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A09364 The first part of The cases of conscience Wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of God. Taught and deliuered, by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the Church.; Cases of conscience. Part 1 Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625. 1604 (1604) STC 19668; ESTC S114413 95,900 200

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of faith then also he iustifies the sinner and withall beginnes the worke of sanctification VII Then so soone as faith is put into the heart there is presently a combate for it fighteth with doubting dispaire and distrust And in this combate faith shews it selfe by seruent constant and earnest inuocation for pardon and after inuocation followes a strength preuailing of this desire VIII Furthermore God in mercie quiets and setles the Conscience as touching the saluation of the soule and the promise of life whereupon it resteth and staieth it selfe IX Next after this setled assurance perswasion of mercie followes a stirring vp of the heart to Euangelicall sorrow according to God that is a griefe for sinne because it is sinne and because God is offended and then the Lord workes repentance whereby the sanctified heart turnes it selfe vnto him And though this repentance be one of the last in order yet it shewes it selfe first as when a candle is brought into a roome we first see the light before wee see the candle and yet the candle must needes be before light can be X. Lastly God giues a man grace to endeauour to obey his commandements by a newe obedience And by these degrees doeth the Lord giue the first grace The second worke of God tending to saluation is to giue the second grace which is nothing else but the continuance of the first worke begun that a man may perseuere in grace to the ende Now then to come the Answer the holy Ghost hath propounded to vs this Question of conscience together with the resolution thereof in these examples following The men that were at Peters sermon beeing touched with the sense of their owne miserie vpon the doctrine which had beene deliuered as the Holy Ghost saies were pricked in their hearts and cried one to another Men and brethren what shall we doe Peter mooued by the spirit of God answers them Repent and bee baptized for the remission of your sinnes The like was the case of the Iayler who after that the stubbernnesse of his heart was beaten downe by feare of the departure of the prisoners he came trembling and fell downe before Paul and Silas and mooued this question vnto them Sirs vvhat must I doe to bee saued To whome they gaue answere Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thine houshold The young man in the Gospell sues to Christ and askes him What shall I doe to be saued Christ answers him Keepe the Commandements When he replied that he had kept them from his youth Christ tells him that he must goe yet further and sell all that he hath and giue to the poore And Iohn tells the Scribes and Pharises who came vnto his Baptisme and confessed their sinnes that if they would flie from the wrath to come they must repent and bring forth fruits worthie a mendement of life I answer then out of all these places that he that would stand in the fauour of God and be saued must doe foure things first humble himselfe before God secondly beleeue in Christ thirdly repent of his sinnes fourthly performe newe obedience vnto God For the first Humiliation is indeede a fruite of faith yet I put it in place before faith because in practise it is first Faith lieth hid in the heart and the first effect wherein it appeares is the abasing and humbling of our selues And here we are further to consider three points first wherein stands humiliation secondly the excellencie of it thirdly the Questions of conscience that concerne it Touching the first point Humiliation stands in the practise of three things The first is a sorrow of heart whereby the sinner is displeased with himselfe and ashamed in respect of his sins The second is a confession to God wherein also three things are to be done first to acknowledge all our maine sinnes originall and actuall secondly to acknowledge our guiltinesse before God thirdly to acknowledge our iust damnation for sinne The third thing in Humiliation is supplication made to God for mercie as earnestly as in a matter of life and death and of these three things we haue in scripture the examples of Ezra Daniel and the Prodigall sonne Ezra 9. Dan. 9. Luk. 15. The second point is the excellencie of Humiliation which stands in this that it hath the promises of life eternall annexed to it Esa. 57. 15. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Psal. 51. 17. A contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Prou. 28. 13. He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall finde mercie 1. Ioh. 1. 9. If we acknowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse By all these and many other places it is manifest that in the very instant whē a sinner begins truly in heart and conscience to humble himselfe he is then entred into the state of saluation So soone as Dauid said I haue sinned Nathan pronounceth in the name of the Lord that his sinnes were put away And Dauid himselfe saith alluding to the former place I said I will confesse my sinne and loe thou forga●est the wickednesse of my sinne When the Prodigall sonne had but said I will goe to my father c. euen then before he humbled himselfe his father meetes him and receiues him The third point is touching the Questions of conscience concerning Humiliatiō all which may be reduced to foure principall Cases I. Case What if it fall out that a man in humbling himselfe cannot call to minde either all or the most of his sinnes I answer A particular humiliation indeed is required for maine and known sins but yet there are two cases wherein generall repentance will be accepted of God for vnknown sinnes One is when a man hath searched himselfe diligently and by a serious examination passed through all the commandements of God and yet after such examination and search made cannot call to remembrance his particular offences then the generall repentance is accepted For this is answerable to the practise of Dauid who after long search when he could not attaine to the knowledge of his par●icular slippes then he addresseth himselfe to a generall humiliation saying Who knoweth the errours of this life Clense me Lord from my secret faults and vpon this he was no doubt accepted Againe when a man humbleth himselfe and yet is preuented by the time so as he cannot search his heart and life as he would his generall repentance will be taken and accepted of God The truth hereof appeares in the theife vpon the crosse who hauing no time to search himselfe made no speciall humiliation yet vpon his generall confession he was accepted Now the ground of
the matter with God why his owne people should be so lamentably afflicted by a terrible and a furious nation and why they should be led away captiues by the Chaldeans the enemies of God To this the Lord makes answer that as he had certenly determined that iudgement to come vpon them so certenly had he appointed a set time wherein they should be deliuered In the meane while he biddes them to comfort themselues in this that though the affliction should rest vpon them for a season yet vndoubtedly they should be cased at the length and therefore that they should in patience waite for the vision that is the accomplishment of the vision touching their deliuerance Secondly hence we learne that we must not onely beleeue the promises of God in generall that God is true and faithfull in them and that he is able and willing to fulfill them euen as he made them but we must beleeue them in particular that is with application to their proper and seuerall circumstances which are the particular meanes places and times whereby and wherein he hath giuen his word as touching our freedome and exemption from the crosse Take an instance hereof in the Prophet Daniel who knewe well by the spirit of Prophecie that the Lord had determined to bring vpon the Iewes 70. yeares captiuitie in Babylon He knewe also that God had promised to put an ende to that captiuitie at the end and tearme of those yeares Nowe what did Daniel in this case Vpon knowledge of the will of God in that point during the said time he praied not vnto the Lord for deliuerance of his people But when he vnderstood that the time drew neere wherein it was the will of God that the Iewes should returne out of captiuitie then by faith applying the promise of God to that particular time he besought the Lord in praier and supplications with fasting in sackcloath and ashes and the Lord gaue eare vnto his praiers yeelded him a gratious answer II. The second point is that God when he deferres deliuerance he doeth it vpon great and waightie causes and considerations best known to himselfe The first whereof is that thereby he might humble men throughly and bring them to an vtter deniall of themselues and consequently cause them to learne patience in afflictiō which they would not learne if they might be their owne caruers and haue speedie deliuerance from the crosse at their owne wils pleasures Secondly that beeing afflicted they may acknowledge whence their deliuerance comes yea whence they doe receiue not onely that but euery other good benefit which they inioy namely not from themselues or any creature but onely from the Lord and accordingly may learne to value and prize his gifts at their deserued excellencie For it is a true saying and often verified in affliction and want that benefits easily obtained are lightly regarded and sooner forgotten Thirdly that by the continuance of the crosse without intermission he may make thē to distaste the world and consequently drawe them to the meditation of the life to come wherein all matter of mourning shall cease and all teares shall be wiped from their eies Fourthly the Lord deferreth deliuerāce from affliction that he might preuent greater euils and dangers whereinto those that are afflicted might runne if they had their hearts desire and were eased not at his will but at their owne wishes When the children of Israel came into Canaan they were informed that they should dwell together with the Canaanites and Moses rēdreth a reason therof Least saith he the wild beasts of the field multiply against thee And for the preuenting of this euill the Israelites must indure some annoyance by the Canaanites Euen so the Lord keepeth his seruants vnder the crosse for the preuenting of greater sinnes and offences This should stay the mindes of men make them content to waite vpon God for deliuerance when they are afflicted The third and last point is that God alwaies hath and doeth exercise his best seruants with long and continued crosses Abraham was childlesse till he was 70. yeares of age and at those yeares the Lord promised him issue But this promise was not accomplished till a long time after when he was an hundred yeares old Dauid had a promise to be king of Ierusalem and Iuda but the Lord exercised him by many and grieuous afflictions before he came to the crowne in so much that he saies of himselfe that his eies failed with waiting vpon his God Zacharie and Elizabeth praied to God both of them in their youth and many yeares after for issue but the Lord graunted not their request till they were olde To adde no more examples by these we see the Lords dealing euen with holy men women his owne deare seruants that he doth not alwaies grant their requests nor condescend to their desires at the first but as it were holds thē off suspends his grace and fauour for a time And therefore if it shall please him thus to deale with any of vs we must frō these examples be taught to possesse our soules with patience resting contented in his will and waiting on his good pleasure to the end To conclude this point Suppose that the condition of Gods seruants be such as that they find no end of their afflictions but that they do continue euen vnto death what shall they doe in this case Ans. Besides that which hath beene said before for the resolution of this Question I answer further that first they must still euen vnto death liue by faith and say with holy Iob Lord though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Secondly they must stay and releiue their soules in the meane time with these and such like meditations I. That it is the will and pleasure of God that we should through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of God Act. 14. 22. Nowe it is the propertie of a true child of God to rest content in his fathers good will and pleasure euen when he is afflicted Prou. 3. 11. My sonne be not grieued at my correction that is let it not be tedious vnto thee be content to beare it Our dutie therefore is meekely to subiect our selues vnto the hand of God as the child doeth vnto the correction of his father II. That though afflictions be long and tedious yet God will at length giue a ioyful comfortable issue For so himselfe hath promised Math. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted Psal. 34. 19. Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord will deliuer him out of thē all Marke the vpright man behold the iust for the end of that mā is peace III. Afflictions be they neuer so heauy in regard of continuance yet they are in no sort cōparable to those eternal ioies that god hath prepared for thē that loue him This was Pauls meditatiō who indured the crosse euē