The Converts First Love, Title page – Dedication
THE CONVERTS FIRST LOVE Diſcerned, Iuſtified, Left, and Recouered.
Reſoluing THE TRVTH OF AN EFFECTVALL CONVERSION: AND Informing THE RIGHT WAY TO PERSEVERANCE and PERFECTION.
By THOMAS COOPER.
foreign.
LONDON, Printed by F. KINGSTON for WILLIAM WELEY, and are to bee ſold at his ſhop in Pauls Church-yard at the ſigne of the white Swanne. 1610.
TO THE RIGHT VVORſhipfull and religious, Sir Iames Harington, Sir William Dier, Sir William Fairut, Sir Edward Harington, Sir Thomas Fulgeam, Knights, and their vertuous Ladies, grace, merciemercy, and peace from God the Father through IESVS CHRIST the ſonne of the Father, in truth and louelove.
RIght Worſhipfull, and dearely beloued in the Lord, whom I louelove alſo in the truth; and not I onelyonly, but they that hauehave knowen the truth, for the truths ſake which dwelleth in vsus, which is profeſſed and maintained of you, and ſhall abide with and preſerue vsus for euer. Bleſſed be God, euen the father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, who hath reuealed his ſonne vntounto you, and hath giuen you a large heart towards his Saints, that your delight is the Law of the Lord, and your affections are to the excellent that are on earth, to conſider wiſely of the cauſe of the afflicted, and to miniſter comfort to the diſtreſſed ſoule. And bleſſed be the name of his Maieſtie for euer, who hath reſpected the baſe eſtate of his ſeruant, and made mee a witneſſe both of your louelove vntounto his word, and his afflicted members. In conſideration whereof, as I can doe no more then teſtifie my thankfulneſſe vntounto our gracious God, for his mercies beſtowed on mee, not only in deliuering mee from a moſt deſperate ſickneſſe, but in caſting mee graciouſly on ſuch feeling members, who miniſtred ſo abundantly towards my recouerie: ſo I muſt doe no leſſe then to doe my vtmoſt indeuour, that the memoriall of the iuſt may liue for euer, and their righteouſneſſe may be had in euerlaſting remembrance, to their more comfortable aſſurance that their reward is with God; when all will-worſhip and preſumption of merit ſhall be confounded: and to the prouocation of the Saints in theſe daies, wherein charity is growen cold, that they bee not weary of well-doing, as being aſſured that in due time they ſhall reape, if they faint not. And the rather doe I finde my ſelfe obliged at this time to this Chriſtian dutie, becauſe the Lord hauing inabled mee in my great weakneſſe to beſtow a ſpirituall gift vponupon the moſt of your worſhips, being graciouſly by Gods holy hand brought together to ſuch good ends: it pleaſed his good Maieſtie, ſo to affect your hearts with that heauenly treaſure, as not only to hearken with all reuerence and attention vntounto the wholeſome word of life, but for the further eſtabliſhing of your iudgements, and triall of your hearts thereby, that it might appeare your holy purpoſe was to cleaue vntounto the Lord in the obedience of his word: our gracious God, in the riches of his merciemercy, inclin'd ſome of your hearts (I doubt not, for the behoofe of all) to deſire a briefe of what had beene publikely taught, thereby to trie the ſpirits with the men of Berea, and ſo to hold the truth in conſtancie of well-doing. And could I doe better then, according Act. 1. 7.to my poore ſtrength and memorie, then to leaue ſuch generall and ſhort notes with you, which might in ſome ſort teſtifie my deſire to build you forward in Chriſt Ieſus, howſoeuer they could not ſatiſfie your deſires for the full reſoluing of your conſciences in ſo principall and profitable a point as is the triall and recouerie of our firſt louelove?
And ought I not then to indeuour the further kindling of ſuch ſmoaking flax, ſuch holy and gracious deſires? May I not iuſtly take occaſion in paying a debt vntounto you, to make the Church of God become my debtor for this paines, now publiſhed for the generall good, and ſo ingage my ſelfe in a further and more generall debt; both of praier, that the Lord would giuegive a bleſsing to theſe poore labours; and of further paines, as God ſhall miniſter health, occaſion, and libertie? And ſhall not the Saints alſo become debtors vntounto you, by whoſe holy deſires it is, that they now alſo hauehave this glaſſe, to diſcerne aright their eſtate in grace, to recouer their decaies, and grow to perfection? And is not the Lord indebted vntounto vsus all, to crowne his owne graces, and recompence the faithfull imploiment of his talents? And hath not our glorious Matt. 25. 28. 29 2. Cor. 12. 8.God thus brought light out of darkneſſe? Will he not perfect his power in weakneſſe, and wiſdome in humane infirmitie? Shall not the dead men liue? Eſay 26. Zach. 3.Shall not they awake and ſing, which hauehave ſate in the duſt, yea in the ſhadow of death, yea hauehave beene euen ſwallowed vp of the nethermoſt hell? Shall not the brand be pluckt out of the fire, and the prey out of the teeth? That the glory may be vntounto our God, and not vntounto men. Behold (ſaith Iacob) I had not thought Eſay 49. Geneſ. 48. 11.to hauehave ſeene thy face; and yet the Lord hath let mee liue to ſee thy ſeed. This is the Lords doing, and it is maruellous in our eies. Accept therefore (right worſhipfull) ſome fruit of your deſires, and euidence of Gods power in this weakneſſe of his ſeruant: which the more it appeares, let our God the more hauehave the only glory both of your deſires and my indeuours, in bleſsing both with conſcionable practiſe in this life, and crowning alſo both with competent perfection and glory in the life to come. This is the fruit of our labours; and for this, is, and ſhall bee, the ſcope and ſumme of my praiers vntounto our God for you, that according to his promiſe he would make you perfect in eueryevery good worke, to doe his will on earth, that his will may be done on you for euer in heauen; to raigne with Ieſus Chriſt in that glory, which neuer fadeth. And ſo I humbly take my leaue.
From my poore houſe at COVENTRY, this 10. of April, 1610. Your Worſhips moſt bounden, for euer in Ieſus Chriſt, THOMAS. COOPER.