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virtue_n brotherly_a grace_n kindness_n 1,104 5 9.7077 5 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A25241 Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ... Ambrose, Isaac, 1604-1664. 1680 (1680) Wing A2957; ESTC R33051 999,188 563

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desirest no more good name repute or honour than Christ will afford thee or in case of death dost thou like Stephen resign up thy soul to Christ dost thou see death conquered in the resurrection of Christ dost thou look beyond death dost thou over-eye all things betwixt thee and glory O the sweet of this life of faith on the Son of God! if thou knowest what this means then mayst thou assure thy self of thy vivification 3. True vivification is a new life acting upon a new principle of hope of glory Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.3 4. which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you By Christs resurrection we have a lively hope for our resurrection unto glory is not Christ our head and if he be risen to glory John 18.22 shall not his members follow after him certainly there is but one life one Spirit one glory of Christ and his members The glory which thou gavest me I have given unto them said Christ The soul that is vivified hath a lively hope of glory on several grounds As 1. Because of the promises of glory set down in the word now on these promises hope fastens her anchor if Christ hath promised how should I but maintain lively hope 2. Because of the first-fruits of the Spirit there are sometimes fore tasts of the glory drops of heaven poured into a soul whence it comfortably concludes if I have the earnest and first-fruits surely in his time Jesus Christ will give the harvest 3. Because of Christs resurrection unto glory now he rose as a common Person and he went up into heaven as a common Person whence hope is lively saying why should I doubt or despair seeing I am quickened together with Christ Eph. 2.5 6. and raised up together with Christ and am made to sit together with Christ in heavenly places Try O my soul by this sign Art thou lively in the hope of glory doth thy heart leap and rejoyce within at a thought of thy inheritance in heaven in a lively fountain the waters thereof will leap and sparkle so if thy hope be lively thou wilt have living joys living speeches living delights amidst all thy afflictions thou wilt say these will not endure for ever I my self shall away ere long Glory will come at last O the sweet of this life of hope if thou feelest these stirrings it is an argument of thy vivification 4. True vivification acts all its dutyes upon a new principle of love to Christ men not enlivened by Jesus Christ may do much and go far in outward service yea they may come to sufferings and yet without love to Christ all is lost all comes to nothing 1 Cor. 13.1 Though I speak with tongues of men and Angels though I have the gift of Prophesie and understand all mysteries and all knowledg though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor Ver. 2.3 and though I give my body to be burnt and have not love it profiteth me nothing All the rest may be from the flesh and for the flesh and fleshly ends but a true Gospel-love is from Christ and tends to the Glory of Christ For Love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God 1 John 4.7 But how may we know that all our actings are out of love to Jesus Christ I answer 1. If we act by the rule of Christ If ye love me keep my commandements He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them 1 John 14.15 21.23 24. he it is that loveth me If any man love me he will keep my commandements He that loves Christ he will look upon every act every service every performance whether it be according to the rule of Christ and then on he goes with it 2. If we act to the honour of Christ We may pray and hear and preach and act self more then the honour of Jesus Christ whiles Christ shewed miracles and fed his followers to the full they cryed up Jesus and none like Jesus but when Christ was plain with them ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles but because ye did eat of the loaves John 6.26 Ver. 66. and were filled when he pressed sincerity upon them and preparation for sufferings from that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him It s no news for men to fall off when their ends fail only they that love Christ look not at these outward things in respect of the honour of Jesus Christ and hence it is that in all their actings they will carry on the design of the Father in advancing the honour of the Son whatever it cost them O my soul apply this to thy self if thou livest the life of love if in all thy actings duties services thou art carried on with a principle of love to Jesus Christ it is a sure sign of thy vivification For the second question whether we increase and grow in our vivification we may discover it thus 1. We grow when we are led on to the exercise of new Graces this the Apostle calls adding of one Grace unto another 1 Pet. 1.5 6 7. add to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledg and to knowledg temperance and to temperance patience and to patience Godliness and to Godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity At first a Christian doth not exercise all Graces though habitually all Graces may be planted in him yet the exercise of them is not all at once but by degrees Thus the Church tells Christ at our Gates are all manner of pleasant fruits new and old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved Cant. 7.13 she had all manner of fruits which she had reserved for Christ new and old she had young converts and more seetled professors or she had new and old Graces as others she added Grace to Grace she was led on from the exercise of one Grace unto another new Grace As wicked men are led on from one sin to another and so grow worse and worse so godly men are led from one Grace to another Rom. 5.3 4. and so they increase knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope 2. We grow when we find new degrees of the same Grace added as when love grows more fervent when knowledg abounds and hath a larger apprehension of spiritual things when faith goes on from mans casting himself on Christ to find sweetness in Christ and so to plerophory or full assurance of faith when Godly sorrow proceeds from mourning for sin as contrary to Gods holiness to mourn for it is as contrary to him who loves us which usually follows after assurance when obedience enlargeth its bounds Rev.