Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	deny_v	lust_n	ungodliness_n	2,308	5	11.2023	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67691	The method of salvation In two parts. I. A sinner's conversion to saving faith in God through Christ. II. The progress of a believer from his conversion to his perfection, under the work of sanctification. By John Warren, M.A. sometime minister of the gospel at Hatfield Broad-Oak in Essex.	Warren, John, minister of Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex.	1696 (1696)	Wing W975; ESTC R219940	84,414	163

Conscience falls fiercely on the Soul for them and this is plainly the Reproofs of the Almighty within a man Conscience being his Deputy and Remembrancer yea Death it self is a Rebuke for Sin God would never put us to the pains of Death were it not that we have sinned As when God pardoned the sin of David yet he appointed him the sword to dwell in his house as a sorrowful memorial of his sin 2 Sam. 12.10 so he appoints all his people many afflictions in this life though he forgives their sin and Death at last as an unavoidable Rebuke for sin As if he should say I take away your sin and free you from the curse of my Law but yet not a man of you shall get to Heaven but through the pains of death through the dark valley of the shadow of death Yea many times Christians have Reproofs given them in their Death for some particular Sins which God gives them notice of as Moses and Aaron died in the Wilderness for a Reproof of their Unbelief And many of the Corinthians were judged of God in their Death for their Sin about the Holy Supper 1 Cor. 11. that is as the Apostle there expounds it They were chastened of God that they might not be condemned And this is a very sorrowful thing to be smitten with Death in a Rebuke for Sin as Moses complains of it Deutr. 4.22 The Lord sware against me that I shall not go into the land of Canaan Thus Death is so sorrowful a thing as would be too much for a Christian to endure without spiritual comfort to take off the bitterness of it Reas 3. It is highly due to the Honour of Christianity that a Christian should die comfortably in the exercise of spiritual joy Christianity propounds life and glory to be enjoyed after Death and teaches men to accept of Death as a passage to such happiness as eye hath not seen c. Blessed are the dead dying in the Lord Rev. 14.13 Now if they that hold up this Profession among men should be as sadly surprized with Death and as much affrighted and appaled at it as other men this would bring a shame upon their Profession and lay it open to the reproach of those who will be ready to say I thought you had been going home to your Father to your beloved Jesus Christ to your blessed Inheritance c. and can you die sorrowfully Thus Christians are exercised with great Afflictions and no appearing help Adversaries are presently ready to ask Where now is your God and there is no sufficicnt Answer but to acknowledge his comforting and supporting presence where is He why here he is in our hearts and souls strengthning and upholding us So 't is in the case of Death no maintaining the credit of Religion against Reproach but by rejoicing in the Lord when we are going out of the world and therefore our great care should be that we may die in peace with God Reas 4. It 's a necessary part of a Christian's love to those whom he leaves behind him to die chearfully A Christian's chearful Death eases the sorrow of surviving Friends and we should 1. Endeavour so to go out of the world as to leave them as little trouble as may be that stay behind us Especially to provide what we can that if they mourn they may not mourn as those without hope concerning us 2. But besides this A Christian's chearful and comfortable dying is an encouragement to others to follow him in the way of Christianity Balaam himself desired to die the death of the righteous but where grace is the death of the righteous will encourage a man to live the life of the righteous considering as the Apostle says the end of their conversation Hebr. 13.7 Now for the Uses Use 1. Hence we learn That the work and care of a Christian is as lasting as his life When he is converted to God and believes in Christ he must take care to live well and when he has walked with God and demeaned himself like a Christian in his conversation he must have a care also to die well that he may depart in peace and in the joy of the Lord. They greatly mistake that think a Christian once justified and adopted has no more to do but stay the time when he shall go to Heaven He must take heed how he lives and have a care how he dies so that living and dying he has peculiar Duties to attend Use 2. It shews the happiness of a Christian in his death He dies such a death as will not only bear joy and comfort but requires it He has not only cause to rejoice when he goes out of this world but ought to do it Blessed are the dead dying in the Lord Rev. 14.13 Men of this world please themselves in the present delights of their life but that 's a happy life indeed which tends to a pleasurable and truly joyous end Use 3. The third Use teaches and exhorts Christians to be always providing not only for a safe but a comfortable death And to this end take these few Directions following Direct 1. Be diligent to assure your selves that you are reconciled to God in Jesus Christ and at peace with him The great terror of death is that it brings men to the Bar of God's great judgment But when we are once sure of Pardon we may safely expect a justifying Sentence and an Adjudication to Glory And there is no danger in appearing before that Judge by whom we shall certainly be acquitted when a man can say I am going to my God my Father my Redeemer c. This will make it comfortable dying as our Saviour said I go to my Father and your Father This assurance made Paul triumph over death as in Rom. 8.38 Neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so in 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Direct 2. Be much in meditation of heaven according to the report that Scripture gives of it that which is more and better than Eye has seen or Ear heard yea a fulness of joy Or as as Eliphaz said to Job of hearing Job 5.27 Hear this and know it for thy self Think of these things for your selves How happy shall I be if once I may behold the face of God in Righteousness be like him and see him as he is When the Prodigal thought what was in his Father's House it made him glad to return and that 's the Argument that our Saviour gives his Disciples against trouble in this World the consideration of what is provided for them in his Father's House John 14.2 In my father's house are many mansions And in Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ We look at things not seen Direct 3. Be always labouring to discharge your selves of earthly hopes We are looking for some contentment in things of this World and that makes Death more unacceptable But you have no certainty of any Earthly comfort that you can propound to your selves and be it what it will there is better to your satisfaction to be had in Heaven Remember what Leah and Rachel said to Jacob Is there any portion or inheritance yet for us c. Gen. 31.14 That made them willing to go into Canaan They had no expectation left in Padan-Aram Direct 4. Endeavour always to maintain uprightness and sincerity of heart That 's the comfort of Christians while living and dying that 's comfort while we live 2 Cor. 1.12 Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience And when we dye Psal 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace And so Prov. 14.32 The righteous has hope in his death Direct 5. Diligently apply your selves to all duties of righteousness and goodness toward men It conduces much to the comfort of our death to live as in the exercise of holiness toward God so in practice of honesty and goodness to men It helps to make a man wait with confidence for the coming of Christ Tit. 2.12 13. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ See how Paul takes his dying leave of the Ephesians though he was not presently to die Acts 20.33 I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel Sixthly and Lastly Direct 6. Live in a continual exercise of faith in Jesus Christ for remission of sin and everlasting life Be always trusting and renewing your confidence in Christ There is no preserving our assurance of peace with God no maintaining of our hope of glory without continual recourse had to the great Advocate for the saving benefits of his Mediation He can never dye comfortably that doth not always live by faith 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith The continual exercise of judgment and holy discretion in our Actions is a keeping of Judgment Psal 106.3 Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times So the continual exercise of Faith is a keeping of Faith which confirms the Soul against the fear of Death and Judgment 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Thus now have I endeavoured to shew you what is necessary to a Christian's comfortable passage through this World and that 's the last thing of a Christian's motion towards his Perfection To go well out of this World And now this work of a Christian's motion towards his Perfection I shall conclude with this I have finished my course FINIS

the Word compared to pure Milk the sincere Milk of the Word that is the Word which is for you as pure Breast-milk is for the new-born Babe sweet and pleasing nourishing and strengthening the means appointed to the perfecting of the Work of Sanctification John 17.17 Sanctify them by thy truth thy word is truth And Edification unto Glory Acts 20.32 The word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Secondly Secondly The desire it self described by the appetite of new-born Infants to the Nurses Milk that is a vehement and importunate desire and such as will not otherwise be satisfied Thirdly The end of this desire growth in Grace that ye may grow thereby What that is in which they should intend a growth appears plainly by the Sequel of the Apostle's Discourse to be Faith and Holiness The Grace wherewith the Souls of Christians are qualified by the Spirit of God unto Salvation as 't is expressed in the last words of the next Epistle Grow in Grace Growth is the gradual process of living Creatures to their due Measures and Maturity And of all the growths the growth of Children which is here the Apostle's Similitude is a very slow and imperceptible Motion Such is the tendency of saving Grace in the Souls of Christians towards its proper and purposed Perfection Mark 4.27 the Seed springs and grows up we know not how And hence we way observe Direct 1. That saving Grace begun in converted Souls goes gradually on to its perfection under the sanctifying work of God Justification is perfected at once and with it Adoption But the work of Holiness is begun in low degrees and brought on by steps to it its intended height and fulness See this proved in Phil. 1.6 He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ So again in Prov. 4.18 The path of the just is as the shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day So likewise Hosea 6.3 His going forth is as the morning And Mark 4.26 The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground c. The Kingdom of God is his work of Grace in the Souls of Men in which he begins that which in its perfection is the Kingdom of Glory So Grotius and some others understand those three Ages 1 John 2.12 13. I write unto you little Children because your sins are forgiven you I write unto you fathers because ye have known him that is from the beginning I write unto you young Men because you have overcome the wicked one But I shall prosecute this Doctrine in a distinct Consideration of the several advances of Grace in the Souls of Christians towards perfection from their first Conversion And that in ten successive periods of their Motion First The first Period or Point of a Christian's Motion towards Perfection that I shall speak of is 1. A vehement pursuit of some clear and comfortable assurance of Salvation When once Men are brought through the Terrors of the Law by the Invitations of the Gospel to believe in Christ for his Salvation they presently become very laborious to get some comfortable Assurance that they are in a saved Estate They do not indeed neglect the duties of Obedience the mortifying of Lusts well ordering of their Lives and the glory of God as the end of all But that which they especially and most ambitiously intend now at their first setting out is a Soul-quieting certainty that all is well between God and them Though they do believe in Christ and know that he that believeth shall be saved yet 't is usually a great while before they can clearly understand themselves to be Believers in Christ and by Faith saved Persons A man must be of necessity a Believer before he can know himself to be so and Faith is sometimes very long unevident to him that has it And though he do perceive the believing act in himself and dares not deny it yet he is very doubtful whether it be true saving Faith or no and very impatient of the doubt And this is commonly the main Intention of young Converts and their great affair to assure themselves that they are in Christ and not perishing with the World 'T is true the very act of Faith through the Grace of Christ brings in a sweet calmness of Spirit easing the Soul of those despairing and tormenting fears with which 't was overwhelmed before and therefore Faith it self is in Scripture called a resting on the Lord and a staying of the mind on God Isa 26.3 But a positive Assurance of ones being in the state of Salvation is a further benefit and must be sought after in the use of means appointed to the making of our Calling and Election sure And this is usually the great study of new Converts as Hosea 6.2 He will receive us that was it in prosecution whereof they stirred up themselves to follow on to know the Lord. And that they do mainly intend and follow this appears First In their eager desire after Ordinances and means appointed to this end to confirm Faith and work assurance As soon as the Eunuch was converted he was presently ambitious to be baptized upon the first opportunity Acts 8.36 37. And the Eunuch said See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized And Philip said If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayst And he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God And they went down both into the water both Philip and the Eunuch and he baptized him Baptism being a confirming Ordinance a seal of the Promise and Covenant of Grace he was very desirous to have that Doctrine sealed to him by washing which he had lately heard preached out of Isa 53. And Paul when converted assayed to join himself with the Church Communion with Saints being a good means to inform us of our own good estate Acts 9.26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem he assayed to join himself to the Disciples 2dly Their earnest hearkening after Promises and such parts of the Word as declare the love of God to poor Sinners They are not at first so studious of that Word which sets forth that Reward which Saints shall have in Heaven as of that Word of Promise which serves to give humbled Souls notice of their Interest in Christ and the Love of God They go to every Sermon that they hear in hope of a word of peace And are mightily taken with that Word which sets forth the love of Christ descending and stooping down to poor unworthy Wretches Though they heartily like a Boanerges a Son of Thunder and bless God that ever they have heard the Terrors of the Lord in the Doctrine of the Law yet now they are sore and wounded and most earnestly desire after Barnabas the Son of Consolation to pour some Oil into their Wounds