Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	jesus_n	law_n	spirit_n	7,842	5	6.0757	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62632	Several discourses viz. Of the great duties of natural religion. Instituted religion not intended to undermine natural. Christianity not destructive; but perfective of the law of Moses. The nature and necessity of regeneration. The danger of all known sin. Knowledge and practice necessary in religion. The sins of men not chargeable on God. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late lord arch-bishop of Canterbury. Being the fourth volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.; White, Robert, 1600-1690, engraver.	1697 (1697)	Wing T1261A; ESTC R221745	169,748	495

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us that is whereas the Law left Sinners as to those Sins which stood most in need of pardon under a Curse having provided no expiation for them Christ hath redeemed them from that Curse by making a general expiation for Sin and in this sense it is that the Author to the Hebrews says Ch. 9. 15. that Christ died for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Covenant that is for those Sins for which the Covenant of the Law had provided no way of forgiveness and therefore St. John says emphatically 1 Joh. 1. 7. that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin Thirdly The Law did not afford sufficiently plain and certain Rules and Directions for a good Life As the corruption and degeneracy of Mankind grew worse so the light of Nature waxed dimmer and dimmer and the Rule of Good and Evil was more doubtful and uncertain and that in very considerable instances of our Duty The Law of Moses was peculiar to the Jews and even to them who only had the benefit and advantage of it it did not give clear and perfect light and direction as to Moral Duties and those things which are of an Eternal and Immutable Reason and Goodness And therefore our Saviour in this Sermon explains it to a greater perfection than it was understood to have among the Jews or the letter of it seemed to intend and hath not only forbidden several things permitted by that Law as Divorce and Retaliation of Injuries but hath heightned our Duty in several instances of it requiring us to love our Enemies and to forgive the greatest injuries and provocations tho' never so often repeated and not only not to revenge them but to requite them with good turns which were not understood by Mankind to be Laws before but yet when duly consider'd are very agreeable to right Reason and the sense of the wisest and b●st Men. So that the Christian Religion ●ath not only fixt and determined our Duty and brought it to a greater certainty but hath raised it to a greater perfection and rendered it every way fit to bring the Minds of Men to a more Divine temper and a more reasonable and perfect way of serving God than ever the World was instructed in before Fourthly The Promises and Threatnings of the Law were only of temporal good and evil things which are in comparison of the endless Rewards and Punishments of another World but very languid and faint Motives to obedience Not but that the Jews under the Law had such apprehensions of their own Immortality and of a future state of Happiness and Misery after this Life as Natural Light suggested to them which was in most but a wavering and uncertain perswasion and consequently of small efficacy to engage Men to their Duty but the Law of Moses added little or nothing to the clearness of those Natural Notions concerning a future state and the strengthning of this perswasion in the Minds of Men it did rather suppose it than give any new force and life to it And for this Reason more particularly the Apostle tells us that the Law was but weak to make Men good because it did not work strongly enough upon the hopes and fears of Men by the weight of its Promises and the terrour of its Threatnings and that for this weakness and imperfection of it it was removed and a more powerful and awakening dispensation brought in in the place of it Heb. 7. 18 19. For there is verily a disannulling of the Commandment that was before that is of the Jewish Law for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof for the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did that is the Covenant of the Gospel which promiseth Eternal Life And Ch. 8. 6. for this Reason more especially the Apostle says that Christ had obtained a more excellent Ministry being the Mediator of a better Covenant which was establish'd upon better Promises And Rom. 1. 16 18. St. Paul tell us that for this Reason the Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation because therein the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. The clear Revelation of a Future Judgment was that which made the Gospel so proper and so powerful an Instrument for the Salvation of Men. The great impiety of Mankind and their impenitency in it was not so much to be wondred at before while the World was in a great measure ignorant of the infinite danger of a wicked Life and therefore God is said in some sort to overlook it but now he commands all Men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Acts 17. 30 31. The clear discovery and perfect assurance of a future Judgment calls loudly upon all Men to leave their Sins and turn to God Fifthly The Covenant of the Law had no spiritual Promises contained in it of the grace and assistance of God's Holy Spirit for the mortifying of Sin and enabling Men to their Duty and supporting them under Sufferings but the Gospel is full of clear and express Promises to this purpose Our Saviour hath assured us that God will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11. 13. and this the Apostle tells us is actually confer'd upon all true Christians those who do sincerely embrace and believe the Gospel Rom. 8. 9. If any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Hence the Gospel is call'd by the same Apostle the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus v. 2d of that Chap. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death and in the next words he tells us that herein manifestly appeared the weakness of the Law that it left Men destitute of this mighty help and advantage at least as to any special promise of it What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and by making him a Sacrifice for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit that is that that Righteousness which the Law aimed at and signified but was too weak to effect might be really accomplisht in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit that is who are acted and assisted by a higher and better Principle than Men either have in Nature or the carnal dispesnation of the Law did endow Men withall And because of this great defect the Law is said to be a state of Bondage and Servitude and on the contrary

he might redeem them that were under the Law and that those who were in the condition of Servants before might be set at liberty and receive the adoption of Sons But how did his being made under the Law qualifie him to redeem those who were under the Law Thus By submitting to it himself he shewed that he owned the Authority of it and that he had no malice or enmity against it or as he himself expresses it that he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it And being fulfill'd and having serv'd the time and end for which God intended it it expir'd of it self like a Law which is not made for perpetuity but limited to a certain period And our Blessed Saviour who came with greater Authority than Moses and gave greater Testimony of his Divine Authority had sufficient power to declare the expiration of it and by Commissioning his Disciples before and after his death to Preach the Gospel to the whole World he put an end to that particular Law and Dispensation which only concern'd the Jewish Nation by giving a general Law to all Mankind So that from the Death of our Saviour and his Ascension into Heaven upon which followed the general publication of the Gospel the Law of Moses ceased and according to our Saviour's express appointment Proselytes were to be admitted into the Christian Church only by Baptism and not by Circumcision And ●f Circumcision which was the sign of that Covenant was laid aside then the whole Obligation of that Law and Covenant which God had made with the Jews was also ceased It was once indeed the mark of God's chosen and peculiar People but now that God hath revealed himself to the whole World by his Son and offers Salvation to all Mankind Gentiles as well as Jews the wall of separation is broken down and Circumcision which was the mark of distinction between Jews and Gentiles is taken away and therefore he is said to have made peace by his Cross and to have blotted out and taken away the hand-writing of Ordinances nailing it to his Cross that is from the time of his Death to have taken away the obligation of the Law of Moses tho' it was a good while after before the Jews were wholly weaned from the veneration and use of it Nay it was some time before the Apostles were clearly convinc'd that the Gospel was to be preach'd to the Gentiles this being one of those Truths which our Saviour promised after his departure his Spirit should lead them into the perfect knowledge of and then they were fully instructed that the Law of Moses was expir'd and that it was no longer necessary to the Salvation of Men that they should be Circumcised and keep that Law And tho' it was once enjoyn'd by God himself to the Jews and their Obedience to it was necessary to their acceptance with God yet now by Christ Jesus God had offered Salvation to Men upon other Terms and whether they were Circumcised or not was of no moment to their Justification or Salvation one way or other but provided they perform'd the Condition of this New Covenant of the Gospel they were all alike capable of the Divine Favour and Acceptance But I proceed to that which I mainly intended to prosecute from these words and that is the Second Particular in the Text namely that according to the terms of the Gospel and the Christian Religion nothing will avail to our justification and acceptance with God but the real renovation of our Hearts and Lives neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new Creature For the full explication of this I shall do these three Things First Shew what is imply'd in this Phrase of a new Creature Secondly That this is the great Condition of our justification and acceptance with God and that it is the same in substance with Faith perfected by Charity and with keeping the Commandments of God Thirdly That it is very reasonable it should be so 1. What is imply'd in this Phrase of a new Creature It is plain at first sight that it is a Metaphorical expression of that great and thorough change which is made in Men by the Gospel or the Christian Religion The Scripture sets forth to us this Change by great variety of expressions by Conversion and turning from our Iniquities unto God by Repentance which signifies a change of our Mind and Resolution and is in Scripture call'd Repentance from dead works and Repentance unto Life by Regeneration or being born again by Resurrection from the Dead and rising to newness of Life by Sanctification and being wash'd and cleans'd from all filthiness and impurity which three last Metaphors are imply'd in Baptism which is call'd Regeneration Tit. 3. 5. According to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the ●oly Ghost and our being born again of Water and the Holy Ghost John 3. 3. Except a Man be born again c. and ver 5. except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God and the purifying of our Consciences Heb. 10. 22. having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our Bodies wash'd with pure water and the answer of a good Conscience towards God 1 Pet. 3. 21. Baptism doth now save us not the putting away of the filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God and finally our being Baptiz'd into the Death and Resurrection of Christ Rom. 6. 3 4. Know ye not that so many of us as were Baptized into Jesus Christ were Baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of Life And lastly this Change is set forth to us by Renovation and our being made New Creatures and new Men 2 Cor. 5. 17. Therefore if any Man be in Christ that is professeth himself a Christian he is a new Creature old things are past away behold all things are become new And so likewise Ephes 4. 22 23 24. this great Change is exprest by putting off concerning the former Conversation the old Man which is corrupt according to the lusts of deceit and being renewed in the spirit of our Minds and putting on that new Man which after God is Created in Righteousness and true Holiness The Expression is very emphatical renewed in the spirit of our Minds that is in our very Minds and Spirits to signifie to us that it is a most inward and thorough Change reaching to the very center of our Souls and Spirits And Colos 3. 9 10 11th verses it is represented much after the same manner Seeing ye have put off the old Man with his deeds and have put on the new Man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that Created him where there is neither Greek nor Jew Circumcision nor