Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	life_n	time_n	18,635	5	3.9362	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49584	Of earnestly contending for the faith a sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and aldermen of the city of London, on Sunday, Sept. the 22th, there being that day an ordination by the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of London / by James Lardner.	Lardner, James, b. 1670.	1700 (1700)	Wing L436; ESTC R13861	12,315	30

those Times when to embrace the Doctrine of our Lord and to follow him was the sure and ready way to take up the Cross in a literal Sense when he that would live the Life of a Christian must expect to die the same Death with his Master These things are sufficiently known and evident to any Man who hath but look'd into the History of the Church It is very true will some Men be apt to say There is no doubt to be made but the first Planters and Publishers of the Gospel met with very great Opposition and both they and their Followers in the first Ages of the Church were very severely and cruelly handled and their adhering to the Christian Religion did hourly expose them to the hazard of their Lives But what then We are now quiet and at ease and the Exhortation which the Apostle gives in the Text to contend earnestly for the Faith hath no place at all amongst us the Christian Faith say they is now not only generally receiv'd and the Gospel quietly enjoy'd but Kings themselves are become the Nursing Fathers of the Church and Queens its Nursing Mothers That Vine which God 's own right Hand hath planted hath now taken Root and filled the Land and every one hath the Liberty and the blessed Opportunities of setting under its Shadow with great delight Is it so then If the Amalekites with all that belong'd to 'em be utterly destroy'd what means the bleating of the Sheep and the lowing of the Oxen which we hear If the Christian Profession be so quietly and securely settled if that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints be so generally received and embraced that the Professors of it have no occasion to strive and contend for it what mean all our Sects and Divisions What means that open that barefac'd opposition which is daily made What should be the reason that instead of believing and without Controversie assenting to the great Mysteries of Godliness we meet with Men now adays who can in one breath reject all the Mysteries of the Gospel And these Men whose Unstandings are not look'd upon as of a low inconsiderable Size but such as pretend to the most extraordinary Parts the most refined and subtle Wits such as if it be true that the Gnosticks those Hereticks who in the first Ages of Christianity infested the Church of God had their Name given 'em from their pretensions to great and extraordinary Knowledge may come under the same denomination with them If Christianity be setled upon so sure a Foundation how comes it to pass that these Men should not blush at what they do especially if it be consider'd that our most holy Faith being guarded and protected by the Circumvallation of humane Laws those Men who in a Christian Country dare openly write against and oppose the Christian Religion are guilty of an instance of the highest Impudence to aggravate their Crime and come into the number of those whom our Apostle here speaks of who despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities If the Faith of Christ if his Gospel be so generally so universally receiv'd amongst us what mean all these late pretensions to new Light and immediate Inspiration What do they mean who go about to perswade the World That all those Expressions of Scripture which relate to the Incarnation the Birth the Death and Resurrection of the Blessed Jesus are to be understood in a metaphorical and figurative Sense Who instead of modestly and devoutly receiving the holy Scriptures as the only Rule both of their Faith and Practice shall impiously nay blasphemously call it a dead Letter by this means overthrowing the Authority of the whole written Word of God perverting one of the great designs of our Saviour's coming into the World and overturning the whole business of his Prophetick Office For to what purpose should the Son of God take upon him our Nature and come into the World to be our great Lawgiver when he might through all succeeding Ages have instructed his People by the Voice of the Spirit within 'em I say to what purpose should he do this if he did not design that the Gospel should be a standing perpetual Rule to his Followers if he did not intend that when this substance of the Faith was once delivered to the Saints the Saints should not only thankfully embrace it but most earnestly contend for it If the Gospel be received and its Doctrines so generally embrac'd what mean all these Fruits of Unrighteousness of which every day produces so plentiful an Harvest Whence comes that Atheism and Infidelity which hath overspread so great a part of this Nation Why are our Ears so ungratefully filled with Swearing and Cursing Why is the sacred the tremendous Name of God blasphemed why are his Sabbaths unhallow'd why are the Festivals of the Church slighted and disregarded and the most solemn Ordinances neglected and contemn'd even by those very Men who at the same time call themselves by the name of Christ Have we no Enemies to encounter Is the Faith so securely setled that we have no occasion to contend for it Most assuredly when our Adversaries appear so open and barefaced on the one hand and those who call themselves our Friends but falsly so called on the other hand shall by their wicked Lives their horrid and impious Practises give occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to blaspheme I say whilst Matters stand thus we have the highest reason to be upon our Guard to be always in a readiness and a posture of defence and whilst we fight in our Master's cause 1 Cor 16.13 to quit our selves like Men. Proceed we now in the Second place to enquire how and after what manner we are to deal with these Adversaries and what sort of Weapons we are to make use of whilst we endeavour earnestly to contend for the Faith And here be pleased in the first place to give me leave to look back a little upon the first Ages of the Church those dismal Times of Heat and Persecution and see how the Professours of Christianity then contended for though blessed be our most merciful and indulgent God we do at present enjoy a great measure of Peace and Tranquillity though our Church Doors are now always open and the pious Votary hath a ready admission to the Throne of Grace yet who knows what severe Judgments and Calamities our many crying Sins may provoke the just Governour of the World to bring upon us and should we ever be in their Condition we are to follow their Example and contend for the Faith as they did look back upon the first Martyrs and Confessours and in perilous Times you shall find them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earnestly striving and contending for the Faith in the utmost stretch of the words resolved to hold it fast and keep it inviolable even to the end 'T is very plain that the Apostle here as likewise St. Paul in several of his Epistles

alludes to those ancient Games and Exercises in use amongst the Greeks and particularly here to that of running a Race wherein the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Reward of the Conqueror was set at the end over the Goal and the pious suffering Christian may here be consider'd at the approaches of the last solemn hour pressing forward toward the prize of his high Calling come as it were within fight of the Goal fully resolv'd notwithstanding the Conflicts and Fatigues which he undergoes not to slack his pace or be diverted by any thing that may court him in his way He presses forward and endeavours to grasp that Crown of Glory which stands in view though tortured will not accept of Deliverance nor quit his Master's Service to gain inglorious Ease He relies upon the sure word of Promise Job 27.5 and till he die will not remove his Innocence and Integrity from him And should it please God to draw a Cloud of Persecution over his Church again it is our Duty I say to follow the steps of those pious Confessours to maintain our Innocence even to the Death to strive earnestly for the Faith and whilst we keep our Eye upon the promised Reward the unspeakable Glories of the other Life to possess our Souls in Patience to be easie and contented too through much tribulation to enter into the Kingdom of God A truly pious and couragious Christian who is strong in the Lord and in the power of his might will consider that though he be cruelly used yet 't is for the sake of his Master and thinks it but reasonable to lay down his Life for his sake who died for him he will not value the troubles or inconveniences of the Wilderness so long as Canaan the Land flowing with Milk and Honey stands in view at his Journey 's end But then Secondly Let us see how we are to deal with and contend with those other Adversaries which we have been speaking of in Times less perilous and hard and here we may consider our selves either First As private Men of ordinary Capacities and endued with a moderate share of Understanding Or Secondly As Persons peculiarly set apart for the Service of God endued with more than ordinary Abilities and whole business consequently it is to stand up vigorously for the Cause of God and Religion Or Thirdly As Magistrates God's Vicegerents upon Earth to whom is intrusted the Management of the Sword of Justice First Consider we how we are to deal and contend with the Enemies of the Faith of Christ supposing our selves private Men of very ordinary Capacities and endued with but a moderate share of Understanding Now here we are to consider our selves as such whose Conversation generally speaking lies among Men of the same Rank and Size with our selves but yet by reason of the number of those with whom we converse we must have to do with Men of different Principles and different Lives Take we therefore care to be diligent and frequent in reading the Holy Scriptures consulting the Oracles of God and by this means furnishing our selves with all saving Knowledge and enriching our Souls with that Wisdom which is from above and if any thing of difficulty doth occur any thing too knotty for us to resolve our most holy Church hath provided us Spiritual Teachers who are of Abilities to inform and direct us and to whom in these Cases we are obliged to repair By this means we shall arm and secure our selves from that Poison which doth often insensibly steal into us from a mix'd Conversation evermore observing that we put in practise what we read and take care that our Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel of Christ that by a truly pious exemplary Life we endeavour to adorn the Doctrine of God our Saviour in all things Thus shall we influence not only our Children and Servants and those who belong to our Family but probably bring others over by our good Example thus shall we encrease our Numbers and double our Forces against our Adversaries whilst we take care by a constant perseverance in Holiness to perform all those necessary Duties which are made the indispensable Conditions of our Salvation whilst we let others see that we really are what we outwardly pretend to viz. the Servants and Disciples of the Holy and Immaculate Jesus this I say will be a means to encrease our numbers and consequently lessen and weaken the contrary Party by bringing Deserters over to our side Secondly Consider we how we are to deal with our Adversaries and contend for the Faith supposing our selves Persons peculiarly set apart for the Service of God furnish'd with more than ordinary Abilities and whole business it is to stand up for the Cause of God and Religion Whose Business I say it is it is our Calling our Profession the promoting the Honour of God and the Interest of Religion is the one great Work which is to take up all our Care and be the Subject of our constant Endeavours First then let us see in the General how we are to contend with those who practically deny the Faith and live in constant opposition to those Laws which the Son of God hath been pleased to prescribe These Men are to be sharply dealt with and we are to show 'em the Terrors of the Lord and not any way desist from our Duty though it must be confess'd that to reclaim a stubborn and obdurate World is a Work which is attended with a great deal of Difficulty and Hardship To tell a Man of his Faults and discover to him his Miscarriages doth very often prove an unthankful Office to lay open his Follies and at the same time rebuke him sharply for 'em too may very likely make him uneasie 't is like touching a Man to the quick and probing a Wound to the very bottom But what then why should the Skilful Chirurgeon be concern'd or dismay'd at the uneasiness of the Patient when he is sure that what he doth is out of an honest design and that he acts only in order to a Cure And why should the Ministers of the Word be frighted from their Duty because the peevish World are uneasie when they tell 'em the Truth so long as they are satisfied in their Consciences that they act upon a good Principle and endeavour as much as in them lies to promote the Eternal Interest Health and Salvation of Mankind 'T is our Duty to be bold and daring in a good Work and not sneakingly stifle a Reproof when it may be seasonably given out of a fear to displease another and put him out of Temper when at the same time we are assured that 't is our Duty to Rebuke him sharply Secondly As we are thus to reprove and rebuke with all Authority in our Exhortations so are we likewise to do it in our Practice and let others see that we are ashamed of all those abominable Practises which they every