Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	covenant_n	new_a	testament_n	4,131	5	9.2871	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04986	Ten sermons upon several occasions, preached at Saint Pauls Crosse, and elsewhere. By the Right Reverend Father in God Arthur Lake late Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells	Lake, Arthur, 1569-1626.	1640 (1640)	STC 15135; ESTC S108204	119,344	184

same God is mercifull power belongeth unto God and to thee ô Lord mercy The blessed combination of which Attributes in God is easily perceaved if we consider his government of the world for he rewardeth every man according to his works Lo then in a word what is the substance of this text it is true it is cleare God can he will reckon with us all and deale partially with none The paraphrase of the Text to judge what is in God by that which proceeds from him We have warrant from Gods owne mouth under the Test of K. David witnessing that the Indifferency of Gods judgments is the evidence of his nature The points to be considered are two the persons from whom we take this resolution and the resolution that we take from the persons the persons two the author and the witnes and the resolution consists of two parts first what God is secondly how he deales with man First Of the persons the first whereof is the Author the Author is undeniable for it is God God spake Between God and man the Apostle puts this difference Let God be true and every man a lyar for man is but a meere man man may deceave or be deceaved but neither of these are incident unto God nec actu nec potentiâ God doth not he cannot lie God is not he cannot bee deceaved And no wonder seeing he is not only the originall of all truth but also truth it selfe by nature So that it is no more possible for falsehood to be at one with God then for darknesse to consort with light both import a reall contradiction Whereas the greatest commendation of the best man is but this They speake in veritate mentis without simulation without equivocation or mentall reservation The praise due to God is that hee speakes in certitudine veritatis no mist or fraud or errour can overcast his wisdome or his holinesse his word is tryed to the uttermost like silver as the Psalmist speaketh seven times tryed in the fire What then is our lesson Surely this we must not be ashamed of Iulians scoffe he derided the Christian beliefe because it had no other proofe then Thus saith the Lord. But Nazianzen replies well they which allowed and captivated their judgment to a man have no reason to accept against that which relyeth upon the authority of God especially seeing they received principles of Philosophy which were examinable by reason But we credit only mysteries of Religion wherto no approches can be made by the naturall wit of man Finally they build on a professed scholar of the father of lies and we on him whose style is The Lord God of Truth The Conclusion that ariseth here-hence is God spake or the Lord hath said must goe currant with us as an indemonstrable Principle of our faith and an incontrollable precept for our life it must goe currant if God speake it if he speake but once how much more if as it followeth in my Text he speake once or twice I will not trouble you with divers readings of these words I take them as our Church doth read them and read them as may be borne well by the originall But touching the meaning of these words there are diverse observations For some take the words definitely as if David meant precisely twise some indefinitely as if by twise he meant often And they that take them definitely have not all the same conceipt Referre them to the Creation and Redemption of man in both which God really spake that he was powerfull and mercifull to reckon with and to reward man Psal 49.8 15. And indeed as much may be gathered out of the forty ninth Psalme and Saine Peter and Saint Iude argue from Gods proceeding with the world upon the Creation to that which we must respect in the state of Redemption Othersome apprehend this voyce in Gods workes and in his wordes Ps 19.2 3 In the nineteenth Psalme King David observeth this twofold voyce and not amisse for what are Gods workes but visible words and his words but audible workes the Hebrew word Dabar comprehends both God preacheth the same power and mercy in both wee may know that they are in him by that which proceeds from him A third sort understand only the words of Moses and of the Prophets Abraham remembreth these two voyces to Dives in hell they have Moses and the Prophets let them heare them There are two voyces of God the voyce of his Precepts and the voyce of examples for what is contained in the Law is applyed in the Prophets and both say nothing but that of his power and mercy we have as many monuments as there be lawes of God and lives of men Some are satisfied with none of these but report an outward and inward voyce that sounds the one in the eare the other in the Conscience Saint Paul hath specified this double voyce the Conscience shall beare witnesse accusing or excusing it that day when God shall judge the Consciences of men by Iesu● Christ according to my Gospell Rom. 2. There shall be then as there should be now a concent betweene Gods voyce speaking within us and without us the effect whereof is The judgement of men according to the Gosspel and what is the Gospell but a blessed mixture of the power and mercy of God There remaines yet an exposition more and that is not an idle one God speakes ordinarily and extraordinarily ordinarily in the Canon of the Scripture by the Pastors of his Church extraordinarily when in the distresses of his children hee vouchsafeth to be an immediate remembrancer unto them of those comforts which are notwithstanding in generall contained in the Covenant betweene them and him not speaking any new matter unknowne to them but by speaking immediately himselfe making the greater impression in them And this was usuall untill the death of the Apostles We have instances in the old and new Testament of the extraordinary voice it is needlesse to speake of the ordinary my selfe am now an instance unto you Gen. 15.1 Gen. 16 3 24. Gen. 28.4 but of the extraordinary is that Genesis 15. Feare not Abraham I am thy buckler and thy exceeding great reward The like hath had Isaac Gen. 26. and Iacob 28. In the new Testament how many times did God appeare to Saint Paul in the Acts and memorable to this purpose is the answere My grace is sufficient for thee my strength is made perfect in weakenes King David deare unto God and exercised under the crosse might nay it is plaine in the bookes of Samuel that he sundry times did heare this extraordinary voice And though all other expositions in themselves are true yet unto this place I take this last to be most apt But howsoever in understanding these words you have heard great variety and yet no contrariety onely by laying them together this wee learne that they which understand them definitely by differing each from the other and yet not

which the Prophets and Moses ●id should come And as himselfe was stable so he ex●rteth these Corinthians to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●●ke a house well founded or built upon a rock Mat. 7 25. though the ●inds blow and the waves beat yet that house will stand ●●d such are they who as the Scripture saith stand Nei●●er Scriptures only but Fathers too In the Ancients no●ing more obvious then that Confessors and Martyrs ●●e as it were by a proper name called stantes standers ●anders because in persecution they never fell But as there is a standing against our enemies so is ●ere a standing before God this being a consequent to ●●d a reward of that Watch and pray saith Christ unto ●s Apostles that ye may be counted worthy to escape all ●●ese things when the day of judgement shall come Luke 21.36 and that ye may stand before the Sonne of man for in that day the righteous onely shall stand and stand in boldnesse before them that have tormented them neither shall they onely during that great assises stand before the Tribunall of Christ Rev. 7.15 Zoc 3.7 but from thence be advanced to an high standing they shall stand eternally before the throne of God If saith God to Ioshua the high Priest th●● shalt walke in my wayes and keepe my watches thou shal● also judge my house and shalt keepe my Courts and I wil● give thee a place inter astantes among these standers pointing to the angels for if Gods will be done on earth by us as it is in heaven by them we shall in the Resurrection be like to angels and stand for ever before the throne of God Vnto this twofold standing falling is opposite therefore we fall either into sinne or out o● favour He that sinneth takes a fall therefore are sinnes most usually in the Scriptures called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fals an● the occasions or matter of sinne scandala blocks fit 〈◊〉 give a fall Saint Iames useth another word but of the same force In many things we fall we sinne all The prophet David notes sinning by slipping My feet had wel night slipt when I saw the prosperity of the wicked and 〈◊〉 commonly meaning the sinne call it the fall of angels and of men And so do the Fathers tearme weaklings it the faith and revolters from the faith the first laps●● such as have taken a fall the other Apostatas such 〈◊〉 have cleane given over to stand Iude 12. Trees twice dead 〈◊〉 plucked up by the roots Iude 12. But how doth fallin● resemble sinning surely the proportion is very fit for a fall comprehends in it a descent of our body and withall a bruise so doth sinne a debasing of the soule together with a wound Gods creatures are not all of 〈◊〉 degree and there are many steps betweene heaven an● hell By creation man was a consort of the angels but 〈◊〉 sinne he is ranged with the beasts Man being in ho●●● saith King David hath no understanding but throug● sinne becomes like the beasts that perish It were well if 〈◊〉 were no worse by sinne Mat. 3.7 Ioh. 8.44 Abrahams seed becomes the serpents brood as both Iohn Baptist and Christ pronounced A great disparagement of their nature But this basenesse is seconded with a wound which Christ teacheth in the simile of the man that descended from Ierusalem to Iericho and fell among theeves who not onely robbed him of his raiment but also wounded him and left him halfe dead God in the first of Esay describes this most excollently Ah sinfull nation Esay 1.4 a people laden with iniquity a seed of the wicked corrupt children they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger they are gone backward This he speakes plainly But see how he doubles it speaking figuratively Wherefore should you be smitten any more for you fall away more and more And what is their fall The whole head is sicke and the whole heart is heavy from the sole of the foot unto the head there is nothing whole therein but wounds and swellings and sores full of corruption which have not beene wrapped nor bound up nor mollified with oyle Sinne then indeed is a fall which beares such markes of a fall degrading and wounding us But men do not onely fall into sinne but also out of favour for the first fall comes not alone All they saith the Wiseman that regard not wisedome have not onely this hurt that they know not the things that are good but also they leave behinde them a memoriall of their foolishnesse they are spectacles of Gods wrath Iob more fully The steps of a wicked mans strength shall be streightned Iob 18.7 and his owne counsell shall cast him downe for he is taken in the net by the feet and he walkes upon snares his hope shall be rooted out of his dwelling and he shall be made to descend to the king of feare Deut 32 34. Is not this laid up in store with me saith God and sealed up among my treasures Vengeance and recompence are mine their feet shall slide in due time When I went into the Sanctuary of God then saith King David I understood the end of wicked men Surely thou O God hast set them in slippery places and castest them downe into desolation But marke the difference betweene the fall into sinne and out of favour Pro. 7.16 17 the one is willing the other is of constraint Sin is like the harlot she decketh and perfumeth her bed with craft she causeth man to yeeld and lay himselfe downe and take his pleasure in her dalliance But God endures not that man should enjoy pleasure with his dishonour therefore hath he ordained that this harlots house should be the way to hell that it should lead downe to the chambers of death as it is in the end of that chapter Howsoever a covenant a sinner makes with death and sinners are as secure as if they were in league with death Men promise themselves impunity that are given over to iniquity But whatsoever league they make with death Esay 28.18 it shall be broken and their agreement with hell shall not stand When a scourge shall run over and passe through they shall be troden downe by it Whosoever willingly fall from God shall will they nill they fall under plagues But falling is opposed to standing as in two things so also two wayes negatively and privatively Negatively when he findes himselfe downe that was never up privatively when he takes a fall that indeed did stand It is a good rule which the Fathers observe in expounding sundry places of the Scripture Interdum res tum demum dicuntur fieri cum incipiunt manifestari Things are oftentimes said to take their beginning from the time that they first come to our understanding Rom 7.9 For example and to our present purpose I once saith Saint Paul was alive being without the law