Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	curse_n	law_n	sin_n	11,182	5	5.3000	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66097	The child's portion, or, The unseen glory of the children of God asserted and proved together with several other sermons / occasionally preached and now published by Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston, New-England.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.	1684 (1684)	Wing W2271; ESTC R33658	112,015	240

their souls he gives them cordials of comfort communicates unto them the sips and fo●e tasts of glory fills them with inward joyes and refreshings God by his spirit comes into the heart and taking possession of it for himself makes known his love there which produceth joy unexpressible this benefit is also a part of Glorification it is something of Heaven meeting us in our way it is a bunch of those G●apes which grow in the celestial Canaan brought us to tast of in the Wilderness but the application of it is by the spirit of Adoption and that is that which the Scripture calls the earnest of the inheritance 4. They are made to partake in Christian liberty Joh. 8. 36. If the Son therefore shall make you free you are free indeed which liberty is not as vain men would have it a freedome to live as they list a liberty discharging them from holy Obedience to the commanding power of the Law of God and withal bidding them to trust in Christ for life and salvation as Libertines plead but it is an holy spiritual Liberty a Liberty from Bondage or Servitude Gal. 4. 7. viz. 1. From the servitude of the Law not from the regulating power of it for it still remains to be the directory of the People of God in their whole course and hath the strongest tye to obedience that can be from the Gospel Joh. 14. 15. If ye love me keep my Commandment nay whatsoever flesh may plead to the contrary it is certain that so to be losed from the Law were not a priviledge but a misery but it is a freedome from slavish subjection to the Law i. e. 1. From the servitude of the Law or condemning power of it from the thundring curses of it Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law The Law hath doomed all its offenders to eternal death and by the sentence of it they are held under guilt but Gods Adopted are set at liberty from this doom it speaks nothing that needs to appall them there is no spirit of bondage in it to them they are not under the law as a Judge but only as a Guid a Light and a Lamp 2. From any dependance upon the Law for happiness in a way of works or doings Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law This is a miserable bondage to fallen man thus to depend upon the Law Because it presents those that are under it every day with that which may assure them th●● after all their labour and pains taken in legal obedience they shall certainly lose all and finally fall short of Blessedness for by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20. 3. From servile Obedience to the Law their service is now a service of love for faith worketh by love before this he had the workings and stirrings of his Conscience which by amazing terrors and dismal frights drave him to the performance of known duty and restrained him from the commission of many erronious sins but all this was against his will and glad he would have been might he but have enjoyed some relaxation but now the case is altered and he takes delight in the Law of God and it is a great pleasure to him to be found exercising of himself therein Psal 1. 2. 2. From sin Rom. 6. 7. For he that is dead is freed from sin Hence that 1 John 3. 9. Whatsoever is born of God doth not commit sin not but that there are the remainders of active and stirring corruption to be found in the best of Gods Children as long as they bear about with them a body of Death and hence Paul's so earnest complaints Rom. 7. But 1. Though sin be in him yet it reigns not Rom. 6. 12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body it hath not the full compliance of the heart with it but whenever it gains upon him it is by leading of him captive Rom. 7. 23. he is enthralled by it and that appears because he is grieved at it as one that is taken a Prisoner by his Enemy and hence he sighs and groans for a delivery ver 24. 2. Though sin be yet God imputes it not 2 Cor. 5. 29. Not imputing their trespasses unto them the sin of Gods Children being set upon the account of Jesus Christ it is no longer charged upon them for God having taken full satisfaction for it at his hands and he having answered for it we are righteous in his account 3. Though sin be yet it shall never condemn them Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus he complains of the presence and oppression of it Cap. 7. but is here comforted against the condemning efficacy of it he is freed from the dominion of that slavish Spirit or spirit of bondage and needs not to go up and down in fear of suffering the eternal weight of Gods wrath 3. From the World 1 Joh. 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World they are delivered and kept from being drawn away with those snares baits and temptations and terified with those threatnings which the World sets before them hence they have such liberty of spirit granted them that they can both trample in disdain upon the large proffers of the World to seduce them by from their profession and undauntedly hold up their hands against all the menaces that are made against them 4. A liberty to serve God For 1. That opposition which was in their hearts against God is taken down and they are brought under voluntary obedience to his Holy Will their wills that were disordered are set in their right place again 1 Pet. 4. 1 2. 2. They love God and all his wayes yea they dearly love him Psal 18. 1. their whole soul is now devoted to him and his service 3. They perform filial obedience to God 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient Children they have not only the state and condition of Sons conferred upon them but also the hearts of Children put into them Hence Adoption comes in upon Conversion 5. All the creatures of God as it were put under them being used by him for their service and that in three respects 1. They have the service of the good things of God 1 Cor. 3. 20. All is yours they are made beneficial to them they are their own all that a Believer enjoys in this life he may truly call his own as he is a child of God the right using of the Creatures is again enlarged and restored unto them wicked men indeed have an outward civil right a providential right but still they are liable to answer for all they have and by their misusing of these things and dishonouring of God by them they encrease their condemnation and lay up for themselves treasures of wrath Rom. 2. 4 5. but they have a

sweet and excellent to him he shall then know their content and what a vast unconceivable treasure of infinite and everlasting good was laid up in them what God engaged when he promised to be his God and his Portion what Christ meant when he told his Disciples that he went to prepare a place for them and then shall his experience tell him that these Epithetes of exeeeding great and precious were deservedly put upon the promises of the Scripture sed manum de Tabula let Gods Children but tarry a while patiently you will need neither Man nor Angel to tell you what it is Touching the evidence of the Doctrine that this Vision is truly beatifical or that thus to see Christ is a great part of the happiness of glorified Saints needs not many words to evince happiness consists in the perfect closure of the faculty with the Object God in Christ is the proper ultimate Object of all our faculties and so of the understanding when therefore the understanding is filled full of the knowledge of Christ it shall be blessed happiness requires the full attainment of the Creatures end Man as to his understanding was made for light or knowledge hence Truth must ●●●●ifie the understanding and when it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●hrist it is full of truth it self Happine●● 〈◊〉 ●iledge which none but a reasonable bei●● 〈◊〉 able of irrational Agents attain their ends but they are not happy in so doing because they are irrational the satisfaction of the understanding must therefore be a main and principal part of happiness because it is a faculty without which no Being can be conceived to be happy needs then must the Children of God be very blessed in this Vision when they come to see Christ as he is for all necessary and desirable knowledge whether speculative or practical shall be comprehended in it and if David could account of a little glimmering light a day-break faint beam of it to be more worth than gold Psal 19. 10. what compleat satisfaction then must that full knowledge of him yield when this Sun shall shine upon them in his noon-day brightness if it be life eternal to know God and Christ as he is here known Joh. 17. 3. we cannot then conceive much less express what it shall be when a perfected understanding shall receive a perfect intimate and immediate irradiation of this Knowledge USE I. For Information Learn hence 1. That a perfect and through knowledge of God in Christ is not to be expected by any in this life this is a priviledge reserved for glory a●d not here looked for much less presumed upon by any but such as are enfatuated our Organs are not as yet accomodated to it nor shall be till the body of death be laid off sin remaining in the understanding is so much darkness there nor are our present means ordered to be the deferents of perfect light to us but are Glasses fitted to our sore eyes lest instead of helping them to see they should put them out Believers are not stark blind their eyes are blessed because they do see but they are imperfectly blessed for they see but confusedly men like trees Paul as a Saint knows but in part and as an Apostle or a glass to give light to others prophesies but in part 1 Cor. 13. 9. the air through which the Sun of righteousness beams down his light upon us is though diaphenous yet hazy and thick There is indeed enough revealed to direct us in our way but not so much as to set us down satisfied Hence the Ordinances and all helps to the knowledge of God in Christ will be of use to us as long as we are in this life and though it should be a comfort to us to think that the time will shortly come when we shall no more need this Glass when that Oracle shal be fulfilled Jer. 31. 34. They shall teach no more every man his Neighbour for they shall all know me c. Yet except we can be content here to live without any ●ight of Christ at all we must not be weary of nor throw aside the Glass as long as we are her● We must be glad that we may and thankful that we do see the Sun in his beams till we come to dwell in the Fountain of Light 2. See here who they be that enjoy the most of Inchoate felicity in this World viz. They that see most of God and Christ if this vision when perfected be so great a part of eternal Glory the beginnings and irradictions of it here must needs have a degree of blessedness in them There is indeed a knowledge in this life which is repleat with misery and the encreasing of it is but the encrease of sorrow and indeed miserable objects cannot be expected to do any other than to reflect trouble on them that seek acquaintance with them But could we acquaint our selves with Christ see him in all we should be able to pick up crumbs of felicity out of every thing Be therefore much in this study and contemplation use all helps to get as near unto Ch●●st as you can get acquainted with him and that shall give you quiet in trouble satisfaction in all changes And the way to get a sight of Christ and fellowship with him is to get amongst the Children of God get to be such as 〈◊〉 fear him it is to such that he makes himse●s known Psal 25. 14. The secret of the Lord is with those that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant They are the most unhappy Souls that know not Jesus Christ every degree of distance from him is a further degree of infelicity How ignorant then is the World that can content themselves to live estranged from him Destruction waits on them that are far from him USE II. For Exhortation to the Children of God in two things 1. Be preparing for this glorious sight The Apostle mentions it as a great Priviledge to be made meet for this glory Col. 1. 12. And as it is of God to make us worthy through the worthiness of Christ and to prepare us for it by the Sanctification of the Spirit so it concerns us to be making ready It is your Marriage-day in which your Bride-groom will shew himself to you in his glory you therefore should be diligent in making ready to meet him Would you then have a full and satisfying sight of Christ now turn away your eyes from beholding vanity you must labour so to walk as that you may be accepted of him What manner of persons should they be who look for such an happy sight as that The more you love Christ now the more grateful will the sight of him then be Labour to make sure of your interest in him to see him in all his Royalty with an appropriating sight and to be able to challenge a title to him as your Saviour will be the very happiness of this hap 〈…〉 〈◊〉 to be found in him