Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A26936
|
The grand question resolved, what we must do to be saved instructions for a holy life / by the late Reverend Divine, Mr. Richard Baxter ; recommended to the bookseller a few days before his death to be immediately printed for the good of souls.
|
Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
|
1692
(1692)
|
Wing B1279; ESTC R14371
|
33,250
|
49
|
Conscience bear witness against thy Sin and tell thee that a holy Life is best regard not the Gain-sayings of a Bediam World which is drunk with the Delusions of the Flesh But give up thy Soul and Life to God by Jesus Christ in a faithful Covenant Delay no longer Man but resolve Resolve immediately resolve unchangeably And God will he thine and thou shalt be his for ever Amen Lord have Mercy on this Sinner and to let it be resolved by thee in him II. The Parts and Practice of a Holy Life for Personal and Family Instructions ALL is not not done when men have begun a Religious Life All Trees that blossom prove not fruitful and all Fruit comes not to perfection Many fall off who seemed to have good Beginnings And many dishonour the Name of Christ by their Scandals and Infirmities Many do grieve their Teachers Hearts and lamentably disturb the Church of Christ by their Ignorance Errors Self-conceitedness Unruliness Headiness Contentiousness Sidings and Divisions Insomuch that the Scandals and the Feuds of Christians are the great Impediments of the Conversion of the Infidel and Heathen World by the exposing Christianity to their contempt and scorn as if it were but the Error of men as unholy and worldly and proud as others that can never agree among themselves And many by their Passions and Selfishness are a Trouble to the Families and Neighbours where they live And more by their Weaknesses and great Distempers are Snares Vexations and Burdens to themselves Whereas Christianity in its true Constitution is a Life of such Holy Light and Love such Purity and Peace such Fruitfulness and Heavenliness as if it were accordingly shewed forth in the Lives of Christians would command Admiration and Reverence from the World and do more to their Conversion than Swords or Words alone can do and it would make Christians useful and amiable to each other And their Lives a Feast and pleasure to themselves I hope it may prove some help to these Excellent Ends and to the securing Mens Salvation if in a few sound Experienced Directions I open to you the Duties of a Christian Life I. Keep still the true Form of Christian Doctrine Desire and Duty orderly printed on your Minds That is Understand it clearly and distinctly and remember it I mean the Great Points of Religion contained in Catechisms You may still grow in the clearer understanding of your Catechisms if you live an hundred Years Let not the Words only but the Matter be as familiar in your Minds as the Rooms of your House are Such solid Knowledge will establish you against Seduction and Unbelief and will be still within you a ready Help for every Grace and every Duty as the Skill of an Artificer is for his Work And for want of this when you come among Infidels or Hereticks their Reasonings may seem unanswerable to you and shake if not overthrow your Faith And you will easily err in lesser Points and trouble the Church with your Dreams and Wranglings This is the Calamity of many Professors that while they will be most censorious Judges in every Controversie about Church-matters they know not well the Doctrine of the Catechism II. Live daily by Faith on Jesus Christ as the Mediator between God and you Being well-grounded in the Belief of the Gospel and understanding Christ's Office make use of him still in all your Wants Think on the Fatherly Love of God as coming to you through him alone and of the Spirit as given by him your Head and of the Covenant of Grace as enacted and sealed by him and of the Ministry as sent by him and of all Times and Helps and hopes as procured and given by him When you think of Sin and Infirmity and Temptations think also of his sufficient pardoninâ— justifying and victorious Grace When thou thinkest of the World the Flesh and the Devil think how he overcometh them Let his Doctrine and the Pattern of his most perfect Life be always before you as your Rule In all your Doubts and Fears and Wants go to him in the Spirit and to the Father by him and him alone Take him as the Root of your Life and Mercies and live as upon him and by his Life and when you die resign your Souls to him that they may be with him where he is and see his Glory To live on Christ and use him in every Want and address to God is more than a general confused Believing in him III. So believe in the Holy Ghost as to live and work by him as the Body doth by the Soul You are not baptized into his Name in vain but too few understand the sense and reason of it The Spirit is sent by Christ for Two great Works 1. To the Apostles and Prophets to inspire them infallibly to preach the Gospel and confirm it by Miracles and leave it on Record for following Ages in the Holy Scriptures 2. To all his Members to illuminate and sanctifie them to believe and obey this Sacred Doctrine beside his common Gift to many to understand and preach it The Spirit having first indicted the Gospel doth by it first regenerate and after govern all true Believers He is not now given â—s for the revealing of new Doctrines but to understand and obey the Doctrine revealed and sealed by him long ago As the Sun doth by its sweet and discreet Influence both give and cherish the natural life of things Sensitive and Vegetative so doth Christ by his Spirit our spiritual Life As you do no work but by your natural Life you should do none but by your spiritual Life You must not only Believe and Love and pray by it but manage all your Calling by it for Holiness to the lord must be written upon all All things are sanctified to you because you being sanctified to God devote all to him and use all for him and therefore must do all in the Strength and Conduct of the Spirit IV. Live wholly upon God as All in All As the first Efficient principal Dirigent and final Cause of all things Let Faith Hope and Love be daily feeding on him Let Our Father which art in Heaven be first inscribed on your Hearts that he may seem most amiable to you and you may boldly trust him and filial Love may be the spring of Duty Make use of the Son and Spirit to lead you to the Father and of Faith in Christ to kindle and keep alive the Love of God God's Love is our Primitive Holiness and especially called with its Fruits Our Sanctification which Faith in Christ is but a means to Let it be your principal End in studying Christ to see the Goodness Love and Amiableness of God in him A condemning God is not so easily loved as a gracious reconciled God You have so much of the Spirit as you have Love to God This is the proper Gift of the Spirit
Loveâ— Loving God as God for himself above all and loving my self as his Servant especially my Soul and seeking 〈◊〉 Holiness and Salvation and Loving my Neighbour 〈◊〉 my self I must avoid all Idolatry of Mind or Body â—nd must Worship God according to his Word by â—earning and Meditating on his Word by Prayer Thanksgiving Praise and use of his Sacrament I must not profane but holily use his holy Name I must keep holy the Lord's Day especially in Communion with the Church Assemblies I must Honour and Obey my Parents Magistrates Pastors and other â—â—lers I must not wrong my Neighbour in thought word or deed in his Soul his Body his Chastity Estate Right oâ— Propriety but do him all the good I can And do as I would be done by which is summed up in the Ten Commandments God spake these words saying c. A Prayer for Families in the method of the Lords Prayer being â—ut an Exposition of it MOST Glorious GOD who art Power and Wisdom and Goodness it self the Creator 〈◊〉 all things the Owner the Ruler and the Benefactor of the World but especially of thy Church and Chosen Ones Though by sin original and actual we were thy Enemies the Slaves of Satan and our Flesh and under thy displeasure and the condemnation of thy Law yet thy Children Redeemed by Jesus Christ thy Son and Regenerated by thy Holy Spirit have leave to call thee their reconciled Father For by thy Covenant of Grace thou hast given them thy Son to be their Head their Teacher and their Saviour And in Him thou haâ—t pardoned adopted and sanctified them sealing and preparing them by thy Holy Spirit for thy Câ—â—lestial Kingdom and beginning in them that holy life and light and love which shall be perfected with thee in Everlasting Glory O with what wondrous love hast thou loved us that of Rebels we should be made the Sons of God! Thou hast advanced us to this dignity that we might be devoted wholly to Thee as Thine Own and might delightfully obey Thee and entirely love Thee with all our Heart and so might glorifie Thee here and for ever O cause both us and all thy Churches and all the World to hallow thy great and holy Name And to 〈◊〉 to Thee as our Ultimate End that thy shining 〈◊〉 on Holy Souls may Glorifie thy Divine Perfection And cause both us and all the Earth to cast off the Tyranny of Satan and the Flesh and to acknowledge thy Supream Authority and to become the Kingdomâ— of Thee and Thy Son Jesus by a willing and absolute subjection O perfect thy Kingdom of Grace in our selves and in the World and hasten the Kingdom of Glory And cause us and thy Churches and all people of the Earth no more to be ruled by the Luâ—â—s of the Flesh and their Erroneous Conceits and by Self-will which is the Idol of the Wicked but by thy perfect Wisdom and holy Will revealed in thy Laws Make known thy Word to all the World and send them the Messengers of Grace and Peace and cause Men to understand believe and obey the Gospel of Salvation and that with such Holiness Unity and Love that the Earth which is now too like to Hell may 〈◊〉 made liker unto Heaven and not only thy scattered imperfect Flock but those also who in their carnal and ungodly minds do now refuse a holy Life and think thy Word and Ways too strict may desire to imitate even the Heavenly Church where Thou art obeyed and loved and praised with high Delight in Harmony and Perfection And because our Being is the subject of our well-being maintain us in the Life which thou hast here given us until the work of Life be finished and give us such health of Mind and Body and such protection and supply of all our wants as shall best 〈…〉 our Duty and make us contented with our daily Bread and patient if we want it And save us from the love of the Riches and Honours and Pleasures of this World and the Pride and Idleness and Sensuality which they cherish And cause us to serve thy Providence by our diligent Labours and to serve thee faithfully with all that thou givest us And let us not make provision for the Flesh to satisfie its desires and lusts And we beseech thee of thy Mercy through the Sacrifice and Propitiation of thy Beloved Son forgive us all our sins original and actual from our Birth to this Hour our omissions of Duty and committing of what thou didst forbid Our sins of heart and word and deed our sinful thoughts and affections our sinful passions and discontents our secret and our open sins our sins of negligence and ignorance and rashness but especially our sins against Knowledge and Conscience which have made the deepest guilt and wounds Spare us O Lord and let not our sins so find us out as to be our ruin but let us so find them out as truely to repent and turn to thee Especially punish us not with the loss of thy Grace Take not thy Holy Spirit from us and deny us not his assistance and holy operations Seal to us by that Spirit the pardon of our Sins and lift up the light of thy Countenance upon us and give us the joy of thy Favour and Salvation And let thy Love and Mercy so fill us not only with Thankfulness to Thee but with Love and Mercy to our Brethren and our Enemies that we may heartily forgive them that do us wrong as through thy Grace we hope we do And for the time to come suffer us not to cast our selves wilfully into Temptations but carefully to avoid them and resolutely to resist and Conquer what we cannot avoid And O mortifie those inward Sins and Lusts which are our constant and most dangerous Temptations And let us not be tempted by Satan or the World or tryed by thy Judgments above the strength which thy Grace shall give us Save us from a fearless confidence in our own strength And let us not dally with the snare nor taste the bait nor play with the Fire of thy wrath But cause us to fear and depart from evil lest before we are aware we be entangled and overcome and wounded with our Guilt and with thy Wrath and our End should be worse than our Beginning Especially save us from those radical Sins of Error and Unbelief Pride Hypocrisie Hardheartedness Sensuality Slothfulness and the love of this present World and the loss of our love to Thee to thy Kingdom and thy Ways And save us from the malice of Satan and of wicked Men and from the Evils which our sins would bring upon us And as we crave all this from thee we humbly render our Praises with our future Service to thee Thou art the King of all the World and more than the Life of all the Living Thy Kingdom is Everlasting Wise and Just and Merciful is thy Government Blessed are they that are thy faithful Subjects