A29687:548
The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…
The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered in LVIII sermons from Heb. 12. 14, where you have the necessity, excellency, rarity, beauty and glory of holiness set forth, with the resolution of many weighty questions and cases, also motives and means to perfect holiness : with many other things of very high and great importance to all the sons and daughters of men, that had rather be blessed then cursed, saved then damned / by Thomas Brooks ...The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered in LVIII sermons from Heb. 12. 14, where you have the necessity, excellency, rarity, beauty and glory of holiness set forth, with the resolution of many weighty questions and cases, also motives and means to perfect holiness : with many other things of very high and great importance to all the sons and daughters of men, that had rather be blessed then cursed, saved then damned / by Thomas Brooks ...
London: printed for H. Crips, 1662
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Sixthly and lastly, God would never have encouraged and rewarded with temporal favours, wicked and unregenerate mens religious duties and services as he has done, if he would not have had them exercise themselves in Religious duties; now that he has thus encouraged and rewarded wicked and unregenerate men is evident in these instances, 1 Kings 21.19—ult. Jonah 3.4.—ult. 2 Chron. 26.5. Uzziah sought God in the days of Zechariah, and when he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper; had he been really godly, had he had the root of the matter in him, had he been a sincere, a throughout Christian, he would have sought the Lord all his days, he would have held on and held out in well-doing, but being carnal hypocritical and unregenerate, his Religion dies with Zechariah. Another instance you have of this among the sailors, that usually are the worst of sinners, Psal. 107.23.—30. And another you have in that known case of Jehu; from all which we may well conclude, that God expects and looks that wicked men, that unregenerate men should be found in the exercise of Religious duties. It is an excellent observation of Calvin upon Gods rewarding the Rechabites obedience, Jer. 35.19. God (saith he) oft recompenseth the shadows and seeming appearances of virtue, to show that complacency he takes in the ample rewards he hath reserved for true and sincere piety. To conclude, It was as easy for Boaz to have given Ruth as much corn at once as would have yielded her an Ephah of Barley, & so have sent her home without any more ado, but he would not, being resolved that she should use her endeavour to gather and glean it, and beat it out too when she had gleaned it; so 'tis as easy a thing for God to give his Christ, to give his Spirit, and to give his Grace immediately to poor sinners without their using of the means, but he won't, being resolved that they shall use ⟨p. 337⟩the means of hearing, reading, praying, and conference, &c. and when they have done, leave the issue of all their labours and endeavours to his good Will and pleasure. I have taken the more pains fully and clearly to answer this objection, that it may never more have a resurrection in any of your souls.