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A13554
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The progresse of saints to full holinesse described in sundry apostolicall aphorismes, or short precepts tending to sanctification, with a sweete and divine prayer to attaine the practise of those holy precepts / by Thomas Taylor ...
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Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 23850; ESTC S1019
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235,792
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462
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to grow up in holinesse as plants and children naturally grow so also doe the children of God being planted in his courts To helpe us herein we will somewhat at large consider three things 1. Meanes of obtaining a full measure of holinesse 2. Markes of one that hath attained it 3. Motives to provoke us thereunto The meanes are five I. Meditation and sound consideration concerning 1. God 2. thy selfe 3. grace it selfe First in God thinke 1. of his will 1 Thess. 4.3 This is the will of God even your sanctification We ought to follow God if he should call us through hell it selfe much more in the sweete practise of sanctification which hath a happy fruite 2. Of his promises 2 Cor. 7.1 Seeing we have these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and grow up unto full holinesse All the promises are made to the practisers of holinesse Matth. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart 3. Of his glory which thou oughtest by all thy endeavour to promote being the end of thy life and of thy selfe but herein especially is our heavenly Father glorified when our light shines before men Matth. 5.16 Secondly in thy selfe consider these things 1. In thy creation thou receivedst a soule a body faculties and sences with parts and members from him and in him thou now livest movest and hast thy being and canst thou doe him too much service in them Doth any man build an house but he will looke to dwell in it Doth any plant an orchard or vineyard and not looke for usefull fruites to himselfe Thy selfe art Gods house thy soule Gods garden and doth not hee expect not onely fruite of holinesse but much fruite 2. In thy redemption the end of which was not onely to deliver thee from the condemnation of sinne but from thy vaine conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 redemption is not onely from the guilt and punishment but from the service and corruption of sinne and sanctification is an inseperable companion of justification 3. In thy life and present estate thou art a Christian and professest Christian religion which onely prescribes the rule of holy life whereby thou must walke thou must life like a Christian that hast communion with Christ that walkest in the light as hee is in the light 1 Iohn 1.5 that hast the Spirit of Christ which perfecteth daily his owne worke and beautifieth his owne dwelling 4. In thy death and future estate remember thou must die and onely holinesse of heart and life shall attend thy soule when all things else shall leave it and without holinesse thou shalt never see God Heb. 12.14 If death shall leave thee unholy the last judgement shall so find thee So therefore live now as thou maist ever live hereafter Thirdly meditate on the grace and worke of holinesse it selfe 1. what a difficult worke it is and therefore thou must goe seriously about it oh the worke of mortification is a painefull work a man cannot die without paine no more can the olde man sinne hath a strong heart and is loath to die and therefore as to die is no dallying matter so he that meanes to dally in this businesse shall never happily proceede in the degrees of holinesse 2. What an excellent worke it is for hereby we shall be daily partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.3 which is not in respect of the nature and essence of God which is incommunicable but in respect of the most excellent and precious qualities and gifts bestowed by the Spirit of God on those that are regenerate wherein we shall be like unto our heavenly Father and grow up to the similitude of Iesus Christ till he shall be all in all unto us II. Meanes of growing to a full measure of holinesse is in our Text Prayer First for the grace it selfe Psal. 51.10 Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Secondly for the increase of the grace Phil. 1.9 And this I pray that yee may abound yet more and more in knowledge and judgement verse 11. being filled with the fruites of righteousnesse 1 Thess. 3.13 The Lord make your hearts stable and unblameable in holinesse Thirdly for continuance and confirmation in grace as in the Text. Ephes. 3.14 I bow the knee that yee may be strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man Psal. 51.12 Oh stablish me with thy free Spirit Let it be thy daily prayer as Davids Psal. 86.11 O Lord knit my heart unto thee let thy good Spirit leade mee even to the land of the living Fourthly for a blessing on the meanes of grace Psal. 119.18 Open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law III. Meanes An holy use of the word and Sacraments For the word in generall Iohn 15.3 Now you are cleane by the word which I have spoken unto you and chap. 17.17 Father sanctifie them in thy truth thy word is truth Rom. 1.15 by preaching the Gospell the righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Now there be in the word foure things which specially helpe forward our sanctification 1. The commandements and precepts Psal. 119.4 Thou hast commanded that wee should keepe thy precepts diligently These let us see what wee ought to ayme at and how farre we are off from our duty 2. The promises and comforts of it Psal. 19.11 In keeping of them there is great reward Revel 20.6 Blessed and happy is hee that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power 3. The threats and denunciations of judgement that are in it Revel 22.15 Without shall be dogges and enchanters and whoremongers and murtherers and idolaters and whosoever loveth or maketh lyes 2 Pet. 3.11 Seeing all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in holy conversation and godlinesse 4. The examples that are in it Heb. 12.1 Seeing we are compassed with such a cloud of witnesses let us cast off every thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth fast on us Examples of holy men will make us trust in God Psal. 22.4 Our forefathers trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them this confirmeth our confidence Godly women must shew the holy and hidden man of the heart as Sarah did 1 Pet. 3.5 Observe in the reading or hearing of the word these particulars for the decay of corruption and the increase of sanctification The Sacraments or visible words helpe forward sanctification because by baptisme we are borne into the Church and notably it both representeth and sealeth our mortification and quickning Rom. 6.4 and by the Lords Supper wee are fed and nourished in the grace of the covenant in faith love and comfortable assurance IV. Meanes Godly company That man goes apace in the grace of sanctification who is a companion as David of all them that feare God Psal. 119.63 Now godly company furthereth sanctification 3 wayes 1.
indeede Did ever any or can ever any attaine to this perfection Answ. This question brings us to the explication of the fourth thing in the Text How a man may be said to be blamelesse in spirit soule and body in this life Whereto we say No man ever attained to this unblameable perfection of degrees in this life except the first Adam in his innocency and the second Adam who had sanctification in all parts and degrees for Paul a most holy man after regeneration confesseth how farre hee was from perfection Rom. 7. and Phil. 3. But a man regenerate may be said to be blamelesse and throughly renewed 1. In respect of his relation with Christ his head who is made to him sanctification 1 Cor. 1.30 and in whom hee is perfectly holy and unblameable Ezek. 16.14 Thy Beauty was made perfect by my Beauty 2. In respect of open and grosse crimes which might impeach the honour of his profession so Zachary and Elizabeth walked in Gods ordinances without reproofe Luk. 1.6 so did Samuel and Iob and other holy men For though no man can be without sinne yet a man may be without crime when after his conversion hee carries himselfe so uprightly as he cannot be noted for any reigning sinne before men 3. In respect of Christian indeavour and inchoation when the beleever labours and aymes at full sanctification in all his faculties and parts for sanctification produceth holy motions in the soule and holy actions in the body See it 1. In the spirit 1. In the soule First the spirit i. the minde and understanding of a sanctified man is indued with a sound and distinct knowledge of heavenly things and he still indeavours to a further measure Psal. 119.33 34. Teach mee give mee understanding c. Matth. 13.11 To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdome not to others And it is joyned with a speciall faith applying the promises which maketh his person and worke acceptable Ioh. 20.28 My Lord and my God Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God Vnder the spirit include the conscience in the purging of which the beleever striveth and loseth not his labour For 1. it is a tender conscience and remorsefull for sinne 2 Chron. 34.27 Iosiahs heart melted at the reading of the Law 2. It is calme and peaceable it blameth not nor accuseth seth it selfe but giveth good witnesse first that the person may be assured of his reconciliation with God Rom. 5.12 and 8.36 And secondly that he walketh with God sincerely 2 Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing even the testimony of a good conscience that in simplicity and good sincerity wee have had our conversation in the world 1 Ioh. 3.21 If our heart condemne us not we have boldnesse with God The second faculty called the soule here includeth the will and affections in both which this worke of sanctification is begunne and increased 1. In the will when being renewed it is now subject and pliable to God in all things Rom. 7.18 To will now is present with mee not onely in doing but in suffering as 1 Pet. 4.9 in suffering it can commit the soule to God in well-doing as unto a faithfull Creatour 2. In the affections herein is a change being guided and carried by the minde and will renewed His love is not the olde carnall love of himselfe and the world but a new affection Love out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfained 1 Tim. 1.5 His hatred which was against God and his Saints is now against the haters of God and things which God hates Psal. 139.21 His joy which was sensuall and earthly is now delightfull in doing the will of God yea in suffering it Rom. 5.3 We rejoyce in tribulation His sorrow which was for worldly losses crosses c. is now for sinne and for the afflictions of Gods people His delights which were in carnall profits pleasures corne wine or prosecuting his lusts are now in Gods countenance in Gods Law in Gods house in Gods Ordinances the Word and Sacraments and in Gods children above all persons as those that are excellent on earth His desires are answerable what ever his former desires were now he desires the presence of God the pleasing of God pardon of sinne softnesse of heart the constant fruition of the meanes of salvation with a blessed successe of them Hee desires the prosperity of Zion the salvation of the Israel of God and the comming of Iesus Christ to his full redemption Thus we see how a sanctified man profiteth and prospereth in the whole inner man But fire within will breake out and so will grace which is like fire and the body shall be a weapon of righteousnesse his outward actions shall be done in an holy manner his whole life is changed 1. For the matter of his actions Gods word is the rule of them all Psal. 119.35 Direct me in the path of thy commandements for therein is my delight 2. For the manner they are done first in humility Mich. 6.8 Walke humbly with thy God Luke 17.10 Say thou art an unprofitable servant Secondly in sincerity without guile of spirit Psal. 32.2 Thirdly with cheerefulnesse delighting greatly in his commandements Psal. 112.1 2 Cor. 9.7 as every man wisheth in his heart The Lord loves a cheerefull giver Fourthly with courage and stoutnesse Dan. 3.17 We are not carefull â—f this matter our God whom we serve will deliver us Acts 4.19 Peter and Iohn said to the Rulers Whether it be meet to obey God or men judge yee Gal. 2.11 I withstood him to his face 3. For the end first hee will approove his heart to God and lookes not so much to men for his praise is not of man but of God Secondly hee desires to please God in that hee doth Acts 11.23 wâ—th fall purpose of heart cleave unto God Thirdly he doth not good things for his private ends as ease profit credit but even against all these if he be called thereunto The 4. respect in which a beleever may be called unblameable even in this life is in Gods account and gracious acceptation Where himselfe workes and sees such beginnings proceedings and indeavours it is accepted as perfection by meanes of Christs merit promise and intercession Thus Paul saith Rom. 7.17 It is not I that doe evill Whence our Lord pronounceth of his Church that she is all faire and that no spot is in her 5. In respect of that perfect sanctification in all degrees which is growing unto and shall attaine in the day of Christs second comming when every beleever shall be free from all blame and staine and set into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God which now they have onely in desire in in faith in promise in an earnest and inchoation the Lord mercifully accepting them for that they are growing unto And thus we have expounded this worthy petition of the Apostle The summe and substance whereof is this