The tempestuous soul calmed by Jesus Christ;: being an extract of several sermons, / preached by Anthony Palmer, pastor of the church at Bourton on the Water in Gloucester-shire.

* 1.1The calmed Soul is filled with the wonders of Christs power and love; They marvel∣led, saying, What manner of man is this, that the Windes and the Sea obey him?

His Name Isa. 9. is called Wonderfull, described to be Wonderfull in Counsell, Excellent in Working, Isa. 28. last. We may view those Meditations of the Saints, when thus in the admiration of his won∣derfull goodnesse and sweetnesse, Psal. 90.5. Many O Lord my God are thy won∣derfull works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee, If I would declare and speak of them, they are more then can be numbred; So Psal. 34.2. &c. My Soul shall make her boast in the Lord, &c. Oh magnifie the Lord with me, and let us exalt his Name together; I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my sears; This poor man cried unto him, and he saved him out of all his troubles: Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, Blessed is the man that trusteth in him: Psa. 36.7. How excellent is thy loving kindenesse, O God? &c. Psa. 116.7. Re∣turn

unto thy Rest O my Soul, &c. And what shall I render unto thee? So Mic. 7.18,19. The Church is brought in so admiring Christ, Who is a God like unto thee (why?) that pardonest iniquity, and passest by transgressions? &c. He will turn again (though he hide his face) he will have compassion upon us; yea, it will break forth, Come, and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul; yea, then Soul, thou shalt know, what is the exceeding great∣nesse of his power towards them that beleeve, according to the working of his mighty pow∣er, Eph. 1.19. These wonders of Christs power and love will be thus enlarged in thy soul: Oh the wonders of his power! Who is like unto thee Indeed, Lord, who wast able at first to lay hold of me, and take me as a brand out of the fire? Oh, Am I not saved as a brand out of the fire? Zech. 3.2. Thou who wast able to say un∣to me, Live, when I was in my bloud; dead as a stone in my sins: Thou who wast able to subdue all the strong rebel∣lion and obstinacy of my heart; to turn the violent stream of it from earth to heaven; yea, thou wast able to deal with all mine iniquities and corruptions, the

least of which had been too strong for me: yea, thou wast able to rebuke all the tempestuous assaults of Satan, such tempests, such a perishing condition, such fears upon a poor soul, to command the waves to be still, and they were so; Oh who is like unto thee my Almighty glo∣rious Lord? Joyn this to the greater wonders of thy free-love, who hadst love and bowels enough to regard such a rebellious wretch, when thus in his bloud, serving his lusts, and loving plea∣sures more then God; When I was da∣ringly and delightfully sinning against thee; Oh infinite Love! to pity and sup∣port, and succour such a poor, tempe∣stuous wretch as I was after thou hadst awakened me, when fitter, my self being Judge, to have been a cast-away from thy presence for ever; Oh the Ocean of grace! Oh the wonders of thy love! Oh the unfadomed heights and depths of it! Eternity will but serve to admire and a∣dore thee in it: So sings the Spouse in the Song, c. 3.6. filled with the loves of Christ, Who is this that cometh out of the Wildernesse like pillars of smoak, perfumed with Myrrhe and Frankincense, with all Powders of the Merchant, &c. A little to

enlarge this, I will shew what considera∣tions they are that make any work ap∣pear wonderfull, and they will be found in this of the Lord Christs to his People.

1. A repugnancy in nature to the ef∣fect wrought forth, this causeth wonder; So is it in the whole work of Christ for us and in us; That which was for us, being but as one continued, rich, glorious my∣stery, Col. 1.26. All of nature against it; As to his work in his people; what re∣luctancy, obstinacy, strivings with the holy Spirit, before a proud, hard, rebel∣lious, self-exalting heart will yeeld to bow before the Lord Jesus? Not only listnes∣nesse, heartlesnesse, impotency, but a strong enmity and resolute opposition against the work of grace; yea, as to our case in hand, the quieting of the tempest upon a soul, what resistency to comfort by the carnall part? what putting up of fresh reasonings and doubtings, and will not beleeve Jesus Christ upon his word, till the spirit of power perswade, command, enables to do so?

2. Such things do beget wonder, which are unexpected or unhoped for; so is the first appearing and work of Christ to and in us; When a Soul securely sits with

folded arms in the shadow of death, in the grosse darknesse that is naturally up∣on it, the strength of the heart after va∣nity, when little expectation of such a voice of Christ, as hath been shewed in the first, Arise, Awake, Come away, &c. Matthew sitting at the Receipt of Custom little expected that the Lord Christ (whom he never lookt after) should come and speak to him in such a com∣manding voice, and he should presently leave all, so wealthy an income, and fol∣low a persecuted Christ; He would have been like enough to have spit in the face of him who should have prophesied such a thing to him, as every sinfull wretch is, till the Lords voice be heard within him; And so in the matter of comfort, when poor, and languishing, and com∣plaining a tempest is up, then even be∣fore we are aware, above what we durst to expect, comes a Christ and speaks and calms all.

3. Things formerly unknown to us, when they appear, beget wonder; so are the things that Christ works and re∣veals to us; we are utterly ignorant, and know not what preciousnesse in Christ, rill he open his heart to us; What re∣freshings,

what treasures of all goodness and sweetnesse are in him.

4. Things that are seldome done beget wonder, so comparatively with the world of souls that are passed by, 'tis but sel∣dome and rare work for Jesus Christ to lay hold upon souls, here and there a soul he chaseth forth; And saith a poor delivered soul, What was I more then an∣other, that the Lord should passe by abundance of poor creatures, who haply never dishonoured God so much as I have done? Oh this consideration makes grace appear abundant and admirable, this is a heightning, enlarging Meditation upon a poor calmed soul indeed; In a word, the Lord Jesus so convays himself to his own, that it shall be marvellous in their eyes; That they may attribute the first motion of light and life in the soul from him, the perfecting and continuing of it; That his children may be kept humble and lowly before him, and ascribe all to him, and depend upon him, that they may have nothing to rejoyce in, but on∣ly in the name of the Lord Jesus.

* 1.2If a calmed soul be thus full of the wonders of Christs power and love; first By this any soul may know whether the

calm that is upon his spirit be from Christ or not; If so, then his hand, his power, and love, is admired and extolled in it: Consider therefore, any soul, by the way, What are the wondrous things upon thy Spirit? what are the things thou hast deep thoughts of heart about? Canst thou fee∣lingly say, Oh how wonderfull have been the thoughts of Christ towards me? what wonders hath he wrought for me and in me? Who is a God pardoning iniquity like unto thee? Mic. 7.18. That's the temper and voice of a pardoned soul; So he breaks out into the admiration of him: A pardoned Soul cannot have such sleight thoughts about it, as the pre∣tenders to a dead hope of it have; If it be not so with thee, let me once more counsell thee to go to Christ and tell him what wonders thou hearest he can doe; And pleade with him, that there's an ob∣ject before him to manifest one upon, even by raising up such a worm, dead in sin, as thou art, unto life; Tell him, he shall have the glory of the Miracle; Oh let him say unto thee, Live, and thou shalt live in his sight.

2. If Jesus Christ be able to work forth such wonders upon and for poor

souls, Videant quam tutò se committunt Sancti, &c. saith Bucer; See then how safely we commit our selves to such a Pi∣lot who can guide and anchor us through all storms and difficulties, can cease our tempests within or without, to make way for sweeter Sun-shines and calms; And therefore should not the Saints pierce through the thickest, darkest tempests, and hang upon him when all appears but in a perishing way; yea, will not the Lord Jesus pierce through them all to us, and make our hears melt with chiding us for our little faith? Say not, Fainting Soul, within thy self, that because 'twill be a wonderfull thing for thee to be rai∣sed up, comforted, (whatever thy condi∣tion be) and therefore it will not be; No, No, Say, thou hangest upon a Christ whose works are all wonders, and there∣fore it shall be so.

And now what will this poor Soul do that is thus through the abundant grace of Christ silled in some measure with such precious wonders of Christ, when it is blessedly calmed by Christs refreshing voice, (For so I will now suppose that soul either already, or shall be so, who hath been or is in this tempestuous pe∣rishing

condition at Christs feet) and is or shall be thus calmed, Will it not to this purpose break forth, O welcome ten thousand times sweetest Christ, Come, Lodge for ever in my soul (though a mean habitation) for I cannot let thee go; Ah, will not that soul study returns of love and honour to Jesus Christ? Will it not love him and love him more abundantly? Will it not lay it self at his feet to be disposed by him? Will it not smile upon and embrace reproaches for him? Shall any thing be too dear and precious to part with for Christ? No, It shall not: Shall the pursuit of empty creatures come in competition with him? Let me ask thee Soul in earnest, Wilt thou? canst thou seek great things for thy self, and let Christs honour be slighted? Go then and daily treat with Christ to this purpose, Say unto him, Master, Master, what shall I do for thee? For whom shall I live and die but for thee? Dear Lord, let me some way or other bring honour to thy tender glorious Name among the living, before I come to thee, and adore thee for ever.

Now Soul, to point thee out thy par∣ticular duty, that livest in the sense of the

favour and love of Christ, is more then I designed in this brief Treatise, only I will minde thee with a word or two, and so have done.

Art thou a Soul that hast been by the strong arm of the Lord carried through some of these experiences, as have been set forth in this Treatise (If thou art a poor Soul not yet attained to this mea∣sure of comfort and joy, I have endea∣voured to lay down Directions to thee, and what may (by the blessing of the Spi∣rit with it) uphold thee till these wonders shall be made good upon thy soul: But now to a Soul that in some measure en∣joyeth them,

1. Consider, that though Jesus Christ hath made such a calm upon thy Spirit, yet know that there's more than enough in thy heart to distemper all again, though at present kept under, Therefore thou art to look up to the same mighty hand, to keep all in peace and in a comfortable frame, as well as at first to create it, and to give in new refreshings, else that which is within thee already will decay and wi∣ther; If Jesus Christ withdraw his hand, all is in a mutiny again; Oh therefore walk humbly and jealously before him,

and still be committing all to him, and be drawing fresh supplies from him, or else the sense of this blessed calm will grow dead in thee.

2. Beware how carnal joy mixeth with thy spiritual, by fetching in too large ad∣ditions from Creature-comforts, whence will follow lightnesse and vanity of spirit, and then comes a Cloud ere thou art a∣ware.

3. Be vigilant (as I have before hinted) and diligent in such waies wherein thou hast speciall communion with God, By which thou shalt finde greater wonders by the strong arm of the Lord, then thou hast yet felt; The danger of this neglect is spoken before.

4. Do not sit down in a slender stock of Grace and the Knowledge of Christ; There are depths in Christ, and depths in thy own heart to be searcht, which haply doe yet lie close undiscerned upon thy spirit.

5. Be in the frequent remembrance of how much is forgiven, and this will raise up thy love and zeal, and quicken it when it begins to slack.

6. Beware of venturing on the least sin, do not say 'tis a little one, and thou maist

venture, 'twill like an Achan disturb all: The fear and hatred of the least evil maintains a solid, setled communion with God; vain and carnal company (as hath been shewed) dulls a mans spirit, as also a frothy carriage, and liberall jesting.

7. Much might be said, but in a word know, 'Tis the hardest work of a Belee∣ver to manage comfort and assurance; The heart, the carnal part of it is apt to be lifted up in it; Indeed a comforted Soul at the first coming of it, is apt to conceive, that such a temper can never be lost; But this is a vanity.

Lastly, Get the aims of thy heart more raised after purity and likenesse of God then joy and comfort; To be like God and see him at he is, 1 Joh. 3.2. is the high∣est aim of a gracious Soul; which the blessed, holy God give thee and me to aspire after, till we shall be fully with him, and so see him as he is to all eternity. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Obs. 6.
• * 1.2

  Ʋse.