enough to weep for Melt then your hearts in sorrow for your sinne as holy Dauid did whose heart in the middest of his bodie was euen like melting Waxe that God may quit your soules with peace and seeke him lachrimabiliter mournfully Secondly in seeking after God we must vse faithfulnesse without slothfull negligence and seeke him diligenter diligently as the woman in the Gospell seeking her Groat that was lost Luke 15.8 did light a Candle and sweepe the house and sought diligently vntill shee found it Eccles 9.10 And as Salomon the wise Preacher hath taught thee All that thine hand shall find to doe doe it with all thy power And as Dauid seeking the Lord did seeke him with his whole heart For you shall seeke mee with all your heart Ier. 29.14 and I will be found of you saith the Lord. And if thou seeke the LORD with all thy heart Deut. 4.29 and with all thy soule Pro. 10.26 thou shalt finde him For as Vineger to the teeth so is a slothfull body to them that send him Therefore the sleeper shall be clothed with ragges Pro. 23.21 and he is denounced accursed that doth the worke of the Lord negligently Ier. 48.10 The Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer as Zacheus and will be found of them that seeke him diligently that is faithfully But such is the madnesse of this rude age wherein we liue and the blindnesse of worldly minded men that they esteeme no labour too much in seeking after worldly gaine which cannot profit them and in seeking after the pleasures of this life which may much annoy them but will not step one foot towards Heauen with an holy desire to seeke after God In whom is the fulnesse of all true felicitie The Apostle complained not without a cause Phil. 2.21 That all seeke their owne and not the things of Iesus Christ but if thou desirest to finde Heauen seeke after God by Iesus Christ who is gone thither before to prepare a place for you and seeke him diligenter with all your hearts diligently Thirdly wouldst thou finde the Lord thy only Comforter seeke after him perseueranter constantly with perseuerance and bee not weary of well-doing for in due season yee shall reape if yee faint not therefore seeke the Lord and his face euermore Cant. 3.4 As the Spouse neuer ceased to seeke him whom her soule loued till she found him and tooke hold of him and left him not A Ship that hath made many a faire venture on the Sea and after perisheth in the Hauen brings losse and sorrow to the Owner that hoped for gaine And a Souldier that fainteth before the battaile bee ended must expect shame and death in stead of Victorie So he that seeketh after God and faileth in his intended course before hee finde him must needes bring losse and sorrow to his soule and expect confusion for saluation For the Crowue is giuen only to the Conquerour Apoc. 2.10 Be thou faithfull vnto the death and I will giue thee the Crowne of life the fire of Gods Altar must neuer goe out so the zeale of a constant Professor must not be extinguished by worldly care No man that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh backe Luk. 9.62 is apt to the Kingdome of God Remember Lots wife Gen 19. who for looking backe was turned into a Pillar of Salt And hauing once begun to seeke after God Col. 3.1 and to seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Col. 2.20 why as though yee liued in the World are yee burthened with traditions The Prophet testifieth that the life of a righteous man shall neuer fade Psal 1.4 and that the heart of a righteous man shall neuer faint Psal 112.8 if his faith were enioyned to seeke after God through all the fierie tryalls of this World and all the fierie flames and torments of Hell it would not sticke at the condition being before with confidence perswaded Philip. 1.6 That he that hath begunne this good worke in him will performe it vntill the Day of Iesus Christ Thus must you seeke after God Psal 51.17 with a sorrowfull heart which he shall not despise you must seeke him diligently that you may bee counted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to passe And that you may stand before the Sonne of man Luke 21.36 and you must seeke him with perseuerance and neuer giue ouer for any temptation lest you fall away for God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you bee able 1. Cor. 10.13 but will euen giue the issue with the temptation thus Thus to seeke the Lord alwayes longing after the God of our saluation wee cannot chose but finde the comforts of his graces in our soules and bee assured to bee deliuered from the power of darknesse Col. 1.13 and to bee translated into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne whether hee bring vs all that hath so dearely bought vs with his precious bloud euen Iesus Christ our Lord and only Sauiour Amen Thus you haue heard the manner how to seeke God It followeth whereby we may learne the time when to seeke God which is our second obseruation in my Text as in the time of sinne Iam. 1.14 the lusts of our owne concupiscence led vs astray from God so now in the time of grace through the preaching of the Gospell being led by the Spirit in the light of faith wee make haste to returne and seeke after God in whom alone we may find true rest vnto our soules debito tempore in a conuenient time And as at al times and in all places it is meete to seeke vnto God Rom. 11.36 Of whome and through whome and for whome wee liue and mooue and haue our being So wee are taught in holy Scriptures of three times most conuenient to seeke after God First Dum dies est Secondly dum praesens est Thirdly dum misericors est First while it is day Nicodemus Iohn 3.2 though hee was a Ruler of the Iewes and a Teacher in Israel hath this Record left in Scripture against him that hee came to Iesus by night And the Spouse in the Canticles confesseth Cant. 3.1 why she could not finde her Loue that is because shee sought him by night and our Sauiour himselfe teacheth Iohn 9.4 The night commeth when no man can worke In the night of Ignorance wee are more prone to seeke after Error then the Truth In the night of sinne we seeke for the things that please men and not the things that please God and in the night of death we shall not bee able to seeke at all For who shall giue thee thankes in the pit therefore holy Dauid longing for the God of his saluation deferres no time But flyeth to the Lord before the morning watch Psal 130.6 Psal 63.1 2. Chron. 33 3.
God before whom wee must stand to render our account at the Day of Iudgement this made holy Dauid faithfully to apply his heart vnto Wisedome after hee knew how few dayes he had to liue this knowledge and vnderstanding is the true difference betweene Man and Beast and therefore wee reade of Pauls complaint that he had fought with Beasts at Ephesus after the manner of men that is beastly men carnally minding earthly things but not sauouring the things of God and surely he that is ignorant of these things may be said to haue no soule as we reade of Ephraim Who was said to bec like a Doue deceiued without a heart Hose 7.11 that is without a soule worldly wisemen are euen like Moles and beasts In terra sapienter se habent supra nihil vident They behaue themselues orderly vpon Earth but see nothing concerning the mysteries of Heauen but it is the soule doth teach vs to vnderstand wisedome secretly O giue mee vnderstanding and I shall liue Secondly Iudicando praesentia hoc iudicium nihil aliud est quam reddere cuique quod suum est This iudgement is nothing else but for vs to giue euery man his owne Therefore let euery man arise and sitting in Iudgement vpon the Throne of his soule let his thoughts accuse or excuse let his conscience witnesse and let his memorie giue right Iudgement in all things concerning himselfe and God and man For himselfe let him forsake sinne For God let him punish sinne For men let him doe good Righteousnesse is nothing else but not to sinne Iustus quod contra Iustitiam fecit per lachrimas punit A iust man punisheth that sinne with teares which hee hath committed by frailtie If wee would iudge our selues we should not bee iudged therefore Whatsoeuer yee would that men should doe vnto you euen so doe yee vnto them for thus is the Law and the Prophets God hath ordained vs to bee Iudges in the Court of our consciences that we might arraigne our sinnes and put them to death This is the wisedome of the soule neuer to consent to any though neuer so good if hee doe the things that are euill and neuer to contradict any man though neuer so euill if hee doe the thing that is good This Iudgement can no waies bee so truely performed as by the helpe of the memorie in our soules one of the powers of the soule that keepes the whole course of our life in the comlinesse of good order Thirdly expectando futura bona expecting good things to come which proceed from the grace of God through a good conscience and this is in the choyce of the will Many things seeme hard to the vnwilling but nothing is vneasie to a good will for if a small reward in this life makes vs esteeme great labour little toyle how much rather should our eternall reward of that blessednesse to come make vs cheerfully to meet all confronting troubles and comfortably to expect all succeeding graces and offered blessings which God hath assured to them that obediently serue him who would not expect the reward promised yea though he be a sinner seeing God is mercifull The Psalmist thus reasoneth with his fainted soule Why art thou so heauie O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me O put thy trust in God for I will yet giue him thanks which is the helpe of my countenance and my God Three things doe moue the soule in willingnesse to waite for the blessings of Gods reward First the Charitie of our adoption who being slaues to Sinne and Satan by Iesus Christ are now called the sonnes of God Secondly the truth of his promise who is neuer forgetfull of his Couenant made to a thousand generations Thirdly the possibilitie of his performance to whom all power belongeth and who is mercifull to reward euery man according to his works The Husbandman patiently expecteth the fruits of the earth and a good pawne is counted a sufficient securitie We haue Gods Word and Sacraments and Christ himselfe hath laid downe his life for vs cum opus proficit praemij fiducia crescit when the worke is finished the expectation of the reward encreaseth Thus behold wisedome is infused into man by the powers of the soule and this is the first qualitie to be obserued in the soule sapientiam docet it teacheth vs wisedome Secondly munditiam seruat it preserueth vs in innocencie and sanctitie the Psalmist propounds a question and answereth himselfe Who shall assend into the Hill of the Lord or who shall rise vp in his holy place euen hee that hath cleane hands and a pure heart and hath not lift vp his minde vnto vanitic nor sworne to deceiue his Neighbour hee shall receiue the blessing of the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of his saluation And what part of man can performe this but the soule the soule and spirit only keeps the heart from euill thoughts the mouth from corrupt communication the hands from hatefull works so that hereby wee are taught the soule preserueth vs innocent in heart in word and in deede No man putteth a precious oyntment which hee is desirous to preserue and keepe 1. Cordis into a vessell that hath beene vsed to filthie and corrupt sauours therefore wash your hands O sinners and cleanse your hearts you double minded keepe your hearts cleane that would receiue the graces of God for God will not send downe his grace to enter into that heart that is accustomed to sinne It is easier to make him rich that hath a great substance left of Parents and is carefull to preserue the same then for the prodigall that hath already consumed the inheritance of his fathers So hee that yet hath preserued the vertues of nature may more easily be inriched with the graces of the Spirit then hee that hath lost the innocencie of his soule The life and spirit yea euen the vnderstanding of the heart is of the soule and comprehended in this one word soule this is the great Wheele that sets all the rest agoing vnto good or euill as it is so are they euen all the parts and members of the bodie The innocencie of the soule consisteth in the forsaking of sinne and following of grace when we cease to doe euill and learne to doe well if the heart be free from euill thoughts all the bodie shall be free from sinne therefore when God willed Ierusalem to wash her heart from wickednesse that she might be saued he concluded how long shall euill thoughts remaine within you there sinne beginnes Ier. 4.14 there the rootes are fastned pluck vp the rootes then and it shall bee impossible for sinne to prosper It was Dauids petition Make me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within mee Thus you see the soule and spirit keepe the heart in innocencie and so all the bodie shall be cleane from sinne also the soule and spirit of man while hee liues must keepe the
THE GAINES OF SEEKING GOD. In two Sermons preached in the Parish Church of WESTMINSTER By Christopher Styles ECCLVS 33.16 Behold how I haue not laboured only for my selfe but for all them that seeke knowledge LONDON Printed by William Stansby 1620. TO THE RIGHT Honourable Sir HENRY HOBART Knight and Baronet Lord Chiefe Iustice of his Maiesties Court of Common Pleas and Chancellour to the PRINCE his Highnesse all spirituall Graces temporall Blessings and eternall Happinesse be multiplyed RIGHT HONOVRABLE VPon the assurance of some interest had in your Lordships sauor which I hope I haue not vtterly lost thogh it bee long since I was knowne vnto you yet because you were my first good Master vnder whom I serued in your Church at Somerton in Norfolke by the space of foure yeeres and more till God prouided for me a good Liuing in another place which now I haue vnfortunately left And now hauing a small meanes to liue vpon by my great paines in the Parish of Westminster being so neere to your Honour and being requested to put this Sermon in print I am bold as well to satisfie my good Friends requests which were hearers of the same as for the benefit of all well-disposed Christians to commend the same vnto your Lordships fauourable acceptance for by your Honorable countenance I hope to reape much comfort for this my small labour I ayme at no other end in this Enterprize but to shew my thankfulnesse to your Honour and to all my charitable Neighbours therefore if rash and riotous Censurers be neuer so enuious in their talke against these my weake beginnings yet if your Lordship be pleased to grace my good meaning with your Honourable countenance I shall bee bound to pray daily for the continuance of your Lordships health and prosperitie and will euer remaine Your Lordships daily Orator and most dutifull Seruant CHRISTOPHER STYLES To the Reader GEntle Reader if with a godly mind thou seekest onely to profit and comfort thy soule and not by vaine and idle cauils Nodum in scirpo quaerere to find a fault not offered I wish this Booke may be to thee as Rachel and Leach were to Iacob fruitfull and delightfull and this I certifie to thee I did not rashly but verie timorously vndertake this burthen to content my friends and could not be so much encouraged by many as I was discouraged in my selfe At last resolued because the Method of my Teaching herein is only be way of exhortation Paraphrastically expounding euery word of my Text which is not the most vnprofitable way whereby the hearer may be edified therefore I thought it might be acceptable and this made me the bolder to satisfie my Friends desires and publikely to make my selfe acquainted with your Christian Carriages Well-minded people will not deny my common Courtesie that is to iudge of my labors as if they were their owne and this is all I aske C.S. THE GAINES OF SEEKING GOD. PSAL. 69.32 Seeke after God and your soule shall liue THe Booke of Psalmes is a spirituall Librarie whether the whole breadth of Scripture may be reduced for authority of the Scripture contained in this Book we find it admitted into the Church as a Booke of absolute Diuinitie and so approoued throughout the New Testament This Psalme out of which I haue chosen my Text is a liuely description of the passions and patience of Christ and his members the Church These words which I haue chosen for my Text are an holy instruction left for all Posterities wherein they are shewed the gaines of seeking God whatsoeuer else we seeke for our labour is but lost but in seeking after God we shall enioy the fulnesse of all true comfort to our soules which only is in God then seeke after God and your soule shall liue In these words of my Text two things are to bee obserued first a precept seeke after God secondly a promise and your soule shall liue In this precept also three things are to be considered First how we should seeke after God and that must be debito modo in the right fashion and order Secondly when wee should seeke him and that must bee debito tempore in a fit and right time Thirdly where to seeke God and that must bee debito loco in the right place Of these points only I purpose to entreate at this time reseruing the other part which is the promise vntill another Sabbath For the first part of the precept how wee should seeke God nature it selfe will teach vs if wee haue lost a Iewell which was most deare vnto vs first to seeke it in sorrow for the losse secondly with diligence to regaine it thirdly with constant perseuerance till we haue found it Oh then let not the man endued with grace plead ignorance in seeking God but first lacrimabiliter mournfully secondly diligenter faithfully thirdly perseueranter constantly in perseuerance neuer giue ouer vntill you find the Lord. The blessed Virgin Marie returning homewards from the Feast and not finding him whom her soule loued the child Iesus went back again to Ierusalem sought him saying Luke 2.48 Ego Pater tuus dolentes querebamus te Thy Father and I haue sought thee sorrowing And thus recouered shee the Iewell of her ioy The ryotous Prodigall hauing wasted all the Treasure by which he should haue liued and now remembring how in his Fathers House the hired Seruants had meat enough and he was readie to perish for hunger hee sought his Fathers loue againe mournfully confessing and saying Father Luke 15.18 I haue sinned c. and so was receiued with feasting and ioy Marie Magdalene out of whom Christ had cast seuen Deuils and was the only friend and comfort of her soule when shee came to the Graue and found him not there shee bowed her selfe into the Graue Iohn 20.13 and wept because they had taken away her Lord and she knew not where they had layd him and in this sorrowfull seeking she found him to her great comfort Iesus himselfe while hee liued in the World was neuer seene to laugh but often weeping Wise Salomon in the depth of his Diuinitie Eccles 2.2 said vnto mirth what aylest thou to laughter thou art mad Oh blessed Iesu how should I thinke to find thee in pleasure and ioy whom thy Mother could scarce find with teares Take heed therefore you that feast it with Nabal braue it with Haman and carouse it with Belshazzar and reuell with Herod not at all regarding to seeke the Lord lest the Lord on a sudden deale with you as with them and turne your feasting into fasting take the cup from your mouth and fill you with spuing turne you out of all your iollitie and hauing perpetuall shame vpon you this can God and this will God doe if you doe not humbly preuent his Iudgements seeking to his mercie mournfully Gods Wordes preuaile much with men and more with God but teares constraine compassion our sins are cause
and promiseth early to seeke after God King Iosia when hee was but yet a childe began to seeke after the God of his Father Dauid Verily the children of this World are wise in their generation obseruing dayes and moneths and yeeres and times and shall the sonnes of men harden their hearts God speaketh by his holy Prophet To day Psal 95.8 if you will heare my voyce c. and shall wee harden our hearts to day and let sinne grow till to morrow Shall wee giue the crop to Satan and set God to gleaning who knoweth if he shall liue repent or escape Suddenly may his wrath bee kindled and in the time of vengeance he will destroy Our Life is the Way Heauen is the Countrey here make thy peace with God that he may receiue thee there vnto euerglorie for euermore Thus seeke to God while it is day Secondly to seeke after God debito tempore in time of oportunitie is while be is present as the Prophet saith Esay 55.6 Seek the Lord while he may be found and call vpon him while he is nigh It is anexcellent example to vs in obseruing the fittest time to seeke God if wee consider the complaint of the Spouse in the Cantic saying It is the voyce of my Beloued that knocketh Cant. 5.2 saying open to me my Sister my Loue my Doue my Vndefiled for my head is full of dew and my lockes with the drops of the night all blessings and happinesse are now to bee receiued at the hands of God whilest hee is present But whilest she rose to put on her Coate Verse 6. her Beloued was gone I sought him said shee but I could not finde him I called him but hee answered not Mat. 25.10 So the foolish Virgins had the doore shut while they fetch Oyle This World is the seed place Heauen is the reaping place here they that sowe in teares shall reape their ioy in Heauen as this day leaues vs so shall that day finde vs now God is present vnto all then only vnto his I goe my way and ye shall seeke me Iohn 8.21 and yee shall die in your sinnes for whither I goe yee cannot come Now therefore seeke to follow after God most sweet most mightie most wise therfore he will receiue vs gently Eum qui venit ad me non reijcio foras Hee that commeth to me I cast not out of doores most mightie all power belongeth vnto God he will defend vs stoutly If the Lord be on my side Psal 118.6 I will not feare what man can doe vnto me most wise so he will lead vs vnto happinesse because you haue followed me in the Regeneration You shall sit vpon twelue Thrones Mat. 19.28 and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel as a stone cast vp rests not but in the center so let all them that are cast forth into the world not rest but in the Lord. Domine fecisti nos ad te c. O Lord thou hast made vs for thy selfe and we can find no rest vnto our soules but in thy selfe Art thou sicke of sinne The whole need not the Phisician but the sicke I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to repentance Art thou opprest with pouertie cast all your care on him for he careth for you The Earth is the Lords which if he giues thee not he hath reserued Heauen for thee a happie exchang Art thou grieued with disgraces the rebukes of the foolish the scorne of the wealthy and the disdaine of the proud hee brings thee glorie for thy shame Therefore open the gates O ye righteous and the King of glorie shall come in while he is present what wouldst thou haue that thou maist not what wouldst thou be that thou canst not if now thou seekest after God who is able to giue all things and will deny thee nothing whilest he is present Nunc vacatur Deus negotijs nostris Now God hath taken time to heare our complaints to plead with man and to furnish the lower World and all things contained therein with the rich blessings of his loue whilst therfore he is present to heare thee whilst he is present to helpe thee absent not thy selfe by sin but seeke after God whilest he is present with thee Thirdly if you will seeke after God debito tempore faile not to do it dum misericors est while he is mercifull He that hath a suite to his King will obserue a time when he may find him best pleased now is the time of mercie now euery one that seekes God faithfully shall find him ioyfully but when he hath begun to iudge in Righteousnesse that shall bee the time of Iudgement not of Mercie When the good man of that house is risen vp and hath shut too the doore and yee beginne to stand without and to knocke at the doore saying Lord open vnto vs Luke 13.25 hee shall tell you I know you not whence yee are Depart yee workers of iniquitie there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth yet therefore let him that hath continued in sinne ten twentie thirtie yeeres and more turne vnto God that he may haue mercie vpon him Esay 3.18 for yet will the Lord waite that hee may haue mercie vpon you and be exalted for his compassion and surely great is the mercie of God in exspecting our conuersion for he would not beare with the Angels but cast them downe from Heauen suddenly like Lightning for but once sinning against him he also banisht the first man out of Paradise for breaking one Commandement but hee hath borne with vs a long time and we haue broken all his Lawes still exspecting our conuersion till our last age Nolo mortem peccatoris I will not the death of a Sinner therefore cause one another to returne and liue but he that will not bee conuerted Eccles 8.11 and because sentence is not speedily executed against euery euill worke doth fully set his heart in them to doe euill shall surely suffer the greater Iudgement Nam quos hic diu longanimiter portat Illos Deus grauius damnat The longer God forbeareth a sinner the more grieuous shall his punishment be at last as in the examples of Pharaoh Sodome the olde World and the Iewes Now cryes Iohn the Baptist Make straight the way of the Lord this is the time of mercie Now cryes Iesus Christ I am the doore by mee if any man enter in he shall be saued Now doth the Spirit and the Bride say Come let him that is a thirst come and let whosoeuer will Reu. 22.17 take of the water of Life freely For behold I come shortly and my reward is with mee to giue euery man according as his worke shall be who will not be drawne by loue shall bee driuen by feare now God punisheth man of his mercie that so hee might conuert him to himselfe the euils which wee suffer in this life compeld vs to go vnto God