Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A58940
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A sacramental-question concerning assurance how far necessary to a worthy communicant, practically answered, in a sermon, preparatory to the Lord's-Supper, Saturday, March 2, 1699/1700.
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J. S.
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1700
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Wing S223A; ESTC R7898
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20,918
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72
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a Life of Faith and Love And as your Faith in Christ and Love to God and Care to please Him doth increase Comfort and Peace and Joy will ordinarily follow The Just Live by Faith not by Assurance Without Faith 't is impossible to please God not without Assurance You ought to observe God's Influence by His Holy Spirit upon your Souls and be much in Prayer and in acts of Dependance and Resignation and labour to know yourselves 〈◊〉 To Record what God doth for you and how you carry in towards Him and what Progress you make in Practical Godliness and Inward Religion by comparing yourselves with your Selves at different times Be thankful that you have good Hope through Grace and resolve to follow on to know the Lord and to know your Selves better Tho' it be our Duty to give all Diligence to make our Calling and Election sure and to use Means in Expectation of Success it is not at all strange that but few do attain to Certainty and full Assurance There must be more than a little Grade to make it clear and discernible and 't is Grace in Exercise is best discern'd There must be a good understanding of Spiritual Things and of the Tenor of the Covenant of Grace some good Acquaintance with our own Hearts and with the Wiles of the Devil and some Cure of that confusion and disorder of Thought which most complain of There must be Diligence Resolution and Patience in the Trial of our Selves with earnest Prayer to Heaven There must be upright Walking a Pure Conscience and great fear of sin c. Such things as these being necessary in an ordinary way is it any wonder that few very feâ— attain it When Grace is so weak where it is true and the Knowledge of our Selves so little and most are so backward to Self-Examination or so little skill'd in it and so little acquainted with Satan's Temptations and their Minde so confus'd and their Thoughts so ungovern'd and their Consciences have so little Tenderness and are so often wounded by wilful Sin no wonder if the generality of Christians have not Assurance even of such as are Sincere and accepted of God There are many things to be known and understood concerning the Nature and Application of the Promises of the Gospel which every real Christian hath not attain'd And besides the discerning of their own State and Condition to be such as that they may apply the Promises to themselves there must be the Influence of the Holy Spirit or there will be no Comfort You must therefore continually beg the Light and Influence of the Holy Spirit which is promised to Believers that they may know the things freely given 'em of God The Holy Spirit himself Witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God Lord I have endeavour'd to search my Heart and examine my Ways according to thy Command I have some good Hope but am not Certain Oh enlighten me to discern and understand the Truth of my Case Let me know by Experience the meaning of that Scripture Eph. 1.13 14. After you believed you were sealed by the Spirit of Promise which is the Earnest of our Inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased Possession This 〈◊〉 this Seal for Distinction and for Certainty God gives to Believers 'T is by the Holy Spirit we know the things freely given us of God by His witness with our Spirits we have Confidence towards God we discern His Work upon our own Souls and are inabled to judge concerning the great Change he â—â—th made and with Comfort to 〈◊〉 we are passed from Death to Life The Testimony of the Divine Spirit added to that of the Conscience enables us to cry Alba Father and fills us with Peace and Joy in Believing He that believes hath the witness within himself â— John v. 10. He hath that in him to which the Promises are made 〈◊〉 hath the Seal of Sanctification by which he is distinguish'd from Unbelievers but the Holy Spirit must discover and witness this or we shall not feel any thing of Joy 'T is in part because we do not understand or value or pray for this Influence of the Holy Spirit as we ought that so few have Assurance And now for the Close of this Discourse let me ask you a few serious Questions which in many Books you may find more largely insisted on First How stand you Affected to Sin deliberate Sin against God Don't you dread and fear it more than formerly Are you not more asham'd of it of the Baseness Iniquity and Disingenuity of it as against the Holiness and against the Grace and Love of God Would it not be a harder matter to draw you to a deliberate Sin against God than heretofore or to perswade you to omit a known Duty such as Closet Prayer Secondly What is your Judgment and Opinion concerning God and Christ and Holiness concerning the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel way of Salvation by Faith in Christ Is it not more your Desire and Choice to have your Portion in both Worlds with those that believe on Christ and follow Him as their only Saviour Resolving to adhere to reveal'd Christian Religion let Atheists and Infidels talk as they please and venture as they will Are you not endeavouring with success to be more establish'd in the great Foundation Truths of Christianity Thirdly Don't you find some Growth Progress and Improvement in Holiness by being more confirm'd and establish'd in the Truth of the Principles of Christian Religion And don't you desire and endeavour more to know and do the Will of God To please and serve and obey Him better Is it not your Comfort and Pleasure to honour God and be kept from Sin to Worship and Adore Him and have Communion with Him To be found in the way of your Duty and to keep an undefiled Conscience And is it not your Grief on the contrary when by Temptation you neglect your Duty to God and fall into Sin Fourthly As to the Church of Christ and the Interest and Honour of God in the World are you not Rejoyc'd when you hear that real Godliness is any where promoted That the Oppressed or Defiled Churches of Christ are deliver'd and reform'd That Truth and Holiness Pure Worship and Holy Conversation does prevail and spread and get ground in any part of the World or of the Nation That open Wickedness is suppress'd and the Mouth of Iniquity stopp'd c. And on the contrary don't you mourn for other Men's Sins as well as your own and for God's Dishonour by National Provocations and Publick Crimes And are ready to give what Assistance you can to promote Reformation Fifthly How are you Affected toward such as are truly Serious and Religious tho' of different Sentiments in several things from you Do you love the holy Image of God where-ever you can discern it Can you heartily embrace All that love the Lord Jesus in Sincerity But for such as Defie God and Dishonour Christ and the Gospel and live in open Rebellion against Him don't you from your very Hearts dislike such you would not you do not chuse Familiarity with them you would not live or dye with them You have made another Choice as to your Portion Way and End Sixthly Can you bear to have your Consciences search'd Are you content to have your closest Lusts discover'd your most belov'd Sins struck at by the Ministry of the Word So that there is no Iniquity but you would know and hate and part with And are most of all desirous to mortifie and overcome the Sin which you did once most love and that did or doth most easily beset you But 't is your daily Burthen that your Victory is so imperfect and your daily Care is to watch against it Lastly Is it not the Desire Purpose and Resolution of your Souls tho' you have not Assurance and supposing you never had it and never should that yet by the Help of God you will be true to your Baptismal Covenant to be faithful Followers of Christ as long as you live to deny all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this World seeking Glory and Honour and Immortality by Jesus Christ in hopes of Eternal Life depending on no other Saviour looking for Acceptance with God no other Way but only by the Merit Blood Sacrifice and Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ This you unfeignedly Resolve and Purpose and accordingly notwithstanding your Doubts and Fears you have held on for some time in such a Course and by the Grace of God do intend still to hold on whether you have Assurance or No. To such of You my Brethren who can truly say this is your Case That all or any thing considerable of this is a true and real part of your Character I may say that Peace and Comfort belongs to you The breathings of Faith argue the Reality of it as much as the loudest Voice To be able to creep is as true an Evidence of Life as to be able to run You may lift up your Head with Hope and avouch the Lord to be your God you may come to the Lord's Table with Chearfulness and Thanksgiving I do in the Name of my Great Master invite you I doubt not but He will bid you Welcome O let us All joyn in begging His Gracious Presence That He would meet us Here and in every part of the City and Country where this Holy Feast on the Sacrifice of Christ shall be celebrated to Morrow O that He would display the Banner of His Love towards Us and Seal His Covenant-Promise with all the Sweetness and Joy of His Salvation unto our Souls O that He would speak by His Holy Spirit to our Spirits with such a Powerful Voice as shall make us hear and feel it that it is His own saying Son or Daughter be of good Cheer thy Sins are forgiven thee I AM THY GOD I have loved thee with an Everlasting Love I have accepted thee for mine I have blotted out all thy numerous hainous Transgressions and will remember 'em no more I enter'd into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine and I am not ashamed to be cal THY GOD I will never never never leave thee nor forsake thee but Guide thee by my Counsel and afterwards receive thee to Glory Amen FINIS
A Sacramental-Question Concerning ASSURANCE A Sacramental-Question CONCERNING ASSURANCE How far Necessary to A Worthy Communicant Practically Answered in a SERMON Preparatory to The Lord's-Supper Saturday March 2. 1699 1700. LONDON Printed by J. Brudenell for John Fawkner at the Talbot on the Bridge 1700. TO THE READER HAving reason to believe the following Discourse was of some Vse to several who heard it to comply with their Desire and in hope of doing good to Others it is now Publish'd If it be objected That the Stile is too Negligent and Copious and the same things express'd over and over in different Phrases and sometimes the same repeated which may be well enough in Preaching to a mixt Auditory but more exactness should be used in Printing I have only to say That I apprehend the same Pulpit Stile will best answer my End as to the Service of those for whom I principally intend it May I find Mercy of the Lord to be Faithful whose I am and to whom I am devoted If any are brought upon their Knees seriously to bless God for what they Heard or shall now Read I shall more heartily Rejoyce in it than to have the Approbation and Applause of all the Witty People upon Earth who have not Wisdom enough to know themselves and consider their latter End and prepare for Death and Judgment which cannot be without seeking to Jesus Christ as the only Redeemer and Saviour of Sinners to reconcile us to God and save us from Wrath to come His Grace and Mercy and Love is above all we can think Oh be Humble and Thankful adore Him and admire His rich free and glorious Grace but abuse it not J. S. London April 17. 1700. A Sacramental-Question concerning ASSURANCE How far necessary to Worthy Receiving 1 Cor. XI 28. But let a Man Examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread IN this Verse you have it plainly suppos'd That 't is a Christian's Duty to partake of the Lord's-Supper The manner of the Performance is regulated but the substance of the Duty is presuppos'd viz. to Do this in remembrance of Christ He ought to eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup and shew forth the Lord's Death this way only take heed not to rush hastily without previous Self-Examination â— That solemn Preparation is necessary to the right performance of this Duty may be argued from the Instance given of one special part of that Preparation The due Examination of our selves Let a Man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread 'T is a Christian's Duty to partake of this Solemn Ordinance He must not do it rashly and unpreparedly And it is one special Part of necessary Preparation to Examine himself Quest. But some will be ready to say I have Examin'd my self and endeavour'd to know the true state of my Soul but I cannot come to a Determination Whether I have Sacramental Graces in truth and am partaker of Life from the Spirit of Christ or no and consequently how is it my Duty to come to this Ordinance for Spiritual Nourishment After all my Examination I cannot positively conclude that I am in a state of Grace at least I have many Doubts and Fears I have no Certainty no Assurance of my good Estate towards God May I nevertheless come Is it my Duty while I have so many Doubts and Difficulties unresolv'd and am so far from full Assurance and Joy This I shall endeavour to Answer by considering how far Assurance is necessary to our Worthy Receiving You will have my Thoughts of it in the following Particulars Answ First That in the diligent use of God's appointed means it may ordinarily be known Whether you have truly Repented of your Sins and do unfeignedly Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ And so whether you are sincere in your Christian Profession or no. By Self-Reflection and comparing your selves with the Word of God endeavouring to prove your selves and making use of the Assistance of Books and Ministers with Prayer to God to enable you to discern the true state of your Case you may ordinarily come to the knowledge of your selves and your Spiritual Condition I speak not of the grosly Ignorant or of such as live at that rate of Licentiousness that they cannot but know they are Impenitent or may easily know it on a little Reflexion but of such as doubt and have some reason for it Secondly He that endeavours not to know the true state of his Soul that with a prepared Heart he may joyn with his Brethren and Fellow Christians at the Table of the Lord liveth in continual Sin He that will not endeavour to come Worthily and accordingly Examine himself that he may be dispos'd and fitted for this Ordinance he continueth to disobey an Order of Christ 'T is not enough to say you have no Assurance or are afraid to come without it that will not excuse you from Sin Many keep off on such pretences lest they should Eat and Drink Unworthily and so Sin But consider not the Sin and Danger on the other hand of staying away upon such grounds as will not excuse them before God Consider therefore what is the faulty cause of your Ignorance of your selves and of your true state towards God Is it not Sloth and Carelessness Negligence and Remissness Earthly Cares or the Hurry of Worldly Business And if the doubts of your Sincerity arise from a faulty Cause you must not plead those Doubts as a sufficient Excuse for not coming to the Lord's Table There is a faulty Carelessness in some good Christians that they do not observe and record the Workings of God's Spirit upon their Hearts and so the time of His Love is not taken notice of nor remembred To allude to what God says to Ephraim Hos xi 3. When Ephraim was a Child I taught him to Go taking him by the Arm but he knew it not did not observe it You must reflect enquire and consider what God hath wrought in you and done for you Whether you have been brought humbly to acknowledge your Sin with Shame and Sorrow and Self-abhorrence seeing your need of Christ and His Grace have been perswaded thankfully to take hold of the Covenant to accept the offered Mercy of the Gospel and yield your selves to be the Lord's We lose much of our Comfort for want of bringing our Doubts to a Determination and this through Laziness Sloth and Carelessness 'T is true the want of Assurance will not argue a Man under the Power of Unbelief but it shews the Weakness of Faith and we ought diligently to clear it up whether we are in the Faith and whether Christ be in us or no and whether with all our Hearts we love Him Which for the most part may be known as well as our Love and Affection to Persons and Things in other Cases If we reflect and bethink our selves we may ordinarily know that we Love Are you not willing that Christ should be your