Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n
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A64968
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A present for such as have been sick and are recovered, or, A discourse concerning the good which comes out of the evil of affliction being several sermons preached after his being raised from a bed of languishing / by Nathanael Vincent.
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Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing V417; ESTC R27040
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62,262
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136
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to be lookt upon as an Admonition to take greater heed to the Holy Scripture which is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. 2. Be sensible that true and saving Knowledge is from above therefore ask it from thence Jam. 1. 5. If any of you lack Wisdom let him ask it of God who gives to all men liberally without upbraiding and it shall be given him And V. 17. Every good and perfect Gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights And as God is the Father of Lights so his Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Eph. 1. 17 18. He enlightens the Eyes of the Understanding and puts saving Knowledge into the Heart What an Instructer is the Spirit of the Lord He not onely reveals Gods Counsel but gives an Heart to apprehend it and to be answerably affected with it He not onely speaks the Word which it does so infinitely concern all to know but he gives also the Ear to hear the Eye to see and the Heart to understand 3. Resolve when Instructed to Praise your Instructer thus does the Psalmist Purpose and Promise Psal 119. 7. I will Praise thee with uprightness of Heart when I shall have learned thy Righteous Judgments How joyful was the Hallelujah when the Psalmist had said He geveth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments to the Children of Israel Psal 147. 19 20. And Psal 119. 164. Seven times a day do I Praise thee because of thy Righteous Judgments And V. 62. He had said upon the same account he would arise at midnight and give thanks unto God 4. Look unto Jesus in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Col. 2. 3. Christ is the Churches Lawgiver and Prophet He declares the Father whom no man at any time hath seen and no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son shall reveal him Mat. 11. 17. He opens the Eyes and Understanding to understand the Scripture Luk. 24. 45. The Gospel is as it were a Sealed Book till he opens it a right understanding of the Things of God and which belong to your Peace is both Christs Purchase and the Work and Effect of his illuminating Spirit 5. Pray much for Meekness and Humility and let not any deceitful lust be harboured in the Heart A Promise of Guidance is made to the Meek and Lowly Psal 25. 8 9. Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he teach Sinners in the way the Meek will he guide in Judgment and the Meek will he teach his Way Make no Provision for any fleshly or wordly Lusts for these Lusts of the Heart influence the Head and hinder the Light from shining there so clearly and powerfully both Mind and Conscience by fulfilling these Lusts will be defiled The Apostle plainly intimates that the old man must be put off which is corrupt according to deceitful Lusts or else we can never be renewed in the Spirit of our Mind Eph. 4. 22 23. In short be willing to know the Truth that you may be sanctified by the Truth Look into the perfect Law of Liberty and count you walk most at Liberty when you walk most accurately and exactly according to this Law Cry for Knowledge in Order to Affection and Practise that 's the Way to attain to great understanding in the Word of Righteousness Talents you shall still be intrusted with when you are thus ready to Trade with them The Second Question follows What are sufficient and comfortable Evidences that the Word of God is truly Learned What has been spoken already may be in part an Answer to this Question But that this great Case may be more fully resolved I shall add these Particulars 1. You have truly Learned the Word of God when you stand in awe of it When Conscience does urge and the whole man does reverence the Words Authority And the Heart concludes that God must be obeyed whatever come on 't and that nothing can excuse disobedience to his Commands This Holy awe of the Word must break the force of the strongest Temptations from worldly Gain and sinful Pleasures and it must Swallow up the fear of the greatest Men who will dislike you for the sake of Righteousness Psal 119. 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause but my Heart standeth in awe of thy Word Princes commands and threats are not so much to be minded as Gods commands and the threatnings wherewith they are enforced When Princes have inflicted Temporal Death they are come to their Ne plus ultra they can go no further Eternal Life and Death are not in their Power but how is God to be sanctified and dreaded who can reward or punish for ever in the World to come 2. You have truly Learned the Word of God when you preferr it before all things which are really of less value Worldly Wisdom Riches Might and earthly Greatness are very despicable compared with that Knowledge of God which this Word is a means to convey to us Jer. 9. 23 24. Thus saith the Lord let not the wise man Glory in his Wisdom neither let the mighty man Glory in his Might let not the rich man Glory in his Riches But let him that glorieth Glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth Me. See how the Policy of the greatest Potentates on Earth is disparaged in Comparison of Scriptural Wisdom and not without sufficient Reason The Policy of Princes and themselves perish together But Believers who are made wise by the Word of God do mind and attain unto and shall be unmoveably possess 't of an Eternal Glory and Kingdom 1 Cor. 2. 6 7. Howbeit we speak Wisdom among them that are perfect yet not the Wisdom of this World nor of the Princes of this World which come to nought but we speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the World unto our Glory In my Text the Psalmist having said 'T is good for me that I have been afflicted presently expresses his Estimation of the Word above thousands of Gold and Silver If the Word has an higher Room in your Judgments and Affections after Affliction Affliction has certainly done you good and you have learned the Word to good purpose 3. You have truly Learned the Word of God if you Love and Delight therein and make it your continual Meditation Psal 119. 15 16. I will Meditate in thy Precepts and have respect unto thy Ways I will delight my self in thy Statutes I will not forget thy Word Here are excellent Rules and they that walk by them are perfected more and more for they become more gloriously like to God himself here are clean and safe Ways Promises of the good things of Time so far as they are good for any of you and of the infinitely
is a Grace with a great deal of Reason in it for who can rationally take it ill when good comes to them and spiritual kindnesses which are the most real kindnesses are done them I have demonstrated the good of Affliction to the Saints I shall now demonstrate the good of Patience Patience is your great Security and makes you to keep Possession of your Selves Luk. 21. 19. In your Patience possess ye your Souls A Patient man whatever he loses whatever he suffers is still himself not discomposed not distracted and hurried away from the Conduct and Satisfaction of that Holy Wisdom and the Grace of God which is in Him By Patient Continuance in well-doing and by patient Suffering rather than he will cease in well-doing his Soul is safe and shall never be lost for he that endures to the end the same shall be saved Mat. 24. 13. And in what a calm has he Possession of his own Spirit when his outward Condition is most Stormy and Tempestuous He has cast Anchor within the Vail and that Anchor is sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 19. Keeps his Mind from Fluctuation and tossing too and fro Patience is the Souls Garrison and preserves it in that Peace which neither Earth nor Hell are able to disturb Patience is that which makes you perfect Jam. 1. 4. But let Patience have its perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing The more there is of Christian Patience and Strength to persevere both in Active and Passive Obedience which God calls you to 't is an Argument you are arrived to the greater Degree of Perfection in Grace and Holiness And besides this Patience will make you less concerned at those Wants which to impatient Creatures are so sensible an Affliction He that is very Patient under Sickness may truly be said not so much to want health He that is Patient under Poverty does not so much want Riches The Christian is not disturbed at the want of those things which he can be contentedly without Patience made the Apostle go through great variety of Conditions with a most even and composed Mind and Spirit 2 Cor. 6. 4 8 9 10. In all things approving our selves as the Ministers of God in much Patience in Affliction in Necessities in Distresses By Honour and Dishonour by evil Report and good Report as deceivers and yet true as unknown and yet well known as dying and behold we live as chastned and not kill'd as sorrowful yet always rejoycing as Poor yet making many Rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things Patience very well becomes you considering the Relation you stand in to God who is a Father too Good and Wise to give to any of his Children a just ground for unsubmission things cannot be ordered better or with more Wisdom than He orders them The compliance of your Wills with His will be a great evidence that you are renewed in the Spirit of your Minds and that you have the new Heart promised in the new Covenant And this Patience of yours being manifested in whatever you feel from the Hand of God or Man will be a great Credit to Religion and a Conviction to the World that there is a great Efficacy in the Truth of the Gospel and in the Grace of God which can carry you so far beyond the Strength of Nature * Patientia est quae nos Deo commendat servat Ipsa est quae iram temperat quae linguam fraenat quae mentem gubernat pacem custodit incendium simultatis extinguit coercet potentiam divitum inopiam pauperum refovet facit humiles in prosperis in adversis fortes contra injurias contumelias mites tentationes expugnat persecutiones tolerat passiones martyria consummat Cyprian De Patientiae bono pag. mihi 319. Finally Patience will make and keep you acceptable to God it will restrain Anger and every other disturbing Passion it will bridle the Tongue keep the Spirit under Rule and Government it will extinguish Contention and keep Peace from being broken It will be coercive of the Power of the Rich and it will refresh the neediness of the Poor It will make you humble in the height of Prosperity so strong as not to faint in the depth of Adversity it will make you mild against the greatest injuries it will break the force of Temptation and fortifie you against Persecution though it should rise so high as Martyrdom Let all this perswade you to the exercise of this admirable Grace of Patience and see that it fail not in Affliction Cry to the Lord for the increase of it and that nothing may be too hard or heavy for it He is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The God of Patience and Consolation the more Patience is wrought in you you are likely to Experience the greater Comfort 2. You that are afflicted Saints Pray that your Faith may be so far from failing that it may continually be increasing Faith is a Grace of great Necessity and Use the Christian lives by Faith he sees by Faith he stands by Faith he works by Faith and is kept through Faith unto Salvation In Affliction Faith is the Saints mighty support for Faith bears hard upon the Faithfulness of God which will never fail God is faithful not onely in giving the good things he has promised but also in vouchsafing Correction which he sees 't is needful The Psalmist speaks thus I have believed therefore have I spoken I was greatly afflicted Psal 116. 10. The greatness of Affliction hindred not the Acting of his Faith but his Faith hindred his fainting under the greatest Affliction Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living God may be trusted in though he hides his face though there are rebukes and frowns in his Countenance God may be trusted in though his ways are Dark and Cloudy and his Hand heavy Nay Holy Job says Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. Though the Providence of God seems hardly reconcileable with his Promises but looks as if it thwarted his Promises this is onely Deceptio visus the Eyes mistake Let Faith believe what Sense cannot discern and Sense will be forced at last to grant that Faith was in the right In all Afflictions God is making good his Everlasting Covenant which is well ordered in all things and sure he is still pursuing his design of Mercy towards his People and promoting the Work of Grace and Salvation Believe this and rest satisfied onely let desires be strong that what God designs in sending Affliction may be attained and that his Discipline may be to good effect and purpose 3. You afflicted Saints give Glory to God who afflicts you Here you must know that God is of none but of himself his Perfections undenied He is unchangeable no Addition can be made to his Essential Excellency or his Blessedness As all that