Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	adam_n	impute_v	posterity_n	3,200	5	9.6977	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49244	Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The summe and substance of XV. sermons. Preached by that faithful and painful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Lawrence Jury, London. They being his last sermons. To which is added a funerall sermon, being the very last sermon he ever preached.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3156; ESTC R214001	127,409	242

and designed by the Father to give out grace to his people for so Christ speaks of himself I came down from heaven not to do mine own wil but the wil of him that sent me Now it is the will of God that from Christ believers should receive both justifying and sanctifying grace Our sanctification is Gods Will and Christ came to fulfil that will of God for so speaks the Apostle Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not neither hast pleasure therein then said I Lo I come to do thy will Ob God by which Will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Iesus Christ once for all So that the Will of God the Father and the Will of Jesus Christ are the same in the bestowing of grace Jesus Christ received a commission from God the Father to bestow grace upon his people and will you see how that Commission runs you shal finde it in the Prophet Isaiah The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to binde up the breken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Christ had a Commission under his Fathers hand and Seale For him hath the father sealed Joseph received authority from Pharaoh and it was no dishonour to Pharaoh that Ieseph was commissionated to issue out all the stores of corne to the Egyptians in the time of that famine no more is it any dishonour to the Father that Jesus Christ doth bestow and convey grace upon believers But doth not this put the Spirit out of office who is called the holy Spirit and the Spirit of grace because he doth work grace and holinesse in the hearts of the People of God What Christ is said to work that the holy Spirit also doth because by the Spirit of God Christ worketh It is a good rule that the works of the blessed Trinity ad extra are undivided all those works which are external and relative to the creatures as to create preserve redeem sanctifie c. are in respect of the things wrought equally common to all the Persons of the blessed Trinity So that we may say whatsoever things that the Father doth those things doe the Son likewise and those things also doth the Holy Ghost the work of Sanctification is equally ascribed unto all the Persons God the Father sanctifies his people God the Son doth sanctifie his members for he is their sanctifications He loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water through the Word And yet the work of Sanctification is most frequently ascribed to the Holy Ghost Goodnesse Righteousness and Truth and indeed all grace being called the fruit of the Spirit and the Spirit is called the Spirit of grace and supplication and the Spirit of holinesse and sanctification So our Regeneration is ascribed unto God the Father Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope And so also we are the children of Christ by Regeneration for in this respect Christ is called the Father of Eternity Behold saith the Prophet in the name of Christ I and the children which thou hast given me and that there the Prophet speaks of Christ is cleare from the application of it to him in the Epistle to the Hebrews Behold I and the children which God hath given me Neither is the Holy Ghost excluded from this working of grace regeneration in us for Christ tels Nicodemus that except a man be born again except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God So it is said that God the Father blessed Abraham and yet the blessing of Abraham came upon the Gentiles through Christ that they might receive the promise of the Spirit By all which instances it doth appear that though there are divers●ties of gifts yet the same Spirit and though there are differences of administrations yet the same Lord Jesus Christ the Author of all grace through the holy Spirit 2. The reason and ground of this why Jesus Christ is the Author Purchaser and conveyer of grace to his People is 1. Because God the Father hath appointed Jesus Christ as Mediatour to transact the great work of sanctifying and saving his Elect 2. Because by this shall the reproach be rowled away from Christ who in his life time was reputed the greatest of all Male-factors and accordingly suffered death They were wont to say can any good come 〈◊〉 of Nazareth God hath therefore given him a name above all names that he should not only be anointed with oyl above his fellows by his receiving the Spirit without measure but that the oyl that was poured upon the head of our High-Priest should run down upon the skirts of his garments and that grace which was abundant in him should also be redundant to his Church and run down and diffuse it self to all his members 3. To manifest that Jesus Christ was the second Adam and came into the world to repaire the breaches which the sin of the first Adam had made For by the fall we did not only contract upon our selves the guilt of Adams sin to take off which we have need of the righteousnesse of Christ imputed but we have drawn upon our selves the filthinesse and pollution of sin to take away the power whereof only the grace holinesse and inherent righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us doth avail and as the first Adam was the Author and conveyer both of the guilt filthinesse and punishments of sin to his posterity so Jesus Christ the second Adam conveighs the life of grace into all his As the first Adam was the author to communicate natural life as he was made a living soule so the second Adam did communicate the spiritual life of grace as he was made a quickuing spirit From the first Adam by natural generation and propagation we receive corruption for corruption so from the second Adam we receive grace for grace 1. Vse of this Doctrine is for Confutation 1. Of the Socinians errour who say that all grace in Christ whether his active or passive righteousnesse was only to qualifie his person and to merit his own glorification without any reference unto us unlesse as an exemplar or patterne But this opinion is sufficiently confuted by this Doctrine by which hath been shown that as all our grace is from Christ so that abundance of grace that is in Christ is for us As the woman hath abundance of milk in her brest not for her self but for her childe and the Sun hath abundance of light not for it self but for the world So Jesus Christ is

they be placed alone in the midst of the earth that you give all diligence to adde to your faith vertue and to your vertue knowledge and to your knowledge temperance and to your temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly-kindnesse and to brotherly-kindnesse charity that these graces may be in you and abound that you may be neither barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus No Christian should content himselfe with any measures of Grace attained for he is like to make use of all the grace he hath had he a Benjamins portion The time is comming when one dram of true grace will be of more worth then all the world The comforts of grace the joy and peace of believing will be Cordials to you when you are dying and will set up such a light in the soule which the shadow of death shall neither damp nor darken But alas most men are labouring more after wealth then faith more after greatnesse in the world then true grace of whom when they die it may be said They had laid up goods for many yeers but it cannot be said In them was found some good thing towards the Lord. Men doe usually lay up riches for a deare yeere they 'l say they know not what need they may have before they come to die Be then as wise and provident for your precious souls Your temptations and trials may be such that you may have use for all your faith and patience Eate said the Angel to Elijah for the journey is long It is no short way to Heaven nor is the opposition small thou shalt meet withall in thy passage thither Oh then get thy soule well stored with spirituall provision of grace and the comforts of it It is true thy safety is in the being but thy comfort stands in the strength and activity of thy graces Weake Grace is saving but strong Grace is comfortable truth of grace shal be rewarded with heaven growth of Grace doth as it were antedate heaven The least true grace wil bring thee to Heaven but the more Grace thou hast the fitter for and surer thou wilt be of Heaven The Lord make these and all the labours of his servants profitable to his Church Ye therefore beloved seeing you know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastnesse But grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to him be glory both now and for ever Amen Reader we remain Ready to serve thee in thy Soul-affairs EDMUND CALAMY SIMEON ASHE JEREM. WHITAKER WILLIAM TAYLOR London February 13. 1651-52 Sermon I. At Lawrence J●y London March 9. 1650 1. 1. KINGS 14. part of the 13. verse Because in him there is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam THis Chapter conteins in it Ahijahs Prophesie foretelling what dismall judgements should befal Ieroboam and his posterity for his Idolatry in worship and defection from the Government and house of David For which sins God did destroy him and his posterity and not only the bad but the good were punished for their fathers guilt For so it is intimated in this verse out of which the Text is taken Here was a young man Ieroboam's son that should die for the fathers fault and yet here was a mitigation of the punishment that he should not die after the same manner that the rest did he shall goe to his grave in peace because in him there is found some good c. Behold the goodnesse of God! a little good in him and yet the great God takes notice of the little good in him God found as it were one pearle in a heap of pebbles one good young man in Jeroboams houshold that had some good in him towards the Lord God of Israel In the whole verse three parts I. A lamentation for the death of this son of Jeroboam It is said all Israel shall mourn for him and so they did v. 18. which argued there was goodness in him for if he had not been desired and prized while he lived he would not have been so lamented at his death II. A limitation of his punishment he only of Jeroboams family shall come to the grave the rest of his posterity that died in the City dogs should eat and him that dieth in the field should the fowles of the ayre devoure vers 11. III. The commendation of his life in him was found some good c. of this I am now to treat He is commended by the Holy Ghost for his goodnesse is set forth 1. By the quality of his goodnesse it was a good thing not a good word only or a good purpose or inclination with which too many content themselves but it was a good action 2. By the quantity of it it was but some little good thing that was found in him and yet that little good God did not despise or over-look 3. By the sincerity of his goodnesse there are two notable demonstrations of this young mans goodnesse 1. It was towards the Lord God of Israel 2. It was in Jeroboams house 1. His goodnesse was towards the Lord God of Israel This argued Pauls sincerity that in his speaking writing and actions he could and did appeal to God That Religion saith the Apostle is pure and undefiled that is so before God and the Father Many Hypocrites may be good towards men who are not so towards God to be rich indeed is to be rich towards God True repentance is repentance towards God and he is unblamable indeed that is void of offence towards God as well as towards men 2. He was good in the house of Jeroboam A wicked man may seeme good in a good place but to be good in a bad place argues men to be good indeed To be good in Davids house this was not so much but for this young man to be good in the house of Jeroboam his father whom the Scripture brands for his Idolatry that he made all Jsrael to sin and yet could not make his son to sin this argued he was sincerely good as it did argue Lots sincerity to be righteous in Sodom for Job to be good in Chaldea and to be Saints in Nero's Palace and to feare God in Jeroboams family this is goodnesse indeed There is onely one difficulty in the Text viz. What was that good thing that was found in Abijah For answer to this 't is true the Scripture doth not particularly expresse what that good thing was which was found in him but Tostatus and P. Martyr affirme from the Hebrew Rabbins that when the Jews of the ten Tribes did on their appointed times repair to Ierusalem to worship according to the command of God and Jerboam commanded Souldiers to intercept them this Abijah did hinder the souldiers to kill them and gave

Mesech and have my habitation in the tents of Kedar i. e. with the sinful idolatrous and barbarous people the posterity of Ishmael thus Lots righteous soul was vexed from day to day while he dwelt in Sodom and saw their unclean conversations Hence we may gather that it is our duty the more bad the place or family is where God hath cast your dwelling the better and more blameless you should labour to be you will by this adorn your Profession stop the mouths of adversaries allure and win others to imbrace Christianity We must be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation amongst whom ye shine as lights in the world Stars shine brightest in a dark night fire burneth hottest in a cold and frosty day so should thy star of profession shine brightest in darkest places where thou livest and the fire of thy zeal burn hottest in cold time when the love of many waxes cold Then certainly it is a vain plea for men to excuse their wickedness because they live in bad places this was Abrahams fault to excuse his lie by being at Gerar. Seneca blames men of laying the fault of their badness on the place where they live I am not ambitious by nature but no man that lives at Rome can be otherwise I am not given to costly and rich Apparel but I must do so when I am at Rome It is the badnesse of thy heart and not the place that makes thee bad no place though never so good can exempt a man from sin the Angels sinned in Heaven Adam in Paradise Judas in Christs family and no place though never so bad can excuse a man from sin If it be so commendable to be good in bad places then it is abominable to be bad in good places to be dirty swine in a fair meadow Oh how many are bad in good families who despise good counsels and hate the duties of Religion in religious families If it was bad for Peter to be evil amongst the High-Priests servants how abominable was it for Judas to be a Traitor amongst the Apostles and in the family of Christ himself Delight not to be in bad places and companys to delight in such argues thou art bad thy self We are to hate the garment spotted with the flesh some expound this To avoid the occasions of sin but Mr. Perkins gives this sense To hate bad company and he saith it alludes unto the Ceremonial law That if a man had a leprous garment or a●ga●ment any otherwise made unclean his company was to be a voided God therefore gave that command Not to plough with an Oxe and an Asse together the Asse was an unclean creature and the Oxe was one of the clean beasts and they must not be in the same yoke To note say Divines that Gods people and prophane persons must not be yoked together Though they may occasionally meet together yet they must not be yoked together a man may trade with the wickedest man alive commerce is not forbidden but our joyning with wicked men in a needlesse familiarity Keep company with the godly and delight your selves with such as are good It is lawful to be in bad company when a just occasion calls but it is profitable to be in good company He that walketh with wise men shall be wise but he that is a companion of fools shall be destroyed As a man that comes in a shop of persumes wil carry away the sent with him so a man by conversing with the godly shall carry away some good with him Labour to to chuse those for thy companions from whom thou mayest get some good but if God should cast thee into a house like the family of Jeroboam imitate good Abijah of whom it is said That in him was found some good to the Lord God of Israel even in the house of Ieroboam Sermon II. At Lawrence Jury London 1650. 1 KING 14. part of the 13. verse Because in him there is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam HAving dispatched the Observations which may be gathered from the circumstance in the Text I come to that main Doctrine which I intend to handle which is God doth not onely exactly take notice of but also tenderly cherish and graciously reward the smallest beginnings and weakest measures of grace which he works in the hearts of his own people I might produce a cloud of testimonies to confirm this point Our Saviour Christ said that be wil not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax Observe it is not said the strong Oak shal not be broken but the bruised reed shall not be broken not the light and flaming torch but the smoking flax shal not be quenched Smoking flax where there is but little fire and much smoke of infirmity yet Christ will not quench it i. e. he will-cherish it here is the figure Meiosis here is lesse spoken then intended He will be so far from quenching that he will cherish the smoking fl●x as in another place God is said that he will not despise a broken heart i. e. He will highly esteem it Solomon speaks of the fig-tree putting forth her green figs and the Vine with her tender grapes gives a good smell that is the little measure and weak beginnings of grace in young Converts do please the Lord Jesus Christ and are as a sweet smel in his nostrils Again Christ saith Let us see if the vine flourish whether the tender gr●p● appear and the pomegranate bud forth The green buds regarded by Christ as well as the ripe and grown fruit In opening of the Doctrine I shall endeavour to clear these two things 1. That some of Gods people have but weak measures and small beginnings of grace 2. Though there be but a little grace yet God will regard and reward it 1. That some of Gods people have but a little grace have but the beginnings of grace wrought in their souls In the handling whereof are three things 1. The truth of the Proposition may be made good from the Scriptures 2. I will lay down notes of discovery to know such as have but small measures of grace wrought in them 3. And then shew why God in his wisdom will not suffer his people to be all of an equall strength and stature in grace 1. How douth it appear that some of Gods people are but weak in grace 1. By the different names and titles that are given unto Christians in holy Scriptures arguing they are of different measure and growth in grace 1. Some are called strong men and others weak 2. Some are called Babes in Christ and others called grown men 3. Some are called Trees of Righteousnes● Plants of renown that grow like Cedars in Lebanon

life that kill him 2. None knowes that he must dye so as a godly man whose care it is to dye preparedly A godly man he knows he must dye and this knowledge makes him prepare for a dying time to live every day as his last day The Prophet he spake of death in the former part of Psal 90. that the dayes of man are threescore and ten See what followes So teach us to number ●ur dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom he doth mean by numbering our dayes to live so exactly as to count the number of our dayes to be so few every day● as if this were the last day and this time as the time of the coming of Christ to judgement 3. None but a godly man knows of his dying so as to consider that there is a necessity that sin must dye in him before his body dies 〈◊〉 an Heathen could say Let thy vices dye before thee There must not be only a suspension but a mortification of sin A godly man considers though I live blamelesly that men cannot say Black is mine eye to any outward practice yet I must have my inward lusts and corruptions dye before my body dye and therefore they ought to be conversant in things that tend to mortification● this is to know death considerately and affectionately whereas wicked men consider of death notionally their senses tell them that all must die They say all men men young and old rich and poor must dye but this is but matter of discourse in them but the godly know it with savoury knowledge Thirdly Iobs Piety was in that he doth represent death to himself not in a formidable and dreadful way but under a comfortable representation For I know thou wilt bring me to death● and to the house c. He doth represent the grave under the notion of a house as he represents it elsewhere From thence observe this point That a child of God that hath not allowed guilt upon his conscience he may and ought to re-present death to himself in such familiar representations as may make it lesse dreadful and more desirable Sometimes it is represented as going to bed They shall rest in their bed A godly man when he lyeth upon his death-bed and by sicknesse is weary of his life tossing to and fro till the dawning of the day let him think the grave will be but a bed of rest unto him so death is often stiled a sleep And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt Death is embalmed with sweet and comfortable language The grave is the house for all the living to be lodged in If I wait the grave is mine house I have made my bed in the darknesse The grave is the house that I must go to as after a hard dayes labour in my house I go to bed in a dark night So we go to our beds as into our graves for a long night going to bed is but for a short night but going to the grave is for a long night death is somtimes represented with dreadful considerations but with amiablenesse too There is an abhorrency in nature against death it is embalmed by Jesus Christ he lay in the grave three dayes to embalme the grave to you though your beds be cloudy and dark yet ye rest in them till the Resurrection-day For the opening of the doctrine I shall dispatch these two Queries 1. I shall shew you why the grave is compared to an house 2. I shall shew you what kinde of house the grave is For the first Query why the grave is compared to an house 1. This Reason some Authors give because in ancient times as hath been hinted among the Egyptians their graves and sepulchres they were made after the fashion of houses with Arches and such kind of superstructures therefore they say it is called an house 2. Other Authors give this reason because that as a man after a dayes labour abroad he comes to his house for rest so a man after a lifes labour in this world he comes to his grave as to his house for rest The second Query is this what kinde of house is the grave Now I will give you these four properties of this house 1. It is a desolate and a lonesome house 2. It is a dark house 4 It is an old house 4 It is a silent house For the first the grave is 1. A desolate and a lonesome house I shall be said Iob with Kings Counsellers of the earth which build desolate places for themselves that is they build tombs and monuments where they shall lye and then they shall leave all their attendance When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit with the people of old time and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth in places desolate of old with them that go down into the pit that thou be not inhabited Job 17. 14. I have said to corruption Thou art my Father and to the wormes Thou art my mother and my sister there is all the company you will have corruption and the wormes friends bring you to your grave and there they leave you 2. Your grave is a dark house I have made my bed in the darknesse that is in the grave The grave is like the sleeping room in a house not like the dining room and working room The dining room is to be light and so the working room but the sleeping room is dark 'T is but the stopping of the mouth of the grave and it is but the drawing of the Curtains of the bed where thou shalt lye in darknesse till the Resurrection● day In the grave there is neither the light of the body which is the eye nor the light of the aire which is the Sun the Sun it shall not shine there nor the body see there Therefore Eccl. 11. 9. Rejoyce Oh young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee unto judgement And vers 8. He had said remember the dayes of darknesse for they shall be many The meaning is this The continuance in the grave which is the house of darknesse shall be long even to the end of the world 3. The grave is an old house as old as Adam he digged his grave with his owne fingers Wherefore as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned The grave it is a lasting house a house where thou must stay a great while Eccles 11. 5. Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high and fear shall be in the way and the Almond tree shall