Trials and Triumphs that Accompany the Work of God, Title page – To the reader
LAZARƲS REDIVIVƲS: OR, A DISCOVERY OF THE TRIALS and TRIUMPHS THAT Accompany the VVork of GOD in and about his People.
With an ESSAY, tending to Clear up those Mistakes Men have about it.
Laid open in Several SERMONS.
Thy dead Men shall live; Awake, and sing, you that dwell in the Dust, Isa. 26.20.
By Faith they had their Dead restored to Life again, Heb. 11.
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1671.
Besides the mistakes in Printing, and the Printing the Words in the Text with a different Letter, thou art desired to mend these following Errata's.
PAge 7. Line 10. read with, p. 9. l. 15 r. Jesus the Lord, p 24. l. 12. for them, r. for it, p. 35. l 20. f. an, r. as, p. 38. l. 14. f. discourage, r. discover, p. 56. l. ult. f. ring, r. Reign, p. 130. l. 19. f. wherefore r. where…f, p. 157. l. 15. f. them, r. him, p. 165. l. 10. f. them, r. time, p. 167. l. 11. f. living, r. lying, p. 185. l 13 f an, r. at, and l. …4. f. judgments, r. judgment, p. 186. l. 9. f. revived, r. deprived, p. 187. l. 14. f. and that, r. and of judgment, that. p. 197. l. 23. f. praise, r. Land, p. 207. l, 23. f. Bare, r. Bier. p. 219, l. 9. f. Lord, r. laud, p. 225. l. ult. f. is, r. it is. p. 236. l. 25. f. doth, r. do.
Sometimes you will meet with these for those, and should for would, which the sense will direct.
THE EPISTLE TO THE Judicious READER.
Courteous Reader,
IF in the entry, I should accost thee with empty complements, and unnecessary Apologies, thou might justly suspect my seriousness, and expect nothing, but the wind of vanity in the following discourses, which would be things most unsuitable for a mourner in Zion, that would gladly (in the issue) approve himself to thee a Benjamin, a Son of consolation. Therefore, as I hope thy sobriety will not permit thee to expect the liteness of words so I promise my self thy can did construction of this my bold interprise, to present thee with a sight of a dying work, in its grave clothes, not with its attire on its head, not with its shooes on its feet (because dying) but in its filthy garments, Zach. 3.4. Among the pots, and as going down to the dust, and therefore the more subject to receive prejudice, while sent out to travel thorow the Valleys of Baca, and the ragged Rocks, before the stones be gathered out, that offendeth the unwary and unarmed Traveller.
If I should tell the…, that this Work (as the Author) is as one born out of time; how contrary this way of edifying thee, is to my Genius; how much I dreaded any such thing, though I had been attended with the greatest encouragements, which the present time doth not allow me, how much beside my intention, when first I had occasion to think on these things, and how many distractions I have had pulling me away from waiting on my Master, either when going to Jairus his House, to revive the Child, or when going to Judea, to raise Lazarus, or when disputing the Case with his unbelieving Disciples, or when pleading with Jacob's God, for his return to revive his People; If (I say) I should tell thee what of this kind I have met with to discourage me, you would rather wonder, that with Agar, I have not thrown away this Child; Then censure me for not having that dexterity, in clothing of it with these comely Ornaments, that such as come on the Stage, and have to do with such a conceited, and feverish Generation, finde necessary. If thou judg me too mystical in my Exposition on some of these Texts I treat upon, or that I strain the History; know, that I have defence to flee to, both upon the account of the ancient Fathers, paraphrazing on the History of Lazarus, and upon the account of Modern Divines, that did go before, and prepared my way; for Augustin in his 49. Tract, on Joh. 11. Mat. 9. & Luk. 7. examining the cause, why Chr…st wept, cryed out, and was troubled in Spirit▪ before the raising up of Lazarus, whereas he raised up o…hers with greater facility; He conc…udeth the mysterie to have been, for that now Lazarus was dead four Days, and also bur…ed, which signifieth the four degrees of a sinner. The first, in voluntary delectation of sin. The Second, in consent. The Third, in fulfilling by Work. The Fourth, in continuance, or custome thereof, wherein, whosoever is once buried, (saith this Ancient Father) He is hardly raised to Life again, without a great Miracle of God, and many tears on his own part. Where you may see. He doth more than I do, in making use of this instance, by perufing what I have said, and comparing the same with his Paraphraze on the Text. If it be said, that I refer it to the work of God in general, thou may answer thy self, by a sober making use of that phylosophical maxim, Quod convenit uni tali convenit omni tali. And, if this Rule be not transgressed, then I hope thou wilt forbear to censure, and look on thy self, as particularly concerned in this thing. I might instance to you several Modern Divines, that do say, by Lazarus is holden forth the poor, low, and abject condition of the People of God: These have passed thorow thy hands without thy censure, (for ought I know) and I shall hope thou wilt not make a new Law for condemning of that in me, that hath been justified and approved in others.
But expecting the best of thee, (or at least) being resolved to bear the worst thou can say of me, or of this interprise (till God make thee of a better mind, by reviving his work) I shall make bold to give thee some fore-tast of the subject matter of this following Discourse.
And, First, Thou hast here presented to thee, a discovery of the wonderful wisdome of God, in his Providence, about his friends; where you may see a work happily begun, pitiful…y marred in the Progress, and yet crowned with loving kindness in the end; And that, notwithstanding of all the mistakes of Persons concerned about it, as you may clearly see, in your considering what is said, as to Jairus his Child. Secondly, You may see the matchless love of a Redeemer, that cannot forget a sick, dead, and stinking Lazarus, nor be terrified from going down to Judea, to see, and raise him; notwithstanding of his Disciples disputing to the contrary, and his own hazard: Together with what is commendable, or discommendable in the Saints carriage at such a time, and when call'd to such trials, and to wait on Christ, in the performance of such acts of love toward his dead friends.
Thirdly, You have the Resurrection of Lazarus, together with a gracious disappointment of the Disciples fears of dying, upon their going down to Judea, and of all their hopes, for they had no hope for the most part, that Lazarus should be raised again.
Fourthly, You have all this generally summed up in my last work, together with that, wherein the Saints exercise doth principally consist, viz. their serious pleading with God for a reviving, the account whereof is such, as my present Work would permit me to give; if it be wanting in any thing, know, I was necessitated (for thy sake) to abreviate it, least this Work should be too burdensome to thee, which of its own nature is heavy, and (being dead) cannot but burden thee the more. This is a brief account of the subject matter. For my curt stile, or what else of this nature thou may quarrel with, know, I studied brevity, and ever judged matter better than words, and that it's needless to speak that by many words, which may be understood by few: Frustra sit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora: And I have the adv…ntage of others in this, in that I call you to read nothing but what you have s…en and handled, and what you have in some measure tasted of. All I desire is to inform thy judgment about the present case of thy soul, & of Christs great concerns, to affect thy heart, to rectifie thy mistakes, and to encourage thee to put too thy shoulder, for rolling away the Stone, that our Lazarus may rise again; and to help thee to plead for reviving from God, that he may be glorified, his house built up in troublesome times, and all his Saints made to shout for joy.
If you ask, under whose Patrociny? I tell thee, it's dedicated to thee, that thou, reapi…g the fruit if it, may find thy self obliged to stand to it… defence, against all the enemies of a dead work, I present it to the dead, that they may hear its voice and live; I present it to the living, to call them to the Funeral of his great Work, if he do not revive it; I present it to thee, that is an Enemy to all: that the groans and sighs of it, may draw forth Pity from thee; I present it to the Gallio's of our time, to the Baruchs that seek great things for themselves, and forgeteth the House of God, and do call all of you to behold, and see, If there be any sorrow like unto this sorrow. I am sure common ingenuity will m…ke you pity Lazarus, when so low; I am sure Christianity will make you admire the work and the Worker; and I am sure common charity will constrain you to accept gratefully of this mean essay; And to better it, so far as thou canst by thine, which I promise kindly acceptance unto though I were in Judea, where there is little to be heard, except stoning one day, and Lazarus is dead an other: I will detain thee no longer, but commit my self to thy Christian ingenuity, and in thy self expect a Sanctuary, against all the shots of the adversary: That our God in all things may have the glory; which is that which thy
Unworthy Servant, in the Work of the Gospel, prayeth for. N. B.