not come but he delayeth his coming Matth. 24 48 49. this was the cause of his ungodliness But what saith Christ The Master of that Servant shal come in an hour when he looketh not for him these supposed delays on Gods part breed delays and neglects on our part Matth. 25.5 while the Bride-groom slept the good slept as wel as the bad it is a consideration for Saints as well as for sinners to quicken up their spirits and to stir them up to a serious minding of God The Apostle layeth down a very good preservative against this James 5.9 Grudge not one against another brethren behold the judge standeth before the door at the door of your houses at your Shop doors at every Tavern door and Ale-house as thou passest in at thy Chamber door at the door of every day and night and providence and he is ready to come and call thee to account without any warning Not some Officers or Fore-runners but he himself is comming without notice 2 Pet. 3.11 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godlinesse looking for and hastning unto the comming of the day of God the setting this day near us is a quickning consideration to rouse up the Saints Seventhly Consider the patience and forbearance of the Lord and if thou dost rightly weigh them they will be sufficient Motives to this great work of the fear of the Lord. The wise man doth conclude it as an evidence of a wicked heart to take advantage to himself from the forbearance of the Lord Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the Sons of men is fully set in them to evil and the Apostle argueth it at least an argument of an ignorant if not a stubborn spirit Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance He draws out this Dilemma with which he galls every one that refuseth to return under mercy and patience either thou despisest the goodnesse thou hast a God-despising heart where ever thou art or at last if we put a fairer gloss on it and the best which it will bear thou hast an ignorant heart which doth not understand the natural tendency of every dispensation of God and especially this under which thou art this of patience and forbearance Here is a consideration which reaches every soule this day before me And therefore lay it home you are all under the patience of God at least now If this consideration do not quicken up to duty pray read impartially the frames of your spirits in those words last read unto you And to help this Consideration forward pray think in your selves what a base unworthy thing it is to make the great Jehovah to wait upon such a vile wretch as thou art that he must follow thee at thy heels like a Drudge while thou followest thy pleasures and walkest in waies which he abominates Christ used it as a mighty Argument to the Spouse that he had waited upon her all night Cant. 5.2 My undefiled for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night It was too long for him to wait a night but how many nights and dayes hath the Lord waited on some of you How hast thou suffered him to follow thee from Alehouse to Ale-house and from Tavern to Tavern and there he hath checkt thee and from thence to thy Bed and from thence to the Tavern again and from thence into thy Imployment and from thence to the Ordinance and hath there convicted thee and yet thou thinkest it nothing to make the Lord wait as a Drudge at thy heels to this very day is not this very unworthy dealing with the great God Nay consider what will be the end of all this this patience and forbearance of God will cost thee deer which thou dost abuse it will be said when God upon account wil charge thee with so many dayes Attandance so long I waited upon thee in Providences and so long in ordinances and you made a Drudge of me made me to follow you from one Alehouse to another and from one Tavern to another and here I checkt you and in your Chamber and upon your sick-beds but all this attendance was slighted How wilt thou come off Dost thou think not to account for this wil it not be a heavy account when all the patience and forbearance of God will come in against thee then you shall understand that saying common amongst us but little considered and less applyed Laesa patientia in furorem vertitur Eightly consider Although patient yet he is just and although he seem slow yet he is sure and without peradvanture he will call thee to an account one day for all thy wayes and works whether good or evil The necessity and use of such a consideration as this we finde 2 Corin. 5.10.11 For me must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men He propounds this as an engaging Motive to the Saints to seek for and to keep a clear sight of their interest in God or to such a walking before him as may be acceptable to him through Christ And in the second place he lays it down as a pressing consideration to those who are acquainted with the Lord and with his dispensations to mind other men with these things and to use all means by perswasive ways to draw them out of the snares of the Divel and from this argument he presseth to a speedy repentance Acts 17.30 31. And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent Vers 31. Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained I wish that this consideration might come as near to you as it did to Felix Acts 24 25. And as he reasoned of Righteousnesse Temperance and Judgement to come Felix trembled only thus that it may have better successe that it may not be so soon shaken off from you as from him I am sure it is such a consideration that if it were wel and seriously weighed it would be a great help to ballance thy spirit when most vain This we may see by the use that the wise man makes of it Eccles 11.9 Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart chear thee in the daies of thy youth and walk in the waies of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement He propounds it to him that was resolved to have no other Counsellours but his own
TWO TREATISES THE FIRST THE Young-Mans MEMENTO Shewing How Why When We should remember GOD. OR The seasonableness and sutableness of this Work to YOVTH THE SECOND Novv if Ever PROVING 1 That God gives Man a Day 2 That this Day often ends while the means of Grace continues 3 That when this Day is ended peace is hid from the Soul Being an Appendix to the former Treatise Both by John Châ—shull Minister of the Gospel London Printed by A. N. and are to be sold by F. Eglesfieâ—d at the Marygold in St Pauls Church-yard 1657. The Rock of Ages or a Treatise of the eighteen Attributes of God twelve of them communicable and six incommunicable being the substance of sundry Lectures by Thomas Larkham M. A. sometime of Trinity Colledg in Cambridg Vestibu um lingue latine in 8. by William Du-Gard master of Merchant-Taylors School The English Rudiments of the Latine tongue in 8 by W. Du-Gard Schools probation in 8 by W. Du-Gard Sathan at Noon the Second part by Christopher Fower Minister of Reading Heroâ—es on the golden verses of Bethogaras teaching a vertuous and holy life by Jo. Hall of Grays-Inn Esquire Danger of being almost a Christian by John Chishuâ—â— Minister of Tiverton in Devon Young-Mans Memento by John Chishull Natures Good night being a Sermon preached at the Funeral of the blessedness of departed Saints in their immediate enjoyment of God in Glory by Joseph Row in 4. Aâ—poligetical Letter to a person of Quality in 4 by Joseph Hall Bishop of Norwich THE Young-mans Memento ECCLESIASTES 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth THe words I have read are an exhortation seasonable and suitable enough in that they point particularly at some but include and concern all they are almost the last breath of the Preacher and we know if a good Orator hath been pleading in a case of importance he usually draws up things of the greatest weight in the conclusion that if many particulars should be lost yet the last words of the Sermoâ— should stick They are the main use of this Text which he had preached upon which he proposes Chap. 1.2 Vanity of vanity saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity proves in the following Chapters by words of Wisdom and Experience two weighty considerations to endear the doctrine to us He shuts up the proof Chap. 11. vers 8. But if a man live many years and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the daies of darkness for they are many All that cometh is vanity And the last argument which he useth is from the ending and concluding of all these things there is a certain night of evil and sorrow which wil follow the brightest day which we do or can enjoy in the world if no troubles come with it yet there is enough comes after it to blast it in our thoughts From hence he proceeds to Application and it is to Young-men Ch. 11.9 Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thine heart chear thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eys This is not a complying with but a confuting of the vain foolish resolutions of youth by this he derides their thoughts and withall gives them a preservative or antidote against such madness Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement In my Text we have 1. The duty in the whole words In which which first the Act Remember Secondly the Object Creator 2. Here is the adjunct of Time First more generally In the days of the youth Secondly more specially now Let us weigh the words themselves Remember if we take it in the sense of the Philosopher for the exercise of the Memory it then includes three things First an exercising of the intellectual faculty of the Soul which is Conservativa specierum whereby we do receive and keep the forms and impressions of things and of Truths in our understandings and so all those manifestations of God which are made out to the soul Secondly An exercising of the Sensitive part of the Soul in keeping things and Actions and Providences which are past whereby we register the things that God hath done either for or against us and others Thirdly It contains that which they cal Reminiscentiam which is an endeavouring to cal to mind or recover those things which are fallen from the Memory which are not razed out of the intellectual part of the soul being there habitually but from the sensitive part only for the present we do not remember them but I shall shew you the use of this in the scripture there it is taken more largely 1. It signifies sometimes to muse upon a thing Ps 62.6 2. Sometimes to prize or esteem or value a thing Eccles 9.16 3. Sometimes to trust in a thing or person Ps 20.7 4. Sometimes it includes all the service of God Deut. 8.11 12. Indeed the signification of it is or may be various it may be used to express any motion or affection which is usually joyned to our knowledg or the exercise of it Verba cognitionis non solam nudam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed vivam efficacem significant A man may be said truly to know no more then he knows with affection and impression so remembring which is nothing else properly but a setting this knowledge at work and reviving of those notions which we have of things includes not onely the act of the Memory but the Will for this is usually moved one way or other by every motion of the Understanding We find very often the motions of the Will and Affections set forth by this word in the Text Heb. 11.15 Truly if they had been mindful of that Country from whence they came out i.e. if they had desired to return again they might have had an opportunity Jon. 2.7 When my soul fainted in me I remembred the Lord. This is such a remembring says Junius as doth not onely bring God to our thoughts but carries the whole soul with the greatest intention to mind him with the neglect or contempt of all other things So it is used to expresse the greatest affection and favour of spirit that may be found amongst Gods people Cant. 1.4 We will remember thy Loves more then Wine i.e. we wil take pleasure in thy loves and embrace the thoughts of it above all things So that to remember God is to do that which we ought to do when we remember we should desire him exercise our thoughts and meditations strongly about him and delight our selves highly in it Nay remembring doth not include only the inward acts of the soul the motion of the Will and Affections to such an object now presented to the Understanding but it takes in the outward acts too because the outward behaviour of a man is suted to those impressions which are within Thus Ahashuerus his rage against Vasti is expressed by this phrase Hester 2.
more fear he hath Spiritual mercies for your souls Psal 130.4 There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared It is impossible that the true fear of the Lord should bee planted and advanced in the heart without this consideration this mercy is pardoning mercy it is Soul mercy other considerations with this are usefull to ballance the Spirit but this is principally attractive this is the very door of the fear of the Lord where this is shut there is no way unto repentance Jerem. 2.25 But thou saidest there is no hope for I have loved strangers and after them I will go And Chap. 18.12 And they said there is no hope but wee will walke after our own devices and wee will every one do the imagination of his evil heart If God had no mercy for men it would be vain to perswade them to fear if men had not some kind of hope they would be hellishly wicked And that I might yet advance this Motive in your Souls take these particulars 1. He is willing to be reconciled to thee although he can destroy thee 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ that you be reconciled to God he hath ways enough to make thee stoop without wooing of thee and can dash thee in pieces when he pleaseth yet he beseecheth thee he intreats thee though hee hath no need of thee but thou hast need of him what need hath God of thee more then of the Heathens or Indians or Turks who know him not he could as easily have invited them as thee at this day he invites thee though thou art as the damned thy nature is as corrupt as theirs and thy sins as great as others before they were cast in there Rom. 3.22 23. There is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God O what impression should these have upon thy soul if thou wouldest give them their full allowance upon thy soul in meditation 2. He moves them to fear him by his mercies he might require it by his power without mercy hee might have called for as much duty and have given no encouragement at all unto it but beloved what heart-ensnaring language doth he speak Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The Lord might have chosen another manner of Stile then this 3 He offers thee better termes then thou art like to meet withall else-where the world cannot bid so faire nor perform so faithfully as he doth See that Promise which the Lord makes to the returning sinner Isa 55.1 2 Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without price vers 2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat yee that which is good and let your soul delight in fatnesse c. Search and finde where the Devil the World and Sin promiseth and when and to whom he gives such a thing as is held out attainable in following God 4 If thou hast tasted of mercy thou canst not but acknowledg that it is an engaging thing Tit. 2.11.12 For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world 5. If thou pretendest to Saintship and are not drawn by mercy surely thou hast a frame of spirit much different from the Saints of old for the love of God constrained them 1 Cor. 5.4 they had beseeching spirits which were very much affected with such arguments as I shewed you Rom. 12.1 6. If these are not perswasive motives how then art thou under that promise Hos 3.5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes 7. Is it not reason that thou shouldest do Gods work when he hath provided one to do thine he hath sent a Christ unto thee who offers himself to be thy life and thy strength and he tells thee That he hath left Heaven for a time that he might come down and make such an offer of himself to sinners and wilt thou not leave a little of the world to offer up thy self to him Shall the kind proffers of Christ in the Gospel meet with no returns Canst thou do lesse then offer up all that thou hast or art as a reasonable sacrifice to him who so freely offers thee himself in his Son to be thy righteousnesse wisdom sanctification and redemption In a word to be all and in all to thy soul Canst thou deny him thy time who offers thee Eternity Is thy present time and condition and ability too good to give out to him who offers thee more in Christ then thy present condition is able to bear more then can enter into thine heart to conceive Reserve nothing from him of thy little who gives thee with a reserve for this reason because thy present condition is not capable of all he intends thee Sixthly Consider how quick the Lord is with some men to cut them off without giving them many warnings or suffering them to grow up to such a measure of sin as he does others as he did Nadab and Abihu And that Gods coming to Judgement will appear quick when ever it comes 1. Though thou mayest have a smooth time in sin yet when that time of pleasure in sin is past it will seem very short Ask the old man and he wil tel that his Youth was quickly gone and Age came suddenly upon him Is not the life past like a tale that is told If God should suffer thee to live a full age and then cut thee off in thy sin wouldest not thou seem to go down quickly into hell 2. If you compare the time past with Eternity God is not slack concerning his comming saith the Apostle you will finde him quick enough when he comes Art thou come say the spirits to torment us before the time as some say before the end of the World and I exclude not that but how did the Divel know the end was not yet But it intimates that although the Divel had so many thousand years to tempt yet he thought it too soon to be troubled 3 He may be quick in that he wil be unwelcome and unwelcom guests when ever they come wil come too soon 4 When he cometh latest he will come before thou lookest for him he will come unawares and so wil be quick with thy soul notwithstanding all this patience the evil servant said not I have no Master nor that his Master wil