Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A41106
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Christs alarm to drowsie saints, or, Christs epistle to his churches by William Fenner.
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Fenner, William, 1600-1640.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing F682; ESTC R25397
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286,079
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411
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field and give a slash a generall slash at one Corn of the field as though that would fetch down all the Corn No they apply it to the Corn to reap it down The preaching of a Generall Sermon is but a sickle now except it bee applyed to all the people it is not the way to reap in Gods harvest Preachers are called Christs seed-men The sower went out to sow his seed Luk. 8. 5. Now what does the seeds-man does hee onely bring in a sack of seed and powre it all on a heap in the field does hee think that every spot of ground will draw it unto it self No hee sprinkles it and disperses it abroad that every Lea may have its part Whence comes that foolish conceit that reading is Preaching a tenet which many hold the truth is it comes from hence because Generall preaching is made by most Ministers to serve the turn Now if this were Preaching reading were Preaching indeed But this is no preaching preaching is the opening of the Word of God and the applying of it according as every man hath need The not doing of this leaves poore people in their hardnesse and deadnesse of heart This is the first Generall Preaching is such a manner of preaching as leaves the heart dead Secondly Morall Preaching is a dead manner of preaching When Ministers preach honest matter but doe not goe to the quick they strike at the boughes They preach against Drunkennesse and intemperance and malice and hatred and tale-bearing and lying and covetousnesse and making of shews it is very good to preach against these things and wee must too and let them know they are farre from the Kingdome of God that live in these or any other such lusts But alas this is onely to strike at the boughes If we would awake the Conscience indeed wee must preach deeper then so The axe is laid at the roote of the tree Mat. 3. 10. John the Baptist was a lively Preacher now the Text shews hee did not onely strike at the boughes but hee laid his axe at the roote of the tree When Ministers preach onely good morall matter this kinde of preaching does not quicken First Because Morall preaching does not hit all many are very Morall people that have not one whit of grace in their hearts True this may hit some Paul told Felix of his intemperance and how that there was a day of Judgement to judge all such persons this made him tremble Felix trembled saith the Text Act. 24. 25. I say morall preaching may startle some but it does not startle all Many Heathens have been sober and temperate and true in their speeches and just in their dealings and loving in their carriages and painfull in their callings as Paul saith they have done by Nature the things contained in the Law Now yee know the Heathens are without grace and are not acquainted with God neither have they any communion with God Powre out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not Jer. 10. 25. Mark they have no communion with God they doe not know Jesus Christ nor the mysteries of saving Grace So that a man may bee very finely morall and yet bee without grace Now then if a Minister should content himself with good morall teaching many would goe away and conclude well of their own estates though they have no grace Secondly Morall preaching those that it does hit it does them indeed some good but it does them not the good it never quickens them up unto eternall life it seemeth to civillize their lives and to reforme them a little but it never reneweth them neither does it put them into Jesus Christ Let a Drunkard heare hee is a damned wretch if hee do not give over his drunkennesse if this Sermon hit him what does hee say why then I will bee sober and I will never bee a drunkard more And I can tell you this is very rare too But suppose it bee hee may goe to hell for all this Suppose wee doe make all our people morall which were a fine thing if wee could but grant wee could this does not quicken them together with Christ No no a man must see his vile nature and loathe himself and bee made to deny himselfe to mortifie his carnall reason to put off his corrupt will to feele his cursed condition in himself to bee emptyed of himself that Christ may bee all in all to him that hee may bee led by the Spirit of Christ and guided by the word of Christ that hee may hang onely upon the promises of God in Christ that his minde may bee taken up with Christ and his thoughts and affections daily bee laboured to bee fixed upon the things above none are alive unto God but such Now Morall preaching will never doe this God-forbid I should speak against Morall preaching absolutely or against Morality it self it is a very good thing Who will not commend Abimelech for the integrity of his heart that hee pleaded before God Gen. 20. 5. Yee know how the Lord himself liked of it who will not say but that the young man in the Gospel was a very commendable man that had observed all these from his youth Nay the Text saith That Christ in some sense did love him Mark 10. 21. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what an excellent thing Morality was O! saith he If thou wilt break off thy sins and bee righteous hee means Morall righteousnesse towards man if thou wilt shew mercy to the poore it may bee God will lengthen thy tranquillity Dan. 4. 27. The Prophet Esay tell the Moabites what a deale of good they might doe to themselves if they would but bee morally honest saith hee Take Counsell execute Judgement hide the outcasts let mine out-casts bee with thee Esa 16. 3. Q. d. If thou wilt bee kinde and loving to my people thou shalt fare the better When the King of Babylon punished the wickednesse of Tyre the Lord rewarded them very richly for it I have given him the Land of Egypt for his labour saith God because he wrought for mee Ezek. 29. 20. Morall goodnesse is commended of God as well as spirituall goodnesse in Jesus Christ Nay it is needfull that Ministers should insist very much in pressing of morall duties and the godly are to bee willing to hear such Sermons to look to just dealing to Civill honesty to justice between man and man How aboundant is the Scripture in urging this Theme it is thought by some there is no Divinity in this and such a Minister is not deep enough and why does hee stand so much upon such things as these which the light of nature calls for But these doe greatly erre the Holy Ghost is carefull to urge such duties as these to bee honest Walk honestly towards them that are without saith the Apostle 1 Thess 4. 12. Let us walk honestly as in the day saith hee Rom. 13. 13. Provide things honest in the sight of all men Rom. 12. 17. Nay
that it makes a man to doe his freely to accuse himselfe The just man first accuseth himselfe Prov. 18. 17. So it is in the Greek and the Latin Hast thou such a Conscience as this this is a lively Conscience when thy Conscience does not onely doe its duty to accuse thee for every sinne that thou dost but it makes thee to doe thine freely to accuse thy selfe before God a wicked Conscience may accuse I but it does not mak the man to do his duty he does not freely accuse himselfe it is onely forced in him it is with Coaction and Compulsion But it s free in Gods Children when Daniel went to confesse his sinnes before God the Text says he set himself to do it I set my face unto the Lord God Dan. 9. 3. that is his Conscience did not onely doe its duty in this thing but it made him to doe his Thirdly when it does not onely Condemne one for sinne for so the wicked have condemning Consciences as the Apostles says if our heart condemne us 1 John 3 20. that is if we be wicked as Paul sayes Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Tit. 3. 11. that is he is a very wicked Creature so that a wicked mans Conscience does Condemne But I meane when the Conscience does not onely condemne one for sinne it does not onely doe its owne duty in this thing but it makes the man to doe his it makes him trample upon himselfe as a damned wretch in himselfe to save God a labour as the Apostles speakes if we would judge our selves we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11. 31. when Conscience makes a man freely to accept of damnation thou shalt accept of thy punishment then I will remember my Covenant Levit 26. 41. 42. when it makes thee lay thy Neck on the block Lord the worst place in hell is too good for me I have often told you a story in the acts and monuments of the Church when Edward the first one of the Kings of England was a hunting and one of the standers by had displeased him the King rid after him with a drawne sword for to stab him the man runne away for his life the King rid over hedge and ditch to overtake him and when the man saw he had no way to escape he fell downe and held up his throat to the King if it please your Majesty here is my throat The King melting towards him shewed him mercy So when Conscience makes thee say Lord here is my throat here is my soule if it please thee thou maist send Satan to take it and carry it to hell with him Thou hast no way to escape therefore offer thy selfe unto God may be thy Conscience does Condemne thee alas that is not it thy Conscience does not its duty with any life till it make thee doe thine doest thou freely Condemne thy selfe accept of thy punishment lay thy head on the block does thy soule lye groveling before God this is a live Conscience Fourthly when it does not onely pull a man a dayes from sinne and Iniquity so it may doe with the wicked and the ungodly they feele many pulles every day and may be their Conscience makes them leave many particular sinnes though that 's very rare as the times now be but when the Conscience pulles a man forth of every knowne sinne when it so does its duty in this kinde that it makes thee to doe thine when thou pullest thy selfe withall detestation and loathing out of pride out of security out of unbelief out of heardnesse of heart out of formality and all this is a lively Conscience as Iob sayes my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job 27. 6. that is as my heart does its duty towards me so it shall make me doe mine I will yeeld to mine owne Conscience in every thing whatsoever sinne it tels me off I will be sure to set my selfe against it it shall not lie heaving at me and I never stirre then it would reproach me but it shall never reproach me so long as I live These are the lively acts of Conscience about sinne The lively effects whereof are foure The first is a penitent shame that ever a man should sin against God when Conscience does thus as ye have heard then it produces this effect that the man is ashamed before God as the Apostle sayes what fruit have you of those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 21. people are apt to be ashamed before men Diodorus Cronus when Stilpo askt him a ridiculous question and he could not answer him he was so ashamed that he fell downe starke dead he thought it was such a disgrace to be nonplust But if Conscience were alive and did doe its duty indeed it would make us ashamed for our sinnes before God Ezra was ashamed before God for the sinnes of the people I blush sayes he to lift up mine eyes unto thee when a man is Ignorant of God in Jesus Christ this should be a shame I speake this to your shame 1 Cor. 15. 34. that is if there be any grace in your hearts certainely ye will be ashamed that ye should have no more knowledge of God I say when the Conscience is alive against sinne it makes a man ashamed before God It shewes him his nakednesse before heaven it propounds God before his eyes seeing all his uncleanenesse and so it makes him ashamed before him doest thou Count it a disgrace to doe evill a disgrace to offend God a confusion of face to doe iniquity though it be never so secret Canst thou not looke upon thy unworthy dealings with God but it makes thee ashamed in his sight this is the effect of a living Conscience Secondly another effect is penitent griefe and compunction of heart ye may see this effect in the new converts they were prickt in their hearts Act. 2. 37. when their Conscience began to be alive to smite them for their sinnes to accuse them and Condemne them it grieved them exceedingly it went to the quick it was like a Dagger in their heart it prickt them it made them mourn for all that they had done True a naturall Conscience produces griefe ther 's nere a wretch but if his Conscience be awakened to Check him and accuse him and condemne him it will make him to grieve for his sinnes But this is onely legall and surly Now when the Conscience is alive to doe its duty as to make the man to doe his now it makes him grieve out of love to God out of love to grace and goodnesse now he grieves because he hath broken those Commandements that he loves he loves to obey God O it is the unfeigned desire of his soule to obey him and therefore he grieves that he hath done the Contrary Thirdly another effect is penitent feare It makes a man afraid to sin against God againe as the Apostle