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A21054
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The righteous mans tovver. Or, The way to be safe in a case of danger. Published by Ier. Dike, minister of Epping in Essex
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Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639.
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1639
(1639)
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STC 7422; ESTC S100142
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133,735
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372
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their hearts in pieces like so many wilde horses And who then would bee towerlesse in a time of trouble Who would bee to seeke of a Tower then Who would have a tower to build then and who would be out of his tower then But now let a man be gotten into this Tower and with what serenitie calmnesse quiet of spirit shall a man possesse his soule in patience He may even laugh at sword famine pestilence or any calamitie It is an incredible thing to worldly men that a godly man in such times should have his heart without feare without distracting astonishing stounding feare It is a riddle to them Psa 49. 4. I will open my riddle upon the harpe And what is that riddle verse 5. Wherefore should I feare in the dayes of evil This is therefore a riddle to men of the world that a godly man should not fear in the dayes of evill But as very a riddle as they judge it yet it is a sure truth and this is the reason and the ground of it because they are not found towerlesse and fortlesse in a day of evill they are gotten within the gates and walles of a strong Tower and this puts their hearts into so sweet and composed a frame See Psalme 46. 1 2 3. God is our refuge and strength a very present helpe in trouble Therefore will not we feare though the earth bee moved and though the mountaines be carried into the midst of the sea Though the waters thereof roare and bee troubled though the mountaines shake with the swelling thereof To see the earth removed to see mountaines carried into the midst of the sea to heare the waters rore be troubled to see the mountaines shake these are dreadfull things to see and heare things able to move melt and shake the heart of the stoutest man that lives with feare and yet sayes the Psalme We will not feare Now whence came this strength and incredible presence of spirit From that vers 1. God is our refuge Hence such freedome from consternation of spirit in such prodigious hurly-burlies Hence such confidence of heart in times of dread And this was Luthers Psalme when hee heard of great troubles and broyles that were up against him Come come sayes he no matter for them all let us sing the 46 Psalme and let them doe their worst as if he had sayd let things goe how they will let dangers be what they will why should wee feare so long as God is our Refuge and our Tower So happy so sweet so comfortable a condition it is in times of trouble to bee within the walls of this impregnable Tower As we would dread to be under the torture of miserable distractions so take heed of being Towerlesse As we would bee blest with an invincible presence of spirit so runne unto and run into this Tower Quest Well then but how may wee so run into this Tower as that wee may be safe What is this running and wherein stands it Answ I conceive this Running to comprehend three things 1. The Doing such Duties hy which we may get into this Tower 2. The manner of the Doing of them 3 The Doing of such Duties which are to bee done when entred and gotten into the Tower 1. This Running implies the Doing of those duties which must bee done to get in and to enter us within this Tower And so this Running comprehends these foure things 1. Knowledge 2. Faith 3. Repentance 4. Prayer These bee the foure feet with which wee must Runne into this Tower to finde safety there we must Runne upon all these foure 1. It comprehends the Knowledge of God as hee hath revealed himselfe in his word First the knowledge of him in all his glorious attributes of his wisdome power mercy providence Wee must know him to bee a God so wise as can Infatuate all the crafty counsels and policies of enemies to bee a God of such power that hee is able to deliver and defend all that doe betake themselves to him for succour To bee a God tender-hearted merciful and compassionate to his people in their distresses To bee a provident God that hath the ordering and governing of all events and occurrences here below And Secondly there must bee the knowledge of him in Christ A man that will Runne to a Tower for safety he must First know that there is such a Tower Though there bee a Tower yet if a man know not of it or know not the way to it hee will never Runne to it for who will Runne hee knowes not whether Secondly Hee must know that it is such a Tower as it is of sufficient strength for safety and defence for if hee know that there is a Tower and doe know the way to that Tower yet if hee doe not know it to bee a Tower of strength a Tower of Defence that is able to hold out an enemy hee will have no heart to Runne unto it Thirdly He must know that there is a possibility of admittance and entrance into that Tower for though a man know there is such a Tower and that is a strong and a safe Tower yet if hee thinkes when hee comes to this Tower that hee shall get no entrance but shall have the Tower gates shut upon him and barred against him hee will never Runne to that Tower Now Iust so it is here First When a man knowes God hee knowes there is a Tower Secondly When hee knowes him in his attributes hee knowes the Tower is sufficient Thirdly when he knows him in Christ he knows there is an entrance to be had into that tower God out of Christ is a consuming fire And who will Run into the fire for safety But hee that knowes God in Christ he knowes that by Christ we have accesse and entrance with boldnesse unto God Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence And there is a great deale of safety in the knowledge of God in the knowledg of God in his Attributes in his Christ A mans safety wee see lies in his Running to the Tower He Runnes and is safe And it is the knowledge of this Tower that sets a man a Running to it Hence wee shall finde safety attributed to the knowledge of the Lord Psal 91. 14. I will set him on high I will exalt him and so he shall be safe Why so Because hee hath known my Name for the knowing of God a right was that which made him Run and so hee is exalted and set on high Then a man is safe when he hath gotten this tower to be his tower when he hath gotten God to be his God Now when we know God wee get him to bee our God and make this Tower our tower Ier. 24. 7. I will give them an Heart to know me and I will be their God But on the contrary an Ignorant person in a time or case of danger cannot be in expectation of safety and protection for he
them but were indeede enemies of the crosse of Christ And that his counsell might take the more place with them he gives them some reasons why they should bee many of them And they are specially two The first is taken from their manners here They make their belly their God they glory in their shame They be muddy minded fellowes that mind and seeke onely after earthly things vers 19. The second is from their end hereafter Whose end is damnation vers 19. An end suitable to their course for hee that sowes to the flesh shall reape of the flesh corruption yea damnation Hell is heaven good for such that looke after such glory that serve so base a god as their gut And whither should their soules goe but where their minds have beene Their minds were bent downewards and what wonder their soules should goe downewards too And this description of these wicked men is illustrated by a contrary description of true holy Christians But our conversation is in Heaven This description stands in opposition to the former in both members First in regard of their manners Their conversation is on earth they minde earthly things But our conversation is in Heaven Secondly In regard of their end vers 21. Their end is damnation but our end shall bee glory and immortality in the words following to the chapters end Now this twentieth verse containes specially two things First a Christians conversation Secondly a Christians expectation A Christians life and a Christians hope First his life is described two waies First as it were negatively by way of contrariety implied in this adversative and crosse particle But which is as much as to say But our life and conversation is not like theirs our conversation is contrary to theirs Secondly Positively It is Heavenly Our conversation is in Heaven Secondly his hope and expectation He lives in heaven with an hope and daily expectation of Christs gracious comming from Heaven to glorifie him But this I meane not to meddle with For the first A Christians life is described negatively But our conversation c. From whence we may observe these things That though the evill examples of wicked Doct. 1 men have great force to corrupt and poyson others yet godly and gracious hearts will keep themselves free from the defilement of their pitch and from the infection of their poyson For many walke of whom I have told you often c. vers 18. Though many even Multitudes multitudes as Ioel 3. 14. have their conversation on earth are very belly-gods earth-wormes muck-worms yet our conversation is in heaven If other persons and families will runne a whooring after strange Gods yet Ioshua and his house will serve the Lord. Iosh 24. 15. But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. It was an evill generation in which Noah lived Gen. 6. 11. 12. The earth was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence all flesh had corrupted his way upon earth And yet Gen. 6. 9. Noah was a just man and upright in his generations There never lived worse generations then in Noahs time The great praise of Noah is not so much that he was a just man as that hee was just and upright in his generations in vile and wicked times that though hee lived in corrupt times and generations when as some thinke Idolatry was set up and Gods worship was corrupt and mens manners and lifes were miserably corrupt yet in those generations hee was just and upright It is an hard thing for a man to be hayle sound in a corrupt and unwholesome ayre To live in the Fennes and Marshes and yet not to be sicke and crazy it is an argument of a strong and good constitution indeed To bee good when all men are good is not so great a matter When goodnesse and godlinesse is in fashion though it bee very rare and seldome that so good a fashion comes up yet when it doth come in fashion many may seeme to bee good and godly if it be but to be in the fashion But when goodnesse and religion is quite out of fashion and is as ridiculous as a dresse and a weare out of fashion then to be good godly and religious that 's the great matter indeed that is the thing that is praise-worthy and commendable indeed And so it is with such as are godly indeed They will bee godly in the middest of ungodly generations they will be upright in the middest of corrupt generations Noah was upright in his generations It is no wonder to see fresh fish in fresh waters but all the wonder is to see fresh fish in the salt sea This world is oft compared to the Sea in Scriptures and it is not onely a salt sea but a dead sea like the lake into which Sodom and Gomorah were turned in which they say no fish can live but die so soone as thither they come But godly men are such as not onely keepe fresh in the salt but keepe alive in the dead sea There is a great deale of poyson and pestilence in the evill example of others especially when it is universall and spred like an epidemicall plague but yet true grace is an antidote a spirituall Amulet that preserves in times of universall infection that as in that case Psal 91. 7. so in this it may be said A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee The priviledge of the primitive beleevers Marke 16. 18. They shall take up serpents and if they drinke any deadly thing it shall not hurt them is and should be still the spirituall priviledge of beleevers that a principle of living grace should so preserve them that deadly things deadly poyson the deadly poyson of other mens evill example should not hurt them Hos 4. 15. Though Israel play the harlot yet let not Iudah sinne Nay more then so Hos 11. 12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies and the house of Israel with deceit but Iudah yet rules with God and is faithfull with the Saints It is amongst others one speciall note of pure religion as the Apostle calles it for a man to keepe him selfe unspotted of the world Iam. 1. 27. There be religions that will give a man leave to wallow in any mire and puddles of the world but pure Religion and powerfull Religion keeps it selfe not only from the puddles and kennels but from the very spots of the worlds mire Grace to a Christian is as the sap to the bowes growing on the tree so long as a bow growes on the tree and receives sap from the roote so long it receives no wet though the raine fall often upon it but when a branch is cut off from the tree and the sap dryed up then the dew and the raine soakes and sinkes into it and it soone rots with the water soaking into it It is so with Christians that have the sappe of grace