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A35171
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Caleb's spirit parallel'd in a sermon preach'd at the funeral of the late Mrs. Constancy Ward of East-Smithfield, London, at the meeting-house in Devonshire Square, April 7, 1697 / by Walter Cross ...
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Cross, Walter, M.A.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing C7257; ESTC R22527
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45,737
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48
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which the great Gerard has this Note Paul says he calls himself the Servant of Jesus Christ or Slave from the Calling to his Office not from the Work for he calls himself Minister Steward Ambassador in that respect but from the Title Christ had to him and his Work Christ had the Title of Conquest he was a Slave of War he came sub Gladio going to Damascus 2ly the Title of Purchase he was not his own nor any thing could he call his Property Christ paid the Price of precious Blood for him he cost him more than Silver and Gold could be any Standard to or Measure in Value of Such a Slave was Caleb a Son of Abraham brought to the Foot of God following him like a Dog Name and Temper agreeing following him fully This is one Reason why I have chosen this Parallel of Caleb and the Deceased Mrs. Ward as Plutarch illustrates Princes by Parallels I by Divine Warrant may set forth a Person mean in the Heraldry of the World yet precious honourable in the Sight of God and it is to encourage you mean Persons poor in the World rich in Faith not to be discouraged from serving God his Church or People with the scanty Talents and small things that lie within the Compass of your Power or Station it will bring in as rich a Reward and as illustrious Honour as if it were of 10000 times more Value it 's not the Greatness but Goodness not the Sumptuousness but Sincerity of Actions renders them acceptable to God he has a Diary for Dorcas's Coats she used to make for the Poor for Nathaniel's secret Prayers under the Tree a Cup of cold Water given to one under the Name of a Disciple shall not lose its Reward nor the Widow's Mite cast into the sacred Treasury escape the watchful Eye of our Lord Jesus Christ He will bottle up every Tear that drops from a penitent Eye the Widow's Cake and Cruise the Shunamite's Table Stool Bed and Candlestick must have Monumental Room in sacred Records for ever as Christ said of the Woman who poured the Ointment on his Head Mat. 26. Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole World there shall also this that this Woman hath done be told for a Memorial of her And not only Actions immediately terminating on Christ shall be recorded but also a Servant Elizer's Fidelity to his Master Abraham and old Deborah Rebecca's Nurse for her Faithfulness and tender Care in the Family shall not only have her Dust mingled with the Tears of the Family but her Funerals recorded by the Spirit of God Allon Baccuth the Oak of weeping and yet a Matter apparently of lesser Moment than that viz. of the Children that accompanied Christ to Jerusalem with their Boughs and Hosannas Psal 8. the Praise from the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings shall not only be historically reported but prophetically foreseen and foretold it was in his Thoughts from all Eternity Surely there is no less reason to think the good Deeds of this Woman her Pains and Travel Night and Day for many Years together sheltring the Exil'd relieving the Distressed hiding them in Danger supplying them in want venturing her Neck as Priscilla and Aquila not only for a Paul but them that were not worthy to carry his Books with Timothy * 2 Tim. 4.13 Bring not the Cloak as our English hath it but the Desk says Chrys Homil. 10. on this Ep. Others say the Bark used in the East for Paper the proper Signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A 3d say the Coverings either by Syn. for Books or because of loose Papers tied up in them 4ly In great Probability they who turned it Cloak read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Penula for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 She was a true Phoebe a Succourer of many and my self also Rom. 16.2 She has had a Hand at many such a Basket as that which help'd Paul over the Walls of Damascus She has often hid David's Spies with the good Woman of Baburim and Joshua's with Rahab she will never want an Interest in the Scarlet Thread of Salvation from the Window or Passover-Blood over the Door And why may not the Mercy be of as spreading a nature as Rahab's to all within the House to all her Father's and Brethrens Houshold if they will come under the same Protecting Roof I do not at all doubt that she is now a canonized Saint without the least Influence against the most powerful Anathema's from Popish Authority I shall end this Cloud of Witnesses as Paul Heb. 11.34 with Rahab for time would fail to heap together all the Instances of this kind Job's Perfection Obedmelech's visiting Jeremiah in the Dungeon and bringing him up with old cast Clouts under his Arm-pits or Obadiah's hiding the Prophets by fifties in Caves and feeding them Let us then suppose it sufficiently prov'd or granted that when Godliness is so powerful as to break forth in Acts of Charity Courage or publick Usefulness though in mean Persons it deserves to be praised to be solemnized with Memorials to be imitated as a Pattern And 2ly let us suppose that this Person was so indued what can be done for her the Canon is now compleated there is no more an Authentic Accompt from Heaven what Persons are enfranchiz'd above all Scripture as it was wrote was put in a Chest by the Side of the Ark Deut. 31.24 First the five Books of Moses called the Law Luke 24.44 2ly What added by Samuel 1 Sam. 10.25 and Joshua 24.26 3ly It 's likely Daniel came by Jeremiah's Prophecy thus that Chest being carried to Babylon thither he sent his MSS. as he had his Deeds of Anathoth in Faith of a safe Return Rom. 3.2 unto them were those Records committed called by the Name of Scripture by way of Eminency in the New Testament in their room now the Gentile Churches being engrafted are become the Pillars and Ground of all inspired Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 which was concluded by the Apostles All Writings since are Apocryphal not put in that sacred Place Epiphan de pond Lib. 4. speaking of Wisdom and Siracides says they are not in the Number of read Books viz. every day some part neither were they put in the Ark. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. Damas Panar Dorsh Huet say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood and the Author had reason to know the Truth his Father being a Samaritan A second Honour due that she was deprived of was Martyrdom two may be out of one Congregation was too much It is well known her Guilt and her Sister Gaunt's were of the same kind Guilt shall I call it or Glory I am confident just Thoughts of that Affair would fright few that believe in Christ and have a solid and clear Conscience about the Cause they suffer for a natural Death as it is called for all Death is violent generally having more Pain and Tediousness attending it and often wanting that Exercise
Spirit of God hath striven with us 20 30 Years in our Consciences and under Ordinances Will his leaving of us be unjust Or is it unmerciful to leave us when we have so long grieved him vex'd him and provoked him When a Man 's natural Temper is being dead to God and alive to the World is it not natural for that native Temper to grow more compleat and perfect and what is Hell but the Perfection Poiret reckons it to be the easiest Rule of Government and the first Rule of Justice to let every Man have what he will O Sinner consider Hell is thy choice the worst Sentence at the Day of Judgment is to let thee have thy Liking thou likest not Believers Company nor Church-Communion thou shalt have the Company of them thou didst like thou preferrest the Tyranny of Satan to the Government of God the Law of Sin is writ in thy Heart not the Law of God thou shalt have thy Choice Consider Sinner it 's thy own Doings that dries thee and renders thee combustible to the Flames of Divine Wrath thy Hell is begun already thou woundest thy Conscience now it only smarts more by a never-dying Worm there now thy Passions master thee their Dominion only will be more tyrannical thou art uneasy now with a never-satisfied Desire it will then only crave more cruelly like a Vulture eating out thy Heart thou enviest the Prosperity of the Godly now it shall be only then in Maturity thou wilt not hope now thou shalt but then despair The same Relation lies between Grace and Glory that lies between Sin and Hell Love is fully as much the Principle of Obedience and Fruition as Hatred is of Rebellion and spiritual Distance Light is sown for the Righteous and Joy for the Vpright in Heart Faith and Vision differ only as the Seed and Shock of Corn Grace is the Father's drawing of the Heart to himself There is none in Heaven and Earth saith the Soul that I desire but thee Thou shalt have me saith the Sentence of the Judg. I shall leave the rest to thy Meditation only consider that in all the typicalness of the Land of Canaan there is nothing seems so sutable to typify the Identity between Work and Reward the Temper of Mind in time and the Consummation of it in Eternity as Caleb's having the very same Land he spied out and contended for The 6th and last Head is the Entail of the Promise His Seed shall possess it This if we take without an Emphasis is no more than what is promised to the rest that their Seed should possess the Land indeed if we take it in Conjunction that both he and they should then the Emphasis is spoken to before for it lies in his possession of it But Promises are usually from a God very pregnant things and I am under Apprehensions that there will be discover'd Mountains of Divine Goodness both as to Extent and Intenseness in Promises that we look on as Mole-hills it 's like then a distinguishing and singular length of Time and Number of Generations is implied in it which we may thus confirm the Families of Jabez * Vatablus thinks that Jabez and Othniel were the same and may be Hezron and Jephunne the same 1 Chron. 2.9 18 24 42 50. 4.15 Num. 13.6 14.6 c. others a very near Relation I confess these Genealogies are yet too difficult for me to be positive in and so this Subject of Entail Rom. 11. the Apostle says there are Mysteries in it Depths of Wisdom and Knowledg from Jabez come the Rechabites 1 Chron. 2.55 It is true some count the Rechabites Kenites I find no convincing Reason for it nor for this that all called Kenites should be from Jethro Moses's Father in Law for 1 Sam. 27.10 one Family of that Name was in Caleb's Portion and he Josh 14.6 is called a Kenezite more of kindred surely with the Kenites than with the cursed Kenezites Gen. 15. sooner ripe for Ruin than his Neighbours or Kenezites of Edom. The Kenites of Hobab dwelt elsewhere Judg. 4.17 1.16 viz. in Naphtali and Jericho and 1 Sam. 15.6 among the Amalekites came of Caleb and the Rechabites came of Jabez 1 Chron. 2.55 We find them of great Note in Jehu's Reign for Interest and Piety 2 King 10.15 he was Jehu's Minister of State as far as his Reformation went these were the Men he flatter'd with that Saying Come see my Zeal for the Lord. We find them in Nebuchadnezzar's time constant and zealous in their Piety Jer. 35.11 and then this Promise of Entail when it had lasted about 1000 Years is repeated with a more powerful Emphasis than before Jer. 35.19 Jonadab the Son of Rechab shall not want a Man to stand before me for ever The Fruits of former entail'd Grace have begotten Promises of greater Grace it is not a Promise of Office in the Priesthood that was not to stand for ever but a Place within the Church of God How it is this Day fulfilled when neither Jew nor Gentile can give account of their Families for any considerable time a few being excepted the God who can distinguish the Dust of every Individual at the Resurrection only knows no doubt these Springs that run under ground invisible to Man will then be set forth in harmonious Lines and lively Colours There is an Entail of a Curse from the first Adam and an Entail of a Blessing from the Second Rom. 5. Among all the Entails by Promise or Covenant that of Abraham's seems to have the most Variety of Branches some Spiritual some Ecclesiastick some Earthly some by natural Generation some by Ingrafture and the most Turnings and Windings the most Interruptions and Breaches apparently and yet the Tenor and Title the most fix'd and persevering Rom. 11.28 As concerning the Gospel they are Enemies but as touching Election they are belov'd for the Fathers It 's no wonder that the 70 Years Captivity which made the People of Israel a Loammi not my People in respect of the National Covenant at Sinai could not violate the Family-Covenant of Abraham Gal. 3. since this sad Desolation for 1500 Years upon that People has not drawn the Spirit and Fatness of that Root dry Rom. 11.16 If the Root that one Abraham says Jac. Alt. in Loc. be holy so the Branches ver 17 26 29. Gen. 17.7 A thousand Generations are not yet come there were but about 54 from Abraham to Christ not above 200 to this Day Lev. 26.42 44. That Covenant will bring them out of this Distress It is the common Opinion of Men under the Name Christian that one part of that Promise's Fatness is that this Root 's Boughs bear Twigs or smaller Branches Act. 2.39 1 Cor. 7.14 but that I shall forbear for the sincere Love in the Sight of God I bear to them of another Opinion of whom this pious Matron and Mother of Israel was I confess I have heard many of them blam'd for