Selected quad for the lemma: head_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50398
|
The young mans guide to blessedness or, seasonable directions for youth in their unconverted state By R. Mayhew minister fo the gospel.
|
Mayhew, R. (Richard)
|
1677
(1677)
|
Wing M1445; ESTC R221862
|
64,331
|
148
|
sufficiency of grace for a Christian Method under temptation 5. What Vse may be made of this that the grace which is in Christ is sufficient for a Christian under temptation 1. Whether there be a sufficiency of grace in Christ for a Christian under temptation Will it not be lost labour and as it were to hold a candle to the Sun at noon to go about to prove this That there 's a fulness of grace in Christ is Evident Herein the great Doctor of the Gentiles is positive Col. 1.19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell The word Father is supplied in the English Translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it pleased so the Greek that is if I mistake not it pleased both the Father and the Spiit that in the Son should dwell but what fulness yea all fulness For it pleased that in him should all fulness dwell All fulness of grace or a fulness of all grace Col. 2.5 In Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead Personally Here 's fulness yea all fulness yea all the fulness of the Godhead yea all the fulness of the Godhead and that Personally Once more the Apostle speaking of Christ as Head and the Church as Body speaks of the Church as the fulness of Him and of Him as the fulness of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And gave him to be Head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Or according to the Greek filling all things in all things 2 VVhat manner of grace this grace is that is in Christ and is sufficient for a Christian under temptation 1. Grace in Christ is free grace 'T is Grace and therefore free 't is free and therefore Grace 'T is Grace no way unless free every way Wine and Milk may be had without money and without price yea Grace and Glory are had without money and without price Jehovah God is a Sun and a Shield he giveth Grace and Glory Grace here glory hereafter grace upon earth glory in heaven are given they are Donatives Grace in Christ and from Christ is free Eph. 4.7 t To every one of us is given graâ—e according to the measure of the gift of Christ 2. Grace in Christ is formidable grace Grace in Christ is able to weather any storm every storm How prodigious soever the winds of temptation be and how impetuous soever the waves of tribulation be grace in Christ is able to weather all The temptations of Christ were great but grace in Christ weathered all He went out conquering and to conquer And as grace in Christ so grace from Christ weathers all As the temptations of Christ were great so the temptations of a Christian are great and yet grace from Christ weathers all When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy Oh Lord held me up Psal 94.18 3. Grace in Christ is attracting grace There is not a greater naturalness in the Loadstone to draw Iron to it then there is in the grace of Christ to draw the soul to Christ. The grace of God and of Christ have a mighty Influence Moses spake from Mount Sinai Christ spake from Mount Zion Moses by his thundering did not draw to Christ but Christ by his grace draws to himself Can. 1.4 I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love And as Christ draw unto himself so after himself in a way of grace Draw me and we will run after thee 4. Grace in Christ is abounding grace Grace in Christ is grace in the Fountain now grace in the Fountain is for Quality and Quantity ever the same Grace in Christ is grace in the Ocean now how empty soever the channel is the Ocean is full always full I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Ther 's abundance of grace in Christ so much I cannot tell how much grace in Christ is a wonderful Deep and my Line cannot sound this Depth In Christ there are deep Ditches which cannot be sounded and rich Deeps which cannot be Exhausted Where sin abounded grace did much more abound Rom. 5.20 5. Grace in Christ is abiding grace Grace in a Christian though it may decay yet it cannot dye Grace in a Christian must continue until grace goes into glory when Time goes into Eternity Now if grace be thus in the stream what is it then in the fountain Grace in Christ is lasting yea everlasting As from Eternity to Eternity Christ is God so from Eternity to Eternity he is good and gracious and can as soon cease to be God as to be good Psal 103.17 cease to be God as to be gracious The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting or thus The mercy of Jehovah is from eternity to eternity upon them that sear him and his righteousness unto childrens children The Mercy of the Lord endureth for ever 6. Grace in Christ is commodious grace Is not Advantage in every mans eye Grace is very Advantagious it brings Salvation along with it By grace ye are saved Is not Salvation a great thing Bâ—n 2.5 Is not Damnation a bitter Pill and potion Is not Salvation a sweet morsel This is by grace and this grace is laid up in Christ This Gold layes in this Ore Salvation and all in a Tendency unto Salvation runs in the veins of free-grace The whole Fabrick of Salvation is laid in grace 7. Grace in Christ is Efficatious grace The Man that fell among Theeves was left by the Priest and the Levite as they found him but Christ by his grace had compassion on him What men and means cannot do Christ by his grace can do without men and means What men and Angels cannot do Christ by his grace can do That grace which bringeth Salvation teacheth also to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts that we may walk soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Tâ—â— 2.11 12. 8. Grace in Christ is suitable grace What so suitable for a sinner as a Saviour What so sovereign against sin as grace Ther 's no Physick more suitable for the Body then grace is for the Soul Is not Bread suitable for the hungry Water for the thirsty so is grace for the soul that is sick of sin If any man thirst let him come unto me Joh. 7.37 and drink If any man if any one so the Greek Man or Woman let that man and that woman come unto me and drink Bread and Water are suitable for the hungry and thirsty 9. Grace in Christ is seasonable grace Every thing we say is beautiful in its season and the more seasonable any thing is the more beautiful it is The season of a mercy greatly accent the mercy As the Death of Christ was in season While we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us and in due time Christ dyed for the ungodly So
the grace of Christ and in Christ is seasonable when the soul is under temptation and under Affliction Is not that a lofty and a lovely expression For peace I had great bitterness Isa 38.17 but thou in love to my soul hast delivered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back 10. Grace in Christ is surpassing grace Sin is an evil thing Sin is an evil the evil of evils Ther 's evil and nothing but evil in sin Sin is evil but grace is good sin is worse but grace is best Sin is a large Field a large Territory but grace is a larger Sin is the largest Territory in the World but grace Mans Ephah is full of sin but Gods Ephah is fuller of grace Mans cup is full but Gods cup is over full and that for an Eternity For as sin has reigned unto Death Rom 5. 〈◊〉 so hath grace reigned through righteousness unto eternall life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Here is sin reigning unto death but here 's grace reigning unto Eternal life The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life Rom. 6. 〈◊〉 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ther 's sin enough in man to damn man ther 's grace enough in Christ to save man Ther 's sin enough in man to damn man and that for an Eternity ther 's grace enough in Christ to save man and that for an Eternity 3. How this grace is in Christ that is sufficient for a Christian under temptation Grace is in Christ two wayes Formally and causally 1. Formally Grace is in Christ Formally as in the subject of it Christ is the God of grace In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God But what then The word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory Jo. 1.1 14 the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth 2. Causally Grace is in Christ Causally as in the fountain of it As Christ is the God of it so he is the giver of it for he is thee head of the Church Col. 1.13 And he is thee head of the body the Church Now thus Christ is in a manifold respect 1. Because Christ is above the Church and ruleth it as the Head guideth the body Christ is soveraign as well as Saviour and Surety He is therefore called King of Saints Rev. 15.3 2. Because Christ conveyeth Life into the Church as the Head to the Members Christ giveth life to the Church Maintaineth life in the Church yea Christ in the Churches life Col. 3.4 When he who is our life shall appear 3. Because Christ provideth for the Church as the Head doth for the Members Christ gives the Church Manna yea Christ doth not onely feed the Church but is the Churches Food and he is at once Meat and Medicine I am the bread of life Jo. 9.48 4. Because Christ Participates with the Church in the same nature with it as the Head doth with the Members For we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.15 but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin 4. Why there is in Christ for a Christian a sufficiency of Grace under temptation In a three-fold respect God Christ and the Christian. 1. In respect of God God 2 Tim. 2.16 because his foundation standeth sure The foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his God knoweth those all those that he hath given unto Christ and he hath laid up in Christ a sufficiency of grace for these that they may not miscarry for an Eternity 2. In respect of Christ because he is to lose none that are given unto him Christ While Christ was in the World he kept his and upon his going out of the World he ingaged the Father to keep them As God knows all that are given unto Christ so Christ is to keep all that are given unto him Jo. 17.11 While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy Name those that thou hast given me have I kept and none of them is lost but the Son of perdition that the Scripture may be fulfilled Jo. 17.12 But where did the Scripture speak this of Judas Let his dayes be few and let another take his Office Psa 109.8 3. In respect of the Christian As there is a sufficiency of grace in Christ upon Gods account and upon his own Christian so upon the Christians 1. In order to the strengthening of the Christian Ther 's a fulness of grace in Christ for Christians that Gods power may be made known yea 2 Cor. 12.9 10. made perfect in mans weakness This appears by the words after the Text for speaking of his grace as sufficient in the Text he gives this reason For my power is made perfect in weakness and when I am weak then am I strong When I am weak in flesh I am strong in Spirit when I am weak in my self I am strong in my Saviour Christ can say Paul thou art weak but I am strong yea I am strength The strength of Israel that cannot lye Now there is a Sufficiency of grace in Christ that a Christian may be strengthned under all his troubles and trials under all his Temptations and Tribulations 2. In order to the smiling of the Christian We use to say a Christian life is like a Courtiers life for upon the favour or disfavour of the Prince depends the Comfort or discomfort of the Courtier Thus upon the smiles or frowns of Christ depend the comfort or discomfort of the Christian A Christian is like the Marigold concerning which they say that it opens with the shining and shuts with the setting of the Sun If the Sun of Righteousness set in a Cloud 't is as Death to the Christian but if this Sun of Righteousness break thorough a Cloud 't is as life to the Christian Christ will not alwayes frown lest the Spirit should fail before him and the soul which he have made If ever a drooping desponding despairing soul be comforted Christ must be the Text and the Preacher too I even I am he that comforteth thee Now there is a sufficiency of grace in Christ in order to a Christians comfort Jo. 6.63 The words that he speak they are Spirit and they are Life 3. In order to the feeding of a Christian Ther 's a sufficiency of grace in Christ that the Christian may feed upon the promiss that when he hath nothing in his purse he may find enough in the promiss and when he hath nothing in his private hand he may find enough in his publique head Feeding upon the promise is believing in the promiss for the promiss is a ground for Faith as the precept is a Rule for Obedience