Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	grace_n	grow_v	growth_n	1,564	5	11.7957	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51034	A discourse of the glory to which God hath called believers by Jesus Christ delivered in some sermons out of the I Pet. 5 Chap. 10 ver. : together with an annexed letter / both by that eminent and worthy minister of the Gospel, Mr. Jonathan Mitchil, late pastor to the church at Cambridge in New-England.	Mitchel, Jonathan, 1624-1668.; Collins, John, 1632?-1687.	1677 (1677)	Wing M2289; ESTC R36603	134,741	304

you shall come to it what a joyful thought is this 5. It affords comfort against that absence from the Lord and want of enjoyment of his presence which here we are mourning under 2 Cor. 5.6 7 8. the greatest presence of God that we here enjoy at any time is but absence in comparison How often do we find the Lord withdrawing and absenting himself hiding his face leaving us at a loss and when after mourning and seekings he does draw near and let out himself in any Ordinance or promise yet it is but little in comparison and soon interrupted and clouded again and it will be so Expect not a full and satisfactory and constant uninterrupted enjoyment of God a morning without clouds here That is reserved for Heaven we shall be complaining of defects in our Communion with God while in this World But Heaven will answer and satisfie all our desires and expectations in this respect It will bring us into the presence of God and set us before his face for ever Psal 41.12 we shall then be never absent but alwayes present with the Lord I Thes 4.17 If God had not reserved this for another state and place we might wonder that we can reach no more of it nor that after all our Prayers and mournings we get so little of it and find so many withdrawings and sin and World are suffered to put in and make so many interruptions Oh it is to make us look and long for another World make that use of all the defects and interruptions we find in our Communion with God Prize Heaven and be waiting for that day of full Redemption and think not to enjoy our Heaven here But be willing to go hence that we may go to God be willng rather to be absent from the Body that we may be present with the Lord that we may be with Christ which is best of all Phil. 1.23 willing not only to trade into that Countrey and with much adoe fetch some tasts of the Commodities thereof hither but to remove thither and there possess the fulness thereof even of Beatifical Communion with God Father Son and Holy Ghost for evermore In the mean time let the fore-thoughts and belief of it now while we walk by Faith and not by sight be a comfort and rejoycing in hope that we shall one day have what now we want what now we pray and seek for but cannot fully reach Believing rejoyce with Joy unspeakable Believing that there will come a time when you shall lye in his bosom and see his face drink in the rivers of his pleasures without imperfection without interruption and without end SERMON X. 3. IMprove Heaven and the hopes promises and forethoughts of it to quicken you to prepare for it and for the great Glory there Even those that are in Christ and have Grace begun in them and have hopes to get to Heaven at last yet they may be unready and unfit for Heaven unprepared to go away thither when ever the Lord pleaseth But we ought to be prepared and the consideration of it should stir us up to labour to be fitted for it Colos 1.12 Mat. 24.44 and 25.10 Rom. 9.23 Quest How may we come to be prepared for Heaven or what is this readiness and how obtain'd Answ A main thing in it is to get a portion in Christ Get into a state of Justification and Salvation and good evidence thereof Give all diligence to make your Calling and sure But this we have spoken of before we are now speaking to those that are in Christ yea especially to those that have some Comfortable assurance of it that have a well-grounded hope of Heaven you have got much when you have that and are in a great measure ready but yet that is not all they that are in Christ and have some good hold of him by Faith have further need to be prepar'd for Eternal Glory As viz. 1. By growing in Grace Labour to grow in Grace and thereby to be ripe for Heaven Though the Cor● be come up yea grown up and eared yet it is not fit to be gathered into the Garnertill it be ripe If the seed of the word have taken place in thy heart and sprouted and come up and be above ground that thy self and others may hopefully discern it that is a comfortable thing But alas thou art too green and raw thou needest a great deal more time and Sun and growth to fit you for Heaven your stalk is not grown yet nor your eare filled nor hardened you need more solidity and hability and consistance of Grace you are not fit for the Sickle nor the Flaile yet to pass through death nor to be laid up in the Chambers of Glory You had need improve every dayes Sun and every drop of Dew and Rain all means and Ordinances and the influence of the Spirit therein to help on your growth that so at the last you may be as a shock of Corn coming in its season And you must be willing to stand abroad till then though it be in the wind and Sun and weather of this troublesome World till full ripe and then you shall be Inn'd and carried into the Heavenly Garner Heaven is the perfection of Grace thy Grace must grow a great deal before it come to that It is far far short of it it had need be growing dayly thou art but a dwarf a babe yet it would be a fearful thing for thee not to grow as it is to see a little child not grow you must come to a perfect man to a full stature if you be Christ's and for Eternal Life indeed and how can that be if you do not grow If you be a living you must and will be a growing Christian If you be one that shall live in Heaven forever i. e. in the perfection and adult state of Grace you must grow while you are in your childhood here on Earth Eph●s 4.13.14 15. Think often of the necessity the absolute necessity of growth Think I must have more Grace than I have I must get further on in the way of Grace if ever I get to Heaven For there is perfection which how far am I short of and and I must press and get on nearer and nearer towards that perfection while I am in the way to it if ever I get thither Take a man that is in a Journey and hath gone a good way why the steps that are remaining are as necessary as those that are past if he mean to get to his Journey 's end If he sit down and stop in the and w●y he will no more get thither than if he had nev●r set out It is as necessary that you pr●ss ●● forward and make a progress in the way to ●eaven if you mean ●o g●t home thither as it was that you came thus far Oh therefore be of Paul's mind so the sincere will b● Phil. 3.12 13 14 15. Yea if we do not go on forward