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heart_n begin_v love_n love_v 2,171 5 6.3452 4 false
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A25828 The Son of God walking in the fire with the servants of God in nine sermons upon Dan. III. XXV / by that precious and holy man, Mr. Timothy Armitage ... ; unto which is added another sermon preached by him upon Eccles. 9.10 at the entrance of one of the mayors there into his office. Armitage, Timothy, d. 1655. 1656 (1656) Wing A3703; ESTC R15716 136,561 236

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so much of God as should draw forth your hearts for ever in all conditions to put your trust in God Now know that the outward mercies were given for this end It is one end I say wherefore God gives mercie that so he might ingage his people for the future to trust in him it would be a great discredit to God if his people after all experiences he hath given them shall not trust in him for the future and there is nothing that doth provoke God more then this If Israel after all the experiences that God hath given them after all the wonders they had seen in the Land of Aegypt and in the red Sea and after all this shall distrust God through unbelief God does look upon it as a great provocation See what God says in Ps 78. about the 19 20 verses 't is said in v. 18 That they tempted God yea they spake against God in the 19. vers They said can God furnish a Table in the wilderness behold he smote the Rock and the water gushed out and the streams overflowed can he give bread also can he provide flesh for his people Now 't is said in the next verse therefore was the anger of the Lord kindled against them therefore was the anger of the Lord kindled because they had seen his wonders at the red Sea and his wonders at the Rock yet they distrusted him can God prepare a Table in the wilderness this was a limiting of God and this their unbelief it cost them dear Therefore the Lord sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Object But you will say Whether can any mercies or de●iverances that a man hath received be any help unto him for the future Answ I answer they may and I will shew you when When mercies received or deliverances How mercies may be helps to the soul for the future are helps unto the soul concerning his confidence and trusting in the Lord for the future First of all when the soul is careful to lay up the experiences of mercy when a man is careful to remember the goodness of God a man may receive a thousand mercies a thousand deliverances such as he might make experience of for his own benefit and for the help of others and yet be never the beter I say if they be not carefully laid up if they be not carefully treasured up a man looseth all the sweetness of them for there are two things that God doth intend in every mercy First of all There is present comfort and refreshment that he presently gives out and then there is something in the mercy to be laid up for the future there is something in every mercy that God would have his people lay up something that will stand them in stead another day now when a man does not remember the mercy that the Lord dispenceth to him though he may take some comfort in them yet he looseth the greater comfort of them that which he should lay hold on is the fruit of experience or else all the mercy is lost Secondly Mercies become helpful when as the soul can see the love of God in the present ●●rcy when the soul sees the love of God in every present mercy this puts life into the mercy when the soul receives mercy and doth not eye love in it that mercy it proves a dead mercy or if there be any sence it will not last long because there was not special love seen in it Now when the soul can eye the love of God in the mercy then is the heart affected with the mercy and then is the sence of the mercy most like to be continued When a man can look at every mercy as the off spring of love he will be careful to nourish the sence the remembrance of that mercy one mercy that the soul can see love in is more dear more precious then many mercies See it in Hezekiah he saw special love of God to him in that mercy Is 38. part v. 17. But thou hast in love to my soul deliv●red it from the pit of corrup●ion for thou hast cast all my si●s behind thy back Hezekiah was taken with the mercy why because he saw the love of God in the mercy Thou in love to my soul hast do● it and therefore he set a high price upon the mercy Those fifteen yeers that God added to his life was more then all his life before because he saw a special hand of God here and he saw the love of God here and therefore this was a long-lived mercy it was remembred it continued it remained in Hezekiahs heart so long as H●zek●ah lived Thirdly Again Thirdly present mercies b●come helpful to the soul for the future when as the heart is fully convinced of the unchangeableness of the love of God to his people When he is fully perswaded of this truth That where God loves he loves to the end and where he begins in a way of mercy he goes on in a way of mercy he goes all a●●ng in free grace saith the Psalmist All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth unto his people When a soul is once convinced this will help much to turn mercies into experiences and therefore that Doctrine which doth teach falling away from grace that a man may be beloved to day and cast off to morrow 'T is a most uncomfortable Doctrine and 't is impossible then that a man should make any experience at all of the mercies that he hath received If God be changable in his love if he cast off his people that he hath received in his free grace why then though a man hath never so much of God to day and know never so much and have never so much of the presence of God in the mercy he can have no experience and therefore that which concerns the soul it is to be grounded in the unchangeableness of Gods love to his people Fourthly Again Fourthly A man may make use of present mercies to be helpful for the future if he be careful to keep faith in action if he be careful to keep faith upon the wings To act faith in every condition upon the free grace of God and the mighty Righteousness of Jesus Christ it is faith that puts a lustre upon all mercies and if faith be down a man cannot see the goodness of God in any mercy that he hath received if saith be dead then the sense of the mercy is lost precious mercies they become useless they are as a treasure locked up that a man cannot come by to make use of a treasure buried in the earth that will do a man little good and therefore it concerns the people of God to keep faith upon the wings act faith and keep that fresh and lively and then all mercies and all deliverances that you have received they will be fresh in your eye for faith puts a varnish upon the mercy and though they be old yet
coming when thou shalt see a friend may come with a Present to a friend but no● presently give it him it may be he will sit with him a long time and when he is ready to go away he will give the gift to him and so the Lord Jesus Christ he never comes empty and he comes and sits long before he gives out that grace that strength that comfort that is in his hand ready to give but undoubtedly Christ will give it before he goes away and therefore 't is the duty of all his people to wait upon him for the giving of that grace that he hath promised to their ●ouls and therefore when Christ comes to a soul manifesting of himself is expressed to the soul by his supping with the soul see Revel 20. Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will com● in to him and will sup with him and he with me If any man open the door I will come in and sup with him he doth not say I will come in and break-fast with him or Dine with him no he shall have my comforts before I go away though I be at the last Meal I will be sure to sup with him though he break his fast with sowre herbs and dine with sowre herbs yet I will be sure to sup with him and he with me before I go away I will open my Bottels and pour out my Flagons of Wine and he shall taste of my D●●ties before I go and therefore the Martyrs cryed out He is come he is come meaning the gracio●● presence of Christ to their souls the Lord Jesus will at last manifest himself to his people and will be present with them in their afflicted conditions according to his word and 't is the Lord Jesus his will that his people should expect his presence though he do not give it out to them presently yet wait for it and he will abundantly satisfie your souls before he go●● away FINIS A SERMON Preached in Norwich upon the day of the Mayors entring into his Office ECCLES 9. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdome in the grave whither thou goest WE shall not seek far for the sence of the words we shall finde the sence in themselves Some conceive that Solomon spake in the person of the natural man or the Atheist who keep this Counsel Follow after the world enjoy thy pleasure and thy profit and do it with all thy might for thou hast no long time to enjoy them in there is nothing in the grave and therefore now take thy fill But I rather conceive that Solomon spake here as a Prophet in the person of a Prophet and spiritual man and gives better Counsel then this from the seventh verse unto the end of the Chapter He gives advice in the seventh verse to take the comforts of those things that God hath given And upon this Account Because the Lord accepts thy works Goe thy way eat thy Bread with joy and drink thy Wine with a merry heart for God now accepts thy works And so in the ninth verse Live joyfully with thy Wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity not with the Harlot as the Atheist would have spoken but with the wife whom thou lovest And so also this Counsel in the Text seems to be given by Solomon in the person of a spiritual man Whatsoever thy hand finds to do do it with all thy might for there is no working in the Grave c. The wise man here gives counsel unto all men to improve the time of life he calls all men to activity in the time of life And first he declares wherein men ought to be active Whatsoever thy hand findes to do Whatsoever is in thine hand to do as some read it Whatsoever God puts into thy hand to do in thy general or particular Calling more especially in the great Affairs that do concern the world to come whatsoever thy hand finde to do in relation unto the state of Eternity whatsoever thy hand finde to do a man finds that sometime which he seeketh and sometimes that which he seeketh not After thou hast sought out the mind of God and dost know what is his will concerning thee when thy hand hath found out what to do then do it with thy might or if the Lord shall prevent thee with his goodnesse and shall discover his will to thee when thou soughtest not after it Oh then give up thy self to work the work of God and do it with all thy might And then he shews in the second place how men must work these works of God do it with all thy might with all diligence with all faithfulness lay forth thy self to the very utmost for God do it with thy might This he presseth with two Arguments First There is no work in the grave there is no work to be done there that is the place of rest t●ere is no possibility of working if thou wouldst work afterward thou canst not thou shalt not be able to work there is no possibility of working for God and for thy soul when once in the grave there is no beleeving there is no repenting there is no turning to God when once in the grave if it be not done before thou comest there it is like to be undone for ever There is no work in the Grave And secondly as there is no work in the grave so there is no device nor knowledge nor wisdome there is no means to accomplish work if there were any work to be done in the grave there is no means to accomplish this work there is no knowledge in the grave This Argument is further backed by the consideration of the hastening of that estate of death where there shall be no possibility of working there is no work in the grave whither thou goest He doth not say there is no work in the in the grave whither thou shalt go but whither thou goest thou hadst need make hast for thou art going Thou and Thou and every one thou goest to the grave thou art making post hast thither thou art going every moment thou art every moment stepping over the Threshold of Eternity And therefore the Result of all is this Whatsoever God shall lay before thee to be thy work whatsoever thou hast to do for God or for thy soul in the great business of Eternity do not dally with it do not defer it do not put it off there is no work in the grave there is no possibility of working there If thou wouldst there is no means to accomplish work there And this condition is hastning upon thee thou art stepping into the grave every moment thither thou goest therefore he saith what thou doest do it with thy might I shall fasten upon this one consideration to prosecute at this time Observat That