Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A64995
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The true Christians love of the unseen Christ, or, A discourse chiefly tending to excite and promote the decaying love of Christ in the hearts of Christians with an appendix concerning Christs manifestation of himself to them that love him / by Thomas Vincent.
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Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing V447; ESTC R235433
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94,936
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230
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4. 7. 3 4 5. which at enâ—â—ance were but to â—he Ankles a little further were up to the Loyns a little further a deep River over the head where a man might swim methinks you should perceive an encreasing of your love under these various motives if your love were more shallow at first methinks by this time it should have got some depth when such Winds do blow the waters should flow and overflow methinks your love to Christ should be raised unto a high tide and run with a strong Stream Thus for the motives drawn from the consideration of Christs Benefits all which are so many Orators for your love SECT XIV THe fourth and last sort of Motives to 〈◊〉 your love to Christ may be drawn from the consideration of that love which Christians have or shou'd have unto him and here consider 1. The Duty 2. The Priviledge 3. The Honour 4. The Wisdom 5. The Excellency 6. The Necessity 7. The Usefulness 8. The Delightfulness 9. The Attainableness of this love to Jesus Christ. 1. Consider it is your Duty to love Christ if it be your Duty to have a Natural affection unto Parents Children it is much more your Duty to have spiritual affections unto Christ If it be your duty to have conjugal affection unto your Earthly Husband and Wife it is a greater duty to have conjugal love unto this your heavenly Husband If it be your Duty to love Brethren Sisters and Kindred that love you it is a greater Duty to love Jesus Chriâ—t who loves you above all Relations if it be your Duty to love your Enemies it is much more your Duty to love Christ who is your best Friend It is the will of your Heavenly Father that you should love Christ the Devil would have you â—ate him but God would have you love him and whether it be most reason that you should obey the Will of God or the Will of the Devil judge ye It is the Will of Christ that you should love him the will of the flesh is against this love but whose will ought you to comply withall you are not debters to the Flesh that you should obey it's command neither are you Debters to any Creatures to give them your choicest affections but you are debtors unto Christ to give him your chief love Christ hath most right to your love and will you not give to Christ his due if you are bound to give men their due are you not much more bound to give unto Christ his due Christs due is your best and have you any thing better than your Hearts to present him withall will Christ accept of any thing at your hands should you withhold from him your Hearts had you Thousands of Rams and ten Thousand Rivers of Oyle to offer to him had you all the Treasures of the Earth at your dispose and should lay it down all at his feet it would be all slighted and disregarded by him if you give away yours Hearts from him 2. Consider it is your Priviledge that you may love Christ that Christ will give you leave to do it and kindly accept of your Love Should Beggars fall in love with Princes in order to the Marriage Union both their Persons and Love would be rejected with scorn anger and disdain There is a far greater distance between you and Jesus Christ than there is between the highest Prince and the meanest Beggar and yet the Lord Jesus Christ doth give you leave to love him with a Spiritually conjugal love in ordeâ— to the nearest Spiritual Union and Conjunction and notwithstanding his greatness and your meaness he is not ashamed to give entertainment unto your Love although you are so mean as Creatures have been so vile as Sinners yet he doht not scorn and disdain you but both Persons and Love may find ready acceptance with him It is your duty to love Christ because he commands you and it is your Priviledge that you may love Christ because he allows you to do it 3. Consider it is your Honour to Love Christ. The real Honour of any is not the Noble Blood which runs in their veins the high lineage from whence they are descened the great Titles with which they are Invested or the most eminent Earthly dignities unto which they are advanced The Heathen could say Et Genus et Proavos et quae non fecimus ipsi vix ea nostra voco our stock and noble Ancestors and what we have not done or deserved our selves we can hardly call our own And Virtus sola unica Nobilitas Vertue is the only true Nobility And the Scripture telleth us that the vilest Men are exalted Psal. 12. 8. and that the most high ruleth in the Kingdom of Men aud giveth it to whomsoever he will and setteâ—h up over it the basest of Men Dan. 4. 17. Princes and Nobles by their Vices and Wickednesses may render themselves more vile then the Earth under their Feet more base than the mire in the Streets The Word of God accounteth only them to be truly Honourable that are truly Gracious and this Grace of Love to Jesus Christ doth put a great Honour and lustre upon all those that have it There is no greater and higher object for your love than the Lord Jesus Christ a person of so great eminency and excellency the Love of Chriâ—t doth enoble the Heart and none in the world have such truely great and generous Souls as those who have the graeatest love to him According to the Spirit so is the Man â—ither Bâ—se or honourable and according to the chief love so is the Spirit if your Heart do chiefly love any inferiour things as all sublunary things are hereby you are debased and dishonoured if your Heart chiefly love Christ who is a Superior good and superlatively amiable hereby you are dignified and become truly honourable We read of Hope that is the Grace of Hope that it maketh not ashamed Rom. 5. 5. And the same may be said of this Grace of Love to Jesus Christ it maketh not ashamed The most in the World do love those things which one time or other will make them a shamed the covetous will be ashamed of their love of Riches and the voluptuous will be ashamed of their Love of Pleasures and the Ambitious will be a shamed of their love of Honours disappointment of Happiness and true contentment will make all ashamed of their inordinate Creature-love especially when they come to reap the bitter Fruit of their Sin in their Everlasting punishment Rom. 16. 21. What â—ruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed for the end of those things is Death But the love of Christ maketh not ashamed it is no matter of dishonor and therefore neither is nor will be matter of shame for any to love Jesus Christ with the greatest Strength and Ardency if the wicked do despise and scorn Gods people upon the account of this love their scorns
Epistle wherein my Text lyeth was written by Peter the Apostle of the Circumcision and is directed to the Strangers scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bâ—thynia as in the first v. of this Chapter By these Strangers we are to understand the scattered Iews who were Strangers in these several Countries where they did Inhabit We read in the 2d of the Acts that there came up many of these Iews from these and other Countries unto Ierusalem to Worship and in the temple hearing the Apostles speak with divers Tongues which were of use in the divers places where they did live and that without Instruction from Man but as the Spirit gave them utterance they were Amazed and Confounded and afterward hearing Peter preach through the Wonderful Power of the Spirit three thousand of them were Converted by one Sermon unto the Christian Faith and added to the Christian Church When the Feast of Pentecost was over these Converted Iews returned into their Countries where their several Dwellings Families and Callings were which Countries being Heathenish and Idolatrous no doubt but there they met with Opposition and Suffering upon the account of the Christian Religion which they became Zealous Professors of besides what they endured from their own Countreymen or Unconverted Iâ—ws who hated Christianity more than the Heathens did The Apostle doth seem to have a respect unto these in this Epistle wherein he doth encourage them under their sufferings for the sake of Christ by many Consolatory Arguments In the 2d v. he wisheth that Grace and Peace might be multiplyed in them and towards them and then though their Sufferings did abound their Consolations would abound much more In the 3d 4th and 5th ver He blesseth God for his abundant Mercy towards them in begetting them unto a lively Hope of the glorious and never fading Heavenly Inheritance which was reserved for them through Gods Infinite Grace and unto which they were reserved and kept through Faith by Gods infinite power In the 6th and 7th verses he telleth them however they were in heaviness through manifold Temptations that is Afflictions which are the Worlds left-hand Temptations yet he giveth them to understand that these afflictions they were but for a season weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning they were but needful to humble them to purifie them to crucifie them to the world to make them conformable to their head the Lord Jesus Christ and that they were for the tryal of their faith that the truth of it might appear both to themselves and others and that the worth of it might appear how much more precious than Gold when it is tryed in the Fire which carrying them thorow their sufferings might be found both to their own praise and their Masters honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ and then the Apostle doth take occasion in the text to speak of their Love which they did bear unto this Jesus Christ and of that unspeakable and glorious joy which doth result from believing in him although they had no sight of him which no trouble or affliction could overwhelm or hinder Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory Hence observe Doct. 1. That it is the Property and duty of true Christians to Love Iesus Christ whom they have never seen Whom having not seen ye Love Doct. 2. That true Christians do Believe in an unseen Christ. In whom though now ye see Him not yet believing Doct. 3. That true Christians do or may rejoice in Believing with unspeakable and glorious joy In whom though now ye see him not yet Believing ye rejoice with Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory Here are three great points to be treated of 1. Concerning the Love of Christians unto Christ. 2. Concerning the faith of Christians in Christ. 3. Concerning the Joy of Christians in Believing For the present I shall speak only of the Love of Christians unto Christ under the first Doctrine the other two I may have opportunity to treat of afterwards Section I. Doct. THat it is the Property and duty of true Christians to love the Lord Iesus Christ whom they have never seen In handling of this point I shall speak 1. Concerning true Christians who do love Jesus Christ. 2. Concerning Jesus Christ whom they have never seen the Object of their Love 3. Concerning the Love which they bare unto this unseen Christ. 4. Shew that it is the Property of true Christians to Love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen 5. That it is their Duty to love him 6. How they ought to love Him 7. Why they do love Him where I shall give the reasons of the point 8. Make some Use and Application 1. Concerning true Christians whose property it is to love Jesus Christ whom they have never seen whom having not seen yee love ye love that is ye who are true Christians who are so in reality as well as profession and of these true Christians that do love Christ the Apostle doth give a description in the 2d ver where he calls them Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father thâ—ough Sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. True Christians are Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father they are such whom God according to the Councel of his own will according to his own purpose and grace did choose from all Eternity to be a holy and peculiar people to himself to glorifie him here on Earth and that they might be glorifyed by him hereafter in heaven And this election doth evidence it self in the Sanctification of the Spirit true Christians are sanctified being separated and set apart from the rest of the world for Gods use and service God hath sealed them for himself and hereby distinguished them from all others the Motto of which seal is this Holiness unto the Lord. See a description of them in this respect 2 Tim. 2. 21. If any man purgeâ— himself from these he shall be a vessel unto Honour sanctifyed and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work they are purged from the defilement of sin which doth pollute and dishonor them they are vessels unto honour like those of Silver and Gold in a great house which are adorned with Pearls and precious stones they are adorned with all sanctifying graces which are of more worth than the richest Jewels and hereby they are both beautiful in Gods eye and they are made meet for Gods use being hereby prepared and enabled unto every good work This the Apostle prays for in the behalf of the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 5. 23. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ. True Christians are sanctifyed wholly in their whole man though they