Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	ordinance_n	power_n	resist_v	4,907	5	10.4011	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30305	The poor man's help and young mans guide containing I. Doctrinal instructions for the right informing of his judgment, II. Practical directions for the general course of his life, III. Particular advices for the well-managing of every day : with reference to his [brace] 1. Natural actions, 2. Civil imployments, 3. Necessary recreations, 4. Religious duties : particularly I. Prayer [brace] publick in the congregation, private in the family, secret in the closet, II. Reading the Holy Scriptures, III. Hearing of the Word preached, IV. Receiving of the Lord's Supper : unto which is added an earnest exhortation unto all Christians to the love and practice of universal holiness / by William Burkitt ...	Burkitt, William, 1650-1703.	1694 (1694)	Wing B5738; ESTC R34773	72,112	85

and Obeyed Consider also That if thou art a Doer of God's Will he will be a Doer of thine he will make as much of thy Prayers as thou dost of his Commands John 9.31 If any Man be a Worshipper of God and doth his Will him be heareth What a Priviledge is this to have God's Fiat set to all we ask 8. Be careful to take an Account of thy self after thou hast heard the Word Preached God has indued man with a noble Faculty of Self-reflection he has a power of calling himself to an account for the several Actions performed by him Now when a Christian after hearing of the Word Preach'd is found in the Exercise of this Duty frequently and faithfully interrogating his own Heart what he has heard and how he has heard it is a good Evidence of his Sincerity both because First It is a secret Duty And Secondly A searching Duty This is not the Hypocrite's Walk who desires not to search himself nor that the Word should search him he is for taking all upon Trust and nothing upon Tryal And having called thy self to an account in Secret how thou hast heard the Word in Publick what Benefit thou receivedst and what Assistance thou enjoyedst call likewise thy Family if thou hast any under thy Charge to give thee an Account what they have heard and how they understand endeavouring to inform their Judgments aright as to the Nature of those Divine Truths they have heard and praying with them and for them according to the Directions given before Chap. 8. Page 29. CHAP. XIII Concerning the Lord's-Supper THE Sacrament of the Lord's Supper being one of the most Tremendous Mysteries of the Christian Religion and the highest Act and Exercise of Religious Worship he must be unthankful to Christ and unjust to himself that does not warily attend his Soul in so sacred an Homage Therefore that I may Assist you in a faithful Preparation for this Ordinance and excite you to the frequent Participation of it I shall briefly dispatch the following Severals 1. I shall acquaint you with the Nature of this Ordinance 2. Inform you of the Ends of its Institution 3. Lay before you the Obligations which are upon you to frequent it 4. Answer the several Pleas made by many for the Neglect of it 5. What Preparation is necessary to fit you for it 6. What Directions may be useful to assist you in it 7. How we ought to manage our Deportment and Behaviour after it 1. Concerning the Nature of this Ordinance Know that the Lord's Supper it is a Spiritual Feast appointed for a Solemn remembrance of Christ's Death and to be a Seal of that Covenant which God has made with us in Christ The Use then of this Ordinance is two-fold 1. To be a solemn Remembrance of the Person and Passion of our Holy Lord to excite us thankfully to call to mind all that Christ hath done and suffered for our good and in our stead in order to the inflaming of our Affections with Love unto his Person and our Wills with Resolution to obey his Precepts 2. 'T is a Seal of the New-Covenant or Covenant of Grace which God has made with us in Christ in which Covenant he has assured us of Pardon of Sin and Eternal Life upon the Conditions of Faith and Repentance Almighty God Seals to us in the Sacraments and assures us that he for his part will make good his Promises and we Seal on our part to him that we will endeavour by his Grace enabling to perform the Conditions This is the Genuine Nature of the Lord's-Supper 2. Now as touching the Ends of this Institution and the special Reasons and Purposes for which it was ordained by our Saviour they are such as these 1. The renewing of that Solemn Covenant with God which we entred into at our Baptism when by the Piety of our Parents we were Dedicated to the Lord and took an Oath of Fidelity unto Christ the Captain of our Salvation to become his faithful Souldiers and Servants unto our Lives end Now because our Infirmities are many and our Covenant-Breaches too frequent that we may not want a merciful opportunity to bewail our Backslidings and to renew our Covenant this Ordinance was appointed 2. Another end is to Remember the Love of our dying Redeemer in laying down his Life for us St. Luke 22.19 This do in Remembrance of me In Remembrance of my Bloody Sufferings in Remembrance of my Bitter Death and Passion 3 To Seal up unto us the Pardon of our Sins and the Assurance of Everlasting Life St. Matth. 26.28 This is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of Sins Christ assures us of Pardon on his part if we perform the Conditions of Faith and Repentance on our part 4. Another end of this Ordinance is to fortifie the Soul with power to resist Sin and to get the Victory over it yea to mortifie and subdue it That our Souls being as Giants refresht with this Spiritual Wine all the Enemies of our Salvation may fall before us and we may be more than Conquerors over them 5. The last but not the least end of Christ in Appointing this Ordinance was for the Uniting all the Professors of his Holy Religion together in the strictest Bond of Love and Charity 1 Cor. 10.17 We being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread That is as many grains of Wheat united together as one Mass or Lump do make one Loaf of Bread so Christians tho' many by the Death of their Saviour and by partaking of his Supper are Spiritually incorporated into one Mystical Body and should labour to be of one heart and of one mind 3. Next let us consider the Obligations which lie upon Christians to Attend upon Christ in this Ordinance now these are especially two namely an Obligation of Duty and of Interest First We lie under an Obligation to frequent this Ordinance in Point of Duty and Obedience to our Saviour's Command especially if we consider what kind of Command it is namely the Command of a Sovereign the Command of a Saviour the Command of a dying Saviour 'T is a Command of Love a gracious Command Eat and Live 'T is a pleasant easie and honourable Command What more pleasant than a Feast What more easie than to come to a Feast What more honourable than to Feast with a King yea with the King of Kings In a word 't is such a Command the due Observation whereof will help us to keep the rest of God's Commandments better it will be an efficacious means to make you do well Finally 't is a plain positive express Command from which nothing can discharge us but a Countermand from Heaven which we must never expect or an impossibility of doing it for want of Opportunity which we cannot plead Secondly We lie under a super-added Obligation to the practice of this Duty from a tie

hinder your Attention For it shews a vile esteem that we have of the Word of God when we give place ordinarily to wandring Thoughts and a drowsie Eye in the hearing of it 'T is said of Lydia Acts 16.14 That the Lord opened her heart that she amended to the Word which was spoken of Paul Observe First her heart was opened then her Ear from whence I gather that the great reason of Persons not attending to the Ministry of the Word is a defect in their Hearts where the heart is open the Ear will not be shut Oh what great Vanity of Mind and Levity of Spirit does it argue in Men to yield a far greater attention at the hearing of a News-Book than when a Message from God is deliver'd to them even a Message of Life or Death 3. Hear the Word of God Retentively Labour to remember and hold fast what thou hearest To this the Apostle adviseth Heb. 2.1 Let us give the more earnest heed unto the things which are spoken lest at any time we should let them slip Many complain of the weakness of their Memory they cannot remember the Word as they desire let such take the following advice viz. Labour for a full and clear Understanding of the matter delivered The clearer Apprehension we have of Truths in our Understanding the firmer Impression will they make upon our Memories Ignorance is one of the greatest hindrances to Memory Again Labour to excite and quicken and stir up and awaken your affections of Desire and Delight in and towards the Word of God David says Psal 119. I delight in thy Precepts I will not forget thy Word We also find it true by common observation that passage in a Sermon is best Remembred by us which did most Affect us But especially if you would Remember what you hear be much in the present Meditation of the Word you have heard The Word Preached is compared to Seed sown now the Meditation is the Harrow that covers this Seed This must be used as speedily as we can after we have been under the Ordinance otherwise Satan the Bird of Prey which follows God's Plough will steal away the precious Seed out of our Hearts 4. Hear the good Word of God Applyingly Make a particular and close Application of the Truths thou hearest to thy own Soul It is observable that the Word of God is compared in Scripture to such things as do require a close and immediate Application as to Seed which brings forth no Increase as it lies in the Chamber but when cast into the Furrows of the Field to Bread which nourishes not when standing upon the Table but when applied to the Stomach to Rain which fructifies not when bringing in the Clouds but when drunk in by the thirsty Earth This was the reason why St. Peter's Sermon met with such Success why so many Thousand Souls were Converted by it Every Hearer applied what was spoken to himself They said Men and Brethren what shall we do Acts 2. v. 37. Application is not only the Life of Preaching but of Hearing also 5. Hear the Word of God Believingly All the want of Success which the Preaching of the Word meets with proceeds from Unbelief Heb. 4.2 The word Preached did not profit not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it There is a mutual Relation betwixt Faith and the Word No Faith without the Word it comes by Hearing and no profiting by the Word without Faith The Word fighteth boldly and worketh miraculously under Faith's Banner it is the power of God unto Salvation but only to them that believe Faith in the Precept causeth Subjection Faith in the Threatnings causeth Humiliation Faith in the Promises worketh Consolation Were the Threatnings and Promises which are daily Preached duly Believed what a mighty Influence would they have upon the Lives of Men The Threatnings would affright us from Sin and the Promises allure us to Duty 6. Hear the Word of God Meekly Take heed of Anger and Passion either against the Message or Messengers of God Many Sinners are Angry when the Word reproves them for their Sins and threatens them for their Abominations 2 Chron. 16.10 Asa was wroth with the Prophet put him in Prison and was in a rage with him If such Rage was found in a Good and Holy Man whose Heart was perfect with the Lord his God what Fury and Indignation may we conceive oft-times to boil in a wicked Man's Breast when his Sins are Discovered Reproved Condemned and Threatned by the Ministry of the Word And therefore St. James gives Advice to receive with meekness the ingrafted Word Ch. 1.21 Consider Oh Sinners how unreasonable and unjust thy Anger and Displeasure is when thy Sins are Reproved by the Ministry of the Word either thou must be angry with the Messenger or with him that sends the Message to be angry with the Messenger is unreasonable for God will Reprove him if he neglect to Reprove thee thy Blood shall be required at his hands and to be displeased with the Message is unjust For wilt thou impudently break and violate the Law of God and not endure to be told of thy Faults If you say that this Preaching of the Terrours and Threatnings of the Law is the ready way to drive Men to Despair I reply That 't is not the Hearing but the Rejecting of Reproof that lays Men open to Despair Peter received our Saviour's Reproof and Repented Judas Rejected Christ's Reproof and that drives him to Despair and next to the Halter he went and hanged himself St. Matth. 27.5 7. Above all Hear the Word of God Practically When the Minister's Duty is done the Hearer's Work begins He heareth a Sermon best who practiseth it most This practical Hearing of the Word will Evidence thee to be an Understanding Hearer Psal 111. ult A good Understanding have all they that do thy Commandments It will Evidence thee to be a Retentive Hearer because this practising is the end of our Remembring it will Evidence thee a Believing Hearer who Believed Moses his Word concerning the Plague of Hail but they that made their Cattel flee out of the Field into their Houses Who are they that Believe the Threatnings of the Word but such as upon the Denunciation of the Threatnings do fly from the Wrath to come Oh Christian do not only hear and admire but hear and amend obey from the heart the Form of Doctrine deliver'd to thee and then thou art blessed in thy Deed. To excite thee hereunto consider First That this Practical hearing of the Word glorifies the Word and God in the Word above all to come to the Word without any desire or design to Glorifie God by it is the height of Prophaneness to pretend and not to do it is the depth of Hypocrisie The Apostle begs Prayer 2 Thess 3.1 That the Word of the Lord may have a free course and be Glorified When is God glorified but when his Word is Believed Entertained Practised

Opportunity of being Serviceable to you Will you choose rather to carry your Ignorance to Hell with you than make it known to such as are willing to Relieve you against it But 2ly It may be thou art not so ignorant as thou thinkest thy self peradventure thou art mistaken in the Measures and Degrees of Knowledge which are requsiite in a Worthy Communicant if thou hast a Competent Knowledge of the Author the Use and End of this Ordinance it is sufficient tho' thou art not able to dispute Controversial Points relating to it If thou understandest the Author of the Ordinance to be Jesus Christ the End of the Ordinance to be a Representation and Commemoration of his Death that the breaking of the Bread represents the breaking of his Body upon the Cross and the pouring out of the Wine the Shedding of his Blood for thy Redemption If thou understandest the Use of this Ordinance to be for the Renewing of thy Covenant with God which thou enteredst into at thy Baptism to remember the Love of thy Dying Saviour to Seal up unto thy Soul Pardon of Sin and to Engage thee daily to die more and more unto sin To Unite Christians together in the strictest Bonds of Love and Charity If thou knowest all this and endeavourest to Act suitably thereunto I dare assure thee thou hast the Knowledge of a Worthy Communicant And if thou comest to the Sacrament with a desire to grow more and more in thy Knowledge and Obedience Almighty God will mercifully Accept thee 5. Plea But I fear I am under the Power of an hard Heart I cannot mourn for Sin so much as I would and weep over it so often as I ought and what should a person under the power of an hard heart do at this Ordinance Answer If thou hast such a degree of sorrow as puts thee upon loathing and leaving off thy Sins tho' thou canst not mourn for sin so much as others do and as thou wouldst do yet thou may'st be a true Penitent Know that another's degree of Sorrow is not the Standard to measure thine by all are not Sinners alike and for that Reason the Sorrow of all persons will not be alike some men's Sins have been Infamous and Notorious their Lives tainted with hainous Crimes now their Sins looking ghastly upon their Consciences no wonder if they labour under such Agonies of Mind such Horrors and Terrors of Conscience and meet with such melting Sorrows as others are Strangers to and unacquainted with But perhaps God has blest thee with a pious Education and his Restraining Grace has kept thee from those presumptuous Acts of Sin which others have been guilty of and consequently thou art a Stranger to their violent Expressions of Grief and Sorrow yet at the same time thou hast such a convincing sight of Sin as causes thee to hate it to forsake it and to loath thy self by reason of it And tho' thou dost not mourn so much as thou wouldst yet thou mournest that thou canst mourn no more Now for thy comfort that thou art not under the power of an hard heart thou dost not wholly want the Grace of Repentance but oughtest to come to this Ordinance for the encreasing of thy Godly Sorrow for Sin believing and expecting that the sight of a Broken Bleeding Saviour will tend to the further breaking of thy Heart and encreasing thy Godly Sorrow for Sin 6. Pretended Excuse for not coming to the Sacrament is the danger of Relapsing I fear say some if I come and afterwards fall into any known sin that Almighty God will never pardon it but my sin will be like the Sin against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven therefore we judge it safest to stay away Answer It must be acknowledged that to Sin wilfully and deliberately after we have been at this engaging Ordinance is a great Aggravation of Sin but not such as to render it unpardonable but after our Fall we may be recovered by Repentance Because we have an Advocate with the Father 1 John 2.2 Doubtless the Primitive Christians who probably received the Lord's Supper every day certainly every Lord's-Day did occasionally fall into many voluntary and deliberate Acts of Sin but far be it from us to think that their sins were unpardonable 2ly Know that Almighty God tho' he requires after you have been at his holy Table your utmost care to avoid Sin and to shun Temptations yet he doth not expect that you should live wholly free from Sin whilst you continue in this mortal state He expects a Holy Life after the Sacrament but not an Angelical Life the Life of a Saint but not the Life of an Angel a Life of Purity not a Life of Perfection he expects we should be sincere not that we should be sinless Could men live wholly free from sin after they have been at the Sacrament then they need not Receive it more than once in their whole Lives but the Sacrament being an appointed means to enable us more and more against Sin and to get Victory over it our Duty is to have frequent recourse to it notwithstanding our Relapses into Sin after we have humbly implored pardon for them 7. Plea is this I dare not come because I labour under so many Fears and Doubts as to my own sincerity had I an assurance of my state of Grace I might venture to come but I have heard no man ought to come to this Ordinance that wants Assurance Answer There are two sorts of Doubtings some that proceed from want of Faith others which proceed from weakness of Faith As to the former some men there are whose Consciences tell them that they are either open Sinners or close Hypocrites these Men have great reason to doubt of their condition for it is certainly very bad and very dangerous not one moment longer to be rested in But then there are Doubtings which arise from weakness of Faith St. Matth. 14.31 Oh thou of little Faith wherefore didst thou doubt Now the Ordinance of the Lord's-Supper is the proper Remedy for the Relief and Cure of these doubtings and the longer we keep from this Ordinance the stronger will our fears grow and the more will our doubts encrease And whereas thou hast heard that none should approach that want a full Assurance of their Grace this is a great mistake for the Sacrament being a Sealing Ordinance is the great means of procuring a full Assurance of Faith which if a man has already there is no need of going to the Sacrament for it No Man will go to the Insuring Office to secure an Estate which he has in his own Possession and Apprehends to be out of the reach of danger 8. Excuse is this I see not say some much good gotten by this Ordinance many that come to the Sacrament lead as bad Lives as those that never come and if it does them no good we are sure it does them hurt and they had better never come there

Answer 1. Allowing what thou sayest to be a sad Truth why shouldst thou draw such a wicked Conclusion from it Because some Men are choakt with their Meat thro' their own Negligence wilt thou therefore resolve never to eat more Some Men eat and drink unworthily and dishonour their Saviour is this a sufficient Reason why thou shouldst disobey him Surely thou art to walk by Rule not by Example and oughtest rather to eye thy Saviour's Command than thy Neighbours miscarriage But 2ly How knowest thou that such whom thou hast seen fall after the Sacrament have not risen again by Repentance I am sure we have great reason to Believe that Conscience is more quick in Reproving such Persons than those that never Receive for the Remembrance of the Ordinance cannot but strike a man's mind at one time or other There is more hope of a man that comes to this Ordinance and does not live so well after it as he should than of such a man who profanely keeps from it and casts off all regard to God and Religion for he certainly damns himself to avoid the danger of Damnation He that eats and drinks unworthily endangers his own Soul but he that to avoid this danger will not eat nor drink at all doth he not run into a greater danger 9. Plea or Pretence is this I would not have neglected this Ordinance so long say some but that I was not in Charity with my Neighbour as I confess I ought to be he wronged and abused me and I being at odds with him I durst not come Answer If thy Neighbour has wronged thee wilt thou wrong thy own Soul Because he has hurt thee wilt thou hurt thy self The injury done to thee is his Sin but thy being in malice is thine own Sin and thou must account for it But 2ly Inquire whether thine Anger against thy Neighbour be just or unjust if thy Neighbour has done thee wrong and persists in it without Repentance thy Anger is just if kept within due bounds that it doth not Transport you to desires of Revenge and displeased you may be with your Neighbour for a real Injury and yet not be indisposed for the Sacrament But if upon Examination you find your Anger was unjust then you ought without delay to repent of it and upon your Repentance to hasten to the Lord's Supper where you will meet with sufficient Arguments for the cooling of the heats of your Passion and for Allaying the Boilings of your Rage beholding there such an illustrious Instance of Loving Enemies and Forgiving Injuries as the World was never acquainted with So then if thou hatest thy Brother in thy heart and resolvedst to persist in that hatred thou may'st tremble to come to the Sacrament and thou oughtest to tremble every time thou layest the Lord's Prayer for therein thou dost directly pray against thy self Labour then for a readiness of mind to forgive thy Neighbour and a willing desire to live quietly and peaceably with him and thou mayst as safely come to the Sacrament as thou mayst say thy Prayers 10. The next Excuse which some make is a multitude and multiplicity of worldly Business We are so incumbred with the World say they that we cannot find time to fit our selves as we ought for such a Solemnity Answer 1. Can you find no time to serve and glorifie that God who gives you all your time Or can you find time for every thing but your Soul 2. Your Business is either necessary Business or needless Business If needless why do you not throw it off for such Business is your Sin If it be necessary Business that of your Place and Calling this ought not to hinder you for such Business is God's Service Thou art serving thy God when industriously following thy Vocation 3. The more necessary worldly Business thou hast upon thy hand the greater reason thou hast to frequent this Ordinance No man has more need of the Sacrament than the man of Business because no man's Soul is more in danger of being lost in a crowd of Worldly Business for having so much of the World upon thy hand there is just cause to fear lest the World get into the Throne of thy Heart and that thy Riches become thy Ruine In short that Man that pleads Business for neglecting the Sacrament doth plainly tell Almighty God that he is not to be served but when the World will give leave 11. The next Scruple made by some for not coming to the Lord's Table is the Unworthiness of others they are afraid some wicked men thrust themselves forward and therefore they keep back Answer 1. True Humility will Teach a man to suspect the worst of himself and to hope the best of others But suppose it be as thou suspectest can another man's Sin deprive thee of the Benefit and Comfort of the Benefit and Comfort of the Ordinance That when by the Grace of God and thy own Endeavours thou art fit it should be in the power of a wicked man to make thee unfit Obj. But say some The Presence of a wicked man pollutes the Ordinance Answer If so he pollutes it to himself only he cannot pollute it to thee who art no ways Accessary to his Sin But 2ly How art thou sure that the Person thou suspectest for wicked is really such has he been bad formerly yet what Assurance hast thou that he has not sincerely repented and is now come to the Sacrament with an honest desire to get power against his sins which formerly got power over him By his coming he makes a profession to do so and how knowest thou that he is not sincere in what he professes Oh but say you the Man will certainly return again to his former wickedness next Week he 'll be drunk again and swear again This is more than thou or any man can tell for tho' heretofore the Temptations were too many and his Lusts too strong for him and carried him away against his Endeavours and Resolutions but how knowest thou what strength of Grace the Lord may Communicate to him by this Ordinance Charity should teach you to hope the best and instead of Censuring your Neighbour put you upon pitying their Weakness and upon praying for them also that the Lord will keep them from future Backslidings 12. And last Plea against Communicating is this Say some We do not like your way of Administring the Ordinance We are for Christ's Ordinances in Christ's Order but we neither like the Garment which you wear nor the Form of Prayer which you use nor the Gesture of Kneeling you prescribe and therefore we cannot joyn with you Answer 1. As to your having Christ's Ordinances in Christs Order you have the Sacrament so with us as to the Substance of the Ordinance and all the Essential Requisites of it But our Saviour never intended that you should observe all the Circumstances relating to that Ordinance which he observed As for instance he Celebrated the Supper in