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A81578
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A sermon preached on the fast-day, December 22. 1680. In the Cathedral Church of Rochester. By Robert Dixon, D.D vice-dean of the said church
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Dixon, Robert, d. 1688.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing D1748aA; ESTC R225588
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42,897
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68
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this World Why Because I know and feel That 1. God is mine by his own Act and Deed not only of Creation as he is to all but of Redemption as he would be to all if they would take it and is to all that do embrace it to whom he therefore giveth power that they should be called the Sons of God And then God's Work is done 2. I am God's by my own Act and Deed not only by owning my self to be the Work of his Hands but covenanting with him to do and suffer his Will in and upon me and to trust to him that he will be my exceeding great Reward And so I may call God Father And then my work is done While a Soul is abstracted with mutual Enjoyments Studies and Raptures with God no worldly Grievances can affect such sublime Spirits as they do those that grovel upon the ground in the concerns chiefly of the Flesh and of the World 'T was said of Archimedes that his Mind being intent upon Demonstrations when the City was besieged and the Enemy broke in upon him he perceived not the Danger of his Death till it seized upon his Contemplations Death it self is not fear'd nor felt so much in the Flesh to a man that is mortified to the Flesh before-hand from the Corruptions and Lusts thereof waiting all the days of our appointed time till his change do come looking for after this earthly house of his Tabernacle is dissolved to have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens but groaning earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with his house which is from Heaven that being clothed he shall not be found naked not for that he would be unclothed but clothed upon so that mortality might be swallowed up of life desiring not in the Flesh but in the Spirit to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better Other thoughts and cares are eating fretting and consuming but these are healing comforting and reviving caring for God how we may please him that cares for us By these the Soul is upheld from sinking into despair when the Flesh the World and the Devil are alltogether about our ears Thus we bear up against the Waves because our Stern is good or Keel is sound and our Pilot steers a right Course Do not therefore break my heart with worldly fears I have a mind to hope as well as fear I have crowded my Head already among the Stars I may be vex'd in my Body but that also being ioyn'd to the Head will follow after it by degrees and Christ which is my Head will draw my whole Body Soul and Spirit after him with whom I am already in Faith in Heavenly places My Tribulation worketh in me patience and patience experience and experience hope and I shall never be ashamed So I encourage all Sufferers Durate rebus vosmet servate secundis Dabit Deus his quoque finem Virg. Upbraid me not but pity me for I am resolved and therefore tempt me no more it is enough that I suffer I murmure not let me alone Oro miserere laborum tantorum miserere animi non digna ferentis They that sow in tears shall reap in joy and bring their Sheaves with them after a few days I shall find the comfort of it An humble Soul aims high God and my Right but all in Christ God be merciful to me a Sinner for his free Grace in Christ Jesus only Amen If in this Life only we have hope we are of all men the most miserable It is so short and miserable that in our Extremities we look one upon another and know not what to do What shall we do in Death That puts an end to all worldly Extremities eases the poor Captive in the Dungeon from his Bonds and the oppressed from all Tyranny and is too often wished for in the error of our Life but is a beginning of endless Extremities to them that have no hope We that could not tell what to do in Life what shall we do in Death When the naked Soul sits trembling upon the pale lip to be plunged into the bottomless Abyss of Eternity But if in this Life our hope be full of a Glorious and Blessed Immortality we know what to do there is hope in Death When the Body goes to the Dust the Soul returns to God that gave it to the God of Abraham and of Isaac and Jacob who is not the God of the Dead but of the Living for they are all alive in the Spirit with God and shall live with him in the Body when the times of Refreshment shall come from the Lord. My Son if thou come to serve the Lord prepare thy Soul for Temptation set thy Heart aright and constantly endure and make not hast in time of trouble Cleave unto him and depart not away that thou mayst be encreased in thy last end Whatsoever is brought unto thee take chearfully and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate For Gold is tried in the Fire and acceptable men in the Furnace of Adversity Believe in him and he will help thee order thy way aright and trust in him Ye that fear the Lord wait for his Mercy and go not aside lest ye fall Ye that fear the Lord believe him and your reward shall not fail Ye that fear the Lord hope for good and for everlasting Joy and Mercy Look at the Generations of old and see Did ever any trust in the Lord and was confounded Or did any abide in his Fear and was forsaken Or whom did he ever despise that called upon him For the Lord is full of Compassion and Mercy long suffering and very pitisul and forgiveth sins and saveth in time of Affliction Wo be to fearful hearts and faint hands and the Sinner that goeth two ways Wo to him that is faint-hearted for he believeth not therefore shall he not be deseded Wo unto you that have lost patience and what will ye do when the Lord shall visit you They that fear the Lord will not disobey his Word and they that love him will keep his ways They that fear the Lord will seek that which is well-pleasing unto him and they that love him shall be filled with the Law They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts and humble their Souls in his Sight saying we will fall into the hands of the Lord and not into the hands of Men for as his Majesty is so is his Mercy Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Mercies and the God of Comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God For as the Sufferings of Christ abound in us so our Consolation also aboundeth by Christ and whither we be afflicted it is for our Consolation and Salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the
Portion Sorte tuâ contentus abi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Other Remedies are of no value They do but encrease the pain they do no good when all is done Search and see it you can find any other way there is none This is the way walk in it Christ himself hath trodden it tho Thorny 't is safe This is the Philosophers Stone that turns all into Gold this is in God's power to do in our power to use Other things of Providence are not in our power let them go on for they must go on and none can stop them They may be born and they must be born no other Remedy when all is done that can be done only our eyes look up unto thee Acquaint thy self with God and be at rest retire to God and be secure shelter thy self under his wings Other things tend to Dispair this to Hope Study thus to be quiet This is the way walk in it Hear a voice behind thee within the round about thee God is nearer then when we believed We shall see by Faith what we cannot see by Sense we shall hear by Faith what we cannot hear by Sense we shall feel by Faith what we cannot feel by Sense and our hands shall handle of the word of life only be valiant and of a good courage The Lord will do his work and we shall hold our peace Who then is on God's side Who Who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed Shall the Son of Man find Faith on the Earth Yes he will find it in the hearts of those that are in Covenant with him The Light is within us keeps us from walking in Darkness Stay me with Flagons comfort me with Apples for I am sick of Love ravished transported with Eternals do not offer to break my heart with Terrors for I am ready and resolv'd not only to be bound but to dy for the blessed name of the Lord Jesus Make a party to wait on God and to trust to his mercies This is a present help in time of trouble The Cat in the Fable had but one shift to save her life when the Doggs came about her but 't was a good one to take a Tree but the Fox had a hundred but they were all stark naught Woful experience of all unprofitable means is a means to establish the heart to a comfortable experience of looking up to God When we say Who will shew us any good And find by experience they cannot shew us any good then we shall find by experience that God will shew us all good and that we had fainted unless we had believed to see the goodness of God and that we shall live and not dye I have lifted up mine Eyes to the Hills from whence only cometh my Salvation You may try all things if you will but they will do you no good But if you hold fast that which is good that to be sure will do you good Come unto me all ye that travel and are heavy laden with the burden of your Sins and ye shall find Rest for your Souls O every man that thirsteth come ye to the Waters and he that hath no Money come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without Money and without Price wherefore do ye spend your Money for that which is not Bread and your Labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in Fatness Incline your Ear and come unto me hear and your Soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure Mercies of David Wisdom cryeth without she uttereth her voice in the Streets How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and Fools hate knowledge Turn you at my Reproof behold I will poure out my Spirit unto you I will make known my Ways unto you If thou incline thine Ear unto Wisdom and apply thine Heart to Understanding yea if thou criest after Knowledge and liftest up thy voice for Understanding If thou seekest her as Silver and searchest for her as for hid Treasures then shalt thou understand the Fear of the Lord and find the Knowledge of God Then shalt thou understand Righteousness and Judgement and Equity yea and every good Path. When Wisdom entreth into thine Heart and Knowledge is pleasant unto thy Soul Discretion shall preserve thee Understanding shall keep thee To deliver thee from the way of the evil Man from the Man that speaketh froward things Hide your Treasures in Woods Deserts Caves Ponds Wells c. Pack up Bundles and be bone fly away as fast as you can Destruction hath swift Wings to overtake you Riches profit not in the day of wrath Thrones have been tumbled into the Dust and they that were brought up in Scarlet have embraced Dunghills A good Conscience is the truest Riches will bring you to everlasting Habitations where ye may dwell in ease and safety There is no rest for the sole of our Feet but in Gods Ark Look upon one another still ye shall peradventure find help one to another in a worldly way if ye are true one to another But look up unto God and he shall find help in an Heavenly way one to another Is there a God or no If no despair and dye If a God believe and live SECT XII Obj. These are remove Comforts but my House is on fire I am undone Sol. Undone in outward appearance to the Eye of the World but safe in inward appearance to the eye of God for the World to Come I have said all I can I have no better If you like this Counsel take it if not let it alone but let me not cast Pearls before Swine I offer Peace if you take it well if not it returns to me again Liberavi animam meam I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you I have saved my own Soul your blood be upon your own Heads I have piped unto you and ye have not danced I have mourned unto you and ye have not wept Your destruction is from your selves but in God is your help if you will take it Do what you will I and my House will serve the Lord. Go away with such of your Comforts as you can yet make the best of them you can but behold I shew unto you a more excellent way You shall perish with all your Provisions but we that trust in God shall be as Mount Sion which shall never be removed We may fear as well as you in this Life or we may suffer as well as you or if ye be saved here we can but suffer but we have a better hope than you your Gold and Silver shall cancker and your Garments rot with the Moth. Solus mihi Consolator Christus in vitâ morte We are Men as well as you we have some wit in our Passions as well as