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	congregation_n	day_n	52	3	4.2671	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41106	Christs alarm to drowsie saints, or, Christs epistle to his churches by William Fenner.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.	1646 (1646)	Wing F682; ESTC R25397	286,079	411

as occasion was offered bring forth out of their Treasuries new and old Who are they that cry down often preaching whatever colour they would seem to have be such as would cover their own shame by backbiting the diligence of any of their brethren Like the Fox in the Fable that because he wanted a taile himselfe to hide his own filthinesse perswaded the other beasts to cut off theirs too pleading forsooth O it is cumbersome and weighty and ye were better be without but the truth was it was onely to hide his own deformity which were it once in fashion to bee without tails should never be espied A worthy Divine cites an excellent admonition of Hierom to Calphurnius upon the like occasion to this That if he wanted teeth himselfe hee should not bee envious against them which were able to eat Beloved I doe urge an equality of labour upon all but this is most certain that we are bound every one of us to honor the Lord with all our strength and to study the edification and salvation of our peoples souls with all our might It is a shame that ever our people should meet together at Church and wee not take compassion upon them to quicken them with some word of exhortation or other The Evangelists note of our Saviour that when he saw a company about him he had compassion on them and taught them Mar. 6. 34. Whereupon was his Sermon in the mount but because hee saw a company about him Whereupon was that Sermon of our Saviour Matth. 13 It was because there was a company of people before him Certainly if we had compassion on our people we would doe so too If we were not too worldly and dead hearted our selves as we are we would never plead against it Many talk much of the Fathers O the Fathers the Fathers and they doe not love these upstart Divines but it were well they would learn of the Fathers Tertullian sayes there was never any publick meeting in his dayes but before the Congregatiō was dissolved they were fed with a Sermon Nay Babington a reverend Bishop among us That a Minister can no more enter into the Congregation without a Sermon and not be guilty then Aaron could enter into the Congregation at any time without death in case hee sounded not his Bells when he entred I might adde many other particulars concerning the manner of preaching wherein all Ministers should agree but these shall suffice for feare I want time 1. They should preach in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power 2. They should preach differencingly putting a distinction between the pretious and the vile 3. They should preach constantly and to the utmost of their endeavours This is the fourth thing wherein all Ministers should agree Fifthly they should agree in seeking of the Lord for a blessing on their labours they should be earnest with God in the behalfe of the people Alas how else doe they expect to convert any men unto God For when we preach what doe we doe We doe but as Gehezi who brought Elisha's staffe to raise the dead child Poore man he could not raise it for though he had Elisha's staffe he had not Elisha's spirit So my brethren we do but bring our Masters staffe and therefore we should intreat him to send down his Spirit otherwise the dead cannot stand up We trim up a Sermon put we trim it well nevertheles what is this but as the rigging of the sails and what will that doe except the wind blow So we should pray that the wind should blow upon our sails then the ship shall goe indeed as our Saviour Christ sayes The wind bloweth where it listeth Joh. 3. 8. The wind is free When we have preached all that ever we can yet the wind is free whether it will blow or no. The Spirit of God is not tied to blow upon our endeavours that they may have good successe What are Organs without breath What is Pauls planting or Apollos his watering without Gods giving of the increase The Apostle tels us it is just nothing 1 Cor. 3. 7. As a Divine makes the similitude when one heard what admirable victories Scanderbegs sword had wrought he would needs see it and when he saw it sayes he This is but an ordinary sword alas what can this doe Scanderbeg did him word I have sent thee my sword but I have the Arm that did all by it So beloved we have Christs sword but we have not Christs arm and therefore let us pray him that he would together with our preaching reach forth his arm and that will doe our people good without this poore Preachers are we all wee may cut at mens sins but they will never off without him wee may shew people the great things of the Gospel we may invite people to come in to lay hold on eternall life but O for Christs arme and therefore we should study as much how to pray as to preach The want of this is that which marres all May be we preach well but we are not earnest with God to give a blessing we doe not bewail the sins of our people we doe not lay to heart the things that provoke Almighty God wee doe not get into the case wherein God may prove all our pains Sixthly Ministers should all agree in the watching over the souls of men Preaching to and praying for our people is not the whole of a Ministers duty but wee should observe our people watch over them as the Apostle sayes Obey them that have the rule over you submit your selves for they watch for your souls Heb. 12. 17. And indeed how can we preach unto the purpose except we watch them that are committed to our charge as Solomon sayes Be thou diligent to know the estate of thy flockes and look well to thy Herds Pro. 27. 23. This was Pauls course to enquire into the estate of people how it fared with them This was the newes that he asked after his desire was to know how grace went forward in the Ephesians hearts I heare of your faith sayes he Eph. 1. 15. It seems he had been asking of it Thus Epaphras told him of the Colossians estate Thus he learned by some of the house of Chloe the state of the Corinthians Nay all men will enquire and hearken after the health of their friends parents if their children be at the University they will listen after them how they goe on in learning So should the Angels of every Church they should listen what courses are in their Town what sinnes break out what corruptions appeare what proficiency the good ones make who grow who decline who stand at a stay who goe aside and wax worse and worse that they may shape their preaching accordingly that their words be fitted in their mouth that they may apt their rebukes their exhortations their uses answerably For then will their Sermons be like Apples of Gold in Pictures

13. 44. that is he laid it up in his soules storehouse as Solomon sayes my Sonne if thou wilt receive my words and hide my Commandements with thee Prov. 2. 1. I say the memory is a deep vault in the soule where a man hides what he hath a minde to that it may never be taken away from him so that memory is an excellent thing a man may have God alwayes with him and heaven and all heavenly things if so he have a minde to them Fourthly it is a great blessing that if a man chance to goe out of his way he may put himselfe in againe seeing he hath a memory I speake of a Christian that hath once heard the wayes of God he cannot goe out but by memory he may put himselfe in againe memory is the soules Map as David sayes all the ends of the earth shall remember themselves and turne unto the Lord Psal 22. 27. he speakes of all Gods Elect marke how they get into the way againe they shall remember themselves so when are a man steps aside by pride thus he may come in againe by remembring himselfe O God resisteth the proud the Lord sayes he will give grace to none but the humble thus he may come in againe so if he step aside by too much yeelding to the world thus he may set himselfe to rights O woe is me what have I done now I remember the love of the world is enmity with God if he chance to have by-thoughts at the hearing of the word let him remember himselfe O what a beast am I I forgot I was in Gods presence with him I remember my selfe that I am before him and thus he may correct himselfe so the prodigall Sonne did when he had fetcht his wilde vagary at last he remembred himselfe O how many hired Servants of my Fathers have bread enough Luke 15. 17. he remembred what a good Father he had runne away from this fetcht him home againe Fifthly it 's a great blessing to help a man to beleeve though a man do not beleeve for the present he heares the word of God he hears that which might do him good but for the present he does not beleeve yet who knowes but this very word may doe him good another day memory may bring it to minde through the goodnesse of God and then he may beleeve it as the Disciples of Christ ye may read how that Christ spake some words that did them little good for the present But the Text sayes that when he was risen againe then they remembred the words that he had said unto them and beleeved Ioh. 2. 22. many times we are untoward for the present and then the word does us little good I but it 's a blessing that we can remember the same word may be represented by our memories to us and may doe the deed as we see in the second sonne in the Gospell his Father said to him goe worke to day in my Vineyard ye know how distemper'd he was for the present he answered and said I will not Matth. 21. 29. I but afterwards he repented himselfe and went that is he remembred afresh what his Father said to him and that made him doe it Sixthly it 's a great help to better knowledge it may be at the first when we are taught the word does not sink into our hearts we do not understand it But yet remembring what it was we were told afterwards through the mercy of God some thing or other comes in that now we can say blessed be God now I understand such a truth such a promise such a commandement and yet no new teaching but remembring onely what we read or heard as sometime one of the Iewish Doctors not understanding that place in the Prophet where it is said that God would sweep them away with the besom of destruction isa 14. 23. afterwards seeing a maide come with her besome to sweep the house now he saw the meaning of the place so when Christ said to Peter that before the Cock crowed twice he would deny him thrice that Peter had a poore weak heart and that he had a horrible deale of faint-heartednesse in him and that he would deny his own Master Peter understood not his words he saw no such thing in his heart as to thinke those words to be true But when he had been in the High Priests Hall and there had abjured his Master and had heard too the Cock crow twice and his Master look at him now he remembred his words and went out and wept hitterly Matth. 26. 75. that is now he saw the truth of Christs words now he saw what a wretched heart he had and lamented it I say memory is a great help unto knowledge as God sayes O my people remember now what Balak King of Moab consulted and what Baalam the Son of Beor answered him from Shictim to Gilgal that ye may know the righteousnesse of the Lord Mieh 6. 5. How many things have we heard and seene when we were children that then we never knew the meaning of yet afterwards when we come to have more wit then remembring what they were we understand them as Christ said to Peter when he went to wash his feet what I doe thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter John 13. 7. that is when thou remembrest it hereafter then thou shalt know my meaning in it Seventhly memory is as excellent helpe for a man to preach to himselfe Beloved we can but preach to you an houre or so but seeing God hath given you memories ye may preach to your selves all the day long memory may help you to repeate the word every day in your hearts as the Apostle says speaking unto your selvs Ep. 5. 19. so by reason of this blessing of God ye may speake to your selves from day to day Nay eighthly it 's an excellent thing for it may let you have the benefit of things before they be your death is not yet your last sicknesse is not yet your salvation is not yet the day of judgement the Kingdome of glory these are things that are not yet I but you having a memory ye may have much Benefit by them in the meane time ye may represent them to your selves as things present and have a world of good by them and so all the things that are past no act of the soule can make them still present but memory your childe-hood is past all the Sermons that ye heard heretofore are all past O how many sinnes have ye committed in times past and how many dealings have ye had of God in the dayes that are past now having a memory except ye have gracelesse hearts ye may doe your selves good by all these even as if they were now before you if a childe of God be at a losse for the present he may helpe himselfe by memory as David sayes I remembred the dayes of old I call to remembrance my Song that