Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A12088
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The blessednes of the Virgin Marie the mother of our Lord Iesvs Christ.
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Shaw, John, 1559-1625.
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1618
(1618)
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STC 22391; ESTC S103212
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48,106
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180
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the booke of Iudges vsed a parable to declare his mind more plainly saying The trees went forth on a time to annoint a king ouer them so forth So we desire without offence to vse a Dialogue or disputation to see if this mysterie so profound may be better vnderstood or leaue a deeper impression of so holy learning Whē Adam and in him all his posteritie by disobedience had sinned against God before he should receiue the doome of his iust damnation sundrie stood vp to pleade IVSTICE tooke the first place and with much vehemencie alledged that the righteousnesse of God required that vnlesse there were a ful satisfaction made by man for mans transgression man must necessarily die and that eternally for his sinne and that God could not be iust if any of his debts should passe vnsatisfied Infinite Iustice is wronged therefore must man endure infinite torments The most holy and iust God hath spoken Gen. 2 17. In the day thou eatest of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill thou shalt die the death Againe he hath said Deut. 27.26 Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the Law to do them Yea and againe The soule that sinneth shall die Ezek. 18.5 TRVTH likewise stood vp and said My sentence must needs be to second make good all that Iustice hath spoken for what God saith is true all his words are as the faithfull witnesses in heauen and He will be knowne by executing of iudgement Psal 9.16 Be ye well assured Num. 23.19 God is not as man that he should lie hath he said and shall he not do it and hath he spoken and shall he not accomplish it MERCIE then put forth her voice Giue me place also to stand for and to witnesse what is noted in the Scripture of truth For though I may in no part derogate from Iustice or Truth whose greatnesse I know and reuerence yet know ye also that Mercie will lose neither her right or preheminence but will take first place of you both for it is allotted by the word vnto me It is first said Gracious and then Righteous is the Lord. Psal 25.8 Yea let it be engrauen in pillars of marble and written with letters of gold and in the hearts of all the holy ones Psal 145.8 The Lord is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great mercie Yea I will auouch it confidently that where there is one title of Gods Iustice He maketh not the wicked innocent there are seauen titles of his Mercie Iehouah Iehouah Exod. 34.6 strong mercifull and gracious slow to anger abounding in goodnesse and truth reseruing mercie for thousands forgiuing iniquitie and transgression and sinne If Iustice say man shall die Mercie saith he shall liue Eze. 16.6 PEACE then very mildly tooke part with Mercie and said Sister Truth I blame thee not for speaking on Iustice side for we haue learned that God is true in his threatnings none will herein gainsay thee but speake vnpartially as I well know thou wilt when it cometh to thy turne to speake againe is not God also as true in his holy Couenants and all his sweete promises But without more vrging thee I will speake for vs both and in the words of the holy Ghost As I haue sworne Isa 54.9 that the waters of Noah should no more go ouer the earth so haue I sworne that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee for the mountaines shall depart and the hils shall be remooued but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the Couenant of my peace be remooued saith the Lord that hath mercie on thee If rigor of Iustice should take such place that man for his Sinne should eternally perish then Mercie and Peace should be quite banished out of the earth But I know assuredly That he will speake peace vnto his people Psal 85.8 and to his Saints The Lord will blesse his people with peace Yea vnto man Isa 9.6 for man is giuen the Prince of peace WISDOME then as best able to decide this controuersie tooke place and said All of you haue spoken well and as beseemeth you for God will make his Name glorious in manifesting before men and Angels the holinesse of his Iustice Truth Mercie and Peace Mercie must be shewed otherwise man cannot be saued and yet God will not shew Mercie to violate or wrong his Iustice There is a way found out by him whose name is Wonderfull and Counseller Isa 9.6 how to please you all and to giue you full contentment and to saue men from deserued damnation There is a law made by the most High the Iust and Mercifull God wherein it is thus enacted If thy brother be impouerished Leuit. 23.47 and sell himselfe to a stranger by thee after he is sold he may be bought out ONE OF HIS BRETHREN may buy him out any of the KINRED of his flesh among his familie may REDEEME him According to the equity of this law some second Adam that is a Brother must make the Redemption and Attonement who can pay all the forfets and debts of man who can die and yet ouercome death die and be no debter to death but meerely of loue lay downe his life to saue other from dying who can perfectly fulfill the whole Law and purchase the Creators fauour and an eternall inheritance For God by his Commandemēt requiring of man sound full and perfect obedience without a perfect and complete obedience will not make man righteous and threatning a curse setting downe the penaltie will admit of no satisfaction but by the suffering of that curse denounced by God himselfe Now such a suretie and man of worth that can thus suffer and thus do where shall he be found Here Adam and all his sonnes were silent deiected and heartlesse for no such could be found on earth man could do nothing to worke his recouerie no more then a dead man can raise vp himselfe out of his graue Ephes 2.1 being dead in trespasses and sinnes so that Desperation was readie to arrest Adam and to take him from Gods gracious presence for euer but the SONNE OF GOD came in due time to helpe at neede and to saue that which was lost and he graciously spake I will take flesh of the wombe of a Virgine I will become man rather then man shall perish whom I created after mine owne image He fell not altogether of himselfe but by temtation of another another that is more mighty shall raise him vp and restore him fully into the fauour of his Creator And this shall be accomplished as Wisedome hath made it plaine vnto you altogether according as it is written of me in the volume of Gods booke Isa 53.5 The iniquitie of all shall be laid on me and I will make reconciliation I will be wounded for mans transgression
euery one whereof deserueth Gods curse and damnation yet if we be truly humbled for them seeke vnto Christ and beleeue Heb. 10.19 We haue boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the bloud of Iesus and are commanded that we draw not backe vnto perdition Heb. 10.39 but be of them that beleeue to the sauing of the soule For albeit our sinnes are as bonds death as a tormentor hell an eternall prison the diuell as a sergeant to arrest and as a iaylor there to keepe vs because we are indebted ten thousand talents to the great King who will haue the debt payd and we are vtterly vnable yet one comfort Ioh. 8.36 and but one is left vs. If the Sonne make you free ye shall be free indeed Now he hath freed the beleeuing as our High-priest Heb. 7.22 and as our suretie paying our debts to God for vs. Christ hath once suffered for sinnes 1. Pet. 3.18 the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to God Colos 2.14 Yea hath blotted out the handwriting that was against vs and is a iustifier of him which beleeueth in Iesus Rom. 3.26 And like as Abraham with a strong hand rescued Lot his kinsman Gen. 14.16 when he was vnder the captiuitie of his enemies after the like manner Iesus our King and kinsman Colos 2.15 conquered Satan spoyled principalities and powers and deliuered vs out of his clawes For when the Iudge and the Law are satisfied what hath the Iaylor any more to molest the prisoner Yea such is Christs louing kindnesse to all vnfeined repenting sinners that beleeue with the whole heart seeke to him Tit. 2.14 that He redeemeth them from all iniquitie withall doth purifie them to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good works A second obiection and doubt Iam. 2.21 Was not Abraham our father iustified by workes when he had offered Isaac his sonne vpon the altar Out of these words of S. Iames some gather that to be freed from sin so to obtaine blessednesse for blessed is the man to whom God imputeth none iniquitie is for the merit and worthinesse of good workes To which we answer that not onely the words but the true meaning of them is diligently to be pondred lest we should thinke one Scripture to be contrary to another which cannot be Gather we then the true sense of them from the word it selfe for as no man can see the Sunne that shineth but by the light of the Sunne so neither attaine we to the right vnderstanding of the word but by the other Scriptures as this may clearely be vnfolded by the words of S. Iames going before For he well knowing that many who by their profession were Christians but in their conuersation Libertines and Epicures such as made shew of Religion but denied the power of it speakers of the word of God but not doers of his will euen such as turned the grace of God into wantonnesse laboureth to set before them the danger thereof and how they deceiued themselues either not vnderstanding or not regarding the nature of true faith he maketh it plaine to them that they had no true faith and by this argument that they had not such workes as necessarily proceed from a right faith Reasoning as our Lord Iesus Christ did Iohn 8.39 If ye were Abrahams children ye would do the workes of Abraham but ye go about to kill me that tell you the truth this did not Abraham Assuring them that faith if it haue no workes is dead in it self Iam. 2.20 Wilt thou know O vaine man that faith without workes is dead For as where there is no heate there is no fire so where there is no good fruit there is no true faith But where faith is there workes follow and flow from it as Abraham by a rare and readie obedience in a seruice so contrary to nature and in appearance also to the great promise made vnto him did make it manifest what true trust and stedfastnesse of faith he had in the Lords holy promises By faith Heb. 11.17 Abraham when he was tried offered vp Isaac and he that had receiued the promises offered vp his onely begotten sonne of whom it was said In Isaac shall thy seed be called God gaue testimonie of these fruites of faith when he said Gen. 22.12 Lay not thy hand on the child for now I know thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy sonne thy onely sonne from me On the other side an hypocriticall and dead faith Mat. 21.19 is like the fig tree with faire leaues but hath no fruite on it or if it haue a fruite all we reade of is compared to the faith of diuels the fruite feare and trembling Thou beleeuest there is one God Iam. 2.19 thou doest well the diuels also beleeue and tremble But true faith hath with it ioy and gladnesse 1. Pet. 1.8 Though ye see him not yet do you beleeue and reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious The manner of speech which the holy Ghost vseth must be carefully obserued if we will not fall into heresies What a dangerous noueltie of speaking is it to say holy works done in faith are satisfactory and meritorious of eternall life whereas the word of God onely saith Heb. 11.4 That they obtaine witnesse of righteousnesse As we reade By faith Abel offered vnto God a more excellent sacrifice â—hen Cain by which he obtained witnesse that he was righteous As faith that is effectuall and fruitfull giueth glorie to God for his goodnesse and true performance of all his holy promises in their appointed time so the works that spring out of it beare witnesse to our selues and others that we are not fruitlesse trees which are neare the curse but planted by the waters side that bring forth fruit in due season whereby God is glorified our hearts comforted and the faithfull praise God for vs. But on the contrary such as haue a bare knowledge assent vnto the truth or presumptuous perswasion not rightly grounded such as beleeue there is a God but beleeue not in God hauing no assurance he is their God their gaines in the end is to be deceiued of their hope and to be put in feare horror and trembling Yea the fearefull and vnbeleeuing shall haue their part in the lake which Reu. 21.8 burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death If any will yet persist to presse the words of Iames we vrge his words for our assertion who saith Iam. 2.23 The Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse and he was called the friend of God But to reconcile Paul and Iames vnderstand that Iames speaketh how Abraham was iustified declaratiuely but Paul actiuely or effectually which distinction ariseth both from the words handling of the subiect in question If we would compare Genes 15.6 with Genes