Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A30202
|
Seasonable counsel, or, Advice to sufferers by John Bunyan.
|
Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.
|
1684
(1684)
|
Wing B5592; ESTC R3858
|
96,024
|
262
|
of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator THis Epistle was written to Saints in affliction specially those of the Circumcision for whom this Peter was an Apostle And it was written to them to counsel and comfort them in their affliction To counsel them as to the cause for which they were in afflictions and as to the right management of themselves and their cause under their affliction To comfort them also both with respect to their present help from God and also with reference to the reward that they faithfully continuing to the end should of God be bestowed upon them all which we shall have occasion more distinctly to handle in this following discourse The Text is a conclusion drawn from the Counsel and comfort which the Apostle had afore given them in their suffering state As who should say my Brethren as you are now afflicted so sufferings are needful for you and therefore profitable and advantagious Wherefore be content to bear them And that you may indeed bear them with such Christian contentedness and patience as becomes you commit the keeping of your souls to your God as unto a faithful Creator Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls unto him as unto a faithful Creator In this conclusion therefore we have three things very fit for sufferers to concern themselves with 1. A direction to a duty of absolute necessity 2. A description of the persons who are unto this so necessary a duty directed 3. An insinuation of the good effect that will certainly follow to those that after a due manner shall take this blessed advice The duty so absolutely necessary is that sufferers commit the keeping of their souls to God The sufferers here intended are those that suffer according to the will of God The good insinuated that will be the effect of our true doing of this is we shall find God a faithful Creator We will first begin with the duty that sufferers are here directed to namely the committing of their souls to God Let them commit the keeping of their soul to him in well doing And I find two things in it that first call for explaining before I proceed 1. What we must here understand by the Soul 2. What by committing the soul to God For the First The soul here is to be taken for that most excellent part of man that dwelleth in the body that immortal spiritual substance that is and will be capable of life and motion of sense and reason yea that will abide a rational being when the body is returned to the dust as it was This is that great thing that our Lord Jesus intends when he bids his Disciples in a day of Tryal fear him that can destroy both body and soul in Hell Luk. 12.5 That great thing I say that he there cautions them to take care of According to Peter here Let them commit the keeping of their soul to him in well-doing Secondly Now to commit this soul to God is to carry it to him to lift it to him upon my bended knees and to pray him for the Lord Jesus Christs sake to take it into his holy care and to let it be under his keeping Also that he will please to deliver it from all those snares that are laid for it 'twixt this and the next world and that he will see that it be forth coming safe and sound at the Great and Terrible judgment notwithstanding so many have ingaged themselves against it Thus David committed his soul to God when he said Arise O Lord disappoint him cast him down deliver my soul O Lord from the wicked which is thy Sword And again Be pleased O Lord to deliver me O Lord make hast to help me let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it Psal. 17.13 Psal. 40.13 14. Thus I have shewed you what the soul is and what it is to commit the soul to God This then is the duty that the Apostle here exhorteth the sufferers to namely to carry their soul to God and leave it with him while they ingage for his name in the World Now from the Apostles Exhortation to this great duty I will draw these following conclusions First That when persecution is raised against a people there is a design laid for the ruin of that peoples souls This I say doth naturally follow from the exhortation Why else need they to commit the keeping of their souls to God For by this word unto God to keep them is suggested there is that would destroy them and that therefore persecution is raised against them I am not so uncharitable as to think that persecuting men design this But I verily believe that the Devil doth design this when he stirs them up to so sorry a work In times of Tryal says Peter The Devil your adversary goeth about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8.9 Alas men in their acts of this nature have designs that are lower and of a more inferior rank Some of them look no higher than revenge upon the carcass than the spoiling of their neighbour of his Estate Liberty or Life than the greatening of themselves in this world by the ruins of those that they have power to spoil Their possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say blessed be the Lord for I am rich Zech. 11.4 5. Ay! But Satan will not be put off thus 't is not a bag of Money or the punishing of the carcass of such a people that will please or satisfie him 'T is the soul that he aims at the ruin of the precious soul that he hath bent himself to bring to pass 'T is this therefore that Peter here hath his heart concerned with As who should say my Brethren are you troubled and persecuted for your Faith look to it the hand of Satan is in this thing and what ever men drive at by doing as they do the Devil designs no less than the damnation of your Souls Ware Hawk saith the Falconer when the Dogs are coming near her specially if she be too much minding of her belly and too forgetful of what the nature of the Dog is Beware Christian take heed Christian the Devil is desirous to have thee And who could better give this exhortation than could Peter himself Who for not taking heed as to this very thing had like by the Devil to have been swallowed up alive as is manifest to them that heedfully read and consider how far he was gone when that persecution was raised against his Master Luk. 22 31-56 57 58 59 60 61 62. When a Tyrant goes to dispossess a neighbouring Prince of what is lawfully his own the men that he imployeth at Arms to overcome and get the Land They fight for Half-Crowns and the like and are content with their wages But the Tyrant is for the Kingdom nothing will
him to forsake what he has received of God a commandment to hold fast His holy harmless and profitable notions because they are spiced with grace yield to him more comfort joy and peace and do kindle in his Soul so goodly a fire of love to and zeal for God that all the waters of the World shall never be able to quench Ay say some that 's because he is head-strong obstinate and one that will hear no reason No say I but it is because his spirit is in the hand under the conduct and preservation of a Creator A Creator can make spirits uphold Spirits and make one Spirit stronger to stand than are all the Spirits of the World to cast down To stand I say in a way of patient enduring in well doing against all that Hell can do to suppress Thirdly A Creator A Creator can bring down the Spirits that oppose and make them weak and unastable as water The Lord the everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not nor is weary There is no searching of his understanding He gives power to the faint and to those that have no might he increaseth strength now mark even the youth shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall A Creator can dash the Spirits of the enemies with fear God can put them in fear and make them know that they are men and not God and that their Horses are flesh and not spirit When the enemy came to take Jesus Christ their spirits fainted their hearts died in them they went backwards and fell to the ground They had hard work to strengthen their spirits to a sufficiency to boldness and courage though they brought Halberts and Staves and Swords and weapons with them to take a naked man John 18.3 4 5 6 7. And although this is that which is not so visible to the World as some other things are yet I believe that God treads down the Spirits of men in a day when they afflict his people oftner than we are aware of or than they are willing to confess How was the hostile Spirit of Esau trod down of God when he came out to meet his poor naked brother with no less than four hundred armed men He fainted before his Brother and instead of killing kist him Gen. 33. How was the bloudy Spirit of Saul trod down when David met him at the mouth of the Cave and also at the hill Hachâ—lah 1 Sam. 24.62 God is a Creator and as a Creator is a Spirit maker a Spirit reviver a Spirit destroyer He can destroy body and Soul in hell Luk. 12. Fourthly A Creator As a Creator he is over all Arts Inventions and Crafts of men that are set on work to destroy Gods people whether they be Souldiers excellent Orators or any other whatsoever we will single out one the Smith that roaring fellow who with his coles and his Bellows makes a continual noise I have created the Smith saith God that bloweth the coals in the fire that bringeth forth an instrument for his work and I have created the waster to destroy Isa. 45.16 The Smith what is he I answer an Idol-maker a promoter of false worship and one that makes Instruments of cruelty therewith to help to suppress the true Chap. 41.7 Chap. 44. the 12. Chap. 46. â— chap. 54.17 I have created the Smith saith God that bloweth the coals in the fire The Idol inventor the Idol-maker the supporter of Idol worship he is my creature saith God to teach that he has power to reach him and to command his Sword to approach him at his pleasure notwithstanding his roaring with his Bellows and his coals in the fire So then he cannot do what he will in the fire nor with his Idol when he has made it the instrument also that he makes for the defence of his Idol and for the suppressing of Gods true worship shall not do the thing for the which 't is designed by him And so the very next verse saith No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord. ver 17. And the Text saith moreover I have created the waster to destroy The waster what 's that why the Smith makes an Idol and God has made the rust the Smith makes a Sword and God has made the rust The rust eats them up the moth shall eat them up the fire shall devour them The wicked saith the Psalmist have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy and to stay such as are upright in conversation their sword shall enter into their own heart and their bow shall be broken Psal. 37.14 15. All this can God do because he is a Creator and none but God can do it Wherefore by this peculiar Title of Creator the Apostle prepareth support for suffering Saints and also shews what a good conclusion is like to be made with them that suffer for righteousness sake according to his will and that commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator Fifthly A Creator a Creator can make such provision for a suffering people in all respects as shall answer all their wants Have they lost their peace with the World have they no more peace with this World Why a Creator can make create peace can create peace peace Peace with God and peace with his conscience and that 's better than all the peace that can be found else where in the World Isa. 57.19 Have they lost a good frame of heart do they want a right frame of spirit Why though this is to be had no where in the World yet a Creator can help them to it Psal. â—1 10 Have they lost their spiritual defence do they lie too open to their spiritual foes Why this a Creator can help And the Lord shall create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon all her assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all her glory shall be a defence Isa. 4 5 6. This is the work of the Spirit for though the Spirit it self be uncreate yet all the holy works of it in the heart are verily works of Creation Our new man is a Creation our graces are a Creation our joys and comforts are a Creation 2 Cor. 5.17 18. Ephes. 4.24 Isa. 65.17 18 19. Now a Creation none can destroy but a Creator wherefore here is comfort But again God hath created us in Christ Jesus that 's another thing the Sun is created in the Heavens the Stars are created in the Heavens the Moon is created in the Heavens Who can reach them touch them destroy them but the Creator Why this is the case of the Saint because he has to do with a