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A51788 Præparatio evangelica, or, A plain and practical discourse concerning the soul's preparation for a blessed eternity being the substance of several sermons preach'd at Leeds / by Timothy Manlove ... Manlove, Timothy, d. 1699. 1698 (1698) Wing M455; ESTC R6789 123,238 196

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Face in a Glass We need not say who shall ascend into Heaven The Word is high u● whereby we must search our selves And whether we will attend to it or no we must stand or fall by it at last Joh. 12.48 The Word that I have spoken the same shall judg him in the last Day ' This is one of those Books that shall be opened and the smal Sentence will pass according to what is written therein Rev. 20 12. They shall be judged according to their Works the Matter of Fact being recorded in their Book Conscience the Matter of Right in God's Law and the Conclusion in his Decree As Mr. Baxter upon the place Motive 4. We are expresly commanded thus to examin and try our selves yea it is mentioned as a great Absurdity that a Christian should be ignorant of himself 2 Cor. 13.5 Examin your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves c. As if he had said Is there any thing nearer to you than your selves any thing that ye are more concerned to know than your spiritual Estate that is whether Christ be in you or no. Are the ways to Heaven and Hell so much alike that a Man cannot know whither he is going if he would If the Ends be so vastly different surely there must be a proportionable difference in the Ways that lead to them Motive 5. Ye have comfortable Encouragement to expect the help of the holy Spirit in this work of Self-Examination Suppose ye be yet in an unregenerate State 't is true ye have then no full proper Covenant-Right to the Influences of the Spirit yet ye have great reason to hope that since he hath been often striving with you to bring you to a sight and sense of your spiritual Concerns he will not deny the help of his Grace if ye set your selves in good earnest to the Work by the assistance already received Prov. 1.23 T●ru you at my Reproof behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you c. Now 't is the work of the Spirit to lead Men into their own Hearts to convince them of Sin and to quicken illuminate and draw dead dark disaffected Souls to the love of God and Holiness But if ye be already converted ye have then a Covenant-Right to the help of the Spirit ye have f●ll and prop●● Promises to plead in this Matter he is the Spirit of Christ your Head and therefore all the living Members by virtue of their Relation unto Christ are also nearly related to and interested in that Holy Spirit whole Office it is to refresh and comfort those Souls whom he hath first renewed by his Grace to discover to them the Grace which he has given them to witness with their Spirits that they are the Children of God and so to enable them to rejoice therein Motive 6. Think well how sad and wretched a case it is to be utterly in the dark as to your spiritual State Ye cannot tell what a Day may bring forth Prov. 27.1 For ought ye know ye may be in Hell the next hour because ye are uncertain whether God be your Friend or your Enemy whether ye have any saving Interest in Christ whether ye be sanctified by the Spirit or not Is not this a woful Case when thou liest down when thou risest up when thou goest out or comest in thou knowest not but that the very next Moment the divine Fury may rest upon thee Can'st thou think of Death and not tremble and of Judgment and not be astonish'd When thou art invited to a Funeral how can'st thou forbear thinking that it will quickly be thine ●wn Case and yet thou art ignorant what will become of thy immortal Soul at that Day Methinks this should make thee a Terrour to thy self and to all that are about thee Motive 7. Consider how impatient thou art of being in suspence or at uncertainty in Matters of far less consequence If thou have but a Law-Suit in Hand how uneasy till thou know the Issue if a Purchase to make how careful to see that the Title be good and the Conveyances firm and sure If thou be taken with any threatning Distemper how earnest and sollicitous art thou to know what the Physician thinks of thy Distemper Pray Sir What think you Did you ever see any in such a Case before Did they recover Do you hope the Distemper may go off But O how few are there that express any such Care about their Souls how few that will come to a Minister and enquire of him O Sir What shall I do to be saved I fear I am not yet wrought for Heaven I find my Heart dead to spiritual Things but vigorous and sprightly in its Pursuits after worldly Vanities I find I am out of my Element when engaged in Religious Duties What think you Is there any Hope O help me speedily lest Death overtake me unprepared for it O how seldom do we meet with any that shew such a concern for their Souls as this It were easy to heap up many more such Considerations as these to excite you to this necessary work of Self-Reflection I shall only add as follows without the Formality of making distinct Heads Think with your selves how common a thing it is for men to be mistaken about their spiritual Estate and withal how dangerous it is remember God himself will quickly judg you and the way to escape the Severity of his Judgment is to enter into Judgment with your selves 1 Cor. 11.31 If we would judg ourselves we should not be judged Moreover either ye are thus wrought for Heaven by renewing Grace or not If ye be the closest t●●al will greatly refresh and comfort you by discovering that the work is already done Then may ye comfortably go on with the remaining part of Duty which is yet before you ye may come with boldness to the Throne of Grace as Children to a Father Ye may read or hear the VVord of God with Joy when the great Promises of the Gospel are all your own Ye may come with Confidence to the Lord's Table when ye know that Christ himself and all his saving Benefits are yours Ye may meditate delightfully upon the heavenly Inheritance when ye know that ye have a right to it This will support you under all the Sufferings of the present Life and will make them appear light Afflictions indeed And besides all this it will much conduce to the credit of your Profession by enabling you to go on chearfully in the ways of Religion as Men that do not repent of their Choice not despair of their Cause or of their God But on the other hand if ye be unregenerate Self-Reflection is one of the first Steps in order to your Recovery Psal 119.59 I thought on my Ways and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies So did the Prodigal when he came to himself Luk. 15.17 When once Men begin to be sollicitous about the Concerns