Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A43583
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Meetness for heaven promoted in some brief meditations upon Colos. 1. 12. discovering the nature and necessity of habitual and actual meetness for heaven here, in all that hope for heaven hereafter. Designed for a funeral legacy. By O.H. an unworthy minister of the Gospel of Christ.
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Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing H1771; ESTC R216793
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64,886
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228
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our Lord say such honour shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father Matth. 20.23 Can you think to wrest Heaven out of Gods hands whether he will or not And must he falsifie his word to gratifie you Will he set the Crown on Rebels heads Or give this Inheritance of Saints to the Devils slaves No doubtless you must be adopted Sons or no Lawful Heirs Bastards heir no Land Jephthahs Brethren thrust him out saying Thou shalt not inherit in our Fathers house for thou art the Son of a strange Woman Judg. 11.2 And what bold intruder art thou that darest expect to claim such an Inheritance as Heaven without the relation of a Son Adam its true was Gods Son by Creation but alas he and we in him have quite lost that sweet Relation and we must either be restored in Christ Gods well-beloved Son or we are like to be banisht for ever God sent his own Son that through him we might receive the adoption of Sons Gal. 4.5 6. And have you the Spirit of his Son in your hearts to cry Abba Father which elsewhere is called the spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 Tell me not that all Men are the Sons of God So were the Devils God will make you know that this is a peculiar priviledge known to very few injoyed by fewer but it is the fruit of singular Love and is attended with this unparalell'd advantage of seeing God as he is and a day is coming when these Sons and Heirs in disguise shall then be like their Father 1 Joh. 3.1 2. then Atheists that will not believe that there is any such difference among Men and bold intruders that dreamed of a right without pretending or proving their Adoption shall be utterly confounded 2. But besides this Relative change there is also a real change upon those Souls that God makes meet for Heaven and this consists in 1. Conversion to God 2. Covenanting with God 1. Conversion to God This is expressed in the words immediately following my Text Ver. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son This is a description of Conversion and a preparation for Glory Compare this with Acts 26.18 See there the priviledge annexed Observe it Conversion makes Saints and only Saints partake of this Inheritance If all the Men on Earth and Angels in Heaven should joyn their Forces together they could not save one unconverted Soul Truth it self hath asserted it with a solemn asseveration Matth. 18.3 Verily I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven The like doth the same mouth assert with a fourfold asseveration Joh. 3.3 5. I wonder often how careless sinners ners that are conscious to themselves that never any such work passed on them can eat and drink or sleep quietly and never so much as ask this question Am I converted or am I not If I be when or how did my Soul pass through the pangs of the new birth What tears fears what groans and agonies hath it cost me What fruits hath it brought forth in me Where 's this new Creature the Divine Nature the Image and Seed of God working Heaven-wards What stamp what sheep-mark can I shew as the fruit of Gods being at work on my Soul and an earnest of this glorious Inheritance But if there be no such change as I doubt there is not how can I be quiet Sure my pillow is soft or my heart hard and my Conscience seared that hear or read my own doom in such a Scripture from the mouth of the Judge himself standing at Heaven-gates and shutting me out as if he named me saying Be gone thou unconverted sinner I know thee not converting Grace never changed thy Heart or Life though I often summoned thee and knockt at thy door yet thou hadst no heart or desire to turn from thy sinful ways nor so much as fall down on thy knees and ask this grace of Conversion of me or use the means for it or so much as examine whether thou hast it or no but wentest on in a golden dream and now I must tell thee roundly to thy cost depart oh be gone from my presence thou poor wretched unconverted sinner This state this place is for none but sincere Converts 2. Covenanting with God When the glorious day of our Lords appearing shall spring he calls forth his covenanted people to crown his gracious promises with compleat performance Psal 50 5. Gather my Saints together those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice q. d. I take little notice of common or outside Worshippers they shall be set on my left hand but there is amongst you some serious Souls that look beyond the Ordinance I have observed them they have solemnly devoted themselves to me and accepted me in a Covenant-way These these are the persons and these only that I have taken for the lot of my inheritance and for whom I have laid up a safe and satisfying inheritance But to the uncovenanted soul or hypocritical pretender to covenant God will say What hast thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth Psal 50.16 What ground hast thou to own me Or to claim any thing from me for this world or another Man as a creature can have no intercourse with God but in a Covenant-way much less can a sinner expect any good from God but by vertue of Covenant But what canst thou say for this promised Inheritance that hast nothing to do with the promises For all the promises of God in Christ are yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 But thou hast never spent one hour solemnly to review and renew thy Baptismal Covenant and ingage thy Soul to God and since thou art an Alien from the Commonwealth of Israel and a stranger from the Covenant of Promise by consequence thou art without Christ and without God in this world and therefore without hope of a better state in the other world Eph. 2.12 But strangers and forreigners are become fellow-citizens with the Saints of this new Jerusalem ver 19. How is that Doubtless by taking this sacred Oath of Fealty and Allegiance to the King of Heaven By Covenant you have a title to all the good things of Earth and Heaven Sinner think of this thou that lovest to be loose and scornest the setters of this Holy League thou dost in effect say I will have none of God Christ Pardon Heaven If I must have them on no other terms but under such bonds and obligations let them take this Heavenly Inheritance for me And dost thou think this golden chain of honour worse then the Devils iron fetters of sin and amazing reward of flames and torments If you need not God and Heaven be it known to you God needs not you but can strain for the revenue of Glory to his Justice
the Life of Paul the aged within a few days and my Lord only knows how soon my sun may set though I cannot say my Natural Vigour either of Body or Mind is in the least abated but I am mortal and am loath to be surprized unawares 2. I see a great failure in my self and other Christians in this that terminate our studies and endeavours in getting a title and then think all is well we need no more but surely there is much behind we have abundance of work upon our hands for obtaining actual meetness without which we cannot evidence our habitual meetness 3. I never yet met with any Treatise upon this subject though it be of great importance for every Christian surely Heaven is worth minding and methinks Abrahams Query in another case should be ours Gen. 15.8 O Lord God whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it 4. I have observed a commendable practice of some Christians which is to order some Books to be distributed at their Funerals The first that I knew of that nature was Mr. R. A. his Vindiciae Pietatis and some other practical pieces which by Gods Blessing have done much good Such a Memorandum would I bequeath as my last Legacy to you my dear People amongst whom I have laboured above thirty nine years in publick and private serving the Lord in some measure of Integrity and Humility with many Tears and Temptations through variety of Dispensations Excommunications Banishments Confiscations and Imprisonments but out of all these the Lord hath delivered me and set my feet in a large place and God that searcheth the heart knows what hath been my design in studying preaching praying preparing you a place to meet in to Worship God and what are the agonies and jealousies of my Spirit to this day least I leave any of you unconverted and so cashiered from Gods presence at the great day and now at last I solemnly charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels that you rest not in a graceless state another day lest that be the last day and you be found unready And I solemnly require you that have a principle of Grace gird up your Loins trim your Lamps and observe these few Rules and the dispositions mentioned in this small Treatise I only hint further Be much in the love of God Dayly act Faith on Christ Walk in the Spirit Design Gods Glory Intermit not holy duties Be not content therein without communion with God Mingle Religion with civil acts Increase every Grace Redeem time Profitably converse with Gods Children Aim at perfection Maintain tender Consciences Keep strict accounts Study the life of Heaven Be still doing or getting good Set God before your eyes Trample on worldly things Live in dayly view of death Be nothing in your own eyes Be much in heavenly praises Say O Lord who am I and what is my Fathers house that thou hast brought me hitherto What is man what am I the least and worst of the children of men that the heart of God should be working for me and towards me in infinite bowels of eternal love That the Lord Jesus should shed his heart-blood for me That the holy Spirit should take possession of me That God should provide such an inheritance for me Assure me of it by precious Promises seal it to me in his holy Supper That ever God should give me an heart to fear him Heal so many backslidings Prevent total Apostacy Pardon all my iniquities Vouchsafe me such large priviledges Supply my wants Hear my Prayers Help me over so many a foul place in my journey Brought me to the borders of Canaan Given me so many foretasts of the promised Land Tells me the Jordan of death shall be driven back and give me a safe passage to Heaven O Blessed blessed be God all this is from sovereign Grace God doth what he pleaseth I would not exchange this hope for the worlds possessions Eternity will be little enough to be taken up in the praises of rich grace Thus the gracious Soul may quickly lose it self in these Divine Praises and Contemplations as that zealous German Martyr Giles Titleman who in his Prayers was so ardent kneeling by himself in some secret place that he seemed to forget himself being called many times to meat he neither heard nor saw them that stood by him till he was lift up by the Arms and then gently he would speak to them as one waked out of a deep sleep Oh that there were such a spirit in Gods children That our hearts were so intent on things above as to pass through the world as unconcerned in it Then shall you be content to leave all and go to Christ Then will you not be afraid of the King of Terrors though armed with Halberts Racks Fires Gibbets then will you have a brighter Crown and higher degrees of Glory and shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and as one Star differs from another in Glory so you will be set in the highest Orb and having had largest capacities on Earth shall have fullest joys in Heaven I will conclude with the blessed Apostles Prayer 1 Th. 3.12 13. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men even as we do towards you to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints Amen and Amen Thus prayeth Your Servant in our dearest Lord Oliver Heywood COLOS. 1.12 Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light CHAP. I. The Text opened Doctrines raised and explained PRayer and Praise are the two wings upon which a devout Soul mounts Heavenwards Prayer fetcheth down occasions of Praise These two are as Chariots and Factors to maintain intercourse betwixt God and his Children Paul was a great man in both for after the Inscription Subscription and Benediction in this Epistle he falls to Praise ver 3. then to Prayer ver 9. and in the Text he falls again to Praise and Thanksgiving wherein observe 1. The Duty Praise 2. The Mercy for what In the former observe 1. The Act giving thanks 2. The Object the Father 1. The Act 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It signifies a being of a good Grace having a very grateful Spirit and expressing it in words and actions Col. 3.15 Be ye thank ful or be ye amiable one to another or grateful both in conferring and receiving Benefits But here it referrs to God Obs 1. That thank fulness is the duty and property of a Christian Thankful retribution for Mercies is the study and enquiry of gracious Souls Psal 116.12 Prayer and Thanks are like the double motion of the Lungs the air of Mercy that is sucked in by Prayer is breathed out again by the duty of Praise O happy Christian that can and must in every