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heart_n	believe_v	dead_a	jesus_n	2,761	5	6.4707	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15495	Physicke, to cure the most dangerous disease of desperation Collected for the direction and comfort of such Christians as trauayling and being heauie loaden in their consciences, with the burthen of their sinnes, stand in danger either in time of their sicknesse to fall away from their God, through deepe despaire, or else in time of their health, to yeelde to one desparate end, or other, to the ruine and vtter confusion of both bodyes and soules for euer. By W.W.	Willymat, William, d. 1615.	1605 (1605)	STC 25762; ESTC S102526	47,571	122

fayth hope patience against Desperation who were so h●at in contention one against an other that they forsooke one anothers companie in high displeasure and heate of their stomackes the one taking with him Luke the other Iohn What though we haue yeelded vnto practised and followed Oppression Extortion polling pilling and wresting what we can by hooke or crooke from our brethren Luke 19.2 So did Zacheus yet notwithstanding after his repentance his forsaking and ceassing from bad getting his restitution and almes giuing receiued that most chearefull and comfortable saying of Christ Luke 19. ● This day is saluation entred into thine house What though we haue been Theeues robbers and stealers of our neighbours goodes so was the Theefe that was crucified with Christ and yet vpon his humble contrite and sorrowfull confession of his sinnes he heard this most sweete word from Christ This day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise What though we haue murthered and shead the blood or caused the blood to be shed of some of our brethren so did Dauid to Vrias and yet vppon his zealous inward true vnfained sorrowfulnes and repentance he was not taken away in his sinne but found pardon And so did the Iewes which put to death the Lord of life King Manasses was an Idolater he defi●ed the Temple of God he withstood and did beat downe the trueth he set vp Idolatrie 2. Kin. 21. he was a Coniurer and a Southsayer he shed a boundance of Innocent blood so that the streetes flowed therewith he committed more abhominations then the Cananites or Amorites whom for their filthinest the Lord cut off out of the land of the liuing he sacrificed his sonnes and daughters to Diuels and yet vpon his true returning to the Lord from the bottome of his heart he found fauoure and mercie 2. Chro. 33. If our sinnes then or the sinnes of any one of vs were as greeuous as euer were the sinnes of Manasses yet vpon our true and vnfaigned returne to the Lord shal● we despaire of his mercie shall we or may we or dare we thinke that the mercie and power of the Lod is shortened or that God is not the same God he was Is he not as readie to pardon and forgiue sinnes the sinnes of a man repenting returning and faythfully calling vpon him as euer he was the sinnes of Manasses All these examples and many more are written for our learning comfort and strengthening of our fayth hope and patience that we should in no wise despaire vpon our true repentance neither for the multitude nor greeuousnesse of our sinnes And likewise also it is written for the brusing and as it were euen for the breaking of the backe of all damnable Desperation and to hold the heartes and to restore the faynting and dullie sprites of all such as the seruitude and bondage of sinne this our third cause of Desperation doth vexe and presse downe It is I say written Luk. 9.56 that the Sonne of man is come to saue mens liues And he him selfe hath sayd I am come to call not the iust but sinners Math. 10. Math. 20. Ioh. 3. Wherefore Christ can into this world And againe Iesus Christ is come to giue his life a redemption for many Also God the Father hath not sent his S nne to iudge the Worlde but to the ende the Worlde may be saued by him Now what is it to saue not to iudge but to deliuer from death and damnation wherein we lay in the middest of the bondage of sinne for sinne is the death and damnation of the soule Now he can not saue vs except sinne be first taken from vs And therefore and for this cause came Iesus Christ the Sonne of God Ioh. 8. and he hath declared himselfe to the world to the end that he should take away sinnes and should destroy the workes of the Diuell If it be so that Iesus Christ be come into the world to take away sinnes and if the same were his intent and his message the purpose of Iesus Christ shall not fayle at all and his message remayneth stedfast and true he then without all doubt hath taken away this which the Diuell would perswade vs to be a cause of Desperation this great seruitude and bondage of sinne from all those that trust in him and do verily beleeue and perswade themselues in the bottome of their consciences that it is most true but yet how comes this to passe to wit by Iesus Christ onely by his owne free grace and mercie by the benefites and merites of himselfe who is our onely Sauiour Ioh. 1.29 without any other meane or merit for he is the only Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde Act. 4.12 As also S. Peter sayd to the Iewes There is none other saluation but onely in Iesus Christ for among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby wee must be saued And so Christ himselfe sayd after he was rysen from the dead It must needes haue been that Christ must haue suffered death Luk 24.44 and that he must haue rysen the third day from the dead and that amendement of life and forgiuenesse of sinnes must be preached in his name to all people and to all nations O how sweete and comfortable are these wordes and sayinges of God which is the onely eternall trueth in deed O how worthy are they to be layde vp in the deapth of our hearts and to haue our whole confidence reposed freely vpon them Colloss 2. And to the Collossians it is sayd God hath quickened vs which were dead in sinnes with Iesus Christ forgiuing vs all our trespasses and hath put out the hand-writing that was against vs hee euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it on the Crosse What meaneth he by this but onely that Iesus Christ hath taken away the Obligation of our debt to wit that we did owe for our sinnes and hath taken it and tyde it with him selfe vpon the Crosse and hath in deed payde it full bitterly who also is for vs and will surely take away this great seruitude bondage of sinne which the Diuell would vse as an instrument of Desperation against vs in case we will beleeue his word and that we can settle out mindes and quiet our harts to account and esteeme his bitter passion and merites to be so great and of such value th●● they are able effect●all and of sufficient strength to obtaine these aforesayd thinges for vs. And Christes prayer to his heauenly Father is heard and remayneth heard continually when he prayed ●o 17 20. saying I p●●y not for these alone ●eaning his there present Disciples but for them al o which shall beleeue in mee through their worde Wherefore the same prayer includeth euery one of vs so farre foorth as we beleeue and place the same in our heartes and wholly repose our selues thereon ●ct 10.42.43 And

may be implunged into for the better auoyding of these perilles reade reade againe meditate ponder and put in practise the direction aduice and counsayle in the beginning of this present sixt Chapter The example of Ioseph of Arimathia most worthy to be imitated And take this lesson of Ioseph of Arimathia that like as he in his life time had made readie a Sepulcre in the middest of his Garden which was the place of his pleasure as all Gardens of great men most commonly are Euen so thou in the middest of these things wherein thou takest thy greatest felicitie and delight remember yet thy Graue and what one day thou knowest not how soone shall become of thy poore soule and afterward of thy soule and body for euer Remember and learne likewise at the Egiptians who perceiuing the mindfulnesse of death to be a good helpe to brydle their euill actions ●he vse and ●ustome of ●●e● Egipti●ns vsed to bring a Picture or Image resembling Death into their great and solemne Feastes which fearefull and ouglie sight trembling and shaking they tooke to be a speciall occasion to keepe the beholders in sobrietie by the remembrance of their end which they must all come vnto sooner or later And finally learne at the good King Ezechias ●he notable ●nd imitable ●xample of ●ing Eze●hias when thou shalt be by any occasion put in the remembraunce of death be af●aide of Gods threatninges and sorrow a little before hand least thou be constrayned to sorrow howle and cry remeddesse alwayes afterwardes for according to the old saying Qui ante non cauebit post dolebit he that will not beware before shall afterward be sory Ecclesiasticus 7.40 And hee that in all his doinges remembreth the end shall neuer lightly do amisse The which wise remembraunce of our endes he vouchsafe to plant in our hearts who hath full dearely bought vs Iesus Christ the righteous to whom with his and our heauenly Father and the holy Spirit three persons and one eternall maiestie of Godhead all worthy glorie honour and prayse be worthely attributed for euer and euer Amen CHAP. VII The seuenth Chapter conteyning the Generall Preseruatiue against the despaire or doubting of Gods mercie arysing vpon any cause whatsoeuer FOr as much as it is a thing manifestly to be prooued by holy Scriptures that a man endued with true fayth it selfe may notwithstanding now and then be toubled and assaulted with motions of doubtinges wauering yea and of despairing therefore for the brideling suppressing and ouercomming of these assaultes it shall be good to put in practise these fiue thinges especially First we are to thinke and consider thus much The first preseruatiue against Despaire that as not to murther not to steale not to commit adulterie and all the rest of the Decalogue or ten Commaundementes are the Commaundementes of God and we are carefull and striue with our selues that wee should not breake any of them least that in breaking any of them we should so highly offend God that he would therefore powre downe vpon vs his heauie wrath and in his indignation seueerely punish vs as by many examples wee see he hath done to others in the like offences So also it is Gods commaundement as well as any of the other are 1. Ioh. 3.23 That wee beleeue in the name of his sonne Iesus Christ and therefore we must thinke wee offende against God as greeuously or rather farre more greeuously in violating and breaking this Commaundement by incredulitie doubting wauering and despairing as if we should shed mans blood commit whoredome theft periurie or any other such like notorious sinne O what a haynous sinne must it needes be to cast no doubtes nor despaire in the helpe of a mortall man in the time of neede and yet to mistrust and despaire of the like in God As for example We can settle our heartes to beleeue in our mortall Fathers if we stand in neede of meate drinke or cloathes An exam●●● that man men put more tru●● in morta● man ther● God wee then call on them and if they promise vs any such thinges we can set our heartes at case and count it as a thing done we doubt nothing of their good wil towards vs nor of the performaunce of their word vnto vs wee depende vppon them wee relye onely on them and none other and what they giue their word to do for vs we make as sure reckoning of it as if it were alreadie in our handes Againe if we stand in neede of a peece of money as of x. ●nother ●xample ●ewing ●at many ●on put ●ore trust 〈◊〉 mortall ●●n then 〈◊〉 God xx li. xxx li. or be it more or lesse to discharge some dangerous Bond or for any such like vse by a set day or to saue our bodyes out of prison and in the meane time before the day appointed come some one of our honest rich neighbours that is counted an honest substantial man and of good credite promise vs certainly so much money as we want and stand in need of to serue our turne with and bids vs trust vnto it that before that day he will be sure to helpe we herevpon trust his honest promise we beleeue his word make as sure account of it as if we had it already in our purses and take no more thought nor care for it O how much more should we trust Gods most faythfull iust and true word and promise beleeue him without all distrust doubting or despaire and depende vpon him who is a thousand times more able and more willing to do vs good and to keepe touch with vs then euer was or euer shal be any mortall earthly Father or friendly neigbour The second thing in this case to be considered of is that euery one of vs The second generall help against desp●●ation is particularly to beleeue that he is in the number of those that shal be saued by the merites of Christes death passion for the promises of saluation in Christ are indefinite excluding no particuler man as for example God so loued the world Iohn 3 16. that he gaue his onely beloued Sonne to the end that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting In which generall wordes is included euery particuler beleeuing person although he haue not his name seuerally particulerly set downe and heere God excludeth none from his promise vnlesse through their vnbeleefe and despaire they exclude their owne selues If the King of Great Britaine of his owne meere mercie and motion of compassion or at the sure and mediation of some Noble man or other that is deare vnto him should freely pardon and forgiue all the malefactors and prisoners of any Gaile within his Kingdomes may we not account them very fond foolish men and not worthy the benefite of the Kinges gracious Pardon if some two or three should doubt and despaire that this generall Pardon

Cicero vsed that I speake of diuision of Desperation which I likewise find and reade to be of two kindes Two kindes of Desperation the one wicked the other holy the one a wicked kind of Desperation of Gods promises power goodnes mercie towards sinners the matter which heere I am to entreate of The other an holy Desperation of a mans owne power in the obtayning of eternall life conceyued and wrought by a sense or feeling of a mans owne defectes infirmities and corruptions Concerning this former kind of Desperation being especially the marke which I would haue poore silly distressed soules to haue a diligent and a watchfull eye vnto to the intent that both my selfe and my poore brethren lyuing and warring yet with mee in the militant Church of Christ heere on earth may be the better forewarned for that as the say Tela praeuisa minus nocent of this most subtill and deadly strat●geme concerning this most dongerous and fatall assaulting engine of the arch-enemie of our soules this deepe Despaire and diuellish soule-poyson I haue thought good by the penning of this short Treatise to put my selfe and others in remembrance of these three poyntes Three things especially to be noted in th●s Treatise of Desperation to wit first of the haynousnhsse greeuous●esse perniciousnesse of Desperation Secondly of the causes thereof and thirdly of the remedies CHAP. II. The second Chapter wherein is described how haynous greeuous hurtfull and pernitious the sinne of Desperation is IN sundry and manifold places of holy Scriptures are we taught 1. Cor. 1.9 2. Thes 3.3 1 Iohn 1.9 that God is faythfull faythfull in his wordes and true in all his promises All the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2 Cor 1.20 God is constant faithfull and how or wherein Reuel 15.3 2. Cor. 6 1● Faythfull in his mercies for they neuer fayle Faythfull iust true are his wayes according to the Song of the holy Angels Reue. 1.5.3 Yea moreouer God is carefull for the Faythfull and hath promised to be their God and they shall be his people It is thy duetie therefore ô man to doe God this honour to beleeue without all wauering doubting or despayring that God hath both Power and Will to do all thinges that he promiseth The duetie of the faithfull towards God in regard of gods faythfulnes towardes him and not to permit any such cogitations thought or conceite once to enter into thine heart as that God should prooue himselfe a lyar or that it shall not come to passe which he hath promised But if thou once suffer the distrust and diffidence in Gods promised mercies through the multitude of thy sinnes and the greeuousnesse of thine offences through the nature of sinne it selfe and the craftie ingestion and suggestion of Satan to take hold of and possesse thine heart O horrible greeuous is this last sinne of Despayring which thou addest to thy former sinnes The horriblenes of the sinne of diffidence mistrust or desperation So haynous so hurtfull and pernitious is this thy sinne of Diffidence and Distrust in Gods mercies to be obtayned according to his promised Word that I may say of thee as S. Augustine sayd of Iudas the traytor Aug. in Lib. de vtiliti to paenitentia agendae Non tam sc●lus quod comm●sisti quam indulgentiae desperatio facit te penitus interi●e Not so much the sinne which thou hast done as thy despai●e of forgiuenes hath vtterly cast thee away Surely Iudas his despaire and distrust according to S. Augustine his opinion was a more greeuous sinne then his treason in the betraying of his Maister Whereunto agreeth S. Iero. Magis inquit offendit deum Iudas in hoc quod desperando seipsum suspendit quam in hoc quod deum tradidit Desperatio enim reddit hominem maledictum protectione dei indignum Ier. super Psal 108. Iudas sayth S. Ierome more offended God herein that in despaire he hanged himselfe then in that he betraied his Lord and Maister For Desperation maketh a man accursed and vnworthy Gods protection And thus likewise Cain his despayring in Gods mercie after his murther committed was a more greeuous sinne then the shedding of his brother Abel his blood For to adde Despayre to former sinnes is to draw sinne after sinne as it were with Cartroopes to heape sinne vpon sinne to fulfill the measure of iniquitie and so to purchase swift and most certaine damnation It is in deede the fashion and olde wont of Sathan When especially the Diuell beginneth to tempt to despaire to perswade man when he hath once committed many haynous sinnes after his other sinnes to Dispaire and so to commit the greater sinne after the lesser which is as much as if an vnlearned ignorant and a murthering Phisition should cause his Patient for the remedying of a litle cold taken to drinke the iuice of Hemlocke which by adding cold to cold is most sure to bring present death Or as if a man hauing an Ach in one of his fingers should cut off the whole hand to take away the Ach of a finger Euen such like Phisicke and Surgery doth the Diuell practise to minister vnto lewde and wilfull sinners Note what kind of phisicke surgerie the Diuell practiseth when he entiseth and draweth them after many precedent haynous sinnes through despaire of finding mercie forgiuenes to shorten their liues by killing and murthering themselues by poysoning by stabbing by throat-cutting by drowning by Iudas-like hanging of themselues and finally by casting off all vse of Fayth all vse of Hope and so quite to despaire of Gods mercie then the which what can be a more dangerous course for any man to yeelde vnto What can be more foolish or contrary to all reason if a mans reason were not blinded and bewitched that he could not see nor perceiue nor consider well of it then whiles a man is afraide of water presently to cast himselfe headelong into it and so seeingly and wittingly to drowne himselfe The ol sur● d●alinges of such as ea●●ly yeeld to desperation or then whiles a man is afraid of fire presently to runne into it and to dispatch himselfe therin Or whiles a man is afraid of hell fire out of hand most desperately to plunge himselfe into the daungers thereof And yet such as these are the perswasions and temptations of the Diuell to a man whole barking conscience continually pangeth and plagueth him for his sinnes Such as these are the fruites of the most monstrous sinne of Desp●aring of Gods mercy and grace May not he be accounted worse thē mad that is to forwarde and ready to yeeld vnto Marke this o man le●st thou yeelde to desp●●●tion before thou be awa●e wh●t great incon●●●●●●ces thou y●●ld● 〈◊〉 and to follow after the Diuels whistle alluring entising vnto desperation seeing it is no meanes to diminish but to encrease sinne and the rewardes of sinne seeing that

S. Peter sayth Iesus Christ hath commaunded vs to preach vnto the pe●p●e and to test●fie th●t it is hee that is ordayned of God a Iudge of the quicke and the dead and that to him al the Prophets giue witnesse that through his name all that beleeue should receiue remission of sinnes Moreouer S. Paul sayth 2 Cor. 5.21 God hath made him which knew no sinne sinne for vs to the ende that we should be made the righteousnesse of God in him And heere is to be noted What maner of righteousnesse God requireth at our handes what Righteousnesse or Iustice and Goodnesse that is which God requireth and esteemeth which is no other but that onely which dwelleth and holdeth vpon the Iustice Goodnesse and Merite of Iesus Christ being vtterly ignoraunt of the Iustice or R ghteousnesse and Goodnesse which many do seek in their owne good works But yet when I stande so much vppon this poynt to prooue that our sinnes should be no cause of Desperation a thing which the Diuell greatly vrgeth obiecteth against the conscience of an ignorant man for that our sinnes are taken away by the innocent Lambe Christ Iesus that he hath sufficiently pai●e the ransome therof that we are become righteous by the righteousnes of I sus Chri●t it is not here my meaning neither would I haue any man so to mistake mee and misvnderstande mee that I thinke or would haue any other men to thinke hereby that there is no more sinne in vs or that sinne dwelleth not in these our mortall bodyes Sinne dwelleth euen in the beleeuers and in the most righteous men in the world but yet raigneth not in them for I confesse it plainelye and it is too true that sinne indeede dwelleth in vs but yet to the great comfort of an afflicted conscience against Desperation I affirme it hauing the holy Scriptures for my teachers herein that although the roote of sinne the naughtie disposition and inclination to sinne remayneth alwayes strong in a Christian and neuer can be wholly vanquished before we put off by death this sinfull flesh of ours although I say it do dwell in vs yet it doth not raigne in any Christian beleeuer yet it is not able to damne a true faythfull beleeuer It can not I say damne vs for as much as we are in Iesus Christ and that we do fight and striue against the remanent of sinne albeit we stagger and wauer sometimes and do feele and perceiue our selues to be assayled sometimes by the strong temptations of the Diuell and the flesh This is it that S. Paule writeth of when he sayth There is now no dampnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. ● which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit The remaynent roote of sinne dwelleth alwayes in vs but wee like vnto licentious worldlinges giue it not the bridle and suffer it not to range too farre and to take too deepe a roote but wee breake it tame it and make it subiect vnto vs by walking after the spirit c. and then nothing more sure then that there shal be no condemnation at all vnto vs thereby neither any cause of Desperation thereby for that we are iustified by our Fayth and deliuered from sinne to wit these sinnes which might condemne vs the roote originall and mother of sinne yet notwithstanding still abyding remayning and dwelling in vs against which we warre and striue as long as we continue in this life but the victorie remayneth to our Chieftaine head-Captaine Iesus Christ by the law of his spirit which maketh vs to liue in him and hath set vs free from the right of sinne and death in such sort that we may no more feare sinne nor death by Iesus Christ who hath ouercome all for our wealth and hath reconciled vs eternally to his Father who as our deare Father from hence-foorth will shew fauour vnto vs for the loue of Ies s Christ his deare Sonne and so will take from vs all our sinnes as though we had neuer committed them Euen so doth he promise saying Mich. 7.18.19 God is one God willing to shew vs grace and mercie hee will ●u●●e to vs and will be fauourable and hee will t ke away our iniquitus and cast our sinnes into the deapth of the Sea And againe it is sayd of Gods wonderfull mercies The Lord is full of compassion and mercie 〈◊〉 10● 8 ● 10 c. long suffering and of great goodnes Hee will not alwayes be chyding neither keepeth he his anger for euer He hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities For looke how ●igh the Heauen is in compa iso● of the Earth so great is his mercie also towards them that feare him Looke how wide a●so the Fast is from the West so farre hath he set our sinnes from vs. Yea lik● as a Father pittieth his owne children euen so is th● Lord mercifull vnto them that ●●●●e him For he knoweth whereof we be m●●e he remembreth that we are but dust c. Of the great mercies of God towardes sinners read more in Psal 145 8.9 and 147.8.10 in Ioel. 2.13 Math. 18 11. 2. Cor. 1 3. Places of holy Scriptures setting foorth gods great mercies Ephes 2.4 1. Tim. 1.13 vnto the 18. verse Surely these places are wordes of most rare and singular comfort and they be certaine sinne sure and vnchangeable spoken and pronounced by the eternall veritie it selfe and therfore not to be mistrusted or despaired of But yet let vs take heed least that verse be verified in vs Stulti dum vitant vitia in contraria currunt Let vs not abuse Gods mercies making a cloake thereof to couer our sinnes Let vs not presume too farre and say as in Ecclesiasticus 5.6 The mercie of God is great hee will forgiue my manifolde sinnes for mercie and wrath commeth from him c. CHAP. IIII. The fourth Chapter concerning the Remedies to be vsed against the Fourth cause of Desperation arysing of the doubts suggested by the Diuell vnto many men to bring them into despaire of their saluation by meanes of the small number of those that shal be saued in comparison of the great number of the reprobate GReat in deed is the power and manifold and marueilous are the pollicies deuices wyles subtilties assaultes and suggestions wherewith and whereby that wylie Foxe A catalogue or rehearsall of many thinges ●hereby the Diuell craf●ily temp●eth men to sinne des●eration that old bitten Dogge that subtill Sathan the Diuell dayly and howerly practiseth to entice allure and euen as it were to force multitudes of men heere on earth into one sinne or other wherevnto he findeth and prooueth them to be naturally enclyned and last of all vpon one occasion or other into Desperation How the di●●l tempteth by riches If he espieth a man to he rich and to haue worldly blessinges through the gift of God