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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55567	A sanctuary for the tempted: being a discourse on Christ's friendly admonition to Peter Wherein the fall and rising of Peter, is at large considered: the craft, potency, and malice of Satan (that arch-enemy of our salvation) discovered: his various wiles. stratagems and machinations invalidated: several choice and excellent Gospel-truths handled, and cleared (from the calumnies and objections of gainsayers.) ... Delivered in sundry sermons, at first; and now, published for the benefit of God's church in general. To which is added, four sermons, preach'd upon sacramental occasions. By Thomas Powel, preacher of the Gospel, and one, whom Satan hath winnowed.	Powell, Thomas.	1679 (1679)	Wing P3075; ESTC R30536	152,491	435

his Blessing which alone maketh Rich may be on your Head and that you may see the Fruit of your Loins in a good Old Age to ●…ample Satisfaction and Comfort God heard your Prayers in the ●…ame Case as he did Abraham of Old Now Sir you know Mercy calls for Duty If God h●… had an Ear to your Voice 〈◊〉 Prayer I hope you will not 〈◊〉 fuse an Ear to God's Voice 〈◊〉 his Commandments 'T is b●… reasonable That those who●… God has done much for shou●… be much in doing for him aga●… My Prayer shall be that as y●… do out-strip many in Mercy 〈◊〉 you may out-shine in Life a●… Conversation I shall conclude with a Wo●… of Counsel or two being as f●…loweth First Let nothing lie so ne●… your Heart to delight you 〈◊〉 God and his Glory Christ a●… his Merits Grace and the Mea●… of Grace the Soul and its Sa●…vation Let God be your chie●… est Good and his Glory th●… Scope you level at in all yo●… Actions Natural Civil and Religious For this you were Born and New-Born and this is the End of Life Natural Spiritual and Eternal Next to this Let many of your spare Hours be spent in considering the Preciousness of the Soul together with the necessity of Salvation The Soul is a Precious Substance for it is of a Spiritual Nature and the Principal Part of the Man The Body is but a Casket the Soul is the Jewel and yet the greatest Care usually is to gratify the Body The Wise-man saith All a Man's Labor is for the Mouth But Sir I hope better Things of you and that you know who ever are concern'd so with the Body as to neglect the Soul are like such that trim the Scabbard and let the Sword rust Man is in part an Angel and in part a Beast Why should we please the Beast that is in us rather than the Angel Our greatest Fear should be for the Soul and our greatest Care should be for the Soul Your greatest Fear Matth. 10. 28. Fear not him that can Kill the Body but Fear him that can Cast both Soul and Body into Hell There is a double Argument The Body is but the worser Part and the Body is alone But on the other side the Soul is the more Noble Part and the State of the Body dependeth upon the Well-or Ill-being of the Soul He is able to Cast both Soul and Body c. And therefore it is the greatest Imprudence in the World out of a Fear of the Body to Betray the Soul But in the next place Your greatest Care should be for the Soul Matth. 16. 26. What is a Man profited if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul 'T is but a sorry Exchange Sir God has Honoured you with the Bona Throni and the Bona Scabelli The Good of the Throne and the Good of the Foot-Stool But I suppose you look upon all Earthly good Things to be but Conveniencies for the Body and such as will not profit when you shall be laid in a Cold and Silent Grave But Salvation How Excellent is it How Sweet is it as being that without which the Soul cannot be Happy Now Christ and his Merits procures this Salvation for the Soul Grace and the Means of Grace together will confer Grace on that Soul that it may be Happy But my last Word of Counsel is this As I would have you to let nothing lie so near your Heart as those Four Things afore-said to Delight you so I would that you let nothing lie so near your Heart as these Four Things to Humble you First Your Sins You and I and all of us have our Sins notwithstanding our Regeneration A Saint and a Sinner in some sense may stand together The Best have the Remainders of Corruption in them And tho we are Renewed we are but Renewed in part Have we been Humbled for Sin Why yet we have cause to be more Humbled Secondly The Hiding of God's Face is another thing that calls for Humiliation The Face of God is the Favor of God The shining of his Face and the lifting up of his Countenance is the Manifestation of his Favor but the hiding of his Face is the loss of the Sense of his Favor Now the Shinings of God's Face no Soul on Earth alwayes Enjoyes but at sometime or other he is a Child of Light walking in Darkness he hath but his Lucid Intervals No perfect Settledness can be attained to in this Life Our Day will have a Night our Sun-shine will have its Eclipses Suavis hora brevis mora hath been an Old Saying But Thirdly The Imperfection of Grace Grace while on Earth is Militant and not Triumphant till it arrives to Heaven Sir Your Faith is not so perfect but there is Unbelief enough to humble you and your Love is not so perfect but there is Luke-warmness enough to humble you and your Patience is not so perfect but there is Impatience enough to humble you and your Humility is not so perfect but there is Pride enough to humble you Sir In speaking this to you I speak it also to my self and all that may Read these Lines Lastly The Affliction of the Church should lie very near our Hearts O Sir that you and I could but weep when we ●…emember Zion Psal. 137. vers 〈◊〉 We Wept when we remembred Zion If we are Members of the Body Mystical there will be ●…ome kind of Simpathy But Oh the Paucity of them that zhew themselves to be Members of the Body Mystical by making Zions Troubles their own Oh the Miseries of many Christians in Germany the Dukedom of Savoy and other Forreign Parts of the world who have been driven from their Habitations because they would not Desert the Protestant and Espouse the Popish Religion Besides the Oppression of the Church of God in Scotland has been great for some considerable Time When we consider these Things our Eyes should be bedewed with Tears God's Church is a Bleeding Vine and the Spouse of Christ has now her Garments rowled in Blood which is enough to make a Tender Heart to bleed So that Sir you may by this time see what should lift up the Heart of a Saint and what should cast it down Pray God direct us both that our Tears may alwayes run in the right Channel and our Rejoycing may be alwayes in the Lord. Sir May You and your Consort and your young Son live long that God may have the Glory of all you have do and hope for Humbly begging your Perusal of this Treatise in which you will find these Things more at large And so you will oblige him that is From my Study in Bartholomew-Close London May 16. 1678. SIR Yours in all due Observance Thomas Powel TO HIS Most Honored Uncle Mr. William Cawthorne OF LONDON Gent. My Dear and Honored Sir ALthough I know not well how you may Resent

would People but consider this Mercy and Goodness Bounty and Compassion would Flourish more than they do There would not be I say so many Cubboards Empty Purses Moneyless and Wounds not Cured or Bound up Motive 2. Secondly Consider That the Eyes of God of Christ of Angels of Devils of Sinners of Saints of Good and Bad are alwayes upon you Therefore let this Motive above all the rest be as a Spur to all Vertue and a Whet Stone to all Duty God takes Notice of all thy Actions Thy Tears in Secret he Bottles up thy Prayers in Secret he Registers and what thou givest to Pious Uses he writes down in thy Memorandum Book The Good Angels and Saints Honour thee for this The Devil and his Children see hereby thy Faithfulness to God-ward and thy Goodness to Man-ward Motive 3. Thirdly I know not of a Better than this whereby to induce you unto a Publick Spirit viz. You shall have your Reward If there be Degrees of Torments in Hell then doubtless there are Degrees of ●…lory in Heaven And whose Glory shall be Multiplied but such that have done most Good when they were on Earth All the Seeds of Liberality that you Sow on Earth shall turn to a Fruitful Crop in Heaven You shall be paid with Overplus For a VVedg of Gold which you have parted with you shall have a VVeight of Glory For a Cup of Cold Water you shall have Rivers of Pleasure The End of the Salve for Soul-Sores together with the Duty of Such whom God has dealt Bountifully with FINIS SEVERAL SERMONS Preached upon Sacramental OCCASIONS By THOMAS POWEL Minister of the GOSPEL LONDON Printed by T. Milbourn for Benjamin Harris at the Stationers-Arms in Sweetings-Rents near the Royal-Exchange in Cornhil 1679. SERMON I. PSAL. 42. Vers. 1. As the Hart Panteth after the Water-Brooks so Panteth my Soul after Thee O God Introduction THE Author of this Psalm was David is Concluded on all Hands as well as other Psalms of the like Nature which have not his Inscription upon them Penned by him at some sad Time and in some sad Condition viz. His Exilement from Home and the House of God upon the Occasion of Saul's Persecution who Pursued him from Place to Place and followed him as a Patridge upon the Mountains as himself Expresses it 1 Sam. 26. 20. In the VVords of my Text the Prophet David intimateth his Ardent Affections towards God Illustrating the same by a Similitude of the Hart towards the Rivers of Water Wherein as in all other Similitudes besides there are Two Parts considerable The Proposition and the Reddition The Proposition we have in these VVords As the Hart Panteth after the Water-Brooks Now there is a Double Thirst in the Hart after the Water-Brooks The One is Natural arising from its Temper and Constitution and the Other is Occasional proceeding from the Different Case and Condition in which it is And even so it is in a Christian. The Reddition we have in these VVords My Soul Panteth c. In the Hebrew it is Brayeth More-over The Strength of the Psalmist's Desire is Exprest by another VVord in the Verse following the Text THIRSTETH We have here Represented by David the true Temper Frame and Character of a Christian Soul VVhat David sayes of Himself for his own Particular is true of all Believers in General The Doctrine from the VVords is this Doctrine The Soul of a Christian vehemently desires God In the Opening and Prosecution whereof Three Things will fall under our Consideration 1. The Object of a Christian's Desire and that is God 2. The Subject of a Christian's Desire and that is the Soul 3. The Exercise or Activity of a Christian's Desire and that is Pant●…h after First The Object of a Christian's Desire and that is God Himself Thee O God Other Texts of Scripture there are that fully declares this Psal. 84. 2. 86. 4. A Christian's Desire is 1. After God Chiefly 2. After God Simply First A Christian's Desire is after God Chiefly The Main and Principal Thing that he desires is God An Interest in God Union and Communion with ‖ God A Circle cannot fill a Triangle The whole World cannot fill the Heart of Man Nothing but God can satisfy the Desire of a Christian. God only is the Proper and most Adequate Object of it Nothing but the Water-Brooks can Satisfy the Thirsty Hart Nothing but Enjoyment and Fruition of God can Refresh the Gracious Soul wha●…ever comes short of this is Conde●…ned Whom have I in Heaven but Thee and there is none upon Earth that 〈◊〉 desire besides Thee Psal. 73. 25. These two Places Heaven and Earth do take in the whole Compass and Latitude of Things Desirable but Nothing in any of them less than God will content a Christian God chiefly Nothing but God and only God doth the Gracious Soul desire Nothing but God in the Ordinances and Nothing but God in the Creatures First Nothing but God in the Ordinances as Prayer Hearing and Receiving First T is God in Prayer that the Gracious Soul only desires He reckons Prayer not Prayer unless he me●…ts with God Therefore he Prayes that he might Converse with God Speak to God and Rest in God Vision of God Communion with God and Supplies from God is the End of Prayer No Climbing up to Heaven but by this Iacob's Ladder Secondly T is God in lest God in Judgment should say Sleep on If a Judg give a Charge all Listen if a King Speaks all give Attention When Samuel knew it was the Lord that spake to him he lent an Ear 2 Sam. 3. 5. Speak Lord thy Servant Heareth If God does not Speak to a Soul in a Sermon it Profiteth nothing God must come down in and by the Word upon a Sinner or else the Word will be only as Seed upon Thorny and Stony Ground But if God goes along Powerfully with the Word then it is Effectual even unto the Salvation of the Soul Thirdly 'T is God at a Sacrament that the Gracious Soul only desires He comes not to a Sacrament to Feed upon Bread only but to Feed upon God in Christ. If God be Absent at such a Time his Stomach is lost and he cannot Eat because the Founder of the Feast is not there to Invite and Help him God's Presence is the Heaven of Heaven's and every Ordinance of Divine Institution is a Heaven to the Soul because of the Enjoyment of God in and thereby Therefore God and Christ is the Sweetness of an Ordinance Finally All the Ordinances without God and Christ are but Dead and Lifeless Things very Shadows Secondly Nothing but God in the Creatures satisfies a Gracious Heart God Sweetens a Husband a Wife a Child God in these it is that makes a Believer in Love with them All Outward Comforts are but Skin and Shell without Enjoyment of God All Things to a Christian without God is Nothing

that thou shouldst do for others as God has done for thee Methinks if Unmerciful Men did but consider this they would not do as they do Such Extortion and Oppression would not be as is Families would not be Ruined Kingdoms would not be Depopulated as they are One Màn would not be a Devil to another as now it is with a Witness You that are Cruel and Unmerciful bear with me if I put a few Questions to you Have you Received such Unkindness at the Hands of God that you deal so Unkindly with others Has God dealt so Severely with you that you can deal no more Mildly with others Has God fell upon you with Stroke after Stroke that you lay so much upon others Did God ever punish thee without giving Warning that thou art so Rigid with others and takest so much Advantage of them Speak if thou canst Art thou Speechless Blush then for Shame and Repent of Unreasonable Madness Suppose now it should fare as ill with thee as it hath done with others Suppose what thou hast wished to and brought upon others should come on thy self What would'st thou say then Lord be Merciful to me a Sinner Will not thy Conscience say or suggest 'T is Just with God it should be so Hence learn then Do by others as thou would'st have God do by thee Motive 2. Secondly Consider To do much for others is but what your Brethren that are gone before you have done I could give you a Cloud of Witnesses for this See first Scriptural Examples Christians Acts 2. 45. 4. 34. Women Luk. 8. 23. The Poor Widdow Mark 12. 2. Dorcas Acts 9. 36. Paul Acts 24. 17. Cornelius Acts 10. 2. Iob Chap. 31. 16. 21. Barnabas Acts 4. 36 37. Zacheus Luk. 19. 8. Phebe Rom. 16. 2. Hebrews Chap. 6. 10. Philemon Verse 5. 7. The Vertuous Woman Prov. 31. 20. Obadiah 1 King 18. 13. Onesiphorus 2 Tim. 1. 18. Examples that we find in Ecclesiastick Histories may also be produced Holy Master Bradford in a Hard Time Sold his Chains Rings and Iewels to Relieve those that were in Want And 't is further Reported of him That he counted that Hour lost wherein he did not some Good by his Tongue Pen or Purse Trajan the Emperor did Rend off a Piece of his own Robe to wrap his Souldiers Wounds The Iews also are noted in this kind I could tell you also of Heathens Titus Vespasian was so inured to Works of Mercy that remembring he had Given nothing that Day cried out Diem perdidi I have lost a Day Modern Testimonies might be also here instanc'd viz. Mr. Bolton Mr. Whately of Banbury Mr. Bruen in the County Palatine of Chester Mr. Thomas Gataker Mr. Iohn Dod Dr. William Gouge Dr. Harris Mr. Richard Greenham Cum multis aliis I might also here-unto add those in our own Age lately Deceased But I shall only mention that never to be forgotten Man I am sure by me Mr. Thomas Wadsworth who had Christ Iesus Pourtrayed in his Life as much as any Man in respect of all Things what-so-ever One that never knew what a Temptation to Pride did mean which I believe scarce any one besides himself could say Eminent especially for Sincerity Integrity and Charity That would go up and down his Parish doing Good buying Cloaths for the Poor that they might have no Excuses for their Absence from the Church Newington Southwark and Theobalds will tell you what a Man he was Motive 3. Thirdly Consider God's End in doing Good to thee is that thou might'st be Capable of doing Good to others Abilities are not for thy Self only but for Others And if a Man doth not Improve what God has Given him for the Benefit of Others even that which he hath God may justly take away Has God Given thee Wit Learning and Understanding be then Thankful to God for the same and use them well for thine own Good and the Good of others Has God Given thee the Inward Graces of his Spirit Give God the Glory thereof and Imply them for the Benefit of others Instruct the Ignorant Confirm the Weak Comfort the Distressed Reduce the Wandring and Bind up the Broken-hearted Has God Given thee Riches Be Rich then in Good Works and lay up Treasure in Heaven Motive 4. Fourthly Consider What you do for any Poor Member of Christ Christ will take as done to Himself What Good you do to any of Christ's he will take it as done to Himself and what you do not to His he will take as not done to Himself Matth. 25. 35 36 37 38 39 40. If a Cup of cold Water given to a Disciple of Christ hath a Reward attending it surely then Things of a far greater Moment Christ will take notice of Motive 5. Fifthly Would you not Resemble your Redeemer Christ Iesus Imitate him and Write after so fair a Copy as He is that has neither Blot nor Blur in it Christ Iesus now is a Great Exemplar herein As he is full of Merit so he is full of Bounty When he was upon the Earth he went up and down doing Good CHAP. XXV Containing more Motives SECT I. Motive 1. COnsider Would you be willing that Persons in Miseries Respecting either Body or Soul or both should be laid at your Doors in your not Succouring and Administring Help unto them When you can do Good and will not know that you neglect Duty and that God may justly deprive you of what you have and make you as Desolate as others Having therefore an Opportunity make use of it for you know not how soon the Ballance of Providence may be turned as to thy self Thou that art Rich to Day may'st be Poor to Morrow Nebuchadnezzar a Mighty Conqueror was turned a Grazing among the Oxen. A Great Haman is Feasted with the King one Day and made a Feast for the Crows the next Adonibezek a Mighty Prince was made a Fellow-Commoner with Dogs So Herod Belisarius a most Famous General under Iustinian the Emperor after all his Noble Atchievements had his Eyes put out in his Old Age by the Empress Theodora And at the Temple of Saint Sophy fain to Beg Date panem Belisario c. Give a Crust to Old Belisarius whom Vertue Advanced but Envy hath brought into Misery Pythias Pined to Death for want of Bread who once was Able to Entertain and Maintain Xerxes his vast Army Great Pompey had not so much as Room to be Buried in And William the Conqueror's Corps lay Three Dayes unburied his ●…nterrement being hindred by one that claimed the Ground to be his Cum multis aliis It is Wisdom in this Sense saith a Worthy Divine to consider others Remember how soon the Scene may alter We may be put in the Poor's Dress and then it will be no small Comfort to us to think that we Relieved others when we were in Capacity to do it Verily my Friends this is not considered For

Holy-Ghost But now when God proceedeth in the Work of Conversion he doth in part also Cure the Will of its Depravity which consisteth in its Crookedness Perversness and Stubbornness Before it was Inflexible but now it is made Flexible And our Noble Faculties as Understanding and Memory do not so much depend upon the Power of the Will for their Actings though we shall not have till we are in Heaven such an Universal Dominion over all the Powers of our Soul So that they may Act what Time and what Measure we please Yet it is most certain that when we are New Born we then learn to Deny our Wills So that our Affections shall be no more subject to it with respect to their Rise Progress and Degree And thus God is said to do much for the Soul when he doth much for the Will Fourthly True Conversion consisteth in a Change upon the Affections For that these Affections by the Fall are Polluted is evidently and palpably manifested in the Dominion and Tyranny they have over the Intellectual Part of Man When the Iudgment should Govern the Affections the Affections do the Iudgment A Man doth now for the most part Reason Believe and Will according to his Affections and Passions Aristotle observed this when he said Prout quisque Affectus est ita Iudicat As every Man is Affected so he Judgeth They are Unruly and Irregular in their Motions and Risings in their Progress and Degrees and the Objects that for the most part they Center in But now when God proceeedeth in the Work of Conversion then these Affections shall be Restrained Held-in and Ordered Love and Hatred shall keep to their right Centers and move towards their proper Objects To Love nothing but Good to Hate nothing but Evil. Fifthly and Lastly Here is a Change on Conscience Now Conscience is a Part of Understanding in the Reasonable Creatures determining of their Particular Actions with or against them Now that this as well as the other Faculties of the Soul without a Change is Polluted appears in its Blindness and so it of-times misguides In its Senslesness and Stupidity though Lusts as so many Thieves come to steal the Soul away yet this Dog doth not so much as give one Bark Sometimes Conscience Accuseth and Excuseth falsly But now when God proceedeth in the Work of Conversion then This in the first Place is awakened and stirr'd up to do its Office It will then deal plainly even with the Greatest and will tell them their own without Flattery and Trace them in all their Actions and Haunt them where soever they go And thus I have shewed when God may be said to do much for our Souls viz. When he Converts them unto Himself And wherein this Conversion consists has been shewed viz. God's Working upon and Changing and Renewing the Five Faculties of the Soul viz. Understanding Memory Will Affections and Conscience CHAP. XXIII I now come to shew What it is that those whom God has done much for should be in doing for others Now questionless every Man especially such a Man whom God has ●…one much for ought to Resemble him which is that also God justly requires and expects VVherefore Has God done much for thy Body in the Sense above VVritten But that thou shouldst do much for the Bodies of others also Has God done much for thy Soul in the Sense above VVritten Do thou also much for the Soul of others answering according to the endeavors what God has done for thy Soul Or has God done much for both viz. Body and Soul Then do thou endeavour to do Good both to the Bodies and Souls of others which probably may be Comprehended in these following Sections SECT I. First Do much for others in point of Instruction and Reprehension A Solemn and Great Work if Piously performed Much Pains should be taken in the Instruction of one another Nay we should be often Admonishing and Reproving too if occasion be The Converted need our Instruction the Unconverted need our Reproofs David tells God what shall follow upon the Ioys of Salvation being Restored to him Psal. 51. 13. Then will I Teach Transgressors thy Wayes and Sinners shall be Converted unto thee You and I should have Instructed one another Have we done it You and I should have Reproved one another Have we done it In the Scriptures we find the Saints Reproving one another Moses Reproving Aaron Exod. 32. 21. Nathan Reproing David 2 Sam. 11. Paul Reproving Peter Gal. 2. 11. Sometimes you shall hear Cursing and Swearing in your Presence Sometimes you shall behold Covetousness Pride Passion Anger and Uncomliness Here now are Opportunities of doing Service for God of Appearing and Witnessing for him against these Vices Therefore do not say I am loath or I am afraid to speak it will be ill taken I shall do no Good by Testifying or I shall be accounted a busie Body Away with all these Petty Objections and attend to Duty leaving the Issue and Event to God only beg Wisdom which is profitable to Direct If we would not partake of the Sins of others we must then fall upon Reproving-Work Ephes. 5. 11. And have no Fellowship with the Unfruitful Works of Darkness but rather Reprove them As there is a Holy Silence under God's Correction Aaron held his Peace So there is a Sinful Silence under Man's Corruption For Eli held his Peace also Aaron's Silence was a Good Silence but Elie's Silence was a Naughty Silence SECT II. Secondly Do much for others in leaving Patterns that may Survive you and Live when you are Dead I mean Live Exemplarily as Paul Phil. 3. 17. Brethren saith he be Followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an Ensample This great Apostle denied himself to make himself an Example to others Take heed of Scandals and Visible Infirmities which discourageth many to take up with Religion Examples are very Prevalent In ●…ramque partem Either one way or other either for Good or Evil Oh! That the Professors of this Age who are most Defective herein would but be perswaded to live Lives for Posterity Live Holy therefore that others imitating your Holiness may be Holy also But How little Convincing Converting and Edifying are the Lives of most now a-dayes Not considering that their Examples one Day shall have a Resurrection as well as their Bodies Ah! How few are those that are Writing Copies for Posterity to Write after And VVhere now a-dayes is Singularity of Life Have not such Reason to question Whether the Root of the Matter is in them For though Good Works Justifies us not before God yet they Justify us before Men and they are necessary for the Manifestation of our Faith and the Glory of Christ our Redeemer Methinks I cannot speak enough of such a Subject as this is which is of very great Moment viz. The Transmission of Patterns to Posterity But I must conclude this