Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A40515
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Select sermons preached upon Sundry occasions by John Frost ... ; now newly published together with two positions for explication and confirmation of these questions, I. Tota Christi justitia credentibus imputatur, 2, Fides justificat sub ratione instrumenti.
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Frost, John, 1626?-1656.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing F2246; ESTC R31718
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315,416
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365
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to fight the good fight of faith when thy strength and activity fails thee Tunc vivere incipere cùm desinendum est indè velle vitam inchoare quò pauci produxerunt as the Heathen sayes Then to begin to live when you should die and to date your life from that time to which the life but of a few is lengthned God under the Law would have no blinde or lame for sacrifice as in Deut. 25. 21. The first-born were holy to God and he required not onely the first-fruits but the first of those first-fruits Exod. 23. 19. All which was to signifie unto us that young years offered to God are a sweet-smelling savour in his nostrils 2 Consider This is most for your comfort that you may in time of age affliction and death with peace and comfort reflect upon your youth the mispence whereof does oft cause sad reflections of spirit in riper years and fills the soul with horrour and amazement Job was made to possess the iniquities of his youth his youth had the pleasure of those sins which his age now felt the smart of When guilt shall flie in the face of an awakened conscience and God for them shall exercise the soul with inward terrours as Job describes the condition of a wicked man Job 20. 11. Poenis quas sibi sceleribus adolescentiae acquisivit sayes Beza with those punishments which are the issue of the sins of youth nay though God hath upon your repentance pardoned those sins yet he may in old age chasten thee for them then you may come sadly to speak that language Rom. 6. 21. What fruit have we in those sins whereof we are now ashamed These questionless cost David many a sad tear and mournful prayer as we see in Psalm 25. 7. Remember not the sins of my youth As it is in the body licentious youth contracts those distempers which are the burden and sorrow of old age filling them with pains and aches So it is in the soul those sins which by mispence of time youth rush into may prove the sorrow and vexation of age but well-improved youth makes age comfortable 3. Consider It will be an Antidote and prevention against those sins which youth is most liable and prone to Youth having less wisedome to discover and less strength to resist and withstand temptation to sin more open to solicitation by reason of unruly passions bad examples and councel of others is most liable to sin Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way saith David Psal 119. 9. these being most subject to defilements David answers the question By taking heed thereto according to thy word and one of the precepts of that word is To redeem our time Flee youthful lusts saies Paul to Timothy 2 Tim. 2. 22. the flames of lust are most apt to enkindle by the heat of youth Cereus in vitium flecti monitoribus asper Horat. de Arte Poet. So Horace Youth is wax to every impression of vice and the Poet gives you the reason of it Quaritur Aegysthus quare sit factus adulter In promptu causa est desidiosus erat It was his idle mispence of time which blew up and fomented the sparkes of lust for Otia si tollas periêre Cupidinis arcus 4. Consider It is your gathering time and an age most capable of improvement as tender twigs most flexible as wax fit for good impressions Whereas if this time be mispent the heart grows hard through custome in sin the devil gets stronger possession the memory grows more unfaithful the understanding weaker God is provoked in a judicial way to take away your gifts and parts which you justly forfeit by a careless wrapping your talents in a napkin The Wiseman sends such sluggards to the Ant to learn wisedome 〈◊〉 provideth her meat in summer Prov. 6. 8. So soon as the sun ariseth the bee flies abroad to gather in her honey in youth our parts are active and vigorous therefore then redeem your time 5. Consider This will both sweeten and facilitate employment to you afterward The sins of youth oft make men unserviceable in riper years or if repented of and forsaken yet they are oft a reproach and discouragement to men in their employments Ephraim was ashamed because she bore the reproach of her youth Jer. 31. 19. S. Paul therefore writing to his young Timothy enformes him how to secure himself from contempt These things command and teach so Let no man despise thy youth 1 Tim. 4. 11 12. Sins of youth lay men open to reproach even then when afterwards they prove eminent serviceable in the work of God Besides mispence of youth must necessarily make our service and employment abroad more difficult for men to have their seed to seek when a harvest is expected from them whereas your laborious improvement of this time makes service easy and familiar when having laid up a treasure and stock of knowledge he is able as the Scribe instructed to the kingdome of Heaven to bring out of his treasure things new and old Matth. 13. 52. 6. Redeem this time in conformity to Christ and the best Saints Christ was at twelve years of age about his Fathers business Luk. 2. 44. Samuel in his childhood was dedicated to the Lord. 1. Sam. 1. 28. Timothy from a child redeemed his time to the study of the Scripture 2 Tim. 3. 15. And it is recorded as a just commendation of that good Prince Josiah that while yet young he began to seek after the God of David his father and at twelve years old zealously appeared against Idolatry 2 Chron. 34. 3. Let us then tread in the footsteps of these Saints and be followers of them as they were of Christ who redeemed his whole time to the service and glory of his Father II. The second rank of those who are most especially concerned in this is such men as are of greater abilities and opportunities To whom God gives ten talents he expects an improvement from them answerable to that they are intrusted with the improvement of five will not serve for him who hoth received ten To whom much is given of him much shall be required Luc. 12. 48. Mens great gifts and parts are ready to puff them up with pride S. Paul was in danger of this 2 Cor. 12. 8. and this is the abuse of the gifts of God which if rightly used and improved should not leaven us with pride but engage quicken us to more serviceableness for God and not censuring the gifts of others by which practise we either charge God for giving them no more or sacrifice sacrilegiously to our selves that we have so much when as we have nothing but what is received endeavour to improve and use our own III. The third rank such who by idleness and looseness have mispent much time formerly The Apostle Peter urgeth this 1 Pet. 4. 2 3. The later any of us have come into the vineyard the harder must we labour to
dangerous But because many things may be pretended for the neglect hereof I shall remove a scruple or two First Object Say some I am unlearned I cannot search into it Answ To this I answer I wish thou wert learned and able to read they self but then know thou oughtest so much the more carefully to attend and conscienciously wait upon the publick reading of the Scripture in these publick assemblies This hath been the constant practise of the Church in all ages as is evident partly in Luke 4 16 17. and partly in Acts 13. 15. where you see in both places it was the usual custome to have the Scriptures read in their publick assemblies and after reading followed preaching The ground whereof was surely as to preserve the purity of Scripture-doctrine in the Church that the people hearing the word so frequently read might not be imposed upon by errour or delusions of men so also for the profit advantage and edification of those who cannot read or search the Scriptures and that the preaching of the word might come with more light and power upon their hearts If you cannot read your selves get others to read unto you and be you so much the more in prayer and meditation Second Object I have so much employment in the world that I have no leisure to search the Scriptures If I should privately search Scripture and attend frequently upon the preaching of the word it would set me behinde hand in the world and hinder my thriving Answ I answer This is much what the Apologie that those made who pretended their farms and oxen as an excuse for not coming unto the wedding Matth. 22. But Christians break through your worldly employments prefer God before the world and your souls before your bodies an act of Religion before all worldly business and believe it you will be no losers by it God will succeed and bless your labours more Never was any man a loser by his Religion See what God promised to the lews Exod. 34. 24. that He would secure their land for them while they went up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. And what our Saviour said to the Disciples Luke 22. 35. When I sent you out without purse and scrip and shoes lacked ye anything Thou pretendest no leisure the truth is Non parùm temporis habemus sed multùm perdimus saies Seneca Yes we have time enough but we loose too much of it Thou hast no leisure for this but Art thou at leisure for thy pleasures and not for Religion for the world and not for God for shame cheat not your own souls with such vain pretences but as thou desirest the knowledge of Christ here and the enjoyment of Christ hereafter be consciencious in this duty of Searching the Scriptures Use Third It reproves those who believe not this truth that the Scripture is the word of God But you will say This concerns not us Go charge the Turks and Indians with this No my Brethren many of our selves here are guilty of this for though mens mouths profess it yet their hearts deny it as the Apostle speaks of some In words they profess God but in works they deny him Tit. 1. 16. Did men really believe the corruptions of their natures and their constant liableness unto wrath would there be so much pride so much confidence in sin Did men really believe that of every idle word they must give an account would there be so much idle frothy ungodly profane lascivious talking and discourse Did men believe the Apostle Gal. 5. 19 20 21. that all those vices there rehearsed were the works of the flesh would those sins so much abound Did men believe that they who did no wrong to their neighbour should enter into and dwell in the Tabernacle of God Psal 15. 1 5. would there be so much oppression and extortion Did men believe that God will come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon all them that know not God and obey not his Gospel as in 2 Thess 1. 8. would there be such a contented wilfull ignorance of God Truth where it is effectually entertained will have an influence upon the life How do most men hold Gospel-truth in unrighteousness as the Apostle saies the Gentiles did the light of nature Rom. 1. 18. so these with-hold Gospel-truths for certainly wickedness in the life speaks an ineffectual entertainment of the truth Use Fourth It condemns those who do not value and prize the Scripture How did the Heathens prize their Oracles yet the generalitie of Christians do not prize these Oracles of God as the Apostle calls them Rom. 3. 2. Three things there are that make this out unto us 1. Mens wilfull and contented ignorance of Scripture What things we prize we search into How does the Scholar pry and search into those notions he affects and values So would men do if they did value and prize the word aright but the contrarie to this rather is evident by their language Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways Job 21. 14. II. Mens weariness in searching the Scripture What things we prize in the search of them we finde delight but how are men tyred at a Sermon or Sabbath in which the Scriptures are read Is not the language of those Israelites in Amos 8. 5. the language of too many among us When will the Sabbath be ended c. Men are sooner weary of this then any other III. Mens seldom discoursing of Scripture As they said to Peter in another case Matth. 26. 73. Thy speech bewrayeth thee so mens speeches bewray their want of affections to the Scriptures The Scholar upon every occasion is discoursing of those notions which he prizeth but men are far more wise to discourse of the world then of heaven and heavenly things Use Fifth Of exhortation That you would endeavour to get your faith well grounded in this fundamental truth that neither Satan tempt you nor men dispute you out of it for till then I. Your faith will be uncertain and weak as a building without a foundation as a ship without ballast or anchor soon tossed and ship-wrackt and this we may think is the cause of most mens Apostacie in these declining times II. Your lives will be but loose If you be not throughly convinced of your dutie of walking by Scripture-rule you will walk at uncertainties and so amiss III. Your comforts weak if not grounded on Scripture-promises This is one main reason why mens comforts ebb and flow so much they are not grounded on a sure belief of Scripture and if once your faith in this truth waver the foundation of your comfort must needs be shaken For the attaining whereof I can give you no better direction then that you Pray earnestly for the Spirit that he would please I. To open the eyes of your minde illightning and irradiating the understanding to see those arguments and evidences of this truth which lie in the Scriptures So S. John tells us I John 2. 26. These things have I written unto you that no man seduce you And without this all other arguments will be ineffectual to the begetting of a saving and through belief of this truth As Agar when her eyes were opened saw a well of water Gen. 21. 19. so there are arguments to evince this truth sufficient in the Scriptures but they will never be brought home to the soul with a full conviction till the Spirit open our eyes to see them for this is one end why the Spirit of God is given to us and received of us that we may know the things that are freely given unto us by the Spirit of God as in I Cor. 2. 12. 2. To remove that natural enmitie and prejudice that we have against an effectual assent to the Gospel and so sanctifie our hearts as to make it close with and heartily embrace it as the truth and word of God Truth resists our corruptions and they it What is the great Gospel truth but Christ his coming to undertake as our Jesus this we cannot savingly assent unto but by the Spirit as in I Cor 12. 3. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit Corruption fills the soul with prejudices against the truth The Philosopher observes that the Mathematicks though abstruse in themselves are sooner learnt by a young man dissolute and that hath not tamed his passions then morality because those being mere speculations bring no oppositions to his lusts which the precepts of morality curb and restrain So mens corruptions and unsubdued lusts prejudice the soul against the belief of Gospel-truth which the sanctifying work of the Spirit doth subdue and remove and so disposes the soul for the entertainment of the truth of the Gospel as we see in S. Paul who having his lusts subdued once came to preach that Gospel which before he had persecuted FINIS