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	live_v	soul_n	15,929	5	5.3820	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65764	The pastors charge and cure, or, A sermon first preached in Latine at Oxford and afterwards translated by the author the preaching of which created the author much trouble, and in the winding up of all, suspension from his ministery, and thereupon inforcement to leave his native countrey / by Nath. White, pastor of a congregation at summer islands.	White, Nathaniel, 17th cent.	1645 (1645)	Wing W1798; ESTC R33619	34,854	42

followers This was the cause why God commanded that the Captaines and Leaders of the people should go forth to the battel at the first sound of the Trumpet that so the Troops of the mixt multitude might follow after them as their fore-runners Therefore yee see my beloved brethren that abundance of care and circumspection must be had that the Pastors being the Captains and Leaders of the people may lead a sincere and undefiled life lest that they drive them that wander into by-paths and deadly precipices and so make themselves guilty of their bloud which they should reduce from their wandring with their Shepheards Staffe and Crook into the Kings high way the way of life and salvation To this purpose speaketh Gregory excellently a Past Cura part 3. Admo●it Let the Pastors learn to give themselves examples of living well to those that are committed to them for they ought to know that if at any time they shall perpetrate corrupt and filthy things they are worthy of so many deaths as they doe give examples of destruction and perdition to those that are their followers from whence there is a necessity that Pastors and Ministers should keep themselves so much the more warily from trespasses and sinnes in so much as they doe not only die themselves by the evill things which they doe commit but also are guilty of the death of their souls which by their evill examples they have destroyed If then the matter be so my reverend Fathers and Brethren in Christ hence first we may learn how unworthy they are of the Office and honour of a Pastor who live wickedly and who doe tumble and wallow in the filth and mire of sinne and wickednesse in surfeiting and drunkennesse in chambering and wantonnesse in strife and envying how dare such men as these take upon them to declare the righteousnesse of the Lord How dare they take his word into their impure mouthes when as they have hated to be reformed and have cast his words behind their backs With what face doe men of this stamp rashly set upon the holy things of God and handle them as they say with unwashed hands when as David a most holy Prophet of God would not compasse the Altar of Jehovah before he had washed his hands in b Psal 24. innocency that is as Calvin interprets it before in the common use of holy things he had separated himselfe from wicked things Are these meet successors of the Prophets and Apostles who are called Holy men of God not onely by reason of divine inspiration but also for the holinesse and integrity of life by which they shined as gloriously in the Orb of the Church as the Sunne in its proper O●b expressing by their unblameable manners and by their holy conversation the life of true and pure religion in which they had instructed others Alas in no wise ought these to be esteemed fit to take the places or fill up the roomes of such holy men of God If any of this sort doe heare me this day Men Brethren and Fathers which God forbid I will with your good leave propose a few Considerations to which if they will lend a diligent eare they shall be able the grace of God helping and assisting to renounce and to bid farewell for ever to their old and wicked course of life The first of which is this Conside ∣ ration 1 the wicked and prophane life of Pastors defiles the very face of God with filthinesse and uncleannesse Thou which teachest another teachest thou not thy selfe Thou which preachest a man should not steale dost thou steale Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery dost thou commit adultery Thou that makest a boast of the Law through breaking of the Law dishonorest thou God c Rom. 2.21 22 23 24. What followeth For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you as it is written Thus holy Paul in his Epistle to the Romans Hearken to this Men Brethren and Fathers the Ministers of the Gospell wallowing in the mire of sinnes doe pollute the glorious Name of God and shall these escape unpunished No by no means unlesse they repent they shall perish for ever Who ever shall escape the present or future wrath of God almighty they most assuredly shall undergoe the same Truly this is a terrible conclusion yet hath it in it no more terrour then truth For God will be sanctified in those that come nigh him that is either actively or passively as he hath witnessed of himselfe I will be sanctified saith he in them that come nigh me Levit 10.3 that is I will openly declare and make known the glory and holinesse of my name by sharply punishing those Ministers that doe transgresse my commandements A second consideration is this Conside ∣ ration 2 the wicked and prophane life of Pastors doth wound Religion for as the wicked life of the sonnes of Eli gave occasion to the people to d 1 Sam. 2.17 abhorre the sacrifices of the Lord so the impious and nefarious lives of our Ministers give occasion to the malignant of scandalizing Religion Wherefore for Religions sake let it never be told in Gath nor published in the streets of Ascalon that the Ministers of the Gospel doe live unholily lest peradventure the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce lest peradventure the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph and by this means at length conceive some hope in their minds that our Religion by this deadly blow being shrewdly wounded it may in short time languish and die and that out of its ashes Phoenix-like the Roman Monster may again arise The third consideration is this Conside ∣ ration 3 the wicked and prosane life of Pastors doth seduce the flock e Ser. ad Pastor Hence excellently Bernard in his Sermon to Pastors That which Heretickes do by their corrupt doctrines the same doe many now adayes by their wicked examples namely they seduce the people and lead them into errour and by so much the more pernitious are they then heretickes by how much works are of more value then words and men are more led by practice then by precepts To this purpose speaketh Leo Plenius opere quam voce docetur teaching by example and practice is a more full teaching then teaching by precepts Suitable to this is the saying of Nazianzen He which teacheth holy things and liveth filthily he builds with one hand that which hee pluckes downe with another The Greek Scholia to this purpose wittily hath concluded that as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used not actively onely but passively also would to God you would diligently consider this Fathers and Brethren ye are Bishops actively that is Overseers and passively that is spectacles at once to be Overseers of others and to be seen of others for the eyes and faces of all are towards you all in your Doctrine listen well unto you all in your life have their

name not unwillingly perform the great and good God grant Amen Hitherto have we spoken of the life of a Pastor let us now in a word speak of the Doctrine that so we may hasten with as much speed as possible to the things which are remaining Pastors must take heed that their Doctrine be true and sound True that is not corrupted with the leven of errour or heresie Sound that is not stained with the doctrines of men or with traditions or with brain-sick and phanatick questions There is no need that we should travell from the sacred Scripture for the confirmation of this truth he that will but consult with S. Paul in his Epistles shall find it plentifully confirmed It behoveth a Bishop saith he to hold fast the faithfull word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convine the gainsayers in his Epistle to Titus ſ Tit. 1.9 The same he commands to Timothy Take heed unto thy selfe and to thy doctrine t 1 Tim. 4.16 to thy selfe that thou be holy to thy doctrine that it be sound Neither doth he teach any other lesson to Titus u Tit. 2.1 But speake thou the things which beseem sound doctrine Neither truly is S. Paul like to the Cocke of a Dial the shadow of which pointeth out the houre and flieth or like to a statue in the way which sheweth the right way to others but it never stirres it selfe but he doth that himselfe which he enjoynes to others as he openly witnesseth of himself w 2 Cor. 2.17 We are not as many which corrupt the word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ St. Paul did not play the huckster with the word of God that is he did not handle it crastily or covetously or to conclude lesse sincerely that by that means he might get gain but as of sincerity but as of God in the ●ight of God spake he in Christ Hence it is as clear as the light that the Doctrine of Ministers ought to be hedged in on every side with abundance of circumspection Neither ought we to admire at it for from hence much profit will redound to themselves and to their flock and on the contrary much detriment and damage will accrue unto them both First of all great advantage wil redound to themselves to their flock What greater good can come to the sons of men then life and glory But this shal be the reward recompence of them and theirs that are faithfull Those that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the Firmament and they that turn many to righteousnesse that is by their faithfull preaching as the starres for ever and ever saith the Prophet Daniel x Dan. 12.3 And St. Paul writing to Timothy saith Take heed to y 2 Tim. 4.16 thy selfe and to thy Doctrine continue in them for by this means thou shalt save thy selfe and those that heare thee On the contrary corrupt doctrine doth bring much hurt and losse unto the Flock and Pastor First to the Flock corrupt and impure Doctrine may deservedly be compared to deadly poyson for as that is hurtfull to the body so this especially to the soul therefore that Preacher that preacheth deadly soule-destroying doctrine deserveth to be punished with the same punishment and with the same death with which a Physitian is to be punished who gives his sick Patient poyson to drink in stead of wholsome Physick for he kils the body but the other destroyes the soul Secondly that quick and lively saying of Christ Matth. 5.19 threatneth at the first sight unutterable punishment to themselves Whosoever saith he shall break one of the least of these commandements and teach men so that is to break them he shall be called the least in the Kingdome of heaven that is he shall be none for those that are there are great all he shall have no place in the heavenly Paradise now he that falls from heaven with one and the same fall he falls into hell irrecoverably and most justly and deservedly is he esteemed worthy of eternall death who hath seduced others and led them into deadly errors because he endeavoureth to destroy his Christian brethren for whom Christ hath shed his most pretious heart-bloud then the which a greater and more truculent sinne cannot be thought on or imagined What therefore will become of those grand Impostors of the world the Jesuits and Romish Massing-priests who compasse Sea and Land that they may make one Proselyte and when he is made they make him twofold more the child of he then they themselves Yea what will become of some Ministers of the Gospel who tooth and naile endeavour not onely in their Sermons but also in written bookes to make that holy time consecrated unto God common and prophane and to change the divine institution of the Lords day into humane that so they might cut in sunder the very nerves of the solemne worship of God and so utterly overturn all Religion What will become of our Ministers of the Gospel who in their preaching publish to the world doctrine strongly savouring of Pelagianisme and who teach other heterodox tenets What will become of others who use painting and false colouring whereby their doctrine is adulterated so that it cannot keep and retain its native simplicity and integrity for either they joyn with it the traditions of men and mingle mens decrees with Gods which is to mingle Chaffe with Wheat or else they most dishonestly flatter men especially great men of whom they expect profit and preferment and taking away as it were the salt of the Gospel with which they ought to suppresse and keep down the petulancie of mens itching and lusting flesh they connive and wink at the naughty and unlawfull actions of the sonnes of men There are some such Preachers in this exulcerate Age who like the Heliotrope or Lupine are carried about together with the Sun whithersoever the inclinations or dispositions of the great ones bend thither doe they bend and incline their heads also so that you would not think they were two but one that spake like to one and the same accord in musick these with the Cameleon do change themselves into any colour besides red and white that is they can turn themselves into any form or shape besides that which is honest and good Hence it was that Seneca doth so tax that unhappy delicatenesse and nicenesse of his Age and not much unlike to this of ours I will shew thee saith he with what poverty and scarcity great States are pestered and what is wanting to them that possesse all things scilicet qui verum dicat namely one who will tell the truth What will become of others who speake evill of good and good of evill who put darknesse for light and light for darknesse who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Most assuredly a fearfull