Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A66073
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Characters of a sincere heart and the comforts thereof collected out of the Word of God by Hen. Wilkinson.
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Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing W2229; ESTC R27587
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61,872
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145
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may behold the Sun of Righteousness and be approved of by Almighty God Another word to be opened in that Text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui inoffenso cursu pergit Qui non possit offendi qui nusquam offendat inoffensive in the Original it's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. We should so look to our steps as that we may not stumble and we should walk so prudently as we may neither give nor take offence This inoffensive walking the Apostle injoyns in the extent and latitude of it 1 Cor. 10. 32. Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God The same Apostle gives in special charge to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6. 1. We then as workers together with him beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain And how must they evidence their not receiving the grace of God in vain He adds verse 3. Giving no offence in any thing that the Gospel be not blamed All Ministers in an equal manner ought to keep up the honour of their Ministry by a faithful and diligent discharge of their duty and by the holiness of their lives and conversations Many foul-mouth'd rash Censurers are so ignorant as not to distinguish between the Ministers and Ministry and therefore blame the whole Ministry for the default of some particular Ministers Wherefore Ministers and People especially such as are Professors of Religion must labour to walk so unblamably as they may what in them lies preserve the Reputation and Honour of the Gospel-Ministry Inoffensive and circumspect walking is the wisest walking See saith the Apostle Ephes 5. 15. how circumspectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you walk Not only the matter but the manner is required and this precise walking is the wisest walking Not as fools but as wise They who walk in dissolute courses and live without God in the World they are the fools and so will be found to be another day And an especial effect of circumspect wise walking consists in redeeming of time Redeeming the time because the daies are evil Ephes 5. 10. He then whose heart is without guile evidenceth it so to be in the integrity of his life and conversation as a good tree is known by the good fruits which it bears And this upright walking is the only sure and safe walking but the contrary thereof is alwaies accompanied with variety of dangers and mischiefs As Solomon saith Prov. 10. 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely but he that perverteth his waies shall be known CHAP. XI Of Mortification of the Deeds of the Body THe eleventh Character of a sincere Charact. 11. Mortifiation of the Deeds of the Body Sect. 1. Heart is Mortification of the Deeds of the Body i. e. all manner of Lusts and the evil fruits of corrupt nature Carnal lusts and all the works of the flesh must be mortified And that we may the better know what they are the Apostle gives us a large Catalogue of the works of the flesh Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murthers drunkenness and such like Our duty is to confer the strength of our best endeavours to set upon the practice of mortification of all those fore-mentioned and not of those only but of all other sins For not only one particular member not only one particular act not only one particular affection or faculty must be mortified but the habit nature and constitution even the whole body of sin must be mortified Every sin must have a mortifying blow and not only be left half dead but dead altogether I have heard an observation made of two eminently Learned and Dr. Job Reynolds and Dr. Guil. is bitaker Valiant Champions of the Truth that one of them fought so long with his Adversary that he conquer'd and slew him in his Disputations the other did not only slay his Adversary but buried him Thus must we deal with every sin our endeavour must be to destroy all our sins utterly to kill and bury them that so they may never rise against us in this World to our shame nor in the World to come to our condemnation Where-ever we find the cursed fruits of sin we must utterly destroy them neither must sin only be destroyed in the fruits but in the roots also both root and branch must be pluckt up When the plague of Leprosie was spread in any house God gave a special command That the Priest should break down the house and the Levit. 14. 45. stones of it and the timber thereof and all the morter of the house Sin is a spiritual infectious Leprosie and wherever it is it ought to be rooted out The morter of a Leprous house may not be made use of for daubing of any house no more may any sin be mingled in the worship of God We read of the barbarous cruelty of Pilate Luke 13. 1. who mingled the bloud of the Galileans with their sacrifices But it 's most just for God to reject all our services and destroy us when we mingle our sins vain fancies and sinful inventions with the purity of his worship Nadab and Abihu are standing examples and warning-pieces against offering strange fire unto the Lord. And that is strange fire which is after our will-worship and devised by our own brains and not according to divine Institution We have the History upon record Lev. 10. 1. And Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord. We may not offer to God the lame and the blind And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evil and if ye offer the lame and sick is it not evil offer it now unto thy Governor will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person Mal. 1. 8. saith the Lord of hosts As for all those who put such a high affront and indignity upon God as to offer the refuse and worst of their services as if they thought any good enough for him they incur that dreadful curse Mal. 1. 14. But cursed be the deceiver who hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing for I am a great King saith the Lord of hosts and my Name is dreadful amongst the Heathen If then we would offer any acceptable sacrifice unto God we must mortifie our sins and corruptions and offer unto God the best of our services the male in the flock and the best male Sect. 2 Although the Lord commanded the sacrifice of Bullocks and Rams c. yet he rejected the sacrifices of the Jews and had no respect to their