Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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A42057
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Christ a Christian's life: Or, a practical discourse of a believer's life derived from Christ, and resolved into Christ. Being the substance of several sermons preach'd by the author upon his recovery from a fit of sickenss, and now extorted from him by the importunity of friends. By John Gammon, minister of the gospel, and pastor of a congregation in White-Chappel.
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Gammon, John.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing G190; ESTC R216433
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173,217
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426
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safety any where else you that are in Christ O look back first what not long since you were Secondly what now you are Thirdly what you shall be and you will see cause of Admiration When you were out of Christ what a dangerous state were you in under the Wrath of God the Curse of the Law Consider where was I when I knew not Christ Where was I going I was going to Destruction and did not know it Was I so near the Brink of the Pit and did not mind Was I so near sinking and did not cry out O how can I but admire and adore this God that hath done this for me He hath brought me nigh by the Blood of the Covenant he hath brought me to a safe Condition you were a far off but now are brought nigh by the Blood of the Covenant ye were without Christ without the Covenant Ephes 2.13 Thirdly Consider what ere long you shall be you that are in Christ shall ere long be with Christ you shall be safely arrived in Glory O the danger that a Soul out of Christ is in You are under the Sword of Divine Justice and how soon it may drop down on your Head drop down on your Heart you do not know therefore you are never safe till you are in Christ that is a safe Life Prov. 1.33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil Whoso hearkens so as to believe accept and lay hold on and close with Christ they shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of Evil the Fear of Evil shall not hurt you Prov. 3.18 speaking of Wisdom she is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her and happy is every one that retaineth her There is in Christ safety there is first the Life of Justification secondly of Sanctificaon and thirdly of Glorification First a Life of Justification a Tree of Life to free from Condemnation There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 1.8 You are safe from the Condemnation of the Law you are safe from the Condemnation of Justice you are safe from the Condemnation of Conscience you are safe from the Condemnation of the Devil you are safe from the Condemnation of the World Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect there is Life laid up in Christ Life for poor dead Sinners Life for poor condemned Sinners that lay hold on this Tree of Life there is no Condemnation to them more there shall be no following them as it was with Joab to the Altar to slay him there Lay hold on the Tree of Life and you are safe for ever You may say of the Thunderings of the Law I am safe from them all the Tree of Life stands ready to give you the Life of Righteousness and Justification that you may be free from Condemnation there is no Condemnation What a safe case is a Soul in that is in Christ let a Soul be condemned never so much nothing shall hurt him God hath justified him in through and for Christ's sake though the Devil come and accuse and saith this man is clothed with filthy Garments this Tree of Life stands ready Zechar. 3.1 2. Satan comes and accuses Joshua he was clothed with filthy Garments Thou art a holy God a God of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity with approbation But here is one come with filthy Garments here is a sinful Man come he comes to offer up Sacrifice for the People but he is sinful the Devil comes and accuses him and condemns him Now while there is any thing to condemn a Man he is not safe the Devil comes and lays to his Charge that he is clothed in filthy Garments but he comes not in Love to Holyness but in Envy to Joshua in Envy to the Saints and in Envy to God and in Envy to his Free-Grace but the Lord Jesus Christ said to Satan the Lord rebuke thee Satan the Lord rebuke thee Is not this a Brand pluckt out of the Fire I have chosen him he is an Elect Vessel I have redeemed him I have clothed him with Change of Raiment I have put a fair Mitre on his Head Satan do thy worst and speak thy worst thou canst not hurt Jashua So this Tree of Life frees from Condemnation lay hold on Christ you are quit let what Bills there will come in against you if a Man should be tryed for his Life and there comes in many Bills of Inditement against him but he shews his Pardon for all then in vain do they come in or if there be never so many Items all is forgiven so let the Devil come in with never so many Items and the Law come in with never so many Items the Lord Jesus forgives them all to them that lay hold on him by Faith Secondly Then it is a Life of Sanctification Where sin reigned before sin shall not have Dominion over you you are not under the Law but under Grace Then you may see that the Law will not kill sin The Law will tell you you are a sinner but it will not kill your sin Rom. 6.14 For sin shall have Dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace Tho sin may trouble you it shall not have Dominion over you tho it may grieve you it shall not undo you The Serpent's Seed is sentenc'd The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpent's Head Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh When a Soul laies not hold on Christ sin is in his Nature his Lusts dogging of him his Lusts reigning and ruling over him but through Christ he overcomes Thirdly A Life of Glory The Apostle reckons the Justified ones among the glorified ones Whom he called them he justified and whom he justified them he glorifies He speaks in the Present Tense as if it were already done that they that lay hold of this Tree of Life are as sure of eternal Life as if they were already in Glory So that it is a very safe Life to live Christ and to lay hold on her But mark it still this Tree of Life is too high for carnal Reason to reach This Tree of Life must drop Fruit into your Souls before you can reach up to that We see fruitful Trees are bending Trees Trees that are loaded with Fruit bow down so that even a Child may lie on the Ground and eat the Fruit So Jesus Christ taking our Nature humbled himself to the Death of the Cross he condescended so low to have Union with us poor sinners that a poor Soul cannot go to Christ till Christ first comes to him Christ first comes to the Soul he bends down to the carnal Heart and possesses the Soul of the Life of Faith and then the Soul can reach up to him Come to