Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	darkness_n	light_n	shadow_n	7,372	5	9.4624	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55754	Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from severall texts of Scripture, opened and applyed. 1. A heavemly [sic] treatise of the devine love of Christ. 2. The Christians freedome. 3. The deformed forme of a formall profession. 4. Christs fulnesse, and mans emptinesse. By John Preston, doctor in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to King James, Mr. of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Two treatises, viz. The Christian freedome, and The deformed forme of a formall profession.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Plenitudo fontis, or, Christ's fulnesse and man's emptinesse.	1644 (1644)	Wing P3307A; ESTC R219005	93,300	192

for mercy though it be a quality in us yet it is a nature in God Now what is natural there is no unwillingnesse or wearinesse in doing that as the eye is not weary with seeing nor the eare weary with hearing Therefore though our sins be never so great and many yet if this condition be observed that wee lie in no knowne sin that we have a ful and resolute purpose God bearing witnesse to our consciences not to doe the least evil nor omit the least good in a word that wee make our hearts perfect to God in al things for without this conditon there is no remission of sins But if this condition be observed I say that although our sinnes be never so great any many yet they are not gone beyond the price which hath beene paid for them nor beyond the Grace of him with whom we have to doe for there is a fulnes in him Now I beseech you take not this Exhortation in vaine for there is nothing more effectual to heale a rebellious disposition to instil saving Grace to cause a finner to change his course then to be fully perswaded that he shal be received to mercy and that his sins shal be forgiven in Christ Even as the Theese while the 〈…〉 e and Cry is after him never returnes willingly Rebels and Pyrates whiles the Proclamation of Rebellion is out against them never come in But if there be a Proclamation of pardon yea and of some great Advancement if that be beleived once that and noting else causeth them to come in and to become faithfull and loyall Subjects Therefore let this fulnesse of mercy in Christ be an effectuall motive to us all to come in to lay down the armes of Rebellion to choose God for our good and to give up our selves wholly to him to serve him with perfect hearts willing minds all our dayes So much for the first part The second part I wil as briefely dispatch and not meddle with the third left I be tedious Of his Fulnes weo have al received WHence the second Point is That al Grace is received For as al Stars shine in the light of the Sun So doe al the Saints through grace received What else distinguished Iohn from Iudas Simon Peter from Simon Magus but onely Christ who shone upon one and not upon another when they sate both alike in darknesse and in the shadow of death The Scripture is evident for this Phil. 2. 13. The Deed is wrought in us by God and not the deed onely but the Wil also which produces that deed nor that onely but the thought also which begat that wel For we are not able so much as to thinks a good thought of our selves 2 Cor. 3. 5. So that al grace yea al preparation to grace and ability to accept grace are al from God contrary to what Arminius affirmeth and not of our selves and that for theise reasons Because nothing can worke beyond the Spheare of us owne reach the eff●ct exceedeth not the Cause therefore it is impossible for corrupt nature either to beget Supernatural grace or to doe any Action preparing or bending or inclining the wil to it For as the water cannot heate which is an Action above the nature of it until an higher principle of heat be first infused into it no more can meere nature doe any thing tending to saving grace having no principle in it selfe whence it can raise it And if it be objected as it is by the Arminians that though Grace doe al yet to accept or reject it to wil or nil it is natural to man as a free Agent I answer that to wil is natural but to wil wel is supernatural and must rise from a higher wel-head than nature is For as an hatchet wil cut when handled but with a common hand but not make a chaire or stoole or any Artificial thing except it have Influentiam Artificis quatenus Artifex the influence of an Artificer as he is an Artificer So though to wil be natural yet to wil wel to doe a supernatural worke in a supernatural and holy manner it cannot except it have the influence of a supernatural Agent to direct and guide it If a man might accept Grace or refuse it as he would God were not God because he might be crossed by his creature and his own wil should not absolutely beare rule especially in that great matter of beleiving and not beleeving and in putting difference betwixt man and man in the matter of Salvation and Damnation For according to Arminius though God did heartily desire the conversion of such a man and offered him al the meanes of Grace that could be yet it is stil in the free choise of his wil to convert or not to convert Their onely answer here is that seeing God hath made a Decree that man shal be a free Agent though he doe most earnestly desire the conversion of such and such men yet because he cannot disa●ul his Decree he doth and must leave it to the liberty of the Creature to doe contrary to even that himselfe desires But what is this else but to put God into such streights as Darius was in who would faine have saved Daniel but because of his Decree he could not And if griefe in Spirits and Angels be but Renisus volunt at is a reluctancy of the wil as the Schoolemen affirme what is this else but to attribute griefe unto God and so to detract from his Blessednesse Thirdly if all Grace be not received but a man may accept it or reject it as he will how can it be solved but that a man must rejoyce and boast partly in himselfe contrary to Paul's rule and not wholly in the Lord for aske the question of all that are saved what is the reason that you are saved rather then another their answer must needs be I out of the liberty of my owne will did receive and use well the Grace offered when another did not So that according to Arminius the Saints in heaven are not a jot more beholding to God then the damned in hel for the offering of Grace on Gods part was a like common to both only he that is in heaven may thank his own wil that he chose it when onother refused it They have nothing here to answer but onely that the meanes of Grace are dispenced by God with some disparity But what is that when they maintaine such freedome of wil that he who hath the greatest meanes may reject grace and he who hath the least may accept it Other reasons there are but that I hasten as that Grace is not Grace without being received no more then a man can be a man without reason or a gift can be a gift without being given for no lesse doth it imply contradiction to suppose it to be a grace yet not to be freely bestowed by God and received by us Secondly bowing of the will is an effect of