THE Godly Mans Ark OR City of Refuge in the day of his DISTRESSE Discovered in divers SERMONS The first of which was Preached at the Funerall of Mistresse Elizabeth Moore The other four were afterwards preached and are all of them now made publick for the supportation and consolation of the Saints of God in the hour of tribulation Hereunto are annexed Mris. Moores Evidences for Heaven composed and collected by her in the time of her health for her comfort in the time of sickness By ED. CALAMY B. D. and Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury The second Edition corrected and amended London Printed for Iohn Hancock Brother to the late deceased Eliz. Moore to be sold at the first shop in Popes-head Alley next to Cornhill And for Tho. Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside 1658. TO Those of Aldermanbury-Parish Together With all others who attend constantly upon the Word of God there preached and more especially to such of them who are admitted to partake of the Lords Supper there administred Beloved in the Lord I Need not spend much time in giving you an account how these ensuing Sermons come to bee made publick It is not because they are more worthy than those which you hear weekly Nay I may truly say without boasting they are less worthy though I think none of them much worth than many others It is not because I desire to bee in print But it is 1 To present you with the Pattern of a Woman whom God did pick out to make an example of great affliction and great patience that when you come into great troubles you may bee comforted with those comforts with which shee was comforted 2 To acquaint you with the pains shee took and with her diligence in time of health to make her salvation sure That so you may bee provoked to lay up suitable seasonable and sufficient provision against an evil day and not have your Evidences for Heaven to get in the hour of adversity It is the grand sin of most people to delay and prorogue their solemn preparation for affliction and sickness till they come to bee sick and in affliction There are many in Hell who purposed to repent but were prevented by death therefore Bernard saith good purposes go to Hell and only good performances lead into Heaven To prevent your delaying and deferring to provide for affliction these Sermons are printed and to perswade you that whatsoever you do for Heaven you would do it speedily and with all your strength The Subjects handled are so plain and easy and the stile so rude and unpolished that I was resolved to have buried them in perpetual oblivion had I not been conquered by this following together with the forementioned consideration that they are calculated only for people under great troubles at which times learned debates about Discipline and controverted points of Divinity painted Eloquence and curious Language are of very little esteem and account Afflicted consciences are oftentimes puzled but never comforted with doubtful disputations Neat and elegant expressions may skin over but cannot Cure spiritual diseases Nothing can heal a wounded conscience and keep a man from sinking into despondency in the day of great tribulation but a real right and particular Application of the Promises to help a doubting Christian to performe this great work there are thirteen plaine Rules and Directions laid down in the following Treatise My prayer is that they may prove useful and successeful Seneca indeed comforts his friend Polybius and perswades him to bear his afflictions patiently because hee was the Emperours Favourite and tells him That it was not lawful for him to complaine while Caesar was his friend But this was but a poor Cordial For Caesar himself a little while after was so miserable that hee had not a friend to help him much less was hee able to help his friend The Word of God affords a better Cordial it bids a true Child of God not to bee overmuch dejected under the greatest affliction because hee is Gods Favourite It tells him That it is not lawful for him to complain while God is his friend and the Promises of God his rich portion and inheritance Though Job lost all hee had yet hee lost nothing because hee lost not his God who is All in All and they who have him have All. My purpose at first was onely to have printed the Sermon preached at Mris. Moors Funeral together with her Evidences for Heaven collected by her in the time of her health But the importunity of friends hath overswayed mee and caused mee to adde four more preached immediately afterwards on the same Text. And now Dearly Beloved having this fair opportunity to speak to you in writing give mee leave to propound and lay before you some cautions and admonitions some Rules and Directions for the right ordering of your lives and conversations in these dangerous and divided times that so you may bee able after my decease to have them in perpetual remembrance 1 Take heed of mistaking in the great work of Beleeving and Repenting Faith and Repentance are the two great Gospel-graces And the reason why so many miscarry to all eternity is not for want of them such as they are but upon a pure mistake in thinking they have them when they have but a shadow of them Where one goeth to Hell by desperation hundreds go thither by presumption O! quam multi cum hâc vanâ fide vana spe ad aeternos labores descendunt How many thousands go to hell with a vain faith and hope of heaven And therefore bee much in examination whether your Faith be right or no. Examine your selves whether yee bee in the Faith prove your own selves To bee mistaken in the great work of Beleeving is to bee necessitated to damnation For hee that beleeves not shall bee damned Ask your souls often whether your Repentance bee of a right stamp or no whether it bee a Repentance unto life a Repentance never to bee repented on To bee mistaken in purchasing of Lands can but hurt your outward estates but to bee mistaken in the graces of Faith and Repentance will undo your souls to all eternity What the Characters of a true Faith and true Repentance are you have frequently heard I will not now repeat them Only remember that self-flattery is self-mockery that soul-delusion is soul-damnation Pray unto God to deliver you from that great murderer of souls the sin of Presumption 2 Take heed as I have said of delaying and putting off the great work of providing for Heaven till sickness or old age The Lord Christ commands you to seek first the Kingdome of God and his Righteousness c. First before other things first more than other things You must seek after Heaven in the first and chief place and if you seek it in the least and last place you will never obtain
for any thing in mee For what am I O Lord c. Thus you see how the Promises are the breathings of Divine love and affection and upon this account are very usefull and profitable For love is loves loadstone therefore the Apostle saith Wee love him because hee loved us first The sense of Gods love to us will kindle a love in us to God Even as the beams of the Sun reflecting upon a VVall heats those that walk by the Wall So the Beams of Gods love shining into our souls warms our hearts with the love of God The lovâ— of God constrains us as saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. 14. There is a compulsive and constraining power in love What did not Iacob do for the love of Rachel How was Mephibosheth affected with the love of David 2 Sam. 9. 8. It is our duty to love those that hate us but not to love those that love us is more than heathenish and brutish 2 They are the life and soule of Faith Faith without a Promise to act upon is as a body without a soul as a dead flower which hath no beauty or sweetness in it But Faith grounded upon the Promises will inable a Christian to advance in all manner of holiness What made Abraham forsake his Country and his Fathers house and go hee knew not whither Nothing moved him to this but because God had promised to make him a great Nation and hee beleeved it Of all graces none so causal of holiness as the grace of Faith It is a world overcoming heart-purifying life-sanctifying wonder-working grace and therefore the Promises must needs bee very usefull because they are the life and soul of Faith 3 They are the Anchor of Hope Hope is called an Anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast But the Promises are the Anchor of Hope All Hope of Heaven which is not founded upon a Promise is presumption and not Hope Presumption is when a man hopes to go to Heaven upon no ground or upon an insufficient ground But true Hope is a Hope grounded upon a Scripture-Promise And Hope bottomed upon Divine Promises will mightily availe unto purity and holiness Abraham Isaac and Iacob lived as pilgrims and strangers upon earth because they looked and hoped for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God The Old Testament Saints would not accept deliverance upon sinfull termes because they hoped for a better Resurrection The Papists and Arminians are much mistaken in teaching That the assurance of salvation is an enemy to godliness The Scripture saith the quite contrary 1 Ioh. 3. 3. Hee that hath this Hope purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure The true Hope of Heaven will make us live heavenly 4 They are the Wings of Prayer Prayer is a Divine Cordial to convey grace from Heaven into our soules It is a Key to unlock the bowels of mercy which are in God The best way to obtain holiness is upon our knees the best posture to fight against the Devil is upon our knees and therefore Prayer is not put as a part of our spiritual Armour but added as that which must bee an ingredient in every part and which will make every part effectual But now the Promises are the Wings of Prayer Prayer without a Promise is as a Bird without VVings And therefore wee read both of Iacob and Iehoshaphat how they urged God in their prayers with his Promises And certainly the Prayers of the Saints winged with divine promises will quickly flye up to Heaven and draw down grace and comfort into theâ— souls And upon this account it is that the Promises are so useful to a Christian because they are so helpfull in prayer When wee pray weâ— must urge God with his Promises and say Lord Hast thou not said Thâ—â— wilt circumcise our hearts to love theâ— thou wilt subdue our sinnes thou wilâ— give the Spirit to those that aske it Lord Thou art faithfull fulfill thesâ— thine own promises And wee must remember this great Truth That the Promises God makes to us to mortifieâ— our sins for us are greater helps against sin than our promises to God to mortifie sin Many men in the day of their distress vow and promise to leave sin and fight against it in the strength of these promises and in stead of conquering sin are conquered by sin But if wee fight against sin in the strength of Christ and of his promises if wee urge God in prayer with his owne Word wee shall at last get victory over it For hee hath said That sin shall not have dominion over us Rom. 6. 14. 5 They are the foundation of Induâ—try The promises do not make men â—azy and idle as some scandalously say 〈◊〉 they are the ground of all true laâ—our and industry therefore the Apostles perswade us from the consideration of the Promises unto the study of soul-purification to have our conversation without covetousness to flee from Idolatry and to separate our selves from sinfull communion Divine promises are â—reat incouragements unto spiritual diâ—â—gence Object Though conditional Promiâ—es bee the foundation of industry beâ—ause wee cannot have the thing promiâ—es unless wee perform the conditions yet absolute Promises say some are foundations of lasiness and therefore they a firm there are no absolute Promises in Scripture Answ. Absolute Promises are made foundations of industry in Scripture as well as Conditional The Apostle exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling because it is God 〈◊〉 worketh in us both to will and to do of hiâ— owne good pleasure And the reason is because God performeth nothing which hee promiseth though never so absolutely but in the diligent and conscientious use of the means on our part God promiseth Ezek. 36. 26. to give us a new heart and a new spirit c. but theâ— hee adds vers 37. I will yet 〈◊〉 this bee inquired of by the house of Israel 6 They are the rayes and beams as one saith of Christ the Son of Righteousness in whom they are founded and established As all the liâ—es in a Circumference though never so distant carry a man to one and the same Center So all the Promises carry us to Christ the Center For the Promises are not made for any thing in us nor have they any stability from us but they are made in and for Christ unto us unto Christ in our behalf and unto us so far as we are Members of Christ. Now Jesus Christ is the ground of all soul-purification soul-consolation and soul-salvation And therefore I may safely conclude that the promises are most singularly usefull and advantagious And that it is the duty of all those that desire to live holily and comfortably to consider and ponder the profitableness and beneficialness of the Promises 9 And lastly you must meditate on the great necessity that lyeth upon all men to get a
beloved and it is my highest priviledge that hee will give mee leave to love him who only can satisfie my soul and redeâ—m it from death eternal who hath justified mee by his blood and sanctified mee by his Spirit whom therefore I love with all my heart and all my soul and all my might and all my strength Finding therefore that God hath drawn out my heart to love him and make choice of him alone I from hence gather and ground my hope that God loveth mee according to that Scripture 1 Ioh. 4. 19. Wee love him because hee first loved us I finde my heart much inflamed with love to all the children of God because they are Gods children and the more I see or finde or hear of God in them the more I finde my heart cleaving to them and I thinke I can truly say with David That my delight is in the Saints and those that excel in grace not because they are friends to mee or I have relation to them in regard of outward obligations but because they bear the Image of God upon them and manifest it in their holy conversation I love them whether rich or poor And though I did never know some of them but onely hear of their holiness and piety yet I could not but exceedingly love such Therefore I hope that I am passed from death to life because I love the Brethren 1 Ioh. 3. 14. I do not only love God and the children of God but I labour to keep his Commandements and they are not grievous to mee But I pray with David O that my waies were directed to keep thy statutes Lord inlarge my heart and I will run the waies of thy Commandements Give mee understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart for therein do I delight I finde I am one that is very thirsty after Jesus Christ and the grace of Christ and I thirst to have his image more and more stamped upon mee and I would fain bee assured by Gods Spirit that I am transplanted into Christ and therefore I long and indeavour after a true and lively Faith because that Grace is a soul-transplanting and uniting grace Now Christ hath promised to satisfie the thirsty Matth. 5. 6. and such Christ hath earnestly invited to come though they have nothing to bring but what may make against themselves yet to come empty and hee hath promised to fill them Isa. 55. 1 2. I am willing to confess and with all my heart to forsake all my sins I am willing to give glory to God in taking shame unto my self I acknowledge my self a guilty malefactor and judge my self worthy of the just condemnation of the righteous Judge of all the earth And I do not only confess my sins but with all my heart I desire to forsake them and to turn to the Lord Now hee hath said hee will have mercy on such and will abundantly pardon them For his thoughts are not as our thoughts nor his waies as our waies Isa. 55. 7 8. It is my constant indeavour to dye to sin to live to newness of life And this is my comfort and hope that hee who hath begun a good work in mee will perfect it For it is hee that worketh all our works in us and for us Isa. 26. 12. and hee that hath wrought in mee to will to do that which is pleasing in his sight will work in mee to do also and that of his good pleasure Phil 2. 13. I hope I am one whom God hath taken into Covenant with himself because hee hath bestowed upon mee the fruits of the Covenant because hee hath circumcised my heart to love him and hath put his fear into mee and hath wrought an universal change in mee and hath given mee a new heart and a new spirit yea his own spirit which hee hath put within mee even the Spirit of Truth which will guide mee into all Truth It is his own promise to give his holy Spirit to them that aske it of him as I have done often Luke 11. 13. and I hope that God will make it in his due time a witnessing and a comforting Spirit I will wait upon him for the accomplishment of all his promises both of grace and to grace Hee hath said hee will bee a Sun and a Shield he will give grace and glory and no good thing will hee with-hold from them that walke uprightly And hee hath promised to subdue our sins for us and hath said That sin shall not have Dominion over us Rom. 6. 14. That hee will bee our God and wee shall bee his children and hee will save us from all our uncleannesses I hope I have a share in this blessed Covenant of Free Grace As for my Affliction that lyeth upon mee though it bee in it self very heavy I much more desire the sanctification of it than the removal I earnestly labour to learn all those lessons which God teacheth mee by Affliction I know I should not bee scourged nor bee in tribulation but that I have need of it it is for my profit to make mee partaker of his holiness Afflictions are an evidence of Sonship Heb. 12. 6 7 8. God hath promised that all things shall work together for good to them that love and fear him And I have had much experience of his faithfulness who hath not suffered mee to bee tempted above what hee hath inabled mee to bear therefore I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Hee hath chastized mee less than mine iniquities deserve Hee chastizeth mee here that hee may not condemn mee hereafter Faith is the condition of salvation Beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saved And this is his Commandement that wee should beleeve in his Son Iesus Christ Now I find nothing so hard to mee as to beleeve aright to cast away all my own Righteousness as dung in point of justification and to cast away all my unrighteousness so as that bee no bar to mee and to role and cast and venter my immortal soul upon Jesus Christ and his Righteousness for life and salvation by him alone and to see my self compleat in him this is supernatural Yet I must and will give glory to God and say Lord I beleeve help thou my unbeleef And by this I prove that this precious grace of faith is wrought in mee because Jesus Christ is to mee very precious and I finde in the Word that to them that beleeve hee is precious and I am willing to take Christ upon his own termes as hee is tendred in the Gospel and am willing to give up my self soul and body wholly to him and my love to God and to the children of God is a fruit of my Faith as also my desire to bee made like unto him For hee that hath this hope in him purifieth himself
Legacies left them by Christ in his last Will and Testament The Saints are called the Heires of the Promises Heb. 6. 17. And if they would bee filled full of joy in the day of their distresse they must bee frequent in reading these Legacies The Promises are as it were the breasts of God full of the Milk of grace and comfort And it is our duty to bee sucking out by meditation the milke of grace and comfort contained in them That which the Prophet saith of the Church of Christ may as truly bee said of the Promises of Christ. Rejoyce O yee people of God and bee glad all yee that have an interest in the Promises Rejoyce for joy all yee that are mourners in Sion that yee may sacke and bee satisfied with the â—easts of their consolations that yee may milke out and bee delighted with the abundance of joy and comfort contained in them The Promises are the Saints Aqua-vitae as one calls them the Saints Cordials the Saints Planke to swim to Heaven upon the Saints Fiery Chariot to carry them up to Heaven And the great reason why they walke so uncomfortably so disconsolately and so unbeleevingly in the time of their tribulation is because they do not smell of these 〈◊〉 they do not chew these Cordials they do not read over these spiritual Legacies they doe not by serious meditation and consideration sucke out the comfort comprehended in them For as fire will not warme us unlesse wee tarry at it and a Bee cannot sucke out the hoâ—y that is in a flower unless shee abide upon it no more can any Childe of God receive supportation and consolation from the Promises in the houre of temptation unless hee seriously and solemnly ponder and meditate on them There is a double difference between a presumptuous sinner and a poor humble distressed Childe of God 1 A presumptuous sinner studieth nothing but the promising Word Hee sleights the commanding and the threatning Word The Word commands him to keep holy the Sabbath day not to love the world not to lust but hee turnes a deaf ear to it The Word threatneth to wound the hairy scalp of every one that goeth on in his wickednesse but because God is patient and long-suffering therefore hee regards it not But as for the Promising word hee snatcheth at it hee doth not truly lay hold on it but snatcheth at it before it belongs to him and Spider-like sucks the poyson of sin out of it and makes of it a Cradle to rock himself asleep in sinful courses Because God hath promised That whensoever a Sinner turnes from his sins which hee hath committed hee shall surely live and not dye therefore hee delayes and prorogues his turning from sin But now a poor distressed humble Christian fails on the contrary part hee pores upon the commanding and threatning Word but never ponders the promising Word God saith hee commands mee to love him with all my heart and soule to wash my heart from iniquity to love my enemies to cut off my right hand and to plucke out my right eye c. But I cannot performe these commands therefore surely shall never bee saved God saith hee hath threatned to curse every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in his Law to do it and therefore surely I am accursed But hee never studies nor ponders the promising Word for if hee did hee would quickly know three things for his everlasting comfort 1 That there is nothing required by God in his Word as our duty but God hath either promised to bestow it upon us as his gift or the Saints have prayed to God for it as his gift God commands us to love him but hee hath promised to circumcise our hearts to love him c. Deut. 30. 6. God commands us to fear him to turn our selves from our transgressions and to make our selves a new heart and a new spirit But hee hath promised to give us a new heart and a new spirit to put his fear in our hearts that wee shall never depart from him and to turn us from our evill wayes The Saints of God also have prayed unto God for this as the fruit of his free mercy Ier. 31. 18. Lam 5. 21. There is nothing commanded in the Covenant of works but God hath promised in the Covenant of grace in some measure to work it in us for hee hath promised to work all our works in us and to write his Law not one Commandement of it only but the whole Law in our hearts and to put it in our inward parts and to cause us to walk in his wayes 2 That God under the Covenant of grace will for Christs sake accept of less than hee requires in the Covenant of works Hee requires perfection of degrees but hee will accept of perfection of parts hee requires us to live without sin but hee will accept of our sincere endeavours to doe it If there bee a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that hee hath not 2 Cor. 8. 12. 3 That though hee cannot in his owne person perform all that God commands yet Iesus Christ as his Surety and in his stead hath fulfilled the Law for him and that God will accept of Christs perfect as a cover for his imperfect righteousnesse That Christ hath redeemed him from the curse of the Law being made a curse for him That the Threatnings of the Law are Serpents without a sting and that Christ hath taken away the power and force of them Did a broken-hearted and wounded sinner ponder and meditate on these things they would fill him full of joy and comfort Hee would flye from the Covenant of Works to the Covenant of Grace from his owne unrighteousnesse unto the righteousnesse of Christ and from the commanding and threatning word unto the promising word hee would say Lord Thou commandest mee to walke in thy Statutes and to keep thy Lawes This I cannot do of my selfe but thou hast promised to cause me to walke in thy ways and to write thy Law in my heart Lord give me power to doe what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt 2 A presumptuous Sinner is alwayes studying the promising Word to bolster up himself in sin but hee never studies his sins and iniquities to repent for them and from them Hee meditates on the Promises to harden his heart in sin but not at all on his sins to humble himself for them and to turne from them But now on the contrary A poore distressed Christian pores upon his iniquities and corruptions but never mindes himself of the Promises and this makes him live so dejectedly and disconsolately A wicked man studieth his Corruptions too little A distressed Christian too much If hee did study the Promises as much as he doth his corruptions hee would not walk so uncomfortably Wherefore if ever you would
Scripture-interest in the Promises This I adde to awaken Christians to attend diligently to this Discourse about the Promises and to shew them the necessity of minding and of studying them For hee that hath no right to them is in a faithless hopeless comfortlesse desperate and damnable condition All the happiness of a Christian both here and hereafter consisteth especially in his right and title to the promises The Scripture tells us in express words that hee that is a stranger from the Promise is without Christ without God without hope Sad is the condition of that man who hath no interest in God nor in Christ and who is without hope And such is the condition of him who is a stranger to the Promises for all hope of Heaven which is not bottomed upon a promise is presumption and soul-delusion All comfort and joy which is not grounded upon a promise is soul-cousenage and all Faith not anchored upon a Promise is nothing else but flattery and soul-mockery Consider this you that are full of joy and comfort and as you say relye upon Christ for salvation Tell mee what promise have you to build this Faith this hope this comfort upon For there are thousands that flatter themselves into Hell by a false hope of Heaven thousands which promise to themselves to goe to Heaven but have no promise for it from God Such were the five foolish Virgins such was the Church of Laodicaea such were they Matth. 7. 24. Hos. 8. 2 3. Micha 3. 10 11. Remember this and let it bee daily in your thoughts you that have not true right to the Promises your Faith is faction your Hope is presumption and your joy is delusion To bee a stranger from the Promise is to be without God without Christ and without Hope So much for the second particular viz. Meditate on the Promises The End of the fourth Sermon RULES FOR THE Right Application of the Promises SERMON V. PSAL. 119. 92. Unlesse thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Afflictions NOw I come to the third and last particular He that would make the Promises as spiritual bladders to keep him from drowning in the deep waters of affliction must not only make a Catalogue of them and meditate upon them but hee must make Application of them to his own soul as belonging to him in particular Hee must as it is said of the godly Patriarchs Hebrews 11. 13. be perswaded of them and imbrace them hee must hugge and kisse them as his rich portion and glorious inheritance And this is the chief of all For no man can receive any comfort from a Promise who is not able to make out his interest in that Promise As the life of a Sermon is in the Application of it unto our selves so the life of a Promise is in the appropriation of it Quid est Deus si non est meus What am I the better saith Origen that Christ took upon him the flesh of a Virgin if he took not my flesh What was the great Prince the better for the miraculous plenty in Samaria when the Prophet told him that hee should see it with his eyes but not eat of it As the man who when he was ready to be drowned saw a Rain-bow which was a signe that the World should never bee again drowned said Quid mihi proderit haec Iris si ego peream What am I the better for this Rain bow if I perish So may I say what is a man the better for the rich Mine of treasure contained in the Promises if hee hath no share in it There are three sorts of Professors of Religion 1 Some lay claime to the Promises when they have no right to them such are your presumptuous sinners who take it for granted that the Promises belong to them who presume themselves into Hell by a false hope in the Promises who make a Feather-bed of the Promises upon which they sleep securely in sin As Thrasilaus a mâ—d Athenian laid claime to every Ship that came to Athens though hee had right to none So a presumptuous sinner laies claime to every Promise though hee hath right to none he inlargeth them beyond their bounds and maketh the conditional Promises to bee absolute and such as belong only to those that are in Christ to belong to him though he be not in Christ. He sucks the poison of sin and security out of the sweet flower of the Promises 2 Some have an interest in the Promises and know their interest These live in Heaven while they are upon earth these rejoyce in tribulation and are more than Conquerours over the greatest afflictions These are secure from perishing in the day of distresse That man who taking the Bible into hâ—s hand can say upon right grounds All the Promises in this Book are my portion and I have a right and title to them this man is happy above expression 3 Some have an interest in the Promises but doâ— not know their interest and therefore dare not in the hour of trouble apply them for their supportation and consolation Such are your broken-hearted wounded distressed and deserted Christians Such can receive no comfort from the Promises in the day of affliction When they begin to apply them for their support the Devil suggesteth to them and their owne doubting hearts tell them that they mis-apply them and that they belong not to them When a godly Minister whose office is to speak a word in season to those that are weary Isa. 50. 4. indeavours by the Application of the Promises to comfort them their souls refuse to bee comforted they exclude themselves from having a right to Christ and his Promises though Christ would not have them excluded They groundlesly fear that their names are written in the black Book of reprobation and that all the Curses of the Law are their portion hence it is that they live so uncomfortably and disconsolately in the time of affliction Now then for the help of such persons who have a true title to the Promises but know it not who walke in darknesse and see no light who beleeve they are Hypocrites when they are not and that they are not in Christ when they are that I may be Gods instrument to inable such to make Application of the precious promises unto their own souls in particular in the hour of trouble for their everlasting supportation and consolation I shall lay down these ensuing Rules and Directions Rule 1. 1 Whosoever in a Gospel-sense doth obey the commanding word of God hath a real interest in the Promising Word of God Though thou canst not perfectly obey the will of God yet if thou dost truly desire and industriously indeavour to obey it in all things If God hath written his Law in thy heart and given thee a Gospel-frame inclining thee to the obedience of all his Commandements sincerely though not perfectly this is an infallible evidence that thou hast
Christ and disgrace and reproach and poverty Christ and his Cross There are many would bee glad of Christ but they will not take up his Cross. They would take Christ down from the Cross as Ioseph of Arimathea did and leave the Cross behinde them But hee that takes Christ aright will bee as willing to wear a Crown of thorns for his sake as a Crown of gold 2 It is a receiving of Christ in all his Offices as our King Priest and Prophet A true Beleever is as willing to receive Christ into his soul as hee is that Christ should receive him into heaven hee is as willing to have Christ reigne over him as hee is to reign with Christ in Heaven Hee desires not only to bee saved but to bee healed by Christ. 3 It is a receiving of Christ into every room of the soul for Christ will come into every room or into never a room A true beleever opens every door unto Christ hee gives him the lock and key of the whole man and desires that hee would come and reside in every room 4 It is a receiving of Christ and him only For Christ must rule alone or not at all An Hypocrite would compound with Christ and together with the false Mother divide the childe but a true beleever saith with the Prophet O Lord our God Other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but now by thee onely will wee make mention of thy Name And with the true Mother hee will give the whole to God 5 It is a receiving of Christ in health as well as in sickness in prosperity as well as in adversity in youth as well as in old age in life as well as in death Most people make use of Christ meerly as a shelter against a storme for their own ends as the Athenians did of Themistocles and when the storm is over forsake him Most people flye to Christ in their distress as Ioab did to the horns of the Altar and when they can serve the Devil no longer then they begin to think of serving of God but a true beleever will give his best dayes to God as well as his worst hee desires not onely to dye in Christ but to live for Christ hee receives Christ in health c. 6 It is a receiving of Christ not only for an hour or a day or a year but for ever True Faith marries the soul to Christ never to part Once a member of Christ for ever a member Now there is no childe of God of what size soever though hee bee but as a toe in Christs body who cannot truly say that hee is willing to receive Iesus Christ with all these Properties to receive all Christ with all his appurtenances and to receive him only in every room in health and for ever And therefore let not the Devil or thy mis-giving heart or thy melancolick-phancy keep thee off from beleeving that Christ Iesus is thy portion and that thou hast an interest in the main and fundamental Promise and by that in all the other Do to Christ as the Shunamitish woman did to the Prophet lay fast hold on him and suffer not the Devil to cause thee to let go thy hold Oh that there might bee this day a blessed and happy Marriage between Jesus Christ and every distressed Christian. Object But suppose I am willing to â—ake Christ upon Christs termes can I 〈◊〉 assured that Christ will receive 〈◊〉 Ans. Yes doubtless For hee hath said hee will and hee is truth it self 〈◊〉 cannot lye Indeed a poor wounded â—nner will sometimes confess that hee is willing with all his heart to receive Christ upon his own termes but hee â—s afraid lest Christ should refuse to receive him But this is a needless fear For Christ will in no wise refuse those that come to him To as many as receive him to all those hee will give power to become the Sons of God even to them that beleeve in his Name Hee that beleeveth hath everlasting life and shall never come into condemnation but is passed from death to life So much for the fourth Rule If these Rules and Directions already named will not inable thee to apply the Promises so as to keep thee from perishing in the day of distress Let mee adde Rule 5. 5 If thou canst not lay hold upon the Promises made to those who are in the highest form in Christs School lay hold upon the Promises made to those who are in the lower forms In Christs School there are divers sorts of Scholars some are in the high form some in the middle some in the lowest some are Babes in Christs School some are grown Christians some are as tall Cedars some are as low shrubs Now you must know that it is our duty to labour to bee of the highest form Hee that saith hee hath grace enough hath grace little enough Hee that stints himselfe in his endeavours after grace never had true grace Wee must labour to bee perfect as God is perfect But yet you must also â—now that hee that is a real Scholar in Christs School is in an happy condition though hee bee not the best Scholar And that it is our duty so to 〈◊〉 the eminent graces which are in others as to bee thereby incited to a further progress in grace but not so as to bee thereby disheartned and disâ—â—uraged There are many distressed Christians like to those who gaze so long upon the brightness of the Sun that when they come into their houses they cannot see at all they pore so much upon the transcendent excellencies which are in their Brethren that they are stark blinde in their own concernments and cannot see any grace in themselves and hereupon are apt to conclude that they are out of Gods favour But this is a non sequitur The foot must not say that it is no part of the body because it is not so eminent a part as the head or heart Wee must rather say with the Martyr Blessed bee God that I am a member in Christs body though but the weakest and lowest Wee must not rest satisfied with being loâ— Christians but yet wee must not therefore say Wee are no Christians And when wee are under great tribulations and temptations if wee cannot apply to our selves for our comfort those Promises which are made to â—â—minent Saints of the highest form let us apply those which are made unto true Saints though to such who are the lowest of the lowest form and hereby wee shall through Gods blessing finde our soules marveilously supported and comforted As for example Christ hath said Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven And therefore though thou art not rich in grace yet if poor in spirit thou art blessed Christ saith Blessed are they that mourn for they shall bee comforted Though thou canst not live without sin yet if a mourner for