Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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A41706
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A discourse of Christ's coming and the influence, which the expectation thereof hath on al manner of holy conversation and godlinesse / by Theophilus Gale.
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Gale, Theophilus, 1628-1678.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing G144; ESTC R6924
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117,103
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244
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and sins This was the ground of the Apostles consolation to the afflicted Thessalonians who lived under the crosse al their days 1 Thes 4.16 17 18. v. 16 17. he gives them a lively Image or description of the coming of our Lord and then concludes v. 18. wherefore comfort one another with these words O! what a spring of consolation is here If thou art much acquainted with such thoughts I dare say thou canst be no stranger to true comfort Oh! how much comfort might Saints enjoy amidst al their crosses would they but feed and refresh their hearts with frequent expectations of their Lords second coming Do not the purest and best consolations come in this way Thus Paul comforts the same Thessalonians 2 Thes 1.7 And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shal be reveled from Heaven with his mighty Angels He stil makes this the ground of his consolation to those afflicted Saints namely the Revelation of our Lord from Heaven 6. Another vital branch of the life of faith consists in dependence on Christ for actual Grace in al conditions and duties either of active or passive obedience wherein also much of the life and power of Godlinesse doth consist A Godly man is the most passive dependent creature in the World He can neither do nor suffer any thing as a Godly man without absolute immediate and total dependence on Christ by faith And what more effectually promotes such an absolute dependence on Christ than serious expectation of our Lords approche How powerfully is the soul drawen to depend on Christ for al Grace by a spiritual view of his glorious appearence who more dependent on Christ than such who live daily in the expectation of his returne A believing soul that has a spiritual constant regard to the coming of his Lord sees al fulnesse of Grace in him and al emtinesse in himself What makes men more negligent in taking hold of Grace when offered than putting far from them the coming of their Lord How comes it to passe that proud man affecteth to be self-sufficient as God but because he considers not the exact jugement which wil follow on the coming of our Lord He that eyeth that great day seeth a necessitie of putting al his stock and treasure in Christs hands The same faith that draweth forth the soul to regard the coming of his Lord draweth divine Influences from him in order to a provision for that day as Joh. 15.5 He that abideth in me c. 7. The last part of the life of faith is patiently to wait for the reward of al our services and sufferings And is not this also greatly promoted by spiritual expectations of our Lords approche 1. This as to service is evident from Heb. 10.35 Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward 36. For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the wil of God ye might receive the promisse i. e. the thing promissed Now what argument doth the Author use to excite them unto a fiducial waiting for the recompence of reward That follows v. 37. For yet a little while and he that shal come wil come and wil not tarry Here lies the force of his exhortation even in the speedy returne of our Lord. 2. So also as to sufferings what made Moses so patiently to wait for the recompence of reward but his seeing him who is invisible Heb. 11.26 27 i. e. Our Lord who wil come to judge both the quick and dead 13. Raised expectations of our Lords coming have also a prevalent Influence on Assurance which is a great spring of Godlinesse The more Assurance Saints have the more Godly usually they are For the sense of Gods love to them is mostessicacious to draw forth their love and obedience unto God To be sure that Christ is ours makes us to do and suffer the most for Christ Apprehended love is more powerful than apprehended wrath to keep the soul in ways of dutie The more the heart is assured of an Interest in Christ the more the Interest of Christ prevails in the heart and life Assurance of being in a state of Grace enlargeth the heart to receive much Grace from Christ Such a powerful Influence has Assurance on Godlinesse And O! what a soverain Influence has raised expectations of our Lords approche on Assurance Such thoughts have a twofold Influence on Assurance 1. By way of motive as they presse and provoke the heart to labor after assurance I no way dout sirs but were our hearts possest with daily and fresh apprehensions of Christs second coming to jugement we could not content our selves in such doutful peradventures about our state as now we take up with A soul that lies under deep expectations of Christs second coming wil thus reason in himself What! wil my Lord ere long come to jugement and must I then appear before him in my native colors Oh! what may I do then to be assured of an interest in his favor what more effectual to put men upon heart-examination than such a constant minding of our Lords approche to Jugement Thus Paul 1 Cor. 3.13 tels us that every mans worke shal be tried by fire in that day which is a strong argument to put us on the examination of our heart and workes in order to assurance 2. Actual fixed thoughts of Christs coming have a great Influence on Assurance by way of real evidence They are not only a motive but substantial ground to bottome assurance on what better note or signe of the sinceritie of thy Grace can there be than a fiducial chearful looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of God Be sure an hypocrite fears nothing more nothing strikes a greater dampe on his spirit than the apprehensions of Christs second coming because then al his rottennesse and hypocrisie shal be discovered I dare pronounce that person a Saint who can in good earnest desire and with a wel-grounded confidence expect the second coming of Christ to jugement Yea this is a signe not only of sinceritie but also of an eminence in Grace and therefore a substantial evidence and bottome for Assurance 14. Serious thoughts of the coming of Christ have a forcible influence on the carrying on and improvement of friendship with God in Christ The ancient Glossarie interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Godly man by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophiles a friend of God And indeed the Scripture seemeth to place much of the spirit and power of Godlinesse in friendship with God For look as friendship bends it self to serve please and conforme unto its friend so Godlinesse to serve please and conforme unto God Now what more effectual to maintain and improve friendship with God in Christ than lively expectations of our Lords approche 1. One part of friendship consisteth in Ressemblance of and conformitie unto our friend when mens principles dispositions ends humors conversation and manner of life is one
sinners which render their looking for the coming of our Lord very efficacious 1. Al sinners have more or lesse some commun notions of a future state There are some notions of good and evil naturally implanted in mens Consciences as the notions of truth and falshood So Rom. 2.14 15 16. The Gentiles are said to be a Law unto themselves c. The Apostles proposition is universally true which argues they were not without some apprehensions of a future state which rewardeth the good and punisheth the evil 2. They have also a natural inbred remote Inclination towards future happinesse with an aversation as to approching miserie 3. These commun notions and inbred Inclinations are oft much heightened by the accesse of Evangelic Illuminations 4. The Spirit of Bondage frequently comes and addes much more light and heat unto natural and awakened Consciences 5. Yea sometimes unconverted sinners obtain a taste of the Heavenly gift and of the powers of the world to come as Heb. 6.4 5. Now these commun notions Inclinations and dispositions specially when they are al in conjunction cannot but have a powerful Influence on awakened sinners such as look for the coming of our Lord. Oh! what strange convulsions and horrors of Conscience have some fallen under what a seeming Crucifixion to the World and Mortification of lust have they attained unto How far have they gone in partial Reformation and Conformitie to the Laws of Christ Yea what commun tastes have they had of approching glories by virtue of these commun notions and Illuminations of the Spirit seconded with a serious expectation of their coming Lord This seems to have been the case of some illuminated Jews of whom we find mention Heb. 6.4 They had not only some natural notions but moreover commun illuminations and tastes of the Heavenly gift Yea they were made partakers of the Holy Ghost i. e. had some transient and commun touches some imperfect worke of sanctification Ay but whence sprang al this That follows v. 5. And have tasted the good word of God i.e. Evangelic tidings of salvation by Christ and the powers of the World to come i. e. the suavities of those good things that shal be reveled at the coming of our Lord. The sum of al seems this The Spirit of God wrought in them some great illuminations and discoveries of the coming of the day of God which gave them labial tastes of the Heavenly Gift and brought them under a great mesure of partial Reformation and Renovation of heart and life 2. The Saints have some peculiar principles and dispositions in them which render their looking for the coming of our Lord exceding influential 1. Believers have a Divine Nature which is suited unto the coming of the day of God and al those good things then to be enjoyed as 2 Pet. 1.4 And this makes the expectation of our Lords coming exceding efficacious There is no disposition so spiritually natural to the new creature as the continual looking for the coming of our Lord. Hence the daily exercice hereof cannot but be of great force for the improvement of al holy Conversation and Godlinesse Believers neither thinke nor speake nor act nor live as they ought longer then they mind the coming of their Lord. 2. Saints have a Spirit of Adoption dwelling in them which addes a prevalent Influence to the looking for the coming of their Lord. The Spirit of Adoption residing in Believers is an earnest of al those glorious enjoyments which shal be reveled at the coming of our Lord and oh what a soverain force doth their looking for the coming of the day of God receive hence for the improvement of al manner of Godlinesse and holy Conversation Thus Rom. 8.23 Our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption The Spirit residing in believers as the principle of their life and Grace is not only the first fruits of approching Glorie but also a powerful spring which inclines the heart by ineffable groans to move towards our approching Lord whereby the heart is fortified and drawen forth in al manner of holy conversation and Godlinesse This Spirit of Adoption thus dwelling and acting in believers doth by lively views of our Lords coming worke up the heart to great elevations of Grace and holinesse 3. Saints have in them a principle of Divine saith which hath a great correspondence with and Influence on their looking for the coming of the day of God in order to an holy conversation and Godlinesse O! what an intimate cognation hath faith with the coming of our Lord and how much is Godlinesse improved by believing sights of that great day where ever we find any peculiar promisses made to a particular condition or frame of Spirit there faith when exercised on such promisses receives a peculiar Influence Now looking for the coming of the day of God hath many special promisses made to it which faith improves and draws influence from in order to a holy conversation and Godlinesse Thus 2 Tim. 4.8 Paul brings in the love of Christs appearing as the main condition of the Crown of Righteousnesse So Heb. 9.28 The looking for Christs coming is made the condition of his appearing the second time without sin unto salvation And in the general I do not find any one frame of spirit which has more peculiar promisses made to it than this of looking for and hastening to the coming of our Lord. Now then faith finding on record such special promisses made to this looking for our Lords approche hence it derives special Motives and Influences whereby it is much raised quickened and fortified in the prosecution of al manner of holy conversation and Godlinesse Special promisses entitle us unto special privileges blessings and Influences upon the performance of the condition annexed to them And the main worke of faith is to sucke and draw forth the juice and marrow of these promisses in order to the Divine life 4. A Saint has a strong Bent of heart with a great quantitie of spiritual Affections which are al suited to the coming of the day of God and being exercised thereon draw thence soverain Influences for the promoting of an holy Conversation and Godlinesse What more agreable to the Saints desires than the coming of their absent Lord how are their hopes solaced herein what a vehement Indignation and Antipathie have they against al that may hinder their Lords approche How much is their spiritual joy satisfied herein What an holy fear have they of themselves lest they should be found short in that day Now these Affections thus exercised on our Lords second coming draw down powerful Influences for the promoting of al manner of Godlinesse When Divine Affections are in conjunction with the coming of the day of God what strange and efficacious Influences procede thence for the begetting and encreasing al manner of holy Coversation and Godlinesse How holy how Heavenly minded are such Christians I should