Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	mortal_a	nature_n	venial_a	6,243	5	12.3225	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28344	Vindiciæ foederis, or, A treatise of the covenant of God enterd with man-kinde in the several kindes and degrees of it, in which the agreement and respective differences of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, of the old and new covenant are discust ... / [by] Thomas Blake ... ; whereunto is annexed a sermon preached at his funeral by Mr. Anthony Burgesse, and a funeral oration made at his death by Mr. Samuel Shaw.	Blake, Thomas, 1597?-1657.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.; Shaw, Samuel, 1635-1696.	1658 (1658)	Wing B3150; ESTC R31595	453,190	558

20. They had their righteousnesse and as was supposed they made a great progresse in the way of righteousnesse yet we must have an exceeding righteousnesse above that which they taught and practised or else there is no salvation in this covenant These two covenants notwithstanding remaine distinct and not confounded together There is a legal righteousnesse such as the Law in the highest extremity of it requires without the least indulgence in case of failing This the covenant of Works calls for and in this we fall short but Christ answers and therefore He is the end of the Law for righteousnesse Rom. 10. 3. and by this we are saved There is a righteousnesse of the Gospel which God in covenant calls for to which it is his Spirit enables and in this we are saved 2. Gospel-obedience is called for in the Covenant but not as any condition of the Covenant Faith is the alone condition obedience necessarily flows from it and follows upon it when once we believe it need not to be conditioned or indented for seeing when we are in Christ by faith we can then do no other than obey I answer This position here laid down that obedience necessarily follows and flows from Faith is a position indeed maintained by the reformed Churches against Papists Arminians Socinians and other opposites of it from which position of ours they inferre as by necessary consequence that all commands requiring obedience are then needlesse and all exhortations reproofs motives and promises to no purpose None either commands or perswades the Heavens to move the Sunne to give light the Fire to give heat or the water to give moisture That which necessarily works is let alone to work and to take its course in working And this Objection taking away this Gospel-condition on this ground is of the same stamp Obedience necessarily flowing from Faith includes Gospel-commands exhortations reproofs as well as Gospel-conditions If God need not to condition and engage for obedience from Beleevers because they thus necessarily obey then he needs not give commands or presse obedience for the same reason when yet the Gospel is full of exhortations commands menaces promises with application to Beleevers to men professing Faith to men in Christ by Faith For satisfaction then of this Popish-Arminian objection we must distinguish of consequents which necessarily flow from their principles Some are natural which of themselves have their effects as those in the objection mentioned Here is neither command imposed condition required nor promise held forth They are not in any capacity of acting or working otherwise than they do Others are moral who work not by way of Physical necessity but are kept in their way by the power of grace upholding which does not exclude but necessarily takes in mans endeavour in the use of meanes to yeeld obedience and to hold on in all patience and perseverance This argument followed home will be of equal force against Faith as a condition as against sincerity seeing Gods Elect shall beleeve as they that beleeve shall yeeld obedience There is a like necessity of faith flowing from election as there is of obedience to flow from Faith as Faith therefore so obedience either of both in their places are covenant-conditions CHAP. XXV What degree of obedience the Covenant of grace calls for from Christians HEre is seasonably moved and is not without some difficulty answered what degree of obedience this new covenant calls for from us that so we may endeavor it and understand our selves when we have by grace attained to it that having entred covenant with God we may not be found of those that have wickedly departed and dealt falsely in the covenant In this there are several opinions which are to come under examination First some say that it is required of Christians in an exact way in a full perfection as of parts so of degrees answering to the perfection of the Law as written in the heart and given on Mount Sinai And so required that obedience in a more low degree will not be accepted or the mercies promised in the covenant obtained which doctrine of theirs rigidly followed stands as that two edged sword Gen. 3. 24. keeping the way of the tree of Life and making the way to salvation unpassable Thus the Councel of Trent If any man shall say that by Baptisme men are obliged to Faith only and not to the observation of the whole Law let him be accursed which Chemnitius in his Examen confesses in a qualified sense might be admitted seeing persons baptised owe subjection but not in the sense which that Canon holds forth being an allusion to that of the Apostle Gal. 5. 3. I testifie again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor of the whole Law By which Glosse Baptisme makes Christ of none effect as well as Circumcision as it was taken in the sense of those false Teachers among the Galatians viz. as a leading ceremony of the Law binding to the observation of the whole And so also Bellar. lib. 1. de Baptis cap. 15. Baptisme doth not make us debtors to Faith only but to keep the whole Law and there explaines himself that to deny a man to be a debtor to keep the whole Law may be taken two wayes either so as that to do things against the Law were no sinne as though the Law were abrogated This he confesses Protestants do not say and in that he saith there is no controversie or else so that justification or salvation doth not depend on the fulfilling of the Law but only on the mercy of God by faith applied this he makes the Protestants errour and so brings in justification by the Law and utterly confounds the covenant of works and grace together onely I confesse the businesse seemes much mollified by the explanations that they give of those words fulfilling of the Law First curtelling the Law in taking off the first fomes and motions of actual sinne yea even all that goes before consent of will making it no sinne at all as also multitudes of actions some of them foule enough as not within this verge such which they call by the name of venial sinnes which are besides the Law but not against it bending as some merrily speak but not breaking the Commandments though they would never give us a catalogue of sins mortal or venial nor any certaine mark or character whereby they might be distinguished All these are pared off as no breaches of the Law nor in their own nature deserving the sentence of eternal death and the temporal punishments due to them after death is holpen out by their Indulgences Secondly so helping themselves out with distinctions at least some among them that keeping the Law with them is no other than the grace of sanctification in the very sense as the Orthodox hold it forth He that pleases may read what Jansenius hath chap. 81. of his Harmony Opposing Luther for his denial that

as well as kneeled for that is the onely key to open Heaven that is Davids Harp to allay all those unruly affections that are apt to disturb us Lastly here is the effect of all upon the Auditors which is expressed First In their passion of weeping with the aggravation 1. They wept sore 2. Their great love They fell on Pauls neck and kissed him 3. The motive of all this affectionate carriage That which did open these Flood-gates it was because they should see his face no more they should for ever lose him enjoy no more of his Ministerial Labors and diligence now this is recorded by the Evangelist as a commendation It was a spirituall not a naturall weeping It was not like weeping for a dead Father or a dead Wife but for a dead Pastor by whose spirituall labours their souls had made great proficiency I shall from these words observe two doctrines suitable to the two considerable parts of this auditory the one seasonable for the Ministers of the Gospel here present The other opportune for the Congregation of Tamworth now bereaved of a faithful Pastor whom I may see mourning and weeping and that most of all because you shall see his face no more you shall not behold him in this place again you shall not hear his voice from hence again The first Observation is grounded upon these words when he had thus spoken This about the duty of a Minister This about his Holy Godly and exemplary conversation From whence observe That a faithful discharge of the ministeriall Office doth bring unspeakable comfort to such as can upon just grounds assume this to themselves From this faithfulness we see often Paul receiving a great deal of comfort 2 Tim. 4. 6 7 8. The time of his departure was at hand doth not this then make him afraid how shall he give an account concerning the improvement of his talents No I have fought a good fight I have finished my course c. We have the like glorious profession made by this holy Apostle Thess 2 3 4 5 6. which is an excellent Copy for every Minister to write after to live and breathe from thence and in this he is so cleare that he saith Ye are witnesses and God also how holily justly and unblameably we have behaved our selves amongst those that beleeve But yet let none think that Paul doth thus magnifie inherent grace to exclude imputed grace for 1 Cor. 4. 4. Though he saith he knoweth nothing by himself yet he concludeth I am not thereby justified but he that judgeth me is the Lord he knew more evill in Paul then Paul him self could do and certainly so great is this ministerial work that Paul himself cryed out Who is sufficient for these things Chrysostome hath very discouraging passages as if few Ministers could be saved but his meaning must be because few are carefull zealous and diligent Otherwise such as Chrysostome himself that is said to fear nothing but sin and those that by their Doctrin and life turn many from iniquities shall have more then ordinary glory in heaven To amplifie this I shall in some particulars or Characters describe how or when the Ministery is faithfully discharged what is ingredient thereunto or constituent thereof And first there is required an inward experimental savory work of grace upon the Ministers own heart that thereby he may more affectionately and cordially deal with others when we know the terror of the Lord and the love of Christ experimentally this maketh us able in the work of the Ministery 2 Cor. 5. 11. I doe not say that the Office of a Minister is null if he be not a regenerate man or as if he were no Minister or might not be usefull in the Church of God but as to himself he cannot faithfully discharge this Office so as to obtaine a crown of glory hereafter unless he be thus qualified There is Theologia ratiocinativa and experimentalis as Gerson speaketh A man may know things as Aquinas saith per modum cognitionis or per modum inclinationis now it is this experimental Divinitie that worketh besides Knowledge an inclination and propensitie to the thing known that maketh us able to discharge this duty To Preach of Regeneration of Faith when a man hath no savory understanding of these things is to talk of the sweetness of honey when we never tasted it or of the excellency of such a Countrey which we never were in but know it by Mapps only If thou knowest the truths of God but by Books by Authors onely and thy own heart feeleth not the power of these things Thou art but as the Conduit that letteth out wine or refreshing water to others but thou thy self tastest not of it or like the hand that directeth the Passenger but thou thy self standest still 2. To a faithfull discharge there is required a sound knowledge judgement and skill in divine things hence they are called lights guides and Shepherds they are required to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 3. 2. apt to teach to reprove in all Doctrine 2 Tim. 4. 2. It is not enough to cry out of Heresies or of sinnes unless we rebuke with doctrine The least Knowledge that Casuists condescend unto in a Minister is that he must be learned supra vulgus fidelium Is he a fit Minister that can onely Preach and pray by a prescript or form from another He is not a fit Physitian or a fit Lawyer that should doe so in his way Ministers therefore should take that exhortation which we see Paul gave even to Timothy though so well accomplished 1 Tim. 4. 15. Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appear yea vers 13. Till I come give attendance to reading The circumstance of time is to be observed for though Paul was to come shortly to him yet that little time he was absent from Paul must be improved in reading Gods Word Be thou ascribe instructed for the Kingdome of heaven that can bring out of thy treasure old and new be a Fountain not a Cestern that will quickly be dry Cajetan Summula Tit. Doctoratus maketh it a mortall sinne to approve any for a Doctor in Divinitie who is notably insufficient because hereby he is testified to be a Physitian of souls when yet through his ignorance may be the ruine of many I dare not avouch that of Luther who said it is a German Proverb that young Divines fill Hell onely it is a good warning that such be diligent in studying that God may blesse them with all knowledge and understanding first in the Scripture and then in all other parts of Divinitie whether controversall positive or practicall especially adde to thy Ministeriall knowledge these two things First a firm faith for to read and to know much but not to digest it maketh us scepticall Have faith not reason or opinion in religious things Calvin saith in Comment 2. Epist ad Corin. that the Ministers