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A92744 The Christian life wheren is shew'd, I. The worth and excellency of the soul. II. The divinity and incarnation of our Saviour III. The authority of the Holy Scripture. IV. A dissuasive from apostacy. Vol. V. and last. By John Scott, D.D. late rector of St. Giles's in the Fields.; Christian life. Vol. 5 Scott, John, 1639-1695.; White, Robert, 1645-1703, engraver.; Zouch, Humphrey. 1700 (1700) Wing S2060; ESTC R230772 251,294 440

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is that they only released Offenders from the Obligation to Civil and Ecclesiastical Punishments but could by no means free them from the eternal Punishments of the other Life Not that I make the least Doubt but that truly penitent Offenders were forgiven the eternal Punishment then as well as now and forgives too for the sake of Jesus Christ the Lamb that was intentionally slain from the Beginning of the World but by what hath been said it's plain they were not forgiven by Virtue of that Law whereby the Eternal Word reigned over the House of Israel but rather by Virtue of that Gospel which was first preached to Adam and afterwards to the Patriarchs wherein Christ the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of Abraham is promised in whom all Nations of the Earth should be blessed 'T is true the Sacrifices of the Law were typical of the Sacrifice of Christ and so consequently was that temporal Pardon obtained by them typical of that eternal Pardon which we do obtain by the great Propitiation of our Saviour for so the Apostle tells us that the Law had in it a shadow of good things to come Heb. 10.1 But we must not imagine that eternal Remission which is the Effect of Christ's real Sacrifice could ever be obtained by those Sacrifices which were only the Shadows and Resemblances of it So that that Remission of Sins which the Eternal Word gave whilst he tabernacled among the Jews was nothing near so perfect and compleat as that which he afterwards proclaimed in the Tabernacle of our Flesh because it neither extended to all Kinds of Sins nor yet to all Kinds of Punishments it left some unforgiven as to the Punishments of this Life and it left all unforgiven as to the Punishments of the Life to come But having pitched his Tabernacle in our Flesh he did by the meritorious Sacrifice of himself obtain of his Father this publick Act of Grace this free Charter of Mercy for all Mankind That whosoever would repent and amend whatsoever Sins he is guilty of whatsoever Punishments he is obliged to he shall certainly be forgiven them all and be as freely received into God's Grace and Favour as if he never had offended him for he is the Propitiation for the Sins of the World And by him saith the Apostle all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13.39 In this respect therefore the Eternal Word dwelt among us full of Grace in that he proclaimed such a full and perfect Pardon of all Sins and of all Punishments to all that with a true Faith and hearty Repentance should turn unto him and accordingly this Pardon is frequently called by the Name of Grace or of the Grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ Act. 15.11 Heb. 12.15 Rom. 3.24 4thly He dwelt among us full of Grace in respect of the internal Grace and Assistance which he so abundantly afforded us above what he did to the Jews under the Law of Moses when he tabernacled among them I make no doubt but God in all Ages hath been always ready to assist good Men in their Duty This the very Heathens themselves believed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that God did concur with all good Men and that no Man did ever arrive to any eminent Degree of Virtue without a Divine Afflatus or Assistance And had the good Men among the Jews been ignorant of this what should move them to pray as we find they often do that God would wash and cleanse and quicken and strengthen and inliven them For so in the Book of the Psalms you find good David very often praying that God would teach him his Commandments and incline his Heart to keep them and keep him back from presumptuous Sin By which Prayers it's evident they had good Encouragement to hope that God would be ready to concur with them and to bless their pious Endeavours with the internal Assistance of his Grace and Spirit And this Encouragement I suppose they might have partly from their natural Notions of God which must needs suggest to them that He being infinitely good as he is will never be wanting to his Creatures in any think that is necessary to the obtaining those noble Ends for which he created them and consequently that he will be assistant to them in their Duty which is the way to that End and not leave them to contend with Difficulties which are insuperable to their natural Power and Ability and partly from those general Evangelical Promises which God made to them by the Patriarchs and Prophets from whence they might fairly infer that he who had promised to do so much for them upon Condition they persisted in their Duty and Allegiance to him would never be wanting on his Part to strengthen and enable them to it But I can by no means allow that they were encouraged to hope for any such Assistance from any Promise of that Law which the Eternal Word gave them when he tabernacled among them and by which in his Father's stead he ruled and governed them and that both because there is no such Promise found in all that Law and because the Apostle tells us that the Law was weak through the flesh Rom. 8.3 and calls it the Ministration of Death written and engraven in stones in opposition to the Ministration of the Spirit that is not written in Tables of stone but in fleshly Tables of the heart 2 Cor. 3.7 8. comp with v. 3. And Galat. 3.13 14. you find the Apostle opposes to the Curse of the Law the Blessing of Abraham and the Blessing of Abraham he tells us is the Promise of the Spirit through Faith that is by the Gospel And thus under the Law there was doubtless an internal Grace and Assistance vouchsafed to good Men though not promised by it yet after the Eternal Word forsook the Tabernacle of Moses and came to tabernacle in our Flesh it 's evident that then he did more plentifully communicate this his Grace to the World than ever for then the Spirit was said to be shed upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord and in the 16th ver of this 1st of John we are said of his fulness to receive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace upon Grace that is Grace heaped upon Grace and a vast overflowing Abundance according to that of Theognis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is thou givest me Calamities upon Calamities So that unless we will our selves it is now impossible we should fall short either of our Duty or the blessed Reward of it since our Saviour is become such an overflowing Fountain of Grace to us and hath promised to communicate it to us in such plentiful Effusions if we will sincerely ask and honestly endeavour after it and therefore in this respect also he may well be said to dwell among us full of Grace in that while he dwelt among us he obtained for
IOHANNES SCOTT S. T. P. Printed for S. Manship at the Ship near the Royal Exchange THE Christian Life Wheren is shew'd I. The Worth and Excellency of the Soul II. The Divinity and Incarnation of our Saviour III. The Authority of the Holy Scripture IV. A Dissuasive from Apostacy VOL. V. and Last By JOHN SCOTT D. D. late Rector of St. Giles's in the Fields The Second Edition LONDON Printed for S. Manship and R. Wilkin and are to be Sold by W. Davis at the Black Bull in Cornhill and I. Bonwick at the Hat and Star in St. Paul's Church-yard 1700. To the Honourable SUSANNA NOEL Mother to the Right Honourable Baptist Earl of Gainsborough THis last Volume of the Works of my Dear Deceased Friend the Reverend Dr. Scott is humbly and gratefully Dedicated by Her Honours Most obliged and most Devoted Servant Humphrey Zouch The CONTENTS Discourse I. Of the Worth and Excellency of the Soul THe Connexion and Explication of the Text p. 1 2. The inestimable price and value of the Soul of Man in respect of its own natural Capacities represented under 4 Heads viz. Its Capacity of Vnderstanding p. 4 5. Of Moral Perfection p. 6 7. Of Pleasure and Delight p. 8 9 10. Of Immortality p. 11 to p. 15. Of what Esteem the Soul is in the Judgment of those who know the best worth of it viz. the whole world of Spirits p. 15. to p. 25. Four Inferences from hence p. 26. to p. 34. What is meant by losing ones Soul explain'd p. 34. The Soul liable to a sevenfold Damage in the other World p. 35. to p. 50. Seven Causes of the Danger we are in of incurring this Damage p. 51. to p. 69. Men may forsake Christ and thereby lose their Souls 4 ways By a total Apostacy p. 70 71. By renouncing the profession of his Doctrine p. 72. By obstinate Heresie p. 73. By a willful Course of Disobedience of which there are three degrees the first proceeds from a willful ignorance of Christs Laws the 2d from a willful Inconsideration of our Obligation to them the 3d. from an Obstinacy in Sin against Knowledge and Consideration p. 74. to 80. Four Reasons why our forsaking of Christ infers this fearful loss of our Souls p. 81. to p. 90. That God if he be so Determin'd may without any injury either to his Justice or Goodness detain lost Souls in the bondage of Hell for ever prov'd in 6 Propositions p. 91. to 101. That God is actually determin'd so to do demonstrated by 3 Arguments p. 102. to p. 108. A Comparison between the gain of the VVorld and the loss of a Mans Soul in 6 Particulars whereby it is shewn of which side the Advantage lies p. 109. to p. 128. Discourse II. Of the Divinity and Incarnation of our Saviour A General Explication of this Term The Word P. 130. A full account of it in 4 Propositions shewing that it was derived from the Theology of the Jews and Gentiles 131. to 135. That we ought to fetch the Sense of it from that ancient Theology p. 136 137. That in that Theology it signifies a vital and divine Subsistence p. 138 to 139. And that our Saviour to whom it is applied in the New Testament is that vital and divine Subsistence p. 140 141 142. To be the Word of God denotes 4 Things to be generated of the Mind of the Father To be the perfect Image of that Mind To be the Interpreter of the Fathers Mind and to be the Executor of it and in these is founded the Reason of our Saviours being call'd The Word p. 143. to 153. VVhat we are to understand by the Words being made Flesh p. 153 154. Five Inferences from this Doctrine p. 155 166. VVhat is meant by the Word 's dwelling among us explain'd p. 167. to 174. His dwelling among us full of Grace explain'd in five particulars p. 175. to 190. His dwelling among us full of Truth explained in general 191. to 198. Four Instances of his dwelling among us full of Truth in Contradistinction to that obscure typical way of his Tabernacling among the Jews p. 199. to p. 229. Four Inferences the first from his dwelling among us p. 229 to 234. The 2d from his dwelling among us full of Grace and that 1. in respect of his own Personal Disposition p. 235. to 238. 2. Of his Laws p. 238. 239. 3. Of the Gracious Pardon which he hath procured for us and promised to us p. 240 241. 4. Of the abundant assistance he is ready to vouchsafe us p. 242 243. And 5 Of the glorious Recompence he hath promised to and prepared for us p. 244 245 The 3d From his dwelling among us full of Truth p. 246. to 249. The 4th From all these laid together He dwelt among us full of Grace and Truth p. 250 to 256. The Glory of the Word which the Apostles beheld consisted in 4 Things 1. A visible splendor and brightness which encompass'd him at his Baptism and Transfiguration p. 258 259. 2. Those great and stupendous Miracles which he wrought p. 260 261 262. 3. The surpassing Excellency and Divinity of his Doctrine p. 263 264. 4. The incomparable Sanctity and Purity of his Life p. 265 266 267. This Expression The Glory as of the Only-begotten Son explain'd p. 268 269 That the Glory of Christ in the Tabernacle of our Natures was such as became the Only-Begotten Son of the Father prov'd in the several particulars wherein it consists P. 270. to 279. Four Inferences from this fourfold glory of the Word which the Apostles saw p. 280. to the end Dis III. Of the Authority of the Holy Scriptures THe fulness of the Scriptures as a Rule of Faith and Manners prov'd in 3 Propositions 1. That the Holy Spirit inspir'd the Writers of them with all that is necessary to eternal Life p. 301. 2 That they preach'd to the World all those necessaries which they were taught p. 302. 3. That all these necessary Truths which they preached are comprehended in the Scriptures p. 303. to p. 316. The clearness of the Scripture prov'd 1 From express Testimony of Scripture p. 317. to p. 321. 2. From the avowed design of writing it p. 322 323. 3. From the frequent Commands God lays upon us to read it p. 324 325. 4. From the Obligation that lies upon us under pain of Damnation to believe and receive all those necessaries to Salvation contained in it p. 326. Four Considerations in answer to those of the Church of Rome who tell us that though all things are not revealed clearly in the Scriptures yet we have sufficient reason to believe them since God has left us to the Conduct of an infallible Church p. 327. to the end Dis IV. Of the Obligation of the People to read the Scriptures THat the People are obliged to search and read the Scriptures prov'd 1. From the Obligation the Jews were under to read and search the Scriptures of the Old Test p. 343
the Enemies Harbour with his blessed Motions and Importunities and never gives over the Pursuit of them till he hath either actually recovered or left them past all Hopes of Redemption And when he sees that they are utterly lost by their own Madness and Folly and that it is in vain to follow them any farther he casts a sorrowful Look upon them and like a grieved Friend after the utmost strugglings and extream Efforts of his affronted Goodness unwillingly leaves them to their own sad Fate and gives them up as it were with the Tears in his Eyes And can you think this blessed Spirit would be so industrious as he is in his Ministry for Souls that he would take such infinite Pains to save them be so extreamly urgent and solicitous for their Welface if He did not know them to be a sort of Beings of an inestimable Worth and Value O blessed God what are not our Souls worth that are worth all the Pains thy blessed Spirit takes to save and make them happy That not only thou thought'st worth all those vast Thoughts and Counsels which thou hast spent upon them that not only thy Son thought worth all those vast Condescentions he stooped to to put those Thoughts in Execution but thy blessed Spirit also thinks worth all that unwearied Pains and Endeavour all that incessant Care and Importunity which he employs about them to save and rescue them from Sin and Misery Doubtless those Beings must needs be exceeding precious for whose Safety and Welfare all the blessed Trinity are so unspeakably concerned 4. Let us consider the vast Price which the Holy Angels put upon Souls For tho they are the Crown and Top of all the Creation of God and do by their essential Perfections border nearest upon him yet such is their Opinion of the Souls of Men that they think it no Disparagement to converse with and minister to them but from the beginning of the World till now have been always ready to maintain a close Intercourse and intimate Correspondence with them and so far forth as they are permitted by the Laws of their invisible World they are continually attending to stretch forth a helping Hand to them in all their Needs and Necessities Tho they are the most Illustrious Courtiers of Heaven yet they disdain not to be the Life-Guards of Souls to pitch their Tents round about them as the Psalmist expresses it Psal 34.8 And interpose between them and their Danger to prompt them to and assist them in their Duties to strengthen them against or to remove their Temptations to comfort them in their Sorrows and chase away from them those malignant Spirits that are always about them watching all Opportunities to seduce and destroy them Hence Heb. 1.14 They are said to be ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation And how much they are concerned for the Safety and Welfare of these precious Beings they are charged with is evident by that Passage Luke 15.16 There is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth So Considerable are the Lives of Souls to the Angels of God that though they are always entertained with the most ravishing Pleasures yet Heaven it self cannot divert them from being over joyed at the Repentance of a Perishing Soul and celebrating its Recovery with a new Festival And when-ever the happy News is brought them that such a dying Soul is revived they not only attend to it in the midst of all their Joys and Triumphs but upon the hearing of it they shout for Joy and fill the Heavens with a new Acclamation And when-ever such a Penitent Soul hath bidden adieu to the Body those blessed Spirits stand ready to receive and guard it through those Legions of malignant Spirits that do always infest these lower Tracts of Air and to conduct it safe to those happy Abodes where it is to lodge till the Resurrection for it is said of Lazarus's Soul Luke 16.22 That it was carried by Angels into Abraham 's Bosom All which is a clear Demonstration of the vast Esteem which those blessed Angels have of Souls For can it be thought that such noble Beings who have a God and themselves to converse with and have so immediate a Prospect both of his Beauty and their own to exercise their Faculties and employ their Contemplation would be so ready and willing as they are to atttend upon Souls and minister to their Safety and Happyness if they had not a mighty Value and Estimation of them Surely if these immortal Spirits within us were not unspeakably dear and precious those Angelical Beings who have always the most sublime and enravishing Objects before them to employ and entertain their Faculties would never have thought it worth the while to stickle so zealously in their Affairs and concern themselves so much about them And thus our Saviour himself argues Mat. 18.10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in Heaven their Angels do behold the Face of my Father which is in Heaven that is do not undervalue any Soul for how mean or little soever some of them may appear to you they are under the Guardianship of those blessed Angels that are the Courtiers of God and do always attend upon his Majestick Presence 5. And Lastly Let us consider the vast Price which the Devils themselves do put upon Souls for ever since those malignant Spirits through their own Pride and Ambition revolted from God and conspired to make War with heaven and revenge their Expulsion thence the constant Drift of all their Designs and Actions hath been to seduce and ruine them being conscious that of all the Beings that are within the reach of their Power there are none so dear to God as these and that by seducing from him these his most precious Creatures they shall do him the greatest spight and most effectually revenge upon him their own Damnation For doubtless were there any Beings below the Moon more dear to God than these they would bend their Force and Malice against them and not make these as they do the only Centers of their mischievous Activity Had they any nobler Game to fly at their ambitious Malice would disdain to stoop to the Quarry of Souls but because of all others These are the noblest and best worth the ruining therefore do these malignant Spirits turn all their Artillery upon them and level all their fiery Darts against them And how ambitious they are of seducing our Souls and training them on to Perdition is evident by the infinite Wiles and Snares and Stratagems they contrive against them by their unwearied Diligence to watch all Opportunities against them to surprize them where they are careless and assault them where they are weakest and cheat them with disguised Suggestions to inspect their Humours and apply themselves to their Interest and nick their Tempers with convenient Temptations And