Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	worship_v	worshipper_n	zeal_n	37	3	8.3378	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49258	A treatise of effectual calling and election In XVI. sermons, on 2 Peter 1.10. Wherein a Christian may discern, whether yet he be effectually called and elected. And what course he ought to take that he may attain the assurance thereof. Preached by that faithfull servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Laurence Jury, London.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing L3179; ESTC R217684	182,116	237

must give you strength to doe what he commands Psal 68.28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength What then can a man therefore put forth his own strength No but the prayer followes Strengthen O God that which thou commandest us Implying that though God did command their strength they could not put it out by their own power but they would make a prayer to back the command Lord thou commandest us to be strong Lord strengthen that which thou commandest So that though God cal for your diligence cal for your strength yet cannot you put forth any strength by your own power Austine upon this consideration hath this passage when I have a will saith he to do good I have not a power and when I have power I have not a wil and herein I see my own weaknesse and that I must be beholding to Christ for strength You can as wel carry on the work of Creation as the work of Conversion by your own strength You can as wel conquer a world of armed men alone as conquer one Suggestion of the Divel by your own power Though God doth cal for your obedience and to put forth your diligence yet this supposeth not as if you could do this by your own strength but that God that Commands you diligence that God must stir it up in you 2. When God calls for your diligence in matters of soul-concernment take this Caution that you do not discharge your duty in expressing a great deal of zeal and diligence in matters of your soul unlesse you do it in a right manner and to a right end People think if they can be diligent in hearing and diligent in reading and diligent in praying and in receiving Sacraments that then they discharge their duty and answer the command of my Text to be diligent No Beloved you do not answer your duty to God in expressing diligence in that which is materially good unlesse you do it in a right manner and to a right end You have an instance in Jehu 2 Kings 10. He was a marvellous industrious man in many good matters concerning the worship of God at one time he killed the worshippers of Baal at another time he pulled downe the houses where they worshipped and broke the graven Images in pieces At another time he cals out to Jehonadab to see his zeal for the Lord of Hosts Wonderful diligent and yet all this was not done in a good manner nor to a right end Not in a good manner because it was done by halfes not throughly for though he d●stroyed the Images of Baal yet he worshipt the Idols at Bethel And then not to a right end because he did not shew his zeal and industry out of any supreame reference to Gods glory but only out of a politick end to establish himself in his Kingdome 2 King● 10.31 So that you may put forth such diligence in reading and hearing and in receiving and the like and yet if not done in a right manner and to a right end you do not performe the duty of my Text. For take this as a rule in Divinity that when God commands a duty all the circumstances included in ●he duty must be observed or els that duty is not done aright As when you pray you must not leave out one circumstance or quality required in a prayer if so God wil not accept your prayer So here God commands your diligence if you are not diligent in a right manner and to a right end your diligence is not right 3. Though you put forth never so much diligence in the ma●ters of your soul all those acts you do are none of them me●i●orious you do not get heaven for praying nor get heav●n for reading nor get heaven for hearing though haply you get not heaven without it Good works they may be causes of salvation in this sense causes without which you cannot be saved but all your obedience and all your diligence are no causes for which you are saved or which may any way move God to save you So that though you are never so diligent this diligence is not meritorious at all Why Because to make it meritorious say Divines three things must concur First The thing must be done freely not as a debt Secondly it must be done with a mans own native and proper strength and not a borrowed power Thirdly It must be done perfectly and therefore Divines say and that upon good reason too That all our obedience and all our actings in the wayes of grace cannot be meritorious Why Because First We do them not as a free gift but as a due debt we owe God this diligence and owe him this duty and therefore cannot merit because we only pay God his due If you lend a man money wil you thank and reward him to pay you your own No it is your due he ought to repay you All duties in matters of the soul are Gods due of right belonging to him and therefore cannot be meritorious Secondly This diligence could you put it forth by your own strength you had somewhat wherein to boast but all your diligence is put forth by a borrowed strength by a strength derived from Jesu● Christ by a strength from the Covenant of grace it is thence you fetch power to perform all acts of obedience and spiritual diligence Thirdly It cannot merit because it is not perfect nay you are so far from meriting by your obedience that you merit nothing but hell for the defects in your obedience and the imperfections that are remaining in your best services 4. Take this Caution That though all the diligence you can put forth cannot be meritorious for God to save you yet take this for truth that the more you abound in spiritual industrie in the matters of the Soul the more likely you are to receive fuller incoms of joy and fuller increase of grace in your souls To him that hath shall be given and it shall be given him much more abundantly That is to him that hath improved his graces and used them well they shall be given more abundantly Thou hast been faithful in a little thou shalt be ruler over much The more you act and the more diligent you are in the matters of your soul the more likely you are to be eminent and increasing in grace above others It is a note that an Au●hor hath upon the Apostle Paul Paul was the most eminent of all the Apostles no Apostle like Paul none outstript him Now Divines ask the reason why Paul should be more eminent then the rest of the Apostles who saw Christ in the flesh whereas Paul saw him onely in a vision and no where else yet Paul was more eminent then any other Apostle and they give this reason Paul was in labours more abundant Paul was more industrious putting out his gifts and graces and God did blesse that industry with a fuller increase of the graces of Gods spirit then others had