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A50244
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A sermon wherein is shewed that it is the duty and should be the care of believers on Christ to live in the constant exercise of grace by Mr. Nathanael Mather ...
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Mather, Nathanael, 1631-1697.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723. Doctrine of Divine Providence opened and applyed.
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Wing M1266; ESTC R27641
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13,097
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Christians up thus there are things which it 's past past all question there is no law against therefore look to these 3 A third Argument why they should walk in the Spirit is because they had crucifyed the the Flesh with the lusts and affections thereof ver 24. and 't is a very uncomly and incongrous thing for Saints to be led by a crucified thing and if they be not led by the Spirit they must und should be led by the flesh 4 A fourth Argument for their walking in the Spirit is because they were alive in or by the Spirit ver 25. Direct 3. A third Direction that the Apostle gives how Saints may eschew the abusing of their Liberty is that they should not be desirous of vain glory ver 26. if we be we shall abuse our liberty as an occasion to the flesh and use it in such a way as may be a provoking to one another this desire of vain glory will put us upon envying one another Direct 4. The fourth Direction is Chap. 6. ver 1. the design of it is to teach Christians in the use of their Liberty to make a difference between the miscariages of men There are some that are not Censurable Crimes but lesser faults things that do not unavoydably overthrow the Saving fundamental truth which the Church professeth nor yet the comfortable walking of the Church together in all the ordinances worship of the Gospel and there are some persons who tho perhaps through weakness they may be by surprizal entangled and catch'd in some carnal and ungospel-like Opinion or practice yet they are not obstinate or incurable therein To such and in such cases you must walk otherwise if you would use your liberty and that power which Members have mutually one over another aright These you must not presently cut off but you that are spiritual must with a spirit of meekness labour the Restoring of them thus bearing one anothers burthens and thus fulfilling the Law of Christ as he is the Law-giver of his Church hath given them Laws rules how to carry towards all sorts of offences and offenders in his Churches Moral duties are the Commandments or Laws of God but Church Rules and ordinances of meer Institution are properly the Lawes of Christ as he is the Head and King and Law-giver of his Church 5. To these the Apostle adds a Fifth Direction Chapt. 6.6 because he had allowed them a liberty in Cutting off those false Brethren and Corrupt Teachers that were brought in among them Chapt. 5.12 Lest they should think themselves at liberty to slight and weary out their sound Teachers the Apostle adds a direction touching their Maintenance which is part of the honour and esteem they ought to have for their Instructors But because people are apt to look on it as a matter of Liberty and not of bounden duty at least as to the measure of it and thence to deal fraudulently the Holy Ghost backs it with a solemn Caution telling them that they had to doe with God in this matter and not with Poor weak contemptible men whom they could wrong at pleasure Also with a weighty argument that the Lords dispensing of his Grace and spiritual blessings by Ministers teaching usually holds a proportion with peoples dealing with them in Carnal good things their souls would thrive less or more as they dealt with God in this matter of Communicating to his Ministers This is the scope of ver 7.8 And lastly upon this occasion of Communicating to their Teachers he adds a brief exhortation to perseverance in well doing in the General ver 9. and to enlarging their beneficence to others also ver 10. This is the Analysis and brief veiw of this latter part of this Epistle which I confess I have the more insisted on because it is not so generally observed The Text falls under the second Direction how Christians may avoid using their Liberty as an occasion to the Fesh laid down ver 16. and this verse contains the fourth Argument that the Apostle presseth that duty of walking in the Spirit withal viz. because they are alive by the Spirit or live in the Spirit as we translate it Quest 1. What is here meant by the Spirit Answ Spirit in this Chapter is opposed to the Flesh And hence as Flesh is the principle of Coruption So spirit is the principle of Grace That divine Principle in the hearts of Saints which is the spring and root of all new Obedience and holy actings in a Saints walk And it is called the Spirit as for other reasons so because it is the proper inseparable Effects of the Holy Spirit dwelling in a believer And he is said to live in and by the Spirit because by this principle of Grace in his heart he is spiritually alive who by nature was dead i. e. alive to God as Rom. 6.11 Here is also an opposition between the life or living of this principle and the death or crucifying of the flesh ver 24. which is the principle contrary to it q. d. Original sin is crucifyed and therefore you are not alive in and unto sin but you are alive by the spirit the Spirit of God dwelling in you hath quickned you to new obedience or made you alive by creating a principle of Grace in your hearts and this principle being not crucified as sin is but alive in us we ought to walk in it Quest 2. What is meant by walking in the Spirit Answ Walking relates to all a Christians wayes and Actions The Greek phrase here used is a military word used of Souldiers being set and marching in rank and file orderly every one keeping his place so that it extends to all the Acts of a Christians life And these must be in the spirit that is in the excercise of his spiritual gracious principles That this is the sense of the phrase appears from the like manner of speech used by the Apostle concerning a Believer in his state of Unregeneracy see Col. 3.7 His former state was to be alive in his lusts opposed to his being now dead through Christ as to the life spoken of before ver 3. and his former practice was a walking in these lusts i. e. a practising acting fulfilling of them a walking in the acting and exercise of them The Doctrine then to be insisted on is That 'T is the duty and should be the care of a Christian to walk in the constant exercise of Grace 〈…〉 In the acting of those gracious principles that he received in his Regeneration See ver 16. This in that Living to the Lord that is required in the 2. Cor. 5.15 See Gal. 2.19 And indeed a Christian cannot be said to live any longer than he acts Grace For tho he may have life in him yet 't is no act of life that is of his spiritual life except Grace be acted in it As 't is no Action of natural life that proceeds not from the union of soul
41 42. Rom. 1.11 16.16 That Scripture forbids not only lacivious dissembling kisses but requires that in them God's glory be aim'd at For as his holiness is his preserving his own glory in every thing So our holyness is our being acting like him therin Joh. 3.6 Duties of Civility must have something worthy of God in them See Ruth 2.4 how their Salutations savour of God and Grace verily this Rule extendeth even to these Nay more to Church Transactions your debates and votes there and all your use of the liberty whereto the Lord hath called you ought to be filled up with exercise of grace And indeed it is the want of this that makes Church-Members so often warp from the rule and act the unsavory pangs and and distempers of their own spirits 3. Your refraining and forbearing from Sin See Nehem. 5.15 Else your very forbearing sin is look'd upon but as sin while t is not from grace For as before was partly Intimated t is of the Flesh and therefore is Flesh Joh. 3.6 As a man may possibly in Holy Dutyes act from Corruption as the Pharisees did Matth. 23 14. So many a man from Lust forbears sin e. g. from Pride from Covetousness from base Fear of men c. USE 3 Humiliation for failings herein Christ calls upon Sardis Rev. 3.2 3. because he had not found their works filled up with the Exercise of grace before God Before men they seemed beautiful and glorious but there was a secret emptiness and deadness in them before the Lord. And for this he threatned them if they repented not to come on them as a Thief in the Night in an hour when they knew not i. e. when they least looked for it were least provided for and in worst case to bear it and with all Circumstances of Aggravation and Terrour This the Spirit sayth to the Church There is no sin but we should be humbled for it when minded of it in the Word much more such an one as this which argues grace is very low and ready to die as t is there sayd to Sardis And t is a sin of frequent Incursion a sin that we sin often every day and therefore should be the more humbled for Though we are apt to make light of such sins yet the Spirit of God does not Christ doth not make light of it to that Church Other sins that we seldom and hardly fall into we think it our duty to humble our selves for But this and such as this doe us as much hurt and usually more then such as affect us more with Sorrow and shame If it seem to want any thing of weight and heinousness yet the Frequency of it makes it up and more then up We must remember and loathe our selves for our doings that are not good but empty of grace as well as for those that are Abominations because of the Evil of the matter of them Ezek. 36.31 Consider two things to help to affect our hearts with shame and sorrow for not exercising grace in every step of our walk 1. Hereby we break with God and loose our Communion with him Not our state of Communion but the actual exercise and enjoyment of it If a man should fourty or a 100 times every day loose the exercise of his Reason tho but for half a quarter of an hour or less tho' he should not loose the Faculty it self how sad would you account it much more is this to be lamented because hereby we loose our Communion with God so far and so long as as we do not walk in the Spirit And Communion with him is as much more precious then the use of reason as Divine spiritual life is more excellent than the life of Reason In whatever we cease to exercise grace we do therein turn off from God and break with him and were it not for Christ and His Mediation we were Lost forever 2. Whatever we do without Exercising grace in it savours not to God's tast it finds no acceptance with him Cant. 4.16 unless the spices of our graces flow out none of our fruit is pleasant to Christ's Tast and if not pleasant to his tast he Presents it not to God for his acceptance Hence nothing wherein no grace is Exercised is put on our account for a reward but only amongst our sins for pardon or for punishment hence if no grace be exercised our Salvation is not at all furthered thereby And low sad is it for a man that hath a Race to run and work of life and death to get done to Nod and stand and sleep and fall so often in a day USE 4. of Exhortation Walk in the Spirit exercise grace in every Step you take Look to it not only that you doe what is good but also that in doing of it you act the inward principle of Grace that you have recieved Here Consider 1. You have acted Corruption in all your ways Col. 3.2 Let the time past suffice us 1. Pet 4. and from very shame and indignation at yourselvs for your acting of Corruption be provoked to walk in the Spirit for the time to come For you are much indebted to Christ you have had much forgiven and therefore should love much 2. You must unavoidably in every thing act Grace or Corruption Therefore if you act not Grace you will act Corruption These two are the Universal principles of all our Actions and doe Flow into every thing we doe They are seared so near together and are so Contrary one to the other perpetually warring each against other that if one give back never so little the other will be sure immediately to come on And And indeed these two contrary principles shall and must lodge in the same soul yea abide in the very same faculty during this life but the Conquest of the one over the other lyes in the ones prevayling more then the other to fill up your Actings These two flesh and Spirit Corruption and Grace divide between them all your Actions there being between them no medium any more then there is any Action that hath no Rule or Law over it As there will be either light or darkness in the Air So there will be either Sin or Grace Flesh or Spirit filling every Action that is humane that falls under the Command of the Will 3. By the Exercise of Grace the soul is kept in an Holy Healthfull and Chearfull frame Lusts warr against the soul 1. Pet. 2.11 and thence the prevayling of them tends to the death of the soul Grace warrs for the soul and the acting thereof is the souls strength and health and life Act grace in one passage and you will come off from it with the heart in frame and fitted by it for another Grace acted in our Callings fits the heart for dutyes of worship and in dutyes of worship fits the heart for the dutyes of our Calling Yea by this meanes the heart will be kept fitt for every Change and cannot be found unprepared Lamps burning and Loyns girt is nothing else but grace in actual exercise This also puts and keeps the soul in a cheerful and comfortable framer There is comfort and sweetness in the exercise of any grace Phil. 2.1 Comfort in love For in the exercise of grace the soul draws near to God and hath Fellowship with him who is the Fountain of bliss and Comfort And hence 't is that your dutyes and wayes are so empty of Comfort yea indeed nothing but secret bitterness in reflecting on them because there is no grace exercised in them Thus 't is with us in our walking and Callings we come off from them with a secret sting or trouble on our consciences t is because grace was not exercised in them And thus t is in the most sweet and Comfortable dutyes Receiving the Sacrament praising God c. if Grace is not Exercised in them if they are not performed in the Spirit they yeild no Comfort neither afterwards neither are they sweet in the doing On the other hand Duties that seem to be bitter in their proper Nature e. g. Repentance and breaking the heart for sin Confessing it before God and Condemning a mans self for it even these duties are most sweet and yeild unspeakable comfort if done in the Spirit if grace be exercised in them 4. Thus exercising Grace will sublimate and spivituallize every action turning natural affections into Graces Thus a mans loving his Wife of Child or any other Relation or friend become gracious acts and his eating and drinking acts of obedience and hence are of great account in the eyes of God Thus not the meanest smallest act but it hath a glory and excellency in it if grace be exercised as Luther said a poor milk-maid milking if done in Faith is more glorious then the Conquests Triumphs of Caesar or Alexander And it will appear so another day being recorded and registred in Heaven for a gracious Acceptance and reward in the day of Christ Thus a man's eating drinking sleeping promotes his Salvation and adds something to his Crown of Glory another day as well as his Praying or his Hearing or his Suffering for CHRIST Tibi Domine et a te Advertisement THere is ready for the Press will speedily be published two Sermons on Psal 84. ver 10. Preached at the Lecture at Boston by the Reverend Mr. Joshuah Moody Printed for Joseph Brunning at the Corner of Prison-Lane next the Town-House in Boston