Mount Tabor. Or Private exercises of a penitent sinner Serving for a daily practice of the life of faith, reduced to speciall heads comprehending the chiefe comforts and refreshings of true Christians: also certain occasionall observations and meditations profitably applyed. Written in the time of a voluntary retrait from secular affaires. By R.W. Esquire. Published in the yeare of his age 75. Anno Dom. 1639. The contents of the booke are prefixed.

The third Meditation

Now (my soul) are we by Gods mercy come to the third step of these our Meditations; which of∣fereth to our consideration, how glo∣rious a thing it is to be the child of God. In our first step, when we lay first bound in the chains of our sins, under the insupportable waight of numberlesse talents of debts, oppres∣sing us, our most gracious Saviour the Lord Iesus blessed for ever, be∣came our surety, took our nature up∣on him, God manifested in the flesh, paid all our debts, satisfied divine justice for all our sinnes, and so set us at liberty, and made us freemen In our second step, he brought us in∣to a further degree of favour, to make our God whom we had so grievous∣ly offended and provoked to become friends with us, and appeased to∣wards us. And now in the third

place wee are brought to bee more than friends, children of the almigh∣ty and most glorious God himselfe▪ whereby we are entitled to demand and challenge at his fatherly hands, not only safe protection from al dan∣gers and evils, and carefull provision both for soul and body in this life, but also an eternal inheritance of heaven∣ly glory in the life to come. And how comes it to passe (ô my soul) that so wretched and worthies a creature as my unworthy self should be advanc∣ed to those glorious priviledges, and high dignity of being made and acce∣pted a child of the most high? our God hath but one only son by nature even G d the son, very God of very God, the second person of the most holy, glorious and ever bles∣sed Trinity, in and by whom a∣lone, as (in our former medita∣tions) I was redeemed from my sinnes, and reconciled unto God: so it is in and by him only that I and all the rest of his redeemed ones doe receive the adoption of sonnes: even

so (O most blessed Lord God and heavenly father) because it so pleas∣eth thee, through IESUS CHRIST our Lord▪ whom our humble and true faith apprehending, we receive from him into our hearts the blessed spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father; the same spirit bearing witnesse with our spirits, that we are the children of God, by faith in CHRIST IESUS, as in the severall places of holy Scripture before nam∣ed, appeareth.

O then (my soule) let us now al∣so by this third step and meditation, take this just and fit opportunity for renewing of our daily repentance, and of our humble faith in this most gracious Saviour of ours, for our lay∣ing fast hold upon him, who by these blessed degrees hath brought us to this high priviledge of being the chil∣dren of God.

And true faith I find to be thus de∣fined. Faith is a filiall confidence in God, conceived of the knowledge of CHRIST, and the love of the father

in him; whereby man runneth unto God, and cryeth unto him, Abba Fa∣ther.

In which lively faith there is a twofold operation.

First, an apprehending vertue by which the believer receives and ap∣plieth to himselfe IESUS CHRIST, as he is offered in the word and sacra∣ments.

Secondly, a rendring vertue, (so to call it) whereby the believer goes out of himselfe into the Lord. Qui credit in Christum transit in Chri∣stum. By the first CHRIST becom∣eth ours, by the second we resigne our selves unto CHRIST, and be∣come his. And these are the two hands of faith. By the one we receive mercy from God, by the other, wee render son-like obedience unto him: and if we believe (as we ought to do) that God is become our Father, and do so apprehend him in Christ; then ought we again to shew by our chang of life and new obedience, that wee have rendred our selves to be his. For

of all those that came to CHRIST in the Gospell, none went away as they came; and they that are truly in him, get vertue from him, which workes in them the similitude of his owne life, so as this meditation (O my soule) doth properly spread it selfe into two branches. First the glorious priviledges and comforts, wee receive by our adoption, and then our most bounden duties to our most gracious God for the same.

There is a naturall adoption, which is defined to be, a lawfull act imita∣ting nature, found out for the com∣fort of them, who have no children of their owne, but this spirituall ado∣ption of us differs farre from it: For it is, a lawfull act transcend∣ing nature, found out by the Lord our God, for the comfort of chil∣dren that want a father. Wee be∣ing by nature miserable Orphans, having no father to provide for us; It pleased the Lord our God to become our father in Christ, and to make us his sonnes and daugh∣ters

by adoption, not for any benefit he receives of us, for nothing can arise by the meanes of any crea∣ture, to that most high and alsuffi∣cient Majestie) but that hee might have some upon whom to bestow his benefits, for the declaration of the glory of his rich mercy Yet both ado∣ptions agree in this, that they flow from the pleasure and goodnesse of the adoptant, and that there are gi∣ven to him that is adopted, the pri∣viledges of a son which by nature he hath not but where the naturall ado∣ptant cannot change the nature of the partie adopted. It is otherwise with us: For if God by the grace of adoption make us his sonnes, he will also by the grace of regeneration make us new creatures, and there∣fore whosoever continues in sinne, cannot challeng, any interest in this divine priviledge, only the sanctified are entitled to it.

Here also let us to our unspeakable comfort observe, that the sonnes of God know most certainly that God

is become their heavenly Father. For in this that they are taught of God by his owne spirit to acknowledge him and call upon him with bold∣nesse, as upon their father, they can∣not be deceived of their generation: but with more freedome of spirit, yea, and surer knowledge they call God their Father, then any son of the world is able to call upon his earthly Father.

Here also we are taught, that we cannot pray unto God but by the spirit of adoption, who is the parent that begets prayer, as the mother who conceives it, is the humble and contrite heart: For no proud, un∣cleane, or hard heart can pray unto God. And certainly unlesse the ho∣ly spirit testifie unto us that God is our father, and hath made us his children, wee dare not goe neere him, to crave good things from him, and therefore herein appeareth the Fatherly indulgence of our God to∣wards us.

We are here in the valley of death,

in heavines through continuall affli∣ctions and temptations. The time is not yet come, wherin the Lord will communicate unto us his glorious presence, to fil us with that fulnes of joy which is in that blessed vision; The time is not yet come, wherein we must ascend to our father: yet to keep us in the meane time that wee faint not, the Lord hath sent down his holy spirit into our hearts, to comfort us. O fatherly care! O won∣derfull love! That spirit the comfor∣ter descended once according to CHRISTS promise upon the Apo∣stles in a visible manner, and doth daily descend in a secret and invisi∣ble manner into the hearts of the godly, lest the children of the mar∣riage chamber should be swallowed up with heavines, through the want of their Bridegroome. And this glo∣rious Ambassador teacheth us to cry unto God, as upon our Father: which if we doe with this spirit of adoption, it is effectuall enough to draw downe upon us all those bles∣s••ngs

which the Lord communicates to his children: His name shall bee sanctified in us; his kingdom shall be advanced in us; we shall not want our daily bread; he will forgive us all our sins; and preserve us that we fall not into temptation, and deliver us from evil For all comforts rest under this name of father: if we can so call him in faith, the riches of his mercies are ours.

O (blessed Lord God,) what man∣ner of man should I bee in holinesse, righteousnesse, and heavenly-min∣dednesse, answerable to this high and holy calling? and how unworthy a wretch have I shewed my selfe of so great mercy: when instead of worshipping, fearing, loving, and obeying this most gracious Lord and heavenly father, in all things I have yeelded to the fil••hy allurements of his and mine owne most malitious and accursed enemy, in many vile pollutions of my prophane youth, and the many rash indiscretions, sinfull neglect of good duties, unfruitful∣nesse,

and unthankfulnesse of my after time? Here, here, (my soule) is a fit opportunity for me to breake out into holy mourning and lamen∣ting, for the manifold sinnes and of∣fences of my mispent life past; which now appeare the more abominable and heynous in mine eyes, when I look back and consider, in what strict and precise humiliation, with what universall holy obedience, dutifulnes and carefull watching over my thoughts, words, & actions, I should have walked before this blessed God almighty mine heavenly father whom I have so ungraciously of∣fended.

O most blessed spirit of adoption, God the Holy Ghost, most glorious sealer up of my precious salvation; looke downe in thine infinite mer∣cies upon my poore, humbled, and afflicted soule, and have compassi∣on upon me. Descend (ô Lord my God) by thy heavenly grace into my heart and purifie and sanctifie it into a holy

Temple for thine owne blessed resi∣dence for ever: to mollifie and melt it into the sighs and teares of true con∣trition and repentance for the sinnes and iniquities of my life past; and then withall to raise it up by faith, to see my selfe fully acquitted and discharg∣ed from them all, in the precious blood∣shedding of my deare Lord and Savi∣our IESUS CHRIST the promi∣sed Messiah, God in the flesh manife∣sted: and so to enable me with the hands of humble and true faith to lay fast hold upon him and his merits for me, and upon this blessed priviledge of being in and by him the adopted son of my heavenly father, unto the assu∣rance of my finall and everlasting comfort and peace: Quickning and strengthning me unto all holy duties all the remaining daies of my earthly pilgrimage; whereby to glorifie my heavenly father as I am most bounden and to assure mine owne conscience of the truth of mine adoption by the syn∣cerity of my heart and thorough san∣ctification: that so by the sweet beams

of thy grace shining into my dull and feeble soule, I may with cheerfulnesse and comfort wait the good houre, when my blessed Saviour IESUS shall call me from hence, home to himselfe peace, in and I shall leave mortality and imperfection behind me for ever, Amen.