Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	adam_n	bring_v	sin_n	7,991	5	5.4699	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76312	The grounds and foundation of natural religion, discover'd, in the principal branches of it in opposition to the prevailing notions of the modern scepticks and latitudinarians. With an introduction concerning the necessity of revealed religion. By Tho. Beconsall, B.D. and fellow of Brasenose Colledge, in Oxford.	Becconsall, Thomas, d. 1709.	1698 (1698)	Wing B1657aA; ESTC R223530	119,538	326

〈◊〉 whereby an invincible Propension to the Things of this World is contracted He confirms the Notion by the Doctrine of Plato and Empedocles The whole Discourse is excellent from Page 252 to p. 272. The Substance of it is collected by the Learned Bishop of Worcester and applied to the present Argument with exquisite Force and Accuracy and therefore supersedes the necessity of another Citation See Orig. Sac. Lib. 3. Cap. 3. From all this it 's indisputably evident the Learned Heathen World were highly sensible of a State of Degeneracy and tho' the greatest part were in the Dark as to its Rise or Original yet some of the most Curious had preserved something of the Footsteps of it However they were all highly sensible of its dismal Effects and Mischiefs But now Revealed Religion has abundantly unfolded this Mystery by assuring us that a Native Depravity was contracted thro' the Transgression of of our First Parents I know the Deist Socinian and the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity look upon this Doctrine to be a piece of Cant or Jargon formed by the Priests those wary Guardians of their own Creeds and profitable Inventions as this Author has it But as for the Deist the general Sense of Mankind and the Doctrines of Philosophers are considerable Arguments to render the reveal'd Accounts of it highly probable And therefore unless he were able to disprove the Truth and Authority of Revelation on the same Foot that we overturn any other forged History I 'm perswaded unbiassed Reason will pronounce his Notions impudent Calumnies or Detractions As for the Author 's of the Reasonableness of Christianity endeavouring to undermine the Corruption of Human Nature upon Adam's Transgression See p. 6. he might have consider'd that it was always the prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church That it is made an Article of the Establish'd Church of England of which he would perswade the World he 's a sound and Orthodox Member and to which Article he has actually submitted And tho' the Word of God has no where in express Terms told us that this natural Depravity is the Seeds of Adam's Transgression yet there are sufficient Authorities of Scripture whence we may infer it by a clear and convincing Consequence We can prove that the Descendents of Adam were undoubtedly affected in the same manner with that of their Parent and both by a Spiritual as well as a Temporal Death I mean such a Death at least as in the Language of Scripture implies a disabling of the Faculties of the Mind as well as a Dissolution of the Animal and Spiritual Principles In a word it may fairly be inferred that that carnal Principles that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that prevails in the whole Off-spring of Adam whereby we are as it were sold under Sin or that reigning Law in our Members that brings us into Captivity to the Law of Sin so that when we would do Good Evil is present with us is the Effect of Adam's Transgression The Body of this Death was undoubtedly derived thorough his Loins on all his Descendents and the Seeds and Principles of a higher Death were certainly transmitted even tho' eternal Death were not formally imputed by making him the Representative of Mankind since these Seeds and Principles in the Language of the Apostle would at least work in our Members to bring forth Fruit unto Death Rom 7. v. 5. I know the great Artifice to which our Adversaries have recourse to blast the Credit of this Doctrine is either to oppose it to the Justice of God or Harangue upon the Impossibilities of it Because God has not clearly revealed and we cannot fully comprehend how such a Depravity is contracted much less propagated But certainly it was never the Business or Design of Revelation to communicate the Manner of the Divine Transactions no more than to Authorize us to reject 'em because we cannot comprehend the manner of ' em It was never a Rule of Revelation to make our own Faculties of Perception in comprehending the Nature of Things or in reconciling 'em to the scanty Notions we have conceived of another Revealed Truth the Standard Test or Measure of Faith And therefore to reject the clearest Evidence of Original Corruption because we cannot comprehend how 't is contracted or because the Notions of Infinite Justice tho' formed by our selves as we think must suffer by it is Base and Unwarrantable But however that our Adversaries may want the Advantage of this Pretence I mean that Original Corruption can no way be accounted for I shall attempt something to demonstrate how it may be Contracted and Transmitted And first This will easily be accounted for from the Nature of Original Corruption It 's already concluded That Original Corruption consists in the Exorbitance of the Animal Part or acts as a Law in our Members warring against the Law of our Minds contending for an opposite Interest to the Laws of right Reason or the true Interests of Human Nature Now that this Irregularity may be the Effect of Adam's Transgression there are two or three Circumstances that render it more highly probable For first Tho' the Violation of a positive Law contains but a simple Act of his Obedience yet it certainly implies a horrid Violence committed upon all the Powers of Human Nature When the Tempter displayed his Wiles and formed his deluding Perswasives it certainly threw the unwary Offender into the greatest Agonies and Convulsions It must rase those convincing Apprehensions of the Majesty and Authority of God it must suppress the Dread of Divine Punishments it must break thro' all the Guards and Powers of Conscience and Fences of Duty it must alienate the whole Frame of the Soul take off those Desires and Propensions that engaged us in the Observance of God's Commands and those Satisfactions that result from the Observance of ' em In a word it must extinguish all the Powers of Divine Love suppress those Flights of Zeal in exercising the Mind and Thoughts in Divine Contemplations the Glories and Perfections of our Maker and in pursuing such Things as will render us remarkably like him So that this Grand Act of Disobedience must contain a Complication of impious Debates and Resolutions before it was committed For certainly the Powers of Nature being so exquisitely fitted for an Obediential Temper and the Soul so deeply possessed with a Sense of the uninterrupted Favours and Bounties of God flowing from his frequent Intercourses and Communications the Devil must play his Temptations a considerable time before he could promise himself success The Passions and Propensions of Human Nature must not only be taken off from serving their great Creator but turned a quite contrary way they must be strongly disposed in gratifying the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and Pride of Life And now who cannot discern the Growth or Production of carnal Exorbitances and consequently the Establishment of Original Corruption It 's concluded that this single

Providence has contrived to enforce the Observance of it By this means their Time and Thoughts will not be engrossed in deep Researches after the Line of Duty and consequently a competent Share of both may be reserved in advancing Arts and Methods to enforce the Practice of it By this means the World enjoys a standing Order of Men by Divine Appointment whose Office is not only to preserve the Line of Duty entire and uncorrupt but to press and inculcate the Observance of it by all the Methods of Persuasion By this means the Overtures of spiritual Succours are ascertain'd to facilitate the Practice of Virtue and certainly where such unmerited Acts of Grace are conferred God may well be allowed to publish his own Canon and require a suitable Obedience to it especially when the doing it is another Act of Grace and unspeakable Condescension § 7. But to proceed the most convincing Argument to represent the Necessity of Revelation derives from the Necessity of a Mediator It 's abundantly concluded That the whole World lieth in Wickedness we certainly carry the Seeds and Principles of Sin about us that will bring forth Fruit unto Death or A Law in our Members warring against the Law of our Minds and bringing us into Captivity unto the Law of Sin This is not a piece of Spiritual Cant invented by any Designing Leaders of an Vnthinking Herd we have traced it in it's Original for by one Man Sin entred into the World and Death by Sin And tho' the Sin of this one Man may not be allowed to be the formal Sin of the whole World yet the Seeds and Principles of Sin engendred by this Sin of one Man and propagated in him thro' the World cannot be denied In this Sense at least Death passed upon all for that all have sinned In this Sense all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God In this Sense the whole Race of Mankind were by Nature the Children of Wrath. The Vengeance of Sin did undoubtedly hang over our Heads in a State of Nature and consequently Deliverance and Safety can only be expected in a State of Revelation For nothing but God who is rich in Mercy for the great Love wherewith he hath loved us even when we were dead in our Sins hath quickned us together with Christ by this Grace we are Saved Natural Reason will inform us That the Wages of Sin is Death for since every Sinner lies at the Foot of Infinite Mercy the Methods of Redemption are lodged in the Hands of God to be established as he shall think fit to reveal himself If God intends a Redemption infinitely more valuable than that Death which he might have exacted in every Man's Person he may rightfully pitch upon his own Methods and establish his own Laws of Redemption The Wisdom and Purity of his own blessed Nature would induce him to contrive a Redemption suitable to the Nature of the Punishment as well as Crime He therefore resolved upon a Substitute or Mediator and required Death for Death Blood for Blood even the Blood of the Immaculate Lamb of God a Sacrifice not only negatively Pure but of infinite inherent Worth and Value It was therefore absolutely necessary God should communicate himself by some special Revelations The Condition of Mankind was such that they must be eternally miserable without some special Communications and Intercourses with their Maker and it was an Act of infinite Grace and Mercy that God was pleased to make his Proposals to his Off-spring This certainly introduces a fresh Covenant between God and Man God was obliged to signifie all his Proposals of Grace and Mercy or the Riches of his Love and consequently it was not only extreamly fit but necessary that he should give us an entire Body of Laws established on express Sanctions and that these should remain as inviolable Conditions on our part to oblige him to make good all his Overtures and Dispensations Thus the necessity of Revelation is established upon a Train of Causes and issues forth of the certain Frame and Posture of Human Affairs and Exigencies Tho' Natural Reason could instruct us in the Line of Duty and we acted with Ingenuity and Abilities to regulate our Lives conformable to it yet in as much as we have been Sinners nothing less than a new Covenant established in a Mediator can entitle us to the Favour of God or that Happiness to which we were originally created Let the Deist then ridicule the revealed Dispensations of his Maker as long as he pleases there 's nothing as yet revealed but what is wonderfully accommodated to the State and Condition of Human Nature nothing but what a Mind that is not grown leud and wanton with Lust will acknowledge to be the Effect of Necessity as well as infinite Bounty and he that disputes it I 'm perswaded is embarked in the same Design with the Psalmist's Fool That hath said in his Heart There is no God § 8. I hope I have in some measure removed this mighty Objection and certainly nothing remains but a short Return to the Absurdity which our Adversaries would throw upon us If Revelation say they were necessary God must be obliged to have published it to the whole Race of Mankind I 'm perswaded there 's no Necessity for Thought or Art to expose or uncover the Nakedness of this Objection It 's abundantly concluded That Man is the Harbinger to his own Misery and consequently it 's an Act of Grace in God to send Overtures of Deliverance If he is the Sovereign Lord of Grace as well in respect of the Time as the Measure and Extent of it there 's no Injustice in confining it either as to Time or Place It 's sufficient that he has taken competent Methods for publishing his own Dispensations whereever he obliges Mankind to the Conditions of it Upon the whole then Revelation is necessary and yet this Necessity does by no means interfere with a Law of Nature antecedent to it The Reader is desired to make the following Amendments ADD and line 23. p. 4. them read Revelation p. 6. l. 9. the r. this p. 18. l. 18. add an after and p. 25. l. 16. omit of p. 28. l. 12. omit if p. 29. l. 25. to r. of p. 38. l. 4. add if p. 39. l. 28. add en to graved p. 43. l. 12. we r. he p. 46. l. 12. Rev. r. Lev. p. 48. l. 19. of r. for l. 22. ib. add there are after and p. 58. l. 25. add only after not p. 89. l. 11. Conscientiaa r. Conscientia p. 92. dictate r. dictates p. 114. l. 19. Intrusion r. Invasion p. 135. l. 7. add any after away p. 136. l. 9. omit is p. 140. l. 9. add as after well p. 140. l. 28. from r. the p. 151. l. 26. yet r. yes p. 161. l. 19. omit tho' p. 169. l. 22. add his before Off-spring p. 180. l. 1. Portion r. Notion p. 185. l. 2. Natures r. Nature p. 242. l.