Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	prayer_n	spirit_n	supplication_n	3,599	5	11.3996	5	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

behind the Curtain and when he hides his Face you will be troubled Oh what Losses and Sorrow do Christians create to themselves by their Carnal Security Oh resolve against it and take warning from others and walk very circumspectly left Satan get an Advantage against you he that lets down his Watch gives place to the Devil 2. See that you live Chastly 1 Thes 4.12 Walk honestly that is not in the Lust of Concupiscence and the Reason is given in the 7th and 8th Verses God hath not called us to Vncleanness but to Holiness and given us his Holy Spirit And therefore it is not for us to be carnally Minded but to be Chast and Honest and Sober even in the Use of lawful Delights That is a notable Passage in 1 Pet. 4.6 The Gospel was preached to them that are Dead that is to the Martyrs that they may be judged according to Men in the Flesh but live according to God in the Spirit You cannot stop the Mouths of Men they will be Judging and Condemning you and say you are fleshly given and live in Uncleanness but you need not regard their Calumnies as long as you live according to God in the Spirit cleansing your selves from all filthiness both of the Flesh and Spirit 3. See that you live Charitably in Peace and Love 2 Cor. 13.11 Live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you It 's great Matter of Lamentation that such as have Christ in them should live so Uncharitably and Contentiously and all through small differences about Words and Gestures and that these Minute things should cause such distances estrangements and unkindnesses amongst them I am sure this ought not so to be Those that are right in the main ought to hold Communion one with another and that in Peace and Love bearing one with another in things wherein they differ Phil. 3.15 16. Rom. 14. begin And it 's certain also that Christ makes it one of the Characters of a true Christian to Love the Brethren 1 John 3.14 And that Love is full of Charity and Kindness and Forbearance and hides many faults And why should there not be a fair Correspondency where there is a vital Inspiration by the self same Spirit 4. See that you live Contentedly Heb. 13.5 Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be Content with such things as you have q.d. Keep your Hearts free from the Love of the World and the Gares Fears and Discontents that thence arise and be Content with Gods allowance for God is with you and will never leave you nor forsake you if Christ be in and with you by his Spirit then the Comforter is at hand in all sad Cases to Comfort and Support you and this should Still Quiet and Content our Spirits and preserve you from Discontentedness if Christ his Being in the Soul will not Content him surely nothing will do it 2 Cor. 4.8 We are troubled on every side yet not Distressed And how comes this to pass see ver 9 That the Life of Jesus may be manifested in our Body that is that our Lives may be conformable to his Life in submissive Sufferings and that it may be manifest that the Life that we live is the Life of Jesus Christ that he lives in us and that by him we live and that contentedly under all our Calamities 5. See that you live Comfortably and Cheerfully in the Consideration that Christ lives in and with you A Melancholly drooping Life is a great Reflection upon Religion and upon Christ himself and an occasion of stumbling unto many And will you carry it so as if you served a hard Master none have more Reason to live Chearfully and Joyfully than you that have Christ in you the Hope of Glory Such as you are called upon by God himself to rejoice in the Lord always and to be of good Comfort and that under the troubles of the World you need not to be troubled at your troubles but may and ought under your Crosses to Comfort your selves in Christ in your Union with him in your Interest in him and in your Enjoyment of him and that because he is in you Incessantly Intercessively Inseparably and Incumbently He is in you 1. Incessantly in you and alway in you when you perceive it not when he hides his Face and seems to be withdrawn and you conclude be is quite departed from you yet then he is with you John 14.16 The Spirit abideth with you and shall abide with you for ever As a vital principle to preserve and keep you from Apostacy and is not this Comfortable and a sure Hope of Glory 2. Intercessively Christ in Heaven is your Intercessour with God the Father and his Spirit within you is your Intercessour betwixt Christ and your Souls Rom. 8.26 27. The Spirit pleads Christs cause with us and stands up for Christ against the Flesh and it pleads our cause in Prayer with Christ and the Father The Spirit then is in you a Spirit of Prayer and Supplication and the Spirit of Adoption enabling you to go to God boldly as to a reconciled Father in Christ and to pour out your Souls to him It 's Christ his Spirit in you that is the Spring of all your Holy Desires and Motions God-ward And that only that comes from the Spirit in you finds Acceptance with God for the Spirit moves you to ask what is agreeable to Gods Will and with a Submission to his Will And you receive Answers of Prayers in your spirits oft in inward Strength and Consolation from the Spirit of God within you Such as cry down the Spirit of Prayer have need to take heed they do not despite to the Spirit of Grace 3. Inseparably nothing can sever Christ and your Souls John 14.16 The Spirit shall abide with you for ever And Ver. 17. He dwelleth in you and shall be in you he shall be in you in despite of all Opposition All the Devils in Hell cannot with all their Exorcisms cast the Spirit of God out of the Souls of his People Satan may be dispossessed but the Holy Ghost cannot be dispossest He is in you and shall be in you Blessed be God for this Promise he is in you not as a Guest in an Inn to stay but for a Night but as an Inhabitant to abide in you and he will secure his Possession And what a strong Consolation is this once Christs and always Christs If Christ be in you he will never depart from you he may in some Cases withdraw his visible Communion but not his Union And as to Communion he departs in the Souls Apprehension but that is no real departure 4. Incumbently as one in Office to oversee your Souls 1 Pet. 2. last Ye were as Sheep going astray but are now returned to the Shepberd and Bishop of your Souls Christ is the great Archbishop of the Soul and he is no Non-resident but Incumbent in the Soul as a Bishop is in his

that they may awaken you and convince you of your need of Christ and provoke you to submit to the Gospel and to the way that God therein hath appointed for your Salvation and so by degrees brings you to live in sure and certain Hope of Glory 2. To such as are weak in Faith and Hope There are many precious Souls that have Christ in them and yet are weak in Faith and full of doubting and enjoy little Hope in themselves of Glory and I would willingly contribute something towards the encrease of their Hope of Glory And in order thereunto shall propound to such some means and helps that tend to the strengthening of the Hope of Glory and beseech them diligently to employ themselves in the use of them 1. See that you praise God heartily for the mercies you have already received Col. 3.15 Be ye thankful You are full of Complaints of your wants you want Peace and Joy and Assurance But are ye thankful for what you have thankfulness for what you enjoy is the way to obtain a speedy supply of what you want The thankful Soul is a Soul fitted for mercy And God will be the more ready to give when he knows that what he gives will be thankfully received Were we more thankfull he would open his hand the sooner and wider when we come to him for new supplies but when enjoyed mercies are undervalued and God wants his praise for them then it 's no wonder that he delays to give more mercies he will make you wait the longer to teach you more thankfulness A mite of Grace is of more worth than a Mountain of Gold And you have Grace and much Grace but because you want Comfort you overlook your Graces and do not own them with thankfulness and God is offended hereat and takes an effectual course to make you more thankful 2. See that you proceed in the exercise of what grace you have A Babe in time may become a strong Man and weak beginnings may have large endings A small Tallent may be doubled by good usage Mat. 13.12 He that hath to him shall be given and he shall have abundance alway provided that he husband well what he hath Therefore what Faith and Hope you have though it be weak yet exercise with Dilligence Repetition of Acts beget habits and diligent endeavors are attended with a Blessing and so you may come to have abundance Prov. 11.25 The diligent Soul shall be made fat You complain of leanness of Soul take heed that your leanness be not the effect of your own negligence exercise more diligence in the use of what Grace you have and your diligence will be blessed with fatness 3. See that you plead the Promises at the Throne of Grace This was good David his frequent Practise Psal 119.25 Quicken thou me according thy Word v. 28. Strengthen thou me according to thy Word v. 41. Let thy mercy come unto me O Lord even thy Salvation according to thy Word In this one Psalm he useth this Plea very oft no less then eleven times It s no presumptious but a profitable Plea to urge God with his Word of Promise and it is our Wisdom to reduce it to Practise It s much in use betwixt Man and Man You promised me to do so and so when will you perform it let us use the same Plea betwixt God and us It is thy promise be it according thy word It 's the Plea of Faith it is as if the Soul should say Lord thy promises are faithful Promises and here I spread one of thy Promises before thee and trust to thee for the accomplishment of it be it according to thy Word 4. See that you press the Commands of Faith and Hope upon your own Spirits This Course David took Psal 43. last Why art thou cast down Oh my Soul hope in God It 's ill done O my Soul to cast aside thy Hope and to give way to dispondency it 's thy Duty to trust in God and see that thou hope in God Hoping in God is an indispensible Duty that God requires from thee 1 Pet. 1.13 Be sober and hope to the end And it 's a very acceptable Duty Psal 157.11 The Lord takes pleasure in those that fear him in those that hope for his mercy And wilt thou O my Soul cast of thy Duty a Duty that God takes Pleasure in O far be it from thee Oh my Soul hope thou in God! thus press it upon your Souls 5. See that you Parley not with Satan about the great concerns of your own Souls have nothing to do with him He is an open Enemy to Christ and Christianity and you have renounced him in your Baptism therefore reject his Temptations for Sin as well as his Temptation to Sin Enter not into dispute with him he is too crafty a Sophister to be disputed with by weak Christians it will be your wisdom therefore to take the course that Paul took 2 Cor. 12.7 8. There was given me a thorn in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet me For this thing I besought the Lord thrice Note 1. The Case that Paul was now in There was given him a Thorn in the flesh viz. Satan was permitted to buffet him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the evil Angel Satan not a Menssenger of Satan but Satan himself And this is added exegetically to explain what his Thorn in the flesh was viz. The buffets of Satan his immediate Suggestions darted into his Soul which commonly are unnatural in kind suddain in motion and violent in prosecution 2. The Course he took in this case he betook himself to God by Prayer Paul had much Grace and much of the Spirit yet declines disputing with the Devil and flies to God for refuge against him and herein is an example for us to follow We must decline Disputes with the Devil and Pray him down and were this course well followed Satan could not get such advantage against Christians as oft he doth I 'le conclude this matter with the Prayer of Paul Rom 15.13 The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the Power of the Holy Ghost It s not the words of Man that perswade the heart to live in hope but the Power of the Holy Ghost and his Power can make you abound in hope and raise your feeble hope to a full assurance of hope Now I pass to the third sort 3. To such as are waiting in hope for the Glory of Heaven There are some yea many that through Free-Grace are brought to wait in hope for the glory of Heaven my Instructions to these follow 1. Confine your Hopes to the limits of the Gospel The Gospel allows you to wait upon God in hopes of Glory in the World to come this I am sure is your Duty but as for such as extend their hopes according to their fancies and wait Night and Day and that in a Triumphant

Petty matters if compared to glory not worthy to be compared to it Rom. 8.18 Poor inconsiderable things to glory and why then should you make such adoe about them who will be concerned about a soul step or two in his way that is going to take possession of a Crown 3. Preparatives for Glory Heb. 12.11 They yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness they make the Soul fruitful and that in good fruits And the more of these fruits we bring forth the more meet and fit we are for Glory 4. Productive of a richer degree of Glory 2 Cor. 4.17 not only suffering for Christ but bodily afflictions are not only momentary but gainful and means appointed to obtain a more weighty Crown of Glory Now mind these things and consider it will be but a while but all your Troubles will be over and in the mean time your condition is comfortable 3 Vse Of Direction how to attain to a well-grounded hope of Glory Would you live under sure and certain hope of Glory and not deceive your selves with vain presumptuous hopes of glory then you must get Christ into your hearts that Christ in you may be your hope of glory You that live either without Christ or against Christ in the world and flatter your selves in vain with hopes of glory know that you are mistaken in your own estate and do but put a cheat upon your own Souls Your present Condition is a hopeless Condition there is no hope of glory growing in the Garden of your Souls There is hope of Glory attainable but not in the case you are in You must make sure of Christ or I am sure you cannot be saved Your hopes will certainly be frustrated and therefore expect not Heaven under the guilt and state of sin but fly to the City of Refuge put on Christ become his Disciples take his Yoke upon you that Christ may become your Hope of Glory It is not so easie a matter to get to Heaven as you take it to be nor to get a well grounded Hope of Glory Such a hope is I confess worth your utmost diligence in seeking after it it 's an excellent thing and such as enjoy it are excellent men and Oh that you would look diligently after it In hope that some are willing to get in this hopeful Condition I shall direct you how it is to be obtained and what is required in order thereunto Would you get a fure and certain Hope of Glory then it must be by Union and Communion with Christ and this cannot be had but from Christ himself And if you would have it from Christ he requires on your part serious Consideration sincere Consent and sacred Compliance 1. Serious Consideration Ezek. 18.28 Because he considereth and turneth away from all his wickedness that he hath committed he shall surely live and he shall not die You see Conversion preceeds Salvation and Consideration preceeds Conversion Continuance in Sin proceeds for want of due Consideration You will never be brought to turn away from your wickedness 'till you be brought to consider Hag. 1.7 Thus saith the Lord of Hosts consider your ways God puts the Sinner in order to his Conversion upon serious Consideration and calls upon him to Consider Oh then take the matter into serious Consideration commune with your own Hearts and consider seriously 1. The Woes as are denounced by God against impenitent Sinners Isa 3.11 Woe to the wicked Joh. 10.15 If I be wicked Woe unto me Isa 5.18 19 20. Wo to them that draw Iniquity with the cords of Vanity Woe to them that call evil good and good evil that say concerning evil it is good Now consider these Woes are dreadful and that you are they that lie under these Woes and stand in danger of their Execution Psa 50.22 Now consider this ye that forget God least I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver When God is putting his Woes in Execution then there is no way to escape he like a Lyon tears in pieces and there is none to deliver Consider then that if the Execution of the Woes of God be not prevented by true Repentance you are certainly undone for ever they are denounced against you and if they fall upon you your condition will be woeful to all Eternity 2. The way to escape the Woes you lie under is only by Jesus Christ John 14.6 I am the way There is Salvation in no other You cannot save your selves from these Woes by any thing you can do or suffer it 's your Sins have brought you under these Woes and satisfaction must be made to Divine Justice for your Sins and this is done by Christ and by the plenary Satisfaction that he made for Sin he is become and proclaimed to be a mighty and all sufficient Saviour and all are invited to come to him for Salvation So that you see he is the way Therefore consider that as yet ye are out of Christ and so out of the way to Glory And what hope can you have of Glory that are not in the way to Glory Psal 119.176 Like lost sheep you are gone astray and are wandring out of the way There is but one way to Heaven and that is by Christ and as yet you are out of this way So that if you continue as you are you cannot have any sure Hope of Glory And consider also 3. The wants that remain in you unsupplied in this your Christless Condition you want Pardon of Sin Peace of Conscience Poverty and Purity of Heart and the Spirit of Grace and Supplication all which are requisite to make you meet for Heaven and to make way for sure and certain hopes of Glory Phil. 4.19 My God shall supply all your wants according to his Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus It is by Christ that God supplies these wants and when Christ comes into a Soul he brings such supplies along with him as supply all the need of the Soul As long as you continue without Christ your needs continue unsupplied In Christ all fulness dwells fulness of Might fulness of Merit and fulness of Mercy And of his fulness such as are saved by Christ receive Grace for Grace Job 1.16 Oh then consider the need that you stand in of Christ to supply your need Your needs are great they cannot be supplied from the World it affords not one supply of the needs of your Soul nor can they be supplyed from your selves It 's you that are needy and want supplies of your need It 's Christ and him alone that supplies the need of the Soul and all its need Oh stand still a while and fix your eyes upon Christ And now you are upon Consideration consider him that deserves your most Serious and Solemn Consideration Heb. 3.1 Consider the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession Christ Jesus Heb. 12.3 Consider him that endured such contradiction of Sinners against himself You have been considering your selves your Woes your Wanderings and