The Doubting Believer, Title page – To the reader
THE DOVBTING BELEEVER: OR, A TREATISE CONTAINING
1. The Nature
2. The Kinds
3. The Springs
4. The Remedies
of Doubtings, incident to weak Beleevers.
BY OBADIAH SEDGWICK, Bachelor in Divinity, and Miniſter of Coggeſhall in Eſſex.
LONDON, Printed by M. F. for Thomas Nicols and are to be ſold at his ſhop in Popes-head Alley at the ſign of the Bible. 1641.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE, ROBERT, Earl of VVarwick, Baron of Leez, &c. My Noble Lord, and free Patron.
MY LORD,
RENEWED heart is a very Heaven in our little world, and Faith is the onelyonly Sun in that Heaven. The ſinner never comes to be precious, till he comes to be pious; and the value of that piety ſtill advanceth, according to the quantity of true faith, as the Ring is the more conſiderable with the Diamond. I cannot conceive of a more compendious way for any Chriſtians full and conſtant revenues, then this, To get faith, and ſtil to uſe it: The ſumme or product of which would be this, Grace and Glory, Heaven and Earth are ours.
Satan well knowes what a ſerviceable channell Faith is for all our traffique, either for our ſhip to lanch out into duties, or for Gods ſhip to come laden in to us with mercies: & therefore there is no Grace which hee batters, and conflicts ſo with, as with faith: If we weaken or ſhake foundations, this hath a ſpreading influence into the whole building: A Chriſtians faith cannot be wronged, but preſently all the ſpirituall frame becomes ſenſible of wrong and loſſe.
In my weak judgement, it were a great prudence to ſecure that, which being ſecured, now ſecures all. Nothing grows weake, where faith growes ſtrong. My Lord, This poore Treatiſe which I preſume to front with your name, is like Aaron and Hur, who ſtaid up the hands of Moſes; So doth this Treatiſe indeavour to ſtay the hand of faith in a weak Beleever, who hath an ample eſtate on the ſhore and at land; but thoſe waves of doubtings (when he is thruſting in) too often make him to fall back and ſtagger: Whence followes this great unhappineſſe, That whereas his faith might have ſerved in many precious comforts, it is (almoſt a whole life) imployed onelyonly to anſwer fears and doubts. I humbly preſent the ſubſequent Work to your Lordſhips perſonal uſe, and publique patronage. Be pleaſed (at your leaſure) to peruſe it, and regard it as the firſt cognizance of my thankfulneſſe to your Honour, for the Living which you did ſo freely and lovingly confer upon me, wherein I ſhall deſire faithfully to ſerve your Lord and mine.
Now the Almighty God, and bleſſed Father, abundantly inrich your noble heart with all ſaving graces, and continue you long to be an inſtrument of much glory to himſelfe, comfort to his Church, and good to our Commonwealth.
Your Honours perpetually obliged, Obadiah Sedgwick.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
THis Treatiſe which now is preſented to a publike cō ſtruction, was (many years paſt) the ſubject of my private Meditations and Sermons. I did not affect any farther publication of it, then in the Pulpit; but the importunity of others hath compelled it thus to appeare in print: Not that the manner of handling the Subject (here inſiſted on) is excellent or exquiſite, but that the matter handled may be ſuppoſed to be of common uſe and benefit; as a little ſtar hath influence, though not that glory which is proper to the Sun.
The Caſe which is here put, and diſcuſſed, is a Caſe of common experience: There is no Beleever, but ſome time or other will confeſſe it is his. The Sun being ſeated in an heavenly Orbe, ſhineth with a very pure and conſtant light, but the candle (though ſet and burning in a golden candleſtick, yet) burnes with a ſnuffe, and much variableneſſe. When Chriſtians are tranſlated, and tranſplanted from earth to heaven, then their graces ſhall become perfections: There are no defects in heaven, there are no mixtures in heaven, but whatſoever is pure there, it is altogether pure: Yet on earth it is otherwiſe, neither the habits of Grace, nor the acts of Grace are alone … any Chriſtian: When I would doe good, evill is preſent with me, ſaid Paul: And, I beleeve, Lord, help my unbeliefe, ſaid that poore man in the Goſpel.
Where is the Beleever who inſiſts not more on his fears then on his faith? and is not oftner lamenting his doubts, then rejoycing in his aſſurances? None have an intereſt in Chriſt, but Beleevers; None have title to a ſolid and ſettled peace, but they: And yet we ſee the children fearfull, and bondmen confident; the beſt of men ſtill in ſuit, and the worſt of men quiet, as if in full poſſeſsion; none doubting leſſe then ſuch as have moſt cauſe to doubt, and none doubting more then ſuch as have moſt cauſe to triumph in Chriſt. And in truth thus it will be whiles groſse ignorance veiles over preſumptuous ſinners, and miſ-belief is incident to tender ſpirits.
And is not the hand of Joab in this buſineſse too? Is not Satan in all the ſins of wicked men, and in moſt of the troubles of good men? either he tempts us to ſinne, and that will cauſe us to doubt; or elſe he tempts us to doubt, and that will cauſe us to ſin. Surely it is not the ſhorteſt of his wiles and arts, in matters of Religion, to keep the judgements of ſome ſtill ſtaggering; and in matters of a ſoules intereſt in Chriſt, to keep the heart ſtill doubting. Doth he not know that the Chriſtian cannot ſo happily improve Chriſt, who is ſtill in ſuit to prove his title to Chriſt?
For the better expediting of theſe ſoule-ſuits, peruſe (if thou pleaſeſt) this enſuing Work, which is (I confeſſe) not a garden for every one to walk in, but onelyonly phyſick for the ſick or weak. It is intended as an Hoſpitall for the lame, onelyonly for a troubled ſinner, onelyonly for a weak beleever: And the Father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, even he who eſtabliſheth us in Chriſt, proſper it for his glory, and the help of ſome one or other.
Thy Faiths ſervant, Obadiah Sedgwick.