Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	punishment_n	sin_n	transgression_n	4,361	5	10.4522	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29531	Tears for Jerusalem, or, The compassionate lamentation of a tender hearted saviour over a rebellious and obdurate people a subject entered upon on the late day of solemn humiliation, December 6, 1655, afterwards prosecuted, and now published as useful at all times, but very seasonable for the present / by John Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1656 (1656)	Wing B4731A; ESTC R210555	79,536	150

by the Angels as some conceive it was steadfast was of such force and authority that none who violated it escaped unpunished and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him that is the doctrine of salvation the Gospel which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word of Salvation Acts 13.26 being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the way of Salvation Acts 16.17 bringing so great salvation as no other way can even eternal salvation which was preached and published first by Christ himself then by his Apostles This doctrine being of such consequence and so clearly held forth it maketh the sin of those who shall not hearken to it to be more heinous then of those under the Law for which they must expect an answerable judgment Consonant hereunto is that other place Heb. 10.28 29. He that despised Moses his Law died without mercy the crime being Capital and so declared by the Law it was not in the power whether of King or Senate to pardon it Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the son of God c. and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace Thus sins against the Gospel are greater and more heinous then those against the Law The more light the more grace a man sinneth against the greater is his sin and the greater shall his punishment be R R. Grace abused a high contempt And it must needes be so as Calvin giveth the reason of it inasmuch as here is an addition of one sin which is greater then any of the rest viz. Sacrilega caelestis gratiae profanatiò a Sacrilegious profaning and abusing of the grace of God Of all Sins none more heinous none so heinous as this This is the Attribute which God is most tender of his Grace To have that sleighted disregarded trampled under foote by a contemptuous disrespect this is a heinous addition to all former sins and offences As suppose a Malefactour standing guiltie of some capital crime and adjudged to dye should so far sleight the grace and favour of his Prince as to reject his pardon being tendred to him casting it away and trampling it under his feete so not accepting the benefit of it who but would looke upon this as a high aggravation of his former offenses and adjudging him most worthy to die and perish in that his wilfull contempt and refusall of mercy Thus standeth the case All the sonnes of men standing guilty before God by reason of Adams sin and their own and so obnoxious unto eternall death it hath pleased God out of his abundant grace and mercy to grant a pardon to all those who repenting of their sinns shall beleive on the name of his Son This pardon he holdeth forth in the preaching of the Gospel Now for any to sleight this Gospel and the offer of grace and mercie in it how can this be looked upon but as the highest contempt and greatest ingratitude against the Majestie of God and as a dreadful addition to all other offences so calling for a proportionable weight of Iudgment That it is so it cannot I presume it will not be denyed Bring we it home to our selves by way of Application Applic. Let that be directed onely two waies by way of Conviction by way of Exhortation Vse 1 1. By way of Conviction Reflect we upon our selves Application to the nation in generall Jerusalem and England pararelled In respect of spirituall priviledges we of this Nation we of this place in Ierusal●ms glass beholding our own face beholding our ingratitude our sin what mercies what favours whether temporal or spiritual was Ierusalem blessed with which England hath not been Was Ierusalem lift up to heaven in respect of Spiritual priviledges hath not England been so were the Oracles of God committed unto them and have they not been so to us was Christ clearly held forth unto them hath he not beene so unto us in the preaching of the Gospel even evidently set forth and crucified before our eyes as Paul tels his Galathians he was to them Gal. 3 was Ierusalems light greater and clearer then that which shone upon other Cities and hath not Englands light I may speake it without flatterie out shined the light of any other Nation in the world was God pleased to send a continued succession of Prophets and Apostles unto them and hath he not done the like to us in this Nation sent a succession of able and faithfull ministers to declare and make known his mind and will to us Thus hath England been exalted above other Nations in regard of special priviledges To which also adde temporall favours Temporall favours which how many how great what nation under heaven might compare with England upon that account what peace what plenty of all things what tranquillity and prosperity did England for many yeares together enjoy to the wonder if not envie of most other nations Thus was England for a long time the favourite and darling of heaven as Ierusalem But now what returne hath she made of these mercies these favours Unanswerable returnes Is not that too like Ierusalems Have we not generally beene an ungratful and rebellious people as they were A people that have not known the things which belong to our peace Temporal and Eternall A people which have not given that intertainment to Christ and his Gospell that he expected and other nations probably would have done A people that have rather cast off the yoake of Christ not induring his goverment any Goverment that lookes like his And for our temporal mercies our peace our plenty have we not been even forfeited with them have we not waxed wanton by their Abusing our peace to the making of us secure setled upon our lees abusing our plenty as evill stomacks turne good meats into ill humours turning it into pride Luxurie riot and Excess Thus hath this nation under these long continued mercies been like unto a peice of ground which being overmanured grown too lustie runs wilde bringing forth a crop of weedes Thus hath this abundance of mercies amongst us through the abuse of them brought forth abundance of sinnes Neyther are we to this day bettered by all those sharpe rods those severe corrections wherewith of late yeares God hath corrected us but Israel like we even revolt more and more as it were hating to be reformed Such is the requitals such is the returne which England I speake as to the greatest part therein hath made unto her God And what an Aggravation of her sin is this That any nation should thus deal with their God A great Aggravation of Englands sin to walk stubbornly and rebelliously against him it is inexcusable but that a people so favoured so honoured of God as England hath

darling whom he had tendered and cockered when he understood what a fatal end he by his Rebellion had brought himself unto this makes David break forth into that passionate Lamentation O Absolon my son my son c. 2 Sam. 19.4 Thus did Ierusalems carriage and miscarriage her sin and punishment which our Saviour saw and foresaw affect him more then if it had been any other place O if even thou hadst known This was an Aggravation of his Sorrow 2. And so secondly of their Sin 2. Of her sin This also our Saviour may well be conceived to insinuate in this passionate expression If Even thou Thou which hast enjoyed such means so many mercies that hast been lifted up to heaven preferred before al places in the world in respect of spiritual favours and Gospel priviledges that thou shouldest be thus stupid thus blinde as not to see not to regard the things which belonged to thy peace and happiness this renders thee of all others most miserable and maketh thy ingratitude most superlative So he here chargeth this upon them as a heinous aggravation of their Sin calling for an answerable Iudgment Obser Means and mercies not answered great aggravations of sin and judgment And so indeed it is as Calvin maketh the observation the more means the greater mercies a people enjoy the greater is their sin and the greater shall their punishment be in case they do not walk answerably to them and in some measure worthy of them Mark it this is the Observation which this passage naturally yieldeth Means and Mercies not regarded not improved not answered are dreadful aggravations both of Sin and Judgment For this express and full is that obvious Text Mat. 11.20 where our Saviour breaketh forth into a like Exprobration against those Cities which he had honoured with his presence and doctrine as here he doth against Ierusalem Then saith the Text began he to upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty works were done because they repented not verse 20. In the verses foregoing he had taxed the general morosity and frowardness of that people upon whom no means could work neither Iohns austerity nor his own Comitie this he doth vers 16 17 18 19. But ●ow he cometh more specially to deal with those particular places where he had been most conversant taxing them as being most faulty of all the rest Their sin was greater and so should their punishment be So it followeth vers 21. Woe unto thee Chorazin woe unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloath and ashes Chorazin and Bethsaida two Cities upon the Lake of Gennezareth where Christ conversed much taught often wrought many miracles yet they repented not they were not thereby wrought upon to imbrace the Gospel What followeth you have it in the next verse v. 22. I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment then for you At the day of general Judgment there shall be appointed unto men different measures of punishment Now at that day our Saviour giveth them to take notice that it would go worse with them who had rejected the Gospel then with those that never heard of it though they lived more profanely then themselves did and the like he chargeth against Capernaum in the verses following And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven listed up above other places in this temporal condition in regard of wealth c. shalt be brought down to hell depressed and brought to the lowest degree of poverty aad misery So Grotius not amiss expounds both these expressions looking upon them as Proverbial phrases Ad astra tolli Sublimi feriens sydera vertice the one signifying the highest pitch of outward felicity which is called a lifting up to heaven the other the lowest degree of misery which is called a casting down to hell This the Prophet Isaiah speaking of Babylon Isai 14. describeth the change of her condition in the like langvage How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer verse 12. Thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my self above the stars of God verse 13. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell verse 15. And so Hanna in her song speaking of Gods various dispensations and dealings with the sons of men she saith that he bringeth down to the grave Sheol saith the Original ad infernum to Hell and lifteth up 1 Sam. 2.6 In a like sense saith our Saviour here of Capernaum though she was lift up to heaven flourishing with all kind of outward prosperitie being a great Port Town not unlike unto this where we now are famous for fishing and other merchandize yet she should be brought down to hell brought to extremity of misery Which accordingly afterwards came to pass in the days of the Emperour Vespasian who over-ran the whole Countrey of Galilee spoiling that place amongst others And what was the cause of this so sad a change why her not answering the means afforded her so it there followeth verse 24. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom it would have remained unto this day In all likelihood they would have been converted thereby from their wicked wayes and so have escaped that judgment But I say unto you it shall be more tollerable for the land of Sodom in the day of Judgment then for thee verse 24. Sodome a place of monstrous and most flagitious wickedness infamously famous for those three things Pride fulness of Bread and abundance of Idleness Ezek. 16.49 besides many other horrid abominations which were therein it being a sink of uncleanness insomuch that God made it a spectacle of vengeance to all posterity destroying it with fire and brimstone from heaven Yet Capernaums portion of judgment at that day should be greater then hers And why so Inasmuch as she enjoyed those meanes which Sodom did not True there was a righteous Lot in Sodom whose Example might have had some influence upon them But in Capernaum was Christ himself preaching unto them and cofirming his doctrine by miracles And this it was which aggravated Capernaums sin and so heightned her judgment Thus the more light The more light the greater sin the more means a people sin against the greater is their sin This is that our Saviour saith of the Jews John 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin that is comparatively their sin had been nothing in comparison of what now it is Express to this purpose are those two known Texts of the Apostle to the Hebrews the former Heb. 2.2 3. where comparing the times of the Law with those of the Gospel If saith he the word spoken by Angels the Law given upon mount Sina by the ministry of Angels as it is commonly expounded or any other message sent