A30241:452
CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…
CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, or, Christs prayer before his passion explicated, and both practically and polemically improved by Anthony Burgess ...
London: printed by Abraham Miller for Thomas Underhill, 1656
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Sermon 18: The Necessity of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus as well as of God the Father.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
We must submit to the Scripture, otherwise we may take up Origens opinion, and say, how doth it stand with the goodness of God and his pity to let so many Angels and men be damned, and not save them all at last; But when the Word of God speaks man must be silent and hold his tongue.
We must submit to the Scripture, otherwise we may take up Origens opinion, and say, how doth it stand with the goodnesse of God and his pity to let so many Angels and men be damned, and not save them all at last; But when the Word of God speaks man must be silent and hold his tongue.
2. A right knowledge about one true God is not enough without the knowledge of Christ, partly on Gods part, and partly on our part; On Gods part, for so he is absolutely considered as a righteous and just God,1 hating all sin, and punishing it where he finds it; Now in this consideration he is a consuming fire, there is a great gulf between him and us; The devils and damned in hell may as well hope for mercy as we, if there were no Christ; The heathens therefore who hoped for pardon they ignorantly thought to satisfy God, as if he could be satisfied by any finite thing, as Luther said, It's not Deus absolutus but relativus, not God considered absolutely but relatively as a Father in Covenant, through Christ that is the ground of all our hope and comfort; This knowledge would only terrify and drive to despair, as you see in Adam till he was comforted with the promise. 2. On our part, It's necessary to know Christ as well as God, because without Christ there is no foundation for any duty; We cannot pray, we cannot approach near to him; As he is a consuming fire, so we are combustible stubble, Whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name, saith Christ, shall be given you; It must be through that Name our duties are accepted: Can two walk together unless they be agreed? What ⟨p. 98⟩concord or agreement can there be between a righteous God and a corrupted sinner? For this cause it is that the most holy men have prayed that God would not enter into strict judgement with them,