Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	6,279	5	9.0945	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60136	Heaven and hell, or, The unchangeable state of happiness or misery for all mankind in another world occasion'd by the repentance and death of Mr. Shetterden Thomas, who departed this life April 7, 1700, aetat. 26 : preach'd and publish'd at the desire and direction of the deceased ... / by John Shower.	Shower, John, 1657-1715.	1700 (1700)	Wing S3672; ESTC R34242	59,115	197

me and be gracious to me and mercifully receive my Spirit Accept me now in the Agonies of Death and remember to acquit and own me after Death and let me dwell in thy blessed Presence and Kingdom for ever Something of all this seems imply'd and comprehended in his short Prayer Lord remember me c. Upon the Consideration of the whole can any Encouragement be justly taken from this Example for Men to delay their Repentance and Conversion to God till Old Age or a Sick-Bed and the Approaches of Death As we have seen how extraordinary this Prayer was we read how effectual it was also How speedily did he obtain a gracious Answer for our Lord tells him This Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Nothing can match or parallel the wonderful Grace of this Prayer but the Kindness and Bounty of our Lord's Answer This Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise He craves a Remembrance of him but our Lord promises him present possession He begs a Favour as of one that was Absent Lord remember me c. but Christ assures him that he shall that very Day be present with him in the Happy Receptacle of Holy Souls departed This Day shalt c. There is no ground then from the Case of the Penitent Thief for any man to count much upon future dying Repentance because His was Effectual and Accepted at the last Hour I grant the Promises of Forgiveness are made to Repentance to Confession of Sin and Resolutions of forsaking it But I fear it is not enough consider'd That what we read of this in the New Testament doth especially concern * Traité des Sources de la Corruption qui regne aujour d'huy parmi les Chrestiens 8vo Amst 1700. partie 1. §. 6. Le Renvoy de la Conversion New Converts to Christianity who were brought to confess the Christian Faith and offer'd themselves to be Baptized Professed Repentance was requir'd of the Gentiles on their first Entrance into the Christian State and therefore Repentance is mentioned amongst the Fundamentals which the Catechumens were to be instructed in before and in order to Baptism Heb. vi 1 2. With this they were to begin the Christian Life But for Baptized Christians they are obliged to all holy Conversation and Godliness And is there no hazard for Christians to think to Finish where the Pagans were to begin to think to enter into Heaven by the same Door by which the Heathen entred into the visible Church I deny not the Possibility of a true and saving Repentance at last for who can limit or set bounds to the Free Grace of God but certainly a Death-bed Repentance is a very Deceitfull thing Who can be assured that it is safe in it self or know that God doth accept Mens Repentance and Sorrow for Sin after a Sinfull Life when they can Sin no more That instead of a whole Life of Obedience to God he will at last accept a few forced Tears and Prayers with some fair Promises and Resolutions to live well when the Men are Sick and must Die and can live no longer to sin as formerly if they had never so much a mind to it 'T is almost as reasonable to * Dr. Bates of Spiritual Perfection Chap. XI expect that the Sun should cross the order of Nature and rise in the West as that the Son of Righteousness should arise with Healing in his Wings upon an habitual obstinate Sinner at the last Hour There needs an Extraordinary Grace if their Repentance be true to render it Comfortable to the Dying Penitent For tho' we must follow a Judgment of Charity yet God onely knows whether the Heart be changed and whether the Life would be if the Person Recovered We have seen many seem Penitent and Devout upon a Sick Bed who after they have been unexpectedly restored to Health have plainly proved their Repentance was not unto Life I may express this in the Words of a * Archbishop Tillotson on Eccles viii 11. Of God●s Long Suffering Serm. VIII Vol. VII Great Man Though Sincere Repentance at last be possible it is almost impossible for the Party himself much more for others upon any good ground to judge when it is Sincere God who knows the Hearts of all Men only knows the Sincerity of it I have therefore no great Opinion of that extraordinary Comfort which some have upon a sudden Repentance for great Crimes because I cannot discern any sufficient Ground for it I think great Humility and Dejection of Mind and a doubtful Apprehension of their Condition would much better become them because their Case is really so very doubtful in it self Let them exercise as deep Repentance as possible and bring forth all the Fruits meet for it as are possible in so short a time And for the rest humbly commit themselves to the Mercy of God in Jesus Christ Let them imitate as near as they can the Behaviour of the Penitent Thief the only Example the Scriptures have left us of a late Repentance that proved Effectual He gave the greatest Testimony of his Repentance but we don't find in him any signs of extraordinary Comfort much less of Confidence But he humbly commended himself to the Mercy and Goodness of his Saviour saying Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom This may primarily refer to the Case of Criminals condemn'd to Death by the Civil Magistrate but is applicable to any Man 's sudden Repentance upon a Sick-Bed after a Wicked Life It must needs be uncomfortable because 't is so exceeding hazardous and doubtful Exhortation under two Heads First Labour to be establish'd in the Belief of these Truths and to be suitably affected with them viz. These Important Truths of the two Eternal States That we may soundly Believe and seriously consider them The Influence upon our Affections and Practice will be according to our Faith Doubtless if we had such a certain view such a clear Apprehension of the great things of the other World as the Christian Faith may give us it would break the Snare of most Temptations from Earthly things If we did indeed believe the unspeakable Glory of Heaven and the Intolerable Misery of the Wicked in Hell and the Eternity of both as we believe and are perswaded of the Truth of what we see and feel and know by our our Senses Let us then consider whether these things are true or no and apply them to our selves Let us not apprehend the Distance to be very great between the present Pleasures of Sin and the threatned Sufferings of another World for how short and uncertain a thing is the Life of Man Let us not think it will be only the miserable Portion of a few when we have so much reason to think that but very Few will be Eternally saved in Comparison of the many that will perish Let us not think in General that this Misery is only for such who are greater Sinners than