Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A67406
|
The resurrection asserted in a sermon preached to the University of Oxford on Easter-day, 1679 / by John Wallis ...
|
Wallis, John, 1616-1703.
|
1679
(1679)
|
Wing W602; ESTC R18038
|
24,852
|
41
|
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good Dispositions or well-meaning people Expounding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good-natured persons and easy to be imposed upon Like as in that other Verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 slow-bellies are usually interpreted as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gluttons We are not therefore to Hold Parly with them as Eve with the Serpent But rather as the Apostle directs they are to be Rebuked sharply that they may be sound in the Faith their Moâ—thes to be stopped that they subvert not whole Houses and that their Folly proceed no further A second thing that I here observe is this That the Promise of a glorious Resurrectâ—on concerns not Vs onely But the Fathers also before Christ. We are not to think that They had onely Promises of Temporal things but of Eternal also Christ is the First-fruits of those that Slept for the time past as well of those that were to sleep for the time to come 'T is true The Mystery which had been Hidden from Ages and Generations is now made Manifest to the Saints It is now more clearly Reveiled then before it was And Christ is the Mediator of a Better Covenant than that delivered by Moses established upon Better Promises Better as to the way of Administration and the clearness of Discovery but the same as to the Substance of the Things Promised Christ as to this is the same Yesterday and To day and for Ever 'T is the same Faith by which the Elders obtained a good Report and Enoch was Translated that he did not see Death By which We beleeve to the saving of our souls And St. Paul proves Rom. 4. that We are Justifyed by Faith Because Abraham and David were so Justified Nor was this unknow'n to the Jewish Church For though the Sadduces denyed the Resurrection Yet they were herein Singular The Pharisees Professed it with the rest of the Jews Search the Scriptures sayth Christ to the Jews for in them yee think to have Eternal Life And St Paul frequently from Moses and the Prophets and from the Promise made to the Fathers argues the Point of the Resurrection And our Saviour himself after his Resurrection first to the Two Disciples going to Emmans and then to the Eleven at Jerusalem doth from Moses and the Prâ—phets and the Psalmes and all the Scriptures make it Evident That thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to Rise from the Dead the third day and that Repentance and Remission of sins should be preaâ—hed in his name among all Nations And before that he proves to the Sadduces the Doctrine of the Resurrection from that of God to Moses I am the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and that they did therefore Erre because they Knew not the Scriptures nor the Power of God Which he would not have sayd had not the Doctrine of the Resurrection been taught in the scriptures that then were that is those of the Old Testament So that the Socinians without allowing that Christ is God indeed if at lest they will but allow That he is a Good Man and a Wise man one who did understand the Consequence of an Argument and did not designe purposely to impose upon us must needs acknowledge That the Doctrine of the Resurrection was taught in the Scriptures of the Old Testament for sure it is that Christ thought so and That the Promises made to the Fathers were not onely Promises of Temporal things but of Eternal Life They may as well say That the Threatning to Adam In the day that thou Eatest thereof thou shalt Dy the Death was meant onely of a Temporal Death and then surely God would not Punish beyond what he Threatned Contrary to which St. Jude tells us that those Before Christ as well as since do suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire The Third and last thing which I here observe is this That the Rewards and Punishments of another Life do concern us not onely as to our Personal capacities but as to our Relative and Politick capacities also As we are Incorporated into Kingdomes Cities Families and other Societies We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive according to the things done in the Body whether Good or Bad. Whatsoever is done in the Body in whatsoever Capacity It may be Objected That Kingdomes and Cities and Bodies Politick shal not in that Capacity rise againe And therefore cannot in that capacity be Punished or Rewarded And consequently God being equally obliged to punish the sins of Societies as of single Persons he is obliged in this World to punish the sins of Societies and to reward their good acts since that hereafter it cannot be done But this Argument I take to have more in it of Witt and Rhetorick than of Logick or sound Divinity and would do better in a Poem or Panegyrick than in a Sermon For by the same reason we may as well say That the sins of Father and Child of Master and servant of Husband and Wife must be Allways Punished in this Life and in this onely Because that in the Resurrection they do neither Marry nor are Given in Marriage For Oeconomical Relations shall then cease as well as Political If it be said That these Relations are but Relations between single Persons not Societies and therefore the Sins thereof may in those Persons be Punished I say that this doth not alter the case at all For beside that this is not Universal For a Father may have many Children and may sin against his whole Posterity to the Third and Fourth Generation and a Lord or Master may have many Servants and may Sin against his whole Family and a man may be Servant to a Society as well as to a single Person Beside this I say If this Exception were cogent we might thence as well conclude That Kings because single Persons may hereafter be punished for Oppressing their Subjects and that Eternally but the States in an Aristocrary are punishable onely in this World and but with Temporal Punishments because These are a Collective Body And it would hence follow likewise That the greatest Villanies of Societies are at lest one degree below that of the Papists Venial sins For I presume the Jesuites themselves will not say that their whole Societie shall in that capacity be punished in Hell not yet in Purgatory for the greatest Villanies by them committed as a Socieâ—y But Venial Sins they acknowledge to be punished at lest in Purgatory though not in Hell And by this means also the greatest number of Sins and those the most Hainous would as to another World remain Unpunished and good Actions Unrewarded For much the greater number of Actions and the most considerable are those of persons in their Relative Capacities
as Parents Children Masters Servants Husbands VVives Friends Enemies Neighbours Strangers Pastors People Princes Subjects Societies and Combinations Not of single Persons onely in a meer Personal Independent Capacity I adde also That on this account No sins of Societies could ever be Pardoned For it not Societies but single Persons that are Regenerate and do Beleeve in Christ without which there is no Remission VVe say therefore That as Societies are but made up of single Persons so the Acts of Societies and of persons Related in such Relative capacities whether Sinfull or Virtuous are indeed and in Gods account the Acts of Particular Persons in such Relations and Societies And are in those Persons punished and rewarded according to their deserts both in this World and in that which is to come And thus the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrha with those about them are sayd to suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire when indeed it is the Persons of those Cities that so suffer 'T is true that in this World God doth many times punish the Sins of men in a way sutable to those capacities wherein they are committed the Sins of a Father by loss of Children or by a disobedient Child or unhappy Children the Sins of a Prince by loss of his Dominions or Rebellion of his Subjects the sins of a Nation by a common Calamity wherein the Innocent do many times Suffer with the Guilty God by this means pointing out the Sin in the Affliction or Punishment But he doth not Allwayes do so the Sins of a Parent may be sometimes punished by the hand of the Magistrate and the sins of a Prince by the hand of a Traitor whom he had not offended much less is he Obliged so to do And when he doth so He doth not Therefore do it because he cannot otherwise reach them Nor is this the adequate Punishment of those sins but onely a part of it The greatest part of their punishment even for these sins being that of another VVorld And though the Sins of men combined in societies are in the Judgement of Men accounted as one Joint Act wherein the Innocent are oft involved with the Guilty and suffer accordingly Yet the Judgement of God is according to Trueth He will distinguish between the Innocent and Guilty in a mixt Society and Spare the one or but Afflict thâ—m for their good while he doth properly Punish the other And as Abraham speaks not destroy the Righteous with the Wicked And those that are Guilty each according to the Proportion of his Guilt Not alwayes in this World where some times all things Fall alike to all and One event to the Righteous and to the Wicked or where sometimes it happeneth to the Righteous acording to the Work of the Wicked and to Wicked according to the Work of the Righteous But at lest at that Day At the day of the revelation of Gods righteous Judgement when he shal render to every man according to his deeds when he shall bring every Work into Judgement and every Secret thing In that day the sentence of Goâ— ye Cursed for I was Hungry and yee gave me no Meat I was Sick and ye Visited me not VVill as well reach the sins of Societies in not providing for the Sick and Needy as of those Persons who do not Relieve them It is a Righteous thing with God sayth St. Paul to recompense Tribulation to them which trouble you whether they be Societies or single Persons in that day when the Lord Jesus shall be reveiled from Heaven in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel who shall be punished with Everlasting destruction And St. Jude tells us expressely that Sodome and Gomorrha and the Cities about them as well as single Persons do suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire And our Saviour upbraiding the Cities wherein most of his mighty workes were done tells us of Chorazin and Bethsaida of Capernaum and the Cities against which the Disciples should shake off the dust of their feet upon refusal to receive them That it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon for Sodome and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgement than for those Cities And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto Heaven shall be cast down to Hell And what is sayd of Cities may be equally understood of Kingdomes Nations Towns Families and other Societies There be many Practical Uses which be proper Consequents from this Doctrine of a Glorious Resurrection to Eternal Life As that of St. Peter Seing all these things must be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godlynesse Looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God And that of St. Paul Having these Promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all Filthyness of flesh and Spirit perfecting Holyness in the Fear of God And that in the close of this Chapter Wherefore beloved brethren be ye Stedfast and Vnmovable allways abounding in the work of the Lord For as much as yee know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. But of these things I shal say nothing at present that I may not anticipate the following Discourses on subjects of this nature Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath raised up Christ from the dead who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through Faith Confirm and stablish us in every good Word and Work And preserve us blameless unto his Heavenly Kingdome and to the Glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who shall change our vile Bodies and make them like unto his Glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself To whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS Arati Phaenomena Initio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ............. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ERRATA REad pag. 5. l. ult of its p. 14. l. 21. as if it had p. 16. l. 26. to a. p. 29. l. 9. might be In English thus BEgin we first of all with God on high Men as we are By no means passe him by His Presence fills all places far and near Where ever Men Assemble Hee is there The Sea is full of Him and Havens Wide And all Mankind His Influence abide Need his Assistance All in Every thing His Progeny Wee are from Him we Spring Hee 's Kind to Man affording Seasons good He stirs them