Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B02144
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Seasonable thoughts of divine providence affording comfort to those who are in danger. Instruction to all that are delivered from the late sad visitation. Wherein we are inform'd whether our preservation be a fruit of God's special love, or of his common providence.
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Chishull, John.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing C3903B; ESTC R176572
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27,160
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97
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Seasonable THOUGHTS Of Divine PROVIDENCE Affording Comfort to those who are in Danger Instruction to all that are delivered from the late sad VISITATION Wherein we are inform'd Whether our Preservation be a fruit of God's Special Love or of his Common Providence London Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the three Crowns at the lower end of Cheap-side over against the Conduit 1666. For the Honourable my very good FRIENDS Sir ROBERT HANSON Sheriff and ALEXANDER HOLT Esquire Alderman of the City of LONDON THE common danger of the approaching and spreading Pestilence which was sufficient to awaken every heart made some impressions upon me but especially the number of youth in my Family did stir up a quicker sence both of danger and duty to discharge the trust reposed in me in caring for their preservation as mine own Amongst all the Remedies I could think of I found none so efficacious to quiet my heart from the fear of evil as Meditation and reliance upon Divine Providence And the experience that I have had heretofore That awakening Judgements do make way for Counsel hath induced me to make these Thoughts publick hoping that what hath been useful to me may be profitable to others In this endeavour I could not pass you by without special observation and respect A great part of the mercy vouchsafed to my Family being yours having four Sons preserved in it Besides your Interest in the famous City of LONDON for whom this is chiefly publisht of which you have the Honour not onely to be Members but Magistrates where by your residence in this time of its Visitation you have had advantages above many to furnish your selves with instances of Gods Providence towards the City your own and other Families which have been wonderfully preserved in the Valley of the shadow of Death To which I may add your interest in me by which you may entitle your selves to what ever I may be serviceable to your selves or Families in Now that in the perusal of this you may find that your lives and the lives of your Relations were given to you in mercy and that the City in the midst of which you have been preserved may experience That you have been kept alive to be blessings to it shall be the Prayer of Your affectionate Servant in the LORD Jo. Chishull Enfeild Jan. 25 1665. Seasonable Thoughts OF Divine Providence DEUT. 33.29 Happy art thou O Israel Who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord. MOses the Servant of the Lord having finished his course and conducted Israel out of Egypt and led them through the red Sea and the Wilderness being not permitted to go into Canaan though he seriously begged it of God receives the sentence of Death with particular command to go up into Mount Nebo and dye Though he strugled a little in this and would fain have gotten a Dispensation to go over into Canaan yet perceiving that God had otherwise determined concerning him he lets fall his suit and he chearfully sets himself to obey the Command of God when he had first taken care for his Successor and prayed for and blest his people In this Chapter we have Moses his farwel he takes leave of Israel as Christ did of his Disciples his last words are as full of Love and Consolation as possibly they could be He deals out a blessing to every Tribe in particular and then blesses them in the whole lump and not only them but all the people of God And being lifted up in his spirit he hath a far better prospect than he had of Canaan upon Mount Nebo he takes a view of what God had done and of what he had promised to do for them and he breaks out in consideration of this into a serious admiration at their happy estate in these words Happy art thou O Israel Who is like unto thee Oh people saved by the Lord In which we have First Moses his judgement concerning Israel's state Happy art thou O Israel Secondly The confirmation of this in which he notes the eminency and singularity of their happiness Who is like to thee i. e. there is none like to thee Thy Priviledg and Blessing is remarkable because thou enjoyest it alone none can boast of it but thy self Thirdly He explains this his assertion and shews wherein the happiness of God's Israel lies in these words Saved of the Lord. The Reason why Moses pronounces them happy is Because God hath such a special care of them to keep them and save them in all times of trouble and danger The words might be broken into many Propositions but they may be best taken in this one Proposition Doct. Gods peculiar Care and Providence toward his people is their peculiar happiness Or It is the happiness of the people of God alone that they are under the special Care and Providence of God he hath a p culiar regard to them they are the saved of the Lord for whose safety he provides above all others and in comparison of whom he cares for none in the world besides To make this Proposition clear I am to prove First That God hath a people of whom he hath a special Care Secondly The people who are the subjects of this peculiar Care and Providence are happy above all others But I know if I prove the former the latter will be granted all men agreeing in this That Preservation and Safety in time of private or publick danger is a great happiness and I think all men that have not given up themselves to gross Atheism will agree That the best Security that a man can have against all kind of Evils is an Interest in Divine Providence I shall therefore endeavour to shew you That God hath a peculiar Care of his People in all conditions to save them from the many evils that they are compassed about withall this being the only thing that needs any proof In prosecution of this I shall shew you First Some instances of this Care and Providence both in reference to the Church in general and to particular persons Secondly How this is exprest what terms the Holy Ghost uses to communicate the notions of it to us that our conceptions of it may be regulated Thirdly Wherein this Care for the safety of God's people is exprest how it appears in its particulars and is proved by actions as well as words Fourthly Some Reasons for this That though this be far above what we can rationally expect considering our unworthiness yet there is nothing built more reasonably upon Scripture Suppositions Fifthly The improvement that may be made of this Truth First Then for the instances which may be given of this Truth We may see it in the Care that he takes of his whole Church when it was confined to the people of Israel What Care did God take of them in Egypt when they were near to ruine Pharoah and his people had consulted and determined their destruction But what sayes God Exo. 3.7 I have
of thy sins This will be a greater judgment then the Pestilence which thou hast escaped The Apostle speaks to such an one as thou art Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance Mark what is the issue of such a frame as this is ver 3. But after thine hard and impenitent heart treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath It had been better for thee that thou hadst been taken away and sent to hell long ago then thou shouldst live to treasure up more wrath against that day of wrath and to make thy eternal condition so much the more intollerable Let me therefore perswade thee to look back again and again how it hath been with thee under this dreadful visitation and consider thy self how hath it left thee Did it find thee stupid and insensible of danger as many have been or timerous if so Whether did thy fears drive thee only to the Physitian to their directions for thy security and not unto God And now the danger is something blown over thou art left as vain as unfruitful yea as prophane as before thou sayst in effect as they did Jer. 7.10 We are delivered to do all these abominations If this be thy case thou art amiserable man or woman thou art none of those whom Moses magnifies in this place whom he admires as a happy people And if thou believest this to be a truth stir up thy self to seek after an interest in this divine providence Labour for a life suitable to a saved one then shalt thou indeed have cause to rejoyce in thy deliverance for the good of providence is not seen by the visible effects of it but is legible in the hearts and lives of the saved The Use that you should make of this truth all you that are under these gracious impressions of providence or sincerely labouring after them should be First Look upon your mercies as they are be sure to acknowledg God in all that you have and enjoy give him the glory of his goodness and truth take your lives out of his hand and say it is the Lord that hath saved me alive this day Set up your Eben-Ezer hitherto the Lord hath helped me Call nothing common that you have though your lives and preservations may seem common mercies because many have been preserved as well as you yet if you consider what hath been said you will find cause to account your lives singular and special mercies because there is more in them than there is in others you have been preserved by a gracious providence whereas others have escaped by a general providence you have been saved in mercy whereas others have been reserved in judgment Nothing will conduce more to the quickning of your spirits and to raise them up to live like your selves than a true estimate of your mercies for this will make you sensible of your engagements and these considered will quicken you to your duties Secondly Love God There is nothing more natural than this that we shall love those who love us and take the most care of us in our greatest dangers This is that which David urges upon all the people of God not onely to love him every one for the care that God hath of him but every one to love him for the care that he hath of all the faithful Psal 31.23 Oh love ye the Lord all ye his Saints for the Lord preserveth the faithful And let it seem but a reasonable thing to you to grant 〈…〉 God a peculiar interest in your hearts and lives who have a special interest in his providence Thirdly Be careful to pay your vows that you have made to the Lord in the time of danger Consider as well the duties which spring out of your promises made to God as those which arise out of his providence towards you and make conscience of both Time was when you valued your lives and the lives of your relations at a great rate you offered freely and largely for your selves and them when trouble was near O do not undervalue them now think that enjoyment of them now to be as much worth as ever you did esteem them Seeing God has taken you at your word and has given you what you desired be sure you make your word good and give him what you promised Fourthly 〈…〉 Be of good courage strengthen your selves in God from the experience that you have had of his goodness and truth and live in a constant dependance upon him and hope in him for the time to come that will be an evidence that you believe this truth and it will be an honouring of Gods providence Nothing can be more rationally deduced from this truth than a comfortable reliance upon God It is the inference of the Holy Ghost from the Premises Psal 31.24 When he had asserted the Providence of God over his people in these Words The Lord preserveth the Faithful He exhorts or infers this Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your hearts all ye that hope in the Lord. Last of all This truth speaks to every man after this manner You see nothing can make a man happy which cannot render him safe a great part of our happiness in this life lying in a freedom from evil rather than in the enjoyment of good which 〈◊〉 the happiness of the life to come And there is nothing so much contributes to our safety as an interest in Divine providence Can riches honours art interest in men say thus to thee and make it good Psal 91.5.6 Thou shalt not be afraid of the terrour by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day nor for the Pestilence that walketh in darkness nor for the destruction that walketh at noon-day But God can speak thus to thy soul and cause thee to walk without fear in the valley of the shaddow of death Make hast then and interest thy self in God and improve this by Faith and prayer it is the best preservative thou canst provide for thy self and Family Prov. 18.10 The name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous runneth into it and is Safe Nay here is shelter for Thine as well as Thee Prov. 14 26. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his Children shall have a place of Refuge Would'st thou be good to thy self and to thy Family make God thine That thou mayest dwell in the secret of the Lord and abide under the shaddow of the Almighty And time and experience will confirm thee in this truth that they are safe whom God keeps and happy whom he saves and with David thou wilt conclude Psal 144. verse 15. Happy is that people that is in such a case Yea happy is that people whose God is the Lord. FINIS