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
A90810	A sermon preached before the religious societies in St. Michael's Church Dublin. September the 25th. 1698. / by Thomas Pollard ...	Pollard, Thomas.	1698 (1698)	Wing P2777; ESTC R181919	10,628	20

but improve and exalt this excellent and necessary duty And by how much we have more noble motives for the performance of it by so much are we the more strictly oblig'd to the Conscientious discharge of it And thus having proved that it is the Duty of a private Christian as much as in him lies to reprove and reform Sin in his Neighbour I come in the second place to shew you how this Duty is to be performed And that is first of all by instructing the Ignorant and that both as to the Credenda and Agenda of their Religion For as many Sin against light so some Sin for want of it and it is noble charity to give Eyes to the Blind to give Light to them that sit in Darkness and the Shadow of Death and to guide their Feet into the way of Peace But thô this may tend very much to the Reformation of our Brother yet it is properly rather to Direct than Reprove 2dly There is a way of reproving Sin-by the contrary example of Holiness and Vertue and when Sin has not taken too deep a root this may prove an excellent method for the reclaiming of Sinners For the exemplary Piety and Holiness of a good Man is such a Check and Reproach to the Ungodly that like the Ark and Dagon one cannot stand before the other But if the Contagion of Sin be spread and grown so inveterate that Example alone cannot Shame and Master it yet it will still have the Advantage of giving the more Force and Efficacy to our Reproofs it will convince them that we are sincere and in earnest when they see us so Zealous in the Practise of that our selves which we would so earnestly recommend unto them But it will be a hard matter to perswade any man to believe and practice that which by my own Actions that by most People are look'd upon as the most sensible and convincing Arguments I do plainly demonstrate I neither believe nor practice my self How apt will every one be to retort my Rebukes with a Physitian heal thy self or rather with a Thou Hypocrite first cast the Beam out of thine own Eye and then shalt thou see clearly to pull the Mote out of thy Brothers Eye He that is guilty himself is not fit to stone Sin in another 3dly Our Rebukes and Reproofs of our Brother ought to be insinuated with all Tenderness and Brotherly love that they may plainly perceive our design is to save their Souls and not to Gratisie our own or others Spleen in exposing their Persons and Reputations And that we may the better insinuate our kind concern for them we must observe as near as we can the Mollia Tempora fandi the season and circumstances that are most likely to render our endeavours successful least otherwise it should appear that we design rather to Upbraid than Reform them And then 't is likely they will rather grow worse than better under our Admonitions as 't is thought the Physick that does not Master does irritate and ferment the evil Humour And therefore we ought to use the greatest caution and prudence that our Reproofs according to the observation of a great Divine may come as the Fathers thought Grace did to the Elect Tempore congruo in a fit season not when they are in the heat and Career of their Sins but as God did to Adam in the cool of the day when the temper of the Wax may make it more capable of an impression lest striving to stop the Rapid Stream in ' its force we make it swell and overwhelm all before it Reproofs ill placed look more like the Attacks of an Enemy than the Rebukes of a Friend and they will sooner Exasperate than Reform the Delinquent And therefore when there is any hopes of doing good this way this gentle method should be always used before we proceed to rougher treatment we should try if the pouring in the precious Balm of Reproof will do the work before we proceed to break their Heads by the severity and Penalty of the Laws But 4. sometimes the wound is more dangerous and will perhaps need Incisions and rougher Applications sometimes the Sin is deeply rooted by a long Custom and is become not only fashionable but has gotten Credit as well as Ground in the World and then People Sin on with a stiff Neck and a high Hand and a Crest lifted up and when the Man becomes so exceeding Sinful then Reproof will be lost upon such obstinate Sinners all this precious Balm will like Oyl to the Fire make it flame the more Those are the People the wise man speaks of Reprove not a Scorner lest he hate thee Prov. 9.8 He means such as are Incorrigible have ascended the Chair of the Scornful and are become presumptuous open and daring Sinners such as the Hereticks of old are to be rejected and the precious Pearl of Reproof are not to be cast before such Swine lest like the evil Spirit they turn upon thee and tear thee But here we are to call in the help of the Civil Magistrate who should be as the Apostle speaks the Minister of God a Revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil Rom. 13.4 And let him look to it if he bears this Sword in vain he makes himself partaker of other mens Sins draws a vast guilt upon his own head and his Doom will be so much sharper as his Trust was greater than other Mens But thanks be to God who has not only given us good Laws for the suppression of Vice and Reformation of Manners but has also inspired some of our Magistrates with so much Courage and Zeal for God and Religion as resolutely to put these wholesom Laws in Execution maugre all the Interest and Malice of a wicked Prophane and Licentious Faction And since we have not only good Laws but good Magistrates who do so Zealously abett the cause of GOD and Practical Holiness we ought not to be faint-hearted in so good a cause but where Brotherly Admonition will not or is not likely to take place there to appeal to the Civil Magistrate and to pray the assistance of the Sword of Justice for the cutting down those Sins which were too strong and powerful for any private Reproof I told you before that by our Baptismal Vow we are all engag'd to resist and prevent Sin as far as lawfully we may and when 't is not probable that the best Arts of Perswasion and Reproof will take place but men are become so obstinate and desperately wicked that they are not to be awakened by all the terrors of the LORD then 't is high time to try if the Sword of Justice will deter them or have any better influence upon them and to this end we may justly and fairly complain to the Civil Magistrate and desire the execution of the Laws against such scandalous Offenders And the reproach of being call'd an Informer ought not to discourage us or to