Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A58187
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The pattern of pure and undefiled religion exhibited in the preaching and life of the holy Jesus, shewing the true genius and spirit of Christianity, with an introduction concerning the restoring of true religion by Jesus Christ and his kingdom / by George Raymond.
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Raymond, George, A.M.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing R412; ESTC R33512
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50,348
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160
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reasonably be affirm'd of more than one most perfect Essence But understandings depressed by sense and depraved by Worldly Lust first sought God in a Symbol and chain'd him to a place for the better resort to him on all emergencies And when they had framed in their imaginations a local God their Fancy multiplied Deities as their Superstition did Shrines and 't was a pleasure to think they had so many Patrons of their persons and affairs Gods to address themselves unto or to go before them upon all occasions This gross but pleasing delusion could not be sufficiently detected but by a light from Heaven God from thence revealing and asserting the perfection and unity of his Essence letting the World know assuredly that there is none beside him nor any other Image or Symbol of his Divinity but the Eternal Son who is the brightness of his Glory and never to be conceiv'd of without the Father nor any other Minister of his Providence worthy of divine honour but that the Holy Ghost the Author of all divine gifts is so being the Eternal Spirit of the Father and the Son. Upon this Basis he hath fixed the wandring minds of Men determined and directed their worship condemning the conceit of many Gods and many Lords or Mediators as false and wicked for that there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. This one God that made the World and all things therein is Lord of Heaven and Earth and dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is worshipped with Mens hands as though he needed any thing but he it is that giveth unto all Life and Breath and all things Acts 17.24 Fourthly To restore true Religion 't was necessary to redeem Men from their vain conversation received by tradition from their Fathers by setting them a perfect pattern of Life both to demonstrate what is the service agreeable to God and that such holy living is practicable by Man. False Religion was not only wrong in the object but also in the matter and instances of worship it lost the true God amongst the croud of lesser Deities and his true worship amongst the heap of childish and unprofitable Ceremonies Its Votaries were very busy and its service full of noisy labour of pomp and pageantry but the Rites some of them were unreasonable and foolish much below not only the Majesty of God but the dignity of Man others lewd or cruel magical and unnatural contrary to humanity a reproach and provocation to the Author of our Beings but singular symptoms of reprobate minds and badges of slavery to wicked Spirits And whilst their Gods were represented as Patrons of Vice and their most sacred mysteries were shameful works of darkness their Religion ingaged them in lewdness and inhumanity what could be expected in common conversation but such a deluge of wickedness as is described Rom. 1.29 filled with all unrighteousness fornication covetousness maliciousness envy murder deceit malignity void of Piety Charity Mercy Faith yea even of natural Affection This vain conversation was received by Tradition and confirmed by custom and better Examples were very rare and those extreamly defective and the Discourses of Philosophers whom the vulgar regarded as a few singular and odd men and suspected of Atheism were of little force against the torrent of custom in which themselves too were not a little involved Tradition Law and Custom had made Religion to consist in performing the wonted Rites but solid vertue as no part thereof but a needless and impracticable theory was abandoned to the speculation of the Learned Jesus therefore came to restore Religion not only by the light of Heavenly Doctrine but by the Lustre of a great Example His Life demonstrated wherein the Kingdom of God consists the Works that are acceptable and the Persons that are dear to him His Example exhibits an invincible conviction of the necessity the beauty and the practicableness of a holy Conversation of a Life wise and good and useful of a Spirit unbiass'd by the interests of the Flesh and the World deaf to their solicitations and unshaken by all their terrours He demonstrated to the World that the Servants of God must not be slothful or idle but busy Ministers of his Providence and Grace and be shewed too that their business did not consist in operose Ceremonies Bodily exercises In operosis Ceremoniis ritibus ad digitos tantum pertinentibus Lactant. or trivial Rites but in doing good and distributing the gifts of Heaven in watching over our selves and others in a persevering practice of Godliness Righteousness and Sobriety in charitable and humble ministrations unto men and a professed service and constant imitation of the true God. By his own Example and that of his immediate Followers as so many concurring Lights making a path to shine after them he described the way to Heaven and the enjoyment of God demonstrated beyond exception the necessity of holiness to the Vision of God and the possibility of that purity which qualifies for the enjoyment of him Lastly To the restauration of Religion and of Man 't was necessary to quicken those who were dead in trespasses and sins not only by a great Example but with a divine Principle and supernatural strength Instruction and Example were proper to awaken the understanding and to excite the Conscience but the Law in the Members is not so easily subjected to the Law in the Mind Inclination and Passion is too strong for the efforts of naked Reason beloved Lust and enslaving custom will not give place to wiser emulation so that this struggle between the Flesh and Spirit doth but demonstrate the power of corrupt inclination and the strength of vitious habit They who with the mind served i. e. approved and consented to the Law of God were still by reason of the Flesh subjected to the Law of Sin. Though the Conscience was awaken'd the Will was enslaved and whatever feeble desires and imperfect choice Rom. 7. an inlightened understanding might produce yet they that were accustomed to do evil could not find how to perform that which is good the good they would they did not but the evil they would not that they did Their judgment condemned their practice but though an awaken'd Conscience set the Man against himself yet inclination and custom mastered the judgment and carried all before them and held them in Captivity to Sin and thereby to the powers of darkness Under this wretched Slavery the generality of Mankind was insensible and harden'd but those that felt their yoke were nevertheless subjected to it and whilst they disputed about the origine of Sin submitted to the dominion of it They could not tell whether Man in his present state were the ruins of somewhat that had been great or whether his nature had only the Rudiments and Foundation of some greater excellencies