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A93079
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The saints iewell, shevving hovv to apply the promise In a sermon preached by Thomas Shepheard.
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Shepard, Thomas, 1605-1649.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing S3115A; ESTC R232293
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10,658
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26
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things seeme to thwart the promise never so much Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene Heb. 11. 1. with the eye of sence As Abraham beleeved Rom 4. 18. against hope that he should haue a child according as God had promised so must we trust God upon a naked promise that if health should be gone or wealth liberty strength friends yea life it selfe almost gone and God seemes to be gone and hell to be threatned yet still to trust in God and beleeve this is to live by faith and comfort is in the promise for all such but I speake now to Gods people Vse 2 The second use of this doctrine is That seeing God hath made many promises unto his people it is a ground of comfort unto them all that though they goe up and downe sad as if they were the worst people in the world yet have they the onely cause to reioyce and they onely in all the world for heere is comfort against all their sins God hath promised to doe them away I am he that blotteth out thy sinnes for Isai 43. 25. mine owne names sake comfort thy selfe Christ is thine I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine if therefore there be enough in Christs merits hold up thy head and take comfort to thy selfe Object Oh but saith the poore soule I finde sin prevaile and how can I then be comforted Answ I answere looke into that place of Scripture I will subdue your iniquities and cast your sinnes into the midst of the sea and in the Mic 7. 18. 19. 20. 20 verse you may see the oath of God for the trueth and mercy of the promise was gone foorth before Object But saith the soule the Devill will be busie with mee where ever I goe and how can I be chearefull Answ I answere God hath said it I will tread downe Sathan under your feet shortly Comfort Rom. 16. 20. thy selfe in this though Sathan may trouble thee for a time yet thou shalt have him under thy feet shortly Object Oh but againe saith the soule I shall meet with abundance of opposition in the world and I am not able to make my party good and how can I then reioyce Answ I answere flee thou to the promise against that also as where it is said Though hand joyne in hand c. Though men joyne Pro. 11. 21. themselves together and strike hands even with the devill against Gods children yet shall they not overcome them Object But alas saith a poore soule I am in present want of outward comfort and how should I be comfortable in such a condition Answ I answere It may be God dealeth with thee in this as a mother with her children who takes away the victuals from the children for a while and puts it into the cubbord but afterward she giveth it them againe So sometimes God taketh away these outward things and locketh them up for a while in the cubbord which is in the promise and when he seeth it best for us he giveth it to us againe and thus hee did with Iob He tooke away all his outward Iob. 1 15. c comforts and left him so poore as it is a proverb at this day As poore as Iob but after a while God did not onely restore unto him his former comforts but gave him double And this was written for thy comfort and the strength of thy patience comfort thy selfe therefore happines is above the creature Obiect But I shall meet with many mocks and reproaches in the world Answ Answ Let us comfort our selves against this with Gods promises let us doe as the coveteous man in the Poet who being mocked as he went in the streets went home and looked into his closset and there seeing his bags of gold rejoyced in his wealth and scorned all their reproaches so when we are mocked and scorned of men of the world let us looke into the Bible and we shall finde bags of promises true treasure and therein let us rejoyce Obiect But it may be the poore soule will say alas I cannot goe to God by prayer to fetch comfort or if I doe pray it is with so much coldnes and deadnes as I cannot beleeve I shall obtaine any thing Answ I answere though it be so yet beleeve and thou shalt have thy desire though it may be thou canst but chatter and though others hearing thee regard it not yet God will say let me heare thee and as a father loves to heare his child prattle though others regard it not so God loveth to heare his children pray Obiect But oh I am afraid of death and that taketh away all my ioy and comfort Ansvv I answere thou mayest comfort thy selfe against that yea and make death it selfe a ground of comfort and ioy to thy selfe If a child be at bord from his fathers house though he be at play with his fellowes yet if he see horse and man come to fetch him he is glad and leaves his play and companions to goe home to his father willingly so here wee are at bord in the world and we are at play as it were among the creatures but when death comes which is as horse man we should be willing to goe to our fathers house which is best of all Obiect But I am afraid if suffring times should come I should never be able to stand out Ansvv If God call thee to sufferings he will give thee grace sutable to thy condition he will not suffer us to be tempted above that we 1. Cor. 13. 10. are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that we may be able to beare it Obiect But alas I am afraid I shall fall away from God and that continuall feare thereof doth take away all my comfort Ansvv Answere None can plucke thee out of Christs hands neither sin nor devill shee were a cruell mother that would cast her child into the fire Christ must doe so if thou shouldest go to hell yea more if that should be so hee should rend a member from himselfe for he is thy head and thou art one of his members therefore for thy comfort know this cannot be the Lord saith I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I wil not turne away from them to do them good But you may say perhaps I shall turn from him see therefore what followeth in the same verse I will put my feare in their hearts and they shall not depart from me Obiect This is good newes it may bee the poore creature will say if I had right to the promise but alas I cannot beleeve and take a naked promise Ansvv Answ Doest thou desire to beleeve and to have Christ and canst thou say thus If it were possible heaven and Christ could be separated I would rather have Christ without heaven then heaven without Christ then comfort thy selfe for God hath promised I