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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A49384 The Christian race a sermon preach'd before the Queen at Kensington on Sunday the 31th of July, 1692 / by Richard Lucas ... Lucas, Richard, 1648-1715. 1692 (1692) Wing L3394; ESTC R13000 14,824 32

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obvious to any one that our Saviour speaks not here of the Perseverance of this or that particular Person but of the Continuance or Preservation of the Christian Church asserting no more here then what he had done before That the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it 'T is true indeed some of the Ancients thought that there was a Height or Eminence of Holiness which when Man had arrived at he was raised above the possibility of falling I examine not what Countenance this Opinion had from Holy Scripture because 't is if an Errour I think at least an harmless one for the more holy the more humble the nearer to Perfection the more fervent and watchful But I 'le not intangle my self in this Matter since all I intend to build upon this Doctrine is only that Caution and Circumspection which the Scripture every where exhorts Christians to and particularly here in my Text. Now the Advice of Patience referring to that Opposition which the Christian is to Encounter from within and from without we may reasonably conceive it to inculcate these two Things 1. That we should watch carefully over our selves 2. That we should bear the shock and on-set of the World with Constancy and Courage First That we should Watch c. Since he that stands may fall let no Man presume too soon of an intire Conquest nor grow Secure or Careless as if past the reach of Danger When we have put off every old Sin the Seeds of new ones will remain till we put off the Body we must therefore continue our Guard and Watch and use as much diligence to keep the Enemy under as we did at first to subdue it It is a wise Example St. Paul hath set us who continued the same Discipline over the Body which he began with I keep under the Body and bring it in subjection least at any time when I preach to others I my self may become a Cast-away It often happens in the Christian as is doth in Secular Wars that he loses the Fruit of a dear bought Victory who makes too much haste to enjoy it If therefore you will be safe you must not be secure be not too soon confident of a Reconciliation with God nor too hasty to calm the Sorrows and still the Agonies of an afflicted Conscience the more lasting the Grief is the more intire and compleat will be the Victory the more wakeful and timorous thy Soul is the more firm will be thy Peace In this case too forward Joy is like a too forward Spring whose early Blossoms seldom come to Maturity and Perfection Nay I must put you in mind That when the Season of this Fruit is come i. e. when Tribulation has wrought Patience Patience Experience Experience Hope Hope raised high on the Wings of Love Hope inebriated by the Joy of the Holy Ghost we must even then follow the Advice of the Psalmist Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce before him with trembling Even then our Zeal must increase with our Hope and our Circumspection and Humility with our Spiritual Pleasure even then as if our Work and Duty did increase with our Strength and Capacity as if the difficultest Task of our Christianity was still behind or all that we have hitherto done would amount to nothing if we did not hold out with Patience and Courage to the Goal We must immitate the great Apostle of the Gentiles Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the Mark for the Prize of the high Calling of God which is in Christ Jesus Phil. 3.13 14. And you will see this very reasonable if you consider what this Rule suggests in the second place namely That we are to meet with much Opposition from the World which we must bear manfully nor will these Trials have an end but with our Lives nay often the sharpest are reserved like Martyrdom for our last Moments Therefore the Scripture every where inculcates That we should not look on Christianity as a state of Sensuality or project to our selves the Pleasure and the Honour the Ease and Interest of Life but Hardships and Labour Watching Contention and War whence it was our Lord did advise his Auditors that before they followed him they should consider what they undertook as wise Builders do their Fund before they begin to build or wise Princes their Strength and Provision before they ingage in a War 'T is true the taking up the Cross in a litteral Sence was a qualification for Discipleship more immediately requisite in those Ages but 't is as true that in bigger or less proportion the words of our Lord are applicable to all If a Man will not take up his Cross and follow me he cannot be my Disciple Whoever will imitate the Life of the blessed Jesus who went about doing good must resolve to content himself with his own Integrity to despise Censure to digest the Ingratitude of Man and vanquish and weather those Enmities which a steddy adherence to Truth and Justice and much more a Zeal for reclaiming Vice or reviving decayed Religion will often create him he must shrink at no Toil or Hardship which an excellent Action will put him to nor must he be discouraged by those Baffles or Disappointments which he will often suffer in his most Charitable Designs In one word he must always have in his Thoughts the Words of our blessed Saviour In the World you shall have Tribulation but in me ye shall have Peace but be of good comfort I have overcome the World i. e. he must propose to himself no Peace but from Religion nor any Comfort from the World but from the Conquest of it This you 'l say is a hard Lesson who can hear it Not so hard neither for where Affliction dwells there the Spirit of God and Glory dwells too Trials refine and raise the Faith and Courage of a true Christian and the overflowing of holy Pleasure that Joy unspeakable and full of Glory in St. Peter do ever and anon compensate the Toils and Difficulties of his Warfare and a gracious God has provided Supports and Incouragements proportionble to his Necessities which is the last thing I am to speak to 3dly The Motives to this Duty The first of which is We are encompassed with a Cloud of Witnesses without considering whether this Expression do suppose departed Saints Spectators and Judges of our Race here below what I am to remark from it is That the Apostle lays before us their Examples as undeniable Proof of this Truth that there does no Temptation befal us but what is common to men and what has been conquer'd by them too The Apostle has demonstrated this from the Old Testament and we may demonstrate it from the New The Primitive Times were as bright for their Vertue as their Miracles and made as many Proselytes by the