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	life_n	spirit_n	4,163	5	4.8586	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81926	Objections against the taking of the engagement answered. Or, Some scruples of conscience, which a godly minister in Lancashire did entertain against the taking of the engagement. Resolved by J.D. wherein the chief mistakes of weak consciences, about the matter of the engagement, are in a friendly way discovered, and rectified by scripture-grounds and right reason; and published for the satisfaction of others, who may be scrupled in the same kind.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing D2876; Thomason E608_20; ESTC R205922	22,527	28

therefore 1 Cor. 6.12 Chap. 10.23 that it is still most expedient for the publick state The Apostle saith in two places that all things are lawful for him but all things are not expedient Shewing that the Conscience of an intelligent Christian is not bound to every thing which may appear lawful for no material action can be named but in some sence it is lawful but that a further consideration must be had of every thing That things obliging Conscience must be not only good in themselvs but expedient to us before we fasten it as an obligation upon our Conscience the consideration of the expediency of a thing must cast the ballance as to the ingaging of Conscience into a business and the Apostle defines this expediency or inexpediency by two things one in respect of our selves another in respect of our Neighbour In respect of our selves it is not expedient that we should be brought under the power of every thing which in it self is lawful as the Apostle saith All things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any To be brought under the power of any thing is to make it so necessary to us that we cannot forgo it or think that we cannot please God without it Now the Apostle doth teach us that no outward thing should have any such power over our spirits as to bring our Conscience into such a subjection Nor Paul nor Apollo nor Cephas nor the World 1 Cor. 3.22 nor life nor death nor things present nor things to come should bring us under this yoke but we ought to account all ours that is under our power as we are subordinate in reference to Conscience unto God alone in Christ it followes then that whatever things be present with us in this life and how lawful soever they may be in themselves that yet my Conscience is not otherwise to be subjected to their power then as I stand under God in Christ and as those things are expedient and subservient to that subordination in respect of our Neighbour if any thing edifie not it is determined not to be expedient 1 Cor. 10.23 although then a thing may be lawful wholsome and good in it self yet if I find it not expedient for edification I am not bound to use it but may leave it and make use of something else which I shall judge most edifying If therefore God hath set my Conscience free so that I am not bound to any thing further then it is edifying it doth not at all follow that because I judge a thing lawful and good in it self that therefore I must needs chuse it and be subject to the power thereof without any further deliberation as for example if it were absolutely referred to me to settle what Government I will chuse whether Monarchical Aristocratical or Democratical I must not oblige my self in this choise only to consider what is lawful for all these are lawful What Government is to be counted most expedient good and wholsom forms in themselves but what is most expedient and if I should now speak as a Christian to tell you what I think expedient in the choise of any of these I would tell you that the Government which consists most with the rational and orderly freedom of Christians and which according to Emergencies doth tend most unto the edification of the publick in all good things is that which is to be chosen therfore if in your unprejudiced thoughts you wil contemplate this Querie you will not do amiss viz. Whether the Government by a King who having the sole power may not be controuled or the Government by a Parliament of Trustees who may have this same Power put in their hands be more consonant to Christian freedom and publick edification yea or no I know what I could say to this Querie if I were an absolute lawful Judge of a publick concernment of this nature but now I not being free to make my choise of Government but it being wholly in the hand of publick Trustees to manage all publick affairs for me so that I must be concluded by them in such concernments seeing I say I am under a power whereunto I owe subjection Who is to be the Judge of the expediency of Government and it is at all times expedient that private men should be under the power of some Government to whom the management of publick affairs is to be committed therefore I must not make my self a judge how expedient or inexpedient the resolutions are which they settle concerning the way of Government in the State for that is their proper calling to consider and not mine and if I may not judge either way it is clear that my Conscience cannot be brought under the power of their resolutions either way but it is always free for me before God in civil affairs to submit unto their changeable determinations and not to oppose the orders which they shall undertake to make therein And what use Christians ought to make of changes therein my meaning is that as all other outward things so the resolutions and determinations of my Magistrates are min● and that it is free for me to make use of them so as is most expedient for publick edification if then a change fall out in the Government amongst them and they judge it either expedient or necessary to alter that form wherein no evil yet ever appeared to me yet by this my Conscience is not obliged either to resist them because they alter what seems not evil to me or not to yield unto them to make the best of what they have done so far as may be edifying in my way for I am bound in Conscience to take all things as they fall in my way and to make use of them freely to the end of edification if therefore they in their places make changes although as to the outward man I am concluded by them to stand under the same yet as to my Conscience I am not in subjection to such changes nor obliged to make my self a judge and to determine whether the changes which they make be lawful or unlawful expedient or inexpedient to the State that I must leave to God and to them and to the event to determine From all which this will follow that if I suffer my thoughts to be intangled into this judicature as into a matter of Conscience necessary for me to determine I then loose my freedom which Christ hath given me for he doth not oblige my Conscience to be under the power of any such thing in his service for whether the determinations of superiour powers in State-affairs be right or wrong I am alwayes the same man free to make a good use of them so far as they can lawfully and with expediency be referred unto edification If therefore I should argue as you do Monarchy is lawful in it self I never saw any evil in it but only in