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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	sin_n	world_n	8,924	5	4.9560	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45679	The best match, or, The believer's marriage with Christ a sermon on the parable of the marriage of the king's son, Mat. 22. 1, 2, &c. : preached at Potters Pury in Northamptonshire, September the 29th, 1690 / by Michael Harrison ... ; to which is added four hymns ...	Harrison, Michael, Minister at Potters-Pury.	1691 (1691)	Wing H901; ESTC R14002	28,276	66

had not been accused there had been no need of an Advocate or Intercessor We were accused 1. By Satan Rev. 12.10 The Accuser of our Brethren is cast out he accused Job and Joshua the High Priest 2. We are accused by our own Consciences Heb. 2.14 3. The Word of God so far as we violate any of its Precepts accuseth us Joh. 5.45 46. Think not saith Christ I will accuse you to the Father there is one that accuseth you even Moses in whom ye trust i. e. The Scriptures that Moses writ 4. The wicked World they accuse the People of God cry out against them for their Holiness Strictness Heavenliness 1 Pet. 3.16 They speak evil of you as Evil-doers and falsly accuse your good Conversation in Christ Now Christian art thou sensible of these several Accusations O then a Christ to speak for thee will be exceeding welcome Well here he is tender'd to thee if thou hast felt the Cries and Accusations of Conscience against thee then the Tidings of an Advocate will be welcome 5. Jesus Christ is a King and Lord and as such he is offered to us Rev. 17.14 King of Kings but particularly he is King of his Church A King is to govern so Jesus Christ he gives Laws to his People and he will see that his Laws are executed Isa 33.22 The Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us And herein Christ has the Preheminence above all earthly Kings their Laws and Government reaches but to the outward Man but the Government of Jesus Christ is over Hearts he rules in the Souls of his People Psal 110.3 Thy People shall be a willing People in the day of thy Power Sirs are you willing to be Christ's Subjects to let him rule in your Hearts it is the sweetest Government in the World Mat. 11.28 29. Come unto me my Yoke is easy and my Burden is light But none will come to Christ in this respect but only they who are sensible of their own unruly Passions and Carnal Affections that they are in no-wise able to rule and govern themselves which was St. Paul's case Rom. 7.23 But I see another Law in my Members rebelling against the Law of my Mind and leading me into Captivity to the Law of Sin and Death And finding it thus with him he flies to Christ who by his Kingly Power was able to rule and subdue them ver 24 25. O wretched Man who shall deliver me from this Body of Sin and Death Ver. 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Chap. 8.2 The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death 6. Jesus Christ is a Priest and as such offered to us in the Gospel The High-Priest under the Law was a Type of Christ as likewise all those Offerings and Oblations were typical of Christ and his offering up himself to the Father Heb. 2.17 In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God that he might make Reconciliation for the Trangressors Now who amongst you are willing to have Jesus Christ as a Priest None but those who see their Sin and Misery for the Work of Christ as a Priest is to make Reconciliation O Sinner dost thou see Sin and that the Breach between God and thy Soul is so great that none but Christ can make God and thee Friends He must bear thy Sins Isa 53.5 6. 2 Cor. 5.21 He himself is both Altar Priest and Sacrifice if so then Christ will be welcome to thee 7. And lastly Jesus Christ is the Spiritual Husband and Bridegroom of his Church so he is held out in this Parable We are not only invited to the Marriage of the Son but we are invited to come and marry with the Son not as Bride-maids only to wait on the Son but to be the Spiritual Bride to come and marry with and lie in the Bosom of the Son Thus as the Churches Spiritual Husband the Lord Jesus Christ is often so spoken of as in the Parable of the ten Virgins Mat. 25.1 So Ezek. 16.8 Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of Love and I spread my Skirt over thee and covered thy Nakedness yea I swear unto thee and entered into a Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine So throughout the Book of Canticles Christ and Believers convene in this sweet Relation Christ owns the Church for his Spouse Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his these are the Churches words owning her Relation to Christ And Cant. 4.8 9 10 11. in these four Verses the Church is four times called Spouse tho the World disowns the Believer Jesus Christ owns him Here 's a sweet a heavenly Match Christ and the Believer are married And this is not a forced Match no Jesus Christ accepts of sincere Souls in this Relation with a glad Heart Cant. 3.11 Go forth O ye Daughters of Zion and behold King Solomon i. e. Christ of whom Solomon was a Type with the Crown wherewith his Mother i. e. the Church crowned him in the day of his Espousals to his Elect in a Holy Gracious Heavenly Union and in the day of the Gladness of his Heart Now my dear Friends here 's an offer for you an Heavenly Husband O be not so unkind and cruel to your selves as to deny Christ I am one of these Servants I have a Commission from Christ yea and from the Father also to assure you that if you are willing Christ is yours this is my business the Errand I come on to invite you to come to Christ Come all things are ready on Christ's part he has died made his Soul an Offering for Sin Will you not come will you be damn'd rather than part with your Sins O come Rev. 22.17 The Spirit saith Come and the Bride saith Come whoever will let him come But I shall speak further to this when I come to a Use of Exhortation Thirdly Wherein or by what means doth God offer Christ to lost Souls in the Gospel The Law requires perfect Obedience and curses every one that continueth not in all things Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them This is terrible News for where is the Person under Heaven that has continued in all things that hath fulfilled the Law and may expect Eternal Life upon Law-Terms Who ever kept one Commandment of God No we have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God So that by the works of the Law or by our Obedience to God's Law or keeping his Commandments shall no Flesh be justified in his sight Rom. 3.20 Therefore we are all by Nature under the Curse of the Law the Law speaks nothing to the Sinner but Wrath and Terrour it brings the Sinner to the Bar

before he will come to Christ People cry out against spiritual lively quick preaching but why O this drives People to Despair There 's two sorts of Despair 1. To despair of getting to Heaven in a state of Sin while a Man is unregenerate unsanctified and truly such a Despair as this we do preach I tell you from the Lord Jesus Christ that every one of you living and dying in a Christ-less State you will be as surely damned as if you were in Hell already Joh. 3.3 Except you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God 2. There 's another kind of Despair and that is when Men despair of ever obtaining Mercy tho they do repent and leave their Sins We do not preach any such Despair as this But on the contrary do all we can to draw and to encourage Men to come to Christ with an assurance of Pardon Isa 55.7 Let the Wicked forsake his Way and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts and turn to the Lord and he will have Mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 3. There 's the Instrumental Cause of this blessed Work upon the Soul and that is the Word of God Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God If you would be drawn to Christ wait upon a Gospel-Ministry 4. There is the Efficient of this Heavenly Work the blessed and holy Spirit of God Ephes 2.8 Faith is the Gift of God The holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Faith 2 Cor. 4.13 because the Spirit by the Word can draw a Soul to Christ Therefore wait on the Ministry but beg as the Church doth the Drawings of the Spirit Cant. 1.4 Draw me 5. Here is the Terminus à quo or what a Man flies from in the day when he thus comes to Jesus Christ 1. He flies from Sin Now the Wicked forsakes his Way and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts Isa 55.7 Now is the time when a Man hath right Apprehensions of the hellish destructive nature of Sin he sees Sin now to be worse than Plague Famine Sword or any Temporal Evils and therefore flies from it as Lot out of Sodom or the Jews out of Egypt he hastens now as for his Life to cleanse his Hand and his Heart from all Pollution both of Flesh and Spirit now Sin appears what it is in it self he flies from Heart-Sins secret Sins vain Thoughts as well as open Sins Psal 119.113 Psal 139.23 2. He flies from himself Whatever high Thoughts he might have of himself formerly he now sees himself one of the filthiest and loathsomest Creatures under Heaven and this especially in the Vileness of his Heart and Nature by reason of that Fountain of Original Sin and Corruption which is in him he now sees the Plague of his Heart 1 Kings 8.38 And hence he now loaths himself condemns and judges himself in the sight of God Rom. 7.28 O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of Death 6. Here is the Terminus ad quem that to which the poor awakened Sinner flies and that is to Jesus Christ Indeed Faith in general looks to the whole Word of God and believes whatever is revealed therein to be true upon the Divine Authority of the Word it self yielding hearty Obedience to every Command trembling at the Threatnings Isa 57.15 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miser ego homo infelix ego homo Montan. Aerumnosus ego homo Beza Ah me miserum quis me liberabit ab hac dira servitute It signifies one that is wearied with troublesome and continual Combats like as a Champion striving a long time is like a last to be overcome 't is the Voice of one breathing after Deliverance Calv. But the principal and especial Act of saving Faith is a receiving Christ and a resting upon him alone for Justification Sanctification and Eternal Life And altho this special Act of Faith as leaning resting hanging upon and trusting in Christ crucified be so much exploded in this corrupt Age by Men of corrupt Minds yet it is and ever will be a sweet and heavenly Truth prized by the Church of Christ more than all the World besides and clearly proved from the holy Word of God Joh. 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God Cant. 8.5 Who is this that cometh up from the Wilderness leaning upon her Beloved So Ephes 1.13 In whom also ye trusted after that ye believed This leaning trusting resting upon Christ is the proper Act of justifying Faith and it hath three degrees Adherence Recompence Assurance 1. Adherence which singles out Christ and holds him and as it were by the hand of Faith takes him by the hand for the Stay and Support of the Soul The poor Sinner seeing his own Nothingness he flies to Christ hangs on him cleaves to him looks to him in every Strait when he has no-whither else to look nor none else to trust to 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to do but our Eyes are unto thee 2. Recombence which is an acquiescence on Christ the Soul resolves to rest upon Christ let the Issue be what it will as Job Chap. 13.15 Tho he slay me yet will I trust in him Or as Hester Ch. 4.16 I will go in unto the King and if I perish I perish So saith the Believer I will hang upon Christ's Skirts believe in him follow after him if I perish I perish tho he frown upon me I will not leave him tho he kill me yet will I trust in him Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord wait patiently for him and he will bring it to pass 3d. Degree of Faith is the Faith of Assurance this is rare and but few Christians have it When the Spirit of God so shines in upon his own Work in the Soul as to inable a Christian to speak triumphingly with the Church Cant. 2.16 My Beloved is mine and I am his Or with the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that when this Earthly House is dissolved we have an House in Heaven Now poor complaining Soul thou hast not this Faith of Assurance yet if thou hast the Faith of Adherence and Recombence thy case is good Assurance is not essential to justifying Faith APPLICATION Is this so that God thus freely offers Jesus Christ to all that are willing to come to him then we shall make a fivefold Use of this Truth A Use of 1. Information 2. Examination 3. Exhortation 4. Direction 5. Consolation I. Vse shall be of Information in six things 1. If this be so then this informs us of the desperate Madness and Folly of the greatest part of Men in the World who wilfully reject Jesus Christ thus freely offered in the Gospel Should you see a poor Maid begging her Bread from Door to Door cloathed in nasty Rags and ready to perish with Hunger and Cold and a great Prince should offer his Son in Marriage to

and there pronounceth Sentence of Condemnation against him and there leaves him in the Hands of Justice to expect the Execution of that fearful Sentence Go ye cursed Matth. 25.41 The Law gives no ground of hope to a poor Sinner to expect Salvation But now the Gospel that brings the glad-tidings of a Saviour Luk. 2.10 Behold I bring you good tidings of great Joy which shall be unto all People For to you is born a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. As if the Angel had said Come you that are under the Curse and fiery Sentence of the Law do not despair the great God hath in infinite Mercy contrived a way to save you from your Sins and Fears there 's a Saviour born for you who is able and willing to save to the utmost all those that come unto God by him This blessed News of a Saviour was reserved for Gospel-Times in a great measure 2 Tim. 1.10 Life and Immortality is brought to light by the Gospel And therefore this is the very business of a Gospel-Ministry to preach Christ to Men and to invite Persons to come to Christ 2 Cor. 5.20 We are Ambassadors for Christ we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God And that great Apostle Paul who had well considered what he was to preach sums up the whole of his Ministerial Office in a little compass 1 Cor. 2.2 I resolved to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified i. e. I had no purpose to teach any other Doctrine than the most necessary and only saying Doctrine the way of Salvation by a crucified Christ For indeed this is the only saving Knowledg as in that Saying † Si Christum discis satis est si caetera nescis Si Christum nescis nihil est si caetera discis If thou knowest Jesus Christ well 't is enough tho thou art ignorant of all other things but if a Man know not Jesus Christ all other knowledg will do him no good Accursed then be that Platonical way of Preaching that cries up Vertues and puts People upon legal Performances but hides from People the Pearl Jesus Christ O bless God for the Gospel and for a Gospel-Ministry and hear those Ministers that preach Jesus Christ Were it not for the Gospel and a Gospel-Ministry wherein would England differ from America Q. To whom doth God freely offer Christ in the Gospel A. 1. Jesus Christ is not offered to faln Angels they are in a fearful State inevitably sentenc'd to Perdition God could have recovered them if he had pleased Jesus Christ might have been their Saviour and not ours They are a nobler Order of Creatures than we but it seemed good to the Wisdom of God to pass them by when they turned their backs on God he let them go Heb. 2.16 For verily he took not on him the Nature of Angels or he took not hold of Angels but the Seed of Abraham 2. The Jews who had the first offers of the Gospel but refused are by the alwise God for the present passed by he has withdrawn his Offers from them and left them at present to sit in Darkness and in the Regions of the shadow of Death There is indeed a time when the blindness shall be plucked from off their Hearts and they turned to the Lord they shall be converted Rom. 11. tot Zac. 12.10 O let us beg that God would hasten it 3. There 's abundance of the Gentile World yet sit in darkness and in the Regions of the shadow of Death that never yet had the Gospel preached to them O what vast Countries are there in the East and West Indies that never heard of a Saviour that never had any Books to read but the Creatures Sun Moon and Stars these we should pity and pray for their Conversion 'T is a dreadful case not to have the Gospel Lord send out thy Light and Truth Psal 43.3 There is a day when the fullness of the Gentiles shall come in as may be seen by well considering these Scriptures Isa 49.6 Isa 61. throughout This will be then a golden time when Jews and Gentiles shall be converted and the Earth filled with the Knowledg of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea O beg and pray for such a time that Jesus Christ may be glorified upon Earth as he is in Heaven 4. There are abundance even in the Christian Church that are baptized and called Christians and make some kind of a profession of Religion that have so often and so long resisted the saving Offers of Christ in the Gospel and trampled on that sweet and blessed Blood of Jesus that Jesus Christ has done with them He has sworn in his Wrath that they shall never enter into his rest Heb. 3.11 O it 's dreadful for a Person to outstand his Day of Grace Be afraid Sinner lest it should be thy case if Jesus Christ should say I have done with that Swearer I 've done with this Drunkard with that Worldly Proud scoffing carnal Wretch I 've oft invited him warned him but to no purpose I have done with him he shall never be call'd more for me These indeed have Christ offered in the Word but the Spirit is gone God saith of these as once he did of Ephraim Ephraim is joined to Idols let him alone this is a dreadful case Of such as these the Apostle speaks Heb. 6.4 5 6. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come If they fall away to renew them again unto Repentance seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame This is a hard Scripture and doth much stumble some weak but upright Christians therefore I 'le anatomize it to you * Locus perobscurus difficilis unus haud dubiè ex illis de quibus Petrus dixit quaedam esse in Epistolis Paulinis quae homines indocti instabiles Pervertant suo ipsorum exitio 1. Some as Novatus and his Followers from this Scripture broached his pernicious Opinion That those that sinned after Baptism could not be renewed to Repentance But this Opinion is long ago out of doors 2. Others would hence infer the falling away from Grace taking these Expressions to be once enlightned to taste the heavenly Gift to taste the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come to intimate a sound Work of Conversion and Regeneration but that cannot be the sense because true Grace and the Seed of Regeneration can never be lost neither can a Person in Christ finally fall away from Christ as appears from that one Text which I shall now only name among many others to that purpose 1 Pet. 1.23 Being born again not of corruptible Seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth and abideth