The Righteous Mans Tower, Title page 1 – Dedication
THE RIGHTEOVS MANS TOVVER.
OR, The way to be ſafe in a caſe of danger.
Publiſhed By Ier. Dike, Miniſter of Epping in Eſſex.
PSAL. 18. 2.
The Lord is my Rocke, and my high Tower.
Auguſt. in Pſal. 60.
Ipſe Chriſtus eſt Turris, ipſe nobis factus eſt Turris à facie Inimici: cave ne feriaris a diabolo, fuge ad Turrim. Ibi ſtabis munitus, & fixus. Quomodo autem fugies ad Turrim? Ante te eſt Turris, Recordare Chriſtum, & Intra in Turrim.
Proſper.
Nec facile inveniuntur in adverſitate praeſidia, quae non fuerunt in pace quaeſita.
LONDON, Printed by E. G. for I. Rothwell, and are to be ſold at his ſhop, at the ſigne of the Sunne, in S. Pauls Church-yard. 1639.
TO THE Right Honourable and vertuouſly ennobled Lady; the Lady KATHERIN WENTVVORTH, my ſingular good Lady.
RIGHT HONOVRABLE:
THe Divine providence hath in wonderfull wiſedome put an uncertainty upon all earthly good, and hath ſo ordered it that there ſhould be a viciſsitude, an entercourſe, and an enterchange as of ſeaſons ſo of conditions. There Geneſ. 8. 22.muſt bee whiles the earth remaines a variety and a ſucceſsion of ſeaſons. Seed time and harveſt, cold and heate, ſummer and winter, day and night; And there ever hath beene, and will be whiles the World remaineth, the like variety and ſucceſsion of conditions in this life. There is a ſeed-time, and an harveſt. They that ſow in teares ſhall reape in joy. Pſa. 126. 5, 6.Hee that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious ſeed, or the ſeed baſket, ſhall doubtleſſe come againe with rejoycing, bringing his ſheaves with him. There is a winter and a Cant. … 11, 12.ſummer. Loe the winter is paſt, the raine is over, and gone. The flowers appeare on the earth, the time of the ſinging of the Birds is come. There is a day and a night. The morning was come, but the night alſo doth come: thou hadſt a time of proſperity, but Iſa. …. 12 Sic J…now affliction is comming upon thee, ſaies the Prophet to Edom. Now as it is a matter of comfort that may ſupport our ſpirits in a wette ſeed-time, in a cold winter, in a darke night, that a joyfull harveſt, a warme ſummer, a lightſome day will come, ſo it is matter of feare in a joyfull harveſt, in a warme ſummer, in a bright day, that after theſe a wet, and a weeping ſeed-time, a cold and a pinching winter, a darke and a gloomy night may come. The time may come when wee may ſay, Loe the ſummer is paſt, the raines, and the cold are comming, and the ſhadowes of the evening ſtretched out may tell us that then the day goes away, and that wee may Ier. 6. 4.then ſay, Woe unto us. As this ſucceſsive entercourſe of conditions in the times of evill ſhould keepe us from a fainting ſuccumbency, and an umbeſeeming deſpondency of ſpirit; ſo in the time when our mountaine ſeemes ſtrongeſt, and our comforts ſeeme to bee moſt ſetled, it ſhould keepe us from ſecurity, and ſetling upon our lees. It is good to feare the worſt in our beſt condition, and ſo to feare the worſt as to provide and prepare for it. Though Iob had ſome probable grounds to ſay, I ſhall die in my neſt, yet Job 29. 18.hee never ſo rocked and lulled himſelfe aſleepe with the conceite of a perpetuity of his proſperity, but that hee feared what might, and what did come. I feared Job 3. 25.a feare, and it came upon mee, and that (ſaies hee) which I was afraid of, is come unto mee. He never ſo hoped in hope, but withall in his beſt eſtate hee feared a feare. Never any man on earth enjoyed a more glorious peace then Salomon did, and yet never any Prince that had, and made greater preparations for warre. Hee had dominion over all the Region on this ſide the River, and hee had 1 King. 4 24, 25, 26peace on all ſides round about him, And Iudah and Iſrael dwelt ſafely, every man under his Vine, and under his Figtree, from Dan to Beerſheba, all the daies of Salomon. And Salomon had forty thouſand ſtalles of Horſes for his Charets, and twelve thouſand Horſe-men. Here was great peace and ſafety, and yet great proviſions againſt a danger that might happen. His wiſedome is exemplary, and it is wiſedome to follow it. Since all earthly felicities are mutable, and ſorrowes and calamities may come in their roome, it is ſingular wiſdome, as to foreſee them, ſo to provide for comfort and ſafety in them. It was a wiſe ſpeech of Crates the Theban when hee forſooke Thebes after it was repaired, and ſo fortified: I foreign. Aelian. l. 3. c. 6.need not, ſaid hee, a City that Alexander or ſome other may overthrow. He thought it a folly to truſt to any City or hold for his ſafety, which might not bee able to withſtand Alexanders, or another enemies power. That was the higheſt pitch of his prudence and providence; and ſo farre ſhould Chriſtians goe, but muſt yet withall goe farther, not onelyonly not to betruſt their ſafety with any thing in a mans power, but to ſeeke their comforts and their ſafety in ſuch an hold and muniment as is above the reach and power of an Alexander, or any other man. Such an hold, and ſuch a Tower there is to bee had. That's the gracious goodneſſe of the Lord, that though hee will bring changes and alterations of our conditions, and turne our comforts into feares, yet hee will never put us into ſuch feares, nor put us upon ſuch ſtreights, as that wee ſhall bee left comfortleſſe or Towerleſſe. Hee hath in the hardeſt, and worst that can befall us, provided us the Tower of his Name; to which, wee may runne, and to which if wee doe runne, wee ſhall finde ſuccour and ſafety. So that looking upon godly and righteous men, will a man ſay of them, as Balaam ſaid when hee looked upon the Kenites, Num. 24 21.Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou putteſt thy neſt in a Rocke? And what ever ſad condition then befall a Chriſtian, what need his ſpirit bee perplexed, and diſtracted with feares? When hee hath put his neſt in a rocke, why ſhould any thing put his heart in a feare? But this is our folly, and our weakeneſſe, that God having provided us ſo ſtrong a Tower as his Name is, that wee take not the advantage of the ſtrength of this Tower, that wee make no more haſt unto, and into it. It is ſaid of Ephraim, Hoſ. 7. 11that hee was a ſilly Dove without heart; and well it were if the ſame might not as truly be ſaid of us. To be a Dove without gall, that's commendable, but to bee a Dove without heart, that is neither commendable nor ſafe. A rod, ſaies Salomon, is for him that is voyd of heart. That Prov. 10. 13.man muſt needs lie open, and be expoſed to the judgements of God that fall upon the world. A Dove-like, Innocency our Saviour requires in us, Bee innocent as Doves; but a Dove-like ſillineſſe not minding nor fearing the Fowlers nets and ſnares hee cautions againſt when hee requires a Serpentine wiſedome. And yet the Dove is not ſo ſilly but when ſhee ſees a danger, and is in feare of her enemy, ſhe can dwell in the rocke, Ier. 48. 28.and make her neſt in the ſides of the holes mouth. The Dove is not without heart, but in her feare and danger ſhee will ſeeke ſhelter in the Rocke. To get into this Tower of Gods Name how would it ſettle and ſe▪ cure our hearts, and quiet Sub tecto Imbrem exaudire. Adag.our ſpirits in the ſaddeſt conditions? How good is it to heare the raine rattle upon the tyles when a man ſits under the roofe? When Moſes gave warning of that dreadfull ſtorme of haile and fire mingled with it, ſuch of Pharaohs ſervants as feared the Word of the Lord, made their ſervants and cattell flie into their houſes, …. 10. …1.ſuch as regarded not ſo faire warning left them abroad in the field. When the ſtorme came, who were the wiſer and the ſafer then? then both parties ſaw how good it was to bee houſed in a ſtorme. And what is an houſe to this Tower of Gods Name? when ſo much ſafety in an Egyptian cottage, what will the ſafety of a mans perſon, and the ſerenity of a mans ſpirit bee within the covert of ſo ſtrong a Tower? But who ſhall bee the men that ſhall have the benefit of this Tower? Such as bee Gods friends. And who bee Gods friends? Such as have their converſation in heaven. They that have their converſation in heaven are the friends of the God of heaven, and they that are the friends of God ſhall have the Name of God for their ſtrong Tower. And therefore it is that I have joyned theſe texts, and treatiſes together in one, they having ſuch correſpondence with, and reference each to other.
And now (moſt Noble, and my much Honoured Lady) they comming forth to publique view, I make ſo bold as to tender and preſent them to your Honour, as a publique teſtimoniall of my thankefulneſſe to you. I muſt ever acknowledge mine engagements unto you, ſuch as tranſcend poſsibility of any retribution on my part, and muſt leave that unto him that can and will repay you ſevenfold into your boſome. I muſt with all thankefulneſſe to God acknowledge your Nobleneſſe in your favours, countenance, and encouragement to mee in the worke and labour of my Miniſtery. There is mention made in Scripture of Hezekiah's acts, and 2 Chro. 32. 32.his goodneſſe. Acts, and goodneſſe, that's a glorious commendation. Wee read of his father Ahaz, his Acts, and of all his waies, firſt 2 Chro. 28, 26.and laſt; but wee read of no goodneſſe. They bee Acts, and Goodneſſe, good Acts that make the Name ſweete and Honourable. And what were Hezekiahs Acts and Goodneſſe? I finde amongſt other, two of ſpeciall note, The one was that He encouraged the Levites that 2 Chro. 30. 22.taught the good knowledge of the Lord. His encouragement of the Levites was his Honour: there was an Act and Goodneſſe, an Act of Goodneſſe indeed. And in that Act of Goodneſſe doth your Honour ſhare with him. The other Act, and Goodneſſe of his was that hee made a poole and a conduit, and 2 King. 20. 20.brought water into the City. His purſe was going for the benefit of others, and the good of many. And herein have you followed him in his Goodneſſe, your Fountaines have beene Pro. 5. 16diſperſed abroad, and your Rivers of waters in the ſtreetes. You have built Salomons Conduit, and the waters of your bounty and mercy ceaſe not to ſpring, and runne abroad to the reliefe of many. Your workes praiſe you in Pr. 31. 31the gate, as Bathſhebaes vertuous womans ſhould. The backes of the poore which you cloathe, the loynes of the poore which your fleece warmes, the bellies of the poore which you feed, and the bowels of the poore which you ſo often refreſh, they all bleſſe you, and God for you. And hee that heares the curſes of the poore oppreſſed, will certainely heare the prayers of the poore refreſhed. Not onelyonly Cornelius his prayers, but his Prayers and his Almes both came up for a memoriall before God. Act. 10. 4The Kings of the Gentiles affected the Title of Benefactours, how well they Luke 22. 25.deſerved it ſome of them, their stories witneſſe, but what they affected, you have really deſerved, The Honourable ſtile of a Benefactour to the poore. It is ſaid of Dorcas Act. 9. 36that ſhee was a woman full of Good workes, and Almes-deeds which ſhe… did. And herein it appeared that ſhee was indeed a woman full of Good workes that all the Widdowes▪ and poore women which ſhe… had cloathed, ſtood weeping Act. 9. 39by Peter when ſhe… was dead, and ſhewing the coates and garments which ſhee had made a… her coſt, and cloathed them withall. So many coates and garments as they ſhewed, ſo many evidences they brought forth of her good workes. The like honour is yours upon the Hic cauſam notat Lucascur ſnſcitata fuerit Thabita, nempe quod Deus pauperum miſertus, eorum votis, ſanctae foeminae vitam conceſſit. Calv. in loc.ſame grounds. And it is worth the noting that Calvin notes upon that place. That the text points out one cauſe why Dorcas was rayſed from the dead, namely that God out of compaſsion to the poore granted the life of that holy woman at the inſtance of their prayers. And if God at the inſtance of the prayers of the poore whom ſhee had ſhewed mercy to, raiſed Dorcas from the dead, then how much more will hee at the prayers of the poore continue, and draw out their lives that doe draw out their bowels to the poore? It is certaine that God will have an eye for good over ſuch as have had a good eye to the poore. He will bee a Tower to ſuch in a time when a Tower will bee of greateſt vſe. The man that ſhall not bee afraid of evill tidings, and in evill times, that ſhall have his heart fixed, Pſal. 112. 4, 6, 7.that ſhall have his heart eſtabliſhed, ſo as hee ſhall not bee afraid, is thus qualified amongſt other things. Hee is gracious, and full of compaſſion, and righteous: that is, liberall and good to the neceſsities of the poore. Such an one ſhall finde God good to him in an evill time of miſery. Gods Name ſhall bee a Tower of ſafety to ſuch …n one. And that that Name may bee ever your …trong Tower of ſafety, and that the God of Heaven, and father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt would abundantly multiply your Graces, and your Daies, that hee would continue and increaſe the honour of your Noble Family, both in Roote and Branches, and that hee would give you at the laſt a full Reward in his glorious Kingdome, is and ever ſhall bee the hearty prayer of
Your Honours ſervant… IER. DYKE.