Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	end_n	good_a	life_n	9,382	5	4.8333	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58188	A sermon preached at the primary visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Norwich June, 20th. 1692 / by George Raymond ...	Raymond, George, A.M.	1692 (1692)	Wing R413; ESTC R12214	14,670	32

People to be Unbelievers and Atheists whilst they consider us as a sort of Sophisters that would impose upon them what they plainly see we do not believe our selves [p] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. ad Ephes Qui autem dicunt tantùm non faciunt ipsi praeceptis suis detrahunt pondus Quis enim obtemperet cum ipsi praeceptores doceant non obtemperare Bonum est recta honesta praecipere sed nisi facias mendacium est Incongruum atque ineptum est non in pectore sed in labiis habere bonitatem Lactant. l. 3. c. 16. Blessed is that good and faithful Servant who keepeth the Commandments of God and teacheth men so he shall be great i. e. his Reward shall be so in the Kingdom of Heaven And though an Age of general Licentiousness and wherein good Discipline is altogether relaxed doth but little recommend holy Institutions yet even then it is visible that the sacred Ministry is a check and bridle to the Vices of men restraining them from the havock which they would otherwise make of all Godliness and Sobriety But I should exceed my limits if I should proceed to unfold of what signal use it is to have an Order of men eminently holy both in profession and life And these Lastly under the Sacred Obligations of their Office and as they will render a good account thereof ingaged to be constant Intercessors for the people to pray continually and fervently for those under their Charge and for the good success of their Ministry among them What hath been said shall suffice to evince the grand importance and signal usefulness of the sacred Ministry and to admonish us that we prophane not the dignity of our Office by substracting from the Utility thereof Always remembring that useless Authority or Power is scorn'd by wise men and hated of all But the Minister of God for good shall besides his Reward in Heaven have esteem and love from men for the benefit they receive from him 5thly We observe from the words the necessity of continuing the Work of the Ministry in the Church of Christ For it must last as long as the Church can be edified till it be consummated by it Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ v. 13. The Extraordinary Functions of Apostles Prophets and Evangelists ceased with the reason and occasion of them but the Ordinary Ministry of Pastors and Teachers must abide for ever in the Church because ever needful for it St. Paul in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus prescribes the Qualifications of Persons to be ordained unto the sacred Ministry and these have nothing in them extraordinary require not the Gifts of Tongues or Miracles or of Discerning Spirits are not appropriate to any one Age but describe the Persons that will be necessary and useful through all succeeding Ages of the Church [q] See 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1.6 c. Our Blessed Lord hath made provisions for the lasting needs of his Church that his Household may not want Stewards nor his Flock Pastors nor his Works which is the salvation of men by the knowledge of the truth those that should labour therein So long as there must be Christian Assemblies held there must be an Order of men to officiate in them a Church and a Pastor or a Congregation and a Minister being in right reason necessary Relatives as well as in fact and usage derived from Primitive and Apostolical practice Publick Preaching whatever some object will be needful so long as men are born ignorant live viciously or remain imperfect So long as there is error wickedness and weakness in the Church so long as there is a secular life to divert men from their holy purposes a Devil to tempt Sinners to entice or Hereticks to seduce The Usefulness of this Ministration is readily acknowledged by pious Proficients in Christianity and sure the Ignorant and Vicious have the least pretence of being above Ordinances and of having superseded the necessity of Teaching and Exhortation They who are so willing to forget their known Duty need such Monitors to stir them up by way of remembrance and it is the force and restraint of such Admonitions which they feel that makes them so desirous to be rid of them So that the sort of the men who are the only Cavillers against frequent Preaching is next to a demonstration of the usefulness thereof Men who are very industrious either to debauch or expose the Clergy secretly hating them for the Authority of their Doctrine and Influence of their Example not valuing any part of their Office unless perhaps their last ministration of Prayers and the Holy Communion upon the approach of Death foolishly trusting to that which can least help them and imagining to patch up a wicked and ungodly Life with a religious End For the use of the Ministry is in the time of life and health by publick Preaching and private Admonitions by good Example and wise Application to lay restraints on the vicious Inclinations of men and to cherish their virtuous Dispositions and Purposes and by renewing holy impressions upon their Spirits to form them by degrees into a fixed Religious Temper by reiterated Persuasions to prevail with them to give up themselves unto and become sincere Disciples and Followers of the Holy Jesus They who resist this Grace of God cannot love the Instruments of it but they who receive the Grace of God and the benefit of our Ministry will always give him thanks for and acknowledge the usefulness of such Authorized Guides in their way to Heaven But I dismiss this intending to speak somewhat more largely of the last Remark or Observation which will contain a particular Address to us of the Clergy Viz. 6thly If the Edification and Perfection of Christians be the end of our Ministry then we may note what diligent Application and holy Prudence is necessary that we may level every Exercise of our Function at that Mark and neither shoot beside nor short of it For we have not only such variety but also such contradiction of Tempers to deal withal that whilst we seek the edification of one sort we are in danger of offending and destroying others Give me leave to lay before you some of the difficult Cases of our Ministry not to discourage but caution to add fervour unto our Prayers for the Divine Assistance and to excite a studious application and prudent diligence that we may not do the Work of our Lord negligently nor betray the Trust committed to our Charge As for instance In preaching whatever some imagine it is no such easie matter to shew our selves Workmen that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of God [r] 2 Tim. 2.15 for if we imploy but little pains and thoughts about the business how can we expect that God should