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truth_n faith_n grace_n spirit_n 4,029 5 5.0239 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A12209 Two sermons: preached by that faithfull and reverend divine, Richard Sibbes, D.D. and sometimes preacher to the honorable society of Grayes Inne; and master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635. 1639 (1639) STC 22520; ESTC S114825 20,880 93

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consider what this thing is that wee must seek for Briefly in short it is Christ Iesus the joy of all hearts in whom are hid all the treasures of knowledge and wisedome Him we seeke in capite and together with him all those things which are above and whatsoever tends to true blessednesse And indeede all the excellency which wee have or can hope to have is from above Our full happinesse and glorious inheritance is kept for us in the Heavens All our priviledges are from above our kingdome is in heaven and qualification for this happy estate spoken of there Our holinesse and heavenly mindednesse is from above fulnesse of grace is from thence and all graces that lead to perfection are there Power to enable us to any holy duty is from above yea the meanes are from above as the ordinances the word and Sacraments To summe up all thus much the words import seeke for a nearer communion with Christ for a further assurance of heaven for a further qualification for heaven and so as you may bee more and more in heaven while you are below on the earth by enjoying through faith your heavenly priviledges prerogatives and excellencies seeke for further increase of holinesse for a greater measure of grace and for grace to bring you to the fruition of whatsoever is from above And here attend upon the Word of God upon the Sacraments upon holy conferences where Christ is present in a speciall manner and by holy actions seeke for glory in the use of the meanes Reach not too high nor above your pitch which is arrogancy pride and high mindednesse but seeke for heavenly things by heavenly meanes and in humble manner Againe where wee must seeke the things above because wee are risen with Christ the Resurrection of Christ being an article and ground of Religion wee learne That heavenly duties have their spring from the articles and grounds of Religion The reason is The ground of our faith is the cause of holy duties and therefore corrupt in faith corrupt in obedience in that degree Evill opinions breed an evill life and a sound understanding an holy conversation The use is to admonish us to labour to understand the maine grounds of Religion with like labour to digest them So as to see the truth of them in the regularitie of our lives And here labour with God by prayer to write them in your hearts with the pen of his holy Spirit Againe in that the Apostle willeth them to seeke heavenly graces and that because they are risen with Christ note further this inference That as a Christian ought to be heavenly minded that is minded to seeke heaven ly graces so hee must doe it for this reason viz. because hee is in an estate fitting for it Therefore let none say he cannot for outward troubles or businesse unlesse he will deny himselfe to be a Christian by denying to have any leasure for holy businesse He that will bee a Christian must pretend to no impossibilities this way For art thou risen with Christ then thou must finde time to seeke those things that are above and to bee heavenly minded A Christian that is risen with Christ will God here doth not as Pharoah bid us to doe our worke and to gather the straw our selves but he bids us doe upon a power given us and by quickning us with his Spirit and enabling us to doe what he requireth to be done He fits us for such actions as hee taskes us unto and gives us the power of doeing them Againe so farre as a Christian is raised by Christ so farre hee cannot but seeke those things that are above Wee neede not teach a bird to fly for shee is taught of her nature so to doe flight is naturall to her So a Christian cannot but doe the things answerable to his Christian nature Hee is of a new nature and therefore cannot but bee heavenly minded hee cannot prophane the Lords day hee cannot sweare hee cannot lye hee cannot blaspheme he cannot delight in carnall courses he cannot doe these things so farre as hee is a Christian. And it is in this sense that the Apostle saith He that is borne of God sinneth not that is so farre as he is borne againe Againe as hee is a Christian hee may doe it and ought to doe it and cannot but doe it But I adde further and for a further point Hee glories in it To bee heavenly minded and exercised in spirituall duties is his happinesse and his joy Hee is never so well never so much himselfe as when he is most possessed of a heavenly mindednesse most frequent or not often exercised in spirituall duties so farre forth as hee is a Christian and enlarged by the Spirit of Christ so far forth he glories in holy actions in heavenly mindednesse Is this in all true Christians if such what then may we thinke of the most part of the world that professe religion but from the teeth outward Surely they are still in the grave of old nature they are not risen with Christ. Such is the ambitious man the covetous man the voluptuous man for they savour not the things that are above the truth is they have no new nature in them for if they had it would lead them higher then these underfoot things or things below They that live in the defilements of the flesh shew too well that they have none of this new mould in them for if they had they would get strength against them at least they would have a continuall conflict and wrastling in themselves to overcome them Another use may bee for tryall of thy estate and here see what power there is of the Spirit of God in thee to make thee heavenly minded to joy in things hat are above more then in all the world againe If thou finde this power in thee then thou art a Christian indeede thou canst then speake by experience what is the worke of the Spirit and thou knowest well what is the vertue of the Resurrection of Christ. Then thou canst say with Saint Paul that thou art still striving to finde the vertue of Christ more and more in thee to make thy selfe more fully assured of thy part in Christ and to finde the power of his Spirit mastering the power of corruption in thee in an excellent degree Let us therefore labour for this power for this is to seeke the things that are above and here let us labour to finde the want of it and to greeve that wee have not so much of it as we have neede of And further let us labour to know the excellency of this power esteeming more of it then of any power else and better then of all powers of darkenesse in this flattering world for when all other things leave us the things above will comfort us and for our comfort goe with us Let us therefore labour to see some hope of growing in them Thou hast a promise using the meanes to attaine unto them for the same Spirit is set over by assurance unto thee that raised up Christ from the dead use therefore all sanctified meanes for the attaining of these spirituall good things use heavenly wayes for thy way to heavenly things attend upon the ordinances of God labour with him in prayer to make thee such a one as hee may delight in and fit thee for that estate that he hath provided for thee Labour to encrease in vertuous actions and fly all contrary courses as worldly mindednesse and the pleasures of this present world Beware that none of these draw away thy heart and with it thy selfe from an earnest seeking of heavenly things so as thou shouldst We are all seekers wee are a generation of seekers as the Psalmist saith We seeke while wee are here our possession is hereafter Labour therefore to see the want of heavenly graces and to esteeme of them aright and to see hope to attaine them and hope to attaine them and use the meanes and avoid all contrary courses Doing thus you shall finde the vertue of Christs Resurrection raising you up more and more to seeke after heaven and heavenly things even those things that are above FINIS Loquitur ad modum nostrum agit ad modum suum Augustin 1. Doct. Generall 1 Cor. 3. 21. Hos 2. 19. c. Vse Twofold First of comfort Object Sol. 1 Pet. 3. 6. Doct. Vse 1. Vse 2. Cant. 2 16. a Rom. 16. 16. b 2 Sam. 20 10. c Mat. 26. 49. 1 Cor. 16. 20 c. d 1 Sam. 20 41. e Psal. 2. 12. a Gen. 3. 15. b Gen. 12. 3 c Gen. 49. 10. Heb. 7. 14. Rom. 5. 5. d Esa. 7. 14. e Ioh. 1. 29. Esa. 64. 1. Doct. 1. Doct. 2. Doct. 1. Gen. 24. Rea. 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reas. 4. Use. Doct. 2. Reas. 1. Reas. 2. Mat. 28. 18 Vse 1. Psal. 37. 4. Use 2. 2 Cor. 11. 2. Iam. 4. 4. 3. Gen. 32. 10. 4. Luk. 7. 47. Mat. 15. 22. Gen. 32. 24 Psal. 37. 4. 6. Luk. 23. 42. Object Sol. 1. 2. 3. 7. Psal. 23 4. Use. 3. Coherence Non solum mortuae sed mortifera Divis. 2. Parts Doct From the first part 1. 2. Doct. 1. F id●ia Christiana Tertullian deresurrect cap. 1. Doct. 2. Doct. 3. Vse 1. Use 2. Vse 3. Rom. 6. Doct. Generall Tanquam picis in arido Col. 3. 11. Use 1. Use. 2. Expl. 1. What is meant by seeking 2. 3. 4. 5. 2. What we must seeke Vse Doct. 2. Vse Doct. 3. 1 Ioh. 3. 9. Doct. 4. Vse 1. Psal. 3. 9. 10. Psal. 2 4.