Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A33720
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A discourse of Christian religion, in sundry points preached at the merchants lecture in Broadstreet / by Thomas Cole ...
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Cole, Thomas, 1627?-1697.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing C5029; ESTC R964
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181,099
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443
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is really in us we must needs be in him there is a mutual in-being in each other John 17. 21. That they may be all one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they may be one in us This is meant not of a Personal but of a Mystical Union a Spiritual Union Christ letting in the Virtue the Power of his Resurrection upon us Tit. 2. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 18. so purging our hearts from corruption and redeeming us from our vain conversation Secondly Christ must be in us because Christ hath much to do within us He hath a kingdom to set up Luke 17. 21. Many strong holds of Satan to pull down the strong man to cast out many lusts and corruptions to mortifie many Graces to raise up and strengthen He sanctifies us throughout not only in Body but in Mind and Spirit and therefore he must deal inwardly with us He takes away an heart of stone and gives an heart of flesh and this is inward work The Spirit of Christ strives with our Spirits about this deals with the hearts of men to turn them unto himself Many Checks many Calls many Pangs many Throws before Christ be formed in us Gal. 2. 19. He is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter Rom. 2. 29. This inward man is renewed and strengthned day by day by Christ living in us Gal. 2. 20. comp with 2 Cor. 4. 16. Tho Christ hath done much without us in dying for us yet if he did not come into us by his Spirit we should be little the better for all he hath done without us Christ is a Saviour out of us by his Merit and in us by the Virtue and Efficacy of his Spirit He makes a powerful entrance at our first Conversion he creates new Principles by which he works further and further upon the heart till he hath reduced it to perfect conformity to himself Now here may come in a Query Possibly some may say Could not Christ have done all within us What need he do any thing without us Might he not come and live in us without dying for us Might he not enter in the Soul and sanctifie us though he had not first suffered outwardly for us I answer No 1. Because the Justice of God had been then unsatisfied God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost were all unsatisfied They could have nothing to do with fallen Man in a way of Mercy till Satisfaction was made to Divine Justice 2. Supposing such a Sanctification man must be damned notwithstanding for his former sins Now no man will be at the pains to wash and cleanse a Vessel that must presently be broken in pieces and thrown away What Christ did in Person in our Nature without us that he doth Spiritually in our Hearts As he suffered on the Cross for us truly so he suffers much in us and by us meets with much opposition from in-dwelling Corruption The Fight of Faith is great and long even to our lives end our Warfare is not accomplished till then Tho Christ hath satisfied the Law and Justice of God in dying for us yet the same power must be put forth to make us believe this as in raising up Christ from the dead Christ meets with a Legal Conscience in every man that will not readily admit of the Grace of God till it be over-powered by the Spirit of Christ and sprinkled with his Blood It is a mighty work of Divine Power to bring over a trembling convinced sinner to trust in Christ for the Pardon of all his Sins There are many carnal Reasonings against this many thoughts and imaginations that do with a great deal of confidence exalt themselves against the Mystery of God's Grace in Christ. Now all these Thoughts must be brought into Captivity to the Obedience of Christ And this is a mighty work of Divine Power like levelling of Mountains and breaking Rocks asunder giving hearts of Flesh that may take in Impressions of God's Love to us in Christ and thankfully accept of Eternal Life as the Free Gift of God When it pleases God to open the wonderful Mysteries of his Grace to us by shining into our hearts he doth at last fully convince us of that which we could never believe before Were there more of this inward Religion among us more of the Power and Efficacy of the Gospel experienced in the hearts of Professors the savour of it would be much stronger in our lives Christ within makes every thing in the Soul bow down before him Let us not then keep at a distance from Christ but gather up nearer and nearer to him by Faith till we are united and joined to the Lord in one Spirit and then the Power of Christ will rest upon us 2 Cor. 12. 11. We shall be strengthned with might in our inward man Eph. 3. 16 17. It must needs be so if Christ be in us How strong is the Devil in the hearts of Wicked Men How doth he rage and rule in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. Let Satan enter into Iudas what bold Attempts doth he make upon his Master How ready to betray him Thus when the Devil is in men how mad are they How doth he hurry them on to all manner of Wickedness till Christ who is stronger than this strong man enters in and binds him casting him forth Matt. 12. 25. Unconverted men act like so many mad-men the Devil is in them Satan reigns in them and it will never be otherwise till Christ comes into them The Power of Satan's Kingdom is founded in the Darkness of our Minds and when one beam of Saving Gospel-Light shines in upon us we are turned from the Power of Satan unto God the whole Soul is subjected to him every rebellious Thought is captivated to the Obedience of Christ. Till we feel Christ thus living in us we know not where we are nor what our state is If Christ be not in you I am sure you are not in Christ and what the sad consequence of that is you may see Ephes. 2. 12. At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise without God in the world having no Hope But Christ in us is our Hope of Glory CHAP. III. I Shall now draw both Parts of the Text into one Doctrinal Observation which is plainly this That Christ in us is our Hope of Glory or Christ dwelling in our hearts by Faith now is the only sure ground and foundation of our Hope of Glory hereafter And therefore 1 Tim. 1. 1. Christ is called our Hope Why he is so called and how our Hope is grounded upon him I am now to shew 1. From the Nature of Faith by which we receive Christ. And 2. From the Object of Faith Christ received or Christ in us I shall shew you How Faith by receiving