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A23606
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Precious promises the portion of overcomers. / By John Lougher, minister of the Gospel.
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Lougher, John, d. 1686.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing L3093B; ESTC R217742
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97,531
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281
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scatters and blots out the Clouds that there is nothing of them to be seen their sins are so done away as not to he remembred any more are as if they had never been As a Table-Book wash it and there is no appearance of any thing written there so hath the Lord removed their Iniquities and having blotted out their sins for his Name 's sake will not blot out their Names for their sins sake So then it remains that none but Christ can blot out their Names for he is the Master of the Rolls and keeps this Book in his own possession and he hath prevented all fears of it by his own solemn Promise in the Text. Object Against this some object these two Scriptures Exod. 32.32 33. Moses said Blot me out of thy Book Whosoever hath sinned against me saies God him will I blot out of my Book especially that Rev. 22.19 It any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life Answ As for that place in Exodus some carry it as if Moses desired in the former verse to lose his part in a better Life than is here to be enjoyed even Eternal Life rather than God be thus dishonoured and blasphemed but think it a sinful desire or great zeal at the best with a mixture of corrupt passion in it But others understand it of the Book of Records in which mens names were Registred Princes use to keep such Books in which were set down the Names of those that had done them any special Service Mordecai's name was recorded in such a Book and how he acted to preserve the King's Life Esth 6. And this was much Self-denial in Moses to be willing to have his Name razed out thence for the Peoples good Moses rather desired not to live than that all the people involved in that sin should dye willing to have his Name blotted out of the Church Records than the people come under this great Judgment Like that wish of St. Paul Rom. 9.3 who wished himself accursed from Christ for his Brethren and Kinsmen according to the flesh Some say Such was his Love to his Kindred that if it had been consistent with the Will of God he desired to have redeemed the casting away of the Israelites with the loss of his own Soul for ever But besides that this desire was impossible to be accompliâ—hed it would have been sinful By this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or being Accursed from Christ he means only to be Excommunicated from the Church which is called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 Which argued a high Affection to his Relations And as to the other place God's taking away their part out of the Book of Life is no more than to manifest they have no part therein and hence we find the Scripture speaking of some Whose Names were not written in the Lambs Book of Life from the Foundation of the world Rev. 13.8 God will declare them to be such as were not Predestinated from all Eternity to be saved by the Death of Christ Some there are not written in this Book but none written there shall be blotted out That 's the Second Particular 3. Rea. Christ will confess the names of Overcomers before his Father and before his Angels as if he had said I will own and acknowledg him as he hath owned and acknowledged me They have confessed him before men and he hath promised to confess such before his Father Mat. 10.32 The meaning is that Christ will publickly own them in the great Day of Judgment and will openly profess their well-tried Faith and other victorious Graces and they shall be found to Honour Praise and Glory at his appearing 1 Pet. 1.7 Then he will avouch them to be his Children saying Father Behold I and the Children which thou hast given me Isa 8.18 Esther though advanced to Honour with the King own'd her Relation to Mordecai and told him what he was unto her Esth 8.1 Joseph though advanced to great Dignity and a chief Favourite in Pharaoh's Court yet owned and confessed his poor Relations even before the King and his Courtiers Gen. 47. Even so will Christ at that day own his victorious Servants and Soldiers before the King of Kings and all those glorious Courtiers of Heaven the holy Angels A taste of this he gave when he was here on Earth When some told him his Relations stood without desiring to speak with him he pointed to his Disciples and said Behold my Mother and my Brethren For whosoever doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Mother and Sister and Brother Mat. 12.49 50. Here he freely owns and confesses his Spiritual Kindred and prefers them before his bare natural Relations So we find him making a report of their excellency who were his Disciples unto God his Father saying I have manifested thy Name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world and they have kept thy word Joh. 17.6 Here he makes an honourable mention of their laying up his words in their hearts and keeping to it in their lives And though as yet they were but weak yet he doth notably commend their good beginnings to his Father What will he do then at last when they shall have perfectly overcome We find it recorded of John the Baptist that he confessed and denied not but confessed I am not the Christ and after owned him and pointed at him saying Behold the Lamb of God vers 29. John is plain and bold ingenuous and constant in his testimony of Christ renonuncing the honour due to his Master and confessing and declaring Christ in the dignity and excellency of his Office shewing them how he was to execute the same for their good and benefit which was by Suffering and therefore points him out as the substance of the Passover and daily Sacrifices who by the Merit and Vertue of his Death takes away the sin of his own both Jews and Gentiles And did John lose by this his resolute Confession No not even here for Christ did as freely confess and make an honourable mention of him For saith he among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist Mat. 11.11 Because he was Christ's immediate Forerunner now the nearer to Christ the more excellent He prefers him not only before all the Prophets but all others that were born before him This is but the beginning of what Confession shall be more fully made of the Names of all that overcome in the great day of the Lords coming to Judgment The Vses follow Vse 1. See hence the miserable estate of all who overcome not but are fatally and finally overcome in their warring against these enemies of our Salvation They have neither part nor lot in these precious Promises yea the quite contrary things will be their Portion Instead of being clothed in white raiment in token of Purity Dignity
Beauty and Festivity they will at last appear in all their filthy Rags and menstruous Garments clothed with Shame and covered with confusion of Face His enemies saith God of David will I clothe with shame Psal 132.18 Much more those that dye in their enmity to himself Their Names are written in the Earth and will be blotted out from under Heaven Deut. 29.20 They shall not be written among the living in Jerusalem but registred among the dead as those that are Eternally forgotten of God Instead of confessing him he will profess He never knew them Mat. 7.23 He will be ashamed of them before his Father and before all his Angels as they were of him and of his words before men Mark 8.38 A Figurative Speech and spoken of Christ after the manner of men for our capacity Not that Christ shall then be subject to any shame or be affected with it but that he shall so carry himself towards such as have been ashamed of him ashamed to own his Truth and engage to fight in his Cause as men are wont to do towards those of whose company and acquaintance they are ashamed that is to say That he will not acknowledg them for his Saints Servants or Soldiers but utterly refuse reject and cast them off as wicked and reprobate They who now deny to fight under his Banner or professing so to do shall yield to the Enemy be overcome and recover not rise not by true Repentance these will Christ deny before his Father and before all Men and Angels Vse 2. Here is yet further Encouragement to all to strive to Overcome Whose heart can sink into discouragement whose Faith can fail that reads and duely considers the sweet Cordials in this Text You shall be clothed with white Raiment by Christ's own hand it shall be put upon you White inwardly as well as outwardly Not like the Pharisees whited Sepulchres outwardly beautiful but within full of rottenness and dead mens bones but as the King's Daughter All glorious within Psal 45. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like a Lily of the field Mat. 6.29 The most splendid and gorgeous Robes of the greatest Monarch are not to be compared unto this clothing This is the best Robe spoken of Luke 15. which the Father commanded to be brought forth and put upon his returning Son who by Repentance and converting Grace overcame all his former vicious and evil Conversation This is durable Raiment God did miraculously preserve the Garments of the Israelites from waxing old Deut. 8.4 But they were otherwise the worse for the wearing as we say of all other Garments But this clothing waxeth not old is as fresh upon the Overcomer after he hath worn it Thousands of Years as it was the first day it was put put upon him The rich man we read of in the Gospel was clothed with Purple Luke 16.19 But Overcomers with Cloth of Gold Her clothing is of wrought Gold Psal 45.13 Yea far more precious than Gold that perishes He that yields to his Lusts and other Enemies rejects this raiment and does like him we read of Luk. 8.27 that wore no clothes and would suffer none to be put upon him Is it not great encouragement then that is here promised that none shall be so well arraid as the Overcomer When that man was cured of his Madness he sate at Jesus feet clothed and in his right mind vers 35. None come rightly to themselves but will fight couragiously and strive to be victorious since their Rags and poor Apparel here they many times wear shall be converted into such rich clothing And so what a sweet Promise is it that follows I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life When some came to Christ rejoycing that they wrought Miracles and particularly cast out Devils in his Name he corrects them as mistaking the true ground of Joy and points them to the right Rejoyce not in this that the Spirits are subject to you but rather rejoyce in this that your Names are written in Heaven Luk. 10.20 out of the reach of all your Enemies they can never cast a blot upon them Here they blot them with Reproaches and vile Aspersions as Joseph's Mistress did him Here they blot out excommonucate and cast out their Names as vile and odious but still they remain written in Heaven and shall be had in everlasting Remembrance So to be confessed by Christ at last before God Angels and Men when others shall be discarded with a Discedite a me nescio vos Depart from me I know you not What Favour and Comfort will it give Overcomers Having therefore these Promises let nothing daunt or dismay us nothing is more unbeseeming the Royal Spirit of a Christian Say not the Devil is so malicious the World so ensnaring the Heart so deceitful our Attempts against them so fruitless we shall one day perish by our Enemies hand Is this the language of Heaven Are these the words of Faith Is this the voice of the Scripture and not rather the whisperings of the Old Serpent The fruit of slavish Fear and Unbelief Is not the voice of God quite contrary Doth not he say I will pour clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your Iniquities and from all your Idols I will cleanse you The God of Peace shall tread down Sathan under your feet shortly Rom. 16.20 That whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world 1 Joh. 5.4 Has he said it and shall it not come to pass Is not he faithful that hath promised Why then should we be faint-hearted Why should we suffer our Fears to disanimate and dispirit us Let us not be like those unbelieving timerous Spies who said Canaan was a good Land but there were Anakims Giants and by bringing an evil report disheartned the people and were shut out by God Josh 6. But let us all beg a Caleb-like Spirit whereby we may follow God fully as he did Numb 14.24 and our Enemies shall not stand before us Give a Soldier Courage and you give him all But take away his Heart and then he is almost dead before he strike a stroak It is a Seal to his Overthrow and a great advantage to the Enemy This evil of Unbelief and slavishness of Spirit doth us more hurt than all our Enemies can do When Saul was afraid he had not a heart to strike a stroke but went to the Witch c. 1 Sam 28.4 5. Were we valiant to the Battle God would say as he did of old to Joshua and Israel Your enemies shall not be able to stand before you Observe therefore the language of their enemies I know the Lord will give you the Land for your terrour is fallen upon us say they and all the Inhabitants of the Land faint because of you Assoon as we heard these things our hearts did melt neither did there remain any more Courage in any man because of you Josh 2 9-11 We cannot