Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	dead_a	death_n	quicken_v	3,267	5	10.4250	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62642	Sixteen sermons preached on several subjects and occasions by the most reverend John Tillotson ... ; being the second volume, published from the originals, by Ralph Barker ...; Sermons. Selections	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1269; ESTC R18542	169,737	479

his Mercies sake in Jesus Christ who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory Dominion and Power now and for ever Amen SERMON XVI The Love of God to Men in the Incarnation of Christ Preached in the Chapel of Lambeth-House ON Christmas-Day 1691. 1 JOHN IV. 9. In this was manifested the love of Go towards us because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through him THESE Words contain a clear and evident Demonstration of the Love of God to us In this was manifested the Love of God towards us VOL. II. that is by this it plainly appears that God had a mighty Love for us That he sent his only-begotten Son into the World that we might live through him In which we may consider this Three-fold Evidence of God's Love to Mankind I. That he should be pleased to take our Case into Consideration and to concern himself for our Happiness II. That he should design so great a Benefit to us which is here exprest by Life that we might live through him III. That he was pleased to use such a Means for the obtaining and procuring of this Benefit for us he sent his only-begotten Son into the World that we might live through him Each of these singly is a great Evidence of God's Love to us much more all of them together I. It is a great Evidence of the Love of God to Mankind that he was pleased to take our Case into Consideration Serm. XVI and to concern himself for our Happiness Nothing does more commend an Act of Kindness than if there be great Condescension in it We use to value a small Favour if it be done to us by one that is far above us more than a far greater done to us by a mean and inconsiderable Person This made David to break out into such Admiration when he considered the ordinary Providence of God towards Mankind Lord what is Man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of Man that thou shouldst consider him This is a wonderful Condescension indeed for God to be mindful of Man At the best we are but his Creatures and upon that very Account at an infinite Distance from him so that were not he infinitely Good he would not be concerned for us who are so infinitely beneath the Consideration of his Love and Pity Neither are we of the highest Rank of Creatures we are much below the Angels as to the Excellency and Perfection of our Beings so that if God had not had a peculiar Pity and Regard to the Sons of Men he might have placed his Affection and Care upon a much nobler Order of Creatures than we are and so much the more miserable because they fell from a higher Step of Happiness I mean the lost Angels but yet for Reasons best known to his Infinite Wisdom God past by them and was pleased to consider us This the Apostle to the Hebrews takes notice of as an Argument of God's peculiar and extraordinary Love to Mankind that he sent his Son not to take upon him the Nature of Angels but of the Seed of Abraham Now that he who is so far above us and after that we by wilful Transgression had lost our selves had no Obligation to take Care of us but what his own Godness laid upon him that he should concern himself so much for us and be so solicitous for our Recovery this is a great Evidence of his Kindness and Good-will to us and cannot be imagined to proceed from any other Cause II. Another Evidence of God's great Love to us is that he was pleased to design so great a Benefit for us This the Scripture expresseth to us by Life and it is usual in Scripture to express the best and most desirable things by Life because as it is one of the greatest Blessings so it is the Foundation of all other Enjoyments And therefore the Apostle useth but this one word to express to us all the Blessings and Benefits of Christ's coming into the World God sent his only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through him And this Expression is very proper to our Case because Life signifies the reparation of all that which was lost by the Fall of Man For Man by his willful Degeneracy and Apostacy from God is sunk into a State of Sin and Misery both which the Scripture is wont to express by Death In respect of our Sinful State we are Spiritually Dead and in respect of the Punishment and Misery due to us for our Sins we are Judicially Dead Dead in Law for the wages of Sin is Death Now God hath sent his Son into the World that in both these respects we might live through him 1. We were Spiritually Dead Dead in Trespasses and Sins as the Apostle speaks Eph. 2.1 2. You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world Every Wicked Man tho' in a Natural Sense he be Alive yet in a Moral Sense he is Dead So the Apostle speaking of those who live in sinful Lusts and Pleasures says of them that they are dead while they live 1 Tim. 5.6 What Corrupt Humours are to the Body that Sin is to the Soul their Disease and their Death Now God sent his Son to deliver us from this Death by renewing our Nature and mortifying our Lusts by restoring us to the Life of Grace and Holiness and destroying the Body of Sin in us that henceforth we should not serve Sin And that this is a great Argument of the mighty Love of God to us the Apostle tells us Eph. 2.4 5. God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ It is an Argument of the Riches of God's Mercy and of his great Love to us to recover us out of this sad and deplorable Case It is a kindness infinitely greater than to redeem us from the most wretched Slavery or to rescue us from the most dreadful and cruel Temporal Death and yet we should value this as a Favour and Benefit that could never be sufficiently acknowledg'd But God hath sent his Son to deliver us from a worse Bondage and a more dreadful kind of Death so that well might the Apostle ascribe this great Deliverance of Mankind from the slavery of our Lusts and the Death of Sin to the boundless Mercy and Love of God to us God who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he loved us hath quickned us together with Christ even when we were dead in Sins when our Case was as desperate as could well be imagined then was God pleased to undertake this great Cure and to provide such a Remedy as cannot fail to be effectual for our Recovery if we will but make use of it 2. We

him King and spat upon him and under a pretence of rejoycing for his Birth to crucifie to our selves afresh the Lord of life and glory and to put him to an open shame I will conclude all with the Apostle's Exhortation Rom. 13.12 13 14. Let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the Armour of Light Let us walk decently as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envying But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christy and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof Now to our most gracious and merciful God the great Friend and Lover of Souls who regarded us in our low and lost Condition and cast an Eye of pity upon us when we were in our Blood and no other Eye pityed us and when we had lost and ruined our selves was pleased in tender compassion to Mankind to send his only begotten Son into the World to seek and save us and by the Purity of his Doctrine and the Pattern of his Life and the Sacrifice of his Death to purchase Eternal Life for us and to direct and lead us in the way to it And to him also the Blessed Saviour and Redeemer of Mankind who came down from Heaven that he might carry us thither and took Human Nature upon him that we thereby might be made Partakers of a Divine Nature and humbled himself to Death even the Death of the Cross that he might exalt us to Glory and Honour and whilst we were bitter Enemies to him gave such a Demonstration of his Love to us as never any Man did to his best Friend Vnto him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb that was slain to God even our Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ the first begotten from the dead and the Prince of the kings of the Earth to him who hath loved us Serm. II. and washed us from our sins in his own Blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and honour dominion and power now and for ever Amen SERMON II. Christ Jesus the only Mediator between God and Men. Preached at St. Peter's Cornhill ON THE Feast of the Annunciation 1691. 1 Tim. II. 5 6. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all THESE Words contain in them these four Propositions three of them express and the fourth of them sufficiently implyed in the Text. I. That there is one God VOL. II. II. That there is one Mediator between God and men Christ Jesus III. That he gave himself a ransom for all IV. That the Mediation or Intercession of Jesus Christ is founded in the Redemption of Mankind For this seems to be the Reason why it is added that he gave himself a ransom for all to signifie to us that because he gave himself a ransom for all therefore he interceeds for all In virtue of that Sacrifice which he offered to God for the Salvation of Men he offers up our Prayers to God and therefore it is acceptable to him that we should pray for all men This seems to be the true connexion of the Apostle's Discourse and the force of his Reasoning about our putting up publick Prayers for all men I have in a former Discourse handled the first of these See a Sermon concerning the Unity of the Divine Nature Printed in the year 1693. I proceed now to the II. That there is one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus One Mediator that is But one for the expression is the very same concerning one God and one Mediator and therefore if the Apostle when he says there is one God certainly means that there is but one God it is equally certain that when he says there is one Mediator between God and men he means there is but one Mediator viz. Christ Jesus He is the only Mediator between God and Men. In the handling of this Argument I shall proceed in this Method 1. I shall endeavour to shew That God hath appointed but one Mediator or Advocate or Intercessor in Heaven for us in whose Name and by whose Mediation and Intercession we are to offer up our Prayers and Services to God 2. That this is most agreeable to one main End and Design of the Christian Religion and of our Saviour's coming into the World 3. That it is likewise evident from the Nature and Reason of the thing it self That there is but one Mediator and Intercessor in Heaven for us to offer up our Prayers to God and that there can be no more And then 4. and Lastly I shall endeavour to shew how contrary to the Doctrine of the Christian Religion concerning one Mediator and Intercessor in Heaven for us the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome in this matter is in their Invocation of Angels and the Blessed Virgin and the Saints and making use of their Mediation and Intercession with God for Sinners as likewise how contrary it is to the Doctrine and Practice of the Primitive Christian Church And then I shall answer their several Pretences for this Doctrine and Practice and shew that this Practice is not only needless but useless and unprofitable and not only so but very dangerous and impious First I shall endeavour to shew That God hath appointed but one Mediator or Advocate or Intercessor in Heaven for us in whose Name and by whose Intercession we are to offer up all our Prayers and Services to God Besides that it is expresly said here in the Text there is but one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus and that the Scripture no where mentions any other I say besides this we are constantly directed to offer up our Prayers and Thanksgivings and to perform all Acts of Worship in his Name and no other and with a Promise that the Prayers and Services which we offer in his Name will be graciously answered and accepted John 14.13 14. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it And Ch. 16.23 24. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be be full In that day that is when I have left the World and am gone to my Father as he explains it at the 28th verse In that day ye shall ask me nothing but whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you That is You shall not need to address your Prayers to me but to my Father in my Name And ver 26 27. At that day ye shall ask in my name that is from the time

now remains but to apply this to our selves 1. Let us propound to our selves the Love of God for our Pattern and Example This is the Inference which the Apostle makes in the next Verse but one after the Text Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another One would have thought the Inference should have been if God so loved us then we ought also to love him But the Apostle doth not speak so much of the Affection as the Effect of Love and his meaning is if God hath bestowed such Benefits upon us we ought in imitation of him to be kind and beneficial one to another Not but that we ought to love God with all our hearts and souls and strength but in this Sense we are not capable of it We cannot be beneficial to him because he is self-sufficient and stands in need of nothing and therefore the Apostle adds this as a Reason why he does not Exhort Men to love God but one another no man hath seen God at any time he is not sensible to us and therefore none of these sensible things can signifie any thing to him But he hath Friends and Relations here in the World who are capable of the sensible Effects of our Love and to whom we may shew kindness for his sake we cannot be beneficial to God but we may testifie our Love to him by our Kindness and Charity to Men who are made after the Image of God and if we see any one Miserable that is Consideration enough to move our Charity There was nothing but this in us to move him to Pity us when we were in our blood and no eye pitied us God is a Pattern of the most generous Kindness and Charity Tho' he be infinitely above us yet he thought it not below him to confider our Case and to employ his only Son to Save us he had no Obligation to us no Expectation of Advantage from us and can never be in a possibility to stand in need of us and yet he loved us and hath conferred the greatest Benefits upon us So that no Man can have deserved so ill at our hands but that if he be in want and we in a Condition to help him he ought to come within the Compass and Consideration of our Charity And this is the proper Season for it when we Commemorate the greatest Blessing and Benefit that was ever conferred on Mankind The Son of God sent into the world on purpose to redeem and save us And therefore I cannot but very much commend the Custom of Feeding and Relieving the Poor more especially at this time when the Poor do usually stand most in need of it and when we Commemorate the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who being rich became poor for our sakes that we through his poverty might be made rich 2. Let us readily comply with the great Design of this great Love of God to Mankind He hath sent his Son that we might live through him But tho' he had done all this for us tho' he hath purchased so great Blessings for us as the Pardon of our Sins and Power against them and Eternal Life and Happiness yet there is something to be done on our parts to make us Partakers of these Benefits God hath not so loved us as to send his Son into the World to carry Men to Heaven whether they will or no and to rescue those from the slavery of the Devil and the Damnation of Hell who are fond of their Fetters and wilfully run themselves upon Ruin and Destruction But the Son of God came to offer Happiness to us upon certain Terms and Conditions such as are fit for God to propound and necessary for us to perform to make us capable of the blessedness which he offers as namely repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ a sincere and constant Endeavour of Obedience to the Laws and Precepts of our Holy Religion These are the Terms of the Gospel and the Grace of God which brings Salvation offers it only upon these Terms that we deny Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and live soberly righteously and godly in this present world then we may expect the blessed hope But if we will not submit to these Conditions the Son of God will be no Saviour to us for he is the Author of Eternal Salvation only to them that obey him If Men will continue in their Sins the Redemption wrought by Christ will be of no Advantage to them such as obstinately persist in an impenitent Course Ipsa si velit salus servare non potest Salvation it self cannot save them These are the Conditions of our Happiness and if we submit to them we are Heirs of Eternal Life if we refuse we are Sons of Perdition eternally lost and undone for we may assure our selves that these are the best and easiest Terms that can ever be offered to us because God sent them by his Son This is the last Effort of the Divine Love and Goodness towards the Recovery and Salvation of Men so the Apostle tells us Heb. 1.1 2. that God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake to the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son and if we refuse to hear him he will speak no more After this it is not to be expected that God should make any farther Attempts for our Recovery for he can send no greater nor dearer Person to us than his own Son and if we refuse him whom will we reverence If after this we still wilfully go on in our Sins there remains no more sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation to consume us 3. With what Joy and Thankfulness should we Commemorate this great Love of God to Mankind in sending his only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through him This is the proper End of the Blessed Sacrament which we are now going to receive to represent to our Minds the Incarnation and Passion of our dear Lord by the Symbols of his Body broken and his blood shed for us With what acknowledgments should we Celebrate the Memory of this wonderful Love which the Son of God hath shewn to the Sons of Men endeavouring to make all the World in love with him who hath so loved all Mankind When ever we see his Blood poured forth and his Body broken for us so moving a Sight should raise strange Passions in us of love to our Saviour and hatred to our Sins and should inspire us with mighty Resolutions of Service and Obedience to him and when ever the Pledges and Seals of these Benefits are delivered into our Hands the sight of them should at once wound and revive our Hearts and make us to cry out Lord how unworthy am I for whom thou shouldest do and suffer all this I am overcome by thy love and can no longer hold out against the mighty force of such kindness I render my self to thee and will serve thee for ever who hast redeemed me at so dear a rate Now to him that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb that was slain to God even our Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ the first begotten from the Dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth unto him that hath loved us and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood and hath made us Kings and Priests to God and his Father to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen FINIS