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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A41751 Theophilie, or, A discourse of the saints amitie with God in Christ by Theophilus Gale. Gale, Theophilus, 1628-1678. 1671 (1671) Wing G149; ESTC R27378 246,253 474

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indeed is an high degree of Blasphemie against Christ in that the Hypocrisie and Apostafie of such when it breaks forth gives a mortal wound to Religion and so brings a scandal on Christ and his wayes so great is the Blasphensie of al Christ's false friends 2. 2. The folie of false friendship with Christ in that it is We have in some mesure discovered the mysterie of Iniquitie that lyes wrapt up in al false friendship with Christ We shal now a little examine the Folie and Madnes that lies couched in the bowels of this sin 1. 1. Selffla terie Is it not judged by wise men an egregious piece of folie for a man to be his own Flatterer especially if thereby he receive any considerable dammage Such a fool is every false friend of Christ for he flattereth himself in his own eyes til his iniquitie be found to be hateful Psal 36.2 2. 2 Self-delusion What greater folie can there be than self-delusion And is not every false friend of Christ a self-deluding yea a soul-deluding sinner Esa 44.20 A deceived heart hath turned him aside c. So Prov. 1.18 And they lay in wait for their own bloud and lurke privily for their own lives 3. 3. Self-ruine Is it not notorious folie for a man man to concele a wound or plague-sore which if not discovered and searched wil unavoidably prove his ruine And is not this the case of every false friend of Christ What more mortal wound or plague of the Soul can there be than hypocritick Amitie with Christ O the madnes of such false friends 4. 4. Self-confidence Doth not our blessed Lord tel us that it 's egregious folie to build a goodly structure on a sandy Foundation And is not every false friend of Christ such a notorious fool Doth he not build al his hopes and Heaven on the sandy foundation of his own carnal presumtions and confidences Such an one is branded with the black marque of a Fool by the wisest of mere men Prov. 28.26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool c. 5. 5. Self-contradiction Is not self-contradiction a great piece of Folie And oh What a self-contradiction is every false friend of Christ Doth he not contradict his own Convictions Profession Vows Covenants Experiences Yea and his own supreme Interest and Happines What a world of self-contradictions are there in false friendship with Christ 6. 6. It shal ● be manifest What notorious folie is it for a man to studie the concelement of his offense from men when his Judge sees it and wil at last make it manifest before al the World Such is the case of al false friends 2 Tim. 3.9 2.3 9. Their folie shal be manifest to al men God sees it now and men shal see it hereafter Death and Judgement strips us of al vizards masques and false pretensions of seeming Amitie with Christ We may deceive others though never so quick-sighted Yea and our selves too now but can we deceive Christ Is he not said to be of a quick understanding or sent Esa 11.3 and therefore able to smel out the most perfumed Hypocrisies of false friends to prie into every vein of it 7. 7. It is a courting a picture Is it not stupendous folie to court the picture and embrace the shadow of our beloved but to neglect the person And is not every false friend of Christ such a fool in grain What is the profession of friendship to Christ without a real espousing of his person but the espousing a Name and rejecting the Thing a courting the Picture or Shadow but despising the person of our friend 3. 3. The curse of false Amitie with Christ As the sin and folie of false friendship with Christ is very notorious so also the curse and plague thereof is extreme malignant 1. 1. It is the root of a world of spiritual sins False friendship with Christ is a monstrous pregnant curse in that it hides feeds foments strengthens and improves a world of spiritual sins How much is Vnbelief strengthened by it What a soverain Influence hath it on carnal presumtion and securitie How many grosse and refined errors are produced and maintained by it Yea the whole bodie of Antichristianisme is but the product of false friendship with Christ as 2 Thes 2.10 Again how much doth it swel the heart with spiritual pride How weak impotent and instable doth it render the heart as Jam. 1.6 8 Whence springs al hard thoughts of and murmurs against God but from this evil bitter root Exod. 6.9 What feeds carnal confidence and self-dependence more than this false friendship Is not this also the spirit of self-love and self-seeking Farther whence springs cursed Formalitie but from this root Lastly What hardens the heart and inclines it to Apostafie so much as this evil spirit of false friendship with Christ Heb. 3.13 Such an efficacious and malignant Influence has it for the Concelement Confirmation and Improvement of swarmes of spiritual lusts 2. 2. It poisons the best mercies False Amitie with Christ as it is the food and nurse of the worst sins so also the poison and curse of the best mercies It not only infuses a curse into temporal mercies but also into spiritual it turnes the meanes of Grace into a means of hardening it makes the word of God which is in it self the savor of life unto life to be the savor of death unto death 2 Cor. 2.16 Is it not a dreadful curse to have not only our sins but also our best duties privileges gifts commun Graces evangelick Assistances ministerial services for Christ and Divine consolations from him converted al into poison and fuel for our lusts And yet this is the case of every false friend of Christ 3. 3. It puts a sting into al Afflictions False friendship with Christ puts a sting into al Afflictions whether spiritual or temporal As the worst of Afflictions work together for good to the real friends of Christ Rom. 8.28 So al work together for evil to his false friends A sincere heart finds some of his sweetest and best mercies in his most bitter and worst trials but a rotten false heart finds al cursed to him 4. 4. Christ leaves such to the ●●ares of this world False friendship with Christ provokes him to deliver up such to the efficacious Inveiglements Blandissements and Enchantments of a bewitching alluring world If Christ cannot obtain the whole heart he will relinquish and leave it to be possessed by this heart-ensnaring world that great Idol-God And albeit some sensual secure sinners may account it their Libertie to be captivated by the golden chains and fetters of a smiling world yet let them know by how much the more pleasing the world's chains are by so much the more miserable is their curse Oh! What a deep curse is it to have our Table our Relations our Al become a snare as
he cannot have your hearts in the fulnes and abundance of al things he wil have them under the want of althings if his Gracious and sweet Visitations wil not allure you his bitter and severe Visitations shall drive you to him O then follow Christ while in waies of mercie draw near to him walk with him day by day in waies of Communion Indeavor after communion with Christ and then dout not but he wil walk with you in waies of Grace and Comfort keep close to him in al Times Conditions and States and he wil keep close to you 1. 1. In al Religious Duties and Ordinances Maintain daily communion with Christ in al Duties and exercices of Religion None live up to their Dignitie and Dutie as friends of Christ but such as eye and enjoy him in their Religious Duties and Exercices whether private or publick It 's good to be much in duties but it is better to be much with Christ in duties Religious duties and Ordinances they are Christs Galleries wherein he is held Cant. 7.5 by his friends that draw nigh to him therein but as for mere formal legal Duties wherein Christ is not minded they are the Devil's Galleries wherein he is held O! if ever you would be found to be real and faithful friends of Christ be sure you satisfie not your selves with duties done unlesse you meet and enjoy Christ therein 2 2. In al Providential occurrences If you would fulfil and walk up to your Relation and Dignity as friends of Christ then maintain communion with him in al Providential Occurrences whether Consolative or Afflictive smiling or frowning Remember that God's Providences are oft a good Comment on his Promises his Works frequently expound and explain his Word unto us and therefore his friends at least such as are wise wil understand the same as also the loving kindnes of God shining therein Psal 107.43 as Psal 107.43 Whoso is wise and wil observe those things even they shal understand the loving kindness of the Lord. He had discoursed here of the Works of God's Providence which his wiser friends would observe The friends of Christ when Providence smiles on them their hearts should be thereby allured to him it sufficeth not them to injoy mercies from Christ unlesse they can injoy Christ in their mercies And then for Afflictive frowning Providences if Christ sees it meet to withdraw comforts from them they must see it their dutie and endeavor to make it their practice to withdraw their Hearts from those comforts The lesse they injoy of the creature the more they should injoy of Christ in al his afflictive Visitations A great part of our communion with Christ consists in the fellowship of his Crosse and none usually prove more loyal friends of Christ than such as have got the Art and skil of communion with him on the Crosse As Christ was most exalted in Spirit when crucified in the flesh so the friends of Christ should endeavor conformitie to him herein To live a sublime high elevated life of faith in their lowest conditions As an humble self-abasing Spirit greatly adornes an high condition so an exalted sublime high Spirit or life of faith greatly adornes a low afflicted condition in the friends of Christ 3. 3. In creature-comforts and Inferior goods The Friends of Christ should make it their work to injoy Christ in al creature-comforts Inferior Relations and Injoyments Christ alone must be the matter of their Fruition and Satisfaction and al other things matter of use subservient to Christ Nothing is good farther than it comes from Christs heart and draws our hearts to him O! what rich and delicious lives might the friends of Christ lead would they but eye and injoy Christ in al their Creature-Comforts I have known one and indeed a great friend of Christ who I verily believe injoyed more of Christ and his Gracious presence in his Civil Employments and Creature-injoyments than many yea may I not say than most Christians do in their most spiritual duties and Ordinances O! What might we injoy of Christ in the visible Book of Nature and Creature-Comforts had we but spiritual hearts SECT 7. The Friends of Christ must make it their main Studie and Endeavor to give al the content that may be to Christ 7. 7. Advice to give Christ al the content that may be THe Friends of Christ should make it their main yea only Studie and Endeavor to give Christ al the Content that may be This is another great Admonition and Advice for the Friends of Christ such as affect to live up to their Relation and Dignitie f Per hoc quod aliquis Amicus consttuitur 〈◊〉 offeasa removetur Amicitia enim affensae contrariatur Aquinas cont Gent. l. 4. c. 21. For certainly none Act and Live and deport themselves as the friends of Christ but such as studie and endeavor to content and please him Disgustful and displeasing Carriages even among equals are very much unbecoming yea sometimes destructive to Friendship But how much more unbeseeming the friends of Christ who are so far inferior to him are all disguiful or ingrateful deportments towards Christ Is there any thing more becoming the friends of Christ than this that they studiously indeavor by al means possible to please and content so good a friend This implies these particulars 1. 1. Christ's friends must do nothing that may grieve Christ or his Spirit The friends of Christ must do nothing that may be disgustful and displeasing to Christ or his Spirit they must not grieve either one or t'other For if the Spirit of Christ be grieved he himself is also grieved So Esa 63.10 But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their enemie and he fought against them So far as men vexe the Spirit of Christ so far they vexe him and of a friend make him their enemie Thence Ephes 4.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God c. If the friends of Christ can be so unkind as to grieve his Spirit they must expect that Christ wil be so just and faithful as not to passe by such unkindnesses without grief from them Now Christ and his Spirit are grieved and displeased 1. 1. Avoid visible Relapses or secret Indulgences By Visible Relapses into grosser sins or secret Indulgences in lesser sins For look as natural grief ariseth from the presence of any repugnant or displeasing object so proportionably Christ and his Spirit are grieved at the presence of any prevalent sin or lesser sin approved of Private Dalliances with any darling lusts yea smal omissions of known Duties if allowed of and lived in are great griefs to Christ and his Spirit And the better friend Christ has been to any of us the more he is grieved at the least Dalliances with or Indulgences in sin either of omission or commission 2. 2. Beware of Backslidings By Secret Backslidings of Heart or