nearest and dearest Relations might taste that the Lord is gracious that they might all be holy and happy gracious and glorious that they might all have changed hearts renewed natures and sanctified souls That they might all be born again adorned with grace filled with the spirit and fitted for Heaven You know that upon her dying bed she desired me that when she was asleep in Jesus that I would for the advantage of the living especially for your sakes â—ho lay nearest her heart preach on that Psal 34.8 O taste and see that the Lord is good 1 Thes 4.14 The three Sermons that I preached on Psal 37.8 I have been desired to Print but could not answer Friends expectations in that because I had not the Notes by me of what I said upon that Text. Which accordingly I did once and again Now what was her design in this but that every one of you might share with her in the same favour love spirit grace merit righteousness and goodness that her soul had long tasted of There is not a soul that ever have had any saving taste of the Lord and of his goodness but is mighty desirous that others should taste of the same grace and goodness O taste and see that the Lord is good As if David should have said I for my part have seen tasted and experienced much of God and his goodness and never more then in my greatest streights I am loth to eat these heavenly viands and soul-ravishing morsels of contentment alone Come hither all you that fear God Ps 66.16 the words are without a Copulative in the Hebrew venite audite Calv. Come Hearkâ—n Like that Gen. 19.14 It not only imports an Invitation but the affection also of him that speaks and I will tell you what God hath done for my soul Come O come poor souls taste and see with me how good the Lord is how comfortable the embraces of Christ are and how sweet communion with Heaven is We cannot advantage others more then by declaring and communicating unto them our soul-secrets our soâ—l-Experiments All the Saints own it as their duty to glorifie God in their Generation and wherein can they bring more glory to God then in helping souls to Heaven and how can they finde out a readier way to effect this great business then by telling them what God has done for their souls then by making a faithful Narrative of their own conditions by nature and by grace when and how the goodness of the Lord was made known unto them upon a saving account O tell poor wounded sinners what methods of mercy the Lord used to the healing up of your wounds and to the quieting of your consciences that so they may be encouraged to a serious use of all Gospel-means and to a hope of the same grace and goodness of the Lord towards them Heb. 12.14 See my Treatise on this Text. Acts 26.29 Lâ—ke 5.29 O labour more and more to convince others by your experiences that grace is the only way to glory and that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Paul had tasted that the Lord was good and he wish'd that both Agrippa and all that heard him were altogether such as be was except his bonds As soon as Matthew had tasted that the Lord was good he called together an huge multitude of Publicans and others to meet at his house As soon as Philip had tasted of the sweetness of communion with Christ John 1.45 46. he runs to Nathaniel to invite him to Christ saying Come and see No sooner had the Woman of Samaria tasted of Christs living waters but she leaves her water-pot John 4.28 and posts into the City to call out her friends and neighbours to see and taste how good dear Jesus was So those young Converts Zech. 8.21 And the inhabitants of one City shall go to another Vide Pemble in loc Isa 2.2 3 4. saying let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go alse Mic. 4.2 And many Nations shall come and say Come and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths for the Law shall go forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Hierusalem These blessed Converts would not come alone but draw others along in company with them to worship the Lord which is lively expressed in a Mimesis or imitation of the encouragements and invitations they should use one to another I will go also every one was as forward for himself as zealous for another O blessed frame of spirit O my friends it is the nature of true grace to be diffusive and communicative Grace can t be conceal'd they that have tasted of divine sweetness cannot chuse but speak of it to others their hearts like bottles of new wine would be ready to burst if they had not vent Grace is like fire in the bones they that have it cannot hide it All the faculties of the sâ—ul and all the members of the body will still be a telling of others that there is a treasure of grace in the soul The blind men that were cured were charged to be silent but they could not hold their peace So here Lilmor behammed We therefore learn that we may teach is a Proverb among the Rabbins And I do therefore lay in and lay up saith the Heathen that I may draw forth again and lay out for the good of many And shall not grace do as much as nature shall not grace do more then nature Well friends this I shall only say that the frequent counsels thaâ— your glorified Mother have given you to taste of divine goodness and the experiences that she has communicated to you of her taste of divine goodness both in her health and sickness both in her living and dying will certainly either be for you or else be a dreadful witness against you in the great day of our Lord Jesus O remember not only these experiences of hers that are now presented to your eyes but those other experiences of hers as to her inward man that has often sounded in your ears But Lastly labour to imitate her in her comfortable passage out of this world Those words were more worth then a world which she uttered a little before she fell asleep in the Lord viz. Lord take my aking head and lay it in thy bosome How often did she express her longings to be with Christ that she might sin nor sorrow no more her outward man was full of pain weakness and trouble yet how was her inward man refresh'd and quieted in a way of believing according to that blessed Word In all my visits of her my hardest task was still to work her into a willingness to stay in this world till all her doing and her suffering wâ—rk was over Isa 26.3 Thou
wilt keep him in perfect Peace The Hebrew runs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shalom Shalom Peace Peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Never did the espoused Maid long more for the Marriage-day nor the Apprentice for his freedom nor the Captive for his Ransom nor the condemned man for his Pardon nor the Traveller for his Inne nor the Marriner for his Haven nor the sick man for his health nor the wounded man for his cure nor the hungry man for his bread Phil 1.23 nor the naked for clothes then she did long to die and to be with Christ which for her was best of all How often were those words in her mouth Rev. 22.20 Come Lord Jesus come quickly The face of none is so comely to the Saints eye the voice of none so lovely to his ears the taste of none so pleasant in his mouth as Jesus Christ The Name of Jesus hath a thousand treasures of joy and comfort in it saith Chrysostome and is therefore used by Paul five hundred times as some have reckoned The Name of a Saviour saith one is Honey in the Mouth Musick in the Ear Bernard and a Jubilee in the heart And how often was that blessed word in her mouth Remember O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Isa 38.3 and have done that which is good in thy sight a serious sense of her uprightness in the main of her walking with God did yield her more then a little sweetness and comfort when she was upon her bed of Pain one of the last speeches of a dying upright Christian was this Satan may as well plâ—ck God out of Heaven John 10.28 29 30. 2 Tim. 2.12 as plâ—ck my soul out of â—his keeping She knew him in whom she had believed and was perswaded that he was able to keep that which she had committed to him against that day A child that hath any precious Jewel given him cannot better secure it then by putting it into his fathers hands to keep so neither can we better provide for our souls safety then by committing them to God Keep that which I have committed that is eithâ—r my precious soul which I have committed to his care and custody to bring it forth glorious at that day of his appearing or my eternal life happiness and crown of glory which I have as it were deposited w th him by faith and hope and thus it was with her The Apostle saith he committed to Gods Custody a Pawn or Pledge but about this Pawn or Pledge Interpreters differ One saith It is his soul Another saith It is himâ—elf And a third saith It is his works And a fourth saith It is his sâ—fferings And a fifth saith It is his salvation In short he committâ—d to God his soul himself his doings his sufferings to be rewarded with life and salvation and so did she who is now at rest in the Lord. Lord saith Austin I will die that I may enjoy thee I w ll not live but I will die I desire to die that I may see Christ and refuse to live that I may live with Christ The broken Rings Contracts and Espousals contents not the true Lover but he longs for the Marriage-day and so did she who has now exchang'd a sick bed for a Royal Throne and the company of poor Mortals for the Presence of God Christ Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect It was well said of one So far as we tremble at death so far we want love its sad when the Contâ—act is made between Christ and a Christian to see a Christian afraid of the making up of the Marriage But your deceased Relation was no such Christian I know nothing in this world that her heart was so much set upon as the compleating of the Marriage between Christ and her soul My eye is upon that text Isa 57.1 The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and 〈…〉 men are taken away none considering that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come I have read of one Philo a Jew and of another that when they came to any City or Town and heard of the death of any godly man though never so poor they would both of them mourn exceedingly because of the great loss that place had by the death of that godly man and because it was a warning-Piece from God of evil approaching but ah how many famous godly Ministers and how many châ—iâ—e Christians hath the Lord of Hosts taken away from us and yet who lays it to heart There is no greater Prognostick of an approaching storm thâ—n Gods calling home so many Worthies of whom this world was not worthy as he has lately done Now O that God would beautifie all your souls with all these 12 Jewels with which your Mother waâ— adorned in life and 〈◊〉 Sir you having signified to me that it was your Mothers minde and your desires that her following Experiences should be printed I did think it might be somewhat seasonable to put you all in minde of such things as I had among many others observed and which should be all your ambition to imitate as you would give up your accounts at last with joy and be happy with her for ever in that other world Considering that these Experiences may fall into other hands besides your own I thought it meet to let such Readers know that these were taâ—en from her by one of you when she was in a very weakly condition and had little more strength then to speak and they are but some of those that lay most warm upon her heart at that time God began to work upon her in the Morning of her days and had there been a Collection of all her most close inward spiritual Experiences they would have been greatly multiplied beyond what is now presented to the Readers eye but that was a Task too hard for her under those variety of weaknesses that she was every â—ay contending with The Experienees â—f old disciples commonly rise high but the Ingenious Reader may easily discern by the twelve Iewels with which she was adorned that she was a woman both of choice and great Experiences Aâ—stin observes on Psal 16.2 Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will deâ—lare what he hath done for my soul He doth not call them saith he to acquaint them with speculations how wide the Earth is and how far the Heavens are streteh'd out or what the number of the stars are or what is the course of the Sun But come and I will tell you the wonders of his grace the faithfulness of his promises and the riches of his mercy to my soul Now all Ministers and Christians that had any inward acquainâ—ance with her soul-concernments they do very well know that she was most taken up with the wonders of Gods free rich and sovereign grace and with
the sweetness the fulness the freeness the riches and the faiâ—hfulness of his Promises and with the riches of his mercy in Christ to her soul To draw to a close it is observable that even the holy Apostles in their Canonical Epistles have spent some good part of their holy lines in the ample Commendations of those eminent Saints to to whom they wrote as Paul in hâ— to Philemon and John in that of 〈◊〉 to an Honourable Lady and thâ— other to a meaner person viz. Gaiâ—â— and that they went not behind thâ— door as we say to whisper but 〈◊〉 on the House-top did proclaim tâ—â— Religious and pious practices of thoâ— more choice Christians to the â—miâ—atiâ—on of others And further when consider that which the Apostle speaketh of Demetrius a rare and noâ— ordinary Testimony 3 Ep. of John 12. Demetriâ—s haâ—â— a good report of all men and of tâ—â— Truth it self and we also bear Record and we know that our Record 〈◊〉 true And yet further when I consider what is Recorded of Hezekiaâ— Thus did Hezekiah throughout all Jâ—dah 1 Chro. 31.20 21. and wrought what was good anâ— right and true before his God Anâ— in every work that he began in thâ— service of the House of God anâ— in the Law and Commandments hâ— did it with all his heart and proâ—â—pered And when I consider whâ—â— high commendations the Apostle bâ—stows upon the Churches of Maâ—â—donia 2 Cor. 8.1 to the eleven verse And upon the Church of Thesâ—alonia 1 Thessal 1.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. And also 2 Thessal 1. â— 4 5 And when I consider that â—t was the Holy Ghost who writ â—â—eâ—â—adâ—â— Epitaph 2 Chron. 24.16 They buried him â—n the City of â—avid among the Kings â—ecause he had done good in Israel â—â—oth towarâ—s God and towards his hoâ—se It is said also of â—osiah in â—his Commendations by the same Spirit Like unto him there was no King 2 King 23.25 Moses and Mordâ—â—aâ— Sarah Deboâ—rah Esther Eâ—â— abeth and others after their deaths have had their due praises When I consider of these things I am very well satisfied in what I have said concerning this deceased Sister and friend I do no ways doubt but that we may vâ—ry safely say good of such when dead whose ordinary course and practice it was to do good while they lived but in this censorious Age No sooner is dâ—st cast upon some Christians head but there are those that will do what they can to throw dirt in their faces Aâ—gustine doth very fitly compare these to Dives his dogâ— they lay licking and sucking Lazarus his sores but his sounder parts they never medled with To trample upon the Reputation and stain the glory of them that die in the Lord argues such Persons to be a kin to Fleas who bite most when men are asleep It was one of Solons Laws that none should dare to speak evil of the dead And Plutarch tells us that that was highly commended and duly observed But is it so now This I am sure that it well becomes Christians not to dare to speak evil if they could of those who for the main have lived holily and died graciously as this deceased friend hath done Let this satisfie us that she is above the Praises and envies of men 'T is the good the profit the advantage of all your souls and theirs into whose hands this little Piece may fall that has drawn me out to write so large an Epistle If I had had only the dead in my eye a few lines should have serv'd the turn I doubt not but that you will kindly accept of my endeavours to be serviceable to your immortal souls and who can tell what fruit may grow upon this Tree I shall improve all the interest I have in Heaven that both the Epistle and your glorified Mothers Experiences may be blest to the furtherance of the internal and eternal welfare of all your souls The good-will of him that dwelt in the Bush rest upon you and yours So I Rest Honoured friends Your Souls Servant THO BROOKS A TRUE RELATION OF Some of the EXPERIENCES of Mrs. SUSANNA BELL taken from her own Mouth by a near Relation of hers a little before her death Left as a LEGACY to her Mourning Children IT pleased the Lord to order it so that in my young days I was cast into a Family that feared the Lord. And going to hear Mr. White preaching from those words Prov. 15.15 But he that is of a merry heart hath a continual Feast From thâ—se words he did shew how happy a thing a good conscience was and what a sad thing it was with Judas to have a bad conscience and what a blessed thing it was to have a good conscience From that of Hezekiah Isa 38.3 And he said Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which iâ— good in thy sight This Sermon God made useful to me and after this it pleased the Lord to order it so that I changed my condition and the Lord provided for me a good Husband one that feared him And some troubles being here many of the people of God went for New England and among them my Husband desired to go but I and my friends were very a verse unto it I having one childe and being big with another thought it to be very difficult to cross the Seas with two small children some of my Neighbors advising me to the contrary living so well as I did But I told them that what the Lord would have me to do that I would willingly do and then it pleased the Lord to bring that Scripture to my mind Eph. 5.22 Wives submit your selves unto your own Husbands as unto the Lord. And then my heart was brought off to a quiet submission But after this I being well delivered and the Child well It pleased the Lord soon after to take my Child to himself Now upon this so far as it pleased the Lord to help a poor wretch I begged earnestly of him to know why he took away my Child and it was given in to me that it was because I would not go to New England Upon this the Lord took away all fears from my â—pirit and then I told my Husband I was willing to go with him For the Lord had made my way clear to me against any that should oppose And then my husband went presently upon the work to fit to go And the Lord was plâ—ased to carry us as upon Eagles wings according to that Deut. 32 10 11. We were eight weeks in our passage and saw nothing but the Heavens and Waters I knew that the Lord was a great God upon the shore But when I was upon the Sea I did then see more of his glorious power then ever I had done before according to that of the Psalmist Psal 107.23 24. And when the Lord was pleased
to bring us in safety on shore his people gave us the best entertainment they could and then I thought I could never be thankful enough to the Lord for his goodness in preserving us upon the Sea I being big with Childe and my Husband-sick almost all the Voyage After this my Husband would have gone by water hiâ—her into the Countrey But I told him the Lord having been so good in bringing us safâ— ashore amongst his people I was not willing to go again to Sea And it was a good Providence of God we did not for most of them that went were undone by â—t The first Sermon that I heard after I came ashore was out of Ier. 2.13 For my people have committed two evils They have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water Now the Minister did shew that whatever we did build on short of Christ would prove but a broken Cistern and by that Sermon the Lord was pleased to shake my foundation but I being a poor ignorant creature thought if I could but get into the fellowship of the People of God that that would quiet my spirit and answer all my Objections And I did accordingly attempt to joyn with the Church but they were very faithful to the Lord and my soul and asked me what Promise the Lord had made home in Power upon me And I answered them Jer. 31.3 Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness I have drawn thee But they told me that that was a general Promise that I must look to get some particular Promise made home in Power upon me and perswaded me to wait a little longer ro see what God would further do for my poor soul which accordingly I did And going to hear Mr. Cotton who did preach out of Rev. 2.28 To him that over cometh I will give the Morning-star from which words he did observe that that Star was Christ And this he came to shew how a soul might know whether it had an interest in Christ or no and that was by the Lords giving out such precious Promises as these to the poor soul viz. That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself 2 Cor. 5.19 and that John 16 2â— And your joy shall no man take from you And Isa 54.22 I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins and that Isa 43. â—5 which Promises afterwards God made sweet to my soul After this I went to hear Mr. Shepherd and he was preaching out of the Parable of the ten Virgins Matth. 25.1 13 In his discourse he shewed that all were Professors but the foolish had nothing but Lamps without oyle a Profession without grace in their hearts but that the wise had got grace in their hearts and so were ready prepared to meet the Bridegroom when he came Now by that discourse of his the Lord was pleased to convince me that I was a foolish Virgin and that I made a Profession but wanted the oyle of grace in my heart and by this means I was brought into a very sad condition For I did not experimentally know what it was to have oyle in my Lamp grace in my heart nor what it was to have union with Christ that being a mystery to me And then I did think my self guilty of breaking all the Commandments of God except the sixth For I thought I had neither desired wished or endeavoured any mans death But then the Lord shewed me that if I were saved by Christ my sins had murdered him according to that Acts 3.15 chap. 4. â—0 And thâ—◠〈◊〉 greatly aggravate my sin the more unto mâ— Now one of my Neighbors observing that I was in a distressed condition told me that she had been a hearing and that the Ministeâ— she heard was a shewâ—ng that the Lord had more glory in the salvation then in the damnation of sinners For in their salvation his Mercy and his Justice were both glorified but in their destruction only his Justice was glorified Hearing of this the Lord was pleased to draw out my heart to plead with him That if he might receive more glory in my salvation then in my destruction that then his Mercy might be manifested to me For I thought although I had many worldly comforts yet I had no interest in Christ and that if I should die presently Hell would be my portion and in this sad and sore distress the Lord was pleased to imprint that Scripture upon my mind Job 10.2 I will say unto God do not condemn me shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Job 40.2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him he that reproveth God let him answer it and that word of the Apostle Rom. 9. â—0 21 Nâ—y but thou O man who art thou that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour After this it pleased God that Mr. Elliott and some other of the people of God seeing me in this sad condition toâ—d me the Church would have me come in to be a Member with them but I did reply that all Church-fellowship would do me no good Then Mr. Elliott asked me What would do me good and I told him Nothing but an interest in Christ His Answer was That I was already in the pangs of the Nâ—w Birth and he did believe it would not be long before the Lord spoke peace to my poor soul After that reading a book of Dr. Prestons where he did shew that when the Lord joyned himself to a believer he did first comprehend the soul and then enabling the soul by faith to apprehend him Which double Act of faith I then knew not About fourteen days after considering what a distressed condition I was in I was bemoaning my self before the Lord and the Lord was pleased to bring that Scripture to my remembrance in John 16. I will give you that joy that no man taketh from you And then I thought with my self that it was Christ that I did want and not joy But the Lord brought that Scripture to me that Christ was tidings of great joy Luke 2.10 11. And I thought how could this be to such a poor wretch as I was and the Lord was pleased to bring that Scripture to my mind That he looked not as man looked 1 Sam. 16 7. And that he was God and not man Hos 11.9 And by this means he took awâ—y all my fears And then the Lord did help me to discern that this was a mystery indeed and did so quiet my heart that all the World seemed as nothing unto me For I never heard such a voice before blessed be his Name And then the people of God would have me come into fellowship with them And soon
after I was admitted a Babe in Christ among them Afterwards being to hear Mr. Cotton on 1 Pet. 2.2 As new-born Babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby And from thence he shewed that if it were a living Babe it would cry out for nourishment and that that soul that did once really taste of Christ was never satisfied but would still be crying out for more and more of Christ when such a soul came to any Ordinance as Hearing Prayer the Lords Supper and did get nothing of Christ they were all as lost Ordinances to it It so fell out that the next Lords day was the day of sitting down at the Lords Table And the Lord did put it into my thoughts that if we received nothing but a piece of bread and a sip of wine it would be but a poor empty thing and so the Lord did help me to beg that if what he had been pleased to speak to my soul before were a true manifâ—station of himself that he would be pleased to speak again unto my soul For a threefold cord is not easily broken Eccles 4.12 Being at the Ordinance the bread and wine coming about I was thus sighing unto the Lord what shall I have nothing but a bit of bread and a sip of wine this day And the Lord was pleased to bring that Scripture to my minde John 6.55 For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed And so the Lord was pleased to give something more of himself to my poor soul at that time After this a sad Providence attended one of my Neighbors I was full of fears that her condition might be mine But the Lord brought that Scripture to my mind Jer. 29.11 For I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of Peace and not of evil to give you an expected end And thereby the Lâ—rd stayd my heart in trusting upon himself and giving me a safe delivery And being up again I went to hear Mr. Cotton and he was shewing what Assurancâ— was and how happy that soul was that coulâ— say as Job did Job 19 25. And with David Psal â—â—9 For ever Lord thy Word is setled in the Heavens and so the Lord was pâ—â—ased to shew me what a mercy I had that had Assurance Then I went to speak to Mr. Cotton to ask him what he thought of thâ— work of God upon my poor soul And 〈◊〉 â—old me that he was satisfied that it was 〈◊〉 real work of God And he did councel me to walk humbly and thankfully and to take heed of grieving that Spirit of God by which I was sealed up to the day of Redemption and to walk humbly towards those that God had not revealed so much of himself to as he had to me And then the Lord was pleased by his Providence to call my Husband to come for England and he did tell me that he should so order business that I should have less of the world to trouble me I was glad to hear it from him and desired him to go And then the Lord was pleased to help me to consider whether I had not got a better Husband and the Lord did quiet my heart in himself my soul being espoused to him 2 Cor. 11.2 After he was gone from me we did hear of a War broke forth in England and friends told me my Husband would be in danger of his life if taken I told thâ—m the best I knew and the worst I knew and that if God should take my Husband out of the world I should have a Husband in Heaven which was best of all And Mr. John Elliott did visit me in his 〈◊〉 fence and asked me how the Lord did bâ—â— up my heart in my Husbands absence And I did tell him that the Lord was as well able to bring him to me in safety as he did to carry him out And he answered me I believe the Lord will say unto thee as he did to the Canaanitish woman Matth. 15.28 Be it unto thee according to thy saith And the Lord was pleased to keep me and all that I had and to preserve him and to bring him home in safety unto me And then in stead of having less of the world which I desired the Lord did cast in more of it After this my Husband told me That he must go again to England and I was very unwilling to it but he told me if he did not the Name of God would suffer To prevent which I consented and it pleased God to bring him home in safety to me And in a few years after he brought me over to England and God shewed much of his goodness to me At my coming ashore he brought that Scripture to my Remembrance Deut. 33. 26 27. There is none like unto thee O God of Jeshurun who rideth upon the Heaven in thy Help and in his Excellency on the Sky the Eternal God is thy Refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes After it had pleased God to bring me back to my Native Countrey I was much troubled that there was no better observation of the Lords day it being our Practice in New-England to begin it at Sunne-set the Evening before as it is Recorded in Genesis That the Evening and the Morning was the first day and that Scripture was brought to my Memory Prov. 14.10 The heart knows its own bitternesse but no man intermeddles with its joy Many trials the Lord hath been pleased to exercise me with but in the midst of all God hath made that Word sweet to my soul Isa 54.10 For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee It pleased the Lord after a year or two to exercise me with much weakness but then he made that Word sweet unto me Isa 50.8 He is near that justifies me who will coâ—tend with me And that word Job 15.11 Are the consolations of God small unto thee After these things when I was in a very great strait upon the apprehension of some publick dangers that seem'd to threaten us the Lord was pleased to bring to my mind that Scripture Zach. 9.12 Turn to your strong Holds you Prisoners of Hope And since in the midst of my many bodily infirmities God hath made that word sweet to my soul Psal 116.7 Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee And that word Psal 23.4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art wâ—th me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me I still remain as a prisonâ—r of hope waiting for a fruition of that happiness which the Lord Jesus Christ hath prepared for me For I know he that hath the Son hath life 1 Iohn 5.12 And if the Son make us free then are we