Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	divine_a	evil_n	great_a	125	3	2.1040	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58173	Miscellaneous discourses concerning the dissolution and changes of the world wherein the primitive chaos and creation, the general deluge, fountains, formed stones, sea-shells found in the earth, subterraneous trees, mountains, earthquakes, vulcanoes, the universal conflagration and future state, are largely discussed and examined / by John Ray ...	Ray, John, 1627-1705.	1692 (1692)	Wing R397; ESTC R14542	116,553	292

though it be not commanded yet is accepted and shall be rewarded by him Others there are who grant That these words grammatically signifie as we contend and that eternal punishments are indeed threatned to the wicked but say they these threatnings are intended only as terriculamenta or Bug-bears to Children to terrifie and keep people in awe and to preserve the World in some tolerable condition of quietness And Origen himself though he be of opinion that these threatnings signifie only temporary pains yet he saith that such mysteries are to be sealed up and concealed from the vulgar lest wicked men should rush into sin with all fury and licentiousness if this bridle were taken off who by the opinion and fear of eternal and endless punishments can scarce be deterred and restrained from it To this I answer 1. That it seems to me indecorous and unsuitable to the Person and Majesty of God to make use of such sorry and weak means to bring about his ends as grave men can hardly condescend to 2. I do not see how it can consist with his Veracity in plain terms absolutely to threaten and affirm what he never intends to do Indeed it is questionable Whether it be allowable in man it being at best but an officious Lye for it is a speaking what we do not think and that with an intention to deceive Secondly I proceed now to a second Objection against the eternity of the pains and sufferings of the Damned and that is it 's inconsistency with the Justice of God What proportion can there be between a transient and temporary act and an eternal punishment The most rigid Justice can exact no more than a talio to suffer as I have done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if I have hurt or grieved or injured any man to be punished with the same or an equivalent suffering if I have taken any unreasonable pleasure to compensate it with an answerable pain Indeed the enormities of my life cannot well deserve so much if it be considered that I have been strongly instigated and inclined and as it were fatally driven upon all the evils which I have committed by those affections and appetites which I made not for my self but found in my self and have been exposed to strong and almost inexpugnable temptations from without beset with snares encompassed about with innumerable evils To this I answer First That every sin injury or offence is aggravated and enhansed by the dignity or merit of the person against whom it is committed So Parricide is esteemed a greater Crime than ordinary Murther and by the Laws of all Nations avenged with a sorer punishment The like may be said of laesa Majestas or Treason Now God is an infinite person and Sin being an injury and affront to him as being a violation of his Law an infinite punishment must be due to it This answer Dr. Hammond in his Practical Catechism lib. 5. sect 4. accounts a nicety and unsatisfactory as also that other common answer That if we should live infinitely we would si● infinitely and therefore gives us another which in his Discourse of the Reasonableness of Christian Religion he thus briefly summs up 2. That the choice being referred to us to take of the two which we best like eternal Death set before on the one hand to make eternal life the more infinitely reasonable for us to chuse on the other hand and the eternal Hell whensoever we fall into it being perfectly our own Act neither forced on us by any absolute Decree of God nor irresistible temptation of the Devil or our own flesh but as truly our wish and choice and mad purchase nay much more truly and properly than eternal Heaven is when our obedience is first wrought by Gods grace and yet after that so abundantly rewarded by the Doner it is certain if there be any thing irrational it is in us unkind and perverse creatures so obstinate to chuse what God so passionately warns us to take heed of so wilfully to dye when God swears he wills not our death and not in him who hath done all that is imaginable to be done to reasonable creatures here in their way or course to the rescuing or saving of us But to this may be replied If the thing it self be unjust how can our chusing of it make it just How can it be just to annex such a penalty as eternal Hell to a short and transient offence Suppose a Prince should make a Law that whosoever did not rise up and bow himself before an old man should be put to Death with torments and one of his Subjects knowingly should transgress this Law upon some great temptation would it not be accounted Cruelty in the Prince to execute this Law upon him Laws may be unjust upon account of disproportionate penalties Neither doth our choice much help the matter for that is but an effect of our error or folly or if you will madness which doth as little deserve eternal death as the sin committed doth If any man be dissatisfied with the precedent answers all that I have to add further is that before this sentence adjudging to eternal death be pronounced against him and executed upon him there shall be such a revelation made as shall convince and satisfie him of the righteousness thereof And this the Apostle seems to intimate Rom. 2.5 when he calls the great day of Doom the day of the Revelation of the righteous judgment of God Then shall be made appear what now to our dimsighted reason is not penetrable How the Justice of God can consist with the eternal damnation of the wicked As for mans being as it were fatally determined to evil by the strength of temptation and the violence of unruly and head-strong passions and appetites I answer That there are motives and considerations sufficient to enable a man to resist and repel to conquer and overcome the most alluring and fascinating temptations the most urging and importunate appetites or affections such are certain shame and disgrace and that not long to come eternal infamy and dishonour present death strong fear and dread of approaching death or sad and intolerable pains or calamities Now the Divine threatnings are of the greatest and most formidable evils and miseries that Humane Nature is capable of suffering and therefore were they but firmly believed and apprehended they would be of force sufficient to stir up in us such strong passions of fear and terror as would easily chase away all temptations and embitter all the baits of sensual pleasure 3. There remains yet a third Objection against an eternal Hell and that is that it is inconsistent with the Divine Goodness For the Unbeliever will say It 's contrary to all the Notions and Ideas I have of God to conceive him to be so angry and furious a Being How can it stand with Infinite Goodness to make a Creature that he fore-knew would be eternally miserable We men account it a piece