Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A54354
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A spiritual looking-glass wherein is briefly discoursed the excellency and the necessity of saving faith and likewise how it may be known whether we have this faith or no : being the substance of two sermons / preached in London July the 23, 1671 by Sam. Pack.
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Pack, Samuel.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing P152; ESTC R30079
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19,268
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44
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may see this cruelty of his God did so by his wise providence order it that it did tend to his conversion O happy was it for the poor moaler that God did finish two works in one journey that he came to deliver the bodies of his servants from a temporal prison and did deliver the soul of the Goaler from the prâ—son of Hell-fire Well now in the verse before my Text you see the Goaler coming trembling before the Prisoners of hope he that before thought Paul and Silas not worthy to live on the earth did now come and fall down to the earth at their Feet and said what shall I do to be saved O what a serious question was here well now the words in my Text are an answer to this serious question why says the Apostle believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved And thus being come to the words of my Text I shall briefly devide them into two parts First here is an exhortation to a very serious and weighty duty and that is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 2dly Here is a prevailing excitation to stir him up to the performance of this duty in these words and thou shalt be saved in the exhortation we have several particulars in this first general First here is the act and that is believe 2dly Here is the object upon the Lord Jesus Christ 3dly Take notice of the persons here that is pressing this exhortation on him and that was Paul and Silas Those that had been scourged and imprisoned by him they were now preaching the Gospel to him and without question with bowels of compassion to his pretious souls They did not now think of Revenge and did not now while this poor man was in a spiritual Agony take there advantage against him and say thou hast been cruel to us and now shift for thy self as well as thou canst no for first they hinder him from self-Murther and 2dly they preach the Gospel to him believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in the fourth and last place the person exhorted to this Duty and that was the moaler one that had been a violent persecutor and he is here exhorted to believe in Christ From whence my Friends take notice of this that 't is possible for the greatest sinner to get a broaken heart one would have thought that if any man should have gone without a broken heart and without Christ and mercy a persecuting Goaler should that had persecuted those bleffed servants of God that did come on purpose among them to do their souls good By the way my Friends take encouragement you that are the greatest sinners here though not to continue in your sins yet to wait on God in Gospel Ordinances for you know not how soon God may be pleased to work on your Souls and to turn you from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan unto God I shall stand no longer before I come to the main Observation that I would present you with which is this that every true believer shall be saved believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved my Friends I having elsewhere made an attempt on these words and made entrance into them I shall not now stand to spend much time in the Doctrinal part but only confirm it by a few Scriptures that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established the first in Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved another we have in the 3d. Chap. of Iohn 16. v. For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and in the 36. v. of the same Chapter he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life he hath it already in its incoation and when he dyes he shall have it in its consummation Now my Friends I shall come to the Application which is that I mainly intend in setting upon this subject this day and in the first place if every true believer shall be saved this is useful first by way of information 2dly By way of examination Thirdly By way of consolation Fourthly By way of exhortation Fifthly By way of Instruction First 't is useful by way of Information if every true Believer shall be saved then it may inform us of the infinite and boundless love of God to all true Believers O! well may the Apostle say in the 3d. of Iohn v. 16. God so saved the World O my Friends their is so much contained in this word so as cannot be uttered by the Creature for when Wisdom it self was speaking of it he puts it off with a so not as thougâ— Christ could not have manifested the verâ— depth of the love of God but because thougâ— he could have done it we being but finite Creatures were not in a capacity to comprehend that boundless depth of this love of God to poor sinners My Friends I may alude to those words of Job 11.7 8 9. Canst thou by searching find out God canst thou find ouâ— the Almighty unto perfection it is as high as Heaven what can'st thou know the measure whereof is longer then the Earth broader then the Sea We see such is the immensity and greatness of this love of God to poor sinners that 't is unspeakable and glorious and I may say of it that 't is that we cannot find out to perfection 't is as high as Heaven what can we do the measure thereof is longer then the Earth and broader then the Sea This love of God to poor sinners it may appear in the highest Heaven for not a Soul that is in glory but is beholding to this boundless love of God for their salvation God so loved the World the Holy Ghost puts it off as it were with a question as if it were that which cannot be uttered nor indeed can it be uttered by the Creature for if all the Angels in Heaven should undertake to set forth the love of God in sending of Christ to dye for poor sinners they must have so much time as will run parallel with the Line of Eternity or else they will never accomplish their work for so long will this love of God extend it self in the highest degree the Creature is capable of Oh my friends was it not wonderful love in God that he should send his Son to dye for Rebels that he that had but one natural Son should give him up to the death for us that were proclaiming open War against him by our sins Oh wonderful boundless love well may the Apostle say indeed in the 5th of Romans the 8th v. Herein God commended his love towards us in that while we were sinners Christ dyed for us that is the first 2ly It may inform us of the glorious effects of the death and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ for though the love of God was the impulsive cause of our salvation yet it was
the death and suffering the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ that was the meritorious cause thereof and therefore saith the Lord in Isaiah 53. when the Holy Ghost had been there spending a whole Chapter in setting forth the sufferings of Christ for poor sinners at length he comes to shew the comfortable and the sweet and glorious effects produced thereby in v. 12. Therefore will I devide him a Portion with the great and he shall divide the spoyl with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death Therefore will I divide him a Portion with the great what great is this Why 't is the great Devil that is so great in power that he leads Captive the greatest part of the World and he shall devide the spoyl with the strong which is the same mentioned before which is common with the Holy Ghost in the Old Testamenâ— to enjeminate expressions as if the Lord should have said because a poor man hath sinned therefore the Devil thinks for to have the Souls of all the Men and Women in the World but saith God I will divide him a Portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong as if the Lord should have said my Son shall have some Souls the Devil should not have all for there is some that I am resolved shall be the fruit of my Sons Travel as in the 11. v. of the 53 of Isa He shall see of the Travel of his Soul and shall be satisfied and Alegorical Metaphor taken from a Woman in Travel that though she hath a sharp Travel yet rejoyceth when a man is born into the world so though Christ did indure sore pangs in working out the salvation of his Elect yet he shall see of the Travel of his Soul I will divide him a Portion with the great Gods people are called his Portion as in Deut 32. v 9. The Lords Portion is his People Well saith God my Son shall have his Portion in Men and Women which the Devil doth think to bring to everlasting ruine and destruction well this is the second thing O my Friends that time and it ength would permit for the more clearing up of it is great truth to shew the glorious effects of the death and suffering of the Lord Jesus christ towards believers for the effects of his death doth extend it self to their adoption and comfort and consolation and happiness and glory hereafter all these benefits many more are the glorious effects of the death and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ Then in the third place if every true believer shall be received into glory it may inform us how much we are ingaged to love the good spirit of God that doth seal up to our Souls our interest in Christ in whom alone 't is that we are brought to glory 't is the work of Gods spirit to show us our want of Christ and when he hath thus convinced us of our sins then 't is the work of this blessed spirit of God to bare up our Souls under the dreadful apprehensions of Gods wrath that is due to us for sin so 't is the work of the blessed Spirit of God to help the Soul to see that Christ dyed for Sinners and that he hath dyed for thee O Soul thou art a Believer 't is the holy spirit of God that doth comfort the Soul in trouble that doth settle the Soul in feaâ— that doth preserve the Soul in a persevering slate when it would be turned to the right hand or to the left O my Friends one may say of the Spirit of God as David did of the City of God glorious things are spoken of thee so I may say glorious things are spoken of thee O blessed Spirit of God and therefore as in Ephes 4. v. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed up to the day of Redemption In the fourth place if it be so that every true Believer shall be saved then it may inform us of the falthood of those erronious Tennets which hold forth of a possibility of falling away from true faith Paul and Silas did net say to the Goaler if thou believest and continuest to believe thou shalt be saved but if thou believest thou shalt be saved once a believer and ever a believer My friends I hope you have not forgot how I did endeavour in twelve particulars to shew you from whence the believers perseverence doth arise and all the Armenian Tennets in the world shall never be able to strike at the Root of any of these twelve foundations of a Believers perseverance As first thou that art a Believer thou hast the eternal decree of God ingaged for thy perseverance 2 Tim. 2 chap. 18 19. v. Heb. 6.17 Thou hast likewise the Eternal love of God as another ground of thy perseverance Jer. 31. v. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with love and kindness have I drawn thee my Friends I wonder how men that pretend to have understanding should be blinded so by the God of this world to think that the same everlasting love that did ingage God to set his love on us should ever be turned into hatred so as to leave us to our wills and so to perish for ever likewise the wisdom of God is engaged herein Christ makes it a mark of foolish man that doth begin te build a house is not able to finish it thou that art a believing Soul thou art Gods spiritual building and if he should begin to build and should not finish it it would demonstrate great folly in the Divine Majesty which to affert would be no less then blasphemy God being the fountain of wisdom likewise the faithfulness of God is engaged in it 1 Thes 5.24 25. Faithful is he that hath called you who also will do it will do what you may read in the 23 v. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserv'd blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Till Christ shall come by judgment or by death that Soul in whom this good work is begun shall be carried on Phil 1. v. 6. He that hath begun a good work will finish it and we shewed likewise 't is clear from the new Covenant of grace that he hath entred into a new Covenant with the people and he hath therein engaged himself that he will put his fear into our hearts that we shall not depart from him Jer. 32.40 Likewise the power of God is ingaged herein to preserver every true believer from total falling away from God 2 Fet. 1.5 Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Likewise also the glory of the Son of God is engaged in it Christ is the foundation of this spiritual building he is the chief Corner Stone Now my Friends I pray mind it whensoever a house falls the foundation