Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A42555
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Wisdom justified of her children, or, Two sermons sometime preached in Cockshutt Chappel, in the county of Salop, and lately at Brightling in Sussex, on Matth. XI. XIX. and now at the request of friends enlarged, and published / by William Gearing ...
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Gearing, William.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing G439; ESTC R16127
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41,501
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72
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and derided at him The Jews made him a King but it was in mockery when they put upon him a purple robe and a reed into his hand neither would they throw down their righteousness before him thinking Christ not worthy of their tribute So unto this day all impenitent sinners do rebel against the Crown and Dignity of Jesus Christ they will not Subject themselves to Christ's Scepter and the Government of his Spirit according to his word they will be lawless and live as they list they will not vouchsafe to throw down the weapons of Sin Pride Drunkenness Uncleanness c. and their stubborn wills and unruly affections Jesus Christ in the judgement of an ungodly world is not worthy of these things so all ungodly men do deny to justifie Christ the King of Kings The Centurions Servants justifie and acknowledged him their Lord by their willing obedience to his quick commands when he said come they come go they go do this and they do it So the Children of wisdom do justifie Christ in yielding cheerful obedâ—ence to him in all his commands when he saith do this or that duty they do it when he saith Abstain from this or that sin no temptation can easily withdraw them Thus the Spirit of Christ is the intelligentia movens as Aristotle speaks of Angels whirling about the Sphere of their daily conversation When we obey Christ we put a Kingly Crown upon his head in suffering him to rule us to subdue our hearts unto him and do not cherish any contrary motions to his Spirit when we will not go against his Spirit and his Word as Balaam said to Balak Though he would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot go beyond the Commandment of my God to do less or more CHAP. V. II. Let us consider Wisdâ—m in another acception understanding thereâ—y Holiness Religion the truths and Ordinances of Christ and so the Children of Wisdom do justisie Wisdom 1 WHen their love to Religion Truth and Holiness brings them out of love with the world when their embracement of these things divorceth their hearts from all outward things for Christ and for his Truth and Religion sake By our Self-denial we justifie wisdom to be the principal thing to be more worth than all the world to be better than Riches Honours the Favours of great Persons Pleasures and all worldly preferments that Christ is the only gain accounting all these things below to be but dross and dung When the Children of Wisdom can willingly suffer the loss of Riches Liberty Preserment Life and all they have for Religion for Christ for a good cause and a good conscience then do they justifie to all the world that these things are dearer to them than their own sives our sufferings for Religion is our Magnifying of it to be condemned for righteousness sake is to justifie righteousness suffering Christians are the Honour of Religion and the glory of Christ Thus Moses justified wisdom he parted with the best things that Egypt could give and contented himself with the worst condition of the Israelites this sheweth that he justified Christ to be better yea the sufferings and reproaches of Christ to be better than all the treasures of Egypt The Pharisees would not thus justifie Christ self-denial and their popular outward Pharisaical holiness could not stand together it is said of them that they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God and so would not be Disciples of Christ as if it had been dishonourable for them as Salvian in his time complained long agone Siquis ex nobilitate converti ad deum coeperit statim honorem nobilitatis amitteret Religion makes men ignoble and base in the worlds eye So again it is spoken of the Pharisees that they durst not openly to profess Christ lest they were cast out of the Synagogue they durst not justifie Christ So still in all generations too many earthly men do justifie and have applauded the world above Religion and Holiness but yet still wisdom haâ—h been justified of all her Children 2. When we stick to Religion to the Worship and Service of God then do we justifie wisdom when we resolve to serve God in his own way let all commands and threats affront us yet then will we stick to Gods testimonies and to the pure worship of God Thus Daniel stuck to Gods Service against the decree of the King that contained a moneths Atheism in it Dan. 6.7 He had rather be torn asunder with a whole Den of Lions than be drawn to worship a man in stead of God he would pray three times in a day to his God though the King whose Favourite he was would cast him out of favour and all the Princes and Presidents sougâ—â— thereby to ensnare him Though the wicked mock such as hear the word pray and perform all the parts of Gods worship more frequently than themselves yet the Children of wisdom will justifie â—t rejoycing as the Psalmist speaks of the Sun to run their course daily of Gods Service the children of wisdom are not like some Seamen that boast they can sail with all winds they can do nothing against the truth they like wisdom best though it doth not always seâ—ve their own ends and occasions they hold on in the way of Religion as a Traveller riding in earnest business that must go on in his way whether fair or foul in company or alone go they must yea run whom Christ draweth and in that way they fear no Lions nor to be slain in the Streets because they hold it needful that they go not needful that they live and when the Children of this world are resolved to be nothing but what they are ready not to be that they may be fitter for those in high places whose persons they have in admiration for advantage sake the Children of wisdom do abhor all inconstancy in Religion or any thing which may argue the least unfaithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ the Prince and Captain of their Salvation Religion is as a garment which covereth them and for a girdle wherewith they are girded continually To the Children of the world Religion is as the Philacteries upon the skirts of their garments but far from their heart but to the Children of Wisdom it is as the Corinthians to Paul In the heart to live and die together 3. We justifie wisdom when as the Children of Wisdom do just fie one another by loving one another for their graces and holiness by standing for them when the wicked by opposition or disgrace do labour to beat them down when we make much of them when the world trampleth upon them and looketh upon them as the filth and off-scouring of the world we justifie wisdom they are beloved of us because they are beloved of Christ we honour them because they honour God we stick to them because they stick to God we rejoyce in them because of the graces of God in their
answer v. 16.17 They answered and said to the King O King we are not careful to answer thee in this matter If it â—e soâ—our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand O King but if not be it known unto thee O King we will not serve thy Gods nor worship thy golden Image which thou hast set up as if they had saâ—d we know the worst of it it is death and we are â—oâ— sollicâ—tons to avoid the penalty of this Law we are not careful to answer thee in this matter this is the preface or exordium The substance of their answer consisteth in two things 1. Their submission to the will of God for their deliverance from the fiery furnace wherein they assert the power of God who was able to do it vers 17. In answer to the King who said who is able to deliver out of my hand If it be so 2. Their full resolution notwithstanding though God in his wisdom should see it meet not to deliver them yet to keep close to God not to fall into so fowl a sin though they were thrown into a fiery furnace Be it known unto thee O King we will not Worship thy Gods c. So Daniel would justifie God in his Worship in the most stormy times who with a most holy resolution opposed the Kings Decree the malice of the Nobles and the severity of the Kings punishment all these could not draw him from praying to his God Dan. 6.10 When there was great dispute who Christ should be and some said John Baptist others Elias others Jeremias others one of the Old Prophets Peter resolves the doubt Thou art Christ the son of the living God Matth. 16.14 16. As men at this day some say the holiness of Christ is niceness others preciseness others faction others Singularity but what do the children of wisdom say it is the life of the Son of God CHAP. IV. In the prosecution of this point I will first shew how men are said to justifie wisdom 1. LEt us consider how we justifie God in Christ take it in that acception 1. When we adore and to astonishment admire the unsearchable wisdom of God in the contrivance of the way of Salvation in and by Christ discovered in the gospel Gods wisdom is admirable in all his works in his creatures O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all Psal 104.24 In the formation of man in the womb of his mother in all his providential courses there are unsearchable depths of wisdom but now in contriving of mans Salvation by Christ this is the choicest part of Gods wisdom the Apostle cries O the depth S. Paul cries out Great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifest in the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Angels admire this manifold wisdom of God they desire to peep or pry into it 1 Pet. 1.12 None but infinite wisdom could find out such a course as could non plus men and Angels a way for the satisfaction of infinite justice and yet for the glorifying of infinite mercy here is infinite merit yet infinite free-grace 2. We justifie Christ the wisdom of the Father when we take him to be the Lord our Righteousness denying the best things in our selves Herein the Pharisees and moral men reject Christ and the children of wisdom embrace him S. Paul by his own confession Phil. 3.7 8. was a Singular Pharisee touching the righteousnes of the Law blameless yet he willingly threw away the mantle of his legal obedience and wrâ—pt himself up â—nâ— the garments of ChrisTs righteousness Christ without good works justifies believers the righteousnest which is by faith not that which is by the Law A man trusting to his good works is like a naked body wrapt up â—n a net where every one may plainly see his Nakedness God seeth the nakedness of Pharisees through their praying and fasting and Almsgiving to trust to any thing but to God in Christ is to deny not to justifie wisdom it is to patch up salvation to put an old piece to new garments and so make the rent the worse How many ways do Papists reject not justifie Christ all their distrâ—ctions cannot salve it to run to other sacrifices and not to rest in Christs Sacrifice this is not to justifie Christ to run to the Saints and not to Christ is not to justifie Christ but to deny him to be the only Mediatour to Intercession to make a conjunction between Christs merits and ours that he must do a part and we must merit the rest this is not to justifie Christ as a perfect Redeemer this is to deny Christ to be the only way to life eternal and the only door at which the righteous enter in We may joyn to these moral men that content themselves with a negative holiness and empty heartless duties who have as Luther speaks a Pope in their belly and go no farther for Righteonsness and Salvation than their own duties this is to deny Christ not to justifie him such men make a Christ of all their performances of their outward restrained holiness and put all together make a justifying Christ of these menstruous raggs But the children of Wisdom cry out None but Christs Righteousness As the spirit answered the Exorcists commanding them to come sorth Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye Act. 19.15 So do all the children of wisdom say in point of justification Jesus I know and his righteousness I know but as for duties good works and merits who are ye Remember this that our Saviour only not our obedience can enable us to stand before the justice of God the Children of Wisdom cry out to Christ To whâ—m shall we go Thou hast the words of Eternal Life 3. VVhen we yield to Christ our entire obedience this is to justifie VVisdom VVe then justifie him to be a King and set him upon the throne of D vid his Father as it is Psal 2.12 Kiss the son lest he be angry by our submissive Kiss of Faith Obedience and Love we acknowledge Christ to be the Son of God and King of his people VVhen Great Emperours and Noble Kings held Popes Styrrups and kissed the Popes Feet in token of Obedience unto his Unholy Holiness they then Professed Obedience to Anti-christ and exalted him in the place of God Then do we set up Christ in his own place when Kings Elders and People do cast down their Crowns before the throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Honour and Glory and Power Rev. 4.12 There are two things in it first their professed Subjection to Christ in ascribing to him his tribute of Glory and Honour 2. Their justification of Christ Thou art worthy O Lord of all Glory c. This is more than the Pharisees would do they would not kiss the Son of God but blasphemed him opposed him