Treatise on Three Things, Title page – To the reader
A TREATISE CONTAINING THREE THINGS. Viz.
1. A Diſcovery of the unſupportable Burthen of Sinne, to a heart that is Saint like ſenſible of Sin.
2. The reſtleſſe Reſolution of a Soule to returne to God, who is Saint-like ſenſible of his withdrawings.
3. A Diſcovery of the ſweet and unexpected Entertainment that wandring hearts meet with in their returnes to God.
Written by Lieutenant Collonel PAƲL HOBSON.
Againſt thee onelyonly have I ſinned, and done this evill in thy ſight. Make me to heare joy and gladneſſe, that the bones which thou haſt broken may rejoyce.
Pſal. 51.4.8.
O God, thou art my God, early will I ſeek thee, my ſoule thirſteth for thee, my fleſh longs for thee in a dry and thirſty Land, where no water is.
Pſal. 61.3.
Ephraim my deare Son, is he a pleaſant Child? for ſince I ſpake againſt him, I doe earneſtly remember him ſtill, therefore my Bowels are troubled for him, I will ſurely have mercy upon him, ſaith the Lord.
Jer. 31.20.
London, Printed by M. S. for Tho: Brewſter, and are to be ſould at his ſhop at the three Bibles in Pauls Church yard, near the Weſt End. 1653.
THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.
CHRISTIAN READER; Ʋnto whoſe hands theſe few lines of mine may come, that which I beg of God, both for my ſelfe, and you (is) That we may both in writing and reading, be made able to underſtand the Truth from an enjoyment ef it ſelfe. Light is never known till it is injoyed. I am very ſenſible that my appearing in publike may occaſion many ſtrange reaſonings in many mens mindes, if I had onelyonly hearkened to that, or to the reaſoning of my owne ſpirit, which did ſtrongly importune my ſilence, I ſhould not a preſented my Judgement, and preſent condition to a Publique view, but being by providence, after a large travell and ſtrong encounter with my owne ſpirit, through the diſcoveries of my owne great miſtakes, and alſo through the ſence of the great unſutableneſſe of my owne ſoule to God: I am caſt into theſe parts, where there is not many more Eyes then there is Cenſuring Spirits, condemning the practice of many with whom I meet, to diſcover to each other the daily Experiences that we have of the Fathers dealings with us, and what power we injoy from Heaven, to make an Improvement of thoſe Mercies. We are by many, I ſay, Cenſured as men creeping in private to divulge Ʋntruths, and diſcovering things contrary to Faith in Chriſt, and Holineſſe of Life and Converſation: And whatſoever miſcarriages, and unſutable walkings was of any of us in former times, is brought as an occaſion to cloud our preſent practice, and to render us odious amongſt men, affirming that we dare not divulge that publiquely, which we doe privately vent; which occaſioneth a ſtumbling to many precious hearts, and Cauſes many Scandals and Clouds to be Caſt upon truth, by the gainſayers thereof. Ʋpon which Conſideration, many Friends did deſire me to preſent that in publique which I had delivered in private, which I have here done in the ſame forme and manner as it was there delivered, not being willing to adde any fine ſpunne Expreſſions or quaint diſtinctions, to Court any Mans fancy to minde it, but in the plaine downe-right and humble Expreſſions, as being moſt ſutable to them to whom I ſpeake, and to the preſent Condition and frame of my owne Spirit. God having very much wounded my heart, as for doing things diſhonorable to him, (ſo) doing or ſaying any thing that may procure honor to me amongſt men, that doth not punctually ſuite with the ſinceritie and ſimplicitie of Truth: Therefore I beg of the Chriſtian Reader, that in Reading over theſe few Lines, that you would ſeriouſly Reade over all before you Conclude any thing to any: And to minde and ſeriouſly weigh, as what is ſpoke, & by whom, ſo to whom: And let not any thing that is really Truth, be diſowned, becauſe it is accommodated with ſuch poore and low Expreſſions, I am very much perſwaded that thoſe hearts who have been brought home thorough a ſence of their wandrings, and long for nothing ſo much as the Enjoyment of Gods Love and Power to Live up to it, may and will finde ſomething in this that may Refreſh their poore drooping Spirits in that Condition: It is to them Eſpecially that I deſire to preſent Theſe: And as for them I beg the ſame Refreſhments thorough Reading, as was the Cauſe of Speaking: And as for others who may Critically Carpe at the Expreſſion, or the party Expreſſing, I deſire them to take notice that the Father hath made it a very ſmall thing to me to be judged of Men, All I beg is to have my heart kept up in daily Communion with God, And to have a Life ſutable to his Love, for the Enjoyment of which mercies, I deſire of all that really Live with God to minde me, as I deſire to minde them in our approachments to God, And that they would in Reading over theſe not ſuffer any Infirmitie they know of the Author to Cauſe them to aggravate, or Enlarge any Infirmitie in the Expreſſions of the matter, but that they would in Chriſtian Wiſdome and Love Endeavour to Cover and Remove both.
And I further deſire, that if any to whom theſe may come, who have wantonly gone from God, and are at preſent unſencible of the great neceſſitie of their Returning to God, and of a Cloſe walking with God, That they would Candidly Reade over theſe few Lines: It may pleaſe the Father thorough that which they may looke upon as folly to manifeſt Wiſedome, And Darkneſſe to manifeſt Light, Such an Effect as this, is the Earneſt prayer of him, that is
Chriſtian Reader, Yours in that Life which Commands me to Love all, but to ſerve none in a way contrary to that Life. P. H.