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	soul_n	spirit_n	17,497	5	5.6554	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53272	The first, last, or, The formal hypocrite further from salvation (as to the way of God's ordinary working) than the prophane sinner being the substance of several sermons preached in course at a lecture in the countrey / by J.O. ...	Oldfield, John, 1627?-1682.	1666 (1666)	Wing O219A; ESTC R17591	60,026	155

sensible of his growth nor a fit Judg of it That of the Orator concerning growth in knowledg may be fitly appli'd hither As we see the shadow of a Dial to have gone but see it not go and the Herb or Grass to have grown but do not see it grow so the encrease of knowledg and the same may be said of Grace because it consists of very small additions is seen only at some distance Yet with these limitations I may affirm That every true Christian is in a constant thriving posture 1. That he grows downward like Trees in Winter when he seems to decay upward he grows more humble when he seems to be less holy and this is real growth God in wisdom suspends his influences as to the growth of other Graces that there may be a proportionable growth in that Christians like the Athenian Students the more they grow in Grace the more out of conceit with themselves As they at their first coming thither arrogated the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wise men then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lovers of wisdom Afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Speakers of wisdom At last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ideots So it is with Christians 2. That he grows more into hatred of sin when he seems to decay in strength against it when he feels corruption prevail lusts predominant he cryes out with the Apostle Rom. 7.15 What I hate that do I. And v. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death He more loaths sin and himself that he cannot conquer it he abhors the very thoughts of it and grows more impatient of its yoke 3. That he grows in depth of Judgment when he declines in height of Affection possibly when young he had more leaves and blossoms stronger affections and more serverous motions but now is more sober and solid At first he was sick of love now more rooted in love But now it is otherwise with the Formalist he experiences no such growth but the contrary he goes backward and not forward Jer. 7.24 grows more proud and self-confident sin grows less burdensome or more delightful to him as he hath less strength so he hath less heart then formerly to resist sin or perform duty Conscience is in a consumption and he that would have strain'd at a Gnat can after some time swallow a Camel he loses his seeming love to and savour of Religion Observe then if it be thus with thee for by these thou mayest discover thy Formality 2. But it is not enough to get a convincing sight of this sin i e. that thou art a Formalist except thou hast also an humbling sense of it there 's a great distance betwixt the eye and heart a man may clearly see that he is a sinner yet be little affected with it the Drunkard Swearer c. cannot but see their sin yet are far from feeling it It must be therefore our endeavour in order to the cure of this sin to get the heart affected as well as the Judgment convinced Sin must be our burden else we shall never look out for ease To this end therefore it must be thy endeavour to view this sin in its aggravations to consider and dwell upon the consideration of its hainousness till thy heart be pressed with the weight of it To help thee a little in this take a few things of many 1. It is a sin that turns the greatest reality in the world into a meer shew and shadow Religion is the greatest reality all we do in the World besides the work of Religion is but a meer dream Regeneration Communion with God the Spiritual combat the Life of Faith Mortification of sin c. these are realities indeed Now Formality turns all these into a naked empty Profession a vain Theatrical shew as the Poetical Fiction of the Eccho metamorphosd from a real Virgin to a meer Sound as the Papists have turn'd the true Fast into a m●ck-fast Repentance and afflicting the soul into lashings of the Body and Pilgrimages the Sacrament of the Supper into a dumb shew and the whole Worship of God into a ceremonious Enterlude So the Formalist turns Prayer Hearing Sacraments c. into shadows and is this a small sin think you Dwell upon this consideration how soon would Religion vanish into nothing if there were not a few serious spirits to uphold it in the power of it This eats out the kernel the heart the life of Religion It was no less serious then witty a division which one gave of that Text 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godliness Here said he you have 1. The Body of Religion viz. Form 2. The Soul of Religion viz. Power 3. The death of Religion and that is the separation of the Soul from the Body Power from Form This is the effect of thy sin it murders Religion 2. It is a mocking God to his very face it 's a lying to God and will God endure it What are your formal Petitions Confessions Thanksgivings c. but meer mockeries Thou com'st to hear but it is as they in Jer. 42.5 6 9. who when they received a Message contrary to their designs tell the Prophet to his face that he lies or as Isa 58.2 who were but as a people that did righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God Or as they are described in Ezek. 33.31 32. The Prophet's Preaching was to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice They heard his words but did them not And what greater abuse can be put upon God then for men to come and pretend a desire to know his Will yet to take no care of performing it As to your prayers I may invert that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14. 14. Your understanding prayeth but the spirit is unfruitful Your approaches to the Lords Table are no better than a Judas's kiss nor can God take any more pleasure in your approaches then he did in the like service of the Jews Isa 1 12-15 66.3 You do but complement with God and that is no better then meer mockery O think how wretched a thing it is how highly displeasing your duties all of them while you continue in Formality are so many jeers and abuses put upon God 3. By this sin you put a cheat and fallacy upon your own souls you mock God but deceive your selves Gal. 6.3 If a man think himself to be something when he is nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he deceives himself seduces his own soul Jam. 1.22 Bare hearers do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 play the sophisters put tricks and fallacies upon themselves So v. 26. He that bridleth not his tongue and such ordinarily is the Formalist bitter railing censorious but deceiving his own heart his Religion is vain And what greater madness than for a man to cheat himself Lay this home and aggravate your condition by it Wretch that I am I think to deceive

scorch and wither it and this is the case of this ground they have some heat of joy and raptures which like the flattering rays of the Aprill Sun draw forth some early blossoms but when some cold chilling frosts or scorching heats come in the following Month they are either nipt by the one or scorched and shrunk up by the other Praemature fruits never come to maturity The Child that thrusts its self forth into the world before its time seldom proves long-liv'd Such are Formalists they hastily catch at Christ before they are humbled for sin or melted by godly sorrow and therefore do as quickly forsake him The like may be gathered from that other Parable of the wise and foolish builders Luke 6.47 48. The wise Builder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 digged deep and laid his foundation on a rock the foolish built without a foundation on the Earth surely Humiliation and thorow conviction is at least in part the import of that digging deep and for want of this digging the building doth molâ suà ruere fall by its own weight for want of these dews and moistures the root is dried up from beneath and above the bud is cut off Job 18.16 As the natural so the spiritural birth is attended with pangs Now the Formalist is one that never felt these or not to purpose never so as to bring him off his own righteousness or to subdue his will to an acceptance of Christ upon Gospel terms But here I desire to be rightly understood I prescribe not such a measure of humiliation as necessary nor to all the like measure there is great difference as to the manner measure and continuance of it all are not thrown upon the ground and deprived of their sight as Paul was all walk not in the Region of the shadow of death nor go bowed down 18 years with a spirit of Infirmity To some God comes in a fire thunder and whirlwind to others in a still voice as God teacheth us to put a difference Jude 22,23 so himself doth doth on some he hath compassion others he saves with fear pulling them out of the fire the convictions and humiliation of some are more sensible terrible like the breaking of stones with a hammer they are brought by the gates of Hell to Heaven of others more sweet kindly and insensible like the melting of wax before the fire and Ice or Snow before the Sun The Souls of some are taken by storm others by a long and tedious siege and battery some are surprized as it were by stratagem and some surrendred upon Parley yea some are so wrought upon that the first sensible work they experience is Grace drawing them to a voluntary resignment of their souls to God All these worketh our gracious God according to his own Will and Pleasure nor can any certain stated Rules be laid down about the various workings of God with poor souls Nevertheless these two things I conceive may be safely asserted 1. That before a soul is brought or upon a souls coming over to Christ he hath such a convincing sight of sin and of his own sin original and actual with such a measure of compunction contrition be it less or more as doth make him both see an absolute necessity of Christ and willingly close with him upon Gospel conditions I speak here of God's working upon the adult 'T is not meerly the love of Christ or his excellency appehended that attracts the soul to him but withal he sees he stands in need of him and is undone without him I would fain know of any of those pretended Patrons and Assertors of free-Grace how a soul can have any apprehensions of the love of Christ to purpose without some praevious apprehensions and convictions of its own sinfulness and misery Is it not the very Emphasis of the love of Christ that while we were yet sinners he died for us Rom. 5.8 That when we were lost he came to seek and save us take away this sense of sin and misery and you take away the very accent of Christ's love Is not this the language of a Soul under the most kindly workings O infinite Love that such a vile sinful lost wretch as I am should be sought for inquired after much like the language of Mephibosheth to David 2 Sam. 9.8 What is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am And Ch. 19.28 All my fathers house were but dead men before my Lord the King yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thy table Here 's deep and deep depth of Misery and depth of Mercy these jointly apprehended melt the heart of a poor sinner and make it as water or rather as wax fit for any Divine impression so that there is in the soul under most ingenuous and kindly workings sense of sin and sorrow for it though swallowed up in the joyful sense of God's love in Christ Jesus 2. And after a soul is come to Christ the frame of the heart is such that it 's ready to grieve and melt upon the sight and conviction of a sin now committed or the remembrance of a sin formerly acted Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.26 We find Peter in the same temper and David often the stone being taken out of the heart there is an habitual tenderness ready to exert it self in kindly meltings upon sight of any unkindnesses and disingenuous actings towards God Christ or the Spirit Now to both these the Formalist is a stranger his will was never subdued his heart never molified so far as to go out of himself Bring this note home and try your state by it I beseech you 4 He is a Formalist who though he is constant in the matter yet is little or not at all conscientious in the manner of duty That it be done he is very careful but how he regards not The Formal Jews were so constant at their sacrifices that there God will not blame them Psal 50.8 The sincere Christian is no less troubled for his carelesness customariness wandrings and distractions in then for his omissions of duty he accounts that as not done which is not done with some suitableness of affection and exercise of grace he thinks he hath but mockt God and taken his Name in vain But this troubles not the Formalist he is a good Church-man as they call him constant at his Family-duties c. and never matters how cursorily and slubbringly they are performed his care is to get it done the sincere Christians to get it well done thinking himself never the better for that Duty that makes him not better never the nearer for that which brings him not further out of himself and nearer God Try then Canst thou never remember the time when thy heart smote thee for thy negligence in as well as neglect of Duty Dost thou go on merrily and confidently in a cold dull heartless course of