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	sin_n	sin_v	13,883	5	9.2456	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91881	John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ Iesvs: or, A necessity for liberty of conscience, as the only meanes under heaven to strengthen children weake in faith; to convince hereticks mis-led in faith; to discover the gospel to all such as yet never heard thereof; and establish peace betweene all states and people throughout the world; according unto which, were both our Saviours commission, and the apostles practice for the propagation of it peaceably: as appeares most evidently by sundry Scriptures digested into chapters, with some observations at the end of every one; most humbly devoted to the use and benefit of all such as are zealously inquisitive after truth; piously disposed to imbrace it, and constantly resolved to practice it in their lives and conversations; to the honour of God, the edifying of their brethren, and their owne salvation unto eternity. The contents of the chapters follow in the next leaf. This is licenced, but not permitted to be entred according to order.	Robinson, Henry, 1605?-1664?	1644 (1644)	Wing R1673; Thomason E9_13; ESTC R15393	119,971	135

upon trust but informes himselfe fully of them all and at last fixes upon one Most men may now say that in regard of his naturall propensity to evill 't is nineteen to one but he hath missed of the true Religion but had he gone to any other City where one of the twenty only had been permitted besides the taking up a Religion at hap hazard the wager had been nineteen to one that he should not so much as have heard of the true one and consequently according to the same oddes impossible for him to have met with it and imbraced it Now which of these two propositions is the best or more agreeabel to common sense will easily appeare if we consider that in the first a man is certaine the truth is present and certaine to heare what the truth can say for it selfe but in the other there is no certainty of either and yet it must be accepted at adventure without examination or triall not in judgement But to return a little There was no commission given by our Saviour to his Disciples or by the Disciples to the Primitive Christians but they were either to execute it in their owne persons or else to recommend it unto others now it is granted that the imploying of the Civillsword was not meant unto the Apostles nor to the Primitive Christians in their owne persons because they neither had nor could have it in their power to make use there of though they should have desired it so that in effect it must be inferred by the abetters of perfecution that our Saviour or his Apostles must have given some anticipated order that when ever the people of God could get the Civill Magistrate to friend that then they might make the best improvement thereof they could to whip men into the truth But it concernes such to produce this New Gospel with a second Order or Commission that take upon them the execution of it And whereas they pretend likewise to imploy this Civill power against such only as are obstinate in wilfully shutting of their eares against the truth which they say hath been held forth unto them in such a rationall way as if they themselves would they might have beene convinced to the acknowledgement thereof and that not succeeding accordingly it appears plainly they sin against their own conscience from hence it would follow That if the Gospel were proffered unto all Nations and to every man in the world that it should be in every particular mans power to receive it be enlightned and embrace the truth at his owne pleasure which yet I conceive will not be owned by these who bring themselves into the labrinth of this inextricable consequence for doubtlesse Paul even when he was a persecuter had heard more of the Gospel then thousands which were converted before him some of them even at first sight and hearing of the Apostles so that according to this rule he ought to have been persecuted to death in his obstinacie before he had lived long enough and till the accomplishment of time which God had appointed for his conversion Secondly if the Gospel had been tendred unto Paul in such a way of sufficiencie for converting all men that are willing to use meanes as doubtlesse it was tendred unto him in the same manner as it was unto other Primitive Christians then Paul could not have excused himselfe and said he persecuted the Saints ignorantly and that therefore the Lord shewed merey on him 1 Tim. 1.13 but he would rather have aggravated his own obstinacie and sinning against his conscience so much more magnifying Gods excessive goodnesse in his pardon But what doe these persecuters gaine or how doe they extenuate their owne fault or not justifie the Turkes and Papists in the same by saying they reject and punish only such as sinne against their owne knowledge and conscience doe not even Papists professe the like I have knowne some kept in their Inquisitions for yeares together nay so many yeares as we count a terme of three or foure lives and yet suffer them to dye a naturall death at last in prison because they would not conforme and the Inquisitors thought them not sufficiently sinning against their owne conscience to lofe their lives before hand by the hangman But you 'l say perhaps that Papists or other hereticks cannot justly pretend to have proffered the truth in such a way as might infallibly convince all such as were not obstinate but willing to receive it because they cannot tender that truth to others which they themselves have not I answer that this is no reason to beare sway with Papists no more then when Papists alleadge the like to Protestants If it be lawfull for any People or Religion to persecute or keep Inquisition houses alleading the truth hath been sufficiently held out unto them 't is lawfull to all alike neither can any one word be spoken which in the judgement of rationall indifferent men such as are not concerned in the quarrell but will decide the controversie indifferent either to be let alone or practised by both alike and so it must remaine untill the great day of judgement as not being to be determined by any lesse Oracle then of God himselfe But suppose you had tendred the Gospel in a powerfull and all-sufficient way of convincing all such as were not perverse and could likewise distinguish who were thus malignantly obstinate sinning against their own consciences as you alleadge if God be pleased to let such still survive who besides the hangman such as are authorised thereunto may without being guilty of their bloud put malefactours to death at any time much lesse before the time before the sentence be decreed or published by God the highest Judge but me thinks I see it still more clear that though such wilfull heretickes could easily be distinguished yet it is Gods will and pleasure they should be permitted to live out the dayes which he has given them to repent in or aggravate their sin and I beseech the Christian Reader in all tendernesse of affection impartially to joyne with me in the triall of it In the Parable of the Tares above quoted out of Matth. 13. we finde the Reapers to be Angels whom I presume we may sa●ely grant able to distinguish Tares from Wheat and the Housholder was God himselfe who could instruct his Reapers wherein they had beene ignorant and notwithstanding God will not have these tares pull'd up lest they should also pull up the Wheat therewith and yet the difficulty lyes not so much in distinguishing betwixt the children of the Kingdom the good seed good Christians and the tares Antichristans the children of the wicked one Matth. 13.38 for this difference is fully knowen to both either of them knowes how opposite is to the other each of them loves their owne and hates the other Joh. 15.19 which could not be if that they did not cleerly know in what they were distinguished But the difficulty lyes

Church or the Civill Magistrate to put them to death the Blessed Spirit would have contradicted it selfe for how could they be and yet not be how could they live for manifestation of the Saints and yet be put to death by the Civill Sword which possibly might have been so soone as they began to be Hereticks if the Civill Magistrate had but the power to doe it and so they could not have lived sufficiently to manifest those which were approved Some perhaps will object But if Hereticks and other spirituall offenders doe God such good service how can he in justice punish them hereafter or why is the Angel of the Church of Thyatira blamed for suffering Jezabel the Prophetesse to seduce Gods people Rev. 2.20 I answer that though the Blessed Spirit saies there must be heresies and offences yet at same time it sayes likewise Woe to them by whom they come Mat. 18 7. and good Christians will not doubt the equity thereof if they reflect but upon the Scripture Secondly the Angel of the Church of Thyatira was not blamed for not putting Jezabel to a Civill death for first the Church had no such Commission from Christ and secondly it had no power from the Civill Magistrate to execute it But as was said before the Church was justly taxed in that Jezabel was suffered to preach false doctrine incontrolably without examining of the doctrine and reproving her in that they permitted her to seduce weake Christians without cutting her off by the Sword of the Spirit the power of excommunication for God required the Church to be as diligent in exercising their spirituall weapons for convincing and compelling spiritually all Heretickes unto the truth as he did that the Civill Magistrate should have cut off every adulterer and murderer only the difference is this that since the meanes to be used against spirituall offenders being spirituall such as would not be willingly convinced thereby but obstinately persist Gods pleasure was not that they were cut off by the Civill Sword as every murderer and adulterer but that these should survive untill the day of judgement the end of their life Mat. 13.39 Eccl. 11.3 for the manifestation of those which were approved and we by putting them to a civill death doe contradict this and many other such like Scriptures by endeavouring to render them of no effect But lest any should aske Doth not God then as much desire that Hereticks and all other spirituall offenders should be convinced in demonstration of the Spirit and reduced unto the truth as that all murderers adulterers should have beene put to death if so then one being to God as possible and easie as the other it would follow that all Hereticks might possibly be convinced and none left for manifestation as is pretended of those which are approved I answer that God expects the Church should imploy all spirituall meanes and use as much diligence in convincing and reducing them to the truth or else if they persist in cutting them off from the communion of Saints which is the spirituall death as he does that the Magistrate should put all murderers and adulterers unto a Civill death and secondly as the spirituall punishments prevaile only on such as are spirituall I mean on such as in times past were Hereticks like Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 but now are ripe unto conversion so in consequence the obstinate and perverse who stop their eares at the voice of the charmer charm he never so well Psal 58.5 necessarily persisting unconverted are they which God will have still to enjoy their Civill livelyhood for the manifesting of those which are approved But suppose it were Christianity to put spirituall offenders to death on what part of Scripture will we ground it or whence can we deduce such laws but they will prove ridiculous and be voydable by any heretick that scruples not to play the hypocrite and pleads but as all delinquents doe at the Bar of Civill Justice in answering not guilty and that whatever he was heretofore he is now converted The Lord sayes You shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death Numb 35.31 and it is just with God so to doe to require this Civill death though the murderer should afterwards repent unfainedly and be absolved from eternall death as the good thiefe whilst be hung upon the crosse Luke 23.43 But if any one dye a Hereticke a spirituall offender of so heynous a nature as deserves eternall death there remains no redemption his Civill and Spirituall death are inseparable concomitants the former necessarily implies the latter which is contrary to Pauls rule who required only the destruction of the flesh that the soule might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5.5 But as concerning meere Spirituall offenders however you call them soule-murderers to scrue up their punishment above Gods commandment at what time soever such a sinner repenteth him of his sin the Lord forgives him and we are required to forgive him seventy times seven even as often as he shall offend us Mat. 18.22 But suppose a convinced Hereticke who going up the ladder cries out for mercy and saies he is convinced can any Christian Law deny him mercy who is then no more a Hereticke then our selves as Peter said Can any man forbid water that these Gentiles should not be baptised which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we Act. 10.47 A murderer though he repent him of his fault yet since it is impossible to restore the murdered to life againe dyes a murderer though a penitent one but he that is convinced and leaves his heresie cannot be said to dye a Hereticke and being now no longer a Hereticke what ground is there to put him to death or otherwise to punish him this pretended convert being thus got free discovers himselfe to be the same Hereticke still untill he be apprehended and brought again to the Gallows where he then pleads as hard for his second conversion or as often as the Civill Magistrate shall put him to it and I know no reason but that his reprivall must be as often granted him if it were to dooms day To say he plaies the hypocrite only to save his life that he is not really converted I answer that he cannot then possibly be obstinate who both affirmes himselfe not only to be willing but saies also that he is really converted and we may no more judge of his conscience who for the present both affirmeth to beleeve the same with us and is conformable withall then he may judge of ours If you demand why a law may not as well be made for punishing Spirituall offenders though they should have repented as well as murderers and adulterers I answer That such a law would yet be more repugnant unto Scripture which in expresse tearms requires the incestuous person upon his sorrow to be forgiven comforted and received to

two whole yeeres in his owne bired house receiving all that came unto him and teaching those things which concerned the Lord lesus with all confidence no man forbidding him Act. 28.30.31 which how effectually it wrought appeares by that testim ony whieh the Spirit of God by Paul gave of them that their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world Rom. 1.8 And lastly by the event of what is come to passe we may cleerely see the wise providence of God in so disposing together with his approbation of what succeeded If then these Unbeleeyers by the law of Nature did the things contained in the law of Moses how will they condemne us in the day of jadgement who having had the advantage of both Tables and beene so long instructed in the Schooles both of the Prophets and Apostles doe yet walke point tlanke as if wee were desperately hardned against the Law of Nature and strength of reason The Iewes being swolne big with envie and enraged to the highest resolutions of putting the Apostles to death for conscience sake for obeying GOD rather then man Gamaliel a stranger to the promises of grace without God in the world Ephes 2.12 cries out Ye men of Israel Suspend a little looke about you take heed what you doe engage not your selves in a possibility of fighting against the Lord of Hosts The Scribes that were on the Pharisees side perceiving that Paul was a Pharisee as touching the Resurrection Act. 23.6.9 that they might rescue him from the fury of the Sadduces professe saying We find no fault in Paul but if a spirit or an Angel hath spoken to him we may not we cannot let us not set our selves to sight against God Canthere be any thing more full of truth than either of these sayings Hath not the blessed Spirit recorded them for such in sacred Writ Doe they not exactly quadrate with common sense and reason Will not so ample a truth in the mouth even of these unbeleeving witnesses condemn us Christians whom Paul may tell unto our shame that there is not a Wise man amongst us not one able to judge betweene his brethren 1. Cor. 5.6 But Christian persecuteth Christian and that not barely to the scandall of unbeleevers but to the keeping them from ever comming to the knowledge of the truth Paul is accused of the Iewes for teaching to wor ship God contrary to Law Gallio the Deputy of Achaia tells them he thought it no wrong to any man or wicked lewdnesse which in such case he would have judged and done reason but being rather matter of words or names some difference in their religion wherin he thought men might have as much liberty to differ and no more subject their consciences to the commands of others than if it were onely for matter of words or names he refused to be judge thereof and drove them from the judgement seat More than forty men made a vow not to eat or drinke till they had killed Paul Act. 23.13.14 bu Claudius Lysias rescues him v. 27. The multtude both at Ierusalem and Cesarea exclaime against Paul saying he deserved to die and dealt with Festus how they might compasse it yet hee testifies that Paul had committed nothing worthy of death Act. 25.24.25 And to summe up all his charge though Paul was accused as a hereticke an Idolater teaching to worship God contrary to Law and a mover of sedition because it was well knowne that the preaching Iesus the differing from the Iewes in Religion was the only reason which incensed them so much against him both Gallio Claudius Lysias Festus and King Agrippa all Unbeleevers attest they finde no matter of death in Paul but that hee might enjoy his liberty Act. 26.32 CHAP. XVI Certain acts of justice and favour which the unbeleeving Magistrates and Officers of the Gentiles did unto the Apostles recorded in the Gospel as a witnesse against the corruptions and cruelty of Christians ACt. 17.9 When they had taken security of Jason and of the other they let them goe C. 19.38,39,40 If Demetrius and the Craftsmen which are with him have a matter against any man the Law is open and there are Deputies let them implead one an other but if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters it shall be determined in a lawfull Assembly for we are in danger to be called in question for this dayes uproare there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse C. 22.25,26,27,28 And as they bound him with thongs Paul said unto the Centurion that stood by is it lawfull for you to scourge a man that is a Roman uncondemned when the Centurion heard that he went and told the chiefe Captaine saying take heed what thou doest for this man is a Roman then the chief● Captaine came and said unto him tell me art thou a Roman he said yea and the chiefe Captaine said with a great summe obtained I this freedome and Paul said but I was free borne then streightway they departed from him which should have examined him with scourging and the chiefe Captaine also was afraid after he knew that he was a Roman because he had bound him C. 24.23 And Felix commanded a Centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him C. 25.16 Festus answered it is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to dye before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face and have licence to answer for himselfe concerning the crime laid against him V. 27. It seemeth to me Festus unreasonable to send a prisoner and not withall to signifie the crimes laid against him C. 27.3 And Julius courteously entreated Paul and gave him liberty to go to his friends to refresh himselfe C. 28.16 Paul being brought prisoner to Rome was suffered to dwell by himselfe with a souldier that kept him C. 16.36.37 And the keeper of the prison told this saying unto Paul The Magistrates have sent to let you goe now therefore depart and goe in peace but Paul said unto them they have beaten us openly uncondemned being Romans and have cast us into prison and now doe they thrust us out privily nay verily but let them come themselves and fetch us out v. 39. and they came and besought them and brought them out and desired them to depart out of the City Observations upon CHAP. XVI THe Machivilian policie which has infected too many doth so farre transport us to the suppressing any thing which springs up against our owne opinions and understandings that if but one blossome thereof appeare in any man though to our owne knowledge he have never so good gifts besides we suddenly maligne and metamorphose them to become so much venome and poison unto him so much aggravating of the matter as though he had purposely applied himselfe and attained to such abilities the better to play the hypocrite withall and make way for