Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	deny_v	teach_v	ungodliness_n	4,302	5	11.7286	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62635	Several discourses by the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson ... , being the fifth volume published from the originals by Ralph Barker ...	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1263; ESTC R31970	188,402	488

Meekness the Word of God which is able to save our Souls SERMON II. The Prejudices against Christianity consider'd MATTH XI 6 And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me I Have from these Words propounded to consider two things I. Those Prejudices and Objections which the World had against our Saviour and his Religion at their first Appearance as also to enquire into those which Men at this day do more especially insist upon against the Christian Religion Vol. V. and to show the Unreasonableness of them II. How happy a thing it is to escape and overcome the common Prejudices which Men have against Religion I have entred upon the first of these the Prejudices which the World had against our Saviour and his Religion When this great Teacher of Mankind came from God though he gave all imaginable Testimony and Evidence that he was sent from Heaven yet the greatest part of the World both Jews and Gentiles were mightily offended at him and deeply prejudiced against him and his Doctrine but not both upon the same Account I have already given you an Account of the chief Exceptions which the Jews made against our Saviour and his Doctrine and have shewn the Unreasonableness of them I proceed now to consider the principal of those Exceptions which the Gentiles and Heathen Philosophers took at our Saviour and his Doctrine Ser. 2. I shall mention these four First That Christianity was a great Innovation and contrary to the received Institutions of the World Secondly They objected against the Plainness and Simplicity of the Doctrine Thirdly That it wanted Demonstration Fourthly That the low and suffering Condition of our Saviour was unsuitable to one that pretended to be the Son of God and to be appointed by him for a Teacher and Reformer of the World These are the chief Exceptions which the Heathen and especially their Philosophers took at our Saviour and his Doctrine First That the Christian Religion was a great Innovation and contrary to the received Institutions of the World and consequently that it did condemn the Religion which had been so universally received and establish'd in the World by so long a continuance of Time And no wonder if this made a great Impression upon them and raised a mighty Prejudice in the Minds of Men against the Christian Religion no Prejudices being so strong as those that are fix'd in the Minds of Men by Education And of all the Prejudices of Education none so violent and hard to be removed as those about Religion yea though they be never so groundless and unreasonable Hath a Nation changed their Gods which yet are no Gods Intimating to us that men are very hardly brought off from that Religion which they have been brought up in how absurd soever it be When Christianity was first propounded to the Heathen World had Men been free and indifferent and not prepossess'd with other Apprehensions of God and Religion it might then have been expected from them that they should have entertained it with a readiness of Mind proportionable to the Reasonableness of it But the Case was quite otherwise the World had for many Ages been brought up to another way of Worship and inur'd to Rites and Superstitions of a quite different Nature And this sways very much with Men Sequimur majores nostros qui feliciter sequuti sunt suos as one of the Heathens said in those Days We follow our Ancestors who happily follow'd theirs Men are hardly brought to condemn those Opinions and Customs in Religion which themselves and their Forefathers have always embraced and followed And Wise Men especially are loth to admit so great a change in a matter of so great Concernment as Religion is So that this must be acknowledged to have been a considerable Prejudice against the Christian Religion at its first Appearance But yet upon a through Examination this will not be found sufficient in Reason to withhold Men from embracing Christianity if we consider these four Things 1. No prudent Person thinks that the Example and Custom of his Forefathers obligeth him to that which is evil in it self and pernicious to him that does it and there is no Evil no Danger equal to that of a false Religion for that tends to the ruin of Men's Souls and their undoing for ever A Man might better alledge the Example of his Forefathers to justify his Errors and Follies in any other kind than in this which is so infinitely pernicious in the Consequences of it 2. In a great Corruption and Degeneracy it is no sufficient Reason against a Reformation that it makes a Change When Things are amiss it is always fit to amend and reform them and this cannot be done without a Change The wisest among the Heathen did acknowledge that their Religion was mixt with very great Follies and Superstitions and that the Lives and Manners of Men were extremely corrupt and degenerate and they endeavour'd as much as they could and durst to reform these things And therefore there was no Reason to oppose an effectual Reformation for fear of a Change a Change of Things for the better tho it be usually hard to be effected being always a thing to be desired and wish'd for 3. The Change which Christianity designed was the least liable to Exception that could be being nothing else in the main of it but the reducing of Natural Religion the bringing of Men back to such Apprehensions of God and such a way of worshipping him as was most suitable to the Divine Nature and to the Natural Notions of Men's Minds nothing else but a Design to persuade Men of the one true God Maker of the World that he is a Spirit and to be worshipp'd in such a manner as is suitable to his Spiritual Nature And then for matters of Practice to bring Men to the Obedience of those Precepts of Temperance and Justice and Charity which had been universally acknowledged even by the Heathens themselves to be the great Duties which Men owe to themselves and others And that this is the main Design of the Christian Religion the Apostle hath told us in most plain and express Words Tit. 2.11 12. The Grace of God that is the Doctrine of the Gospel which hath appeared to all Men and brings Salvation teacheth us that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present World And all that the Christian Religion adds beyond this is means and helps for our Direction and Assistance and Encouragement in the Discharge and Performance of these Duties For our Direction God hath sent his Son in our Nature to declare his Will to us and to be a Pattern and Example of Holiness and Virtue For our Assistance he hath promised the Aids of his Holy Spirit and for our Encouragement he offers to us Pardon of Sin in the Blood of his Son and Eternal Life and Happiness in another World This is a short

sight and enjoyment of God who is the Cause and Fountain of Happiness I come in the Fifth and last place To shew that this Method and Means of our Salvation is no prejudice to the Law of Faith and to the free Grace and Mercy of God declared in the Gospel The Gospel is called the Law of Faith and the Law of Grace in opposition to the Jewish Dispensation which is called the Law or Covenant of Works because it consisted so much in external Rites and Observances which were but types and shadows of good things to come as the Apostle calls them in this Epistle and which when they were come that Law did expire of it self and was out of date the obligation and observance of it was no longer necessary but a better Covenant which was establish'd upon better Promises came in the place of it and Men were justified by Faith that is by sincerely embracing the Christian Religion and were no longer under an obligation to that external and servile and imperfect Dispensation which consisted in Circumcision and in almost an endless number of external Ceremonies These are the works of the Law so often spoken of by St. Paul concerning which the Jews had not only an opinion of the necessity of them to a Man's Justification and Salvation but likewise of the Merit of them in opposition to both which opinions St. Paul calls the Covenant of the Gospel the Law of Faith and the Law of Grace But there is no where the least intimation given either by our Saviour or his Apostles that Obedience to the Precepts of the Gospel which are in substance the Moral Law cleared and perfected is not necessary to our acceptance with God and the obtaining of Eternal Life but on the contrary 't is our Saviour's express Direction to the young Man who ask'd what good thing he should do that he might obtain Eternal Life If thou wilt says he enter into Life keep the Commandments and that he might understand what Commandments he meant he instanceth in the Precepts of the Moral Law And indeed the whole tenour of our Saviour's Sermons and the Precepts and Writings of the Apostles are full and express to this purpose Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine that is these Precepts which I have delivered and doth them not I will liken him to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them In every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith that is acted and inspired by Charity And that the Apostle here means that Charity or Love which is the fulfilling of the Law is evident from what he says elsewhere that neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but the keeping of the Commandments of God In which Text it is plain that the Apostle speaks of the terms of our Justification and what is available with God to that purpose And St. James to the same purpose tells us that by the works of Obedience our Faith is made perfect and that Faith without Works is dead and surely a dead Faith will neither justifie nor save any Man St. John likewise very earnestly cautions us to take heed of any such Doctrine as would take away the necessity of Righteousness and Obedience Little Children says he let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous as he is righteous To all which I shall only add the plain words of my Text that Christ became the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey him So that no Man hath reason to fear that this Doctrine of the necessity of Obedience to our Acceptance with God and the obtaining of eternal life should be any ways prejudicial to the Law of Faith and the Law of Grace For so long as these three things are but asserted and secured 1 st That Faith is the Root and Principle of Obedience and a holy Life and that without it it is impossible to please God 2 dly That we stand continually in need of the Divine Grace and Assistance to enable us to perform that Obedience which the Gospel requires of us and is pleased to accept in order to eternal life And 3 dly That the forgiveness of our Sins and the Reward of eternal Life are founded in the free Grace and Mercy of God conferring these Blessings upon us not for the merit of our Obedience but only for the merit and satisfaction of the Obedience and Sufferings of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer I say so long as we assert these three things we give all that the Gospel any where ascribes to Faith and to the Grace of God revealed in the Gospel I have been careful to express these things more fully and distinctly that no Man may imagine that whilst we assert the Necessity of Obedience and a Holy Life we have any design to derogate in the least from the Faith and the Grace of God but only to engage and encourage Men to Holiness and a good Life by convincing them of the absolute and indispensable necessity of it in order to eternal Salvation For all that I have said is in plain English no more but this That it is necessary for a Man to be a good Man that he may get to Heaven and whoever finds fault with this Doctrine finds fault with the Gospel it self and the main end and design of the Grace of God therein revealed to Mankind which offers Salvation to Men upon no other terms than these which I have mentioned and to preach and press this Doctrine is certainly if any thing in the World can be so to pursue the great End and Design of the Christian Religion so plainly and expresly declared by St. Paul Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appear'd to all men teaching us that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World And if the Grace of God declared in the Gospel have this effect upon us then we may with Confidence wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good works and then he adds these things teach and exhort and rebuke with all Authority that is declare and inculcate this doctrine and rebuke severely those who teach or practise contrary to it And he repeats it again with a more vehement Charge to Titus to press upon Men the necessity of