Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	let_v	see_v	12,443	5	3.3866	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36462	A briefe summe of divinitie shewing the plainest way, how a man ought to examine his waies in this life, to the attainment of eternitie : wherein the whole doctrine of Christian libertie is briefly handled, and may serve for instruction of all such as desire to exercise their guifts aright, which are in these our daies very much abused.	Downame, George, d. 1634.	1652 (1652)	Wing D2058; ESTC R17651	13,933	30

those waies which God hath commanded I beseech you take heed lest yee sin unpardonably 2. Absolute apostasie is a shrewd signe too of reprobation When men have been very forward in the profession of the truth and fal totally away and prove miserably profane as the Apostle sheweth Heb. 6.6 3. Finall impenitency This is an infallible signe of reprobation when a man liveth in sin dieth in sin and goeth away without repentance Luk. 13.3 Except yee repent yee shall likewise perish There be many of us have stood out long in impenitency let us take heed lest if we stay any longer we fall upon this great evill I return to the point A man may come to the knowledge of his owne estate before God I doe not mean Whether he be in the state of election or reprobation but he may know Whether he be in the state of salvation or damnation that is Whether he be in the way that leadeth to heaven or hell Whether he be in such a case that if he die now he shall be saved or not saved Every man may thus know in what estate he is 1. Because the word of God sheweth a man this As for example Hee that committeth sin is of the Devill Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in that liveth in sin in a very bad estate So on the contrary Hee that hath his hope purgeth himselfe Mark the Apostle telleth us what estate that man is in who purgeth himselfe he is in a very good estate in estate of true hope in Christ And so 1. Cor. 6.10 the Apostle nameth divers who are not in the state of salvation but of damnation if they die in such case they cannot inherit the kingdome of heaven So that if a man will but search the word and believe that God doth say true he may know his estate 2. Without this knowledge a man cannot have an accusing or an excusing conscience in respect of his estate but men may have yea many men have a conscience accusing them of being in a very bad estate and many men have an excusing conscience that plainly doth witnesse that they are in a very good and gracious estate I and my people are wicked saith Pharaoh His conscience did accuse him of being in a bad estate I am holy saith David I am thy servant His conscience told him he was in the state of grace So that yee need not goe far to know what estate you are in there is that in your bosome that can decide the matter 3. Men cannot desire nor flie from an unknown estate But men are commanded to flie from a bad estate and seek out a good one Therefore they may know the one and the other O generation of vipers who hath warned you to slie from the wrath to come Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance saith John to the Pharisees He supposeth these men might easily know that they were in a very bad est or else how could he say thus unto them Before I come to the Uses let us consider these three things 1. That every man living is borne in a very bad estate We all know it well but oh that we would consider it We are all by nature children of wrath Now here lieth the question When did wee change our estates We are in the same state of damnation wherin we were born except we are come out of it I say here lieth the question Whether we are come out of it or no whether wee have mended our estate 2. Consider that the greatest part of the world never mend their estates But as they were born in a cursed estate so they live die in it And I speak not this of heathen onely but alas how many in the visible Church doe so How many were there in the Church of Philippi whom the Apostle could not think of without weeping when he considered in what estate they were So in the Church of Corinth not many wise not many rich not many noble called but commonly the meanest in the eye of the world were in the best estate towards God Nay more then so Many of them who seek to get into a good estate misse of it and perish See Luke 13 24 Strive to enter in at the straight gate Mark it 's a strait gate and letteth but few in for many shall seek to enter in shall not be able Here and there a few even where the constant ministery is 3. Consider that it is a marvellous hard ●hing to passe from state unto state from a bad to a good estate There is a very vast gull between the state of sin and the state of grace and it is marvellous hard to passe it These things premised the uses follow 1. This point may be many waies usefull First for instruction If God hath made it possible unto us to find out what estate every one of us is in then sure he would have us go about it and enquire after it God might have left us to perish in our naturall blindnesse never to have known in what case wee had been untill we were past recovery First wee are all wanderers from God and from the waies of peace and therefore God might justly have suffered us for ever to have wandred and never to have been able to find out whether we had been right or wrong Secondly God hath dealt so with some He hath suffered some to go on all their daies blindfold to hell Thus the Lord dealt with the Scribes and Pharisees Let them alone saith he they be blind leaders of the blind and if the blind lead the blend they will both fall into the ditch Yee see the Lord hath dealt so with some and it is his mercy he hath not dealt so with us Sith God hath made it possible for us to know it is our duty to enquire after it And that yet further for these reasons 1. First because the Lord commanded it Examin your own selves whether ye be in the faith prove your selves know ye not your own selvs how that Iesus Christ is in you except yee be reprobates Where yee see the Apostle commandeth the duty of selfe-triall And consider how he presseth it upon us 1. Doe yee not know what an estate you are in Then examine and enquire 2. Doe yee thinke yee are in a good estate Look ye prove it be sure ye be not in an errour Doe yee object yee doe not know neither can yee know No then your estate is very bad finde out some good tokens in you except yee be reprobates This command makes it a clear duty 2. But a second reason to prove it our duty to enquire what estate we are in is because without the knowledge thereof wee can never have any true peace in our consciences The conscience must needs be without peace so long as wee are ignorant of what estate we

of mens soules how they stand before God They are men of Belial that say What must the minister know all and Can there be nothing done but the minister must heare of it These are very evill speeches The minister doth but his duty when he is inquisitive The second use may be for reproof If it be the duty of a minister to enquire of mens estates before God then those people are too blame that will not make known their estates What is the reason that so many men abide in a ro●ten estate but because they are loth to open truly and fully what they are to Gods minister Nay many are like them in the prophet Who say to the Seers See not They would not have God● ministers see what they do nor see what they are I confesse there be some that will open something about their estates but will not all they know by themselves They keep in the main like some foolish clients who misinform their Counsell making the●r case better then indeed it is and so their cause mis-carrieth So some keep in that which would give most light to judge of their estates But this ought not so to be I can tell you an example of one that being troubled about his estate before God and some ministers being by Oh saith he I will tell you all that I know of my selfe I 'le not hide a syllable from you and if I be yet no better then a wretch I beseech you tell me plainly that I am so and if I be in Christ I beseech you prove it plainly unto me This man took a right course and thereby through Gods mercy came in a little space to the assurance of his own blessed estate and condition Thirdly for exhortation Let Gods ministers know of your estates that they may be able to speak to you accordingly By this means they may speak words in due season and likewise house-holders give every one his portion If you had but a cut finger would not you be glad to have the right plaster and if you had a burning fever would you not desire the right remedy How much more in curing the sicknesse of the soule Now from the text it self without any cutting up of the words wee may gather foure propositions 1. That there is an estate that every man is in either an estate of grace or an estate of sin 2. That this state may be known 3. That every man should be willing to have his estate examined that it may be known whether it be good or no 4. That a man can never have true comfort till it bee known that hee is in a good estate 1. For the first That there is an estate that every one is in either of grace or sin See this in Simon Magus I perceive saith S. Peter thou art in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity See he telleth him what estate he was in viz. a very bad estate in a desperate and damnable condition In this state of sin and misery are all they that are not renewed by Christ Jesus And for the other see an example Rom. 16.7 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord The text there telleth us what estate he was in a very good estate He was a man in Christ a choise man that is a man in the state of grace and salvation In this estate are all they that are called and sanctified and made new creatures unto God Every man is in one of the two estates there is no middle estate which is neither the one nor the other but in one of these two are all the whole world The reason is 1. From everlasting the world was divided onely into two ranks either Elect or Reprobates 2. Here in this life the world is divided onely into two companies either Godly or Ungodly 3. At the day of judgement the Lord will divide the whole world onely into two sorts either Sheep or Goats II. For the second proposition This estate may be known Especially every man may come to the knowledge of his own estate before God I do not say that every man may know whether he be elect or reprobate yet this I say too That a godly soule may know that it is elected to life The Apostle exhorteth all that are godly to give diligence to make their election sure 2. Pet. 1.10 He that attaineth to that saith which the Apostle calleth the faith of Gods elect Titus 1.1 and receiveth the word of God as Paul saith the Thessalonians did and thence concludeth they were chosen of God 1. Thess. 1.4.5 he may attain to much assurance of his election But though a godly man may know he is elected of God yet for reprobation the case is not alike 1. Because ungodlinesse is not alwaies joyned with perseverance 2. Besides God hath many reasons why he doth not reveal means reprobation unto them They would then be outragious in evill desperate in wickednesse there could be no order or government in humane life Besides that the form of Christs administration of his kingdome could not be so as it now is for Christ hath bid his ministers preach the Gospell to every creature to whole parishes and towns and except none Christ will not tell his ministers which be reprobates and which not that they may preach unto all and labour to work upon every soul and there is none in a parish but the minister must look upon him as one who may be saved Christ will not tell his people which be reprobates that they may look upon every one as one that may be wonne to the faith for any thing they know Christ will not tell the reprobates themselves that they are reprobates that every one of them may come ●o the use of the means How do they know but they may finde grace Yea and the Lord doth seriously ca●l them and it is their fault if they obey not It is Gods infinite mercy that election which is such a comfortable point m●y be revealed to Gods children and that reprobation which is so intolerable and bitter is not revealed to the reprobate Neverthelesse let me adde That some particular men have known their own reprobation as Cain and Judas c. And there be shrewd signes of it I doe not speak it as though I meant to perswade any man that he is one but onely that he may take heed of them 1. Maliceing the known truth is a very shrewd signe As when men know that godlinesse is pleasing to God and yet they hate a man for it when men knowe the minister is commanded to rebuke sin and yet they will spite him for so doing this is a very shrewd sign● Paul persecuted the truth but yet saith he I obteined mercy because I did it ignorantly 1 Tim. 1.13 intimating that if he had done it against knowledge he had been in danger to have found no mercy And therefore yee that mock and hate