To the godly, consciencious READER.

IT is thy priviledge for soul-advantage
that thou livest amongst
Sermons, and it is a choice mercy
in the Saints Count-book that now
when so many bid Preaching depart,
and Ordinances depart, and Duties depart;
yet still the Lord is not wanting to appear
in some kinde or other owning his appointments.
Yea, thou mayst observe Jesus
Christ to be so desirous of thy Company,
that he leaves no means unattempted to win
thy soul to God; for the deare love of Jesus
Christ seems to flow and break over the
banks of ordinary means, that so it may encompass
thy heart, and fetch thee wholly into
the Father. Now surely, Christian, thou
wilt confess, that it's a barren soul indeed
whom the over-flowings of Christs love will
not make fruitful. Believe it, Gods unwonted
layings out of Love are not answered
with stinted and wonted layings out of
obedience. Great cost and little incomes is
unprofitable trading. When the Lord helps
us to receipts, we had need beg hard that he
would help us with returns; for questionless
God expects those should be Commemoration-dayes
whereon his Saints have their exceedings
of Love: 'tis certain, Christians, when
Jesus Christ steps out of his high-road, he
has some special businesse then with Sinners.
Now, thou to whom this Book shall come,
the Lord thou seest hath stepped aside to
speak with thee, take heed how thou refusest
to heare the voice that speaks from Heaven.
Christ sees that Word-preaching will not
serve, and therefore he sends thee both Word
and Work-preaching, and all that he may make
thee Eternally blessed. Oh do thou not still
go about to frustrate Christs endeavours, in
his work of winning thy poore soul; 't may
be thou hast long stopped thine Eares to his
Words, but what wilt thou stop thine Eyes to
his Works too? Oh look to his young Divine,
to this Child-Preacher, or rather to the
Lord in this Childe-Preacher; and if thou canst
not spell Christs meaning by his words, yet put
together Words and Works, and thou shalt
soon see what they make; if thou canst not
know Christ by his ordinary appearings, yet,
oh learn to know him by his Extraordinary;
for truly it is a brutish thing to bury Christ in
his own works.
Look, Christian! Here thou mayest see a
Bush burning and yet not consumed, yea a
Bush burning, and yet blossoming. Natural
life preserved, when natural means of preservation
were denied; but indeed a few loaves
will feed five thousand, when Christ has the
cooking of them. God can make a little of
the creature go farre, when he makes it up
with a great deal of Christ; for we see, though
her Commons were shorter then Daniels, yet
we finde her very well-liking: think therefore
at what Ordinary or rather Extraordinary
hath she dieted; surely she had food, we
knew not off. Well might she live who fed so
plenteously on life it self; and certainly that
life of hers was a happy life, which dwelt so
neer the life of happiness. We did not know
why the life of nature should be continued,
except it were that the life of grace might be
prolonged; but this we found, that the continuance
of her life was a continued Sermon,
and did preach forth the wonderful power
and love of Jesus Christ; as if she had learnt
a new and holy Art of living poor souls to God;
or as if Faith were to come by seeing. Gracious
Childe! who for her age might be a
Learner, and yet is made so learned a Teacher,
who so sweetly takes Christ for her text truth
for her Doctrine, and Holiness for her Vse.
Surely 't was he who at 12 years old was found
in the Temple, sitting amongst the Doctors, hearing
of them, and asking of them Questions,
'twas he I say who hath ranked this Twelve
years-old Childe amongst the Doctors of our
Israel. 'Twas he that made her Sermons,
she onely did but preach them: For her
Speech bewrayed she had been with Jesus.
Oh what gracious words she uttered! nothing
but honey dropt from her mouth, and
that such honey as tasted much of the spirituall
Canaan. And indeed, Christian, none
can speak so heavenlily, none so healingly,
none so sweetly, none so feelingly, as those
that have much of God speaking in them.
The Sentences she uttered are in this Book
recorded. And now canst thou read, and
not wonder; wonder, and not desire to
read? And yet the manner of her speaking
added Emphasis to the things she spake. Her
eyes were fixed, as if she saw Christ; her
countenance cheerfull, as if she imbraced
Christ; her lips smiling, as if she kissed
Christ; yea, her armes sometimes sweetly
clasping, as if with Simeon she had got an
arm-ful of Christ.
What think you meant her soul, whilest
her body used such an action? Oh what happinesse
for a poor soul to lose it selfe in the
All-fulnesse of Christ! truly, these things
made us all cry out, What manner of Childe
shall this be? But oh see the wonderfull
workings of our God. He has let her come
down into this lower room againe. God
seemed to take her out of the crowd into
his Chambers up above, where he sweetly
whispered his minde unto her; and now he
hath sent her back again, that she may live
over her own Sermons. And yet so was
God taken with her company, that he would
not let her come down again, till his Children
had petitioned again & again for her.
And then the more to endear his mercy to
us, he sends her down in the Armes of Prayer.
So that now we finde this truth in our
own experiences: That a Christian reacheth
highest when he is on his knees. I might speak
much more of her, but I had rather commend
grace then gracious persons. Oh let
this I beseech thee with the other soul-helps
Christ affordeth thee, prevail with thee
to be good in good earnest: it's not leaves or
bloomes that Christ looks for now, but fruit.
I confesse indeed, the Winter of Religion
seems to be past, wherein both bloomes and
fruit, Profession and Practice was nipped and

B

suppressed: and now is the Spring, wherein
most men are fair in bloom, which gives me
hopes that the Lord is bringing about a
time, when holy lips and holy lives, heavenly
Communication, and heavenly Conversation
shall meet together; so that flourishing
Professours will prove fruitful Practicers.
Oh! be not thou one, who shalt keep off
such hoped-for times as these: think how
thou wilt answer all Gods costs about thee.
And if thou be he that must be called in to
give an account for every word thou speakest;
o then what account wilt thou give for
every word that God speaks to thee? Thou
that hast such heavenly Doctrine, o take
heed of earthly Use: heart-warning exhortations,
and heart-cooling conversations are
fearfull and incongruous sights. I confesse,
if I did not in some measure know the Unteachablenesse
of a corrupt heart, I should
conclude, that Non-profiting by such wonders
as these, is the greatest wonder of all. Well,
Christian! thou hast a Providence here
thrown into thy lap, o improve it, and be
not befooled with fleshly wisdome, but o
minde thy work, drive on thy souls trade.
And if thou hast an Interest in God, know
thus much, that this Childe hath an interest
in thee; when therefore thou goest to improve thy interest at the Throne, forget not
Her, nor Him, who is
Finningley,
Jan. 25. 1652.
Joyfull in this and all other thy
Soul-helps,
John Firth.