Selected quad for the lemma: power_n
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A26701
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The way to true happiness in a serious treatise / by Joseph Alleine.
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Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.; R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing A982; ESTC R27085
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136,618
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250
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Forsake the foolish and live Prov. 9. 6. Be sober righteous godly Tit. 2. 12. Wash your hands you sinners purifie your hearts ye double minded Iames 4. 8. Cease to do evil learn to do well Esay 1. 16 17. But if you will on you must die Ezek. 33. 11. CHAP. II. Shewing positively what Conversion is I May not leave you with your eyes half open as he that saw men as trees walking Mar. 8. 24. The word is profitable for doctrine as well as reproof 2 Tim. 3. 16. And therefore having thus far conducted you by the shelves and rocks of so many dangerous mistakes I would guide you at length into the harbour of truth Conversion then in short lies in the thorow change both of the heart and life I shall briefly describe it in its nature and causes 1. The author it is the spirit of God and therefore it is called the sanctification of the spirit 2 Thes. 213. and the renewing of the holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. Yet not excluding the other persons in the Trinity For the Apostle teacheth us to bless the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for that he hath begotten us again 1 Pet. 1. 3. and Christ is said to give repentance to Israel Acts 5. 31. and is called the everlasting Father Esay 9. 6. and we his seed and the Children which God hath given him Heb. 2. 13. Esay 53. 10. O blessed birth Seven Cities coutended for the birth of Homer but the whole Trinity Fathers the new creature Yet is this work principally ascribed to the Holy Ghost and so we are said to be born of the spirit Ioh. 3. 8. So then it is a work above mans power We are born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Iohn 1. 31. Never think thou canst convert thy self If ever thou wouldst be savingly converted thou must despair of doing it in thine own strength Ier. 31. 18. It is a Resurrection from the dead Rev. 20. 5. Eph. 1. 2. a new creation Gal. 6. 15. Eph. 2. 10. a work of absolute omnipotency Eph. 1. 19. Are these out of the reach of humane power If thou hast no more than thou hadst by thy first birth a good nature a meek and chast temper c. thou art a very stranger to true conversion This is a supernatural work 2. The moving cause is Internal or External The Internal mover is only free grace Not by works of righteousness which we have done but of his own mercy he saved us by the renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. Of his own will begat he us Iam. 1. We are chosen and called unto Sanctification not for it Eph. 1. 4. God finds nothing in man to turn his heart but to turn his stomach enough to provoke his loathing nothing to provoke his love Look back upon thy self O Christian. Take up thy verminous rags Look upon thy self in thy blood Ez. 16. 6. O reflect upon thy swinish nature thy filthy swill thy once beloved mire 2 Pet. 2. Canst thou think without loathing of thy trough and draugh Open thy sepulchre Mat. 23. 27. Art not thou almost struck dead with the hellish damp behold thy putrid soul thy loathsom members O stench unsufferable if thou dost but sense thine own putrifaction Psal. 14. 3. Behold thy ghastly vissage thy crawling lusts thy slime and corruption Do not thine own cloaths abhor thee Iob. 9. 31. How then should holiness and purity love thee Be astonished O Heavens at this be moved O Earth Ier. 2. 12. Who but must needs cry Grace Grace Zech 4. 7. Hear and blush you Children of the most high O you unthankful generation that free grace is no more in your mouths in your thoughts no more adored admired commended by such as you One would think you should be nothing but praising and admiring God whatever you are How can you make a shift to forget such grace or to pass it over with a slight and seldom mention What but free grace should move God to love you unless enmity could do it or deformity could do it unless vomit or rottonness could do it How affectionately doth Peter lift up his hands Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again 1 Pet. 1. 3. How feelingly doth Paul magnifie the free mercy of God in it God who is rich in merâ—â— for his great love wherewith he loved us hath quickned us together with Christ by Grace are ye saved Eph. 2. 4 5. The external mover is the merit and intercession of the blessed Iesus He hath obtained gifts for the rebeâ—â—ious Psal 68. 18. and through him it is that God worketh in us what is well pleasing in his sight Heb. 13. 21. Through him are all spiritual blessings bestowed upon us in â—â—â—venly things Eph. 1. 3. He intercedeth for the Elect that believe not Ioh. 17. 20. Every Convert is the fruit of his travel Esai 53. 11. O never was infant born into the world with that difficulty that Christ endured for us How emphatically he groaneth in his travel All the pains that he suffered on his Cross they were our birth pains Act. 2. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pulls and throws that Christ endured for us He is made sanctification to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. He sanctified himself that is set apart himself as a sacrifice that we may be sanctified Iohn 17. 19. We are sanctified through the offering of his body once for all Heb. 10. 10. 'T is nothing then without his own bowels but the merit and intercession of Christ that prevails with God to bestow upon us converting grace If thou art a new creature thou knowest to whom thou owest it to Christ's pangs and prayers Hence the natural affection of a believer to Christ. The â—oal doth not more naturally run after the Dam nor the suckling to the dugs than a believer to Jesus Christ. And whither else shouldst thou go If any in the World can shew that for thy heart that Christ can let them carry it Doth Satan put in doth the World court thee doth sin sue for thy heart Why were these crucified for thee 1 Cor. 1. 13. O Christian love and serve the Lord while thou hast a being Do not even the Publicans love those that love them And shew kindness to them that are kind to them Mat. 5. 46 47. 3. The Instrument is either Personal or Real The personal is the Ministry I have begotten you to Christ through the Gospel 1 Cor. 4. 15. Christs Ministers are they that are sent to open mens eyes and to turn them to God Acts 26. 18. O unthankful World little do you know what you are doing while you are persecuting the Messengers of the Lord. These are they whose business is under Christ to save you Whom have you reproached and blasphemed Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted your eyes on high Esay 37.
give me thy Holy Laws as the rule of my Life and the way in which I should walk to thy Kingdom I do here willingly put my Neck under thy Yoak and set my shoulder to thy burden and subscribing to all thy Laws as holy just and good I solemnly take them as the rule of my words thoughts and actions promising that though my flesh contradict and rebel yet I will endeavour to order and govern my whole life according to thy direction and will not allow my self in the neglect of any thing that I know to be my duty Only because through the frailty of my flesh I am subject to many failings I am bold humbly to protest That unallowed miscarriages contrary to the setled bent and resolution of my heart shall not make void this Covenant for so thou hast said Now Almighty God searcher of hearts thou knowest that I make this Covenant with thee this day without any known guile or reservation beseeching thee that if thou espiest any flaw or falshood therein thou wouldst discover it to me and help me to do it aright And now Glory be to thee O God the Father whom I shall be bold from this day forward to look upon as my God and Father that ever thou shouldst find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners Glory be to thee O God the Son who hast loved me and washed me from my sins in thine own Blood and art now become my Saviour and Redeemer Glory be to thee O God the Holy Ghost who by the finger of thine Almighty Power hast turned about my Heart from Sin to God O dreadful Iehovah the Lord God Omnipotent Father Son and Holy Ghost thou art now become my Covenant-friend and I through thine infinite Grace am become thy Covenant-servant Amen So be it And the Covenant which I have made on Earth let it be ratified in Heaven The Authors advice THis Covenant I advise you to make not only in Heart but in Word not only in Word but in Writing and that you would with all possible reverence spread the Writing before the Lord as if you would present it to him as your Act and Deed. And when you have done this set your hand to it Keep it as a Memorial of the Solemn Transactions that have passed between God and you that you may have recourse to it in Doubts and Temptations Dir. XI Take heed of delaying thy Conversion and set upon a speedy and present turning I made haste and delayed not Psal. 119. 59. Remember and tremble at the sad instance of the foolish Virgins that came not till the door of mercy was shut Mat. 25. and of a convinced Felix that put of Paul to another season and we never find that he had such a season more Acts 24. 25. O come in while it 's called to day leâ—t thou shouldst be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin lest thy day of Grace should be over and the things that belong to thy peace should be hid from thine eyes Now mercy is wooing of thee Now Christ is waiting to be gracious to thee and the Spirit of God is striving with thâ—e Now Ministers are calling now Conscience is stirring now the Market is open and Oyl may be had thou hast opportunity for the buying Now Christ is to be had for the taking Oh! strike in with the offers of Grace Oh! now or never If thou make light of this offer God may swear in his wrath thou shalt never tast of his Supper Luk. 14. 24. Dir. XII Attend conscientiously upon the word as the means appointed for thy Conversion James 1. 18 19. 1 Cor. 4. 15. Attend I say not customarily but conscientiously with this desire design hope and expectation that thou maist be converted by it Every Sermon thou hearest come with this thought Oh I hope God will now come in I hope this day may be the time this may be the man by whom God will bring me home When thou art coming to the Ordinances lift up thine heart thus to God Lord let this be the Sabbath let this be the season wherein I may receive renewing Grace Oh let it be said that to day such a one was born unto thee Object Thou wilt say I have been long a hearer of the word and yet it hath not been effectual to my conversion Ans. Yea but thou hast not attended upon it in this manner as a means of thy Conversion nor with this design nor praying for and expecting of this happy effect of it Dir. XIII Strike in with the Spirit when he begins to work upon thy heart When he works convictions O do not stifle them but joyn in with him and beg the Lord to carry on convictions to Conversion Quench not the Spirit do not out-strive him do not resist him Beware of putting out convictions by evil company or worldly business When thou findest any troubles for sin and fears about thine eternal State bâ—g of God that they may never leave thee till they have wrought off thy heart throughly from sin and wrought it over to Jesus Christ. Say to him Strike home Lord leave not the work in the midst If thou seest that I am not yet wounded enough that I am not troubled enough wound me yet deeper Lord. O go to the bottom of my corruptions let out the life blood of my sins Thus yield up thy self to the workings of the Spirit and hoise thy sails to his gusts Dir. XIV Set upon the constant and diligent use of serious and fervent prayer He that neglects prayer is a prophane and unsanctified sinner Iob. 15. 4. He that is not constant in prayer is but an hypocrite Iob 27. 10. unless the omission be contrary to his ordinary course under the force of some instant temptation This is one of the first things Conversion appears in that it sets men on praying Acts 9. 11. Therefore set to this duty Let never a day pass over thee wherein thou hast not morning and evening set apart some time for set and solemn prayer in secret Call thy family also together daily and duly to worship God with thee Wo be unto thee if thine be found amongst the families that call not on Gods name Ier. 10. 25. But cold and lifeless devotions will not reach half way to Heaven Be servent and importunate Importunity will carry it But without violence the Kingdom of Heaven will not be taken Mat. 11. 12. Thou must strive to enter Luke 13. 24. and wrestle with tears and supplications as Iacob if thou meanest to carry the blessing Gen. 32. 24. comp with Hos. 12. 4. Thou art undone for ever without grace and therefore thou must put to it and resolve to take no denyal That man that is fixed in this resolution Well I must have Grace and I will never give over till I have a grace and I wiâ—â— never leave seeking and waiting and striving with God and mine own heart till he do