Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A20803
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The churches securitie, togither with the antidote or preseruative of euer waking faith A treatise conteyning many fruitefull instructions, moralities and consolations fit for the time and age wherein wee liue. Herevnto is annexed a sound and profitable treatise of the generall signes and fore-runners of the last iudgement. By Thomas Drax.
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Draxe, Thomas, d. 1618.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 7183; ESTC S109885
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58,282
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79
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foode it is time before we famish to receiue it and to recouer our appetite If with the Church of Ephesus we haue lost our first loue we must repent and consider from whence wee are fallen and doe the first workes if with the Church of Sardis wee haue a name that wee liue and yet are dead wee must awaken and strengthen the things that remaine that are readie to die If with the Church of Laodicaea wee by reason of ease and prosperitie grow luke-warme and are neither cold nor hote we must bee zealous and amend Lastly if our sinnes haue wounded vs and left vs halfe dead as the theeues and robbers did the man that fell into their hands betweene Iericho aâ—d Ierusalem wee must in the Inne of the Church entreate and procure the good Samaritane Christ Iesus to powre wine and oile into our wounds and to take charge of vs and heale vs so shall wee bee in staetu quo prius yea and our latter end wil be more glorious and comfortable then our beginning And thus much of this point viz. that sauing grace in the elect neuer faileth THE FOVRTH SECTION BVt mine c. Here the Church findeth and feeleth grace in her heart by faith layeth hold on Christ so that notwithstanding that her temptation had in part preuailed yet shee before the extremitie and bitternesse of it came professeth and assureth herselfe and others that her faith was vntainted and her heart sound with GOD. Her walls and outward buildings were somewhat crazed and battered but the strong Castle of her faith in Christ vntouched From this her confession wee learne to our comfort that the elect and Saints of GOD of whome alone his Catholike Church doth consist are except onelie in the greene blade and insancie of the Church or in the night and tempest of some great temptation perswaded and assured in their owne consciences by Gods spirit that they are in the state of grace and saluation and shall neuer fall away from it Now that we may be assured that wee haue faith in our hearts and so are in fauour with GOD wee haue most plaine and pregnant places of holy scriptures to prooue it God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts whereby wee cry Abba father wee haue receiued the spirit of Adoption whereby wee cry abba father the same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the children of GOD. But this witnesse is not coniecturall but most certaine for the spirit can neuer bee deceiued therefore vndoubtedlie they knewe that they were Sonnes Thirdly by the spirit wee haue boldness and enterance with confidence by faith in him for the spirit expelleth all feare that is all doubtfulnesse and mistrust Prooue your selues whether that you are in the faith examine your selues know yee not your owne selues howe that IESVS CHRIST is in you except you be reprobates Now CHRIST was in them by grace and iustifying faith and not by his power and miracles only as Bellarmine would haue it for by this faith men liue in Christ yea liue for euer But you knowe the spirit for hee dwelleth with you and shall bee in you therefore if wee know the spirit to bee in vs wee must needs know our faith and iustification that proceedeth thence Yee haue an ointment from him that is holy and knowes all things Here the Apostle alludeth vnto the old figures of the law and the ointments where-with the Priests were annointed and specially the high Priest a figure of Christ who is stiled by the name of messias or anointed Now the anointing of Priests and Kings in the old testament was a representation of the gifts of the holy Ghost and this is the cause why the holy Ghost is here and else where named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ointment and the sense is that the true beleeuers hauing the holy Ghost know all things necessary to saluation and by his power preseuer in faith ergo they also know that they are in Gods grace and fauour And againe we know that wee are translated from death to life because wee louâ—e the brethren Hereby we know that we dwell in him and hee in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirit He that beleeueth in the sonne of God hath the witnes of God in himselfe Now this is not a doubting or coniecturall knowledge but an holy perswasion wrought in Pauls and so in all our hearts by the holy Ghost I know my redeemer liueth saith Iob and that I shall see God in my flesh and mine ies shall be hold him and none other for me Lastly to be breife I wil conclude with that of Paul I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principaliites nor powers nor things present or things to come nor beegth nor depth nor any other creature shal be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iâ—sus our Lord. But least any man should obiect that this perswasion was proper onely to Saint Paule and that hee had it by some speciall reuelation for the answere hereof Aâ—s Wee must note that the ground of his 〈◊〉 viz the loue of God in Christ Iâ—sus is common to all the faithfull for it is shed in all their hearts And Paul in another place maketh the assurance of saluation common to him with all the faithfull saying there is laid vp for mee a Crowne of righteousnesse and not to mee onely but vnto all them also which loue his appearing albeit some haue it in greater measure then others And that this doctrine may bee the more easily conceiued of vs I will explaine and make it lightsome by some familier comparisons and similitudes Can a man carry fire in his hand and not feele it and can a man containe the holy flame of Gods grace in his heart and not discerne it Can a woman be wedded to an husband and not know it And can wee be conioyned to Christ yea and ingrafted into him and not perceiue it Can a man buy and possesse a precious pearle and a rich treasure and yet bee ignorant of it and can the Church by faith buy and apprehend Christ and not be aware of it Can a man doubt of the garments where with he is cloathed and can the Church cloathed with the sonne of righteousnesse neuer see nor obserue it Can the elect the friends of God know all things needfull for their saluation by reuelation from him and shall they erre and be ignorant in the knowledge and certaintie of their owne iustification and saluation Can the sense bee deceiued about his proper obiect And can all spirituall senses faile and beguile vs Can hee dwell in vs and we not see him Can hee dwell in vs and wee neuer feele him Can he speake peace to our soules and cause our hearts to burne within vs and we not
sway domineere and raigne in the bodie or soule Now that is a raigning sinne that is committed with a full and resolued consent of will and wherein a man continueth without griefe for it without feare of God or his iudgement without resistance against it and without amendment of life It is when men make a trade and occupation of sinne and like Ahab sell themselues to commit sinne and it is like to a wilde horseman and vnruly Rider that spurreth his horse so egarly vntell they both be ouerthrowne and bee as he said caried man and horse and all to the diuell Euery sinne of this kinde is a deadly wound to the soule an earnest penny to sathan yea and his foode and diet an vnresistable and violent tempest to the conscience a strange God an Idoll and a certaine herbinger and forerunner of eternall distruction and it is in euery man by nature vntill hee bee renued and regenerate From this and the like sinnes the regenerate are freede not by nature but grace not by their owne desertes but by Gods meere mercie and goodnesse and it is apeculier prerogatiue of a sanctified and iustified man to haue no sinne raigning and tirannizing in him The Godly haue the seede of the spirit remayning in them and therefore they can commit no such sinne They keepe themselues as instruments of grace that the wicked one toucheth him not viz to commit any raigning sinne Sinne shall not no nor can haue dominion ouer them for they are not vnder the law but vnder grace Against these there is no law to condemne them for in them the spirit alwaies fighteth against the flesh and they haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof and therefore albeit they sinne of ignorance and infirmitie onely yea sometimes of presumption yet they shall neuer bee condemned for them for it is not they that do it but that dwelleth in them and they are not slaues and seruants vnto sin as the wicked are who liâ—e and die in them but seruants of obedience vnto righteousnesse whom the Sonne hath made free Let herevnto be added that the regenerate with Dauid pray vnto God that he would keepe them from presumptuous sins that they raigne not ouer them and they desire the Lord to direct their footesteps by his word that so no iniquity haue dominion ouer them and this their praier beeing framed according to Gods will and onelie for spirituall and necessary graces God alwaies heareth Vse 1. Seeing that raigning sinnes are so dangerous and pestilent yea and as contrary to true regeneration as fire to water darkenesse to light and death to life wee must beware of it and giue no consent and allowance vnto it least sinne like the seruants and messenger of â—enadab King of Syria take diligent heede if they can catch any thing of vs and so worke vpon vs to our perpetuall ruine as they did vpon Ahab Therefore it is wisdome and good for vs not to presume to come to neere the bankes of sinne least wee sinke and bee drowned if wee would not haue the fire of sinne to consume vs Wee must take heede of and labour betimes to quench the very sparkes of it wee must dash our sinnes like the Babilonish young children against the stones kill the young Lions and wee must make a conscience euen of small and lesser sinnes if wee would bee free from greate and raigning sinnes These many times are more dangerous then greater and more grosse sinnes for great and grosse sinnes men will often leaue for feare of discredit shame and penaltie but smaller sinnes are not acknowledged and are counted no sinnes and so at length preuaile and get head that they that make no conscience of them wil be drawne in time to commit more horrible sinnes euen as hee that maketh no conscience of filching and purloyning may easily vpon occasion and entisement bee drawne to robbe by the high way-side and to offer violence to innocent men Let vs therfore giue no assent to sin least assent bring delight delight custome custome necessity necessity senslesnes senslesnes death damnation Shall we so carefully shun decline al things yâ— bring hurt sicknes infection danger to the body and shall not wee much more heedfully beware and take heede of the tyranny and dominion of sinne that in time bringeth both body and soule to eternall destruction Lastly let vs betimes procure the Amulete or preseruatiue of grace to keepe the poyson of it farre from the heart our hold or castle or to speake more plainly let vs hide and lay vp Gods word in our heart that we sinne not against God It serueth also to condemne and reprooue those that because they are in their owne opinion onely righteous and in the conceit and estimation of men whom they may easily by their sophistry and hypocriticall holinesse deceiue but not so inwardly of conscience before God thinke themselues free though they with the Scribes and Pharasies be fast bound with the chaine of some peculiar and beloued sinne If they with Iudas preach do miracles haue an office and dissemble their impieties albeit couetousnesse raigne in their heart all is well with them they thinke it sufficient with Herod to heare Iohn Baptist for a time gladly yea to reuerence him and to reforme many smaller sinnes and yet few goe so farre albeit they liue with him and remaine in perpetuall adultery or the like sinnes they content themselues to delight in Iohâ— his doctrine and Ministery for a time but they soone fall away from it and him And lastly they thinke themselues happy and perfect men if with the Scribes and Pharasies they pray they fast they doe almes they pay their tithes they weare long robes and enlarge the fringes of their garments for vanitie vaine glory yea and merits sake and yet inwardly they be hypocrites rotten bones and full of extortion crueltie persecution couetousnesse excesse deceit and errour But of these we may say iustly as Christ did of his time except your righteousnesse exceâ—d the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharasies yee shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen and as Christ said another time O Serpents O geneâ—ation of vipers how should yee escape the damnation of hell Wherefore let vs labour rather to be inwardly holy then outwardly and to approone our waies and consciences to God rather then to men and by no one sinne to suffer sathaâ— to haue enterance and accesse vnto our hearts for if hee once get hold and possession and specially re-entry after hee hath beene by grace and the knowledge of the Lord Iesus repelled hee will either very hardly or els neuer bee remooued but taketh seauen other spirits worse then himselfe and they enter in and dwell there and the end of that man is worse then the beginâ—ing And thus much of raigning sinne with the vses thereof THe