Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A51703
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Of holy living first a serious exhortation thereunto : secondly choice directions therein, both for every working and for every Lords-day.
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Mall, Thomas, b. 1629 or 30.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing M335; ESTC R6533
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19,287
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67
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the tendency of your hearts Motive 2. Hereby your obligation to live this holy life is increased For this is the very end why the principle of this life is infused into your soules that so you may live this life for you are his workmanship his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his curious and exact piece created in Christ Jesus unto good works by an almighty power of unfit and indisposed you are polished and inclined of impotent you are made able of averse you are made willing to good works and the end is that you may be wholly imployed in good works If you be not you make inherent grace a meer vanity Frustra est potentia quae non educitur in actum Motive 3. You have upon this account also more encouragements then others to live this life For 1 Hereby many Scripture motives to holy living become cogent upon your soules that are not upon others Though others be not you cannot but be prevailed with to live an holy life By the pleasure God takes therein John 8.29 Col. 1.9 10. By the honour that redounds unto God thereby Matth. 5.16 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noting the event and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noting the scope By the influence of an holy life to stop the mouth of blasphemy 1 Pet. 3 16. to convince gainsayers and blasphemers 1 Pet. 2.12 15. to convert sinners 1 Pet. 2.12 3.1 2. and to rejoyce and edifie the souls of Saints 2 Cor. 1.14 1 Thes 5.11 2 Hereby you are intended inclined yea fitted for this holy life for the Law is writ in your hearts your hearts are already subjected to the Law of God your wills are already melted into the will of God And what Will ye cross your own inclination as well as Gods grand design in the new Creation 3 Hereby you come under the promise of fresh influences from the Holy Ghost continually I will put my spirit saith God Ezek. 36.27 within you i.e. my spirit shall be an indwelling principle of holiness within you and then it followeth and cause you to walk in my statutes c. i.e. the spirit shall quicken and actuate that grace that is infused Motive 4. If you will not be perswaded to see to it that ye live this life you will upon this account also be more unexcusable then others For you cannot plead that it is impossible for you to live this life yea you cannot plead that it is so difficult for you as it is for others to live this life The principle of this life is infused into your soules in your Regeneration and you are delivered from the raigning power of the Devil the World and the Flesh Luke 11.21 Those great enemies and hinderers of so strict a life have received their mortal wound And will ye be hindred yea overcome by a conquered Foe Though the commandments of God be impossible to others yet they are not grievous to you 1 John 5.3 This holy life is a thing correspondent to your new nature and any other kind of life a bruitish sensual worldly life is repugnant to your vital principle Are any of Gods commandments grievous to you when he commands you nothing but what he promiseth to make you able to do so far as shall be needful for acceptance so you will endeavour your selves Motive 5. If you will not be perswaded to live so strict a life you cannot be assured that you are regenerated and converted yea you cannot but conclude that you are still dead in trespasses and sins The Apostle is peremptory He that doth righteousness i. e. He that lives according to the whole word of God evangelically though not legally he is righteous i. e. he is not onely interested in righteousness imputed but inherent He that doth not righteousness is not of God i.e. he is not regenerated he is not born of God 1 John 3.7 10. A child is known by his doing saith Solomon and the tree by his fruit saith Christ and every gracious soul by this walk Where God changeth the nature there he makes the person change his course of life And is this nothing to you Would you not be glad to be assured that you are converted and truly gracious Are not all Gods Promises to godliness exceeding great and precious in your eye And would you not rejoyce to be assured that they do all belong to you Would you not live comfortably in the saddest dayes And would you not be assured that you shall die comfortably and give up you account with joy See then that you walk thus circumspectly 1 Tim. 4.8 2 Cor. 1.12 2 Kings 20.3 Isa 38.3 And now what shall I say for The Conclusion Is it not evident from the former hints that this holy life is rational more expected from you then from others Are not more eyes upon you then upon others Do not the eyes of Devils infernal and incarnate watch more for your haltings then for the haltings of others Are not the eyes of God Angels and Saints mostly upon you looking that you should walk worthy of your state and profession Are not wise actions rationally more expected from wise men then from fools James 3.13 You are through grace made wise unto salvation others are left in their natural folly and madness See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise c. What! Will you even you deceive all the expectations of Saints and Angels yea of God himself Doth not God himself make his boast of you Surely they are my people children that will not lie Isa 63.8 i.e. they will not deal perfidiously with me Gen. 21.23 Psal 44.17 Hab. 3.17 At your first believing you have covenanted with God that you would never more live a worldly sensual life and that you would make it your main business to live this holy and strict life And will you break Covenant with God VVill you thus be found liars Shall God even your God be made ashamed of his boast of you God forbid But so much concerning this Text as A Serious Exhortation to Sinners and Saints to live an holy life here as ever they would avoid eternal death and enjoy eternal life hereafter FINIS
you be fully resolved if your resolution slows from an inward root 〈◊〉 inclination Psal 119.112 If it be bottomed on a firm assent to the truth of Scripture-revelation If it be founded on the highest reason and if it be the fruit of mature deliberation you are not far from the kingdom of God yea you have taken some steps in the way to life Quest 3. Can any of you yet think that the holy life you are exhorted to in the Text is more then needs Is it not absolutely necessary that God should be pleased and enjoyed And is not all that is called for in the Text absolutely necessary to the pleasing and enjoying of God Hath not enough been hinted already to convince you hereof And shall not such an argument as necessity and your own necessity turn the scales and fully resolve you and put you past any farther deliberation or delay Sure if this were indeed believed it were impossible but it should Ubi necessitas incumbit non ultra disputandum est fed celerrimè fortiter agendum Reason is but folly when it pleads against necessity Omni arte omni ratione efficacior est necessitas Necessity is that weapon that natural reason taketh to be unresistable Had you been one hour in Heaven would you not say there is an absolute necessity of getting thither Had you been one hour in hell would you not say there is an absolute necessity of escaping it and that there is no necessity to this And would you not thereupon without delay set in good earnest upon the use of the necessary means thereunto Verily thus it would be with you if you did indeed believe the Scripture-record for faith is the evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 i. e. faith seeth that which supplieth the want of presence and visibility there is that in faith which effectively is equal to visibility and a present subsistence Do you yield that an holy life is necessary But question whether such a life as hath been exhorted to deserves only the name of an holy life Ask your souls one question Is there any more in all the particulars contained in this Exhortation then what is comprehended in the Scripture-notion of holiness Doth not holiness according to the use of the word in Scripture exclude sin uncleanness all filthiness of flesh and spirit 2 Thes 4.7 2 Cor. 7.1 which is a non-conformity to the will of God 1 John 3.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and include conformity to the will of God Rom. 12.1 2. Doth not legal holiness include perfect conformity unto the will and holiness of God man fested in his Law and evangelical holiness include a true conformity unto the will and holiness of God manifested in his Son as Mediator Rom. 8 29. what then can you apprehend in the Scripture-notion of that holy life that is absolutely necessary to salvation less then to see that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil Quest 4. Are any of you hindred from hearkening to this Exhortation by conceits that few yea none do yea none can live so holy a life It is indeed certain few do Christ hath told you so much Though there be many seekers yet there are but few strivers to walk in the narrow way that leads to life Mat. 7.13 14. But this is no discouragement You shall not want company in the way to heaven no not good company Prov. 12.10 nor find comfort in your company in the way to hell If you would indeed have the number of holy livers to be greater why do not you increase it by joyning with them Though Christs flock be very little yet all that be of his flock do live this holy life Doth not the Apostle tell you By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments for this is the love of God herein it consists hereby it is evidenced that we keep his commandments and his Commandments are not grievous 1 John 5.2 3. Is it not hence evident that such as do sincerely love God not only may but do keep his Commandments yea that it is easie and pleasant to them to live so holy a life If you say you cannot however live thus I ask you how do you know Did you ever try what might be done in this case Did you ever set in good earnest about it Have you not only sought but strove to walk in this narrow way If you have not you have dreadfully mocked God in pretending that it is impossible for you to live so holy a life O! remember God will not be mocked Gal. 6.2 you cannot deceive his eye and he will not be put off with mocking services Quest 5. Are any of you hindred by hopes of coming to heaven in some other easier way that is not revealed in the Bible What is this but to be hindred from changing your life in hopes that Christ will be found a Deceiver and God a Lyar Hath not God by Christ John 12.49 told you not only that there is no other way revealed but that indeed there is none other neither can there be any other I say unto you saith Christ Mat. 5.20 except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case Mark in no case i. e. by no means in no way whatsoever enter into the Kingdom of heaven And can you live more holy lives than the Scribes and Pharisees who were the strictest professors of holiness among the Jews Acts 26.5 lived unless you see that ye walk thus circumspectly Sinners ask your hearts who hath given you these hopes sure not God for he cannot perswade you that his own word is false it must therefore be the Devil who will deceive you And now what will ye any longer hope to be saved whether God will or no will any of you hope for impossibilities any longer will ye hope to be saved without the one thing necessary to salvation Luke 12.4.41 42. without an heart set upon it and a life employed for it O! how shall you escape if you neglect so great salvation Heb. 2 3. Quest 6. Are any of you bindred from following the Apostles Exhortation by fears lest the Devil the World and the Flesh will never suffer you to live so strict and precise a life I must indeed tell you that if all the Devil can do those principalities and powers and spiritual wickednesses in high places If all that the World can do the men of the world and the things of the world If all the flesh can do the carnal reasonings and fleshly lustings of your own corrupt hearts If all that all these together can do can hinder you you will never be perswaded to set in good earnest upon living so holy a life yet your condition is not hopeless but the more serious and hearty your fears be the