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A42544
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A caveat to the standing Christian, and to him that thinketh he standeth by William Gearing ...
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Gearing, William.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing G433; ESTC R14121
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41,281
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62
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of the simple shall slay them Prov. 1.31 32. CHAP. XV. Prop. 3. I Come now to the third Proposition viz. That every godly man is to take heed lest he fall from that measure of grace which he hath received We must not spill a drop of oil out of our lamps but must be daily increasing it God commandeth a growth in grace is angry when he seeth the least withering In the handling this Point I will first shew How a godly man may fall 1. A man in the state of grace cannot and shall not fall away from that state his mountain is too strong to be removed storms may shake him but they cannot beat him down because he is builded upon a rock a man once really godly and godly for ever he is a mortal yet immortally gracious I may say of grace as Solomon of wisdom Prov. 9.1 She hath builded her house and hewen out seven pillars on which grace stands so firm that all the powers of Hell cannot totally ruinate it 1. The pillar of Gods eternal election unto the state of grace and glory is impregnably strong The foundation of the Lord standeth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 That distinction is a meer dream and not a Scripture revelation of an election to grace only such may fall away and an election to grace and glory such cannot fall away but if God hath elected any man to holiness he is elected to happiness election to a state of grace is to a state of glory 2. The pillar of Gods unchangeable love to his chosen ones so firmly upholds the Saints that they shall never fall away from that state The Lord telling his peoâ—le that he would have mercy on them with everlasting kindness saith Isai 54.9 10. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me c. the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord. The Sea is not so full of water nor the Sun of light as this place is of love and comfort to the Saints God abhors that it should be said of him that he is an unconstant lover of his people 3. The pillar of Gods and Christs unconquerable power 1 Pet. 1.5 his omnipotency is a strong guard about the grace which his Spirit worketh in us for so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth Gods power is their strong garrison Christ saith of his sheep I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater then all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand Joh. 10.28 29. The power that must dispossess your hearts of grace must be stronger then God and Christ 4. The pillar of an inseparable union with their Head Christ He and his members are more firmly knit together then any natural head and members can possibly be the head may be severed from the body the arms or the legs may be cut off or rent asunder by wild beasts but all the strength of all the Divels in Hell cannot rend a member from Christ they shall as soon separate his divine nature from the humane nature as a living member from his body mystical 5. The pillar of Christs effectual and eternal redemption of them firmly upholds grace in us till he hath consummated their redemption it were no better then a temporary redemption of his people should they again return from grace to captivity to sin and Satan 6. The pillar of Christs uncessant intercession in the behalf of his chosen people Joh. 17.11.15 he always makes intercession for his Church and people and God the Father always heareth Jesus Christ in their behalf 7. The seed by which God regenerateth his children is immortal by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1.23 and this seed remaineth in them 1 Joh. 3.9 neither can they sin because they are born of God they may sin themselves out of Gods favour but not out of grace they may sin themselves into Gods anger but not into his hatred when Solomon gave himself to follow his hearts desires yet then his wisdom remained with his Eccles 2.9 God once repented that he had made man but never repented that he bestowed his grace upon any The gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 if God never repents of giving they shall never lose that precious gift of his grace Upon these pillars our state of grace resteth there is no falling from it CHAP. XVI 2. YEt notwithstanding though a godly man cannot fall from the state of grace yet may he fall from that measure of grace which he hath the day-star of grace may go back like the Sun in Ahaz dial 10 degrees but shall never set the Saints may go back from many degrees of love but shall never fall from love it self the spring of living waters may run low but shall never dry up Christ told Peter I have prayed for thee that thy faith may not fail yet we see it did shake non rogavit ut ne deficeret sed ut ne prorsus deficeret his prayer was not that there should be no failing at all but that there should not be an utter decay 3. A godly man may fall from the vigorous exercise of his graces this is an infallible consequent of the former for the actings of grace are proportionable to the measure if strong then vigorous actions if weak then weak actions a decay of vital operations follows the decay of vital spirits the less the flame is the lesser is both the heat and light of the fire He that is ambitious to put forth eminent acts of grace must labour for an eminent measure of grace he that desireth to believe as Abraham did must have the like measure of faith as he had a weak child cannot put forth manly acts Of this kind of falling a godly man must take heed Reas 1. Because of the excellency of grace as it is said of truth Quisquilia veritatis sunt preciosae the sweepings of truth are precious so it may be said of grace the very filings of gold are precious one grain of grace is more worth then all the world one act of faith is better then silver then fine gold more precious then rubies all things a man can desire are not to be compared to a dram of grace a man is loth to lose the head of a pin that is made of gold nor the smallest piece of a diamond shall a godly man be careless of the least degrees of grace more worth then a Mine of gold or a rock of diamonds See how careful the wise Virgins were they would not spare one drop of their oil though to save the soul of another an Angel would sooner part with his glorious joy then part with a drop of grace he that truly knoweth the worth of grace
yea it extremely hardens wicked men in their wickedness wherefore he will leave ninety nine profane persons to seek out one of them to tempt them to sin Wherefore O ye Professors of godliness take heed lest he give you a fall you are all in a warfaring condition in the field with an Adversary and he no mean one but a Lion a roaring Lion a diligent Adversary who is always going about seeking whom he may devour Reas 5. Because of the deceitfulness of all the Enemies of our Salvation The world is deceitful the things of the world are deceitful Math. 13.22 riches are called deceitful riches the favour of man is decitful Prov. 31.30 and Wine is a mocker Prov. 30.1 Men are apt to be deceived and mocked by these things Now these things are not properly deceitful they are so rather objective then subjective Man by sin hath brought a curse upon the creature and by the judgment of God this curse is retorted from the creature to man again Souldiers in their march are subject to ambuscadoes so the creatures do as it were lie in ambush to do us a mischief And as the things of the world are thus deceitful so are the men of the world very deceitful labouring to draw us into all manner of sin these do not only deceive men by false hopes but also by suggesting false fears Severus terrified the Roman Army by clapping head-pieces with lighted matches upon the stumps of the trees in the night making the appearance of a new formidable Army and as an Enemy giving an alarum to a City on one side draweth the defendants thither while the Souldiers are undermining and scaling the other So the world doth many times scare men out of their profession and affright them with dangers from men to bring them in danger of the real wrath of God Sin likewise is deceitful and the lusts and works of sin are deceitful and your own evil hearts are deceitful above all things above sin Divels and the world and all these conspire together to deceive you what need have we then to have a watchful eye over our selves You will take heed that men cheat you not out of your money out of your Estates and Land and if you knew you had such persons about you that would deceive you if you took not heed you would double your watch Beloved let me tell you these deceivers I am now speaking of would deceive you of your souls more worth then the whole world they would cheat you of an everlasting Inheritance of a glorious Kingdom in Heaven their design is to deceive you into Hell and to bring you to eternal damnation Wherefore take heed lest ye fall Reas 6. Because you that profess your selves to be godly you have more to lose then wicked men have to lose therefore take heed lest ye fall Have wicked men a soul to lose so have you Have wicked men a Heaven to lose so have you Have wicked men a God a Christ to lose so have you But you that stand have yet more to lose then they you have communion with God to lose which wicked men have not how will a great fall break your communion with God you have a Spirit of comfort and adoption to lose which wicked men have not you have boldness of access to the Throne of Grace to lose which wicked men have not you have joy in the Holy Ghost and peace of Conscience to lose which wicked men have not what need then have you to take heed to your selves that ye fall not Reas 7. Because of Gods severity against sin and sinners This is the very reason of the Apostle in my Text wherefore let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Seeing God plagued Fornicatours destroyed Murmurers fixed such exemplary marks of his displeasure upon the Israelites let us take heed lest we sin as they and suffer the like punishment If you murmur he will send a destroyer to destroy you if you murmur against Moses he can make the earth to swallow you up if you fall into fornication and burn in lust he will make fire to burn you as it did the Sodomites if you harden your hearts against Gods threatnings he will make the waters to drown you as they did the Egyptians if you lust after flesh he will give you Quails in wrath and the Plague to boot if you sin as Vzzah did he may strike you dead presently God is always the same as severe against sin in Christians as against sin in the Israelites he will chastise his own people now under the Gospel as he chastised them under the Law though hand joyn in hand yet he will never suffer sin to go unpunished Remember Lot's wife how God dealt with her for one act of disobedience O ye children of disobedience Remember Corah and his companions O ye murmurers Remember Zimri and Cozbi ye fornicators Remember Vzzah ye polluters of sacred things Remember Belshazzar O ye swinish drunkards Remember the rich Glutton all ye sensual Epicures Remember Cain all ye persecuters Remember Judas all ye covetous professors lest their plagues fall upon you for your falling into their sins Do you fear the Plague then fear Fornication Do you fear War then flye Idolatry Do you fear judgments then fear sin Do you fear to fall into Hell fear sin you need to fear no evil of punishment if you fear to commit sin but if you fear not to fall into sin be sure you shall fall into misery CHAP. V. Vse 1. THis may inform us of the great falls and scandals among Professors There are two principal causes Heedlessness Self-confidence 1. Heedlessness Men take no heed to themselves nor to their ways wherefore they stumble and fall and oftentimes wound their Consciences Heedless children get most falls and broken bones so do heedless Christians many of the Lords Worthies have fallen shamefully through heedlessness for want of circumspection David fell into great scandal It is just with God to let loose the Divel upon those who walk loosely the Divel is said to watch the main thing he watcheth for is to find us careless and heedless then we become a prey to him The slumbering of the Sentinel giveth advantage to the Enemy when the Guard is in a deep sleep the City is soon surprized many a precious soul hath the Divel surprized and devoured finding them asleep taking no heed to themselves 2. Self-confidence When men presume upon their own strength or presume that they shall not fall into such or such a sin they do not find inclinations to it they presume they hate it so as that they shall never be overtaken with it like Hazael hearing what cruelties he should act upon the women and infants said to the Prophet Is thy servant a dog that he should do such detestable things as if he should have said I hate the mention of such sins the naming of such cruelties So it is with many a Christian