written in this book of life and the obtaining of eternal life were not peremptory, what reason could there be of opening this book in the day of judgment? The book of life is a book of sovereign grace, upon which lies the weight of my salvation, my happiness, my all ; and therefore by that book I desire to stand or fall. Well, saith the Lord, I cannot but accept of this plea as holy, honourable, just, and righteous ; and therefore ' enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, inherit the kingdom prepared for thee,' Mat. xxv. 21, 34. Thus, by divine assistance, and by a special and a gracious hand of providence upon me, I have finished those select and important cases of conscience which I designed to speak to.
Soli 13 eo ®Ioria in ^cternum.
* By the general title page (See page 264, ante) it will be seen that the ' Word in Season ' is included in the ' Golden Key ; ' but nevertheless it forms a separate treatise, of which the title-page will be found below.* — G.
* A WORD IN SEASON To this Present GENERATION.
A SOBER AND SERIOUS DISCOURSE About the favorable, Signal and eminent Presence of the LORD with his PEOPLE, in their greatest Troubles, deepest Distresses, and most deadly Dangers.
Resolution of several Questions, concerning the DIVINE PRESENCE, as also the Reasons and improvements of this great and glorious Truth.
All tending to encourage Christians in the way of their Duty, in the
face of all Afflictions, Oppositions, and Sufferings that they
may meet with for Righteousness sake from the Serpents seed,
or from Wolves in Sheeps-cloathing.
By THOMAS BROOKS, the Author of the Golden Key to open hidden Treasures.
But will God indeed dwell on the Earth ? Behold the Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this House that I have builded. 1 Kings 8. 27. Deui unus est, <fc uhique totus diffusus. Cyprian.
Maximilian the Emperour was so delighted with that Sentence of PAUL, Si Deus nobiscum. If God he ivith us, icho shall be against us, that he caused it to be written upon the Walls in most rooms of his Palace.
Printed for Dorman Newman, at the Sign of the Kings Arms
in the Foultrie. [1675. 4to.]
A GENERAL EPISTLE TO ALL SUFFERING SAINTS.
To all afflicted and distressed Christians all the world over, espe- cially to those that are in bonds for the testimony of Christ in Bristol ; and to those that are sufferers there, or in any other city, town, country, or kingdom whatsoever ; and to all that have been deep sufferers in their names, persons, estates, or liberties, upon the account of their faithfulness to God, to their light, to their consciences, to their prin- ciples, to their profession, and to Christ the king and head of his church ; and to all that have been long prisoners to their beds or chambers by reason of age, and the common infirmities that do attend it, or that are under any other afilictive dispensation : and more par- ticularly to my ancient dear and honoured friend, Mrs Elizabeth Drink- water, who has been many years the Lord's prisoner, and upon the matter, kept wholly from public ordinances, by reason of her bodily weaknesses and infirmities ; though in the want of a greater sanctuary, God has been ' a little sanctuary' to her soul, Ezek. xi. 16, — Grace, Mercy, and Peace be multiplied.
Dear and Honoured Friends, — The ensuing treatise about the signal presence of God with his people, in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses and most deadly dangers, I present to the service of all your souls. There has not been any treatise on this subject, that hath ever fallen under mine eye ; which hath been one great reason to encourage me in this present undertaking. I know several holy and learned men have written singularly well upon the gracious presence of God with his people, in ordinances and in the worship of his house ; but I know that none have made it their business, their work, to handle this subject that I have been discoursing on : though a more excellent, noble, spiritual, seasonable, and necessary subject can rarely be treated on.
There are ten things that I am very well satisfied in, and to me they are things of great importance in this present day. And the first is this — viz.,
1. That there is no engagement from God upon any of Ms people^ to run themselves into suffey^ings luilfully, causelessly, groundlessly. Christians must not be prodigal of their blood, for their blood is Christ's. Their estates, their names, their liberties, their all, is his ;
A GENERAL EPISTLE TO ALL SUFFERING SAINTS. 417