Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A30209
|
The strait gate, or, Great difficulty of going to Heaven plainly proving by the Scriptures that not only the rude and profane, but many great professors will come short of that Kingdom / by John Bunyan.
|
Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.
|
1676
(1676)
|
Wing B5600; ESTC R26567
|
52,935
|
156
|
run into tryals God hath ordained that enow of them shall overtake thee to prove thy graces either rotten or sound before the day of thy death sufficient to the day is the evil thereof if thou haâ—t but a sufficiency of grace to withstand I say thou shalt have tryals enow overtake thee to prove thy graces sound or rotten thou maiâ—â— therefore if God shall help thee see how it is like to go with thee before thou goest out of this world to wit whether thy graces be such as will carry thee in at the gates of heaven or no But how should we try our graces now Ans. How doest thou finde them in outward trials see Heb. 11. 15. 16. how doest thou finde thy self in the inward workings of sin Ro. 7. 24. how doest thou find thy self under the most high enjoyment of grace in this world Phil. 3. 14. But what do you mean by these three questions Answ. I mean graces shew themselves at these their seasons whether they be rotten or sound How do they shew themselves to be true under the first of these Ans. By mistrusting our own sufficiency by crying to God for help by desiring rather to die then to bring any dishonour to the name of God and by counting that if God be honoured in the trial thou hast gained more then all the world could give thee 2 Chro. 20. 12. chap. 14. 11. Acts. 4. Acts. 20. 24. 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. Heb. 11. 24 25. How do they shew themselves to be true under the second Answ. By mourning and confessing and striving and praying against them by not being content shouldest thou have heaven if they live and defile thee and by counting of holyness the greatest beauty in the world and by flying to Jesus Christ for life Zech. 12. 10. Joh. 19. Heb. 12. 4. Psal. 19. 12. How do they shew themselves to be true under the third By prizing the true graces above all the world by praying heartily that God will give thee more by not being content with all the grace thou canst be capable of enjoying on this side heaven and glory Psal. 84. 10. Luk. 17. 5. Philip. 3. chapter Strive to enter in The reason why Christ addeth these words to enter in is obvious to wit because there is no true lasting happiness on this side heaven I say none that is both true and lasting â— mean as to our sense and feeling as there there shall for here have we no continuing city but we seek one to come Heb. 13. 14. the heaven is within strive therefore to enter in the glory is within strive therefore to enter in the Mount Sion is within strive therefore to enter in the heavenly Jerusalem is within strive therefore to enter in Angels and Saints are within strive therefore to enter in and to make up all the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ and that glorious redeemer is within strive therefore to enter in Strive to enter in For without are dogs sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie without are also the devils and hell and death and all damned souls without is houling weeping wailing and guashing of teeth yea without are all the miseries sorrows and plagues that an infinite God can in justice and power inflict upon an evil and wicked generation strive therefore to enter in at the strait gate Revel 22. 15. Matt. 25. 41. Revel 12. 9. Isai. 65. 13. 14. Matt. 22. 13. Deut. 29. 18. 19. 20. Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able We are now come to the motive which our Lord urges to inforce his exhortation he told us before that the gate was strait he also exhorted us to strive to enter in thereat or to get those things now that will further our entrance then and to set our selves against those things that will hinder our entring in In this motive there are five things to be minded 1. That there will be a disappointment to some at the day of judgment they will seek to enter in and shall not be able 2. That not a few but many will meet with this disappointment for many will seek to enter in and shall not be able 3. This doctrin of the miscariadge of many then it standeth upon the validity of the word of Christ for many I say will seek to enter in and shall not be able 4. Professors shall make a great heap among the many that shall fall short of heaven for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able 5. Where grace and striving are wanting now seeking and contending to enter in will be unprofitable then for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able But I will proceed in my former method to wit to open the words unto you For many c. If he had said for some will fall short it had been a sentence to be minded If he had said for some that seek will fall short it had been very awakening but when he saith many many will fall short yea many among professors will fall short this is not only awakning but dreadful For many c. I finde this word many variously applyed in the Scripture 1. Sometimes it intendeth the open profane the wicked and ungodly world as where Christ saith wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat Matt. 7. 13. I say by the many here he intends those chiefly that go on in the broad way of sin and prophanness bearing the tokens of their damnation in their foreheads those whose dayly practise proclaims that their feet go down to death and their steps take hold of hell Job 21. 29. 30. Isa. 3. 9. Pro. 55. 2. Sometimes this word many intendeth those that cleave to the people of God deceitfully and in hypocrisy or as Daniel hath it many shall cleave unto the Church with flatteries Dan. 11. 34. The word many in this text includeth all those who feign themselves better then they are in religion it includeth I say those that have religion only for an holy-day saint to set them out at certain times and when they come among sutable company 3. Sometimes this word many intendeth them that apoâ—tatiâ—e from Christ such as for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away as John saith of some of Christs disciples from that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him Joh. 6. 66. 4. Sometimes this word many intendeth them that make a great noyse and do many great things in the Church and yet want saving grace many saith Christ will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works mark there will be many
reader and let us soberly walk through the rest of what shall be said and let us compare as we go each particular with the holy Scripture First 't is said The daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vinyard as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers as a besieged citie Isa. 18. The vineyard was the Church of Israel Isa. 5. 1. the cottage in that vinyard was the daughter of Zion or the truly gracious amongst or in that Church a cottage God had but a cottage there but a little habitation in the Church a very few that were truly gracious amongst that great multitude that professed and had it not been for these for this cottage the rest had been ruined as Sodom Except the Lord of hosts had left in us in the Church a very few they had been as Sodom v. 9. wherefore among the multitude of them that shall be damned professors will make a considerable party Secondly for though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall return a remnant shall be saved Isa. 10. 22. Ro. 9. 27. for though thy people Israel whom thou brought'st out of Egypt to whom thou hast given Church-constitution holy laws holy ordinances holy prophets and holy covenants thy people by seperation from all people and thy people by profession though this thy people be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall be saved wherefore among the multitude of them that shall be damned professors will make a considerable party Thirdly Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Jer. 6. 30. the people here under consideration are called in verse 27. Gods people his people by profession I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people that thou maiest know and try their way what follows They are all grievous revolters walking with standers reprobate silver the Lord hath rejected them In chapter â— ver 29. they are called also the generation of his wrath for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath This therefore I gather out of these holy Scriptures that with reference to profession and Church-constitution a people may be called the people of God but with reference to the event and final conclusion that God will make with some of them they may be truly the generation of his wrath Fourthly In the 5. of Isa. you read again of the vinyard of God and that it was planted on a very fruitful hill planted with the choicest vines had a wall a tower a wine-press belonging to it and all things that could put it into right order and good government as a Church but this vinyard of the Lord of hosts brought forth wild grapes fruits unbecoming her constitution and government wherefore the Lord takes from her his hedge and wall and lets her be â—roden down reade Christs exposition upon it in Matt. 2. and 33. c. look to it professors these are the words of the text for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Fifthly Son of man said God to the Prophet the house of Israel is to me become dross all they are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midest of the furnace they are the dross of silver Ezek. 22. 18. God had silver there some silver but it was but little the bulk of that people was but the dross of the Church though they were the members of it but what doth he mean by the dross why he looked upon them as no better notwithstanding their Church-membership then the rabble of the world that is with respect to their latter end for to be called dross it is to be put among the rest of the sinners of the world in the judgment of God though at present they abide in his house Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies Psal. 119. 119. God saith of his saved ones he hath chosen them in the furnace of affliction The refiner when he putteth his silver into his furnace he puts lead in also among it now this lead being ordered as he knows how works up the dross from the silver which dross still as it riseth he putteth by or taketh away with an instrument and thus deals God with his Church there is silver in his Church I and there is also dross now the dross are the hypocrites and graceless ones that are got into the Church and these will God discover and afterwards put away as dross So that it will without doubt prove a truth of God that many of their professors that shall put in claim for heaven will not have it for their inheritance Sixthly It is said of Christ his â—an is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and will gather his wheat into his garner but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire Mat. 3. 12. 1. The floor is the Church of God O my threshing and the corn of my floor said God by the prophet Isa. 21. 10. to his people 2. The wheat are those good ones in his Church that shall be undoubtedly saved therefore he saith gather my wheat into my garner 3. The chaff groweth upon the same stalk and ear and so is in the same visible body with the wheat but there is not substance in it wherefore in time they must be severed one from the other the wheat must be gathered into the garner which is heaven and the chaff or professors that want true grace must be gathered into hell that they may be burned up with unquenchable fire therefore let professors look to it Seventhly Christ Jesus casts away two of the three grounds that are said to receive â—â—e word lâ—k 8. The stony ground received it with joy and the thorny ground brought forth fruit almost to perfection indeed the high-way ground was to shew us that the carnal while such receive not the word at all but here is the pinch two of the three that received it fell short of the kingdom of heaven for but one of the three received it so as to bring forth fruit to perfection look to it professors Eighthly The parable of the unprofitable servant the parable of the man without a wedding garment and the parable of the unsavory salt do each of them ju 〈…〉 ie this for truth Matt. 25. 24 25 chap. 22. 11 12 13. chap. 5. 13. that of the unprofitable servavt is to shew us the â—â—â—th and idleness of some professors that of the man without a wedding-garment is to shew us how some professors have the shame of their wickedness seen by God even when they are among the children of the bridgroome and that parable of the unsavory salt is to shew that as the salt that hath lost its savor is fit for nothing no not for the dunghill but to be troden under the foot of men So some professors yea and great ones too for this