Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A40683
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A sermon of assurance Foureteene yeares agoe preached in Cambridge, since in other places. Now by the importunity of friends exposed to publike view. By Thomas Fuller B.D. late lecturer in Lombard Street.
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Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing F2458; ESTC R215136
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16,800
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39
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than holy fraud which heaven hath a Pillorie to punish to put men upon a labour in vaine to seeke that which is not to be found Thinke not therefore that the assurance of Calling and Election is like the Philosophers stone which so many have searched for yet all have lost their estates before they could find it out but no doubt by God's blessing it is in this world attainable And yet the Papists maintaine that whilest wee live in this world and saile in our desires and affections to the rich Indies of Heaven and happinesse no further Land is discoverable beyond the Cape of good hope and that it is arrogancy and presumption without an immediate expresse by revelation from Heaven for any to conceive himself assured of his salvation For the second this assurance of ones Calling and Election is a sepaâ—…able fruit or effect not of every true but only of some strong Paiths whereby the party is perswaded of the certainty of his Calling and Election I say separable to manifest my dissenting from such worthy Divines who make this Assurance to bee the very Being Essence Life Soule and Formality of Faith itself Whence these two Opinions as false as dangerous must of necessity bee inferred First that every one who hath true faith and are eternally to bee saved have alwaies some measure of this Assurance Secondly that such who are devoid of this Assurance are likewise deprived of all sincere faith for the present But God forbid any Preacher should deliver Doctrines so destructive to Christian comfort on the one side and advantagious to spirituall Pride on the other Such will prove Carnificinae the raâ—…ks and tortures of tender Consciences And as the * carelesse Mother kill'd her little childe for she overlaid it so the weight of this heavie Doctâ—…in would presse many poore but pious soulâ—…s many faint but feeble infant-faiths to the pit of Despaire exacting and extorting from them more than God requires that every Faith should have assurance with it or else be uneffectuall to salvation No the formality of Faith consists in mans renouncing and disclaiming all sufficiencie in himselfe casting rolling and relying his soule totally and entirely on the mercies of God and merits of Christ though not assured sometimes of the certainty of his salvation Like a man in a tempest cast out of the ship and lying on a planke or board placeth-all his humane hopes on that planke or board thereby to escape drowning though he have no certainty that the same shall bring him safe to the shore As for those reverend Divines who have written and maintained the contrary that Assurance is the very soule of faith and faith dead and uselesse without it far be it from me because dissenting from theiâ—… opinions to raile on their Persons and wound the memories of those which are dead with opprobrious termes rather let us thank God for their learned and religious writings left behinde them knowing that the head of the knowledge of this Age stands on the shoulders of the former and their very errors have advantaged us into a clearer discovery of the truth in this particular In the next place a Christian thus collecteth this Assurance of his Calling and Election by composing this practicall â—…yllogisme in his soule The Major He that truely repenteth himselfe of his sinnes and relyeth with a true faith on God in Christ is surely Called and by consequence Elected before all Eternity to be a vessell of honour The Minor But I truely repent my selfe of my sinnes and rely with a true faith on God in Christ The Conclusion Therefore I am truly Called and Elected c. The Major is the sense of the Scripture in severall places the very effect of Gods promises and the generall scope of the Gospell so that if Satan should be so impudent as to deny the truth of this Proposition he may be beaten with that weapon whereat once he challenged our Saviour it is written All the difficulty is in the Minor Happy that man blessed that woman who without self-delusion without flattering their owne soules can seriously make this Assumption But I c. For such I dare be bold to make the Conclusion yea it makes it selfe for them without my Assistance But alasse many out of fearefulnesse dare not make this Minor concerning this Assumption to bee presumption in them And although they might truely doe it being in a better condition then they conceive themselves yet overwhelmed with the sense of their sinnes and Gods severity they assume the contrary and poore soules often apprehend and conclude their owne damnation in their wounded consciences whereas others with a more dangerous mistake of common illuminations for discrimâ—…nating grace falsely make the Minor and causelesly inferre their blessed condition without just ground for the same Such few as goe rightly to worke doe produce these three witnesses to assert the truth of this Minor proposition First the testimony of their Conscience that Atturney Generall to the King of heaven whose Yea or Nay ought to bee more with us then all the Oaâ—…hes in the world beside One knoweth whom it is that he loveth and whom he loveth not whom it is he trusteth and whom he trusteth not and in like manner his Conscience tells him whether he doth or doth not truely repent whether seemingly or sincerely he casteth himselfe on God in Christ Secondly the witnesse of the holy Spirit in their hearts * which beareth witnesse with their Spirit that they are the children of God Now wee must with sorrow confesse that this doctrine of the Spirit dwelling in the heart of Gods servants is much discountenanced of late and the Devill thereupon hath improved his owne interest To speake plainely it is not the fiercenesse of the Lion nor the fraud of the Fox but the mimicalnesse of the Ape which in our Age hath discredited the undoubted Truth But what if the Apes in India finding a glow-worme mistooke it to be true fire and heaping much combustible matter about it hoped by their blowing of it thence to kindle a flame I say what if that Animal {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that Mirth making creature deceived it â—…elfe doth it thence follow â—…hat there is no true fire at all And what if some Phanaticall Anabaptists by uâ—…urpation have intitled their braine-sicke fancâ—…es to be so many illuminations of the spiriâ—… must we presently turne * Sadduces in this point and deny that there is any spirit at all God forbid We confesse the Apostles in the Primitive Church were our elder bretheren and wiâ—…h Isaac carriâ—…d away the inheritance of the spirit in so great a proportion as to be enabled thereby to miraculous operations Yet so that wee though the yonger bretheren the sonnes of Keturah have rich and precious gifts of the spirit bestowed upon us which at sometime or other in a higher or lower degree sweetly move the soule of all Gods servants and in
sharpe And although now it be falne into a lame hand the unworthynesse of the Preacher in this place to manage it yet inforced with the assistance of Gods arme it may prove able to give the deadly blow to foure Egloâ—… sinnes tyrannizing in too many mens hearts 1. Supine negligence in matters of Salvation 2. Busie medling in other mens matters 3. Preposterous curiosity in unsearchable mysteries 4. Continuall wavering or Scepticalness concerning our Calling and Election Supine negligence is dispaâ—…ched in that word Give diligence This grace of Assurance is unattainablâ—… by ease and idlenesse Busie medling in other mens matters is destroyed in the Particlâ—…Your Eâ—…ch one ought principally to intend his owne assurance Prepostâ—…rous curiosity is stabâ—…ed with the order of the words Calling and Election not Election and Calling Men must fiâ—…t begin to assure their Calling and then 〈◊〉 argue and inferre the assurance of thâ—…ir Election Continuall wavering is wounded under the fifth ribbe in the conclusion of my Text Sure Wee will but touch at three first and land at the last as the chiefe subject of our ensuing Discourse This Grace of Assurance is not attainable with ease and idlenesse Christianity is a laborious Profession Observe Gods servants cleane through the Scripture resembled to men of painefull vocations To Racers who must stretch every sinew to get first to the Goale to Wrestlers a troublesome emploiment so that I am unresolved whether to recount it amongst Toiles or Exercises at the best it is but a toilesome Exercise To Souldiers who are in constant Service and dayly Duty alwaies on the Guard against their Enemies Besides we Ministers are compared to Shepherds a painefull and dangerous profession amongst the Jewes to Watchmen which continually wake for the good of oâ—…hers so that besides the difficulties of our Christian calling we are incumbred with others which attend our Ministeriall function Let none therefore conceit that Salvation with the Graces accompaning it whereof this Assurance we treat of is a Principall is to be compassed with facility without constant care and endeavour to obtaine it How easily was the man in the Gospell let downe to our Saviour in the house whilst foure men for him uncovering the roofe thereof let him downe with cords lying quietly on his couch Some may suppose that with as little hardship they may bee lifted up to heaven and that whilest they lazily lye snorting on their beds of security never mortifying their lusts never striving for grace never strugling against their corruptions they shall bee drawne up to happinesse or it let down to them merely by the cords of Gods mercy and Christs merits Such men without amendment will one day finde themselves dangerously deceived and that it is a laborious taske to gaine either the surenesse or assurance of salvation wherein according to the Apostles prescription wee must give diligence To make your Each Christian is principally to endeavour the Assurance of his owne Calling and Election Indeed it were to be wished that Parents besides themselves were assured of the true sanctity so by consequence of their Calling and Election of themselves multiplied the children God hath given them of the second part of their selves lying in their bosome their wives of tâ—…ue grace in their friends and family How comfortable were it if Ministers were ascertained of true grace and pietie in the breasts and bosomes of the people committed to their charge But the best way to passe a rationall verdict on the sincerity of sanctity in another is first to finde an experimentall Evidence thereof in ones own heart A Phylosopher complained that it was an exceeding hard thing to finde a wise man true said another for he must bee a wise man that seekes him and knowes when he hath found him and hence ariseth the difficulty because two wise men in effect must meet together the Seeker and the Finder It is a hard thing in like manner to bee assured of unfained faith and undissembled Devotion in another mans heart Because first that party must have a feeling of the operation of grace in his owne soule otherwise blinde men are incompetent Judges of colours before he can make his presumptions of holinesse in another from those sacred symptomes and fruits of piety which he findes in his owne Conscience Let it therefore be every mans maine worke first to make a scrutiny in his owne soule to make his own Calling and Election sure How contrary is this to the common practice of most in the world It is a tale of the wandring Jew but it is too much truth of too many wandring Christians whose home is alwaies to bee abroad Professours in spirituall Palmestry who will undertake to read the Life-line the line of eternall life in the hands of mens soules though for all their â—…kill they often mistake the hands of Esau for the hands of Jacob approving many hypocrites for their holinesse and condemning sincere soules for counterfeits and dissemblers Calling and Election men are not to lanch into the Depths of Predestination at the first dash but first soberly to begin with their Calling or Vocation Surely the very Angells which climbed up the ladder in Jacobs * dreame did first begin at the last and lowest Round First looke to finde thy justification and sanctification then thy adoption and vocation lastly thy election and predestination But alasse as the Hebrews read their letters backward so it is to be feared that too many preposterously invert the order of my Text and instead of Calling and Election read Election and Calling first grasping at those mysteries both in their practise and discourse which are above their reach as if their soules feared to be â—…unne a-ground if sailing in the shallows of Faith and good workes they never count themselves safe but when adventuring in those secrets wherein they can finde no bottome We are now come to the youngest part in the Text to which we intend a Benjamin's portion Bâ—…ing to discourse of the certainty of calling and election not in respect of Gods predestination it being from all Eternity sure in him * from the beginning of the world God knoweth all his workes but in reference to man's apprehension concerning the assurance thereof And now least our discourse like * Jordan in the first moneth should over-flow wee will raise these Bankes to bridle it and consider 1. That assurance of Calling and Election is feasible in this life-to be attain'd 2. What this assurâ—…nce is 3. How a Christian buckleth and applieth it to his soule 4. Wee will satisfie some doubts and difficulties in this behalfe 5. Wee will conclude with comfortatable uses to all sorts of Christians Of the first That assurance of ones Calling and Election may without any miraculous revelation be in this life acquired appeareth plaine in the Text because the Apostle in the simplicity of the Dove-like Spirit exhort's us to the attaining thereof Now surely it had been no better