Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A23675
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Several discourses ... being some remains of William Allein ... / carefully copy'd from his own notes and publish'd at the request of his hearers.
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Alleine, William, 1614-1677.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing A1074; ESTC R17275
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203,641
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416
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from wickedness A trembling at the Infinite Glory of Divine Grace will teach us to deny all Ungodliness So thought the Psalmist Psa 36.1 The Transgression of the wicked saith within mine Heart there is no fear of God before their Eyes There is no fear of God in them that delight so much in wickedness there 's no trembling at the Glory and Majesty of God where there is so much delight in walking contrary to God They have not learnt Christ as the way of Life that have not put off the old sinful Conversation 4. As many as do not fear an Oath Where there is the fear of that great and dreadful Name The Lord thy God where there is trembling in admiration of the Glory of God there can't but be fearing of an Oath Where Mouths are so full of Oaths Hearts are void of Fear They do not reverence the Name of God in their Hearts that do so abominably prophane it with their Tongues Vain swearing and fearing of God do not consist together Eccl. 9.2 A continued custom of prophaning the great and dreadful Name of God and working out Salvation with fear and trembling are things inconsistent He counts the Name of God but a common Name he hath very slight thoughts of God that takes his Name in vain Section 14. Use 2. Exhort To consider well this that the Apostle says Work out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling Believers should have full assurance of their Salvation and great confidence that God will carry it on and yet fear and tremble This fear is not contrary to but the Fruit of Faith and Confidence The more is known of Divine Love and Grace the more we should fear This fear and trembling shall continue even when the Saints are made perfect and their Salvation accomplish'd The Seraphims fear and tremble in the beholding of Infinite Glory and Christ as Man fears and trembles at the Glory of the Godhead dwelling in him This is the best frame of Heart a fearing and trembling frame Reverencing Admiring and Adoring the Infinite Greatness and Goodness of God to poor Sinners Hereby God is acknowledged in his greatness and advanced and the Creature brought low and its nothingness is acknowledged amidst the boldness of access we have Fear and Trembling is planted in the hearts of Believers that the infinite distance and disproportion betwixt God and the Creatures might be acknowledged So endeavour to abound in this excellent grace of fear God is called the Fear of Isaac he was the God of Isaac So said God I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and Jacob and the fear of Isaac So God your God in Christ God appointing you to Salvation in Christ should be your fear Fear so as to adore his Glory admire his Grace and fear to do any thing contrary to his Glory Take heed of a senceless benummed Spirit unaffected with the glorious discoveries of the Divine goodness take heed of high-mindedness and of carnal confidence be like the Church that walked in the Fear of the Lord. So walk towards Heaven in fear run your Race in fear and trembling you are running towards God the presence of God to see him in Glory God hath given you some glimpses of Glory so fear the more you know of it and the nearer you â—raw to God fear the more still and be the more affected 1 Pet. 1.17 If ye call on the Father pass the time of your sojourning here in fear forasmuch as you are Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ There is a duty and the ground of it because you can call God Father God that is infinite in glory so infinitely distant can you call him your Father What fear and reverence doth this call for from you And how should you be affected with this unspeakable goodness And were you Redeem'd with precious blood How should this goodness be admir'd and ador'd So pass your time here in fear all God's works are God's manifestations and all God's manifestations are a ground of fear Rev. 14.7 Fear God and worship him that made Heaven and Earth the Sea and the Fountains of Waters So fear him that gave Christ to dye for you when you were Enemies that loves you when you are Sinners Here 's a greater work than making the Sea and Fountains of Waters the opening a Fountain for sin and uncleanness the Fountain of Christ'â— blood Fear so as not to sin Exod. 20.20 Let his fear be before your faces that you sin not Let the fear of God singly without any other considerations restrain you from sin As Levit. 19.14 Thou shalt not curse the Deaf that can't hear thee curse nor put a stumbling bl ck before the Blind but thou shalt fear thy God That is if you may sin and conceal it from men yet let the fear of God restrain thee from sin Fear so as to yield that glory service and obedience which the greatness grace and goodness of God calls for This is a most excellent grace The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom 'T is the most comely frame of the Creature that knows God as praise is comely for the upright so â—ear is comely God delights in this temper The proud he beholds afar off such as fear and tremble he dwells with Ps 34 8. O taste and see that God is gracious To give Christ to give Heaven what infinite goodness is this v. 9. O fear the Lord ye his Saints c. Sect. 15. Work out c. For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do c. The Apostles Exhortation work ouâ— c. doth not argue any free will in Man or power to save himself Man considered in his pure natural state is wholly dead to this work he hath no will to be saved and is without strength to work it out A will to be saved and of doing any thing in the way of Life is of God's working All are exhorted because 't is the duty of all to will to be saved and to walk in the way of Life and all in Adam had once power but as all sinned in him so in him they last the power As for the Elect God out of his meeâ— grace and love intending to make known the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of Mercy works in their hearts a will and consent to be saved by Christ and a walking in obedience to Christ who is the Author and Captain of Salvation which is here meant by willing and doing So these words contain the ground why Salvation is to be wrought out with fear and trembling Look on it as the sole proper work of God see God willing it and Christ working it out in himself and God working in the heart here 's infinite grace and power tremble at the manifestation of it Believe that your Salvation shall be wrought out and tremble at the glorious way in which it is wrought 'T is God that works so work it out
of Satan's wrath against the Godly now they breath out threatnings but the comfort is their wrath shall turn to the praise of God because wicked Men's wrath shall work for the good of Saints therein the power and wisdom of God hath praise but the last day is a day of Christ's wrath against the wicked and 't is true this wrath shall turn to the praise of God but who is there to restrain his wrath To be under the wrath of Man or Satan is a most miserable conditon if there be none to restrain it but worse under Christ's wrath 2. All sinful works shall be remembred and brought in upon an inditement against them blessed is he at that day whose iniquity is forgiven and sin covered that hath Christ for his Righteousness and Faith to put him on But the wicked shall have nothing to do with this blessedness now they seek it not now 't is not esteemed by them so great a blessedness as it is now Men establish their own righteousness and will not submit to the Righteousness of God but at the last day when Wicked Men shall know the worth and want of Christ's Righteousness then there shall be no possibility of having it then the Books are opened and the sins of the ungodly discovered and as the Spirit Promised to the Godly to bring to remembrance what Christ said to open the mysteries of the Gospel c. So on the other side then the Spirit shall bring to remembrance all that the Wicked have done all idle words all oaths filthy communication all vain thoughts sinful affections so many times eating and drinking to excess c. All their sins shall dog them to the Judgment-seat of Christ Christ shall take notice of all the unkindness shewn to him those only are mention'd Math. 25.44 to shew they are great and most provoking sins but as under one great duty commanded all are implyed so under one great sin forbidden all others are forbidden And so under these great sins and injuries done to Christ all others are included I was hungry c. and these shall go away into everlasting punishment and in the upshot these were injuries done to the Members of Christ which he makes his own injuries by Compassion as the Head suffers when the Members suffer this you reckon a small matter to pass by a Member of Christ and not supply his wants and if so for not feeding Christ in his Members how much more for going about to starve Christ in his Members by taking away the Bread of Life from them if for not visiting when sick and in prison how much more for wounding of Saints in Name Body Estates and for casting of Saints into prison 3. No works of theirs which for matter are good shall be remembred and accepted of in that day every work being weighed in the Ballance like Belshazzar being found too light whatever proceeds not from Faith in Christ nor is done out of zeal to the Glory of God shall be found too light and for wicked Men's works as hearing the Word doing Justice giving Almes they shall not plead any thing for you your Holy things shall not plead against iniquity because there is iniquity in your holy things self-love seeking Men's praise no sincere love to the Lord Jesus no judging Christ worthy of obedience If you do a good turn to a Man for your own ends what thanks do you deserve For know whatever good you do if it proceed not from a pure heart a good Conscience towards God Faith in the Lord Jesus c. it shall be reckoned but among your sins Math. 7.21 Not every one that saith Lord Lord that in words will call Christ Lord but deny it in works shall enter into Heaven shall be judged meet for that Kingdom But he that doth the will of my Father 'T is not enough to do what is good but to do it as the will of the Father out of obedience to his command with an aim at his honour yet that 's not all but he that doth the will of my Father that obeys the will of the Father as he is Christ's Father knowing the Son as the Father doing the will of the Father for Christ's sake coming to the Father through the Son moved with love to Christ he shall enter Heaven Objection But is this necessary will some plead at the last day that the will of the Father of thy Father as thy Father must be done Is it for thy sake c. Why that we can plead Lord Lord have we not Prophecied in thy Name c. Then Christ shall say Depart from me I never knew you I never knew you Born again Converted made new Creatures I never saw you deny your selves out of sincere love to me and zeal of my honour I never saw you in my Kingdom of Grace so I will not now admit you to any fellowship or acquaintance with me Depart ye workers of Iniquity whatever you have done I look on you but as workers of iniquity your good works that you plead I reckon but amongst your sins How sad a time will it be then with Wicked Men who shall say is our Religion vain Shall none of our works and doings proffit Have we prayed and taken so much pains from time to time Sabbath after Sabbath and all in vain will God forget all what a miserable case are we then in Even so it shall be nothing remembred if you are not regenerated if not a new Creature if you have not true Faith in the Lord Jesus resting in him alone for Salvation 4. When their sinful works shall be set before them in order and imperfection of their good works shewn then the wicked shall be convinced of both in their own Consciences now Wicked Men will not be convinced of sin nor judge aright of their performances they are past feeling Eph. 4.19 The Greek word signifies them that having done any thing amiss can't grieve or take shame to themselves as Drunkards past feeling Swearers past feeling 1 Tim. 4.2 Having the Conscience seared with a hot Iron That is either professing themselves to be the people of God their Consciences are stigmatized with the works of many foul and enormous crimes a metaphor taken from Rogues who are burnt in the Hand or some other part of the body or Conscience so insensible of sin and their dangerous estate by it and of the fearful Judgments of God as dead and hard Flesh feared with a hot Iron Thus 't is for the most part with wicked Men here but when they are called to Judgment then their Conscience shall recover feeling then it shall do its office in accusing judging here wicked Men make God a liar they have beâ—ied the Lord and said no evil shall come on us then they shall set to their seal that God is true his word is true his threatnings are true then as Joshua said ye know that not one thing hath fail'd Chap 23.14 so