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A73841 Two sermons on the third of the Lamentations of Ieremie preached at Hanwell in the first yeare of his Maiesties raigne, 1602. / The one by I.D. the other by R.C. Dod, John, 1549?-1645.; Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625. aut; Winston, John, fl. 1614-1634. 1608 (1608) STC 6951; ESTC S118445 50,535 72

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c. that wee must seeke God by all his meanes as in that place of the Canticles before alleged when the Church had lost Christ that is the feeling of his loue and the sense of that communion which formerlie she had had with him she vseth all priuate and publike meanes and at length commeth to conference with Gods seruants which few will doe till they be driuen to it of necessitie and then hauing waited a while she finds him whom her soule loued The same must bee our practise if one medicine will not serue the turne vse another Pray fast meditate conferre and then at last the Lord will be found in mercie But as we are slacke in vsing any of the meanes so shall wee faile in our comfortable expectation of fauor from God 3 The last rule is that we must vse the meanes diligentlie and in good earnest for if wee haue a base account of Gods mercies Iam. 5.16 Psal 72.12 it is iust wee should goe without them The prayer of the righteous auailes much but with this condition if it bee feruent God deliuereth the poore when he crieth If they would haue hearing there must bee crying God powres forth floods of grace Isa 44.3 but vpon whom On the thirstie ground Hence is it that a number reade and heare and pray and yet preuaile not because they doe it so drowsilie and carelesselie The Lord deferres to helpe them because they are not fit for helpe and doe not striue and wrestle in their prayers as Iacob did Hosea 12.3 Let vs therefore vse all the meanes and that with constancie and carefulnesse and then wee shall obtaine our hearts desire in mercie Vers 57. Thou saiedst Feare not Not that there came any such voice vnto their eares or that God vsed any extraordinarie meanes to speake vnto them but when they drew neere to God and cast their cares vpon him and laid open their sorrowes vnto him God did so comfort them as if hee had spoken vnto them they were content to make him their stay and to trust him with their soule and state and all and then hee pacified their hearts and gaue them an expected answere to their prayers Now in that God said Feare not the point is Doct. 7. God onelie frees the heart from feares That God onelie cancure the heart of feares If ten thousand Prophets had said vnto them feare not if God had not said so by his spirit they would haue feared for al that Reasons 1 For first men cannot remoue the cause of feare which God can Thence it is that the wicked flee when none pursueth them Pro. 28.1 whereas the righteous are bold as a Lion Because their sinnes are remoued and they reconciled to God through Christ who hath made a sufficient paiment for them to satisfie his fathers iustice 2 Secondly God onelie can giue saith which rids the heart of feare in which regard Christ saith Math. 8. why did you feare O yee of little faith Implying thereby that all our troublesome distempers proceede from want of faith Now because none can giue that but the liuing God therefore none can heale the heart of feares but onelie God 3 A third reason is because God onelie can put his true feare into our hearts Ieremy 31. Ezekiel 3.6 which is a mightie defence against false feares Godly sorrow is a strong fortresse against worldly sorrow and godlie ioy a strong bulwarke against carnall ioy Therefore it is said Psal 102.1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord c. Hee shall not bee afraide of ill tidings Vse 1 First this confutes their follie and error that thinke if they goe two or three miles from the place where the sicknesse is and there haue their gates shut and all things carefullie looked vnto then they should not bee so fearfull as they are as if that outward meanes could cure the heart of feares nay that must bee the Lords worke If they carrie with them the pestilence of an ill conscience an heart full of couetousnesse full of pride and of worldly lusts death will enter into the window if it cannot at the doore and will finde them out and set vpon them at midnight as well as at midday For God hath a quarrell against their sinnes and hee will pursue them whithersoeuer they goe and how can they stand when the curse of God hath them in chase Will you feare the plague sore vpon the bodie and will you not much more feare it vpon your soules Will you fly from that that is but a medicine vnto the godlie and not from that which is the verie bane of the whole man In truth those that carrie with them a heart full of pride and lust and such iniquities as God abhors wheresoeuer they liue are in greater danger than the godly that liue in the pest-house it selfe hauing their hearts purified by faith and their hope setled vpon Iesus Christ And therefore thinke not to put away such feares by gaming and companie-keeping by eating and drinking and laughing for they will returne againe though they may be smothered for a time and an ill conscience will be a fearefull conscience Vse 2 Secondly this doctrine ministreth vnto vs this instruction that if we would be disburdened of feares we should go to God that can worke in vs a thorow cure Not as if the meanes of seruing Gods prouidence were to be neglected or as if wee should not walke circumspectlie and auoide the occasions of danger But when wee doe so we should not rest on the meanes nor thinke I am out of the place where the plague is therefore I am free from Gods stroke If one should say I cannot die till God haue appointed and therefore I may goe into places of infection this were a tempting of God but it were worse for a wicked sinner to thinke I am not neere places of infection therefore I am safe If then wee would bee soundly cured of feares Helps against feares 1. Prayer first let vs goe vnto the Lord with a broken heart and beseech him to put courage into vs and to giue vs assurance of eternall life and the ioy of the holy Ghost then come life or death wee shall not bee much dismayed This is one speciall meanes to free our hearts from vnnecessarie feares euen faithfull prayer as the Apostle shews where hee saies Phil. 4.6 In nothing bee carefull but in all things let your requests be made knowne to God c. He bids them not take away the occasions without but heale the heart within for then they shall bee safe enough The peace of God that passeth all vnderstanding shall keepe their hearts and minds in Christ Iesus that is in a blessed communion with Christ Iesus whereby they shall bee possessed with such peace as none knoweth what it meanes but those that haue tasted of it which quiets and sets downe the heart and minde and settles the same in the assurance