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A25466
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Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume / by several ministers in and about London, preached in October, 1689.
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Annesley, Samuel, 1620?-1696.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing A3225; ESTC R614
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480,042
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449
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you shall be conquerours nay more than conquerours over them and hark what Christ promises to them that overcome Nay to every one of them Rev. 3.21 To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my throne even as I overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne Conformity to Christ in his Humiliation will end in a conformity to him in his Exaltation All in the next world shall resemble in glory whom grace in this world has made to resemble him Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory 8. One word farther I would speak to my self and my brethren in the Ministry of the Gospel We are under special obligations to follow Christs Example All the flock should be like the great Shepherd but especially the Vnder-Shepherds should resemble him that they may be able to say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of us for we are followers of Christ How clear should be the light in our Heads who have special instruction from him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 With what authority should we speak who speak in his Name Who speak his words and preach his everlasting Gospel and what we bind on Earth is bound in Heaven and what we loose on Earth is loosed in heaven How should we have compassion on the ignorant and them that are out of the way How faithfully should we warn the secure to flee from wrath How earnestly should we intreat sinners to be reconciled How should we long after Souls in the bowels of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.8 And since He thought not his blood too dear to redeem them we should not think much of our Prayers Tears Study Sweat and Labour for their Salvation How self-denying should we be counting it far greater wisdom to win Souls than to seek great things for our selves How exemplary should we be in Word in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith in Purity * Memento voci tuae dare vocem virtutis ut opera tua verbis concinant Cures prius facere qâ—à m docere Sermo quidem vivus efficax exemplâ—m est operis facile faciens suadibile quod dicitur dum monstrat factibâ—â— quod suadetur Bernard Epist 201. Passione ostendit quid pro veritate sustinere Resurrectione quid in aeternitate sperare debeâ—mus Aug. de C. D. lib. 18. c. 49. 1 Tim. 4.12 In all things we should shew our selves patterns of good works That our Sermons being practised by our selves as well as preached may be with greater efficacy upon others And since our Lord Jesus after he had preached the Kingdom of God was himself a Sacrifice we should not be unwilling to confirm the doctrine we deliver with our blood nor refuse if called to it to be offered upon the Sacrifice and Service of the Churches Faith Phil. 2.17 This kind of Spirit made the Apostle like to Christ indeed Acts 20.24 But none of these things move me neither count I my life dear to my self that I may finish my course with joy and the Ministry I have received of the Lord Jesus Christ to testify the Gospel of the grace of God In the fourth and last place I am to conclude with some Directions how you may be able to follow the Example of our Lord Jesus 1. Let your unlikeness to Christ be matter of your great humiliation It should be your trouble that you have been so long learning and have learned Christ no better That so much of the old Man remains to be put off that no more of the new man is put on Look upon the passions and lusts of the flesh as so many foul blemishes as so many deforming wrinkles of the Old Adam the more of these there is in you they make you the more unlike to him who is altogether lovely Be humbled for your sin and hate it that 's the way to be rid of it Sin cannot stand before a perfect hatred but languishes and dies away whereas love to it is the life and strength of it 2. Study more the admirable excellency and fairness of the copy Christ has set you And how desireable it is still to be growing up more and more into him in all things The beauty of Men and Angels is black to Christ's fairness to be like Him is to have that which truly deserves the name of excellency With open face and intentive eyes behold as in a glass the glory of your Lord that you may be changed into the same image and become glorious your selves 2 Cor 3. ult 3. Being sensible of your own impotency live by Faith on the Son of God Remember 't is in Him that you have both righteousness and strength Isa 45.24 Grace to be like Christ is from him He strengthens the weak hands he confirms the feeble knees that we may work and walk after his Example If you should attempt to do this in your own might that attempt would be not only vain but an argument of your pride and ignorance Can the branch bear fruit of it self 'T is from the Vine that sap is communicated to it to make it fruitful You must be and abide in Christ and ever be deriving life and virtue from Him that you may bear fruit worthy of Him Joh. 15.4 5. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me I am the Vine ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing 4 Give up your selves to the conduct of Christs own Spirit How often is it said He that hath an ear let him hâ—ar what the Spirit saith unto the Churches The Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus represents his amiableness and anoints the eyes with eye-salve that it may be seen And where-ever the Image of Christ is 't is this Spirit that has instampt it upon the Soul Live in the Spirit and Walk in the Spirit so your feet shall not decline from the Steps of Christ you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.16.25 He will cause you to look unto Jesus and enable you to follow him without turning aside or drawing back Till you come to be where he is and behold his glory and then you will be satisfied with his likeness and be for ever with the Lord. The Case Proposed Quest How may a luke-warm Temper be effectually cured I add in our selves and in one another The Resolution given SERMON XIV Heb. x. 24 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day to be approaching THE inspired Author of this profound
tongues that devise mischief like a sharp Razour working deceitfully Ver. 4. Thou lovest all devouring words O thou deceitfull Tongue I should somewhat suspect their Divinity whose Ethicks are no better Thus you see the manifold Sinfulness and base Vileness of this sin truly but imperfectly described And now 2. Consider the Certainty and Sadness of the Danger You were assured of the Certainty of Ruine from these Contentions in the fourth Proposition that it is in vain to expect safety to be exempted from the calamity threatned Do but weigh this very Scripture and that determination of our Saviour Matth. 12. and you will conclude That nothing but a miraculous interposition of God's Power and Mercy can prevent it As when a Disease is in its nature and degree mortal the Physician adviseth the Man to settle his Conscience and Estate for his danger is imminent so when we see that Charity broken which is the Girdle that binds a Nation together when we see the black and blew spots of Rancour and Revenge on the faces and looks and in the words and carriage of so many it sufficiently proclaims our danger that if we escape more sudden and violent destruction yet we are sure of a Consumption Take heed ye be not consumed one of other And though you may be dead in your own Persons before this denunciation take effect yet you will so far as guilty herein intail ruine upon the Generation to come And if you would but consider that you must be sick and dye your selves at which time in all likelihood you will have different apprehensions of these controversies when Conscience shews you the History of your sinfull Life and discovers an Holy God before whom you must immediately appear and the strict account which you must presently give and the Ocean of Eternity which is just before you then you 'l see that these other points were but of small moment in comparison and not worth that heat and vigour you spent upon them And as the Danger signified by this word Consumed is sure so it is very sad and great For 1. It includes the Ruine of our outward Comforts We know not when we are well To have Houses Plenty Liberty Peace and Quiet are to be reputed for very great mercies but these fewds and quarrels tend to dispossess you of them Our sad Experience shews us how our Body politick languisheth by reason of the uncharitable Contentions of the Members thereof What Decay of Trade what breaking of Trades-men what sinking of the Rents of Land and what a general Consumption invades us The Judgments of God are already as a mouth to us well if they break not forth as a Lion upon us as was once threatned and fulfilled upon Ephraim Hos 12.14 We are rendred by our Contentions suspitious of one anothers Integrity doubtfull of one anothers Ability and some have proceeded to that height of Animosity as to forbear all dealing and commerce with those of an opposite Party Whither must this tend where must this end but in Desolation If the blood do not circulate the whole body will suffer for it and if but a part be miserable the whole cannot be happy And if all your present Adversaries were ruin'd and gone yet consider that the Benjamites were all save six hundred destroyed and that for maintaining a bad Cause and the Men of Israel had sworn in their fury that none of them would give his Daughter to Wife to any of them yet when their hot blood was cooled they lamented and said There is one Tribe cut off from Israel this day and then they used all their wits and policy to restore that Tribe again We shall be worse than Jews if we have not such like Resentments 2. It threatens the Ruine of our Religion the only true and safe Religion on Earth which should be dearer to every man than his Life Upon the occasion of such Distempers in his time Greg. Nazianzen cried out I fear Antichrist will come upon us And they drew from him that pathetical expression whereby he wisht that he might with Jonah be thrown into the Sea if thereby the tempests then in the Church might be calmed Our common Enemies are Powerfull Cunning and Malicious and they gape for our destruction This Island is the great shelter and bulwark of the Protestant Religion what madness then seizeth us to destroy our selves Who hath bewitched us Every wise woman buildeth her house but the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands Prov. 14.1 Would to God that we had but the honest policy of Aristides and Themistocles who though they were often jarring yet being imploy'd abroad together about their Countreys affairs made an agreement to leave their quarrels upon the Mountains which they were then travelling over till the common business was dispatcht which they wenâ— about and then agreed afterwards to examine them Let us be so wise and charitable as to let fall our contests against one another till our common Profession be out of imminent danger and then we may with more leisure and safety adjust our differences How shall we bite our Nails yea our very Tongues for indignation if we shall first exasperate and then weaken one another to that degree that the cruel Enemies of both shall have made an easie conquest of us It is no new thing for Truth like Christ John 5.13 to slip away in the throng of mens Contentions 3. This Destruction inferrs the Ruine of our Posterity They are imbark'd with us in the same Vessel and are in a fair likelihood to be sunk with us And this must greatly affect any considering person That your sinfulness should not only provoke God to deliver his Ark into his Enemies hands and deprive you of the Gospel but also that your Children and Posterity who have been faultless herein should be left to live in Egyptian darkness Inherit your Estates and the Curse that is intail'd upon them We have been contending about the Shadow of Religion and they must fuâ—â—er for the Substance of it The Providence of God hath several times most expresly called us to Unity to Charity and to Concord In the Year 1660. our general Union in Civils and our general Flexibleness to a mutual agreement in Religious matters was a plain direction of Providence to us to bury our debate and strife and to put up the Temporal and Spiritual Sword together But we have been biting and devouring one another ever since now almost thirty years When it pleased God to contend from Heaven with us by the Plague and Fire and to permit men to contend with us by Warr it was a sufficient Item to us to make our Peace with God and to be at peace among our selves but we have been biting and devouring one another for all that In the Year 1678 when there appeared deep and strong designs and endeavours to subvert Religion and to bury both Parties in the same grave Divine Providence did thereby