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A13120
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The gaines of seeking God In two sermons, preached in the parish church of VVestminster: by Christopher Styles.
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Styles, Christopher.
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1620
(1620)
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STC 23412; ESTC S122483
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26,139
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54
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with men Iacob was comforted by the Angels in the Wildernesse Gen. 28.12 Exod. 3.2 as he fled from his Brother Esau Moses was instructed by the Angell of God in the flaming Bush in the Wildernesse what hee should doe to deliuer Gods people out of bondage Mat. 4.11 The Angels came and comforted Iesus in the Wildernesse after hee was tempted of the Deuill The farther from the World the neerer to God as an Apple-tree planted where the branches spread ouer a common way those branches so spreading are alwayes subiect to spoyle and are made a prey to euery Passenger but those that grow in the compasse of the Owners ground beare fruit vnto the Planters profit so the man that spreads his heart to entertayne the World cannot keepe innocencie to the end whereby it often falls out that God loseth his due which is their heart and they their desire which is Heauen as in the example of Ananias and Saphira Acts 5.5 Againe In solitudine scandalum malignorum euitatur In desart and solitarie places wee escape the poyson of slanderous tongues therfore Iohn Baptist being to prepare the way of the Lord Mat. 3.1 had his continuall abode in the Wildernesse where he taught all that came vnto him When God gaue Israel a Law it was in the Wildernesse Exo. 19.20 where he spake vnto Moses in the Mount Mat. 5.1 When Iesus made that heauenly Sermon to the multitude he went into a desart place and there taught them from the mountaine by which examples wee are learned that whosoeuer will bee good Teachers and good Hearers must separate themselues sometimes and for the most part from common and publike Societies for in desart and solitarie places the minde is inlightened so it fared with that great King Nabuchadnezzar who secing nothing but confusion while hee liued in his stately Palace at great Babel Dan. 4.34 could yet behold Gods glorie in the Heauens being banished also in desart and solitarie places the heart is inflamed with good desires Iudith 8.5 therefore Iudith built her Oratorie in the top of her house that the priuatenesse of the place might increase the zeale of her affection also in desart and solitary places the soule is often rauished with the contemplation of Heauens sweetnesse as Iohn the Euangelist being banished into the I le Pathmos Reuel tot writ a whole Booke of sweet Reuelations there I speake not this to animate our Separatists whose daily practice is to draw the Communion of Christs Church into priuate Conuenticles but of the mutinous multitude of this Age that ioyne hand in hand and haue all one Purse and are all of one minde to doe euill and to worke all vncleannesse euen with greedinesse these yea these are they whom I would haue and whome I doe beseech to consider of their wayes and workes by themselues alone and of Gods presence instantly able to reward euery man according as his workes shall be lest the Lord should suddenly plucke them away when they shall finde none to rescue them thus by priuate conference Confession and Absolution betweene their soules and God let them seeke out of desart places euen seeke after God by themselues alone that so they may taste the sweetnesse of Gods grace and mercie in the secrets of their soules for euermore Thirdly wouldst thou know where to seeke God debito loco come to the Temple where the lips of the wise preserue knowledge they shal counsaile thee in templo exorationis in the Temple of Prayer God standeth alwayes readie to heare all those that call vpon his Name and to answere all their soules that desire instruction There you cannot faile to heare of him for in his Temple doth euery man speake of his honour When Salomon prayed in the Temple and offered vnto the Lord a Sacrifice 1. King 9.3 then God promised his blessing to that house for euer When King Hezechia spred the blasphemous Letter of rayling Rabshakeh 2. King 19.14 before the Lord in the Temple God promised to deliuer the King and put his foes to confusion We reade of Iesus in the Temple Luke 19.45 how he whipt out the Marchants posed the Doctors and daily taught the people First He whipt out the Marchants saying My House shall be called the House of Prayer but you haue made it a Den of Theeues marke I pray you he suffereth none to buy and sell but taught the mall that came to heare and pray such still are welcome to their Sauiour but in this monstrous Age most doe come to make marchandize both in and of the Temple Some make marchandize in the Temple and teach not the way of God truely but for feare or flatterie speake not at all or speake pleasing things and spare to tell the house of Iudah their transgressions and the house of Israel their sinnes that they might forsake their wicked wayes and turne againe vnto the Lord and liue And some make marchandize of the Temple and are not at rest til the House of God lye waste Hag. 1.4 or if not quite waste yet more then halfe spoyled dealing with the Lmbassadours of the Lord as the Princes of the children of Ammon dealt with the Messengers of Dauid who shared of the halfe of their beard 2. Sa. 10.4 and cut off their Garments in the middell so too many at this day haue spoyld the Treasures of the Temple strangely metamorphosing Parsonages into Vicarages and Vicarages into Donatiues and Donatiues into Pensions leauing scarce the price of a Liuerie for the Priest that wayteth on the Altar and should liue of the Altar But the Lord will one day come against them as he came against Antiochus that sought to destroy the Temple of God he did it not 2. Mat. 9.5 but while he thought to doe it marke that the Lord plagued him with a Disease in his bowels inuisible and incurable so that he died so you that now liue of the spoyles of the Temple God will one day whip you out with a rod of Iron Secondly Iesus was found in the Temple posing the Doctors a good Lesson for vs all to learne First for vs Ministers for hee that desireth the office of a Bishop must be apt to teach being sufficiently instructed to conuince Heresie to exhort vnto Godlinesse and to rebuke them that sinne before all that others also may feare or else he is vnworthy to bee a Master vnto the Israel of God if hee bee ignorant of these things Secondly here is a good Lesson for you to learne that come to the Temple and House of God to bee made partakers of his holy Word come not hither to heare the Preacher as the Iewes came to heare Christ that they might intangle him in his talke nor as Herod who heard Iohn Baptist gladly yet cut off his head nor in presumption with the Iewes to teach your Teachers if you doe then as Christ saith take heed how you heare
happy is that miserie that vrgeth vs to be better Those whom Christ hereafter if they continue in sinne will punish with confusion if they repent hee receiueth them here with mercie to the end hereafter to crowne them for euer with glorie as he did Mary Magdalene repenting The prodigall confessing the Disciple denying and the Thiefe of the Crosse conuerting Lord teach vs so to number our dayes that wee may apply our hearts vnto wisdome and turne to thee in time while the day of our life shall last and while thou art present in thy fauour towards vs. And whiles thou art a mercifull God vnto vs and thus seeking so let vs find thee for euermore Amen Now you haue bin instructed in the manner how to seeke God and the time when It followeth necessarily you should learne the place where to seeke God which is the third circumstance of our first obseruation seeke him in debito loco in the right place God is not in the strong wind of pleasure and delight 1. Rin. 19.11 that makes so many swell in vanitie God is not in the Earth-quake of couetousnesse which puts the soule in danger of a dismall downfall God is not in the fire of sloth that consumes the soules estate in grace by lustfull cogitations but in the soft stil voyce of Humilitie Contemplation and Prayer therefore to seeke him in the right place Search the Scriptures Iohn 5.39 and they shall tell you of me Inquire there and thou shalt finde him In praecepio humilitatis pauperibus In the Manger of Humilitie presenting himselfe to the poore In deserto contemplationis vigilantibus In the Wildernesse of Contemplation declaring glad tydings to the watchfull In Templo exorationis disputantibus In his holy House the Temple of Prayer speaking peace to his people that call vpon his Name there and no where else canst thou find him who desires to seeke else-where must goe out of the World First if you will seeke him in the right place Luke 2.12 you shal find him In praecepio humilitatis pauperibus You shall finde the Babe swadled and layd in a Manger This was to giue vs an example of perfect Humility and Patience and how to embrace Pouerty all which he hath euen chosen as his one part that wee might neuer despayre being his partners Psal 113.5 For who is like the Lord our God who hath his dwelling so high yet humbleth himselfe to behold the things that are in Heauen and Earth And thus saith the holy One Esay 57.5 I dwelt in the high and holy place with him also that is of an humble and contrite spirit to receiue the spirit of the humble and to giue life to the contrite heart bee not displeased with thy pouertie for nothing can bee found so profitable for thee Heauen is the purchase of the poore and it is the summe of Religion to imitate his example whom thou doest worship and Behold Luke 9.58 the Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head All the Saints of God wandred vp and downe In Sheepes skinnes and Goat skinnes Heb. 11.37 destitute afflicted and tormented 1. im 6.8 whom the World was not worthy of Therefore hauing food and rayment let vs therewith be content to follow after Righteousnesse and Godlinesse and to finish our course in patience Luke 12.24 Consider the Rauens they neither sow nor reape neither haue Store-house nor Barn yet our heauenly Father feedeth them How much are yee better then the Fowles Consider the Lillies they neither labour nor spinne yet Salomon in all his Royaltie was not clothed like one of these If God so clothe the Grasse of the Field how much more will hee clothe them that truly obey him Therefore aske not what yee shall eat or drinke or wherewith you shall be clothed for all such things the people of the World seeke for but seeke you after God and the Kingdome of God and the Righteousnesse thereof and all these things shall bee cast vpon you so farre as they shall be necessarie and profitable for you Thy Sauiour Christ despise the World our fore-fathers in Christ and all the holy Saints of God did vse the World as if they vsed it not and who would not gladly lose the World to winne Heauen The ioyes of this World are but the Deuils Poysons heere are no true ioyes but there are the true ioyes placed Luke 24.5 where the true life is gone before And why seeke you the liuing amongst the dead He is risen hee is not here The comfort of light is best knowne in darknesse of health in sicknesse of honour in basenesse all these mayst thou finde in God not in the World thus hee hath made our life tedious and full of troubles lest being delighted in the way wee should forget the Country whereto we are trauelling for we haue here no continuing Citie but seeke on to come euen a house not made with hands but eternall in the Heauens oh seeke him thus debito loco in the right place Psal 113.6 That he may lift thy poore soule out of the myre of afflictions and set thee with the Princes and Saints in Heauen for euermore Secondly seeke him debito loco in the right place seeke him in in deserto contemplationis in the Desert of Contemplation all you that wayte in patience while the Lord shall come in power to deliuer you out of all your feare behold I will allure her Hose 2.14 and bring her into the Wildernesse and speake friendly to her in solitudine gratia conseruatur in desart places and solitarie a man is made more apt for Prayer therefore Isaack went forth to pray in the field toward the Euening Gen. 24.63 and Iesus sent away his Disciples and went into the Desart alone to pray Mat 4.1 The Angels found Iesus in the Wildernesse tempted much likelier it is we shall be tempted in the Cities of Societie seeing all companies aut pares querunt aut faciunt doe seeke their like or doe make them so that keepe companie with them And it is certaine qui iunguntur in peccato ne seperantur in poena they that ioyne together in the same sinne shall not be separated from the same punishment Thy soule being easilier lost in companie then alone should therefore liue alone that she may please him alone whom she hath chosen alone Thy beloued oh soule is shamefast and is vnwilling to shew thee familiaritie in the common presence Leaue therefore publike companie yea leaue thy priuate family and receiue the blessing of his loue alone Cant. 7.11 heare what hee saith Come my well beloued let vs goe forth into the field let vs get vp early to see if the Vine flourish if shee hath budded the small Grape or whether the Pomegranets flourish there will I giue thee my Loue. Againe in solitudine cum Angelis conuersatur In solitarie places Angels haue oft beene seene to conuerse