Search -
Discourses upon the existence and attributes of God
Discourses upon the existence and attributes of God Author:Stephen Charnock Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: DISCOURSE XII, ON THE GOODNESS OF GOD. Habjc x. 18.—And Jesus said unto him, Why call est thou jne good? There is none good but one, that is, God. The wor... more »ds are part of a reply of our Saviour to the young man's petition to him: a certain person came in haste, "running"' as being eager for satisfaction, to entreat his directions, what he should do to inherit everlasting life ; the person is described'only in general (ver. 17), "There came one," a certain man: but Luke describes him by his dignity (Luke xviii. 18), "A certain ruler;" one of authority among the Jews. He desires of him an answer to a legal question, "What he should do?" or, as Matthew hath it, "What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life" (Matt. xix. 16) ? He imagined everlasting felicity was to be purchased by the works of the law ; he had not the least sentiments of faith : Christ's answer implies, there was no hopes of the happiness of another world by the works of the law, unless they were perfect, and answerable to every divine precept. He doth not seem to have any ill, or hypocritical intent in his address to Christ ; not to tempt him, but to be instructed by him. He seems to come with an ardent desire, to be satisfied in his demand ; he performed a solemn act of respect to him, he kneeled to him, ym-u-m/ijue,-, prostrated himself upon the ground ; besides, Christ is said (ver. 21) to love him, which had been inconsistent with the knowledge Christ had of the hearts and thoughts of men, and the abhorrence he had of hypocrites, had he been only a counterfeit in this question. But the first reply Christ makes to him, respects the title of " Good Master," which this ruler gave him in his salutation. 1st, Some think, that Christ hereby would draw him to an acknowledgment of him as God ; you ack...« less