The Balance of the Sanctuary, Title page – To the reader
THE BALLANCE OF THE SANCTVARIE, SHEWING HOVV VVE MVST BEHAVE OVR SELVES When wee ſee and behold the people of God in miſerie and oppreſsion vnderunder the tyranny of their ENEMIES.
WRITTEN By WILLIAM TEELINCK, Miniſter of the Word of GOD at MIDLEBROVGH in ZEALAND.
IEREMY 9. 12.
Who is the wiſe man that may vnderſtand this, and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath ſpoken, that hee may declare for what the Land periſheth, and is brent vp like a Wilderneſſe, that no man paſſeth through.
LONDON Printed by I. D. for WILLIAM SHEFFARD, and are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Starre vnderunder St Peters▪ Church in Corne-hill, and in Popes-head Alley. 1621.
❧ To the Chriſtian Reader.
GOod Reader, as well the worth of this Worke, as the reſpect that I deſeruedly beare to the Author thereof, both for his ſingular pietie, and other good parts, hath encouraged mee to commend it to thy careful view, as that whereby thou maiſt reape no ſmall ſpirituall profit, if the fault be not thine owne. The Doctrine contained in it is both ſound and ſeaſonable, being (as any judicious eye will eaſily diſcerne) exceedingly wel fitted to the preſent times. And aPro. 25. 11.a word, ſaith Salomon, ſpoken in due time, is as apples of gold, with pictures of ſiluer; both precious and pleaſant▪ True it is, that ſome truth indeede is neuer out of ſeaſon; though more ſeaſonable at ſome times then at other. But yet as true it is, that bFalſum ni… dicere licet, at veri aliquid tacere aliquando eſt utile. Aug. ad Gal. c. 2. & de bon… perſever. ▪ 16. & in Pſal. 5. & Ambr. epiſt. 23. ex …. 16. 12.ſome truth alſo is at ſome times altogither unſeaſonable▪ To propound Gods mercy to an obſtinate ſinner, or to aggravate his wrath to a poore dejected penitent, were with thoſe falſe Prophets, (who deliuered yet nothing, it may be, but truth miſ-applied and miſ-placed) cEzech. 13. 19, 22.to make ſad the heart of the humbled, whom God would hauehave cheared, and to ſtrengthen the hand of the wicked, who ought rather to hauehave beene humbled; to ſlay the ſoules of ſuch as ſhould not die, and to giuegive life to ſuch as ſhould not liue. dEsa. 22. 12, 13. foreign Sophocl. Mu…ca in luctu intempeſtiva narratio. Sirac 22. 6. Et Sophod. Oedip. Tyra. foreign Apud. Plut. de ethic. vi…. & Sympos. …. l. 1. c. 5.Matter of mirth and delight, though eforeign Greg. Naz. ad Eunom. l. 1. foreign Menand. Bonum malum …it tempore haud datum …, Eraſ… tempeſtiva aliqua volupta, niſit, nocet. H. St…ph. foreign. Iſocr. ad D…mon. Et data non apto tempore vina nocem. Ovid. remed. l. 1.good and honeſt otherwiſe, yet is as fiſh or fleſh out of ſeaſon, neither wholeſome nor wel-reliſhed, when God calleth for mourning by judgements either incumbent or imminent. As alſo on the other ſide, fforeign. Greg. Naz. … l…m. l. 1. Nehem 8. 9. Luk. 15. 31.mourning is no leſſe unſauoury, becauſe unſeaſonable, when it pleaſeth God to giuegive juſt occaſion of mirth. gMat. 9. 15. Ma…. 2. 19. 20.The Children of the bride-chamber, ſaith our Sauiour, ca…t faſt ſo long as the bride-groome is with them: But the time ſhall come when the bride-groome ſhall be taken away from them, and then in thoſe dayes ſhall they faſt. hforeign Pind. Pyth. ode 19. foreign. Man. Pal…ol. ad fil praecept. 6.Each thing therefore is moſtpoo pleaſant and moſt profitable, when it commeth in his due ſeaſon and good things doe then moſt good, when they are ſeaſonably adminiſtred Now if wee ſhall but ſlightly caſt our eyes on the ruefull and lamentable face of Gods Church in moſt parts at this preſent, wee may ſoone ſee how ſeaſonably this Diſcourſe commeth abroad. Wherein the Author thereof very learnedly and religiouſly enſtructeth us, how to judge aright of Gods Iudgements either on our ſelues or others, how to be affected with them, and what uſe to make of them▪ miniſtring comfort unto, and confirming the hearts of the afflicted and diſtreſſed; urging to compaſſion with them, and commiſeration of them, thoſe that be yet free; and endeuouring by a due conſideration of iLament. 3. 37, 38. Eſa. 45. 7. Amos 3. 6. 2 Sam. 12. 11. And 16. 10. Iud. 3. 8, 12. And 4. 2. 1 King 11. 14, 23.Gods handy-Worke in all thoſe events that befall both, eyther for good or euil, to bring benefit unto both, as kEt magis placandus Deus eſt in adverſis, & minus laedendus in ſecundis: placari quippe debe… cum irascitur; laedi non debet cum placatur. Adverſa enim nobis per iracundiam Dei veniunt, ſecunda per gratiam Sal…ian. de Provid. l. 6.being prouoked to a greater meaſure of ſincere thankfulneſſe by the one, and preſſed to a more ſerious renewing of their repentance, and reformation of life and courſes by the other. But I feare to doe thee wrong, by detaining thee too long, from that which thou ſhalt here finde far more fully and …ffectually diſcuſſed and diſcourſed o…, then I can eaſily relate unto thee. Much race, onelyonly I doubt, the Treatiſe may hauehave loſt by change of its owne natiue weede. Few tranſlations hauehave the happineſſe to match their Originals. And each Language hath its peculiar formes and phraſes, which in other Tongues can hardly be ſo fitly or ſo pregnantly expreſſed. But what may this way be wanting, the matter (as I hope it is) faithfully expreſſed may ſufficiently countervaile. Which reſpecting, I ſhall entreate thee to pardon and paſſe by the defects that may be in the Tranſlation (wherein what Work-mans hand was uſed I know not) and ſo to reade this religious Worke intended for thy good, that thou maiſt not miſſe of the benefit by the Author therein intended. Which the Lord grant both to thee and to all others that ſhall meete with it for his mercies ſake, Amen.
Thine in Chriſt Ieſus, THO: GATAKER.