Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	apostle_n	sin_n	wage_n	4,685	5	10.8916	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10024	Sins overthrow: or, A godly and learned treatise of mortification Wherein is excellently handled; first, the generall doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortifie fornication. Vncleannes. Evill concupiscence. Inordinate affection. and, covetousnes. All being the substance of severall sermons upon Colos. III. V. Mortifie therefore your members, &c. Delivered by that late faithfull preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Three godly and learned treatises. Selections. aut	1633 (1633)	STC 20275; ESTC S115103	166,961	286

bodies nostrils And thus much for the Deceits whereby Satan deceives men we will now come to some uses The first Use that may be made hereof is to exhort all men to be carefull to cleanse themselves from this filthinesse and uncleannesse and to this end let them never give God rest but with incessant prayers still call on him till they finde that they are cleansed that they are out of this gall of bitternesse for as there is nothing that will bee so bitter and distastefull nay terrible unto them as this being lyable to the wrath of God due to them by reason of this sinne so shall they never finde any thing so sweet and pleasant nay comfortable unto them as to be in the favor of God for all that the creature can doe is nothing without God there is no peace no comfort no rest without him now if a man have not this favour of God but be without it though he have never so many other blessings as wealth honours and preferrements yet if an arrow come out of Gods quiver dipt in the venome of his wrath bee it never so slight an affliction it will wound deadly See this in Moses who though the meekest man upon earth and highly in Gods favour yet he for his impatiency had his crosse in that which he most desired even in that he should not enter into the land of Canaan Sinne conceiving must needs bring forth sorrow and though it should faile in all other things yet here it is true he that so wes sin shal be sure to reap affliction this is the daughter this is the fruit alwaies of such a motherbeware therfore how you take pains to serve sin for he that does so shall be sure to have for his wages sorrow and afflictions nay death it self as the Apostle saith the wages of sinne is death A sinnefull man one that is guilty of this sinne or any other is like a malefactor that hath already suffered the sentence of condemnation to passe upon him and thereby is lyable to punishment when ever it shall please the Judge to send a warrant he may be called to execution every houre unlesse in the meane time he hath sued forth his pardon even so it is with the sinner he is subiect to the wrath of God when ever God shall please to send forth his warrant against him he must be brought to execution he hath no assurance no power of resistance till hee hath got his pardon Therefore let every oae of us labour to procure our pardons in and by Iesus Christ that so wee may not thus lye open to the wrath of God which will consume us when ever he shal but please to say the word in an instant But some man will be ready to say what needes all this I am strong and well in good and perfect health is it likely the evill day is neere me no surely I will therefore goe on still in my sinne what need I repentance that am so well in all things To this I answer though thou beest never so well in strength and health of body yet if God hides himselfe if hee turnes but away his face from thee thou shalt finde the matter changed where and when he is pleased but to turne himselfe he turnes with him al things upside downe on a sudden See this in those two hundred fifty men of the company of Korab they thought themselves well and safe else thinke ye they would have tooke censers and offered unto the Lord but see how in an instant fire came out from God and consumed them So also Nadab and Abihu no sooner had they taken strange fire to offer unto the Lord but straight the iudgmēt light upon them for it is said And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they dyed before the Lord Levit. 10. 2 they were presently consumed even in the places where they stood in like manner it will be our case if we commit sinne God may if he bee so pleased to deale with vs consume us as soone as ever we have done it nay in the very manner it is his mercy that wee are spared But some man will say againe there have many men escaped unpunished they have gone free for any thing I could ever see why may not I escape also as well as they To this I answer Gods decree concerning salvation and damnation must be admired at not pryed into what though God in his mercy hath saved others must he also therefore save thee that wilt not repent but pres●mest on his mercies he cals sometimes those which have beene many degrees worse than others whom he hath passed by and that to shew his power of the Potter over the pot-sheard but what is this to thee looke thou to thy selfe use the meanes come unto him by true repentance and cleanse thy selfe from thy filthinesse and thou shalt bee sure to finde mercy The second Use to bee made hereof shall bee to perswade every one not onely to cease from the act of so filthy a sinne but also to motifie these corruptions which are the source and fountaine from whence these all uncleane actions come There may bee a restraining of our lusts and corruptions but it is but for a time it will breake forth againe or perhaps there may bee an abhorrency and contrariety of one mans nature from this sinne but this is not out of any hatred to the sinne it selfe but a forbearance of the act because his nature cannot abide it or for some other by-respect as credit and reputation amongst men but this is not to mortifie them for mortification is then true and perfect when there is a contrary life that is when a man that before was unchaste now if his lusts bee mortified he lives quite contrary to that and is now wholly chaste and undefiled now this cannot rightly be said to be in a man where there is but onely a restraint of his lusts As in a tree it is in vaine to cut off the top-boughs so to kill it unlesse the roots be plucked up it will grow againe therefore men beginne at the root to stub up the tree so it it is with sinne lost is the labour that strives to keepe it in and restraine it thinking so to kill i● there is no other way to doe it but by Mortification by rooting it up out of the heart not suffering it the●e to have the least roome or place for if it be but r●strained at one time or other it will grow againe to full strength And that this may the better bee dispatched let us examine and try our selves by these rules and markes First examine your selves and see whether there be a particular change which doth follow the generall one of the whole frame of the heart whether the heart is wholly changed and turned from all sinne for if it be not but is changed

of themselves and therefore I will shew you how sinne doth couzen them and that in these particulars First it makes a man a foole by blinding the understanding and when he is thus blinded hee is led away to the committing of every sinne and therefore it is said 1 Pet. 1. 14. Not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance that is before you were inlightned your lusts had made you fooles by taking away your understandings and putting out the eie of your minds but now fashion not your selvs suffer not sin to blind you againe seeing you now see Secondly it doth couzen you by making large promises if thou wilt be a wanton person it will promise thee much pleasure if ambitious much honour if covetous much riches nay if thou wilt be secure carelesse and remisse for spirituall things as grace and justification and remission of sins it will make thee as large a proffer as the devil sometime made unto Christ Mat. 4. 4. All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me So it may be he will promise thee salvation and life everlasting but he will deceivethee for it is none of his to bestow if he give thee any thing it shal be that which he promised not and that is in the end horror of conscience and destruction Thirdly by promising to depart whensoever thou wilt have it Oh saith sinne but give me entertainment for this once be but a little covetous a little proud or ambitious and I wil depart whensoeverthou wilt have me But give way unto sin in this case and thou shalt find it will deceive thee for sinne hardens the heart dulls the senles and makes dead the conscience so that now it will not bee an easie matter to dispossesse sinne when it hath taken possession of the soule It is not good to let a theefe enter into the house upon such conditions therefore the Apostle saith Heb. 3. 23. Take heedlest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne that is sinne will promise you this and that but beleeve it not it will deceive you Fourthly in the end when we thinke it should be our friend it will be our greatest enemy for instead of life it will give us death it will witnesse against us that we are worthy of death because wee have neglected the meanes of grace neglected to heare to pray and to conferre and what was the cause of this remisnesse but sinne and yet it accuseth us of what it selfe was the cause Now what greater enemy can a man possibly have than he that shall provoke him to a wicked fact and then after accuse him for it therefore let this move men to mortifie their lusts The fifth Motive to move all men to hate sinne is Because it makes us Rebels against God and who would bee a Rebell and Traitour against God and Christ who was the cause of his being The Apostle saith Being servantsunto sinne we become servants of unrighteousnesse Rom. 6. 19. that is if we suffer sinne to reigne in us then we become servants of unrighteousnesse rebells unto God and enemies unto Christ who love righteousnesse now he that is a friend unto God loves that which God loves and hates that which God hates but he that is not loves the contrary for unrighteousnesse is contrary to God and he that loves it is a rebell against God Every luft hath the seed of rebellion in it and as it increaseth so rebellion increaseth therefore let this move men to mortifie sinne The sixth Motive to move men to mortifie sinne is Because sinne will make us slaves to Satan The Apostle saith That to whomsoever you yeeld your selves servants to obey his servants you are to whom you obey Rom. 6. 16. that is if you doe not mortifie your lusts you will be slaves to your lusts they will beare rule over you and miserable will be your captivity under such a treacherous lord as sinne is therefore if you would have Christ to be your Lord and Master if you would be free from the slavery of Satan then fall a slaying of your lusts otherwise you cannot bee the servants of God let this move men also to mortifie sinne Now to make some use of it to our selves The first consectary or use stands thus Seeing the Apostle saith If you be risen with Christ then mortifie your earthly members therfore Mortification is a signe whereby you may try your selves whether you belong unto God or no. if you be risen with Christ that is if the life of grace be in you it will not be idle but it will be imployed in the slaying of sinne Now if Mortification bee not in you you can then claime no interest in Christ or in his promises for hee that findes not Mortification wrought in him he hath neither Interest unto Christ nor to any thing that appertaines unto Christ and seeing this is so let us bee taught by it that every one should enter into examination of his owne heart to finde out the truth of this grace of Mortification especially before he come unto the Sacrament for if we find not Mortification wrought in us we have no right to partake of the outward signes The second Use or Consectary is That seeing the Apostle saith Mortifie hereby ascribing some power unto the Colossians to mortifie their Corruptions as if hee should say You professe yourselves to bee risen with Christ then let that life which you have received slay your corruptions Hence we note that there was and is in every regenerate man acertaine free will to doe good Now when wee speake of free will I doe not meane that Free-will which is in controversie now adayes as though there were such a thing inherent in us but this which I speake of is that freedome of will that is wrought in us after Regeneration that is when a man is once begotten againe there is a new life and power put into him whereby hee is able to doe more then hee could possibly doe by nature and therefore the Apostle saith unto Timothie Stirre up the grace that is in thee 2 Tim. 1. 6. that is thou hast given thee the gift of instruction the life of grace is in thee therefore stirre it up set it on worke use the power of grace to doe good which shewes that there is a certaine power in the regenerate man to doe good for although by nature we are dead yet grace puts life into us As it is with fire if there bee but a sparke by blowing in time it will come to a flame so where there is but a sparke of the fire of grace in the heart the spirit doth so accompany it that in time it is quickened up unto every Christian duty But you will say unto mee Wherein is the regenerate man able to doe more than another man or more

dost thou trouble me that is wherefore art thou so restlesse with mee that thou wilt have no deniall till I grant thee thy desire so then if you will prevayle with God by prayer you may obtaine the Spirit The fourth meanes if you would have your sinnes mortified is To walke in the Spirit that is you must doe the actions of the new man and therefore the Apostle saith Galat. 5. 16. Walke in the Spirit Now here by the Spirit is not meant the holy Ghost but the regenerate part of man that is the new man whose actions are the duties of holinesse as Prayer hearing the Word receiving the Sacraments workes of Charity either to the Church in generall or to any particular member of it and there must not onely bee a bare performing of them for so an hypocrite may doe but there must bee a delight in them thatis it must rejoyce the soule when any opportunity is offered whereby any holy duty may bee performed But on the contrary when wee grow remisse in prayer or in any other duty the devill takes an occasion by this to force us to some sinne hereupon wee presently yeeld because wee want strength of grace which by the neglect of that duty wee are weake in Wee know some physicke is for restoring as well as for weakening thereby to preserve the ftrength of the body now this walking in the actions of the new man is to preserve the strength of the soule it preserves spirituall life in a man it enables him to fight against Corruption and lusts for what is that which weakens the soule but the actions of the old man Therefore if you would mortifie your lusts you must walke in the Spirit The fifth meanes if you would mortifie your lusts is this you must get Faith so saith the Apostle Acts 15. 9. Faith purifieth the heart that is it slayeth the corruption of the heart it mortifies every inordinate desire of the heart it purgeth out the filthinesse of our nature it makes it a new heart in quality that is it makes it fit to receive grace and who would not have a heart thus fitted to good Againe It is said Ephes. 3. 17. that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith as if hee should say Faith will purge the heart for where Faith is Christ is and Christ will not dwell in a rotten heart that is impure and not in some measure sanctified by the Spirit But you will say there are divers kindes of Faith What Faith is this then that thus purifieth the heart By Faith in this place is meant a Justifying Faith Faith that applyeth Christ and his righteousnesse in particular unto a mans selfe for his justification and hereupon he is raysed up to holinesse and enabled out of love unto Christ to mortifie sinne Now the order of this grace in a regenerate man is wonderfull for first the Spirit which is the holy Ghost comes and enlightens the mind then it works Faith and then Faith drawes downe Christ and when once Christ comes he takes possession of it never resting till he hath rid the heart of the evill disposition of nature with a loathing of it then the regenerate man hereupon out of love unto Christ and hatred unto sinne begins to mortifie his corruptions But you will say How can the Spirit of Christ which is the holy Ghost dwell in the heart seeing he is in heaven To this I answer that the Spirit dwells in the heart as the Sunne in a house now we know that the proper place of the Sunne is in the Firmament yet wee say the Sunne is in the house not that wee meane that the body of the Sunne is there but the beames of the Sunne are there in the house so wee say that the proper place of the holy Ghost is in heaven and when we say hee is in the heart of a regenerate man we doe not meane essentially but by a divine power and nature that is by sending his Spirit into the heart not onely to worke grace in the heart but to dwell therein Now when the Spirit hath taken possession of the heart it drawes and expells away all the darkenesse of the minde and makes it to looke and to see Christ in a more excellent manner than before assuring him of perfect Justification and remission of his sinnes And here the error of many is met withall in the matter of Mortification they will have Mortification first wrought and then they will lay hold upon Christ for remission of sinnes Oh say they if I could but finde this sinne or that sinne mortified then I would lay hold upon Christ then I would beleeve for alas how can I looke for remission of sinnes how dare I lay hold or how can I lay hold upon Christ when I finde that my corruptions have such hold on mee But these are deceived for this is contrary to the worke of the Spirit for first Faith assureth of pardon and then followes Mortification that is when a man is once assured of pardon of sinne then hee beginnes to mortifie and to slay his corruption for Mortification is a fruit of Faith and therefore the Apostle saith Phil. 3. 10. That I may feele the power of his death and the vertue of his resurrection Now what is meant by this but the two parts of repentance Mortification and Vivification The Apostle beleeved before and now he would have his faith appeare in the grace of Mortification that he might sensibly feele it And therefore if you would have your sinnes mortified you must by Faith draw Christ into your hearts The sixth meanes if you would have your sinnes mortified is to get spirituall Joy But this may seeme a strange thing to mortifie corruption by a man or a woman would rather thinke that this were a meanes to encrease sinne but it is not so for spirituall Joy is a speciall meanes to mortifiesin if we doe but consider the nature of Mortification for as I sayd before what is Mortification but a turning of the heart a working in it a new disposition Now wee know when the heart is not regenerate it is full of sorrow and joy in this estate encreaseth sinne But when the heart is turned from sinne to grace that is heavenly disposed there is a pleasant object represented unto the eye of the soule as Christ Justification Remission of sinnes and Reconciliation and hence ariseth a spirituall Joy in the soule which rejoycing is a Mortification of sinne for when a man or woman sees such excellencies in Christ as before hee so rejoyceth in them that hee loatheth whatsoever is contrary to them As a man that hath gotten a faire Inheritance which formerly was content with a small Cottage but now the right that hee hath to the other makes him despise that so it is with a regenerate man this spirituall Joy makes him basely to esteeme