A64642:474
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.
Now before I come to the particulars, note how careful God is, that spiritual exercises should be spiritually performed. He's very angry when he sees a spiritual duty carnally undertaken. For this cause many are sick, &c. that is, because you that are believers, have faith, repentance, and a portion in your Saviour come irreverently, come unpreparedly, perform a spiritual work so carnally. We have presidents hereof in Scripture• ▪ and chiefly two: First, for circumcision, Exod. 4.24. At the 21. v. God sent ⟨p. 442⟩Moses on a Message into Egypt, and in the 24. vers. the Text saith, It came to pass by the way in the Inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. This is very strange, this hath no dependence on that which goes before: a strange accident, God sought to kill him, although he but a little before had sent him into Egypt, and told him he would be with him. Why? what should we do then? how should the message be done, and fulfilled? But what was the reason hereof? It's not expressed, yet we may gather from the following words, that it was by reason his sons were uncircumcised, for vers. 25. Zippora took a sharp stone, and cut off the fore-skin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, surely a bloody husband hast thou been unto me: God would have smitten him for the neglect of the Sacrament of Circumcision. Another instance we have for the Passover in Hezekiahs time. 2 Chron. 30.17, 18. A multitude of the people, yea many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulon had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the Passover otherwise then it was written. There were many likewise in the Congregation that were not sanctified; and therefore God punished them. It's not set down in what manner God punished them, yet by the consequent it may be gathered that it was by sickness, for the next words are to that effect: Hezekiah prayed for them saying, the good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his Father, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary, and the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. So that you see for this God smites a person, and it's to be ⟨p. 443⟩