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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91363	A little cabinet richly stored with all sorts of heavenly varieties, and soul-reviving influences. Wherein there is a remedy for every malady, viz. milk for babes, and meat for strong men, and the ready way for both to obtain and retain assurance of salvation: being an abridgement of the sum and substance of the true Christian religion; wherein the cause of our salvation, the way, the guide, the rule, the evidence, the seals, &c. and the connection of these points together, and dependancy of them one upon another: this I have endeavoured to do orderly, exactly, methodically, with much plainness and clearness. / By Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1657 (1657)	Wing P4237; Thomason E1575_1; ESTC R209217	254,040	517

have likewise foretold of these dayes I will instance in a few for all First David Psal 62. 7. there he speaks of the continuance of Christs kingdom as long as the Sun and Moon endureth then he speaks of the extent of this Kingdom vers 8. and that is from sea to sea then he speaks who shall be the subjects of this kingdom vers 11. and that is some of all Nations Isaiah likewise hath not only spoken of the incarnation birth life and doctrine and death resurrection and ascension of Christ but also he hath prophesied of his second coming in power to gather his spiritual kingdom and of the extent injoyment glory and duration of that kingdom See one place for all Isaiah 2. 2 3 4. Jeremiah also bares witness to the same truth Jer. 30. 31 32 33. Ezekiel also hath spoken of this kingdom and reign of Christ Ezek. 34. 11. Daniel hath spoken of this kingdom and raign of Christ Daniel 2. 44 45. Hosea bares witness to the same truth Hos 1. 10 11. 3. 4 5. Amos also hath foretold of these things Chap. 9. 11. to the end Obadiah also speaks to the same truth ver 21. Micah speaks to the same Chap. 4. 6 7. Malachy speaks of his coming and kingdom Chap. 3. 2. 2. We have the testimony of all the Apostles speaking frequently of Christs second coming in all the four Evangelists and in almost all the Epistles to the several Churches see Mat. 24. from 29. to the end and Mark 13. from 24. to the end and Luke 12. from 31. to the end and Luke 21. from 25. to the end and Joh. 14. 3. compared with Joh. 17. 24. So in the Epistles it is called the appearing of the glory of the great God Titus 2. 13. and it is set out with Angelical attendance 2 Thes 1. 7 8 9 10. See a farther testimony of this truth 1 Thes 1. 10. Phil. 3. 20. 3. We have the testimony of Angels Act. 1. 10 11. and whilest that they looked stedfastly towards heaven as he went up behold two Angels stood by them in white apparrell which said ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven behold if the testimony of the Prophets yea all the Prophets and the testimony of the Apostles be not enough then here is the testimony of Angels which is accounted stedfast Heb. 2. 2. In a word the second coming of Christ might be farther proved by the immutability of Gods decree and infallibility of his promises and impartiality of his justice c. but I meet with no sort of people denying this truth except a few of those spoken of in the Gospel saying where is the promise of his coming these people have renounced their reason and made nonsense the mother of their devotion therefore their arguments are not worth the answering but the great difficulty lieth amongst those men that do believe a second coming of Christ in power and great glory and thesemen fall into these three ranks the first saith that Christ shall come and reign personally on the earth a thousand years before the last judgement a second sort stands up and saith he shall not reign personally but spiritually a thousand years in his Saints a third sort steps in and contradicts the two former saying there is neither personal reign nor spiritual reign to be looked for at Christs next coming for he comes to judge the world and so to put an end to all things here below c. let the reader consider that it is with us now a little before the second coming of Christ as it was with the Jews and others a little before the first coming of Christ for it is apparent they were in three divisions as we now are as appears by their darkness in these three portions of Scripture that speaks of Christs first coming One Scripture said Mich. 5. 2. thou Bethleem out of thee shall come one to rule Israel Another Scripture said Isaiah 9. 2 6. the land of Zebulon and Nepthaly the people which were in darkness have seen a great light ver 6. for unto us a child is born unto us a Son is given c. A third Scripture Hos 11. 1. we read these words out of Egypt have I called my Son now in these three Scriptures the Prophets did seem to vary in their prophecies and the people after about the coming of Christ in flesh differing as to the place where or in which of these three Christ should be born this difference of theirs begat this great question in Court Mat. 2. 4. Herod gathered together all the chief Priests and Scribes and demanded of them where Christ should be born and they said unto him in Bethleem c. Now the thing that I would have the reader to take special notice of is this that these three Scriptures were fulfilled at the coming of Christ one after another for he was born in Bethleem called out of Egypt and came to the land of Zebulon and there preached and the people that sate in darkness saw a great light c. and why may not all these three things fall in together at the second coming of Christ in power to wit a persosonal coming a spiritual reign and all the time of the reign a judging of the world let not us make those things inconsistent which may be consistent in a sense warily understood this I am sure whilst we are contending what Christ shall do when he comes that we let slip our precious time and not so prepare as we ought for his coming Oh what a state are things in here every one tuging for his interest O Lord put in for thine too do thou gain and let all sit down with loss whose gain lies not in thine cozen all creatures by bringing about a swifter a fuller a more universal happiness by the appearance of our Lord Christ then ever heart could imagine Let the reader consider these eleven things 1. There shall be a coming of Christ in power and great glory 2. That day is very near 3. The manner of his coming 4. The signs of his coming 5. He shall come visibly 6. The posture a Christian should be in at his coming 7. It is the duty of all to wait for his coming 8. The benefits that a Christian shall have at his coming 9. The consideration of his coming should cause us to live here above our contents and discontents 10. The sad condition of all out of Christ at his coming 11. He shall come terribly 1. There shall be a coming of Christ in power and great glory which we have proved before by the testimony of all the Prophets and Apostles and some of the Angels we have proved this truth further by the immutablity of Gods decree and by the infallibility of his promises and by the

3. There is a spiritual or supernatural principle from which Christians do or should act now the right ground or principle from which all holy and righteous actions should flow is either from 1. A pure heart 2. A good conscience 3. Faith unfeigned 1. A pure heart not absolutely and compleatly purified from all sin but comparative and respectively purified by the blood of Christ by way of justification Psal 51. 7. Purified by the blood of Christ his gracious habits as principles purity being infused by way of sanctification 1 Cor. 6. 11. Purified by faith Act. 15. 9. 2. A good conscience I mean not naturally good so every mans conscience is in a sense good but spiritually and supernaturally good being purged by Christs blood from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. And when we find conscience to give a comfortable testimony of the hearts simplicity and godly sincerety in what it doth 3. Faith unfeigned that is without hypocrisie according to that 1 Tim. 1. 5. Now the end of the Commandment is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned now faith is then unfeigned when it hath the true nature of faith in it viz. 1. Assenting to the truth revealed 1 John 5. 10 11. and applying this truth assented to John 1. 11 12. Gal. 2. 20. 2. When it doth produce the effects of a living faith which is good works Jam. 2. 20 26. Now examine whether thou hast such a pure heart such a good conscience such a faith unfeigned from whence all thy righteous actions do spring otherwise thee and I may be said with Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. 7 8 9. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart And so much to the first of these the principle from which we should act 2. We must act by a right rule Some make their own wils their rule others make the example of men their rule others make the light within their rule but we are to make the word of God our rule and so to go forth by the footsteps of the flock Cant. 1. 8. And as many as walk according to this rule peace be upon them Galat. 6. 16. And again the Apostles tell us from Christ whose mouth they are we ought so to walk as we have them for an example And he that walks or speaks not according to this rule it is because he hath no light in him Isa 8. 20. This was Noahs rule Hebr. 11. 7. and Abrahams rule Heb. 11. 8 17. and Davids Psal 40. 8. and Pauls Rom. 7. 22. The Lord doth not bid us make the light within the rule but he hath placed a light within us to see the rule without us which will appear if we a little consider that there is a threefold illumination 1. General and natural which is a natural light or a light of reason and with this light the eternal word the Son of God hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world Joh. 1. 9. 2. There is a special and supernatural light which is planted in the souls of those whom he hath before time elected and in time called See Col. 3. 19. and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him 3. There is a kind of a middle illumination between these two more then meerly natural but less then truly supernatural which is the common gift of the spirit even to hypocrites Judas was thus enlightned and those hypocrites we read of in Mat. 7. 22 23. and Simon Magus Acts 8. 13. and by means of this light they may attain to these five things and yet perish at last 1. They may attain to a great measure of literal knowledge of Christ of the truth and of the way of righteousness as doth clearly appear by these Scriptures Heb. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remains no more sacrifice for sin See Heb. 6. 4. 2. They may by means of this knowledge attain to great degrees of reformation in their life and waies 2 Pet. 2. 20. For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end with them is worse then the beginning for they were only outwardly reformed in the sight of men but not inwardly renewed in the sight of God Sin may be chained up and restrained yet not cast out and mortified 3. They may go so far as to taste of the heavenly gift Heb. 6. 4. Note here the Holy Ghost doth not say of them as of true Saints they have eaten or drunken but only tasted that is they have had some kind of Relish or small sense by a temporary Faith of the excellencies of Christ 4. They may be said by the improvement of this light to be partakers of the Holy Ghost Heb. 6. 4. that is they are made partakers of the common gifts of the Holy Ghost as common illumination hystorical faith and faith of Miracles See Mat. 7. 22 23. compared with Act. 8. 13. 5. They may in a sense be said to have tasted the good word of God Heb. 6. 5. for these men hearing the Gospel powerfully preached and the matchless love of God in Christ to sinners displayed the worth and excellency of Jesus Christ and his benefits unfolded they come to be sometimes moved pleased and for present affected with some pangs and moods of joy Herod heard John-Baptist gladly Mar. 6. 20. Mat. 13. 20. compared with Ezek 33. 31 32. but all this is but an imperfect taste and so they do nothing from right principles neither by a right rule 3. As we ought to act from a right principle by a right rule so in the last place to a right end low base ends spoyl the highest undertakings now he that doth a good action to a good end doth mind these two things in his action 1. He doth it to the glory of God according to that Command of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. and Mat. 5. 16. 2. He doth it for his own and others good Rom. 2. 7. Mat. 5. 16. Now bring these things home and lay them upon your hearts make a curious narrow impartial diligent search and see whether thou dost act from such a principle by such a rule to such an end If not thou dost the thing that is commanded but not as it is commanded thou dost with Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. 7 8 9. That which is right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart or else thou dost a good action to an ill end as in Phil. 1. 16. And yet say to others and think in thy self that thou hast done well as Jehu to Jonadab the son of Racab Hence it appears that the strength and confidence of a deluded man or woman may be so great

believe and that believing we might have life through his name 1. The Scriptures of truth are the ground of Faith as they do give a man sufficient ground and warrant to believe whatsoever is contained in them this was the ground of Abrahams faith and of Davids faith remember the word upon which thou hast caused me to hope Psal 119. 49. 2. The Scriptures are the ground of Faith as it is a sure word as we are not to believe any thing that is not contained in Scripture so we need not doubt of any thing that is promised in them they are the faithful sayings of God 3. The Scriptures are the ground of Faith as it is a touchstone to try all doctrines by Isa 8. 20. John 5. 39. 4. They may be said to be the ground of Faith as they hold forth all things necessary to salvation and all things necessary to be believed Again they may be said to be the ground of Faith because in them the Lord doth command us to believe 1 Joh. 3. 23. Joh. 6. 29. Again in the Scriptures there are many solemn invitations to poor sensible sinners to come and take milk and wine and the water of life freely And many precious promises to those that do come with many examples left upon record how well those have sped that did come all these are grounds and encouragements to believe The Springs of Faith how God doth beget it in an unbeliever THere is no natural power in man to produce a cause within its self this great grace of Faith is no fruit of the wisdom of the flesh nor is it the birth of a corrupt will The immediate and sole cause of Faith is the Spirit of God He it is who is greater then the heart who can perswade and draw the heart and change and renew the Spirit There be means appointed by God which he doth ordnarily bless for the production of faith as he hath ordained means for the revelation of Christ so he hath sanctified means to lead the soul unto him to implant Faith 1. God lets the soul see that it is the command of God that he should believe and that faith is the gift of God without which we can do nothing acceptably it is through grace that men believe yet men are to use the means now the great and ordinary means by which God works faith in the hearts of men it is the preaching of the word See Act. 13. 48. When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to life believed Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Ephes 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation 2. The preaching of the word doth discover to the soul its extream misery and great need of Christ and makes him say men and brethren what shall I do to be saved 3. It is that which casteth down all the reasonings arguments and disputes of the mind against the conditions of Christ and renders all the terms of Christ upon which he will be taken as most equal fair and resonable 4. It is that which clears the way for the soul against all its fears and unbelieving doubts it layes before the sinner the freeness of Gods mercy the fulness of Christs Redemption the willingness on Christs part to accept of him 5. It is that sets the soul in a patient expectation to lie at the Pool for ever to attend the assemblies of the Saints and to enquire in his Temple till the soul can take a close with Christ by true believing 6 Means to get faith take one promise and charge that upon the heart and if the heart be stubborn and will not yeild then take another if that will not do then take another and lay that home upon the heart and never leave this work till you have gotten some smal measure of Faith 7. Make as much conscience of those commands that require you to believe as you do of those commands that do require you to hear read and meditate and pray Lastly consider for thy encouragement that blessed text Psalm 147. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in those that hope in his Mercy See Psalm 33. 18. The Impediments Lets and Hinderances of Faith AS the Eunuch said to Philip here is water what hinders me that I may not be baptized so may I say to my self and others here in the Gospel is Christ set out to the life here are arguments fair enough to draw on our souls to Christ what hinders that we do not believe and receive Christ The first impediment to the getting of Faith is gross ignorance whatsoever is contrary to knowledge the same is contrary to Faith the soul must have light for all its motions for the eye to see and the understanding to perceive and for the heart to embrace those ignorances that is a hindrance to faith fals in these three parts 1. They are ignorant of their own sinful condition 2. They are ignorant of Gods just disposition towards them 3. They are ignorant of Christ and all his excellencies what he is God or man or both they know not him in both his natures neither in his Offices Actions Passion Benefits Vertues they understand not how God hath manifested love in Christ to what end he was made man what is in him more then in any other Alas they think not of these things Now how is it possible for the soul to believe or to be perswaded to believe in Christ or to labour for this precious faith which is a stranger to it self to God to Christ 2. A second impediment of Faith is a vain confidence of natural righteousness this was it which kept off many of the Pharisees the text saith that they trusted to their own righteousness they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own rigteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God Rom. 10. 3 6. 3. A third impediment of faith is the honour of the world how can you believe saith Christ which receive honour one from another John 5. 44. again Mat. 19. 22. He went away sorrowful without faith for he had great earthly possessions John 7. 48. Have any of the Pharisees believed on him Motives to believe or divers Arguments from Jesus Christ himself to perswade us to believe 1. OUR Lord Christ doth lay his command upon us John 14. 1. ye believe in God believe also in me John 6. 29. this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent 1 John 3. 23. this is his Commandment that we believe on the name of the Son of God even Jesus Christ 2. The second motive is or may be thus consider that Christ plainly saith that he that will not believe shall be damned John 3. 18 36. Excellency prevails much with an ingenious nature and necessity with the worst

nature When the Leapers saw that they must either venture their lives or dye they would out into the Camp when the Prodigal saw he must famish abroad or repair home he would then back to his fathers house when the woman with the issue of blood had spent all and grew worse and knew not whither to go or what to do then she comes to Christ now if thou hast not so much ingenuity as to come to and believe in Christ in obedience to his command yet let thy necessity prevail with thee or else the Leaper and Prodigal shall rise up in judgement against thee were we in Adams created innocency then we need not to look after a Saviour but we are fallen but we are broken but we are sold under sin but we are transgressours from the womb but we are by nature the children of disobedience and wrath 3. He doth invite us to come and to believe by the Prophets Isa 55. 1 2 3. He beseecheth us by the Apostles to be reconciled to him 2 Cor. 5. 20. He cals upon us by his Church and spirit to take of the water of life Revelat. 22. 17. and after all this he waits upon us to be gracious to us Isaiah 30. 18. 4. Our unbelief grieves the very heart of Christ he grieved at their unbelief he complains at our backwardness to believe O fools and slow of heart to believe Nay and he sheds tears because we believe not on him when he came neer the City he wept over it c. 5. Motive Consider there is none who have right to thy soul but God and Christ our souls are Gods workmanship and Christs purchase why then should we not give to God and Christ that which is their own 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. ye are not your own ye are bought with a price God put forth his own power to make thy soul and Christ shed his heart blood to redeem thy soul and wilt thou through unbelief withhold it from him 6. Christ outbids all Merchants for thy soul he outbids the world sin and Satan is there any one of them that presents Redemption unto thee is there any one of them that can procure remission and pardoning mercy for thee is there any one of them that can satisfie the wrath of God for thee which can make thy peace which can present thee righteous before the judgement seat which can settle eternal life upon thee all this can Christ do none of this can they do Behold here is laid before thee life and death life if thou dost believe death if not now chuse you whether what shall I say more by believing we honor God Iohn 3. 33. by believing we come to be established Isa 7. 9. by believing we are kept in perfect peace Isa 26. 3 4. Rom. 5. 1. Our naked cleaving to God in his free promise will carry down all our distempers at once and fill our souls with peace in believing O how can we look so many sweet promises in the face and harbour so many misgivings in our hearts Rom. 9. ult whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed Of the evil of unbelief and the springs of it and the misery that doth attend it VNbelief doth rob the soul of all joy comfort and content Nay further unbelief doth throw reproach upon God Christ and the promises and gives Satan the greatest advantage against us he that lives without Faith lives without comfort joy peace and content by unbelief we add sin unto sin in the highest nature 1 John 5. 10. Unbelief straightens the heart stops the mouth and hinders thankfulness thou shalt be dumb because thou believest not Luke 1. 20. Unbelief is the door that lets in condemnation John 3. 18 30. He that believeth not is condemned Rev. 2. 8. The fearful and unbelieving shall be cast into the Lake of fire and brimstone 1. It is the greatest sin in the world because it is a sin against the greatest love in the world John 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. It is a sin for which there can be no remedy for asmuch as it is a sin against the only remedy the Sentence of the Law may be repealed by the Gospel but the sins against Gospel remedy there is no appeal it is a sin that makes void and vain all the Covenant of grace turning all the sweetness thereof into bitterness and all the truth of it to a lie 1 John 5. 10. Unbelief binds all our sins upon the soul and so murders the soul it grieves the heart of Christ leaves all our sins upon record leaves us to answer for our selves it is a sin against the greatest love against the only remedy makes void the Doctrine of grace and breeds an indisposition towards all holy duties it is a dishonouring to God a denying of Christ a murderer of the soul a belying of God a denying of Christ and a crowning of Satan it doth without doubt proclaim the Devil a Conqueror and lift him up above Christ himself Judas did sin more by unbelief and despairing then by betraying of Christ In a word doubts fears and discouragements proceed neither from God Christ nor the Spirit of truth but they do proceed First from the Devil he either tempts us to sin and that will cause us to doubt or else he doth tempt us to doubt and that will cause us to sin Secondly they proceed from our own hearts Heb. 3. 12. Thirdly from the lying vanities that we hearken unto Jonah 2. 8. Fourthly from ignorance heedlesness and forgetfulness Fifthly from unskilfulness of the word of righteousness Heb. 5. 12. 7. Sixthly from want of watchfulness Seventhly from building our hopes and comfort upon that which is mutable and uncertain viz. our own personal Sanctification and not upon Christ and our free Justification Eighthly from our own false reasonings making Sense Reason and Feeling the Judge of our spiritual condition Ninthly from our ignorance of the love of Christ and the Covenant of Grace The Characters Marks or Signs of true Faith c. THere are many characters or discoveries of this Faith of the Gospel called the Faith of Gods Elect which worketh by love First the habit of this Faith is infused into the soul by God in regeneration Eph. 2. 8. John 1. 12 13. Secondly this habit so infused is brought to act by the Fathers drawing the soul to Christ Iohn 6. 44. Thirdly faith being thus infused and acted doth chearfully accept of Christ upon his own terms viz. self-denyall bearing the Cross and following Christ Luke 9. 23. Iohn 1. 12. Faith having thus accepted and received Christ begins to taste such sweetness and pleasantness in him that Christ is most pleasant to the soul 1 Pet 2. 3 7. So the soul by degrees comes to be filled with joy and peace in believing Again Faith having thus taken and tasted Christ contends after a fuller perfection even after assurance Col. 2. 2. Heb. 10. 22. 1. True Faith is not only a justifying

how many thousands did God take away by the plague for that small sin It is true in one sense there is no little sin because there is no little God to sin against One would think it was but a small thing for Vzza to put his hand to uphold the falling Ark yet for this the Lord smote him that he dyed For one small sin of Moses for neglecting to circumcise the child for the bare omission of that the Lord met him and would have killed him Exodus 4. 24. The same Moses for one unadvised speech must die in the wilderness and not go into Canaan Num. 20. 10. Palm 106. 33. Now there is great danger in samll sins for these four reasons 1. Because they be committed with more complacency and less reluctancy 2. A man is apt to commit small sins with more security and less penitency 3. People are apt to run into small sins with more frequency 4. One stab at the heart with a pen-knife will kill a man One little leak in a ship may sink it And one little sin unrepented of will damn a soul c. Of the mischief brought upon many for one sin ONE sin cast Adam out of Paradise and the Angels out of heaven Annanias and Saphira for one lye were stricken dead so was Vzza for once touching the Ark One sin brought misery upon Esau for selling his birth-right and David for Numbering the people the sin of Saul his sin being but one and that of omission too in not killing Agag the King of the Amalekites he was utterly cast off by the Lord for the same though he was his annointed and chosen servant before I have lately read in a Book of Mr. Thomas Brooks of the mischief brought upon many precious men for one only sin viz. One sin tript up the heels of Noah the most righteous man then in the world One sin cast down Abraham the greatest Believer in the world One sin threw down David the best King in the world One sin cast down Paul the greatest Apostle in the world One sin threw down Sampson the strongest man in the world Another cast down Solomon the wisest man in the world And another Moses the meekest man in the world And another sin cast down Job the patientest man in the world What hurt sin doth a Saint IT is not falling into the water that drowns but lying in it so falling into sin sinks not thy soul but living in it we can stay no more from sinning without the restraining grace then the Heart from panting and the pulse from beating Sin may break a Christians Communion but not his Union with God God had one son without corruption but no son without correction he had one son without sin but no son without sorrow Sin will cost a Christian more grief sorrow heart-bleeding and soul-breaking before conscience will be satisfied and comfort restored and evidences cleared and pard on in the Court of conscience sealed For God is as severe in punishing as he is gracious in pardoning his house of correction is his School of instruction Sin doth make God look severely and chide bitterly and strike heavily even where and when he loves dearly Isaiah 59. 2. Your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear Psalm 89. 32. Then will I visit their sins with a rod. Ver. 33. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not take from them nor suffer my faithfulness to fail Many would fain be rid of their sufferings that would not at all be rid of their sins Sin and shame are inseparable companions and sin and punishment are linked together if thou wilt be sinful thou must be miserable One little miscariage doth in the eye of the world over-shadow all a Christians graces as one little cloud doth overshadow the whole body of the Sun The ready way to mortifie sin 1. SHun the occasions of sin for that man shall be a slave to sin that will not flie the occasions of sin it is impossible for that man to get the victory over sin that sports and plaies with the occasions of sin I have read of five men that were studying what was the best way to mortifie sin The First said to meditate of Death the Second said to meditate of Judgement the Third said to meditate on the Joyes of Heaven the Fourth said to meditate on the Torments of Hell the Fifth said to meditate on the blood and sufferings of Jesus Christ and certainly the last is the strongest motive of all to mortifie sin that soul that doth this Isa 62. 4 5. shall no more be called forsaken for the Lord will rejoyce over him and be a well-spring of life unto him and make his abode with him and turn his sighing into singing and his trembling into rejoycing and his prison into a Paradise then the soul will break forth and say in these or the like words O blessed be God for Jesus Christ blessed be his name for that precious blood that hath justified our persons and quieted our consciences and scattered our fears and answered our doubts and given us the triumph over sin hell and death who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died this made Paul Rom. 8. 33. to the 38. cry out victory victory he lookt upon all the enemies and sings it sweetly out saying Over all these we are more then Conquerors in a word from Christ alone we have strength to perform any duty to exercise any grace to subdue any lust to resist any temptation to bear any affliction John 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing nay Paul goes further 2 Cor. 3. 5. We of our selves are not sufficient to think a good thought but all our sufficiency is from God Isa 45. 24. Christ is made unto a Believer righteousness and strength now if we want Faith in Christ we want righteousness by way of acceptation and we want strength by way of assistance Surely the mercy of God is the most powerful argument to perswade a soul from sin Psalm 26. 3 4. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth So Joseph Gen. 39. 9. How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God his soul being taken with mercy was not moved with his mistresses impudency 1 Iohn 3. 3. He that hath this hope in him doth purifie himself as he is pure Mich. 7. 19. He will subdue our iniquities and cast all our sins into the depth of the Sea Rom. 8. 13. If ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ through the eternal Spirit purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Surely surely if the bowels of mercy do not melt win and draw us Justice will be a swift witness against us all divine power and strength against sin flows from the souls union and communion with Christ it is only Faith

saith O help help Lord for thine honour sake for thy Sons sake for thy promise sake for thy mercies sake then the evill that he tempts us to shall be put down only to his account what shall I say more those that be the objects of Gods dearest love are many times the subjects of the Devils deepest rage Satan watcheth all opportunities to break our peace to wound our consciences to lessen our comfort to impair our graces and to slur our evidences it is as easie to compass the heavens with a span and to contein the sea in a nut-shell as to relate fully Christs goodness and Satans devices for he aims principally to make us walk sinfully that so we might live uncomfortably and die miserably and be tormented with him eternally Of afflictions why God doth afflict his own people and how to know what Sin God aims at in affliction and when a man may be said to suffer for wel-doing and when for evil doing VVE read in Scripture that man is born to trouble as the sparks flie upward and although his dayes be few yet they are full of trouble nay we may find in the Scriptures of truth that the Lords own dearest ones have been exceedingly exercised this way Job 6. 4. Job the justest man alive was fought against by the terrors of the Lord and David a man after Gods own heart had no rest in his bones because of his sin and was so wasted with the grief of his heart that his moisture was turned int h the drought of summer Ps 32. 3 4. and Hezekiah who walked in the truth and with a perfect heart had the anger of the Almighty to break his bones like a lyon Isa 28. 13. Was not Abel murthered by his brother Noah mocked by his Son Job scoffed by his wife Jacob threatned by his brother banished from his Father abused by his uncle in the day consumed with heat in the night with frost Gen. 31. 4. Did not the son of God himself lie bleeding upon the cross and cry out in the bitterness of his spirit my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Isa 53. 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities persecuted in his child hood by Herod Mat. 2. 16. tempted by the Devil reviled by the High-priests branded for a babler wine-bibber blasphemer mocked by the Jews stript of his garments crowned with thorns the first fruits of the curse he was hanged between two thieves and nailed his hands to the cross and pierced his side with a spear c. Some reasons why the Lord doth afflict his own people 1 Cor. 11. 32. VVE are chastned of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world sometimes he doth afflict a few that the rest might beware Luke 13. 5. And sometimes he doth afflict his people for the tryal of the truth and strength of their graces Job 1. 21. Again sometimes he brings his own dear ones into misery that he might magnifie the attributes of his mercy in healing them so it was with him that was born blind and sometimes he doth afflict them to keep them humble and low in their own eyes and to put them upon the use of means whereby sin may be subdued Sometimes the Lord doth afflict for the prevention of sin for time to come he doth punish those that serve him and lets the world go free this was Davids temptation Psalm 73. 13. Affliction is a seal of adoption no sign of reprobation for the purest corn is cleanest fanned the fine●t gold oftest tryed and the sweetest grape hardest pressed and the truest Christian heaviest crossed affliction doth many times make a bad man good but it doth alwayes make a good man better nay God can look sowrly and chide bitterly and strike heavily even where and when he loves dearly it is a common thing for all men to be afflicted but it is an extraordinary thing to be bettered by it in all afflictions consider three things 1. The fountain from whence it comes and that is from Gods love Eccles 7. 14. 2. The end whither it ayms our good It was good for me that I was afflicted Psalm 119. 3. Consider our punishment is less then our desert the consideration of this made Aaron to hold his peace Lev. 10. 3. and Hezekiah to wait for deliverance Isa 38. 13 14. This made David to be dumb Psal 39. 9. This made Ely to say it is the Lord let him do as seemeth him good 1 Sam. 13. 18. yea this made Job to say blessed be the name of the Lord. The Lord doth try the truth and strength of his own people to the highest and yet layeth no more upon the weakest then he doth enable him to bear IF Job do exceed all others in patience as he did Job 5. 11. then the truth and strength of this patience shall be tryed to the uttermost 1. The Sabeans take away his Oxen and his Asses Job 1. 15. 2. A fire from heaven came down and burnt up his sheep Job 1. 16. 3. The Chaldeans came and stole away all his cammels Job 1. 17. 4. His servants that were plowing and keeping the sheep were all slain by the edge of the sword fire from heaven 5. His sons and daughters were all at once slain by the fall of an house Job 1. 18 19. 6. Then his body was smote and became full of boyls from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot Job 2. 7. 7. Then his wife that lay in his bosom tempts him to curse God and dye Job 2. 9. 8. His three near and dear friends came to him and stayed with him seven dayes and seven nights and spake not one word of comfort to him Job 2. 13. 9. The presence and favour of God was hid from his soul Job 19. 8. and all this to try the truth and strength of Jobs patience If Peter will boast of a greater love to Christ then the rest saying though I should dye with thee I will never deny thee Mat. 26. 35. And when this love came to the tryal instead of dying he came to denying of Christ So again although Peters love made him to go out of the ship to meet Christ upon the sea I say although his love was strong yet his faith was weak and he began to sink here his truth and strength was tryed to the highest If Moses will exceed all the men upon the face of the earth in meekness Num. 12. 3. the truth and strength of that meekness must be tryed first in his absence the people make a calf and worshipped it Exod. 32. 19. After this the people speak against Moses Numb 21. 5. A little after this when they wanted water the people chide with Moses saying would God we had dyed in the wilderness Numb 20. 3 4. So he was continually vexed with a perverse and crooked generation Deut. 32. 5. And at last so provoked by them that he spake unadvisedly

who was dying for want of water and there was a well of water by her and she did not know it till the Lord opened her eyes Joh. 20. 11. Mary stood at the sepulcher weeping for the absence of Christ and Christ stood by her and talked to her before she knew it Again we read Gen. 44. 45. chap. that Josephs brethren were taken prisoners and they rent their cloaths saying how shall we clear our selves and Joseph their brother stood by them and they knew it not even then when they were trembling and terrified at his presence in a word the Lord doth many times bring about a swifter a fuller and more universal help and deliverance then heart could imagine See Zach. 14. 6 7. But at Even tide it shall be light So that we may all conclude with David Psal 77. 19. Thy way is in the sea and thy paths in the deep waters and thy footsteps are not known The Lord doth many times hand forth his mercies to us by the rule of contraries GOD promised to Abraham a son and that his seed should be as the stars of heaven and the Lord made good this by the rule of contraries there was fourteen years between Gods making the promise and giving him a son and he was about one hundred years old before he had a son and Sarahs womb was barren and after this son was born God calleth upon Abraham to offer him up yet notwithstanding all this the Lord made good his promise and Abraham staggered not at the promise of God Rom. 4. 20 21. Again we find Exod. 14. when the children of Israel were in the greatest streight and at the furthest distance from all humane helps not knowing what to do then even then the Lord delivered them Luke 21. 28. When ye see these things come to pass then lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh one would have thought ruin was nigh to see such things come to pass John 9. 15. Christ put clay upon the blind mans eyes one would think clay should have made him more blind Hest 3. 12 13. All the Jews were designed for death Hest 8. 9 10 11 12. This design contrary to all expectation was discovered and revoked and the Jews preserved by the rule of contraries so Joseph had a promise by way of vision to be made a great man but contrary to this he was sold into Egypt and there cast into prison yet at last he got the mercy we might instance in Job and many others but this may suffice to prove this truth that God doth oft times hand forth his mercies to us by the rule of contraries c. This would be of great use to Christians if more considered The Lord doth not despise the day of small things WE read Zach. 4. 10. That the Lord doth not despise the day of small things and it was but a day of small things for Nicodemus to come to Christ by night and yet he was received and embraced one would have thought that if Christ would have dispised any he would have despised him who was so weak as being either afraid or ashamed or both to own Christ in the day and so he cometh to him by night one would have thought Christ would have said to him Nicodemus is thy desire after me so weak and faint that thou dost fear to come to me in the day or am I so unworthy as not to be owned but out of sight hast thou either so low an esteem of me or bearest thou so little love to me go return as thou camest I will not accept thee in the dark who wouldst not acknowledge me in the light no no Christ hath not one sillable of this but he entertains him imbraces him and instructs him c. It was but a day of small things with that woman Mat. 9. 21. That had spent all and grew worse and worse and knew not whither to go then she resolves to go to Christ It was but a day of small things with that man that came to Christ Mar. 9. 22. saying if thou canst do any thing help us he doubted whether Christ could help yea or no It was but a day of small things with the Prodigal Luke 15. to say when he knew not whither to go I will arise and go to my father yet he was received embraced welcomed and honoured well may we say as in Mat. 12. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench So again it was but a day of small things with David to have thoughts to build an house unto the Lord yet that was accepted as fully as if it had been done Again we read Isa 40. 11. He will gather his lambs with his arms and he will carry them and that in his bosom It is true he doth carry our sins on his back and hath received all the lashes due to us for them ask blind Bartimeus and he will tell you that Christ doth not despise the day of small things he did but ask for mercy and presently received the mercy Mar. 10. 46 47 48. So it is but a day of small things with us in respect of our faith love knowledge and power over our corruptions hope patience and self-denyal yet who hath despised the day of small things Zach. 4. 10. The order of causes how God comes downward from the causes to the effects and how we must go upward from the effects to the causes IT will make much for our information and consolation to consider what order and method the Lord doth take to unvail his love to man and what order and method man should take to apprehend and enjoy this love viz. God goes downward from the causes to the effects and we must go upward from the effects to the causes the web that God hath weaved we must unweave he goes from election downward we must go from regeneration upward thus shall God and we meet in the middle way we must prove our selves to be called and he will acknowledge us to be elected consider and weigh these ensuing things 1. The cause of salvation is Gods love 2. The way is Jesus Christ 3. The guide is the Holy-Ghost 4. The rule for our footsteps is the Scriptures 5. Faith is the evidence 6. Hope is the Anchor of the soul and Baptism and the Lords Supper are the seals 1. Gods love to sinners was the cause of sending his son to dye for them Job 3. 16. Rom. 5. 6 8. 1 Pet. 3. 18. Tit. 3. 4 5. 2. Christs dying for our sins and rising again for our justification is the cause of the Gospels being preached to sinners Mat. 28. 18 19. Mar. 16. 15 16. 1 Cor. 15. 13. 3. The Gospel being preached to sinners is the cause of their believing Rom. 10. 14 15 17. Ephes 1. 13. Act. 13. 48. 4. Mans believing is the cause of his justification from sin Act. 13. 38 39. Rom. 3. 26 28. 5. Our knowing