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
A42949	The Negro's & Indians advocate, suing for their admission to the church, or, A persuasive to the instructing and baptizing of the Negro's and Indians in our plantations shewing that as the compliance therewith can prejudice no mans just interest, so the wilful neglecting and opposing of it, is no less than a manifest apostacy from the Christian faith : to which is added, a brief account of religion in Virginia / by Morgan Godwyn ...	Godwyn, Morgan, fl. 1685.	1680 (1680)	Wing G971; ESTC R21645	117,175	190

cannot by any after act of his Creatures be forfeited so as to cause an Alienation thereof from him for be the Possession where it will his first Right can suffer no prejudice The Slaves Obligation and Right I so call it it being a real Priviledg to serve God continues firm and inviolable and no less unalterable than his Lords Nor can it be swallowed up or lost in any new pretended claim whilst that first Obligation continues the same which originally it was No prescription of time being of force against so soveraign a Power as that of Gods 3. But secondly Slaves have a Right to serve God by virtue of his determinate Precept and Command for their so doing None of his Laws being limited to any certain Order or Degree of Men but were given to every Man alike whether Bond or Free For he that said Thou shalt not Swear Kill Steal Lye Covet nor commit Adultery made no difference nor distinction in the direction of these Laws either of Lords or Peasants Free or Bondmen But the Imposition being equally laid on all must exact an equal tribute of Duty from all No Dispensation any where appearing for the omission of the Duties either of Morality or Religion to Potentates any more than the tenuity or meanness of an inferiour Person was ever in holy Scripture admitted as a tolerable excuse upon the like occasion And this Impartiality is more especially the Credit and Ornament of Christianity which for that Reason is stiled the Common Faith and the Common Salvation St. Jude 3. and St. Tit. 3. Which as the Baptist preached St. Luke 3. All flesh should see that is enjoy and partake of if they had any liking thereto And in pursuance hereof S. Paul at Athens declareth That God had now commanded all Men every where to repent words comprehensive and large and methinks very appositely pointing to these so late discovered Regions But to go on For that as he writes to Titus The Grace of God which bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all Men Such an Universality making it an Act of Grace indeed And the same Apostle in his Preaching warns all alike of the Wrath of God revealed against all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Irreligion and Injustice of Men. Both he and the rest in their practice proving their Sense to be as unlimited and unrestrained as their words were general shewing themselves in their Epistles no less exact and punctual in setting forth the Duty of Servants and as careful for the saving of their souls as for their Masters And being never so beset with Business tho doubtless they had enough as having the good of not one single Diocess or Parish but of the Universal or Catholic Church 2 Cor. 11. 28. in their thoughts and care so as to neglect the Soul of the meanest Bond-slave Whom for their encouragement he assures that God himself did take especial cognizance of their faithful services done unto Men who would not fail to recompence whatsoever good thing any Man doth whether he be Bond or Free Ephes 6. 8. And 't is remarkable that the preceding words to St. Titus do in place immediately succeed an Exhortation to Servants thereby as it were pointing out the very Persons to whom that Grace had been manifested no less than to the residue of Mankind 4. And to this agreeth the necessity thereof For Vertue which is made most effectual and operative by Religion is alike requisite and commendable in all Men At least if there be any difference the Credit of it will redound most to them from it was least expected that is from Servants But it is manifest how necessary Vertue is in that all Men do abhor to be unjustly dealt with And they that regard not Vertue themselves do yet expect it in their Vassals Whence some are so apt to applaud Integrity and other good Qualities in their Negro's and to blame and punish the contrary Nor can it be doubted but that good Qualities are as requisite in a Servant as Conjugal loyalty is in a Married Person or obedience in a Child Now Religion is the strongest exciter and spur to these Vertues fixing and engraving them upon the Heart of Man and making such deep impressions thereof upon the Soul that the Party shall even prefer Death to the foregoing of his Duty which heretofore hath been evidenced by innumerable Instances some examples thereof have in this Age been produced And then can any Man believe other than that Religion is necessary for People of this or of any other condition whatsoever Or that it is not the Master 's great Interest to have his Servants minds possessed with principles of true Piety The benefit whereof is least to the Slave tho he gain Heaven thereby whilst his Master besides that of which he is no less assured by being instrumental thereto doth in this World also reap the desired fruit of his Servant's FIDELITY Which whosoever hinders must therein be an enemy to that his own great Interest In a word God having sworn Isa 45. 23. again repeated Rom. 14. 11. That every Knee should how to him and every Tongue give him thanks and glorifie him unto which Service he hath furnished Slaves with Abilities and Parts suitable and having withal by his express Commands imposed on them alike necessity thereof unto which doubtless they are obliged to conform every Man being bound to be as Good and Vertuous as God doth require of him I say these Reasons considered the prohibiting and disabling them for this Service is certainly a most palpable deprivation of their Right which is the worst I shall say of it here and at this time 5. But then in the third place this Right I am speaking of is no less evident from the good and evil of Eternity which the Master and Slave are according to their Merits each of them to enjoy or suffer alike For as the Precepts are general so also are the Threats and Promises As for instance He saith our Blessed Lord that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned St. Mat. 16. And the great Apostle St. Paul indefinitly pronounceth Sin to be the Wages of Death to all alike Rom. 6. And in Rom. 2. he denounceth tribulation and anguish to every soul of Man that doth evil So also the Prophet Ezek. 10. 20. resolveth the matter that the soul that sinneth it shall die But on the contrary He that believeth on the Son of Man hath eternal Life and shall not come into Condemnation saith St. John 15. 24. And saith St. Paul Whatsoever good thing any Man doth speaking of Servants the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be Bond or Free Ephes 6. 8. Further adding For with God there is no respect of Persons Now the Slave's Soul being as precious and his danger and hopes equal with his Master's a Right to the due and necessary means either to prevent the one or to obtain the

O Joshua the Son of Jozedeck the High Priest and be strong all the People of the Land and Work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts as the Prophet Haggai Chap. 2. 4. speaks And let both Ministers and People encourage and provoke each other to Love and to good Works Let the Ministers set before them the Religious Profession of holy Job declaring his esteem for the word of God's Mouth viz. the work of Religion to be more than for his necessary Food But especially the Example of their B. Master whose Meat it was to do the Will of him that sent him and to finish his Work And with the great St. Paul let us be evermore pressed in Spirit and straightned in our Bowels at the thoughts of these Peoples deplorable Estate Not only the poor Barbarians from whom the Key of Knowledg is kept and who are hindred from entering in but the English who are the Authors thereof And as Miltiades Victories did so inflame the emulous mind of Themistocles that he could not rest for them so let the Memory of others more glorious Atchievements in this kind provoke in us the like pious Emulation not suffering us to give sleep to our Eyes nor slumber to our Eyelids until we have arrived within a prospect of its accomplishment Let us consider that we have no more Dispensation for our silence than the Apostles with other succeeding holy Bishops and Priests had who first planted and watered the Church with their Blood and went about and preached every where when it was death to be a Christian That Faith is an active and prolific Grace and cannot remain in Idleness but must operate and imploy that Heavenly Heat which it receives from above for the use of others That there is no Neutrality in this War and that whoever is not actually in Arms prepared to fight against Sin and Infidelity is to be reputed a Conspirator with them That there is the same Heaven and Salvation proposed for the conversion of Slaves as of more illustrious Grandees the whole being but the saving of Souls the effecting of which upon but a very few is worth the Labour of many all their lives Even we no less than St. Paul are debtors to the Greeks and Barbarians to the Wise and to the Vnwise And God hath by an extraordinary Providence brought these People to our very Doors to try our Justice and to see whether we will pay his Debt unto which if ever any did each Soul of us do stand most firmly obliged Look upon them and you cannot but see in their Countenances the lively Effigies of St. Paul's Macedonian imploring your help And O! let not the blood of Souls cry from the Earth for Vengeance against us Reflect but upon the sad Doom denounced against the fearful and unbelieving Rev. 21. and remember that the first great Founders of our Faith were no Cowards Think what a shame it is that we have given such just occasion to the enemies of Religion to reproach and triumph over our Timiditie or which is worse our temporizing for filthy Lucre. And since Fas est ab hoste doceri and that the bitterest Reproaches may have a salubrious Energie when prudently applied let us view the Charge drawn out of our own Liturgie against us and from thence learn to prevent a second and by wise endeavours for the redeeming of our past Errors give undeniable proofs of the deep sense we have of this Duty Nor are we to slight those puny Adversaries but to reform our selves remembring that of Solomon Prov. And that of Cicero Negligere be se quid quisque dicat non solùm arrogantis est sed prorsus dissoluti l. 2. Off. 29. 1. and also 12. 1. which I shall not repeat And if it can be possible for an Heathenish indifferency to harbour in so much as but one single Brest of any devoted to a nearer and more peculiar Service of Christ in the Ministry yet let his Prudence teach him to throw his Garment over that part of his Nakedness and to try at least to conceal it from the World And Si non re ipsa dolet If he cannot be passionately concerned dissimulare certe est Hominis it would be his Wisdom not to betray himself nor disgrace his company Especially in this day of Rebuke when the Mouth of the Slanderer is opened thus bidding us defiance Nor let the opposition and peevishness of unreasonable Men dishearten us as knowing that our true portion is to be sent forth as Sheep amongst Wolves and that success is for the most part the companion of a restless Industry Nothing as the Wise Man saith Prov. 27. 4. see the * As also 2 Kings 18. 31. Isa 37. 32. Original and Greek being of force to withstand ZEAL The Stars they say cannot exercise their Influence upon the sphere of Fire And certainly the Heavens do rarely look with a malign Aspect upon Industry nor is it often seen that God doth interpose his Power to thwart an honest Diligence even in common and Worldly Designs or if He doth He seldom confounds it How much more then may we be confident of his favour in those Heavenly Enterprizes which himself hath commanded and promised his Assistance to the undertakers And since that the most glorious Designs do often prove abortive for want of Resolution a repulse or two ought not to blunt but whet our Desires Remembring that Difficulties are the common pretences and Mormo's of inglorious Sloath but spurs and encouragements to a resolved Diligence Nor ought any to be discouraged from letting down their Nets because some perchance have already toiled to no purpose since by the Divine Benediction attending our patience and perseverance 't is possible we may yet obtain such a lucky Draught as that our Nets being ready to break through the multitude of Fishes we may be forced to becken to our Friends and Partners on the British Shore to come in to our assistance St. Bede l. Hist Eccl. Angl. relates that in the Infancy of our Church such a disappointment happened in an unconverted part of our Nation at which yet he tells us that others nothing discouraged in a second attempt perfected what the former had left for desperate Even so we overlooking all Difficulties and pressing still forward to the Mark if we faint not may obtain that that Prize for which we set forth and accomplish a Work greatly tending to the Glory of God and to the happiness of these poor Peoples Souls no less than of our own But O were our Duty as St. Chrys sweetly exhorteth l. 6. de Sacerd. c. 40. of Piety and a virtuous Life faithfully complied with we might soon and even without Miracles convert the World Wherefore Lift up the Hands that hang down and the feeble Knees as saith the Apostle Let us be instant in season and out of season and keep back nothing of the whole Councel of God that is