Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A70828
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The saints support in these sad times delivered in a sermon at Tiverton in Devonshire, in the time his excellencies army raised for King and Parliament quartered there / by Tho. Palmer ...
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Palmer, Thomas, b. ca. 1620.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing P255; ESTC R7586
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53,831
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49
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THE MOST NOBLE ROBERT EARLE OF ESSEX AND LO: GEN OF THE FORCES FOR K PARL THE SAINTS Support in these sad TIMES Delivered in a Sermon at Tiverton in Devonshire in the time his Excellencies army raised for King and Parliament quartered there By Tho. Palmer Minister to the Honourable Major Generall Skippons Regiment Imprimater Joseph Carrill LONDON Printed by M. Okes for William Ley and are to be sold at his shop at Pauls Chaine 1644. To His EXCELLENCY Robert Earle of Essex Viscount Herreford Barron Ferrars of Chaâ—tly Lord Bourcher and Lovaine one of his Majesties most Honourable Privy Counsel and Generall of the Army raysed by the Parliament in defence of the true Protestant Râ—ligion His Majesties Person the Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdom and the Priviledges of Parliament Great Generall I Take the boldnesse to stile you what God himselfe hath certainly made you Surely as yet God never honoured any man with so great a prize as hee hath now intrusted your Excellency with God hath put you into his owne place God hath graced you with his owne Name Lord of Hosts Geneâ—all of Armies God in our appearance hath committed unto your care what is preciâ—us to himselfe A precious Gospell precious Ordinances a precious Parliament a precious people God hath called forth your Excellency as a choise worthy to be his Generall and the Champion of Iesus Christ to fight the great and last Battell with Antichrist in this your Native Kingdome Laâ— confident your Excellency is not so little read in Divine history or such a stranger to the worlds experience as to thinke this Church-workâ— this thing called Reformation will be found a matter of ease and pleasure No it is a businesse of the greatest difficvlâ—y in the world Antichrist wâ—l ingage the Kings of the earth and set the whole world in a combustion before he will leave his hold It is the nature of the devill to rage horribly towards his end It is the property of a dying Beast to give one great struggle when life is departing why may not God now make this Good in this Roman Beast amongst us Great Generall thinke not lesse of God â—r worse of this Cause for one foile Joshuahs Armie may flee and fall before the men of Ai though he had good warrant to fall on and the designe wisely managed Israel may lose two battells together before Benjamin when God had them goe Iesus Christs owne Disciples may meete with a crosse gale when they goe about his businesse Now it being within my owne verge to opâ—n Scrâ—pture I tâ—kâ— this liberty to hiâ—t unâ—o your Excellency the meaning of God in this strange dispensation and further to let your Excellency know that God haâ—h much sweet in this bitter much good in this seeming evill Israel was routed fled and fell before Ai that plundering Achan might be found out and punished Israel fell in two Battells together before Benjamin that thâ—y might learne more seriously to seeke and trust God upon the first undertaking Aâ—d the Disciples must be in a hopelesse helpelesse perishing storm that their faith in Christ though by a miraculous experience might be firmely established Little did I thinke when first I preached and writ out these collections that God intended to mâ—kâ— them so suitable to the condition of your Excellencies Armie as now I conceive them It is not the least of my thoughts in this to looke at my selfe but my aime is alone Gods glory I am not unacquainted with your Excellencies goodnesse as well as greatnesse ever discerning an unwonted humility in so great a personage which is my strong encouragâ—ment to present unto your Excellency this small tender of a most reall affection If your Excellency be pleased to peruse it it beares the character of a right Souldier and I know you wil not love it the worse for that Your Excellency will here finde a sincere heart and an undaunted Spirit in a plaine and meane Presse Flattery is fitter for the Kings Court then the Lords Campe Be pleasâ—d then great Generall to honour mee in the acceptation Protect it as you approve it and I have my desire The great God prosper his great woâ—ke in your handâ— and make your Name glorious to succeeding Ages Most Noble Generall in the Name of the Lord goe on and hee will yet do mightily for you You will expâ—esse your greatnesse in over-looking difficulties And certrinly a Generall of so many faithful prayers cannot miscarry You may yet assure your selfe Gods people have you in a high-esteeme The Saints aâ—e daily begging at the Throne of Grace of you Question it not but God will make a sweet and full returne of all the prayâ—rs teares wrongs and Blood which hath so long cryed to heaven This is the desire and the expâ—ctation Of your Excellencies most faithfâ—lly devoted in the Worke of Jesus Christ Thomas Palmer A Support for the SAINTS in these sad times PSAL. 37. vers. 40. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him VArious and promiscuous are the Lords dealings with the Godly and wicked in this life God doth not infallibly feed his choisest Saints with the sweet-meates of prosperity and let the wicked onely lye under the lash of biting calamity woe and misery No for if prosperity did ever wait upon Gods people and adversity attend the ungodly then we might easily find out the wayes of God and know peâ—fectly who were his But sayth Solomon No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them for that all things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked c. Eccles. 9.1 2. That is in the common dispensation of outward things during the time of Gods plâ—asure Outward providences at all times are no infallible rules to judge by Gods wisedome is above our reach we cannot say presently that any are in Gods favour because they thrive and prosper nor conclude others under a curse because that misery and trouble doth still attend them True it is the children of God may more justly expect freedome and mercy from the hand of their Father then the servants of Satan can doe the Saints have the Word and the precious Promises of God to build upon and by which God as I may say is ingaged to his faithfull ones which the other have not yet the Lord in his wisedome and by his power is pleâ—sed so to order all that for the exercise of graces and the tryall of faith he often puâ—s his people to it he many times brings them very low he knocks away all their self-props that Gods precious ones many times seemingly lye under clouds of displeasure whâ—n the wicked may be thought to have all at their hearts desire This experienced truth hath staggered not a few and even strange beleevers Davâ—d who was indued with almost unparalleled graces confesseth it of himselfe that upon
Father will send in his Name the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said to you Joh. 14.26 I hope I have in this set open a large doore of sweet comfort to every poore soule groaning under the burden of sinne I will now the Lord assisting come to point of tryall of which as briefe as I may I have hitherto endeavoured all along to discover a Christians priviledges he hath by Christ with some directions what a Christian is to doe in himselfe to get an interest in this Christ I am now come to give you some Signes or Evidences by which you may know whether as yet Christ be yours or no they shall be but few and short the Lord help me in the discovery and you in the faithfull examination of the ground upon which your building stands and there will arise abundance of sweet and full comfort to all our Soules Signe 1. The first Signe whereby a Christian may know he hath an interest in Christ is a sound and sincere love to Christ for Christ alone It 's not enough to love Christ for the Loaves so Christ hath lovers and followers too many to love Christ because you outwardly thrive and get by Christ Christ finds fault with this Joh. 6.26 It is not enough to love Christ with the Loaves with the world this also Christ cannot away with this will not doe yee cannot doe it Mat. 6.24 but Christ will be loved for himselfe he will have all your love and have you love him onely that is to love him above all more then all Christ would not have any thing here below to stand in computition with him if any thing must be parted with let it be any thing all things save Christ Goods Friends Life are all to he left for the love of Christ when they cannot stand together This is the meaning of thoâ—e two Scriptures Mat. 10.37 Luk. 14.26 Now if you solemnly and seriously aske your hearts they will tell you whether you love a naked Christ a despised Christ I say your hearts will in some measure tell you how they are disposed what longings have you after Christ what inquires doe you make after Christ what delight have yee in the Saints â—ow doe yee prize the Ordinances what soule-meetings have you with Christ what sweet communion have â—ou with Christ Object But you will say who can doe this Aâ—sw I answer every Christian may doe this nay I say further every true Christian doth doe this in a greater or lesser degree what is prayer but the soules discourse with God and Christ by the help of the holy Ghost what is the Word and preaching but a declaration of the mind of God to us Love these and love Christ neglect these and you care not for Iesus Christ Now then have these taken thy heart and ravished thy soule are these the cause of thy rejoycing and the want of these thy sorrow doest thou prize the Word of God above all the Words wealth doest thou love to follow Christ under all contempts canst thou rejoyce in Christ and account thy interest in him to be dearer to thee then all other honours and priviledges I say here are infallible signes of a sincere love to Christ when you can love any thing for Christ and all things for Christ and onely for Christ can you love Christians as they are Christs Ordinances as they are Christs doe you the more love Christians where there is the more of Christ in them do you the more love pure Ordinances as they are the more agreeable to the mind of Christ certainly unlesse you can doe this unlesse your hearts close with Christ in these I can give you no hopes that you either love Christ or have any interest in Christ This is not my owne rule but the rule of Iesus Christ this is not my word but the Word of Iesus Christ In one place Iesus Christ propounds a brotherly love to be a knowne signe of being in him By this shall all men know that yee are my Disciples if yee have love one to another Ioh. 13.35 the other place is Joh. 14.15 If yee love me keep my Commandements that is if you will make it appeared and manifest that you love me let it be knowne by your obedience in walking according to the rule I have given you to observe you see how strict Christ is and therefore it is not good for us to depart from Christ's rule from what he warrants us in I say againe for I cannot say it too often for the Lords sake take heed that you deceive not your selves in the cleering up your Evidences for Heaven your right to Christ you must not thinke because you live in the ayre of the Gospell amongst Christians and Ordinances and Bibles that this can make you Christians and intitle you to Christ no no it 's not faint prayers will bring a man to Heaven every one that saith Lord Lord shall not enter into the Kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Mat. 7.21 Christ requires acting doing his will as well as confession of him nay it 's not barely a civill and strict life will bring a man to Heaven The Scribes and Pharisees went farre in this and yet fell short and therefore did Christ propound this seasonable Caution Except your righteousnesse exceed the righâ—eousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees yee can in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Mat. 5.20 Nay I must goe a little further yet it s not barely your partaking of the Seales of the Covenant doth put you into Covenant it 's not in plainer words your being baptized and receiving the Lords Supper which makes you Christians and interests you in Christ you may doe all these and yet doe nothing you may perish for all To this it is considerable which Paul writes to the Church at Galatia you may see what a stirre they kept about Circumcision Now to stint the strife and take them from their faâ—se bottomes the Apostle tels them plaine it is neither one nor the other will bring them to Heaven it 's onely the worke of faith by love For saith Paul in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Gal. 5.6 all these outward priviledges advantageth a soule nothing unlesse it can sensibly close with Christ in a full perswasion of the love of Christ to the soule in the great worke of Redemption and that it selfe have a pâ—rt therein but if the soule can thus trust Christ and hence really love Christ againe it may assuredly rest upon it it hath an inteâ—est in Christ This is the first signe of a reall love to Christ Signe 2. Secondly the soule that hath an interest in Christ will trust Christ with all the soule that hath an