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	trespass_n	4,131	5	10.6204	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77504	The mystical brasen serpent: with the magnetical vertue thereof. or, Christ exalted upon the cross, with the blessed end and fruit of that his exaltation, in drawing the elect world to himself, to believe on Him, and to be saved by Him. In two treatises, from John 3. 14, 15. 12. 32. Whereunto is added A treatise of the saints joint-membership each with other. As they were delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, by John Brinsley, minister of the gospel, and preacher to that incorporation. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy. July 30. 1652.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing B4719; Thomason E1249_1; ESTC R208891	155,986	284

Deprived of life that life which the Text speaketh of viz. Eternall life which is begun in Grace perfected in Glory of this life are all men naturally deprived Being destitute of the Life of Grace so saith S. Paul of the Gentiles before conversion Eph. 4 18. They were alienated estranged from the life of God That life whereby God liveth in his Saints the life of grace they were strangers to it they knew not what it meant destitute of this Spirituall life and shut out from the life of glory Rom. 3.23 All have sinned saith S. Paul speaking of the universality of man-kind and are deprived of the glory of God They come short of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deficiuntur they are cast behind A Metaphor saith Beza taken from runners in a Race Beza Gr. Ann. who through naturall weaknesse or by a fall or some like impediment are so far cast behind as that it is not possible they should ever fetch it up again so as to win the prize So fareth it with all men naturally through the fall of Adam in whose loyns then they were and through their own naturall weaknesse thereby contracted they are so far cast behind that do what they can improve the power of nature to the uttermost they can never of themselves come up to the goal so as to win the prize never attain eternal life All deprived of life And 2. All subjected unto death 2. Subjected unto death Gen. 3.17 and that by vertue of that first threatning The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death Gen. 3. All subjected to a threefold death Temporall Spirituall and Eternall Temporall of the Body Spirituall of the Soul Eternall both of Soul and Body Being all inevitably subject to the first lying under the power of the second and under the sentence of the third Having their Bodies mortall their Souls dead Dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2.1 Souls and Bodies bound over unto Eternall death which consisteth in an eternall separation from the presence of God in whose presence is life an eternall confinement to that place and state of torment prepared for the divel and his angels all which if need were might be made good in particulars And herein is the forlorn perishing state and condition of all men by nature that it is so it cannot be denyed But how cometh it to be so See the ground and cause of it in the Type This hath the Serpent done Reas This hath the Serpent done The Israelites being stung or bitten by those fiery serpents though both strong and healthfull before they were now but dead men carrying death in their bosomes and so fareth it with the sons of men however created in a blessed state and condition in a healthfull constitution as I may say with a posse non mori a possibility of being immortall yet upon the stinging of the serpent the old serpent fastning his sting in Adam through him transfusing his poyson the deadly poyson of sin to all his posterity hereby they are become so wretched so miserable all dead men in a perishing condition so the Apostle layeth it down clearly and plainly in that knowne Text Rom. 5.12 As by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all for that all have sinned Mark it Here is the head and spring of all that evill of sin and misery which hath broken in upon mankind Adam sinned and sinning died being thereupon subjected to that threefold death Now Adam thus dying and perishing all his posterity perished in him and with him even as it is with a tree the Root dying all the Branches die in it and with it So standeth the case betwixt Adam and his posterity Adam was the common Root of mankind all others of the sons of men were in him Tanquam in radice as Branches in the Root and so consequently he dying they all die in him and with him Thus briefly you see both the truth of this first Conclusion and the ground of it As briefly bring we it home by way of Application and so passe to the other Conclusions which are here more expresly layd down in the Text. 1. By way of Conviction Vse 1. Conviction See this to be our state Is this the state of all men by nature Be we then convinced that this is our estate in particular An easie matter it is to beleeve confesse and acknowledge this truth in the gross in the generall that all men by nature are in a perishing state lost men and women children of perdition to bring it home to a mans selfe in particular to be convinced and made sensible that this is my estate thy estate here is a difficulty a thing which few do or endeavour to do and hence it is that men being in the state of nature are so little or nothing affected with the dangerousnesse of that condition They can lie and continue in that estate wherein they were born and yet never be troubled at it never affected with it What is the reason hereof Why they look upon this truth only in the grosse in the generall notion of it Now Generalities doe not affect Genera nec agunt nec patiuntur Certainly were men but once throughly convinced and perswaded that this is their estate in particular they would not so quietly and contentedly sit downe in it they would never be at rest untill they have got some evidence some assurance unto their own souls that they are gotten out of that estate brought out of this state of nature into a state of grace And therefore in the fear of God as many of you as were never yet throughly convinced of the truth hereof now let it into your souls and do not suffer vain thoughts to lodge within you as viz. that you shall do as well as others so you may and yet be miserable enough or that whatever become of others yet it shall go well with you what saith our Saviour to the Jews flattering themselves with the like thoughts viz. That however the judgements of God might light upon others yet they should escape Not so saith he Except ye repent Luke 13.3 ye shall all likewise perish Let it be spoken to every secure sinner that stands before me this day that lieth sleeping in his naturall state and condition flattering himselfe with a selfe conceited apprehension that he is not as some others as the Pharisee said of himself no Swearer no Drunkard no profane no scandalous person and hereupon speaks peace to his own soul promising to himself immunity from that wrath of God which shall fall upon others I tell you nay but except ye repent except ye be renewed changed brought out of that estate of nature and brought home unto God by Christ ye shall likewise perish Your estate being for the present that estate wherein you were born it is a perishing state a state of perdition so as living

live againe True indeed his dead body shall be raised up again but not to the Resurrection of Life This is the portion of Gods Saints John 5.29 They that have done good saith our Saviour shall come forth to the Resurrection of life that is to a Resurrection that hath an eternall life following it this is peculiar to them Luke 14.14 thence called the Resurrection of the Just Luk. 14. As for wicked men they have no share in it they shall also come forth of the Graves But how Why even as condemned malefactors are brought out of their Prisons and Dungeons to the place of Execution So shall they come forth of their graves not to the Resurrection of life but of Condemnation as it there followeth They shall be raised up not unto that blessed life but unto death even to that eternall death which shall be to them a dying life and a living death And here is their perishing But thus shal not the Beleever perish The Beleever shall not perish Die he may and die he must that as other men die so seeming to perish whence even righteous men are said to perish The righteous perisheth no man layeth it to heart Isai 57.1 that is he dieth and that seemingly as others do How dieth the wise man even as the fool saith the Preacher Eccl. 2.16 in the outward appearance no difference as it is said of our Saviour He made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death Isai 53.9 So fareth it with Gods Saints they make their graves lie down in the dust with wicked men dying as they die their souls both separated from their bodies and their bodies to dust and who shall distinguish betwixt their ashes in the outward appearance no difference between the one and the other yet a grand difference there is the one perisheth not so the other The one dying dieth to die dyeth Temporally to die Eternally The other dying dyeth to live dyeth a Temporal death that he may live an eternall life so it followeth in the next words He shall not perish but have Eternall life 2. Possitive Eternall life Eternall life Here is the Positive part of the Benefit wherein our Saviour explains what he meant by not perishing viz. he shall not die but live eternally Behold here the Prerogative of Gods Saints even of all true Beleevers wherein they differ from all others Not only from the Bruit creature the bruit Creature perisheth in death so shall not they But even from wicked men Wicked men they do not properly perish in death but they die to die so as they shall never see life this true life They shall never see the face of God never injoy his presence in whose presence is life Being Separated from the presence of his grace here they shall be separated from the presence of his glory hereafter and to this punishment of losse shall be added the punishment of sense They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thes 1.9 Being confined to that place of horror and darknesse they shall be subjected both in souls and bodies to endlesse and easelesse unsufferable unspeakable unconceivable torments and so shall for ever be in a perishing condition But as for God's Saints and faithfull ones even all true Beleevers they shall not only not perish as the bruit Creature doth but they shall be possessed of that life which all unbelevers shall be excluded from even Eternall life Eternall Life Eternall life what Under these two words the Spirit of God in Scripture frequently sets forth unto us the state and condition of Gods Saints in Heaven which being a most blessed state full of Glory and Happinesse is therefore called by the name of Life because of all things upon earth life is the most precious most set by And in as much as that state is immutable unchangeable therefore it is called Eternall Life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continuing the same to all ages to all Eternity This blessed life the Beleever enters into upon earth when he first beginneth to beleeve on Christ then is he translated from death to life then is this blessed life estated upon him and begun in him thence saith our Saviour This is life eternall to know thee the only true God and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ Joh. 17.3 To know God and Christ to know God in Christ this is life eternall It is so as in regard of assurance so in regard of Inchoation being the beginning of that blessed life which Gods Saints entering upon here in the kingdome of Grace shall have the full fruition of hereafter in the kingdom of glory He shall not perish but have eternall life The Type falling short of the Truth Eternall life Behold here the Truth in the Text advanced above and beyond the Type Those whom the Brasen Serpent cured they afterwards died Not so they who are cured and healed by Christ If a man keep my saying saith our Saviour he shall not see death Joh. 8.51 Joh. 8. They shall live Eternally never seeing tasting of that second death so laith our Saviour expresly unto Martha Joh. 11. He that beleeveth on me John 11.25 though he were dead yet hee shall live and he that liveth and beleveth on mee shall never die Though he were dead Dead Spiritually saith Calvin Dead in trespasses and sins as all men naturally are yet upon this beleeving he shall live viz. live the life of grace here and so living and beleeving he shall never die never die Eternally Or if we take it as Arctius and others expound it of a Naturall Temporall death Whosoever beleeveth though he be dead that is dead as Lazarus was yet dying in the faith he shall live he shall be raised up again to life And he that liveth and beleeveth on me that is say some such as shall be found alive at the coming of Christ they shall never die only be changed Or He that liveth and beleeveth shall never die that is eternally so the words in the Originall may bee construed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non morietur in aeternum though he die Temporally yet not eternally And here is the Benefit it selfe which Beleevers have by beleeving on Christ The Extent of this Benefit followeth 2. The Exte of the Benefit which is as I said as large as may be indefinite universall reaching to all those who performe the condition So you have it in the first word Whosoever Of which but a word The Benefit of Christs death extends to all true believers Doct. To all believers As onely to them so to all and every of them Whether Christ died intentionally for all men as Arminians would have it I shall not stand now to discusse it Sure we are he died for all those that believe on him and to them all and every of them shall

man is a sinner say the Pharisees to the blind man John 9. Joh. 9.24 that is a great and notorious sinner Mark 15.28 Isai 53.12 He was numbred among the transgressors saith the Evangelist citing that of the Prophet Esay Nay more having as a surety taken upon him the sins of the world the world of his Elect he was now a sinner by imputation and the greatest sinner in the world 2 Cor. 5. last He was made sin for us saith the Apostle viz. by Imputation having the iniquities of many Isai 53. ver 6. and 12. of us all laid upon him And herein fitly answering the Type wherein we have a Serpent stinging and a Serpent healing Rom. 5.19 Ex serpente morbi per serpente medicinae Per hominem peccatum mors per hominem justificatio resurrectio H. G●oti in Text. Even thus by a man came sin and death and by a man cometh righteousness and life The first Adam woundeth being a man like unto us the second Adam healeth being a man like unto us also God could have found out many other Antidotes and remedies against the poysonous stingings of these Serpents but he makes choise of this A Serpent stings and a Serpent must heale Even so possibly he could have found out many other wayes and means for the Redeeming and saving of his people but his Wisdom puts it upon this way as most congruous and convenient 1 Cor. 15.21 that as by a man came death so by a man should come the Resurrection of the dead that as in Adam all die so in Christ should all be made alive as the Apostle goeth on 1 Cor. 15. 2. Christ was like unto us Men Christ like unto us sinful men Serpentem hunc aeneum in eo Christi gessisse imaginem quòd alius erat quàm videbatur rectè notavit adversus Tryphonem Justinus de eo serpente sic loquens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 H. Grot. ibid. us sinful men but himself not sinful Even as that Serpent was like unto other Serpents but without the sting and poyson that was in them Thus our blessed Saviour how ever he carried the similitude of sinful flesh yet he was no wayes infected or tainted with sin whether Original or Actual Free from the poyson of Original sin which had infected the nature of all other men Being sanctified in his conception by the supernatural work of the Spirit he was born holy That holy thing which shall be born of thee Luke 1. Luke 1.35 Free from Actual sin He did no sin neither was there guile found in his mouth 1 Pet. 2. 1 Pet. 2.22 And here again behold the Truth answering to the Type The stinging of those poysonous Serpents cured by a Serpent that had neither sting nor poyson The sting and poyson guilt and power of sin taken away by him that was free from both Christ hath suffered for sins saith St. Peter the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 3. 1 Pet. 3.18 He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. last Here is a second resemblance in the form of this Serpent 3. 3. The occasion of making and setting it up Vpon what occasion was this Serpent made and set up Why upon the deadly biting and stinging of the Israelites by those fiery Serpents whereof some were dead already others in eminent danger of death Behold here what it was that occasioned the making and lifting up of this true Brasen Serpent what occasioned the Eternal Son of God to take our nature upon him in that nature to suffer to die It was our Misery that called for this Mercy we were all stung and mortally stung by the old Serpent who fastning upon our first Parents through them transfused his poyson unto all their posterity Even as one of those fiery serpents fastning upon one member the poyson thereof ran through the whole body inflaming and infecting the blood and spirits in every part Even thus that old serpent the divel fastning the sting of his Tentation in the heart of our first Parents bringing them to transgress the Command and so to break the Covenant of their God he thereby not only wounded them to the death but through them trasmitted that deadly poyson to the whole mass of mankind being then in their loyns Rom. 5.12 so Death passed upon all men saith the Apostle For that all have sinned All the sons of men being in Adam tanquàm in radice as in the common stock and root they sinned in him and so death which had seazed upon him passed upon them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pervasit a Metaphor taken from poyson say some Instar occulti veneni penetravit Pareus Com. ad loc which being received into the stomack it passeth through the whole body secretly dispersing it self through all the veines Thus did the poyson of the old Serpent being taken in by our first Parents it presently passed through the whole body of mankinde transfusing it self into our veynes so as we are all by nature no better then dead men As Mephibosheth once said to David All of my fathers house were but dead men before my Lord the King 2 Sam. 19.28 Such are all the posterity of Adam through his transgression and rebellion against the God of heaven Dead men Anshei Maveth Men of death not only subject to natural but under the power of a spiritual and bound over unto eternal death And here is the occasion of bringing in this true Brasen Serpent of sending a Saviour into the world Had not the Israelites sinned and upon their sin been punished after that manner that Brasen Serpent had never been made Had not Adam sinned and sinning died and all his posterity in him we should not have needed a Saviour The Son of God should not have needed to take our nature upon him in that nature to suffer to die It was our sin and misery that occasioned this Mercy And let the one ever put us in minde of the other The Cross of Christ mindeth us of our sin and misery The Brasen serpent standing in the midst of the Campe it could not but be a memorial to the Israelites to put them in minde of what misery they had brought upon themselves by provoking the anger of God against them The like use make we of the beholding of Christ crucified When he is held forth unto us by the Ministers of the Gospel in the Word and Sacraments Gal. 3.1 there crucified before our eyes when we consider what he hath done what he hath suffered for us and reflect upon our selves and there take notice of the occasion of this abasement What was it that should draw the Son of God from heaven to earth to become the son of man to take our nature upon him in that nature to do and suffer what he

and dying in it there is no hope but you must perish and for ever perish An Israelite being stung was now but a dead man and so art thou being under the guilt and power of sin O that this apprehension were but let in and throughly set on upon every soul here present then should I not need to presse what at present I intend only to propound by way of Exhortation Vse 2. Look out for cure That every one of us here present would look out for our selves our owne safety our owne security never giving rest unto our souls untill we be upon good grounds ascertained that we are got out of this state My Brethren will any creature man only excepted rest in such a state as threatens destruction to it Such is the state of nature a state of perdition threatning certaine destruction to every soul that lieth and continueth in it And therefore every of us in the fear of God be excited to a serious and earnest inquiry after some way and means of deliverance out of this estate that having found it out we may put our souls upon it so as we may not perish with the rest of the world The Israelites feeling themselves stung with these Fiery Serpents they look out for cure To that end they repair unto Moses making their moan unto him the like will we do for our bodies Do we find them distempered wounded we will look out to the Physician Chyrurgion for remedie and cure O be as wise for our souls Do we feel them wounded stung with this Old Serpent Do not now lie and die in our sins God hath provided a means of cure seek we enquire we after it and make use of it And to that end come with these Israelites to Moses come to the Ministers of God Come to Moses the Ministers of God enquiring from them out of the word what course is to be taken this will a wounded soul a soul rightly humbled do feeling the sting of sin sticking in it and apprehending the deadly consequence of it it will now have recourse to God to his Word to his Ministers asking counsell of them So did the Jews being pricked in their hearts they come unto Peter and the rest even as the Israelites here did unto Moses and what is their errand Men and Brethren Act. 2.37 what shall we do The Jaylor the like being stung and sensible of his pain he cometh to Paul and Silas and what is his Question Act. 16.30 Sirs what must I do to be saved O that men would take the same course feeling the sting of sin sticking in their souls and consciences not let it alone festring and wrankling and spreading the venome of it more and more till it be past cure nor yet seeking out after indirect and unprofitable wayes and meanes of cure As it is in the case of some of many when they feel the smart the sting of sin galling their consciences what course take they Why it may bee with Saul send for a Musician to charme that evill and unquiet spirit or with Cain fall to building of Cities plunge themselves into business and imployment of the world use some dangerous it may be desperate Anodynes some means or other to cast the soul into a dead sleepe to benum the sense of it which they ordinarily do by drowning and surcharging it with the pleasures or profits of the world Alas it is not this will do it It was not all the Physicians and Magicians in the world that could have cured a stung Israelite No when they have done all they must come to Moses They are not all the carnall comforts and contentments in the world that can cure a wounded soul possibly they may lull it asleep for a time and stupifie it so as it shall not feel the pain as haply some stupifying medicines might have been found out for the Israelites but it is only God and his Word that can prescribe meanes of comfort and cure And therefore hither have we recourse enquiring of God's Ministers what we shall do by what means we may obtain deliverance and salvation This being the question now know we for our comfort that God hath provided a way and meanes for this purpose when neither Man nor Angel could do it God himselfe in infinite wisdome and mercy hath found out a way and meanes for the curing healing saving of our souls And what is that way that means Why only Jesus Christ and him crucified And so I am fallen upon the second Conclusion 2. The onely way and meanes of deliverance and salvation for poor perishing sinners is by Jesus Christ and him crucified Conclus 2. Christ crucified the only remedy A Truth clearly held forth in the Type The Israelites being stung with these deadly Serpents they had no means of cure but only this Brasen Serpent being lift up this was to them the Soveraign and only Antidote and remedy Even thus mankind being mortally stung by that Old Serpent brought into a perishing condition by sin they have no other remedy no other way or means of salvation but Christ and Christ lifted up upon the Crosse Christ crucified so the Text it selfe plainly expresseth and applyeth it So must the Son of Man be lift up That whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish c. A Principle I the Principle of Christian Religion The Cardinal Principle of Christian Religion containing in it the summ and substance of the Gospel For the better handling of it I shall draw it forth into three distinct Branches The Conclusion divided into three Propositions 1. That Christ 2. Only Christ 3. Only Christ crucified is the meanes of man's deliverance and salvation Open these three severally by way of Explication Illustration put them together in the Application Prop. 1. Jesus Christ is the Saviour and deliverer of lost mankind Prop. 1. Christ the Saviour of lost mankind A Truth first preached in Paradise by God himselfe where he tells the Serpent that the Seed of the woman should bruise his head Gen. 3.15 It shall bruise thy head It viz. the Seed of the woman Christ the Seed of the Virgin the singular seed of the woman Shall bruise thy head i. e. Break the power of that old Serpent Satan And this hath Jesus Christ done and daily doth And hence is it that he is called sometimes by the name of a Redeemer a Deliverer I know that my Redeemer liveth saith Job Job 19.25 The Redeemer shall come to Zion saith the Prophet Isai 59. Isai 59.20 There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer saith the Apostle relating to that of the Prophet Rom. 11. Rom. 11.26 Elsewhere and often a Saviour Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour saith Peter Act. 5. Act. 5.31 The Authour of salvation and that Eternall salvation Being made perfect saith the Apostle hee became the Author of Eternall salvation to all them that

him that is willing to follow not so but the clean contrary it is the difference as I have told you betwixt Drawing and Leading a man that is willing is led a man unwilling is drawn And such are all men before Christ comes to overpower their wills So as Grotius might well have spared his gloss upon the Text I will draw all men Sed eos intellige qui non reluctantur Grot. Annot. in Text. that is saith he Eos qui non reluctantur Such as are willing to follow But where are they I shall not dwell upon that More usefully for our selves Vse 2. The glory of Conversion to be given to Christ As many of us as have tasted of this grace of God in the great work of our Conversion in bringing us home unto Christ learn we hence whither to give the praise and glory of it Not unto our selves but unto Jesus Christ not unto our willing or running but unto his drawing It is not of him that willeth Rom. 9.16 nor of him that runneth saith the Apostle Alas of our selves we could neither run nor yet will to run before conversion being dead in trespasses and sins we could not so much as move towards Heaven no nor yet will to move no more then a dead man can will his own resurrection even this will is of God It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do Phil. 2.13 Had not Christ drawn us we had never come unto him And therefore not unto us not to the goodnesse of our natures not to the tractablenesse of our tempers the ingenuity and sequaciousnesse of our dispositions nor yet to the benefit of our education or what ever else but only to the free grace of God in Christ bee all the praise and glory of this work Vse 3. Be convinced of natural Impotency and Reluctancy For others who are as yet strangers to this work who never yet felt this attractive power working upon their souls let them be convinced of the truth of what hath been now delivered viz. that they cannot come unto Christ of themselves they cannot come except Christ himselfe draw them Whence is it that many neglect seeking after Christ and after faith in Christ and put off the work of their conversion from day to day why there is a false principle in their hearts They think that to beleeve is the easiest thing in the world that they can come unto Christ when they list Not so except Christ himself draw thee there is no coming unto him It is not in man to bring himself nay it is not in all the Men and Angels in the world that can draw a soul to Christ Except Christ himselfe put to his hand it neither can nor will come to him Be convinced of this And being convinced hereof now take heed of drawing back Vse 4. Take heed of drawing back when we feel Christ beginning to draw Our coming unto Christ depends upon his drawing And therefore doth he beginne to draw take heed how we hold off How know we whether ever hee will draw again which if he do not wee are men without hope But of this more hereafter in the next point to which I now come The second thing held forth to us in the Text is The effectuall working of Jesus Christ in bringing his Elect home to himselfe Observ 2. The effectuall work of Christ in bringing men home to himselfe I will draw them to me Those who in themselves are both unable and unwilling to come Christ over-powreth and causeth to come to himselfe A truth excellently shadowed out in that known parable of the lost sheep Luke 15.5 which the shepherd having found he layeth it upon his shoulders and bringeth it home This Shepherd is Christ the chiefe Shepherd the Shepherd and Bishop of souls 1 Pet. 5.4 1 Pet. 2.25 as Saint Peter cals him The lost sheep are his Elect before conversion who in regard of Gods Election are sheep Matth. 15.24 in regard of their naturall condition are lost sheep wandring in the pathes of sin and death having no disposition of themselves to returne to the fold These sheep this great Shepherd seeketh Luke 19.10 The Son of man is come to seeke that which was lost And seeking he findeth them and finding them he bringeth them home causing them to return to the Shepherd and Bishop of their soules 1 Pet. 2.25 For the opening and illustrating Illustrat of this usefull truth viz. Christs drawing of poor sinners to himselfe give me leave to propound and resolve these two or three Questions 1. Whence they are drawn 2. Whither they are drawn 3. By what means Christ draweth them For the two former more briefly Whence and Whither they are drawn In drawing as in every motion there are two terms A quo and Ad quem Whence and Whither whatever is drawn is drawn from one place or thing to another Quest Whence Christ draweth men Qu 1. First then Whence doth Christ draw his Elect Answ In generall Out of the state of nature An. To this we might answer in the general Hee draweth them out of the state of nature which is a state of sin and death In this estate do all men naturally lie in a state of sin The whole world lieth in wickednesse 1 Joh. 5.19 And consequently in a state of death Death passed upon all for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Now out of this estate Christ draweth his Elect as so many Lots out of Sodom so many Lazaruses out of the grave Bringing them out of that state of sin and death into a state opposite to it a state of righteousnesse and life More particularly More particularly Christ draweth men 1. Out of Darknesse 1. Out of darknesse Jer. 38.9 12 13 Even as Jeremy was drawn by Ebedmelech out of the Dungeon where he was like to perish So are poor sinners drawn by Christ out of the Dungeon of ignorance In this Dungeon do all men naturally ly They all sit in darknesse Luke 1.19 and in the shadow of death being by nature no better then darkness it self Ye were somtimes darkness Ephes 5.8 destitute of heavenly light wholly ignorant of what belongs to their eternall peace and happinesse Now out of this dungeon doth Christ draw his Elect calling them out of darkness That you should shew forth the vertues of him who hath called you out of darknesse 1 Pet. 2.9 And this he doth by causing a light to shine forth unto them Luke 1.79 Matth. 11.25 Giving light to them that sit in darknesse revealing unto them those supernaturall mysteries which are hid from the wise and prudent of the world 2. He draweth them from under the power of Satan 2. From the power of Satan Acts 26.18 Under this power do all men naturally lie possessed and held captive by Satan Now from under this power Christ draweth his