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A26011
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A svpport for the sinking heart in times of distresse, or, A sermon preached in London to uphold hope and allay feare Ianuary 4th which was a day of great trouble and deepe danger in the city / by Simeon Ash.
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Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing A3967; ESTC R15872
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23,491
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36
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us in the truth of the doctrine now under hand viz. That in the Mount of the Lord it shall appeare Mans extremity is Gods opportunity In case you inquire the Reasons of this divine dispensation I returne answer That God thus worketh in reference to Himselfe His people Their enemies 1. In reference to himselfe The prayse and glory of his own blessed Name designed in all his works is the supreame end aymed at in this Providence This God bringeth in as the cause why his hand carryed Israel to the very side of the Sea into the mouth of death before deliverance should appeare I will be honoured upon Pharaoh and upon all his hoast that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord Vpon such occasions the Attributes of the Lord breake forth in glory His Wisdome is most manifested when it worketh beyond meanes above meanes that humane reason cannot find out divine foot-steps His Power truimphs when all opposition shrinketh before his wondrous workings The like might be shewed concerning his other excellencies The event of Gods dealings with Daniel and the three young governours in the times of their straights discover that this was Gods intent in those providences For marke how Nebuchadnezzar and the King Darius did trumpet forth the praises of the God of Shadrach Mesech Abednego and Daniel when they were eye witnesses of those two glorious deliverances which were wrought on by omnipotency Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said blessed be the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego who hath sent his Angell and delivered his servants that trusted in him and have changed the Kings word and yeelded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their owne God Therefore I make a decree that every people nation and language which speake any thing amisse against the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego shall be cut in pieces and their houses shall be made a dung-hill Then King Darius wrote unto all people nations and languages that dwell in all the earth I make a decree that in every dominion of my Kingdome men tremble and feare before the God of Daniell for he is the living God and stedfast for ever and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroyed and his dominion shall be even unto the end He delivereth and resoueth and he worketh signes and wonders in Heaven and in earth who hath delivered Daniell from the power of the Lyons By both these instances it is evident that the Lord doth appeare in the Mount for his owne sake to get and raise himselfe a name in the world 2. God doth thus work in respect to his own people And here I will note only foure particulars 1. Sometimes that he might discover to his servants for their encouragement both the truth and strength of his owne graces in them This was the reason why God thus tryed Abraham that he might manifest that holy feare which was planted in his breast Hereupon God putteth him to it and carrieth him into the Mount leadeth him into distresse by degrees acting him on to build the Altar to lay the wood in order to bind his Isaack to lay him upon the Altar upon the wood yea to take the knife and to stretch forth his hand to slay his sonne before he did appeare for his comfort in giving order for the lengthening of Isaacks life And now when there seemed to be but one minute of time unto the effusion of Isaacks blood heare the good newes from Heaven Abraham I know thou fearest me 2. Sometimes to manifest the feeblenesse of some grace in their hearts for their humbling Peter thought himselfe full enough of courage to come to Christ upon the sinking seas it he might have a call Well! marke the issue Christ calleth him come out Peter but when he saw the windes boysterous and when his sooting failed he began to sinke then he was afraid and cryed out hereupon observe Christs answer O thou of little faith why didst thou doubt 3. That he may set the graces of his Spirit in exercise both for their increase and for the enfeebling of contrary lusts We know that habits are strengthened by exercise and grace is augmented in its measure by being put forth vigorously in it's operations And by how much any grace gathereth strength by so much the opposing corruption becommeth feeble in a Christian brest And that the Lord hath this end in this kind of working it might be evidenced by manifold instances but for brevities sake I will only point at one in one single experiment As holy affiance in God is confirmed so by such like dispensations creature confidence is abated in holy hearts 2 Cor. 1.9 10. But we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us Men in straights see the strength of creature helps shunke up and withered whereupon they dare leane to them no longer but Gods irresistible power profound wisdome abundant goodnesse and other glorious attributes in such difficult cases being clearely discovered the soule is incouraged confidently to cast it selfe into his armes for future times 4. That their deliverance might be more sweet to their spirits and consequently that their joyes might the more readily runne out before his Majesty in holy thankfullnesse When we expect that now our houses shall be fired the City sack it our estates wasted our wives abused our children cruelly murthered our Sabbath and weeke day meetings interrupted our Parliament dissolved and our Kingdome desolated Now to see these clouds to blow over and our Sunne to breake forth againe oh how sweet will this glorious change be to our now-dropping hearts Davids experince speaks to this purpose Psal 34.1 2 3. A Psalme of David when he changed his behavior before Abimelech who drove him away and he departed I will blesse the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth My soule shall make her boust in the Lord the hamble shall heare thereof and be glad oh magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together Psal. 86.12 1 3. I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy name for evermore For great is thy mercy toward me and thou hast delivered my soule from the lowest hell But more fully and fitly may our Kingdome concernments be expressed by Psal. 1 24. if our God be pleased now to appeare in the Mount for London for England in this day of our deep danger and exceeding exceeding great feare And our desired deliverance from present perplexities may with joy of soule be expressed by the words of that Psalme If it had not beene the Lord who was on our side now may England say if it had not beene the Lord who was on our side when men rose up
against us then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us then the waters had overwhelmed us the streame had gone over our soule then the proud waters had gone over our soule But blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth c. 3. God thus worketh in regard of his peoples enemies both the Divell and divelish men 1. In regard of the Divell that he might stop his black and slanderous mouth which is upon all occasions wide open in wayes of calumny casting slanderous accusations upon Gods good servants When all Jobs estate was removed in a day all his children knockt dead at one blow God commending Job saith thus to Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill and still be holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause And Satan answered and said skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face Hereupon God bringeth Job into further straights for this very purpose to silence Satan And whereas those malignant spirits continue to be the accusers of the Brethren and are still apt to provoke his Majesty against them suggesting that if his providence put them to pinches they will then sly out and manifest their carnall fleshlinesse in the profession and practice of Religion Hereupon God puts them as it were into the stocks and sets them upon the rack and causeth them to be besieged with difficulties to prove Satan a notoriour lyar 2. In regard of divellish men Partly to fill their hearts with the more vexation Partly to chaine down their violent spirits that they may not breake forth with further fury against his cause and people and through the power of strong conviction to work some change in their lives and courses 1. To fill their hearts with the more vexation The Lord doth indeed rejoyce in the misery of the wicked I will laugh at your calamity and mock when your feare commeth yea it is a comfort to his highnesse to powre forth fury upon them I will cause my fury to rest upon them and I will be comforted And the Psalmist seems to give in this as a reason why God causeth it to be midnight with his servants before light peep forth why they are in deep danger before day-light appeare Psal. 112.9 10. Vnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse his heart is established he shall not be afraid untill be see his desire upon his enemies his horne shall be exalted with honour the wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away It cutteth a wicked man to the heart when he thinketh he shall have the day in the downfall of the righteous and yet the godly they rise and get ground and gather strength We have a pregnant proof of this in the example of Haman who expecting that Mordecai should be hanged when Mordecai was advanced to great honour then Haman mourned and hanged down the head And thus it will be with the popish and prophane who this day rejoyce in our dolefull straights when God shall appeare in the Mount for our deliverance 2. That chaines of restraint might be laid upon their hearts and hands by Gods strange and amazing providences When they see that God from Heaven doth give testimonialls of approbation to his poore persecuted servants and service being plunged over head and eares in the floods of deepest calamity This is made good upon Nebuchadnezzar Therefore I make a decree that every people nation and language which speake any thing amisse against the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego shall be cut in peeces and their houses shall be made a dung-hill because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort Then the King promoted Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babilon In like manner the defeate of Haman and the deliverance of the poore Jewes devoted to destruction produced the same effect upon many of their enemies And truly notwithstanding this dayes feares and straights we will hope to see some such effects upon the hearts and lives of some who deride and oppose our desired reformation Thus much for Confirmation of the doctrine Application followeth There are foure uses to be made which are both naturall and seasonable Hence it followeth that people have no ground at all to suspect their own gracious standing in reference to God because of their straights Deep and devouring dangers may be ready to swallow up the righteous God may bring an Abraham into the Mount unto great difficulties Gods people may travell through the red sea in the way to Canaan seas of trouble bloody times may overtake them who are most deare to God This I rather note because Gods people are apt to dash upon this rock and to doe themselves much wrong by thus reasoning If God did love me or had been graciously respectiue to my humiliations and prayers I should not have seen so black so dark a day My selfe and mine our peace and Parliament our persons and possessions had never been in such danger if the Lord had bin favourable to me in seeking better times Herein David failed Psal. 73.13 14. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocency for all the day long have I bin plagued and chastened every morning Now to keep us from adding guilt to our grief that we may not provoke God to be angry while our enemies are filled brim full of bloud-thirsting fury I will briefly suggest foure considerations to preserve us from this mistake 1. By this error acted we deny the perfection of the word of God because therein there is no such rule to judge by Yea the Scriptures openly and evidently speake the contrary Eccles. 9.1 2. No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them All things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked And certainely if we shall dare to adde our devises to Gods word he will be angry Adde thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a lyar 2. Thus people beare false witnesse against themselves by passing unjustifiable sentences against their own soules Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour To detract from our neighbours credit and comfort is a breach of Gods law And truly it admits many aggravations when we deale thus injuriously with our selves 3. We expresse much ingratitude to God the God of all our mercies calling his love into question and overlooking or undervaluing all former favours because of present pressures and approaching dangers Let Israels