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love_n	father_n	great_a	son_n	10,169	5	5.4959	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29102	The imperfect promulgation of the Gospel consider'd a sermon preach'd in the Church of St. Mary le Bow, January 7, 1699/1700 : being an appendix to the lectures of the last year appointed by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by Samuel Bradford.	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1700 (1700)	Wing B4115; ESTC R25291	15,205	36

The Imperfect Promulgation of the Gospel consider'd A SERMON Preach'd in the Church of St. Mary le Bow January 7. 1699 1700. Being an Appendix to the Lectures of the last Year appointed by the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE Esq By SAMVEL BRADFORD Rector of the said Church and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chapel 1700. Mr. BRADFORD's SERMON Preach'd at St. Mary le Bow January 7. 1700. JOHN 3.16 17. God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World but that the World through him might be saved THese are the Words of our Blessed Saviour who as he best understood the Extent of that Love which moved the Almighty Father to send him into the World so he hath here express'd it in the fullest and most comprehensive Terms The Love of God not to any particular Nation but to the World in general was the Motive upon which he gave his Son The Design of our Lord's coming was to save not any particular Race of Men but the whole Race of Mankind the World in general without Exception There is indeed a Condition required of those who would partake of this Salvation viz. that all to whom the Gospel of Christ is publish'd should believe in him no other Limitation is set but this very reasonable one That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life This is indeed a Truth so plainly asserted in diverse other Texts 't is moreover so agreeable to the Design and the Tenor of the Gospel throughout 't is finally so suitable to the Apprehensions which we naturally have of the infinite Goodness of God that I shall not insist upon the Proof of it the Purpose of this Discourse being rather to obviate an Objection which will easily arise in the Minds even of serious Men such as are not dispos'd to cavil but are us'd to contemplate both the Works and the Word of God with Sobriety and Reverence for whose Satisfaction I thought it worth the while to take this Matter into particular Consideration The Objection is this If the love of God expressed in giving his only begotten Son be so Great and so Universal as it is here represented whence comes it to pass that so small a part of Mankind seem to have receiv'd Benefit from the Christian Revelation The Case of all Men seems to have been equally deplorable and compassionable If then the Love of God testified by our Redeemer were extended to all Men if the coming of the Son of God into the World were designed and fitted for the Benefit of all is it not very strange that four thousand Years should be run out before he came and that since his appearing so small a Part of the World in comparison should be blest with the Knowledge of what he hath done for them or of what he offereth to them Now for the easing our Minds under this Difficulty I shall proceed gradually laying down several Propositions which will mutually support each other and which being impartially consider'd and lay'd together may suffice to silence this Objection if not fully satisfie those that make it And First If we were able to give no tolerable Account of this Matter yet we ought not to be surprized or stumbled at it because of the infinite distance between God and us They are very reasonable Questions which Job's Friend put to him when he in the bitterness of his Soul complain'd of his grievous Afflictions and was at a loss with Respect to the Justice of God's Dealings with him Job 11 7.8 9. Canst thou by searching find out God Canst thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection It is as high as Heaven What canst thou do deeper than Hell what canst thou know The Measure thereof is longer than the Earth and broader than the Sea Great is our Lord saith the Psalmist Psalm 147.5 and not only of great Power but his Understanding also is infinite And shall we finite Creatures think then to comprehend his Ways Shall we reckon our selves competent Judges of his Actions St. Paul thought otherwise when contemplating a Difficulty of Providence of the same kind with that before us he cries out Rom. 11.33 34. O the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out For who hath known the Mind of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellor It must be own'd that we are not able to account for the Methods of Divine Providence in many other Instances and whosoever is not abandon'd of all Modesty must readily acknowledge that it is reasonable that it should be so For we have not the entire Scheme of Providence in our Heads at once we cannot see from the beginning to the end of God's Ways we know not what are the Designs and what will be the Issues of his Counsels and therefore ought to suspend our Judgments till the Conclusion and winding up of Things Which will appear to be more especially fit in this Case if we consider Secondly That we our selves may discern several Particulars in which we are manifestly ignorant which yet ought to be known by us if we would pretend fully to account for the Difficulty before us I might give many Instances but will content my self with two plain Ones He that would give a full Account of this Matter must be acquainted with two Particulars which no mortal Man can certainly know without an especial Revelation from God namely Whether those to whom the Gospel is not published during this Life shall ever hear of it in any future State And again What Measures God will at the last Day take with those to whom the Gospel was not publish'd No Man certainly knows whether those who never heard of the Gospel in this Life may not in some future State have it publish'd to them It has been supposed by some that those Pagans who shall have approv'd themselves Honest and Sincere in this their State of Tryal may when their Souls shall be separated from their Bodies have the Gospel reveal'd to them in their separate State in order to their becoming capable of the Rewards of Christians at the last Day A late Learned and Ingenious Writer has essayed to make it probable Mr. Sta●●e of Salvation by Christ alone from a Prophetical Paragraph in the Apocalypse that those who shall have liv'd and dy'd without hearing of the Gospel in this present State shall after our Saviour's return before the final Period of this World be rais'd again and have the Gospel preach'd to them and thereby be put into a new State of Tryal in order to their Salvation or Damnation as they shall then acquit themselves Now though I will neither affirm nor

he did not appear in Humane Form till four thousand Years were elaps'd yet he had not neglected Mankind all that space of time nor doth at present neglect those who have not heard of his Incarnation but was and is in the VVorld even in those Parts of it where they know him not using those Methods Verse 10. which to his Divine Wisdom seem meet for the training up well-dispos'd Minds which do not resist the Grace which he offers to them There is but one Proposition more that I have to add and it is this viz. Ninthly That at the great Day of Judgment all Men shall be accountable to our Lord with due Regard had to their Respective Advantages or Disadvantages in this their State of Tryal Our Lord hath expresly declar'd that unto whomsoever much is given Luke 12.48 Matth. 25.14 c. of him shall be much requir'd and that Men shall be called to an account for the Talents committed to them by their Lord whether more or fewer in so much that he that had but one shall be accountable for that one only St. Paul in a set Discourse seems to have determin'd this Matter peremptorily as between Jew and Gentile so by parity of Reason between Christian and Gentile also Rom. 2.5 6 9 10 11 12 14. He calls the Day of Judgment the Day of the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God who will render to every Man according to his Deeds to the Jew first and also to the Gentile adding For there is no respect of Persons with God For as many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law And again VVhen the Gentiles which have not the Law do by Nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves 'T is very true that the Salvation of the Gospel is by the Gospel promis'd only to those who believe and obey it and consequently to whom it is preach'd as Damnation is therein expresly threatened to those who reject it and we are not so plainly told what kind and what degrees of Rewards and Punishments God will dispense to others but we are in the general assured that the Recompences of that Day shall be all just and carry a Respect to the Deeds done in the Body bearing some Proportion to the different Circumstances and Conditions of Men. And therefore St. Paul a little before his Discourse just now cited lets us know that the Condemnation of wicked Gentiles would be very just by Reason of their having despis'd the Dictates of Nature and Reason because they withheld the Truth in Unrighteousness for Rom. 1.18 19. as he argues That which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them God hath as he there farther proves render'd himself so conspicuous to all Men as the Maker and Governour of the World that those who are ignorant of him must be without Excuse verse 20. He is so near to every one of us as the same Apostle elsewhere discourses since in him we live Acts 17.27 28. and move and have our Being that we may even feel after him Rom. 2.15 and find him and he hath written his Law in such visible Characters in all our Hearts shewing us the plain Difference between moral Good and Evil in the chief Instances thereof causing our Consciences to bear witness and our Thoughts to accuse or excuse as we demean our selves that he may justly call us to an Account for such our Demeanor So that the whole Matter at last comes to this Issue Some Men have by hearing the Gospel preach'd to them far greater Advantages than others but then they are accountable likewise for those special Advantages whereas such as not through their own default but by the meer Providence of God want those Advantages shall be answerable for no more than what they have been entrusted with God hath done more for those than for these and 't is but fit that he should freely dispose of his own Gifts after the Counsel of his own Will but if he doth what is abundantly sufficient for all and will expect no more than in proportion to what he gives there remains no just Ground of complaint to any And thus I have done with what I thought fit to be offer'd on this difficult Argument and I hope if what I have propos'd be consider'd without Prejudice it may suffice to make us humbly acquiesce in the Dispensation of God by Jesus Christ acknowledging that the Design of our Lord's coming was to save Sinners in general and confessing to the glory of the Almighty Father that his love was manifested to the whole Race of Mankind by sending his only begotten Son into the World for our Salvation I shall conclude all with two practical Inferences viz. Frist We may infer from hence the great Obligation which lies upon us to whom the Gospel is publish'd to comply with the Terms of it particularly that mention'd in the Text as comprehensive of all others believing in Jesus Christ Whatever gracious Allowances God in his infinite Goodness may make to others we cannot hope for Salvation upon any other Conditions than a grateful Acknowledgment of this infinite Love of God a firm and stedfast Faith in his only begotten Son together with an hearty Resignation of our selves to his Conduct As by these our Priviledges we are exalted to Heaven so upon our abuse of them we shall be cast down to the lowest depth of Hell This as our Saviour declared Verse 19. a little after the Text is the Condemnation that light is come into the World but Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil Secondly If the Love of God toward Mankind be so extensive it becomes us then instead of caviling at the Divine Providence on account of the Gospel's not being publish'd to all the World to do our part towards the Propagation of it The Princes and great Men of the Earth may do very much to this purpose as I have already observ'd Others also especially those Bodies and Societies of Men which have Commerce with the Gentile World might contrive Methods for propagating their Religion together with their Trade This the pious Founder of these Lectures had a great sense of when by a Clause in his Will he obliged those who should preach them to be assisting to all Companys and encouraging them in any Undertaking for propagating the Christian Religion in foreign Parts And all of us might contribute to this generous Design by our earnest Prayers to God for the enlarging of his Son's Kingdom and that it would please him to excite the Spirits of those who have Power and Interest to adadvance this Noble Work In fine we may all contribute towards it by living Christian Lives and if we have neither Power nor Interest to promote the Profession of our Religion in Foreign Parts we may at least promote the Practise of it at Home by our Examples Nothing in truth would so powerfully recommend our Holy Religion to Mankind in order both to the Belief and Practice of it as to have it fairly represented by the Tempers and Lives of its Professors May Almighty God revive the Spirit of Primitive Christianity in those who take upon them the Christian Name and may their light shine so clearly and brightly as to enlighten the darkest and remotest Regions of the Earth to the Glory of God and our Redeemer Amen FINIS ERRATA Sermon I. P. 5. l. 2. read into the World p. 23. l. 8. r misled Ser. III. p. 9. l. 29. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 20. l. 7. r. Mediator p. 23. l. 10. r. he Ser. VII p. 3. l. 14. r. so it p. 15. l. 33. blot out his p. 26. l. 28. r. valuable Ser. VIII p. 10. l. 18. r. their ibid. l. 27. r. Men. p. 12. l. 22. r. Evangelist p. 14. l. 25. r. be p. 20. l. 18. r. blessing then Ser. XI p. 6. l. 15. r. not believing p. 13. l. 16. r. Cause ibid. r. Gospel's