Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	conscience_n	law_n	sin_n	4,881	5	5.2089	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30122	The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing that the day of grace may be past with him long before his life is ended : the signs also by which such miserable mortals may be known / by John Bunyan ; to which is added his Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.; Bunyan, John, 1628-1688. Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.	1688 (1688)	Wing B5485; ESTC R29145	71,178	194

worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God c. Heb. 10. 28. Wherefore against these Despisers God hath set himself and foretold that they shall not believe but perish Behold ye Despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days which ye shall in no wise believe though a Man declare it unto you Acts 13. 41. After that thou shalt out it down Thus far we have treated of the Barren Fig-tree or fruitless Professor with some Signs to know him by whereto is added also some Signs of one who neither will or can by any means be fruitful but they must miserably perish Now being come to the time of Execution I shall speak a word to that also After that thou shalt cut it down Christ at last turns the Barren Fig-tree over to the Justice of God shakes his hands of him And gives him up to the fire for his unprofitableness Thou cut ent it down Two things are here to be considered 1. The Executioner Thou the great the dreadful the eternal God These words therefore as I have already said signify that Christ the Mediator through whom alone Salvation comes and by whom alone Execution hath been deferred Now giveth up the Soul forbears to speak one Syllable more for him or to do the least Act of Grace further to try for his Recovery but delivereth him up to that fearful Dispensation To fall into the hand of the living God Heb. 10. 31. 2. The Second to be considered is The Instrument by which this Execution is done and that is Death compared here to an Ax and forasmuch as the Tree is not felled at one Blow therefore the strokes are here continued till all the blows be struck at it that are requisite for its felling For now cutting-time and cutting-work is come cutti●g must be his Portion till he be cut down After that thou shalt cut it down Death I say is the Ax which God often useth therewith to take the Barren Fig-tree out of the Vineyard out of a Profession and also out of the World at once But this Ax is now new-ground it cometh well-edged to the Roots of this Barren Fig-tree It hath been whetted by Sin by the Law and by a formal Profession and therefore must and will make deep gashes not only in the natural life but in the Heart and Conscience also of this Professor The wages of Sin is Death the sting of Death is Sin 1 Cor. 15. Wherefore Death comes not to this Man as he doth to Saints muzzled or without his Sting but with open Mouth in all his strength yea he sends his First born which is guilt to devour his strength and to bring him to the King of Terrors Job 18. 13 14. But to give you in a few Particulars the manner of this Man 's dying 1. Now he hath his fruitless Fruits beleaguer him round his Bed together with all the Bands and Legions of his other wickedness His own Iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be holden in the Cords of his Sins Prov. 5. 22. 2. Now some terrible discovery of God is made out unto him to the perplexing and terrifying of his guilty Conscience God shall cast upon him and not spare and he shall be afraid of that which is high Job 27. 22. 3. The dark Entry he is to go thro will be a sore amazement to him For fear shall be in the way Eccl. 12. 5. yea Terrors will take hold on him when he shall see the yawning Jaws of Death to gape upon him and the Doors of the Shadow of Death open to give him passage out of the World Now who will meet me in this dark Entry how shall I pass through this dark Entry into another World 4. For by reason of Guilt and a shaking Conscience His Life will hang in continual doubt before him and he shall be afraid day and night Deut. 28. 66 67. and shall have no assurance of his Life 5. Now also Want will come up against him he will come up like an armed Man This is a terrible Army to him that is graceless in Heart and fruitless in Life This Want will continually cry in thine Ears here is a New Birth wanting a new Heart and a new Spirit wanting here is Faith wanting here is Love and Repentance wanting here is the Fear of God wanting and a good Conversation wanting Thou art weighed in the Ballance and art found wanting Dan. 5. 27. 6. Together with these standeth by the companions of Death Death and Hell Death and Devils Death and endless Torment in the everlasting flames of devouring Fire When God shall come up unto the people he will invade them with his Troops Hab. 3. 16. But how will this Man die Can his Heart now endure or can his Hands be strong Ezek. 22. 14. 1. God and Christ and Pity have left him Sin against Light against Mercy and the Long-suffering of God is come up against him his Hope and Confidence now lie a dying by him and his Conscience totters and shakes continually within him 2. Death is at his work Cutting of him down hewing both Bark and Heart both Body and Soul assunder The Man groans but Death hears him not He looks gastly carefully dejectedly he sighs he sweats he trembles but Death matters nothing 3. Fearful Cogitations haunt him misgivings direful apprehensions of God terrify him Now he hath time to think what the loss of Heaven will be and what the torments of Hell will be now he looks no way but he is frighted 4. Now would he live but may not he would live though it were but the life of a Bed-rid Man but must not He that cuts him down sways him as the Feller of Wood sways the tottering Tree now this way then that at last a Root breaks an Heart-string an Eye-string snaps assunder 5. And now could the Soul be anihilated or brought to nothing how happy would it count it self but it sees that may not be Wherefore it is put to a wonderful strait stay in the Body it may not go out of the Body it dares not Life is going the Blood settles in the Flesh and the Lungs being no more able to draw Breath through the Nostrils at last out goes the weary trembling Soul who is immediatly seized by Devils who lay lurking in every hole in the Chamber for that very purpose His Friends take care of the Body wrap it up in the Sheet or Coffin but the Soul is out of their thought and reach going down to the Chambers of Death I had thought to have enlarged but I forbear God who teaches Man to profit bless this brief and plain Discourse to thy Soul who yet standest a Professor in the Land of the Living among the Trees of his Garden Amen FINIS AN EXHORTATION TO PEACE and UNITY Ephes. 4. 3. Indeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace BEloved Religion is the great Bond of humane

is like to be past when a Professor hath withstood abused and worn out God's Patience then he is in danger this is a provocation then God cries Cut it down There are some Men that steal into a Profession no body knows how even as the Fig-tree was brought into the Vineyard by other hands than God's and th●● they abide liveless graceless careles● and without any good Conscience to God 〈◊〉 all Perhaps they came in for the Loave● for a Trade for Credit for a Blind 〈◊〉 it may be to stifle and choak the Check and grinding Pangs of an awakened and disquieted Conscience Now having obtain'd their purpose like the Sinners 〈◊〉 Sion they are at ease and secure Sa●ing like Agag 1 Sam. 15. 32. Surely 〈◊〉 bitterness of Death is past I am we●● shall be saved and go to Heaven Th●● in these vain conceits it spends a Year two or three not remembring that at every Season of Grace and at every opportunity of the Gospel the Lord come● seeking Fruit. Well Sinner well barre● Fig-tree this is but a course beginning God comes for Fruit. What have I here saith God what a Fig-tree is this that hath stood this Year in my Vineyard and brought me forth no Fruit I will cry unto him Professor Barre● Fig-tree be fruitful I look for Fruit I expect Fruit I must have Fruit therefore bethink thy self At these the Professor pauses but these are words not blows therefore off goes this Consideration from the Heart When God comes the next Year he finds him still as he was a barren fruitless cumber-ground And now again he complains here are two Years gone and no Fruit appears Well I will defer mine anger for my Namesake Isa. 48. 9. I will defer mine Anger for my Praise I will refrain from thee that I cut thee not off as yet I will wait I will yet wait to be Gracious But this helps not this hath not the least influence upon the barren Fig-tree Tush saith he here is no Threatning God is merciful he will defer his anger Isa. 30. 18. He waits to be gracious I am not yet afraid O how ungodly Men that are at unawares crept into the Vineyard how do they turn the Grace of our God into lasciviousness Well he comes the third Year for Fruit as he did before but still he finds but a barren Fig-tree No Fruit now he cries out again O thou Dresser of my Vineyard come hither here 's a Fig-tree hath stood these three Years in my Vineyard and hath at every season disappointed my expectation for I have looked for Fruit in vain Cut it down my patience is worn out I sha● wait on this Fig-tree no longer 2. And now he begins to shake the Fig-tree with his threatnings fetch out th● Ax. Now the Ax is Death Death ther●fore is called for Death come smi●● me this Fig-tree And withal the Lor● shakes this Sinner and whirls him upon Sick-bed saying Take him Death 〈◊〉 hath abused my Patience and Forb●●rance not remembring that it shou●● have led him to Repentance and to th● Fruits thereof Death fetch away th● Fig-tree to the fire fetch this barren Professor to Hell At this Death com● with Grim looks into the Chamber ye● and Hell follows with him to the Bed-sid● and both stare this Professor in the fac● yea begin to lay Hands upon him o● smiting him with pains in his Body with Head-ach Heart-ach Back-ach Shortness of Breath Fainting Qualms Trembling of Joints Stopping at the Chef● and almost all the Symptomes of a Man pa● all recovery Now while Death is th● tormenting the Body Hell is doing with the Mind and Conscience striking the●● with its Pains casting sparks of Fire i● thither wounding with sorrows an● Fears of everlasting damnation the Spirit of this poor creature And now he begins to bethink himself and to cry to God for Mercy Lord spare me Lord spare me Nay saith God you have been a Provocation to me these three Years How many times have you disappointed me How many seasons have you spent in vain How many Sermons and other Mercies did I of my Patience afford you but to no purpose at all Take him Death O good Lord saith the Sinner Spare me but this once Raise me but this once Indeed I have been a barren Professor and have stood to no purpose at all in thy Vineyard But spare O spare this one time I beseech thee and I will be better Away away you will not I have tried you these three Tears already you are nought If I should recover you again you would be us bad as you was before and all this talk is while Death stands by The Sinner cries again Good Lord try me this once let me get up again this once and see if I do not mend But will you promise me to mend Yes indeed Lord and vow it too I will never be so bad again I will be better Well saith God Death let this Professor alone for this time I will try him a while longer he hath promised he hath vowed that he will amend his ways It may be he will mind to keep his Promises Vows are solemn things it may be he may fear to break his Vows Arise from off thy Bed and now God laies down his Ax. At this the poor Creature is very thankful praises God and fawns upon him shews as if he did it heartily and calls to others to thank him too He therefore riseth as one would think to be a new-creature indeed But by that he hath put on his clothes is come down from his bed and ventured into the Yard or Shop and there sees how all things are gone to Sixes and Sevens he begins to have second thoughts and says to his folks What have you all been doing How are all things out of order I am I cannot tell what behind-hand one may see if a Man be but a little a to-side that you have neither Wisdom nor Prudence to order things And now instead of seeking to spend the rest of his time to God he doubleth his Diligence after this World Alas all must not be lost we must have provident Care and thus quite forgetting the Sorrows of Death the pains of Hell the Promises and Vows which he made to God to be better Because Judgment was not now speedily executed therefore the Heart of this poor Creature is fully set in him to do Evil. These things proving ineffectual God takes hold of his Ax again sends Death to a Wife to a Child to his Cattel your young Men have I slain and taken away your horses Amos 4. 9 10. I will blast him cross him disappoint him and cast him down and will set my self against him in all that he putteth his Hand unto At this the poor Barren Professor cries out again Lord I have sinned spare me once more I beseech thee O take not away the desire of mine Eyes spare my Children bless me in my labours and I