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	word_n	4,593	5	4.4164	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09264	A fruitfull sermon, on 1 Cor. 15. 18, 19. VVritten by VVilliam Pemble of Magdalen Hall in Oxford	Pemble, William, 1592?-1623.; Capel, Richard, 1586-1656.	1629 (1629)	STC 19578; ESTC S114348	13,402	30

A FRVITFVLL SERMON ON 1 COR. 15. 18 19. VVritten By VVILLIAM PEMBLE of Magdalen Hall in Oxford LONDON Printed by R. Y. for Iohn Bartlet at the signe of the gilt-Cup in Cheapeside 1629. To the Reader WEe doe finde Christian Reader great opposition made against our Faith not only by our Affections but chiefly by our Reason for when our Faith is encountred by our Affections wee doe gather many times some succour from our Reason but when our Faith is layd at by our Reason the tentation is not more strong than dangerous For if our Reason get the better of our Faith in any particular our Affections follow amaine And such tentations where they once take doe shake and stagger the strongest Christians Men I know are most an end wedded to their passions and doe liue more after their perturbations than their reason and therefore there is little good to bee done on the minde of a man till his perturbations bee at some quiet Now where our Reason is guided by Faith and the Word there it doth good vpon our passions but where our Reason goes by its owne principles and not by the Word there our affections are the worser for our Reason and a man shall neuer come to deny all his Affections till he haue first denied his Reason But blessed be God Faith is our victory and it doth not only quiet the Affections but at last it doth so triumph ouer Reason it selfe that men are willing to become fooles that they may be wise The vnderstanding of a man rests not till it bee satisfied and nothing can giue full and vltimate satisfaction to the intellect and mind of a man till by Faith it be captiuated to the obedience of God and Christ and when that is once done then Reason followes the light of the Word and the Affections follow the light of Reason And hence it is that our Faith doth adhere with most firmenesse to those Principles and Articles of our Creed wherein Reason is quite at a stand I will make my instance in the Article of our Resurrection a Point by the consent of all I know but one vtterly aboue the whole element of nature reason in it selfe doth not onely deny it but deride it Philosophers hisse at it The Apostles themselues in that their greatest tentation did for a time look somewhat strange vpon it But yet we see when their Reason was denied and their Faith tooke place they were not more willing to liue and dye vpon any Doctrine of Saluation than vpon this of the Resurrection and to beleeue this is a meer Act of Faith alone One perhaps two of the Apostles saw his death none his Resurrection And t is obserued that it was so ordered by the Prouidence of God that this maine Point of Diuinity might bee beleeued by the Apostles and deliuered ouer by them to the Church of the Gentiles as a meer act of faith and not of sight Faith being the euidence of things not seene and the iust liuing by faith and not by sight Faith then doth most in those Points of Diuinitie wherein reason is most opposite A proofe wherof the Lord gaue in the Author of this Sermon who a few daies before his last sicknes preached this Sermon as touching the Resurrection by a sweet secret prouidence of God the better to fit himselfe for his last Enemy He was a man full of wit learning strength of reason yet against the worst that Satan could do reason yeelded his Faith wrought out all disputes and he was so firme in this Point that hee reioyced that his body should not wait so long for the Resurrection as do the bodies of the Patriarks Reason said nothing faith did all and set him in that height strength of beliefe that he beleeued here without doubting Albeit whilst wee liue here we do know but in part yet an imperfect faith may and doth bring forth a full assurance sith faith is a grace giuen because only whilst wee are imperfect and when once we are made compleate then our faith doth cease The Orator blamed himselfe for that when he was in trouble he did not walk by his own Principles But this our Diuine what he deliuered in this his last farewell he fully beleeued in his sicknesse Let vs pray that as he so we may liue by faith not by reason both whilst we liue when we dye then we shall finde the truth and comfort of this That faith when it s once made strong doubteth least of those things against which our reason disputeth most Blessed is hee that beleeues and sees not Thine in Christ Iesus RICH. CAPEL 1 COR. 15. 19 20. If in this life only we haue hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept THe Disputes of the blessed Apostle in this whole Chapter is to proue a Resurrection of the dead against the error of the Epicures and Sadduces The maine Argument whereby hee proues it is this If Christ bee risen then the dead shall rise But Christ is risen Therefore the dead shall arise also The minor that Christ is risen the Apostle proues from the third Verse vnto the twelth by the Scriptures by the witnesse of the Twelue Apostles and more than fiue hundred Brethren to whom hee appeared after his Resurrection and lastly by his own Testimony vnto whom Christ shewed himselfe after his ascension into heauen The maior That if Christ be risen the dead must rise too the Apostle beginnes to proue at the twelfth Verse Now if it be preached that Christ is risen from the dead how say some among you that there is no Resurrection of the dead This foule inconsequence the Apostle confutes in the next Verse by the absurditie that would follow thereupon That if there be no Resurrection of the dead then is not Christ risen Vpon which absurditie other absurdities would also follow That if Christ bee not risen then the Apostles preaching and testimony touching Christs Resurrection were false and that the Corinthians faith in Christ is vaine If Christ bee yet in his graue they and all that beleeue in Christ bee yet in their sinns they that are dead in the Faith of Christ are perished and gone to hell in their sinnes they that liue in the faith of Christ are of all men most vnhappy without reward here and sure of punishment hereafter But Christ being raised from the dead these absurdities are taken away the Apostles are true in their preaching and all men are happy in beleeuing in Christ put to death for sinne and raised from death for our iustification If in this life only we haue hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable But now Christ is risen c. This is in briefe the dependence of the words The parts

vs in this life Let her bee poore and persecuted driuen into wildernesses and caues of the earth t was so of old when Idolatrous Gentilisme swagered it in glorious Temples by Law and force of sword Be she a few to many meane to mighty t was so euer What if she seeme to bee now driuen into a corner of this westerne World so that the Aduersarie may conceiue hope that now there needes but one push more to thrust her into another Coast or to sinke her in the Sea let vs not for all that iudge the worse of her nor leaue the Temple of God to run ouer to the Temples of Idols and Idolaters For priuate Christians the same Rule must be followed for them also not to iudge them by their state in this life Indeed if we looke vpon them while they are here disgraced as the off-scouring of the world scorned by great men iniurd by all men driuen into obscurity and troden vnder foote from rising vp in the world if we see Daniel lodgd among Lions Paul and Silas in the Stockes and at the whipping Post the Martyrs bodies melting in the flames if we behold them tryed by mockings and scourgings by bonds and impris●nment when wee see them stoned he wen asunder tempted slaine with the sword wandring vp and downe in sheepe-skinnes and in goates-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented wandring in Wildernesses and Mountaines and Dennes and Caues of the Earth as in Heb. 11. 36 37 38. in this case who but would iudge them to bee miserable men Againe when wee see a poore Christian frequent in prayer and hearing strict in his life fearefull to take liberty where others sinne with boldnesse often in fasting to humble his soule and beate downe his body see his heart full of griefe his eyes runne downe with teares for his owne sinnes and for the sins of the Land wherein he liues behold him toyling vnder the burden of sin wearied out with spirituall conflicts in his encounters with Sathan and that sin that still dwels in him And now seems not such a one in thy eyes to bee a contemptible and miserable wretch Well iudge not by the sight of thine eies be not thou a foole to esteem such a one mad though for the present it appeare not what such a one shall bee yet know that when Christ shall appeare he shall appeare with him in glory and therefore whateuer his estate in this life bee yet his end shall bee with honour Vse 2. This teacheth vs in generall that no man is a happy man who lookes for no other happinesse but in this life If in this life onely there be hope Christians be of all most miserable but yet all others also bee miserable too For why their happinesse which here they haue is but for a few yeares and after that comes death then iudgement and euerlasting miserie Ah my Brethren t is a wofull estate for one to be A man of this world whose portion is in this life as it is Psal. 17. 14. When all the happinesse a man cares for or lookes after is this that he hath money enough friends enow store of lands and liuings great honours much ease varietie of pleasures with such other things as serue only to the filling of our bellies and satisfying of a few base and earthly affections Yet this is all which most men desire and whereafter their hearts doe runne all dayes of their liues they neuer looke higher than these lower parts of the world What pitie is it to see a man so noble a Creature borne vnto immortalitie and an euerlasting being yet to spend a fifty or sixty yeares in this life and yet scarce euer thinke seriously of another world till there be no remedie but that he must goe out of this Brethren take we notice of this fault and know wee that this world is not our resting place let vs now forsake it in our affections and let our liues testifie that we be such as seeke after a Country not earthly but heauenly where wee shall haue a more enduring substance than all the treasures of this world Thus much of the first point from the 19. Verse I come vnto the next words wherein the Apostle confutes the former absurditie shewing that godly Christians are not to bee accounted more miserable than all others forasmuch as their hope in Christ is for the life to come as well as this life But now saith hee Christ is risen Yea might they say but what is that to vs Very much for he rose that we might rise He is become the first fruits of them that slept He is the first that rose from the dead and is the cause to raise all others vp The Instruction that briefly wee learne from hence is this that The Resurrection of Christ is the cause of our Resurrection to life and glory This the Apostle intends when he saith iointly together Christ is risen and become the first fruits of such as sleepe i. e. are dead Christ may bee called the first fruits of them that rise from death in a double respect 1. Because Christ was the first that rose from death which we must vnderstand with some limitation for it is certain that others were raised from the dead before Christs Resurrection as we reade of diuers in the Old and New Testament but here is the difference between them and Christ 1. They rose by the power of Christ Christ by his owne power Hee had power as to lay downe so to take it to himselfe againe Beeing God as well as man of himselfe he was able to quicken his own body So could not they 2. Christ rose but dyed no more the others rose vnto life but dyed againe as Lazarus c. who tasted twice of temporall death So then Christ was the first of all the dead that raised himselfe vnto an euerlasting life 2. Because Christ is the cause why all men else rise from the dead This is chiefly intended by the Apostle when he saith Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe The first fruits were by the Law Deut. 26. 1. seq to be offered vnto the Lord before such time as the Iewes might eate of the rest of their haruest By that oblation the whole haruest was sanctified vnto their lawfull vse as it is Leuit. 23. 14. And therfore the Apostle saith Rom. 1. 16. If the first fruits be holy so is the whole lumpe namely after the consecrating of the first fruits all the remainder might lawfully bee vsed in a good and holy manner From this custome the Apostle drawes the Metaphor calling Christ the first fruits of the dead Namely that as by them all the rest of the store was consecrated so in and by the body of Christ rising out of his graue the bodies of all the Elect shall receiue this power and priuiledge to breake asunder the bands of death and returne to life and blessed immortalitie Which comes to passe in a