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
A51632	Death and life, or, Sins life, the sinners death; sins death, the saints life being the sum of eight sermons on Romans 8. 13. / by Samuel Malbon ...	Malbon, Samuel.	1669 (1669)	Wing M312; ESTC R10001	130,564	198

the most peace is it not then when you are most eagerly ingaged against and hot in the pursuit of sin plotting contriving and by all means you can working its death The experience of all Christians I doubt not gives in restimony that this is true Sermon 5. THe second thing in the latter part of my Text now offereth it self to our serious consideration this necessary duty is to be performed through the Spirit whence the Doctrine is this D. 2. That the great work of mortifying killing or destroying the deeds of the body of sin is to be managed through the Spirit when we are called upon to mortifie our sinful affections our evil motions and the corrupt lustings within us the meaning is that this is to be done through the Spirit No truth more useful than this if well understood and received this is the principal thing that I would commend to you All know or generally it is confest that sins must be mortified but that this is to be done by in with or through the Spirit few in comparison understand I know nothing that needs to be taught among and prest upon Christians and more frequently to be inculcated than this There are three Queries concerning the truth now proposed which call for some Answer for the explication of it 1. What 's meant by the Spirit 2. Why is this work to be done through the Spirit 3. How is it thus to be done Q. 1. What 's meant by the Spirit A. Spirit signifieth diverse things in Scripture it hath several acceptations 4 of which I shall here take notice 1. By spirit is meant our spirit our heart and soul so the Apostle saith he did serve God with his spirit and Christ saith God is to be worshipped in spirit so we must mortifie the deeds of the body of sin in spirit with our whole heart and soul otherwise we shall not prosper in what we do all will be to no purpose if we have not a thorow will and sincere endeavour Christ saith many shall seek to enter in at the strait gate and not be able so many seek to mortifie their sins and are not able because they are not thorowly willing and resolved And then our main endeavour must be to mortifie sin within of which I spake before when sins are only kept from outward outbreakings they are no more mortified than Lions and Bears or such wild creatures when shut up and kept from ranging abroad Secondly Sometimes by spirit in Scripture is understood new nature the new man as it may be taken and seems to be in that 5. Gal. 17. where the Apostle saith the spirit lusteth against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit thus we must mortifie our sins in by or through the spirit by the new creature through a principle of true grace acted and stirred up in us This is most certain no man can mortifie the deeds of sin without he have a contrary principle of grace for till the new man be formed in one there 's no good nothing but flesh but sin and the flesh neither will nor can mortifie it self as Satan casteth not out Satan neither doth lust cast out or destroy lust though it 's true sometimes one lust doth keep under another and hinder anothers working this or that way as a mans pride may put a stop to his covetousness though he have a covetous heart yet through predominant pride he scorns to be base and niggardly so covetousness may hold in pride as to it 's shewing it self in such or such a way because the man is coverous therefore he will not wear such cloths or do some other things which pride otherwise would cause him to do that he might have respect among men But sin cannot truely subdue sin no more than water can dry up water though one stream being stronger may stop and turn the course of another that hath less strength so pride may command covetousness or covetousness pride yet do they both live before God as the greater light may drown the less yet doth not extinguish it He that hath not a principle of true grace is under the power of fin therefore is not at liberty to mortifie or to will the mortification of his lusts in truth If there be war if there be killing and slaying there must be two parties the one against the other but in a graceless man there 's only one party one nature one kind of principles all sinful therefore he cannot kill or in truth set upon the slaying of his sin though he may possibly upon some outward account or to quiet conscience seek to curb some evil motions As it is against our nature as men to hurt our bodies so is it against our nature as sinful men to do any thing in good earnest and truth of heart towards the death of our sin Therefore a man must have a new nature which whosoever hath then he cannot but be striking at and wounding the deeds of corrupt nature because these two are perfectly contrary Yet they who have true grace need to be awakned and excited thereto more and more to lay out themselves therein through that grace they have received could it be that the actings of sin should be destroyed without contrary workings of grace it would little avail a man would not thereby be in the way of life but no lusting of corruption can be truely killed without a lusting and stirring of grace in opposition thereto as darkness is only dispelled removed by the shining forth of some light Therefore look O soul well to this that thou hast a new nature that thou beest a new Creature in Christ Jesus Thirdly Spirit is sometimes taken for the Gospel as opposed to the Covenant of works 2 Cor. 3.8 where the Apostle speaks of the ministration of the Spirit in opposition to the ministration of Death mentioned in the foregoing verse and verse 6. he saith we are Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life and thus some take Spirit 1 John 5.8 There are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit the Water and the Blood i. e. the Word the Gospel Baptism and the Lords Supper If we take Spirit in my Text in this sense It 's true the deeds of the body are to be mortified through the Gospel by Gospel truths and considerations for it is the Gospel only that is effectual to destroy our sins the Law is not sufficient to kill any Lust in us It may be by legal truths men may be frighted and chained as it were with the heavy chain of slavish fear so that they dare not sin as they used to do but the Law alone never was or can be sufficient to lay any sin dead The Law alone rather quickneth and stirreth up sin than destroyeth it sin is thereby revived not mortified Rom. 7.8 Without the Law sin was dead i. e. it lay as if

exhortation Rom. 11.20 be not high minded but fear he adds v. 21 22. if God spared not the natural broaches take heed lest he spare not thee behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them that fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off As a Mother leading her little Child it goes towards the fire or water and though she hold it fast sure that it shall not fall in yet to make it careful she saith take heed if you fall into the fire you 'l be burn't if into the water you 'l be drowned so that we may not be secure and careless and self confident we have divers such If 's in Scripture spoken to Gods Children Thirdly True Believers may have and too oft have through compliance with the Flesh great falls though they live not after the Flesh they act much according to it therefore to cause them to maintain a continual sight against the Flesh and to keep at the farthest distance from it and to quicken them to repentance when they have turned aside therefore are they to be put in mind what an enemy the Flesh is even such that if they do live after it they shall dye eternally and so far as they act according to it they do dye spiritually For such reasons as these the Apostle speaks that Heb. 10.26 If we sin wilfully he faith not you but we if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for of judgment c. that is even for us if we so sin It may be objected is this a sit and proper argument to work upon true Believers to keep them from the wayes of the flesh or to bring them to repentance when they are seduced thereby should not such rather have other things Preached to them A. Other things should be Preached and that chiefly as the death of Christ love and grace of God c. but this also ye shall dye if c. all considerations are needful in this world to keep us awake God thought it a proper and fit argument to lay before Adam when he had no Flesh no corruption in him in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye why then is it not a proper and fit argument to be propounded to those who have much sin remaining in them though they being in Christ are not under that Covenant under which Adam was and cannot fall as he did yet is this argument rather more suitable to them than to Adam even the argument of death in this respect because they have much Flesh in them which both in it self deserves death and enclines them or moves them to walk in the wayes thereof sweet arguments may more take with the renewed part but this may more curb remaining Corruption and work upon the heart when in a fearless careless frame and if the soul be in never so good a frame to hear that they who live after the Flesh shall dye may stir it up to thankfulness that through and in Christ it is secure and the more thankful the more obedient shall we be to God If any say that grace most works upon them I answer the more any are drawn by Grace the less do they need to be driven by this truth yet even this truth minds us of and sets forth to us the grace of God in that but for it we had all lived after the flesh and there is love in this very truth that the Lord is thus pleased to warn us It may again be said but is this right to avoid or turn from the wayes of the Flash because they bring to death A. We are bound to believe all the word of God and it 's the nature of true faith to Believe all believing all things saith the Apostle that are written in the Law and the Prophets Acts 24.14 therefore all Scripture truth is to be Preached and whatever we do in faith from true faith is as so well done and acceptable to God as Noah's building an Ark because through faith he was moved with fear c. besides death implyes separation from God and this is very good it is love to God to avoid sin that by it we may not be separated from him Application Use 1. Whether do you or any of you live after the Flesh It is as great a question as whether you shall dye Be the more inquisitive each one as to himself because multitudes are strangely mistaken some seem as if they did live after the flesh yet really before God they do not 2 Cor 10.2 I beseech you that I may not be bold with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh the Apostles themselves seemed to some so to walk yet were they far from so walking On the other hand there are and that many more who make a shew as if they did not live after the flesh yet in truth after it do they live Thus men also mistake concerning themselves thinking that of themselves which is contrary to truth It 's like if the question were put in the general to any of you whether think you not there are some here present who live after the Flesh you would every one say if you should speak your thoughts yes some here do so live or I fear there are some whose life is such but let every one be ask'd as to his own particular probably he would say I do not or I hope I do not live after the Flesh I beseech you Brethren deceive not your selves for if you do thus live whether you think so or no of your selves you will find this true that ye shall dye I would be helpful to you in this enquiry for which purpose I shall briefly offer divers things to your serious thoughts to be made use of in self examination I say self examination for you know it 's not that God requires of you nor that which concerns you or not so much to try others as each one himself and her self 1. Whoever hath not had a great change in his heart a mighty turn he doth live after the Flesh however he may seem to live for all by nature are dead in their sins and the uncircumcision of their Flesh Col. 2.13 all naturally are born of Flesh and are Flesh having no good thing in them and if the tree be bad the fruit cannot but be bad also if any are dead in the Uncircumcision of their flesh it 's certain they live after it Secondly To live in the doing of any of the works of the Flesh though it be but in some one or two of them is to live after the Flesh Q. What are the works of the Flesh A. They are very many and they are all or most of them very manifest as the Apostle tells us Gal. 5.19 The