A Little Cabinet, Title page – Dedication
A LITTLE CABINET RICHLY Stored with all ſorts of Heavenly Varieties, and Soul-reviving Influences.
Wherein there is a remedy for every Mala-dy, viz. Milk for babes, and meat for ſtrong men, and the ready way for both to obtain and retain aſſurance of Salvation:
Being an Abridgement of the Sum and Subſtance of the true CHRISTIAN Religion;
Wherein The Cauſe of our Salvation, the Way, the Guide, the Rule, the Evidence, the Seals, &c. and the connection of theſe points together, and Dependancy of them one upon another: This I have endeavoured to do orderly, exactly, methodically, with much plainneſs and clearneſs.
By ROBERT PURNELL.
John 14. 6. I am the way the truth and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me.
John 17. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jeſus Chriſt whom thou haſt ſent.
London, Printed by R. W. for Thomas Brewſter, at the three Bibles, at the Weſt end of Pauls, 1657.
Purnel's Cabinet.
The EPISTLE Dedicatory.
To all the Churches congregated, according to the order of the Goſpel, with all that in every place call upon the name of the Lord Ieſus, viz. to the ſtrangers ſcattered throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, that are in love ſweetly united, or that yet have their Spirits too much imbittered.
OF all people in the world, thoſe are the only happy people, whoſe God is the Lord, Pſal. 144. 15.
Whether they are high or low, learned, or in the worlds account illiterate: that are tempted or deſerted, afflicted or oppreſſed, they are pretious in the account of God, though vile and contemptible in the eyes of men, &c. my brethren, for your ſakes this piece is come to publike view, which is neither deficient in neceſſaries, nor abundant in ſuperfluities: the conſideration of the ſhortneſs of our time, and the largneſs of volumes, and the weakneſs of our memory, engaged me in this work; Our tender father, who knows what is beſt for us, hath gathered up all practical Divinity into ten precepts; and our Saviour hath reduced thoſe ten into two, and all that we can pray for, or againſt, into ſix heads or petitions; my dear friends, labour to keep cloſe to God in this looſe age, ſpend not your pretious time in complaining on others, but endeavour in the uſe of all means to reform your ſelves; beware of ſcandals, take them not where they are, make them not where they are not; lay the foundation of mortification deep, reſerve no luſt from the ſtroke of Jeſus Chriſt; take heed of pleaſing your ſelves in a bare formall profeſsion, labour to be rooted in Chriſt and abide in his doctrine, let your ſpeech be alway with Grace, and a word or two of Chriſt in every company; beware of ſleighting or neglecting of any of the ordinances of God, or giving thoſe to ſinners that belong to Saints; conſider▪ the truth is the ſame in all ages, only it ſhines more and more clear from age to age, untill that which is perfect is come, and that which is imperfect be done away; the truth held forth is the ſame, though with more of God and leſs of man; ſuch addition is no innovation, but an illuſtration, not new light but new ſight; a man may not be ſaid to make a new world, when he makes a new diſcovery of the old world; deſpiſe not the providences of God in the world they are ſigns of Gods mind, if not of his love, read your own hearts in the defects of others, put your confidence in nothing beneath God himſelf: Can the ſtone reſt without its center, the Camelion without air, the Salamander without fire, or the Fiſh without water? ſurely they cannot; Our center is God, all things beneath him are mutable, and fleeting and failing, viz our beſt friends may fail us, our eyes fail, our tongues fail, our ſtrength fail, our fleſh and our heart may fail, nay our ſpirits may fail, Pſ. 143. 7. But the Lord, if we truſt in him, will neither fail nor forſake us, Heb 135. In a word, he is a Sanctuary to the oppreſſed, he is life indeath, health in ſickneſs, joy in grief, liberty in bondage, comfort in deſpair, riches in poverty, honour in diſgrace, heaven in hell: I will hold you no longer in the Porch, but invite you into the houſe, & ſuch as I have, I will ſet before you, deſiring you to taſte of every diſh before you ſpend your judgement of the Feaſt, for what is wanting in the firſt courſe, may be made up in the ſecond; account nothing ſo pretious as Gods favour, nothing ſo fearfull as his diſpleaſure, nothing ſo hatefull as ſin, nothing ſo deſirable as grace; beware of partial obedience, mercenary love, pretended zeal, legal ſorrow, and feigned humility, for except your rig hteouſneſs exceed that of the Phariſes, your Sacrifice that of Cain, your Confeſsion that of Pharaoh, your Faſting that of Ahabs, your Weeping that of Sauls, your Reformation that of Iebu's, your Reſtitution that of Iudas's, your Faith that of Simon-Magus's, your Fear and Trembling that of Felix's, … ye may die in your ſins. Read well this book, and mark diligently what variety of heavenly treaſure there is comprized in this Cabinet, and forget it not, for you ſhall buy much for little coſt, and read much to thy great gain: If I may prevail with thee to to read it once, thy Love to it will conſtrain thee to read it again and again: thou ſhalt find it for order Methodicall, for matter Spiritual, for brevity Compendious, and for uſe Precious. I leave you to him that never forſakes his, and remain
Your Servant for Chriſts Sake, ROB. PURNELL.