hidâ—en by his holiness and the very being â—hereof daily diminished by the â—trength power and working of his Spiâ—t If thou wouldst be saved this must be â—â—y Plea I Lord have most grieviously â—â—ned against thee even in my best perâ—rmances therefore I beseech thee for Christ his sake to pardon me And not â—us Behold this I have done thus I have deserved therefore I require thee â—f thy Iustice to reward me for in the work of salvation all merrit and desert â—f our own is absolutely excluded How sweetly and contentedly may â—at soul repose it selfe that hath a testiâ—ony of his salvation by Iesus Christ â—at God is reconciled unto him in Christ notwithstanding his many and â—rievous sins the root of corruption every coruption that lyeth lurking in the heart of man Now for the soul to feele such a change such a regeneration wrought on the heart after a true and serious repentance and the embracements of a Saviour the Lord Jesus in his arms ready to receive thee what a transcendent unspeakable comfort is that soul partaker of But that we may not flatter our selves with the bare flashes and as it were shaddows of comfort taken from a wrong principle let us consider and that seriously from whence our comforts do arise Do they arise from an utter abhorring our selves by reason of our polution by nature For until we be wounded what need can we find of a medicine Until we can find our selves heart-sick of sin what need can we find to our selves of a Physician They that are whole need not a Physician but they that are sick Is Jesus Christ the chief desire of thy soul Art thou willing to part with any thing for him that having found this treasure canst thou presently hide it in thy heart Art thou willing to sell all that thou hast to purchase this Field this Treasure this Wisdom Is thy heart affected with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ Dost thou eye Jesus Christ by faith Dost thou see fulness of satisfaction in the merits death and passion of Christ Dost thou feel by the power of Christ's spirit an application of all this to thy soul that thou canst out of a setled assurance conclude these benefits and blessings belong to me Then my soul let thy temporal condition be what it will as for this life yet raise up thy affections higher let thy heart be where thy treasure is repose thy self upon Jesus and take care of exempting thy self from those heavenly priviledges which the blood of Jesus Christ is ready to pour down upon thee These things well considered are as so many sinews and joynts to strengthen a weak and drooping faith the Lord give me his spirit of grace that I may not only write these Truths but that by his strength they may be applied unto my soul Thomas Ford He that broke the heart of Manasseh and Paul after their blood and blasphemies when they never desired any such thing he can break thine much more when thou desirest him to do it for thee T. F. To my loving and esteemed Friend Mr Henry Wright one of the Serjeants at Mace within the City of Rochester Loving Friend I Present unto you a small quantity of Winter fruit which hath fell from â—a Dry Branch What my purpose is in presenting them I trust of your self you will conceive it to be no other but this that they may remain with you as a testimony of mysetled purpose never to forget your ancient Love He that hath a friend let him shew himself friendly saith the Scripture Accept therefore this little as from a new Graft upon a corrupt stock and vouchsafe it some low room in your Meditations and as you relish it promote it not for any worth in the Gift but for the integrity of the Donor who while he lives will alwaies pray that after you and yours have served their time here ye may be made Free-men and Free-women of the Kingdom of Heaven Amen Nov. 30. 1656. Your loving and Well-wishing Friend Thomas Ford a Prisoner in the Prison of the City of Rochester called the Dolphine Certain Propositions which in my Meditations I have collected together in this time which is lent me out of the 14 chapter of Hosea and the first verse The words are these Oh Israel Return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast faln by thine Iniquity THe words are an exhortation or a vehement perswasion which the Spirit of God doth use by the Prophet to return to God The whole chapter containing a rousing or stirring up the people of Israel to repent of their iniquiries and to return to God whereunto are annexed gracious promises of Gods mercies unto them in healing their backslidings and returning unto them and you may observe what a mixture of repentance and mercy there is in the chapter From whence in the general we may observe the unseparableness of true repentance and mercy they are linked together as in a chain even as David and Ionathan they will not part one from the other In the words there are five particulars observed 1. The seriousness of the Prophet's call perswading our better attention and as it were a necessity of lending an ear unto this Call in the Vocative O! 2. The persons called Israel By Israel is meant the people of God 3. The Act or Duty called unto Return 4. The object matter of their return or the person to whom they should is the Lord 5. and lastly The grounds and reasons of this their return laid down in cloze of the words For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity From the words you may plainly gather several points or observations to wit 1. That the best and choisest of God's children may decline and grievously fall from God as Israel did 2. That the ways of sin lead us directly from God Or thus That sin is an absolute turning the Back upon God therefore Return 3. That God the Father through his Son the Lord Iesus Christ is the only shelter and tower of refuge for a penitent sinner Thy God 4 And lastly That it is and ought to be the main scope and aim of the Ambassadors and Ministers of Iesus Christ to disswade from sin and perswade to repentance O Israel Return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquities First of the first in order That the best and choisest of God's Saints and people may grievously decline and fall from God For proof whereof I need go no further then the subject we treat of Israel a name whereby God pleased to stile his own people his elect his chosen people of Israel my people as he terms them Nay God is pleased to term himself The King of Israel in Isa. 44. 6. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts the King of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts We know the prerogative of Kings is to rule over their Subjects to have the command and government of their subjects
hard and â—tony heart and give you a heart of â—lesh pray continually pray without â—easing and pray in Faith with a confidence that God hears your Prayers and will in his good time answer them not for thy sake but for his sons sake 4. Attend upon the means of Grace in the ministry of the word which is the only way and means God hath appointed for begetting of Faith in us and search the Scriptures the Word of God they â—are they that testifie of me saith our Saviour and as you love your souls take care of disrespecting or sleighting the Word of God and laying it aside as a thing not worth the looking into foâ—â— sleighting of it you sleight God himself you are the greatest enemies to youâ— selves in the world in being ignorant oâ— the word of God you are utterly disarmed against the temptations of Sataâ— when he assaults you When we go to war against a potent Prince or person we will not go without our arms buâ— in a posture of defence I beseech you let us consider the strength and power of our adversaries we have to deal withall the World the Flesh and the Devil three potent enemies therefore labour to be well armed out of the Magazine the word the Word of God which is for doctrine reproof instruction c. and then to your armor that you may be compleat in the principal bag the sword of the spirit of God we know a souldier is no body without his sword no more are we spiritual souldiers without the sword of the spirit for a man may read and hear all his lifetme yet if the spirit of God go not along with him in accompanying him in his reading and hearing it is all in vain unless the sword of Gods spirit cut asunder our corrupt hearts and affections so as to understand the mistery of the word of God as well as the history of it barely The use of this doctrine should be for exhortation to all sorts of men and women in the world to beware of sin and to shun it as the greatest evil in the world and more especially of those sins which draw away our hearts and affections and likewise to consider the dangerous consequences of sin and how dangerous a matter and thing it is to let loose our hearts and affections to Satan Then it may serve for to admire the wonderfull and unspeakable love of our heavenly Father in Christ that he will accept of us upon our unfained return unto him by repentance that our pardon is already sued forth if that we can by faith lay hold on it and esteem of the favour in some measure according to the worth of it It lets us see the miserable condition of them that claim no interest at all in this pardon Of the comfort of those that can experimentally conclude and by the spirit of God witnessing with their spirits say This pardon is sealed unto me I shall have the benefit of it tho notwithstanding my sins reach up unto heaven and cry mightily for vengeance against me yet my whole alliance and sole comfort and confidence is in the merrits of Jesus Christ applyed by faith I shall find mercy for he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy but he that hideth them shall not prosper I am one of them that confesse my sins and earnestly desire of God that he would break my stony and hard heart for them and do without hypocrisie if my heart deceive me not unfainedly resolve to forsake my sins therefore I though the worst and greatest of sinners shall accordingly find mercy Tho. Ford Collossians the 2. and the 6 verse The words are these As ye have therefore received Christ Iesus the Lord so walk ye in him THe blessed Apostle Paul after Christ had awaked him from his sleep of security and unscaled the eys of his understanding which were before darkened with that mistiness which the Devil like a Jugler cast before him did immediately after the Holy Ghost had enlightned him preach Christ and so like a principall work-man in Christs Church and as a chosen vessell to bear the name of Christ amongst the Gentiles did with all vehemency and ardency of spirit and affection endeavour to build up a spiritual Church to Jesus Christ and in this Epistle to the Colossians amongst the rest of his Epistles he dischargeth his trust as a faithfull Ambassador of Jesus Christ The whole chapter is as it were a glasse wherein we may see the fruit of Pauls Mâ—nistery the words being a perswasive part moved from a good priniple For the better explanation of them consider in them First the guift received Secondly the congratulation thereof 1. The gift received Jesus Christ 2. The congratulation of the Gift walk in him The words contain a serious exhortatation and the reason thereof The exhortation Walk in Jesus Christ The ground and reason thereof For you have received him As if the Apostle Paul should have said you had Jesus Christ preached amongst you by me and others of my brethren you are not ignorant of that eternal weight of glory which Jesus Christ hath purchased for you therefore walk not according to the rudiments of this world but walk according to the rules of Jesus Christ for this is all that Jesus Christ requireth of you that you would manifest your love unto him in walking obediently before him If you love me keep my commandments so that the words are in themselves a Proposition and do speak plainly thus much unto us That the incomparable love of the Lord Jesus Christ declared unto us in the word and laid open more abundantly in the Ministery of the Gospel should be a strong perswasion unto us to walk according to the rules of the Gospel Or thus That Christs exceeding love unto us in redeeming us from death and hell should be a strong ty upon us to love Jesus Christ Every one that hears me cannot deny but must needs confess and acknowledge that the point is very reasonable and I may say very seasonable in these apostatizing dayes of ours that Love deserves Love Our Saviour speaks of a deserved love as a thing not to be looked on not worth any reward For if ye love them that love you what thanks have ye saith our Saviour Do not even the Publicans the same denoting unto us that true love is of such an extensive nature that it sheweth it self even to our enemies this is perfect and true love Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect Now the greatness of Jesus Christs love is shewn in that he loved us when we were enemies unto him strangers and aliens from the common wealth of Israel And how did Christ love us was his love an ordinary love That Christ the Son of God co-equal with his Father should become man even the meanest of men although by Ioseph he was next heir
Grace and Mercy to a Sinner in a Time of Afflictions OR The serious Meditations of M. Tho. Ford of Rochester During the time of his Imprisonment before his Execution Faithfully delivered from his own COPIE Together with his Funeral Sermon Preached by Mr Wil. Sandbrook P. M. Rochester Set forth for the strengthning of our Faith in Jesus Christ and to arm our selves against Satan Published for the satisfaction of his Friends and conviction of his Enemies By Iohn Plasse LONDON Printed by Ioseph Moxon for Francis Cossinett and sold at his shop in Tower street at the sign of the golden Anchor at Minsin lane end 1657. To the Reader Courteous Reader I Having the Original of this Coppy committed to my hands by the Author thereof it being a grand part of his serious meditations during the time of his imprisonment in Rochester was desired by many of the Inhabitants and others adjacent to transcribe the same that it might be committed to Presse thereby to come to the publique view The Peece it self is but small yet full of many precious Truths and altho penned by a Person statned with the guilt of the blood of his own Sister yet in it thou shalt find so much of Gods glorious Countenance shining out upon him after so long a time of Gods with-drawing which thou shalt find fully discovered in his last Speech annexed to this Treatise that thou maiest conclude with me doubtless he is now at rest in the arms of a faithful Redeemer Iudge charitably accept of it kindly and walk thank fully with God for aâ— his mercies These are the only desire of him that is Margarets Rochester Ian. 26. 1656. Thine John Plasse Several Notes and Observations collected by me Tho. Ford for the strengthning of my Faith in my Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ and fealing of the assurance of my everlasting salvation Dedicated to any tender eye that will pardon the mistakes and correct the Errors My entrance by Prayer MOst high and mighty Lord God that didst create Man after thine own image but he fell from thee and by his fall made himself despicable and most vile in thy eyes O Lord we are in his loyns and are corrupted in him so that our original corruptions are enough to sink us into Hell without any actual transgressions But ever blessed be thy Name thou didst not leave us in this condition but didst provide a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ to randsom us from the thraldom of sin and death that whosoever beleeves in him should not perrish but have everlasting life Strengthen me O Lord the greatest of sinners that I may by sure evidences from thy good spiriâ— working in me a lively faith receive some crums of mercy from thy Table Take away O Lord the hardness of my heart the blindness of my understanding the deadness of my affections Create in me O God a new heart and renew a right spirit within me Make me to hear joy and gladness Rebuke the Tempter that hath been too strong for me and while I live here let me live to thy glory and before I depart hence receive that blessed and comfortable sentence from thee Thy sins are forgiven thee And this I begg of thee for the sake of Jesus Christ my alone Saviour and Redeemer Amen Of God He is glorious in his Essence and glorious in his Persons In his Essence of an eternal being by himself without beginning and without end Iehovah Elohim He is glorious in his Persons Father Son and Holy Spirit The Father is glorious in his great work of Election The Son is glorious in his great work of Redemption The Holy Ghost is glorious in his great work of Application The Father is glorious in choosing the House The Son is glorious in buying the House The Holy Ghost is glorious in dweling in the House To apply this to my self Is God so full of glory and Majesty with what an awfulness and dreadfull reverence of his Majesty should I come before him to beg pardon for my sins for my sins that have been so sinfull beyond measure the whole course of my life hath been nothing else but a continual act of sin and to all my sins have added Murder and that not of a stranger but of my own Sister Well Where shall I rest for Comfort In the Father He is full of Majesty and Glory I cannot But here must I rely upon Jesus Christ my Redeemer that by true repentance for my sins principally as they have been an offence against the Majesty and dishonour to his Name joyned by a lively Faith in Jesus Christ Here must I cast Anchor and upon this Rock must I be preserved from dispair of Gods mercies But how shall I come to Christ that I may find mercy 1. Come to him mourning and loathing thy self for thy long continuance in sin and refusing of him come with a broken and lamenting heart for all thy sins but especially for thy sleighting of Christ for the shedding of his blood the renting of his bowels and if thou canst not come as well as thou shouldst yet come as well as thou canst come to him and make thy moan of thy unbeleef and inability to come 2. Come with this assured confidence â—hat those that come unto him he will in to wise cast away and thou being come he will not cast thee away Let us draw neer with full assurance of Faith having â—ur hearts sprinkled from an evil Consciâ—nce and our bodies washed with pure water 3. Come gladly and willingly glorifying the grace of God but abasing thy â—elf Come with gladness that thou shalt â—e brought and enter into the Kings preâ—nce receive not the grace of God as â— common thing but thankfully and with all thy heart for the end why the Lord gives Christ to a man is the glory â—f his Grace If the Lord attain his end he desires no more For why should â—e when he hath his end The only way and means to obtain pardon from God the Father by his â—on Jesus Christ is set down briefly by S. Iohn thus If we acknowledge our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins Make therefore a diligent search of â—hy heart by the Law of God arraign thy self in thine own thoughts before God Supposing this were the day oâ— reckoning rip up thy heart and lay open all thy known sins without lesning them without excusing them without hiding them without taking upon thee to defend them thus did David Psal 51 3. 4. thus did Ezra 9. 6. and then go on to give Iudgement to thy self I say Iudge thy self that thou be not Iudged Thus did Daniel in the 9. and the 7 Thus did the Prodigall Luke the 15 21. One thing is very observable in the Prodigals return to his Father and that on the Fathers part the Text saith His Father went and met him intimating unto us the goodness and infinitâ— mercy of God
in the Lord Jesus Christ to humble and penitent sinners that by hearty repentance come home unto him He is very ready and willing to meet them to imbrace them in the arms of his mercy to kill the fatted Calf to provide delicates heavenly delicates for his the bread of life the food of immortality ushered in with the most delightfull Musick for there is joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth That by the way When thou hast judged thy self then earnestly beg of God pardon for Christs sake and never leave him off untill he give this blessed answer to thy Conscience that thy sins are pardoned The unjust Judge by reason of the importunity of the Widdow granted her request how much more shall the just God grant the request of his that pray day and night unto him Thus did David Let thy good spirit lead me c. These things are necessary if we would be saved we must not be Cowards in a business of this nature if we intend to win the field but we must work our best endeavours and still hold out wrestling with God if we intend to win the Victory Some Captives amongst men are redeemed by price only some by power without price but such is the lamentable captivity of all men under sin and the severity of Gods Justice that without the price of Christs blood and the power of his spirit there is no deliverance from sin and misery the Lord Jesus Christ having paid the full and absolute price of our deliverance Ioh 8. 32. Yet it is with us as with a company of Captives in prison our sins like strong chains holds us Satan our Keeper will not let us go the Prison doors through unbeleef are shut upon us and thereby God and Christ are kept our from us what power now can rescue us that are held fast unto such a power even after the price is paid The spirit of God speaketh of a power in Christ Thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help As Christ hath redeemed us so we must go unto him For strength and power that we may make application of this Redemption to our selves that by his spirit we may find the fruits of it on our own souls and here consists our comfort that as Christ was abased to purchase redemption for us so now he is exalted at the right hand of God the Father to apply this redemption unto us Four causes of mans misery joyned with four acts of Christs power Mans misery 1. The ignorance of his own misery 2. Security and unsenceableness of it 3. Carnal confidence in their own duties 4. Presumption or resting upon the mercy of God by a Faith of their own forgeing Christs Act 1. Conviction of sin 2. Compunction for sin 3. Humiliation or self-abasement 4. Faith These are the works of Christ on the soul There must be an actual deliverance in man wrought by the efficacy and power of the spirit of Christ as well as a purchased deliverance wrought by the blood of Christ therefore untill we can find the former wrought in us we can lay no claim to the latter until we can see sin in its own colours with the several aggrevations thereof and the wages of sin which is eternal death we cannot truly hate it and not truly hating it we cannot repent of it and not repenting of it we cannot with a true faith lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ Shew me thy Faith without thy work saith S. Iames and I will shew thee my Faith by my works He that repents and beleeves shall be saved but he that beleeves not shall be damned Thus you see where our rest and rock of comfort for salvation is only in our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ You see the manner how we must come to Christ so that we may be accepted we must come loathing and abhorring our selves out of our selves into Christ come humbly come willingly to Christ as with all thy might and power as to the only spring fountain and head of comfort of wisdom of excellency come even as the Bride to the Bridegroom as the members to the Head as the branches to the Vine and let thy confidence when thou comest inwardly perswade thee that Those who come to him he will in no wise cast away for we have his promise for it Behold saith our Saviour I stand at the dore and knock c. Let every beleeving Soul then say with Thomas My Lord and my God Objection may arise Is God such a merciful God and is Iesus Christ so willing to imbrace us when we come unto him and seek to him by those we 〈◊〉 which he hath appointed us in his Word â—hen what is the reason that he hears â—t the Prayers of his People that they â—t up unto him to be delivered from sin â—om some particular sin which it may is more predominant than any other against hardness of heart It may be thou art not humbled eâ—ough in thy self thou dost not pray as â—ou oughtest to pray in Faith or if thou â—st God may for present not answer â—ee according to thy desire for the tryâ—â— of thy Faith and Patience to make â—ee the more earnest suitor unto him â—oahs Dove returns not presently with 〈◊〉 Olive branch of Peace in his mouth â—rayer sometimes that speeds well reâ—â—rns not presently for want of compaâ—â— enough to fetch away that abunâ—nce of mercy that God hath to give the Lord ever gives them that ask in â—aith their asking in mony or monies â—orth God is long many times before â— gives but pays them well for their â—aiting Approve thy self to God in all thy â—aies for he is an omniscient God no â—atter what he world saith of thee God is thy Spie taking notice of all actions and they are in print in Heaâ—â— which that great spectator and Juâ—â— will open at the great day Fear theâ—â—fore to sin in secret unless thou canst a dark hole to sin where God cannot thee Have a care of playing the Athâ—â— in practice although thou be not so thy profession to confesse there is God yet by thy works to deny hiâ— even if it were possible to unthrone â—â—â—sus Christ they that pluck the 〈◊〉 from his throne are as bad or as vile they that say there is no King But that we may the better understaâ—â— how sin is remitted by Christ and him Consider that in him there 〈◊〉 three things that makes Sin exceed 〈◊〉 Sinfull 1 The Crime of Sin 2 The Guilt of Sin 3 The Stain and blot or pollution Sin The Crimes by which God is offenâ—ed The Guilt by which we are liable punishment The blot or stain which the 〈◊〉 â—ommitted leaveth in the offender These three are taken away by the â—erits of Christ 1 The Crime is taken away by his Obedience 2 The Guilt is removed by his sufferâ—ngs 3 The blot stain and coruption is
and we know what the duty of Subjects ought to be in yeilding obedience to the commands of a King and not to rule over their King yet this revolting people Israel this rebellious House for so God calls them notwithstanding his owning them for his people and challenging a Soveraignty over them grievously sinned and fell from God For thou hast fallen by thine Iniquity Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear So to instance in divers other of the saints and people of God David's Adultery and Murder 2 Sam. 11. 4 to 18. Peter's Denial Mark 14. 68. But what are the grounds and reasons that Gods people fall from him by their iniquities First The principal and main ground may arise from Original sin the filthiness and corruption of our own natures for we are in nature as we came out oâ— the loyns of our Parents no better theâ— a very lump of rottenness and corruption If thou shouldest see a man from the very crown of the head to the soal of hiâ— foot had nothing in him but wound and swellings and sores full of corruption he could not but seem a very lothâ—som creature unto thee Yet know thisâ— whosoever thou art be thou never sâ— well descended never so rich wise beautiful c. thy soul is through sin â— thousand times more odious and abominable before God Think well on this Comune with thine own heart about it it will make thee abhor thy self in dusâ— and ashes with Iob and with Paul counâ— all things to be dung that thou mightest win Christ Reas. 2. That by this means manâ—â— may see his own frailty and miserable condition by nature and that seeing his wretched and lost estate in himself he might be deeply humbled before God that thereby he might rest in no performances of his own for our best performances are full of sin and corruption 〈◊〉 David was humbled to the purpose â—â—er he was truly sensible of his sin when â—athan the prophet reproved him I â—â—ve sinned saith he against the Lord â—eter wept bitterly after he denied his â—aster Where the sense of sin and the wrath 〈◊〉 God hath a deep impression upon the â—eart there it will effect deep humiliatiâ—n and hearty sorrow David's sins were alwaies before â—im he could take no rest in Conscience â—ntil he found God reconciled unto â—im now where sin in the true sense of â—t hath this working on the Spirit hapâ—y is that soul But where on the conâ—rary there is sin committed in a high naâ—ure yet notwithstanding the heart is not â—t all moved to compunction and humiâ—iation but rather hardned woful and 〈◊〉 desperate is the condition of that soul Motives to move us to Humiliation First may be from Gods Command â—O Israel return unto me turn you from from your evil waies For why will ye dy O house of Israel Repent and turn you from all your evil waies so iniquity shall not be your ruine there mâ—â— be an universal turning from all sins aâ— a turning to God with the whole heaâ—My son give me thy heart It is Goâ— complaint against the children of Israeâ— after he had brought them out of the land of Egypt into a land flowing witâ— Milk and Honey the joy of all Land Then God said unto them Obey 〈◊〉 voice turn from the evil of your doing 〈◊〉 for I am the Lord your God but theâ— rebelled against me and would not hear Shall God call to us to come unto him and shall we reject his call shall ouâ— Saviour Iesus Christ beg of us to be reconciled unto him to come unto him to take his yoak his yoak is easy to those that will ly under it Hath he promised to satiate the hungry soul salvation to the repentant soul doth he command us to come unto him and drink iâ— we thirst not to sip but drink and shall we reject this cup of Salvation O let the mercies of God constrain us and let his kindness draw us unto him Another motive to perswade us to come is the mercies patience and long sufferings of God with us for many years it may be our whole life time we â—â—ve lived in sin and in grievous sins â—â—l God spareth us to see whether we â—ll return unto him and shall we yet 〈◊〉 revolting and drawing back from â—od then considering the infinite merâ—â— of God in providing the Lord Jesus â—hrist to be our Phisitian to cure our â—eakness and imperfections by his perâ—â—ct righteousness and to accept of us in â—â—d through him Let these consideraâ—â—ons be as so many cords of love to â—aw us unto God by speedy repenâ—nce and a present return unto God If we did but consider the blessed eâ—â—te of that soul that is at peace with â—od and truly keep in our thoughts â—â—â—e uncertainty of this life and certainty eternal life to the Godly and death 〈◊〉 the unregenerate certainly we could â—â—t be so lazy in our journy to heaven 〈◊〉 if reconciliation with God and eterâ—tie were not worth the looking after â—t we should rather with that Disciple â—hom Jesus loved out-run Peter and get â—rst to the â—epulchre Let Jesus Christ â—ve the chief room yea all the room in â—ur hearts A Prince is at peace and cease war against a Rebel a Traitor yetâ—â— will not bring the Rebel before him into his special favour yet the Lord glory doth both towards us as enemie strangers rebels devils in our reconciâ—â—ation with him O the wonderfull meâ—â—cy of God in Jesus Christ that he shouâ— be pacified wholy and throughly wiâ— thee Out of Christ he is a consuminâ— fire in Jesus Christ he is a nothing eâ— but Love and though there may be fâ— therly frowns and chasetisements froâ— him though he may for a time hide hâ— face shut out thy Prayers defer to fulfâ— Promises yet all these if thou art recoâ—ciled in Christ are out of pure love uâ— to thee and thou shalt see it and feâ— it so in 〈…〉 end Quest 〈◊〉 how must we come Christ that we may be accepted Answ. 1. We must come humblâ— stript of all self performances and dutieâ— resting wholy upon Jesus Christ as the only means of our redemption 2. We must return unto him heartiâ— with our whole heart not keeping part of our heart for sin and give Chriâ—â—â—e other part we must come unto him â—o be our King to rule us as well as to â—ave us In a word we must come unto â—im as the Hart to the rivers of waters â—s a Spouse to her beloved with fervenâ—y of Love and zealous affections and â—rdency of spirit being sick of love for him so come unto him as esteeming our selves lost without him as our richâ—s our only pearl of great price 3. Be earnest in Prayer unto God â—hat he would grant you his good spirit that he would mollifie you
speakes Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God c. and as Christ doth set some apart for this service so he furnisheth them with gifts suteable to the service as for example Zacharias is apointed to prophesy the business is a weighty business therefore he is filled with the Holy Ghost that he may be able to performe that great work God imploys Moses upon a service of great concernment I will send thee to Pharoah saith God I my Lord saith Moses I am not eloquent the Lord presently upon Moses seeing his own insufficiency I will be with thy mouth Isaiah being in a vision in the presecne of God and seeing the nature of the service unto which he was called cryethout woe is mee for I am undon after his one of the Seraphins touched his mouth with a Coal from the Alter which gave the prophet a full supply of grace the same we see in Ieremiah God â—alling him he began to complain of his â—nsufficiency O Lord behold I am a â—hild and cannot speak well the Lord â—ook away his fear in bestowing a comâ—etency of gifts upon him I have put â—â—y words in thy mouth Christ set apart â—is Disciples for that office and gave the Holy Ghost unto them promiâ—ng to make them Fishers of men So that you plainly see it hath bin Gods way thorough the whole course of the Scripture to furnish them which he did â—mploy with gifts sutable for the service â—ake care therefore I pray you of sleightâ—ng the Ministers of God or of the Amâ—assadge which they bring for in conâ—emning them you contemn and dispise God himself for what contempt you â—hew to an Ambassador which represents the Kings person you shew to the King himself This is a Sin which our Land stands guilty of in a hight nature we are grown to such a heigâ—t of pride and insolency amongst us that Gods word and his Ministers are had in least estimation A faithfull Minister of God is no more countenanced then a thing of nothing which plainly appeares from our detaining from them their right and just due even that which the law of God hath alotted and set apart for them we have every Tradesman now even meanest of the people take upon them the high and great work of the Ministery fomenting and prateing out their nonsence to the great dishonnor of his word and ministery No wise man will send a fool of an errand who will set a fresh Souldier over an army or intrust a dumb man with an Ambassadge it were an odious imputation to the wisest God to think him lesse carefull in the business and discipline of his Church then men are in their temporal affairs yet these intruders these busie-bodies in Gods business go on with such boldness and impudency and the rather because they are cherished and maintained as not thinking that God will ever call them to an accompt or tax them with that heavy sentence Ieremiah 2. 21. I have not sent them yet they ran Or with Friend how camest thou hither The Lord awaken such sleepy-headed intruders that they may know what it is to meddle with the great things of the Law of God Thirdly Christ is pleased to make known himself unto us by the graces of his spirit which he workes in us the spirit of God witnessing with our spirit â—hat we are the sons of God the spirit of God is the key which opens the Caâ—enet of the Scriptures and present it unto us as the Mistery of Godliness men by nature are stone blind in the â—hings of God therefore untill they be â—egenerated and new born by the spirit of God in the inward Man it is impossible they should discern the things of God that which is born of the flesh â—s flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit Man by nature of himself â—ath nothing in him but corruption I was born in iniquitâ— saith David and sin was I conceived we are all unproâ—table servants all the Children of diâ—â—bedience and the sons of wrath all 〈◊〉 imaginations of mans heart are 〈◊〉 evill and that continually Now eveâ—â— regenerate man is by virtue of his neâ— birth a spirituall man and the new birâ—â— is the gracious working of the spirâ—â— therefore such are called spiritual meâ— the whole scociety of the regenerate a spiritual house the regenerate man said to be born after the spirit and to 〈◊〉 after the spirit of God being the apliâ—â— of those precious Promises written 〈◊〉 the Word of God unto the Soul Take care I beseech you of queâ—ching the spirit of God or stifleing 〈◊〉 motions of his good spirit within yoâ— Thus you see the manner how Chriâ—â— communicates himself unto us 1 By his Word 2 By his Ministers 3 By his Spirit Let us now proceed to the last clauâ—â— of the doctrine and let it serve for exhortation in the fear of God to exhoâ—â— and perswade us to walk according tâ— the rules of the Gospel to have a more close communion with Iesus Christ then ever we had doe not reject so great salvation Hath Jesus Christ purchased heaven for Believers doth he continually knock at the door of our hearts for entrance and shall we not let him in Shall we still persist and go on in sin in our drunkenness prophaness contempt of Gods word of his Ministers certainly if we do if we will take no warning but go on in the waies of the wicked we shall receive the reward of the wicked every man shall be judged according to his works he that soweth righteousness shall receive a sure reward we must use diligence and care in the way to heaven Who more laborious than the Husbandman that doth desire to reap the fruit of his sowing Who ought to be more diligent than a Christian who intends to reap the hoped for fruit of eternal happiness we must not be loyterers in the way to Heaven ways are for travellers and not for gazers therefore go on and see to your steps let the word of God be your conducter and leader estrange not your selves from the word let it precious unto you And the good spirit of God help your infirmities and assist you in your spiritual warfare that you may like good Souldiers under the banner of Jesus Christ fight the good fight of faith so that you may attain the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls Amen The last Speech of Thomas Ford being penned by himself and delivered to me Iohn Plass his own Brother by the Mother GEntlemen and Friends I am yet a living object of your pitty ere long my soul will be seperated from my body by an untimely yet a wel-deserved death Bloud must be recompenced with blood the Law of God commands it the law of Man in subordination to Gods Law hath brought me to the period of execution But that I may not minde
my Barbarism so as to swallow it down without chewing give me leave to lay open the heart of the fact with the chief incendiaries thereupon attending and that only in two particulars First laying before you the person on whom I acted it and the sudden deprivation of life in the action The person upon whom I acted this bloody tragedy it was not a stranger but an acquaintance and friend not a common acquaintance or friend but a sister an only sister by flesh and blood and I can shew no reason could incite me to it except it were for her over tender care and respect to me had of which I am now truly sensible other perswasions were nothing else but the jugglings and delusions of that old enemy of mankind Satan who hath been a lyar from the beginning The second Scene in this cruell and bloody Tragedy which much aggravates the fact was the suddenness of the action which robbed her of her life in a moment without giving her any warning to prepare for heaven so that as much as in me lay I did deprive her temporal and eternal happiness without Gods great mercy I might blaze this my cruelty with several other colours but let these suffice to let you know the horridness of the crime Gentlemen you know how for a long time my conversation amongst you hath been very inconsistent to the gospel of Jesus Christ I have plaied the Atheist in my practice though not in my profession I have acknowledged there is a God but in my works I have denyed him and Atheism in practise is the worst sort of Atheism I have been in the highest nature a rebel a traytor against the King of Kings endeavouring to unthrone God by not yeilding obedience to his commands and he that plucks the King out of his throne is as bad or worse than he that saith there is no King Now that you may be the better senseable how I have idolized my profession I will give you the Catalogue of sins which our Saviour gives you in the seventh of Mark the 21 22 23. verses for from within out of the heart of man proceeds evil thoughts adulteries fornications murthers thefts covetousness wickedness deceit lasciviousness an evil eye blasphemies pride foolishness all these sins have lain lurking and been rooted in my heart originally being by nature the child of wrath and have in some kinde or other been put in execution though not in the same manner literally as they lye in the text yet circumstantially as they may be considered and applyed But one main sin which is not here rehearsed hath been my mother sin to wit drunkenness and excess the abuse of Gods creatures this hath been the engine of this cruelty and the door and inlet to all my misery Beware of this Lion-like sin least it command you to do the same cruelty give not the least entertainment to it as a cup and away for it is the greatest peece of witchcraft that I know to betray the soul to the Devil Thus I have given you a glimpse of my wounds now let me shew you my Physitian But Gentlemen I must not forget one sin which was almost slipt out of my memory namely the sin of uncleanness I do not mean with a woman Gentlemen there is other uncleanness than that with a woman and there be some young Gentlemen in company that looks upon me which are guilty of the same and know what I mean Then stooping to Mr. Rosewell he began upon the breach of Sabbath saying Gentlemen I have lived a long time amongst you and indeed frequented the Church but in all my time never kept one sabbath to the Lord aright as I ought to do I beseech you Gentlemen to have a special care of keeping the Sabbath and slight not the Ministers of God who are his Embassadours and truly I see apparently an imminent judgment hanging over the head of this Nation upon the account of the Ministers disagreeing for well may the sheep be scattered and the flock come to destruction when the Shepherds quarrel and go together by the ears Well but now to my Physitian It hath pleased the Father that in Jesus Christ all fulness should dwell and if all fulness then the fulness of power to effect and bring to pass the work of our redemption he is the horn the strength of our salvation Thus God the Father from all eternity foreseeing mans inability of standing did provide a remedy for his fall the Son of God the second person of the Trinity to take our nature upon him and to dy a cursed death on the cross that we might live eternally in heaven and now he sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us that by a lively faith joined with contrition and mortification of the old man and sin in us can lay hold of him the right way to see the aboundant mercy of God in Christ is to see our own misery by reason of sin how lost and undone we are without him Behold what love the Father hath shewed unto us that we should be called the Sons of God Seemeth it saith David being moved by the Courtiers to entertain the offer of Sauls daughter a light thing to be the Kings Son in law and it is registred as a fruit of Moses faith to prefer the rebuke of Christ before the title of the Sonne of Pharaohs daughter between God and Saul what comparison between the King of heaven and the Daughter of Pharaoh what proportion David might have been Son in law to Saul yet not entituled to the Crown Moses might have been the adopted Son of Pharaohs daughter yet but a subject still Seemeth it a light matter to us to be called the Sons of God or to be the Sons of God which is all one this Prerogative which we have by Christs blood makes us heirs every one Not onely sons but heirs joint heirs with Iesus Christ we are all made Kings and Princes by â—im all of us intituled to a Crown of â—lory an eternal weight of glory which â—s laid up for us in heaven a most â—nestimable benefit which the tongue of men and angels are not able to express O let I beseech you the serious Considerations of Gods mercies in Christ constrein us from sinful courses â—et the words of me a dying man work â—n your spirits that you may speedily â—xamine your own hearts how you â—â—and affected to a Saviour that offers â—imself to be yours â—â—on condition you will leave your sins and turn unto him â—y repentance Gentlemen he were a desperate man â—â—at being condemned to dy would not â—ccept of the Kings pardon if it were â—ffered Behold here is a pardon from the King of Kings here Jesus Christ â—â—ffereth his Blood if we do not wilfully â—efufe it in persisting and going on in a â—ourse of sin Gentlemen be perswaded I beseech you to make your title good to heven foâ— temporal things we bend all
prosecute distinctly therefore pray take this to be the first 1. Theorem Saints may fall into grosse and very deep transgressions or sins against God The demonstration of this Theorem is firm upon these principles 1 The infinite and indeed unlimited liberty and authoritative power the infinite God hath over the creature to do with it what he pleaseth Ergo 1 To leave and desert when hee will Thence 2 To give them up to themselves 2 The naturall principles of the creature being thus left without any limits or bounds to its own propensions from preservation it must follow inevitablely that the springs or sluces of corruption must break forth Ergo Churches and Persons nay Saints may rush into and act in grosse abominations Hence then from these principles leâ— us wind up all into an argumentive formâ— Argument 1 Where there is an independant liberty in any cause to sustain or not to sustain a created being in a just regularity to his own will 2 And strong active principles in an eminent deviation from the eternall rule there must be and that unavoidably a deflexion from that eternall rule 1 But in the eternall God of Glory in Christ there is this independant liberty by concession of schooles and Fathers 2 The creatures acting nothing by their own principles but opposition to him and his rule and will Ergo The creature may fall into the greatest relapses grossest sins that ever any creature did Thus I have twisted up my argument of reason into the forme of a sillogisme in mood and figure and it being but reason which is dark let me support faith with Scripture And for this purpose I le nominate but two places which will strongly evince the conclusion it self 2 Samuel chap. 11. chap. 12. Isaiah 63 17. These two places will joyn in issue to prove my conclusion against any the least opposition Wee will a little examine both In the 11 Chapter you find very desperate acts of Davids 1 His Adultery deflowring Vriahs wife Bethseba to bear a child 2 Murder upon the person of Vriah by his speciall comission sent to Ioab the Generall of his army Now do but observe the severall agravations and concatinations of other sins lincked together and centred in these two and then Judge 1 Ingratitude to a faithfull servant and officer in his battles 2 His cursed hypocrisy in carrying on his desperate designe 1 Vriah must be sent for home under pretence of favor but in a reall intention that he might be murdered or hide Davids shame But this was but the briding of his designe to the execution of murder upon so faithfull a friend and servant therefore he goes on 2 Vriah must goe home to his wife to hide Davids shame that the bastard might be made legitimate by Vriah yet Vriah stands this attempt out as unworthy of the spirit of a souldier especially a commanding souldier Yet David in a depth of hypocrisy towards faithfull Vriah persists with what brave resolutions and what firm principles Vriah baulked the motion the text cleares and yet David hath another stratagem upon so faithfull a servant to hide his own shame Vriah 3 He must tarry but one day and on the morrow he shall goe to this Vriah condescends and abode in Hierusalem that day 4 David goes on with new stratagems to hide his sin so adds sin to sin under the pretence of doing him honor in an entertainment he makes him drunk cursed hypocrisy hoping when he was drunk he would do any thing and now after the transgressions of adultery and these subtile devices to hide the shame Next comes the tragedy of poor inocent Vriahs murder All full of perfidious deceit and dissimulation in hypocrisy by David 1 Ioab the Generall must be sent unto to put Vriah upon the forelorn hope where the Skirmish was hottest and this by commission from David that Vriah might dye expresly 2 Ioab Obeys Davids severe unjust and desperate command and the issue is Vriah is slain But it is not unworthy observation David gives commission in his coole blood and sedate resolutions that Vriah being in the heat of battell upon a desperate service all his forces should retire and leave him naked in the fury of the enemy cursed treachery in david yet Davids sin in this passage goes on to a higher stretch then this for if you observe the subsequent passage you will find 3 Ioab to be an obsequious knave to do any thing that the king commands him against a faithfull servant to Ioab himself shall I and my Lord Ioab 1 To hide his sin and shame 2 To accomplish his base lust with Bethseba Ioab sends an accoumpt to David that according to Davids command and directions given to him Vriah is out of the way these tidings being brought to David he hath an other shift to his hypocrisy and cruell designe 4 The sword devoureth one as well as the other Yet that he thought all things might be secure and hidden he takes her home and makes her his wife Well this done the thing did displease the Lord Thus far of Davids sin of murder and adultery against God Having done thus farr in the business the detection of the horrid unparralled villany in Davids sins the next business is to come in hand 1 Davids arraignment by Nathan the Prophet now in this we may consider thus 1 Nathan is sent to him by commission from the Lord the God of Glory to convince him of his guilt of this his sin 2. By a wile of a parable states the question so that David confesseth plainly he had sinned 2. Nathan leaves him not in this sad condition under guilt but presently applies peace the Lord hath put away thy sin yet gives him a chastisement temporall hence then Persons under the apprehension of guilt ought not to be left so but promises of mercy ought after the detection of guilt to be applied Now Bretheren the next busines Isaiah 63. 17. If you observe the connexion of the words you will find the state of whole Churches under a sad state of dereliction here in this verse wee find not only 1 Outward transgressions and those of a deep die if you compare things with things 2 Inward opposition or an habitual frame of spirit whence 1 Outward transgressions did flow a hardened heart 2 And the frame of the spirit corrupted Out of all these my conclusions I will conclude The Saints may be deserted and left to great transgressions and a fearfull frame of spirit But we must go on to the other conclusions but the time is almost past and the time of the year unseasonable And now Bretheren since we have brought our busines thus farr let me inferr these few practique Corrolaries 1 Let him that standeth take heed least he fall 2 Keepe for the purpose vigilant eye over your own spirits 3 Pittie those that are fallen and walk in darkness and see no light 4