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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A57934 A sermon preach'd at St. Mary-Le-Bow to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, June 28, 1697 / by John Russell. Russell, John, fl. 1660. 1697 (1697) Wing R2346; ESTC R26224 19,860 54

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and put off the time And a 3d seeming willing to be his Disciple yet would excuse himself from the immediate attendance on his Service Lord I will follow thee but let me first bid them farewel which are at home To whom our Lord replies in the words of the Text No Man having put his hand to the Plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God i.e. No Man having engag'd himself to my Service and after turning back to his secular Concerns with a regard had first to those is fit for the Kingdom of God The words are allegorical pressing a constancy to the Service of Christ from the diligence of him that tills the Ground As if our Lord had said He that holds the Plough must keep to his Business not look behind him or neglect his Work to trifle about other things that come into his head if he does he 's unfit for such an Imployment as requires a constant attendance on it So those that enter into my Service they must put on Resolution and not make vain and trifling Excuses to return back to the Affairs of the World but be constant and sedulous otherwise they are not qualified to be my Disciples and so by consequence are unfit for the Glories of my Kingdom which are only design'd as the blessed Rewards of the sincerely Faithful and constantly Laborious The Text appears to be a severe Reproof levell'd against the coldness and negligent carriage of too many who profess to be Disciples of Jesus Christ who having engag'd themselves by their Character and Vows by their Office and Order by their Profession and Pretensions to be his Followers to espouse the Cause of Religion and Piety and the Interest of Holiness and yet after all these solemn Declarations by a sad Tergiversation return to the World and the things thereof and to a remiss and loose state of Life And like Lot's Wife by Sodom tho they were once by themerciful hand of convincing Grace brought out of that supine and sinful Condition in which by Nature they lay after all those Enlightnings and Lectures of their own Consciences do return again like the Dog to his Vomit to their former Corruptions or at least with longing Desires and incurved Hearts look back to that state which will become a Prey to Fire and Brimstone In speaking therefore on this Subject I shall endeavour to do these following things I. To shew what it is to put our Hands to the Plough II. To shew what it is to look back III. To shew the Danger and sad Consequence of such a dreadful Retrospection after we have been engag'd in so good a Work which is That such Persons are not fit for the Kingdom of God I. For the first What it is to put our Hands to the Plough Since our Lord himself is pleas'd to make use of this so plain and homely a Metaphor I hope it cannot savour of Clownishness or Rusticity to follow his Example and since he applies it to those who make a Profession of being his Disciples and afterwards withdraw themselves from his Service I am sure it 's safe and easy too to follow such an Expositor The Plough we know is an Instrument of Husbandry and they that hold it render the Ground fit for Seed and this apply'd spiritually signifies all those that labour to make the World fit to bring forth fruits of Peace that strive to reform the deplorable state of Mankind and to render Mens Hearts capable to receive the Seed of the Word To put our hands to the Plough therefore is to declare against Sin and the Kingdom of Satan and to act against it in our Station It is to engage in the service of Jesus Christ to endeavour to render the Church fruitful of good Works 't is to commence an holy Warfare against the state of Darkness to suppress Vice and encourage Holiness and to do what in us lies to carry on the Cause and Interest of Religion 'T is with an holy Zeal and an undauntedness of Mind to make opposition against that torrent of Vice which is breaking in upon the face of the Church and not only to reform our selves and bring our own Lives into a conformity to the Divine Pleasure but also strenuously endeavour to reform others to break up that Soil which is crusted over with a Callus of Sin and to render it fit for the ingrafted Word of the Gospel to enter 'T is in a word publickly to espouse the Cause and Honour of Religion and to give a check to the growing Progress of the Synagogue of Satan And since the Church of God in holy Scripture is compar'd to a Field as our Lord himself delivers it in that Parable Mat. 13. of the Wheat and the Tares let us consider how much every particular Person is concern'd in the Tillage and Cultivation of it in order that a bountiful Crop of Righteousness may be brought forth to the Glory of God and the Salvation of those that labour in this holy Imployment 1st Every Man by Nature is a barren Ground in which only the Seeds of Sin spring up and fructify to the dishonour of God and destruction of himself And since by that infinite Love of God in giving Jesus Christ and contracting with us on conditions of Love he has render'd us capable of bringing forth Fruits meet for Repentance and reaping as the effect of such a gracious Harvest eternal Life And since on our entring into this contract of Peace I mean the Covenant of the Gospel we have sworn to our great Master to become his Subjects and Servants to labour in his Vineyard to be diligent in his Work the neglect and breach of which awful Vow will terminate in Destruction Every one therefore that is baptized into Christ and has put on Christ and has received the Seal of the Covenant of Grace confirm'd by our Redeemer between God and Us has put his Hand to the Plough He has vowed himself to be the obedient Servant of Jesus Christ and has declar'd himself an irreconcileable Enemy to all Ungodliness he has promis'd according to the Prophet Jer. 4.3 To break up the fallow Ground of his Heart and not to sow among Thorns and agreeable to Hosea 10.12 To sow to himself in Righteousness and thereby to reap Mercy to break up the fallow Ground since it's time to seek the Lord till he come and rain Righteousness upon him But 2dly Since we are not design'd by our great Creator for our selves alone but made for Society and therefore for the Good and Comfort of others And since in this regard there must be a discrimination of Persons in respect of Superiority and Inferiority it will be fit to consider how far we have put our Hand to this good Work in the behalf of others and who those are that are more particularly concern'd in it And in doing this I shall briefly consider the three great Divisions into which all Men are rank'd