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A49187 A practical discourse concerning repentance and the nature of the Christian religion. By A. Lortie, rector of Barton, near Nottingham. Imprimatur, Oct. ult. 1692. Guil. Lancaster, R.P.D. Hen. Episc. Lond. à Sacris. Lortie, André, d. 1706. 1693 (1693) Wing L3078; ESTC R218635 34,929 144

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Men with Abomination and Horror as a damnable Contrivance of Hell and the Devil Nay if it were not more apt to reform Mens Lives and Manners and make them much better and holier than any other Religion that was established in the World before I don't see what Reason we could have to think that God is the Author of it or that God will have us prefer it to his former Revelations But I am sure if it was true that the Christian Religion did not exact a perfect Comformity to the Laws of Nature but encourageth Men to or indulgeth them in the Practice of Immorality and Wickedness we could never perswade the wise Heathens and much less the Jews and we our selves should have no Reason at all to believe that it proceeds from God For the only convincing Reason that we have to prove that our Saviour's and the Apostles Miracles which both Jews and Heathens attributed to the Power of Magick or at best to God's Permission to try the Children of Men were affected by the immediate Power of God in confirmation of the Truth of the Gospel is because the Doctrine of the Gospel or the Christian Religion is infinitely averse to the Genius of the Devil and most agreeable to the Spirit of God the Dictates of right Reason and our own Consciences that is the divine and everlasting Laws of the Kingdom of Heaven If the Design of the Christian Religion had been to alienate Mens Minds from God and Goodness we could not but conclude it to be the Works of the Devil But if it tends to the Glory of God and the Good of Mankind if it be apt to promote true Piety and Vertue and if its Design be to inspire Mens Minds with great and worthy Thoughts of God and suitable Affections towards him and to reduce the World to the Practice of Charity Justice and Humility Chastity Temperance and Sobriety Patience Meekness and Gentleness and all other divine Vertues then it is impossible or at least absolutely unreasonable to attribute the wonderful Deeds that were wrought in confirmation of the Truth of its Promises and Threatnings to a wicked malicious proud unjust revengeful and impious Spirit It being then evident that all those Doctrines which reconcile Vice with Religion are false and Diabolical we may therefore be sure if we explain any obscure Saying of Scripture so as to make it encourage or palliate Wickedness and excuse Men from being holy and doing Righteousness we put a false Sense upon it Our Traditions are false and abominable if by them we make the Commandments of God of none effect That 's the First Inference Secondly Those Men are infinitely mistaken who fancy the Essence of Religion to confist in Speculation and not in Practice and cry out against Morality as if true Morality was not true Religion Hollness is the end of Faith and the end of Divine Revelation it is the Law and the Prophets and the very Gospel For God's Design in the Gospel is no other than that of the Law or any former Revelation As we read of the Housholder of the Parable Matth. 21.33 c. That he sent several of his Servants at several times and last of all his own Son to those Hubandmen to whom he had let out his Vineyard and that all the Messages he sent were to no other end but this viz To demand the Fruits of his Vineyard So God at sundry times has sent divers Messengers to the Sons of Men Angels and Prophets and at last his only begotten Son And to what end was all this but to excite Men to pay him those Fruits he expects from them to take them off from their Sins and perswade them to their Duty and Allegiance to make them good and obedient that they may become his good Subjects and may be Partakers of his Holiness and divine Nature and so of his everlasting Kingdom We must then beware of those who make the end of Religion and the Essence of it to consist in Speculation and not in a holy Practice Those Men know not the Power of the Gospel they are not acquainted with the Nature of the Kingdom of Heaven they are ignorant of what they pray for in their daily Prayers when they say unto God Thy kingdom come Thirdly It follows that our chief and main Business is to study our Duty to learn it and to practice it that we may work out our own salvation with fear and trembling as it is Phil. 2.12 Those are in a great Error who imagine we must always rest in the Doctrines of Repentance and Faith against the express Commandment of the Apostle Hebr. 6.1 For as St. James says What doth it profit though a man say he has faith and have not works can faith save him Faith without works is dead and therefore unprofitable Jam. 2. at the 14 and 26 Verses They are then ignorant and sensless Christians or rather no Christians at all who do not much regard God's Commandments or do not much care to learn his Will and what it is he requires of every one of us who undervalue and despise those Books and Discourses that instruct them in all the parts of their Duty and teach them that without the sincere Performance of it it is in vain to hope for Heaven and rather delight in curious and speculative Notions fondly perswading themselves that the Knowledge and Belief of such will bring them to everlasting Happiness and fully discharge them from the Practice of the whole Duty of Man as if there was a way to be righteous without doing Righteousness But if we are seriously desirous of the things that belong to our Peace that our Faith may be approved and may be such as will be accepted of God and if we will not deceive our selves with a vain and dead Faith If we design in good earnest to have a Share in Christ Jesus to enjoy the Benefit of that glorious Redemption he hath wrought in the behalf of fall'n Mankind and to be included in that Act of Grace and Indemnity he hath obtained for all Rebels that will return to their true Allegiance that is all penitent Sinners Then it concerns us to return sincerely and impartially under the Dominion of the Kingdom of Heaven and become God's faithful Subjects which cannot be if we do not conform to his divine Laws Our Business therefore must be to study diligently and learn his whole Will and to practice it with all the Zeal and Sincerity of our Souls Our Business if we will be Christians indeed and not barely in Name is to know perfectly what is our Duty to God what is our Duty to ourselves and what is our Duty to all other Men. We must know exactly what is the Duty of Children to Parents of Parents to Children of Servants to Masters of Masters to Servants of Husband and Wife of Friends and Enemies one to another of the Poor to the Rich and the Rich to the Poor and