Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A86563
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The righteous mans hope in his death: in a sermon at the funerall of Mr William Conye of Walpoole, justice of peace, and captain over the trained band in Marshland. / Preached by John Horne Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Southlyn in Norfolke 2d⁰ May 1648.
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Horn, John, 1614-1676.
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1649
(1649)
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Wing H2808; Thomason E562_3; ESTC R206072
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29,394
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38
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like lambs they die without any hope like senselesse and reasonlesse creatures that know little more then the beasts and so have scarce any more either hope or fear in what happens to them but as they fear not hell or vengeance so they hope not in God for heaven or blessednesse perhaps they say they hope well because they are senselesse of any thing they should fear and so hope they say they shall meet with no evill being sensuall like bruit beasts they see none to be feared or avoided by them from both these the righteous differ in their death they have hope in it But that we might the better understand and make use of what the holy Ghost here propounds to us I shall proceed in this order to speak to it I shall 1. Explain the terms 2. Confirm the truth of the Proposition and 3. Apply it 1. In the explication two things would be spoken to viz. 1. What or who is this righteous man and 2. What is the hope he hath in his death 1. Who is the righteous man here spoken of Quest and what is that which will put a man into the righteous estate here mentioned that is accompanied with hope in death A man is denominated righteous from righteousnesse Answ of which the Scripture mentions divers kindes as 1. A morall righteousnesse which stands in a just dealing between man and man so Abimelech asks if God will destroy a righteous nation Gen. 20.4 he meant a people that had done no wrong to Abraham wittingly but as God after answers him vers 6. walked in that matter in integrity doing but what in conscience they thought might be done c. and so David appeals to God to judge him according to his righteousnesse that is his blamelesse carriage towards Saul Psal 7.8 and so many Gentiles have been righteous that is just in their carriages towards men in what they judged to be their duty but this is not the righteousnesse nor these the righteous men here spoken of because this may be consistent with ignorance and enmity against God it being but a meer humane righteousnesse 2. A legall righteousnesse or a righteousnesse according to the law of God and that the Scripture mentions two waies viz. 1. Either that that is so indeed which stands in a full and perfect personall conformity to the law at all times and in all things never no not so much as in lust transgressing it for such righteousnesse the law requires in that it curseth every man that continueth not in all things that are contained in the book of the law to do them Gal. 3.10 and in this sense it is that the Scripture saith Rom. 3.10 11. Eccles 7.20 there is none righteous none that doth good and sinneth not c. 2. Or that that is judged and deemed of men to be such whenas they do but endeavour after the law and in many things transgresse it yea sin against the very end of it in that they go about to make themselves righteous in and by that which was given them to convince of them sin and let them see their need of righteousnesse freely given them of God in the promised seed This is that Paul cals a righteousnesse of a mans own which while men seek to maintain they submit not to the righteousnesse of God which is in Christ Rom. 10.3 and which he himself would not be found in Phil. 3.8 9. but in that which is of the faith of Christ a righteousnesse of works in which men from their zeal blamelessenesse endeavours after and performance of duties do trust in themselves that they are and judge themselves to be righteous as the Pharisee in Luk. 18.10 11. that trusted in himself that he was righteous because he did not as the looser sort was no Publicane no extortioner c. and because he was strickt for paying tiths and keeping fasting daies c. he saies not that he trusted to make himself righteous by so doing but that he was already righteous else he should not have so done this is a seeming righteousnesse and many that have but this are pure in their own eyes although they were never washed in and by the appearance of of the grace and and love of God Rev. 1.5 from their sinfullnesse never brought into Christ and justified through faith in his bloud and yet these I confesse may have hope and walk on confidently expecting happinesse and thinking this their righteousnesse advangious all their life time yea to their death but yet in death in the very pinch it will fail them and it will fare with them as with those that they speak of Job 8.13 14. 11.20 their hope will perish and be like the giving up of the Ghost it will die with them and so deceive them when it should stand them in greatest stead because it was not well bottomed nor sprung from living lasting principles their righteousnesse from which it sprung and on which they leaned was but a conceit of righteousnesse an appearing and not a reall righteousnesse approved of by God and therefore the hope grounded thereupon will shrink with it when God comes to touch it we may say of this righteousnesse and of them that are righteous in it Rom 2.28 as the Apostle of the circumcision and Jew that are but such in the outside that is not righteousnesse that is outward in the appearance nor he a righteous man that is one outwardly therefore we must go yet a little further to a righteousnesse exceeding this as much as Christ would have his disciples to exceed the Scribes and Pharisees or else no admission into heaven for them a righteousnesse indeed which hath Gods acceptance of which we come to take view in the next place viz. 3. A righteousnesse of faith which is called Gods righteousnesse an evangelicall righteousnesse which the Gospel sets forth and declares and God freely gives of which the Apostle Paul speaks very frequently as in Rom. 3.21 22. But now the righteousnesse of God without the law is manifested being witnessed both by the Law and Prophets even the righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that beleeve and so in Rom. 1.17 In the Gospel the righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith or the just by faith shall live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But what is the righteousness of God that he gives us Quest It 's Jesus Christ himself the Son of God Answ in whom God gives us justification and a righteous estate Rom. 10.4 Jer. 25.5 He is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeves Hence the Prophets called him The Lord our righteousnesse and the Apostle Paul tels the beleevers that as of God they were in Christ Jesus so of God Christ was made to them wisdom righteousnesse c. Every one that hath him
be with his Lord Jesus which he longed for far above life even from the begining of his sicknesse so that some being desirous to pray for him he would by no means that they should pray to preserve his life here any longer but that he might go to his Lord Jesus and be taken from that state of estrangement and absence from him that he was in while in this body to be at home with him that he might in his spirit more fully see and enjoy him whom he had seen by faith or whom not seeing yet he beleeved in and loved for that good report of his love in the Gospel declared to him as he had wrought righteousnesse or done righteously in his life in receiving the testimony of the Gospel the record of God concerning Jesus Christ and was not ashamed of it though spoken against and rejected by men nor of those that brought it though weak and vilified by most so went he not without the fruit of it in his death the word of God wrought effectually in him both in life and death In his life time it wrought in him to desire the true and lasting riches although he was blessed here with a good and large portion of these outward riches which often prove such snares and intanglements to mens hearts that they cannot attend to God for the true yea and whereas commonly rich men are high minded as it is intimated in that charge given them not to be high minded 1 Tim. 6.21 and prove great hinderances of mens entring the strait gate because men are apt to swell in their mindes up to the largenesse yea and often far beyond the largenesse of their estates and to despise so low and contemptible a way as the Gospel is It was not so with him the goodnesse of God so wrought in him as for the enjoiment of Christ he condescended to them of low degree to bear the reproach of Christ with them and to professe the despised Gospel amongst them A rare thing to finde a rich estate and a poor humble spirit together riches and pride and loftines usually accompany each other and so choaking all motions or desires of goodnesse that they come not out to perfection In all this he did righteously but above all in that he received not only the sound but the substance of the Gospel the truth into his heart so as to set his hope in God therethrough and to expect his salvation as also his brother had done before him however opposite at first as many others yet are which accompanied him to his death as hath been expressed which hope also suted with the hope of the righteous man in this that it was founded upon the love of God in Christ to mankinde and so to him The death resurrection ascension mediation of the Son of God for him according to the Gospel declaration as appears by this ensuing confession of his faith which he penned with his own hand when he first began to grow sick and weak and caused to inserted into the preface of his Will whence also as I was requested I copied it out word for word to publish it to you as here followeth I bequeath my soul into the hands of God as into the hands of a faithfull Creator who hath made heaven and earth and all things therein and to Jesus Christ the second person in the Trinity God blessed for ever who hath redeemed me and all mankinde for the Scripture that I do faithfully beleeve saith That he by the grace of God tasted death for every man and St John saith That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And the same John saith in his Epistle He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world and other such like Scriptures which I here forbear to insert And this I do declare because so many do deny the truth of these Scriptures and some others deny all Scriptures and many now in our daies deny the Lord Iesus Christ to be the second Person in Trinity and so account the written Scriptures as a History and the mystery in their hearts they give for Scripture But I do faithfully beleeve as it is recorded in the word of God that that Iesus who died for all men is risen free and acquit of all that was against them for to this end he both died and rose again that he might be Lord of all and is ascended up on high and hath received gifts * Or In the man for men to send forth even to the rebellious that the Lord God might dwell amongst them and that they might come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved such provision hath God made for all in and through his Son that be invites all to come and saith all things are ready his trible is furnished and he bids them eat of his bread and drink of his wine that he hath mingled Thus far is the love of God in his Son set forth to all and more fully and of his fulnesse have we all received and grace for grace And further it is said To so many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God to them which beleeve in his Name Which makes it plain that whosoever is found to receive and accept what is declared in the Scriptures of what Jesus hath done for all it is as much as to say they receive him that is to own God for their father in the righteousnesse of his Son so that he that is Gods righteousnesse is their righteousnesse who presents them in himself unto the Father and for them be hath a further businesse with the father as in 1 Joh. 2.1 is declared We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous making good our cause and not suffering our evils to come up before him and it is through what he hath done by dying rising and ascending and continuall advocating that I have all my hope that when I depart this life I shall live with him according to that Scripture which saith Because I live ye shall live also c. Thus he exprest himself In the last expression of which you have the confession of his hope to agree with what I said before of the righteous mans that it sprung from a good bottom the death resurrection and advocation of Jesus Christ as with that of the Apostle Peter who saith God hath begotten them to a lively hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead 1 Pet 1.3 So that as this our Brother did righteously to beleeve the Gospel of the grace of God and therethrough to beleeve in God so had he a good hope in his death a hope for good and glorious things and a hope well grounded And thus we have seen the explication and confirmation Come we now to the third