Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	beast_n	compassion_n	great_a	24	3	2.1033	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27499	The still-borne nativitie, or, A copy of an incarnation sermon that should have been delivered at St. Margarets-Westminster, on Saturday, December the five and twenty, 1647, in the afternoone, by N.B., but prevented by the committee for plunder'd ministers, who sent and seized the preacher, carried him from the vestry of the said church, and committed him to the fleet, for his undertaking to preach without the license of Parliament ...	Bernard, Nicholas, d. 1661.	1648 (1648)	Wing B2018; ESTC R18366	26,917	36

Being Christmas day Text. Iohn 1. 14. And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us THe Prophet Ezechiell before Christ and St. Iohn the Divine after Christ had both one and the same Vision Ezech 1. 10. Rev. 4. 8. of foure beasts or living Creatures That had the faces of a man of a Lion of an Oxe and of an Eagle Which faces Saint Gregory the great applies to Christ As that of a man for his Birth and Bowells of Compassion That of an Oxe for the Sacrifice of his Death and Plough of Doctrine That of a Lion for his open eyed sleepe that is his life in death and strength in Resurrection Rouzing himselfe from the grave as a Lion from his denne Lastly that of an Eagle for his ascention into Heaven leading Captivity captive Others apply this vision to the foure Evangelists affixing first the Face of a Man to St. Mathew because he begins his Gospel with the Generation and Nativity of Christ Secondly the Face of a Lion to St. Marke for he begins his Gospel with that prophesie of Iohn Baptist The voice of one crying or roaring in the Wildernesse Thirdly the face of an Oxe to Saint Luke Because he begins his Gospel with Zacharias Preisthood and Sacrifice Lastly the face to our present Evangelist Saint Iohn of an Eagle For he in the beginning of his Gospel acts perfectly both the parts of an Eagle which we read of Iob 39 27 and 30. First like an Eagle mounting up on high to speake of the Divinity of Christ to such an hight that the sublimest of the Heathen Philosephers stand at a Gaze admiring the mounty And this he doth from the first to the sixt verse Secondly like an Eagle immediatly stooping to the Carcase Mat. 24 28 For where the body is thither will the Eagles be gathered together Luke 17 37. And this is done in the words of this verse And the word was made flesh c. Which words taken altogether most excellently in a very few syllables expresses all the notable and most worthy-to-be-considered parts of Christ's whole History So that we want understanding the text wants nothing to be accounted a compleat Gospel Aquinas distinguisheth Christs life on earth into these foure divisions first his ingresse or coming into the World And this wee have in the former part of my text and the word was made flesh Secondly into his progresse or going on in the World Thirdly into his congresse or dealing with the World Fourthly into his Egresse or going out of the World And these three last parts may be understood in the latter part of my text and dwelt amongst us if the originall word which is no more but he Tented or Tabernacled among us be duly knowne But to go on His Ingresse or coming into the world is by some record to be threefold First in Carne in the Flesh Secondly in Spirity in the Spirit Thirdly in judicio in the last judgment The first is a coming Ad homines Iohn 1 11. Vnto men The Second is a coming In homines Rev. 3 20 Into men The Third is a comming Contrae-homines Iude 14 against men His Progresse in the World likewise appeares to be threefold First Locomotive in respect of place of abode And then the Gest's of his Progresse are 1 Bethlem 2 Egypt 3 Nazereth 4 Ierusalem Secondly Naturall by way of augmentation growing 1 For mind in wisdome 2 For body in Statute 3 For successe in favour both with God and man Luke 2 52. Thirdly official by way of undertaking 1 In circumcicion the fullfilling of the Law 2 In Baptisme the Preaching of the Gospell His congresse or dealing with the World is fourefould First with Men in his Conversation Secondly with Satan in his Temptation Thirdly with mens Sinnes in his Preaching Fourthly with mens Sicknesses and infirmities in his miracles His Egresse ongoing out of the World containes besides those memorable passages about his Passion Resurrection and Ascention al those Testamentary provisions by him made against his departure for succeeding generations Whether Commissions for his Ministers Legacies for his freinds or Seales which wee call Sacraments for Prooving and confirming of his will These are the heades of the History of the Gospel And now Beloved were it suteable to the consideration of the season or of my stay here I could without any great Travell fixing one foot of the Compass in the center of this text with the other fetch in all these points though never so vast a latitude within a just circumference of without any excentricity But I had rather make another and more profitable use of them whereunto the review and consideration doth directly lead me And That is to admire the Infinite goodnesse of God in all this to wretched mankind Who being in this Earth a stranger and a stragler without either freind or acquaintance in the midst of enemies dangers and mischeifes many snares no sure footing Sic erat instabilis tellus innabilis unda Sin procuring Satan bringing great woe wrath to the inhabitants of earth and of the Sea Such is the mercy of God toward so great his blessing upon Man at whose hands yet mankind had merited no such kindnesse but rather curses that whether he be to be borne or to grow or to go in or to deale or to encounter with or to dye out of the world He hath given his own son to be Duxque comesque viae et vitae a guid and companion to him of life and way And what ever other men doe thinke of it when I consider That to be Borne to Grow to Live and to Dye be things common to mee and my redeemer I cannot chuse but cry out O Lord my God since in these states thou hast so far as only nature goes fashioned us alike let these lineaments and parts in me which sinne hath drawne and overcast with the black coale of guilt be fil'd up with the colours of my Saviour That through the beauties of his holinesse as he glorified thee on earth so in my life and death I may shew forth his praises and vertues who hath called me out of darknes into his marvelous light And so without hopes of further commerce with them as to discourse in this place I dismisse the latter part of my text with it the 3. last generall branches of the Gospel History of the life of Christ betaking my selfe to the former part both of the Division and of the text which speakes of Christs Ingresse into the World And the word was made Flesh And therein of his comming in the Flesh only How Christ is called the word If we should shew it would engage us upon a discourse of that other Mistery of the Trinity unto a length prejudiciall to our present businesse or if we should shew how Flesh is put for our whole nature why It would run us at this time out of breath I proceede therefore to the substance of the words The

dust preserve each atom and by a most inscrutable providence keep every more of that dust to the glorious resurrection And this although not comparable in it selfe to the glory of the soule yet hath in it an unspeakeable weight of comfort And therefore O My soul though I desire thee not to be so unnatural to cast of the body Yet learne to know a truer freind then my flesh Let thy care be to gain and keep Christ thy study to please him thy labour to serve him thy joy to know him thy greife to offend him thy suffering for him rather yea more then ever it hath been for this body of mine who will stay longer by thee prove kinder to thee then e're that hath been or is like to be And O My flesh though I would not have thee unreasonable yet begin to be sensible of a truer Guide a constanter keeper and a blesseder governour then ever my owne soule hath or will be to thee Let thy feet stand in the Gates of Sion or be running towards the house of God Let thy hands be working the thing that is good Let thine eyes be lifted up to the place where Christs honor dwells And let this be thy Covenant with them and make thy tongue to tell of his praise and speake good of his name that will restore all these left to corruption by the soul to become vessels of glory in the resurection of the just And in the meane time keepeth them that that not a haire of thy head shal be lost And O thou very God of peace who when thou beginnest to take into favour lovest with an everlasting love for such is thy Covenant into protection never leavest nor forsakest such is thy unchangeable nature so take my soule into favour my flesh into tuition that both being sanctified throughout My soule may long for thee my flesh may cry out for the living God! My Soule love thee as it is beloved of thee and my body serve thee as it is and shall be preserved by thee for ever Secondly when I contemplate the unity of Christ's person therein consider how near Man is brought to God I am enforced to acknowledge all promised Vnions of God to man possible all commanded Vnions of man againe to God reasonable The promised Vnions of God to Man are 1. Pastorall He our shepheard we his Flock 2. Oeconomicall he our Master wee his servants 3. Consanguineal He our Father we his Sonnes and Daughters 4. Conjugall he our Husband we his Spouse here his hride in the resurrection his Wife for ever and the like In the first his call and our following declares us one way In the second his command and our obedience one Worke In the third his tender care our dutifull honour one Generation or Kindred In the Last his holy desire and our chast submission one love And all these unions made easie even to faith by the Vnity of Christ's person He that gave us his sonne how shall he not with him freely give us all things The commanded Vnions of man to God are 1. Of Judgement that wee as he doth approve the things that are more excellent 2 Of Will for election that we as he doth desire truth in the inward parts and this is to chuse the better part 3. Of Affection that we as he doth hate the evill and love the good being merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful 4. Of Conversation that we be holie as he is holie perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect that we purifie our selves as he is pure And all this is but to be one spirit as the Apostle saith He that is joyned to the Eord is one Spirit And good reason For God requires no more of us then St Paul did of the Galatians and upon the same ground Be ye as I am for I am as ye are O yee Sonnes of Men be ye as Gods And the Children of the most high for the sonne God is God yet for your sakes became the sonne of Man And O my Soule since thou hast no reason to doubt have faith to pray Philosophie ●ath taught thee That every Essence is an Vnity not only in number as opposed to multitude but even in nature as an undivided being the desire of which last Vnity is the cause of sorrow in the sense of division Thy sinfull and therefore wofull experience hath taught thee to feele thy selfe involved in the curse of Simeon and Levi to be divided and scattered But this Mystery is that which teaches thee by the Gospell to expect Vnitie as a gift to desire it as a benefit On therefore my soule take with thee words and say O Lord I am by sinne either a solitary wild Wolfe or at best a strayed sheep from the sold of peace but by this I know thou canst I hope thou wilt make the Wolf lye downe with the Lamb or cause thine owne immaculate Lamb the Lamb of God to take away that sinne which makes me a Wolfe in thy sight Or if a strayed sheep seeke O seek according to thy promise that which was lost and bring againe that which was driven away bind up that which was broken strengthen that which was sick feed me upon a good Pasture and on the high Mountaines of Israel fold me O my God I am by nature a fugitive or a Captive a Rogue or a slave without Master or under a cruell Master where my work is sin my wages death I sow the wind and reap the Whirlewind but O thou great Commander of all hearts who rulest by love and so makest thy service to be perfect freedome I want a service do thou entertaine me I am weary of my Old Master do thou redeeme me I yeild to thy Yoke accept thy condition embrace thy Covenant and for reward build upon thy courtesie Thy Gospel shall be my Indenture thy Sacraments the Seales thy sonne the Vndertaker of my truth thy Holy Spirit and my owne Conscience the Inward thy holy Angels and the World the Eye-witnesses of my fidelity Thy secrets I will keep Thy commands I will religiously obey Thy talents improve Thy goods not wast No contract will I make prejudicial to thy service For this purpose I yeild my Eare to the awle and doore of thy house bore it for I will not go from thee for ever O Lord my God my poore soule is by sin become either an Orphant to my sorrow or a Bastard to my shame either fatherlesse without God or of a faulty Father Iohn 8. 48. The first is the object of pity but the last of reproach Thou hast promised to succour the first but hast commanded thy doores to be shut against the last Thou wilt be a Father to the Fatherlesse but a Bastard shall not enter into thy Congregation to the tenth Generation O my God my soules substance is true borne as in thy Creation only since sinne an Orphan of grace the Child of wrath by nature

is answerable to that Luk. 19. The Sonne of man came not but to seeke and to save that which was lost Man by sinne became like the Ax flowne of from the Helve and sunke in the water that this Ax may be restored it must be made emergent for this the Prophet cast a bough into the water Christ is that Bough which by the Incarnation is cast into the water and by it man that before sank now swimms Sinne in man was like death in the pot that the pottage might be healed meale was cast in Christ is that Meale 2. Kings 4. 39. wherefore St. Augustine upon my text Caro ●e obcaecaverat caro te sanat quoniam sic venit Christus ut de carne carnis vitia extingueret Flesh blinded thee O Man Flesh healeth thee For therefore Christ came that by his Flesh he might extinguish the sinne of the flesh Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World Which sinne of the World reading it in the singular number Bede interprets original sinne Because that alone of all other is the sinne of the whole world And indeed taken extensively is without comparison the greatest sinne that ever was no one actuall beside being to be charg'd upon all men But in respect of their intension of sinne it is the least becauss least voluntary now it is a rule quodcuuque malum est maxime voluntarium est maxime peccatum But I conceive the word sinne is rather Genericall then Specificall containing as well actual as original For proofe where of I oppose St. Peters Comment Act. 3. 26 to that of Bede which may serve as a final confirmation of this reason Unles I may take leave to them the necessity of Christs incarnation to the removing of sinne to bring in the expression of a Learned divine affirming that If the whole Heaven were turned into one Sunne And the whole World into Paradise I adde If all the righteous men that ever were beside were composed into one Abel And all the Angells of Heaven into one Seraphin To make an universal holocaust they would be insufficient to expiate any one of these many sinnes whereof wee stand guilty before God Christ alone is an al suffieient sacrifice for the sinnes of the whole world Ioh. 2. 2. But of this sufficient hath been spoken in the fore going reasons which concerne us Fourthly the reasons that concerne Sathan are his utter confusion and overthrow And that by man whose nature was by him first infected and for ever infested As It was the pride of Satans malignity against God that for his sinne had cast him out of Heaven to wound Gods Honour in the fall of the best of his earthly creatures mankind whome he therefore assaulted and overthrew So it is the praise of Gods infinite justice that although he might have immediatly vindicated his owne honour and avenged Adams fall as wel of himselfe upon Sathan in cursing him as he did the poore Snake his instrument Yet he would not daigne to cope with him but in Man and therefore he sent his Sonne in the forme not of man only but an enthralled man A servant to destroy him that had the power of death that is the divel Secondly that as Sathan by working upon the frailty of humane flesh deceived the first Adam so the Hooke of the deity it is St. Hieromes phrase being Baited with the Humaine Nature The Flesh of the second Adam invited the Great Devourer to bite And so the great taker was taken The great Devourer was deceived as we shall see more in the treatise of Christs temptations Thirdly and wherewith I will conclude the argument concerning the Divell this may a posteriore and by the effect be added as a reason of the Incarnation that Sathan in his promises though most false and lying might not out bid the goodnesse of God in his most true and reall performances The greatest Promise that even the Tempter promised to mankind though that in his temptation of Christ to worship him was a very large lying one was that to Eve Gen. 3. 5. Ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Now he was so far from performing it that he effected the contrary like a lyar as he was from the beginning which Almighty Gods Irony verse 25 will prove though at first sight it seeme to make good the Serpents words This I say was the ●argest promise that ever the Divell made with intention as he ●doth a● the rest to deceive This yet was somewhat lesse then the Incarnation did perform For if we take mankind as comprehended in the Humanity of Jesus Christ it was more then as God for it was true to say Hic homo Deus est this man is God! Knowing good in himselfe as God evil in his burthen as Man The evil of sinne by imputation The evil of punishment by a most bitter passion Or otherside if wee consider mankind as it is in {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The Company of true Beleevers they are at least sicut Dij As Gods And if I over value not St. Peters words 2 Pet. I. v. 3 somewhat more As being partakers of the divine nature And for their knowledge it is by the Incarnation improved to the highest pitch of the Divels promise knowing more communicated goodnesse the only object in its kind of created knowledge then ever before Heaven or Earth could represent to Men or Ang●ells in the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth John 1. 12 And evill was never so objected to view of Men or Angels as it was by the exinanition of a Deity The humbling of the supreme Majesty of Heaven to become a man to suffer the confluence of Gods judgments and curses for the expiation of Mans sinnes And this use I must for ever make of it when I am tempted to sinne by enticing promises I will perswade my selfe to hope farre more performed for me by Christ then is now For ever was or will be promised by the grand worke master to sinners the Prince of darkenes And now when I seriously weigh these reasons and thinke to apply them I can nor hear nor see other object but me thinks within me an Heavenly host a multitude of Angels singing that excellent Anthem Glory Never such glory to God on high Glory to his goodnesse and mercy Glory to his Wisdome and Contrivance Glory to his Iustice and Severity Glory to his Greatnes Power And if two infinites may beare a comparison I know whether be more {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the highest {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Glory or God For here is glory in highest to God Aswell as glory to God in the highest This for the first sort of reasons which concerne God But when I consider the other also I am againe Nonplus't and know not which will be the