Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A95930
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The only deliverer from wrath to come, or, The way to escape the horrible and eternal burnings of Hell By Thomas Vincent.
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Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing V446C; ESTC R43945
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22,465
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40
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have it 's ten thousands this is too broad and hath it's thousands besides the more sober amongst the Heathens who belived a future state of happiness and looked to arrive to it by the moral Righteousness besides the Papists who assert justification by works and that we are no otherwise justified than as we are made internally righteous and this expressing it self in acts of obedience and besides Socinians and other Sects together with the Quakers who plainly affirms that we must be saved by a righteousness within which the Quakers call Christ within all which do fundamentally erre in their judgements concerning the righteousness which alone can save I say besides these it is natural unto all to seek Salvation this way all are born under a Covenant of works they are under the Law and not under Grace and when any think how they shall be saved they presently run to work and seek after a righteousness of their own and to fulfil the Law themselves and hope if they repent and lead a new life though they have sinned that God is mercifulâ— and he will pardon and save them It is an ordinary thing even where the light of truth doth shine most clearly and the Gospel is Preached most powerfully when any are convinced of sin by the beams of this light and awakened out of their security by some powerful Sermon discovering their danger of eternal ruine as the just desert of Sin they will cry out with the Jaylor what shall we do to be saved and however they be directed as he was to believe yet the most do rest in doing and not believing they fall presently upon confession of sin and sorrowing for it they fall upon reforming they will not now be drunk or swear or commit Adultery or break the Sabbath or defraud in their dealings now they begin to hear the Word and Pray in their Families and pray in their Closets and keep days of Fasting and conforms unto all the External acts of Devotion and if they can attain unto some kind of flashy affection they think all is well and if they find their hearts dull and cold and hard they may also be troubled for it not upon a right Gospel account but because they feel they want such a righteousness to present God withall as they desire or through some secret fear that their righteousness will not hold water but all this while these persons seek after salvation through a self righteousness and Christ is left out and his righteousness either unknown or utterly disregarded and neglected by them and thus many go to Hell in a way of duty their duties are the occasion of their damnation through their resting in them and expecting Salvation by them It may seem strange that any should have hopes of Salvation by imperfect servings but this I suppose may come to pass either because they don't mind the imperfections of their services for want of understanding the Law in the Spirituality of it and examining themselves by it or through apprehensions that Gods mercy revealed in his Word will Pardon them not considering that all his special Mercy in pardoning and saving is through Christ not considering that God is infinitely just and righteous as well as merciful and that there is no room for the exercise of Mercy towards Sinners until Justice be satisfied that Gods justice requireth a perfect righteousnes otherwise there cannot be a perfect justification that there must be full satisfaction to Gods justice for the breach of Gods Law otherwise there can be no clear remission and that there must be perfect righteousness made out some way otherwise we cannot be accepted by God as righteous Since therefore this satisfaction to Gods justice cannot be by our selves because being finite we cannot make an infinite compensation which infinite justice doth require and since perfect righteousness which must include both original and actual cannot be in us who are guilty both of original and actual sin and the least sin rendering for ever a personal perfect righteousness impossible and the Law curseth every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them and therefore as many as are of the Law that seeks justification and Salvation by the way of works or righteousness of the Law are under the curse Gal. 3. 10. It is clear that whoever do expect to be saved from wrath to come it must not be by their own righteousness but by anothers righteousness namely the righteousness of Christ If you would attain an interest in Christ you must be sensible of your need of him and his righteousness upon this account 2. Labour for a thorow acquaintance with the nature intendment and efficacy of the righteousness of Christ The Apostle saith of the Jews Rom. 10. 2 3 4. I bear them record they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God for Christ is the end of the Law for righteouness unto every one that believeth And as it was with the Jews of Old so it is with many nominal Christians now who may be led only by a blind zeal to work out their own Salvation in a way of doing and it is through their ignorance of the righteousness of Christ called here the righteousness of God either because it is the righteousness alone which God will accept or which God hath found out and provided for men which sence it must have Rom. 3. 21. 22. But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifest even the righteousness of God which is by Faith in Jesus Christ c. That is the righteousness which God doth accept and hath appointed for our justification or it is called the righteousness of God because it is the righteousness of Christ who is God-man no other righteousness than of such a person being sufficient for man in his fallen estate I say through the ignorance of this righteousness of Christ many Christians seeking after a righteousness in order to their Salvation they go about to establish their own righteousness that is a personal righteousness and endeavour the gaining of Heaven in a way of doing and so do not submit themselves to the righteousness of God It is through Pride so natural unto every one that they are loth to be beholding wholly unto another and therefore they would have something of their own to commend them unto God and therefore they do not submit unto the righteousness of Christ which God hath provided for them Therefore you must labour to be clear in your understanding what this righreousness of Christ is there are two things requisite and absolutely necessary unto fallen man The first is satisfaction unto Gods Justice for his sins and without this there can be no escape of eternal death and misery because guilt doth oblige unto punishment
my heart to add Drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this Book shall lye upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven Moreover we read Gal. 3. 13. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Such as are guilty of any transgression of the Law whilst out of Christ are under the curse and lyable unto Gods Wrath and it is said Heb. 3. 2. That every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward Hence it is that the children of disobedience are called children of Wrath Eph. 2. 2 3. 2. The wrath of God will come upon all Hypocrites it is more peculiarly appropriated unto them as their portion Matth. 24. 51. He shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Whoever escape Gods wrath hypocrites shall not escape whoever are pardoned hypocrites shall be punished such as have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof such as make some show of outward reformation but are without inward transformation such as are like Painted Sepulchres fair and beautiful without but within full of rottenness such who make it their great business to appear Religious and take no care to be Religious but are rotten at heart and cover carnal designs with a cloke of profession as their sin is most offensive unto God here so his wrath will certainly come upon them with the greatest severity hereafter 3. The wrath of God will come upon all impenitent and unbelieving persons Luke 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Mark 16. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned Repentance and Faith are two great duties of the Gospel and wrath is particularly threatned to such as do not obey the Gospel to such God will render indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish Rom. 2. 8 9. And Christ will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance upon them 2 Thess 1. 8. Such as are impenitent and unbelievers neglect the Salvation of the Gospel which by Faith in Christ alone is attainable and sinning against the only remedy they cannot escape Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Fourthly When this wrath of God will come 1. The wrath of God will come in part upon the wicked immediately after the separation of their Soul from the Body the souls of the wicked assoon as they are loosned by death from the ruinous Habitation of their bodies they presently appear before God and are condemned to Hell and dragd by the Devil the Jaylor into that Prison where they are bound in Chains of Darkness filled with horrour and anguish until the day of eternal Judgement The Scripture tells us of disobedient Spirits thrown into Prison 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. 2. The Wrath of God will come in full upon all the wicked together at the last day called the day of Judgement and Perdition of the Ungodly 2 Pet. 3. 7. When the Lord Jesus shall come to Judge the World he will bring the Treasures of Gods wrath with him and render unto all the wicked that wrath and vengeance which is their due and therefore this day is called The day of Wrath and Revelation of the Righteous Judgement of God Rom. 2. 5. This will be a dreadful day unto the wicked when the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and like a Stoll be rolled together and the Elements shall melt with frevent heat and be dissolved when the Sun shall become black as Sack-cloth of Hair and the Moon become like Blood when the powers of Heaven shall be shaken and the Stars shall fall from Heaven unto the Earth like Figgs from their Tree when it is shaken with a mighty Wind when there shall be Thunderings exceeding loud and Lightnings and Tempest exceeding horrid when the last Trumpet shall sound and a mighty shout shall come down from above and awaken all the Sinners that are asleep in the dust when Christ the great Judge of the World shall come forth from his Fathers house and make his appearance in the World with Millions of mighty Angels and all the Saints at his right hand clothed with Majesty and brightness of Glory and when the wicked shall come forth of their Graves and so soon as they shall open their eyes shall see Heaven and Earth on Fire about their Ears and the Lord Jesus coming towards them in flaming Fire to take vengeance upon them so soon as they open their ears shall hear the dreadful Trumpet and Shout in the Air and the Howlings and Lamentations of all their fellow Sinners about them upon the Earth O the dread and confusion which the wicked then shall be filled with when they are summoned and dragged to the Tribunal Seat of Christ and there have the Books opened before them where all their fins are written and which then will be made manifest unto the whole World and when the Sentence Depart ye cursed into everlasting Fire shall be passed upon them and when the Lord shall open the Treasures of Wrath unto them and give them that portion thereof which is their due and when they shall see the mouth of Hell open beneath them and an horrible flame issuing forth from thence giving notice of a more horrible fire within which is prepared for them O the dread O the shreeks Who can dwell with such devouring Fire Who can inhabit such everlasting burnings How welcome would a great Rock or Mountain be if they could find any that would fall upon them and hid them from the wrath of the Lamb and keep off the strokes of Gods vengeance which then will be inflicted upon them but the Sentence being pronounced the Execution will follow and none can escape it from Christ's tribunal Seat the wicked will be rhrown into the fiery Prison of Hell where they will be shut down and shut in and that for ever there they will lye there they will fry and there they will cry and though always dying yet they will never dye the fire there will burn most dreadfully and continually and never be extinguished and the wicked will be tormented there in every part and in extremity and their torment will never be ended Fifthly Who this Jesus is that doth deliver from Wrath to come In the Text he is called Jesus and the reason of this name we shall find Matth. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall Save his People from their Sins This Jesus is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and Man in one Person he is the Eternal Son of God of the same Essence with the Father equal to him in Power and Glory who before the world was appointed in time to be the Redeemer of Mankind and when