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A59569 A sermon preach'd before the Queen at White-Hall on Easter-Day, March 27, 1692 by the Most Reverend Father of God, John, Lord Archbishop of York, Primate of England and Metropolitan. Sharp, John, 1645-1714. 1692 (1692) Wing S2997; ESTC R10735 12,701 34

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A SERMON Preach'd before the QUEEN AT WHITE-HALL ON EASTER-DAY March 27. 1692. By the most Reverend Father in GOD JOHN Lord Archbishop of YORK Primate of England and Metropolitan Published by Her Majesty's Special Command LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1692. The Archbishop of YORK's SERMON Before the QUEEN On Easter-Day 1692. A SERMON Preach'd before the QUEEN Philip. iii. 10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection WE shall easily see the Design of these Words and what use we are to make of them if we look at their Connexion with the Discourse that goes before St. Paul in this Chapter sets himself to shew the Excellency and the great Advantages of the Knowledge of Jesus Christ and how inconsiderable how unworthy to be named in comparison therewith all those things were that the Jews his Country-men so much gloried in His Discourse upon this occasion is so very remarkable that it will be worth our while to run over the particulars of it I also saith he in the 4th verse might have confidence in the flesh If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the Flesh I more As if he had said Think not O Philippians that I therefore speak lightly of those Priviledges and Advantages which the Jews among you so much boast of upon this account because I have none of them my self No on the contrary if I would value my self upon such outward carnal things I have as much reason as any Nay there is not a Jew among you that perhaps can say so much on his own behalf in this respect as I can For as he goes on in the 5th and 6th verses I was circumcised the eighth day of the Stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the Law a Pharisee concerning Ze●l pe●secuting the Church touching the Righteousness whi● is by the Law blameless That is to say I have not only the Character of a Son of Abraham upon me being circumcised but I am also of the Race of Israel which all the circumcised Children of Abraham are not Nay further I am an Israelite of the Tribe of Benjamin that Benjamin which our Father Israel so dearly loved and that Tribe which together with Judah kept firm to the house of David and the true Religion when the other ten Tribes revolted Nay more I am an Hebrew of the Hebrews Not sprung from Proselytes as many among you are but all my Ancestors both by Father and Mother being natural born Jews And then as to my Profession in Religion it was the strictest among the Jews for I was a Pharisee And you all know that Sect of all others to be the most eminent for the Reputation of Preciseness and Sanctity Neither did I in my Zeal for the Law of Moses come short of the strictest Pharisee that is among you for who was more busie more eager more violent in persecuting Christianity than I was And lastly To summ up all as to the Righteousness which is by the Law I am blameless So punctual have I always been in observing the Precepts of Moses his Law that none can reprove me in that point but I may truly in the Jewish notion of Righteousness be accounted a Righteous Person But now am I much the better for all these things Have I any great reason to glory upon the account of them No verily as he goes on in the 7th verse but what things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ. All these outward Advantages my Birth my Profession my Sect my Reputation my strict way of living which might have proved very beneficial to me in all worldly respects when I once came to the knowledge of the Christian Religion I despised them all For in truth I found that they were so far from being real Advantages to me that they were rather hindrances in the way of Vertue and Piety Yea doubtless as he goes on in the 8th verse I account all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ. That is to say Not only the above-named privileges but all other things whatsoever Wealth Greatness Fame Friends and Life it self I account them all very pitiful things if they be compared with the inestimable advantages of being a Christian. As I have once so I will again readily forsake all part with all things that the World holds most dear and valuable nay I will trample them under my feet like dirt and dung provided I may obtain the Favour of Christ. And as he goes on in the 9th verse that I might be found in him not having my own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is by the Faith of Iesus Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith This passage hath been frequently misunderstood and interpreted to a sense that I believe St. Paul did not think of St. Paul doth not here oppose an inherent Righteousness to an imputed one but an outward natural legal Righteousness to that which is inward and spiritual and wrought in a Man by the Spirit of God The Righteousness which the Apostle here desires to be found in is not the Righteousness of Christ made his or imputed to him but a real Righteousness produced in his Soul by the Faith of Jesus Christ. The plain Sense of the Verse seems to be this That which above all things I desire is to be sound in Christ i. e. to be found a Disciple of his ingrasted into him by being a Member of his Church not having my own Righteousness which is of the Law i. e. not being content with those outward Priviledges and that outward Obedience which by my own natural Strength I am able to yield to the Precepts of the Law which is that Righteousness in which the Jews place their Confidence and by which they expect to be justified before God But that which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith i. e. that Righteousness which I desire and in which only I shall have the Confidence to appear before God is an inward Principle of Holiness that Spiritual renewed Obedience to God's Laws which he doth require as the condition of his Favour and Acceptance and which I can never attain to but by the Faith of Christ by becoming a Christian. This is none of my own Righteousness but God's it being wrought in me by his Spirit accompanying the preaching of the Gospel and as it is his Gift so he will own it and reward it at the last day This is the full importance of that Verse and then it follows by way of Explication of what he now said That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection c. This is the Righteousness that I aspire