Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	believe_v	die_v	life_n	6,038	5	4.8496	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40442	A full enquiry into the power of faith, the nature of prophecy, the translation of Enoch and Elias, and the resurrection of Christ	Freke, William, 1662-1744.	1693 (1693)	Wing F2164; ESTC R100	66,199	82

forced as I have said once in 2000 years or less either to destroy the World as he did by the Flood or else in Mercy to raise up some new Patterns of Faith to lead us again and thus he gave us Moses and Christ after both whom some afresh begun to serve GOD in Purity and to become Prophets also but alas how soon are we returned like the Dog to his Vomit and sunk into our old Infidelity again In truth one may justly say of the best of Men amongst us now adays they entertain so many Vertues and so many Vices so much Piety and so much Sin and which continually encounters with one another in them if Vice prevails he is mostly wicked if Vertue he is our good Man O that we could but say of any of us that Sin and Vice were quite extinct in us at least as to our will if not to frailty for then with Enoch might we be truly said to walk with GOD also But besides this I may add and what shall we never learn with the blessed Simeon and Anna and Joseph of Arimathea purposely to wait with a doe Patience for the Kingdom of GOD Mark 15.43 Luke 23.51 If with them we do not happen to rise to the greatest Perfection yet at least we shall find that GOD at last will accept us and bless us for our hearty endeavour's sake as far as they reach and surely that will be better than a dead Infidelity Come unto Christ then all ye that are weary and heavy laden for his Yoke is easie and his Burthen is light indeed you need fear nothing under his Conduct as heavier Scholars indeed GOD pricks us forwards through Afflictions but if we sincerely endeavour to be perfect he cannot but take them from us for then even Angels will deliver us out of Prison Ravens will be forced to feed us and the mouths of Lions will be stopt against us only Christ suffered in this state of Purity and that for our sakes and by his own consent he not only tells us he could have more than Twelve Legions of Angels to help him if he pleased Mat. 26.53 but even his Persecutors were forced to go back and fall down from his Presence e're they could seize him John 18.6 As the All-just GOD therefore cannot inflict the Punishment or Purgation on those that walk as pure already so let us learn to cherish this little Mustard-seed of the Kingdom of GOD till it become as a Tree and wherein all the Vertues of Divinity and Morality may flourish Mark 4.32 Elijah destroyed Ahab's Guards Moses drowned Pharaoh and his Host in the Red Sea and we have a Promise even to bind Kings in Chains and Princes with Links of Iron And think you not that these things were done and these promises made for the Example and the Encouragement of the Saints 'T is true St. Paul by his being wrap'd up into the third Heaven and St. John by his having the Revelations given him seem only of the Apostles to have made their approaches near this Perfection Transfigurations and such Visions being the usual dawnings of Translation as Divine Dreams are of Prophecy And they failed too but what if they did were they not Men as well as we They had a greater measure of Christ's help and Example indeed but what is GOD a respecter of Persons And have we not the same offers of Grace and as fair a Tryal given us as ever they had For shame therefore let us serve GOD with all our strength and all our might The Compleat Faith Mark 12.30 and so recommend our selves more nearly to his Protection and that can only be through a vigorous Faith The Scriptures have told us already that Faith without Works is dead and I shall add also that Works without Faith to lead them are dead also I mean as to the Kingdom of GOD. Without Faith 't is impossible to see or please GOD whereas our Faith if it be strong it must prevail nay and though it be erring if not wilfully as appears by Cornelius and St. Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 Whereas on the contrary if it be strong and evil it must needs draw down Enthusiasm and Delusion upon us And hence it is that our Saviour tells us That all things are possible to him that believes Mark 9.23 Indeed he says Had we the Faith of a grain of Mustard-seed we might at a word remove this Sycamine-tree or Mountain and cast it into the Sea Luke 17.6 And hence it is that O ye of little Faith is almost his constant Expostulatory upbraiding throughout the whole Gospels Luke 9.41 Hence likewise it is that his Apostles after him when they had their Faith once strengthned in themselves to move it in others tell us That whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 So also that Faith was imputed to Abraham for Righteousness Rom. 4.22 And therefore to use their Argument though at the time of our Ignorance GOD winked at us yet now he expects we should Repent Acts 17.30 and remain in our dead and brutish Infidelity no longer Nay further this Faith of the Kingdom of GOD is the only real and excellent Faith to believe barely in Christ and that he was crucified is no more than what the Devils believe and yet have still reason to tremble but to believe in him and to act pursuant to his most excellent Doctrine of the Kingdom and to lead good Lives is to follow the design and scope of his Gospel and is that active Faith which only has the Promises of Salvation But why do I remain on the brink of my Argument thus Hath not Christ even expresly promised That those that keep his sayings shall never see Death John 8.51 And that those that believe in him shall never dye John 11.26 but are passed from death unto life John 5.24 And doth he not expresly limit this Death in his Discourse to our Life in this World as well as the other John 6.49 50.58 Nay has he not promised us more that we shall do greater Works than he himself has done and really whatever we shall ask in Faith John 14.12 As Sin therefore is the Road to Death as also Grace is to Life Rom. 5.21 So let us through these Encouragements of Christ learn to avoid our Sins and Lusts which run us into Sin and Death James 1.15 and follow those ways that lead us to Holiness and Life The Apostles that could not get out of Prison themselves yet through the Prayers of the Church had their Liberty Acts 12. And can you think that had they purified themselves exactly as Christ did they would not have opened the Prison Doors of themselves as well as Elijah destroyed Ahab's Guards Yes undoubtedly they might and God shewed exact measures of Justice in all these Events or else 't were impertinent nay impossible that these things should be written for our Example and Encouragement and what needed else that Christ and his

and leave those sins to the vengeance of God that ought to be purged through our own Industry While we continue under the Curse of Sin and have nothing in us like the Life of Faith Death is justly our Portion and what Injury is it that GOD in his Providence takes us out of the World either single or in multitudes as he is pleased to introduce any new Scene or Change in the World by it since we all alike deserve Death And just so also as Infants and new-born Babes God is merciful in withdrawing us from the Miseries of Life besides that Death is our Portion and our common Curse to expect till Faith come in and by the Power and Justice of GOD entitle us to Immortality Saith the Scriptures The day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye that is thou and thy Posterity shall become Mortal and as we find we are but does that imply that an exacter Purity and Obedience when we come to the Age of Discretion shall not through Faith reverse the Curse of Adam and carrying us first back again into the Spiritual Paradise restore us to the Tree of Life also Christ indeed doth not seem so much to declare such an Immortality the immediate effect of Faith as Miracles but why Because he leads his Disciples to the lesser degrees of Faith first and instructed them as their Capacities could bear or else he doth not neglect Instructions even to Immortality neither but we see what Encouragement such a forward Truth as Translation was like to meet with when the Jews not only reviled him for pretending to it and that he should be greater than their Father Abraham that dyed but even many of his Disciples also left him upon it John 6. And surely then he had great Encouragement to Preach so forward a Doctrine so soon Besides he knew that as they grew more in Faith that GOD would either reveal this to them or that they would know it of course so that if they but improved their growth in Spiritual Wisdom through an exact pursuance of GOD's Holy Suggestions 't were impossible that they should ever have miscarried Nor need we wonder that GOD has only revealed these Truths to those that have so industriously served him no and that though they were even Apostles do we not see the Example of this even in St. Peter who for the sake of Cornelius was forced to have a particular Revelation to assure him that GOD was no respecter of Persons So that well may we miscarry if we take not the pains to work out our own way what would we have GOD alone do all for us Let me therefore hearten you to this great Victory by that gracious Promise of our Blessed Saviour Rev. 2.26 And to him that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end to him will I give power over the Nations And he shall Rule them with a Rod of Iron as the Vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my Father And I will give him the Morning-star But thou wantest immediately to be at Visions and Miracles Of Miracles c. and to see the Credentials of Prophets Alas beware lest thy impatient Pride hurry thee to Enthusiasm remember that as thy fond Passions cannot raise thee in the Kingdom of GOD so if thy Sincerity be entire thy little involuntary lapses of frailty cannot hurt thee but yet as thy constant application in Purity will carry thee to Heaven so a lasting and settled proud presumptuous Curiosity must needs hurry thee to Enthusiasm and Delusion What don't we find that 't was the Practice even of Christ himself not to attempt any thing in Faith till his time was come Nay was it not one of the very Temptations of the Devil to him to set him presumptuously to turn the Stones into Bread when he was an hungred in the Wilderness before his proper season of Miracles Yes surely it was and that God who has so freely helped and delivered his Servants in their real distresses is not less averse to those that have presumptuously neglected his ordinary means in an Ambition of extraordinary Learn therefore with Patience to expect thy growth as a Child and to wait such Credentials when GOD shall see fit to give them remember that as to have them before thy time were to destroy thy Tryal so even to desire them were a sin as crossing the Will of GOD and to which we ought at all times to pay the most entire Submission 'T is true GOD has promised us That our Old Men should dream Dreams and that our Young Men should see Visions but yet 't is fit then that we should wait the leisure and performance of the Condition first Besides we want Revelations Visions and Apparitions but what for Only to ask wanton Questions of the other World when we forget that such a Curiosity is presumptuous and that we ought to acquiesce wholly in hearing our Message Or what is it that we would seek by them only to know our Duty As to that Christ tells us plainly that if we cannot believe Moses and the Prophets neither shall we one from the Dead Luke 16.28 Should an Angel appear to us he could not alter Truth nay and we forget that Satan often appears as an Angel of Light So that all we can expect from such a Curiosity is but to draw down the Delusions of evil Angels amongst us So that you see GOD may deservedly Punish this wantonness with a want of Vision we may prepare our selves not to be ignorant of the Voice of GOD when he speaks indeed as Moses and Samuel were but we are to expect to be always left and tryed in doubts whilst we rest in the Pilgrimage and Wilderness of this World Indeed it has been the common condition of the Just to live by Faith Hab. 2.4 and till Death or Translation we must not expect a certainty or perfection What is not our very Being in Flesh as the Apostle says by design also to be as absent for the Lord And thus had not Christ himself his hours of Temptation as well as Vision and shall we pretend to an Exemption No we must expect them in all states till our state of Prophecy indeed our Tryals are more dark as encountring chiefly a brutish Infidelity but after that even in Revelation they are not less dangerous and when like Christ and Adam and Eve we are turned loose to the Personal Wiles of Satan But you would know how Dreams and Visions are to be known and trusted As to that you must beware of a presumptuous Curiosity of all kinds Of Dreams and Visions for in those things you gamble out of the Road of GOD and therefore if he leave you to Evil Angels you need not wonder And so in all other Methods whereby you shall shew your self uneasie at the leisure of GOD's Tryals you ought to dread your state for fear of some dreadful Judgment