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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62634	Several discourses viz. Proving Jesus to be the Messias. The prejudices against Jesus and his religion consider'd. Jesus the Son of God, proved by his Resurrection. The danger of apostacy from Christianity. Christ the author: obedience the condition of salvation. The possibility and necessity of gospel obedience, and its consistence with free grace. The authority of Jesus Christ, with the commission and promise which he gave to his apostles. The difficulties of a Christian life consider'd. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Children of this world wiser than the children of light. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the fifth volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708,	1698 (1698)	Wing T1262A; ESTC R222204	187,258	485

the Children of God but only they that have part in the blessed Resurrection to Eternal Life and do inherit the Kingdom prepared for them Not those who are raised to a perpetual Death and the Resurrection of Condemnation These are not the Children of God but the Children of Wrath and the Children of Perdition But the Resurrection of the Just is the full and final Declaration that we are the Children of God not only because we are restored to a new Life but because at the Resurrection we are admitted to the full Possession of that blessed Inheritance which is purchased for us and promised to us And the Spirit of God which is conferred upon Believers in their Regeneration and afterwards dwells and resides in them is the Pledge and earnest of our final Adoption by our Resurrection to Eternal Life and upon this account and no other is said to be the Earnest of our future Inheritance and the Seal and Confirmation of it Eph. 1. 13. In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed by that Holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our Inheritance until the redemption of the purchased Possession that is the Holy Spirit of God which Christians were made Partakers of upon their sincere Belief of the Christian Religion is the Seal and Earnest of our Resurrection to Eternal Life as the Apostle plainly tells us in that remakable Text Rom. 8. 11. If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you I have been the longer upon this because it serves fully to explain to us those obscure Phrases of the Seal and Earnest and first Fruits of the Spirit which many have mistaken to import some particular and spiritual Revelation or Impression upon the Minds of good Men assuring them of their Salvation Whereas the Apostle intended no more by them but that the Spirit of God which dwells in Believers enabling them to mortifie the deeds of the Flesh and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit is a Pledge and Earnest to us of a blessed Resurrection to eternal Life by the Power of the Spirit of God which now dwells in us and is the same Spirit which raised up Jesus from the dead And in this Chapter the Spirit of God is said v. 16. To bear witness to our Spirits that is to assure our Minds that we are the Children of God that is that we are his Children now and consequently Heirs of a glorious Resurrection to Eternal Life For so it follows in the next Words and if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and joint Heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together And this being glorified together with Christ at the Resurrection he calls v. 19. the manifestation of the Sons of God Thus you see how in Conformity to the Son of God our elder Brother we are said to be the Sons of God because we are now regenerated and shall at the last day be raised up to Eternal Life by the Power of the Spirit of God I proceed to the Second Thing I propounded to speak to for the clearing of these words namely in what Sense Christ is said to be declared or demonstrated to be the Son of God by his Resurrection from the dead By which the Apostle means these two things 1. That by his Resurrection from the dead he was approved by God to be the true Messias and vindicated to the World from all Suspicion of being a Deceiver and Impostor And consequently in the 2. Place That hereby God gave Testimony to the Truth and Divinity of his Doctrine 1. By his Resurrection from the dead he was approved by God to be the True Messias foretold by the Prophets and expected at that time by the Jews and sufficiently vindicated to the World to be no Deceiver and Impostor And for our fuller Understanding of this we are to consider these two Things 1. What the Apprehensions and Expectations of the Jews were concerning the Messias And 2. What the many Crimes were which they laid to our Saviour's charge and for which they condemned him 1. What the Apprehensions and Expectations of the Jews were concerning the Messias And it is very plain from the Evangelical History that they generally apprehended these two things of him That the Messias was to be the Son of God and the King of Israel and therefore that our Saviour by affirming himself to be the Messias did call himself the Son of God and the King of Israel John 1. 41. Andrew tells his Brother Simon We have found the Messias v. 45. Philip tells Nathanael We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write that is the Messias v. 49. Nathanael upon Discourse with our Saviour being convinced that he was the Messias owns him in these Terms Rabbi thou art the Son of God thou art the King of Israel John 6. 69. Peter declares his Belief that he was the Christ or the Messias in these Words We believe and are sure that thou art the Son of the living God This appears likewise from the High-Priest's Question to him Matth. 26. 63. Art thou the Christ that is the Messias the Son of the living God or as it is in St. Mark the Son of the Blessed compared with Pilat's Question Art thou the King of the Jews And when he was upon the Cross some reviled him under the Notion of the Son of God Matth. 27. 40. If thou be the Son of God come down from the Cross Others under the Notion of the King of Israel v. 42. If he be the King of Israel let him come down from the Crost From all which it is plain that the Jews expected and believed that the true Messias was to be the Son of God and the King of Israel and whoever was not so was a Deceiver and Impostor But our Saviour affirmed himself to be the true Messias and the Son of God Now God by raising him from the dead did abundantly vindicate him to the World from all suspicion of Imposture and gave Testimony to him that he was all that he said of himself viz. the true Messias and the Son of God Which will further appear if we consider 2dly What were the Crimes which the Jews laid to our Saviour's Charge and for which they condemned him and they were mainly these two That by giving himself out to be the Messias he made himself King of Israel and the Son of God Of the first of these they accused him to Pilate hoping by this Accusation to make him guilty of Sedition against the Roman Government for saying that he was the King of Israel Of the other they accused him to the Chief Priests as being guilty of Blasphemy in that not being the Messias he call'd himself the Son of God And upon this they

a very sad and desperate Condition the very nature of whose Disease is to reject the Remedy that should cure him And this the Apostle tells us was the Condition of those who apostatized from the Gospel Chap. 10. 26 27. For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversary The great Sacrifice and Propitiation for Sin was the Son of God and they who renounce him what way of Expiation can they hope for afterward what can they expect but to fall into his Hands as a Judge whom they have rejected as a Sacrifice and a Saviour And then 3dly Those who are guilty of this Sin provoke God in the highest manner to withdraw his Grace and Holy Spirit from them by the Power and Efficacy whereof they should be brought to Repentance so that it can hardly otherwise be expected but that God should leave those to themselves who have so unworthily forsaken him and wholly withdraw his Grace and Spirit from such Persons as have so notoriously offer'd despite to the Spirit of Grace I do not say that God always does this he is sometimes better to such Persons than they have deserved from him and saves those who have done what they can to undo themselves and mercifully puts forth his Hand to recover them who were drawing back to Perdition especially if they were suddenly surprized by the violence of Temptation and yielded to it not deliberately and out of choice but merely through weakness and infirmity and so soon as they reflected upon themselves did return and repent This was the case of St. Peter who being surprized with a sudden fear denied Christ but being admonish'd of his Sin by the signal which our Saviour had given him he was recovered by a speedy and hearty Repentance And so likewise several of the Primitive Christians who were at first overcome by fear to renounce their Religion did afterwards recover themselves and died resolute Martyrs but it is a very dangerous State out of which but few recover and with great difficulty And thus I have done with the five things I propounded to make out for the clearing of this Text from the mistakes and misapprehensions which have been about it I shall now draw some useful Inferences from hence by way of Application that we may see how far this doth concern our selves and they shall be these 1st From the Supposition here in the Text that such Persons as are there described namely those who have been baptized and by Baptism have received remission of Sins and did firmly believe the Gospel and the Promises of it and were endowed with miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost that these may fall away this should caution us all against Confidence and Security when those that have gone thus far may fall let him that standeth take heed Some are of opinion that those whom the Apostle here describes are true and sincere Christians and that when he says it is impossible if they fall away to renew them again to Repentance he means that they cannot fall away totally so as to stand in need of being renewed again to Repentance But this is directly contrary to the Apostle's design which was to caution Christians against Apostacy because if they did fall away their recovery would be so exceeding difficult which Argument does plainly suppose that they might fall away On the other hand there are others who think the Persons here described by the Apostle to be Hypocritical Christians who for some base ends had entertained Christianity and put on the Profession of it but not being sincere and in good earnest would forsake it when Persecution came But besides that this is contrary to the description which the Apostle makes of these Persons who are said to have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and to have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost by which if we understand Justification and Remission of Sins and the Sanctifying Virtue of the Holy Ghost which in all probability is the meaning of these Phrases these are Blessings which did not belong to Hypocrites and which God does not bestow upon them I say besides this there is no reason to imagine that the Apostle intended such Persons when it is likely that there were very few Hypocrites in those times of Persecution for what should tempt Men to dissemble Christianity when it was so dangerous a Profession or what Worldly Ends could Men have in taking that Profession upon them which was so directly contrary to their Worldly Interests So that upon the whole matter I doubt not but the Apostle here means those who are real in the Profession of Christianity and that such might fall away For we may easily imagine that Men might be convinced of the Truth and Goodness of the Christian Doctrine and in good earnest embrace the Profession of it and yet not be so perfectly weaned from the World and so firmly rooted and established in that Perswasion as when it came to the Tryal to be able to quit all for it and to bear up against all the Terrors and Assaults of Persecution so that they might be real Christians and no Hypocrites though they were not so perfectly established and confirmed and so sincerely resolved as many others They were not like St. Paul and those tryed Persons whom he speaks of Rom. 8. 35 37. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerours They had been try'd by all these and yet had held out upon which he breaks out into those triumphant Expressions I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. They might not I say be like those and yet for all that be real in their Profession of Christianity and no Hypocrites In short I take them to be such as our Saviour describes him to be who received the seed into stony places namely he that heareth the word and anon with joy receceiveth it yet hath he not root in himself but dureth for a while for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word by and by he is offended This is no description of a Hypocrite but of one that was real as far as he went for he is said to receive the word with joy but was not well rooted and come to such a confirmed State as resolutely to withstand the assaults of Persecution So that tho' we have truly embraced Christianity and are in a good degree sincere in the Profession of it yet there is great Reason why we should neither be secure nor confident

how God would have Men to live than by seeing how God himself lived when he was pleased to assume our Nature and to become Man And then we are to consider that the Son of God did not assume our Nature in its highest Glory and Perfection but compast with Infirmities and liable in all points to be tempted like as we are but still it was without Sin and therefore God doth not exact from us perfect Obedience and that we should fulfil all Righteousness as he did he makes allowance for the corruption of our Nature and is pleased to accept of our sincere though very imperfect Obedience But after all this his human Nature was united to the Divinity and he had the Spirit without measure and this would indeed make a wide difference between us and our Pattern as to the purpose of Holiness and Obedience if we were destitute of that assistance which is necessary to enable us to the discharge of our Duty But this God offers and is ready to afford to us for he hath promised to give his holy Spirit to them that ask him and the Spirit of him that raised up Christ Jesus from the Dead dwells in all good men who sincerely desire to do the Will of God in the working out our Salvation God worketh in us both to will and to do So that as to that Obedience which the Gospel requires of us if we be not wanting to our selves if we do not receive the Grace of God in vain and quench and resist his blessed Spirit we may be as really assisted as the Son of God himself was for in this respect all true and sincere Christians are the Sons of God so that St. Paul tells us Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God So that if all things be duly consider'd the Life of our blessed Saviour as it is the most perfect so in the main it is a very proper Pattern for our imitation and could not have come nearer to us without wanting that perfection which is necessary to a compleat and absolute Pattern The Son of God condescended to every thing that might render him the most familiar and equal Example to us excepting that which as it was impossible so had been infinitely dishonourable to him and would have spoil'd the perfection of his Example he came as near to us as was fit or possible being in all things like unto us Sin only excepted that is abating that one thing which he came to destroy and abolish and which would have destroyed the very end of his coming for if he had not been without Sin he could neither have made an expiation for Sin nor have been a perfect Pattern of Holiness and Obedience And as the Life of our blessed Saviour had all the perfection that is requisite to an absolute Pattern so that by considering his Temper and Spirit and the actions of his Life we may reform all the vicious inclinations of our Minds and the exorbitances of our Passions and the errors and irregularities of our Lives so it is a very powerful Example and of great force to oblige and provoke us to the imitation of it for it is the Example of one whom we ought to reverence and have reason to love above any Person in the World The Example of our Prince and Soveraign Lord of our best Friend and greatest Benefactor of the High Priest of our Profession and the Captain of our Salvation of the Author and Finisher of our Faith of one who came down from Heaven for our sakes and was contented to assume our Nature together with the infirmities of it and to live in a low and mean condition for no other reason but that he might have the opportunity to instruct and lead Mankind in the way to Life to deliver us from Sin and Wrath and to bring us to God and Happiness 'T is the Example of one who laid down his Life for us and sealed his Love to us in his Blood and whilst we were Enemies did and suffer'd more for us than ever any Man did for his Friend And surely these Considerations cannot but mightily recommend and endear to us this Example of our Lord and Saviour We are ambitious to imitate those whom we highly esteem and reverence and are apt to have their Examples in great veneration from whom we have received great Kindnesses and Benefits and are always endeavouring to be like those whom we love and are apt to conform our selves to the Will and Pleasure of those from whom we have received great Favours and who are continually heaping great Obligations upon us So that whether we consider the Excellency of our Pattern or the mighty Endearments of it to us by that infinite Love and Kindness which he hath exprest towards us we have all the temptation and all the provocation in the World to endeavour to be like him for who would not gladly tread in the steps of the Son of God and of the best Friend that the Sons of Men ever had Who would not follow that Example to which we stand indebted for the greatest Blessings and Benefits that ever were procured for Mankind Thus you see of what force and advantage the Example of our blessed Saviour is toward the Recovery and Salvation of Mankind 3dly He is the Author of Eternal Salvation as he hath purchased it for us by the Merit of his Obedience and Sufferings by which he hath obtained Eternal Redemption for us not only deliverance from the wrath to come but Eternal Life and Happiness when by our Sins we had justly incurred the wrath and displeasure of Almighty God and were liable to Eternal Death and Misery He was contented to be substituted a Sacrifice for us to bear our Sins in his own Body on the Tree and to expiate the guilt of all our Offences by his own Sufferings He died for us that is not only for our Benefit and Advantage but in our place and stead so that if he had not died we had eternally perrish'd and because he died we are saved from that eternal Ruine and Punishment which was due to us for our Sins And this tho' it be no where in Scripture call'd by the Name or Term of Satisfaction yet which is the same thing in effect it is call'd the price of our Redemption for as we are Sinners we are liable and indebted to the Justice of God and our Blessed Saviour by his Death and Sufferings hath discharged this Obligation which Discharge since it was obtained for us by the shedding of his precious Blood without which the Scripture expresly says there had been no Remission of Sin why it may not properly enough be called Payment and Satisfaction I confess I cannot understand Not that God was angry with his Son for he was always well pleased with him or that our Saviour suffer'd the very same which the Sinner should have done in his own Person the

to greater Care and Watchfulness according to that of the Apostle Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall which Admonition were surely to little purpose if it were impossible for them that stand to fall Lastly Others venture all upon a Death bed Repentance and their Importunity with God to receive them to Mercy at last This indeed is only to seek and not to strive to enter in and these perhaps are they whom our Saviour represents as standing without and knocking at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us Or as St. Matthew expresseth it Many shall say to me in that day Lord Lord which is most probably meant of the day of Judgment when their Case is brought to the last extremity and next to that is the day of Death when Men are entring into a state of endless Happiness or Misery And no wonder if the Sinner would then be glad when he can no longer continue in this World to be admitted into Happiness in the next but the Door is then shut to most Sinners and it is a Miracle of God's Grace and Mercy if any Repentance that Men can then exercise which at the best must needs be very confused and imperfect will then be accepted if any Importunity which Men can then use will be available For with what Face can we expect that after all the evil Actions of a long Life God should be mollified toward us by a few good Words and accept of a forc'd and constrained Repentance for all our wilful and deliberate Crimes and that he should forgive us all our Sins upon a little Importunity when we can sin no longer and would repent no sooner Let us then by all that hath been said be effectually perswaded to mind the business of Religion in good earnest and with all our might especially the Practice of it in the exercise of all the Graces and Virtues of a good Life Let us heartily repent of all the Sins of our past Life and resolve upon a better course for the future and let us not delay and put off this necessary Work to the most unfit and improper time of old Age and Sickness and Death but let us set about it presently and enter upon a good Course and make all the Speed and Progress in it we can And let us remember that whatever we do in Religion will not bring us to Heaven if we do not do the will of our Father which is in Heaven if we do not give up our selves to a constant and universal Obedience of his Laws This is to strive to enter in at the strait Gate And tho' we strive to enter in a Thousand other Ways we shall not be able and after all our Confidence and Conceit of our selves and our own Righteousness and Security of our Salvation from the Priviledges of any Church it will be a strange Damp and Disappointment to us to see the sincere Christians who have done the Will of God and lived in Obedience to his Laws to come from all quarters and Churches in the World and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God when we who thought our selves the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out because we have been Workers of Iniquity I will conclude all with those plain Words of the Apostle Rom. 2. 7 8 9. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and Immortality eternal Life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey Vnrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulat on and anguish upon every Soul of Man that doth evil in the day when God shall judge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel SERMON X. The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Sermon I. LUKE XVI 19 20. There was a certain Rich Man which was cloathed in Purple and fine Linen and fared sumptuously every day And there was a certain Beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his Gate full of Sores I Intend by God's Assistance to go over this Parable than which I think there is none in the whole Gospel which is more apt to affect Men or which is more artificially contrived and in the Circumstances whereof a greater Decorum is observed It is a great Question among Interpreters whether this Narration concerning the Rich Man and Lazarus be a Parable or a History or a mixture of both That it is not a History the resemblance between it and others of our Saviour's Parables will easily convince any Man that is not contentious besides that in some ancient Copies 't is usher'd in with this Preface And he spake a Parable to his Disciples A certain Rich Man c. But yet as some of the Ancients have not improbably conjectur'd it seems to be such a kind of Parable as had something of a real Foundation as namely that there was such a poor Man as Lazarus is here described and of that Name among the Jews For in a meer Parable 't is altogether unusual to name Persons nor is this done in any other of our Saviour's Parables But whether this be so or not is not worth the disputing because it alters not the case as to our Saviour's purpose and the Instructions which we may learn from it In the handling of this Parable I shall explain it as I go along and draw two sorts of Instructions or Observations from it The First sort of Observations shall be from the Circumstances which serve for the Decorum of the Parable And these I will not warrant to be all intended by our Saviour but only to be true in themselves and useful and to have a probable rise from some Circumstances of the Parable and therefore I shall speak but very briefly to them The Second sort of Observations shall be such as are grounded upon the main Scope and Intent of the Parable and these I shall insist more largely upon I begin First With those Observations and Instructions which I shall gather up from the Circumstances which serve for the Decorum of the Parable and I shall take them in order as they lie in the Parable Ver. 19. There was a certain Rich Man which was cloathed in purple and fine linnen and fared sumptuously every Day Some think that our Saviour in this description reflected upon Herod because he describes this Rich Man to be cloathed in Purple But this Conjecture is without reason for besides that it was not our Saviour's Custom in his Preaching to give secret Girds to the Magistrate 't is certain that it was long after our Saviour's time that Purple was appropriated to Kings It was then and a great while after the wear of rich and powerful Men and of the Favourites and great Men of the Court who are frequently in ancient Histories call'd the Purpurati those that wore Purple That which I observe from hence is that the rich Man is not here censured for enjoying what he had for wearing rich Apparel