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A08488
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Sions teares leading to ioy: or The vvaters of Marah sweetned First preached at Clonenagh in the Queenes County in seuerall sermons, and now published for the benefite of the Church. By Ri: Olmstead, minister of Gods word, and Master of Arts.
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Olmstead, Richard.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 18811; ESTC S120808
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86,010
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266
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his natiue Countrey and though not ignorant of that blessed promise which GOD makes to his Church when they were in captiuity that h Ezech. 1.16 hee would bee a little Sanctuary to theâ— in the countries where they shall come yet his blessed heare breaks forth into that patheticall acclamation i Psal 84.1.2 3. O Lord of hostes how amiable are thy Tabernacles That his soule fainted for the courts of the Lord. as also that the sparrow swallow were happy that might build their nests and lay their young by his Altars c. This liuely affection is in euery one of Christs blessed members O that it were in the same degree but it is in some measure and that for these causes 1. They are spirituall fathers k 1 Cor. 1.15 to beget men to God by the effectuall and powerfull preaching of the Gospel as instruments making vs of children of the Deuill l 1 Pet. 2.2 new borne babes the sons of God in Christ And as spirituall mothers trauaile in birth of vs m Gal. 4.19 till Christ be formed in vs vndergoing great paines to bring vs forth to God and whereas other mothers beare children into misery these into a blessed condition After they haue begotten them thus they doe not as the n Iob 39.13 Estridge which leaues her eggs in the sand to bee scattered by the foote o 1 Thess 2.7 but as gentle spirituall nurses cherish these children p 1 Pet. 2.2 and therefore as new borne babes they desire and in want thereof will cry for the sincere milke of the word that they may grow thereby as euery creature doth in nature They know that this is the food of the soule and therefore rather then they will want this blessed Manna they will as Iacob send into q Gen. 12.2 Egypt for food and knowing that when the Eternall God intends a plague with a witnes against a people he sends theÌ„ a famine Amo. 8.11 not of bread or a thirst of water but of his word that they shall trauaile from citty to citty to finde the word of the Lord and shall not finde it they will not willingly bring this curse vpon themselues as most of our Nobility and Gentry doe but if the Lord send this misery vpon them they mourne vnder it as a most bitter crosse Å¿ Mat. 5.14 They are the spirituall light of the world which without them lyes in palpable thick blacke Cymerian darknesse and therefore hauing receiued Å¿ Exod 28.20 Vrim and Thummim t Apoc. 1. 〈◊〉 as stars in the darkest night shine to others in the light of doctrine and good example and as candles torches spend and consume themselues in giuing light to this darke Egyptian world u Dan. 12.3 therefore shall as starres shine most resplendently in glory for euer and euer Besides God hath appointed them in Christ his stead to seeke and saue what is lost not health impaired as Physicians nor wealth controverted as Lawyers but the lost soule by applying the means appointed by Christ w Iob 33.24 To deliuer the man that he go not into the pit not by working the meanes which is the office of the Spirit but applying them pronouncing the sinners discharge which is the duty of the Minister These things considered is it possible that a true beleeuer should liue without the ministrie of the Word and not bee plunged into deepe heauinesse and sorrow in the want therof it is impossible Quest. But may not selfe-respects carry men along with desire after the hearing of the word preached and to complaine in the want of it Answ Yes verily they may I reduce these to three heads 1. They desire knowledge and indeauour to get it not to edifie themselues that were diuine heauenly wisedome as Salomon sayth x Pro 9.12 If thou he wise be wise for thy selfe nor to edifie others this were gracious loue indeed and a signe of sauing grace as our Sauiour said y Luke 22.32 when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren but these are like the butterflye which flyes froÌ„ flowre to flowre to adorne bespangle beautifie her wings so these goe from Sermon to Sermon to know something to be able to discourse finde table talke which is meere Vanity If the honour glory of the Highest were their ayme in the saluation of their soules and labouring to know the will of the Almighty that they might doe it our Sauiour pronounceth them blessed 2. Is worldly profite so long as there is hope that they shall gaine either credite or profite they will heare the Word joyfully b Acts 2.18 Simon Magus will follow the Apostles at the heeles professe he beleeues admire and desire to haue power to exhibite the visible gifts of the holy Ghost and offer large summes of money all for cursed lucre The Iewes after Christ had fed them with bread could neuer be rid of theÌ„ following him from place to place but wherefore was it thinke you was it for his doctrine miracles or himselfe no verily but because of the loaues Profites pleasures and preferments will make a man heare diligently professe openly and Ministers to preach painfully c Iob. 6.16 but if Christ bring no loaues he shall want auditors if the Minister be rich invite them to his table lend them money to answer their necessities and will be ready at euery turne to helpe them in their bodies with cure in Physicke in their estates to helpe them out of straites dangers troubles c. O then they cry out a blessed Minister who would not heare him but if hee be poore and neede their ayde then they forsake him d 2 Tim. 4.10 as Demas did Paul and if euer the complaint of the Apostle were just it is now of Professors e Phil. 2.21 al men seeke their owne and not that which is Christs If hee reproue their ill dealing covetousnesse tale-bearings whisperings hypocrisy they cry out f Amos 7.10 the earth is not able to beare his words if hee speake any thing against Diana g Acts 19.24 then Demetrius the siluâ—â— Smith raiseth tumults in defence of his shrines and cryes out great is Diana of the Ephesians we haue such spirits in our Congregations euery lame hypocrite and halting Professor can draw factions invent scandals aspersions and slanders secretly and therefore the more sinfully to detract from that Ministrie which sometimes they haue praysed admired magnified but this is no new thing and for mine owne part I expect no better seeing they did thus to a g Luke 23.31 greene tree euen the Son of righteousnes how much more to a dry 3. Curiosity and nouelty men haue itching eares A new Preacher if he come away with the olde he is then either too plaine or too eloquent or he hath ouer many points or ouer few or hee vseth to repeat ouer long or else
judgment of GOD who as they haue finned vndivided so are they not divided in the smart thereof but are corrected and afflicted together the body hath beene a servant to ehe lusts of the soule receiueth the guerdon wages of sinne with it Dauid abused the vigour of his body in the sinnes of adultery and murther and the Lord chastneth him in both-Thus of natural sorrowes 2. Vnnatural or diabolical diuelish sorrowes 1. Of the desperate 2. Of the disappointed 1. The sorrow of the desperate as Iob sayth z 〈◊〉 Iob 3.20 they desire to see the graue they seeke death and cannot finde it that is they feele such a racke torment and vexation in their conscience being without hope of the consolations of God are not able to endure this insupportable burthen of a wounded spirit and therefore are driven to one of those woful shifts either which come to driue it away by calling in other distractions helplesse alas comfortlesse as marrying wiues building citties inventing muficke such like bables fit for fooles and childreÌ„ buc neuer turne their thoughts to GOD to seeke for fauour much like the vile world now that drinke away the thought of their latter end but alas what good is in this nothing but to still the out cry and clamour of conscience for a time that they may haue a greater freedome to sinne and not bee disquieted or else desperately to seeke death as a 2 Sam. 17 25. Aâ—hitopbel and b Math. 27.5 Iudas by laying violent handes vpon themselues a medicine as euil or worse then the disease or else sinke vnder the burthen as those Priers and Papists who lay like fooles vnder stockes crying out bitterly in the sence of their tormented consciences Francis Spire wishing that their plagues and torments in Hell might be but as many yeares as there are droppes of water in the Sea or as many yeares as a little bird would be in carrying away a huge mountaine in her mouth for then there would be an end but now it will bee eternall What shall I speake of Latonius who died roaring as if hee had beene possessed body and soule with the Deuill or of Hosfminster Eccius and other whom stories make mention of 2. The sorrow of the disappointed as of Haman when his wicked deuise hee had against Mordecai and the Iewes was preuented c Hest 6.12 hasted home mourning and his head couered When Ahab could not obtaine Nabaoth veineyard d 1. King 21.4 went home to his house heauie lay vpon his bed would not eat So Amron Dauids sonne when hee had missed his lust with his sister Thamar e 2. Sam. 13.24 he fell sicke for her the world is filled with these cursed deuillish sorrowes when they cannot atchieue their wicked plots stratagems and hellish deuises but this is a diabolicall and wicked sorrow and neyther of these yet is that true sorrow which brings true peace and ioy and therefore we must seeke for another Thirdly supernaturall or religious sorrowes which are of two sortes Legall Euangelical This legall sorrow goes before faith being a griefe wrought by the preaching of the Law inlightning and wounding the soule in the sence and feeling of sinne racking tormenting and disquieting the conscience and making it speake and crie out with inutterable clamors and following him with hew and crie so as wheresoeuer hee becomes hee carries his accuser Iudge tormentor and executioner about with him and this hath and must be the condition of euery one whom God purposeth to saue at one time or other and in some degree or other for the Lord heales none but the wounded with the wine and oyle of the sweete promises of the Gospell and indeede they feele no want thereof f Matt. 9.12.13 The whole neede nut the Physitian saith our Sauiour but those that are sicke these he came to call to repentance not the righteous that is such as are righteous in their owne account and howsoeuer this bee no sauing grace but as the Schools speake a generall grace or a grace of preparation not of composition such as hee promiscuously bestowes vpon the world aswell as his people though hee giues them more Yet let all men know for certaintie that till legall sorrow hath though serious fence of sin made a man tremble and sorrow euen in respect of the vengeance and wrath of God and brought him to despayre in regarde of himselfe he is not moued to consider seriously which is the first wheele of all like the spring in a watch which moues all the rest much lesse to desire mercie which is the opening of the doore of the heart to let in the Lord Iesus into the soule Therefore hath the Lord set vp a Ministerie in his Church that partly by the laws preached driues men to their wits-end as those three thousand Conuertes that at Peters Sermon cryed out b Act. 2.37 What shall we doe and partly by his works as the Iayler when the earthquake and opening of the prison-dores made him tremble crie out c Act. 16.29 30. What shall I doe And Manasseh God bindes him in chaines and sends him to Babell c 2. Chro. 33.12.13 and then hee humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his Fathers and God was intreated of him brought him backe into his owne land Many are the gashes wounds Sathan and sinne hath made in our soules wee must and shall feele the smart of them before we be throughly healed To this purpose hath God set vp and placed his monitor conscience in mans foule to crie aloud and tell him what hee hath done amisse to apprehend him and set vp a Gibbet in his soule to which it adiudgeth him and all to bring him to himselfe to sue for pardon Yet is not this the sorrow which hath the promise of ioy and comfort annexed to it though this bee not altogether separated from it yet is this legall sorrow in reprobaâ—es and diuels d Act. 24 25 when Felix heard Paul dispute of temperance and the iudgment to come he trembleth c. And S. Iames saith e Iam. 2.19 That the Diuels beleeue and tremble which is more then many a wicked man doth Heare this yee Profane obdurate and hard hearted monsters and bee ashamed at your condition that in this respect are worse then the Deuils and infernall damned spirits fiends if you will not learne and be taught by your eternall soueraigne Lord King learne thus much of the Diuels least they rise vp in iudgment against you and condemne you as our Sauiour said of Sodome and Gâ—morrah that they should rise vp in iudgement against the Iewes 2. Now are wee come to the true sorrow which will appeare g 1. Sa. 16.11 as Dauid the last least and youngest of all the sonnes of Ishai faire ruddy and of a comely countenance so is this a blessed sweete amiable grace peculiar and