Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A57159
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A sermon preached before the King upon the twenty eighth of March, 1669 by Edward Lord Bishop of Norwich.
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Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing R1284; ESTC R36786
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19,736
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44
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Thus have I endeavoured to shew the excellencies of Christ and the unsearchable riches of his Gospel as the alone necessary and indispensable means unto all solid comfort in this life and unto all true blessedness in another in comparison whereof all other the noblest endowments are not onely loss but dung All these things whereby I have proved the greatness of the Gospel are evident demonstrations of the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ thereby since the dignity of science is founded in the Sublimity Majesty greatness of the subject known So that I shall need add but one thing more which is particular to the saving knowledge of Christ that it doth not discover onely him and his excellencies unto us but doth convey them upon us and give us a right and interest in them And hereupon it is An enlivening knowledge I live by the faith of the Son of God He that believeth in me saith our Saviour shall live though he were dead which is more then can be said of all the excellencies in the world they all run like Jordan into a dead Sea the grave devours them without hope of a resurrection But our life in Christ is an abiding and an abounding life It is An ennobling knowledge it giveth us a priviledge dignity and power to be called the Sons of God It is A justifying knowledge by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many It entitleth us to all the merits of the Death and obedience of Jesus Christ. It is A sanctifying knowledge which purifieth the Heart and worketh by love hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments Lastly it is a saving knowledge This is eternal life to know thee the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ. I shall very briefly conclude with but three words of Exhortation 1. To my self and Brethren to whom the dispensation of this glorious Gospel is entrusted that we would be ever mindful of our commission Ambassadors must keep strictly to the Mandate of their Princes and never deviate from their instructions Our Commission is to teach men to observe all things whatsoever Christ hath commanded to preach unto them the unsearchable riches of Christ to take them off from all presumptuous sins from all vain delights from all carnal confidence from all self-opinion of their own performances to set forth Christ before them as the desire of all nations to convince them of the All-sufficiency of his righteousness and of the great duties of faith and obedience which they owe unto him as King of Saints Not to preach our selves our own fancies passions or interests but so to preach Christ Jesus the Lord as becomes the excellencie of his person and offices as becomes the Majesty and awfulness of the doctrines of Salvation 2. To all in place of power and authority that since Christ to whom all power was given did and still doth put it forth for our salvation they also would be exhorted to exert their power for the honour and interest of Christ and his Gospel By the light of their gracious examples to render the beauties of holiness amiable unto others for the lives of great men are a kinde of law to those that are under them By their zeal courage and justice to put to shame the insolencies of any who by profaness and atheism either of tongue pen or life dare offer any scorn or indignity to the Lord or to the Gospel of Glory By their wisdom and love to Christ to use all means for promoting the Gospel of Salvation and removing out of the way whatsoever doth obstruct the powerful progress and prevalencie thereof amongst men And here I cannot but with grief of heart once more bewail those doleful divisions which deface the beauty and shake the stability of this once flourishing Church For as in the natural body solutio continui doth both pain deform it so do breaches in the body of Christ abate both the strength and comeliness of it while we thus by our divisions lessen and weaken one another we comfort and advantage a common adversary Do not all learned and sober Protestants agree in the Doctrine of the Church of England in the vitals essentials of true Religion in the great foundations of faith worship and obedience Have they not all one Father one Head one Faith one Hope one heavenly Canaan whither they profess to be all going Why then should brethren fall out by the way Why is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered I am no Prophet to foretell future events Yet since the Psalmist hath told me that where brethren dwell together in unity there the Lord commandeth a blessing Psal. 133. Since he hath joyned the peace and prosperity of the Church together Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces Psal. 122. Since the Apostle hath assured me that if we be of one minde and live in peace the God of love and peace will be with us 2 Cor. 13.11 I cannot but upon these grounds verily perswade my self that if we would with a sincere eye to the glory of God the interest of the Gospel and the peace of the Church which things ought to be most dear unto us set our selves with a spirit of meekness and moderation to heal the breaches and reconcile the differences which are amongst us that so if possible we might be like the Primitive Christians of one heart and one soul the Lord would say unto us as he did unto his people when they laid the foundation of his Temple Hag. 2.19 From this day I will bless you And if this would not effectually do it that which I have last to say I am sure would Which is 3. To perswade all who profess the Gospel to lead their lives agreeable thereunto to hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience and to express the lineaments ofChrist in their conversation There is no precept more frequently inculcated in the writings of the Apostles then this therefore I shall give it you in their words as having most of aw and authority in them How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called Put off the old man put on the new man if ye have heardChrist and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus As ye have received Christ Iesus the Lord so walk ye in him He that saith he abideth in him ought himself to walk even as he walked Let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ. Adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things Shew forth the vertues of him who calleth you out of darkness into his