Mr. Pemble entered the lists and fought against that inveterate and subtel adversary and in the strength of Christ overcame him And the said Mr. Pemble as a valiant chamption won the field and died in peace with God and his Conscience His rare works declare him to be an eminent Saint on earth and give us great hopes to believe that he is now a glorified Saint in Heaven A third instance and so to conclude I shall produce is of Mr. Dyer for a Mr. Dyer long time a Schoolmaster in Aldermanbury in London He when he was in the Vniversity was for some years addicted to vain Company with whom he mispent many precious hours in drinking and in gaming not only on other days but on the Lords day But his Conscience was awakened and flew in his face and he felt the flashings of Hell-fire in his conscience He went for advice to a Physician who gave him wicked counsel to go to his companions and bid them make him merry He did so and found that remedy far worse than his disease For though on the day-time he drank largely and gamed with his companions yet at night he could not sleep for horrour of spirit renewed on him Vpon advice he went to old Mr. Dod that eminent Saint of God and he gave him spiritual counsels which he followed and through the Grace of God became a very gracious Christian and after he was converted he laboured to convert others and obtain'd good success in his labours This story he himself long since told me and I had intimate acquaintance with an old Disciple of whose conversion the said Mr. Dyer was eminently instrumental who confirm'd the truth of this story I am now at length come to a close and I will not detain the Reader from perusing the following Treatise If any one shall be a gainer for the settlement and establishment of his spirit by what I have written I shall rejoice and ascribe the praise of all to God who is able to do great things by weak and despised instruments My design is to do what good I can whilst I have day before me for there 's a night coming Joh. 9. 4. when no man can work I am sensible that my glass is near run out and gray and hoary hairs are upon me My hearts desire is to improve that one talent which God hath given me for his glory and the good of my own and others souls One request I earnestly beg of thee Reader is that thou wouldst remember me in thy Prayers that I may grow in Grace and in the knowledg of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I commend these lines Reader to thy serious perusal and acceptance and I commend thee to Gods gracious Providence and remain From my Study in Great Cornherth in Suffolk near Sudbury June 17. 1679 Thy Souls Servant Henry Wilkinson A Letter of Advice and Consolation to a Friend troubled in Conscience Christian Friend Sect. 1. SINCE you have been pleased to communicate your present condition to me I have seriously laid it to heart and I have studied what answer to return unto you as I desire and hope for your satisfaction And after seeking of God in your behalf and after mature deliberation I offer to you my retired and studied Counsel and Comforts which my hearts desire is may be so seasonably administred unto you as through the blessing of God you may apply them as Solomon saith A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver Prov. 25. 11. Which if God vouchsafe to set home upon your heart and give to you an answer of peace and comfort you may through riches of mercy obtain the same blessed success after your prayers as Hannah did after she had poured out her soul unto the Lord. We read that after Eli had retracted his former censure and prayed for her The God of Israel grant thee thy 1 Sam. 1. 17 18. petition that thou hast asked of him so the woman went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad May the like happy issue befall you as to the Settlement of your spirit the same Omnipotent God is as able to comfort and quiet your spirit as he did the spirit of Hannah after her earnest prayers and supplications What I am to write for your better Method propounded retaining of it in your memory I shall digest into a plain and easie method which is 1. To premise something for the information of your judgment 2. I shall premonish you of some obstructions and impediments which you ought to avoid 3. To direct you to the practice of particular Duties 4. To give an Answer to a question or two And then 5. To conclude with a word of Consolation and I hope so to conclude by the Grace of God as your spirit may be quieted and comforted in God so that after storms and tempests the Lord in mercy may send a calm and serenity upon your spirit Sect. 2. 1. In pursuance of the Method propounded 1. I shall premise a few Particulars for the Information of your judgment and that in four Particulars only 1. You are to understand that to 1. Head for Information of the judgment 1. It 's a good sign to be sensible of sin be thoroughly awakened from security and stupidity and to be sensible of and mourn for sin is a very good sign and a characteristical note of a hopeful condition On the contrary to be lull'd asleep in the cradle of security and to be stupified and senseless is a sign of a dangerous estate For such as sleep in the cradle of security have the Devil to be their Rocker who afterwards if mercy interpose not will be their destroyer But to complain of sin and to be affected with godly sorrow for it and to cry out for a deliverer this was Saint Paul's condition O wretched man that Rom. 7. 24. I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death By the body of death comprehensively he meant Original sin as the fountain and actual sins as the streams flowing from it The Apostle was questionless a truly converted and regenerate person and his sensibility of the body of sin and vehement crying out for a deliverer discovers him to be a regenerate person And those antipathies and conflicts between the flesh and spirit mentioned in the precedent verses are frequently incident unto Vers 20 21 22 23. the dearest children of God For as in nature a crying child declares that there is life so in grace where is a spiritual life and mourning for sin there holds the same rule of proportion And to have heart compunction and to be affected with and afflicted for sin is an evident sign of a regenerate estate Sect. 3. 2. Heart-wounding usually goes before heart healing Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit Act. 2. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dolorem sensere Grot. The word
signifies to wound punctually even the least part and point of the heart worse than the point of a sharp and impoysoned Dagger Mr. Bolton Act 9. 3 4 5. 2. Consider further That it 's the usual method of God first to wound before he heals and to cast down before he raiseth up And we must know that the self-same hand which hurts us heals us Of the Jews after they were convinced of their horrid and execrable murther in imbruing their hands in the innocent blood of Jesus Christ it 's said Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do The scope of the question was What they should do to be saved What should they do to get pardon of their sins There was a particular word a This which struck them to the heart and as it were smoâ—e them in the fifth rib and so toucht them to the quick as they were constrain'd to enquire after a healing-remedy Likewise Saul though a great Persecutor when he went on the high Priests Errand he was cast down to the ground and stopt in his mad career for we readâ— And as he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me There follows a wonderful alteration in Saul for when he was in his unconverted estate his question would have been What would the high Priests have him do He was then their vassal ready to do the worst of their commands but as soon as the work of Conversion was begun in Saul we read And he trembling Vers 6. and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Further we read of the converted Jaylor who after he heard an earthquake shaking of the foundation of the prison and when he saw all the doors opened and every ones bonds loosed he propounded a Question of the greatest concernment in all the world and submitted himself to the resolution Act. 16. 30 Agnitâ Dei potenâ—ia non modo Paulisper territus suit mox ad priorem ferociam rediret sed se Dâ—o obedientem sanae Doctrinae cupidum ostendit Calv. of his Prisoners * Sirs what must I do to be saved It 's a probable conjecture that the Jaylor thought that the day of Judgment was already come and that his accompt was dreadful not only for his former old sins but for his late sins in exercising great cruelty upon the Apostles wherefore he spake not a syllable concerning the Miracle that happened but only he enquires after the way and means of his everlasting Salvation None can deny but that the Births of some are easier and others are sharper and as in the natural birth there are sore throws and pangs so it falls out in the supernatural birth some meet with such a sharp birth as Colaphum Satanae ut nec calor nec sanguis nec vox super esset Luth. in Epist ad Melancth The Life and Death of Mr. Bolton Luther call'd Satans buffeting so that neither heat nor sense nor any voice remained In the life of that eminent and faithful servant of Jesus Christ Mr. Robert Bolton late Pastor of Broughton in Northamptonshire it 's said And to augment his spiritual misery he was exercised with sharp temptations call'd Horribilia de Deo terribilia de fide But after such like sharp workings prove Physick to Gods children and after sore pains and heart-sickness through mercy a perfect cure is wrought wherefore let Act. 19. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aperuit Deus illa sinente aperiri imo etiam aperiente suo modo ut apparet Apoc. 3. 20. Grot. none despair or be discouraged by reason of the pains and pangs of the new birth for these are in order to a cure all have not for it 's very rare the easie birth of Lydia of whom it 's said Whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul But it 's to be observed that she was before a Worshipper of God but by the Preaching of St. Paul she had the Gospel more clearly revealed and was more fully instructed and established in the truth Sect. 4. What fears and doubts befall some have befallen or may befall others Psal 10. 1. Consider further that whatever fears doubts and desertions have already or may befall you are no other than have been or may be the lot and portion of the dearest children of God To produce an Instance or two David a man after Gods own heart thus expostulates with God Why standest thou afar off O Lord Why hidest thou thy self in times of trouble But it 's likewise to be observed that as he expostulates the case concerning the deserted condition of Gods chilchildren so he prescribes the best and only remedy * Dr. Sibs Souls Conflict Why art thou Ps 42. 11. Psal 43. 5. cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God In two several Psalms the Psalmist useth those words thereby intimating that a greater remark ought to be put upon them To David I 'le only add Heman a man of a rare and excellent spirit and yet he was under sore and heavy desertions and troubles as may appear by his doleful complaint Lord why castest thou off Psal 88. 14 15. my soul why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Wherefore then do neither prejudg nor misjudg your self as if your condition was singular or as if by your present sufferings therefore you may conclude that you are a greater sinner Our Saviour rectifies that mistake and neither chargeth the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their Sacrifices nor those Eighteen upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell to be greater sinners than others but thus he determines I tell you nay but except Luk. 13. 2 3 4 5. ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Sect. 5. 4. Gods children meet with variety of afflictions Luk. 9. 23. 4. Consider that the best of Gods children have met with and may still meet with variety of afflictions and troubles in this present world For saith our Savour If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me As we pray for our daily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui nonest Christianus non est Crucianus Luth. in Gen. c. 29. Act. 14. 22 bread so we must prepare for our daily cross Wherefore Luther used to say That he is no Christian who is no cross-bearer The Apostle speaks upon experimental knowledg We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God And
likewise the Apostle acquaints us that we are appointed unto afflictions For saith he that no man should be moved by 1 Thes 3. 3 these afflictions for your selves know that we are appointed thereunto Sect. 6. Object But you will say that your wounds are more inward and your troubles are wounds of Conscience and you urge that of Solomon The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a Pro. 18. 14 wounded spirit who can bear Ans For Answer There is nothing which hath befallen you but what hath befallen others of Gods Children For Job complains The Job 6. 4. Arrows of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me But David complains of broken bones but they were caused by breaches first made upon his Conscience in the matters of Vriah Though David was a great King and full of riches and honour and though he was an excellent Musician and of a sanguine complexion and those naturally are most cheerful yet he had inward as well as outward trouble For so he complains I am feeble Psal 38. 8. and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart But what must be done in this case You must make hast to God the only Physician who can cure you and apply the Blood of Christ which is the only Medicine As you ought to be sensible of your wounds so you must seek speedily for cure Imitate those who were stung with the fiery Serpents and presently look'd up to the Brazen-serpent and were cured The Command was from the Lord unto Moses Make thee a fiery serpent and Num. 21. 7 set it upon a pole and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten when he looketh upon it shall live And what was commanded Moses obeyed accordingly good success followed And Moses made a Serpent Vers 8. of brass and put it upon a pole and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived The bitings of the Serpent represent the dreadful stings of sin and the looking up unto the Brazen-Serpent represents the looking up unto Christ with the eye of faith Christ the best Expositor thus expounds that Scripture And as Moses lifted up Joh. 3. 14 15. the serpent in the wilderness even so must the soon of man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life When sorrows have almost drunk up your spirits as you complain of your disease whereof you ought to be sensible so you must seek after a Remedy There is a vast difference between poor doubting Christians and confident presumptuous sinners these are over-hasty to apply Comforts which appertain not to them and are not in the mean time affected with sense of their sins nor afflicted for them with godly sorrow Whereas the other dare not apply promises though they have a right unto them but stay too much in beholding their wounds and mourning for them both these extremes must be removed As on one hand we may not be confident on our condition and be too hasty to apply comfort before we have been cast down with godly sorrow so on the other hand we must not deny our selves those comforts which God appoints â—or godly mourners For what was prophesied of Christs preaching he actually accomplished The spirit Isa 61. 1 2 3. Luk. 4. 18. of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent Hinc colligimus Isaiam proprie de Evangelio loquâ— Lex enim data est ut superbos turgentes inani fiducia animos prosternat Evange lium vero afflictis destinatur i. e. iis qui se omni bono vacous esse sâ—iunt ut colligant animos ac sustentent Calv. me to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the captâ—ves and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes the Oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praises for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called trees of righteousness Make haste unto Jesus Christ and apply this great promise for the comfort of your soul Sect. 7. Object But you will say farther I fear that I am not concerned in this promise because it belongs to such as are broken-hearted only and godly mourners Ans For answer I ask you Do not you hate and abhor sin Is not sin your greatest sorrow And is not Christ your greatest joy If so then you may apply that excellent promise to your particular condition and notwithstanding the sense of your own weakness and unworthiness be not discouraged from coming to Christ There 's help laid upon one that Ps 89. 19. is mighty And this is Jesus Christ Go therefore laying aside all delays excuses and demurs unto Christ quickly for he is an absolute and All-sufficient Saviour Wherefore he is able Heb. 7. 25. also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Sect. 8. Object But farther you will say that my afflictions are judgments and tokens of Gods wrath Ans But why do you so pre-judg and mis-judg your own condition as making it worse than it is as being more ready which is your failing to catch at any thing which may make against you than at any thing which may make for you I shall distinguish of two sorts of judgments the one is of chastisement and the other is of punishment As for this of punishment this is only appropriated unto ungodly men who many times even in this world receive part of payment and an earnest of those judgments which shall be their full portion and full payment in everlasting burnings in that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone these are firebrands of Hell But then there is a judgment of chastisement and fatherly correction and this befalls Gods own dear Children in this present world For saith the Apostle judgment begins at the house 1 Pet. 4. 7. of God And chastisements are love-tokens unto Gods Children For whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth Heb. 2. 6. every son whom he receiveth Such then are in a happy condition who make a right improvement of afflictions For saith the Psalmist blessed is the man whom thou chastneth O Lord Ps 94. 12. and teachest him out of thy law And then a Christian is well improved by any affliction when it is sanctified to him and he made more holy by the affliction for God chastiseth us for our profit that we might be partakers Heb. 12. 10 of his holiness And though
resurrexerit c. Pareus in loc I was in the spirit on the Lords day This day is the souls market-day the souls harvest-day the souls rejoiâ—ing-day Prepare for this day before it comes meditate of the duties of the day and sanctifie your souls for the sanctification of the Lords own day The word Remember necessarily implys prepartion and a previous consideration of performing the works of the day in its own day This day ought seriously to be remembred before it comes and the heart ought to be prepar'd and sequestred from all worldly intanglements On this day we should rise earlier in a morning than other days Mary rose early that day and had a joyful sight of the Lord Jesus Shake off sloth and drowsiness and beware of idleness for spiritual idleness on this day is as bad as bodily labour give unto God his own day a whole day and imploy your soul in the works of the day and the works are works of piety mercy and necessity and beg of God a Sabbath-frame and temper of spirit As for such works as concern our secular calling though they are lawful and necessary on other days of the week yet on this day they are neither necessary nor lawful much less are corporal-recreations as games or sports c. to be allowed on this day On this day double diligence ought to be used for the performing of double duties to hearing of the Word in publick add reading in private and to reading add secret prayer and to prayer add meditation and to meditation add conference as next is to be mentioned Sect. 20. Duty 5. Communicate your Doubts to experienced Christians Mal. 2. 7. Isa 50. 4. A fifth Duty is to communicate your Doubts and perplexities to such experienced Ministers or people who are able and willing to administer spiritual comfort unto you The Prophet tells us For the Priests lips should keep knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Impart your case to faithful Ministers to whom God hath given the tongue of the Learned and to other experienced Christians who through the Grace of God may speak both by way of counsel and comfort something for the settlement and establishment of your spirit Frequent the society of such who fear God and be a companion to such here on earth whose company you hope to enjoy to all eternity It was the saying of an eminent servant of Jesus Christ upon his Death-bed Mr. Robert Bolton I shall change my place but not my company Be therefore ready and willing to lay hold upon those opportunities which are offered for spiritual conference and be glad of the prayers and counsels of such as are Mnasons and old Disciples and experienced Christians and Practitioners of Religion Spiritual conference is no new practice for it is of great antiquity and I heartily wish that it were more revived and put in practice than it is now-a-days The Prophet Malachy makes mention of such Religious meetings Then they that feared the Lord spake Mal. 3. 16. often to one another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name Upon perusal of those words it 's evident that the people of God met together and confer'd about each others spiritual estate And there ought to be a great deal of care and conscience in the managing of such meetings for God takes notice of all that 's done or spoken and puts them upon record O! how much and abundant soul-satisfaction may be gain'd by the society of such as are godly to such you ought to unbosom and unburthen your soul they may be instrumental for the good of your soul And as I advise unto conference and correspondence with godly Christians so I advise you to the making choice of godly Writers and to peruse them with diligence and seriousness of spirit Let the holy Scriptures always have the preheminence both in your judgment and affections Next to them I commend unto your frequent reading sound and orthodox Writers such as are Calvins Institutions Greenham Perkins Dod Dyke on the Deceitfulness of the heart Scudder Burroughs gracious spirit and in an especial manner because it 's very suitable to your condition I commend to your reading Dr. Sibs of the souls conflict The precious Author is dead but his memory is blessed and both the Author and his Works are like precious ointment poured forth The sixth and last particular Duty Duty 6. Wait upon God which I advise you unto is to wait silently patiently and submissively upon God Labour therefore to bring your will to Gods will God is infinite in Wisdom and knows what 's better for you than you know for your self and better than you can either ask or think And believe that Gods time is always the best time and therefore wait on God till he be pleased to speak a word of peace to you Let faith and patience hold out and joyn them both together and imitate those who Heb. 6. 12. through faith and patience have inherited the promises The Church of God though under hatches and in a very low condition yet did exercise faith and patience And I Isa 8. 17. will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him The Church of God was much afflicted and vexed with briers and thorns and was neither quiet at home nor abroad yet notwithstanding we read of an Heroical resolution of the Church Therefore I will look unto the Lord Mic. 7. 7. I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me In this verse Faith Patience and Assurance are all joyn'd together for looking implys that there was an eye of faith and waiting implys the exercise of patience and that God would hear was a strong ground of assurance that the faith and patience there mention'd were successful In Habbakkuks time the Vision was very dark For said Hab. 2. 3. the Prophet the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Waiting-Christians are exceeding much gainers by all their waiting so saith the Prophet The Lord is good to them that wait Lam. 3. 25 26. for him to the soul that seeketh him It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Wherefore if God speak not comfort so soon as you desire and expect yet know that it is your duty to hold out and continue waiting and not in the least to presume to limit the holy one of Israel to any time or means Let God as an ancient Eligat opportunitatem qui libere dat misericordiam Aug. Father saith chuse the opportunity who freely gives thee mercy
sinners viz. impenitent and penitent sinners You dare not say after deliberate and composed thoughts upon heart-examination that you would not repent neither that you would not endeavour to repent neither that you do not beg of God grace to repent Your sensibleness of your sins and mourning for them and complaining against your self and your praying with the Apostle to be delivered Rom. 7. 24. from the body of sin plainly evidenceth that you are not an impenitent sinner And only impenitent sinners who live and dye in their sins shall perish for so saith our Saviour Except ye repent ye Luke 13. 3. shall all likewise perish But as for penitent broken-hearted sinners such as are affected with compunction of heart and godly sorrow for sin and are poor in spirit and sensible of their lost and undone condition as in themselves these have a peculiar invitation to come unto Jesus Christ Matt. 9. 13. For saith he * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Eos qui sibi justi videntur quibus opponuntur peccatores i. e. qui suorum peccatoruÌ„ sensu vulnerati ad unam Dei misericordiam confugiunt Bulling in loc I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Comfort your self with the serious meditation of those grounds of comfort before mentioned and make particular application of them to your own soul And now for a close of all I shall be your remembrancer of some select Scriptures suitable to your condition and O! that God would write them in the Tables of your heart which through riches of mercy have been my comfort and support and I hope that through the blessing of God they may be a support and comfort unto you One Scripture is Rom. 8. 5 But Rom. 8. 5. God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us A Second Scripture is Matt. 12. 20 Matt. 12. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench till he send forth judgment unto victory A Third Scripture is Rom. 3. Rom. 3. 24 25. 24 25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God A Fourth Scripture is Heb. 7. 25 Heb. 7. 25. Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them A Fifth Scripture with which I 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. shall conclude is 1 Joh. 2. 1 2 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world These precious Truths of God ought to be digested by Prayer Meditation and particular Application and they will be through the grace of God as a stay and a staff to your afflicted spirit Remember though you use the means to look above means and beg help of God As the Ancients used to hold the Plough and pray so you must apply your self to the means prescribed in the Word of God and keep close to Gods Ordinances but above all you must beg help from the God of the Ordinances Be conscientious and diligent in the use of the means but look through the means and above the means unto God Persevere in your duty leave the success unto God who in his own time and that 's best can speak comfort to you Thus you see what design I drive at even in prescribing to you such Directions as may be for the setling and quieting of your spirit My hearts desire and prayer to God for you is That God in mercy and love to your Soul and to any other in the like case would imprint these things upon your heart by the effectual operation of his holy Spirit I Remain yours in the service of your Faith H. W. FINIS Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside ONE hundred of Select Sermons By Tho Horton Sermons on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians By Mr. J Daille Translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Thomas Goodwin's and Dr. John Owen's Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christs Temptation on Mat. 4. and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and circumspect walking By Dr. Tho. Taylor A compleat Martyrology with Lives By Sam. Clark Books Quarto The Door of Salvation opened by the Key of Regeneration By George Swinnock M. A. Dr. â—ollins Sermons on the Canticl An Exposition on the six first Chapters of the Revelation By Ch. Phelps The Saints Triumph over the last enemy in a Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. James Janeway By Nat Vincent The vanity of man in his best estate in a discourse on Psal 39. 5. at the Funeral of the Lady Susanna Keate By Richard Kidder M. A. The Morning-Lecture against Popery or the principal errors of the Church of Rome detected and confuted in a Morning-Lecture Preached by several Ministers of the Gospel in or near London Dr. Wilds Letter of Thanks and Poems The Intercourse of Divine Love between Christ and the Church or the particular Believing soul in several Lectures on the whole second Chapter of Canticles By John Collins D. D. Octavo's Reading and Spelling made easie By Tho. Lye Captives bound in Chains made free by Christ their Surety By T. Doolittle Eighteen Sermons preached upon several Texts of Scripture By William Whitaker The Saints care for Church-Communion declared in sundry Sermons preached at St. James Dukes place By Zach. Crofton Cases of Conscience practically resolved By John Norman The godly mans Ark or a City of Refuge in the day of his distress in five Sermons with Mrs. Moors Evidences for Heaven By Edmund Calamy The Almost Christian discovered or 〈◊〉 Professor tried and cast By 〈…〉
accompanies the Word and makes it effectual And the Word quickned by the Spirit 2 Cor. 10. 5. works wonderful things For it 's mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds * Eis comparat ratiocinationibus Philo sophorumquae Evangelio opponebantur Grot. casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knâ—wledg of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ The Word of God is one piece of our Spiritual armour And Eph. 6. 17. take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God A sword is both an offensive and a defensive weapon And the Word is a two-edged sword Heb. 4. 12. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword * Leviticus culter pervenit ad minimâ— quales sunt nerve in junctur is ad intima quales sunt medullae sic sermo Dei intima minima animi penetrat inque ea agit Grot. Isa 51. 21. De calamitatibus loquutus est nempe dubitent ut fideles non quin parata sit eis a Domino consolatio tametsi extrema quaeque patiantur Calv. in loc piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart The Word of God powerfully preacht may through the blessing of God meet with your particular condition and speak comfort to you For there is a particular and suitable word which frequently God directs his Ministers to preach and so to reach the hearts and conditions of the hearers One only Scripture I shall mention of the Prophet Isaiah Therefore hear now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine The meaning is that notwithstanding fore pressures and afflictions which they endured yet they should not doubt nor despair of Gods comforts there is a This i. e. a word of God to comfort the afflicted Keep close to the Word and be frequent in meditating of what you hear and in applving of it particularly to your own soul Sect. 19. 2. Receive the Lords Supper 2. To the diligent hearing of the Word of God you must join the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper this is a great strengthning supporting and comforting Ordinâ—nce and you ought not to deny your self so great a priviledg which belongs to you As it 's a fault and a great one in many presumptuously and unpreparedly to come to the Lords Supper so it may be a fault in you who have knowledg to discern the Lords Body and your life is holy to debar your self of that choice Ordinance As you may not come unpreparedly without serious self examination so you may not stay away after due preparation For after a thorough exâ—mination follows 1 Cor. 11. 28. participation But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Neither should such who have right to this sealing Ordinance content themselves with seldom receiving but they should embrace frâ—quent opportunities for Communicating at the Lords-Table they will find many things wanting in their faith and love and repentance and therefore they should come frequently to strengthen their faith and love and to renew their repentance and to renew their covenants with God and to walk more humbly and holily in all manner of conversation The Text saith For as Vers 26. often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come The Adverb there used is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that implys 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Pemble on the Sacrament often that shews that we ought to do it often At other times we ought to have an habitual preparation but for receiving of the Lords-Supper we ought to have an actual preparation we ought to act faith love repentance and other graces Now because you find sin to be burdensome and loathsome and you account your self unworthy therefore you should not deny your self the Lords-Supper you ought the rather to come and to make haste unto Christ beseeching him to prepare you for the receiving of the Ordinance and to make it effectual unto you I shall give a distinction which I hope may give you satisfaction There is a Legal and an Evangelical Righteousness As for Legal righteousness to be exact and to perform the whole Law to a tittle none could do it but Christ alone and in a legal sense none of us can come worthily to the Lords-Supper for we all come short of our duty and when we have done all we can we must confess that we are unprofitable Luk. 17. 10. Isa 64. 6. servants and that we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags But there is an Evangelical righteousness and through Christs righteousness imputed to us we are accounted righteous and accepted of God and notwithstanding infirmities which we are sensible of and mourn for them if our hearts be sincere towards God we may expect a blessing of God upon the Ordinance For though we are not as of our selves any ways worthy of receiving so great an Ordinance yet the God of the Ordinance will be pleased to accept of the uprightness of our hearts Let us then make our addresses to God as Hezekiah did for the people concerning their failings about receiving of the Passover The good Lord pardon 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. every one that prepareth his heart to seek the God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people 3. Labour to the utmost to be 3. Labour to be strict in the observation of the Sabbath Exod. 20. 8 9 10 11. conscientious and strict in the observation of the Sabbath day The fourth Commandment preâ—ixeth a peculiar Memento for the observation of the Sabbath day Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the sevenâ—h day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy stranger that is within thy gates The Sabbath was to be observed the seventh day of the week from the Creation to the Resurrection of Christ since we are to observe the first day of the week in memory of Christs Resurrection and this is the Christian Sabbath commonly called the Lords-day On this day Christ rose from the dead on this day collection was to be made 1 Cor. 16. 1. Act. 20. 7. Rev. 1. 10. for the Saints on this day the Disciples came together to break bread and St. John was in an especial manner ravisht in the Spirit * Diem Dominicam vocat primam â—ebdomadis feriam qua Dominus a mortuis