Eye-Salve, Title page – To the reader
EYE-SALVE, Or A WATCH-WORD From our Lord Iesus Christ unto his Church Especially those within the Colony of the MASSACHUSETS In NEW-ENGLAND, To take heed of Apostacy: OR.
A Treatise of Remembrance of what God hath been to us, as also what we ought, and what we ought not to be to him, as we desire the prolonging of our Prosperous Dayes in the Land which the Lord our God hath given us.
By Thomas Shepard, Teacher of the Church of Christ in Charlstown; Who was appointed by the Magistrates, to Preach on the day of ELECTION at Boston, May 15. 1672..
Deut. 8 10, &c.
When thou hast Eaten, and art full, then thou shalt Bless the Lord thy God, for the good Land which he hath given thee: Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping his Commandments, &c.—Lest when thou hast eaten and art full—thine Heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God.
Chap 5.32, 33.
Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, you shall walk in all the wayes which the Lord your God hath Commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may Prolong your dayes in the Land which ye shall possess.
Cambridge Printed by Samuel Green. 1673.
That Spirit of Zeal for Gods Glory, with a Compassionate Desire of, and Care for the Recovery and Prosperity of Sick People, which visibly runneth through the whole of this Treatise; hath encouraged us to Commend it to the Perusal and Pious Improvement of all Sober-minded, and well-affected Christians, into whose hands it may come: Heartily wishing it may prove as Profitable, as we judge it Seasonable. We willingly add▪
Imprimatur John Sherman. Imprimatur Urian Oakes.
Christian Reader.
THe prosperity of the state and Church▪ … souls lies nearest the hearts of all to whom … dear in the World: But especially those … men whom God hath set upon their walls. … is as Religion is, either flourishing or dying. That a place is JE…VAH SHAMMAH, and a land IMMANUEL'S, speaks … their priviledge and duty. Their Obligation to walk with God, and the…e salvation in so walking. This made Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, and other faithful Shepherds so solemnly charge Israel to abide with God when they could no longer abide with Israel. Hence rose Peters resolution as long as he abode in his Tabernacle to put them always in remembrance, though they were established in the present truth. The sacred Assemblies at our Elections presents New-Englands representatives, as sometimes Israels before Joshuah, yea, before the Lord: Hence stirs up from the same spirit in all the faithful messengers of Christ to whom on such days the door of opportunity and utterance is opened, an earnest desire to leave their solemn testimony for Gods Glory and this peoples good; Such is this Sermon now in thine hand: Therefore the more diligently to be attended by all that unfeignedly love our Lord Iesus, their souls, families Churches, and this Colony. Though the Prophets dye, yet such words will live to take hold of those that will not hear, as they did of Israel. 'Tis an observation worth observing, Israels liberty from Egypt began with the meeting and kissing of Moses and Aaron in the mount of God, and the peoples obedience: Their bondage to Babylon entred by their attention to prophets of their own and their non subjection to the prophets of God. 2 Chron. 36.12, 15, 16. Hence that pathetical exclamation, Oh that my people had hearkned! Isa. 48.18, 19. Its not the least of our wilderness mercies, That from the beginning we have seen this union. Our good God hath neither suffered our teachers to be driven into corners, nor left them to run altogether in vain by shutting the door of faith where he hath opened the door of utterance. This short testimony given forth by this watchfull shepherd in so solemn an assembly from the Lord, there is another tryal whether the same faith & faithfulness, which dwelt in our fathers in the first times of these plantations dwell in us, also their children. That God hath continued us yet in the mount of Gospel liberties, is through his grace out of Question. The spirit of Vnion, and the spirit of subjection to Gods order is most to be enquired after. Well! this is our present Test. This Sermon proceeded from the Urim and Thummim which our Lord Iesus hath put into the breast plate or heart of the speaker, that is faith and love: may it me…t with the same spirit in the heart of the hearer, it will certainly prosper, and evidence our due attention to the voice of Nehemiah upon the walls; and our real acknowledgement of New-Englands true interest not to ly, and so the continued firmness of the tenour whereby we hold our precious and pleasant things. Do we therefore O generation, see the word of the Lord, its preciousness, the glory of the New-Testament Ministry? Do we see the matchless splendour, beauty, brightness of the Sun of righteousness shining in the heavenly glass of Gospel-ministrations and Divine Institutions? Hath this convinced us of the sinfulness of sin, especially of unbelief and the want of love? Hath this convinced us of the goodness of Gods ways, and our necessity to sell all for the pearl? Have we by it seen an end of all wordly perfections, so as to hate our very lives for Christ, yea, for his people, truth and ways? Doth it indeed make us to abhorr all evil, and imbrace in love all ways and means appointed by God to keep us from it? Then, if these things be so in truth, this Word will be precious to us. Oh N. E. Christians know your day, your tryal, the presence, the voice of the Lord: That the dreadful wo of Corazin and Bethsaida fal not upon us for contempt, neglect, …oath, unprofitableness. Bethink we our selves, Apost…cy comes not with observation: we slide back by degrees insensible. Where is then thy first love, holiness, zeal that could not bear with them that are evill? Is not the zeal of love abated to God, Christ, brethren, truths, order, ordinance? Where is brotherly watch, tenderness, kindness, bowels of mercies, forgiveness? Are these to be found as in the first times? If not, Its high time to hear these Divine expostulations; to remember whence we are fallen, to repe…t and do our first works. Behold Christ calls, Its the voice of thy beloved that now stands at thy door and knocks, full of yearnings of b…wels towards thee, He knows not how to give thee up and make thee li…e former Examples of his fierce indignation, Oh let our souls open to him that knocks. Be we not stiff-necked and rebellious, Be we not Lords that will no more come unto him.
Make haste, return, come unto thy God who is thy strength and glory. Thou shalt be a happy people, O N. E. as long as thou art an obedient people, and thine Enemies shall be found lyars unto thee. That the Lord may effectually work to establish what we have, and make up what is wanting to us, by hi… blessing on this and all other such like Testimonies given to his truth among us is the prayer of
Your Brother and Servant in the Lord, Thomas Thacher.