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A12974
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An exposition vpon the CXII. Psalme The high way to euerlasting blessednesse. Written for the benefit of Gods church, by T.S.
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Stint, Thomas.
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1621
(1621)
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STC 23269; ESTC S107442
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67,502
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220
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by his soueraignty It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God fourthly by the latitude thou thy son thy daughter thy man seruant thy maid seruant the stranger that is within thy gates must sanctifie it fiftly by his example The Lord rested the seuenth day lastly by his benediction he blessed and sanctified it These sixe markes are like the sixe Water-pots in the second of Iohn Iohn 2.7 Let euery one of vs remember to sanctifie the Lords Sabbath that shall bee a pledge of the eternall Sabbath in the kingdom of Heauen fill them vp to the brim with a holy obseruation then draw out carry to the master of the feast euen to Iesus Christ the Lord of the new Sabbath therefore let vs remember to sanctifie the Lords Sabbath and that shall be vnto vs a pledge of the eternal Sabbath in the kingdome of Heauen which shal be a day without euening shal yeeld vs rest without labor ioy without ending Secondly behold a difference There is great difference betweene the godly and the wicked in their obedience whereby wee may try our selues betweene the wicked and the godly the one desires to draw in Gods yoke and yeeld obedience to the commandements and the other desires nothing more then to cast it of let vs examine then how our heart is affected doest thou finde this inward discontentment in obeying are Gods lawes as bonds and cords in thy esteeme and as a stomackful horse dost thou foame at the bit which is put into thy mouth an euident signe of a rebellious heart but one the other side art thou content to submit thy self to Gods commandements art thou desirous that thy nature would bee more conformable to Gods law art thou content to be restrained and if it were possible to haue the wicked inclination of thy heart abolished surely then thou needest not to want comfort thy state will affoord it goe on therefore constantly vnto the end Here is great comfort for all such as find vprightnes in their harts thogh they haue many imperfections Thirdly here is great consolation for all such as find these notes of vprightnesse in themselues and that they haue part in the commandements though they haue many corruptions and imperfections mixed with their best works yet seeing they haue pure hearts they are happy and blessed and shall find the good effects of their blessednesse true holinesse and true happinesse are neuer separated As for perfections God looks not for it at our hands if sinne hang on vs but wee would faine cast it off if we finde vnbeleefe but would most gladly get faith if wee bee troubled in our hearts with hardnesse but are desirous of softnesse if we be humbled for that we cannot be humbled sufficiently nor get such a large heart as we would to desire and exspect grace from heauen yet let vs not be discomforted for our defects and frailties for the Lord will spare vs and be gratious vnto vs in his beloued sonne according to that worthy prayer of good king Hezekiah 2. Chro. 30.18.19 The good Lord be mercifull toward him that prepared his whole heart to seeke the Lord God of his fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuarie Fourthly this serueth for comfort to the children of God Our good purposes shall be rewarded to let them see how highly God prizeth good purposes and desires accepting and rewarding them when they come to him as if they came accompanyed with the deedes themselues Dauid did but conceiue a purpose to build God a house 2. Sam. 7.16 God rewards it with the building and establishing of Dauids house hee did but conceiue a purpose to confesse his sinnes Gods eare was in his heart before Dauids confession could bee in his tongue Psal 32.5 The poore beggers that haue wanted food for themselues Christ yet shall say at the last day Ye haue fed mee when I was hungry onely in regard of their strong affection if they had had abilitie Luk. 15.20 the prodigall child when hee was but conceiuing a purpose of returning was preuented by his fathers first comming to him Isa 65.24 and as Isay sayth God will answer vs before we call that is in our purposes of prayer O sweete comfort when wee addresse our selues to prayer in our priuate meditations and bethinke our selues of our sundry wants we purpose with our selues to beg such and such things whereof yet happily wee forget some in the vocall prayer shall any good soule now thinke that the memories weakenesse shall any thing preiudice her in this case no thy purpose of asking the thing forgotten was a most effectuall asking of it Therefore when the Lord shall put any good motions into our mind let vs not delay but speedily put them in practise and vnto thee belongeth the comfort of that saying I will heare before they calll Therefore seeing the Lord doth so highly esteeme good purposes let vs not delay but speedily put then in practise Before the Iron coole it is good striking while the waxe is plyable it is good setting on the Seale doest thou then feele at any time that thy heart is warmed with good motions enlarged with good affections lift vp to heauen in spirituall meditations doest thou feele any sparkles of the heauenly fire take take thou the bellowes presently blow till the flame cherish in thee and make much of the smoking flaxe Eccles 5.31 and therefore what Salomon exhorteth in the case of vowes is generally to be practised in all holy purposes and motions bee not slacke to performe them they that know themselues know how fickle and vnconstant their hearts are now as we would deale with a variable and vnconstant man so let vs deale with these hearts of ours we would take such a one at his word and lay hold of the opportunity least within a short space he alter his minde our hearts are more vnconstant then any man is or can be let vs then learne this wisedome presently to lay hold of euery good motion and put it in practise do not stand debating the matter when God putteth any good thought into thy heart or rayseth vp any good purpose or desire within thee but presently proceed to execution make no long tarrying before thou doest put them in action there haue beene many who haue resolued to leaue such a sinne Delaying of time very dangerous or doe such a dutie and put in practise what they haue heard but by reason of their deferring vntill the next day or such a time those motions die and purposes vanish and come to nothing for want of speedy execution The right way to try our selues is to know that wee haue forsaken our sins And therefore let vs trye our selues if these good purposes haue wrought in vs a forsaking of sinne and a reformation of life if it bee thus then it is well for this it is
peepeth foorth and quench euery sparke that at any time appeareth yea wilfully set themselues to repell all good motions hasting to their cursed company to chase away those sweet inspirements of Gods holy spirit Oh the cursed vnthankefulnesse of these men what vnkind ingrateful discourteous dealing is here with the spirit of grace thus shutting him out so soone as euer he begins to enter Reuel 3.20 wouldest thou deale so vnkindly with thy friend who commeth to thy doore why dealest thou then so vncourteously with Christ Iesus and his holy spirit Reuel 3.20 who standeth at the doore and dayly knockes but can get no entertainement Act. 7.15 beware of this resisting the holy Ghost the sinne is fearfull and discomfortable for hereby thy heart may grow more obdurat and thy life more brutish and abhominable Fourthly let euery one of vs beware how wee suffer that blessed heate to slacke This delight must shew it selfe by encreasing in spirituall graces which by Gods grace beginneth to bee inkindled in our hearts Suffer not that coale that holy motion which the Lord hath cast into thy bosome to die within thee but blow it vp lay on more fuell adde dayly more and more matter to it and tremble to lose the least measure of Gods gracious gift be frequent in spirituall exercises as in hearing reading meditation Christian conference prayer and the like Let no meanes be neglected that God hath ordained for the working of establishment And as thou layest on fuell so see thou giuest this holy Fire vent exercise and put these holy motions into practise much Wood piled on a Cole if vent be wanting doth soone smother it put it out see thē thou exercise the graces which God hath giuen thee Therefore when the Lord shall put any good motion into our hearts Good motions are-not to bee qvenched but cherished we are to nourish and cherrsh the same to one good motion wee must adde a second and to that a third and so fall to blowing and giue not ouer vntill at length they breake forth into a comfortable flame of godly practises 1. Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit saith Paul nor the gifts and motions of the holy Ghost hee vsed a Metaphor borrowed from fire whose heate and light when it is put out is said to bee quenched Thus also hee exhorts Timothy to stir vp the graces of God which bee in him 2. Tim. 1.6 Thus it is with them that liue the life of Grace there is a dayly seeking after foode for the preseruing of it Psal 1.2 a dayly vsing of the meanes as Prayer Reading Meditation and thus it is said of the blessed man In Gods Law hee doth exercise himselfe both day and night Many examples might bee brought for proofe of this Iob rose vp early to offer sacrifice this did Iob continually Iob. 1.5 and it was Daniels practise to pray three times a day and Dauids Euening Dan. 6.10 Psal 55.17 Psa 119.164 Gen. 24.63 Morning and Noone-tide will I pray vnto thee Yea we may heare him speaking of seuen times a day praysing of the Lord And Isaac went into the Field to pray and meditate in the Euening Let vs examine our selues in this duty how we perform it in our practises Therefore let euery Christian man and woman try and examine themselues in this duty For it is certainely true and cannot deceiue vs that our prayers are proportionable to our faith For hee that prayeth seldome hath but a weake faith he that prayes often hath a strong Faith and he that prayes not at all hath no faith For Rom. 10.10 with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluation Let this be well considered of such as heare and reade and pray by fits and starts now and then as it were vpon rainy dayes Alas thousands there are in the World who reade not pray not from Sabbath to Sabbath nay nor then neither haue these any life of grace in them Sure I am naturall life must be dayly fed and shal be too and is there not as much neede for the spirituall be it therfore knowne vnto thee and certified to thy soule We should let no day passe without examination nor suffer our eyes to slumber nor our head to take any rest tell we haue made peace with our God that thou deceiuest thy selfe in thinking thou liuest the life of a Christian when there is no care had to a dayly performance of the excercise belonging to a Christian therefore let no day passe ouer without examination let vs call to mind what euils hath beene committed what good duties omitted which God hath required suffer not thy eyes to slumber nor the temples of thy head to take any rest till this taske bee performed Would Christians keepe this course and well consider of their carriages the day past they would soone find the excellent commodities of it to the vnspeakeable comfort of their soules for euermore Lastly Phil. 3.13 let this admonish euery one to grow in grace let vs forget that which is behinde and endeuour to that which is before let vs presse hard towards the marke for the prise of the high calling of God let vs not bee euermore as smoaking flaxe or bruised reeds or as new set Plants but let vs abound more and more Thes 4.1 At a stay we cannot stand iudge what wee will not to goe forward is to go backward not to encrease is to decrease like as the Sunne we are euermore in motion and as the Sea Gen. 19 26. Psal 114.3 Eccle. 1. ebbing or flowing and as the Angell on Iacobs Ladder ascending or descending therefore we must not looke backeward with Lots Wife but forward with Lot himselfe nor start backe as Iordan did but runne forward as other Riuers doe and trauell towards Canaan with Caleb and Iosua so that still we must profit in the way of godlinesse there must bee no growing downeward but growing vpward Luke 2.52 the Child Iesus grew not downeward but vpward in grace wisedome and stature they which will haue their growth in Christ and towards his Kingdome must grow vpward Psal 84.7 Let vs therefore proceede in sanctfication and goe from strength to strength Rom. 15.14 and labour euery day to abound more and more in all wisedome and in goodnesse If wee prayed once a day in priuate and that somewhat coldly at the first we must afterward pray twice or thrice or oftner in a day as occasion is offered and that more feruently and feelingly then wee did in the beginning if we did heare and meditate more seldome and with greater weakenesse and distraction at our first entrance into profession in our proceeding we must vse those exercises more frequently We must grow in grace and neuer rest vntill we come to perfection and performe them more seriously cheerefully So that if you bee in