A Sermon of CONSOLATION FOR ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS; As it was lately delivered at LONDON-WALL, By Mr TILL, a faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, who though he be deprived of his outward bodily sight, yet is endued with inward spiritual light.  
Taken from him as it was delivered in Shorthand, and now published for the comfort of all true Christians, by J. H. a friend of the Authors.  
It being very useful for dejected souls in sad Times.  JOHN 6.37. 
All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me: and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.  
Licenced, entered, and printed according to Order.  
LONDON, Printed by Matthew Simmons for John Hancock, and to be sold at his Shop at the entrance into Popes-head-Alley out of Cornhill. 1646.   

❧ TO THE READER.  
THis Sermon was preached by that godly and famous Divine, Mr Till, and published to the world for comfort to all the children of God, to trust in Jesus Christ in these times of tribulation. For God promises to be with them to the end of the world; and as the Apostle Paul saith, Though we suffer for Christ here, we shall reign with him hereafter. For to you is the Kingdom prepared; to you, which continue constant to the end, faithful to the death; you shall have a Crown of bliss: God hath promised, nay, God hath sworn, and he will perform, that they that live holy and righteously here in this life, shall live for ever in the Kingdom of Heaven. Though here is mourning, there rejoicing; here afflictions, there comfort; All tears shall be wiped away from your eyes; There are joys for ever, which eye hath not seen, care hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. You are Gods jewels, you are the wheat, which shall be laid up in the Barn, when the chaff shall be burnt with unquenchable fire: Ye shall sing Hallelujah, when your tormentors shall be howling; Ye shall be in the Sanctum Sanctorum, when the wicked in the lowest dungeon shall roar, and not one drop of water to quench their thirst.  
Thine in the Lord, F. W.   

A SERMON OF CONSOLATION for all true Christians.  2 COR. 1.5. 
For as the sufferings of Christ aboundeth in us; so our consolation aboundeth through Christ.  
AS the Philosophers once said concerning Christ, that he was God-man, A man of sorrows; so may I say of Paul, who was but a man, that he was a man of sorrows. A Catalogue thereof you may read in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, the 11. Chapter, where he says, he received five times, forty stripes save one, and he was thrice beaten with rods, and he thrice suffered shipwreck, and in journeying he was often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils in the City, in perils in the Sea; yet notwithstanding so good was the Lord unto him, that in all his difficulties, he did enjoy a portion in him; for, says he, in the sixth Chapter, though I was chastened, yet I was never killed, though persecuted, yet not forsaken; nay more than so, as he had his times of suffering, so he had his times of comfort; the one came from an enemy, the other from a friend; the one from a creature, the other from a Creator: So our consolation aboundeth in Christ.  
In which words, you may observe Paul's twofold condition, his suffering condition, and his comforting condition; or else if you will, 

1. Paul's Hell; and  
2. Paul's Heaven.    
1. Paul's Hell, because the world calls it so, as the sufferings of Christ aboundeth in us.  
2. Paul's Heaven, because the Christians judge it so, so our consolation aboundeth through Christ.  
I am now to speak of a Christians Heaven upon Earth, and I shall show you the privilege of a Christian, and that is in the Text.  
In the Text there are these five particulars; as  
First, The Christians privilege, and that is Consolation.  
Secondly, The right to the privilege; our Consolation.  
Thirdly, The measure of our consolation, it aboundeth.  
Fourthly, The suitableness to Paul's suffering, as the sufferings of Christ aboundeth in us, so our consolation aboundeth in Christ.  
Fiftly, The ground of this consolation, and that is Christ; so our consolation aboundeth in Christ.  
Now there are as many points of Doctrines, as there are parts in the Text.  
As first from the privilege of a Christian, you may gather this point of Doctrine;  
That the condition of a Christian is sometimes a suffering condition, and sometimes a comfortable condition.  
I have oftentimes compared a child of God, like unto the Picture of Solomon; who is pictured half in Heaven, and half in Hell: So a Christian is sometimes rapt up with comforts above, and sometimes sinking down into Hell with dreams.  
The second Proposition from the right to this privilege, is,  
That it is not impossible for a child of God to be assured in this life of his interest in Christ; this the Apostle knew well.  
The third Doctrine, from the measure of our consolation, is this;  
That the consolation of a Christian, is an abundant consolation.  
Friends, you that fear God, think of this Text; God gives you not this by drops, but by showers.  
The fourth Doctrine, from the suitableness of Paul's suffering, is this;  
That God bath comforts suitable to his people's afflictions.  
Sometimes the people of God have light afflictions, than God gives them small comforts; sometimes they are under great trials, than they have great comforts.  
Fiftly, from the ground of our consolation, which is Christ; observe this point, which is the point I intent to insist upon.  
That Jesus Christ is the ground of a Christians comfort in all suffering conditions.  
This point specially concerns all those that fear God; what your sufferings are I know not, but where your comfort is, God willing I shall declare unto you; I suppose you that are resolved to walk close to God, whatever you resolve to meet withal, expect sad days; and in those sad days you will have sweet and good comfort from Jesus Christ; though friends be taken away, and the Ministers, and all gone; then Christ will stand a man in stead when all creatures fail; But for the proof of the point, That Jesus Christ is the ground of a Christians comfort; I shall give you but one Scripture, in the 15. of John 18. I will not leave you comfortless, but I will come unto you. At the first the Disciples might think, Why, who shall be our Comforter, we have none now Christ is gone. But mark; I will not leave you comfortless; but I will come unto you again; hence I gather, That a child of God may be friendless, and moneyless, and helpless, in regard of creatures, but not comfortless in regard of Christ; if I should go away and never come again, than you might hang down your heads, but I will come unto you.  
Now if you will hearken unto me, I will prove by three reasons, that there is no comfort to be had, or found in any, but in Jesus Christ, and therefore it is in vain to trust to silver, or gold, or the creature. 

Three Reasons.  
1. From the free offer of Christ.  
2. From the fullness of the promise.  
3. From the emptiness of the creature.    
The first Reason, proving that there is no comfort but in Christ, is taken from the free offer of Christ unto his people.  
You shall see who Christ offers himself unto; He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; Mark here, he came not to call the righteous, that is, he came not to call such as had need of none, but trusted in their own; no, but sinners to repentance; such who felt the burden and weight of their sins; God hath promised meat to the hungry, and not to the full; men must have right qualifications, suitable to receive God's mercies.  
But now may a poor drooping dying soul say, if it be so that we must have right qualifications, why, then I have nothing to do with Christ; alas, miserable is my condition, I have no qualifications.  
But for answer to this: Art not thou dead, art not thou sick, art not thou lame, or art not thou blind? why than thou mayest live, thou mayest have health, thou mayest be whole, or thou mayest see, if thou wilt, Christ is offered unto all, if they will receive him.  
The second Reason is taken from the fullness of the Promise.  
There is a fullness of grace, of mercy, of glory, in the promise; but sometimes perhaps you read some promises, and you think they are empty, but when a Minister of God comes and opens it, than you will go home, and say, you never thought there was so much in a promise; O Beloved, when you do once see the fullness of comfort in a promise, you will inquire more after them; for all the promises in Christ, are yea and amen, blessed for evermore.  
A third Reason is taken from the emptiness of the creature.  
And here I shall prove there is no comfort in the creature; for go towards Heaven to the creature the Angels, why thou canst have no comfort by them; for in the 1. Ephesians 12. All things are reconciled to God in Christ; well then, come down to the Minister, but do not rest for comfort in him; for if God be not in his Ministry, he can do thee no good. Why then go to thy rich friends; will some say, such a one hath an Uncle, or an Aunt, that are worth so much, and so much; I, but what of all this? alas, this is nothing to what shall become of thy poor soul; your fasting, and sighing is nothing, if Christ be not in them. I would not give you a straw for a thousand such duties; for in the 15. of John, saith Christ, without me ye can do nothing. So that there is no comfort to be had or found in any but in Christ; and in the 15. of John 16. Whatsoever you shall ask of my Father in my name, saith Christ, he shall give it you. Thus you have the reasons of the point, why Jesus Christ is the ground of a Christians comfort. I shall now come to the use of the point. 

Four Uses of the point.  
1. For Examination.  
2. For Comfort.  
3. For Terror.  
4. For Exhortation.    

The first Use for Examination.  
To examine whether Christ be yours, and so to be your comfort.  
Some may say, how shall I know whether Christ be ours or no?  
1. I answer, by being a new creature, and he that is a new creature, hath a new soul and body, new hands, new eyes, new actions, he doth speak and walk in a better way than ever he did.  
2. He that is a new creature, hath a new light; before he faw the creature to be the chiefest good, and now sees Christ to be the chiefest good, not only the chiefest good, but his chiefest good.  
3. He that is a new creature, hath a new will; before the man would have his will, though it cost him his life; now he is a man of a new spirit, Not my will, but thy will be done, O Lord; and Lord, what wouldst have me to do? or Lord what wouldst have me to suffer, I will do or suffer.  
4. New affections of love; before he loved sin, and hated God, now he loves God, and hates sin, with an eternal hatred.  
5. New joys, and new sorrows; he mourned before, because he could not enjoy sin, but now he mourns for sin; and joys that he can mourn for sin.  
6. That man that is a new creature, hath new hopes, and new thoughts; before he hoped in the creature, now he hopes in Christ; before he had revengeful thoughts, and Atheistical thoughts, now he hath heavenly thoughts.  
7. Again, He that is a new creature, hath new society; before he used to be among the wicked, now he is with David's companions, with such as are godly; wicked wretches are now as Hell to him.  
8. Again, He that is a new creature, hath new strength, and new experience; before he performed duties in the strength of a creature, but now in the strength of a God; before by his own experience, but now by Christ's experience.  
9 Again, He that is a new creature, hath new parts; before his parts puffed him up with pride, but now his good parts make him humble.  
10. Lastly, He that is a new creature, hath new resolutions, and new ends, he resolves now to give up himself to Christ, and his end is to enjoy Jesus Christ. Now if you can find all these that I have named, than you are a new creature, and it is a sign that Christ is yours.  
The second Reason is this; if Jesus Christ be the ground of your comfort, see then how you improve him.  
For he that makes Christ the ground of his comfort, makes Christ the ground of his confidence; he does not rely on any thing he does; the Prophet David taught him that lesson; and so the Prophet Jeremiah, Trust not in lying vanities, saying, The Temple of the Lord: So I say, trust not in lying vanities, trust not in your prayers, saying, My prayers, my prayers, for than you make your prayers, lying vanities. Why, you will say, what must not I pray? I, pray in the name of God, but rely not on them; put not thy confidence in them; but rely upon Jesus Christ.  
Thirdly, He that hath Christ to be his, is contented with him: come what will come, if Christ be his, he is contented, though times of famine come, though times of blood come (as it is likely) and the Ministers taken away, and the Ordinance taken away, yet he is resolved to fear nothing, he will trust in Christ, and be content with him: Nay, come to a child of God that hath lost his estate, and ask him, how he does now; why, says he, I am in health still, though I have lost my estate; Suppose he hath lost his liberty, come to him now, how dost thou now? I am well still, I have not lost my friends; nay, suppose he hath lost his yoak-fellows; how dost now? alive still through God's mercy; nay, further, suppose he hath lost his estate, friends, liberty, and that God hath struck him sick, and hid his face from him; why, how is it now? why, out of hell, through God's mercy, still he acknowledges God's mercy in what condition soever he is in.   

The second Use is a Use of comfort.  
What is there any new creatures here now? if there be, blessed be God, for all is yours: as in the 1 Cor. 3.22. Whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is Gods. The longer you live, when you die, Christ is yours, and the sooner you die, you shall have life. And see how God strengthens them that trust him, as you may see in Isai. 51. I am he that comforteth David, even I am he that comforteth thee. Ah, but says the poor soul, my enemies are very strong: why needst thou fear man, that is but the creature? A child of God, and afraid of the son of man; a child of God to live in glory hereafter for ever, and be afraid of man that shall whither like grass? I, but says the poor soul, there is one thing more than this, if men and Devils were my enemies, they were but creatures, but my God is gone; if that men, or friends, or creatures had forsaken me, than I might not be afraid, but my God is gone, and I have cause to mourn. But see in the 49. of Isai. 13.14, 15. Sing O Heaven, and be joyful O earth, and break forth into singing O mountains; for God hath comforted his people, and will have merey on his afflicted. Sure the Lord hath some great thing to say, that he calls all to sing: well, what then, see the objection; But Zion said, my Lord hath forgotten me, and my God hath forsaken me. But mark the answer; saith the Lord, Can a mother forget her child? yea they may, yet will not I forget thee; As if he should say, What, dost thou think that I will forget thee? no; thou art my child, and I will not forget thee, no. See in the 66. of Isai. 13. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. As if the Lord should say, I will comfort you in spite of all the Devils in Hell. Thus much for the second use, the use of comfort, showing the happy and comfortable condition of all that are new creatures, God and all is theirs.   

A third Use is a Use of Terror.  
To you old creatures, who have lived this thirty, or forty, or fifty years in sin; in swearing and drunkenness and cozening your neighbours; well, all of you that live in this estate, are in a most desperate condition; still continue in sin, and never look after heaven; know my brethren, that the Lord will one day pay you home. Where is your comfort; in God? no, in hell, if the book of God be true; for see in the thirtieth of Isai. Hell is preserved of old. Here is a place for you, what think you of it? Give me leave to ask you a question, you that have lived so long in London, and may hear as many Sermons throughout the year, as there are days in the year, if you will; what is your comfort? you must have some comfort, therefore deal plainly with your one hearts, what comfort have you, what are your riches your comfort? well then before you go home to them, take one Scripture with you, which is in Luke 5.24. woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. Now see if you can find any comfort out of this, if you can, then blessed are you, but if not, you are cursed. Why, will some say, are rich men cursed? no, but such as make riches their Gods, woe to you. Well then, come to a poor rich man, I call him poor, though never so rich, because we are all poor that are without Christ. It may be your house is full, and your bags full, and your shops full, but woe be to you that are full; and then woe be to you that laugh. What may some say, may not we laugh? yes, but it is such a laughter, as will end in mourning, O woe be to you. Well, come to you poor men, where are your comforts? what on your means and good hearts? I, but all is nothing without Christ; ah me thinks I see one lying on his deathbed, with a dreadful howling, lamenting, & bewailing his condition, expecting comfort, but can find none; for when he looks on God, there is nothing but terror; look on the creature, nothing but terror; look on the word of God, and every sentence speaks terror to him; nay, every letter in the Bible are as so many daggers to strike him in the heart, and whosoever dies out of Christ. That is a sweet saying in the Psalms to a godly man; The Lord comforteth me on every side; but now to a man out of Christ, when he looks on every thing, they are but as curses to him, his wife, children, neighbours, goods, houses, and all as curses to thee. And see what the Psalmist saith in the 58. Psal. 10. The righteous shall rejoice when he seethe the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Well, I beseech you Brethren, labour to be new creatures, and to get an interest in Christ; for your souls and bodies shall fry in hell to all eternity, if thou hast no part in Christ; for Jesus Christ is the ground of a Christians comfort. So then without Christ, without comfort, without Heaven, and without all; So then most miserable is that man that is Christlesse.   

The last use is a Use of Exhortation.  
Let us all labour to go to Jesus Christ for comfort; it may be you pray, and you go amongst Christians; why, it is good, and you go to Ministers, it is well, but if you go not unto Jesus Christ, all is nothing, there is no comfort but in Jesus Christ.  
Now I shall show you that there are four impediments that hinders a soul from going to Christ.   

The first impediment is sin.  
O my Brethren, take heed of sin; for see in the 59 of Isai. 2. Your iniquities have separated between God and you, and your sins have hid his face from you. Not your afflictions, but your sins; sickness separates from health, and imprisonment from liberty; but sin separates God from thy soul; oh therefore Brethren, have a care of sin, your special sins; get your hearts up in a morning, and be sure you find your heart broken in every duty; for many of you never come to a duty, but your hearts are icey, therefore you must break the ice, or else you cannot drink of the water of life. And this is the first impediment that hinders a poor soul from going to Christ.   

The second Impediment is too much inordinacy after the creature.  
Those comforts that are grounded, partly between Christ and the creature, are dead comforts; ah Brethren, we may preach all our lives long, and yet not drive men off from the creature, without God pull and tug them off: see in the 45. of Jeremiah ●. 〈◊〉 thou great things for thyself? seek them not: What, thou an heir of Heaven, a child of God, one that is married to Jesus Christ, and seekest after the creature? oh in the name of God rest not on the creature, but go to Jesus Christ o if that the Lord would open your eyes this day, you would then cry, None but Christ, none but Christ. The Apostle Paul saith, Trust not in uncertain riches, 〈◊〉 in the living God, who gives all things richly to enjoy. O trust in God, trust not in riches that are … y, but in God who is full; trust not in man who cannot live, but in God who lives to all eternity; O who would not trust in God? my Brethren, if that any creature can give you a drop of comfort, trust in them, if not, why then trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you go to look comfort in the creature, you may as soon find the Sun in the Earth, as comfort in the creature.   

The third Impediment, is groundless objections.  
If the Devil or wicked men hindered you from comfort, it were lamentable, but you hinder your own selves of comfort, I dare say, th●re are many that take part with the Devil and wicked men in finding out objections against the Ministers, and though the Minister answers them one by one, and gives them soul-convincing arguments thy Scripture; yet the very next day, the same still, that I am persuaded, many there are that study objections to object against the Ministers, that if the Minister should study to answer them, it would be his only work; for they still study objections to put him to a nonplus. Well, Brethrens, do not yield to these objections, for they come from hell. But let me persuade you to labour to see Jesus Christ at all times, in every trouble, cross, or affliction; my meaning is, labour to see the attributes of God in all afflictions, see the love of God; when you walk in the fields, see the power and wisdom of God; and when you see your enemies, look on the power of God that is able to confound them all; ah Brethren, we have lost many Sermons and many good duties for want of Jesus Christ, pray God we do so no more. Now, Brethren, let us all resolve to say, all Sermons are empty, and all prayers are empty, all duties are empty, all creatures are empty, and all things are empty, without Jesus Christ; oh therefore you old men and women, look up, do not you see your glass is even out? do not you see the Sun is down? as it is with the labourers in the field, that have loitered all the day, & see the Sun is down, than they begin to stir, and say, O come let us be doing, for our Master will come presently, and we shall not have done our day's work; so Brethren, it is with you, you have been loitering all this while, and now the Sun is down, the glass is even out, therefore up and be doing, for our Master will come, the Lord Christ he will come, and woe be to that soul, that when Christ shall come, shall be found idle in his service, therefore for the Lords sake labour to get the Lord Jesus Christ.  
And you young ones, who seem to be the upholders of the Ministry, it is well, we have hopes of you, well, labour to get Jesus Christ, and keep him when you have him; for the Gospel will not be taken from us, I hope, therefore labour to get Jesus Christ for your comfort; for what is the reason in times of war and famine, that men are so fearful, and afraid? only because Christ is not the ground of their comfort, therefore let me beseech you, both young and old, all for to labour after Jesus Christ, and having got him, then trust him with all, with health, wealth, goods, estate, soul and body, trust him with all; for if Christ be the ground of thy comfort, thou needst not fear, neither men nor Devils, nor any thing under the Heavens, for they can do us no hurt at all.    
FINIS.