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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B20532	Five lessons for a Christian to learne, or, The summe of severall sermons setting out 1. the state of the elect by nature, 2. the way of their restauration and redemption by Jesus Christ, 3. the great duty of the saints, to leane upon Christ by faith in every condition, 4. the saints duty of self-denyall, or the way to desirable beauty, 5. the right way to true peace, discovering where the troubled Christian may find peace, and the nature of true peace / by John Collings ...	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1650 (1650)	Wing C5317; ESTC R23459	197,792	578

washed and sanctified You heare what you were by Nature borne out of Christ Children of wrath as well as others hath the Lord raised you up hath hee given you to taste of the Apples of free-grace let the remembrance of your former condition perswade you 1. To get thankfull hearts 2. To get pittying hearts 3. To keep humble hearts A word or two of each of these 1. Let this consideration perswade with you to get thankefull hearts Let every soule of you say sing that 103 Psalme verse 1 2 3. Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not his benefits who hath forgiven all thine iniquities who hath healed all thy diseases c. to the 6. verse Christians I have heard a Story of a Gentleman that having rid over a dangerous Passage in the night returning in the morning to see it at the beholding of it sunke down and dyed Astonishment kild him Ah Christian wouldst thou be but perswaded in the morning of thy Conversion when the Lord hath brought thy soule to himselfe wouldst thou bee but perswaded to look with a serious eye of meditation what dangers thou hast escaped now many times in the mad age of thy youth thou ranst over everlasting burnings and wert just sinking wouldst thou but remember how often thou dividedst an haire betwixt thy soule and hell and this not once but againe and againe that the Devill had not thy soule onely in chase but was bearing at thee many a time and hell was opening its jawes upon thee and thy soule was just going alive into the pit Ah Christian wouldst thou but thinke of this me thinks thou shouldst even be ready to sink downe and dye in astonishment nay rather live Christian ascend let thy heart ascend in praises O say Blesse the Lord O my soule My heart and all that is within me praise his holy Name My tongue and all that is without me sing unto his glory Ah! what a miracle of mercy it is that ever one poor soule should come to heaven Stand amazed at it O my soule were not wee all borne blinde How doe any of us see O now let us all say with David Psalme 116. verse 16. O Lord truely we are thy servants we are thy servants and the children of thine hand-maidens for thou hast loosed our bonds I shall shut up this first Branch of the Exhortation with the words of the blessed Apostle Rom. 12. verse 1 2. Now I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you offer up your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service And bee not conformed to this world but be yee transformed by the renewing of your mindes that yee may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God Ah Christians God deserves your hearts and hands O bee thankfull But I shall now passe over this first Branch of the Exhortation and the rather because I shall have a more full opportunity to meet with it againe and presse it more home in the next Doctrine which I shall note from those words I raised thee Secondly were you even you Christians also out of Christ when your Mother brought you forth Ah methinkes then the sense of your owne misery should call for the yernings of your soules to those poore creatures that are yet in it I beseech you therefore brethren to put on as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies It was the Apostles exhortation Col. 3. vers 12. though in another case Ah how many objects of such Charity is there every where How many poore wretches in every Congregation in every family that the Lord knoweth are yet in the state of Nature It is ten to one but all of us have either an Husband or a Wife a Father or a Mother or a childe or a brother or a sister or a friend so As the Elect of God put on bowels of mercy for them pitty them pray for them mourne before God for them pluck them as brands out of the fire you know what their condition is how sad and deplorable and what an object of pitty they are Wee that never were yet in the Spanish Inquisition nor ever were yet in the Turkish Captivity yet from but the meer reports of the slavery that poor Creatures suffer there our soules yerne towards their sufferings and wee sometimes could weep to thinke of them and could bee content to part with some pence to contribute towards their reliefe So for our poore brethren of Ireland though praised for ever be our God wee have not seene such butcherings and rapes as they have done nor felt such penury and pinching want as they have done yet he scarce deserves the name of a Christian amongst us that hath not a yerning soule towards them that doth not pray for them that is not afflicted to heare those sad and dolefull relations concerning their sufferings and that would not to his ability contribute something to relieve them Ah Christians that you would be but as sensible of soule-evills as bodily trifling calamities Is not think you the Captivity of hell as sad and dreadfull as to be a Turkish Gally-slave Is not it as sad to be under the Devills clutches as it can be to be in the fingers and under the power of the Irish Rebells Alas let them doe what they can they shall doe no more but kill the body there is their malice spit if that bee done but here both body and soule are in danger for ever And my friends do you think that the Turke hath the tenth part of the Captives that the Devill hath Do you thinke there is not ten thousand times more poore soules under the Devills Lashes than there is Christians under the power of the Irish Rebells and have they a sword have they torments like him and where is the soule mournes over the Drunkard vaine person the swearer or blasphemer where is the soule that sayes to him what are you about to doe and yet I dare say here is not one in this Congregation that hath not a Father or a Mother a childe a brother or a sister or a friend in that Captivity O Christians consider did not you need pitty and prayers thinke you when you were there O save others with feare pulling them out of the fire O pray pray It may bee it is but yet a day and this Herod the Devill intends to make an end of these poore soules Cry cry mightily to God for your poor Children Friends Acquaintance Hark how the Church of the Jewes prayed for the Church of the Gentiles when they were strangers to God Cant. 8. verse 8. We have a little sister and she hath no breasts what shall wee doe for our sister in the day when shee shall bee spoken for So say O Lord I have a little Childe a Father a Mother an Husband a

God in the Sanctuary and from hence did peace flow in like a river to thy soule I say that peace is a true peace Christs peace in which thy soule may rejoyce and triumph But I shall adde no more to this use of examination I have but one more to adde and that is of exhortation Use 5 Christians you have all heard mee largely discussing this doctrine in its severall branches That in the world Saints must looke for trouble but in Christ they may have peace the best peace peace without bitternesse joy without sorrow 1. Let me plead with you that yet are strangers to the Lord Jesus yet unbelievers Poore creatures O that this might perswade you to look after an interest in Jesus Christ who is our peace Indeed you make to your selves peace none live so joyfully and spend their dayes so in wealth as you there are none sing requiem's to their soules like you But consider 1. Your peace is a false peace you have cried unto your soules Peace peace when indeed their hath been no true peace to you There is no peace to the wicked saith my God no true peace It may be when you heare the words of the Lords curse you will blesse your selves in your hearts saying wee shall have peace though we walke in the imagination of our hearts to add drunkennesse to thirst but is there any such presumptuous wretch that saith so in his heart Harke what the Lord saith The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in the book of God shall light upon his head and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven and the Lord shall separate that man to evill c. Deut. 29. 19 20 c. It is true you have a peace sometimes under trouble but a cursed peace the Lord knowes a dreadfull peace indeed no peace for there is no peace to the wicked saith my God Nay not only so 2. The very shadow of your peace is an inconstant shadow and will faile you shortly If you be put to it you will not know what to doe What will you doe in the day of your visitation whether will you flie for helpe but to this I spake before O now that you would be wise it is the wise man's part to see things a farre off and provide for them prudens quasi providens or procul videns but your trouble is not farre off and you have no way of peace for Christ is not knowne to your soules the way of peace you have not knowne When all your contentments are gone in the creature where will you have peace Now the Devill the world many say unto you as Jael to Sisera turne in hither feare not turne in to us feare not and it may bee in a time of prosperity they may cover your conscience with a mantle of security and give you a bottle of milke but if once you bee in the midst of a sleep of security they will take an hammer in their hand and come softly to you and smite a naile into you temples and fasten it into the ground What will you doe when you find trouble Poor creatures my soule trembleth for you O that you would consider But behold Christ saith to you and there is no deceit in his words Sinners turne in to mee and feare not in me you shall have peace while the day lasts before the decree goeth forth and the day passeth away as the chaffe before terrour strikes into your soule and seizeth upon you like an armed man O that you would be wise that you would look out for a portion in Christ that you would make him your friend that when your sinfull peace failes and your naturall shadowy peace failes Christ may receive you into everlasting peace and you may rest in his bosome Turne in to him sinners and you need not feare hee shall be your peace But secondly Let me speak to you that are believers to you that have known the way of Peace true Peace which flowes to your soul from Jesus Christ Let mee presse 3 words upon you Br. 1 Bee not disquieted with worldly trouble Christ is your peace in him you may have peace it was his legacy to you O let not your hearts be troubled you believe in God believe also in Jesus Christ Know you not that he is your Peace why are you cast downe why are your soules disquieted within you if you meet with frownes from the world crosses in your worldly interests yet why are you troubled In Christ you may have Peace To this end consider 1. That Christ hath overcome the world hee hath qualified the Mercury and Quickesilver of it and made that which was in it selfe poyson no more then Medicinall hee hath overcome the world hee hath taken the sting out of every crosse the poyson of every affliction The world is crucified to you O be you also crucified to it bee of good cheare O you Saints for Christ hath overcome the world 2. Doe but consider what a loser Christ is by your troubles If you be disquieted if you be troubled as other men you make Christ a loser by you a great loser 1. Hee is a loser in his bloud in the end of his death he died upon the crosse that hee might bleed out balme of Gilead for you that hee might bleed out peace for his Saints under every trouble 2. You make him a loser in his breath To what purpose are the multitudes of his precious promises but that by these things should men live and in these the Saints might find peace so David Psal 56. 4. What time I am afraid I will trust in thy word heark what hee sayes in the Text These things have I spoken that in me you might have peace To what purpose hath Christ held out his Gospell promises his good words but that they should make the hearts of his Saints better when heavinesse makes them stoop 3. As to you you make him a loser in his victory to what purpose hath hee taken paines to conquer the world for you if you must yet bee slaves to it and every crosse and triall every frowne and ill-look from the world must bring you into a distemperature Lift up your heads therefore Christians lest Jesus Christ bee a loser by your soules Bee of good cheare know and believe that Christ hath indeed and that for you too overcome the world Br. 2 Secondly This Doctrine calls upon you that are believers to live much with Jesus Christ gaine more and more acquaintance with him with his word with his spirit heighten your communion with him Thus shall you know every hiding place and bee acquainted with every hole of the Rock This is that that makes many a poore much at losse oft-times It is a truth that there is peace laid up in Jesus Christ for a poore soule in every

that have lived godly in Christ Iesus hitherto have so I expect that all that will live godly should still suffer persecution The portion in this life surely is not the portion of the Saints here and hereafter is too much After Christs Suffering time we quickly read of his Ascension The mountaines of Edom are given to the children of Esau for a possession Immediately after the dayes of Tribulation shall the Sonne of Man come And truely the little experience of the best Saints temper in this breathing time that England hath had hath made me as little to desire as to expect an Earthly happinesse Saints have Nature in them as wel as Grace Wantonnesse is the Daughter of Peace and in our time the Mother hath brought forth twinnes The extravagancies of Opinion and estrangements of affection the cooled love of truth and forgetting first love of which wee have had and have too large experiences I confesse have made mee little lesse than an enemy I am sure an Infidell to the Churches continued Peace Broken metalls must bee melted before they will runne together againe it must be a fire that must throughly purge away our drosse and take away our tinne And as I expect for the whole so for every member at least I would have them expect it for themselves Let us seeke the Kingdome of God for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things else 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they come let them be thrown in let us blesse God if wee receive them It is a Benjamins double Messe to have earth and heaven too Let us not build our expectations high if we have them we shall but have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dogges meat God feeds his Dogges with such Crums and they will bee losse unto us Much lesse let us make it our worke to get great things for our selves Madam to mee it seems a businesse of farre greater concernment to enquire and learne rather what to doe in a streight than whether wee shall have a time that shall bee without streights I had rather be prepared for the worst than filled with expectations of the best Here is Isa 43. 2. our comfort that in the flouds and the flames hee will be with us that will not suffer the flouds to drowne us nor the flames to kindle upon us This short Sermon will direct your Ladiship to a posture that in every condition will afford your Honour ease It need not trouble us that there is a Lion in our way if wee have strength to encounter him We need not be troubled that our way to Canaan lies through wildernesses if we have the cloud and pillar of fire Much fear will argue little faith Yet a little while Madam and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry Yet a while and we shall be beyond the feare of drownings more above feares than wee are now below enjoyments The great God that hath directed your Honours steps towards him multiply the dayes of Peace to your Ladiship that you may finde a nearer way to heaven than through much tribulation and goe Iacobs way betwixt Egypt and Canaan But if for triall the Lord shall carrie your Honor the way of the Israelites it is more triall and may ask more time but in heaven there cannot be a Saint missing Iniquity onely shall bee purged Fsa 27. 9. away and this shall bee all the fruit to take away sinne and when the Lord shall make the stones of the Altar chalke-stones that are beaten in sunder the Groves and the Images shall not stand up The Lord in every Wildernesse preserve your Ladiships faith by his power to salvation and if he brings your Honor in doubt not Madam but hee will also bring you out of everie Wildernesse leaning on your wel-beloved Which may be your Ladiships assured faith and shall be Madam the constant prayer of Your Honors most obliged Chaplain humble Servant in the Lord Jesus John Collings Chaplyfield house May 21 1649. The SPOUSES Carriage in the Wildernesse Song of Solomon Chap. 8. ver 5. Who is this that commeth up out of the wildernesse leaning upon her welbeloved WE have already taken notice of two Travellers in the Text. Christ is a Traveller For had he not come up with his Garments died from Bozra we had been in the wildernesse still And the Spouse is a Traveller The Text saith She commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her welbeloved The Text presents us the Spouse in motion Observe first From whence she moves the Terminus à quo that the Text tels us is the wildernesse 2. What her motion is it is ascensive she commeth up 3. Her moving posture it is leaning upon her beloved The Doctrine that yet remaines in the Text which I promised to handle is Doct. 3. That the Spouse of the Lord Jesus Christ being raised by him commeth out of every wildernesse leaning upon her beloved I must take it in pieces and handle the parts severally These foure things be couched in it 1. That the Spouse of Christ hath had and may somtimes have her dwelling in the wildernesse That is implied 2. Though she hath had and may sometimes have her dwelling in the wildernesse yet she rests not there She comes up from it Who is this that comes up 3. She cannot come up alone She must come up leaning 4. She will lean upon her Beloved and he will and only can bear her First She hath had and sometimes may have her dwelling in the wildernesse Here first I must open the tearme Wildernesse Secondly I shal shew you what Wildernesse the Spouse hath had or may have her dwelling in I shall open the first in five or sixe particulars 1. The Wildernesse is an untilled place where wild nature is yet seen that Art hath not yet tamed no pruning hook hath lopt the over-grown trees no plow broke up the soyle to make it fruitfull The husband-man hath not tilled the ground there nor can the reaper fill his hand It is a place just in its naturall state not yet manured 2. The Wildernesse is a losing place no beaten road for the Traveller there to follow no land-marks nothing to guide him in his way he is lost if once in it hee looks on this side and on the other forward backward every way still he sees himselfe lost knowes not whither to goe He is in a Wildernesse and knowes not the way out 3. The Wildernesse is a dangerous place A man in the Wildernesse is a prey to the mouth of every Lion the Lion is the King of those waste places and the Bears Wolves Cockatrices and Adders his lesser subjects There dwells the young Lion the Cockatrice and the Adder together each one searching for his prey It is a dangerous place 4. The Wildernesse is a solitary place where hee that walks as hee hath no path

is his greatest glory he will not give that to any other None shall share with him in his Spouses love he is a jealous Saviour The Spouse leanes upon her Beloved not Beloveds Thus I have done with my use of reproofe The next use is for examination here may every one try himselfe whether he be the Spouse of the Lord Jesus Christ or no Even by what hath been already said I will reduce it all to three heads First Examine thy selfe whether thou beest out of the wildernesse of sinne yea or no. Secondly Whether thou wert or art in any other wildernesse yea or no. Thirdly What was or is thy demeanour in these wildernesses thou hast been or art in and how hast thou come or dost thou come out Examine whether thou beest not in the wildernesse of sinne yea or no It was given as the Character of the Spouse to come out of this wildernesse O but how shall I know that will the soule say I will name two or three notes by which thou mayst suspect thy selfe as from probabilities 1. The wildernesse it is an incult place a place where the soyle was never tilled it is hard almost as a milstone the over-growne Trees were never pruned the unruly boughs never lopt the bushes never cut or stubbed dost thou find thy heart in such a condition that it is as hard as ever neither judgement breaks it nor mercy melts it the fallow ground of it is not plowed nor the seed of righteousnesse sowne in it Thy unruly lusts are not tamed thy life is as much overgrowne with sinne as ever it was thy sinnes were never yet cut off from the body of thy life O friend suspect thy selfe Thou mayest justly feare yea and know too that thou art not the Spouse of Christ thou art in the wildernesse in thy naturall estate Secondly The wildernesse is a barren place it brings forth no corne for the sickle no wholsome fruit no grapes for mans pallat for can a man gather grapes of thistles or figgs of thornes No pastures wholsome for the beasts The fire hath devoured the pastures of the wildernesse Joel 1. 19. And God complained that Nineveh was dry like a wildernesse Zeph. 2. 13. Art thou a barren and unfruitfull creature that dost nothing for God thy heart is a barren heart no seeds of good are sown there thy tongue is a barren tongue no good words come out thence thy whole soule a barren soule not a good action upon the record of thy life Indeed no soule can be barren the soule is of a working nature but sinfull works are unfruitfull workes in the Apostles language The unfruitfull workes of darknesse and what fruits had ye of those things whereof you are now ashamed Gods Spouse is a fruitfull creature Gal. 5. 22. The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering c. A barren soule is alwayes a wildernesse-soule Those that are borne of God bring forth fruits unto God Thirdly thou mayest know whether thou beest in the wildernesse or no by the company thou delightest in It is a knowne rule Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex se He that is a wildernesse-creature loves wildernesse-company the Wolves and Beares and Foxes but he that is out keeps the company of men dost thou love the wildernesse-company the swinish drunkard the politike Fox the malitious Lyon the venomous lyer and slanderer the lascivious wanton more than the Children of God Oh suspect thy selfe By this we know saith John that we are translated from death to life if we love the Brethren Lazarus when he was raised from the grave we do not read he went to keep the dead men company againe those that God hath raised from the death of their sins live amongst living men and delight in living mens company Thus examine whether thou beest come out of the wildernesse of sin or no. Secondly As comming out of the wildernesse is a signe of the child of God so being in the wildernesse is likewise a note whereby thou mayest know thy selfe Gods Spouse comes out of one wildernesse into another out of the wildernesse of sinne into the wildernesse of sorrow and out of that to their Saviour Wouldest thou know whether thou art found or no Examine whether thou wert lost or no Wouldest thou know whether ever thou wert a beleever examine whether ever thou wert a penitent or not This is Gods ordinary way thence he complaines of his people that they would not repent that they might beleeve in him Dos thou find God in another manner of working in thy soule blesse God for it and if thy title be good to heaven which will be knowne by thy walking with God beleeve me God hath used thee kindly heaven hath cost thee cheaper then it costs many a poore soule and walke humbly before God because he hath not humbled thee under his mighty hand as he hath done many another poore creatures And though I would not condemne those that plead their title to heaven this way for feare I should condemne the generation of the righteous yet beleeve me I should suspect it in my owne cause They that goe out weeping and carry precious seed shall returne rejoycing and bring their sheaves with them 2. Examine thy selfe What other wildernesses thou meetest with Afflictions temptations c. I would not give this as an infallible marke yet God sayes whom he loves he chasteneth and scourgeth every child whom he receiveth and thence the Father drew out his Conclusion Unicum Deus habuit filium sine peccato nullum sine flagello God had one Sonne without sinne but none without a rod. But I know even the wicked sometimes begin their hell upon the earth and though I would suspect my selfe if I met with no afflictions yet I would not be glad to have a life full of crosses and afflictions my best evidence for heaven I rather named this for a preface to the next note 3. Examine how thou carriest thy selfe in the wildernesse there is a different carriage betwixt the child of God and the child of the Devill in afflictions the one sinkes into the grave with despaire the other lifts up his head to Sion with hope the one is prest to death under crosses the other above all crosses Cain cries my punishment is too heavy for me to beare Job cries though he should kill me yet I will trust in him The Reprobate cryes Who is the Lord that I should wait for him The Saint sayes I will patiently wait for the Lords Salvation the wicked man dyes the Saint leanes the eyes of the sinners faile that day but the Saints look up to Sion from whence comes their helpe that day 4. Examine How thou hast come out of thy wildernesse of thine owne strength or leaning Canst thou say That God knew thee in the wildernesse in the land of great drought Hos 13. 5. If thou thinkest thou camest out alone thou art there stil What