Helps for Faith and Patience in Times of Affliction, Title page – Publisher to the reader
HELPS FOR Faith and Patience IN Times of Affliction.
In Three Parts.
VIZ.
I. Sampſon's Riddle ſpiritualiz'd.
II. Orthodox Paradox: Or, The greateſt Evil working the greateſt Eternal Good.
III. Heaven and Earth epitomiz'd: Or, Inviſibilities the greateſt Realities.
By James Burdwood late Miniſter in Dartmouth.
To which is added, A ſure Tryal of a Chriſtian's State, by John Flavell, late Miniſter (alſo) in Dartmouth.
LONDON, Printed by T. W. for Jonathan Robinſon, at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-yard, 1693.
TO THE Religious, and my very dear Kinſwoman, Mrs. Mary Cholwich, Of Hele in Cornwood, in Devon.
AND To the reſt of the Family, related by the Bonds of Grace and Nature; the Author of the enſuing Diſcourſe heartily wiſheth encreaſe of all Grace here, and the fulneſs of Glory hereafter, through the Merits of our Dear Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
THE many multiplied Favours you have continually ſhewed to my ſelf and Family, obligeth me to make this acknowledgment thereof, by preſenting to you all this little Teſtimony of my true Love and real Gratitude, humbly praying for your kind Acceptance and diligent Peruſal. Let me mind you, and my ſelf no leſs, That we are come towards the Evening of our Days: The Contents of this Book, by the aſſiſtance of the Holy Spirit, may help us in making due preparation for our latter end; in which, I doubt not but you are daily engaged. The Sun of our Life is going down on our outward man: You, my moſt dear Kinſwoman, as well as my ſelf, have been kept ſeveral Years upon the Graves mouth, and have been many times brought back from the brink of the Pit: Oh, that the Sun of Righteouſneſs might ſhine on our inward man, that therein we may be renewed day by day. Our God hath tryed our Faith and Patience, and made us more than ordinary Monuments of his Mercy and Goodneſs; oh, that He would make us Inſtruments of his Praiſe and Service: What further Tryals our Heavenly Father will call us unto we know not; may it pleaſe him to help us, that our Faith and Patience may have their perfect Work: He will have Glory, and we ſhall be Gainers. It hath pleaſed our good GOD to call us off from the enticing, lying, dying Vanities of this preſent Evil World, for our advantage, I hope; what have we to do now, but to give all diligence to make our calling and election ſure. Lord, pardon former negligence, and help us to get on the Wedding-garment of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs and Holineſs, that we may bid our bleſſed Bridegroom welcome.
To the reſt of my Honoured Couſins.
May I obtain the Favour from you to ſpend a little of your little unexpired time in reading this ſmall Book, and pray for a Bleſſing on what you read.
I am ſure the Contents do nearly concern you all: You are all travelling to another Country, Eternity is at hand, your Account is near, Time is precious, ſo are your Souls; the World is vain, the Heart is deceitful: Oh, could I prevail with you to ſpend ſome time in cloſe Selfexamination, in conſtant heavenly Meditation, in Watchfulneſs, in Self-denyal and Mortification, you would much engage me, and advantage your own Souls. I pray the Bleſſing of God may go along with this poor piece; there are many have better Heads, and better Hearts may do better.
Now, that you all, and your Relations old and young, may be taken into the Covenant of Grace, and may grow up in all things in Chriſt Jeſus; that after our weariſom Pilgrimage in this Wilderneſs World, we may at laſt enter into the Promiſed Land, and enjoy that everlaſting Reſt, purchaſed by the moſt precious Blood of our deareſt Lord, and there live with him for ever, is the earneſt Prayer of
Your very affectionate and much obliged Kinſman, James Burdwood Aug. 1. 1693.
TO THE Honeſt-hearted Reader.
INſtead of an Epiſtle (which for want both of outward and inward ſtrength, having been tryed with about Eight or Nine Years Sickneſs, and moſt part of the time confined to my Chamber and Bed, I cannot perform) I ſhall only preſent you with the ſeveral Points of Doctrine handied in the enſuing Treatiſe, having ſome time ſince caſt one Mite into the Church's Treaſury, viz. my Hearts Eaſe, do now adventure to caſt in this other, though very unworthy to be laid up among ſo many choice Pearls: But I remember, who will not deſpiſe the day of ſmall things. Had I not been unfaithful in the improvement of the Talents my Great Maſter had entruſted me with, I might have had more. I humbly beg the fervent Prayers of ſuch Readers as truly love the Salvation of Souls, to pray the Lord to pardon all my … fulneſs and negligence in the Work of the Lord, through the moſt precious Blood of the moſt precious Lord Jeſus Chriſt, without which I periſh; and which is all I beg of them for my ſelf.
Now, having been a long time diſabled to ſay or do any thing for the edification of others, and not likely to be of any uſe any more in this World, I was willing, while I could hold my Pen, and in any meaſure compoſe my Mind, much broken by Affliction, to emit this into the World, with my poor, yet earneſt Prayers, That the Bleſſing of the Lord will go with it; as alſo, to teſtifie my Gratitude to Him who hath wonderfully delivered me from ſo many Deaths, and yet doth deliver, and graciouſly ſupports me under ſo many multiplied Afflictions; for which I hope, through God's great Mercy, and Chriſt's precious Merits, I ſhall have cauſe to bleſs God to all Eternity.
Readers, pray for a Bleſſing on what you read, and for
Your affectionate Friend and Servant in any thing for your Souls good, whilſt I am J. B. From my Sick Chamber, Aug.1ſt. 1693.
THE CONTENTS.
PART I. From 2 COR. iv. 16. THough our outward man periſh, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Doctrine 1. That it is the Comfort and the Character of truly-gracious perſons, that as their outward man doth decay, decline and periſh, ſo their inward man doth revive, encreaſe, and is renewed.
PART II. Ver. 17. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Doct. 2. That the light and ſhort Afflictions of the People of God here in this World, are ſingularly uſeful, to work them for, and to work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory.
PART III. Ver. 18. While we look not at the things which are ſeen, but at the things which are not ſeen: for the things which are ſeen are temporal, but the things which are not ſeen are eternal.
Doct. 3. That becauſe all viſible things are temporal, and of no long continuance, therefore gracious Souls engage not their Hearts too much in them, nor concern themſelves too much for them, or about them.
Doct. 4. That a right and true Judgment of Earthly things will help much to ſupport and uphold the Lord's Servants in, and under all the Afflictions of this Life.
Doct. 5. That truly-gracious Souls do moſt ſeriouſly mind, and moſt diligently intend and aim at unſeen and eternal things; about theſe their Thoughts …ainly and moſtly fixt, and about theſe their greateſt Care and Study is employ'd.
Doct. 6. That the due minding of, and meditating upon unſeen eternal things, will much help to ſupport the People of God under all their Sufferings in this World.
Gentle Readers, If you meet with ſome literal Miſtakes, or Miſpointings, I pray excuſe the Author, being ſo far from the Preſs, and not in capacity exactly to review the Copy; but in the exerciſe of your Charity towards him, and by your Prayers on what you read, you may, by God's Bleſſing, find Benefit; which is the earneſt deſire of
Your Servant, J. B.
THE Publiſher to the Reader.
THE Pious Author ſent this Treatiſe to the Preſs ſome time ſince; but before it was finiſhed, it pleaſed God to take him out of a ſtate of great Tryals and Afflictions, into a ſtate of Glory and Happineſs; ſo that his Friends may entertain this as a Funeral Sermon, prepared by his own hand; in the ſerious reading of which, they will find that he experimentally felt, and truly practis'd the ſubſtance of this Book, viz.
1. That he found a great deal of Comfort in ſanctified Afflictions; and that as his outward man decayed, ſo his inward man was renewed day by day.
2. That the light and ſhort Afflictions of this Life did work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory.
3. That becauſe all viſible things are temporal, and of no long continuance, therefore his Heart was not engaged in them; nor was he too much concerned for them, or about them.
4. That having a right and true judgment of Earthly things, he was thereby much ſupported under all his ſore Afflictions.
5. That he did moſt ſeriouſly mind, and his Heart was moſt diligently fixed on unſeen and eternal things; and that,
6. The due minding of, and meditations upon unſeen and eternal things, did much ſupport his Soul in all his Sufferings in this World, and made him long for the full fruition of that God, who is no… his Portion for ever.
I pray God ſucceed this Treatiſe, and ſanctifie the loſs of ſuch excellent an… holy men to us all, particularly to the Town of Dartmouth, which in leſs than Three years time, hath been deprived o… Three Great Lights, viz. Mr. Flavel, Mr. Burdwood, and Mr. Chapman.