Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A96034
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A glasse and salve for professors held to them. By William Voile minister of the Gospel.
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Voile, William.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing V749A; ESTC R186085
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101,652
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114
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according to the Rules of Gods word which a godless man is not throughly content to do but would rather buy a pardon with one or two of his Children than to part with all his sins and the sweet fruits of them Which kind of liberal dealing with God how unacceptable it is to him and how unavailable the holy Ordinances which he hath commanded be with him without reformation of our wayes ye may also see if ye have hearts to understand in Es 1. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. Es 66. 3 4. and Am. 5. 21 22 23 24. I pray read and consider seriously all these Verses Friends I may well speak unto many of you in another â—ense as the LORD speaks to his people Es 58. 6 of letting the oppressed go free For ye do oppress some of the Truths which ye have received into your minds but not the love of them into your hearts Ye do hold them as those Rom. 1. 18. in unrighteousness ye do keep them in prison I beseech you let them all walk at liberty let them prevail in your words and deeds practice them in your houses in your shops in the streets and as there is occasion in all places and companies behave your selves according to those truths which ye know constantly Without this as ye may desire and not obtain bâ—cause ye ask not so ye may ask and not receive because ye ask amiss Jam. 4. 3. Yea without this Reformation ye may use all the holy Ordinances of God externally and that constantly and neither your persons nor your services be accepted with God For God will not receive bribes I cannot tell you of this too oft Phil. 3. 1. But fourthly to speak somewhat more punctually 1. Say in thy heart If the King of Saints be with us why are we thus For the fault is not in God he is rich in grace and abundant in goodness and truth Exod. 34. 6. and waiteth that he may be gracious Es 30. 18. nor in high Priests Intercession the father heareth him always and as for hâ—s protecting of us all power is given to him in Heaven and in Earth Mat. 28. 18. Why then are not the Plowgears cut asunder or the Plows thrown to the hedge Why are we still under the rods of the Almighty Surely the fault is in us the cause is our sins it is by reason of our sins 2. Consider who they were that when they were imprisoned said we are verily guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he be sought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress upon us Gen. 41. 21 22. and what woman when her Son was dead said unto Elias Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son 2 King 17. 17 18. and who said unto the Mariners Jon. 1. 12. I know that for my sake this tempest is upon you and who when our Saviour told his Apostles one of them would betray him said Lord is it I And who asked that question last That was Judas Mat. 26. 21 22. 25. Consider I say these persons and thy self What hand thou hast had in pulling down wrath on the Nation or on Professors Psal 19 12 13. and beg very earnestly of God to direct thee to judge rightly of this matter 3. Consider whether thou beest one of them that did heretofore as many Professors did abuse and not make such use as they ought to have done of their Liberty Peace Means Authority and opportunities of doing God and his people service and whether thou be one of them who in the time of their prosperity did not consider pity and shew favour to the sufferers of that time especially the conscientious ones as far forth as they were in duty bound so to do For it is probable God will chastise us for abusing and not making aright use of his blessings by depriving us of them 4. Because we have not Rules by which in all cases to discern clearly for what sins we are corrected therefore I counsel thee to search thy heart and ways all over and to call to mind and consider thy behaviour even from thy Childhood and that very diligently to find out the several kinds of sin wherein thou hast trespassed and thy trespasses in them together with their aggravations as particularly and fully as thou canst making use in this search of the holy Scriptures especially Psal 51. 5. Es 3. 16. to the end Ezek. 22. Eph. 2. 1 2 3 4 5. Tit. 1. 15. Mat. 5. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 28 34 35 36 37 38 39 44. 15. 19. Mark 7. 21 22. Rom. 1. 28 29 30 31 32. 1 Cor. 5. 8. 6. 9 10. 11. 14. 2 Cor. 20. 21. Gab. 5. 19 20 21 22 23 24. Eph. 4. 25 26 29 31 32. 5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 18 21 22 23 25 28 29. Phil. 22. 3 4 5. c. ver 21. Col. 3. 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20. 6. 1 2 3 4 5 6. 1 Thes 5. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22. 1 Tim. 2. 9 10. 6. 8 9 10 11. 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Tit. 2. 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13. Heb. 13. 16 17 18. Jam 3. 10 13 14 15 16 17. 4. 1. 5. 16. 1 Pet. 3. 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10. 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. 1 John 3. 18 17. Rev. 2. 4 5. 3. 1 2 3 15 16 17. 21. 8. Rom. 12. 2. 14. 21. 1 Cor. 8. 13. Why not also of By fields Catalogue of sins or the like books and of the exemplary behaviour of the best Professors that thou conversest with It may be sometimes it would be wisdom in thee to take their silence at thy words for a reproof of them And be sure because it is a very difficult thing for a man to understanding his errours Psal 19. 12. to imitate Job chap. 13. 23. requesting the God of knowledge to make thee know and understand thy sins and transgressions 5. Consider thy sins together with the afflictions which God hath sent thee either alone or joyntly with others for so we are to understand the considering of our ways Hagg. 1. 5 6 7 9 10 11. and thinking on our ways Psal 119. 59. viz. of considering our doings and the events of them and take good notice that that Commandment in Hagg. 1. is repeated and consider why it is repeated which I judge is because it highly concerns men to consider their doings and the success of them and that seriously that they may turn their feet unto Gods testimonies Psal 119. 59. and because many be so slow to consider them c. 6. I advise thee as thou findest out thy sins to confess them bâ—fore the Lord against thy self and that thou hast walked contrary to him and also that he hath walked contrary to thee and
measure for some Governours but as for our selves as many of us have enjoyed more liberty and peace than some of our Brethren for which I fear we have not been duly thankful to our heavenly Father nor made such use of our liberty unto the promoting of Christ's interest and the welfare of his people as we ought to have done Jam. 4. 3. so none of the Plows or Gears are broken Psal 129. 3 4 So many Summers and Harvests are past and there is not a general and full deliverance yea the causes of our dangers and fears are augmented at length so many of our Ministers must bid farewel to Cities and Corporations And thus much of the seventh particular which we ought to consider 8. In the eighth place If ye desire to know why God hath not heard our prayers to the full and put an end to our sufferings It is because he hath not yet attained all those ends which he hath aimed at and doth yet aim at in afflicting us See Marg. 25. For Professors have not yet thoroughly believed and feelingly acknowledged and duly considered his Kingdom and Power and Providence and the threatnings of his Law and Gospel and the Judgment to come and learned to fear God in regard of small sins They have not duly studied and endeavoured to be sensible of the comforts and benefits and use of true grace and of the assurance of God's fatherly love and of the evils of being without those good things nor constantly and seriously used all God's means to get them nor duly sought his mercy and favour in prosperity and adversity nor made such use as they ought of their liberty peace prosperity and opportunities for their own spiritual good and the good of others especially of God's people They have not accomplished a diligent search to find out all their sins old forgotten secret c. nor humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God for them with godly inward and deep sorrow and mourning and so particularly as they ought to have done nor cast all their pride and spiritual filthiness out of their hearts and ceased to do evil and learned to do each man and woman his and her whole duty nor duly endeavoured without exceptions and reservations so to do They have not wiâ—h due care and diligence tried thâ—iâ— graces and spiritual gifts and endeavoured to know their election of God and to grow in all graces especially Faith Hope Humility and Meekness to bear the wrath of God and rage of men with a quiet spirit and in spiritual gifts and to be rooted and established in Jesus Christ the Lord and in the knowledge and love of his Truths and invincibly resolved to cleave in love to him and them for ever They have trusted in themselves and in the world expecting without any good cause favour and peace from it Under crosses and being in trouble they have not shewn themselves patient and calm-spirited and so valiant for Christ and his Truths as they ought to have been some not at all puting their seals to the Truths and Righteousnesses of the Gospel some complying with the world basely They have not been duly thankful to God for their liberty and peace and the comforts helps and deliverances which he hath vouchsased them in distresses and dangers nor prayed and given thanks for one anothers comforts under the Cross deliverances and peace at least as they ought to have done and should have done if we had been knit together with brotherly love Col. 2. 2. They have not exercised and shewn forth their graces and spiritual gifts as they should have done for the encreasing of them and the honour of Christ especially their Faith Zeal for God and his people Humility and Patience They have not prayed mightily for the destruction of Babylon and of the Kingdom of Antichrist They have not used all due diligence to find and know all the naughty things which are in their hearts nor taken due care to know which of those he hath and doth most favour and endeavoured very seriously to beat it down My meaning is that of the said sins and faults some Professors be guilty of these and some of those and some of many The truth is Professors be so sanity in their Hair and the Apparel and the Ornaments of the body and concerning other matters that it is a very difficult thing for us Ministers the Lord be merciful to us to learn how to do our duty in seeking to reform them 9. So that in the ninth and last place if we would know what it concerns us to do towards the bettering of our estates the way is every Professor to amend thoroughly of the sins and faults before mentioned as many as he himself is guilty of and to perform every duty which is contrary to any of them But to speak more fully and more plainly concerning at least some matters and concerning some not before spoken of First we may do well to consider what enemies the true Religion hath on this side and beyond the Seas and that now some think they have a Plot to destroy it universally and what hath been done of late at Sea and at home what hath befallen London Norwich Colchefter Portsmouth c. and the distress and dangers wherein we yet are and what signs we see in Heaven or on earth c. of our liberty and peace hereafter Ye also know there was a time when there was no remedy 2 Chron. 36. 16. The consideration whereof without any morâ— words should be of force enough to move us unless we be content to suffer with Gedaliab the son of Ahikam Jer. 40. with 41. to put away our folly and negligence and to use all lawful and fit addresses unto the higher Powers whereby to better our condition especially to prevail with God to better it Neh. 2. 17. Exod. 10. 7. Prov. 6. 6. 12. 24. Heb. 2. 3. 2. I would not have you think that the continuance of our forms of godliness how specious and large soever they be will serve the turn For we have used them a long time already and our estate is such as I have told you Neither do I think that the amplifying of our forms would do it For in my younger years when some godly persons in and neer Shrew bury did enter into a Resolution to enlarge their Forms to pray oâ—tner than formerly to fast oftner and to win others to do the like where of as I in those dayes heard a godly Ministers Wife said They had found out a way to kill the Devil Yet the practises of Professors suitable to thâ—t Resolution did not so much as keep the Devil from rising higher and higher To what should we impute this rather than to our sinful silence at the aberrations one of anoâ—her and suffering sin one upon another our not instructing admonishing reproving and encouraging and giving good counsel one to another and the Elder Professors not being good Examples to