Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	brethren_n	know_v	love_v	5,050	5	7.2282	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15012	The poore mans advocate, or, A treatise of liberality to the needy. Delivered in sermons by William Whately minister of Banbury	Whately, William, 1583-1639.	1637 (1637)	STC 25316; ESTC S106612	35,012	202

God we have so long a seeds time our seeds time lasteth so long as life lasteth we have good ground so long as one poore man or woman liveth that feares God at least so long as we have the poore with us as we shall have alwaies so long we must be doing good unto them if our mercy must imitate Gods sure it must bee constant for so is his to us-ward indeed if wee give not constantly we give not out of a true habit of mercy for those acts that doe flow from habits will offer themselves upon every occasion and so you have the second rule for manner of giving 3. The last is wee must give in an upright and sincere manner that is to say not induced to it by sinister and corrupt motives and ends but by due and just motives and ends For the truth and sincerity of every action is taken from the inducement that leadeth unto it and the end at which the agent aimeth in it now the right and due motives to bounty must be love to God and man for Gods sake as Saint Paul telleth us that Charity is bountifull as also obedience to Gods commandements and faith in Gods promises these are the three most solid and powerfull motives to every good worke by which wee ought to bee swayed in the course of our lives and so to this good work in particular obedience faith love for so the Apostle tells you You know the grace fo our Lord Iesus Christ 2 Cor. 8.9 how that he being rich was made poore for us that we c. and saith Iohn 1 John 4.11 if God so loved us we ought also to love one another 1 John 3.16 and hereby perceive wee the love of God to us that he laid downe his life for us therefore wee ought to lay downe our lives much more to give a part of our goods for the brethren But there be certaine corrupt and evill motives and ends for those two termes note but the same thing in different respects which we should carefully remove from us The first is vaine-glory to be seene of men for then our Lord tells us we have received our reward this is hypocriticall pharisaicall guilefull a man serves sinne in it not God nor man though it may profit the receiver the givers soule shall be no whit advantaged by it these thoughts of gaining the praise and esteeme of men are to be thrust out of our mindes that they may not pollute our mercifull deeds Another end and motive there is worse then this and that is a conceit of satisfying for sin or deserving life eternall this is to make our deeds stand in steed of Christs obedience of his sufferings and righteousnesse this is to offer strange incense to God a thing deserving cutting off in the old law this is to over-value our deeds and under-value Gods Iustice and kingdome A suddaine oath or taunting terme or the like called veniall sinnes were not such offences to the divine Majesty if the giving of a groate or shilling to a poore man might propitiate for them heaven were an easie purchase and too cheape a penny-worth if a man might buy it by giving almes these fancies do so putrifie works of mercy that they become odious unto God because hee that doth them puts confidence in the flesh as Saint Paul cals it and therfore causeth his almes to be but a worke of the flesh which kinde of worke cannot please God J have done with rules of mercy I goe to the next point and will give you some meanes of helping you to be mercifull That a man may give Meanes to inable men to works of mercy he must have money to give and he must have an heart hee must have a will and he must have a gift too for hee that hath nothing cannot give though hee would hee that wants a heart cannot give because he will not both therefore are requisite and I will shew you what must be done for the getting of both and because the heart is the more needfull of the twaine as I suppose I will begin there hearken my beloved Brethren I will shew you how you must work your hearts to a mercifull liberality to that end you must doe these three things 1. You must seriously consider of those commandements promises and threats which are found in Gods Booke cooncerning this duty pressing them upon your selves get into thy closet search the Bible turne to the precepts to this duty and say is not mercy plainely often earnestly required and shall I dare to disobey so many evident and urgent precepts Why doe I come to Church if for fashion sake then I am an hypocrite if because God bids me doth not he that said heare the Word say give to the poore and if conscience binde me to the one doth it not binde me to the other say to thy selfe shall I dare to live in the manifest breach of so many cleere commandements as doe enjoyne giving to the poore I must not I will not I dare not if I doe I shall give the divell so great advantage in the day of conflict that I shall never bee able to escape grievous terrours for he that keepes all the commandements and breaks one will be found a transgressor of all and little will it availe me to have seemed religious if I be not mercifull so the like in regard of promises and threats urge them and presse them upon your selves till you have even compelled your unwilling will to resolve to interest your selves into so many promises and to shunne the danger of so many threats if we would thus hide the Word of God in our hearts it would worke J meane God by it would worke for it is his Ordinance even every grace in our hearts 2. But to meditation you must add prayer beseeching God to give you this so worthy a grace by which you shall be made so like unto himselfe that you may know your selves to be his children hereby saith our Saviour You shall bee knowne to bee my Disciples John 13.34 if ye love one another and hereby shall we be knowne to love if we pittie and releeve Hereby wee know wee are translated from death to life 1 Iohn 3.14 because we love the brethren and hereby we know that we love the brethren because our hearts and hands are open to them for love is bountifull O Lord say implant mercy in my heart O make me liberall of my money as thou wast of thy bloud O let me have an heart to give out of my purse to those for whom thou gavest thy selfe a ransome inlarge my heart with Christian charity and compassion that I may be ready to give willing to communicate Thou that tellest me thy selfe art pleased with such sacrifices O work in me that that is well pleasing in thy fight and let me be pleased to offer such sacrifices as thou art pleased to accept Thou gavest this grace