The Life of Faith in Times of Trial and Affliction, Title page – To the reader
THE SWAN-SONG: Or the Second Part of the LIFE of FAITH, in times of TRIAL & AFFLICTION: Opened and applid by That Late, Learned, eminently Gracious, singularly Faithful & exemplarly Zealous Minister of Iesus Christ, MR JOHN BROWN: And published by his afflicted Friend, & a poor Well wisher to the Interest of Christ, & his suffering Remnant.
1 Cor. 16: 13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Eph. 6: 13. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, &c.
Ver. 16. Above all taking the shield of faith &c.
1 John 5: 4. —And this is the victory that over-cometh the world, even our faith.
Philip. 4: 13. I can all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Printed ANNO DOM. M. D C. LXXX.
To the CHRISTIAN READER, More particularly to the poor suffering Remnant of the CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.
DEAR BRETHREN, and Companions in tribulation & in the Kingdom & patience of JESUS CHRIST,
I make no other Apologie, for this my present addresse, than that it was amongst the last commands, laid upon me, by the great, & now glorified Author of this following treatise, (revised by himself, & almost wholly printed before his death) to prefixe a few lines unto it, & so send it out into the Church; that by it he being dead might yet speake, particularly to his Brethren in tribulation, to whom living he was so comfortable, by holding forth light, sanctuary light, in their darknesses and difficulties, and now continues still to be, (after he hath no more a being amongst us) by pointing forth the way of life and strength, whereby the suffering saint (without succumbing or sinking, because of sorrow, misery and affliction) may be made able to do all things, and endure all things, while he walks in that light. But, Christian Reader, while I obey the last command of my dear Brother, I shall so far consult thy advantage, as not to keep thee back, by my tedious and tastlesse scrible, from the perusal of a peece, which not onelyonly, as to thee, needs not my Epistle of Commendation; For the First Part (long a…oe in thy hands) is a sufficient Epistle to this Second, with all who are in love with, & know the necessitie of the way of living by faith, which is the Christians life, in this life; (for, till the day of immediat vision, and full fruition come, we must walk by faith, not by sight: O blessed walke, which brings with it joy unspeakeable, and full of glory! And so it must, since it is a walking with God; For as faith's first work is the association of the soul with him, so its next and after vvork is the assimilation of the soul to him; whereupon followes that neer, that sweet and dear fruition of him, which hath unspeakable joy, as its inseparable Companion, or native effect) But, the due, and deserved praise of the Author, is so much in the Church of Christ, as it needs not the Epistle of any else, to command it; For,
First, If thou be not a stranger in our Israel, whoever thou be; then, if either eminency in grace or learning; if vastnesse and pregnancy of parts; if fervor of zeal according to knowledge; if unvvearied diligence, in the work of the Lord, (wherein he laboured more aboundantly than any of us all; for no man in the Church of Scotland hath filled up his measure, even as to that: nor know, nor see I a man who is like to doe it, nay who is in capacitie for it;) If a holy heroick misreguard of men, and their estimation, in approving himself to God, by a ready and resolute withstanding the corruptions of his time, and opposing all these courses and contrivances, and these unworthy connivings, whereby the cause hath been prejudged; yea basely abandoned, and the free course and progresse of the Gospel obstructed; If single sollicitousnesse, and strenuous endeavours, how to have pure ordinances preserved in this generation, and propagat to the posteritie: in a word, if faithfulnesse, as a servant, in all the house, and matters of his God, even that God, who counted him faithful, and put him in the Ministery; and loyaltie to his princely Lord and Master, (the prerogatives of whose Crown, the Privileges of whose Kingdom, and the establishment of whose Throne, were more prized by him, more precious and dear unto him, than all other interests whatsoever: nay, he was so far from reguarding any other interest, in respect of that alone valuable one; that, as he was never daunted, from a plain peremptorinesse in owning thereof, by the dread of poor mortals, or the fear of what the stated enemy could doe unto him; so, he was never demurred, into a forbearance, or brow-beaten into a base and un - Ambassadour - becoming silence, by the displeasure and disconntenancings, even of such of his Brethren, whom otherwise he loved, and highly honoured, as to a plain contending with them, wherein he perceived them not to walk uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel, and to the former principles of that Church, while she retained first love, and did first works: Yea, he judged it duetie (and in this he had the mind of Christ) to contend earnestly with them, for their not earnest contendings for the Faith; though, for this, he should have been contemned, and accounted (as he was) a man of contention:) I say, if thou be such an one, to whom such a blessed Conjunction of rare Gifts, with such a rich and plentiful measure of Grace, can endear any man; I then nothing doubt, but MR BROWN, Great and Gracious MR BROWN, hath such a place in thy soul, and such a preference to others, as thou wilt judge it superfluous in me, to say any thing to commend what the truely great Elijah of his time (I mean of this present time, when, having served his generation, according to the will of God, he fell asleep,) the man jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, above all his Brethren, whom he hath left behind him, (I except not one Soul, nor am I ashamed, or affraid to give it under my hand) doth here present thee with, as his farewell to the Saints, and the excellent Ones, in whom he so much delighted, and for whose advantage he so much laid out himself, night and day, and for the work and cause of Christ his Lord; In so much as this his kindnesse to the Saints, and care of all the Churches, particularly that poor Church of Scotland, keept him alwayes neer unto death, through his not reguarding his own life, to supply the lack of other mens service to Christ and to his Church: But, if thou be not such an one; then, as thou declares thy self unworthy of what is here presented, so thou canst not quarrel, if I be so far of the same opinion with thee, though I dare not but wish thee to be quickly of another mind. I know very well, this which is here hinted, of the excellent and savourie Author, will be unsavourie to some; yea, will incense not a few, who would be accounted Masters in Israel who have been busie (while he was busied about the work of the Lord) in backbiting defaming & reproaching him, & that, because he withstood them all to the face, wherein they were, & are justly to be blamed: But, I must lay my reckoning, and have done it, with that, and many such things: OnelyOnly, by way of Apologie, I must tell such, that it is not my work, to engage with them, at present, on this head; they may exspect to hear of that afterward; yet next, till more come, I doe not crave their libertie or pardon to say, that it shall be amongst the posteritie (as it is already with the more serious in this generation) a stain, which shall never be vviped off the memorie of the reproachers, vvhen his memorie shall be blessed, and his cognizance, in the succeeding generations of the Church, shall be, that, in the day vvhen he fell a sleep, the Church of Scotland was deprived of the most incomparably able, and the most absolutly burning and shining light, belonging to that Church.
Secondly, it may be an appreciating, and endearing consideration, unto thee, that this Treatise is not only the work of such a worthy vvorkman, such a Walker with God, such a Wrestler with him, such a Witnesse for his Master, and such a beloved Disciple: But it is his last Work; this he wrote at the close of a long walk with God: For, in his walk with him, and after him, having by experience found, there neither would, nor could be courage, nor constancy nor comfort in that course, except faith were acting vigourously, upon its blessed object, that Fountain of all fulnesse, both for furniture & frame, both for the light of direction & consolation, and for a measure of life, in order to action, according to the emergent difficulties, & dangers, that are the inseparable attendants, of the duties of the present day: He was taught, by the things which he suffered frō all hands, to make a blessed, & beneficial vertue of this necessitie, & so he held on in his way, (being thus upheld and supported without turning aside to the right hand, or the left, and without being diverted or deterred from following the Lord fully. The things that he suffered of late, especially at the hands of Brethren, (their shame, but his garland and glory) put him to studie and learn the obedience of faith, wherein he was helped, and taught to make such progresse, and proficiency, as he enjoyed a sweet serenitie & calme, in the midst of all these boisterous blasts, which, out of all airths, blew in his face; but most bitterly out of that airth, whence the storme could, or should least of all have been exspected; so that, he did not onelyonly possesse his soul in patience, as moved by none of these things, which befell him, from foes or friends; but he was quieted, quickened, and comforted in his conflictings; yea, he got meat out of the eater, out of weaknesse he was made strong, & enabled to doe exploits as knowing his God: And finding the sweetnesse of this life, (otherwise of many sorrowes) and experiencing, how much he was enabled for all things, through Christ strengthening him, he was moved and constrained, from the aboundant furniture, the sweet facilitie, yea the begun felicitie he found in this life and course, to point forth this way of pleasantnesse, and this path of peace, to such as are put to walke in the midst of trouble; that so they may finde, by following this course, the same Light arising to them in Darknesse; and the same life, strength, courage and comfort, springing up and communicat unto them, whereby they may be enabled to goe foreward, through all difficulties, all dangers, yea and all deaths. Hereby thou who, in the sight of difficulties, and the sense of thy impotency, art made to say, What is my strength that I should hope? Art taught to anwer by another question, Since he is strong, why should I despond or doubt? For, all things are possible to him that believes, all difficulties are superable to faith; for, faith is the engaging of an Omnipotent God, for an impotent Creature, whereby the believer is more than a conquerour: And because that stronger is he who is in the believer, than he that is in the World, therefore, being, by him that dwells in him, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience, and long suffering, with joyfulnesse, conquer he must; and this is the victorie, whereby he overcomes the World, even his faith; for faith's valour is, when overpowered, to cast it self and its burden upon God, who performeth all things for the believer; and so (how weake so ever in the conflict; yet) by faith he carries away the conquerours Crovvn in the issue, and is set dovvn at last to sing, Thanks be to God who hath given me the victory. I say then, these are the last vvords, of a great Student in this blessed and mysterious art, and of a noble proficient in this happie studie (for he speaks vvhat he knovves, he speakes vvhat he hath found and tasted) instructing thee, hovv thou mayest with him hold on in thy vvay, and vvax stronger and stronger; yea, hovv thou mayst surmount all difficulties, othervvise insuperable, as carried uppon eagles vvings; and run, vvith the greatest burden upon thy back, and not be vveary; and vvalk, vvith the greatest load upon thy loins, and not be faint. Naturalists, you knovv, and Mariners tell us of the flieing fish, vvhichwhich, vvhen pursued in the vvater by the Shark, flies up into the air, as a foul, and so escapes the danger: But it can flee no longer in the air, than its fins continue vvet, and vvhen these become dry it falls down again into the sea: A lively embleme of a lively Christian vvho, vvhen in hazard to be svvallovved up of trouble, and devoured by the teeth of sharks, mounts up above them upon eagles vvings, and so escaps them. But that vvhichwhich vvaters these vvings, vvhereby faith flies, and that vvhichwhich gives it this vigour is fresh influence of the Spirit: The supplie of the Spirit of Christ quicken's and strengthen's faith, and then failing and feeble faith renews its strength, as the eagle renews her age: Its this which gives weake and withered faith a fresh, vigourous and youthful greennesse, and puts the beleever in case both to say, in God have I put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can doe unto me; and also, I am able for all things, through Christ vvho strenghtens me, or puts povver in me. Now the Authors scope and aim is to tell thee, and teach thee how thou mayest be expert in this noble flight above trouble: (O happy dexteritie in a time of trouble upon earth, to know how to make use of faith's wings, in flieing heaven height, and to be instructed in the exercise of that blessed art, how to make use of thy faith, whereby thou pleases God in thy ordinarie walk, for performing these high heroick acts, in the day of the most dismal and deep distresse, whereby it is evident, that the sweetest ferenitie of soul, in the sadest & most surprising of troubles, is possible to him that beleeveth!)
Thirdly, That which doth commend Books, and without an Epistle of of recommendation, is an Epistle Commendatory sufficient, & makes all courting of the Reader to their perusal, a superfluous complement, an unprofitable waste of words, yea, & a profuse expense of precious time, is, That what the Author writs be not onelyonly upright, and words of truth; But, that the truth treated of be pertinent to the present day; & the duty pressed be that which must be known, that it may be practised, when upon the real and right performance thereof depends, in a particular manner more than the believers peace; yea, more than his soul, and eternal happinesse can amount uuto; Viz. the glorifying of God in the fires of fiery trials, and the bringing up a good report upon his vvayes, by a practical proof, that there is a sufficiency of strength communicable, whereby the weakest is made strong; and a singularitie of sweetnesse experienced, whereby a man, otherwise of sorrows can sing in the wayes of the Lord, even when his way lyes thorow fire & water; so that he who hath taken hold of the path of life needs neither faint in the way, because of his own weaknesse, there being everlasting armes underneath, stronglie supporting; nor yet turn aside out of it, when there is a lyon in it; neither wearie in going foreward, through want of what is sweet and refreshing, since there is a well spring of comfort insured unto the walker in these wayes, so as in the greatest pinch and penurie, of all outward things▪ yea, when put to the greatest pain, he hath still everlasting consolation, and can glory in tribulation, and rejoyce, not onelyonly in the hope of the glory of God; but sing as alreadie in the suburbs of heaven, while under the shineings of his Masters face, and the shedings abroad of his love in the heart. And according to this rate and reckoning I may make bold to say; the mater herein treated of is of that moment, import & present necessitie, as to draw the eyes of all men towards it, that their hearts may be cast into this mould, and they put in case to practise accordingly; for, this was the happie Authors scope; for this he wearied himself, and was at this peece of pains, (amongst his other eminent, singularly useful and assiduous labourings, for the edification of the Church, at home and abroad, the care of all which lay upon him) that thou mightest know how to finde ease, safetie and refreshment, when there seems nothing in thy life, but sorrow; and in thy cup, but gall and wormewood. In a word, the Author hath written the first & second part of the Life of Faith, that the Reader may write the third part in his practise, by making his life a transumpt of both, in a day when most are making shipwrack of faith and a good conscience; and many▪ who once professed themselves Disciples, are now turning back: And, Alas, I am affraid, it shall be observed, and said of them, they walked no more with him; But, for their turnings aside unto these croaked courses, were led forth with the workers of iniquitie: So that this is a word in season seeing besides the native, and intrinsick beautie of truth, that commends what is said to thy peruseal▪ the adventitious beautie of seasonablenesse endears it to thee; For he that writes it was a Preacher, who sought to finde out acceptable words, & the tongue of the learned was given unto him; For, what he writs doth witnesse, that his eare vvas vvakened to hear as the learned, that so the might speak and vvrite as the learned.
But, for a conclusion, I must tell thee, that the spiritually vvise, and zealous Author vvas not only driven to treat of this subject, because of the present pressurs of the poor remnant, pressed out of measure, and beyond strength, (though he had this also in prospect) that so they might be quickened, quieted, encouraged and comforted, under these crushing calamities; and might be instructed, hovv to glorifie God, in this day of visitation; and endure the vvorlds hatred and the vvorst that either enraged Adversaries, or incensed friends can doe, as seeing him vvho is invisible, and as believing, that all these shall vvork together for their good, and as assured that they shall turn to their salvation, through the intercession of the Mediator, and the supplie of the Spirit of Jesus Christ: But, more particularly considering our vvay, and our proceeding from evil to vvorse; vvhat high affronts have been put upon our infinitly glorious Lord and Master; & hovv these have not only not been resented and vvitnessed against, vvith a zeal, a fervor of pure zeal proportioned to the furious fervidnesse, and unhallovved heat▪ of that opposition to Christ, and hatred to the coming of his Kingdom in the World, vvitnessed by the complex of the adversaries course and carriage: But, Alas, to our shameful & astonishing faint (vvhen called to have been valiant for the truth, and to have acquit ourselves as the good souldiers of Jesus Christ, ambitious to have been sacrificed upon the Interest of our Royal Master's glorious Crovvn, and Prerogative) hath been added, a drawing back; Courses have been taken, patronized and applauded, partly in recto, partly in obliquo; And that, by some vvhom least of all it became, &, if I may say so, from vvhose hand Christ might have exspected a heroick opposition to these hell-black driveings, vvhereby a defection (for in despite of all the palliatings, and cunning plaisterings to hide this, novv its manifest) hath been, and is novv carried on: And there is no small rage vvitnessed, against all vvho essay to discover our iniquitie, to turn avvay our captivitie: In a vvord, vvhen he considered all the dispensations of God, and took notice of the dispositions & propensions of men, not of the multitude, but of Ministers, and Professors, even of these vvho vvould monopolize to themselves the repute of zealous according to knovvledge, & the onelie vvise men in the Church, vvho knovv the times, and vvhat the Israel of God ought to doe▪ as if vvisdom vvere either to die vvith them, or to live only with the persons of their principles and practises, he fell under the apprehension and persuasion (and who can escape it) of a woful day, coming upon the people of these practises; however a great many have not only been puting far away the thoughts of this evil day, but have been dreaming of a delivery: (ah how deep a delusion shall this be quickly found!) And therefore that the poor remnant, who in some measure have escaped, and have endeavoured to keep themselves pure fr…m the pollution of this defection, may know what to doe, and how to carry, in that day of vengeance of our God…, when he shall draw his wheted, his glittering and furbished sword, to avenge the quarrel of a broken and a burnt Covenant; and that sword shall devour flesh, till the Land, defiled under the inhabitants thereof, by transgressing the Law, changing the Ordinances, and breaking the everlasting Covenant, be soaked with the blood of the men guiltie of these abominations: (and then, Alas, who shall live when the Lord doth this?) I say, it was the foresight of this wofull day which made this Seer draw these draughts, and lay before thee these Directions, that thou may not be put out of frame and posture; But mayest be strengthened, perfected and throughly furnished unto every good work, when all things run in a confusion, and tend to ruin; and that thou mayest know of a blessed, a secure and safe place of retreat, in that dismall day, when it shall be said to the men with the slaughter weapon in their hand, begin at my sanctuary, begin at the houses of Ministers and Professors, (I know, it will be mistaken, if I say it; But yet, I cannot forbear it: Alas? of all the men in the Nation, we may particularly meditat terrour; and I feare, it shall be seen and observed, escape who will, many of us shall be taken; escape who will, Ministers, their wives & children, and many professors, together with their wives & Children, shall not escape;) & mayest be as Mount Sion, that cannot be moved; yea, and without fear, by living the life of faith, though the earth should be removed, and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereofroar, and be troubled, and though the mountains shake vvith the swelling thereof: There is a refuge, and quiet resting place; there is strength, and a present help in the time of such trouble; for God is then a rock of salvation, and a refuge to his people, even in such tempests and troubles, vvhen the Confusion and calamitie is so great and universal, as the sea seems to svvallow the mountains, and the mountains seem to smother the sea: And the Authors designe, in what thou art here presented with is to teach thee, how to make this rock of ages all things to thy self, by believing, and acting faith upon him, which he hath made himself to thee in the promise; that so thou mayest be safe and sing, because, to thy securitie by him, there is unspeak able satisfaction to be had in him; when the sinners in Zion shall be afraid, and fearfulnesse shall both surprise the hypocrits, and many who have the root of the matter in them, because of what they have been; and because of what they have unworthily done, and left undone: he who followes this Course, shall dwell on nigh, his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks his bread shall be given him, and his waters shall be sure.
Believe it, my Brethren, all you have found is but the least part of vvhat you have to fear, yea of what is inevitable: The fury of the Lord is ready to be poured forth as fire upon this generation; the day and hour approaches, wherein no man shall have any thing left him to allay his sorrovv, or comfort him in his anguish: But he vvho, being in Chist Jesus, is in case to oppose the Comforts of the Holy Ghost, and that everlasting Consolation which is in Christ, to present confounding and overwhelming calamities; the oppressions, the horrid and bloody barbarities of enraged, cruel and blasphemous enemies, incensed into a madnesse against the followers of the Lamb, and thristing insatiably after the blood of the saints, who dare nor receive the mark of the beast; the tumult of incensed friends, the clashings, the contendings, the insurrections of brethren against brethren, will make our poor Land such a weary Land, as men shall be weary of their lives, and wish to be gone from the evil day; yea, shall either seek for death, and not find it, or in agony and horrour, shall be found of death, and cannot flee from it. But ô how in that day and hour will the sweet shadow, and the secure shelter of the rock of Ages revive, and refresh such as have accesse with boldnesse and confidence, to lay themselves down under it! they shall finde it that place indeed where the weary are at rest, they shall finde that this is the rest alone, wherewith they may cause their weary souls to rest, and that this is the refreshing too: such as believe in Christ Jesus, and dwell in him by faith, and delight in him by love, shall either not finde the evil of these dreadful dayes, which are coming; or what they sinde of it shall not much trouble them, because of what upmaking they finde in the fruition of him, who gives meat out of the eater & sweet out of the strong, and who shall walk with them in the midst of the fiery furnace, when we may exspect, it shall be made seventimes hoter than ever we saw it. (For the Devil is come down, having great wrath, and the cry of our crimson iniquities is gone up to Heaven.) O happy is the man, who by all his distresses, is driven to seek, and make sure a dwelling, in the secret place of the most high, and to take up his abode under the shaddow of the Almighty; for, such may sit down and sing, because safe, and say of the Lord, He is my refuge, in him will I trust, as it is Psal. 91: vers. 1, 2. O safe! ô sweet refuge! he can finde no evil who is got in there, and no evil can finde him: For he covers the man, with his feathers who trusts under his wings, and his truth is his shield and buckler: Would the man, that is escaped in thither, change his dwelling place, and abode, for a Kings palace, while in this Pardise feasted upon the peace of God; would he change his shelter for a strong tower: O! by no means! the Universe cannot afford him such securitie and protection; neither can it supply him, to a running over, with such plentie of sure and unspeakable pleasure: O hovv excellent doe these finde his lovingkindenesse, who put their trust under the shadow of his wings! As they shall finde there a refuge, until the calamitie be overpast, so they shall be abundantlie satisfied, with the fatnesse which they shall finde, in this house, and he shall make them drink of the rivers of his pleasure; he shall feast them, while others famish, upon the begun fruitious of himself, and while others are made to weep, and wring their hands, over their broken and emptie cisterns, they shall finde, that with him is the fountain of life, so that they may drink, and drink aboundantly, and thus forget their povertie, and remember their misery no more: Nay, this is such a happie hiding place, as it's a compleat dweling place; any hole or hold that is a shelter and protection, in the day of a windy, storme & tempest, is thought good; wars will commend the bottome of a dark dungeon, where a man is as buried alive; yea a coal si…k (whereof some dear to God have in our dayes, while the wicked were hunting for the precious life, been forced to make use as a shelter) beyond & above a palace of pleasure; but ô what a sure; what a safe refuge is the rock of Salvation in time of trouble! O how doe: the environing wall… of Christs righteousnesse, & power, these everlasting armes underneath, supporting, and round about surrouding & preserving, from the tempest of wrath, that it cannot invade or break thorow make such accommodation sweet & pleasant! But, when with all? this secret place of the most high hath not onelyonly all safetie in it, but it hath also all sweetnesse, all satisfaction and all goodnesse laid up in it, for such as it hids: Its not onelyonly a strong place, that hath salvation for walls and bulwarks; But it is within this also, that he shines and shewes his marvelous kindnesse, Psal. 31: vers. 20, 21. there is not onelyonly a refuge here, but there is besids a rich treasure of all goodnesse, laid up in this storehouse, to be laid out, and made forthcoming for all who enter within the gates of this Citie: Its not onelyonly a house of war, but a house of peace and pleasure; its within these walls that that peace of God, which passeth understanding, doth guard the heart and mind; as its here, that the place of their defence is the munition of rocks, so it is within this rock, that their bread is given them, and their waters ate m…de sure; there is great fatnesse within this strong hold for feasting souls, and a river of pleasure for their refreshing: This is that unexhausted well-spring & fountain of loving kindnesse, tender mercies and bountie, which glads perpetually the hearts of all beleevers: This is the river that maketh glade the whole Citie of God: This is the very Fountain of life it self, thristing to be drunk of by thristy souls; which is nothing else, but God himself imparting, and communicating himself, to his emptie and indigent people, and making up thereby all their wants, according to his riches in glory; a saving God, satiating the weary soul, and replenishing it with goodnesse; this River of God which is full of water running in into the heart of him who hath opened his mouth wide, till it be filled, to a running over. O how do they, who finde by tasting how good he is; and what is to be had in the Kings chambers, pitie the poor mistaken World, that feed upon husks, while they are feasted with these royal dainties. Alas! the World, who are strangers to their joy, knowes little what a Kings life they live; and how while in their wildernesse lot, they feed upon Manna, and are feasted with Angels food; they little believe, how the People of the Lord, in their shuttings up, are so fatiat with goodnesse, as their hearts are enlarged, while made glade by the light of his countenance lifted up upon them, in their desirings for others, that it were with them in all things, as it is with themselves, save as to their bonds: O what a blessed hiding place doe they finde him! He is such a secure hiding place, as is also a most sweet beautiful and refreshing resting place; a refuge, where repose and soul ravishment are met and marryed together, without a divorce. Now, could a soul think of changing his dwelling place, could he ever by choice and upon deliberation come out, after he hath enterd into these chambers, and shut the doors about him, and hath tasted and seen how good God is? No sure, it will not, it cannot think on this without terrour; it will not, after it hath drunk of the river of his pleasure, and is satisfied with the fatnesse of his house, leave these pure springs, to drink of an impure pudle, O how easily must the soul be arrested, where it is ravished in the fruition of what it finds.
Now, my dear and distressed Brethren Consider, that you may not be weary nor fainted in your minds, in the day when the blast of the terrible one is as a storme against the wall, what a compleat hiding place you have from trouble, and what a citie of refuge you have to flee unto, Thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me, from trouble, thou shalt compasse me about with songs of deliverance, said the Psalmist Psal. 32. And in this he is not alone, for grace hath made you sharers with him of this great goodnesse: The sure mercies of David are made sure to all who have taken hold of the Covenant, so as whosoever have fled into Jesus Christ for a refuge from wrath and for pardon of sin, when pursued by justice, they may conclude this, as a sweet consequent of it also, Thou art my hiding place from trouble; And whatever hardship you may meet with, or whatever heavinesse you may be under, yet you may conclude (O comfortable conclusion) That the Lord vvill command his loving kindnesse in the day time for you, and in the night his song shall be vvith you; yea, you shall be compassed about with songs of deliverance, songs shall inviron you about, and joy shall break in on every side; you shall be able to look no where (even while all who look on may think your misery unmixed, and your sorrow without the least alay of sweet) but you shall finde matter of a song, and be able to command a most sweet consort of musick within your own soul, because both safe and satisfied. The Lord will be a refuge, in times of trouble, Psal. 9. and they who know his name, which is a strong tower, may and will put their trust in him. This then is the all of your businesse in order to support, saftie and satisfaction; in order to your being in case, both to honour him, and to be happie, in the midst of all possible sufferings for his sake; to betake yourselves to him for shelter, and trust in the covert of his wings: And it is for this end, that this teacher, taught of God, hath left his Brethren in affliction these directions, that as they may be persuaded to stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God; so amidst all their sufferings for his sake, they may know how to have a sweet serenitie of soul, by acting faith upon him as a full Fountain, sutably to all their needings, wantings, darknesses, difficulties and dangers; and so be put in case to say, In the Lord have vve righteousnesse and strength; in him by whom we are justified, in him and by him do vve glory in tribulation, and are more than conquerours. Now, that you may live more constantly with him & have a more comfortable and joyful life then ever, in a fellowship with the Father & with his Son J. Christ; that you may have grace for grace, yea an all of grace, whereby you may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven; adorne the doctrine of God the Saviour; be enabled to fight the good fight of Faith through Christ strengthening you, and endure to the end, by the new supplies of the Spirit of Christ, as it is the aim of the Writer of this treatise, who after all his sufferings and sorrowes, (in which and under which he behaved as a good souldier of Jesus r…ist; and was observed, to have acquired a special dexteritie, in making use of the shield of Faith) is now got above them, and eternally comforted over them, in the sight and fruition of that God, in whose service he lived, as devoted to his fear, and died in that noble posture; So it is for you the earnest desire of his soul, who is
Your poor Welwisher and Companion in tribulation.