Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A35314
|
The parable of the great supper opened Wherein is set forth the fulness of Gospel-provision. The frank and free invitation of Jews and Gentiles to this Supper: the poor excuses of the recusant guests that were invited. The faithful returns which the messengers make unto the Lord of their refusal. God's displeasure against those who slight his favours: his bringing in of despicable creatures to fill his house: with the condemnation of those that were bidden. Methodically and succinctly handled by that judicious divine, Mr. John Crump, late of Maidstone in Kent.
|
Crumpe, John, d. 1674.
|
1669
(1669)
|
Wing C7431; ESTC R214975
|
153,869
|
393
|
the high-ways and hedges HEre we have the place described where the Gentiles are to be called God sends his servant into the high-ways and hidges As the most despicable of the Iews before so here the out-casts of the Gentiles are made partakers of the Gospel-provision All Interpreters Gentes variis vâ—â—s errantes Salmer Gâ—utium agrestem populum Lyra. Pauâ—eres mondicos qui domibus carent Ravanel Loca 〈◊〉 ubi ambulaâ—â— homines ignoti Advenae Marlor Gentes perorhis terrarum dispersas Beza both Popish and Protestant do understand hereby the forlorn condition of the Gentiles till God look upon them in mercy they being like a company of Vagabonds wandring up and down by the high-ways side and hedges not housed and harboured in a spiritual sense but scattered about as beggars upon the face of the earth till God by the power of the Gospel brought them into the Church to enjoy the priviledges thereof wandring in their conversation through the vanity of their imaginations To dwell among the hedges is in the Scripture put for a mean kind of living 1 Chron. 4.23 and according to the general acception of the phrase to abide by the high-ways and hedges is put for a wandring kind of life Mark 10.46 Obser That God sends the messengers of the Gospel to them who are as vagabonds and out-casts upon the face of the earth Mat. 22.9 The Gentiles and all by nature are as vagabonds and out-casts I. They are such as lead an unwarrantable life as may thus appear 1. They move not from any good principle there is no true understanding with them no fear of God before them Rom. 3.11 18. Hence the Gentiles were so sottish as to account the very stones in the high-ways as Gods Ierem. 17.2 They anointed stones their bonds and marks of Territories accounted as sacred trivial statues Theophrastus in his sacred superstision remembers for a part the pouring of oil upon anointed stones or statues in the high-ways whereupon lapis unguine delilutus is reckoned by the Apuleius among his sacred objects Therefore the sending the Gospel into the high-ways may have special reference to the reclaiming of the Gentiles from their ignorant prophane and idolatrous course of life appearing by their image-worship in the high-ways 2. They walk not by any good rule they are all gone out of the way Rom. 3.12 Vagabonds are lawless creatures they will submit to no order Men naturally live contrary to the Law of God they love to lurk in the high-ways and by the hedges without the precinct of good discipline 3. They tend not to a good end Men by nature are altogether become unprofitable Rom. 3.12 like vagabonds neither minding the common-wealth nor their own families for the good of which they ought to live II. They are such as lead a miserable life as may thus appear 1. They are Aliens and Strangers to the people of God and their priviledges Eph. 2.11 12. Men that wander up and down in high-ways are not priviledged like those who have their setled abode in Towns and Cities Natural men have no acquaintance with God nor admittance into his presence they live beyond the line of communication as to fellowship with the Saints 2. Vagabonds are destitute of house and home void of necessary accommodations for a comfortable passage through this world Natural men are in no house as it were they live without the pale of the Church that Church that shall be saved As they have no enjoyment of communion with God now so neither have they any hope to enjoy communion with him hereafter Eph. 2.12 while they are void of grace they are without hope 3. They are exposed to wind and weather liable to continual danger Those who are in the high-ways are in the open air where storms and tempests do arise Those that lie in the hedges may soon catch their death by colds and surfets Thus natural men are in perpetual danger cast out into the wide world walking according to the Prince of the power of the air and according to the course of this world Eph. 2.2 There is lurking in hedges and robbing in high-ways Those that stand in the sinners way are never out of harms way CHAP. VI. THe ends why God sends the Gospel-messengers among these vagabonds and out-casts are these 1. To reclaim them from their vain course of life that they should no longer live to the lusts of men to do what they list 1 Pet. 4.1 2 3. God's word gives a check to mens consciences for those unlawful liberties wherein they allow themselves it startleth and affrighteth impudent sinners it stops them and bids them go no further 2. To recover them from the great danger wherin they are by nature to recover them out of the snare of the Devil The Gospel snatcheth them out of the hands of the Devil Col. 1.13 men naturally are under the power of Satan now the Gospel turns men from the power of Satan unto God Christ came to dissolve the works of the Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to undo what the Devil had done too loosen them and set them at liberty whom the Devil had bound This he doth by the ministry of his word 3. To reduce them to good order to bring them from the high-ways and hedges unto places of good discipline where they may observe the order of the Gospel as thus 1. In the partaking of the graces of God's spirit in some measure which are linkt together hand in hand 2 Pet. 1.4 5 6. as Virgins in a dance viz. faith accompanyed with vertue vertue accompanyed with knowledge or discretion knowledge accompanyed with temperance temperance accompanyed with patience patience accompanyed with godliness godliness accompanyed with botherly kindness and brotherly-kindness with charity or love to all men 2. In the Participating of ordinances Act. 2.42 Those that belong to such are endued with graces 3. In the performing of duties leading a well-ordered conversation Phil. 1.27 CHAP. VII Vse 1. Sine domo non sine Domino sine veste non sine fide sine cibo non sine Christo carabus expositus sed Angelorum socius Fulgent Epist 2. THis informs us that the preaching of the Gospel is not confined to any particular Countrey as once it was to the Land of Judea The sound is gone forth into all the earth Rom. 10.18 Here ye may take notice that those who are mean and despicable outwardly may be honourable and happy spiritually The high-ways and hedges may afford converts A certain beggar named Lazarus that lay without doors upon earth is now received into Abraham's bosom Luke 16.20 22. he was houseless saith Fulgentius not Lordless without cloths not without faith he wanted food but wanted not Christ to feed upon he was exposed to dogs while he lived but received into the society of Angels when he dyed A vast difference between temporal and spiritual estate Here see the difference between God's elect before their calling
be called Rom. 11.26 Use 3. Let us improve those examples which set forth unto us God's vengeance on sinners and in special on unbelievers Examples are two-fold either for imitation or admonition the latter is here meant 1 Cor. 10.11 and unbelievers are two-fold either of pure negation living without the profession and means of faith as Heathens or of an evil disposition walking contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel as loose Christians God's judgments on both these sorts of unbelievers must be improved by us and especially the latter 1. Yield a firm assent not only to the mattter of fact in sad examples but to the cause of them set down in sacred Scripture sin deserving and procuring these judgments 1 Cor. 10.6 2. Bring home those sad examples by a particular application to your selves so Christ would have us Luke 13.3 making anothers case our own On continue not to refuse the Gospel for this end let the wicked forsake his way and return unto the Lord whether should men go but unto God from whom they fell let him that is returned take heed that he back-slide not from the Lord through unbelief Look well to the exercise of faith labour to apprehend those promises which God hath given you in his word and appropriate them that are proper for your present condition Heb. 13.5 The vertue of a plaister appeareth in the application of it to the sore CHAP. VI. Shall tast of my Supper HEre is the matter predicated or declared concerning the subject fore-mentioned Shall tast of my Supper Tasting is taken 1. Properly to touch with the lips Ravanel and pass judgment upon the diversity of savoury things There is a dispute among Philosophers what is the proper sensorium or instrument of tasting Some say the mouth others the Tongue others the palate others the throat others the nerves which diffuse themselves through those parts I suppose there is a concurrence of all these to a perfect taste 2. Figuratively and that 1. Intermitatur Deus summum malum Experimento cognoscent quantum malum sit jacturam fecisse c. Salmer Metonymically for eating Act. 20.11 a metonymie of the effect because we therefore tast that we may eat 2. Metaphorically to make tryal or know by experience and that either in a way of sorrow as to tast death Matth. 16.28 for to suffer death or in a way of delight Tasting is put for perceiving in a comfortable manner Prov. 31.18 this last acception is the meaning of it in our Text They shall not tast that is they shall not by experience know to their comfort they shall not partake of my Supper Gospel provision for the good of their souls but shall know by sad experience what it is to contemn such mercy they shall for ever despair of the enjoyment of any good Hence observe Observ That there is not any true experimental any sanctifying and saving good belongs to them that refuse the Gospel Such as these are excluded from the communion and fruition both of the grace and glory of God in Christ I. They are excluded from the fruition of the grace of God in this life They have not a tast of it as is thus evident 1. They have no sound knowledge or spiritual discerning of divine truth They call evil good and good evil put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Isa 5.20 no taste and relish of the spiritual nature of things Truth is the meat of the mind the nourishment of the understanding but divine truth suiteth not with a carnal mind the palats of many are out of taste in a spiritual sense it is too apparent by the multitude of unsound opinions that go down without disrelish 2. They have no firm faith upon God in Christ They believe not the record that God gave of his Son 1 John 5.10 God hath put eternal life in his sons keeping and men will not come to him that they may have life John 5.40 thereby it appeareth they are void of faith in God now faith is the souls taster to suck the sweetness of the promises 3. They have no content or satisfaction in any thing that good is Tasting is receiving that which is edible or potable with some kind of pleasure or liking Thus wicked men do not taste of Gospel-provision they have no love or liking of it The carnal heart is not affected or pleased with spiritual good He receiveth not the things of the spirit into him so as to receive any satisfaction to his mind in them 1 Cor. 2.14 they are foolishness to him insipid stuff albeit the wisdom of God This shews their mouths to be out of taste 4. They have no meditation on God and his word They chew not the promises nor turn them into fatness they feed not upon such dainties There is a taste in words the Heathens had this notion they saw some could not taste of words as others could Natural men taste not God's word by any delightful meditation in it 5. They have no hungring and thirsting after righteousness carnal hearts look upon themselves so full as wanting nothing Rev. 3.17 Such hearts are like those stomachs that are full of wind and not of meat swell'd and puft up They do not faint for God nor are they troubled for the want of the spiritual food They have no spiritual desires nor endeavours after grace II. They are excluded from the fruition of the glory of God in the life to come That is the second course of this Gospel-feast and there also they shall not have so much as a taste The rich Epicure in the Parable Luke 16. could not have one drop to quench his thirst or cool his heat ver 24. no refreshment among the damned The day of judgment which is called the times of refreshment to all true penitents Act. 3.19 will be a day of the encrease of torment to all impenitent creatures CHAP. VII Vse 1. THis informs us of the Righteousness of God in the judgment he inflicts on men What more righteous than this that those should have nothing but the terrour and torment of the Law who would have none of the grace nor duty of the Gospel Here also ye may see the vast difference between the godly and the wicked the wicked shall receive no good but the godly shall want no good Psal 84.11 They having an interest in God himself must needs possess all in possessing him Vse 2. Yet there be some natural men that seem to partake of spiritual good in a large measure Heb. 6.4 5 6 7. a great deal for cast-aways to partake of 1. They may be illightened with some divine understanding divine light may shine into their heads though not into their hearts they may have much of the gifts but nothing of the grace of spiritual knowledge 2. They may taste of the heavenly gift the common gifts and influence of the spirit given to profit others withall in the way to heaven with which