Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	appear_v	day_n	great_a	2,710	5	3.1342	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94261	The crovvne of righteousnes: or, The glorious reward of fidelity in the discharge of our duty. As it was laid forth in a sermon, preached in S. Botolphs Aldersgate, London, Sept. 25. 1653. At the solemn funerall of Mr. Abrah: Wheelock, B. D. the first publick professor, and reader of Arabick, and of the Saxon, in the University of Cambridge. Whereunto is added, an encomium of him. / By William Sclater Doctor in Divinity, now preacher of the Word of God in Broad-street, Lond.	Sclater, William, 1609-1661.	1653 (1653)	Wing S916; Thomason E221_6; ESTC R4044	30,757	39

saith the great Apostle shall he appear the u See my Sermon stiled The Grand Assizes pag. 37. edit 1653. preached at Winchester second time without sinne that is without suffering any more as a sacrifice for sin unto salvation Heb 8.28 Leaving then those Millenarian conjectures to such as abound with leisure rest we in the solid determination of Orthodox and stable judgements who resolve by the day and by the appearing here mentioned in this text to be meant the last great day of the generall Judgment according to that Scripture Acts 17.31 and the Lord Christ his second w 2 Tim. 4.1 coming upon that day in * Mat. 25.31 glorious Majesty unto the judgement of all the wolrd so that however those who x 1 Tim. 5.17 labour in the Word and Doctrine meet often with so great discouragements that they seem to labour all in vaine and spend their strength for nought as the Prophet speaks Isa 49.4 yet surely their Judgement is with the Lord and their worke that is the reward of their work is with the Lord his goodnesse is laid up for them O how great Psal 31.19 In the mean time let it be our delight and contentment that we y Mat. 24.46 doe our Masters work not as by constraint but z 1 Pet. 5.2 willingly sith indeed such a vertuous service ever carryeth its owne reward with it as being a thing to be desired and embraced for its own worth and certainly that sweet comfort and complacency that a righteous soule findeth in the sincere discharge of his duty within its proper station in conscience of God is infinitely more valuable than all the a H●b 11.25 treasures the earth can afford without it only as the Husbandman we may not anticipate the season of the Harvest but we must b Jam. 5.7 wait then in due time we shall reap if we faint not Gal. 6.9 Heb. 10.36.37 when the reward actually cometh it being so large will abundantly recompence all our work yea end all our patience too sith the manner of it will be the more manifest and conspicuous before all in that great day when c Rev. 20.12 all of all sorts both great and small shall upon the generall summons stand before the last Tribunall and then upon the appearance of the Chiefe Shepheard we shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 Hereof S. Paul had a particular assurance in his owne person when he saith Henceforth is laid up for me a Crowne of Righteousnesse and if for him why may it not be also possible for others to be in like manner assured of the same especially provided that we are such as do love his appearing This question I confesse is solid yet such as wanteth not its intricacies The Roman Catholicks in this controversie are wont to resolve thus that indeed for so great a Saint as S. Paul was this assurance might be possible yea was attained to by Revelation extraordinary by meanes of his fides privilegiata his special and priviledged faith which as an Apostle and a d Act. 9.15 chosen vessel of honour he was endowed and adorned withall from Heaven for that God had a great e 2 Tim. 4.17 service for him to do who was selected as it were to take up the Gauntlet in the quarrel of the Gospel against the manifold fierce and potent f 1 Cor. 16.9 Adversaries of the same so that as I said in the beginning to steele his resolution with the greater courage he was fortifyed before-hand and armed with an extraordinary assurance of a glorious reward after his work and warfaring therein was over Quer. But now whether this assurance be possible for an ordinary Christian by the use of ordinary lawfull means to attaine is the next disquisition Answer To which the resolution is affirmative the thing is possible though confessedly very difficult and this possibility is both Certitudine Objecti and also Certitudine Subjecti both as it is sure in it self as it is determin'd by God likewise in the particular evidence speciall experience of the same in the soule of a true believer and this is proved partly from those Scriptures which exhort unto a diligent endeavour after it 2 Pet. 1.10 2 Cor. 13.5 Now the nature of Evangelicall precepts and exhortations in a contradistinction to those of the Law is that they carry a spirit a secret energy vertue and power with them inabling through grace unto observation therefore the Gospel is called g John 6.63 life and spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 and I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4.13 partly also this is proved from one principall end of the spirits Donation his being given us namely That we may know the things that are freely given unto us of God and to co-witnesse with our spirits that we are his Sons and Daughters 1 Cor. 2.12 Rom. 8.16 1 John 5.13 Thirdly from the duties required of us upon this account as thankfulnesse Ephes 1.3 Col. 1.12 13. What wise man will give thanks for that which he hath no certainty that he doth enjoy this were for a man to boast of a h Prov 25 14. false gift as of a i Jud. v. 12 cloud without water so likewise of Love we love God because he first loved us 1 John 4.19 in so freely giving his Son to us John 3.16 and together with him all things that do accompany salvation Rom. 8.32 even to be the Author of life and salvation unto all that obey him Heb. 5.9 And how come we to know of all this love but by that experimentall proofe thereof that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Rom. 5.5 And lastly by the examples of Saints that have had this assurance in themselves as Job 19.25 Abraham Rom. 4.21 and here in my Text Saint Paul which eminent Saints were not set forth in Holy Writ as Wonders meerely to be gazed at but as Patternes of imitation and though ordinary Christians and Saints cannot reach to the same steps yet they may walk in the same path and may possibly attaine though not to the same measures yet to the same foundnesse of perswasion and indeed as a reverend k B. King lect 38. on Joan. Divine observes its firmnesse rather than fulnesse of assurance namely in respect of adherence or of recumbency that the Saints in this life arrive unto but to this firmnesse they may come by the use of the ordinary and of the right means as here S. Paul did by fighting the good fight by finishing his course and by keeping the faith hereby as by the ordinary meanes he concluded therein likewise shewing us an example that from henceforth there was a Crowne of Righteousnesse laid up in Heaven for him yea and for all others with himselfe who loved the appearing of the Lord Jesus But though it be

cautionately understood thus possible notwithstanding it is very difficult and hard to be attained and that for many weighty and important reasons As First in regard of the difficulty to put a distinction between seeming Vertues and reall Graces which are the signes and fruits of Election and which give the best evidence of glory so that there needs much discussion and an exact spirit of l Phil. 1.9 10. Discerning to put a Difference and to discriminate the one from the other yea we are to take notice that there are many Vices neere of * Fallie cnim vitium proximitate honi kinne to many Vertues and carry in semblance a neare affinity as it were with them There is saith devout Bernard à minium virtutis a certaine kinde of Vermilion wherewith Satan paints over the outside of Vices and makes them shew like Vertues and but by an Eye and an Heart m Heb. 5 14. exercised in piety hardly discernable each from the other thus Flattery sometimes carryes the style of affability Covetousnesse of Frugality Rashnesse of Fortitude a Divellish Matchiavelisme of a lawfull policy excesse and ryot of good fellowship and under this mistake of judgement that is taken for zeale which is nothing but an impetuous n 2 Tim. 3.4 headinesse or a fiery kinde of vehemency that in stead of heating the house is apt to burne it Thus in short presumption passeth often for Faith this being the o Jer. 17.9 2 Cor. 11 3. guile of our hearts and Satan complying with it who can transforme himselfe into an p 2 Cor. 11 14. Angell of Light and set a faire glosse upon naughty wares making the tinsell of Hypocrisie to passe for the Silver of sincerity we must not too much relye upon our q Prov. 3.5 owne Judgements in this matter but bring things to the r 1 Thes 5.21 beame of the Sanctuary and there s Rom. 12.2 prove and weigh them the Word of God ever giveth right Judgement and the searching hereinto John 5.39 t Act 17.11 and examining of these matters hereby requiring great deliberation this makes the assurance difficult when the Evidence is perplexed and not presently cleared Secondly its hard in regard of the plenty of Lusts and of the u Gal. 5.19 workes of the flesh which too much over-grow and abound in every mans Heart but graces are but rare and come up thin much chaffe and little solid graine our graces are like Gideons Army but a handfull in comparison but our sinnes and like Midiknites w Jude 7.12 Innumerable as Grashoppers Hipps and Hawes saith one grow in every hedge when choycer fruits are but in some few Gardens and every soyle almost yeilds stone and rubbish but Gold and precious stones are found in very few places ●nw S. Peter who exhorts to give diligence to make Election sure exhorts also 2 Pet. 1.5 6. to adde to Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledge c. a large enumeration or induction of graces is required to clear up this assurance and certainly that is a matter of no ease Thirdly that I may hasten this is difficult in regard of the great progresse that an Hypocrite or a Cast-away may make in the wayes of Christianity and yet never attaine to this assurance He may have some degrees of Illumination Heb. 6.4 much like a Coruscation that a suddaine flash of Lightning maketh in the Ayre He may have good wishes as Balaam Numbers 23.10 A sight of sinne as Cain had Gen. 4.13 Confesse sinne as Judas did Matthew 27.4 have zeale as Jehu had 2 Kings 10.16 in these and in like other gifts may a very Cast-away make a great progresse But no child of God can have any reall comfort in any thing wherein he cannot say he hath yet therein gone beyond a Cast-away and yet but in the ground or rule or end of doing these things are hardly discernable each from other All which and much more that might be added to the same purpose shew though not the utter impossibility yet surely the very great difficulty of attaining unto this assurance that a man can say as S. Paul doth here in a particular application unto his soule Christ loved me and gave himselfe for me and henceforth is laid up for x Gal. 2.20 me a Crown of Righteousnesse There yet remaines but one Pearle more in the Cabinet of this Text which I shall onely offer to your short notice and so conclude it is that due qualification which renders other Christians as well as it did S. Paul capable of the Crown of Righteousnesse they must be such as who do love the Lord Christ's second appearing in the day of Judgement And indeed it is the property of none but Saints to love it and long for it See Phil. 1.23 Rev. 22.20 Amen even so come Lord Jesus Some cautions notwithstanding must be here remembred sith it 's possible that times may fall out when we tremble at the thought or mention of it as when conscience is wounded afresh with some gross act of sin this made David afraid yea to roar out and to make a noyse through the disquietnesse of his spirit Psal 38.8 Psal 55.2 and under that state of soul to begg earnestly to be spared that he might recover strength in Gods favour before he went hence and was no more Psal 39.13 or else when the Lord shall for divers ends and reasons surcharge the soule and conscience with the sins of youth for which perhaps men have not as became them been sufficiently humbled thus dealt he even with his servant Job writing bitter things against him Job 13.26 see also Job 1.6.4 But out of those cases it is proprium quarto modo onely the Saints love it all such love it and alwayes and no mervaile sith by this second coming and appearance of Christ in the day of the last Judgement they receive very great and inestimable benefits such as are finall Redemption of the Body from corruption Rom. 8.23 Freedome from the society of the wicked which here y Psal 119.136 afflict the godly by their violation of Gods Law and Precepts Deliverance not onely from the z Rom. 6.12 raigne and a Psal 19.13 dominion but even from the inhabitation and being of sin which here they finde as a clogg and a b Ps 38.4 burthen to c Mat. 11.28 heavy for them and so long to be rid of it Rom. 7.24 and lastly the beatifical d 1 Joh. 3.2 vision and perfect fruition of the ever-blessed and all-glorious Trinity in the e Heb. 12 2 23 24. Heavenly Hierusalem among the innumerable company of Angels being admitted to the generall Assembly and Church of the first-borne which are enrolled and written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant in whose presence there is fulnesse of joy and at whose right