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A32778
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Words in season useful for those whose hearts are engaged to serve the will of God in this generation / from Abraham Cheare.
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Cheare, Abraham, d. 1668.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing C3763; ESTC R24264
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172,885
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317
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so should we There are divers Truths that in most Ages are not controverted these are not so properly the Truths under present consideration but such as the design of the Adversary is manifest to root out from being professed under heaven such are the Word of Patience which must be kept Rev. 3.10 the present Truth which must be had in remembrance and establishment 2 Pet. 1.12 Object Why is not every truth a truth now a present truth Answ Though that which is truth at any time abides truth at all times yet as hath been said those truths in a most eminent manner are called present truths which concern at present the vindication of the Glory of God and draw on the present tryals of the day upon the Assertors of it I note this the rather because in this shifting-day many that would be thought to be the Lord's Witnesses please themselves with this Blessed be God we hold to Fundamentals What Fundamental Truths have we yielded or denied and think themselves no way concerned to keep up a testimony for those truths which they call Circumstantial such as are not matters of Salvation whether it be held or practised this way or the other way Alas by such distinctions and evasions as these men have let go almost their whole testimony about the Royal right of Christ to set up Institutions of Worship that are to be maintained in his Authority only And I fear that such who can so easily relinquish their testimony to present Truths under this pretention They are not Fundamental Truths it will be found that when those Truths which they now call Fundamental shall be brought as they may speedily be brought to their tryal and so become present Truths there will other distinctions be found out to avoid the offence of the Cross concerning them also For an unconceiveable weakness in sticking close to every Truth is unavoidably contracted by yielding to the betraying of any Truth Hence Paul would not give place by subjection no not for an hour when there was great contention that the Truth of the Gospel might be continued Gal. 2.5 so vers 14. you see how eagerly he contended with Peter which might have endangered the Peace of the Churches meerly because he walked not uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel That Point which that Epistle handleth being the present Truth which was most assaulted and endangered to be lost in that day occasions him to be so jealous of it that he would and did run all manner of hazards rather than betray it Our case is the same now many glorious Truths hath the Lord brought forth asserted cleared and committed to his Saints and Churches to keep unrebukeable till the appearing of Christ especially those of his Dominion over his Saints and others these now being put upon a publick test upon the stage of the World and we as Witnesses Subpoenâ to give in Evidence to the truth and goodness of them We durst not accept of any overtures of Deliverance or otherwayes whereby our Testimony to them should be balked 4. When I cannot come at the good of Deliverance but I must bind up my hands from being capable of doing God that service in my generation which he requireth of me freely for the time to come when these are the terms Deliverance is too dear forme and may not be accepted We are called unto Liberty and withal required to stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not to be entangled with any yoke of bondage Gal. 5.1 Not to be the servants of men 1 Cor. 7.23 For if we seek to please them we cannot be the servants of Christ Gal. 1.10 Now that thing which would bind up my hands from being serviceable to Jesus Christ when he calls for my service my yielding thereunto whatever it be is a betraying of my Christian Liberty which Christ hath purchased for me with his blood We are debtors unto Grace and may not violate that obligation or yield to any thing that incapacitates us to discharge it by any means or on any terms You reade frequently at what an high rate in several contests Paul stands upon his Romane Priviledges he would not when in Prison came out to the detriment or disparagement of those his humane liberties Acts 16.37 And shall Paul think earthly priviledges to be such as he would indure longer imprisonment rather than basely betray them and shall we who are called to Gospel-liberties bought at so dear a rate beyond his Acts 22.28 1 Pet. 1.18 sell them for a song God forbid You know when Moses was upon the Treaty with Pharaoh about the enlargement of Israel out of Egypt divers overtures Pharaoh makes according as the hand of the Lord pressed on him They should sacrifice in the Land Exod. 8.26 or they should go out so none but the Men might go leaving the Women and Children chap. 10.9 10 11. or They should all go but they should leave the Flocks and Herds chap. 10.24 But what is the resolution of Moses There shall not an hoof be left behind for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God and we know not with what we must serve the Lord until we come thither v. 26. Shall Moses and Israel stand on their Points to endure Bondage rather than leave an Hoof behind And shall we make such terms to have Locks and Fetters upon our Hands and Feet from serving Christ for time to come seeing we little know what he may require of us to serve him withal God forbid Can true Israelites endure to have Deliverance upon such terms as the thrusting out their right eyes and laying it for a reproach on all Israel Would not all the Lords people lift up their voices and weep if it should be so 1 Sam. 11.2 4. Object What would you have me do I am now perhaps a Prisoner They will give me liberty so I will engage to Preach no more to Meet no more c. If they keep me a Prisoner I cannot Meet or Preach c. And if I promise I will not I shall be but in the same capacity I am in now and am likely to be still in Answ This way of reasoning is very ensnaring for first if thou art in bonds thy great interest lies in this in giving diligence that the Word of God is not bound 2 Tim. 2.9 but rather as Paul saith Phil. 1.12 That the things that fall out of this kind fall out rather to the furtherance of the Gospel Such therefore as seek and get freedom on terms that leave the Word obstructed in that free passage wherein it should run and be glorified 2 Thes 3.1 they do but get the fetters off from their own feet and set them upon the Word of God which is but Deliverance with a mischief 2 Thy liberty obtained in such a way and on such reasonings is but a liberty and freedom to serve thy self feed and satisfie thy self and lusts
most forward zealous Ring-leader of the Company Why he after he had drawn his Sword and shed blood forsook his Master and by and by denied him once and again and the third time nay cursed and swore that he never knew him What became of the rest of his Disciples in that tryal Why after that they had promised That though they should die with him they would never deny him Mat. 26.39 No sooner was he beset but they all forsook and fled and scattered every one to his own and left him alone John 16.32 These sore provocations of scorn and blasphemy falling in together with the dark administration it self of Christ's Death might well occasion this out-cry as Jacob said to his Sons Gen. 34.30 You have troubled me and made me to stink amongst the Inhabitants of the Land amongst the Canaanites and Perizzites O◠as the Israelites to Moses though by them ill applyed Exod. 5.21 You have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his Servants to put a Sword into their hands to slay us Such falls of Professors as they draw on themselves wounds that stink and are corrupted Psa 38.3 5 7. So do they cause the whole way of truth to be evil spoken of 2 Pet. 2.2 this is a lamentation Now against this putrifaction it much concerns the Saints to lay out themselves to do what they can shewing all good fidelity for the adorning and perfuming the Gospel of God in all things Titus 2.10 Having a conversation transcendantly honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak evil of them as evil-doers they may by their good works which they shall behold glorifie God c. 1 Pet. 2.12 Phil. 2.15 16 Mat. 5.15 16. Titus 2.8 Rom. 14.16 3dly There is an uncouth savour apt to arise from the very dispensation it self though we should consider it unclothed and freed from the former nasty circumstances Mortality in any respect is unpleasant dissolution is not desireable The Saints that desire to depart do not desire to be unclothed as such Phil. 1.23 2 Cor. 5.4 Every such death is a sowing in some dishonour weakness the corruption also 1 Cor. 15.42 43. This is a startling to Nature Sence and Reason In the Concerns of Christ whereof we speak there is no such death besides it but some thing suffers loss it s unclothed of some seeming beauty although in the issue it be to make for a more real and substantial glory every sentence of death hath some resemblance to the King of Terrors Job 18.14 This contracts paleness upon the faces of Friends themselves Jer. 30.6 7. swooning fainting fits are apt to seize them who with Joseph weep over and kiss such corps Gen. 50.1 2. Imbalmings are needful to resist such sadnings so Prov. 27.9 Oyntment and Perfume rejoyce the heart so doth the sweetness of a man's Friend by hearty counsel Christs Sepulchre was a Grave though hewen out of a Rock and imbalming was requisite though never man lay there before Joh. 14.39 c. especially seeing weeping Visiters desired access not only unto but into the Sepulchre Mark 16.5 Joh. 20.6 8. The Grave or Cave of Lazarus fetched groans and tears from Christ himself because he loved him though he was come to raise him Joh. 11.33 35 38. The aptness of the choicest Saints to faint swoon and quail at the Grave of that Interest whose Resurrection yet they frequently expect calls for cordial confections liberally prepared for such funerals Secondly Proceed we to the Second branch under this general Head and that is To take knowledge what is the Nature of this composition of Imbalm that is proper to withstand the said ill-savour in the several respects of it about which also consider we 1. First Some general Properties or Qualities that are principally to be heeded in this Preparation 2. Secondly The special Ingredients that must concur to make up the Composition of it The former of these I shall propound under the Observation and Improvement of two or three words in her case in the text which may direct our care in this business 1. That which we bring to the Lord on the present intendment must bear proportion to hers in this quality Hers was and so must ours be very Pure Oyntment The word Spiknard the margent reads Pure-nard some think it should be translated Vpright and Perfect Nard They taking the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so signifie faithful proper pure and unmixed Nard it being liable to be adulterated vitiated and corrupted By due proportion whereunto all endeavours of ours must have this principally heeded that simplicity integrity and true sincerity do truly qualifie whatever of this kind be attempted which directs us as wel that al the ingredients be unfeigned and answerable to the pure standard without hypocrisie as also that there be nothing admitted which is of a forreign allay which will prove of a corrupting nature to all the rest We read that in the Levitical administration there was both an holy Oyntment and an holy Perfume for the special use of the Tabernacle to be compounded by special direction according to the Art of the Apothecary Exod. 30.23 24 25 34 35 36. The Spices Dose Confection and Application of it must be strictly ordered by the standard of the Sanctuary under penalty of death on the least corruption or deviation The which pointing unto Gospel-things I might shew particularly requires all manner of care that what we bring before the Lord for a sweet savour do fully answer the pattern for simplicity and godly sincerity a little evil else will spoyl much good Dead Flyes saith the Wiseman Eccles 10.1 cause the Oyntment of the Apothecary to send forth a stinking savour so doth a little Folly him that is in repute for Wisdom and Honour They have need of clean hands and a pure heart that doth approach with such intendments What manner of persons ought they to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness If they lose their savour wherewith shall they be sweetned 2dly What we bring on this design must bear proportion to hers in this Her Spicknard was very precious Which expression signifieth as well the inward vertue and excellency of it as the rich price cost and value of it It might said the Disciples have been sold and such things seldom yield what they cost for three hundred pence which likely was the Roman penny by computation about seven pence half-penny of ours that amounts to about 9 l. 7 s. 6 d. sterlin So great a value to be expended at one dash on Christ by a Woman that seems to have been not one of the richest neither being so highly commended and propounded as an exemplary instance to us shews that what we bring of this kind must be in the sight of God of great price as a gracious frame of Spirit in his children is said to be even that hidden man