not good King Iosiah slaine by Pharaoh-Neco at Megiddo like unto whom there was no KING before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart with all his soule c. 2 King 23.25 27. Was not Iohn Baptist greater than whom there rose none before him among them that are borne of women Matthew 11.11 imprisoned by Herod for doing his duty in telling him it was not lawfull for him to have his brother Philips Wife and afterward beheaded upon a most triviall occasion even to gratifie a damsell for her dancing Mar. 6.18.26 27. Which of the Prophets did not the people of the Iewes persecute Acts 7. 52. Had not other of Gods servants before Christs incarnation triall of cruell mockings and scourgings of bonds and imprisonments Were they not stoned sawen asunder tempted slaine with the sword did they not wander about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skinnes being destitute afflicted and tormented though the world were not worthy of them Hebrewes 11.36 37 38. And were not Christs own Disciples and holy Apostles sent forth as Lambes amongst Wolves Luke 10.3 and set forth as men approved unto death made a spectacle to the world reviled persecuted defamed made the filth of the world and the of-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4.9 13. Was not Paul in labours abundant in stripes above measure in prison frequent in death oft Received hee not of the Iewes five times forty stripes save one was hee not thrice beaten with rods once stoned and thrice suffered shipwracke was he not in journyings often in perills of waters in perills of robbers in perills by his owne country men in perills by the heathen in perills in the City in perills in the wildernesse in perills in the Sea in perills among false brethren in wearinesse and painefulnesse in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakednesse c. 2 Cor. 11.23 24 27. Nay which is more than all the former was not our blessed Saviour himselfe persecuted and apprehended by the hands of the ungodly Was he not buffeted and spit upon crowned with thornes scourged and most shamefully condemned and crucified Now then what thinkest thou of thy selfe art thou better than these dost thou thinke God forsooke them in their afflictions Why then stirre up thy heart to say unto the Lord with subjection to his will even for the sustaining of death it selfe It is enough Lord take away my life for I am no better then my fathers 1 Kings 19.4 When affliction increaseth and death approacheth then look unto Iesus the Author and finisher of thy faith lest thou be wearyed and faint in thy mind He left himselfe an example that we should follow his steps in suffering affliction patiently Now when Peter would have rescued his apprehension by force of armes he forbade him saying The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Iohn 18.11 And remember this word of his The servant is not greater than his master If they have persecuted mee they will also persecute you Iohn 16. ver 20. Adde hereunto the consideration of Gods speciall providence over thee in all thine afflictions whereupon Christ Iesus bids thee not to feare them that can kill the body but are not able to kill the soule Are not two Sparrowes sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father The very haires of your head are all numbred Feare ye not therefore for yee are of more valew then many Sparrowes Matthew 10.29.30 31. God is faithfull who will not suffer you to bee tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it 1 Cor. 10.13 Lastly remember that his love in Christ Iesus is firme and constant unto thee in thy greatest affliction See Romans 8.35 38 39. What shall seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus Surely nothing can doe it as the things there named and accounted unable doe plainely shew tribulation anguish or distresse persecution famine perill sword c. For whom hee loves in CHRIST his Son he loves to the end Iohn 13.1 his gifts and calling to grace and favour in CHRIST are without repentance Rom. 11.29 Nay more rest assured that as the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to bee compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Rom. 8.18 so our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more excellent and eternall weight of glory 2