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
A49466	Remedy against trouble in a discourse on John XIV, 1 : wherein something is also briefly attempted for clearing the nature of faith, of justification, of the covenant of grace, assurance, the witness, seal and earnest of the spirit, and preparation for conversion, or the necessity of holiness / by H. Lukin.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1694 (1694)	Wing L3481; ESTC R13639	76,819	257

pleasure of but there is further a sweet smell or fragrancy in them which the sight intermeddles not with and there must be another sense of Smelling to enjoy the pleasure thereof So neither can we enjoy the pleasure of Wine without the sense of Tasting or of Musick without the sense of Hearing So likewise if a man do not understand any thing of Learning or have no Genius thereto he cannot take any pleasure in reading Books or in Academical Exercises which are better than Wine and Musick to others So if a man be not sanctified or renewed after the Image of God tho he would dispense with his Sin and admit him to Heaven he would say of it as of the Service of God what a weariness is it Mal. 1.13 he might be content to be there to be kept out of Hell as here he might be content to be in a place where there is a Sermon to be sheltred from a storm It was to no purpose for Barzilla● to go to David's Court when nature was so decayed in him that he could not enjoy any of the pleasures of it 2 Sam. 19.35 If it be said this doth not infer any necessity of Holiness here in this life for God can in a moment at death fit us for Heaven which is easily done when we lay down this body which is both a clog and a temptation to the Soul not only as it influences the Soul but as most of our sins are in order to provide for the body or to fulfil the lusts of the flesh I answer There is a necessity of Holiness here partly as there is such an inseparable connexion betwixt that and Faith which works by love and is dead without works this purifies the heart overcomes the world Gal. 5.6 Jam. 2.24 Acts 15.9 1 John 5.4 Heb. 11. Isa 43.21 Titus 2.14 Luk. 1.74 75. and the Apostle spends an whole chapter in setting forth the virtue of it Besides it is the pleasure of God to form a people for himself that they may in this world shew forth his praise and hath redeemed us to be a peculiar people to himself that we may serve him in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life He would have our light shine so before men that they seeing our good works may glorify our father which is in Heaven so that we do hereby keep up his Honour and a Remembrance of him in the world We have hereby likewise some prelibations or foretastes of future Glory which as I have already said we are not capable of without Holiness Numb 13.23 God would have some of the fruits of the Land of Canaan brought to the people in the Wilderness that seeing what goodly fruit it was they might be the more encouraged to go to possess it notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that they were to encounter with and there is nothing that doth more raise our thoughts of future Glory than the earnest that we have of it here which we can no more understand without Holiness than we can the sweetness and virtue of Wine by hearsay without tasting We have hereby likewise a more lively sense of the Goodness of God to us in delivering us from the sinful state wherein we are by nature than we could have if we were perfected at once at death If a man be suddenly surpriz'd with an Apoplexy and immediately at once recovered from it he hath not such a sense of the Mercy that he hath received therein as one that is recovered by degrees from a Fever or some other Disease wherein he hath felt much of pain sickness weakness and hath not only known what it was to be revived by Cordials to be helped by Friends to to be eased by rest in his bed but after his recovery he can reflect with pleasure upon his former condition when it is past and more prize his present Ease and Health So those who have with the Apostle groaned under a body of sin and death will not only reflect with pleasure upon the supplies of God's Grace which they have had to strengthen them in their Spiritual conflict and to fortify them against temptations but will afterwards with more thankfulness acknowledge the goodness of God in giving them the victory through our Lord Jesus and bringing them into a state of perfection where they shall be freed from all annoyance of sin and temptations which they could never have so well understood had it not been for the experience which they had in that middle state wherein they found such a conflict while they were under cure and recovering by degrees So that it is a great mistake in any to think that holiness is not necessary if we may be justified without it or that justification is our great priviledge and holiness a burden imposed upon us which we must be content to submit to in consideration of so great a favour as the pardon of our sins Holiness is rather our honor and happiness Rom. 6.22 1 Thes 1.10 Acts 3.26 the prest of fruit of our being the servants of God here and Christ doth not only save us from our sins in delivering us from the wrath to come but by blessing us in turning us from our iniquities Thus have I briefly touched several things which more Learned men have treated of with more clearness and acurateness but I have not written to supply the defects of others or to add to what they have done but considering that this small Treatise might fall into the hands of some to whom it may not happen to read larger and more learned Books I have adventured to write something which I hope may be of some use to them for the right understanding of the important truths therein handled desiring my Readers candidly to interpret what hath been well intended and to bear with that weakness which I am as ready to own as any can be to charge upon me FINIS

concerning others hereby or to a judgment of certainty concerning our selves Now in answer to these things I say first That however Christians or Christian Graces may be described in their own nature and as they should be yet when we consider them as they are ordinarily found there is an allowance to be made for human frailty as Hezekiah prays that God would pardon every one that prepared his heart to seek him tho he were not cleansed according to the Purification of the Sanctuary that is if they had endeavoured to bring their hearts into a right frame tho they did not reach to that purity which was in strictness required 2 Chron. 30.18 19. He may indeed speak there of legal or ritual Purification but that was strictly enjoined then There are indeed several sorts of persons that plead for Perfection but none of them for absolute Perfection as necessary to Salvation Grace must be sincere and of the right kind tho it may not reach to that degree which is our duty for if perfection were not our duty our imperfections were no sins Gold must hold at the touchstone though it may not hold at the balance without some grains of allowance If we will deal plainly and faithfully with our own hearts we may appeal to God for the sincerity of our love to our brethren as Peter did for the sincerity of his love to Christ Jo. 21.17 Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee And if our hearts condemn us not 1 Jo. 3.21 we may have confidence towards God 2dly Brethren may deal unkindly with each other when they meet in the dark or when they meet with each other in disguise that is through ignorance Christians may mistake their brethren or those that are their brethren may sometimes appear unlike themselves But where it is true love it is not to those of our own way or opinion only it is not proportionable to what they resemble us in but according to their measure of Holiness wherein they are like to God where love is right Christians love others more that are eminent in Grace and Holiness tho differing in their judgments from us than those that are of our mind and way in some things of less importance but more defective in the more essential parts of Religion 3dly There may be differences among Christians where there is a sincere love to each other and the more zeal they have for the Truth and the Service of God the greater their differences may be As differences may sometimes happen in Families betwixt persons that have an entire Affection to each other and these differences being about things that do nearly concern their Family as about the government and management of their Children the greater their Affection is towards their Children or care for them the warmer are their debates about them Thus it happens among Christians that cannot be of one mind in things pertaining to the Honour and Service of God the greater their zeal is the greater are their differences and however Christian prudence and meekness should make us forbear each other in love yet that perfection is not found among Christians as always to make them carry it with due Calmness Tenderness and Moderation to each other We have an Example in Paul and Barnabas two excellent Persons and dear Companions in Labours and Sufferings for Christ yet they were exasperated so against each other that they parted and went several ways tho the thing which they parted about seems to be of no great moment Act. 1● 36. c. I may not stand to examine particular objections which they make against other evidences of saving Grace But consider what provision they make for the satisfying of Christians concerning their Spiritual state The Apostle's power was given him not for destruction 2 Cor. 13.10 but for edification We should at least if we destroy the foundations on which Christians build their hopes and comfort teach them whereon they should build them Now for this they send them to that Spirit which is so oft called the Comforter who doth as they suppose speak particularly in the heart of a Believer Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee and when the Spirit saith this to the Soul this silences all objections which did before disturb and disquiet it I know God can when he pleases satisfy the Soul so as there shall no doubt remain to trouble our spirits but tho he that is awake may know certainly that he is so and that he is not in a Dream yet he that is in a dream may verily think that he is awake So he that hath the witness of the Spirit may certainly know that it is no delusion but he that is under a delusion may verily think that he hath the testimony of the Spirit Therefore that we may not mistake in this matter they say the Spirit of God never speaks to the heart of any believer but it speaks according to the word of Grace revealed and so I believe But I know not well how to reconcile it to what was before objected against our inferring our Justification from our Love to the Brethren For if we cannot find in our selves that Love which the Apostle speaks of 1 Cor. 13.3 all is nothing without it therefore it is hard to receive any Testimony concerning our Spiritual estate where we have not ground to believe that we have this Love in us notwithstanding the many properties of it which are there added Far be it from me to derogate from the work of the Spirit in satisfying and comforting troubled Souls whose comforts are my greatest hope in the time of trouble and at the hour of death I am not of those that the Philosopher speaks of that measure Vertue by themselves and think none attain to that which themselves have not attained to therefore will not deny any such way of Assurance as I have not had experience of I desire without the offence of those in comparison with whom I think of my self as the Spies did when they saw the Giants Numb 13.33 to speak my mind in this matter after long search and often renewed thoughts I question not but God can speak or communicate himself to our spirits as Angels do to each other yea I am fully satisfied that he doth thus speak Peace to his people at the hour of death or before or after some great Conflict or Temptation as those may know that have either conversed with serious experienced Christians or but read the Lives and Deaths of Martyrs or sufferers for Christ Such may observe what sudden transports of joy eminent Christians have sometimes had which have not been the effect of more strict Tryal and Examination of their Spiritual Estate by the Word of God which they have not had freedom and presence of mind for under such Fears Pains Bodily-weakness as they have laboured under much less from any briskness of spirits or