Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A45329
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The beauty of holiness, or, A description of the excellency, amiablenes, comfort, and content which is to be found in wayes of purity and holinesse where you have that glorious attribute of Gods holinesse exactly setforth : together with the absolute necessity of our resembling him therein ... / by Tho. Hall.
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Hall, Thomas, 1610-1665.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing H426A; ESTC R28056
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111,380
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240
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to direct them grace to renew them grace to strengthen and comfort them so that there is no life like theirs For as the life of a man excels the life of a Beast so the life of a gracious man excels the life of a naturall man c. See more fully Topsals Preface to the Book of Ruth and Master Baxters Saints Rest 4. Part Sect 4. p. 56. Now lay all these Motives together and then put the question to your selves as Saul did to the people in another case 1 Sam. 21. 7. Can the son of Jesse give you fields and vineyards and Ratione homines iumentis religione homines bominibus antestant Boet. See more Will. Burton Serm. on Prov. 7. 1. p. 372. c made you all Captains of Thousands and Captains of Hundreds So say I Can the world give you peace joy contentment in all conditions Can your riches houses carnall friends c. give you comfort when you come to die or will they not rather like false friends then leave you and forsake you But holinesse like a faithfull friend will never leave you nor forsake you but in the very pangs of death will yeild you comfort Isa. 38. 1. 3. and at last Vestite vos seriâ—… pâ—…obitatis byssino sanctitatis purpurâ pudicitiae c. Tertul. de cultu faem c. 9 bring you to everlasting happinesse Oh then let us cloath our selves with the silk of honesty with the lawn of sanctity and the purple of chastity Et taliter pigmentatae Deum habebitis amatorem So shall the King of Kings See twelve Motives more in Bifield on 1 Pet. 1. 15. p. 123. take pleasure in our beauty and we shall be lovely in his eye for ever CHAP. IX IF any now seeing the necessity and excellency of holinesse shall cry out as those Acts 2. 37. Men Brethren What must we do that may be holy A. The Means to attain it are The means If you would see more Direct peruse Bifields Marrow p. 448 c. plain and easie to those that have hearts to practise them 1. You must pray unto God for it it is his Prerogative Royall to be The Lord that sanctifieth us Ezek. 20. 12. He is both the Authour and the finisher of it and though he hath promised to bestow it on us Ezek. 37. 25. 26. yet v. 37. he will for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them You must ask if ever you would have Spare to speak and you shall never speed What the Apostle saies of wisdome is true of sanctification James 1. 5. If any one lack it let him ask it of God Spread your uncleannesse and lament it before the Lord cry as the Leper Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Oh when shall it once be Lord thou knowest that the way of man is not in himselfe but t is thou who art the heart-making that must be to me the heart-mending God c. It is therefore observed that the men of most prayer have been the men of most holinesse as Moses Samuel Job Daniel Paul c. True it is we must use all other means but without praier they are all but vain This must come in the Reare of all and be added to all other means that they may become effectuall When the Apostle had directed the Ephesians to put on the whole armour of God he addes in the close of all Praying allwayes c. Ephes. 6. 18. This is like Goliahs sword none like that and therefore Gods servants being sensible of their own uncleannesse by prayer have made out unto God for it Psal. 19. 12. Cleanse me from secret sins And 51. 10. Create in me a clean heart And 119. 133. Order my steps aright and let no iniquity have dominion over me And Paul praies for his Thessalonians that God would sanctifie them wholly 1 Thes. 5. 23. Nor is it all praying or seeking that will prevail But we must seeke it 1 Early 2 Earnestly 3 Constantly And to encourage you know That none ever sought God thus but he was found of him Many ask but it is amiss either they seek it not early in their youth or they seek it not zealously and earnestly with their whole heart or they cannot wait but give over presently no wonder if such ask and have not because they thus askamiss 1 Then you must seeke a gracious frame of spirit * See eight Reas. for this Gatakers Ser. on Matth. 6. 33. fol. p. 43. c. early in the morning of thy youth whilst the day of thy visitation lasts to such the promise runs Pro. 8. 17. They thatseek me early shall See more fully M. Ant. Burgess Ser. 75. finde me There are certain seasons of grace when the Lord makes tenders and offers of grace to the soul happy those that observe those seasons and know in this their day the things that concerne their everlasting peace There is a time when the Lord will be found of his people observe that season and improve it seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him whilst he is near Isa. 6. Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth before the evill daies come Fly betimes from the lusts of youth such as pride fornication self-confidence rashnesse sensuality voluptuousnesse c. 2 Tim. 2 22. God takes it kindly when young persons will so farre deny themselves that they can follow him through a wildernesse of temptations and oppositions in a Land that is not sown A hypocrite may follow him in a Land that is sowen with pleasures profits honours c. but to follow him in the want and losse of these argues some sincerity and makes us dear to God Jeremy 2. 2. I remember the kindnesse of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after me in the wildernesse in a Land that was not sown It was Josiahs commendation that when he was but sixteene years old he began to seek serve the Lord 2 Chro. 34. 1. 3. And Obadiah feared the Lord from his youth 1 King 18 12. You must be good young if you would be good long Seldome doth a devil in youth prove a Saint in years the time of conversion as one well observes is usually between 18. and 28. and he that mispends that flower of his time is seldome good The devil indeed hath a Proverb A young Saint and an old devil But Gods Spirit tels us the contrary Prov. 22. 6. Train up a child Angelicus juvenis senibus Satanizat in annis in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Train up a child vertuously and usually he will See Childs Patrimony ch 2. Harsnet on Rep. p. 260 278 c. continue Youth is our seed time our harvest and our hopes depend upon our care and diligence in this plowing and sowing season Every thing is Opportunitasâ—… plurimùm potest
will not only see to the Common-wealth but he hath also a care of his family Psal. 101. He walks not only in Gods house but in his own house with a perfect heart he prayes there and praiseth God there 2 Sam. 6. 20. Ioshua 24. 15. will not serve God alone but he and his house will serve the Lord. He can never be truly tender of the souls of his wife children servants c. that is carelesse Morbido capite nihil sanum est neque ullum omninò membrum officio suo fungitur ubi quod est principale non constat Salv. of his own and therefore it concerns Governous to be holy that they may teach their children and servants the way of the Lord as Abraham did Gen. 18. 19. The great prophanesse that is in the Land springs principally from the prophane Governours of families for they usually swear and their children learn of them to swear they be enemies to the power of godlines their childreÌ„ are like theÌ„ When Diogenes saw a child offending he ran and beat the father the fathers and mothers of our time would be beaten for most of the offences of their children they being one way or another accessary unto them O that all Governours Infans tibi est ne ansaÌ„ occasioneÌ„ arripiat improbitas ab infantia Sanctitate imbuatur ab ipsis unguiculis Spiritui conâ—…retur Nazian Orat. 40. then would labour for grace and teach it to others how might they propagate piety to posterity for many generations for if thou teach thy children the way of the Lord then they will teach their children and so on As Timothy's grand-mother taught his mother and his mother taught him and he taught the Church c. Secondly A holy life is a comfortable life When all earthly comforts are dead and gone yet this is the singular comfort of a godly man that Bonae menli calamitas omnis occasio est virtutis nec malum putat sed exercitium patientiae et pro eo Deo gratias agit Drexel he hath a God to go to Iob 16. 20. Are his friends dead yet the Lord lives Psal. 18. 46. Hath he lost his riches yet the Lord will be to him instead of gold and he shall have plenty of silver Iob 22 25 Doth his head fail and heart fail yet the Lord will be the strength of his heart his portion forever Psal. 73. 26. In a word if he be in any want 't is but going to his father and make it known to him and it is supplied Phil. 4. 6. 7. In nothing be carefull with a care of diffidence an excessive unbeleeving vexing tormenting care when mens hearts are rent in sunder with cares this is forbidden 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tear not your hearts in peices with care But a care of diligence we may use a moderate wise providentiall care when we are industrious in those callings wherein God hath set us 2. Cor 2. 14. 1 Tim. 5. 8. Our great work is to pray for what we want and to give thanks Quoties impetimur aliquâ tentatione statim ad orationeÌ„ tanquaÌ„ ad sacruÌ„ asyluÌ„ refugiamus Calvin for what we enjoy and then in nothing to be carefull but if our enemies encompasse us it is but making our requests to God as David did Psal. 86. 2. Preserve me Lord for I am holy Lo this is the priviledge of those holy ones whom God will honour This honour have all only his Saints As for the wicked it is not so with them when they fall into trouble they are the most uncomfortable men in the world when the good man is most comfortable like those foul which are fattest in frosty weather he sees a good hand of providence turning all to his good what ever befals him or what ever he lose yet say to the righteous Nihil accidere bono viro mali potest adversi aliquid fateor nihil mali Sen. it shall be well with him Isa. 3. 10. We all desire comfortable lives lo this is the way Fly from sin and fight the good fight for godly actions are seeds of joy and godly people are the most comfortable people in the See more Gross Inducements to Christ. Chap. 25. Bolton in his Epist. Dedicat. to true Happiness in the End of it world and have the greatest grounds of comfort as having a sweet possession and a large Reversion Thirdly 'T is an easie life True to a carnall heart and to a wicked unwilling spirit no life so tedious they esteem holy humble walking with God a bondage not a priviledge but to a regenerate man whose nature is changed it is very pleasant Rom. 7. 22. It is as naturall to him to pray believe Suave juguÌ„ juguÌ„ Christi See more Hildersham on Psal. 51. Lect. 47. P. 235. obey c. as to a wicked man to swear drink whore c. Christs yoke is easie to an humbled meekned soul Matth. 11. 28. 29. The yoke of Christs Doctrine his yoke of Discipline and Affliction are all easie sweet and pleasant the yoke of the devil and the yoke of the world are iron yokes unreasonable cruell tyrannicall yokes they binde heavie burthens and grievous to be born Matth. 23. 4. But Christs yoke of holinesse and obedience is easie in five respects 1. Comparatively in comparison of the devils yoke and the slavery of sin no work so toilsome as the devils drudgery to lie drinking night day to lie tumbling in their own vomit and filth to quarell fight cut and kill one another c. none undergo such pains no thresher toyles like these slaves of the devil But Christs yoke is easie compared with this For it is more easie and pleasant to live soberly in the use of the creatures and so enjoy our selves our friends and comforts then to lie drunken and be fit for nothing Is it not more easie and delightfull to follow those vocations and callings wherein God hath set us and so to improve our times and talents for our Masters honour then thus sinfully to mispend our precious time and those talents of health wealth peace c. and so destroy both body soul goods and good name 2. It is easie to such as have been accustomed to it to a young beginner at first these waies may seem hard and harsh till he have been habituated and accustomed to them as David could not go in Sauls armour because he was unaccustomed to it A trade at first seems irksome to a young beginner but after he hath learnt the Art and Mystery of it it is pleasant when holy waies are become natural they are no burdens for what we do naturally we do delightfully and easily he now doth good as freely and readily as as once he did sin 3. It is easie because we have Iugum dicitur quod duo jumenta juncta subâ—…unt à Lap. Gods Spirit to help us in the work A yoke carried by