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A40683
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A sermon of assurance Foureteene yeares agoe preached in Cambridge, since in other places. Now by the importunity of friends exposed to publike view. By Thomas Fuller B.D. late lecturer in Lombard Street.
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Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing F2458; ESTC R215136
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16,800
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39
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A SERMON OF ASSVRANCE Foureteene yeares agoe Preached in CAMBRIDGE since in other Places Now by the importunity of Friends exposed to publike view By THOMAS FULLER B. D. late Lecturer in Lombard Street LONDON Printed by J. D. for John Williams at the Signe of the Crowne in Pauls Church-yard 1647. TO THE HONOVRABLE and nobly accomplished Knight Sir IOHN DANVERS all the blessings of this and a better life SIR WEe read how Zachariah being struck dumbe called for Table-bookes thereon to write his minde making his hands to supply the defect of his mouth It hath been the pleasure of the present Authority to whose commands I humbly submit to make me mute forbidding mee till further order the exercise of my publicke Preaching wherefore I am faine to imploy my fingers in writing to make the best signes I can thereby to expresse as my desire to the generall good so my particular gratitude to your Honour May this Treatise but finde the same favour from your Eie as once it did from your Eare and be aswell accepted when read as formerly when heard And let this humble Dedication be interpreted a weake acknowledgement of those strong obligations your bounty hath laid upon me Well may you taste the fruits of that tree whose root your liberality hath preserved from whithering Sir these hard times have taught mee the Art of frugality to improve every thing to the best advantage by the same rules of thrift this my Dedication as returning thanks for your former favours so begs the continuance of the same And to end as I began with the example of Zachariah as his dumbnesse was but temporary so I hope by Gods goodnesse and the savour of my friends amongst whom your Honour stands in the highest ranke the miracle may be wrought that the dumbe may speake again and as well by words publikely professe as now by his hand he subscribes himselfe Your Servant in all Christian office THOMAS FULLER TO THE CHRISTIAN READER I Shall be short in my addresses unto thee not onely because I know not thy disposition being a stranger unto thee but chiefly because I am ignorant of my owne present Condition remaining as yet a stranger to my selfe Were I restored to the free use of my Function I would then request the concurrence of thy thankes with mine to â—… gracious God the giver and honourable Persons the dealers of this great favour unto me Were I finally interdicted my 〈◊〉 without hope of recoverie I would bespeake thy pitty to bemoane my estate But lying as yet in the Marshes betweene Hope and Feare I am no fit subject to be condoled for or congratulated with Yet it is I trust no piece of Popery to maintaine that the prayers of others may be beneficiall and available for a person in my Purgatorie condition Which moves me to cravethy Christian suffrages that I may be ridde out of my present torment on such tearmes as may most tend to Gods glory mine owne good and the edification of others However matters shall succeede it is no small comfort to my Conscience that in respect of my Ministeriall Function I doe not die Felo de se not stabbing my Profession by mine own lazinesse who hither to have and hereafter shall improve my utmost endeavours by any lawfull meanes to procure my restitution When the Priests would have carried the Arke after David David forbad them to goe further If said hee I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord hee will bring mee againe and shâ—…w mee both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good unto him Some perchance would perswade me to have the Pulpit carried after me along with me to my private Lodgings but hitherto I have refrained from such exercises as subject to offence hoping in due time to bee bâ—…ught backe to the Pulpit and endeavouring to compose my selfe to Davids resolution And if I should bee totally forbidden my Function this is my confidence that That great pasture of Gods Providence whereon so many of my Profession doe dayly feede is not yet made so bare by their biting but that besides them and Millions more it may still comfortably maintaine Thy Friend and servant in Christ Jesus THOMAS FULLER A SERMON OF ASSVRANCE 2 PETER 1. 10. Give rather diligence to make your calling and election sure MAns life may not unfitly be compared to a Candle Cuâ—…iosity may well be resembled to the Thiefe in the Candle which makes men to spend much pretious tiâ—…e in needlesse disputes the conclusions whereof are both uncertaine and unprofitable The Schoolemens Bookes are stuffed with such questions about the distances and dignities of Angels as if men were to marshall them in Ranke and File how that heavenly Hoste doe march in glory one before another When men heare improbable matters from farre Countries related unto them it is their usuall Returne It is better to beleeve them then goe thither to confute them But let us not credit many unlikely-hoods concerning Angels which the boldnesse of Schoolmen have obtruded upon us but rather labour in Gods due time to goe to heaven there with our owne happy eâ—…perience to confute them Well it is said of Socrates that he was the first of the Grecians which humbled speculative into morall Philosophy How well would the paines of that Minister be imployed who should endeavour to bring downe and abâ—…te many superfluous contemplative Queries into practicall Divinity It were liberty enough if the Sermons of all Preachers were bound to keepe Residence onely on such subjects which all Christians are bound to beleeve and practice for their soules health Amongst which the Doctrine in my Text may justly challenge a principall part When 〈◊〉 heaâ—…d but the mention of the name of Boaz the Man said * shee is neere unto us and of our affinity So no sooner doe you heare this Text read unto you Give rather diligence to make your calling and election sure but every well affected heart is ready to claime blood and challenge right therein Questions about Angels are neither kiffe nor kinne to my soule but this a precept of that consequence of that concernment we all ought to share a part and interest in the speedy and reall practice thereof Some difference there is betwixt us and the Romanists in reading the Text who following the vulgar Latine adde per bona opera make your calling and election sure by good workes A clause altogether omitted in our English Translations because in the Greeke nothing appeares answerable thereunto Good reason therefore that we should correct the transcript by the Originall and purifie the streame to the clearenesse of the fountaine God grant that though on these just grounds we exclude good works out of the Text wee may admit embrace and practice them in our lives and conversations My Text may not unfitly bee compared to Ehuds dagger short but
many of them testifie the truth of that Minor Proposition namely the sincerity of their faith and repentance The third and last witnesse we will insist on is that comfort and contentment the Conscience of the party takâ—…s in doing good works and bringing forth the fruits of new obedience That though hee knowes his best good works are stained with corruptioâ—…s and many imperfections yet because they are the end of his vocation and the Justifiers of his Faith because thereby the Gosâ—…ell is graced wicked men amazed some of them converted the rest confounded weake Christians confirmed the poore relieved Devils râ—…pining at them Angels rejoycing for them God himselfe glorified by them I say because of these and other reasons he doth good deeds with hâ—…mility and cheerefulnesse and findeth a singular joy in his soule resulting from the doing thereof This joy is an excellent witnesse to depose the truth of his Faith and repentance and to confirme the Minor in the former Syllogisme See here though good works on just ground were excluded our Text yet in due time and their proper places wee have entertained them in our sermon If good workes offer to crowd into our justification let us be so bold as to shut the doore against them But if wee have any to come iâ—…to our sanctification thereby also to aveâ—…re and attest the truth of our Faith and Repentance let us say to them as Laban to Jacob why stand yee without come in yee blessed of the Lord And this joy conceived from the good workes men doe is the more pure the more private the more sincere the more secretly it is carried I shall ever commend the modesty of Elisabeth who aâ—…ter long barrennesse finding her self with child did not publish her happinesse to the veiw of the world but hid her self three â—…oneths If after too long sterility in goodnesse thou perceivest thy self at last by God's grace pregnant in pious workes vent not thy good successe in the Market-place doe not boast and bragge thereof in discourse to others but bee contented to enjoy the solid comfort thereof betwixt God and thy owne conscience Soâ—… much for the thâ—…ee witnesses to confirme the truth of the Minor All that I shall adde is this let us who are or should bee schollars take heed whom our parents or friends have bred at the Fountaines of Learning and Religion till our portions are almost shrunke into our Education Let us take heed least silly simple pâ—…ople who never read Aristotle's Organon never knew how to mould Argument in mood and figure make this Syllogisme true in their hearts by their supernaturall Logicke whilest we with all our wit and 〈◊〉 learning make at the best but a Soloecisme aâ—…d thereby put a dangerous fallacy upon our owne soules But heere wee must propound and answer some objections the resolution whereof may tend both to our instruction and comfort The first is this whether all the servants of God now living and in the state of grace are for the present assured of their Calling and Election So that if instantly arrested to pay their debt to nature they are as confident of their souls mounting up to heaven and happinesse as of their bodies falling downe to dust and corruption Wee divide the congregation of God's servants now surviving into rankes First * Mnasons old disciples seniour proâ—…essors of 〈◊〉 * Hannah's which have lived many yeares in the Temple serving God with â—…asting and Prayers night and day These by frequent acts have contracted a habit of Piety Gâ—…ace by custome is made another nature unto them especially towards the latter end of their liues partly because their soules do steale a Glymps Glance or Pisgah-sight of heaven through the Clefts and Chinkes of their Age or sicknesse-broken-bodies and partly because as all motion is swiftest the neerest it comes to the Center So they the neerer they draw by deaâ—…h to heaven God's Spirâ—…t and all goodnesse groweth more quick and active in them Of tâ—…ese wee say that it is often observed God deales so graciously with thâ—…m as to crowne their endeavors with an assurance of salvation To such I may adde those whom I may call young-old-Christians whose profession of Christ though short hath beene thick though young in yeares yet they have not onely done but suffered for Christ Religion hath cost them deare they have not only been summered but wintered in piety have not onely passed prosperity but have been acquainted with adversity therein Great travelors in Christianity which have cut the line and have passed the Torrid Zone of Persecution and which is more of a wounded conscience These also God may admit into the former forme and out of his undeserved mercy reward them with the Assurance of their salvation But all starres which shâ—…ne in heaven are not of the first greatnesse neither are all of David's worthies to bee equalled with the first three Other Christians there are who in God's due time may mate the former both in grace and glory Punies in piety Novices in Religion Of such I say not one of a hundred whatsoever they may erroneously pretend to the contrary are assured of their Calling and Eleâ—…tion If further it be demanded whether every Saint of God belonging to Election hath not at one time or other in his life or at his death this assurance conveyed into his soule I must confesse that heâ—…rein the streames of learned mens judgements runnâ—… not onely in different but contraâ—…y channells Some are of opinion that God is so gracious and magnifies his mercy so much in his proceedings towards his â—…ervants that the very meanest in the Family of Faith have some proportion of this assurance conferred upon them during their abode in this life Other Divines no 〈◊〉 inferiour to the former in number Learning Religion and Christian experience mainâ—…aine the opposite opinion that God sometimes is so pleased to try the patience and humble the hearts of some of his servants that a continuall feare is a constant covering of their eyes they goe heavily all the day long never daring for feare of presumption to owne and acknowledge any grace in their hearts alwai â—…jealous of their owne condition and sadly suspitious of themselves least all their 〈◊〉 prove hypocâ—…isie and their Piety be more in proâ—…ession then 〈◊〉 Those may be 〈◊〉 â—…nto children in their Mothers belly which have true life in them and yet themselves doe not know that they live For my owne part I conceive this controversie can onely bee decided betwixt God and a mans owne Conscience no third Person can be privie to the secret transactions betwixt them The last of these two Opinions so farre as one may conjecture hath most of charity and not the least of truth in it I am perswaded that many a pious soule dying in the fit of a tâ—…mptation hath instantly expected to sinke from his death-bed into hell-fire when the same by Gods goodnesse hath beene