Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	aaron_n	affliction_n	lord_n	21	3	3.1150	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10652	Meditations on the holy sacrament of the Lords last Supper Written many yeares since by Edvvard Reynolds then fellow of Merton College in Oxford.	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1638 (1638)	STC 20929A; ESTC S112262	142,663	279

by that meanes became a perfect and sufficient Saviour wee are in like manner delivered from the penalty of Death for weaken sinne by destroying the Law which is the strength of it and Death cannot possibly sting To examine this point though by way of digression something farther will not bee altogether impertinent because it serves to magnifie the power of Christs Passion The evils which wee speake of are the violations of the nature and person of a man and that evill may bee considered two waies either physically as it oppresseth and burdeneth Nature working some violence on the primitive integrity thereof and by consequence imprinting an affection of sorrow in the minde and so it may bee called paine or else morally and legally with respect unto the motive cause in the Patient Sinne or to the originall efficient cause in the Agent Iustice and so it may be called punishment Punishment being some evill inflicted on a subject for transgressing some Law commanded him by his Law-maker there is ther unto requisite something on the part of the Commander something on the part of the Subject and something on the part of the Evill inflicted In the Commander there must bee first a will unto which the actions of the Subject must conforme and that signified in the nature of a Law Secondly there must bee a Iustice which will And thirdly a Power which can punish the transgressours of that Law In the Subject there must be first Reason and Free-will I meane originally for a Law proceeding from Justice presupposeth a power of obedience to command impossibilites is both absurd and tyrannous befitting Pharaoh and not God Secondly there must bee a Debt and Obligation whereby hee is bound unto the fulfilling of that Law And lastly the Conditions of this Obligation being broken there must be a Forfeiture Guilt and Demerit following the violation of that Law Lastly in the Evill it selfe inflicted there is required first something absolute namely a destructive Power some way or other oppressing and disquieting Nature for as sinne is a violation offered from man to the Law so punishment must bee a violation retorted from the Law to man Secondly there must bee something Relative which may respect first the authour of the evill whose Justice being by mans sinne provoked is by his owne power and according to the sentence of his owne Law to bee executed Secondly it may respect the end for which it is inflicted it is not the torment of the Creature whom as a Creature God loveth neither is it the pleasing of the Devill whom as a Devill God hateth but onely the Satisfaction of Gods Justice and the Manifestation of his Wrath. These things being thus premised wee will againe make a double Consideration of Punishment either it may be taken improperly and incompletely for whatsoever oppressive evill doth so draw its originall in a Reasonable Creature from Sinne as that if there were not an habitation of sinne there should be no roome for such an evill as in the man that was borne blinde though sinne were not the cause of the blindenesse yet it was that which made roome for the blindenesse or it may bee taken properly and perfectly and then I take it to admit of some such Description as this Punishment is an evill or pressure of Nature proceeding from a Law-giver just and powerfull and inflicted on a Reasonable Creature for the disobedience and breach of that Law unto the performance whereof it was originally by the naturall faculty of free-will enabled whereby there is intended a Declaration of Wrath and Satisfaction of Justice Now then I take it wee may with conformity unto the Scriptures and with the Analogy of Faith set downe these Conclusions First consider Punishments as they are dolours and paines and as they are impressions contrary to the integrity of Nature so the temporall evils of the godly are punishments because they worke the very same manner of naturall effects in them which they doe in other men Secondly take Punishments improperly for those evils of Nature which doe occasionally follow sinne and unto which sinne hath originally opened an entrance which declare how God stands affected towards sinne with a minde purposing the rooting out and destroying of it in this sense likewise may the afflictions of the godly bee called Punishments as God is said to have beene exceeding angry with Aaron But now these evils though inflicted on the godly because of their sinnes as were the death of the child to David the tempest to Ionah and the like yet are they not evils inflicted for the Revenge of sin which is yet the right Nature of a proper Punishment so saith the Lord Vengeance is mine I will repay it but they are evils by the Wisedome of God and love towards his Saints inflicted for the overthrow of sinne for weakening the violence and abating the outrageousnesse of our naturall corruptions As then in the godly sinne may be said to be and not to bee in a diverse sense so saith Saint Iohn in one place If wee say wee have no sinne wee deceive our selves and yet in another Hee that is borne of God sinneth not It is not in them in regard of its Condemnation although it bee in them in regard of its inhabitation though even that also as daily dying and crucified even so punishments or consequents of sinne may be said to be in the godly or not to be in them in a different sense They are not in them in regard of their sting and curse as they are proper Revenges for sinne although they be in them in regard of their state substance and painefulnesse untill such time as they shall put on an eternall Triumph over Death the last enemy that must be overcome Lastly I conclude that the temporall evils which doe befall the godly are not formally or properly punishments nor effects of divine malediction or vengeance towards the persons of the godly who having obtained in Christ a plenary reconciliation with the Father can be by him respected with no other affection however in manner of appearance it may seeme otherwise than with an affection of love and free grace The reasons for this position are these first Punishment with what mitigation soever qualified is in suo formali in the nature of it a thing Legall namely the execution of the Law for divine Law is ever the square and rule of that Justice of which punishment is the effect and work Now all those on whom the execution of the Law doth take any effect may truly bee said to be so farre under the Law in regard of the sting and curse thereof for the curse of the Law is nothing else but the evill which the Law pronounceth to bee inflicted so that every branch and sprigge of that evill must needes beare in it some part of the nature of a Curse even as every part of water hath in it the nature of water but all the godly

but the incarnation and bloud of the Sonne of God the Creator of the World could wash it out consider the Justice and undispensable severity of our God against sinne which would not spare the life of his owne Sonne nor be satisfied without a Sacrifice of infinite and coequall vertue with it selfe consider that it was thy sinne which were thy associates with Iudas and Pilate and the Iewes to crucify him It was thy Hypocrisy which was the kisse that betraid him thy covetousnes the thornes that crowned him thy oppression and cruelty the nayles and Speares that peirced him thy Idolatry and superstition the knee that mocked him thy contempt of religion the spittle that defiled him thy anger and bitternes the gall and v●negar that distasted him thy Crimson and redoubled sins the Purple that dishonord him in a word thou wert the Iew that kild him Canst thou then have so many members as weapons wherewith to crucify thy Saviour and hast thou not a heart wherein to recognize and a tongue wherewith to celebrate the benefits of that bloud which thy sinnes had powred out The fire is que●ched by that water which by its heate was caused to runne over and shall not any of thy sins be put out by the over-flowing of that pretious bloud which thy sinnes caused to run out of his sacred Bodie Lastly consider the immensitie of Gods mercie and the unutterable treasures of his grace which neither the provocations of thy sinne nor the infinite exactnes of his owne justice could any way overcome or constraine to dispise the worke of his owne hands or nor to compassionate the wretchednes of his creature though it cost the Humiliation of the Sonne of God and the exinanition of his Sacred person to performe it Lay together all those considerations and certainly they are able even to melt a heart of Adamant into thoughts of continuall thankfulnes towards so bountifull a Redeemer Thirdly wee must remember the death of CHRIST with a Remembrance of Obedience even the commands of God should be sufficient to inforce our obedience It is not the manner of Law-makers to use insinuations and plausible provokements but peremptory and resolute injunctions upon paine of penalty but our God deales not onely as a Lord but as a Father he hath delivered us from the penalty and now rather invites then compels us to obedience least by persisting in sinne we should make voyd unto our selves the benefit of Christs death yea should crucify him a fresh and so bring upon our selves not the benefit but the guilt of his bloud Is it nothing thinke we that Christ should die in vaine and take upon him the dishonor and shame of a servant to no purpose and disobedience as much as in it lyes doth nullify and make voyd the death of Christ Is it nothing that that sacred Bloud of the covenant should bee shed onely to be troden and trampled under foote as a vile thing and certainely he that celebrates the memory of Christs death in this holy Sacrament with a willfully polluted soule doth not commemorate the Sacrifice but share in the slaughter of him and receives that pretious blood not according to the institution of Christ to drinke it but with the purpose of Iudas and the Iewes to shed it on the ground a cruelty so much more detestable then Caines was by how much the blood of Christ is more pretious than that of Abel In the phrase of Scripture sinning against God and forgetting of him or casting of him behinde our backe or bidding him depart from us or not having him before our eies are all of equall signification neither is any thing cald remembrance in divine dialect which doth not frame the soule unto affections befitting the quality of the object that is remembred He is not said to see a pit though before his eyes who by Starre-gazing or other thoughts falls into it nor hee to remember Christ though presented to all his senses at 〈◊〉 who makes no regard of his presence Divine knowledge being practicall requires advertence and consideration an essicacious pondering of the consequences of good or evill and thereby a proportionable governement of our severall courses which who so neglecteth may bee properly said to forget or to bee ignorant of what was before him though not out of blindnesse yet out of inconsideratenesse as not applying close unto himselfe the obiect represented which if truely remembred would infallibly frame the minde unto a ready obedience and conformitie thereunto Lastly Wee must remember the Death of Christ with Prayer unto God for as by faith wee apply to our selves so by prayer wee represent unto God the Father that his death as the merit and meanes of reconciliation with him as prayer is animated by the Death of Christ which alone is that character that addes currantnesse unto them so is the Death of Christ not to bee celebrated without Prayer wherein wee doe with confidence implore Gods acceptance of that sacrifice for us in which alone hee is well-pleased Open thine eyes unto the supplication of thy servants to hearken unto all for which they shall call unto thee was the Prayer of Salomon in the consecration of the Temple What doth God hearken with his eyes unto the prayers of his people Hath not hee that made the eare an eare himselfe but must be faine to make use of another faculty unto a different worke Certainely unlesse the eye of God be first open to looke on the bloud of his Sonne and on the persons of his Saints bathed and sprinkled therewith his eares can never be open unto their prayers Prayer doth put God in minde of his Covenant and Covenants are not to bee presented without seales now the seale of our Covenant is the blood of Christ no Testament is of force but by the death of the Testator whensoever therefore wee present unto God the truth of his owne free Covenant in our prayers let us not forget to shew him his owne seale too by which wee are confirmed in our hope therein Thus are wee to celebrate the death of Christ and in these regards is this holy worke called by the Antients an unbloody sacrifice in a mysticall and spirituall sense because in this worke is a confluence of all such holy duties as are in the Scripture called spirituall sacrifices and in the same sence was the Lords Table ofttimes by them called an Altar as that was which the Reubenites erected on the other side of Iordan not for any proper sacrifice but to bee a patterne and memoriall of that whereon sacrifice was offered CHAP. XVII Inferences of Practice from the severall ends of this holy Sacrament HEere then in as much as these sacred Elements are instituted to present and exhibit Christ unto the faithfull soule wee may inferre with what affection wee ought to approach unto him and what reverent estimation to have of them Happinesse as it is the scope of all