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A07208
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Hearing and doing the ready way to blessednesse with an appendix containing rules of right hearing Gods word. By Henry Mason, parson of S. Andrews Vnder-shaft London.
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Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.
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1635
(1635)
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STC 17609; ESTC S102307
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184,084
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830
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he after some intreaties answered him to this effect (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Climac Grad 4. pag. 49. I saith he in this work of the Kitchin did never think that I served men but God who enjoyned me true service in my place and judging my selfe unworthy of any rest by reason of my many failings when I look on this fire in my chimney how intolerable the burning thereof would be to my flesh I am put in minde of the everlasting and much more unsufferable burnings of hell fire due to all impenitent sinners and the thought of this torment doth resolve me into teares for my sins And now if we will make use of this example we shall not need to goe abroad and gather instructions from other mens lifes as Pambo did we shall finde matter enough at home to exercise our thoughts with For example sake and to set our consciences on work in this duty If any of us shall bee tormented with an headach or a toothach or with the stone or strangury or a hot fever or some other tormenting paine that will not suffer us to take any rest we may make the like use of the burning fever or tormenting ach which we feel that this Cook did of the scorching fire which he looked upon We may think if this little smart in comparison and these short torments seem so unsufferable as that I would not endure them for a yeare together though I might gaine a Kingdome by it how unsufferable are the eternall torments of hell fire and what a fool am I if I plunge my soule into them for ever for gaining of a paltry profit and a fading and a filthy pleasure And if after drinking a cup of pleasant wine in our thirst or after eating a good dinner in our hūger or if after a sweete sleep when we have been weary we finde our selves comforted and refreshed then there is occasion to think O Lord how much more joy and refreshing will it bee to my soule when I shall rest from all my labours in Abrahams bosom and with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob shall eate bread in the Kingdome of God and shall bee fed with the pleasures of Gods house for evermore And againe if at any time wee be overjoyed who sometimes is not when some great preferment befalleth us such as are a high place in the Court a great office in the City or some matter of much gaine in our trading then it will be seasonable to think if such a scant advancement do so much overjoy mee what a joy will it bee and how shall I rejoyce when I shall be taken to bee Gods adopted son and to be heire of his Kingdome and a fellow citizen with the Saints in glory And thus we may doe on all the like occasions and if thus we do doe still converting earthly occurrences into matter of heavenly meditations we shall be profited toward salvation by every thing of moment that we see or heare abroad and by those things which we find feel in our selves But this practice is never more seasonable nor never more profitable then when we come to the Lords Table In this Sacrament wee have for the outward matter of it bread and wine in substance the same with that which is upon our own boards but in use of a far different nature When they be upon our own boards then they be naturall things ordained for the refreshing of the body and preservation of mans nature but when they bee on Gods board they are spirituall things ordained for the nourishment of the soul and the preservation of Gods grace within us Now if it be a point of wisdome to take occasion of heavenly thoughts from them when they are meere naturall things how necessary will it be to have more elevated thoughts of them when they are consecrated to a mysticall and supernaturall use Now that they are set apart to a sacred use they must needs be profaned if they be not handled in a sacred sort Here they are holy signes which represent Christ unto us with all the benefits of his Passion and we make them as no signes if we doe not see Christ and his death represented in them Therefore in the celebration of this Sacrament the Church teacheth the Minister to say sursum corda lift up your hearts and it teacheth the people to answer him back again Wee lift them up unto the Lord. When therefore our eyes doe look on these creatures on the Lords Table our hearts should look to Christ in heaven When we see the bread cut and broken in pieces that biddeth us remember that his sacred body was broken and torne in pieces for our sins And when we see the wine powred out of the vessel into the cup and out of the cup into our bodies that biddeth us remember that his precious blood was emptied out of the veines that our soules might be purged from their sins And when the bread and wine is delivered into the Communicants hand that telleth him that God the Father doth now reach unto him from heaven the flesh and blood of his deare Son that they may nourish his soule to eternall life as the bread and wine doth nourish his body for this naturall life So that in the whole institution of this Sacrament there is nothing dumb or without its signification and so likewise in the celebration of it wee should passe by nothing as if we were deafe and did not understand the meaning of it For conclusion as S. Paul said to Timothie so I say to every Communicant Meditate on these things while ye be about this holy work and 1 Tim. 4.15 Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things that ye may know how to make use of all Gods ordinances for his Glory and your own comfort CAP. III. The blessings of this life are nothing to the blessednesse of the life to come Cap. 3 WHen this woman magnified the happinesse of that mother who had bred so good a childe as he was who had discoursed in this manner our Lord amended her speech by telling her of a far greater blessednesse then that was consisting in the hearing and keeping of Gods word And hence I collect that the blessing of good children and other the good things of this life are much short of the blessednesse which accompanieth godlinesse and an holy life The proofes for confirmation hereof are three 1. The testimony of Solomon 2. The condition of worldly happinesse in it self considered and 3. It s want of those excellencies that are in the true blessednesse I. The first proofe is the Testimony of Solomon set down in the book of Ecclesiastes In it his Testimony is delivered 2. wayes 1. In a generall doctrine 2. In particular instances 1. His doctrine is this Of all worldly blessings and the happinesse that men can gaine by them he saith in the entrance of his book Vanitie of vanities saith
work of the Lord deceitfully and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood Ier. 48.10 In this sentence wee have two things 1. A Commination of judgement and 2. an application of it to the present occasion The Commination is this Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully the former Translation readeth it negligently The meaning is in both the same For he that doth Gods work negligently doth do it deceitfully also because he giveth God but one part of his due and keepeth back an other part from him or for that hee gives him a worse thing instead of a better In which sense hee is said to bee a deceiver who having a male in his flock voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing Mal. 1.14 And in this maner Saul was a deceiver when being commanded to kill all the Amalekites hee saved some of the best of them alive 1. Sam. 15. And so Ananias and Sapphira were deceivers when having offered to God all the money that the land was sold for they kept back part for themselves And in the same sense may every one among us be called a deceiver who giveth God a part of his service and keepeth from him some other part or who affoordeth him part of the time that is due to his worship and depriveth him of the rest Such a one is both a negligent workman and a deceitfull dealer with God 2. The application of this threatning in the Prophet is this And cursed be hee that keepeth back his sword from blood The meaning is that God had now commanded a work to bee performed against his enemies the Moabites which was to slay and kill and destroy them and he that did not slay and destroy them accordingly was hee that did this work of the LORD both negligently and deceitfully though he should pill and poll and impoverish them The like application of this generall rule is proper to this occasion also The hearing of Gods word with the other duties belonging to it are GODS work which hee requireth to be done in their time and season and if any man do willingly and unnecessarily withdraw himselfe from any part when hee oweth to God the whole hee doth Gods work deceitfully and may feare the curse that is denounced against deceivers in the Prophet 2. These men who think to please God with a part of his due either comming too late to his Service or departing from it too soone do runne upon this danger that by their absence they may lose that blessing which GOD hath appointed for that part of the service wherein they had no share More particularly they may misse that prayer by which they might have obtained the assistance of Gods Spirit or they may misse the reading of that Chapter which might have converted them to God from some evill way or they may misse that passage in the Sermon which might have done them good all their life long In respect whereof as he that commeth too late to his dinner or is called away before his time may chance to rise hungry or unsatisfied so they that come too late or depart too soone from divine Service may go away destitute of that blessing of God which might nourish their soules with grace to eternall life Hee therefore that will be a profitable hearer of Gods word must not carelessely neglect any part of Gods service wherein wee may take for our paterne the example of Cornelius a man much commended in the Scriptures He expecting the comming of S. Peter who should tell him what he should do did in the meane while call together his kinsmen and neare friends and they altogether waited for the Preacher and when Peter was come to preach the Gospel unto thē Wee saith Cornelius are all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God Act. 10.24 33. Where 1. when it is said that Cornelius had gathered and called together his kinsmen and neare friends wee may hence gather that Cornelius thought it a speciall benefit which he desired his chiefe friends might be partakers of to heare the word of God preached by the Apostle 2. When Cornelius saith Wee are all here present to heare hee giveth us to understand that all the Hearers were present and met together to wait for the Preacher before the Preacher came there was not one that came tardie or after the exercise was begun 3. When hee saith wee are all here present to heare all things that are commanded of God to be said unto us he implieth that they meant not to lose or misse any part of S. Peters speech there was not a man among them all that meant to depart before all was ended The like affection and diligence should be shewed by every Christian It is an argument of little devotion and respect to Gods service when we come slowly and go away quickly and think every houre too much that is bestowed in this duty But if wee bee ready aforehand and stay till the full end and hearken to every thing that God hath sent his servant to tell us as Cornelius and his friends did then wee may hope that as the holy Ghost fell upon them that then heard the word vers 44 so God will give us his Spirit to guide us in the truth and to lead us by a holy life to eternall glory Which God grant for CHRISTS sake Amen FINIS