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A58035
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The morning seeker, shewing the benefit of being good betimes with directions to make sure work about early religion, laid open in several sermons / by John Ryther.
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Ryther, John, 1634?-1681.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing R2441; ESTC R10584
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92,848
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250
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he hath promised to carry them Isaiah 40.11 he carries the Lambs in his Bosom and can any pull them out of his Bosom If none can pull them out of his hand much less can any pull them out of his heart 2. Perseverance is Christ's Purchase did he die for you and will he lose you Will he pay the Price and let another carry away the Purchase Did not he die for Glory as well as Grace and Happiness as well as Holiness No no not a soul that his blood is gone for can be a miscarrying soul 3. Your Perseverance is Christ's charge he hath undertaken for it to his Father John 6.37 none that thou hast given me shall be lost but I will raise it up at the last day 2. They have Discouragement from without as well as from within and both meeting together is a great damp to the young Seeker The discouragements from without are from these Causes 1. From Satan As soon as he sees they look Christ-ward and Heaven-ward he begins then to torment them though while they were his Bondslaves they were all the time quiet As when the Children of Israel were to go out of the Egyptian Captivity then Pharoah with all his Host pursues them so when a soul is going out of his spiritual house of Bondage Satan with all his might and main labours to reduce them It is the observation of one upon the Church the Woman in the Revelations that all the while she was breeding the Dragon did not meddle with her but when she comes to be delivered then he casts a flood after the woman to destroy both her and her man-child So all the while a poor soul is under some Breathings and desires only after Christ Satan doth not much tempt or disturb it but when it comes to bring forth Christ and answer his Convictions with a change of Conversation O then he casts a whole flood of Temptations and discouragements after it And alas this proceeds from his envy to the good of your souls He is the envious one and his envy puts him upon laying discouragements before you O who can stand before Envy O poor soul the Lord will look after thee while thou art looking after him Poor soul be of good cheer thy Temptations argue his Rage and his Rage being great argues his time of rule in thy soul is like to be short 2. Discouragement without proceeds from the Persecution that attends the Profession of the Gospel While the Sun did shine upon the Gospel it had many friends but when it is brought under the Clouds of Persecution many go away from Christ as he said unto them Will you also go away There was I remember a Law that the first year of marriage none should go to War O but may young ones say what a discouragement it is to us as soon as ever we desire to be married to Christ in a profession of the Gospel we must be Sufferers and must go to War with Persecutions Well poor Souls be not discouraged you shall not go to war on your own cost The Lord the great Captain of your Salvation will renew your strength and you shall run and not be weary walk and not faint though Persecutions meet you in the way Jesus Christ hath his strict Charge and he will look after them in a suffering day 3. Discouragement from without is the Opposition they meet with from carnal Relations such as are Encmies to the Cross of Christ Many times such do mightily oppose these ways they are ignorant of which is a great discouragement And Satan many times helps on the rage of such and stirs up their wrath but yet for all this poor soul be not discouraged when thy way pleases the Lord he can make thine Enemies at Peace with thee much more thy Relations God many times has turned the heart of Relations about as he did Esau's heart to his Brother Jacob when pursuing of him but if not there is a Friend nearer than a Brother viz. the Lord Jesus Christ he will be a friend in the day of Adversity Nay often it is observed that as cold water makes fire burn so much the hotter so Grace gains by opposition by the cold water of discouragement burns so much the brighter Thy opposition will drive thee more to look up to him where thy strength lies and so may be a great preservation to thee 4. Discouragement from without is from the miscarriages of such as do profess the Lord Jesus Christ Many that call upon the name of Christ do not depart from iniquity but walk loosely deal unrighteously betwixt man and man dishonour their Profession by an unsuitable Conversation Others they have more grosly backsliden from God and whereas formerly they have been praying men in their Families hearing men frequenting the means of Grace somewhat strict in their lives now they have thrown off all these and become like other men as vain as other men nay as prophane as other men and this is a great discouragement O poor Soul notwithstanding this Discouragement yet go on for the ways of the Lord are the same and if thou follow on to know the Lord thou wilt find sweetness in his Ordinances and Truth notwithstanding this Application Is it so that young Seekers early Seekers meet with Discouragement Word of Use is Caution O let young ones take heed in their first looking out after Christ 1. Of consulting with flesh blood this will occasion you to yield to Discouragements It is said of Paul Gal. 1.16 he consulted not with flesh and blood The worst counsel in the World will flesh and blood give in the case of a mans soul Alas poor young man will flesh and blood say what art thou going to do Art thou able to deny thy self of the delights and pleasures of Youth Art thou able to cut off a right hand to put out a right eye to cut the throat of a beloved Isaac to let out the hearts blood of a constitutional Lust Can thy tender years indure such hard things as Religion is like to be attended with Canst thou bear the scoffs and jeers of the World the oppositions and displeasure of thy dearest Relations And thus will flesh and blood follow thee But alas what is this to a poor soul that sees its precious soul lie at stake and is in danger Cannot will not this soul reply to all these reasonings of flesh and blood Get you behind me Satan What are the greatest severities in the World to a man that sees and feels he is a lost soul for ever if he have not a Christ 2. Take heed in your first seekings out and meeting with discouragements that you pore not unbelievingly upon your discouragements It is true there ought to be sitting down and counting the cost for the want of which many poor souls after Profession have backsliden but the poor young ones may pore too much upon their discouragements may look
this took and melted the heart of God that his bowels broke forth Is Ephraim my dear Son 6. Direction to young Seekers under their discouragements pore not upon thy discouragements too much O how ordinary is this This is to look upon the black and dark side of the cloud what is there not a bright side Many poor Souls by doing thus have entred into great temptations you lead your selves into temptations by this means but this hath been cautioned against in the former use therefore I shall not enlarge upon it here 2. Observation from this Text we observed was this That Young Seekers or Morning Seekers are much upon the heart of Christ It is evident in the Text it being a Promise by way of encouragement to such poor Souls O they are so much on his heart he would not have them discouraged O he knows they are soon discouraged therefore they are upon his heart to encourage them 1. He doth encourage them by accepting of their weak beginnings when a Scholar is a young beginner he is soon discouraged but when he sees his Master takes notice and accepts in good part what he doth this doth much encourage him and so a young Apprentice Thus it is with a poor Soul at its first enquiring after Christ when it sees the Lord accepts and takes in good part its weak motions after Christ its weak affections and desires O it is encouraged will the Lord accept of any thing such a poor Creature doth have I any offering that can find favour in his sight what such a poor Soul that am but of yesterday that am but newly begun to peep out of my profaneness who have but newly turned my back on the sinful vanities of youth This was typed out in Gods acceptance of the first fruits though never so small we read the sheaf of their first fruits of their harvest was to be given to the Priest Lev. 23.11 13. and he was to wave it before the Lord that it might be accepted If it be but a poor sheaf it is accepted though thou carried out precious Seed weeping and it may be hast not gotten thy sheaves to return with yet peradventure thou hast gotten one sheaf Lev. 2.14 Well carry that to Christ thy High Priest to wave before the Lord it may be accepted for you Yea if it be but a handful of green ears you bring to the Lord a few green desires and affections they shall be accepted with the Lord. We read of a glorious work begun in the day of Zachary Zach. 4.10 in the building of the Temple and great discouragements the Instruments of that Glorious Work met withall there was a mountain in the way but all is encouraged by this The hands of Zerubbabel saith God hath laid the foundation and the hands of Zerubbabel shall finish the building For who hath despised the day of small things saith the Lord there were some poor beginnings and God would not discourage them So I say in this case who hath despised the day of small things what though convictions be but small affections small grace small yet God accepts of this day of small things and thus encourages them 2. Jesus Christ doth encourage young Seekers by perswading their hearts that they shall find favour and grace in the sight of God sooner or later Did he ever say to the House of Jacob seek ye my face in vain O no sayes the poor Soul I am under a Promise they that seek shall find therefore the poor Soul is of good courage O though a person doth meet with discouragements yet sayes the Soul I shall find though I digg long first cry long first seek long first yet the good hope to speed at last becomes a great encouragement and the contrary is as great a discouragement Why should I wait on the Lord any longer pray any longer hear any longer seek any longer this weakens and enfeebles the Soul exceedingly What kept up Jacob in wrestling all night but a secret hope and sweet perswasion that he should for all the opposition he met withall come off conquerour and at last get the blessing How is it with your souls young ones as to this thing are you perswaded your praying seeking will not be in vain O this is a great encouragement 3. The Lord Jesus Christ doth encourage young Seekers after him by making the yoke of Christ easier to them every day than other Every yoke or burden is hardest at first O! poor Souls are ready to say of the yoke of Christ at first as they did of the yoke of Circumsion wherefore put you upon us a yoke that neither we nor our Fathers are able to bear O but this yoke of Christ is made more easie to the soul every day than other Now an Apprentice or a Scholar when he finds his work casier and easier to him O then how is he encouraged to go on it O now saith the soul I find that Scripture true Christs yoke is an easie yoke Mat. 11.28 and his burden is a light burden and that word I now find to be true and none of his Commandments are grievous Now it may here be demanded How doth Christ make his yoke to young Seekers easier every day than other 1. By an increase of love in them to Christ As love grows up in the Soul difficulties are not dreadful the dread of them is taken off when the spark is blown into a vehement flame what difficulty can stand before it Who can stand before envy But here it may be said who can stand before love Many waters cannot quench it Is not love the greatest conquerour in the world How evident is this in mens love to their lusts O what desperate adventures do poor Sinners make to get to their lusts As David's worthies did break through an Host for the water of the well of Bethlehem so do thousands of Sinners for love to their sins break through a whole Host of Convictions Reproofs Admonitions Counsels and all for love to their sins And so love to Jesus Christ as it increases the commands of Christ are pleasant the wayes of wisdome are wayes of pleasantness we take pleasure to serve such as we love 2. Christ makes his yoke easier every day than other and so encourages young Seekers by making Duty a delight So long as Duty is a burden there will be grievousness in it but when it once is matter of delight and priviledge O then it grows easie Delight makes every thing easie though difficult in it self Alas a poor Soul at first looks upon the yoke of Christ as a task as Scholars have their tasks at first but after delight in them Prayer now becomes a delight and the Soul can say as the Spouse did I sit down under his shadow with great delight Communion with God is a great delight reading and hearing is a great delight and now these duties go sweetly and easily on 3. He makes his yoke