Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A53236
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Blessed Paul's tryal and triumph in a sermon upon the death of Mrs. Elizabeth King / by John Oakes ...
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Oakes, John, d. 1689?
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1689
(1689)
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Wing O18; ESTC R17578
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25,131
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33
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accomplish the Redemption and Salvation of all God's Elect. This work Christ had upon his hand to do and he did it Hence is he by way of Emphasis stiled our Redeemer our Saviour Eph. 1. 7. in whom we are said to have redemption the remission of sins through his blood according to the riches of his Grace And so Heb. 9. 12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves he entered once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us and Heb. 5. 9. Being made perfect he became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him This was Christ's work and this work he finished on Earth so far as his Father had appointed him to do here 2. Our work comes under the same denomination and falls under these two heads 1. Our business is to glorifie God. Whether therefore ye 1 Cor. 10. 31. eat or drink or whatever ye do do all to the glory of God. It becomes us every morning when we rise up to put this Question to our selves how shall we so fill up this day as that God may have Glory from us and at night when we lye down to ask our own Hearts what glory hath God had from us this day 2. Our work lyes in securing our Eternal Salvation Christs working does not exclude nor excuse our putting our hand to the same work no we must work too though not in the same but in a far different manner work out your own salvation with fear and trembling For it is God who worketh in you Phil. 2. 12 13. both to will and to do of his good pleasure We work not as Christ did by way of purchase and impetration Here we can have no hand But in a way of Application and Appropriation in which neither can we do any thing as of our selves but as we are assisted and strengthened by the operations of Gods Spirit We are saved by grace through faith and that not of our Eph. 2. 8. selves it is the gift of God. Having thus in plain Terms given you an Account of your work in general I shall speak to it as 't is metaphorically expressed in my Text. I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith This Paul gives us an account of both with respect to his publick and more private and personal Station as a Minister and as a Christian I shall pass by the former in silence and speak only to the latter In the words you have comprehended the whole Duty of Man the sum of the practical part of Christianity and this under three Metaphors 1. I have fought the good Fight In which he compares the life of a Christian to a Military or Soldiers life a continual Warfare 2. He compares it to the running of a Race where a price is insured to them who run well 3. He compares it to a faithful Repositor or Steward to one that hath somewhat of worth and weight committed to his Trust of which a good account is to be given My business is to give you a short Paraphrase of the Christians work as vail'd under these similitudes First As our Life while here on Earth is expressed by a continued Combate or Warfare I have fought a good fight â—…rtamen Evanâ—…licum contra â—…iaboli insidias â—…undi exempla 〈…〉 carnis illeceâ—…as Grotius A good fight ingaging in a good cause and that which if heartily ingaged in is sure to have a good issue and event Thus the Life of a Christian in Scripture is frequently represented 2 Cor. 10. 4. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing which exalts it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into Captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ Hence in the foregoing Epistle Paul charges Timothy to war a good warfare Paul had Tim. 1. 18. been himself a stout Champion a couragious Souldier in this Holy War his life ever since he was brought home to God and first had taken Arms in this good Cause had been a continual conflict many a hot skirmish he had had many a sharp encounter he had gone through and possibly many a wound he had received but he still kept the Field and had now upon the matter put his Enemies to a perpetual Rout and was himself going out of the Field through Christ that strengthened him more than Conqueror Beloved how large and copious a Subject I have here before me I need not tell you but my time will not allow me This War my discourse leads me to is of a far higher Nature and the success that such who are ingaged in it are concern'd about is of Everlasting moment The Enemies we must combat with are utterly implacable that they will either kill or be killed No peace not so much as a truce to be made or indeavoured with them Fight and Live Yield and Dye may well be every Christians Motto for says the Apostle if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds â—â—m 8. 13. of the body ye shall live Here I will only touch upon a few particulars for the further illustration of these matters and this in a brief resolution of the following Queries 1. Whom we are to understand by the Soldiers that are ingaged in these Wars against these implacable Enemies and what Captain or General they fight under For the Soldiers they are all Believers such as had been taken Captive but are supposed to be rescued by the power of Christ the great Redeemer and being thus rescued in way of Gratitude to this blessed Redeemer together with an Eye to their own safety they have devoted themselves to his Service and under his Banner stand obliged to oppose the World Flesh and Devil depending upon him for all their success as also for the obtaining their blessed Reward as consequential upon their Conquest So that these spiritual Souldiers such as we can heartily bid God speed and pray for their good Success are all true Believers who stand devoted to Christ the Heb. 2. 10. Col. 1. 21. Acts 5. 3â— Captain of their Salvation all others who remain in their unregenerate state they are Enemies to Christ and his followers who have for their General the Devil whom they follow and for whom they fight against God against his Spirit nay War against 1 Pet. 2. 11. their own Soul. Some of these Enemies are more secret and carry on their oppositions against God in a more hidden and cunning way displaying Gods Colours whilst they are managing the Devils Quarrels Others are more open and notorious that declare their Sin as Sodom and hide it not That Isa 3. 9. set their Mouth against the Heavens that dare to challenge God to his face Of this sort are all the openly prophane Debauched Atheistical Idolatrous
the Kingdom of God. Beloved I beseech you see whether that which is sufficient to stop the Mouth of Conscience how whilest you live in this hurry will make you lie at ease then when you come to a Death-Bed But I must proceed Secondly You have the Apostles Prospect viz. his looking forward where he opens a fresh Spring whence he draws his Comfort and Confidence at this time when he was making his entry into the dark valley of the shades of Death and then considers what he had in expectation on the other side the Grave Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing This was the Joy that was set before the Eye of Paul's Faith. What appeared to his sence must needs be terrible and terrifying to Nature Death when it comes clothed with the most desirable Circumstances must needs make Nature startle at it Nature will certainly recoil and as such cannot bid it welcome No those that seem most to court it that look and long for it and with submission to Divine Pleasure have great reason to do so yet know it is never so for its own sake but for the sake of something that it is introductive to as appears from that of the Apostle after he had given testimony of his Faith both as to the reality of the future state of Felicity and also of the assurance that he had attained of his personal and particular interest in that state as you read 2 Cor. 5. 1. For we know that if our Earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God a House not made with Hands Eternal in the Heavens The Considerations of which together with the present inconvenience that did attend their present Habitation here below made them give many a long look and fetch many a heavy groan to be gone And no wonder Which of you that dwell in a pitiful poor mean tottering Cottage that know not but every day it may drop about your Ears that were sure that you had a Pallace richly furnished for you that stood ready to receive you would not do the like Indeed if you had made no such Provision but might expect when ever you were turned out you must lye abroad exposed to Storms and Tempest no wonder then if you notwithstanding inconveniences were loath to depart Truly the case is much thus betwixt Sinners and Saints no wonder you that are yet in a state of alienation from God that would never be perswaded to look after any further nor higher happyness than what results from a confluence of Creature Enjoyments I say no wonder that Death coming as a Messenger to call you from hence to see you cleaving and clinging so fast about the Creature to find you sending post for this and the tother Physician and for this and the other Friend crying out as that young Man once did when he was grapling with the pangs of Death inducias usque ad mane Lord tarry till the Morning When he knew not whether he was going but saw he must be exposed to the intolerable and unavoidable storms of God's Wrath but for you Believers who by an Eye of Faith may see the Heavens opened and Everlasting Mansions of Glory prepared for you and an Honourable Convoy sent to conduct you into the blessed Presence of a Reconciled God it would be a reproach to hang back yet I observe what the fore-mentioned Apostle takes notice of That when they came closely to consider the dark and narrow entry of Death that they were to pass through into the possession of this Land of Light when they considered the trouble they must be exposed to in their removal from this Tabernacle on Earth to their glorious Temple in Heaven It put them to the shrug and occasion'd a Contest betwixt Flesh and Spirit in this matter verse 4. We that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burdened not for that we would be unclothed but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of Life There is a double groan that God's people often fetch in this hour the one of Nature the other of Grace That of Nature arises from the apprehension and fear of approaching Death together with the afflictive Evils that attend it The other of Grace expressive of those earnest desires of that future state of Bliss and Glory whereof they are supposed to have some present prelibations to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is far better than the best state on Earth Now when the groans of Grace are louder than the groans of Nature as sometimes they are then Death is bid welcom and they can heartily cry out as this Gracious Soul did Come Lord Jesus come quickly and why are thy Chariot wheels so long a coming I know much time and more than can be allow'd for this exercise might be spent and that profitably too in the explication of the Contents of these two Verses The handling of which would swell rather into a large Treatise than be confin'd to the limits of a single Sermon But that I may fulfil the Will of the Deceased that gave me no liberty to speak to any particular branch of it but repeated the whole as my subject and yet not be offensive by too great a prolixity to the Living I shall with all possible brevity that may be consistent with perspecuity give you little more than a short Paraphrase upon the whole waving what ever might be judged ornamental to my Discourse as not being so seasonable for such a serious Dispensation where Death and Eternity are so immediately in view and we are to look upon each other as passing and posting to Everlasting Mansions In the words then consider two more general parts First A Christians Work faithfully perform'd or a Believers great business upon which God hath sent him into and continues him in this World carefully dispatched and this expressed under several Metaphors relating to Paul both as a Christian in his personal and more private Capacity and as a Minister of the Gospel in his more publick Capacity verse 6. I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Secondly Here is a comfortable and well-grounded expectation of the promised reward as consequential upon his finishing his work and this with a particular application and appropriation to himself though not without the same security to all others in the like case and as supposed for the main in the same Spiritual Condition Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness c. I shall put both these together into the Doctrine or Proposition viz. Doct. That all those and only those who have good evidences of their having done and dispatched their great work and business God hath allotted for them in this World can with comfort and confidence ensure to