Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	call_v	life_n	live_v	8,027	5	5.5617	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17727	Three propositions or speeches, which that excellent man M. Iohn Caluin, one of the pastors of the Church of God in Geneua had there To which also is added, an exposition vpon that parte of the catechisme, which is appointed for the three and fortieth Sunday in number. Translated into Englishe, by T.VV.	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; T. W. (Thomas Wilcox), 1549?-1608.	1580 (1580)	STC 4464; ESTC S121928	80,617	200

is it sinne is discouered by the lawe and after that sorte indeede it killeth vs. The lawe bringeth and offereth vnto vs a doctrine of life as Moyses also protesteth and witnesseth saying 2. Cor. 3.7 Beholde life and yet Saint Paul saith that it bringeth nothing but death Yea indeede but that is by reason of our faulte The Lawe then killeth vs not by it selfe but by circumstaunce because it is vnto vs as a glasse to cause vs to beholde our owne condemnation Nowe pursuing his purpose hee sayth that when the lawe condemneth vs not Rom. 7.8.9 it is as it were dead For sin sayth he lyueth not when the law is dead And yet this shoulde be darke if it should not be opened and declared When he saith that sinne liueth not when the lawe is dead it is to shew that mē are negligent and carelesse and that they rocke themselues a sleepe in vaine flatteries and deceipts so long as they are not reprooued by the lawe The preaching of the law most necessarie specially for these dayes wherein men are growen to lewdnesse of conscience Behold then sinne which is dead when the lawe is blotted out or defaced that is to say so long as men doe not examine them selues by Gods lawe and according to that which he cōmaundeth and call not themselues to an account to knowe whether they dutifully behaue themselues or no they forget themselues and enter not deeply into thē selues For this must stande true that so long as they are not carefull and watchfull theyr conscience is senselesse void of feeling And after this maner is it the lawe being dead maketh sinne also to die But doeth the lawe liue Howe the lawe is said to liue That is to say hath the lawe her force and power to summon vs before God to cause vs to seeke what manner of men we are to the end that we should not flatter our selues Then behold sinne which is as it were raised vp againe where as before wee made no accompt of it yea it maketh warre against vs and persecuteth vs so farre that we are brought to all extremitie But then we die saith Saint Paul Rom. 7.9 for hee addeth I was aliue without the lawe In saying that hee was aliue hee meaneth it not of a common life but that he was saued for this worde life is put and vsed for righteousnes and saluation I liued saith hee that is I thought my selfe to bee iustified and to bee accepted before God and to haue obteined euerlasting life And why so We are not in the best state when wee so thinke our selues neither are we in the worst when God maketh vs see our vilenes and iniquitie because hee had cast the law verie farre away But when the law once had her course I thought well vpon it I said alas am I not conuicted and vanquished Doe I not nowe know what manner of man I am Can I nowe esteeme my selfe innocent No verely for so farre off is it that I can do so that I finde within my selfe a bottomlesse depth of sinne So then when I knewe the lawe the lawe slue me And this is that which the Apostle now meaneth when he sayth that it is by the lawe that he is dead Nowe to dye to the lawe may be taken after two sortes as sometymes it is taken for iudgement because that then wee can perceiue nothing but damnation And also wee may take these wordes to dye to the lawe in this sense as not to come nigh to it nor to haue any thing to do therwith A good lesson for ministers to teach them to haue care both what they speake and how they speak for S. Paul absteined as muche as was possible for him from making his doctrine odious hatefull among the Iewes If he had said I am dead it had not bene right But when he sayth I am dead to the lawe that importeth that we are no more any thyng at all and that we finde not in it any matter of ioy Nowe he sayth that this is by the lawe and not by Christ we see how he turneth away this slander Ho our iniquitie is vncouered it followeth then that Christ bringeth and manifesteth sinne Many men say that this commeth from Iesus Christ and not from the lawe but we may see the contrary for if the lawe be dead it foloweth that we also die with it because wee are condemned in Gods sight we see that all the promises that are conteined therein cannot make vs glad and reioyce wee see that in steade of being accepted of God we are accursed and altogether confounded Seeing then that so it is that the law The lawe and not the Gospel condemneth when Christ appeareth not killeth vs and inforceth vs to dye with it we will not nor we cannot impute that to the grace of God and to the faith of the Gospell but wee will rather impute it to that which the lawe saith vnto vs we shal be iustified and we shall obteine saluation when we shall haue accomplished all that which it sheweth vs teacheth vs. For looke how much more high the lawe lifteth vs vp so muche the more shal we fall into most deepe pittes and whirlepooles wherfore we are farre remoued from this righteousnes of faith by the lawe we died then to the lawe The promises of the law haue a condition adioyned in as much as God adioyneth this condition to all the promises thereof to witte that if we keepe it and doe according to that which he saieth vnto vs therein wee shal be recompenced Nowe beholde all we are dead and lost And why so for this is not sufficient that God speake but we must looke to the conditions as whether we be answerable to that which he commaundeth vs and then we shal finde that we goe altogether a contrarie course or backward as it were It foloweth then that when hee shall haue shewed vs the way we shall behold our selues accursed condemned and plunged in the bottomlesse pitte of hell Nowe we haue the true sense and vnderstanding of this place But hee addeth afterwardes the meane that is that hee hath beene deade with Christ but with all hee immediatly giueth vnto vs the doctrine that was to the ende he might liue to God He sheweth then This is a liuing death and a dead lyfe that there is a liuing death as there is also a dead life The life that he calleth deade is that false presumption with which men deceiue them selues when they imagine that they are iust and righteous before God They liue but it is in their owne fantasie and that life is nothing els but dead for because they seeke not the mercy of God that is the reason why they suffer them selues to go wholie to destruction To know that God knoweth our sinnes and to haue a sensible feeling of his iudgements for them is the readie way to come to

the apprehension of the grace of Christ Now there is also a quickening or a liuing death when we dye being confounded in our selues because God knoweth our iniquitie transgression and that we are scattered to bee in that life as it were condemned creatures And this is that that bringeth vs to life And this is that also which I haue saide heretofore that we shal neuer seeke after the grace and fauour of our Lord Iesus Christ tyll such tyme as we bee wounded with the iudgementes of God and that so deepely that we are not able to indure any longer neither knowe on which side to turne vs. We haue then yet nowe at the length the vnderstanding of this place that is that Saint Paule declareth Three especiall pointes of doctrine that our Lorde Iesus Christ placeth vs not in condemnation but that it is the lawe which doeth that and besides we learne that albeit we dye to the lawe when we are dead with Christ yet that notwithstanding we obteine a newe life and moreouer he declareth that this newe lyfe of ours is without our selues And in that hee fayeth In that that I nowe liue I liue not any more sayth hee my selfe but Iesus Christ liueth in me he setteth out and declareth this matter which wee ought wel to marke and hold fast for without this saying wee shall neuer purely and simply perceiue what this meaneth to bee iustified by or thorowe fayth For diuers haue deceyued them selues when they haue found these wordes that we are iustified by the doctrine of the lawe A double error for they meane when wee are iustified that our Lorde draweth vs out of the corruption in which we are and that hee reneweth vs by his spirite to the ende that we should serue him and also they declare that the good woorkes which the Christians doe are no more from the lawe but from them selues And so that indeede which seemeth to haue established and strengthened Sainct Paules doctrine doeth nothyng els but corrupt peruert and marre the same for they make this distinction A doltishe distinction that there are certayne woorkes of the lawe which are the workes that men doe of their free will and of their owne motion and accorde as where they suppose to merite and deserue And they say that men are not iustified by suche woorkes that is to say by morall woorkes and dueties as men call them but yet notwithstanding they woulde bee iustified by spirituall workes that is to say that we know that God guideth vs by his spirit But if it were so all Saint Pauls doctrine should be ouerthrowen let vs then hold fast the word which is here to be expounded that is that we liue not in our selues but in Iesus Christ that is to say that our saluation is without our selues Not that we haue not the assurance thereof in our selues for the spirite is a pledge vnto vs therof as S. Peter saith 2. Cor. 1.22 2. Cor. 5.5 Ephes 1.13.14 Rom. 8.16 we haue the seale of our adoptiō thorow the same spirite in as much as the certaintie of Gods grace is sealed vnto vs thereby And moreouer Iesus Christ dwelleth in vs who is also the matter of our saluatiō but the question is not in this place touching men what they can do wherfore let vs mark wel that the matter of our saluation is not in our selues but in Iesus Christ And that is the cause why Saint Paule sayth that wee liue not any more in our selues but in Christ A good difference betweene the hypocrites and the true faithfull for he maketh here an indirect comparison betweene the hypocrites who deceiue them selues in a vaine ouerweening of them selues and the faithfull who are altogether beaten downe and spoiled of all presumption for they that thinke they haue some dignitie and glorie and boast them selues in their merites or meritorious workes as they call them such are they that liue in them selues And why so they suppose to bring somewhat to God that may make them acceptable before him They goe not out of them selues I warraunt you A place full of great profit and comfort when they will warraunt them selues against the iudgement of God But the faithfull who are instructed to knowe what manner of men they are they condemne them selues and confesse that they are voide of all hope and trust as it were in them selues and beyng so famished and starued as it were they come to our Lorde Iesus Christ and knowe that the matter and substance of their saluation is in him Beholde then howe and after what sort wee liue no more in our selues but in Iesus Christ that is to say that we should know and confesse seeing that our Lorde Iesus Christ bringeth vs saluation that we must hold it of him alone and fetch it from none other And indeed if the death of Iesus Christ bee the satisfaction of our sinnes it followeth therevpon that we are debtters to God A most strong reason Now seeing that so it is beholde our owne righteousnes taken from vs and we spoiled of it I meane thereby the griefe and vexation that wee might conceiue by it To be short Marke these pointes well whosoeuer shall knowe and feele what is the good will of our Lorde Iesus Christ and wherefore he was sent vnto vs from God the Father and also the graces that he maketh vs partakers of by the Gospell suche a one assuredly shall knowe that his life is not in him selfe but rather that hee hath nothing in him indeed saue the matter of death and damnation Hereupon Saint Paul passeth further and sayth In that that I now liue in the flesh I liue in the faith of the sonne of God This is to ouerthrowe yet another replye that men might make for vpon that which hath bene handled A question a man might bring in and mooue a question thus what is this life you speake of and what is our saluation seeyng that we are poore miserable sinners compassed about with so many infirmities yea and that wee liue in the fleshe that is to say wee are in this worlde with bruite beastes and are nourished and susteined with corruptible foode and yet you saye still our lyfe is in Christ An answere to the question Ephes 2.6 Sainct Paule handleth this in an other place when he sayth that we are alreadie set in heauen and that wee are entred into the possession of that inheritance which is promised vs. And yet it seemeth to some that all this shoulde bee but forged and deceipt Marke then how vnder the shadow and colour that we are nowe farre remoued from God wee are polluted and defiled as Saint Peter also speaketh thereof ● Pet. 3.1.2 It should seeme that this should be nothing but shadowes of that which is set out vnto vs in the Gospell to wit that our lyfe is in Iesus Christ and that we are partakers of all his graces