A64642:404
Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification,…
Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification, by Christ. By the Right Reverend James Usher, late Arch-bishop of Armagh in Ireland. Published by Jos: Crab. Will: Ball. Tho: Lye. ministers of the Gospel, who writ them from his mouth, and compared their copies together. With a preface concerning the life of the pious author, by the Reverend Stanley Gower, sometime chaplain to the said bishop.Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification, by Christ. By the Right Reverend James Usher, late Arch-bishop of Armagh in Ireland. Published by Jos: Crabb. Will: Ball. Tho: Lye. ministers of the Gospel, who writ them from his mouth, and compared their copies together. With a preface concerning the life of the pious author, by the Reverend Stanly Gower, sometime chaplain to the said bishop.
London: printed by S. Griffin for Will, 1660
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.
Sol. Because faith takes away nothing from the gift. If a man give a beggar an Alms, and he reach out his hand to receive it, his reaching out the hand makes the gift never the less, because the hand is not a worker, but an instrument in receiving the free gift. Rom. 5.15. If through the offence of one many be ⟨p. 399⟩dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace hath abounded unto many in Jesus Christ. And verse 17. If by one mans offence death reigned by one, much more they that receive abundance of grace shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ: here's the point then, God is well-pleased, and therefore sends to us. Wilt thou have my Son? with him thou shalt have abundance of Grace, and everlasting life, and my love too. There's no Creature in this place, but this shall be made good unto, if he can find in his heart to take Christ; thou shalt have a warrant to receive him. Now to receive Christ, is to believe in his name, and to draw near unto him (The word Receiving) is a t•king with the hand with free entertainment; as verse 11. immediately before the Text. Its not so properly Receiving as Entertaining. He came to his own, and his own received him not; they were like the foolish Gadarenes, that preferred their pigs before Christ; they would rather have his room then his company: and so when Christ comes, and thou hadst rather be a free-man, as thou thinkest, and wilt not have him to reign over thee, then thy case is lamentable: Then self-will, self-have. The only point is, whether we come to Christ, or he come to us, there is a drawing near. If thou comest to Christ he will not put thee back; if Christ come to thee by any good motion, if thou shut not the door against him, thou shalt not miss him. Rev. 3.20. Behold I stand at the door and knock, If any man here my voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him, and sup with him, and he with me. The Lord by the knock of his mouth, by the sword that comes out of his mouth, would fain ⟨p. 400⟩come in, and be familiar with thee, and be friends with thee. If thou wilt not let him in, is it not good reason that (as in the Canticles) he with-draw himself? If he see thy sins, and would fain come in, what an encouragement hast thou to open?