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A82290
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Sutable [sic] comforts for suffering Sion; or, saints interest in God, their chiefest support in times of greatest straits Being a brief discovery of what God is to his people in all ages: which is of great weight and use to his in these trying times. Written by Edward Delamaine, at present under restraint, and a prisoner of hope.
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Delamaine, Edward.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing D867; ESTC R231384
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22,317
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32
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SUTABLE COMFORTS FOR Suffering Sion OR SAINTS INTEREST in GOD their Chiefest SUPPORT in times of greatest Straits BEING A Brief DISCOVERY of what GOD is to his People in all Ages Which is of great Weight and Use to His in these Trying Times Written by EDWARD DELAMAINE at present under Restraint and a PRISONER of HOPE ISAIAH 40.1 2. Comfort ye Comfort ye my People saith your God Speak comfortably to them LONDON Printed by Simon Dover and are to be Sold at his House in Christophers Alley in Martins Le Grand 1661. SUTABLE COMFORTS FOR Suffering Sion OR SAINTS INTEREST in GOD their Chiefest Support in times of greatest Straits DEar Brethren and fellow Companions of the Kingdom of God This is the day of Jacobs Trouble of Josephs Affliction of Zions Trials and of the Calamities of the whole Israel of God And I find that the People of God in general are very prone and incident to be Troubled Cast down and Disquieted And I find that it is the Design of God that his People should be Comforted Consolated and Refreshed Therefore in order thereunto I shall offer something that may answer the End and Design of God And the Portion of the Word of God which I intend to make the Ground of my Discourse for my own and others Edification is Recorded in that precious Scripture Exod. 3.14 and the last part of Vers 15. And God said to him I AM THAT I AM Say unto them I AM hath sent thee This is my Name for Ever and my Memorial unto all Generations In order to these Words we may consider Three things 1. The Author of these Words 2. The Person to whom they were Spoken 3. The Occasion why they were Spoken For the First The Author of them was the great God of Heaven the Disposer of all things the Judge of the whole Earth the King of kings and Lord of lords and therefore considering the Greatness and Worthiness of Him that speaks we should have the higher esteem and give the more diligent heed to what he saith 2. The Person to whom these Words were spoken and that was Moses of whom Three things are mighty Remarkable and Considerable First His Love to God in that he forsook all earthly Pleasures and Delights and Chose rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God Ah! there be few that take Moses Choice that choose Goodness more than Greatness esteeming Poverty better than Riches and count Godliness more Gain than Wickedness and rather hazard Bonds and Sufferings than the Violation of their Consciences with false Swearing c. That account Raggs with Christ though on a Dunghil more than Robes without Christ though on a Throne Secondly Another thing Considerable in Moses was his Meekness which is much commended in him Numb 12.3 Now the man Moses was very Meek above all the men that were in the Earth this is a Christ-like Spirit a Mild Gentle Spirit and to exercise such a Spirit to those that are of a Froward Peevish Proud Disposition is an excellent Frame not to return evil for evil but good for evil to use gentleness and mildness for bitterness and frowardness is a Carriage that makes Christians look most like God Now Moses was not onely Meek but very Meek and that above all the men that were upon the Earth A Third thing Remarkable in Moses was his Faithfulness for God See how it is spoken to his Praise Numb 12.7 compared with Heb. 3.2 Touching his Faithfulness you have Three things First His being Faithful to declare to the People the whole mind of God as God communicated it to him Now when God took him up into the Mount he might have taken liberty to have varied and no body have questioned him either to have added or to have diminished to what God had left in charge with him no he doth not but is Faithful to that Trust delivered to him Secondly He was Faithful in doing what God Commanded from him in performing Gods Requirements to him Exod. 11.26 and therefore when he tells Pharaoh That God would have the Children of Israel and all they had go up with them to Worship Pharaoh was not willing that their Cattel and Flocks should go Nay saith Moses We must not leave a hoof behind So Faithful was he for God that not a tittle of the Service of God must be omited or left undone Thirdly His Faithfulness to God appeared in that he closely followed and served the Lord even to his last day He persevered to the last in a full and faithful following of the Lord and therefore the Lord writes this praise and commendation on Moses He was faithful in all things Thus much shall suffice as touching the Person to whom the Words were spoken Now I come to the Third thing the Occasion Why the Words of my Text were spoken And in that we shall consider many things very Remarkable First Moses goes to tend upon his Father-in-Law's flock and in his way sees a Bush burning and turning about said I will see this great sight why the Bush burns and is not consumed The Admiration or Wonder in Moses was not so much that the Bush burned but that it burned and was not consumed this was the Wonder then and it 's the Wonder now yea and will be in all Ages Give me leave to enlarge a little upon it This Bush I compare to the People of God and the Fire or Burning to Afflictions and Persecutions Now it hath been the Marvel in all Ages that the Bush hath burned and hath not been consumed that the People of God have been wonderfully carried forth in the midst of fiery Tryals that they have seemed rather to overcome then to be overcome rather conquerers then conquered to be living daily though dying daily and this hath occasioned marvel and wonder to the men of the World Witness those three Children in Daniel that were in the burning Furnace and yet not consumed Witness those worthy Martyrs of late days whose life and liveliness in Suffering made their Adversaries amazed that the Bush burned and was not consumed when they saw their inward man lived and renewed in the midst of their dying and bitter deaths Now if the men of the World would do like diligent Moses turn aside and be inquirous to behold this great sight to search into the cause thereof they might have their marvel taken away and their wonder removed Moses looked and belold the Lord was in the midst of the Bush Hence see the cause that the People of God have been most Eminently preserved in the Inward-man and have been born up above and beyond all speakings in the midst of all Trials and Sufferings God was in the midst of them there was and is a very gracious Presence of His accompanying and assisting of them This is the Reason this is the Ground why the Bush burns and is not consumed So they in the fire were preserved Dan. 3.24 25. Now when the Lord out
Gods People in their greatest Straits and Wants make their recourse by Prayer to God this good Agar did The times of tribulation ought especially then to be the times of supplication Christs Suffering hour was his praying hour Times of Afflictions puts Saints upon Petitions at the Throne of Grace 2. Strange and unexpected ways and means of Deliverance hath God for his People This is a glorious Truth but I must but name it Little did poor Agar think to find Supplies in the Wilderness no visible means attainable 3. Observe That there are such Bowels of Mercy and Love in God towards his that he usually yea frequently not onely grants their Desires but gives them more yea over and above Poor Agar begs a little Water of God to preserve the life of her and her little babe and lo God gives her a Well of Water So Solomon asked for Wisdome God did not onely give him That but Riches and Honour also I must proceed A Second notable Instance you have is concerning Sampson Judg. 15.18 19. He having a very great thirst like to die the Lord in a miraculous maner preserved him and communicated a Sutable Mercy to him and gave him Water out of the Jaw-bone of an Ass One thing here I shall mind unto you that is Sometimes I have marvelled at the exceeding Drought and Thirst that came upon Sampson immediately after the Deliverance obtained by the help of the Lord against his Enemies I suppose that his great Thirst came not by reason of his great Fighting He might be thirsty but not upon that account unto death considering the Lord helped him But now for him to be by thirst near death there lies something in it and therefore I humbly judge that this thirst was sent as a Judgement from the Lord and that upon two accounts 1. His too much Vaunting Applauding and Praising of himself for this Victory See his high proud Words With the Jaw of an Ass have I slain a thousand men 2. Not returning the Praise and Honour to whom it was due and therefore the Lord might be angry displeased with him to shew him his own weakness frailty and infirmity that he might not glory in himself but to see that without the Lords assistance he was but a dead man therefore I conceive this thirst came And then betook himself to prayer and though after mercy received he was unmindful of his duty yet now his great wants and straits make him mind his duty and help and when Sampson had tasted of Gods anger then you shall have him acknowledge God having a hand in the Deliverance but not before So likewise the Prophet having fled into the Wilderness being driven to great wants the Lord administred food to him by Ravens and so the Lord communicated Sutable Comforts to his Servant I might name many more but I would hasten and briefly now give you the Reasons of it I shall at present name but two Why God proportions out Sutable Mercies to his Peoples Conditions The First is To enlarge their Experiences of Him Not a Sutable Mercy or Comfort comes to us from God but it is to stock us with Experience for Experience of God's goodness is of great use to a dependance on God Secondly It is To heighten our Praises to Him that we may much be carried forth in new Songs of Praises to the Lord. A word of Use to this and so proceed and come to the thing I aim at Seeing God doth proportion out Sutable Comforts to his Peoples Conditions then be Exhorted To walk Sutable to such a God as this is be perswaded to walk answerable to a God of such Sutable Comforts and seasonable Mercies Oh the Sutable Comforts that his poor Servants have enjoyed in their Bonds and Sufferings that when all the World shall frown then to have the God of Heaven smile that when the World strips us of all outward Injoyments then to have them made up with inward and special Injoyments when the men of the World put a bitter cup into our hands then for our Father to sweeten it for us when we hear the worst news from Earth we can then have the best news from Heaven Oh this is Seasonable and Sutable Comfort It 's true we want our Liberties but yet we have the blessed Liberty of the Sons of God It 's true we are in Bonds under Restraint Oh but yet our souls are not in bonds our Consciences are not captivated to sins and lusts it 's true we are in the hands of cruel and unreasonable men but yet we are in the hands of a faithful Creator Fellow-sufferers consider it and believe it you that experience Gods goodness in Sutable Comforts to you know that he expects that it should work rare effects in you and produce eminent and sutable walkings towards him Thus much for the first thing being occasional from the Words I shall now come to the chief thing I aime at I AM THAT I AM this is my Name for Ever and my Memorial unto all Generations The Doctrine Conclusion or wholsome Truth which arises from these Words is this That the great and serious Consideration of Gods Name I AM being the same to his People in all ages is of mighty use and benefit to Comfort and Consolate the hearts and spirits of his People in the midst of all their Troubles and Sufferings This is a great and weighty Truth and there lieth much sap and marrow in it and therefore I do earnestly desire that it may dwell in the hearts of all the Suffering sons of Sion this day and this Truth I judge ariseth naturally from the Words for in the Doctrine you may observe these several Branches 1. That Gods Name is I AM. 2. That it is so for EVER to his People 3. That the serious consideration thereof is of use to Comfort and Consolate the People of God in their Sufferings Now consider well the Text and you shall find this Truth couched in it And consider the Persons to whom it was communicated being the People of the Lord under great Sufferings and Troubles and you may plainly perceive that the great aime and designe of God here is that his People through a serious Consideration of his Name I AM THAT I AM should be much consolated and refreshed in the midst of their Troubles and Sufferings In the managing of this weighty Truth I shall lay down Four Things I. Prove it to you and shew you what is Gods Name and how it endures for Ever II. Declare how and wherein Gods Name I AM is the same to his People in all ages and shew you that this Truth is of mighty use and benefit to bear up their hearts in Suffering III. Give you the Reasons of this Truth which are very considerable Why the Lords Name I AM THAT I AM is his Name for EVER and continued to his People to all Generations IV. Give you the wholsome and seasonable Uses and Conclusions