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
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A28372 Two useful cases resolved I. Whether a certainty of being in a state of salvation be attainable? II. What is the rule by which this certainty is to be attained? Blechynden, Richard, 1647 or 8-1697. 1685 (1685) Wing B3183; ESTC R15390 19,631 35

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

are in a state of Salvation St. John who wrote against the Gnosticks vain pretences to Knowledge and spiritual illuminations could not fall into the same fault himself by pretending to a knowledge that was not plain and obvious And it is he that has told us in his first Epistle ch 3. v. 10. that the Children of the Devil are manifest Now who calls that manifest which no man has a certainty of or who can think that the wicked man should have a certain knowledge of his deplorable condition and that the good and just man has not the comfort of knowing that he is in a safe one The same Apostle tells us in the same verse that the Children of God are manifest as well as the Children of the Devil And in v. 14. of the same ch speaking of the faithful in general he says We know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren That is v. 16. with such a love as will make us lay down our lives for them And v. 24. Hereby know we that God abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us That is by the fruits of the Spirit that appear in our lives Again By this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments and he that keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected Now what reason is there for any man to doubt of his own Salvation who knows that he is translated from death to life who knows that he is the Son of God who knows that the love of God is perfected in him None certainly for the same Apostle has told us If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God Now the pretending uncertainty after such clearness of evidence would better become the Pagan Sceptick than the truly humble and modest Christian In the next place let us see what St. Paul says to this point In the 5th ch of the 2d Epist to the Cor. 1 v. he speaks of himself thus For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Again in the 2d Epist to Timothy and the 4th ch how unconceivable was his joy which broke out into these words I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid us for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me in that day c. Could these words be uttered by a man that had the least doubt whether his life was agreeable to the will of God or that he should not receive that eternal weight of Glory the reward of an holy life If after this evidence from the New Testament we look backwards into the Old we shall find good King Hezekiah so well satisfied in his own integrity and sincerity that when he was a dying and then we know that doubts and scruples are most apt to arise he durst call upon God to take a view of his past life Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Likewise we may observe David in the 17 and 18 Psalms ●●ll of assurance and considence as to his own Righteousness and future reward of it As for me I shall behold thy face in Righteousness I shall be satisfied when I a●ake with thy likeness I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from God Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness according to the cleanness of my hands in his eye-sight I will not tire you with the examples of Job Nehemiah and wher holy men that have expressed the like confidence 〈◊〉 their own Holiness and Sincerity Nor is this assurance and confidence the peculiar priviledge of these extraordinary persons For besides what you have already read out of St. John concerning all true Christians in general and besides that the forementioned holy men grounded their assurance on the sense they had of their own Integrity an Sincerity 't is plain from Scripture that all persons may nay ought to arrive to this certainty For are we not told Gal. 5. That the fruits of the Spirit which all true Christians have and are guided by are Peace and Joy And St. Peter in the 1. ch of his 1. Epist tells the faithful he write sto In whom that is in Christ though you see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable Now what Joy what Peace can there be to those who heartily believe a future life when they the least doubt that Christ when they shall appear before him shall prove an enraged Judge instead of a merciful Saviour What person can conceive an unspeakable joy at the consideration of him whom he knows not but the next minute he may pronounce the sentence on him of Go you cursed into everlasting Fire Besides we are bid to give thanks to him and praise him as well as to rejoyce in him But how can any man perform these duties from his heart who is in an uncertainty as to his future Estate For certainly those Mercies cannot be the Object of our unfeigned Praises and Thanksgivings if we have reason to fear they do not appertain to us But were there not one Precept or Example in the whole Bible to prove this point methinks the natural use of Conscience might be sufficient to clear it unless we dare say that God has given us Consciences only to ●ash and torment us for peace and comfort they could ●ot give any reasonable and considering man while ●here remains any doubt that he shall perish everlastingly and so the best of men would be Furies to themselves while living whatever becomes of them when dead I know there are many ready to ask whether the most consident man in this persuasion would be willing on his death-bed to declare his assurance of his Salvation and with such words in his mouth to breathe his last But in answer to this besides that what a man would choose to do is one thing and what certainly a good man may attain to is another Besides this I say he would tell you that as he had lived in the practice of all Christian Virtues so he would willingly die in the practice of the greatest the pardoning others and begging Gods pardon for himself He would tell you that Humility as it was the constant duty of a Christian so it more especially became him when a stepping into the presence of God that he would therefore willingly depart with his eyes and heart towards Heaven humbly imploring the Divine Mercy And that among other reasons he was therefore certain that he should obtain it because he asked in Faith because he in no ways doubted but that he was a proper Object of it As for the Objections that may