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A64958
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The cure of distractions in attending upon God in several sermons preached from I Cor. 7.35 / by Nathanael Vincent ...
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Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing V405; ESTC R16228
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136,768
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288
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THE CURE OF DISTRACTIONS IN Attending upon GOD In Several SERMONS Preached from 1 Cor. 7. 35. That you may attend upon the Lord without Distraction By NATHANAEL VINCENT M. A. Minister of the Gospel Psal 27 8. When thou saidst seek ye my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus non vocis sed Cordis auditor Cypr. Primum argumentum compositae mentis existimo◠posse consistere secum morari Seneca Epist 2. LONDON Printed for Brabazon Aylmer at the Three Pigeons over against the Royal-Exchange in Cornhill 1695. To the Truly Honourable Sir WILLIAM ASHURST Kt. AND Alderman of the City of London Much Honoured SIR I Did not Address to you when you were like the Rising Sun and made the Chief Seat in this City where you were deservedly placed to shine with more than ordinary Lustre when you discovered and were severe against the Works of Darkness and your Influence was so benign and kind for the Sustentation and Benefit of London but now you have run your Course so well and have set without the least Cloud nay with so much Clearness and Glory I make this Dedication to you desiring your serious Perusal of a Treatise the Subject of which is of such great importance And indeed now you have quitted the Chair and have less of publick Business to manage and may have more leisure to retire into your Self and from Company and from Civil Affairs this Cure of Distractions in Religious Duties knocks at your Door the Author desiring it may be helpful to your Meditations and Devotion 'T is a great Respect and Honour that is due to the God's on Earth so Magistrates are called and Inferiours should apply to Them accordingly with a great sense of their distance With what Reverence then are we to approach the Supream Majesty The Lord of Hosts the King of Glory Our highest Apprehensions are infinitely below him And the best of Saints do rather wish to Worship him than perform any thing that is worthy of the Name of Worship Among the many Faults in Holy Duties there is one that will never be quite mended in this World and that is Distraction but yet more and more help may be still attained against it And these Sermons mhich I now present you with I hope with a Blessing from Heaven may contribute somewhat and be successful this way If Religious Duties were but well done every thing else would be done the better for it is from God alone that we have ability to do as we ought in any matter whatsoever The Lord gives Wisdom and Grace most liberally to them who most sincerely seek him And such as have most help from God will best perform their Duty towards Man and both Church and State will find them the most useful Members Religion is certainly the truest Policy The Wisdom of this World says the Apostle and of the Princes of this World comes to nought but Godliness in the power of it makes Men better in every Capacity and Relation How does it alter and amend Persons Families Nations where 't is encouraged and prevails Righteousness and Peace Joy and Love are found to be the blessed effects of true Religion It tames the fierceness and subdues the malignity of corrupt Nature And makes Man to look something like what he was in the state of Innocency All that wish well to this City and Nation must needs desire that God may be better served and that Men by his Service may be better'd How happy should we be if People were all Righteous Violence then would be no more heard in our Land nor wasting and destruction within our Borders our Walls would be called Salvation and our Gates Praise and the Lord himself would be to us an everlasting Light and our God our Glory I wish that all Lord Mayors for the future may follow your Example and endeavour to suppress Wickedness and may never be ashamed of Holiness which is the Glory of God and is most unreasonably look'd upon as matter of Disgrace to any Man Sir You are descended from Religious Ancestors and Religion is that which does truly ennoble your Blood and Family An increase of this Nobility and of all other Blessings is wisht to your self and Yours By Honoured SIR Your Most Humble Servant Nathanael Vincent TO THE READER Reader IT is a Subject of the highest consequence and in which all are concerned that I Discourse of in this Treatise and I design some relief against that which is the general Complaint of serious Christians who would fain offer to God more Spiritual and well pleasing Sacrifices but are hindred by the remaining Sin and Vanity of their own Minds They are called indeed the Habitations of God through the Spirit but these Habitations are haunted with distracting Thoughts and vain Imaginations to their great grief and disturbance The Work and Service of the God of Heaven is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principal business every one has to do in this World and though no Duties are to be slightly done to Man which are done for the Lord's sake yet in attendance upon himself and in those Duties which more immediately we perform to him an holy Awe becomes us our Hearts should be immoveably fixed and we should exert the utmost Vigour of our Spirits To trifle with a Jealous God whose All-seeing Eye strictly observes the whole we do and wherein soever we fail is to despise him to his Face and to act to the great peril of our own Souls Our God says the Apostle is a consuming fire and Nadab and Abihu the Sons of Aaron sound him so to their cost and sorrow when they offer'd strange fire such as he commanded them not We must do what God commands and as he commands else what we call our Religious Duties will be look'd upon by him as acts of Disobedience The Mind of Man ever since the first Man parted from God is notoriously fickle and wavering being unsetled by Sin it roves up and down the Earth from one Vanity to another but how hardly is it brought back to God! And though it is engaged to approach near to him yet if it be not narrowly watched in the twinkling of an Eye it starts back and is gone away from him To keep our Hearts with all diligence is our Duty but they will not be held in from wandring by our most careful Custody It is the Hand of that God alone by which the whole Vniverse consists and is kept from dissolution that can fix the Mind of Man and hinder its being distracted in his Service There is a great deal of Pains taken in the World to little purpose All things says Solomon are full of labour Man cannot utter it and yet he affirms that there is no profit under the Sun But 't is lamentable to think that in the Church there should be so much labour in vain Distraction of Mind keeps
abundantly more Eph. 3. 20. Who can conceive how beneficial waiting upon God is That passage is both encouraging and amazing Isa 64. 4. For since the beginning of the World Men have not heard nor perceived by the Ear neither hath the Eye seen O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him 3. God is ready to cover a multitude of Infirmities in them that sincerely attend upon him He mercifully observes how willing their Spirits are when their Flesh is weak and cannot keep pace with their renewed Minds When our Lord was in an Agony his Disciples could not watch with him one hour but were fallen asleep yet he himself graciously excuses it Matt. 26. 41. The Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak and passes it by He takes notice of the Lustings of the Spirit against the Flesh the Strivings of Grace against Sin and Corruption and passes by the Lusting of the Flesh against the Spirit the Strivings of Sin against Grace The Lord does not enter into Judgment with his Servants nor deal in Rigour with them but he expresses Fatherly Tenderness and Compassion towards them Psal 103. 13. Like as a Father pittieth his Children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him We are directed to beg for the Forgiveness of Trespasses daily which shews that as the Disciples of Christ daily offend so their Heavenly Father is ready to grant forgiveness daily to them Nay Iniquity cleaves unto our holiest things our best Dâ—ties should and might be done a great deal better These Infirmities then are much to be lamented more and more striven against and seeing our selves compassed about with them we should banish all Self-confidence and look into Jesus that in him we may find acceptance and certainly the Righteousness of Christ the Son of God and the Father's love in him will cover the greatest multitude of bewailed Infirmities and Offences 4. It may be also Comfort to Attenders upon God to think whom they have attending upon them Saints on Earth have the Angels in Heaven to be their Guardians Christ is signified by Jacob's Ladder the Angels of God are said to ascend and descend upon the Son of Man John 1. 51. 'T is owing to our Lord Jesus that Believers have the Benefit of the Angels Ministry and the Apostle signifies that all of them are thus employed for the Saints Protection and Security Heb. 1. 14. Are they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them that shall be heirs of Salvation The reprobate and evil Angels resist Attenders upon God but the elect and good Angels are their Friends These Angels that excel in strength How do they rejoyce when any repent and are converted And they have a Charge over Converts to keep them in all their ways Psal 91. 11. and when 't is added v. 13. Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and the Adder the young Lion and the Dragon thou shalt trample under feet It may be intimated that Satan's Force and Fury and Subtlety shall be ineffectual and that by his Temptations he shall not prevail But though Angels attend the Servants of God they are not wholly trusted to the Angelical Care The Lord himself is their Keeper The Father and the Son come to them and make their abode in them and will secure their own Mansions till they are out of the reach of Enemies and past all danger 5. Sincere Attendance upon God shall attend upon him after another and better manner in another World They shall be sitted for and admitted into the presence Chamber of the King of Glory In Heaven there will be no need of the Sun or of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of the Lord does lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof Rev. 21. 23. and Rev. 22. 3. And there shall be no more Curse but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and his Servants shall serve him They shall serve him so as never in the least to disserve him they shall do his Will and nothing at all contrary to it there will be a Perfection of Delight and Rest and Peace in the Obedience they shall yield when they rest not day and night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Rev. 4. 8. and Rev. 5. 13. Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever All God's sincere Attendants are now advanced to Priestly nay to Kingly Dignity therefore they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Royal Priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 9. Christ has loved them and washed them from their sins in his own Blood and has made them Kings and Priests unto God and his Father Rev. 1. 5 6. But hereafter they shall inherit and possess the Kingdom prepared for them they shall all of them be actually crown'd with a Crown of Life and Righteousness And Oh what a joyful sight will it be to behold the Lord and all his Saints glorified together with him Col. 3. 4. When Christ who is our Life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in Glory Thus of the first Doctrine Doct. II. The second Doctrine is this In attending upon God we should look upon him as the Lord and serve him accordingly When God pronounced his own Laws with his own Mouth upon Mount Sinai He thus begins I am the Lord Exod. 20 2. and this was to awe Israel into Obedience We read Deut 6. 4. Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. No other Lord is his equal no Commands to be regarded like his Commands None so worthy of service as He He must have attendance who or whatever is neglected Psal 89. 6 7. Who in Heaven can be compared to the Lord who among the Sons of the Mighty can be likened unto the Lord The mightiest Monarchs upon Earth the highest Angels in Heaven are infinitely below him therefore it follows God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him Holy David cries out Psal 8. 1. O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth who hast set thy Glory above the Heavens He worshipped and praised him as the highest Sovereign who excelled all things on Earth and whose Glory the Heaven though full of it was not able to contain and when he says our Lord 't is intimated that he was truly his Servant and Subject and that he gloried in subjection to him In the handling of this Doctrine I shall First Shew you how God is the Lord. Secondly Manifest what influence and effect the apprehension of his being Lord should have upon us when we attend upon him Thirdly and Lastly make Application In the first place I am to shew you how God is the Lord. His Majesty may amaze us when we think or speak of his Dominion we should