A85953:174
Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…
Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of Christ. And, 3 The Excellency of mans immortal soul. By Jeremiah Burroughs, late preacher of the gospel at Stepney, and Giles-Cripple-gate, London. Published by William Greenhill. William Bridge. Philip Nigh. John Yates. Matthew Mead. William Adderly.Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of Christ. And, 3 The Excellency of mans immortal soul. By Jeremiah Burroughs, late preacher of the gospel at Stepney, and Giles-Cripple-gate, London. Published by William Greenhill. William Bridge. Philip Nye. John Yates. Matthew Mead. William Adderly.
London: printed for Nath. Brook, 1660
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Treatise 2 › Sermon 2: The Second SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ.
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.
You will say, (an there be no Laws, no nothing added in the Church for way of decency and order, and such kind of things?
You will say, (an there bee no Laws, no nothing added in the Church for way of decency and order, and such kinde of things?
To that I answer briefly thus, There are some things that do belong to those spiritual Ordinances, things that are in the Church that may be helpful to them in a natural way; as now if congregations meet they must meet in some place, they must have civil order in their meeting, there may be some things civil and natural subservient unto those things that are spiritual; but that that is properly Ecclesiastical whereby I wait upon Jesus Christ to have my heart drawn nearer to him, or to have him draw nearer to me therein, ⟨p. 73⟩there must be no addition of men in any Law whatsoever, but only the things of Christ that are merely spiritual; if there be any natural help, or civil help, as we that are men cannot be exercised in things that are spiritual, without some natural and civil helps, there certainly the prudence of man may come in; but this cannot come to set up any new Ordinances, or set up any new Officers in the Church, or make any new Laws that shall concern the spiritual Worship of God, to work my heart in a spiritual way to God, or God unto me; here lies the evil of mans inventions, when there shall be any inventions of man that shall come instead of a spiritual Ordinance, that shall be set by mans Institution, and have more put upon it than it hath in a natural and civil way to be helpful, why then it comes to be superstition, I say, when any thing is set by man in the worship of God, that shall have more in it than that that is natural or civil to help, then it comes to be sinful and wicked. When I think that by any thing of mans appointment, God shall come nearer to me, or my heart shall be drawn nearer to God, by virtue of any Institution of man, here is the very proper nature of Institution; As for instance, Some thing that is natural or civil to help Gods worship, that man may appoint, but nothing that is spiritual to draw my heart nearer to God, or God nearer to me. As thus, If the Church of God meet together for Ordinances, it must meet in some place, this is a natural help to have a convenient meeting-place, to have a place to keep them from the air, or rain, or wind, this is natural;