Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A69644
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The life of faith in times of trial and affliction cleared up and explained from Hebrews X:XXXVIII ... / by Ioh. Brown ...
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Brown, John, 1610?-1679.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing B5034; ESTC R7844
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214,019
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528
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assert an Vniversal Subjective Grace that is Grace and Power granted to every One to hearken to the voice of God calling in Nature and in the Gospel to convert and turne themselves to believe and repent if and whensoever they will because they see not how it is consistent with Gods Wisdom and Goodness to require any duty of man but what he giveth him full ability to performe not regairding the stock of strength that was once given to man and was dilapidat by Adam But as to this how crooked so ever we suppose it to be we must rest here that the Carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8 vers 7. And that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2 v. 14. and that Faith is the gift of God Ephes. 2 v. 8. And that it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do according to his own good pleasure Phil. 2. vers 13. And that Christ is a Prince exalted to give Repentance Act. 5 v. 30 And that God is a free Dispenser of His grace as being obliged to none and shewing mercy to whom he will 4. That work of the Lord 's covenanting with Adam as the Head in the name of all mankinde and his imputing his sin unto his posterity who were in his loines so that all become borne and conceived in sin and obnoxious to the wrath of God because of that transgression of Adam according as the Apostle speaketh Rom 5 vers 12. Wherefore as by one man sin entrâ—…d into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned And againe Vers. 14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression And Vers. 18. Therefore as by one mans offence or by one offence judgment came upon all men to condemnation This Dispensation I say seemeth so crooked to some such as Pelagians Socinians Arminians and Quakers that they must absolutely deny it and say there is no such thing as original sin though Paul saâ—…eth Ephes. 2 vers 3. that we were by nature including himself the Children of wrath And David telleth us in his humble Confession of sinnes to God Psal. 51 ver 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me And Iob sayeth Chap. 14 v. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one And to the same purpose Bildad Iob. 25 v. 4. How can he be clean that is borne of a Women 5. For further setting even what otherwayes men think crooked in the way of the Lord they imagine assert and defend an Universal Redemption saying that Christ hath died for all equally say some with some difference say others because it seemeth a crooked thing with them and inconsistent with the Nature and Goodness of God not to seek the Salvation of all and not to prepare meanes of life for all so not to send Christ to die for all and every mothers son though we be plainly enough and expresly told in Scripture that the Father gave not all to the Son to redeem but some and that Christ laid down His life a ransome for those alone who were given to him to save and of whom he must give an account to the Father as having undertaken to redeem them from Hell Wrath Satan and all their Enemies and by His Power and Grace to bring them saife home at length as being their Head their Husband their Shepherd their Cautioner their Lord Ransomer their Intercessour and Advocat with the Father and that these are an all and called the â—…orld to point out their natural Original that Grace may the more appear to be grace and to pointe out their being scattered through thâ—… world and taken out of all Kindreds Tongues Nations People Languages especially now under the Gospel in distinction from the dayes of the Old Testament when the Iawes were only the peculiar people of the Lord and in Iudah only was God known and his name great in Israel 6 Further to make God's supposed crooked wayes straight the Enemies of the free Gâ—…ace of God imagine that the will of Man must be left Free to be Lord of all and absolute disposer of the decrees and purposes of God of Redemption and of Salvation so that the Lord must not by an Irresistible Power draw any home to Christ contrary to Ioh. 6 44. Nor create in any a new heart and take away the heart of stone and give an heart of flesh contrare to Ezech. 11. 19. and 36 26 27. Because they cannot see how it can consist with Gods Love to mankinde to preferre one to another they imagine that God layeth the matter alike to all mens door standing equally and knocking at every mans door and so leaving it to them alike to choose or refuse to become happy or miserable as they please and so they say that when God hath done all He can or will do to save people their will is at perfect freedome to accept or reject the Grace of God and that there is no special saving work of grace upon the heart of one more then of another O what real crooked work do foolish men make here How do they darken deforme and make crooked the glorious straight work of the free grace of God wherein absolute Soveraignity glorious Grace and the free Mercy of God shineth forth with such a Soveraigne Lustre Beauty and Glory Paul had other thoughts of the matter when he said Ephes. 1 vers 3 4 5 6 7. Blessed be the God and Father of ouâ—… Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Celestials in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Iesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of His will To the praise of the Glory of his grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved c. 7. To salve this same Diana of Free will the same Persons do deny the Free and Absolute Decrees of God touching any thing to be done by Man whether good or evil because they cannot see how God's Absolute Decrees concerning this or that can consist with the free Actings of mans will not impose an absolute necessity on man to do or not to do according to what is decrâ—…ed as the stone must absolutely and naturally move down-ward and the Sun shine and all Natural causes act and work therefore to make this supposed crook straight they see no other way but to deny all such Decrees and Purposes in God not knowing that as God's decrees determine the event
faith be acting on God through Christ and resting upon the promises of outgate and of an everlasting recompence and of throw-bearing and the other objects of faith necessary to be eyed in such a day for if this be not even the beleever may fainte and fall backward as we see in Peter Now this present acting of faith being the gift of God through His grace and influences it is manifest that Christian suffering unto which this is requisite must be also His gift 3. Hope is also requisite unto a Christian suffering for hereby must the sufferers head be born-up when he is swimeing thorow the sea of Persecution it is the Souls anchor which must not be wanting in a storme it is his helmet and must not be a missing in the day of battel Now this hope being the special gift of God and his work 1 Pet. 1 3. 2 Thes. 2. vers 13. it is manifest that Christian suffering unto which this hope is so necessary must be His special gift 4. Patience is likewise hereunto requisite for without it there will be nothing but wearying fainting fretting repineing and sinful longing to be from under the Crosse hence there is so great need of patience Heb. 10. vers 36. Luk. 21. vers 19. Iam. 1. vers 4. 2 Pet. 1. vers 6. And it is so much pressed Iam. 5. v. 10 11. 1 Tim. 6 11. And commended 1 Thes. 1. vers 3. 2 Thes. 1. vers 4. Revel 2 2 9. Now this patience is not the work of nature but His work who is the God of all patience Rom. 15. vers 5. And therefore Christian suffering must be His work and gift also 5. Humble submission and calmness of spirit is also requisite unto a right way of suffering for a proud haughty unquiet and undaunted spirit will never take a right lift of the crosse and this must also be wrought by the free and powerful grace of God and must be of Him from whom every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down even of the Father of lights Iam. 1 17. And therefore Christian suffering unto which this is so requisite must be of Him also 6. Such as will suffer Christianly for Christ must have Courage Boldness and Christian Resolution as accounting it their glory and honour to suffer for His sake and as remembering that as on the one hand their cheerful couragious and valiant suffering for the Interest of Jesus is no small encouragment to others to adhere to Him and to His cause so upon the other hand to suffer discouragedly and with a fainting heart is no small disadvantage to the cause Enemies being thereby more hardened and friends discouraged And this Courage and fixed Resolution must only be had from God Nature will not fournish this They must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might Ephes. 6. vers 10. And as this is from the Lord alone so must the grace of Suffering Christianly be 7. He who would suffer as a Christian must have his Conscience sprinkled God must be pacified all quarrels must be taken out of the way for the sense and apprehension of an angrie God and sin and guilt looking the man in the face will much dash discourage and fainte him in his sufferings Now it is unquestionable that God's manifesting himself satisfied and well pleased with the man is His own free gift it is His proper work to sprinkle consciences from dead works and so must this Christian suffering be from Him which dependeth hereupon 8. When one is questioned for the Cause of Christ before learned and able States-men and Politicians or before learned Church-men he will have need of something wherewith to answere his Accusers and so be in case to give a glorious Testimony to the Truth and the cause of Christ otherwise the adversaries will think they have cause to triumph when he is made speachless though that Christian Martyr-woman who said she could not disput for Christ but she could burn for Him did sufficiently refell all the Arguments of her Adversaries which were but meer Sophismes especially if the maine crime be coloured-over with some alleiged personal fault In this or the like cases it is necessary that the accused have pertinent clear and pungent reasons of his actions in readiness whether to refell what is falsely alleiged or to defend what is just and righteous Now whence shall this be had or from whom is it to be expected but from Him who hath promised that it shall be given them in that hour Mat. 10. vers 19. But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what ye shall speak for it shall be given you in that same houre what ye shall speak And therefore Christian suffering unto which this is so necessary must be given of God also 9. Such as are suffering for Christ's sake had need to be very fixed stayed and stedfast in adhereing to their Principles as unshaken with any winde of temptation for cedeing and yeelding in matters of a Testimony dishonoureth the Lord whose truth is questioned encourageth and confirmeth Enemies and stumbleth and marreth the confidence of others therefore such as would suffer aright must stand to the truth and not yeeld in an hoofe nor sell or give away the least point of truth And this fixed and stedfast adhereing to the truth is of God alone He who stablisheth us in Christ is God 2 Cor. 1 vers 21. And when Paul is pressing the Thessalonians to stand fast 2 Thes. 2. vers 15. He addeth Vers. 16 17. Now our Lord Iesus Christ himself and God even our father Comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work And therefore so must the Christian suffering be of Him alone 10. A Christian sufferer for Christ must have a Christian love to Christ for it is this that maketh the sufferers not count their life dear to the death for Christ and maketh them hazard all for Him they love him better than they love Father or Mother or any thing else in a world and therefore are content to lose all for Him and His sake Now love is of God who is love 1 Ioh. 4. vers 7 8. And it is one of the fruites of the Spirit Gal. 5. vers 22. And must be from the God of all grace for we love Him because He first loved us 1 Ioh. 4. vers 19. And therefore so must this right suffering be from Him 11. Before one can suffer aright for Christ and His cause he must be dead and mortified to this world and to all the Riches Honours and Pleasurs to the lust of the eye to the lust of the flesh and to the pride of life as Iohn speaketh 1 Ioh. 2 16. Yea he must be dead to himself and to his own life otherwayes these will hang as weights upon him and hinder his swimeing through the sea of affliction and persecution Now this self denial being the singular gift of God suffering unto