Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A86336
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Strength made perfect in weakness In four sermons preached by William Hickocks M.A.
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[Hickocks, William, fl. 1674]
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1674
(1674)
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Wing H1918A; ESTC R230656
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47,395
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104
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the cause but only occasion through some mens imbracing of it whom God gives grace to and others rejecting and opposing of it it doth occasion divisions amongst those that are naturally most united there is a caution given Jer. 9.4 take ye heed every one of his neighbour and trust ye not in any brother for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbor will walk with slanders i. e. raise false reports of you and bring you to suffer unjustly though every brother and every neighbour will not yet many neighbours and many relations will do so That 's one great temptation that the people of God have in reference to wicked mens persons Secondly In regard of Sathans temptations they have many troubles too For those whom Sathan knows he cannot destroy for ever he will do what he can to disturb here and though he cannot destroy them yet he will afright them here Temptations of troubles are the portion of God's people in this world Vse The meditation or thought of this truth may be useful both to those that are in a prosperous and them that are in a suffering Condition If God's people be under many troubles many temptations in this world then you that fear God and yet prosper let the consideration of this stir you up to a two-fold duty First To expect troubles to expect temptations how ever you flourish in your out ward man yet do not think prosperity will always last While God blesses his people with comfort and mercy bless him and praise him but look for an alteration expect a change They that at present enjoy their ease and safety and liberty and have many comforts and delights in the world O use the world but do not abuse it in those blessings God gives you but rejoyce as though you rejoyced not remembring it will not be always thus with you Think upon this truth temptations and trials will befall you sooner or later troubles will be all our portion remember the daies of darkness are a coming the time of suffering will come before we go out of this world Saith Christ in the World you shall have trouble but in me you shall have peace Though hitherto many of God's people may have met with no considerable temptations yet they may have their share of them they may have many of them let not those that are in a prosperous Condition in any respect let them not always expect Halcyon days the clouds may soon gather a storm may come before we are aware and trouble is many times nearest when we think it furthest off Secondly As we should expect temptation and expect trouble so let us prepare for trouble Get your selves furnished with those graces that may sure your conditions that you may not be overcome by temptation O pray get a stock of holiness that may stand you in stead in the evil day and in the hour of temptation O be not without faith and meekness c. that we shall have so much need of in the time of trouble The Scripture tells that we are pilgrims and strangers here on earth as all the godly were in all times we have a long journey to take from Earth to Heaven we must pass through the Sea of this World and the Winds will blow O let us be prepared against a storm for we must meet with fowl weather Acts. 20.22.23 Paul tells the Elders of the Church of Ephesus behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there only one thing he knew Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide me What success I shall have in Preaching I cannot tell or what other things may happen but I am sure to meet with troubles here and why should we expect otherwise then this good man did Now we had need be prepared against them for in every place we are like to find them Secondly Let them that suffer in the world take heed of rash judging themselves let no Person think that his case is bad because his condition is sad let no Person think he his none of God's people because he meets with so many troubles you saith the Apostle are in heaviness through manyfold temptations Let us not think that God doth not love us because he doth afflict us Paul was a pretious servant of Jesus Christ one that knew Jesus Christ and loved him and yet afflictions and troubles every where were his portion Heb. 12.7 If you endure Chastisements God deals with you as sons for what son is he whom the Father Chastens not It is not a sign of the hatred but of the love of God whom the Lord loves he Chastens and whatever troubles we may meet withal in this world 1 Pet. 5.9 remember this the same afflictions are accomplished in our brethren in the world Secondly You are in heaviness through manyfold Temptations not only have them but you are sensible of them from whence the Doctrin is Observe That the Saints may be in heaviness through their manyfold temptations You are in heaviness or you are sadned you are grieved God's people may have their spirits much sadned through the variety of troubles they meet with in the world The word in the Text you are in Heaviness or you are sadned comes from a word that signifies such grief as brings tears into the eyes such a grief as is expressed by weeping you are those that even cry your grief is such that causes tears I the thought of the great troubles you meet with hath such sorrow and grief not only the troubles of the soul but the troubles that God's people meet with in the world they much sadden their spirits and much grive their hearts Psal 6 6 7. David speaks of his Temptations saith he I am weary with my groaning all the Night make I my Bed to swim I water my Couch with my tears day and night he was full of griefe full of weeping Myne eye is consumed beeause of grief it waxeth old because of all my enemies not only the troubles that he had as to his Soul the thought of his sins but the troubles of the world did much affect him Psal 38.6 I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long 8. vers I am feeble and sore broken I have roar'd by reason of the disquietness of my heart And so the Church Lam 1.16 the Church having spoken of her misery what a sad case she was in in the world saith she For these things I weep myne eye runneth down with water because the comforter that should relieve my Soul is far from me and how great the trouble was that was then the Churches portion the whole book of Lamentations verifies Grace doth not make people insensible they whose hearts are sanctified may lay to heart their troubles Though grace doth correct and abate mens passions and rectify nature yet it doth not destroy nature or
of Jesus Christ and 2. Thes 3.3.4 The Lord is faithful who shall stablish you and keep you from evil Means IV. The last direction I shall give you look to recompence of reward Heb. 11. that made Moses leave all the pleasures of the World the pleasures of sin which were but for a season look to that reward to them that keep close to his commands Psal 84. vers 11. For tht Lord God is a Sun and Shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from those that walk uprightly now what would you have more what can you desire more Walk but uprightly God will never disappoint you you may believe him Jam. 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth Temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him I shall conclude all this Exhortation with the Direction and Exhortation of the spirit of God Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of life and vers the 10. Be faithfull to the death and I will give thee a Crown of Life Oh take notice of the advice given to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3.11 Hold fast that thou hast that no man take thy Crown and Rev. 22.12 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his Work shall be God will render to every man according to his Workes Rom. 2.7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternal life Eternal life should be the end of all our Preaching and your hearing so the Apostle Rom. 10.1 Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved this was the portion of Scripture I first took to discourse upon when I first came amongst you and the desire of my Soul was that your Soules should be saved and I desire still that I and my People may serve the Lord and therefore I wish the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all and the Lord grant that they which love not grace may have grace wrought in their hearts and that you that have grace may grow in grace more and more I wish even your perfection I dare not appeal unto Heaven as Paul Act. 20. but this I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment 1 Thes 5.23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God that your whole Spirit Soul and Body may be perserved blamless unto the â—omming of our Lord Jesus Christ Heb. 13.20 21. and the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and hath given us Everlasting consolation and good hope through grace comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and Work Amen FINIS 1 Pet. 1. vers 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoyce though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold Temptations THough many Saints have but a small Portion in this World yet there is alotted to them a goodly heritage in another world though they are not filled with the good things of the earth yet they are promised which is better the glory of Heaven though they have but a little in Possession yet they have much in reversion and though many of them be Poore many times as to the things they have in hand ye they are very Rich as to what they have in hope These Saints to whom Peter Writes were Pilgrims and Strangers here on Earth scatttered up and down the World they had no certaine abode no continuing City yet they sougâ—… on that was to come they looked for a City whose Builder and Maker was God Silver and Gold many of them either had none or very little and as to the Possessions of the Earth their Portion was not great Houses and Lands they were either denyed or deprived of they suffered the Spoiling of their goods yet they were begotten to a lively hope unto an inheritance better then this world affords unto an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for them and that they might know it was not only reserved for them but to be obtained by them the Apostle tells them They should be kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation which now as it was promised them should ere long be manifested ready to be revealed in the last time and the Apostle having shewed what they had hopes of he shews what effect this their hope had upon them namely much joy and Alacrity in the minds of their present Sufferings and Calamities as the words I have read do declare unto you Wherein ye greatly rejoyce c. In which Verse we may Observe First The Christians great Joy Secondly The Christians great Sorrow I. You have here believers great Joy arising from hopes of their future Salvation in these words Wherein you greatly rejoyce II. The Christians or the Saints great Sorrow arising from sense of their present tribulation Ye are in heavyness through manifold temptations Which Heaviness or which Temptations are set forth First By the time of them Secondly By the ground of them I. By the time of them and that is declared in these words Now for a season II. By the ground of them and that is supposed or intimated If need be Wherein you c. Wherein that is in the hopes of Heaven in the hopes of their inheritance in the hopes of the glory of God and that eternal Salvation that was promised to them and expected by them as the 4. and 5. verses do declare Wherein you greatly rejoyce you though others do not yet you rejoyce others do not rejoyce in the hopes of Heaven they have no right to it no hope of it they have no ground to expect it it is not promised to them nor no ground have they to look for it but you that are the elect the chosen the called people of God you that were as elected by the love so sanctified by the Spirit of God 2. ver Wherein that is in hopes of the glory of God you rejoyce you greatly rejoyce you triumph for joy Though now for a season or though now for a little time you are in heaviness or in grief through manyfold temptations troubles and trials you have in the World The words are not difficult they may afford us these six Instructions From hence we might Observe You are in heaviness through manyfold temptations First That the people of God in this world are exercised with manyfold temptations Secondly That the Saints of the most high