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(2.) Death itself; wherein are to be considered... 24
[1.] Remedies against the Terrors of Death;
viz.
(a.) Necessity and Benefit of Death..... ib.
(b.) Conscience of a well-led Life........ ib.
(c.) Final Peace with God.............. ib.
(d.) Efficacy of Christ's Death applied... 25
(e.) Comfortable Expectation of certain
Resurrection, and immediate Vi-
(1.) Humility.........
(2.) Self-Resignation....
(3.) True Inward Riches.......
Sect. 3. HOLY RESOLUTIONS for Contentment.
(1.) That our Present Estate is best for us.........
(2.) To abate of our Desires........
(3.) To digest smaller Inconveniences.....
(4.) To be frequent and fervent in Prayer.......
Part Second. Contentation, in KNOWING HOW TO ABOUND.
The Difficulty of Knowing how to abound: and the
Ill Consequences of Not Knowing it...............
II. THE PEACE-MAKER: LAYING forth the Right Way of Peace
IN MATTERS of Religion.
Address to the Clergy of the Diocese of Norwich........
Chap. I. INTRODUCTORY.
Sect. 1. THE DIFFERENCE OF TRUTHS: AND THE IMPOR-
TANCE OF THOSE, WHICH CONCERN MATTER OF
RELIGION..
ib.
27
28
29
30
32
33
35
36
37
43
46
..........
2. WHAT DIFFERENCES OF JUDGMENT MAKE A DIF-
FERENT RELIGION......
3. OF THE FUNDAMENTAL POINTS OF RELigion........
4. THE INJURIOUS UNCHARITABLENESS OF THE RO-
MISH CHURCH, IN EXCLUDING CHRISTIAN
CHURCHES, AND CONDEMNING THEIR PROFESSORS. 50
5. THE UNDUE ALIENATION OF THE
CHURCHES FROM THE OTHER REFORMED...
6. THE DIFFERENCES, BETWIXT THE OTHER REFORMED CHURCHES, AND OUR OWN............
Chap. II. Of the Ways of Peace which concern PRIVATE PER-
SONS.
Sect. 1. The First Private Way of Peace:
TO LABOUR AGAINST THE INWARD Grounds of
2. The Second Private Way of Peace :
(1.) A Meek and Humble Temper ..............
(3.) Charitable Affection to our Brethren.....
THE COMPOSING OURSELVES TO A FIT DISPOSI-
TION FOR PEACE: and, therein,
(2.) Obedience to our Spiritual Guides..
(4.) A Yieldableness upon Sight of Clearer Truths... 70
64
65
67
3. The Third Private Way of Peace:
THE AVOIDING UNNECESSARY QUESTIONS........
71
Chap. III. Of the Ways of Peace which concern the PUBLIC........ 81
Sect. 1. The First Public Way of Peace:
TO SUPPRESS THE BEGINNINGS OF SPIRITUAL
(3.) The Disturbers of Peace be timely suppressed.... 36
Such are those who
[1.] Sow Strife, and broach New Opinions.... 87
[2.] Abet Quarrels, and pertinaciously main-
tain dangerous Errors........
Sect. 4. The Fourth Public Way of Peace:
IMPOSITION OF SILENCE IN SOME CASES, BOTH
UPON PULPITS AND PRESSES.......
95
Chap. IV. A MOTIVE to peace, from the Miseries of Discord........ 98
III. THE BALM OF GILEAD: or, COMFORTS FOR THE DIstressed;
BOTH MORAL AND DIVINE.
Dedication to all the Distressed Members of Jesus Christ, wheresoever 105
Chap. I. COMFORTS FOR THE SICK Bed.
The Preface. Aggravation of the Misery of Sickness... 106
Sect. 1. The Freedom of the Soul
107
2. The Author of Sickness; and the Benefit of it... ib.
3. The Vicissitudes of Health
4. Sickness better than sinful Health
109
..... ib.
5. The greater Sufferings of holier men; and the
Resolutions of Heathens........
....... 110
6. Our Sufferings far below our Deservings.... 112
7. The Benefit of the Exercise of our Patience... ib.
8. The Necessity of expecting Sickness .......
113
9. God's most tender Regard to us in Sickness ..... ib.
10. The comfortable End of our Sufferings ......... 114
11. The favour of a peaceable Passage out of the
World ....
Chap. II. COMFORTS FOR THE SICK SOUL,
..... 115
Sect 1. The Happiness of a deep Sorrow for Sin ........ 116
2. The well-grounded Declaration of Pardon
3. Aggravation of the grievous Condition of the
Patient; and Remedies from Mercies ap-
plied
...
...... 117
4. Complaint of Unrepentance and Unbelief,
satisfied......
118
5. Complaint of Misgrounded Sorrow, satisfied ... ib.
6. Complaint of the Insufficient Measure of Sorrow
7. Complaint of the Want of Faith, satisfied ...... 120
8. Complaint of the Weakness of Faith, satisfied... 122
9. Complaint of Inconstancy and Desertion, an-
swered ...
10. Complaint of Unregeneration and Deadness in
Sin, answered .......
.... 124
11. Complaint of the Insensibleness of the Time
and Means of Conversion, answered ......... 126
12. Complaint of Irresolution and Uncertainty, in
matter of our Election, answered...... ... 127
Chap. III. COMFORTS AGAINST TEMPTATIONS.
Sect. 1. Christ himself assaulted.-Our Trial is for our
good ......
...... 131
2. The powerful Assistance of God's Spirit; and
the Example of St. Paul ........
..... 132
3. The Restraint of our Spiritual Enemies; and
their overmatching by the Power of God... 133
CONTENTS.
Sect. 4. The Advantage that is made to us by our
Temptations and Foils ..........
5. Complaint of Relapses into Sin, with the Re-
medy thereof..............................
Chap. IV. COMFORTS AGAINST WEAKNESS OF GRACE.
134
135
Sect. 1. The Common Condition of all Saints ......... 137
2. The Improvement of Weak Graces; and God's
Free Distribution
...... 138
3. God's Acceptation of Truth, not Quantity
4. The Variety of God's Gifts, and the Ages and
Statures of Grace....
.... 139
140
5. The Safety of our Leisurely Progress in Grace ... ib.
6. Our good Desires and Endeavours ......
7. The Happiness of an humble Poverty in Spirit... ib.
8. An Incitement to more Caution, and faster
Adherence to God
Chap. V. COMFORTS AGAINST INFAMY AND DISGRACE.
....
Sect. 1. Like Sufferings of the Holiest; yea, of Christ
himself .......
2. Our Recourse to God
3. The Cleanness of our Conscience
4. The Improvement of our Reason
5. The Cause of our Suffering
141
142
143
6. Our envied Virtue ........
144
7. Others' slighting of just Reproaches
8. The Narrow Bounds of Infamy
145
9. The Short Life of Slander .................
Chap, VI. COMFORTS AGAINST PUBLIC CALAMITIES.
Sect. 1. The Inevitable Necessity of Changes; and God's
Sect. 1. The True Value of a Friend and the Fault of
over-prizing him .............................
2. The True ground of an Undefeasible enjoying
of our Friends
152
153
3. The Rarity and Trial of True Friends ........... ib.
4. Is but a Parting; not a Loss ......
Chap. VIII. COMFORTS AGAINST POVERTY, AND LOSS OF OUR
Sect. 1. The Fickle Nature of these Earthly Goods
2. They are not Ours; but Lent us ................
155
156
Sect. 3. The right Valuation of Riches is in the Mind... 157
4. It may be good for us to be held Short ......... ib.
5. The Danger of Abundance
.....
6. The Cares that attend Wealth
7. The Imperiousness of Ill-used Wealth .............................
8. The Causes and Means of Impoverishing us
9. The Examples of those who have affected
Poverty......
Chap. IX. COMFORTS AGAINST Imprisonment.
158
159
........ ib.
Sect. 1. The Nature and Power of true Liberty .......
2. The sad Objects of a Free Beholder's Eye
3. The Invisible Company, that cannot be kept
from us......
4. The Inward Disposition of the Prisoner
5. The Willing Choice of Retiredness in some
Persons........
6. The Causes of Imprisonment .....
7. The Goodness of Retiredness; and the Part-
nership of the Soul's Imprisonment .....
Chap. X. COMFORTS AGAINST BANISHMENT.
160
161
162
163
164
Sect. 1. The Universality of a Wise Man's Country ...
2. The Benefit of Self-Conversation ......
3. Examples of those holy ones, that have aban-
doned Society
5. The Right that we have in any Country, and
in God ....
6. The Practice of Voluntary Travel
7. All are Pilgrims .....
Chap. XI. COMFORTS AGAINST THE LOSS OF OUR Senses of Sight
AND HEARING.
Sect. 1. The two inward Lights, of Reason and Faith ... 168
7. The Supply that God gives in other Faculties ... ib.
8. The Benefits of the Eyes, which once we had ... 172
9. The Supply of one Sense by another .................... 173
10. The better Condition of the inward Ear
11. The Grief that arises from hearing Evil
Chap. XII. COMFORTS AGAINST Barrenness.
