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	life_n	sin_n	7,878	5	4.6423	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41488	God a good master, and protector opened in severall sermons on Esaiah 8.13.14 / by Iohn Goodwin ...	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1641 (1641)	Wing G1168; ESTC R22549	88,532	456

is Idols with all their traine and retinue of worshippers shall suffer the law of their vanity and be destroyed but hee that putteth his trust in mee shall possesse the land That is shall returne out of captivitie and be setled in his owne land in peace which golden veine of promises enricheth us abundantly with the pretious assurāce of this that God is in for the protection and deliverance of those that depend upon him in times of danger as much as the glory of his truth and faithfulnesse come to and wee need not feare that ever hee will loose or forfeit such a pledge c. 2 And this happily is worthy some observation that the holy Ghost usually taketh occasion upon such Promises as these made for the reliefe and deliverance of those that trust in God in times of danger and trouble to commend and magnifie the most infallible truth and certainty of the word of God for this reason especially as I conceive because the truth and certaintie of it suffers most from the unbeleeving hearts of men in such promises as these And therefore the Holy Ghost here interposeth a speciall testimony of the truth and faithfulnesse of it as it were on purpose to prevent and disappoint the spirit of unbeleefe in mee that that might not rise up so much as to mutter or whisper against it in this behalfe Thus Psalm 12. 5 6. The Lord having promised that for the oppression of the poore and sighing of the needy hee would arise and set them at libertie vers 6. The Prophet subjoynes this Elogium or testimony of the word or promise of God The words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times that is throughly purified till all the drosse be consumed and purged cleane from it so that there is nothing but the pure and solid mettall remaining meaning that there is no lightnesse or loosenesse at all the promises of God made to those that put their trust in him but every jot and title will beare the weight if it were of the whole world laid upon it So Prov. 30. 5. Every word of God is pure that is every promise of God is solid massie and intire truth Hee is a shield to those that put their trust in him c. 3 The second reason is because there is a proportion and fitnesse betweene this duty this addresment of the creature to God in away of reliance and dependance upon him and his addressing himselfe to the creature in a way of mercy and deliverance there is a sutablenes answerablenes between the one the other As it a thing meete comely in the creature to stay it selfe upon God and to wait his leasure for it's deliverance So is a compliance in God with his creature in this posture as it were of dependance comely and glorious in him The great God of heaven and earth hath no apparell to put on in all that infinite charge and variety hee hath more glorious or wherein he can commend himselfe and his greatnesse upon higher termes to his creature than this his saving those that put their trust in him Hence it is the Saints of God to strengthen their hand in prayer usually plead their faith and dependance upon God for deliverance as if this were a ground and foundation to build an assured hope upon that God now will not reject them Psalm 33. 21 22. Surely our heart shall rejoyce in him saith David because wee have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us as we trust in thee As if he had a pawne sufficient of his faith that God would send him helpe wherein hee should rejoyce So Psalme 25. 2. O my God I trust in thee let mee not be ashamed c. So againe Psalme 86. 2. O God save thy servant that trusteth in thee 4 Hence likewise it is that when men have been Idolaters and lift up their hands to strange gods and yet will expect that the true God should save and deliver them in the time of their trouble hee sends them for helpe and deliverance to their false gods whom they had chosen and relied upon implying that it was meete and fitting for those that are trusted and relyed on to deliver and protect those that relyed on them See instances hereof in Scripture and read Iudges 10. 14. Ier. 2. 28. Esa 57. 13. c. Hence it is also that God purposing to save and deliver his elect from the wrath to come and to bestow everlasting life happinesse upon them would not yet actually conferre his salvation and glory upon them till they first shall beleeve and depend upon him for it And therefore he did not onely give his sonne Christ to pay their ransomes and make attonement for their sinnes but also caused the Gospell to be written wherein the history of the life and death of Christ together with the whole frame or body of the Mysterie of his will touching the salvation of men should be declared and this Gospell to be carried up and downe the world from place to place from Nation to Nation to be preached unto men that so men might first beleeve in him through Christ or by meanes of Christ as Peter speakes 1 Pet. 1. 21. before they entred into their glory By all which it appeareth that God thinkes his mercies and favours and deliverances especially do best and are given by him upon most equall and righteous termes when they are grafted as it were upon faith and given into the bosome of those that expect and waite for them before they come 5 A third reason is because if God by a speciall work of his Spirit should uphold the hearts of his people to depend upon him for helpe or to expect deliverance from dangers from him and then should not deliver them Hee should disrespect and discountenance the workemanship of his owne hands yea that piece of worke wherein hee takes speciall delight The Scripture every where derives the originall and dissent of faith from God See Heb. 12. 2. Act. 18. 27. now it 's certaine that God will have respect to his owne workes and will glorifie and magnifie them that they may glorifie and magnifie him againe If hee inclines and moves and perswades the creature truely and unfainedly to rest and stay it selfe upon him for helpe in time of neede as hee doth if the thing ever be done no man takes hold upon God but God himselfe guides and strengthens his hand to do it certainly hee will not neglect much lesse shame and confound this great worke of his owne which hee should doe if hee should suffer the creature to miscarry or perish under it Lord saith David Psal 10. 17. thou hast heard the desire of the poore or humble thou wilt prepare or as it is in the margine establish their heart thou wilt cause their eare to heare As if hee should say when God prepares or

Notwithstanding as it followeth hee was glad when he was weak and they strong that is when their lives and ways were such that he could exercise no more power over or against them then as if he had none at all given him Such is the power that Scripture threatnings have against wicked men they have no power neither against the truth but for the truth whilst men goe on in the contempt of the Gospel and despise that great salvation which is tendered unto them in Jesus Christ these threatnings have power to judge censure and to burne with unquenchable fire to set men with fears and terrours as in the midst of hell but yet they are glad also when they are weak and men are strong that is when men turn unto God by a true Faith and sound repentance in which case their power ceaseth neither doe they judge or condemn them any longer So that now such threatnings are no grounds at all of discouragement to wicked men from beleeving or depending on God no more then the power of the spirituall sword we spake of that was given to Paul and the rest of the Apostles for cutting off from Christ was a ground of discouragement to those Christians that walked inordinately from returning to wayes of holinesse before the stroke of it came Nay as this power in the Apostles was so far from being a discouragement to such men from walking answerably to the Gospel that it was a special encouragement thereunto in as much as by reason thereof they had this recompence and reward added unto their obedience and repentance that they escaped the edge of that sword which wounded the souls of others so the threatnings we speak of that are made out against wicked men in the Scriptures are in this respect rather matter of incouragement then discouragemēt unto them for beleeving on God because they doe increase the reward of their beleeving by this considerable addition they shall be delivered thereby out of the danger of those threatnings which will doe terrible execution upon others that shall persist in their unbeliefe 21. Nay to goe yet one step further the threatnings we have now under consideration are not onely matter of encouragement to wicked men to move them to beleeve and depend on God but that which is much more they impose the greatest the deepest the most absolute and peremptory necessitie upon them that they are capable of for beleeving They certifie the soules and consciences of men that there is as we use to say no way with them but one nothing but the vengeance of eternall fire to be looked for except they beleeve We have a saying Ingens telum necessitas necessitie is a great weapon and will put men upon and strengthen men to atchieve and performe many great enterprises actions which without such an advantage they neither would have adventured upon nor had they been able to have effected and brought to passe And I make no question but that the terrour of the threatnings of God and the dreadfull and utmost necessitie they lay upon men to provide for the things of their peace have contributed and conduced much to the Faith and consequently to the salvation of many whose rest is now glorious in the Heavens Therefore doubtlesse the threatnings of God against wicked persons rightly apprehended and considered are no waies hinderances or discouragments unto such men from or about beleeving or depending on God 22. But in the sixt and last place to finish all with the addition of a few words more to that branch of the objection wherein the hope trust and dependence of wicked men on God were said to be rejected by God from whence it was argued and concluded that such had no right to beleeve or depend on God and that it was in vaine for them to doe it to this I say I answer that though there be a kinde of trust and dependence on God which men may have and yet miscarry and be rejected as was granted before yet is there a trust and dependence on God also which will secure the greatest sinner under Heaven from Death and Condemnation if it bee found with him As though Simon Magus beleeved and yet was in the gall of bitternes and bands of iniquity notwithstanding and so though Judas repented and went to Hell yet Thomas beleeving and Simon Peter repenting besides thousands more with them were both saved For we may distinguish of Faiths or dependences on God in respect of their ends or issues whereunto they tend much after the same manner as John distinguisheth of sinne 1 Joh. 5. 16 17. There is a sinne saith he unto death and there is a sinne not unto death So may we say of Faiths and dependings on God there is a Faith and dependence which is unto life and there is a Faith and dependence too which is not unto life and if the Faith of wicked men be of this kind it is no marvell if their faith and they perish together and be both alike rejected by God That Faith which is required of men being yet in their sinnes and under the power of darknes which therefore they have a sufficient right unto as hath been already proved did they addresse themselves unto God with it this would strike that great stroke for their souls this would make them heires of that immortall and undefiled inheritance and would never be rejected by God This is that faith or dependence which in the act or exercise of it sanctifieth God and of this only we have treated in our doctrine hitherto Againe there is a Faith which rather unsanctifieth polluteth and profaneth God when it is acted upon him and it is no marvell if such a faith be not able to save a man as James speaketh 23. It were unseasonable altogether I conceive upon this occasion only to enter upon a just discussion or examination of all differences between the one and the other wee have sufficiently I trust made good the tenor and substance of the motive propounded to quicken and stirre you up and withall to incourage you to depend upon God against those intanglements and colours of feare that were presented unto you in the objection and have built you cleerely and strongly upon this foundation that there is nothing in God neither holinesse of nature nor righteousnesse of works nor greatnesse of Majestie nor yet any thing in your self neither sinfulnesse of nature nor sinfulnesse of life nor any weaknesse or unworthinesse whatsoever cleaving to you that considering the golden scepter of Grace held out unto you in the Gospel with so much freenesse and love and mercy powred out needs be the least discouragement or weakning of hand unto you from making your dependence whole and intire strong and glorious upon God And this was the summe of our undertakeing 24. Notwithstanding to salve the longing it may be of your desires in a point of this weight and neere concernment as well to the present as future