Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	1,049	5	5.6323	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08429	The helmet of hope, distinguished from the hope of hypocrites. And published to prevent the danger of false hope, and to promote the duty of living in true hope of glory. With an appendix of the grounds of hope, collected in a catalog of promises and experiences. / By A.B. ...	Barnett, Andrew, 17th cent.	1694 (1694)	Wing B875BA; ESTC R172272	76,414	184

Potent and permanent Refuge and God is this Refuge to him you must flie and that with speed by Faith and Repentance and in this way you may lay hold of this Hope whilst you neglect or refuse flying to this Refuge you have nothing to do to lay hold of this Hope of Glory I have now done with the first great truth that this Doctrine informs us of and enter upon the Second 2. All hearts in whom Christ dwells ought to live in Hope of Glory It 's their Sin and shame that their Hope of Glory is so low and little and their fears and doubts so many and great and therefore I shall expostulate the case with these to convince them of their Sin in cherishing Unbelief and to encourage them to sure and certain Hopes of Glory 1. Are not you under the Commands of God and his Sworn Subjects how dare you then live in the daily breach of his express Precepts you dare not Swear nor Lie nor commit Adultery because these are Acts of disobedience to the Lord your God how then comes it to pass that you dare refuse to hope in God and to Act Faith in Christ are not these commanded Duties Psal 121. last Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever 1 John 3.23 This is his Commandment that we should believe Now judge in your selves ought you not to give an universal Obedience to the Commands of God and is not a Command from God a sufficient Warrant against Presumption why then do you exempt your selves from yielding Obedience to the Commands of Faith and Hope 2. Are you not under the Covenant of Grace and was it not made and Sealed on purpose to strengthen your Hope and doth it not Answer all Objections against Hope 1 Pet. 1.21 Christ was raised and Glorified that your Hope might be in God The Resurrection and Glorification of Christ proves the Consummation of the work of Redemption and that our Reconciliation with God was accomplished and the Covenant of Grace ratified and this calls upon Believers to hope in God and declares that their doubts and fears are groundless 3. Are you not under the Custody of Christ and your Salvation secured by him and your Life hid with him in God Col. 3.3 and can you doubt of his Love that loved you to Death can ye question his Power that commanded all things out of nothing can ye be Jealous over his Truth that hath alway been true to his word and is truth it self What can you say for your selves did Christ die for you and doth he now dwell in you and will ye account your Condition hopeless surely this is a piece of great weakness and very blame-worthy in such as you Obj. It is blame-worthy in such as have Christ within them but that is not our Case we had him in us and had Communion with him and lived in high Hopes of Glory but are now left without any Hope or ground of Hope we have Sinned him and all our Hope of Glory away and are justly cast off by him Answ This Objection answers its selfs The Concession in the former Part contradicts the Conclusion in the latter Part Such as have enjoyed Christ cannot be cast off by Christ and therefore I shall endeavour to make out these things for the satisfaction of such 1. That they are stated in a State of safety 2. That they stand under the Obligation of this Duty of hoping in God 3. That they are stockt and stor'd with vital Principles that assure us of their recovery 1. They are stated in a state of safety The safety of the Soul doth not depend upon their hopes of Glory but upon its Union with Christ Its Hope of Glory may be interrupted but its Union with Christ can never be dissolved once in Christ and alway in Christ Under the want of assurance the safety of the Soul continues The immutability of the Covenant of Grace the Eternity of Gods Electing Love and the Efficacy of Christs continual Intercession and the Excellency of the State of Grace do assure the true Believer that his Salvation cannot miscarry and that though he may by the violence of a Temptation fall yet he cannot fall away It 's one of the great Priviledges of the Sons of God that they are Heirs of Heaven and that their heavenly Inheritance is so firmly intailed upon them that they cannot fall short of it Grace enters the Soul into an Everlasting State of Happiness and if an Everlasting State could be lost then it were not Everlasting And that Grace is an Everlasting Estate we are assured from 1 Joh. 5.11 12 13. This is the record that God hath given us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life These things have I wrote to you that believe That ye may know that you have eternal Life John 3. last He that beliveth on the Son hath everlasting Life 2. They stand under the Obligation of this Duty of living in Hope of Glory Under their present Circumstances the Cloud that covers their Hope doth not discharge them from the Duty of Hope They are to Hope against Hope and to keep up Hope when the ground of Hope doth disappear for the ground of Hope remains though it be as a spark under the Ashes or as the Sun in an Eclipse out of present fight the Soul in this Case is to call to mind the days of Old and the Love that heretofore it received from Christ and to conclude thus my beloved hath withdrawn himself and now stands behind the Curtains to try my Faith Patience and Sincerity and to see whether I will serve him without a Pawn I hope he will return and will in hope wait for his return It 's but an Eclipse the interposition will be removed and the Sun of Righteousness will shine again upon my Soul Oh my Soul Satan is now aware that there is a distance betwixt Christ and thee and Tempts thee to Despair but harken to the Voice of my Beloved Isa 50.10 Who is amongst you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the Voice of his Servant that walketh in darkness and hath no Light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay himself upon his God See then that under Darkness thou expect Light for this is thy Duty and wilt thou suffer Satan to baffle the out of thy Duty is not the Voice of Christ to be regarded before the Voice of Satan and doth not not he say Isa 54.8 In a little wrath I hid my self for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee sa●th the Lord thy Redeemer 3. They are Stockt and Stored with vital-Principles that will prevail at last against the present Temptation The Root of the Matter the Seed of Grace remains in the Soul that they cannot Sin unto Death nor with a full and free consent of Will 1 John 3.2 The force of the present Temptation may

Souls should fallely apply this to themselves and so aggrivate their discouragements I shall first describe the Hypocrite and then lay open the falsness of his Hope That Professor is an Hypocrite that for self-interest conforms to the outward exercises of Christianity and walks in the tract of the duties thereof but is a stranger to the inwards of duty viz. the enjoyment of Christ and the exercise of Grace therein hath no regard to the inward man hath nothing of the Image of Christ in the Soul is wholly carnal and sensual not having the Spirit is altogether destitute of saving Grace And as for his gifts he useth them for by ends to quiet his Conscience to keep up his Name and Credit amongst Christians or to curry favour with some that he hath a dependance upon As for such as labour under a trembling fear of hypocrisie and bewail that partial hypocrisie they find in themselves and fight and pray against it they hereby give such an evidence of their sincerity as declares that they are of the number of true Christians and cannot be ranked amongst Hypocrites and their Fault lies not in hoping but in the weakness of their Hope and oft in rejecting the Hope of Glory But the Hypocrite tho' he be not in a hopeful condition yet he is commonly full of confidence and cherisheth false hope in himself but this Doctrine overthrows his hope Si tollitur causa tollitur effectus Take away the Cause and the Effect ceaseth Now in these the experience of the saving work of Grace in the heart is wanting Christ was never formed in them and therefore there can be no such thing in them as any true Hope of Glory And hence it is the Spirit of God in the Word cries down the hope of the Hypocrite and tells him that it is not to be trusted to but that in vain they hope for Glory Job 8.13 14. The Hypocrites Hope shall perish His trust shall be a Spiders Web Spun out of a false conceit of their own brains and when the besom of destruction comes it fails and proves a Spiders Web for weakness and worth and durance it proves of no value Job 27.8 What is the Hope of the Hypocrite when God taketh away his Soul Then where is his hope Alas he then finds his hope turned into despair and he that hoped for Heaven is cast down into Hell Oh these false Hopes how do they vanish under the greatest needs of the Soul such come before God like men to a Market with Money enough in their Pocket that they took for good but proves counterfeit and will not pass and so they cannot supply any of their need with it So these hopes fails them when they most need them and will not pass for currant their hopes of Glory have not 〈◊〉 grain of good in them they are counter●eit Coin away with them 2. To prophane Wretches that live scan●alous Lives wallow in wickedness that ●ne would think that they could not pretend 〈◊〉 any hopes of Glory and yet I have met with many of these that feed themselves with hopes of Glory Though these hopes are the Childrens bread yet these Dogs snatch at them and they that are Posting towards Hell will not be brought to see their Danger but think they are going to Heaven Oh you that live prophane Lives and yet hope for Glory hear what is said of your hope Job 11.20 The Hope of the wicked shall be as the giving up of the Ghost that is He that is seized with Death and his Soul ready to expire may as well hope to Live as such hope for Heaven in the State they are in Or their Hope is as the giving up of the Ghost that is as a puff of breath like the last puff of breath that a dying man puffeth when he leaves the World that vanisheth in a moment It 's no more to be regarded no more to be relied upon then such a puff And when the Wicked puff out their last breath their breath and hope will vanish together Then adieu to Breath and adieu to Hope Oh ye that live in notorious Wickedness and yet hope for Mercy from God in this State of Sin at your Death give me leave to expostulate with you a little about your hopes 1. What reason can you give for this hope that is in you what Word of God have you met with to ground your hope on Alas alas that you should take up a hope that hath not one Word of God for its support but much against it in the Scripture Nay let me tell you your hope is false or God himself false in his Word reconcile your hope if you can to these Scriptures Psa 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into Hell Job 19.7 He shall perish for ever like his own Dung Isa 3.11 Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him Isa 27.11 He that made them shall not have mercy on them and he that formed them shall shew them no favour Rom. 2.9 Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul that doth evil 2 Thes 1.7.8.9 The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven ta-Vengance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction 2. What Right can you claim to Christ and to Salvation by him he is a Saviour of the believer and of none but believers if you say you believe and therefore he is your Saviour then hear what James says to you James 2.18 19 20. Thy Faith is a dead Faith and profits nothing and this he proves thus Faith without works is dead thy Faith is such a Faith and therefore but a dead Faith Obj. This Doctrine tends to despair and leaves a Sinner without Hope and therefore a dangerous Doctrine Answ It 's the Doctrine of the Gospel and tells you that there is no hope for you in a State of Sin and yet there is Hope no Hope and yet Hope No Hope whilst you cleave to your Sins and prefer your Sins before your Salvation And yet Hope if you turn true penitent Believers Ezra 10.2 There is hope in Israel viz. For Sinners in case of Repentance Ezek. 18.30 Turn you from all your Iniquity so Iniquity shall not be your ruin otherwise it will certainly ruin you so that Life and Death are set before you Salvation and Damnation Salvation in case of Repentance but Damnation in case you live and die without true Repentance Now what will ye do in this Case will you be as you are and do as you do then you remain hopeless but if you will turn from all your Sins to God and accept of Salvation by Christ in Gods appointed way then you may live in Hope of Glory Heb. 6.18 Who have fled for Refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us You see there is a Refuge for you to flie to a Present Patent