Comfort for Believers About their Sins and Troubles · Henry Archer
Comfort for Believers About their Sins and Troubles, Table of contents
THE TABLE.
| THE Words are parte of Chriſts laſt Words, ſpoken to the Eleven Apoſtles. | Page. 1. |
| The Occaſion, or Ground, And ſo the Coherence of the Words. | 2. |
| The Partes, which are Two. | ibid. |
| FIRST, The Duty charged by Chriſt, on His beleeving Deſciples That their hearts ſhould not be troubled. And what Trouble is ment, what not, | 2. 3. |
| DOCTRINE. | |
| That true Beleevers, how weake ſoever in Faith, ſhould not be oppreſt, or perplext in heart, by any thing whatever befalls them, Either in Sinne, or Afflictions. | 4. |
| REASONS. | |
| Firſt, Becauſe ſuch Trouble ariſeth from an Evill Roote and Cauſe, Viz. Ignorance, or Vnbeleife. | 5. |
| Secondly, Becauſe ſuch Trouble hath Evill Effects: Shewed in Sixe Perticulers | |
| 1. It is Troubleſome to Gods Heart. | ibid. |
| 2. It Fruſtrats Chriſts Worke, In a great part. | 6. |
| 3. It Unfitts them for their Chriſtian Service; Which is to eate the Holy Things, and keepe a Continuall Feaſt. | ibid. |
| 4. It brings a Conſumption upon their Spirituall Strength. | ibid. |
| 5. It Caſts an Evill Report on God. | ibid. |
| 6. It Gives great Occaſion to Corruption, and the Divell. | 7. |
| USES. | |
| Firſt, For Information, To them that jugde the way of Beleeving a ſad way, Shewing it is the onelyonly Way of Joy and Quiettnes. | ibid. |
| Secondly, For Exhortation To Beleevers, Not to be perplext with Sinne or Sorrow. | 8. |
| THE SECOND Part of the Text. | |
| Is the MEANES, To fence Beleevers hearts againſt Trouble: Which are partly Implied, and partly Expreſſed. | 9. |
| FIRST MEANES Implied, Is that Beleevers put themſelves under the Command. | ibid. |
| SECOND MEANES Implied, Is that Beleevers gather up and preſent to their judgments Grounds of Comforts, ſtronger then them of Trouble. | 10. |
| THIRD MEANES Expreſſed, Is to beleeve in Chriſt, as in God; both which explained. | 11. 12 |
| Faith in Chriſt gives the ſtrongeſt Grounds of Comfort; For divers Reaſons. | 13. |
| Firſt, Becauſe it gives more Boldnes towards God; Upon Sixe Grounds. | ibid. |
| 1. It preſents them nearer to God; Being made one with Chriſt Gods naturall Sonne. | ibid. |
| 2. It preſents God nearer to them: For it ſhewes them God in their owne Nature. | ibid. |
| 3. By it there is hold layed on Gods Iuſtice, As well as on his Mercy. | 14. |
| 4. By it there is an acceſſe with boldnes to Gods Holines; explained. | 15. |
| 5. By it there is raiſed unlimited expectation from God. | 16. … |
| REASON. | |
| It is from His Nature. | 54. |
| USES. | |
| Firſt, For Inſtruction, 1. That God is moſt tender to Beleevers in Troubles. | 55. |
| 2. That Beleevers should be Compaſſionate, eſpecially Church Officers. | ibid. |
| Secondly, For Exhortation, To gett aſſured of Chriſts tendernes, towards them in All their Troubles. | 56. |
| SECOND OBSERVATION. | |
| That as we muſt beleeve in Chriſt: So we muſt cōtinue our Faith in the Father. | 57. |
| REASON. | |
| Becauſe, Though God put the Promiſes into Chriſt, and gave him them; yet he reſerved them alſo in his owne hands. | 58. |
| Queſtion, What the difference is, twixt Beleeving in the Father, & the Sonne? | 59. |
| Anſwered, In Foure Things. | ibid. |
| USE. | |
| For Information, To shunn an Error, of pitching our Faith onelyonly on Chriſt: & not with him on the Father. | 60. |
| THIRD OBSERVATION. | |
| That Beleevers are prone to ſinne in thoſe Affections which be lawfull, & in ſome ſen…e neceſſary. | 61. |
| USE. | |
| For Information, Not onelyonly to care to ſett our Affections on lawfull things; But to care not to exceed. | ibid. |
| FOURTH OBSERVATION. | |
| That Beleevers hearts are prone to be to much, & ſinnfully troubled, with the approach of Afflictions. | 62. |
| REASONS. | |
| Firſt, Becauſe Troubles doe croſſe the workings, of our ſinnfull ſelfe-Love. | ibid. |
| Secondly, Bec. Troubles, doe eſtrange vsus from this World. | ibid. |
| Thirdly, Bec. Troubles, are contrary to a good principle within us. | ibid. |
| Fourthly, Bec. Selfe flattery, promiſe the Contrary. | 63. |
| USE. | |
| For Exhortation, 1. To take paines, about fitting our ſelves for Troubles. | ibid. |
| 2. In Troubles, to looke out for helpe to beare. | ibid. |
| FIFT OBSERVATION. | |
| That Beleevers should renew & increaſe Faith, when Troubles doth aſayle. | 64. |
| USE. | |
| For Exhortation, To Renew, Increaſe, and Exerciſe Faith. | 65. 66. |
| SIXT OBSERVATION. | |
| Now Chriſt is come, to uſe ſpirituall Conſideratiōs to ſtrengthē againſt troubles | 67. |
| REASONS. | |
| 1. Bec. Now is the Seaſon. 2. Bec. the Life of Chriſtianity is in theſe. | 68. |
| USE. | |
| To Blame for not uſing, And Exhort to uſe more theſe Cordialls. | 69. 70. 71. 72. |
| The Deſcription of Heaven &c. with Three Obſervations. | 73. 74. 75. 76. |
FINIS.
End of the text · Henry Archer, Comfort for Believers About their Sins and Troubles (1645)