Ioy in tribulation. Or, Consolations for the afflicted spirits. By Phinees Fletcher, B.D. and minister of Gods Word at Hilgay in Norfolke

CHAP. XX. The more close applying of this comfort by me∣ditation.

NOw that wee may tho∣roughly digest this cor∣diall, and finde some heart and strength in it, let us quic∣ken it by some such meditati∣on. Oh my soule, is there any thing to bee compared unto the Lord Jesus? Is not al in the world, nay, all the world, and a world of worlds in respect of him losse and dung? Hadst thou received no other pledge of Gods love, no other com∣fort but Christ alone, were no•• this sufficient, abundant, nay, an infinite testimony of his eternall love, and a con••••∣lation

beyond all miserie? But when hee is given thee, what is not given thee? when thou hast him who is Lord of all, thou hast all things with gim:* 1.1 Oh if thou hadst know∣ledge of this love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, what trouble, what earthly griefe co••ld dismay thee? how wholsome, how pleasant, how delectable, how heavenly is the least tast of it? O sweete, gracious, glorious Saviour, whether I look up to thee my head in heaven, or down to my selfe thy most unworthy mē∣ber on earth; whether I consi∣der what great things thou hast done for my poore soule, or how thou hast done thē, I cannot but find infinit love in thee, & infinit cōfort in thy love

Thou art that true light,* 1.2 all other borrowed from thee.* 1.3 Thou art the brightnesse of thy fathers glorie, making and sustaining all things. Thou art the expresse I∣mage of thy fathers person; God, equall to thy father:* 1.4 The mighty God,* 1.5 the everlast••ng Father, the Prince of peace.* 1.6 Thou art the King of glorie, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. how faire, how pleasant, how full of ravishing delights is thy love? Thy cheekes as a bed of spices,* 1.7 as sweet flowers; thy lips like Lill••es, dropping sweet-smel∣ling mirrhe; thy mouth most sweet: Thou art altogether love∣ly. How is it then that I have found favour in thy sight? who although once framed by thee after thine image, yet wilfully giving up my selfe

unto sinne and Satam, became the most deformed, the most abject, the most polluted, and silthy off-scouring of the world. Oh my Lord, I am ••nfinitely unable to conceive either thy glorious excellēce, or my lothsome vilenesse, yet hast thou set thine heart upon such an one to love mee, and expressed that love by such effects, that neither I can finde words to utter it, nor thoughts to apprehend it; yet faine would I kindle and inflame my cold heart in the sight and sense of it.

If I cast downe mine eye to look upon my bottomlesse miserie, I see my selfe shut up, and imprisoned in unbeleefe,* 1.8 bound in the chains of death, condemned to hell, where the

pit had shut her mouth upon me: my lif•• consuming in poa∣sting vanity, my soule delig••∣ti••g in ••he service of such a mast••r, whose wages is end∣lesse mis••ry; a slave in the world to Satan by disobedi∣ence, and after in the other worl•• a companion to him in infini••e torment.* 1.9 Snares, fire, brimstone, and an horrible tem∣pest, this was the portion of my cup. And as my state was infi∣nitely fearefull, so altogether helpelesse: No creature had either power, or pitty to suc∣cour mee; nay, mine owne soule so farre from compassi∣on of it selfe, that it rejoyced and triumphed in this depth of hellish misery. From this, and farre greater calamitie then in this, or any word can

be expressed hast thou graci∣ously rescued me.

Thou reachedst forth thy hand, and hast pl••cked me out of the belly of hel. Thou hast drawne me out of the horrible pit, where no stay was, & hast set my feet upon the rocke in a large place.

Now if I lift up mine eyes to take view of that glory, to which thou hast so graciously advāced me, I find my tongue and heart yet farre more una∣able to utter or conceive it. Hadst thou left me to my self, (now after this deliverāce) in health and safety, yet oh how wonderful had thy grace bin? But this great, this infinit mer∣cy was a smal thing in thine eies, O Lord God:* 1.10 but hast promo••ed me to an inappehēsible height of

glory with thy selfe. Thou hast preferred mee to thy ser∣vice, and thy service is liber∣ty, nay, thy service is a king∣dome,* 1.11 even to reigne on earth. And as if all this were too lit∣tle, thou hast made me a sonne with thee to the same Father, the Father of lights; and what estate is any thing but dung to this? Thou hast annexed me as an heire with thy selfe, who art the heire of all things; so that by thee, I, the most base drudge of sinne and Satan, am lifted up to a throne & crown, to an immortall crown of glo∣ry; such as never eye saw, neuer eare heard, neuer entred into the heart of man.* 1.12 Thou hast washt me, set thine owne beautious image upon me: thou hast re∣conciled, justified, fully redee∣med

me, raised, and set mee with thy selfe in heavenly pla∣ces; and with all this, and a∣bove all this, thou hast knit and united me to thy selfe, and to thy glorious Father; so that I (poore worme, dust, dung) even I might be one, even as thou art in the Father, and the Father in thee,* 1.13 that I might be one in both. Ob height, depth, bredth, and length of thy love! how incomprehensible is thy grace, how heavenly my con∣solation?

And how hast thou wrought all this for me? O my God, my Lord, my gracious Redee∣mer; where shall I seek words, or thoughts to set out this mer∣cy? wonderfull is thy love in all the rest, and that my soule knoweth right well; but

in this how farre beyond all possibility of apprehension, & all expressions of wonder? That my miserable mortali∣ty might be clothed upon,* 1.14 and I be borne anew in the divine nature; thou didst strip thy selfe of those robes of divine Majesty,* 1.15 in which thou knew∣est it to be no robberie to be equall to God; and wast borne in my weake nature, and found in the servileforme of my fleshly infirmities.

Thou gavest thy body, thou gavest thy soule for my sinne; thou wast bound, thou wast mockt, thou wast scour∣ged, condemned, nailed, and dead on the crosse: Thou (oh mirrhor, oh infinite miracle of mercy!) thou (the love of the Father) didst taste not onely

gall and vineger, but even wrath, & hel for me the child of wrath, and brand of hell.

Oh my dead soule, canst thou see all this, and want cō∣fort? Can one cup of wine cheere thy heart, and shall not such fruit of such a Vine fill thee with joyes unspeakeable and glorious? Oh what is thy portion, whē such is the price? what thine inheritance, when such the purchase? Rejoyce then oh my soule, rejoyce evermore in such a Lord, and such a love; for whatsoever thou hast lost, thou hast gained Christ, & lost but dung: with him thou re∣ceivest whatsoever is truly good, and partest for him with nothing, but what in some respect is evill: Have I lost Parents, Children,

friends, lands, livings, yet I have not lost Christ, nor my Lord will not lose mee. If I lose my life with the rest, yet shall I not lose the life of Christ; he is my life, hee in life and death is my advantage.* 1.16 Let Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Wife, Children, for∣sake, and hate me, yet the Lord Jesus will never leave me, ne∣ver cease to love me; and hee is better than a world of friends and kindred. Oh my Lord, to be in heaven with∣out thee were exile; but a sicke bed, a loathsome prison with thee is an heavenly Pa∣radise. Why then should I be troubled, seeing thou hast made mee to dwell in thee by faith, and thou vouchsafest to dwel in me by thy blessed Spi∣rit?

Onely, thou my Saviour who hast loved mee to death, make me ever to live in thee, and in thy love: thou who hast dyed for mee, plant thy death in mee, and burie my corruptions in thy grave. Tho who wast crucified for me, crucifie the world to me, the flesh in mee, and graft in mee the life of thy resurrecti∣on: make, oh make me to re∣••oyce in the fellowship of thy sufferings, and in thy good time change this crowne of thornes, into that of glory.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eph•• 3.19.
• * 1.2

  Ioh. 1.9.
• * 1.3

  Heb. 1.3.
• * 1.4

  Phil. 2.6
• * 1.5

  Esa. ••.6..
• * 1.6

  Rev. 19.1••
• * 1.7

  Cant 5.13 16
• * 1.8

  Rom 11.12
• * 1.9

  Psal. 11. 6.
• * 1.10

  2 Sam. 7.19
• * 1.11

  Rev. 5••10.
• * 1.12

  •• Cor. 2.9.
• * 1.13

  Ioh•• 17.21
• * 1.14

  2 Cor. 5.4.
• * 1.15

  Phil. 2,6.
• * 1.16

  Phil. 1.21.