Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A35416
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An elegant and learned discourse of the light of nature, with several other treatises Nathanael Culverwel ...
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Culverwel, Nathanael, d. 1651?; Dillingham, William, 1617?-1689.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing C7569; ESTC R13398
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340,382
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446
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the Covenant Now what 's the Covenant but this That he shall be your God and you shall be his people And then you can't but remember a late Vow that you have made too the very summe of which was this to stand for the publick good 3. Certainty to prosper it is the cause of God A Christian is of the surest side of the winning side There 's none but has a minde to prosper then pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that love thee There 's none can eclipse the glory of God it 's beyond the limited power of a creature to dimme the lustre of his Crown God will maintaine his own cause or else he should lose of his glory his mighty Arme will get himself the victory Christ is the Captain of this Church and he is the chiefest often thousand the Ensigne-bearer And this is comfort enough for a Christian the enemies must conquer Christ before they can overcome his Church Christ the head of the Church is impregnable This is the second ground why Christians must stand for the cause of the Church because 't is the cause of God to which they are bound 1. By engagements many and great 2. By Vows 3. Encouraged with certainty of successe III. A Christian's bound to be of a publick spirit by vertue of the communion of Saints Every Christian's a member of Christs mysticall body and so must take care for the good of the whole He that is united to Christ the Head must be knit also to the other members He that do's not sympathize with the Church is not of the body He that can hear of the breaches of Sion and the decayes of Ierusalem He that can see the apples of Gods eye pierc't through and not be affected with it will ye call such members of Christs body He that is not truely affected with the bleeding condition of the Christians in Ireland do's virtually and in effect deny this Article of his Creed The Communion of Saints IV. It is against the Mighty Christians had need have publike spirits because they have publick enemies the Devil a publick enemy Antichrist a publick enemy They are private enough in respect of their malice and subtlety but publick in force and opposition As there is the paw of the Lion for strength so there is the head of the Serpent for wisdome but yet the head of the Serpent is broken their wisdome infatuated He that is in heaven can counterplot them and laugh them to scorne But yet thus much you may learn of the enemies of the Church to study the publick good They seek the ruine of the whole and why should not you seek the welfare of the whole If they be so sedulous and industrious so forward and active in a bad cause will you be negligent and remisse in the best cause in the cause of God in the helping of the Lord All that they do they 'l tell you 't is for the Catholick cause they are for the publick What won't a Jesuite do for the Catholick cause Hee 'l compasse Sea and Land to gaine one proselyte They do publick mischiefs and have a malignant and venomous influence into all places where they come and why should not Christians do as publick service for God as they do for the Devil Come out therefore against the mâ—ghty to the help of the Lord. That which was Meroz his excuse perhaps because the Canaanites were mighty ones therefore they durst not come out against them this God makes the very aggravation of their sin for if the enemies were mighty Israel had more need of their help and aide Curse ye Meroz saith the Angel of the Lord c. And Meroz might have consider'd that as there are mighty enemies so there is a mighty God too an Almighty God that can crush proud Sisera and dash in pieces the strongest enemy And now by this time you have seen that 't is but fit and equall for a Christian to be of a publick spirit to come out to the help of the Lord. 2. The manner how every Christian may promote the publick good And here by way of premisall 1. It must be in a lawful and warrantable way They that come out to help the Lord must help him in his own wayes such wayes as his word allowes or else they do not help the Lord but offend the Lord in breaking his commandments Job 13. 7. Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Do's Gods glory depend upon mans sin do's he allow any man to sin for the advancing of his glory Nay do's he not forbid it and detest it It is a clear and undenyable truth of our Saviour You must not do evil that good may come of it A speech of one of the Ancients You must not tell the least lie if you could save the whole Church by it You remember the clause in the Protestation as far as lawfuy I may he that seeks the publick good in an unlawfull course breaks his Protestation To the right conducting of an action besides the intention of an end truely there must be also the choice of just direct means for the accomplishing of it 2. In a prudent and orderly way They that come out to the help of the Lord must keep their ranks The Starres fought in their courses against Sisera Christians must keep their severall stations if there be confusion you can't tell a Canaanite from an Israelite a friend from a foe Let every Christian that studies the publick good keep his own place The Magistrate his the Ministers theirs and the people also theirs And now there are some wayes very good and warrantable by which Christians may come out to the help of the Lord and to the aiding of Israel 1. By Prayer To be sure this is a lawful meanes I and 't is a prevalent means too and has great influence upon the publick good Exod. 17. 11. When Moses held up his hand then Israel prevail'd 'T is a speciall benefit that Christians have by the communion of Saints the prayers one of another There 's a stock of prayers the Church has and the weakest Christian has a share in it Thou hast the benefit of many Christians prayer whose face thou never sawest whom thou never heard'st of perhaps he lives in America or some remote corner of the world but wheree're he be thou hast the benefit of his prayer as a member of the mystical body For there 's no prayer put up to God for his Church but it encludes every particular member of the Church in it so that prayer do's wonderfully promote the publick good Pray for the peace of Jerusalem pray for it that 's the way to have it And many an one that can use no other means yet may use this There 's many can't help the Christians in Ireland but there 's no Christian but may pray for them There 's many that can't fight against the Rebels and yet they can
their sins and Judah their transgressions And this is that which prepares the Martyres for their sufferings God tempers and allayes that Cup he drops some of his goodnesse into it and sweetens it to them He first sets his seal to their soules before they set their seal to his truth he diets them with the hidden Manna and gives them before-hand the White Stone as a sure pledge of victory What is it but this that makes them devoure torments and come to them with an appetite 't is this that softens the flames and turnes them into a bed of Roses 't is this that fills their souls with joy and their mouths with praises that makes them more chearful in their sufferings then their Saviour in his for they usually have the face of a reconciled God shining out upon them which was wholly with drawn from him when he cry'd out My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me 4. Praying times are sealing times The same Spirit that endites the Prayer seales it up When Hannah had put up her Prayer 1 Sam 1. 18. the text sayes expressely that her countenance was no more sad As 't is the great Priviledge of Assurance that Christians may then with confidence cry Abba Father so also 't is a great meanes to Assurance The hearing of Prayers is a mighty strengthening to faith and the strengthening of faith does strongly tend to Assurance Besides Christians may pray for Assurance they may be importunate for a glimpse of his face for one beam for one smile and his bowels won't let him deny them Hence you shall finde it that such as are most frequent in Prayer are most blest with Assurance Praying Christians have much entercourse and communion with their God And thus there may be a National kinde of Assurance I say a National plerophory when God shall poure out a Spirit of Prayer and Supplication upon his people and they with united and concentricated abilities shall besiege the Throne of Grace there is no doubt there can be no doubt but at length he will yield up such a mercy to his praying People 5. Times of outward exigencies are sealing times 2 Cor. 4. 16. Though our outward man decay yet our inward man is renew'd daily that feeds upon hidden Mannah a precious restaurative for a fainting Christian Manna you know was rain'd down in the wildernesse and when the Israelites provision failed them then Manna was rain'd down When the water-pots are fill'd up to the brim then water presently turn'd into wine and so this hidden Mannah is provided for sad and cloudy conditions We except only the case of total desertion when the soul has not the least light shining in upon it which is the severest judgement that a true Christian is capable of but in other distresses especially outward and temporal distresses he does reveal himself more immediately to them And though the creature frown yet he will smile upon them Believers they are the friends of God and 't is no part of friendship to forsake them in the saddest times St. John when a banish't man in the Isle of Pathmos then God shewes him that glorious Revelation Paul and Silas when in prison then brim-full of joy which breaks out into Psalmes of Praise In the fiery trial as there is some scorching so there is some light too And God does prepare his People for the seal of the Spirit by thus melting and softening their heart for the softer the heart is the clearer will the Print of his love be When God had brought that great sicknesse upon Hezekiah and thus had dissolv'd and soft'ned his heart he presently prints his love upon it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thon hast lov'd my soule from the grave God does then most expresse his love when they have most need of it The white Stone sparkles most oriently in the darkest condition O how gloriously does God shine in upon the prisons of Martyrs what frequent visits does he give them it might even make men ambitious of their sufferings that they might have some such expressions of his love towards them 6. Times of Victory and Conquests over lusts and temptations are sealing times God after such victories will give his People a triumph This is exprest in that text of the Revelation Rev. 2. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To him that overcomes will I give to eate of the hidden Mannah c. Thus when Saint Paul was wrastling with and conquering that great temptation whatever it was that is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12. God then gives to eat of the hidden Mannah and strengthens him with this My grace is sufficient for thee He gives him the white Stone with that Motto graven in it My grace c. Thus that noble Christian and famous Convert of Italy Galeacius Caracciolus when he had scorn'd the pomp and lustre of the world and had trampl'd upon all relations for the love of a Saviour when Satan that cunning Angler of souls had spent all his baits upon him and he had refus'd them all O then what a deal of precious sweetnesse slides into his soul what rushings in of glorious joy he had never such joy at Naples as he had at Geneva You may hear him pronouncing an Anathema to all such as shall prefer all the gold and silver in the world before one dayes sweet Communion with Jesus Christ As none have more dregs of wrath then relapsing and apostatizing Spirits Remember but Spira's case so none have sweeter and choicer mercy then the faithful Servants of the Lord Jesus that follow him in the houre of temptation Apostates are seal'd up to a day of vengeance but these are seal'd up to a day of Redemption Thus the Mourners in Ezekiel that would not yield to the abominations of the times must have a seal set upon them Thus that Virgin-company in the Revelation that would not prostitute their soules to Antichristian folly have the seal of God in their foreheads This is the happinesse of a Christian that he has a sweet satisfaction in self-denyal in denying sin in repulsing lust in conquering temptation in pulling out his right eye in cutting off his right hand in mortifying the body of death he has a sweet satisfaction in all these And thus you have seen those special sealing times when Christians have this high plerophory these riches of Assurance we come now to speak of them in a more Applicatory way 1. Times of Assurance they should be times of humility and dependance upon God When Moses had been so long in the Mount and had a lustre upon him by conversing with God himself presently at the foot of the Mount he meets with matter of humiliation The Israelites have made them a golden Calfe Thy People sayes God to Moses they have done this And the Apostle Paul when he had been rapt up into the third Heaven and had heard there some of Arcana Coeli things that neither could nor might be utter'd for