Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A93736
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A discourse on the extensiveness and comprehensiveness of future judgment of God In another method than what hath been hitherto extant in any other books or sermons upon this subject. By Richard Stafford.
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Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing S5115A; ESTC R230355
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16,898
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16
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certainly come unto and appear before him It is the very same as to the compreheusiveness and extensiveness of the future Judgment For then God is Judge himself Selah Psal 50.6 And he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given Assnrance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the Dead Acts 17.31 When the Apostle Paul professes his Belief of the Resurrection of both the just and unjust He thereupon immediately adds Herein do I exercise my self to have a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Man As Attorneys and Solicitors are now very diligent and industrious to get their Business Witnesses and Evidence all ready against the day of Assize or Nisi prius So we should prepare and make all things ready against that Day we shall be judged knowing by whom it must be And so to learn to behave and comport our selves that we may not be condemned when we shall be judged Psal 37.33 Others we read of who will be condemned when th y shall be judged Psal 109.7 It may be we have no Business at those Assizes which are holden twice a year but at this general Grave delivery which is kept once for all our dead Bodies shall arise and every one of us shall give account of himself to God Rom. 14.12 What a comfort will it then be as the same should be our care now to see well to it that our selves be acquitted out of that word whereby we shall be judged at the last Day And where we see our selves acquitted and cleared out of that same World there to endeavour to keep so keeping your selves in the love of God It is best not to defile our Garments at first which I gather from what is written Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their Garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy Rev. 3.4 But if they have been defiled by additional Sin and Transgression then what Pâ—ul writes unto the Christians of his Time is here proper and applicable And such were some of ye but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. â—1 That is ye are to get your Garments washed in the Blood of Jesus and in the sprinkling of the Spirit and when they are washed and made clean Isa 1.16 by the Word which proceeds forth through them there be sure to keep them clean We should copy out and follow the Example of Jesus Christ as near as ever we can Who went about doing good and suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this World 1 John 4.17 And so when as to all those Characters which we find recorded of him we can find somewhat thereof in our selves even of him that was holy harmless undefiled separated from sinners And so we read of the meekness and gentleness of Jesus Christ See well to it that all these and the like Qualities and Dispositions be wrought inlaid and formed within thee And so those fruits of the Spirit reckoned up in Gal. 5.22.23 Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance And besides this giving all diligence add to your Faith virtue and to Virtue knowledge and to Knowledge temperance and to Temperance patience and to Patience godliness and to Godliness Brotherly kindness Charity 2 Peâ— 1.5 6 7. For these also are Graces Gifts and Fruits of the Spinte and if we have these this is the earnest of the Spirit that we are indeed sealed unto the day of Redemption If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his So it follows likewise by the same consequence that if a Man have the Spirit of Chrish then he is Christ's and belongs to him and is one of his Members So that not only where he is there shall his Servant be But where the Head is there of necessity must be the Members because it is not whole and compleat without the Members The Scripture doth often make use of this Comparison How the people of God are one Body and Christ is their Head The Prophet Ezekiel speaks of a Roll of a Book And he spread it before me and it was written within and without and there was written therein Lamentation and Mourning and Wo. Ezek. 2.9 So should this same Bible the Book of the Lord both as it comprehends the old and New Testament be to each of us written within and without Written within that isi written in our hearts and engraven in our inward Parts when we can turn inwards and see how it is written there as well as look what is written without in Ink and Paper And whereas Ezekiel goes on to add Therein was written lamentation and mourning and wo. This is too true as to all the Children of Disobedience Unbelievers Hypocrites Sinners Wicked Ungodly and such like But to the willing and obedient to those who have begun or are perfecting the good work the same word speaks comfort and rejoycing and blessedness Some have called it Quakerism to speak of the Light within the Spirit within the Word within But in this thing those that are called Quakers have certainly spoken the thing that is right for as it is noted of the false Prophets They have not what should confirm the Word but as an evidence that they are true and right in this Thing I would to God they were so in all others we have the Scriptures expresly speaking the same After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their Hearts Jer. 31.33 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you But this that follows is to our present purpose A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony Heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them Ezek. 30.25 26 27. That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World Joh. 1.4 which it doth in his inward parts or within him Neither shall they say Lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdom of God is within you Luke 17.21 The Word is very nigh unto thee even in thy month and in thy heart Deat 30.14 Rom. 10.8 Indeed all true Religion is an inward Thing and an inward Work for outward Acts of Worship or Bodily Exercise are but the Husk or Shell for as the Soul
is within the Body so the substance or vital parts of Religion which is to the saving of the Soul is inward and invisible also Where any one or any sort of People speak according to the Scriptures of Truth there Truth from whencesoever it spring up is to be received and embraced But if it speaks not according to the Word there it is to be rejected and not admitted according to that spiritual Wisdom and Divine method of separating the Precious from the Vile and gathering the good Fishes into Vessels and casting the bad away When we see our selves already acquitted and cleared out of that Word whereby we must be judged at the last Day this must be a mighty Comfort and Assurance And that same Word having promised and annexed a Crown of Life unto Faithfulness to the Death Rev. 2.10 Therefore my beloved Brethren Be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 From all this put together will appear the Necessity of Persevering and continuing in the work of the Lord in order to have a well grounded hope evidence and assurance Right and Title to have this Crown of Life and to have our Labour in the Lord recompenced According as himself hath promised For thy works shall be rewarded saith the Lord. Jer. 31.16 There is no Point in Divinity more clear and certain and of more undoubted Truth than the necessity of Perseverance in order unto Salvation As also nothing is more put in mind of repeated and inculcated over and over in common Preaching for the abundant care and safety of Souls The same is also understood by common People whether learned oâ— unlearned He that knows any thing of God and Religion knows this also That if we would be saved it is necessary in order thereto to continue unto our Lives end in the Worship and Service of God in doing his Will and finishing his Work For He and he only that endures unto the End shall be saved Whosoever once puts his hand to this Plow and looks back he is not worthy of the Kingdom of God In those Scriptures which are given to make wise unto Salvation there are abundance of Truths and Affirmations to this purpose so that there is no need to cite or rehearse any more But yet there are several people who are for serving God for a spurt and for a season and they come to the Place of Hearing his Word for once and away I have told ye often this will not do A fit of Holiness for a season will not bring any one to Heaven But God who cannot lye hath promised to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for Glory Honour and Immortality Eternal Life Rom. 2.7 Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. But that is such holiness as is ingrafted fixed constant and universal The Souldiers of the antient Roman Empire according to the Laws and Constitutions thereof were disbanded and dismissed from any further Service in the Military Employment after the fiftieth Year But the Souldiers of Jesus Christ are never disbanded or dismissed from his Service and if any should desert dismiss or disband themselves from his Service they lose their Crown and they become liable unto punishment We read of Mnason an old Disciple and those that be planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruit in old Age they shall be fat and flourishing Psal 92.13 14. As long as any of us have the knowledge of Good and Evil remaining with us we are to do the Good and eschew the Evil. As long as any one hath all his senses left as there is none who lives out all his five senses to discern between Good and Evil he is to do the first and leave the last undone according as he hath Power of Action The Soul thinks as long as ever it is in the Body and as long as one thinks his thoughts are to be bent and lifted up towards God and Goodness and Truth and not to admit of but cast out all such Evil and Vanity which would lodge or lurk there And this it signified and required by that great and Indispensable command Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me Bless his holy name Psal 103. â—… So by all that is within us and to our very utmost God is to be served and obeyed and also to the utmost Period and Duration of time As our Souls in their creation and making have a beginning in time but they are without end of days they being Properly Immortal Even such an obedience and service doth the Lord our Creator require of us which did and doth once begin and never end until our service here is crowned and consummated with Glory hereafter What remains But that ye who shall hear or read this be in the visions of God as Daniel and John was to see the dead small and great stand before God and seeing that they were judged out of those things which were written in the Books according to their Works therefore in every thing so think speak and do as ye that must give Account The word of Instruction which arises hence is this that each of us severally do order our Life and Conversation in this short Time and mean while as near as ever we can according to all the words which are Written in those Books which are the Books of Scripture and the Book of Conscience That is to live up and according to all those Thoughts of Good and Truth which Conscience doth suggest unto Man FINIS