Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	sin_n	sinful_a	4,258	5	10.1705	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48733	A sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Mary Alston, wife to Joseph Alston Esq; who dyed, Jan. 25. and was interred at Chelsey, Feb. 7. 1670. By Adam Littleton, D.D. Recton of Chelsey.	Littleton, Adam, 1627-1694.	1671 (1671)	Wing L2569; ESTC R221361	13,363	38

should take away sins as the Apostle argues Heb. 10.4 Wherefore the Law as he says there could not by those Sacrifices which were fain to be continually repeated make the comers thereunto perfect For indeed what proportion was there betwixt those mean oblations and the ransom and price of souls For the Verdict of the Law was that the soul that sins shall die What amends then could the death of a poor beast make for the transgression of its owner or how could those sorry acknowledgments reconcile Divine Justice Which made the Prophet Micah cry out VI. 7. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord Shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves of a year old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul No this would have been no compensation It cost more to redeem souls then so But you 'l say if it be so what use was there then of those Ceremonies and Sacrifices Was no one justified under that Law no Righteousness to be had by that Dispensation Yes but 't was the righteousness of Faith then too and those that were were justified by Christ who was represented and typified in those legal Rites for it was the immaculate Lamb that virtuated all those Oblations and the whole Pedagogie of that Law had its effect and consummation in him Wherefore it was to be but of a temporary date and as it pointed to him so it was to end in him Nor was the Ceremonial Law only imperfect but the Moral is so too that which has a natural obligation upon all men The inability of this Law as to Justification is partly from our weakness partly from its own 1. We are naturally unable to perform it in an exact obedience and though some Hereticks are bold to say that a man may by the strength of Nature satisfie all the demands of that Law we are by nature obliged to a Doctrine which modest Philosophers amongst Heathens disclaim as appears by the body of death the blessed Apostle complains of and other passages in him taken out of the Writings of Plato Yet supposing that there were no original corruption and that a man could lead a perfect life which are two things that are not to be supposed for what man ever was there beside the Son of God that was either born or lived without sin If he could make satisfaction where would be his merit Or how could he extend that satisfaction to the benefit of others But alas Scripture tells us no man hath redeemed his own soul much less is he in a capacity to do it for another but must let that alone for ever 2. As we are unable to go through what the Law requires so the Law also is unable to help us It lays Rules indeed before us and Obligations upon us and convinces us sufficiently of the Duty we owe but furnishes us with no strength for the performance of it I had not known sin says the Apostle but for the Law no nor practised it neither For which shews the pravity as well as weakness of our nature lust takes advantage from the Law and breaks out with the more violence from under its restraints Not but that the Law is in it self holy and just and perfect but sin finds occasion from the Law to be exceeding sinful Wherefore he affirms elsewhere that as the sting of death is sin so the strength of sin is the Law from whence sin hath all its damning power since without the Law sin could not damn us for where there 's no law there 's no transgression But what follows But thanks be to God says he which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ and that 's our third Consideration That we are justified by Christ alone What Moses could not do in his Law Christ has done in his Grace has supplied the defects of Nature and what was wanting to Legal Righteousness is made up by the Evangelical The Ceremonies as they were to have their period so were to have their completion too at the coming of Truth and the Law of Works is not so much superseded as 't is accomplished in its end by the Law of Faith which exserts it self though not in an exact as was then required yet in that which is now accepted a sincere obedience Now this Justification I told you is had by Christ two ways 1. By imputation of his satisfaction and merit 2. By the influence and efficacy of his Spirit I am sorry to find that some men among us take offence at these terms of imputed Righteousness and infused Grace as notions that do not so well square with Right i. e. they mean their reason But as sure as our sins were imputed to Christ so really is his Righteousness imputed unto us and as sure as we have no natural ability of our selves to any thing that good is so certain is it that we are to be influenced by Gods good Spirit infusing a principle of grace into us and accompanying that grace along with his assistances in its particular acts Otherwise I am to seek which way we are to expect either to be justified or to be sanctified for I hope they will not say our Justification or Sanctification is from our selves and so make men to become their own Saviours 1. We are justified by Christ per modum meriti as a meritorious cause by vertue of that satisfaction he has made for us For the Father and the Son having in our behalf agreed upon a mutual Covenant and ingagement that whosoever believes should through Christ have forgiveness of his sins and be accepted in the well-beloved and Christ on his part having in his own person fulfilled the Law and fully answered all its demands and satisfied Divine Justice for us it now remains that God as he is faithful will forgive our sins if we be faithful and that he will in justice justifie us sinners by Faith in his Sons sufferings For so he that knew no sin was made sin for us that we through his obedience might be made righteous To this satisfaction of his which was of it self plenary the dignity and excellency of the person that undertook and performed for us has added that illustrious advantage that there has accrued a large stock of merit a purchase of life and glory for all Believers as well as of pardon and grace for true Penitents Nor is it his merit alone for which we are justified But 2. We are justified by him per modum efficientiae too as an efficient cause by the working of his Spirit And this was to ascertain his purchase and to apply his acquists and therefore when he had finished the work of our Redemption he came into this lower world about he not only ascended himself into Heaven there to sit at the right hand of the Father and