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	lord_n	zion_n	21	3	9.1472	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19499	A mirrour of mercie or The prodigals conuersion briefely, and learnedly expounded, and full of comfortable consolations for all penitent sinners. By William Cooper, minister of Gods word, and B. of Galloway.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1615 (1615)	STC 5928; ESTC S119161	51,916	283

Couenant vnder his feet what remaines but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire Let vs take heed in time and learne to be wise by this Prodigall child when we heare him glad to get the roome of a seruant shall not we reioice in our God who hath giuen vs the place of his children Lord make vs thankfull for it and giue vs grace to Walke worthy our heauenly vocation that in our life we may expresse our vertue who hath Translated vs out of darkenesse into maruellous light VERSE 20. As hee concluded before so he performeth now In the godly resolutions are first but actions follow In the wicked sometimes there are resolutions to amend their liues but no execution followeth their motions of repentance are like to the Morning dew or the false conception of a woman which commeth neuer to the birth but the Lord blesseth his own children both with the first and latter raine that is grace to beginne well and grace to perseuere vnto the ende And when hee was yet a farre off Now followeth the last part of this Pararable figuring vnto vs how gratious the Lord is how ready to shew mercy to poore sinners whensoeuer they repent of their sinnes and returne vnto him Here then is a ioyfull meeting betweene a mercifull God and a miserable sinner Blessed is the soule saith Bernard wherein mercy truth meet together and euery one of them kisses one another Here is truth in the prodigal child no guile no deceit in him simply and sincerely hee confesseth his sinne and the Lord who loueth truth in the inward affections meets him with mercy But howsoeuer these two meet together yet you see there is no comparison betweene them in the measure of their affections the one would fainer shew mercy then the other would haue it the childe is not so willing to returne as the father is ioyfull to receiue He ariseth and is comming but the father seeth him a farre off and runnes he falleth on his necke and kisseth him Non Pari vbertate s●uune amans amor sponsus spon●a creator creatura non magis quam sitiens fons As there is great difference betweene the flowing of the Ocean and the flowing of a little riuer and as there is great oddes betweene that which the thirsty man drinkes and that which the fountaine hath to giue him so is there betweene the creature louing GOD and GOD who is loue it selfe What then shal we not loue him because we cannot equal him in loue shal wee not goe to him because we cannot go so fast as he commeth to vs. No no Nam etsi minus diligit creatura quia minor est tamen si tota diligis nihil deest vbi totum est For albeit the loue of the creature bee lesse because it selfe is lesse yet if wee loue him with our whole hearts nothing is lacking where the whole is And most comfortable is it that hee saith when hee was yet a farre off he had compassion vpon h●m he had not yet come he had fallen downe he had not confessed and yet the Father sheweth mercy vpon him See then how the very first motions of repentance if they bee vnfeined euen the beginnings of our conuersion if they be from the heart are acceptable to GOD He bruseth not the brused reed hee quencheth not the smoaking flaxe Though our repentance be but in a beginning yet if it bee true God will meete it with mercy there is the nature of Gods compassions In the beginning of Daniel his supplication God sent him an answere and at the beginning of our turnings to God God turnes vnto vs. I haue been sound of them that sought mee not saith the Lord will he then hide his face from them that seeke him If when we were sinners Christ died for vs much more beeing now iustified by his bloud shall wee bee saued from wrath through him and if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God much more beeing reconciled we shall bee saued by his life If he ranne to this childe when he was a farre off will he not embrace his children that are come neere vnto him Non persuadet nudo verbo sed exemplo Hee will assure vs of mercy not by his naked word onely but by example also I wil speake against a Nation to destroy it but if this Nation turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vpon them What can bee more cleare will we turne from our sinnes God will turne from his iudgements Neither is there any place here to speake of the greatnesse of our sins as though they were not curable by his mercies Though your sinnes were as Crimson they shall be made white as snow though they were red like Scarlet they shall bee made as woll Howsoeuer thou haue done them and made them many and great and they are double dipped wilt thou repent the strength of his mercy shall vndoe them shall change them and make them as if they had neuer beene done And if yet thou beleeue him not whē he speakes at least beleeue him when hee sweares As I liue saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner but that he should turne and liue Estne Deus cum iur at indignus cui credatur Is not the Lord when he sweares worthy to bee credited But if neither his word nor his oath can mooue thee yet looke to his workes and for them beleeue his word Were not the Niuiuites spared when they repented Was not Achab spared when hee was humbled Who euer turned to the Lord and found not the Lord turning to him When the Leaper cried If thou wilt thou canst make mee cleane The Lord Iesus answered I will be thou cleane When the Centurion besought him to come to his house and heale his seruant Iesus answered I wil come and heale him There is a cloud of witnesses all prouing this one point Quidenim forte peccasti in saeculo nunquid amplius Paulo Quod si in ipsa religione nunquid plus Petro. For why hast thou sinned before thy calling so did Saint Peter and though thy sinnes were greater then theirs yet are they not so great as his mercy who hath promised to pardon Thus then in this Prodigall child haue we not onely mercy shewed to himselfe but exemplar mercy proposed to all such as repenting of their sinnes returne vnto him His Father saw him Albeit this be● put heere in the last roome yet is it to be referred to the first time of his conuersion The Lord looked vpon him as he looked to Peter after he had denied him hee made him to goe out and weepe bitterly for his sinnes grace was sent with the looke This is the looke of Gods face that Dauid praies for Looke vpon

beene vnto you as a wildernesse or land of darknesse what iniquity haue yee found in me that yee are gone from me When they consider how patiently the Lord bare with them when they sinned against him might haue done vnto thee as thou hast don● vnto mee but for my names sake I will refrain my wrath I might mak● thee like Admah and Zeboim but my heart is turned within me and will not execute th● fiercenesse of my wrat● vpon thee And whe● againe they consider how willingly he receiued them into his fauour after they had sinned they are wounded and grieued in their spirits for that they offended him Seruants feare him for his iudgements if hee had no plagues they would not regard him but his Sonnes feare him for his mercies according to that of the Psalmist Mercie is with thee that thou maiest be feared And therefore the Apostle puts this in the forefront of his reasons when he exhorteth vs to a godly life I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God The Lord stands not now vpon Mount Sinai with burning fire and blacknesse o● darknes proclaiming the law with the fearful sound of trumpet threatning vs with death if wee fulfill it not No maruell the people did tremble at that sight for Mose● himselfe did quaile feare to behold it but now hee stands on Mount Sion a fathe● alluring vs with mercies not affraying vs with iudgemēts speaking to vs not by a terrible trumpet but by the meeke mediator of the new Testament Iesus whose bloode cryes for better things then the bloud of Abel O how inexcusable are they whom this mercie of God moues not to repent are they not worthy of a double condemnation The sinnes done against the Law may be cured by the grace of the Gospell but where this grace also is despised and men who may receiue mercy for repenting will not repent wherwith shall this impiety be cured remaineth there any more sacrifice for sinne shall any new sauiour bee sent to saue these men No no there abides nothing for such but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall deuoure them A certaine man had two Sonnes NOw to enter into the Parable in it we haue three persons introduced with three seuerall actions The Prodigall childe sinning repenting his father pitying pardoning him his elder brother grudging and mumuring We haue first then to see who is meant by this man his two sons This man in the Parable ●●esents God the Father of our Lord Iesus and our Father in him where we must bee ware to assigne vnto God with the Anthropomorphits and Papists any visible shape though hee demitte himselfe to our capacity and shadow himselfe like vnto vs let vs not diminish in our hearts the glorie of his maiesty as to fashion him in our imagination to be like vnto vs. For God is no● as man Eies eares ielousie anger and repentance are ascribed vnto him But hee hath not carnall eies nor eares to see and heare as man doth If he hath with such wonderfull wisdome made some of his cretures that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incomprehensible to man yea the very soule of man whereby he knoweth all other things yet knoweth not its owne selfe in many things how shall we know him that made it or conceiue of him as he is he beeing in himselfe infinite in regard of his creatures incomprehensible in regard of place incircumscriptible in regard of time euerlasting and shall wee then imagine him to be like one of vs. But why then will you say is hee called a man doubtlesse for our comfort and instruction because we cannot conceiue of his maiestie as hee is hee speakes to vs of himselfe as we are insinuating his loue towards vs. Among all creatures none more familiar to a man then a man and among all men none more kindlie and louing then a father therfore when the Lord will signifie his loue he shadowes himselfe vnto vs like a man and such a man as is our father And this is for our instruction as oft as the Lord expresse● himselfe vnder the name of a man it is not because he is so indeed but because it is needfull for vs that so his maiesty should be expressed Looke then what goodnesse God hath created in man and then goe vp and consider by it what a good creatour is hee that made him Hath man an eie to see and an eare to heare can man being an earthly father haue compassion on his children and prouide good things for them Thē let vs gather with the Psalmist Vnderstundye vnwise hee that made the eye doth he not see or hee that planted the eare doth hee not heare and againe with our Sauiour If ye which are euill can giue to your children good gifts how much more shall your Father which is in heauen giue good things to them that aske him But here is the fault that as Anthropomorphites ascribe vnto God such a shape as themselues haue So Atheists do abase his maiesty so farre as to thinke hee is not so good as they are he hath not such knowledge and power as a man hath other deny his prouidence and saie hee hath eies and seeth not they deny his mercy and distrust that hee will shew kindnesse and compassion to his owne they deny his iustice whiles as they thinke hee will not punish transgressors and so setting his maiestie lesse then one of them selues they make him in their mind like the Idols of the Nations that haue eies and see not eares and heare not hands and worke not feet that walke not and in a word such a one as can neither doe good nor euill but their wickednesse shall reprooue them and they shall finde the contrarie by miserable experience in the end Thus haue wee seene for what cause it is that the Lord expresseth himselfe vnto vs by the similitude of a man Many waies hath God honoured the nature of man First in our creation that when hee made man hee beautifieth him with his image Next in our redemption wherein hee sheweth himselfe so enamoured with the loue of man as to marry our nature with his owne in the person of his Sonne Christ Iesus And thirdly in his word that when hee speakes of himselfe he borrowes comparisons from man to expresse himself once he made man to his own similitude but often describes himselfe according to mans similitude Plerunque a corporibus hominum in se similitudinem trahit Deus And this serues shortly to make man ashamed who spares not to dishonour his owne nature giuing the members of his body as weapons of vnrighteousnesse to sinne subiecting to Satans slauery that nature which God hath so highly honoured aboue the nature of Angels and all other creatures whatsouer Had two sonnes Hauing seene who