Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	divine_a	humane_a	subsistence_n	2,511	5	12.4764	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B06039	A sermon preached at Great Yarmouth, June 6th. By R.S., M.A. and rector of [illegible] in the county of Norfolk.	Scamler, Robert, b. 1653 or 4.	1677 (1677)	Wing S807B; ESTC R183256	44,829	80

the never-dying Worm to feed upon How well therefore is it stiled a Mistery that a God most perfect in himself who stood in no need or want should love so forlorn a Creature by reason of his sin at such vast and great distances from him who could do him small service and stand him in little stead Yet still this immense Being hath out of his Infinite Bounty given us the dear production of himself coeternal consubstantial and equal to the Father in respect of his God-head though inferiour to the Father as touching his Man-hood God and Man a Problem whose solution puzzleth all the Reason humanity possesseth a Riddle which cannot be unfolded but by Faith Did we not behold it through that Perspective but employ our reason to consider it we should as soon conclude to the Suns Union with a Clod or a Thoughts Corporeity as to believe immortality incarnate spirituality turn'd body and the infinite Ocean of goodness in so small a Vessel The composure of the World and the variety of Creatures was the effect of an Almighty Power that Man should be made after the Image of God wonderful enough but that God should be made like Man is much more admirable 'T was a greater demonstration of his Omnipotency that God should be made a like Creature than his formation of all Creatures Immortality put on Mortality and Incorruption dressed in the garments of Corruption We read that the Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with Gold whilst Shittim wood was in the midst which was to Typifie Christs Humanity decked and adorned with his God-head A Mystery so fruitful in Miracles that natural Reason cannot comprehend them Nature was stopt as to the result of an humane subsistence in whose place was intimately applyed the Personality of the Divine Word and this infinite subsistence was adorned with graces virtues and privileges superiment Dost thou wonder to see the Sea divided and stand upon an heap come here then and admire this boundless Ocean contained in the narrow Vessel of a Virgins Body Dost thou wonder to see the Bush in the midst of hungry Fire and not consumed behold a Virgin the Mother of a Son and yet her Virginity spotless and undefiled Dost thou wonder to see a Moses preserved in a Cradle of Bull-rushes behold the King of Heaven in a Manger Was it strange to see the Sun go back on the Dial of Ahaz how marvellous then is it to see the true Sun Light of very Light under a small cloud and the most glorious Candle of Heaven put under a Bushel Dost thou wonder the Bread of Life became Flesh look into the Sacrament of his Supper and see how he can turn his Body and Bloud into Bread and Wine to nourish the Souls of Men Dost thou wonder at the Wisdom of Solomon lo a greater than Solomon is here How did the Wisdom of God become foolishness for us and the Word it self speechless And He who is our God is He not also our Brother Rouze up thy self then O my dull and sordid soul mount up thy self even to the Heavens above slighting the things of the World as dross and dung if compar'd with the honourable Title of being the Son of God Many an express had been sent unto us from the Court of Heaven by those winged Embassadours the Angels But Oh infinite mercy He now sends his Legat à latere his Son from his bosom expecting he would be more honourably treated by us But alas how did we entertain him 'T is true he had his brows encircled with a Crown but it was of Thorns 'T is true he was a King but annointed with his own bloud or as the Evangelical Prophet stiles him a King of sorrows 'T is true he had a Purple Robe but it was of derision 'T is true he had a Bed-chamber but it was a Stable 't is true he had a Cradle but it was a Manger to compleat the saying which was written The Oxe lodged with his owner and the Ass and the Master were content with the same Crib Was he an Isaac a Son of Laughter or rather vir dolorum a man of griefs Was he clothed in his dress of Majesty or did he disguise himself in Purples and Furrs that he might enjoy ease and govern all the Nations of the Earth or rather was he not clothed with shame and dishonour Did not Heav'n nay the God of Heav'n descend to Earth that Earth might ascend to Heaven Thy Fore-head was furrowed with Thorns O blessed Jesu yet thou wouldst not frown We did chain those Arms which thou didst stretch forth to embrace thy Enemies and those who continually provoke thee to wrath thy Bowels of tender compassion yearned towards them who were ready to rake into thine with their bloudy hands Oh! most compassionate Son of the most merciful Father What shall we render unto thee for all thy mercies How shall we pay our acknowledgements whom shall we love to whom shall we resign our Wills and ways but unto thee and the Father of mercies who hath not thought the gift of his Son too great to confer upon us Oh blessed Incarnation oh happy day never will we forget thee but entirely devote our selves to his service and worship who hath this day called us to be his Son by adoption settle our affections and confirm us in this our resolution that by the influence of thy Holy Spirit we may obtain the end and purpose of thy Incarnation everlasting Which is the last to be considered And the words are easie to be understood for by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant whosoever shall receive and obey the doctrine of his Gospel and frame his life according to the rules thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall not perish but be rescued from eternal death and made partaker of eternal life but on the contrary if we disown him and reject his rules we shall receive no benefits by the merits of his death and Passion for though Heaven should become a desart yet he will not people it with persons refractory and disobedient but the sentence of the first Curse shall not be repealed but still hold valid and of force for if they will work their own destruction by refusing to lay hold on Christ this inconveniency happens unto them not from the inefficacy of Christs satisfaction or a defect of his commiseration 2 Pet. 2.1 and goodness towards his Creatures but from their own default because as the Apostle speaks they deny him by whom they were bought He purchased the souls of the whole World but if they will not accept of such a Ransom by believing on him and regulating their wills by his will they may be damned though he was offered up a Sacrifice for them thus the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 8.11 thy Brother perish for whom Christ died For he died for all yet those only receive the priviledges thereof who believe on him by their obedience to his word For though

contraction of the guilt of the first man so by the merits of the Man Christ Jesus they are justified freely by Gods grace if they do not fall off from the mercy of the Covenant by prevaricating the conditions of it For through his bloud he hath conveyed notice to all men that they are the Sons of God that they are the Heirs of eternity Coheirs with Christ and partakers of the Divine Nature meaning that they are so by the design of God and the purpose of the manifestation of his Son he being unwilling any should perish but that all should be saved Such was the unmeasurable love of Christ that he would have all men to be saved without exception of City or Country Nation or Language without exception of the ungodly enemies nay without exception of them that perish for it is to give them a space to repent in that he is slack as some men count slackness concerning his promise 2 Pet. 3.9 But alas in our late years of Rebellion when men pretending to fight the Battels of the Lord took up the Weapons of the Divel and under a pretext of the Lords cause entered a solemn league and covenant and swore Allegiance to the Prince of Darkness then also began to flourish their doctrine who say that God designed many Souls to Hell before they had a Being and Existence upon earth insomuch they were incapacitated to work out their salvation their sentence of condemnation being already past in the predeterminate counel of God then began men to flatter themselves that they were the only Children of God the Saints that should inherit the earth and none but they the true people of Sion who were the espousers of their fantastical opinion and perswasion judging all others to be held as Reprobates in the eyes of God because they were so in theirs Then was broached that opinion of a converting grace and irresistable power as if God would urge men to salvation and make them happy without any endeavours of their own if they did but rely on Christ and his Merits for the payment and satisfaction Which Doctrines are of so pernicious consequence that First it renders the Cross of Christ foolishness For wherefore did God give us his Son wherefore did he die rise again and ascend to his Father to what purpose was all that wast of bloud which he shed in our behalf if men were absolutely decreed to salvation or reprobation from all eternity to what end did Christ come into the world when as without consideration to his sufferings or the merits of his death and passion his Father had predetermined from eternity such a number for the pleasures of Heaven and so many for torment without end If it be thus then is Christ dead in vain because the Father might have effected this without putting his Son to the expences of his bloud to redeem us If it be thus the Father had no great love for his Son to put him to such cruelties and hardships not having any cogent or absolute necessity Nay if this doctrine was true it would blemish the wisdom of Heaven for if he had resolved to save some and damn others from eternity he might have done it without the contrivance of that device of reconciling us to himself by the death of his Son because that was intended only to satisfie his Justice and manifest his mercy and what need of that if we consent to a predetermination But then Secondly As it renders the death of Christ insignificant unnecessary so if this be true then is our preaching vain For to what end serve all the commands instructions calls counsels admonitions and reproofs of the Gospel for first they are unnecessary to those who are elected since if they be fully perswaded that they are decreed to salvation from eternity what need they trouble themselves about it when they know they shall be brought in in Gods due time and pleasure by such a converting grace and power as cannot be resisted by them And as the Gospel is useless to these so in the Second place to those who are reprobate for if they be fully perswaded thereof to wit that they must inevitably perish do they what is possible to prevent and avoid it why should men beat the air in labouring to perswade them to that which both the persons to be taught and the persons teaching are fully persuaded can never be effected by them Nay further let us suppose a man doubtful of his state yet if he consent to this doctrine is not the conclusion as if he should say if I be of that number God hath determined from eternity to save I shall be saved though I do what seemeth good in my own eyes for at some time or other which I am as yet ignorant off he will force me from my sins and compel me to obedience by such a power as cannot be resisted by me but if it be my hard lot to be put in the Catalogue of reprobates let me be never so industrious to work out my salvation let me wear the ground with my religious knees by my constancy in praying let me pine my body to a Skelleton by the austerities of fasting and humbling my self before God let me be never so religious never so devout yet still I must be fuel for that fire prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels because it was decreed so from eternity and is more unalterable than the Laws of the Medes and Persians This is the fruit which springs from so corrupt a root and the very case of Ludovicus that learned Italian for he was so miserably infected with this principle that no arguments and reasonings could convince him of its error till perceiving himself indisposed and already fallen into the Neighborhoods of sickness he sends for the Physician who made acquainted with his opinion answered him in his own stile if he should live he should live without trying the experiments of his art and skill the Patient ruminating on his words at last was convinced in his Conscience that as means were to be applied for the restauration of health so likewise for the salvation of the soul Away then with this deluding phantasie which is the parent of nothing but those Twin-Sisters of darkness presumption and despair and let us endeavour to justifie God in his saying that his will is that all should be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 to which end he hath proportioned sufficient means to all so that none can perish but through their own impenitency and perseverance in sin But alas how hath the luxuriant fancies of Geneva endeavoured to poyson this sweet truth by saying that is not meant that God would have every soul to be saved but two or three more or less out of every order and occupation But St. Peter better illuminated than those pretenders to the Spirit hath fully answered their cavil 2 Pet. 3.9 by saying that God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is unwilling that any