Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A26695
|
A sure guide to heaven, or, An earnest invitation to sinners to turn to God in order to their eternal salvation shewing the thoughtful sinner what he must do to be saved / by Joseph Alleine.
|
Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.
|
1688
(1688)
|
Wing A977; ESTC R28088
|
129,275
|
198
|
A Sure Guide TO HEAVEN OR An Earnest Invitation to Sinners to turn to God in order to their Eternal Salvation Shewing the thoughtful Sinner what he must do to be saved By Ioseph Alleine late Minister of the Gospel at Taunton in Somersetshire John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1688. TO THE READER That would be safe and happy IF it were only possible thou mayst live hereafter and be called to account in another world for what thou dost in this it would be thy wisdom to take the safest course and not to run the constant hazard of being dragg'd by death to Iudgment before thou wert prepar'd to meet thy Iudge But another Life and a Judgment to come are more than possible there is an high probability yea as great a certainty as can with reason he expected that death will not put an end to thy being that thou shalt live after the return of thy body to the Earth and that then thou shalt be tryed and sentenced to such an happiness or misery as will be incomparably greater than any thing nay than all thou didst ever feel or see hear of or imagine These weighty Truths are taught and establisht in some measure by the Light of Nature but much more clearly and firmly by the Oracles of God in the Holy Scriptures Besides what they say of the different states of separated Souls they plainly teach and strongly assert That God hath appointed a time in which he will judge the whole world by the Mediator Jesus Christ that that great Mediator who is God as well as Man will descend from Heaven attended by its glorious Inhabitants with triumphant Acclamations to his Royal Throne that a mighty Voice will cite all that ever dwelt on Earth to make their personal appearance that that awakening and commanding Summons shall be presently heard and obeyed by the dead and they with the quick then remaining alive shall all stand before the Judgment Seat that after a throughly searching and impartial tryal which will reach mens several talents trusts and opportunities of getting and doing good and their most secret actions words and thoughts every one shall receive an unalterable Sentence of Absolution or Condemnation and that then such as are approv'd and absolv'd shall inherit an heavenly Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world be like the Angels their delightful Companions converse with their most amiable and loving Saviour beholding and partaking of his glory yea resemble see and enjoy God himself in compleated Holiness and everlasting Bliss And those on the other hand that are reprobated and damn'd shall never be admitted into the Regions of Light nor yet be favour'd with a glimpse thereof but suffer with Devils in the blackness of darkness for ever the perpetual gnawings of the Worm that dieth not and the extreme torments of unquenchable fire Seeing then these things cannot be denied thou must be guilty of such woful abuses of reason as far exceed all the extravagancies of them that want it thou must be most grosly foolish most unnaturally cruel to thine own Soul to thy whole self if thou dost not earnestly desire to be one of those unto whom the Lord shall say Come ye blessed and not Depart ye cursed if thou dost not readily welcom and diligently use any proper helps for the avoiding of the heaviest endless misery and for the attaining of the purest vastest everlasting happiness And such helps are now offered thee in this little Book which hath a taking tincture of the excellent Author's flaming love to God and useful Charity to the Souls of men and now it is in thine hand let me tell thee it cannot be refus'd the reading or reaâ— without doing what it so plainly teacheth and affectionately urgeth but at thy greatest peril If thou wilt not be at a small expence of time and pains to read it over if after the neglect of so many means of instruction this also be rejected how justly mayst thou be destroyed for lack of knowledge How soon may the things which belong unto thy peace be hid from thine eyes A continued wilful want of understanding is large ground for fear lest he that made thee should not have mercy on thee and he that form'd and redeem'd thee should shew thee no favour If thou readest but dost not practise what Scripture and Reason so pathetically plead for the increase of thy knowledge will increase thy sorrow because it will aggravate thy sin for to him that knows his Lords will how and why to do good and doth it not but the forbidden evil to him 't is heinous inexcusable sin for which he is liable to be beaten with many stripes in constant dreadful danger of severer punishment I hope therefore thou wilt peruse so short a discourse and art not unwilling to do it in such a manner as to grow acquainted with and be perswaded to thy great duty and which is inseparable from it thy greatest advantage and that thou may'st not fail thereof is the design of the following Directions 1. Pray in the name of Christ as thou art and shalt be enabled for the more effectual assistances of the Holy Spirit Such is the corruption of our nature that it utterly disables to make a saving use of outward means without inward aids Unless the Spirit by his powerful operations work thee into a serious teachable temper set home the attempts of Gods Messengers and give them an efficacy far beyond their own the most concerning truths and weightiest arguments can never be so represented and inforc'd as to overcome thy sensual worldly inclinations rescue thee from the dominion of sin and Satan and bring thee back to God. Thou must therefore pray and that with becoming apprehensions of the great God due regard to the gracious Mediator deep shame and sorrow for the â—ins thou confessest ardent desires of all the grace thou beggest and faithful improvements of such measures as thou hast already received And if thou thus askest with fervent importunity and persevering constancy thou wilt undoubtedly find that God bade thee not to seek his face in vain As our Lord warrants us to argue Luke II. If a man will not deny a Friend what he is importunate for and if a Father will grant his Son what he asks and wants much more will thy Heavenly Father give thee the Holy Spirit for all needful purposes to produce all those effects in thee that are truly necessary for thine Eternal Salvation 2. Consider seriously what thou readest and work it on thy Soul as far as thou art concern'd therein Medicines for the Body will operate though they are not thought of but Spiritual Remedies for the mind require its co-operation with them the clearest explications fullest proofs and strongest motives about matters of nearest and
sound Conversion the wrath of God abideth on thee and he proclaims himself to be against thee as in the Prophet Ezek. 5. 8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I even I am against thee I. His face is against thee Psal. 34. 16. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them Wo unto them whom God shall set his face against When he did but look upon the host of the Egyptians how terrible was the consequence Ezek. 14. 8. I will set my face against that man and will make him a sign and proverb and will cut him off from the midst of my people and you shall know that I am the Lord. 2. His heart is against thee He hateth all the workers of iniquity Man doth not thine heart tremble to think of thy being an object of God's hatred Ier. 15. 1. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be towards this people cast them out of my sight Zech. 7. 8. My soul loathed them and their souls also abhorred me 3. His hand is against thee 1 Sam. 12. 14 15. All his Attributes are against thee First His Justice is like a flaming Sword unsheathed against thee If I whet my glittering Sword and my Hand take hold on Judgment I will render vengeance to mine adversaries and will reward them that hate me I will make mine arrows drunk with blood c. Deut. 32. 40 41. So exact is Justice that 't will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34. 7. God will not discharge thee he will not hold thee guiltless Exod. 20. 7. but will require the whole debt in person of thee unless thou canst make a Scripture claim to Christ and his satisfaction When the enlightned Sinner looks on justice and sees the ballance in which he must be weighed and the sword by which he must be executed he feels an earth-quake in his Breast But Satan keeps this out of sight and perswades the Soul while he can that the Lord is all made up of mercy and so lulls it asleep in sin Divine justice is very strict it must have satisfaction to the utmost farthing it denounceth indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish to every soul that doth evil Rom. 2. 8 9. It curseth every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in the Law to do it Gal. 3. 10. The justice of God to the unpardoned sinner that hath a sense of his misery is more terrible than the sight of the Bayliff or Creditor to the bankrupt debtor or than the sight of the Judge and Bench to the Robber or of the Irons and Gibbet to the guilty Murderer When Justice sits upon life and death Oh what dreâ—dful work doth it make with the wretched sinner Bind him hand and foot cast him into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 22. 13. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire Mat. 25. 41. This is the terrible sentence that Justice pronounceth Why sinner by this severe Justice must thou be tryed and as God liveth this killing sentence shalt thou hear unless thou repent and be converted Secondly The holiness of God is full of antipathy against thee Psal. 5. 4 5. He is not only angry with thee so he may be with his own Children but he hath a fixed rooted habitual displeasure against thee he loaths thee Zech. 11. 8. and what is done by thee though for substance commanded by him Isa. 1. 14. Mal. 1. 10. As if a man should give his servant never so good meat to dress yet if he should mingle filth or poyson with it he would not touch it Gods Nature is infinitely contrary to sin and so he cannot but hate a sinner out of Christ. O what a misery is this to be out of the favour yea under the hatred of God! Eccles. 5. 4. Hos. 9. 15. that God can as easily lay aside his Nature and cease to be God as not be contrary to thee and detest thee except thou be changed and renewed by grace O sinner how darest thou to think of the bright and radiant Sun of purity upon the beauties the glory of holiness that is in God! The Stars are not pure in his sight Job 25. 5. He humbleth himself to behold things that are done in Heaven Psal. 11. 3. 6. O those light and sparkling eyes of his what do they espy in thee and thou hast no interest in Christ neither that he should plead for thee Methinks I should hear thee crying out astonished with the Bethshemites Who shall stand before this holy Lord God 1 Sam. 6. 20. Thirdly The power of God is mounted like a mighty Cannon against thee The glory of Gods power is to be displayed in the wonderful confusion and destruction of them that obey not the Gospel 2 Thes. 1. 8 9. He will make his power known in them Rom. 9. 22. How mightily he can torment them For this end he raiseth them up that he might make his power known Rom. 9. 17. O man art thou able to make thy party good with thy Maker No more than a silly Reed against the Cedars of God or a little Cock-boat against the tumbling Ocean or the Childrens Bubbles against the blustring Winds Sinner the power of Gods anger is against thee Psal. 90. 11. and power and anger together make fearful work 'T were better thou hadst all the world in arms against thee than to have the power of God against thee There is no escaping his hands no breaking his prison The thunder of his power who can understand Iob 26. 14. Unhappy man that shall understand it by feeling it If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardned himself against him and prospered Which removeth the Mountains and they know it not which overturneth them in his anger Which shaketh the earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not and sealeth up the Stars Behold he taketh away who can hinder him who will say unto him What dost thou If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers do stoop under him Iob 9. 3 4 5 6 c. And art thou a fit match for such an antagonist O consider this you that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you Psal. 50. 22. Submit to mercy Let not dust and stubble stand it out against the Almighty Set not Briars and Thorns against him in Battle lest he go through them and consume them together but tay hold on his strength that you may make peace with him Isa. 27. 4 5. Wo to him that striveth with his Maker Isa. 45. 9. Fourthly The wisdom of God is set to ruin thee He hath ordained his arrows and prepared the instruments of death and made all things ready Psal. 7. 12 13. His