Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A55344
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A sermon preach'd to young people January the first, 1697. And now publish'd at their request. By Samuel Pomfret.
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Pomfret, Samuel, d. 1722.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing P2798A; ESTC R217924
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45,878
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51
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bear the Yoke of Christ in the time of Youth is the summary of all that is truly Good In the handing of this Doctrine I shall speak to these three things I. To open what Christ's Yoke and the bearing of it is II. To clear it up to you that to come under and bear it in time of Youth is the summary of all that is truly Good III. To close all with some Motives to excite and Rules to direct young Ones to come under this Yoke and to bear it in their Youth I. To open what this Yoke of Christ is To set this in its clear light Man is to be considered in a double Relation 1. As a reasonable Creature and 2. As a wretched Sinner Now answerable to both these Christ's Yoke consists of two parts 1. Moral 2. Evangelical 1. The Moral part of this Yoke chiefly respects that Duty which Man as a reasonable Creature oweth to God as his Creator and that is to serve and obey him as his Rightful Lord and to love him as his chiefest Good Now this still belongeth to us For Man as a Creature lieth under an eternal Obligation to love and serve his Creator neither ought you to entertain the least thought as if Jesus Christ the Son of God the Saviour and Redeemer of lost Souls when he came into the World did ever abolish or dissolve this Obligation and Bond of Duty to be in Subjection to our Creator O no that would have been as if Christ came to supplant his Father and dethrone him of his Authority and Government over Man O let this be far from any of us to think as besure it was from any design or purpose of our Blessed Redeemer when he came into the World For you read expresly that he came to redeem us to not from God Rev. 5. 9. and when he suffered for us the just for the unjust it was to bring us to God 1 Pet 3. 18. i. e. that he might bring poor Apostate Man back to love serve please and enjoy his God again And this brings me to the second Part of this Yoke 2. The Evangelical Part of Christ's Yoke which chiefly respects Man's Duty considered as a wretched Sinner And that he is as soon as he begins to be as the Psalmist acknowledgeth Behold I was shapen in Iniquity and in Sin did my Mother conceive me Psal 51. 5. Now this State and Condition of Man superinduceth a new Yoke which tho it was none of that which Man in Innocency was called to bear yet now Man having sinned and fallen from that Estate God in Christ out of his abundant Mercy calleth him to bear Remember whence thou art fallen and repent c. Rev. 2. 5. The Gospel Part to Christ's Yoke principally stands in its Commands and Precepts of Repentance Faith Self-denial and sincere Obedience as you may see in these following Scriptures Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Math. 3. 2. And Jesus preaching the Gospel saying the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and believe the Gospel Mark 1. 15. Repent and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out c. Acts 3. 19. But now God commands all Men every where to repent Acts 17. 30. And our Saviour saith I am not come to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Math. 9. 13. And in Luke 13. 3. he saith Except ye repent ye shall perish And so likewise for Faith without which it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. And God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life John 3. 16. And when the poor trembling Jaylour cried out what shall I do to be saved the Apostle said Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16. 30 31. And to this purpose you read That this is the will of him that sent me saith Christ That every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting Life John 6. 40. And again This is his Commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son 1 John 3. 23. And our Lord severely threatens That if we believe not we shall die in our Sins John 8. 24. And that he who believeth not shall be damned Mark 16. 16. And so for Self-denial and Obedience Jesus Christ affirmeth If any Man will come after me he must deny himself Math. 16. 24. and Luke 9. 23. And that Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him Heb. 5. 9. And the Gospel-threatning runs That Christ shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in Flaming Fire taking Vengeance on them that obey not the Gospel 2 Thess 1. 7 8. And hence it is that the Children of Disobedience in Sacred Writ are called Children of Belial i. e. Qui nullis legum vinculis teneantur such as are without Yoke Masterless who are not will not be held by the Bonds of Christ's Commandment So that it is evident that by the Yoke of Christ is meant his Commands to repent believe and obey the Gospel all which have no other tendency but the Good and Happiness of fallen Man Quest But here it may be demanded why this is called a Yoke since its chief end and design is to make Man happy Answ That it is for the Good and Happiness of Man is most certain as you will see in its proper place But then it is here to be considered that it is not now with the humane Nature as it was when it first came out of the Hands of God but a quite different thing It is now become apostate and corrupt since the Fall The carnal Mind is Enmity against God it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8 7. It hates to be reformed loves to wallow in the filth of Sin as the Swine in the Mire It is so woful daily Experience sheweth it as well as Scripture So that now Repentance Faith Conversion c. tho it be no other than the recovery of a lost Soul to God yet it s irksome and tedious to our corrupt Natures like plucking out a right Eye or cutting off a right Hand It is a pleasant thing to behold the Sun but it is a torment to a sore Eye Food is pleasant to the Healthy to the Hungry but loathsome to the Sick Alas by Nature we are sick unto Death and love Darkness rather than Light there is an aversness to Self-Reflection especially in time of Youth O how backward and unwilling are Youth to retire and consider their Sins and take pains with their Hearts to get them affected with their Danger they cannot endure the Yoke of Conviction of Sin and Reproof for Sin nor to be restrained their vain Company and sensual Pleasures but as Zophar saith Man is born like the Ass his Colt Job 11 12. exceedingly given to ramble and run a stray eagerly bent