Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	grace_n	live_v	ungodliness_n	2,081	5	11.6651	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86549	Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ: or, The doctrine of sanctification (which is the greater part of our salvation) founded upon Christ, who is both the meritorious, and and efficient cause of sanctifying grace, purchasing it for, working & perfecting it in his people. Applied (as it was specially intended) for the better information of our judgements, and quickning of our affections in holiness, wherein our everlasting our everlasting happiness chiefly consisteth. / Preached in the weekly lecture at Evesham in the county of Worcester, by George Hopkins, M.A. minister of the Gospel there.; Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ	Hopkins, George, 1620-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing H2743; Thomason E1608_1; ESTC R208454	135,124	325

and to be called into fellow ship with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ Here is matter of admiration indeed Stand here and pause a little see whether you have not more cause than before to cry out O the breadth length and depth and height of the grace of Christ The soule that is betrothed to Christ in holinesse may much more say in this case what David said when he was advanced from a mean family to great dignity Lord Who am I and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto Here may we likewise say with the Psalmist Psal 8.4 What is man Lord that thou art mindfull of him and the Son of man that thou so visitest him And are not they to be esteemed the most faithfull preachers of the Gospel who shun not to reveale unto the people both parts of the Counsell and Grace of Christ but shew forth the glory of his sanctifying as well as of his justifying work Beware then I beseech you of the dangerous way of admiring grace against grace which is indeed to destroy grace Take heed of hearkning to them that so much contemne the doctrine of Sanctification by Christ under pretence of exalting Chr●st The Doctrine of the grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly justly and godly in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. Paul teacheth us that it is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ came into the world to save sinners but not to save them in their sins that were a contradiction but to save them from their sins There is in him plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Psal 130. ult and he saves them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Hebr. 7.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the perfection of all And were it so that Christ should save us from wrath and not from sin he would be but an imperfect Saviour for it would be but a halfe salvation nor so much neither But Christ doth not leave his work imperfect those that are his redeemed ones are compleat in him Col. 2.10 he justifies them he sanctifies them and so saves them And he that will be a faithful Minister of Christ must preach justificatiō sanctification which are inseparable It is no marvell if Antinomian teachers carry the multitude after them When they shall teach them that there needs no sorrow for sin no repentance no such care to please God that God takes no notice of their sins nor is displeased with them for sin it is no strange thing if those that are in love with their lusts do folow applaud approve them when they cannot bear the plain dealings of a faithfull Minister of Christ who tells them they cannot have Christ and their lusts too That the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men That the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God That if they will be saved by Christ they must be content to have their iniquities destroyed they must be saved from their sins for they and their sins cannot be saved together It is no marvaile I say to see those loose sort of Teachers gain a multitude of imaginary Converts How easie a matter is it to make a Proselite of a worldling if he may have Christ and his Mammon too or a voluptuous man if he may have Christ and his carnall pleasuers too And who would not have Christ when he shall be taught to deny or part with nothing not so much as a beloved lust for Christ Such clawing teachers are fit to please men of itching ears and such rotten doctrine hath undoubtedly made so many unsound Professors as we see of late How many Antinomian pretenders to more than ordinary Christians have attained to do we see that give way to intemperate drinking lascivious jesting defrauding and many other evils If Solomon when the two women pleaded their cause before him concluded that she was indeed the Mother of the Child whose yerning bowels pleaded against the dividing of it knowing that was the ready way to destroy it Let the wise discern betwixt us and our Antinomian Adversaries which of the two is upright in his cause and whether a divided Christ be like to prove a living and quickning Saviour We may here with the Apostles of Christ lift up our voice to God with one accord Acts 4.24 to 29. and say Lord thou art God which hast made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things The Kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ For of a truth against thy holy child Iesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel had determined before to be done But this thou in mercy hast ordered to the saving of thy people But now behold a combination of Antinomians Familists and licentious Libertines with evil hearts and wicked hands have what in them lies divided and separated the saving work of thy Son Jesus Christ contrary to the revealed will to the ruine and destruction of many thousand soules And grant unto thy servants that they may with all boldnesse speak thy word not dawbing with untempered mortar but plainly telling Iudah of her sins and Ierusalem of her transgressions that so they may through thine effectual grace be instruments of recovering many from this snare of the Devil who are now led captive by him at his will 7. If the great work of Christ be the saving of his people from their sins this wil further inform us who they are that are the best Christians that have most interest in Christ even those that are the most saved from their sins that have their corruptions most mortified that are the most meek humble self denying obedient Christians and not they that are most in shew and outward appearance This I speak because I see most judge by a wrong rule both of themselves and others in point of Christianity I have heard some highly applauding such as talk and seem to know much while they complaine of their own ignorance want of expression inability in comparison of them calling the other able Christians And we see in this talkative age those that talk much to be renowned among many while the modest humble hearted are little set by I have sometime seen a Gallant in gold and silver lace strutting in great state and perhaps not so much worth in all the world beside as the clothes upon his back To this man many do reverence ignorantly apprehending him to be some honourable person when they regardlesly pass by another man in plain habit

that may be worth some thousand pounds So is the esteem of most concerning the worth of Christians he that talks most and wordeth it best in all company is the onely man when a weighty serious Christian of fewer words and meaner outside is of no account But the worth of a Christian lies not in a few good words nor in plausible performance of duties but in true and real sanctification from sinne A sincere humble-hearted Christian is worth his weight in gold and I doubt not but one such Christian will weigh down a hundred vainglorious talkers in the balance of the Sanctuary Think not the highest Mountaines are the most fruitfull Land because they overlook the lower Valleys the mountains indeed are most in shew especially at a distance but the lowest valleyes bring forth fruit most abundantly Gifts and Grace compared There is a great deale of difference between Gifts and Graces as I shall instance in three particulars There is the gift of knowledge and the grace of knowledge the gift of faith and the grace of faith the gift of prayer and the grace of prayer There may be oft times is a large gift of all these where the true grace of them is wholly wanting No doubt but Iudas and divers others lawfully set apart to the work of the Ministrie were indued with a large measure of the gifts of knowledge faith and utterance both for preaching and prayer But how farre were they from the grace of either Our Saviour Christ himself gives us an account of many Mat. 7.22 that will say at the last day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderfull works and then will he professe unto them I never know you depart from me ye that work iniquity But true sanctifying Grace is precious in his esteem the grace of knowledge is more precious than any thing in all the world Prov. 3.13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdome and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver the gain thereof than of fine gold she is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her Happy indeed are they that have the grace of knowledge when many that are endued with great gifts are and shal be eternally miseable Hel it self is full of large gifts yea the Devils there have greater knowledge than all the Saints on earth The gift of knowledge through the corruption of man puffs up as we see by woful and abundant experience when the grace of knowledge makes a man more humble The mere gift makes a man wise in his own eyes and while he takes himself to be a knowing man he knowes nothing as he ought 1 Cor. 8.7 Seest thou a man that is wise in his own eyes there is more hope of a foole than of him saith Solomon Prov. 26.12 A foole in Solomons usuall sense is one that is wicked and verily there is more hope of a profane person than of him that is well conceited of himself The Gospel took better effect among Publicans and Harlots than with the Scribes and Pharisees for to them saith Christ the Publicans and Harlots enter into the kingdome of God before you Mat. 21.31 And the reason is evident for a profane person is more easily convinced of his sin which is a good step toward conversion and a necessary antecedent to it A self-conceited proud person resisteth God in his message and motions and God resisteth him so that there is as it were an antipathy between them The Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsell of God Luke 7.30 and God resisteth the proud James 4.6 but he giveth grace to the humble And the grace of knowledge makes a man humble little in his owne eyes and low in his own esteem shewing him his ignorance wants weakness and the more a man truly knowes the more he sees what he knows not and dare not rashly adventure upon things above his reach Ps 131.1 Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine eyes lofty neither do I exercise my self in great matters or in things too high for me There was likewise the gift of Faith even to the working of Miracles which was nothing in the Lords esteem without sanctifying Grace 1 Cor. 13.2 Thogh I have faith so that I could remove mountaines and have no charity I am nothing But the grace of faith in all that are indued with it is precious 2 Pet. 1.1 And the triall of this grace is said to be much more precious than of gold 1 Pet. 1.7 There is also the gift of Prayer and this furnisheth a man with words and apt composure as to the outward form but the grace of Prayer furnisheth the heart with the sense of its wants and apprehension of the worth of grace and fills the soul with sighs and groans when it wants words to speak its minde There was more of the grace of prayer in that short Petition of the self denying Publican God be mercifull to me a sinner than in many of the Pharisees long prayers and their fastings to boot The Pharisees prayed by measure and the Papists pray by number but a gracious spirit prayes by weight and such prayers are most prevalent Jam. 5.16 The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Regard not then so much how long thou prayest or what are thy expressions in prayer as what are thy sighs and groans and what the serious sense of thy heart in prayer and supplication The speciall help of the spirit lies in framing the heart with the affections not the tongue with words for prayer as is evident Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Measure not then the quantity of thy gifts to know what thou art in point of Christianity but try the quality the sincerity and growth of thy grace A little grace with little gifts is of farre greater value than the greatest gifts without grace A small vessel laden with Gold from the Indies is of more value than the greatest ship laden with Coales Salt or such like Commodities Grace lies not meerely in the head but chiefly in the heart and in the feet also of a Christian to wit the habit of grace in the inward affection and the exercise in the outward conversation or course of life together with the actings of the inward faculties 1. In the heart or inward affections Thus according to the tenour of the new Covenant the true grace of knowledge rectifies the heart Jer. 31.33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts And 't is the

man hates feares and carefully shuns as evil he is sorrowfull for if it fall upon him and it is contrary to the nature of the rationall soule to doe otherwise A man that loves riches desires them seeks after them and rejoyceth in the midst of abundance Luke 12.16 17 18 19. but if he be undone by crosse Providences and poverty befalleth him he is grieved and troubled as we see by experience When the evill that a man feared is fallen upon him it maketh him sad Thus it is with those that are godly in the spirituall estate A godly man rejoyceth in all the good the Lord worketh in him and by him Thus Paul 2. Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards A godly man is truely grieved for all the evill he doth commit so farre as he cometh to the knowledge of it Thus David makes a sad confession of his sin Psal 51.3 4 5 6. Thus it is said 2 Sam. 24.10 Davids heart smote him after he had numbred the people and Dav●d said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done Thus Peter went forth and wept bitterly after he had denied Christ Luke 22.62 And this sorrow is not meerly for grosse sinnes but for lesser also such as the world never sees A godly man as he hateth so he grieveth for vain thoughts It must be either a carnall or bruitish frame of spirit for a man not to be grieved for sin Let the Antinomian stop his mouth and say no more that a child of God ought not to be troubled for any sinne whatever he commits b Tunc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ista erit quando peccatum in homine nullum erit Borro si 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illa dicend● est quum animum contingere omnino non potest ullus affectus quis hunc sluporem non omnibus vitiis judicet esse pejorem Potest ergo non absurde dici perfectam beatitudinem sine stimulo timoris sine ullae tristitiae futuram Si autem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illa est ubi nec metus ullus exterret nec angit dolor aversanda est in hac vita si recte hoc est secundum Deum vivere volumus Aug. de civ Dei l. 14. c. 9. Apud nos autem juxta Scripturas Sacras Sacramque doctrinam Cives Sanctae civitatis Dei in hujus vitae peregrinatione secundum Deum viventes metuunt cupiuntque dolent gaudentque Et quia rectus est amor eorum istas omnes affectiones rectas habent Metuunt peccare cupiunt perseverare dolent in peccatis gaudent in operibus bonis c. Aug. ibid. those that are removed to heaven being wholly free from sin have no more cause to grieve for sin But whosoever it is that lives upon earth that being subject to daily offences and sometimes to great miscarriages yet is not grieved for them I will be bold to say that he is no child of God although he may conceit himself that his sins were all pardoned long since There is no medium between grieving for sin and rejoycing in sin in some degree while sin remains in us And whether he that rejoiceth in iniquity without any remorse or sorrow at all for it be in a good condition let any man judge who understandeth any thing of the Word of God See 2 Thes 2.11 12. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Jerem. 8.5 6. Luke 13.3 5. Well whatever vain mindes may fancy to themselves the old Divinity will prove the soundest whosoever he is that is in a state of salvation doth truly and sincerely grieve for sin and delight in that which is good more than in all worldly prosperity I do not say more passionately but more solidly that if it were put to his choice he would not change grace for all the gold in the Indies Psal 119.14 I have rejoyced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches Psal 19.8 10. The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the commandement of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than the honey and the honey comb Exh. 4. Whosoever thou art that fearest God and upon examination findest thy self to be delivered from a state of sin rouze up thy heart and take unto thee words of praise and thanksgiving to God thy Saviour And to the end thy heart may be raised 1. Consider what thou wast 2 Tim. 2.26 Tit. 3.3 Col. 1.21 Joh. 8.44 c. 3.18.36 Tit. 3.4 Isa 61.1 2 3. Luc. 4.18 Col. 1.13 Rom. 8.16 17 18. 1 Pet. 2.9 and what thou art How sad was thy condition when thou wast a wretched bond-slave of Satan led captive by him at his will serving divers lusts running with the wicked of the world to the same excesse of riot with them an enemy to God through evil works a child of the Devil and heir apparent of Gods eternall vengeance prepared for the Devil and his Angels But now since the love of God thy Saviour towards thee appeared thou art delivered from the bondage wherein thou wast held the Lord hath opened the prison doores knocked off thy chaines and fetters led thee forth and translated thee into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God and made thee heire apparent of everlasting heavenly glory And all this is done that thou shouldst shew forth the praises of him who hath called thee out of such horrid darknesse into his mervailous light 2. Consider how many thousands there are in the world that live in the midst of carnal security contentedly abiding in the bondage of sin vassallage of Satan how very few there are that shall be saved in comparison of the multitude that shall be eternally destroyed Now that God should call thee to be one of that little flock and that when there is but as it were one of a family and two of a tribe thou shouldst be singled out from the rest and chosen when they are left what meer grace and astonishing distinguishing mercy is this Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received 3. How many more rich more honourable more wise than thy self and many lesse sinners and of better natural dispositions and inclinations are left in a state of sin to perish eternally yet God hath reformed thy crooked perverse spirit and continually pardons thy daily miscarriages and leads thee and guides thee by his gracious spirit in the way to perfect glory Hast thou not cause to say This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that