Twenty Sermons, Frontispiece – Publishers advertisement
The true Effigies of M. James Nalton
Twenty SERMONS Preached upon Several TEXTS, BY That late Reverend, Pious, and Painful Preacher, Mr. James Nalton, Miniſter of St. Leonard Foſter Lane, in the City of London.
Publiſhed for Publick good.
Say unto the Righteous, it ſhall be well with him; Wo unto the wicked, it ſhall be ill with him, Iſa. 3.10.
But if you will not hear, my Soul ſhall weep in ſecret for your Pride, Jer. 13.17.
He was a burning and a ſpining Light, John 5.35.
LONDON, Printed for Dorman Newman, at the Kings-Arms in the Poultrey. 1677.
TO THE Right Honourable and truly Religious Lady Mary Vere, Baroneſs of Tilbury; and to her vertuous Daughters, the Right Honourable Lady Fairfax, and the Honourable Lady Wolſtenholm.
My moſt Honoured Ladies, May it pleaſe your Honours,
THeſe Sermons, though they have not the honour of their Authors Pen, either in tranſcribing, or in correcting of them; yet they breathe ſo much of his Spirit, that whoſoever was not a ſtranger to his Miniſtry, may eaſily perceive whoſe labours they are, without an Interpreter. They are now come forth, by the labour and diligence of them that priz'd his Perſon, and honour'd his Miniſtry; whereunto, although I was not in a Capacity of contributing any furtherance, yet I could not in Conſcience let them paſs into the World without doing this right to the Author, Publiſhers, and to the Papers themſelves, as to give in my poor Teſtimony, That they are the genuine iſſue of him whoſe Name they bear; whereby, though dead, he yet ſpeaketh. My humble Prayer to God ſhall be, That into what hand ſoever Providence may put them, the ſame Bleſſing which accompanied the hearing of them, may go along with the reading of them alſo; for the rendring of them effectual to their ſpiritual and everlaſting good.
As to my preſumption in Dedicating of them to Your Honours: I am not ignorant to how much cenſure I am liable in the Opinion of Standers-by; neither can I ſuffer more prejudice abroad, than I have ſuffered conflict in my own Spirit at home.
But the deſerved Honour I bear to the Name of my Dear Husband (now with the Lord) and the deep ſenſe of my Duty to Your Honours, hath prevailed againſt all diſcouragements.
May Your Honours be pleaſed to accept of this ſolemn acknowledgment of the various Obligations which your Ladiſhips have laid upon me, and to pardon this boldneſs, it ſhall not at all trouble me what cenſures others may paſs upon me.
The Father of Mercies abundantly recompence all the kindneſs you have ſhewed to the Dead and to the Living; and may the Golden Oyl of Grace, which he hath abundantly poured out upon your Heads, deſcend upon all the Branches of Your Noble Families, and render them truly Honourable to many Generations. I ceaſe further to trouble Your Honours, and humbly beg leave to ſubſcribe my ſelf, in all ſincerity,
Your Honours moſt Obliged Servant, Mary Nalton.
TO THE READER.
ALthough theſe Sermons, (beſides the common inconvenience of being Poſthumous works) had the unhappineſs to want the Authors own poliſhing (for which cauſe it is but juſtice, that if any miſtake ſhould poſſibly be diſcerned in them, it may not be laid at the Authors door) yet I am informed they were taken by the Pen of a ready Writer, and a worthy friend of the Authors, as appears. And having peruſed moſt of them, I cannot deny them this juſt Teſtimony, That I find in them the Spirit and Lineaments of that worthy Perſon, whoſe name they bear; a Perſon, whoſe name needs no imbalming, having ſo many immortal Tombs in the hearts of thoſe who were either eye or ear-witneſſes of his great worthineſs; eſpecially in them, in whom he left ſuch impreſſions of true Piety, as doubtleſs will abide with them for ever, and carry his bleſſed memory into the other World. And amongſt the reſt of his Excellencies, this was not the leaſt, that like precious Diamonds they were deep ſet in a profound Humility and unexampled Modeſty, whereby he ever was moſt contemptible in his own eyes: a great reſpecter of any worth in his Brethren, but a great deſpiſer and peremptory denier of it in himſelf (the only thing wherein he might be taxed for falſe and unjuſt dealing). And that which concealed his Virtues, did moſt higly commend them, whilſt like the Sun breaking through a Cloud, it appeared more glorious, in ſpight of that Vail which his tranſcendent humbleneſs of mind threw upon it. I might ſay much of his fervent Love and tender Compaſſion to the Souls of men, his forwardneſs to ſpend and to be ſpent for the good of his people (notwithſtanding all the frowardneſs and unkindneſs of divers of them); his indefatigableneſs in ſerving the ſpiritual neceſſities of any who make known their deſires to him; his great ingenuity and candour towards his Brethren. What the Jeſuit ſaith of Bellarmine in his Life (how truly I know not, ſince Jeſuits allow themſelves the liberty of Equivocation) is much more true of him, that he was Candidus erga alios, ſeverus erga ſeipſum, He was a moſt candid Interpreter of other mens actions, but exceſſively ſevere to himſelf.
But I muſt remember, I am not now writing a Panegyrick in praiſe of the Author, but a ſhort introduction to a more profitable work: And therefore I ſhall conclude the Readers trouble with this only intimation; That the Subjects here treated of are practical and profitable: the manner of handling them plain and powerful, and ſuch as, coming ſo evidently from the heart of the Speaker, are moſt likely to make impreſſion upon the heart of the Reader: and the time (I am ſure) is not unſeaſonable, ſeeing the Reverend Author is gone to the place of ſilence, whence you will hear him no more.
The Lord who was pleaſed often to accompany his Word when it was by him preached viva voce to the Hearers, continue the powerful preſence of his Grace in the reading of it. And let ſuch as read theſe Sermons, get another Edition of them Printed in their hearts, ſo as they may be read in their lives, whereby they will anſwer the deſign and deſire of the Preacher and Publiſhers.
Thy Servant in the work of the Miniſtry, ſo far as he may, MATTHEW POOL.
The Texts of the following SERMONS.
MAns Petition, and Gods Compaſſion, ſhewed on Pſalm 138.3, In the day that I cryed unto thee, thou anſweredſt me, and ſtrengthened me with ſtrength in my ſoul. Pag. 1
Light diſcovered, and man recovered, on 2 Tim. 1.10, — And hath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Goſpel. p. 27
Chriſts Proviſion, for mans Direction, on Iſa. 40.11, He ſhall feed his Flock like a Shepherd, he ſhall gather his Lambs in his Arms, and carry them in his Boſom, and ſhall gently lead thoſe that are with Young. p. 48
Walking in Chriſt a ſign of our right receiving of Chriſt, on Col. 26, As you have received Chriſt Jeſus the Lord, ſo walk ye in him. p. 94
Chriſts Temptation, the Saints ſupportation, on Heb. 2, and laſt verſe: For in that he himſelf hath ſuffered, being tempted, he is able to ſuccour them that are tempted. p. 116
Fear of loſing Salvation, the way to obtain it, on Heb. 4.1, Let us therefore fear, leſt a Promiſe being left us of entring into his Reſt, any of you ſhould ſeem to come ſhort of it. p. 139
The perſevering Saint ſhall be the Crowned Saint, on Rev. 3.11, Behold, I come quickly; hold faſt that which thou haſt, that no man take thy Crown. p. 185
Mercy deſpiſed, and God provokd thereby, on Pſal. 106.24, Yea, They deſpiſed the pleaſant Land, and believed not his Word. p. 218
Chriſts Preciouſneſs, on 1 Pet. 2.7, Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious. p. 269
The Neceſſity of Humiliation, on Acts 16.29, 30, Then he called for a Light, and ſprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, &c. p. 330
Chriſt the Bread of Life, on John 6.35, I am the Bread of Life, &c. p. 360
Chriſts true Diſciples, Doers of Gods Will, &c. on John 7.17, If any man will do his Will, he ſhall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I ſpeak of my ſelf. p. 383
Theſe two Books of Mr. Tho. Brooks, are lately Printed for, and to be ſold by Dorman Newman, at the Kings Arms in the Poultrey.
A Golden Key to open hidden Treaſures: or ſeveral great Points which refer to the Saints Bleſſedneſs, and their future Happineſs: with the Reſolution of ſeveral important Queſtions, &c.
Paradiſe opened: or the Secret Myſteries, and Rarities of Divine Love, of infinite Wiſdom, and of Wonderful Counſel, laid open for Publick View: Alſo the Covenant of Grace, and the high and glorious Tranſactions of the Father and the Son in the Covenant of Redemption: Opened and improved at large, &c.
Believers Mortification of ſin by the Spirit, or Goſpel-Holineſs advanced by the Power of the Holy Ghoſt in the hearts of the Faithful: Whereunto is added the Authors three laſt Sermons on Gen. 3.5. By the Learned and Pious Mr. Alexander Carmichael, formerly of Scotland, and late Preacher of the Goſpel in London: Publiſhed by his own Copy.
The Crown and Glory of a Chriſtian, conſiſting of a ſound Converſion, and a Well-ordered Converſion.
Mr. Wadſworth's Legacy: being his ſerious Exhortation to a Holy Life. Alſo his Funeral Sermon, Sayings, and Elogy.