Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	sin_n	suffer_v	5,268	5	6.2457	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10034	Of the day of grace, or, A discourse concerning the possibility and fear of its being past before death shewing the groundless doubts, and mistaken apprehensions of some as to their being finally forsaken and left of God, with the dangerous symptomsand approaches of others to such a sad state, in four sermons from Psalm LXXX1. 11, 12 / by John Shower.	Shower, John, 1657-1715.	1694 (1694)	Wing S3679A; ESTC R184224	54,234	156

afterward by the Apostle Paul when he was testifying against the obstinate Infidelity of the Jews at Rome Rom. 11.8 We may therefore clear the Righteousness of God in this matter by considering the true Account and Character of Those whom we find in Scripture or believe by Experience to have been given up to their own Hearts Lusts The Wickedness of Pharoah was risen to a very provoking height before God is said to harden him which was not till after the sixth Plague The impenitent Cananites had 430 Years before God gave them over and their measure was full Josh 11.19 This therefore as it is one of the severest Judgments so it is one of the last This also may admit of Degrees with reference to several Persons For there is a partial as well as a total forsaking of God and being forsaken of him There are some who sin against their Light and refuse the Grace of the Gospel and may for a time be forsaken and left of God and yet his Spirit afterwards strive again Whereas with others he may never strive more However in all these Cases there is great Provocation that does precede so that we may say with the Apostle Is God unrighteous that he taketh Vengence Rom. 3.5 3. I would also premise That the Holiness of God must be cleared as well as his Justice Though he give them up to their own Hearts Lusts it is not by a consenting approving Act with reference to the sins they afterwards commit much less that God inclines their Hearts to sin or infuses or suggests evil to them It is not that He gives them Indulgence and Leave with his Consent and Approbation to serve and fulfil any of those Lusts The spotless unchangable Purity of the Divine Nature which hates every sin cannot consist with this He cannot be tempted with Evil neither tempteth any man to evil Therefore such Expressions as Ezek. 20.39 As for you O House of Israel thus saith the Lord go you now every one and serve his Idols Such Expressions must be taken in an Ironical sense That is Go see whether the Objects of your Trust and Confidence can save you in a time of Calamity Go to the Gods that you have served and see whether they will help you for I will not It is like the Expression Matth. 26.46 Sleep on now and take your Rest for behold he cometh by whom the Son of man is to be betrayed I desired you to watch with me but you would not and that season is now past Sleep on now if you can When Satan blinds the Minds of men he doth it by strengthening of their sin he doth it by sinful suggestions and the like But the Blessed God doth not thus give men up to sin No such Darkness can come from the Fountain of Light These things being premised let us Consider some of those steps by which God preceeds in this matter as Scripture Reason and Experience may direct us Though after all there is a Depth in these Judgments of God which none are able fully to Explain 1. When God forbears to Afflict and to restrain men from sin by the Rod of Correction and the Rebukes of his Providence Or doth not sanctifie such Rebukes for their Reformation We little think whither we should wander if God did not hedg up our ways with Thorns Hos 2.6 7. If he did not by his Providence make a Wall that we should not be able to find our sinful Paths that we should not be able to make Provision for our Lusts at an easy rate or have so much fewel for them as we desire My People Israel says God by the Prophet was resolved to go after her Lovers but God says I will make her return back in confusion She shall find an impassable hedge of Thorns in her way I will stop her Course I will make a Wall and a Wall as in the Original and she shall not find her Paths Tho she follow after her Lovers she shall not overtake them she shall seek them but shall not find them The like Expression you have 3. Lament 7 9. He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out he hath inclosed me with ●ewen stone Some by the Fetters of Education as they call it and are glad when they can shake them off Some by the want of Money or Interest or Power to accomplish their wicked Purposes have their Way hedged up Sometimes by bodily Pains and sickness God opens the Ears of men and seals Instruction to them that he may withdraw Man from his Purpose and hide Pride from Man Job 33.17 18. God is herein very merciful to many Young Persons especially should consider it to whom it is a Kindness to have sin made difficult to them For if they had so much Liberty as they would desire and so much Money at command as they could wish and were let alone by their Superiours to do as they please and live as they list without any check or fear of losing the favour of those on whom they depend or from whom they have their Expectation If things were thus with them they know not unto what Excess and Height of sin they should run So for Health and Bodily strength the abating of these may be a merciful Restraint from some sort of sins The very weakness of our Constitutions may be a means to save us from some kind of Temptations which others in vigorous Health do struggle with and are overcome by So for disappointments in the World Discountenance and Disgrace and other such things that are apt to humble and afflict the Mind The more of these Restraints God is pleased to take from us it may so fall out that the more Angry he therein appeares to be Especially if former afflictive Rebukes of Providence have been misimproved There being hardly a more terrible place in the whole Bible than that threatening of God Hos 4.13 14. Your Daughters shall commit Whoredom and your Spouses shall commit Adultery And I will not punish your Daughters when they commit Whoredom nor your Spouses when they commit Adultery O quanta Paena nulla Paena It is the greatest Judgment or the fore runner of that which is so when God abstains from punishing when by timely Chastisement he does not awaken to Repentance and stop sinners in their career when the way to Hell is plain and easy to them when there is no Thorn no Obstacle in the way but they may smoothly go on and walk after their own Counsels in the Paths that lead to the Chambers of Death How many Young Persons hath God been kind to by those Restraints of Providence which he takes off from others How hath he hedged and walled up your Way He hath made it more difficult for you to sin you cannot do as others without suffering more than they either in your Reputation or your temporal Interest or your Health c. And yet we find notwithstanding all this many such will

Spirit Corruption and Grace in the best while in this World yet which Party dost thou side with Which has thy most willing Consent Which way is thy prevailing Desire Love and Choice Dost thou not bewail the Body of sin and Death And wish to be delivered from Corruption more perfectly To gain a more intire Victory Dost thou not watch and wrestle and strive and pray against it from day to day Is this the true state of thy Case Then never think thou art left of God As to Some of you I may go further and desire you to look back upon your former Humiliations for sin when First you turned to God Though all have not the same sensible Degree of Humiliation yet hath not the Spirit of Grace convinced you of the Holiness and Equity of the Law of God And of your own wretched accursed Condition under the Guilt of sin Have you not been brought to tremble at the thoughts of his righteous Vengence So as to disrelish all the Pleasures of this World by reason of the sense of sin seeing no way out of this Perplexity but by the free and unconceivable Mercy of God in Christ and therefore Renouncing all things that might separate between Christ and thee ready to part with all thy Lusts and Pleasures and Profits and Honours Thou wert made willing to accept of his Mercy on his own Terms crying earnestly for pardoning and sanctifying Grace acknowledging thy Unworthiness of the least Favour owning the righteousness of God if he should condemn thee and yet upon the Invitation and Call of the Gospel looking up to his Mercy-seat with Hope Resolving there to anchor and take no Denial Now after all this and the Covenant Dedication of your selves to God in Christ that followed upon it and some Calmness and stability of Soul consequent thereto will you question all again Because Corruption is not quite mortified nor Sin quite destroyed Even that sense of remaining Sin that you make the matter of your Objection against your selves is an Argument for you and will conclude the Contrary to what you alledge it for IX THO You cannot say so much as to present sense of your Hatred of sin and Loathing of it as you desire yet examine your selves as to the Sins of Others and what sense you have of the Dishonour of God by them We may sometimes gather matter of Comfort this way concerning our own Sincerity and Love to God when we cannot so well have it nearer home As bad as thou art or thinkest thy self to be Art thou not tender of the Honour of God Art thou not concerned for his Interest and Glory Doth not thy soul tremble and thine Heart ake when the Being of God is denied or his Sacred Name blasphemed or the Glory of the Mediator Struck at and the Authority of his Gospel questioned by the Atheists and Saduces and Infidels of the Age Or the Progress of it obstracted Doth not thy Heart rise within thee if thou happen into wicked Company where the Word of God his Institutions his Ministers and Servants are vilified and reproached and bold Impieties vented and vile Impurities boasted of c. X. BUT I do not Grow I rather wax worse will some say As to that Consider that though there be Precepts Promises and Examples of growing in Grace that shew what is Gods usual way and the Proper Tendency of the Spiritual Life yet those Promises are not so Absolute without any Condition as that there is no true Believer who doth not alwaies grow in Grace For Experience shews that some decline and lose their first Fervour and need to be awakened to Repentance The Promises of Growth and Faithfulness are not absolute but depend on the Improvement of Grace received and the Performance of many Duties with great watchfulness and Diligence in our whole Christian Course And many Christians live not up to the Condition of the Accomplishment of such Promises as concern the Growth and thriving of Spiritual Life They decay and decline through their own Carlesness and Negligence Sensible Affections be sure and vigorous Encrease in that respect is not the true Measure whereby to Judge of growth in Grace For different Ages and Tempers and Circumstances of our condition in the world will make a great Difference in sensible Affections You may grow in Grace by a more Judicious Esteem and value of God and Holiness Love to Christ and his Grace and Glory so as it may be harder for the Devil to draw you off from God than before even when you think you do not grow you may be more stable and resolved though not so lively and affectionate And the decay of natural strength and vigor of parts by old age or sickness may make a Difference with some Your Humility your self denial and Patience may encrease when you think otherwise And he who grows more humble thrives in every other Grace whether he believe it and take notice of it or no. But if you are declin'd the Remedy must be to Awake and to use Gods appointed Means to make you grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ You cannot thereupon conclude that you have no Grace much less that you are left of God and given over Such as enquire not whether they grow or decay who have little or no Concern about their own Case as to these things have most reason to fear it of themselves whilst such as do really grow for a time may not discern it And sometimes others may observe it when they themselves disown it or perceive it not But if you are under some declension Remember the cause that it is from sloth and negligence in the use of God's appointed means for Encrease from the want of daily Mortification of sin and Watchfulness against it from countenacing some Lust so that its power is encreased suffering the Love of the World to steal upon you and conforming to it giving way to Formality and carelessness in divine Worship and the Duties of Religion and Apply the Remedy by Repentance Mortification and doing your first works Rev. 3.1,2 But make not hasty unjust Conclusions concerning your final state XI MOREOVER Consider there may be much more of Blame and Faultiness of Guilt and sin in your unbelieving Objections and Despondency than you are aware of Therefore while you complain of sin take heed you do not encrease and add to your sin by disobeying the command of God to Believe and Hope God hath made Hope a positive Duty and Gods Command were enough if there were nothing else in your Case Your Despair as if your Case were desperate and your Condition hopeless that God had finally given you over is a plain sin And will you justifie it He obliges you to hope he hath not bid the Devil or the damned to hope as he hath commanded you It is by hope we are saved and he takes Pleasure in them that hope in his Mercy