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A45703
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The Christians blessed choice, or, The godly mans resolution to cleave fast to God and his truth, notwithstanding trials, troubles, and persecutions very seasonable for these times / by J.H.
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Hart, John, D.D.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing H932; ESTC R40135
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15,783
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46
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heaven but their full portion he reserves for them till they come to heaven and truly the portion of a Child of God is very great God is the portion of his people and believe it God will never see his people want so long as he hath it and Gods treasure is inexhaustible it can never be drawn dry All things are yours saith Saint Paul 1 Cor. 3.21 peaking to the believing Corinthisns whether Paul or Apollo or Ceahas or the world or life or death or phings present or things to come all tre yours and ye are Christs and Christ as Gods Having thus briefly run over the words I come now to give the practical Observations which flow from hence for our edification And first of all I observe from henc the transcendent excellency of savin faith by faith Moses did thus and thus Secondly I note from hence tha the condition of Gods Children in this life is an afflicted condition Thirdly I observe likewise from hence that the people of God should rather suffer any affliction than commit the least sin it is better to suffer than sin And then fourthly I observe hence the great vanity of sinful pleasures they are but for a season Fifthly I observe that the reproaches of Christ are better yea as the Text sweetly expresses if are greater riches than all the honours of the world And then lastly I observe from hence that God hath a recompence of reward for his people he will make them amends for all their losses at the last he that loseth any thing for Christ shall be no loser by the bargain Every one that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my Name sake shall receive an hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life Mat. 19.29 Before I proceed to Application I shall a little open and confirm these several truths by way of Doctrinal Explication And to begin with the first viz. What faith is a most transcendent excellent and saving grace and this you may see all along this whole Chapter First it brings the people of God into a good report By faith our services become acceptable in the sight of God And without faith it is impossible to please God For whatsoever is not of faith is sin By faith Noah being warned of God prepared the Ark to the saving of his house and thereby became an heir of righteousness By faith Abraham forsook his Countrey for by faith he saw the heavenly City which God had prepared for him And all along the whole Chapter you may see the excellency of faith in the several effects of it in the faithful Saints and servants of God who of all others best deserve the name of Worthies Who through faith subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousnesse obtained promises stopped the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the Sword And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings yea moreover bonds and imprisonments They were stoned sawn asunder were tempted slain with the sword They wandred about in sheepskins and goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented These all obtained a good report through faith By faith the sick are healed Luke 7.50 Dy faith the people of God are purified justified and by faith they are saved Rom. 5.1 Ephes 2.8 By faith we have access to God by prayer Rom. 5.2 By faith we believe the word of God and they that by faith do believe in God shall at the last receive the end of their faith even the salvation of their precious souls 1 Pet. 1.9 In the next place to come to second point which is this That the condition of Gods children in this life is an afflicted condition God had but one Son without sin but God hath never a son without affliction Our blessed Saviour himself was not free from afflictions nay he was despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief he was oppressed and he was afflicted Isa 53.3 7. The Prophets they were afflicted and imprisoned and slain Likewise the Apostles and Primitive Christians as you may see at large in this Chapter where my Text is Heb. 11. They were stoned sawn asunder cruelly scourged and imprisoned yea as the Psalmist saith Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of them all Psal 34.19 Our Saviour tells his Disciples what they must look for in the world at his departure from them If the world hate you saith our Saviour John 17.18 19 ye know that it hated me before it hated you If ye were of the world the world would love his own but because ye are not of the world that I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you Remember the word that I said unto you the servants is not greater than their Lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you and all these things will they do unto you for my names sake Yea saith the holy Apostle St. Paul reckoning up his manifold persecutions in 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecutions Many more Scriptures I might give you for the confirmation of this excellent truth but these I hope may suffice this being a truth which the people of God in all ages have born testimony unto with their blood Nay this truth is so clear that it even may be read by the light of these fires in which the Saints of God suffered death those glorious fires which ever burneth fresh in the memory of Gods people even those fiery chariots which carried out heavenly Elijahs our blessed Martyrs to heaven In the third place the third Observation to be considered is this That the people of God should rather suffer any affliction than sin This you may see in Joseph who rather than he would commit folly with his Mistriss rather then sin against God he would run the hazard of all afflictions How shall I do this great wickedness aad sin against God Gen. 39.9 And this truth is most eminently confirmed by holy Job who rather than he would curse God and dye would willingly with patience undergo all his afflictions Job underwent all afflictions and it is said of him In all this Job sinned not Let God afflict saith Job I will suffer with patience it is the Lord let him do what he pleases my afflictions shall never move me to forsake my God Though God afflict me all the dayes of my life yet will I wait with patience till my change come And in the thirteenth Chayter he resolves though God should kill him yet he would trust in him So likewise we finde an eminent example for this in holy Daniel as you may read Dan. 6.14 15 16. Daniel rather than he would sin against God in ceasing to call upon God by prayer would suffer himself to be cast into the Lions den So likewise the three children in the third Chapter of Daniel