Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bear_v	sin_n	zion_n	30	3	8.8576	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46526	Compunction or pricking of heart with the time, meanes, nature, necessity, and order of it, and of conversion; with motives, directions, signes, and means of cure of the wounded in heart, with other consequent or concomitant duties, especially self-deniall, all of them gathered from the text, Acts 2.37. and fitted, preached, and applied to his hearers at Dantzick in Pruse-land, in ann. 1641. and partly 1642. Being the sum of 80. sermons. With a post-script concerning these times, and the sutableness of this text and argument to the same, and to the calling of the Jews. By R.J. doctor of divinity.	R. J.	1648 (1648)	Wing J27; ESTC R213600	381,196	433

without pain ere ever it consent to marry to Christ Now can there be a divorce wrought between loving couples otherwise most loth thereunto without sorrow ask Phaltiel who being married to Michal when David her first husband sent for her 2 Sam. 3.16 went with her along weeping behind her 3 From the nature of Conversion which is such a change as a man cannot but be sensible of it first or last 3 This brings us to consider of the nature of conversion which implyeth as much as I intend which being a change from darknesse to light from bondage to liberty in a word from one contrary to another how should a man discern of his contrary new estate without feeling in some measure the horrour of his former condition under darknesse and bondage at least he can have no comfort in his Conversion unlesse he find and feel a difference between the one estate and the other which cannot be felt without some shaking and affrightment as he apprehends the greatnesse of the benefit of his deliverance by Christ so is he touched with a proportionable fence of his danger either imminent or passed as we have heard of some who having at first in their sleep drink or otherwise ignorance passed some very great danger as over some narrow or broken and crackt bridge pit or the like being brought after to see their danger they have quaked trembled been amazed if they have not wholly expired and given up the Ghost Thus such as perhaps at the very first are not so sensible of their dangerous condition or yet of their change as others are Christ being truly in them yet afterwards when they come to better consideration and deeper apprehension of their wayes and former dangers they find a proportionable measure of inward trouble terrour yea and grief for such their hainous offences whereof they were not so sensible before and so they have their portion of terrour first or last in lesse or greater measure Lastly whom doth Christ call to Repentance 4 From Christs calling of such Matth. 9.13 Even of such onely as are sinners and laden and 11.29 Lost enemies 2 Cor. 5 Isa 27.5 in bondage Rom 8.15 2 Tim. 1. he came to call sinners to repentance such as in their own sense are sinners and if Christ call none but such to repentance who can have repentance but such yea but such as are heavy laden with sin and sense of Gods wrath for sin for these and such onely he calleth also to come unto him And as he came to call such so to save the lost sheep but who are these but such as feel themselves to be lost Christ calls and sends his Ministers to call us to be reconciled to him and to make peace with him but who will ever thus do that doth not first find and feel himself under his displeasure and can a man find that and not be troubled he calls us to liberty and must we not then first be under the spirit of bondage that unto fear In a word how can any either hunger after Christ or prize him aright as a Saviour and Redeemer till they through fence of misery and of their hopelesse helplesse worthlesse and desperate condition see their need of him or who will ever fly to him till by the Law as by a Schoolmaster discovering their fearfull condition to them they be whipped and scourged and so forced to go out of themselves to him This Law then must go before and as the needle by pricking doth pierce the cloth and make way for the threed to follow and sow so it must prepare the way for faith to follow by which we are knit to Christ otherwise we would prove but loose Christians and break off when we list as we know many Libertins to do who tell us much of comfort and joy they find in and by Christ and his Spirit but neither they nor any other can tell us of any sorrow wounding or pricking going before I shall ever suspect that joy yea that Conversion which issues not in some measure out of true sorrow pricking compunction and contrition for sinne It s but a dream of joy and a false conception and birth This point yet further cleared and it shewed that though all be wounded yet not all alike Here then for the further clearing of this point of doctrine we must know that all who are truly converted do not suffer trouble and terrour of conscience in the same measure or yet manner neither doth God deal with all alike some are pricked onely as with a Pinne others as with a spear yet all pricked There are three degrees as in divers Resemblances and all of them saving by Gods mercy 1 A pricking as in my text wherein were some grudgings of conscience and such a hurt as was presently healed again and they filled with the holy Ghost 2 A wounding or a wounded spirit and who can bear that such as was sometime in Job and David from whom God seemed to withdraw himself by forsaking them c. and in such as wrestle long with God yea and with diffidence in themselves even many yeares before they can out wrestle their sorrows which at length they do And 3 there is a killing whereof Saint Paul speaks Rom. 7.9.10.11 Sinne revived and I died and the commandement which was ordained unto life I found to be unto death for sinne taking occasion by the commandement deceived me and by it slew me and yet lo Paul alive to God so All are shut up under the spirit of bondage as in a prison Gal. 3.23 before faith come we are kept under the Law shut up unto faith some as Jeremy let down to a dungeon Jer. 38.6 some as Paul put into an inner prison and his feet fast not in the mire in which Jeremy did sink but in the stocks some onely as Joseph who though a prisoner yet found favour and had more liberty Gen. 39 20.21.22 And so all being locked up under infidelity some are more easily set at liberty and their hearts sooner opened being like new and fresh locks easily opened whereas others are like old rusty locks which the key hardly and with much ado opens if at all so that they must not be broken by force and violence such is the difference of mens hearts some kept clear from rusting by restraining grace good education and example others are old rusty and cankered in sin whose doores must be broken open by strong hand and consciences awakened by terrours All hearts are hard naturally as we have heard but some as stones some as mettal which must not onely be broken but molten and as among stones some are softer then others and soon crushed some are harder as the flint without seams and sutures so is it with hearts some sooner humbled and made to relent then others some are more hardy bold crabbed and crooked then others an angry word or look will work more upon

enough of that they have been men of sorrows and labour they have scarce had any respite or breathing time from crosses sicknesses aches in regard 1 of crosses pain povertie toyl and labour in their calling all their life time they hope they have now sufficiently dreyed their Penance that 's the phrase of some of the more Popish sort of them God forbid that God should lay any more sorrow upon them either here or hereafter they hope there is no more for them to suffer hereafter they have had their punishment and sorrow enough in this life Now as for true contrition and sorrow for sinne tell them of that or call on them for it and they will presently stop your mouth yea and answer satisfie or rather suffocate and choak their own consciences by telling you of their sorrows in this life 2 of toil and labour in their callings and that they laboured truly in their callings and wrought hard for their livings and have not eaten the bread of idlenesse they hope God will require no more of them neither will they be convinced of the necessity of any other sorrow for sin In the rank of these we reckon such as popishly and foolishly conceive that if a woman die in child bearing she is undoubtedly saved 3 Of death in Childbearing as if that sorrow were sufficient and expiatory or satisfactory to Gods justice ah poore souls wretched creatures to think Gods Justice can so be satisfied or that God should do them wrong if he required any more at their hands here or hereafter if they be not saved who shall be saved seeing they have toiled moiled and laboured hard in their callings let rich men as was Dives who was cloathed in purple and fine linnen and fared sumptuously every day look to go to hell as for them Gods Justice is not so satisfied they are like Lazarus who went to heaven Thus as in the former of women dying in childbed they can abuse Scripture to their own perdition But let such know that neither Lazarus nor any other went to heaven or escaped hell torments for their poverty sicknesse sorrows labour and toil in this life unlesse they also forrowed for their sins neither is such sorrow from naturall externall causes sufficient and withall sought to the all sufficient sorrows and sufferings of Christ for them by true faith without which all sorrows of this life are but beginnings of eternal sorrows no sorrows sufferings or obedience either active or passive of ours save onely that of Christs can satisfie Gods Justice which is infinite Sin must and will have sorrow if not in this life then everlastingly hereafter as hath been shewed largely and therefore their sorrow being not for their sin nor humbly and willingly undertaken will never save them Sorrow from inward distemper by Melancholy is not true or sufficient sorrow And as for Melancholick dumpish fits of heavinesse they must not simply be taken for sufficient or saving sorrow being the effects of naturall causes and ill constitution and temper of the body I know where sorrow for sin and such a disposition and temper meet in in any one the sorrow becomes the greater and the party is further off from receiving comfort by the the Gospel but this increase of sorrow in such belongs not to Godly and Evangelical Contrition so much as to the work of the law in a deeper apprehension of wrath and punishment furthered by the cunning malice of the Devil whotaking advantage of that dark Though it may and doth increase sorrow for sin neither in the godly dull and ill disposition of their bodies presents strange fancies to their brain and dreadfull apprehensions yea and apparitions to their souls whereby the soul seeing nothing but through such dark and foggy mists and being distempered with the distempers of the body beholds nothing but black darknesse and is disquieted with needlesse and excessive fears and doubts and that often till it come to desperate resolutions tending to the destruction of themselves or those they otherwise dearly love as husband wife child or friend unlesse God mercifully stay them But in such case their sorrow for sin as it is sin may be little enough nay if it were more the other would be lesse seeing true sorrow for sin is not without some apprehension of goodnesse and graciousnes in God and love and hope in themselves who so do sorrow But as melancholie in such doth not argue a greater measure of godly and true saving sorrow in them nor in some other whose naturall distempers being healed so in some others it argues none at all of it self and simply Let such be cured of their melancholy of their naturall and bodily distemper and we shall see that the Divines work is to begin in them when the Physician hath left them sorrow for sinne is to begin pensivenesse for sin is to begin in their souls after sadnesse fullennesse foolish fancies and fears with the cause thereof distemper hath left them in their bodies Not but that where the distemper of body is not very great the Divine may and should take the advantage as much to work on that soul for good as Satan for evil None of these sorrows then caused or occasioned from either sinfull worldly or naturall causes must be mistaken for godly sorrow at all much lesse for sufficient and saving contrition neither are they to be rested in Nor that whereby some in their bodily infirmities especially distempers of brain withall fall a weeping and crying when by others they are spoken to and pitied 4. Such sorrow and Repentance is not sound which is the effect of any power of will in man Before I shew positively what sorrow is and may be taken as sufficient for the present in the young penitent so as to afford him comfort in the assurance it is well-grounded I advise men who it may be little question the truth of their godly sorrow and repentance to consider well with themselves whether they do not ascribe their repentance as other graces to some power of free will in themselves as if God onely by externall motives in the word and by some internall excitations thereupon did let them see what to do and some necessity of doing it but the doing it is of themselves and from the good use of their own free-will and naturall power without the powerfull prevailing and determining grace of God Such men have cause to suspect themselves and their repentance See Matt 9.13 as built upon a weak foundation and standing upon feet of clay as well as iron The work being of men wil undoubtedly come to nought as in another case was said We have heard Acts 5.38 and shall hear more that true contrition and godly sorrow proceeds from and followeth upon self-denyall True sorrow is grounded on self-denyall and felf-despair of a mans own wisdom worth will power as in my

Judas some doe confess their sin or if they confess sin do it either meerly out of terror not hatred is it not meerly out of horror of conscience and a while to stop the mouth of it do they not return with Judas and Pharaoh to the same or like sins again till at length they utterly perish herein like the dog which casts up his meat not because he loaths it Simile but because his stomack is burthened and troubled with it and therefore after a little ease he returns to lick up his vomit again Or if not so wholly yet doe not many when they are called urged and pressed to confesse their faults or hypocritically and cunningly or that conscience on their sick-bed or otherwise drives them to their Minister I say do not many go cunningly to work to deceive others but indeed themselves worst of all confessing some known or smaller sins whilest confessing sins known sufficiently already and which they cannot deny or it may be some such infirmities as may stand with grace as distractions in good duties some hardnesse of heart some hastiness but concealing their bosome and greater saults angry and peevish disposition of nature and the like yet wittingly hide under their tongues and in the secret cabinet of their heart their beloved darling and bosome sin be it some base and noysome lust pride ambition covetousnesse revenge or some such like secret sin by which meanes sin still sticks at the bottome the coar comes not away Satan who hath filled their hearts keeps his hold and is uncast out though the room seem somwhat swept or at least returns to his old lodging in the heart with seven worse spirits then himself which these conve●ts did not It was not so here with these converts in my Text who though deeply charged by Peter and that with sins of as foul a nature as any could be even murther parricide unbeliefe ingratiude ignorance disobedience impenitency all which and more being included in the sin of crucifying Christ vers 36. yet neither denied the same nor went about to lay the blame on their rulers who perswaded them to it but in effect acknowledge all to be true they were charged withall and accordingly seek direction what to do to get comfort to their guilty and wounded consciences SECT 4. 2. Detestation of Sin an Effect of true Sorrow for Sin 2 Detestation of sin accompanieth true sorrow for it NOw secondly with confession went an inward dislike hatred and detestation of their sin and both these the fruits and effects of their contrition They finding the weight and burthen of their sin hate and abominate the same their heart is turned from it for ever and they cast it from them as a filthy and polluted thing they with Ephraim will have no more to do with it Hos 14.9 as in these here They now loath it and themselves for it and accordingly to shew their dislike of it and of all the occasions of it they forsake the society of the obstinate Iewes who as yet were not pricked in heart and of the Priests Scribes and Pharisees and joyn themselves to the despised and persecuted church of God and in other converts And thus it is with other converts they now loath what formerly they liked and hate what once they loved yea thus it should be with us if we would approve our sorrow for sin to be sound Is thy sorrow then for sin followed with hatred and loathing of it and of thy selfe for it Application To such as may seem angry with sin but hate it not It may be thou art only a little angry with it but fallest in with it presently again such indeed is the nature of anger but true hatred which is bent against an enemie aimes at his utter destruction and death so true hatred of sin seeks the death or mortification of it at least cannot endure the sight of it but through an inward loathing of it Arist Rhet. lib. 2. and seek not the death of it wisheth it and whatsoever might represent it to the soul as lovely quite out of sight as the Prophet brings in the repenting Church throwing away Idolatrous ornaments as one throwing away a menstruous clout Isai 30.12 saying to it get thee hence Sin would bee looked upon as an enemie to Gods glory and to our souls as of an enemy now the more true love we bear to God and to our selves the greater hatred we will bear against sin And as it seeks our lives for the soul that sinneth shall die death is the wages thereof so should we seek the death and mortification of that which otherwise will be our death as if we met with any venemous poysonfull Simile or hurtfull creature such especially as hath formerly end angered us or stung us we cease not so far as is in our power till we see it dead Now sin is as dangerous an enemy to the soul as any such creature or enemy can be to our bodies I now only ask Neither are well affected to the meanes of mortifying it if thy behaviour be such towards those sins of thine which thou sayest have b●en thy sorrow seekest thou and usest thou the meanes by which sin may be truly mortified in thee doth thine heart rise against the occasions and first approaches of sin and art thou afraid of hurt by it when it first begins to arise in thine heart as not nipping it in the head when it first riseth then seeking to dash it in the shell as a man would be loth to give a known and malicious enemy the least welcome or entertainment in his house or otherwise neer him how likest thou it when Gods Word and thy Minister seeks to make thy sin hatefull and loathsome to thee when he layes about him neither liking that Word of God which would by sharp reproofs kill it in them and not only discovers and layeth open the vileness thereof but by sharp reproofs and threatnings seeks to hit wound and kill it in thee canst thou blesse God for it c. desire or at least approve well of such teaching and teachers Thus thou shouldest do even in true love to thine own soul if thou truly batest or yet hast truly mourned for thy sin whereas wee should bitterly hate it as each thing seeks its own preservation so shouldest thou hate sin as well as sorrow for it accounting it the greatest evill of all evill as separating between thy soul and God and our hearts fret at it Thus shouldest thou not only weep for thy sin but with Peter weep bitterly as having the bitter gall of godly indignation hatred and detestation mingled with thy brinish and salt teares thy heart will not only be pricked Cant. 5.4 Frementibus visceribus Jun. but will fret within thee yet not against the Word or Minister but against thy sin and self Thus for these

joyn thereunto 1 Religious Fasting as it will give an edge to thy prayer so the afflicting of thy body if it be done without superstition will help well to the afflicting and humbling of thy soul and heart for so fasting is called And wee know that the hearts of Gods people have been wonderfully softned at such times as Judg. 20.26 1 Sam. 7.6 So David I humbled my self with fasting Psalm 35.13 and 69.10 2 Watchfulness especially against worldly cares and distractions 2 Watchfulnesse watch and pray Watch against all the former Lets named but especially against all worldly cares take heed of a heart busied with the world and earthly thoughts Distractions from the world keep the heart from minding such things as might affect it with godly sorrow as a man hastily and suddenly smitten whiles hee mindes his business is less sensible at least for the present of pain and grief from the hurt Simil. then hee would be in the apprehension of it beforehand and for the present when especially he cannot avoid or divert the blow And as a man forgets his pain when a friend talks with him which is the reason why such as are sick and sorrowfull for the loss of friends are comforted by company as having their thoughts and mindes by conference taken off in good part from thinking of their sorrow and why on the night time and in solitariness men are more sensible of their sickness and sorrow as in their other senses of hearing c. seeing all sense is from the soul Alex. Probl. l. 1. Prob. 118. it is the soul which sees which hears which feels and which accordingly being distracted with many objects is the less sensible in each So by like reason if the soul and thoughts be taken up with wordly cares and distracted therewith it can less be afflicted with such things as otherwise by gods blessing would prick and wound it To which end in our prayer and● meditation wee are to retire our selves In which regard it will help wel when we would meditate and pray to retire and withdraw our selves from company into some solitary place which we are also taught both by precept and practice of Christ himself His precept wee have Matth. 6.6 so Psam 4.4 Commune with your hearts upon your bed His practice Mark 1.35 So Peter went up to the top of the house to pray Acts 10.9 So Jeremiah's soul did weep in secret chap. 13.17 And of these Jews and Converts it was foretold they should mourn every family apart the husband apart and the wife apart Zech. 12.12 Retiredness both of place and thoughts is fittest to work our hearts unto goldly sorrow SECT 7. A reproof of the secure with an Exhortation and Caveat Conclusion of the Directions NOw for conclusion of these Directions It were good and it is needfull that such as have heard or now read the same would well consider with themselves whether they have in any measure followed or yet so much as do resolve to follow the same or to take any pains with their hearts hereabout Where 1 A triall and reproof of such as yet remain secure and sensless 1 It is to be suspected that many continue still secure careless and slothfull and do still go on in their old courses as inconsiderately as ever without a right knowledge of the power of Gods anger and are as stout-hearted partiall and self-loving both flattering themselves and as desirous to be flattered by time-serving and false Prophets and as much hardened against the true and faithfull servants of God by unbelief as ever And that they are still sensuall and worldly and remain still senseless without fear of being hardened either by great sins which lay waste the conscience or by giving way to smaller sins against conscience or by custome of sinning or yet by and in Gods secret vengeance giving them up to this heavie and dismal judgement of an hard impenitent heart neither afraid of it as the worst of Gods judgements on earth and as the first and irrecoverable entrance into hell nor praying against it nor carefull to avoid evill company and examples and such other things and sins in speciall which are the procurers of it whilest they still make as light of sin of reproof of the word and of Gods threatnings as ever before all of them signes of an hard and dedolent heart especially considering how little they care for hearing of such teachers as would most help them in this work of conviction pricking and wounding their conscience or for calling to minde Gods word and such truths as have come neer them or for applying it to themselves And as for their sins Originall or Actuall they are far from raking into that dunghill from questioning or yet loathing themselves for the same from keeping an account or catalogue of their sins either for number or foulness or aggravation of the same never weighing or pondering with themselves how thereby they draw upon themselves the heavie weight of Gods vengeance And as little do they make use of Gods severe judgements and corrections whether on themselves past present or threatned and in expectation as of death hell and the last generall judgement or on others either private Christians in their sorrows and true mourners in Sion or whole Churches of Christ or of the sorrows of Christ for them or of the unparalleld love of Christ so dying for them and of other the mercies yea and high majestie of God against whom without all ingenuity or fear they daily trespass And as for the exercise of prayer accompanied with fasting and watchfulnesse it s a duty they are wholly strangers unto they are without sense of their wants they have no true desire of this so needfull a work of humiliation they can spend no serious thoughts thereon nor time being so taken up with their delights vain pleasures worldly cares and imployments Now what may a man think of such men This their little care and study after true compunction this their disaffection to the means thereof is an apparant signe of their unsensibleness and securitie and consequently that all the evils and miseries mentioned formerly lie heavie upon them as that they are still in their natural and damned condition dead in and by sin in Satans possession farre from the first step to repentance and salvation and that they come short of very reprobates Pharaoh Felix Saul Cain and Judas and under certain expectation of eternal wrath seeing their sin will have sorrow if not here yet undoubtedly hereafter even such as made the eternal Son of God crie out on the Crosse as he did for a time and which they must suffer and undergo eternally without end or ease 2 An exhortation and a caveat to take heed that repentant sorrow be not swallowed up of Ah then dear Sirs ye that yet cannot say or give any good proofe that your hearts are or have been pricked for your