Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A64959
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The day of grace in which the chief of sinners may be turn'd and healed / by Nathanael Vincent.
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Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing V406; ESTC R26347
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73,032
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192
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end is unlamented indifferency whether or no it do continue If you are of an indifferent spirit whether you enjoy the light or it be put out in obscurity whether you hear the publishers of glad tidings or whether their mouths be stopp'd there is reason to be afraid the Lord is about to divest you of those priviledges which you know not how to value If you look upon spiritual darkness as no plague which is infinitely worse then that of Egypt if you esteem the famine of the Word which is worse then a famine of bread or a thirst of water Amos 8. 11. no such great judgment as long as from temporal judgments you are exempted this is a most wretched temper of soul and the Lord must needs be angry when the greatest mercies and favours are slighted and what punishment more probable or equal then to be deprived of them 4. Another sign that the Day of Grace is near an end is contradicting and persecuting of the Lords Messengers We read Matth. 22. of a Marriage feast prepared servants are sent forth to invite many to the Marriage some who were invited took those servants and intreatthem spightfully Could the King which made this Supper bear this No he was wrath and did destroy these persecutors and none of them were permitted to partake of those good things he had provided and once proffer'd to them That is a dreadful text 2 Chron. 36. 16. But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and there was no remedy The Apostles Barnabas and Paul preached the Gospel the multitude flock to hear them when the Jews saw the multitudes they were filled with envy and spake against the Apostles doctrine but the Apostles seeing them reject ' the Gospel and them in such a way make this reply It was needful that the Word of God should be first spoken unto you but since you put it from you you shall not be troubled with it lo we turn to the Gentiles Acts 13. 45 46. and then to the Gentiles did the light arise and shine forth and the Jews were left under darkness Another sign the Day of Grace is near an end if not quite ended is obstinacy in some opinions which are damnable When fundamental truths are denied when all means used to reclaim and turn the erroneous through prejudiâ—e do but confirm and harden them how near to desperate is their case When the Lord sends strong delusions to any and they believe a lye oh 't is to be feared he intends their ruine and that their judgment will not linger will not flumber long 2 Thes 2. 11 12. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness Errour may extinguish the light of the Gospel and cause the Ordinances of God to be slighted the Word to be cast aside and the Spirit to depart and leave sinners to the seduction of Satan and the imagination of their dark and foolish hearts Let me therefore speak to you in the words of the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 17. Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being lead away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness 6. Another fatal sign that the Day of Grace is near its period is an habit of back-sliding Hark how the Lord upbraids his people with this and after they are told of their desperate state Jer. 8. 4 5. Thus saith the Lord shall they fall and not arise shall they turn away and not return why is this people of Jerusalem slidden back with a perpetual backsliding And then it follows ver 20 21 22 The Harvest is past the Summer is ended and we are not saved For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am black astonishment hath taken hold upon me Is there no balm in Gilead is there no Physician there why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recover'd There are many Professours who sometimes look Sion-ward and have some common work upon them but after do draw back and by often doing so contract such a scaredness that they make light of doing so They do possibly under some awakenings confess their sins but quickly return to the commission of them again they are convinced 't is their duty and yet they will not be perswaded to do the work of the Lord vigorously they are convinced of such and such sins and yet they will not be disswaded from following after them They may have a form of godliness but they will not be brought under the power of godliness nor give their consent to be sincerely and thorowly sanctified Divers motions and proffers of assistance they have had from the Spirit but all in vain they are bent upon backsliding Surely then they have just ground to fear that sentence is ready to be if not already pronounced Ezek. 24. 13. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Thus concerning the Signs when the Day of Grace is declining and drawing towards night Presumptuous soul if thou findest in thy self any of these signs oh startle exceedingly at the discovery and before the last hour of the day be ended enter into and labour to purpose in the Lords Vineyard 2. A second word of Caution is this Don't rashly conclude the Day of Grace is pass'd and that the Sun is already set upon you This is an extreme contrary to that of presumptuous ones which tempted and troubled spirits are very prone to run into They are ready to takeup Jobs complaint only with some sad variations Oh that I were as in moneths past as in the dayes when God would have preserved me when his candle shined upon my head and by his light I might have been deliver'd from the power of darkness The Almighty was then with me he call'd upon me to turn and was ready upon my turning to hear my calling to him But now I cry and he doth not hear me I stand up and he regards me not I have so bitterly provoked him to leave me that I am afraid he is now gone for ever Three things are here to be consider'd 1. No man can certainly conclude concerning another that his day is pass'd If we consult the Scripture we shall find those that have gone far in wickedness at last reclaimed therefore we should not despair of the worst Indeed the pride and stubbornness of the ungodly makes us fear that all our labour will be in vain yet we speak still and exhort and reprove with all long-suffering 2 Tim. 4. 2. because with God all things are possible and those sheep that are gone much astray seemingly past reach he can lay hold
slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises The Lethurgy of the Conscience is a sore malady when the sinners heart is ever and anon ready to drop asleep notwithstanding all the means which are used to rouze it But though threatenings though judgments will not awaken some that are seized upon by the spirit of slumber yet I 'll tell you what will do it The sight of an angry sin-revenging Judge upon the Tribunal the seeing and feeling of the torments of Hell will awaken them that are most fast asleep in sin What wilt thou sleep upon the pits brink Usually sinners fear least when because of the nearness of evil they have most reason to be afraid 2. How much besides themselves are they whose whole employment is the works of darkness in this day time The Apostle exhorts us to cast off the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light Rom. 13. 12. Light is a kind of armour for the light making a discovery of sins deceitfulness the heart is hereby arm'd against temptation but because most do love their evil deeds therefore they hate the â—ight which doth discover and reprâ—ve them Alas that such bad work as the service of Satan and divers lusts is should have so many hands to it The works of wickedness are rightly termed the works of darkness the actors of them fly the light for when they are seen they cause shame and from God who is light they hinder us allowance of these and fellowship with him are inconsistent moreover unto outer darkness these works have a most certain tendency Now shall a Day of Grace be consumed in sins drudgery This was given as a day of salvation and shall we in it work out our own condemnation Shall it be spent in making sure of Hell and treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath When the Lord doth grant us a day to make our peace shall we give this day to Satan and do nothing but by wicked works more alienate our selves and make the wall of separation higher If the season that was allotted for the obtaining of mercy be abused only to the aggravating of sin and augmenting of misery this will argue you guilty of such a folly and madness as must be confess'd beyond hyperbole 3. What cause is there of thankfulness for such a Day of Grace The Israelitish servants prized the year of Jubilee and much more should we this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acceptable year of the Lord. Liberty and freedom from our spiritual bondage is now offer'd and may be obtain'd if you will not let sin and Satan boar your ears as it were if you say not as most do We love these masters and we will not leave them The greatness of our obligation to thankfulness for this Day of Grace will be further evident if these things are weighed 1. The light doth shine more clearly in this our day then it did of old The ancient Jewish Church enjoyed but the dawning or at most the early morning of this Day of Grace but we the noontide of it many shadows of good things to come they had whereby those things were obscurely represented but we have under the Gospel the substance exhibited and the shadows are flown away Moses the great Prophet of the Jews had a vail upon his face to signifie that his was a more dark dispensation but we all saith the Apostle with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of God are ebanged into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. Christ is now more fully discover'd his sweet offices more explain'd and his precious benefits more gloriously displayed 2. We ought to be thankful that this our day hath so long lasted The Lord long ago might have given us up to a reprobate mind nay fetter'd us in chains of darkness because of our hating knowledge and holding the truth in unrighteousness 'T is a wonder that having sinned so much against the light we have not sinn'd the light away I read that at Joshua's request the Sun stood still in the Firmament and hasted not to go down for an whole day Josh 10. 13. And have not we had experience of the like miracle of Grace Hath not the Sun of Righteousness stopt his course not hasting to go down How long hath Christ stood waiting and still he stands proffering both light and life and light and life shall be given to them that understand the value of such offers 3. Especially we have cause to praise if this Day of Grace hath been effectual and we have been made the children of light and of the day Most even in this Day of Grace are blinded by the God of this world the Gospel is to them an hidden Gospel but if the Lord who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts and hath called us out of darkness into his marvelloas light sure we have abundant reason to shew forth his praises 1 Pet. 2. 9. If he had not enlightened our eyes we should have slept the deep of death as well as others Was there not a time when we did not see either our sin or our extream danger Was there not a time when we were as unsensible of the worth of souls and of our need of Jesus as the most careless ones Oh wonderful love that he hath made the difference and distinguished us from others that hath illuminated and converted us when others are suffer'd still to run on blindfold towards ruine 4. Since such a day of Grace is granted the special seasons of it should be improved The whole is precious but some seasons are more golden and to be esteemed at an higher rate 1. The Season of Youth This is the fittest time to sow the seed of Grace that it may bring forth the fruit of life and glory The journey towards the new Jerusalem is long the distance which sin hath set us at from our Creatour is great therefore to be setting forth betimes is a great part of wisdom The Lord doth take it well when in our youthful dayes we make choice of him Samuel Obadiah Josiah Timothy have a commendation given them that they knew and loved and feared God betimes that they abstained from and despised those lusts and vanities with which youth most commonly is ensnared and defiled The time of youth is a time of strength vigour and activity then you will either do much for God or much against him In the service of such a Master as the Lord is how well will your strength be employed Activeness will here become you Early remembrance of God will prevent abundance of sin which might cause bitterness many years after Thou writest bitter things against me sayes Job and causest me to possess the iniquities of my youth Job 15. 26. and it will have great influence to your stedfastness with God all your dayes