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A19508 The triumph of a Christian contayning three excellent and heauenly treatises. 1 Iacobs wrestling with God. 2 The conduit of comfort. 3 A preparatiue for the Lords Supper. Full of sweet consolations for all that desire the comfortable sweetnesse of Iesus Christ, and necessary for those who are troubled in conscience. Written by that worthy man Master William Couper, minister of Gods word. Cowper, William, 1568-1619.; Cowper, William, 1568-1619. Conduit of comfort.; Cowper, William, 1568-1619. Jacobs wrestling with God.; Cowper, William, 1568-1619. Preparative for the new Passeover. 1608 (1608) STC 5937; ESTC S117170 143,181 383

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is none of vs all but wee haue in vs our owne Idol whereunto many times we do seruice to the great offence of God And albeit this narrow tryall of our sins shall discouer to vs a wonderfull disco●…dance betweene our nature and the most holy law of the Lord yet let vs not be discouraged considering that wee are best in the eyes of God when we are worst in our owne eyes and most acceptable to him when we are most displeased with our selues The Lord was mooued euen with Achab his temporall humiliation seest thou not said he to Eliah how Achab is humbled before mee because hee submitteth himselfe before mee I will not bring that euill which thou hast spoken in his daies and will not then the Lord much more bee mooued with the true humiliation of his owne Seruants No doubt if wee cast downe our selues before the Lord he shall lift vs vp if wee humble our selues he shall exalt vs. If we iudge our selues we shall not be iudged of the Lord for the Lord is neare to them that are contrite will saue such as are afflicted in spirit But if wee come before the Lord in the presumption of our minds and not touched with the sence of our sinnes then shall hee execute that fearefull threatning vpon vs I will enter into iudgement with thee because thou sayest I haue not sinned though thou wert high exalted like the Caedars of Lebanon and the Oakes of Bashan proud and hautie in thy conceit the Lord shall abase thee and bring thee low for hee is the Lord that resisteth the proud giueth grace to the humble The other poynt of our tryall and preparation stands in putting on that three-fold Christian disposition that towards our God wee bee holy and heauenly minded towards our neighbour louing righteous and mercifull and as concerning our selues that wee be sober and lowly for so the grace of God which hath appeared teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse and wordly lusts and should liue godly righteously and soberly in this present world This is our wedding garment euen that pure fine and shining linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints A Garment not partie coloured like Iosephs but compact of many vertues graces of Christ Iesus These be his badges and Cognisances whereby vvee are knowne to bee his the putting on of these is the putting on of Christ for his grace translateth vs out of nature and transformeth vs into his image by his owne spirit And first as concerning our disposition towards God it should not onely be holy as I haue said but also heauenly for since wee call him our Father which is in heauen vvee must see vvhat heauenly disposition vve haue to goe after him and whether wee be weary of our absence from the Lord like Dauid weary of his dwelling in the Tents of Keder and desire with the Apostle to remoue out of the body that wee may dwell with the Lord for here is not the place of our rest The best of our life vpon earth except it be the little tast of that hid Manna wherewith the Lord now and then comforteth our soules in this barren Wildernesse it is but like the life of that forlorne Sonne who hauing banished himselfe from his fathers house vvas driuen to fill his belly vvith the huskes that was giuen to the Swine oftentimes could not get them Wee haue experience enough of the vanitie of worldly comforts wherein there is no contentment would to God vvee could also learne with that prodigall Son to be think our selues and conclude to make home againe to our fathers house in whose face is the fulnesse of ioy surely the least of them that dwell in our Fathers house haue bread enough they are filled with the fatnesse of his house and receiue drinck out of the riuers of his pleasures what pleasure then should it be to vs to liue here in this strange Land where our soules are almost dead for hunger There is no greater thankfulnesse that man can shew to the Lord then to declare in his affection that he cannot liue vvithout the Lord nor rest content so long as hee is absent from him The Lord in the vvorke of creation neuer rested till hee had made man and man can doe no lesle of duty then passing by all Gods Creatures to resolue with himselfe I vvill neuer rest till I enioy the Lord. The Soule of man should bee like that Doue of Noah vvhich being sent forth from the arke found no rest to the sole of her foot vntill she returned againe to him that sent her and indeed without the Lord where can wee rest Goe thy way with Salomon and proue all the goodnesse of the children of men which they inioy vnder the Sunne thou shalt finde it is but vanitie and vexation of Spirit whatsoeuer man clea●…eth to beside Iehouah the true subsisting Lord it is but a lying vanitie which hath not in it that substance and certaintie which man imagineth yea man without God in his best estate is altogether vanitie and his wisest actions are but a disquieting of himselfe in vaine It is a godly saving of Augustine which the word of God and experience taught him F●…isli nos Domine ad t●… semper inquietum est cor nostrum don●… requi●…at in te thou madest vs O Lord vnto thy selfe and our heart is euer vnquiet till it rest in thee The wicked vvho are strangers from the wombe pretend in their countenance vvhat they will yet euen in laughter their heart is sad for there is no ioy nor peace to the wicked saith my God their heart is moued as the Trees of t●…e Forrest shaken with the Winde As the point of the Marriners compasse so long as it is not direct to the North trembles continually so the spirit of the wicked not set vpon the Lord is neuer quiet but tossed too and fro with restlesse perturbations which in a part presently he feeles but shall better perceiue it when he goeth out of the body For tribulation and anguish shal be on the soule of euery man that doth wickedly this is the portion of them that forsake God and wander after vanitie It is good therefore for vs to draw neere vnto God saying with Dauid whom haue I in the heauen but thee and I haue desired none in the earth with the. The Lord worke this heauenly disposition in vs. And now to helpe forward ou●… earthly minds vnto it we haue to consider both the time space when and where our Sauiour did institute this sacrament The place is recorded by Saint Luke to haue beene an vpper Parlour the consideration of the place saith Nazianzin doth some way warne vs that wee should celebrate this holy sacrament with high heauenly affections When God gaue the law hee came downe from heauen to the top
Calling that ye haue bene baptized in the name of Iesus and communicated at his holy table for not euerie one that sayes Lord Lord shall enter into his kingdom except ye find also the Lords inward and effectuall Calling that the arme of his grace hath drawne you within the compasse of this third circle and so brought you to be of his owne third part and set you downe among the generation of them that seeke the face of God and therfore forsakes their sinnes that they may finde him CHAP. XIII Of the inward Calling THen wee see this excellent priuiledge is restrained to them who are called inwardly and therefore let vs yet a little consider it This inward Calling is the Communication of Christs sauing grace vvhereby the minde is inlightened the heart purified by faith the affections sanctified and the whole man reformed For as the Lord by his Gospell offers to his children righteousnesse and life so by his holy spirit he giues them that iustifying Faith and openeth their hearts to receiue that Grace which is preached and proclaimed to them in the Gospel So then this worke of our Calling is altogether the Lords It is his praise that hee cals things which are not and makes them to be the Lord that commaunded light to shine out of darknesse hath giuen to our mindes the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Christ Iesus hee it is that creates in vs a new heart and putteth a new spirit into our bowels that vvee may walke in his statutes The Lord promised that hee would call many of the Gentiles to the spiritual Ierusalem to suck out the milke of the breasts of her consolation and be delighted with the brightnesse of his glory shall I cause others to bee fruitfull saith the Lord and remaine barren my selfe and this his gracious promise hath he most abundantly performed in our dayes his name be praised therefore As this worke is onely the Lords so he restraines it onely to them who are his owne The outward Calling is extended to all but the inward calling makes a particular seperation of a few from the remnant where it is wonderfull to see the distinction which is made betwixt man and man in all rankes and estates by this effectuall calling of two Brethren as Iacob and Esau of two Prophets as Moses and Balaam of two Kings as Dauid and Saul of two Apostles as Peter and Iudas of two theeues the one is taken the other reiected and thus the arme of the grace of God goes through to euerie corner of the earth according to his pleasure culling out by his word from among the remnant of the world those who belong to his Election This grace of God it enters in a Land and not into euery Cittie it enters into a Cittie but not into euery Familie yea it will enter into a Familie and ●…et not come to euery person of the Familie or husband and wife of Maisters and Seruants of Parents and Children of Brethren and Sisters oftentimes the one is taken the other is left It came to Iericho and chose out Zacheus It came to Philipi and weiled out Lidia and the Iaylor It came to Nero his court and not to himselfe It entred into the familie of Narcissus and yet past by Narcissus himselfe It is the worke of God and merueilous in our eies The Gospell is preached to many but the blessing brought by the Gospell lights onely vpon the children of grace And hereof ariseth this dayly distinction which we see betweene man and man all heare alike but all haue not Faith all are not edified alike Some forsake their sins and followes the Lord others forsaking the Lord walkes on in their sinnes As the Lord gouerneth the raine and makes it fall vpon one Cittie and not vpon another so hee dispenseth the dew of his grace that hee makes it droppe downe vpon one heart and not vpon another And of this I would wish that so many of you as yet are strangers from Grace should learne to know your miserable state What a fearefull thing is this that God hath conuerted so many in the Cittie wherein thou dwellest yea perhaps many in the familie wherein thou remainest and yet his grace neuer lighted vpon thee but thou art left in thy olde sinnes Consider it rightly I pray you If the Lord should do to you as hee did to Israel in the daies of Achab causing it to raine for three yeares a halfe on all the lands about you but not vpon your Land would you not conceiue in it a sensible curse of God vpon you O Hypocrite thou that canst discerne the face of the skie and take vp the tokens of Gods anger in the creature canst thou not discerne the state of thine owne soule nor apprehend this for a sensible curse that thirty or forty yeares the showers of sauing and renewing grace hath descended vpon the people round about thee but neuer vpon thy selfe thou possessest thy old sins and keepest still a hard a barren and a fruitlesse heart What shall I say to thee to cut thee off from all hope of mercie and so send thee to despaire I haue not that in commission the Lord hath his owne time of calling and can when he will of Saul a persecutor make Paul a Preacher But one thing I can certifie ●…hee of so long as thou a●…t in that state mourne if thou vvilt thou hast much cause of mourning for if this effectuall calling by grace goe by thee in time to come as it hath done in time beganne it is an euident declaration that thou art a man reserued to wrath and not ordained to mercie CHAP. XIIII In the inward calling the Lord begins at the illumination of the minde NOw that this Calling flowing from Election may bee yet made sure to our Consciences for our greater comfort let vs marke the manner of the Lords proceeding into it and so gather vp some tokens whereby vvee may discerne it As in the first creation the Lord began at the light so in the second Creation he begins at the illumination of the minde For wee can neither know the Lord to feare and loue him neyther yet our selues and our sinnes aright till the Lord vvho commanded light to shine out of darknesse shine also into our hearts to giue vs the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Iesus Christ and this light of God discouers to vs so many workes of darknes wherewith in ignorance wee defiled our Consciences that wee begin to be ashamed of our selues in the sight of God yea our very flesh trembleth for feare of his iudgements and vvee crie out with Iob Now my eye hath seene the Lord therefore I abhorre my selfe And thus the Lord proceeds from the minde to the heart working into it such a contrition and godly sorrow as causeth repentance vnto saluation whereby the heart that