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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	father_n	son_n	subsist_v	3,592	5	11.9300	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46710	A sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Norwich at the primary visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Norwich May 18, 1692 by John Jeffery ...	Jeffery, John, 1647-1720.	1692 (1692)	Wing J519; ESTC R1693	21,384	36

A SERMON Preached in the Cathedral Church OF NORWICH AT THE Primary Visitation of The Right Reverend Father in God JOHN Lord Bishop of NORWICH May 18. 1692. By JOHN JEFFERY M.A. Minister of S. Peter's of Mancroft in Norwich LONDON Printed by Samuel Roycroft for Robert Clavell at the Peacock in S. Paul's Church-Yard 1692. IMPRIMATUR Ra Barker Jul. 27. 1692. A SERMON Preached in the Cathedral Church OF NORWICH 2 Cor. IV. 5. For we Preach not our selves but Christ Jesus the Lord and our selves your Servants for Jesus sake GOD is the Supream Absolute and Universal Governour of the World and acts as such by the immediate Influences of his Wisdom Goodness and Power a Salv. de gub Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid Ep. 123. Those Influences have their proper and full effect according to the Divine Will upon all Creatures Animate and Inanimate Rational and Irrational But the Government is most perfect where Rational Natures are the Subjects Those Rational Natures are Angels and Men and among Men those who are Truly Religious are most eminently Subjects of this Kingdom And therefore the State of Religion especially in the Days of the Messias is called the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God (b) Vid. Grot. ad Mat. 3.2 Dan. 2.44 7.13 14. That Kingdom is no other than the Empire of Reason and Religion in the Souls and Lives of Men by which so far as it prevails they are made Wise and Good and Happy (c) V. Erasm Paraphr Mat. 4. p. 125. Jam enim instat Regnum coelorum c. Luc. 22 p. 217. Nolite tale c. Mat. 20. p. 133. Illic enim qui c. And the Son of God to whom the Father has committed all Power came down from Heaven and assumed our Nature and was born and lived and died and rose again and ascended into Heaven and became the Author and the Pattern of the Religion and of the Happiness of Men. This is the glorious Doctrin of the Gospel and this is the True Notion of Jesus Christ This was sincerely declared by the Apostles and this is easie to be understood by all Christians Their Office the Apostles were separated unto by the Son of God and they were Qualified for it by the Divine Spirit They performed it with all Simplicity and Faithfulness and they were accompanied with Assurance and Success Therefore says S. Paul Ver. 1 2. Seeing we have this Ministry we faint not But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness not handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the Truth commending our selves to every man's Conscience in the sight of God This Doctrin the Disciples of Christ were obliged to believe and profess In such Teachers as the Apostles they might intirely confide and Nothing could hinder the Conversion of Men to Christianity but vicious Principles and infernal Delusion Ver. 3 4. But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost In whom the God of this World hath blinded the Minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them Such is the Fidelity of those who Preached the Gospel of the Kingdom And such is the case of those to whom it was preached As a Mark of their Fidelity to whom the publication of this Divine Doctrin was committed They did not assume unto themselves but ascribe all unto Christ And had no other Design upon Men but to minister to the Conversion and Salvation of them For we preach not our selves but Christ Jesus the Lord and our selves your Servants for Jesus sake They published the Gospel of the Kingdom That Jesus Christ alone was the Supream Lord That themselves were only his Inferior Ministers That in setting up this Spiritual Kingdom in the Souls of Men they were Servants of Christ and of them This is the great Truth I am to discourse viz. Doctrin That the Son of God Incarnate is the only Supream Lord That the Teachers of Christianity are the Inferior Ministers of his Spiritual Kingdom For Explication of which Truth I shall give some Account 1. Of the Nature of the Spiritual Kingdom 2. Of the Glory of the Supream Lord 3. Of the Office of his Inferior Ministers 1. I shall give an Account of the Nature of this Spiritual Kingdom Since the Original degeneracy of Man there has been a gradual advancement of the State of Religion In the first Ages of the World it did subsist in dispersed Individuals till some Assemblies began to Call upon the Name of the Lord (d) Gen. 4 6. Afterwards God set up an Empire among the Jews peculiarly for the interest of Virtue and a whole Nation professed the True Religion as they were taught by supernatural Revelation The Government of that Holy Nation was a Theocracy and the Laws of their Polity as well as of their Religion were Divine (e) 1 Sam. 2.12.8.7.10.19 Judg. 8.23 In allusion to this Sacred Empire God foretold unto that People the Perfection of Religion that should be in the Days of the Messias under the Notion of His Kingdom which should be Universal and that all Kings should fall down before and all Nations serve Messiah the Prince (f) Psal 72.1 Dan. 9.25 The submission of all Orders and Nations of Men to be Subjects of this Kingdom is demonstration that the Nature of it is Spiritual For that Subjection was to be by voluntary and chearful Consent as Men accept what they account their Glory Agreeable unto this was the Declaration of Christ who disowned all Secular Power and said His Kingdom was not of this World (g) Joh. 18.34 signifying that it was such as GOD had exercised from the beginning but with extraordinary manifestation and effect It was indeed the Empire of Religion or the Effectual and Universal prevalency of it by which Men of all Nations who became Christians should become Like God in Wisdom and Goodness (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hiero. ad v. 67. p. 290. This the Jews call'd the Kingdom of Heaven and this the Gentiles call'd Philosophy Which according to Plutarch is the Institution of a Virtuous Man (i) Plut. de lib. Educ Hieroc Praes For among the Gentiles Religion was no such thing as it ought to have been but rather the consecration of Vice than the practice of Virtue (k) Quid mirum si ab hâc gente universa flagitia manarunt apud quam ipsa vitia religiosa sunt Eaque non modo non vitantur verum etiam coluntur Lactant. l. 1. c. 20. Aug. de Civ D. lib. 2. c. 4 5 6 7 8 10 14 16 22 25 26. and their Philosophers and Lawgivers (l) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hiero. p. 309. not their Priests taught Men to Live Hence the Christians speaking of our Religion to the Capacity of the Gentiles called it Our Philosophy (m)

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tatian contra Gr. p. 166. the Divine Philosophy (n) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin M. Ap. 1. and the Lord's Philosophy (o) Magis duru● secularis Philosophiae pravitate quam Philosophiae Dominicae lonitate pacificus Cypr. Ep. 1. l. 1. looking upon it as the Institution of a Religious Man and that delivered in the Divine History of the Son of God The Doctrin of True Religion is the Image of God in Records and the Practice of Religion is the Image of God in Life and then Men are most properly subject to when they are Imitators of God (p) Eph. 5.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 11.1 The Perfection of Religion is in a peculiar sense this Divine Kingdom And as by Baptism Christians take upon them the Profession of and Obligation to it so by the Lord's Supper they continually set Him before their eyes who is the Author and Pattern thereof Instruction and Persuasion are the proper Means to make men Wise and Good and the Addresses to that purpose are made effectual by the Spirit of God on the Souls of Men. Thus is the Kingdom of God set up in Individual Persons and the Society of all such Persons is the Catholic (q) Act. 10. ●● Church or Universal Kingdom of God on Earth entituled from its Nature The Kingdom of Heaven For as the Blessedness of Heaven is the highest perfection of Religion so the Religion of Christ has the nature of that Blessedness on Earth Beatitude and Piety are the same in the accounts of the Gospel (r) Mat. 5.3 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist and Truth it self and every Man is so far truly Happy as he is truly Religious This Institution is Eternal and Divine such as continues after Death and raises the Souls of Christians to the state of Angels So this Kingdom of God over Men which shall never end is begun here and as the Nature of that Kingdom is intirely Spiritual so it is most Excellent and Glorious The External Polity of this Religious State is Temporary and Secular and is such a Defence for Christianity the Spiritual Kingdom of God as Worldly Government is for Moral Virtue his Natural Kingdom Among degenerate Christians this Secular Polity and the Worldly Advantages of it are their chief Design Religion is made by them subservient to their Greatness Wealth and Power Christianity is made a Carnal Religion and the State of it is made a Worldly Empire (s) Vid. Erasm Annot. ad Matt. 11. Jugum meum suave ad Matt. 5. Omne malum But this Antichristian Cheat is not to be run down by depriving Religion of all Secular Protection and Encouragement from Laws but Christian Constitutions must favour Piety as the Civil Constitutions have favour'd Justice which is also Divine and an Essential part of Religion (t) Jus à Jove This then is the Nature of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom The Perfection of Religion in the Souls and Lives of Men promoted by Spiritual Means and Influences Of this there is an External Polity by which it is guarded against the Violence and Craft of wicked and unreasonable Men who have not Faith And so Kings are the Nursing Fathers and Queens the Nursing Mothers of the Church (u) Is 49.23 2. I am to give an account of the Glory of the Supream Lord. The Archetypal Idea of this Spiritual Kingdom is the Nature of God himself and so far as God is manifested to Men his Kingdom is come among them But as Plato observed the Eyes of Men are not able to bear the Rays of Divinity (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Soph. p. 119. and the Image of the greatest things cannot affect Human Sense or descend to Human Capacity (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Civil Yet it is necessary that there should be in Men a right and stable and lively Opinion of Wisdom and Virtue and such an Opinion is a Particle of Divinity in whomsoever it abides (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato p. 137. The True God provided a glorious Expedient for this when He caused the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his Person (a) Heb. 1.3 to assume the Nature of Man and in it to perform the Works of God This Sacred Person Consubstantial (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Athan. de Syn. Arim. Sal. Ep. p. 928. 937. Niceph. l. 8. c. 22. to the Most High God was Incarnate The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth (c) Joh. 1.14 Thus God exhibited Himself to Men in the person of his Son and He appeared in the Shape and Form of Man familiarly to Men. The Human Nature of the Son of God was consecrated into a Living Temple by his residence in and Union with it And God the Word so acquainted Himself with Mortal men by the Instrument of a Body as Eusebius says (d) Euseb Orat. ad Tric. Const c. 14. He demonstrated His Divine Perfections in the using of our Nature as an excellent Musician discovers his Skill by using an Harp whose Nature is altogether unlike and inferior to his Such a Nature as ours which is Rational and Material was fit for the Eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for God the Word to shew Himself in to Men and when He shew'd himself He shew'd the most High God for He is God of God as the Rays of the Sun are Light of Light Therefore he said He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (e) Joh. 14.9 and He that seeth me seeth him that sent me (f) Joh. 14.45 Thus was God gloriously and sensibly manifested unto Men when He came down to Men in the likeness of Man and in our Nature discovered his own For in Jesus Christ dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead Bodily (g) Col. 2.9 And when he appeared in Human Nature He discover'd Himself by Divine Works and His glory was disclosed by his Actions If any one look'd upon the Man Christ Jesus there was no sensible Glory about his Head that might distinguish Him from Others but there was an Intellectual Lustre which Wisdom and Goodness adorned Him with His Words and Deeds were such as meer Man never did exhibit and upon his Speeches and Actions there were Marks of Divinity visible His Miracles were such as no Power but that of God could do and with them He entertained and astonished the Minds of Men who expressed their Admiration saying What manner of Man is this (h) Matt. 8.27 Besides these Miracles were all Acts of Love and Men were affected at them as at the observation of Greatness and Goodness (i) Mar. 7.37 Act. 10.38 At the fame time the obliged and amazed Multitude were entertained by the Divine Reason with Discourses full