A Sincere Believer Comforted and Encouraged, Title page 1 – To the reader 1
A Sincere Believer, COMFORTED, AND ENCOVRAGED.
OR, A Practical Treatiſe, diſcovering the goodneſs of God to a ſinful ſoul, in the enjoyment of Chriſt. With the great benefit and comfort he hath thereby.
Whereby as through a proſpective, a true Chriſtian may plainly ſee how to fit and prepare himſelf in ſuch a manner, as his endeavours may not be in vaine.
By R. D. M. A. and Miniſter of the Goſpel in the Iſle of WIGHT.
Recommended to the ſerious peruſal of all true Chriſtians.
By Thomas Goodwin, D. D. and Will Strong, M. A. Deceaſed.
Pſal. 119.103. How ſweet are thy words unto my taſte?
LONDON, Printed by M. S. and are to be ſold by Auſtin Rice, at the Sign of the Three Hearts in St. Pauls Church-yard, near the Weſtend 1656.
TO THE RIGHT Honorable HENRY Earle of Kent, Lord Haſtings, Weiſford, and Lord Grey of Ruthin, and to his truly Noble and Religious Lady.
My much honored Lord and Lady,
GOD hath ſaid, He will honour thoſe that honour him a1 Sam. 2.30.. This is made good concerning you: The Lord hath ſhed much honour upon you, that you may the more honour himbTh. Gataker his parley with Princes, p. 76.. It is matter of equity you ſhould honour God more then others, ſeeingcQuid aequius, quid juſtius quam ut vos honorantem honoret is ipſi. above others he hath honoured you; and this is true and laſting policie: For the Lord can make great,dQuod illo dint… ſit noſtrum nobis ſuperbientibus ſit alienum. Aug. Hom. 14. and unmake at pleaſure; it is in Him to ſet up, or pull downe. TrueeNobilitas ſumma eſt at que unica virtus. Juven. Sat. 8. Nobility hath Vertue and Grace for its chiefe ingredients.fActs 17.11. Twas this made the Bereans noble.gIſai. 43.4. Since thou waſt pretious in my ſight, thou haſt been honourable, and I have loved thee (ſaith the Lord to his poore Church.) But as the Lapwing hath a crown upon his head, and yet feeds on dung: ſo many who are inveſted with the Robe of Honour, live u…worthily: faults are not onelyonly ſooner eſpied, but arehMonſtroſa res eſt ſedes prima vita ima. Bern. more odious in great ones then in others. Again,iNobilis genere, nobilior ſanctitate. Aug. Epiſt. 179. how beautifull is Grace hanging in the boſome of Honour? What opportunities have ſuch for well-doing? How wil their example win others? How glorious is it to be honourable in the eyes of God and good men?k1 Cor. 1.26. Not many Noble are called, and therefore how doe the graces of the Spirit ſhine out in ſuch? Be perſwaded to count this your greateſt honour to ſtudy the things of et…rnity, to countenance Religion more and more, and tol Minime Deus eſt acceptor perſonarum, neſcio tamen quo pacto virt…s in nobili plus placet, an forte quia plus claret? &c. Bern. ad Sophi…m. virg. lay forth your ſelves for the kingdome of Chriſt, that ſo you may move in the higheſt Spheare of your power for GOD and his people, and then your Name ſhall be ſweet to poſterity, and the foundation of your Houſe ſhall be laid ſure.
But pardon me (Right Honourable) why doe I perſwade you to that which I know is the great deſigne of your hearts, and the buſineſſe of your lives? You are pretious in Gods eyes, you are zea…ous for his glory; and I wiſh that …ll our Nobility and Gentry were …uch as you are. You have appeared …or God in the worſt of timesmThe true Diamond ſhines beſt in the dark., …ou have been for God in tempeſts …s well as calmes, in foule weather …s well as faire: you have ſtood up …or the truth when others have …ood up againſt itnNon tam vos quam Chriſtum in vobis perſequuntur. Salvian de Prov. lib. 8., and you ſee … is not in vain to ſide with God. …hat wonders, what miracles …ath God wrought in our dayes? our comfort lies here, that you have acted cordially and unweariedly in the work: you have ſtood for the truth, and the truth hath ſtood for you. Now the Lord root you in the truth, and in the love of it, that youoMatth. 7.25. may be bottom'd on the Rock Jeſus Chriſt, p1 Cor. 15.50and ſo be ſtedfaſt and unmoveable, alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord. O taſte and ſee how good the Lord is to you, and his people that truſt in him. EndeavourqOrigo fontium omnium mire, bonorum omnium Deus. Bern. in Cant to taſte God in your mercies, and to get a ſpirituall Reliſh of that Divine ſweetneſſe that is in Chriſt: It is my humble deſire to aſſiſt your honours in this great work, by theſe rude Notes which I here preſent unto you, wherein the Spirituall taſte is opened and applied, beſeeching your Honours to vouchſafe the peruſall, acceptation and protection of this book. Three things command and encourage me to lay theſe Notes at your feet. 1. That experience which you have in Spirituall things, whereby you can judge of Divine truths, and delight in them. 2. That earneſt deſire which I have of making ſome publick acknowledgements of your great & undeſerved favours to me, ſeeing it is not in my power to retaliate. 3. That confidence I have of your pardon for this my boldneſſe, and acceptance of theſe poor endeavours; becauſe Goodneſſe and Greatneſſe, Clemency and Eminency doe meet in your boſoms and kiſſe each other. And thus commending you to God, Acts 20.38.and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among them that are ſanctified, I reſt,
Novemb. 14. 1648. Your Honours to be commanded by you in the Lord, ROBERT DINGLEY.
❧ To the ſpirituall Reader of this BOOKE.
HAving had acquaintance with the worthy Author, I was deſired by him to peruſe this enſuing worke, which I have done with much quickning to my own heart; Rejoycing to finde in theſe times, (when the ſtreames of mens thoughts both Miniſters and others are too much diverted to other Channells) a pious ſoule taken up with, and purſuing after the ſweet and gracious Goodneſſe that is in God, and the incomparable Beauty in Jeſus Chriſt, and that of a free ſight and taſte of either, ſetting out the ſame to others; Unto which he was incited by the very Scripture he had choſen, as a foundation to his more private Meditations about this Goodneſſe: He could not look upon the firſt words, Taſte and ſee, but he found himſelfe called upon thereby to invite others to the Participation of it, and to that end to make it publique; being led on herein to follow him, whoſe ſpeech this was, David; (who is ſet before us as the Patterne of Affectionate Piety in the Old Teſtament, as Paul is in the new); Thus by his practice making good his own Comment on the Text, and without which it had been defective; And with Philip, (the ſame that having been taken with the beauty of the Sunne, cryed out with vehement and unſatisfied longings, Shew us the Father, and it ſufficeth), He inviteth all true Nathanaells to come and ſee the glory of that Meſſiah hath ſhined into his own ſoule; And what in the one Treatiſe, and then in the other, he hath held forth both this Goodneſſe (ſo deſired) of the Father; and this Glory (ſo deſireable) of the Sonne. That God who hath commanded Light to ſhine out of darkneſſe, ſhine (gratiouſly) into our hearts, to give (us) the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God, in the face of Jeſus Chriſt; And to this end Bleſſe This, and all other Glimpſes and Diſcoveries of himſelfe in the mouths and writings of all his ſervants, enamoured with him. Amen.
Tho: Goodwin.