Diary of a Thankful Christian, Imprimatur – Dedication
Imprimatur,
Edm. Calamy.
THE JOURNAL OR DIARY OF A THANKFƲL CHRISTIAN. Preſented in ſome Meditations upon NUMB. 33. 2. And Moſes wrote their goings out, according to their Journeys, by the commandement of the Lord.
By J. B. Maſter of Arts, and Miniſter of the Goſpel at Barnſtone in Eſſex.
Whoſo is wiſe, and will obſerve theſe things, even they ſhall underſtand the loving kindneſs of the Lord,
Pſal. 107. 43.
Who hath deſpiſed the day of ſmall things?
Zach. 4. 10.
Nihil tam conveniens Deo quam beneficentia, nihil autem tam alienum quam ut ſit ingratus homo.
Lactan. de ira Dei ad Donat. cap. 16.
foreign.
Chryſoſt. Rom. Hom. 18.
London, Printed by E. Cotes, for Tho. Parkhurst, at the Three Crowns over againſt the great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapſide, 1656.
Deo plane, quod debet, retribuere nemo poteſt, quod tam copioſe ſupra nos accumulaverit miſericordiam; quod tam multa deliquerimus, quod tam fragiles & nihil ſumus; quod tam plenus ille, & ſufficiens ſibi, nec bonorum noſtrorum egens.
Bern. Serm. 3. De adventu Domini.
Hucuſque NOS Adiuvit.
1. Sam. 7. 12
Curato…em mei rerum que me…rum ex pacto Deum habeo; illi bene notum eſt quid mihi ſufficit, & quando conduceret; hactenus non fefellit, quando dubitare inciperem, & non ſimul ingratus eſſe inciperem.
Foxius.
To the Right Honorable, truly Noble and Religious Lord Robert Earl of Warwick, Baron of Leez, &c. And to the Right Honorable the Lady Eleanor Counteſs of Warwick, His moſt Pious and Vertuous Conſort; Such an encreaſe of Grace on Earth, as may bring them to fulneſſe of Glory in Heaven.
RIGHT HONORABLE,
AS there is no Grace that giveth more glory to God, ſo there is no Grace that hath Rom 4. 20.more honour from God then Faith: Who though he doth all our work for us, and therefore ſhould have all the glory from us; yet is pleaſed that Faith ſhould go away with the praiſe of that which himſelfMark 5. 34. only doth. Daughter thy Faith hath made thee whole, ſaith Chriſt to the woman, that by the touch of his garment received virtueHeb. 11. 29, 30. from him and was healed. By faith the Iſraelites paſſed through the Red-ſea, as on dry ground. By faith the wals of Jericho fell down. When we know that the Waters of the one, and the Bulwarks of the other obeyed the ſoveraign authority of the Word of Gods command. Yea further, as there is no Grace that brings more glory to God, ſo there is no Grace that yeelds more benefit to us then Faith: It is a Grace as the moſt uſefull, ſo the moſt ſucceſſefull, and of the largeſt capacity for our good. As thou Mat. 8. 13.haſt believed, ſo be it done unto thee, ſaith our Saviour to the Centurion. He that is inlarged in his faith cannot be ſtraightned in his comfort. Through Faith God the Father is our portion, God the Son is our pledge, God the Holy Ghoſt our earneſt; Heaven our home, Holineſſe our way, the Angels our gard, the Saints our company, the World our ſervant, and the Promiſe under ſeal our ſecurity. And what would we, what can we have more? yea ſuch is the large capacity of this Grace of Faith, that could we be rich in that grace, we might have our wils even with an overplus. Oh Mat. 15. 28.woman, ſaith our Saviour to the woman of Canaan, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt. Luther was ſo ſtrong in faith, and therefore ſo powerfull in Prayer, that when Frederick Myconius his dear friend was ſick, he prayed for his recovery, and uſed theſe words, Hoc peto & volo, & fiat voluntas mea, This I aske, and this I will, and let my will be done; a while after Myconius recovered according as he had prayed. Whereupon Juſtus Jonas ſaid of Luther, Iſte vir potuit quod voluit, That man could have what he would.
Now the reaſons why through faith we may have what we will, and more then we will, are theſe three.
Firſt, Becauſe by Faith we live the beſt life in this world; From life to life, how vaſt a diſtance is there? from the life of the higheſt Angell to the life of the loweſt Muſhrome, how great a difference? 1 There is the life of Vegetation, and that is the life of Plants. 2 There is the life of Senſe, and that is the life of Beaſts. 3 There is the life of Reaſon, and that is the life of Men. 4 There is the life of Faith, and that is the life of Saints. Now according to the kinde of life, ſuch is the capacity of the creature. The life of a Beaſt is more excellent then the life of a Plant, and therefore more capable of good. The life of a Man is better then the life of a Beaſt; and the life of a Saint far above the life of aProv. 12. 26 meer Man. The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour, ſaith Solomon; and therefore more capable of good, the good of the body and the ſoul, the good of this life and of that which is to come. As we have believed, ſo ſhall it be done unto us, much faith, and much comfort, whilſt we live: rich in Faith, and rich in Glory, when we ſhall go hence and be no more ſeen.
Secondly, Becauſe other Graces make us like unto God, as Wiſdome, Holineſſe, and Righteouſneſſe; but Faith makesJoh. 1. 12. us Sons of God: As many as received him, to them he gave power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe in his name. And if we be Sons, we are capable of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reſerved for us in the heavens; For if Sons, Rom. 8. 17.Heirs, Heirs of God, and co▪heirs with Chriſt, who is heir of all things. Such a man is capable of being heir to an Eſquire of a vaſt eſtate; not becauſe he is like him, but becauſe he is his Son. Other graces make us like unto Chriſt, as Humility, Zeal for Gods glory, and Love to the Brethren: but Faith makes us members of Chriſt: and it is our memberſhip, our union to Chriſt, our communion with Chriſt, that makes us capable of all that grace and glory that he hath for us, for he is only the Saviour of his body. A painted arme and a woodden legge are like thoſe members, but they draw no virtue from the head. It is, becauſe we by faith live in Chriſt, andJoh. 1. 16. grow up with Chriſt, That of his fulneſſe we receive grace for grace.
Thirdly, Becauſe Faith is a grace by which we venture upon the willingneſſe and power of Chriſt to ſave and ſuccour us. Every true believer is a Merchant adventurer, whoſe returns muſt be greater then his ventures, or he cannot live; even ſo it is with every believer, if God whoſe thoughts are above our thoughts, ſhould not ſend in to our Faith more then we come for, we ſhould live butMark 2. 5. barely. The believing Palſie man and his friends, venture upon Chriſt for health; but when Chriſt ſaw their faith, by which they brake through all difficulties (for they would uncover the roof of the houſe where he was, rather then not come to him) he gave him health, and the pardon of his ſins too, which was more then they came for. The Prodigal ſon ventures farLuk. 15 22. upon his Fathers love, yet craves no more but the place of an hired ſervant; but he is entertained as a Son, he is clad with the beſt robe, and fed with the fatted Calfe; he hath a Ring for his hand, and Shooes for his feet, very rich ſupplies not only for neceſſity, but ſober delight, which was more then he deſired. Jacobs ſons venture into Egypt Gen. 45 25, 26.for Corn in a time of Famine, and they return with Corn, and Money in their ſacks, yea with very good news at laſt, Joſeph is alive and Governour of all Egypt. Even thus it is with a believer that can in a ſtraight venture upon God in Chriſt according to a promiſe; his returns are often above his ventures. Faith is the greateſt gathergood in the world; for it is not only according to our faith, but often abo ve our faith. When the prayers offai th are anſwered mercies are multiplyed. When Solomon through faith beg'd of God for a wiſe and underſtanding heart, by which he might be able to judge his people; God gave him wiſdome, and moreover riches and honour more then any King had before him, or ſhould have after him, ſo that his returne was far above his venture.
Are theſe things ſo? what an happy condition are they in then that believe in the name of the Lord Jeſus? and who would not upon theſe terms make it good to their own ſouls, that they have obtained this precious grace of Faith? And that they have this grace, I know no better evidence then this, That they have high thoughts of it, and ſet a great price upon it. Now undoubtedly ſuch as have a true eſteem of faith, will improve all times and talents, will imploy all means for the ſervice of their faith, that they may abound therein. And what better means can be uſed for the advancement of faith in the growth and ſtrength of it, then a rich treaſure of experience; every experiment of Gods favour to us, being a good prop for our faith for the future.Pſal. 74. 14. Thou breakeſt the heads of Leviathan in pieces (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) and gaveſt him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderneſſe: that is, Thou (O Lord) didſt overthrow Pharaoh and his Hoſt in the Redſea: which experiment of thy power and goodneſſe, was as meat to the people in the Wilderneſſe, which might uphold their hearts in the midſt of thoſe many evils that were either feared by them, or inflited on them in that vaſt, and howling deſert. God hath, and doth, and will, is the language, and ſhould be the conſtant tone of faith amongſt all the Saints of God. So did Jacob plead with God when he was ready to meet with his brother Eſau; With my ſtaffe I paſſed over this Gen. 32. 10, 11.Jordan, and now I am become two bands. Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Eſau. So did David argue before Saul, I ſlew the 1 Sam. 17. 36.Lion and the Bear, and this uncircumciſed Philiſtine ſhall be as one of them. So did aged Paul reaſon, I was delivered out of the 2 Tim. 4. 7, 18.mouth of the Lion, and the Lord ſhall deliver me from every evill work, and will preſerve me unto his heavenly Kingdome, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen. Now doubtleſs ſuch as will be well ſtored with ſuch a treaſure of experiments, had need keep a conſtant Diary by them of all Gods gracious dealings with them.
To commend which duty to ſuch as deſire to grow in this grace of Faith, and abound therein with thankſgiving, is (Right Honorable) the main ſcope of this preſent Subject, which I have taken the boldneſs to dedicate to your Honors; and do humbly pray that it may paſſe abroad under your Name and Patronage. If any aske why I trouble the Preſſe, that in theſe dayes is ſo oppreſt with a glut of Books. I anſwer, that it was not out of any vain humor of mine to appear in Publick, who am ſo far privy to mine own wants and weakneſſes, that I may truly ſay, not onelyonly as St. Paul, I am leſſe then the leaſt Epheſ. 3. 8.of all Saints; but as Ignatius once ſaid of himſelf, Non ſum dignus dici minimus, I am not worthy to be called the leaſt: So that I could never judge my ſelf able to write any thing that might endure the teſt of your judicious eyes, or the cenſure of this criticall age. But indeed, that which principally hinted to this ſervice, was partly a deſire I had to promote a common good; being very confident that ſuch Chriſtians who walk much with God, and obſerve him in the wayes of his Providence, may be provoked to this duty, and reap much good thereby. For without doubt, this work here commended, is very uſefull, though the duty be ſeldome practiſed, becauſe the ſubject is rarely handled. It is as untroden a path, as ever I have gone; who have had ſcarce a little day hole of light to direct me, much leſſe a Cloud of witneſſes, or a Pillar of fire, or a Star to guide me. Partly, and indeed, that which chiefly incouraged me hereunto, was the memory of thoſe great favours which I have received from both your Honors; the one my moſt Noble Patron, Qui curat oves oviumque Magiſtros, A true friend to the Church of God, and the Miniſters of it. The other, my moſt bountifull Benefactor. Nor would I give your Honors thanks in aurem vel in angulo, but ſo publickly that I may have as many eye-witneſſes of my hearty acknowledgement of your goodneſs, as there may be courteous Readers of this Book. And do preſnme that if your Honors will be pleaſed to throw away an hour or two in the peruſall of theſe lines, you may be hence encouraged more and more to obſerve God in the wayes of his providence, and keep ſome memorials by you of his goodneſſe to you and yours; which may much encreaſe your faith in him, enlarge your love to him, and fortifie your hearts againſt the evils of theſe times. Confidius a Senator of Rome, one day boldly told Caeſar, That the Senators durſt not come to Councell for fear of his Souldiers. He replyed, Why then doeſt thou goe to the Senate? He anſwered, Becauſe my age takes away my fear. Antient Chriſtians ſhould be very bold and couragious in evill days, becauſe they are or ſhould be ſtored with much experience, which will much encreaſe their faith, and abate their fears. God in rich mercy to you and many others, hath added to your lives many daies, and your hoary heads are a crown of glory to you, being found in the way of righteouſneſs; and therefore you are by this time I hope above the fears and flatteries of all the world. Now that the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who hath abounded toward you both, not only in the outward comforts of Honor and Wealth in the eyes of men, but that which is far better, in the knowledge of God and practiſe of holineſſe before his Saints, would make you perfect to do his will, and work in you an encreaſe of all thoſe graces of his Spirit, that do undoubtedly accompany ſalvation; that you may live in his fear, die in his favour, reſt in his peace, and riſe to his glory; is, and ſhall be the prayer of
Your HONORS Much obliged, And Moſt humble Servant, John Beadle.