Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	blood_n	sacrifice_n	shed_v	848	5	10.4950	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62635	Several discourses by the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson ... , being the fifth volume published from the originals by Ralph Barker ...	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1263; ESTC R31970	188,402	488

Obedience and grievous Sufferings undergone for our sakes and upon our account were of that Value and Esteem with God and his voluntary Sacrifice of himself in our stead so highly acceptable and well pleasing to him that he thereupon was pleased to enter into a Covenant of Grace and Mercy with Mankind wherein he hath promised and engaged himself to forgive the Sins of all those who sincerely repent and believe and to make them partakers of Eternal Life And hence it is that the Blood of Christ which was shed for us upon the Cross is call'd the Blood of the Covenant as being the Sanction of that new Covenant of the Gospel into which God is entred with Mankind and not only the Confirmation but the very Foundation of it for which reason the Cup in the Lord's Supper which represents to us the Blood of Christ is call'd the New Testament in his Blood which was shed for many for the remission of Sins 4 thly and lastly Christ is said to be the Author of our Salvation in respect of his powerful and perpetual Intercession for us at the right Hand of God And this seems to be more especially intimated and intended in that Expression here in the Text that being made perfect he became the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey him Which Words of his being perfected do as I have shew'd before more immediately refer to his Sufferings and the Reward that followed them his Exaltation at the right hand of God where he lives for ever to make Intercession for us by which perpetual and most prevalent Intercession of his he procures all those Benefits to be bestowed upon us which he purchased for us by his Death the forgiveness of our Sins and our Acceptance with God and perfect Restitution to his Favour upon our Faith and Repentance and the Grace and Assistance of God's holy Spirit to inable us to a sincere Discharge of our Duty to strengthen us against all the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil to keep us from all Evil and to preserve us to his Heavenly Kingdom And this is that which our Apostle calls obtaining of Mercy and finding Grace to help in time of need ch 4. v. 16. of this Epist Our blessed Saviour now that he is advanced into Heaven and exalted on the right hand of the Majesty on high doth out of the tenderest Affection and Compassion to Mankind still prosecute that great and merciful Design of our Salvation which was begun by him here on Earth and in Virtue of his meritorious Obedience and Sufferings does offer up our Prayers to God and as it were plead our Cause with God and represent to him all our Wants and Necessities and obtain a favourable Answer of our Petitions put up to God in his Name and all necessary supplies of Grace and Strength Proportionable to our Temptations and Infirmities And by Virtue of this powerful Intercession of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer our Sins are pardoned upon our sincere Repentance our Prayers are graciously answered our Wants are abundantly supplied and the Grace and Assistance of God's Spirit are plentifully afforded to us to excite us to our Duty to strengthen us in well doing to comfort us in Afflictions to support us under the greatest Tryals and Sufferings and to keep us through Faith unto Salvation And for this reason as the purchasing of our Salvation is in Scripture attributed to the Death and Sufferings of Christ so the perfecting and finishing of it is ascribed to the prevalency of his Intercession at the right Hand of God for us So the Apostle tells us ch 7. v. 25. That he is able to save to the uttermost all those that come to God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for us He dyed once to purchase Salvation for us and that we may not fall short of it but receive the full Benefit of this Purchase he lives for ever to make Intercession for us and thus he saves to the uttermost all those that come to God by him that is he takes care of the whole business of our Salvation from first to last And now that he is in Heaven he is as intent to procure our Welfare and Happiness and as tenderly concerned for us as when he lived here among us upon Earth as when he hung upon the Cross and poured out his Soul an Offering for our Sins for he appears at the right Hand of God in our Nature that which he assumed for our sakes which was made subject to and sensible of our Infirmities and which was tempted in all things like as we are only without Sin and therefore he knows how to pity and succour them that are tempted and from the remembrance of his own Sufferings is prompted to a compassionate Sense of ours and never ceaseth in virtue of his Blood which was shed for us to plead our Cause with God and to intercede powerfully on our behalf So that the Virtue and Efficacy of Christ's Intercession on our behalf is founded in the Redemption which he wrought for us by his Blood and Sufferings which being entred into Heaven he represents to God on our Behalf As the high Priest under the Law did enter into the holy place with the Blood of the Sacrifices that had been offered and in virtue of that Blood interceded for the People So Christ by his own Blood entred into the Holy Place having obtained eternal Redemption for us as the Apostle speaks ch 9. v. 12. He entred into the Holy Place that is into Heaven it self to make Intercession for us as the Apostle explains himself v. 24. Christ is not entred into the holy places which are made with hands but into Heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for us And ch 10. v. 12. speaking of Christ's appearing for us at the right Hand of God this Man says he after he had offer'd one Sacrifice for Sin for ever that is a Sacrifice of perpetual Virtue and Efficacy sat down at the right Hand of God that is to intercede for us in virtue of that Sacrifice From all which it appears that the Virtue of Christ's Mediation and Intercession for us in Heaven is founded in his Sacrifice and the price of our Redemption which he paid on Earth in shedding his Blood for us From whence the Apostle reasons that there is but one Mediator between God and Men by whom we are to address our Prayers to God 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one God and one Mediator between God and Men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransome for all His Mediation is founded in his Ransome or the Price which he paid for our Redemption The Apostle indeed does not say there is but one Mediator between God and Man in express words but surely he means so if by saying there is one God he means there is but one God for they are joined together and the very same Expression used concerning

Obedience and good Works Chap. 3.8 This is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they who have belieed in God be careful to maintain good Works All that now remains is to make some useful Inferences from what hath been said upon this Argument and so to conclude this Discourse First of all To convince us that an empty Profession of the Christian Religion how specious and glorious soever it be if it be destitute of the fruits of Obedience and a holy Life will by no means avail to bring us to Heaven No profession of Faith in Christ no Subjection to him tho' we be baptized in his Name and list our selves in the number of his Disciples and Followers tho' we have made a constant Profession of all the Articles of the Christian Faith and have performed all the external parts and duties of Religion have gone constantly to Church and frequented the Service of God and have joined in publick Prayers to God with great appearance of Devotion and have heard his Word with great Reverence and Attention and received the blessed Sacrament with all imaginable expressions of Love and Gratitude to our belessed Redeemer nay tho' we had heard our blessed Saviour himself teach in our streets and had eaten and drunken in his presence yet if all this while we have not done the will of God and obeyed his Laws none of all these things will signifie any thing to bring us to Heaven and make us Partakers of that Salvation which he hath purchased for Mankind But we cannot plead so much for our selves as those did of whom our Saviour speaks None of us shall be able to alledge for our selves at the great day that we had prophesied in his Name and in his name had cast out Devils and in his name had done many wonderful Works and yet if we could alledge all this it would do us no good All that such can say for themselves is that they have call'd him Lord Lord that is they have made profession of his Religion and been call'd by his Name that they have paid an outward Honour and respect to him and declared a mighty Love and Affection for him but they have not done his will but have hated to be reformed and have cast his Commandments behind their backs they have only born the Leaves of an outward Profession but have brought forth no fruit unto Holiness and therefore can have no reasonable expectation that their End should be everlasting Life So that when these Men shall appear before the great and terrible Judge of the World they shall have nothing to say but those vain Words Lord Lord to which our Saviour will answer in that Day why call ye me Lord Lord when ye would not do the things which I said Notwithstanding all your profession of Faith in me and subjection to me ye have been workers of Iniquity therefore depart from me I know ye not whence ye are Secondly The consideration of what hath been said should stir as up to a thankful acknowledgement of what the Author of our Salvation hath done for us and there is great reason for thankfulness whether we consider the greatness of the Benefit conferred upon us or the way and manner in which it was purchased or the easie and reasonable terms upon which it may be obtained 1 st If we consider the greatness of the Benefit conferred upon us and that is Salvation eternal Salvation which comprehends in it all the Blessings and Benefits of the Gospel both the Means and the End our Happiness and the Way to it by saving us from our Sins from the guilt of them by our Justification in the Blood of Christ and from the Power and Dominion of them by the sanctifying grace and virtue of the Holy Ghost And it comprehends the End our Deliverance from Hell and the Wrath to come and the bestowing of Happiness upon us a great and lasting Happiness great as our Wishes and Immortal as our Souls all this is comprehended in eternal Salvation 2 dly If we consider the way and manner in which this great Benefit was purchased and procured for us in a way of infinite Kindness and Condescension in the lowest Humiliation and the unparallel'd Sufferings of the Son of God for never was there any sorrow like unto his sorrow wherewith the Lord afflicted him in the day of his fierce Anger in his taking upon him the form of a Servant and the person of a Sinner and his becoming obedient to death even the death of the Cross which was the Punishment of the vilest Slaves and the most hainous Malefactors The Son of God came down from Heaven from the highest pitch of Glory and Happiness into this lower World this Vale of Tears and sink of Sin and Sorrow and was contented himself to suffer to save us from eternal Ruin to be the most despicable and the most miserable Man that ever was that he might raise us to Glory and Honour and advance us to a state of the greatest Happiness that Humane Nature is capable of 3 dly If we consider the easie and reasonable Terms upon which we may be made Partakers of this unspeakable Benefit and that is by a constant and sincere and universal Obedience to the Laws of God which supposeth Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as the Root and Principle of all the Virtues of a good Life that is by doing that which best becomes us and which is most agreeable to the original Frame of our Nature and to the dictates of our Reason and which setting aside the consideration of the Reward is really best for our present Benefit and Advantage our Comfort and Happiness even in this World for God in giving Laws to us hath imposed nothing upon us but what in all reason ought to have been our choice if he had not imposed it nothing but what is for our good and is in its own nature necessary to make us capable of that Happiness which he hath promised to us And what can be more gracious than to make one Benefit the Condition of a greater Than to promise to make us happy for ever if we will but do that which upon all accounts is really best and most for our Advantage in this present Life Thirdly Here is abundant Encouragement given to our Obedience we have the divine Assistance promised to us to enable us to the performance of the most difficult parts of our Duty we have the holy Spirit of God to help our Infirmities to excite us to that which is good and to help and strengthen us in the doing of it For our further Encouragement we are assured of the divine Acceptance in case of our sincere Obedience notwithstanding the manifold Failings and Imperfections of it for the sake of the perfect Righteousness and Obedience and the meritorious Sufferings of our blessed Saviour and tho when we have done all that we can do