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A64968
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A present for such as have been sick and are recovered, or, A discourse concerning the good which comes out of the evil of affliction being several sermons preached after his being raised from a bed of languishing / by Nathanael Vincent.
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Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing V417; ESTC R27040
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62,262
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136
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to be lookt upon as an Admonition to take greater heed to the Holy Scripture which is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. 2. Be sensible that true and saving Knowledge is from above therefore ask it from thence Jam. 1. 5. If any of you lack Wisdom let him ask it of God who gives to all men liberally without upbraiding and it shall be given him And V. 17. Every good and perfect Gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights And as God is the Father of Lights so his Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Eph. 1. 17 18. He enlightens the Eyes of the Understanding and puts saving Knowledge into the Heart What an Instructer is the Spirit of the Lord He not onely reveals Gods Counsel but gives an Heart to apprehend it and to be answerably affected with it He not onely speaks the Word which it does so infinitely concern all to know but he gives also the Ear to hear the Eye to see and the Heart to understand 3. Resolve when Instructed to Praise your Instructer thus does the Psalmist Purpose and Promise Psal 119. 7. I will Praise thee with uprightness of Heart when I shall have learned thy Righteous Judgments How joyful was the Hallelujah when the Psalmist had said He geveth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments to the Children of Israel Psal 147. 19 20. And Psal 119. 164. Seven times a day do I Praise thee because of thy Righteous Judgments And V. 62. He had said upon the same account he would arise at midnight and give thanks unto God 4. Look unto Jesus in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Col. 2. 3. Christ is the Churches Lawgiver and Prophet He declares the Father whom no man at any time hath seen and no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son shall reveal him Mat. 11. 17. He opens the Eyes and Understanding to understand the Scripture Luk. 24. 45. The Gospel is as it were a Sealed Book till he opens it a right understanding of the Things of God and which belong to your Peace is both Christs Purchase and the Work and Effect of his illuminating Spirit 5. Pray much for Meekness and Humility and let not any deceitful lust be harboured in the Heart A Promise of Guidance is made to the Meek and Lowly Psal 25. 8 9. Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he teach Sinners in the way the Meek will he guide in Judgment and the Meek will he teach his Way Make no Provision for any fleshly or wordly Lusts for these Lusts of the Heart influence the Head and hinder the Light from shining there so clearly and powerfully both Mind and Conscience by fulfilling these Lusts will be defiled The Apostle plainly intimates that the old man must be put off which is corrupt according to deceitful Lusts or else we can never be renewed in the Spirit of our Mind Eph. 4. 22 23. In short be willing to know the Truth that you may be sanctified by the Truth Look into the perfect Law of Liberty and count you walk most at Liberty when you walk most accurately and exactly according to this Law Cry for Knowledge in Order to Affection and Practise that 's the Way to attain to great understanding in the Word of Righteousness Talents you shall still be intrusted with when you are thus ready to Trade with them The Second Question follows What are sufficient and comfortable Evidences that the Word of God is truly Learned What has been spoken already may be in part an Answer to this Question But that this great Case may be more fully resolved I shall add these Particulars 1. You have truly Learned the Word of God when you stand in awe of it When Conscience does urge and the whole man does reverence the Words Authority And the Heart concludes that God must be obeyed whatever come on 't and that nothing can excuse disobedience to his Commands This Holy awe of the Word must break the force of the strongest Temptations from worldly Gain and sinful Pleasures and it must Swallow up the fear of the greatest Men who will dislike you for the sake of Righteousness Psal 119. 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause but my Heart standeth in awe of thy Word Princes commands and threats are not so much to be minded as Gods commands and the threatnings wherewith they are enforced When Princes have inflicted Temporal Death they are come to their Ne plus ultra they can go no further Eternal Life and Death are not in their Power but how is God to be sanctified and dreaded who can reward or punish for ever in the World to come 2. You have truly Learned the Word of God when you preferr it before all things which are really of less value Worldly Wisdom Riches Might and earthly Greatness are very despicable compared with that Knowledge of God which this Word is a means to convey to us Jer. 9. 23 24. Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man Glory in his Wisdom neither let the mighty man Glory in his Might let not the rich man Glory in his Riches But let him that glorieth Glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth Me. See how the Policy of the greatest Potentates on Earth is disparaged in Comparison of Scriptural Wisdom and not without sufficient Reason The Policy of Princes and themselves perish together But Believers who are made wise by the Word of God do mind and attain unto and shall be unmoveably possess 't of an Eternal Glory and Kingdom 1 Cor. 2. 6 7. Howbeit we speak Wisdom among them that are perfect yet not the Wisdom of this World nor of the Princes of this World which come to nought but we speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the World unto our Glory In my Text the Psalmist having said 'T is good for me that I have been afflicted presently expresses his Estimation of the Word above thousands of Gold and Silver If the Word has an higher Room in your Judgments and Affections after Affliction Affliction has certainly done you good and you have learned the Word to good purpose 3. You have truly Learned the Word of God if you Love and Delight therein and make it your continual Meditation Psal 119. 15 16. I will Meditate in thy Precepts and have respect unto thy Ways I will delight my self in thy Statutes I will not forget thy Word Here are excellent Rules and they that walk by them are perfected more and more for they become more gloriously like to God himself here are clean and safe Ways Promises of the good things of Time so far as they are good for any of you and of the infinitely
come to him find him All-sufficient so which is a great deal more He is Self-sufficient Infinitely more must be to the Blessedness of God then would be enough for the Blessedness of ten thousand Worlds of Men and Angels So that your glorifying of God is apprehending acknowledging and declaring his Glory not making him really more glorious than he was Glorifie God by Believing him to be what he has revealed himself by giving him the highest room in your Hearts depend upon him for all things This Fountain of living Waters is glorified when Saints always lie at it perpetually derive Streams from it and the broken Cisterns are forsaken Glorifie God by an higher Valuation of his Favour in Christ and a greater Contempt of earthly things in Comparison Glorifie God by more willing service and resolute cleaving to him God is honoured indeed when nothing can separate the Saints from him When neither the fiercest Wind to allude to the Tabb can blow away nor the hottest Sun can make them to cast away that change of Raiment with which he has cloathed them When they can say with the Church of old Psal 44. 17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten Thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy Covenant Our Heart is not turned back from thee neither have our steps declined from thy ways though thou hast sore broken us in the Place of Dragons and covered us with the Shaddow of Death Finally Glorifie God by such Works as are not a denial of God but a Demonstration what a Lord he is and what his Grace is able to effect The Works of many Professors prove them Atheists Tit. 1. 16. They profess that they know God but in Works deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate But when Saints by good Works are shining Lights hereby Glory redounds to their Heavenly Father For as the Works of Creation are an Argument to prove most plainly an Eternal Power and Godhead so the Works of New Creatures so different from and so excellent above the Works of others make it evident that God is in these New Creatures and his Grace is with them of a Truth 4. You afflicted Saints observe the Special Sins for which your Father is angry with you and corrects you That Grace which is in you makes you weary of its contrary and the more Grace you have the more weary you will be of Sin which remains in you Cry to be cleansed from faults that are so secret that they hardly are discerned to be faults Psal 19. 12. Lurking Feavers how dangerous are they and much more dangerous are latent Corruptions Therefore Surely it is meet to be said unto God I have born Chastisement I will not offend any more that which I see not teach thou me if I have done Iniquity I will do no more Job 34. 31 32. Find out and purge out all the old Leaven whether it be the Leaven of Pride or Hypocrisie or Earthly-mindedness or Uncharitableness or any other Wickedness that ye may be a new Lump as ye are unleavened The bitter Cup is intended as a purging Potion Earnestly therefore desire that the Iniquity which has most prevailed and defiled you may be taken away 5. You afflicted Saints answer the Lords Expectations from you lest Wrath from the Lord be upon you He is sometimes very severe to them that are very dear to him He forgives their Iniquities but takes Vengeance of their Inventions Psal 99. 8. That eminent Moses being provoked in his Spirit spake unadvisedly with his Lips Psal 106. 33. And that Word cost him his Life He falls before Israel enter'd into Canaan Hezekiah was a Gracious Man full of Faith himself and a Prince very zealous for the Reformation of Judah See what a Character is given him 2 Chron. 31. 20 21. Thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah and wrought that which was good and Right and Truth before the Lord his God And in every Work that he began in the Service of the House of God and in the Law and in the Commandments to seek his God he did it with all his Heart and prospered And yet this Excellent King after Affliction not watching his Heart but Suffering it to be lifted up Wrath 't is said was upon him 2 Chron. 32. 35. Though Gods Love to his Children be never turned into hatred yet notwithstanding his Love to them he may be very angry with them he may take them up and lash them in the view of all to vindicate his Holiness and to make it evident that he takes no pleasure in Wickedness by whomsoever it is committed After you have felt his strokes fear your Fathers Frowns and Anger please him in all things and abound in so doing this he justly looks for after he has shewn Care and Kindness both in Correcting you and in flinging the Rod out of his hand 6. Let the Rod you have been chastized with cause you to mend your Pace in Heavens way Why should Saints be as so many Snails who ought rather to be swifter than Eagles hasting to the Prey Is there such an Holy and Mighty Spirit to help your Infirmities Are there such Promises of assisting Grace Is there such a glorious Crown and Prize at the end of the race And does your Salvation grow nearer and nearer every day Oh put on with greater speed And let not a greater Violence be used by earthly men for meer trifles than is by you for the Heavenly Kingdom Imitate those wisely eager ones Mat. 11. 12. From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence and the Violent take it by force Imitate the Apostle Paul who though he had laboured so abundantly was far from tiring but press't on still with greater forwardness towards the Mark for the prize of the high Calling of God 7. Abound in that Work for God here upon Earth which cannot be done when you come to Heaven Fill up your Time well with that business which will cease when you enter upon Eternity The Preachers of the Gospel may do much at present which they cannot do hereafter Now they may warn Sinners to flee from the Wrath to come Now they may call them to turn from their evil ways and live now they may pray them in Christs stead to be reconciled to God Now they may take heed to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost has made them overseers to feed the Church of God which he has purchased with his own Blood Acts 20. 28. And take heed to their Ministry which they have received in the Lord that they may fulfil it Col. 4. 17. Now they may shew themselves in all things Patterns of good Works Examples to the Flock always labouring fervently for them in Prayer that they may stand perfect and compleat in all the Will of God Christians also have their Work now to do which cannot be done in the other