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spirit_n corruption_n flesh_n sow_v 5,273 5 10.3024 5 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A26805 Sermons upon death and eternal judgment by William Bates. Bates, William, 1625-1699. 1683 (1683) Wing B1123; ESTC R29022 96,846 349

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judged according to his Works the tenor of good Works and the desert of bad The Apostle assures us That whatsoever a Man sows that shall he reap He that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting The Harvest shall be according to the Seed both in kind and measure 1. Those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Imortality shall obtain eternal Life Indeed eternal Life is the Gift of infinite bounty nay of pure Mercy and Mercy excludes Merit 'T is said of the Blessed Martyrs who contended for the Truth and Purity of the Gospel to the Death that their Robes were wash'd white in the Blood of the Lamb not in their own Blood Their right to Heaven was from the application of his Merits to them But the Reward is dispens'd from God according to the Evangelical Law not only as a Magnificent Prince but as a Righteous Judge All those whom the Gospel ordains to Eternal Life shall infallibly obtain it and none that the Gospel excludes Those who were sensible of their Sins and cordially forsaking them did humbly and entirely depend upon the Grace of God through the Blessed Reconciler and Saviour shall be justified and glorified Then the Judg will discern between unfeigned Faith and vain Presumption and will justify the Faith of the Saints by the genuine Fruits of it the Godliness Righteousness and Sobriety of their Lives and a victorious perseverance in their Duty notwithstanding all the pleasing Temptations or Tortures to withdraw them from it Thus the Apostle expresses his humble confidence I have fought the good Fight I have finish'd my Course henceforth there is laid up for me the Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Judg will give me at that day and not only to me but to all that love his appearance We read in the Description of the Last Judgment That the Book of Life was opened the Names of all that were written in Heaven shall then be declared that it may appear they are saved by Grace For it was his most free pleasure to select some from the common Mass of Perdition who were naturally as guilty and corrupted as others and to predestinate them to Eternal Glory and effectual persevering Grace to prepare them for it The Saints are created in Christ Jesus unto good Works which God hath before ordained that they should walk in them And the New Creation is as undeserved and entire an Effect of God's Love as the first was But 't is said That every Man was judged according to his Works For Eternal Election does not entitle a Person immediately to Heaven but according to the order establish'd in the Gospel Thus the King at the last Day speaks to the Elect Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the World for I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye clothed me And according as the Saints have excell'd in Fidelity and Zeal in God's Service they shall be rewarded with a more excellent Glory The Stars of Paradise are of a different brightness and greatness as the Stars of the Firmament Indeed all are perfectly happy without jealousie that any is equal or superior to them in that Kingdom But God will crown his own Graces as the Saints have improved them Our Saviour valued the Widows two Mites as transcending all the magnificent Gifts of others because of the degrees of Love in the giver There was a richer Mine of affection in her Heart Gold of a more noble Vein more pure and precious than all their Riches This was of greater price in God's account who weighs the Spirits in his Ballance God will accept and reward according to what a Man has and not according to what he has not He that improves but two Talents with his best skill and diligence shall have a greater Reward than another that had ten Talents and was remiss and less careful to employ them for his Masters profit The Rule will be exactly observed He that sows bountifully shall reap bountifully and he that sows sparingly shall reap sparingly And if God will be thus impartial in rewarding the Saints much more in punishing the Wicked For the renumeration of our Duty is the effect of his most free Favour but the recompences of Sin are due and decreed by Justice in Number Weight and Measure The severity of the sence will be in proportion as Mens Sins have been more numerous and heinous Altho ' all the Damned shall be equally miserable in dispair all broken on an endless Wheel yet the degrees of their Torment are different Sins of Ignorance are extenuated in comparison of Rebellious Sins against knowledge The first are like a Servant's dashing against his Master in the dark the other like the insolent striking of him in the light And as they incur greater Guilt will expose to greater Punishment Accordingly our Saviour predicts that the Servant which knew his Lord's Will and prepared not himself neither did according to his Will shall be beaten with many stripes But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes Unactive Knowledge is worse than Ig●orance For this reason the case of Heathens wil be more tolerable than of the Jews for tho' some natural Principles were strong and quick in their minds that made them sensible of their duty and danger yet they were not so clear and perfect as the Law delivered by Moses Those Sins that were infirmities in a Pagan were presumptuous in a Jew And the case of the Jews will be more tolerable than of disobedient Christians who enjoy the Gospel less charged with Ceremonies and more abundant in Grace than the Mosaical Dispensation Those that have set before them the Life of Christ the Model of all Perfection that are excited by such lowd Calls to flee from the Wrath to come and yet are deaf and regardless to the Commands nay to the melting Invitations and precious Promises of the Gospel shall have a more intolerable Judgment than the most guilty Sinners even the Sodomites and Sidonians that were strangers to it The precious Blood of the Son of God despised induces a Crimson Guilt And as Sins are committed with pride and pleasure with eager appetite and obstinacy the revenge of Justice will be more heavy upon Persons More particularly Sins of consequence whereby others are drawn to Sin will heighten the Guilt and the retribution of Justice will be to every Man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings This will principally concern Superiours in eminency of place whose dignity has always a concomitant proportion of Duty Their vicious Actions are Examples and their Examples more powerful Rules than their Laws and give countenance to others to sin licentiously They sin