Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A32091
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A practical discourse concerning vows with a special reference to baptism and the Lord's Supper / by Edmund Calamy.
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Calamy, Edmund, 1671-1732.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing C274; ESTC R6151
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137,460
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320
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made perfect in Weakness And tho' without him we can do nothing Yet thro' his Strength we may do all things i. e. We may do all things requir'd in an acceptable manner We may do all that we at his Table vow we will do so as to be accepted Tho' therefore thro' the great Disorders of our Spirits the many Temptations whereto we are on all hands incident and our own weakness it be exceeding difficult to live up to our Sacramental Vows yet Strength and Aids from Heaven which those that keep in the way of their Duty may comfortably expect and hope for will not only render it possible but by degrees abate the Difficulty and make it easy 4. THE Gospel Covenant leaves room for Repentance of our frequent Breaches and manifold Defects and Infirmitys Our Sacramental Vows suppose not that we should live without slips and stumbles Unspeakably wretched were our case should they presently cast us out of the Divine Favour but they oblige us upon discerning our Falls to rise again by true Repentance and to have recourse anew to the Bloud of Christ for Mercy and to his Spirit for fresh strength resolving to take more heed to our Ways for time to come And thus doing we need not fear being accepted SOME indeed are by this Consideration so encourag'd in presumption that they run a round of sinning and repenting repenting and sinning giving themselves scope and then thinking that a slight asking God pardon when they have done will be sufficient But by this course they wretchedly mock God and egregiously deceive and endanger their own Souls But altho' it be liable to be thus abus'd and actually is so by many presumptuous daring Sinners it yet remains a truth and a very comfortable truth it is to sincere Souls for whom God hath by this means provided great relief Let us vow against Sin never so seriously and solemnly let us endeavour to live up to such Vows never so diligently never so carefully we yet after all shall find the Scripture true which declares That there is no Man that sinneth not And in many things we offend all And if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us But here 's our Comfort If we confess our Sins i. e. truly repent of them God is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness From these four Considerations taken together I draw this plain single useful Inference That tho' our experience of the difficulty of living up to our Sacramental Vows be a proper Call to Humiliation yet is not a just occasion for sinking discouragement A Call to Humiliation indeed it is to find that we in any measure fail of our Duty to God of whose Benignity Love and Grace we have had so great experience That when we have done our best our Returns to our dear Saviour for his Redeeming Love whereby he bought us to himself with an invaluable Price fall so short are so defective That such solemn Tyes and Bonds as we are continually renewing repeating and further strengthning are so little able to hold our slippery Hearts fast to our God and Saviour That after all our serious Vows and Promises Sin should be so powerful in us Temptations so prevalent with us and the great Motives and Incentives wherewith our Holy Religion presents us should have so little influence upon us But yet all this is not a just occasion for sinking Discouragement For tho' we are very imperfect yet may we still be acceptably faithful Tho' we have abundant experience of our own weakness yet is Christ ready to strengthen us tho' we often stumble and fall yet may we be accepted upon our Repentance What Christ therefore once said upon a particular occasion to poor fearful doubting Thomas say I in his Name to all fearful doubting but sincere Souls Be not faithless but believing I now proceed to the solving two or three particular Cases that commonly occur with reference to this matter Under which I 'll add some special Considerations suiting each Case to the general ones before laid down that may be apply'd to all The first of these Cases is of one who never was at the Lord's Table who by this difficulty of answering the Engagements he should there come under is kept and affrighted thence The second of one that hath oft been there but is afraid again and again to renew Vows there which he knows he can so difficulty keep The third of one that oft goes there and oft renews his Vows but is discourag'd by his frequent Breaches The foremention'd Difficulty lies at the bottom in each of these Cases The first Case Therefore may a Person say Do I forbear coming to the Lord's Table because I am there to come under Vows which I know before hand I shan't keep Withal I know my Sins after such a Solemnity will be much aggravated and my Guilt be the greater it seems to me therefore better to forbear and stay away than to run my self on such a Precipice If I come to the Lord's Table I am to Vow against all Sin but this Vow I dare not make because I am satisfy'd I should not keep it I Answer 1. We are to vow nothing at a Sacrament but what we are antecedently oblig'd to nothing but what is absolutely necessary in order to our Happiness We make nothing our Duty by our Sacramental Vows that was not so before but only bind our selves to that to which we are sensible we were before oblig'd We bind our selves to no unnecessarys but only engage to adhere to that God in whose Favour lies our Life we renounce sin which alone is enough to make us miserable we vow Holiness of Life which is the only way to Happiness To say therefore we know before hand that we should not keep the Vows we should make at a Sacrament is to consign our selves over to certain Misery for unless we do that which Sacramental Vows import we are unavoidably undone for ever 2. IF thou dost not seriously intend to keep thy Sacramental Vows I own thou hadst better not make them If thou in thy Heart really dislikest the Holy Laws and Government of Christ take not an Oath make not solemn Vows in a mockery that thou wilt be subject to him which thou before intendest not to keep Beware how thou playest with Edge Tools These are serious things wherefore either be serious and sincere in thy meddling with them or keep at a distance But then withal take notice that by thy forbearing on this Account to come to the Lord's Table thou renouncest all the Benefits of Christ's Mediation and Purchase 3. THERE 's no difficulty in any part of the Vows we come under at a Sacrament but what is superable by a diligent serious painful Christian aided with Divine Strength We run upon Mistakes if we imagine there is any other ground for fear