Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n
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A53707
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Meditations and discourses concerning the glory of Christ applyed unto unconverted sinners, and saints under spiritual decayes : in two chapters, from John XVII, xxiv / by the late Reverend John Owen ...
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing O769; ESTC R13776
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183,162
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300
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It doth change us wholly into the Image of Christ. When we shall see him we shall be as he is we shall be like him because we shall see him 1 Joh. 3. 2. But although the closing perfecting act of this Transformation be an act of sight or the sight of Glory yet there are many things towards it or degrees in it which we may here take notice of in our way 1. THE Soul upon its Departure from the Body is immediately freed from all the Weakness Disability Darkness Uncertainties and Fears which were impressed on it from the Flesh wherewith it was in the strictest Union The Image of the first Adam as fallen is then abolished Yea it is not only freed from all irregular sinful Distempers cleaving to our Nature as corrupted but from all those sinless Grievances and Infirmities which belong unto the Original Constitution of it This necessarily ensues on the Dissolution of the Person in order unto a blessed State The first entrance by Mortality into Immortallity is a step towards Glory The ease which a blessed Soul finds in a deliverance from this Encumbrance is a Door of entrance into eternal Rest. Such a change is made in that which in it self is the Center of all Evil namely Death that it is made a means of freeing us from all the Remainders of what is evil FOR this doth not follow absolutely on the Nature of the thing it self A meer Dissolution of our Natures can bring no Advantage with it especially as it is a part of the Curse But it is from the Sanctification of it by the Death of Christ. Hereby that which was Gods Ordinance for the Infliction of Judgment becomes an effectual Means for the Communication of Mercy 1 Cor. 5. 22. Chap. 15. 54. It is by vertue of the Death of Christ alone that the Souls of Believers are freed by Death from all impressions of Sin Infirmity and Evils which they have had from the Flesh which were their Burden under which they groaned all their Days No Man knows in any measure the Excellency of this Priviledge and the Dawnings of Glory which are in it who hath not been wearied and even worn out through long conflicting with the Body of Death The Soul hereon being freed from all Annoyances all Impressions from the Flesh is expedite and enlarged unto the Exercise of all its gracious Faculties as we shall see immediately WITH wicked Men it is not so Death unto them is a Curse and the Curse is the Means of the Conveyance of all Evil and not Deliverance from any Wherein they have been warmed and refreshed by the Influences or the Flesh they shall be deprived of it But their Souls in their separate State are perpetually harrased with the disquieting Passions which have been impressed on their Minds by their corrupt fleshly Lusts. In vain do such Persons look for Relief by Death If there be any thing remaining of present good and usefulness to them they shall be deprived of it And their Freedom for a Season from bodily pains will no way lie in the Ballance against that Confluence of Evils which Death will let in upon them 2. THE Spirits of just Men being freed by Death from the Clog of the Flesh not yet refined all the Faculties of their Souls and all the Graces in them as Faith Love and Delight are immediately set at Liberty enabled constantly to exercise themselves on God in Christ. The end for which they were created for which our Nature was endowed with them was that we might adhere unto God by them and come unto the Enjoyment of him Being now freed wholly from all that Impotency perversness and Disability unto this End with all the Effects of them which came upon them by the Fall they are carried with a full Stream towards God cleaving unto him with the most intense Embraces And all their Actings towards God shall be natural with Facility Joy Delight and Complacency We know not yet the Excellency of the Operations of our Souls in divine things when disburdened of their present Weight of their Flesh. And this is a second step towards the Consummation of Glory For IN the Resurrection of the Body upon its full Redemption it shall be so purified sanctified glorified as to give no Obstrnction unto the Soul in its Operations but be a blessed Organ for its highest and most spiritual Actings The Body shall never more be a Trouble a Burthen unto the Soul but an Assistant in its Operations and participant of its Blessedness Our Eyes were made to see our Redeemer and our other Sences to receive impressions from him according unto their Capacity As the Bodies of wicked Men shall be restored unto them to encrease and compleat their Misery in their Sufferings so shall the Bodies of the Just be restored unto them to heighten and consummate their Blessedness 3. THESE things are preparatory unto Glory The compleat Communication of it is by the Infusion of a new heavenly Light into the Mind enabling us to see the Lord Christ as he is The Soul shall not be brought into the immediate Presence of Christ without a new Power to behold him and the immediate Representation of his Glory Faith now doth cease as unto the manner of its Operation in this Life whilst we are absent from Christ. This Light of Glory succeeds into its Room fitted for that State and all the ends of it as Faith is for that which is present And 4. IN the first Operation of this Light of Glory Believers shall so behold the glory of Christ and the glory of God in him as that therewith and thereby they shall be immediately and universally changed into his Likeness They shall be as he is when they shall see him as he is There is no growth in glory as unto Parts there may be as unto Degrees Additions may be outwardly made unto what is at first received as by the Resurrection of the Body but the internal Light of Glory and its transforming Efficacy is capable of no degrees though new Revelations may be made unto it unto Eternity For the infinite Fountain of Life and Light and Goodness can never be fathomed much less exhausted And what God spake on the Entrance of sin by the way of contempt and aproach Behold the Man is become like one of us upbraiding him with what he had foolishly designed on the Accomplishment of the Work of his Gace he says in Love and infinite Goodness Man is become like one of us in the perfect Restoration of our Image in him This is the first Effect of the Light of Glory FAITH also in beholding the glory of Christ in this Life is accompanied with a transforming Efficacy as the Apostle expresly declares 2 Cor. 3. 18. It is the Principle from whence and the Instrumental Cause whereby all spiritual change is wrought in us in this Life but the Work of it is imperfect first because it is gradual and then because
shall prosper in it 2 Cor. 3. 5. Chap. 9. 8. But hereby many deceive themselves labouring in the Fire while all they do doth immediately perish they have been negligent and careless whereby things are come to an ill posture with them and that peace which they had is impaired But now they will pray and read and fast and be liberal to the poor and now an Abstinence from Sin All these things they suppose they can do of themselves because they can and ought to perform the outward works wherein the Duties intended do consist Hereby Christ is left out of the whole Design who when all is done is the Lord that healeth us Exod. 1 5. 26. And there is another evil herein for whatever Men do in their own Natural Abilities there is a secret Reserve of some kind of Merit in it Those who plead for these things do averr there can be no merit in any thing but what proceeds from our own Free-will and what is so done hath some kind of merit inseparably accompanying of it And this is enough to render all Endeavours of this kind not only useles and fruitless but utterly rejected Faith 〈…〉 the Assistance of Christ and his in and unto these Duties or however they may be multiplied they will not he effectual unto our Healing and Recovery These things are to be used according as we receive supplies of Grace from above in Subordination unto that Work of Faith that shall be declared Wherefore 3. THE Work of recovering Backsliders or Believers from under their Spiritual Decays is an Act of Soveraign Grace wrought in us by vertue of Divine Promises out of this Eater cometh meat Because Belivers are liable to such Declensions Backslidings and Decays God hath provided and given unto us great and precions Promises of a Recovery if we duly apply our selves unto the Means of it One of the places only wherein they are recorded I shall here call over and explain Hosea 14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. O Israel return unto the Lord they God for thou hast fallen by thine Iniquit◠Take with you words and turn with the Lord say unto him Take away all Iniquity and receive 〈◊〉 graciously so will we render the calves of our lips c. I will heal their Backslidings I will love them freely for mine Anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew unto Israel be shall grow as the Lilly and cast out his Roots as Lebanon His Branches shall spread and his Beauty shall be as the Olive Tree and his smell as Lebanon They that dwell under his shadow shall return they shall revive as the Corn and grow as the Vine the scent thereof shall be as the Wine of Lebanon 〈◊〉 Wall say What have I to do any more with Idols I have heard him and observed him I am like a green Fir-tree from me is thy fruit found THE whole matter treated of in general both as unto the Disease and Remedy is fully stated in this passage of Scripture and that in the Experience of the Church and God's dealing with them we may therefore receive many plain Directions from it and a safe Guidance in our Progress which we shall endeavour to take in the ensuing Observations 1. THIS Application of God unto Israel O Israel return was made when the generality of the People were wicked and devoted unto utter Destruction So it is declared in the last words of the foregoing Chapter and their Desolation fell out not long after accordingly Wherefore no Season nor Circumstances of things shall obstruct Soveraign Grace when God will exercise it towards his Church It shall work in the midst of desolating Judgments 2. IN such a time the true Israel of God the Elect themselves are apt to be overtaken with the Sins of the whole and so to Backslide from God and so to fall into Spiritual Decays So Israel had now done though she had not absolutely broken Covenant with God He was yet unto her The Lord thy God yet she had fallen by her Iniquity Times of publick Apostacy are often accompanied with partial defects in the best Because Iniquity aboundeth the love of many shall wax cold Mat. 24. 12. 3. WHEN God designs to heal the Backsliding of his People by Soveraign Grace he gives them effectual Calls unto Repentance and the use of means for their Healing So he doth here by his Prophet O Israel return take with you words And if I could see that God did stir up his Faithful Ministers to apply themselves in a peculiar manner unto this Work of pressing vehemently all their Congregations with their Duty herein and let them know that there is no other way to prevent their Ruine but by returning unto the Lord according to the ways of it here prescribed I should not doubt but that the time of Healing were at hand 4. THE means prescribed unto this end that our Backslidings may be healed in a way suited unto the Glory of God is renewed Repentance And this acts it self 1. IN servent Prayer Take with you words and say Consider the Greatness and Importance of the Work before you and weigh well what you do in your dealing with God The matter of this Prayer is twofold 1. The pardon of all Iniquity that is the taking of it away And no Sin is omitted all being now become equally burthensome take away all Iniquity When the Souls of Sinners are in good earnest in their Return unto God they will leave out the Consideration of no one Sin whatever Nor are we meet for Healing nor shall we apply our selves unto it in a due manner without some previous sense of the Love of God in the pardon of our Sin 2. Gracious Acceptation Receive us graciously The words in the Original are only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and receive good but both the words being used variously the Sense eminently included in them is well expressed by receive us graciously After we have cast our selves under tokens of thy Displeasure now let us know that we are freely accepted with thee And this also lyes in the Desires of them who design to obtain an Healing of their Backslidings for under them they are sensible that they are obnoxious unto Gods Displeasure 2. AFFECTIONATE Confessions of the Sin wherein their Beckslidings did consist or which were the Occasions of them Ashur shall not save us c. we will say no more to the work of our hands Ye are our Gods Fleshly Confidence and False Worship were the two great Sins that had now ruined the Body of the People These Believers themselves had an Accession unto them more or less as now they have unto the prevailing Sins of the Days wherein we live by Conformity unto the World Of these Sins God expecteth a full and free Confession in order unto our Healing 3. A renewed Covenant Engagement to renounce all other Hopes and Expectation and to betake themselves with their whole Trust and Confidence