Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n
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A82290
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Sutable [sic] comforts for suffering Sion; or, saints interest in God, their chiefest support in times of greatest straits Being a brief discovery of what God is to his people in all ages: which is of great weight and use to his in these trying times. Written by Edward Delamaine, at present under restraint, and a prisoner of hope.
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Delamaine, Edward.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing D867; ESTC R231384
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22,317
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32
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First is Gods Name I AM. Is He the same to his People now that Ever He was doth he not change Then let His People be exhorted in the fear of the Lord to be alwayes the same to the Lord as they have professed and not change in their love and service to Him Oh my friends this that I speak is but your reasonable service God is unchangable to you be you so to him though not in the quantity of it yet in the quality of it the Lord is as Powerful for you now as Ever Oh be you so to Him lay out all your strength and might for him the Lord is as Wise now to order things for your good as ever be you therefore Wise for Him let your care and prudence be to please Him and your wisdom to walk so that he may be honoured the Lord is as Faithful for you now as ever be you therefore Faithful for Him and manifest your Faithfulness 1. In a due observance of all his known Commands 2. In a circumspect Walking before Him 3. In a faithful Testimony against the Abomination of the Day 4. In a close and full Following of the Lord through all Trials and Sufferings Consider that precious Scripture Heb. 10.32 But call to remembrance the former days in which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of Afflictions How seasonable might this word of Alarm be given to the Churches of Christ in these Isles how are they degenerated how have they declined and turned their backs upon the great and holy Commands of God that at the Command of a mortal man omit and lay aside the Worship and Service of God It 's my earnest desire that the Lord would rouse and waken his poor shattered and decayed Churches that they may remember from whence they are fallen and repent and remember their former days the days of Liberty and freedom wherein they were very zealous and couragious for God and made solemn Promises and Engagements what they would do and be for God in an evil day Let all the Lords People seriously consider and examine Oh be exhorted to be as zealous for God now as ever be as faithful for Him now as ever seeing Gods Name is the same now as Ever A Second Conclusion of this point is Is Gods Name I AM the same to his People as ever Then This Doctrine speakes terror to the wicked Gods enemies and that upon two accounts 1. This God is none of theirs they have no Interest in His Name and all that I have spoken they are not at all concerned in it its true Gods Name is pretious but its onely to his People the dearly beloved of his Soul 2. This speaks terror to the wicked in that as God is not theirs so he is their enemy their foe His Power His Wisdom His Faithfulness His Justice is all engaged against them God is not become their enemy upon the account of the first mans transgressions for all that is pardoned justified and acquitted and reconciled God stands an enemy to men now by reason of their actual sins their rebellion against God opposing his ways hating his People A Third Conclusion of this truth is Is Gods Name I AM Is He the same to his People now as ever and that for ever Then let this teach us to live by faith to look now on invisibles to live no more by sence but to act faith in a high measure for Gods Name is I AM Rom. 1.28 There are Three principal Things in living by Faith 1. You answer the work of the day the very work of this day calls loudly to Saints for a living by Faith the very dealings and dispensations of God intend no less then a living by Faith Did ever poor Sion see such a day as this They who are awakned and right sensible know my meaning It 's not for you Christians now to live by sence but to look up higher 2. Your living by Faith makes you more singular and peculiar in your life than others this will eminently distinguish the sincere from the hypocrite the precious from the vile If the carnal and lukewarm professor live by sence let not the Spiritual Christian do so Oh you must live more singular than others for to you this Name of God I AM is for ever 3. Living by Faith frees you from fears I never wonder that men are so full of fears they live so much by sence 2 Cor. 5.7 We walk by Faith and not by sight It 's the living too much upon sight and sence that produceth fears but the living by Faith doth prevent fears and doubts See 2 Cor. 4.16 The Apostle is declaring there that notwithstanding all their troubles and trials yet they fainted not they were not possessed with fears And what was the reason of it pray see vers 18. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things that are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal Hence see the reason and ground why these pretious souls did not fear nor faint in their trials they lived by Faith and not by sence and this is a great cause and ground of fears and doubts this day in the hearts of many of the Lords People They look upon seen things things that are they see and behold great men are against them the Nobles the Gerals the Mayors the Army is against them they look and see themselves all weak and impotent most of them in strong Prisons I but this was not the Primitive Saints practice for they did look not at things seen for saith the Apostle they are temporal all perishing Kings are temporal Generals Mayors and Armies are temporal and perishing Well saith the Apostle We look at things which are not seen and that looking was by Faith and the things not seen were the great King of kings the Lord of hosts all the powerful and mighty Angels and the like And this was Eternal God Eternal His Name Eternal his Power and Faithfulness Eternal A Fourth Conclusion from these Words is Seeing Gods Name is I AM the same that ever he was to his People Then Take heed of casting dirt on the Name of God be careful of villifying of it It 's very sad to consider that many professing themselves Children of God should be instrumental to help the blaspheming of Gods Name Oh that this precious Name should be blemished by any of His People Rom. 2.24 For the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you They were the cause How tender are men of their own Name and Reputation how much more then should they be of Gods Oh me thinks how sad is it to consider that the wicked daily reproach Gods Name and villifie it and yet for his own Children to add and help to it Jam. 2.7 The Apostle calls it A worthy Name which men blaspheme And believe it of all things God takes it most
heinously from his People He expects little else from his Enemies but far better from his People To receive a wound from a dear friend pierces inward And one thing you may observe by the way That God deales more speedily and severely with his People for occasioning his Names blaspheming than with the wicked Witness David and others A Fifth Conclusion of this Point Seeing Gods Name is I AM the same to his People for Ever Then Endeavour to hold fast the Name of God Let there be a close keeping of it not onely hold it but hold it fast See Revel 2.13 The great Praise and Commendation of this People was in that They held fast the Name of God and did not deny his Faith but their greater glory and excellency was They held fast his Name in bad times and bad places Thou dwellest saith God where Satan dwelleth where Satans seat is and there yea in that place thou heldest fast my Name And besides thou heldest fast my Name in a very bad time even in those days wherein Antipas My faithful Martyr was slain It was a great day of trial and trouble a day of much Persecution yet in such a day as this did these souls hold fast the Name of God And concerning Antipas you have Two things remarkable from the Lords mouth First that of all his virtues and graces which were many God commends and takes notice chiefly of his Faithfulness Antipas my Faithful servant Oh God chiefly eyes principally minds and eminently will reward His Peoples Faithfulness towards Him Antipas being a great Pillar in the Church abounds in many vertues his love to God to his People to the souls of men his Faith Meekness Prayer and Sincerity Oh but Perseverance crowns all it 's Faithfulness that Gods heart is much affected with But Secondly The Lord calls Antipas his faithful Martyr My Martyr though it 's possible he died as an Evil-doer as an Heretick and Blasphemous Heresie It 's no matter how men put him to death how men called him God owns and calls him His Martyr This should encourage Saints not to matter how ignominiously and shamefully they suffer stigmatized with dreadful Names yet God speaks otherwise His thoughts are not as mens thoughts Now in Three Things the Lords People may be said to hold fast His Name 1. By a holy and reverend esteem thereof there should be reverence to it 2. By a heavenly and special walking sutable to it to the honour and praise thereof 3. By not counting any thing dear to it our own Names and Lives meet to be given up for it A Sixth Conclusion of this Subject is Is Gods Name I AM to his People the same for Ever Oh then Praise and Prize this God let your hearts be drawn forth in Praising of Him Here is matter and ground of Praise for His People to all generations Psal 68.4 Sing unto God sing Praises to his Name And Psal 96.8 Give unto the Lord the glory due to his Name Praises are due to the Name of God Oh therefore Praise this Name of God And that upon a Fourfold account 1. He is yours peculiarly you have a peculiar Interest and right to him 2. He is yours freely the Interest you have in him came freely to you though dear to Christ 3. He is wholly yours you have a whole God and a whole Christ nor a part Every particular and individual Saint in the World can say properly and truly I have a God I have a Father 4. He is Eternally yours Oh this is the chiefest of all and therefore Prize the Lord. A Seventh Conclusion from this Truth that seeing Gods Name is I AM the same now as ever Be perswaded then to suffer and dye for His Name I am verily perswaded that had we a right sence and feeling of this Name of God to us we should be mightily drawn forth with the Apostle Paul not onely to suffer bonds but to die for His Name And truly God is not wanting but will do great things for those that Suffer for his Name See Psal 119.132 David Beggs That the Lord would do for him as He used to do for those that loved his Name Implying the Lord did wonderfully for them And what greater love can be manifested to Gods Name than suffering or dying for it The Eight Conclusion from this Point is God's Name I AM Is he the same to his People now as ever Then let this serve to quiet still and satisfie the Spirits of God's People in the midst of Troubles of the Lords Dispensation and of the Worlds Destraction Oh this Precious Cordial I AM the same God rightly believed and rightly applied is able to make a Calm in the greatest Storm to afford Peace in the midst of Trouble it 's the true Balm for every disquieted and dejected Mind See that precious Text Psal 46.10 speaking before of great Troubles in the World great Destractions and strange Dispensations he comes in the 10. vers and speaks to the People of God Be still do not you be troubled be not you cast down nor disquieted but know that I am God What God a powerful God a wise God a faithful God the God of Comforts I AM THAT I AM This is my Name for Ever and my Memorial unto all Generations The Ninth Conclusion I draw from this Truth That seeing Gods Name is I AM the same that ever He was Then let your spiritual Wisdom be improved in turning bad Sights into good Signs Do you see dark and dismal Sights Oh remember God's Name and make good Signs of them Do you see the Sun stand still Remember it was for the Deliverance of God's People by the hand of Joshua Doth the Dyal of Ahaz go backward fifteen degrees Oh remember it was a Sign to adde fifteen Years to the life of good Hezekiah Oh improve God's Dispensations by acting Faith in the Remembrance of his Name and all sad Sights that may be presented to your view be as Tokens of future good Signs Luke 21.28 When these things come to passe the verses before-going shew what things they were Well what must we do when they come to passe then do you look up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh The worst of Dispensations affords matter of Consolation for Gods People and the Reason lyes here their God is I AM. The Tenth and last Conclusion of this Subject Let all the Sons and Daughters of Sion be intreated to let this Truth briefly touched upon dwell in their souls and sink deep in your hearts and minds when you are compassed about with greater Troubles with greater Fears with greater Tryals and Sufferings than now you have Oh fix your heart and eye upon this Truth know that the Lord is God His Name is I AM That is His Name for Ever and His Memorial to all Generations To Conclude Lay up in your hearts these Scriptures Prov. 18.10 Psal 20.7 Psal 124.8 And the Lord give you understanding and blessing in these things THE END