Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bring_v	dead_a	sin_n	4,130	5	4.9460	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67886	The perfection, authority, and credibility of the Holy Scriptures. Discoursed in a sermon before the University of Cambridge, at the commencement, July 4. 1658. / By Nathanael Ingelo D.D. and Fellow of Eton Coll.	Ingelo, Nathaniel, 1621?-1683.	1658 (1658)	Wing I185; ESTC R202593	49,263	216

that divine accomplishment they preacht and Christ whom they preacht was believed on in the world So that it is great reason we should believe their writings for they are the word of God If any ask How does that appear I answer By three divine Seales annexed to them and a peculiar signature or mark of divine authority which I do not find in any other book 1. The spirit of Prophesie which foretold such things as are beyond the skill of nature and art to foresee 2. The power of miracles which performed such things as are above the power of nature and art to doe 3. The resurrection of the great Preacher of the Gospel Christ Iesus after he had been dead aad buried three dayes 1. The spirit of Prophesie which foretold such things as are beyond the skill of nature and art to foresee I call the first Seale All the world hath acknowledged divinity in such praescience The Latines made known their sense of it to be such in the name by which they called it that is Divinatio and they and the Greeks both confirmed this opinion by offering sacrifice when they consulted their Oracles concerning things to come Men can fore-see what is visible in the causes and curious eyes will discern that which is hid from common sight but to foretell future contingents as we call them is a thing not to be done but by extraordinary communion with God Isaiah by this divine prerogative put the heathen Idols to a Non-plus Declare things to come that we may know you are Gods Nebuchadnezzars Magi would have been as much to seek for the true interpretation if he had told them his prophetical dream as they were for the dream it self when he had lost it which a pen-man of the holy Scripture found out and interpreted and they confessed the Truth that it was onely by the power of the immortall God Of this testimony the Scripture hath abundance of instances and though they be not so common in the New Testament there is good reason for that because then was the time of accomplishing predictions and therefore it sayes This is the acceptable time behold the Lamb of God c. To foresee now was to overlook yet this spirit also appears manifestly in the Gospel both in Christ and his Apostles Who hath not read the twenty fourth of Matthew where the whole progress of the Gospel is foretold to wit that it should be preacht to all nations by the Apostles that they should be questioned before Rulers and Judges about it that Jerusalem should be destroyed for disobedience to it and since the prophesies which concerned Christ the Messiah were concredited to the Jewes Christ did let them see the Justice of their destruction because they knew not the day of their visitation though all the marks of prophesie concerning it were visible Christ himself often holding them before their eys A deplorable sign of a ruinous state a fatall blindnesse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Miserable wretches how can they escape destruction they neither see what is good for them though it be laid before their eyes nor give heed to those who for a long time warned them of their danger That the Apostles of Christ had this spirit also is manifest by their respective writings 2. The second seale is the power of miracles that is such things as are above the power of nature and art to do Miracles are demonstrations of the divine presence in a way extraordinary Nothing can produce an effect above the power of its causality Those things which Christ performed transcend all ordinary power A privatione ad habitum non datur regressus naturalis But he raised the dead Lazarus also was buried four days As he spake as never man spake so to make his works parallel with his words he did as never man did It was never so seen in Israel Nicodemus inferred right he did such things as no man can do unlesse God be with him meaning above ordinary concourse and therefore added rationally We know thou art a Doctor sent from God It was a double argument of the Messiah which Christ sent to Iohn by his disciples in his Symbolicall answer The blind receive their sight the lame walk the deaf hear c. i. e. such things as were not only for●told but miraculous It is true Mountebanks may play tricks and cunning men put cheats upon easie people so the Thessalians knowing the time of Eclipses made their ignorant neighbours believe that they pull'd downe the Moon with their verses but by which of their Devices nay by which of Hippocrates Aphorismes may one learn to cure a lame man with ones shadow or a fever with a handkerchief What is further to be said in confirmation of this proof I shall bring in by and by to discredit the mock-miracles of some heathen pretenders quoted in opposition to Christ only here I may add these two things concerning such Devices 1. That they are not onely a testimony of the worlds opinion concerning the Divinity of miracles but also a tacit confession that Christ did them As counterfeit coin speaks the use of true money If there had not been such a way of proof why did they ape it 2. That they were foretold by Christ and his Apostles and so people were not only forewarned of a danger but confirmed in the beliefe of the Truth when they saw the predictions written concerning Impostors exactly fulfilled For as the predictions and prefigurations of Christ by the Prophets made way for his reception when he came as the true Messia so the predictions and predescriptions of Antichrist written by Christ and his Apostles gave argument against them when they came accordingly to be Impostors 3. The third Seale is the Resurrection of the great Doctor of divine Truths after he had bin dead and buried three dayes And here behold the incomparable wisdome of divine Providence which brings day out of darknesse and turns the shadow of death into the morning the death of Christ a great piece of the mystery of Redemption for his blood was shed for the Remission of our sins put a doubt upon his doctrine and stagger'd his Disciples But this cloud made onely way for a more illustrious appearance of his Truth for the Resurrection took off all doubts arising from his death and his Gospel gained confirmation as a Truth doth from a clear answer to a strong objection Indeed it was to be feared that the doctrines of Christ would have lien in the dust if he had not brought it forth with his own Resurrection and therefore Saint Paul doth well say that he was strongly declared to be the Son of God by the Resurrection from the dead Indeed his murderers perswaded the souldiers with money to affirm that his Disciples stole him from the grave but how came they to steale his soule into him and to steale a power from

his life to work miracles in his name It is possible to make a lye but impossible to hide it in so great a matter Why did none of the Antichrists rise out of their graves and confront those which adhered to Christ and after forty dayes converse with worthy persons by a glorious ascension before competent witnesses endeavour to get belief in the world No no God will not be a witnesse of falshood Besides these there is also a peculiar kind of signature or mark of divine authority upon these writings one may think that Gods character which men never usurp't i.e. Dreadfull threatnings pronounced against such as should disobey this Revelation What Philosopher ever used the mode of such Authority for the things menaced what Tyrant ever mentioned them or if he had the Majesty had been ridiculous Eternall punishments poor men when they are so ill minded they can kill the body but that is all they can do God sayes fear me who can cast soul and body into Hell What man ever stamp't that Image upon his book There are most becomming the divine Majesty for they are not onely Authority but full of wisdom and love for since fear was a tool meet for Gods work he made fit matter for it and in the use of these threatnings the great Father of the world threatens his children that so by a wise feare they may escape the feeling of his Rod {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} And as the same Poet sayes excellently in another place {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He punisheth in love and his threatnings are in their natural tendency wholesome since God hath among many other things formed them for our preservation Threatnings are prudence and love clothed with Majesty Since men are not sufficiently frighted with being sinners and think it not enough to see how ugly sin is in it self God sets also before them its miserable Attendants Pale Death Wan Fear Grim Terrours and these Eternall Who but God commanded his servants and threatned them Hell if they obeyed not Fear ye not me who set bounds to the Sea and when it swells makes its own waves roule it in again as a stubborn slave is pull'd back by his own haire Fearest thou not me in whose hand is thy life thy breath and all thy wayes who will come in flaming fire and render vengeance to all that wilfully know me not and disobey my Gospel So much for the consideration of the divine authority of the Scripture The Scriptures contain the strongest proofs of our obligation to our duties and such as are no where else and so are the best perswasives to our wills I shall number onely four and those briefly 1. The Incarnation of the Son of God the word was made flesh A wonderfull grace to our nature and denied to Angels That we might not doubt but we may go up to God behold he cometh down to us his Tabernacle is pitched in flesh I now he is Emmanuel God comes into our Nature to call us home to himself What will make us like unto God if he do not when he is made so like unto us Who can unfold the mercies lapp't up in this Mystery In this good Angels find wonder and joy Devills horror and envie but all good men the greatest occasion of love and obedience imaginable especially if it be joyned with the second consideration 2. And that is the wonderfull death of the Son of God so made man He offered up himself by the Eternall Spirit and shed his blood for the pardon of our sins He took our Bond and nailed it to his Crosse and there cancell'd it with his blood Look up sinner and behold the guilt of thy Trespasses falling off like the waxe of a broken Seale That we the enemies of God might learn the goodnesse of Reconciliation God doth act it first who was not engaged to it but by the goodnesse of his own Nature The Father loves the Son dies we are loved and pardoned that we might see how base a thing it is to sin be impenitent and hate He slew the enmity upon the Crosse in his own death he killed our hate or in himself I in himself where else should he break the flint but upon the Cushion our hard hearts upon his own most soft and loving bosome 3. We have here the most excellent example of Christ which doth secure our direction and perfect our encouragements Men think themselves in a good safe road where they have ever and anon a Mercurial Statue pointing to their way but what perfection would be added to their guidance if it went along with them Christ doth not onely shew us where we should go as in a Map but goes before us as a sure guide and a comfortable companion Si quis unquam fuerit ille comes in via pro vehiculo est I may we say now we know what we should be and do in these bodies for the word made flesh hath shewn us This is great encouragement to all that are of the right brood of Travellers for in the worse way Christ goes before breaks the Ice and when we go up hill lends us his hand But why do I point any longer unto this Sun which from the Scriptures shines so comfortably upon all good men 4. He hath engaged our obedience with most incomparable promises such as he onely could make such as he onely could perform What the Pharisees said of one sort we may say of the rest Who can forgive sins but God It is impossible to serve God for nothing For he payes all his servants before hand but he is not so content for he will adde such wages as none can give their servants Not Earth or Tinne or poor matters in the power of Kings but things worthy of God Eternall Life and Blisse If these were as truly believed as they are plainly revealed we should find our selves sufficiently obliged to obedience and it concerns all that desire to be saved to look to it but because they are so plainly revealed I shall speak no further of them Now if any say that these things are enough if they can be proved to be true I hasten to the fourth particular head i.e. That the Scriptures are a proposal of all these Truths to our understandings in a way of most fair and full credibility that appears in these three things 1. The way of proposall is most credible 2. The things propounded are in themselves evidently true 3. The expressions in which they are laid down are plain and fairly intelligible No man can say but when things are propounded so he is fairly dealt withall 1. First The way of proposall is most credible That whatsoever God sayes is true is the ground upon which this assertion sets its foot and that is such a great Truth that it is above the necessity of proof He