Five Lessons for a Christian to Learn, Dedication 1 – To the reader
I Have delightfully read over this following Treatiſe, intituled, Five Leſſons for a Chriſtian to learne, being the ſumme of five Sermons, and finding them to be ſound, ſolid, zealous, pious, powerfull, and very profitably ſeaſonable, I judge them well worthy to be printed and publiſhed.
John Downame.
FIVE LESSONS FOR A Chriſtian to learne.
OR, The ſumme of ſeverall Sermons; Setting out,
1. The ſtate of the Elect by Nature.
2. The way of their Reſtauration and Redemption by Jeſus Chriſt.
3. The great duty of the Saints, to leane upon Chriſt by faith in every condition.
4. The Saints duty of Self-denyall, or the way to deſirable Beauty.
5. The Right way to true peace, diſcovering where the troubled Chriſtian may find Peace, and the Nature of true Peace.
By John Collings, M. A. And Preacher of Gods word in Norwich.
London, Printed for Rich: Tomlins, and are to be ſold at his houſe at th… Sun and Bible in Pye-corner. 1650.
THE SPOUSE UNDER The APPLE-TREE: OR, The ſtate of the Elect by Nature.
Wherein is diſcovered, The diſtance that the higheſt Saints by grace ſtand at by Nature from the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, by which they may know they have nothing to boaſt of, but what they have received.
By JOHN COLLINGS, M. A.
Pſa. 51. 5. Behold, I was ſhapen in iniquity, and in ſin did my mother conceive me.
LONDON, Printed for Rich: Tomlins. 1649.
TO THE Right HONOURABLE, the LADY St John, Grace, Mercy and Peace.
Madam,
THe deep ſenſe that I have had of thoſe Engagements by wch it hath pleaſed your Honour to oblige me to your ſervice, hath imboldned me to command theſe Papers to wait upon your Ladiſhip to pay a debt, by incurring … further one (if your Ladiſhip ſhall pleaſe to honour them with Acceptation.) Theſe Sermons (Madam) were but ordinary labours, and very unfit for a publicke view, in this extraordinary time. It was only a Sermon before publiſhed upon the Text, that tempted out theſe to beare it companie, yet did I not part with them without ſome parly. The world is full of Writers, and the Preſſe as much overgrowne with Authors, as the Age we live in is with Profeſſors: But as the appearing ſpiritualneſſe of many carries with it too much ſuſpition, that they would have the ſpiritualneſſe of a Chriſtian meerly to conſiſt with a luxuriant wit, and the ſuperbiency of fancy; ſo too many Writings ſeeme to have forgot the plainneſſe of the Goſpell, which they ſo much pretend to, and would make it the worke of a Chriſtian meerly to gape for Notions, and turne Religion into ſpeculation: To be able to ſpeake high Notions of Chriſt, and to wrap up the myſteries of truth in Parables of wit and expreſsion, is almoſt growne to be thought the All of a Saint. And we may ſadly feare, leſt wee ſhould be about to ſtudy more to admire Chriſt than underſtand him, more to contemplate Saints dignity than remember the Saints duty; leſt we ſhould make it all our worke, as Kings and Prieſts, to be ſo taken with our Honour, that we ſhould forget that we are thus of Grace. Humilitie is the Saint in Great. If any one thinks he knowes any thing, he knowes nothing as he ought to know it. The high ſpirit is infinitely more below Chriſt than he thinks himſelfe above others. Leſt in theſe priviledged daies, whiles ſo many are proclaiming before the Saints, Thus ſhall it be done to the perſons whom Chriſt delighteth to honour; Chriſtians ſhould ſo farre admire their beautie, that they ſhould forget their duſt, I have been content to let theſe unpoliſhed Sermons goe out to follow their Triumphs, with Chriſtiane memento quid fueris, Chriſtian remember what thou wer't. It is as much a duty, and will one day be found as Beneficiall, to keep a Saint humble, as to make him thankfull; to learne him to abaſe himſelfe, as well as to admire his fellowes; to ſhew him, that all he hath is of Grace, as well as to tell him what he hath in the poſſeſſions of grace, and the Reverſions of glory. I wiſh profeſſors carriages ſpake not too much heart-Popery, as if they thought their dignity were earnings, not Almes; and I am ſure, no ſoule is truely thankfull that is not throughly humble. This for the ſubject of the Sermons. For the phraſe Madam, I remember it was Pauls glory that he came not 1 Cor. 2. 1, 2, 4.(to the Corinthians) with excellency of ſpeech or wiſdome to declare unto them the teſtimony of God. And his ſpeech and preaching, was not in entiſing words of mans wiſdome, but in demonſtration of the ſpirit, and in power. Goſpell Miſteries had not need be darkened with a miſterious phraſe. It doth not pleaſe me to ſee Religion in a Lantskip. Chriſt crucified, was plaine Engliſh. Seneca-Sermons, are for the moſt part but like the ſuperfluous diſhes of the table, that ſerve meerly for ſight, but muſt not be taſted: Preaching ſurely was never ordained to tickle the eare, it's buſineſſe lies deeper then ſcratching an humour. Wit is the ſoules worſt carver; and pieces of wit, are no better than peices of ſelfe. Chriſt never intended us an interpreter for every Sermon. Madam, as they were preached, ſo they are humbly preſented to your Honours hands. I know your Ladiſhips humility to bee ſuch, that it will ſpare an eye to look upon them though not commended by any novelty of matter or excellency of Phraſe. I truſt thus far the meanneſſe of their worth will advantage the worthleſſe author, viz. By letting your Honour know how much that weak nothing of a preacher ſtands in need of an improved intereſt in your Ladiſhips prayers, who ſo much as he is, truly is,
Madam, Your Honours moſt humbly obliged ſervant in the Lord Jeſus, John Collings. Chaplyfield houſe, May 21. 1649.
To the Courteous and Conſcientious Reader of theſe SERMONS.
Reader,
SOme two yeares ſince, ſome friends prevailed with me to let the last of theſe Sermons ſlip out of my hands into thine. What was done then was in haſt, which hath put me to the charge of correcting ſome ſlighty miſtakes; Thy courteſie to the first hath troubled thee with the ſecond impreſsion, in which thou art againer, and a loſer: Thou haſt loſt the Sermon that was then its partner, the narrow handling of the ſubject of it not pleaſing my ſecond thoughts; but thou haſt gained a further addition of ſome more Sermons ſince preached upon the ſame Text. I have made thee a gainer in thy hand, and eye; the Lord make thee a gainer in thy heart. If thou pleaſeſt to read theſe Sermons, The first part may make thee humble, The ſecond may make thee thankfull, The third may make the carefull. If thou learneſt humility from the firſt, thankfulneſſe from the ſecond, and thy great duty of beleeving from the third, I am ſure thou wilt learne from all the weak neſſe of a poore creature, and if thy ſelfe beeſt in ought a gainer, if thou wilt let the author alſo be a gainer of thy prayers, thou haſt rewarded him, and engaged him ſtill to be,
The ſervant of thy ſoule in the work of his Maſter, John Collings. Chaplyfield houſe, May 21. 1649.