Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	eternal_a	life_n	word_n	8,769	5	4.5336	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44671	The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preach'd at the merchant's lecture in Broadstreet / by John Howe ...	Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1693 (1693)	Wing H3019; ESTC R1703	46,035	129

THE CARNALITY OF Religious Contention IN TWO SERMONS PREACH'D At the Merchant's Lecture in Broadstreet By JOHN HOWE Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by J. A. for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the Lower End of Cheap-side near Mercer's Chappel 1693. THE PREFACE TO THE READERS THis Title no body can think is meant to condemn all Contention about matters of Religion as carnal but since there is too much which is apparently so it only signifies it to be the Design of the following Discourse to shew what Contention that is and when or in what case tho' it hath Religion for it's Object it may not have it for it's Principle but that very frequently the Lust of the Flesh hides it self under that specious Name And to shew wherein while it affects to hide yet unawares it discovers it self in the management of Affairs of that Sacred kind Thus it often really is and then is that noble Cause as ignobly served as when according to that Fathers Observation a man proves to be unfaithful even for the Faith and Sacrilegious for Religion VVhen in one place Jude 3. Christians are exhorted to contend earnestly for the Faith and in another 2 Tim. 2. 24. we are told the Servant of the Lord must not strive 't is plain there is a Contention for Religion which is a Duty and there is a Contention even concerning Religion too which is a Sin And that Sin the Apostle in this Context out of which our Discourse arises doth deservedly expose by the Name of Flesh and of the Lust or of the Works thereof such as Wrath Variance Envy Hatred c. VVhence it is easie to collect in what sense it is said in the mentioned place The Servant of the Lord must not strive viz. As that striving excludes the Gentleness the aptness to instruct and the Patience which are in the same place enjoyned where that striving is forbidden And from thence it is equally easie to collect too in what sense we ought to contend for the Faith earnestly i. e. with all that earnestness which will consist with these not with such as excludes them As earnestly as you will but with a sedate Mind full of Charity Candour Kindness and Benignity towards them we strive with We ought we see in the mentioned place to be patient towards all Men. Towards Fellow-Christians there should certainly be a more peculiar Brotherly-kindness The difference is very great and most discernable in the Effects between the Churches Contention against Enemies without it and Contentions within it self The former unite it the more increase it's strength and vigour The latter divide and enfeeble it As to those of this latter kind nothing is more evident or deserves to be more considered than that as the Christian Church hath grown more carnal it hath grown more contentious and as more contentious still more and more carnal The savour hath been lost of the great things of the Gospel which have less matter in them of Dispute or Doubt but which only did afford proper Nutriment to the Life of Godliness and it hath diverted to lesser things or invented such as were otherwise none at all about which the contentious disputative Genius might employ and wherewith it might entertain feed and satiate it self Thereby hath it grown strong and vigorous and acquir'd the Power to transform the Church from a Spiritual Society enliven'd acted and govern'd by the Spirit of Christ into a meer carnal thing like the rest of the World Carnality hath become and long been in it a Governing Principle and hath torn it into God-knows-how-many Fragments and Parties each of which will now be the Church inclose it self within it's own peculiar Limits exclusive of all the rest claim and appropriate to it self the Rights and Priviledges which belong to the Christian Church in common yea and even Christ himself as if he were to be so inclos'd or confin'd And hence is it said Lo here is Christ or there he is till he is scarce to be found any where but as through merciful Indulgence overlooking our sinful Eollies he is pleased to afford some Tokens of his Presence both here and there Yet also how manifest are the Tokens of his Displeasure and Retirement And how few will apprehend and consider the true Cause I will now adventure to offer these things to serious Consideration 1. Whether for any Party of Christians to make unto it self other Limits of Communion than Christ hath made and hedge up it self within those Limits excluding those whom Christ would admit and admitting those whom he would exclude be not in it self a real sin When I say make to it self this more peculiarly concerns those who form their own Communions having nothing herein impos'd upon them by Civil Authority Let others censure themselves as they see cause They have an Holy Table among them the Symbol of their Communion with one another in the Lord. I would ask whose is this Table Is it the Table of this or that Man or Party of Men Or is it the Lord's Table Then certainly it ought to be free to his Guests and appropriate to them And who should dare to invite others or forbid these 2. If it be a Sin is it not an hainous one This will best be understood by considering what his Limits are Nothing seems plainer than that it was his mind Christianity it self should measure the Communion of Christians as such Visible Christianity their visible Communion It will here then be enquired as in all reason it should what Christianity is And if it be every one will understand the Enquiry concerning that as they would concerning any thing else what is it's Essence Or what are it's Essentials or wherein doth it consist Not what are all the several Accidents it may admit of As you would do if it were enquired What is Humanity Now here it will be readily acknowledged that Christianity as all things else that are of moral Consideration must be estimated more principally by it's End and that it 's final reference is not to this World but to the World to come and to an happy state there And that considering the miserable state wherein it finds the Souls of Men here and the greater misery they are hereafter liable to it must design their present recovery and finally their eternal Salvation That in order hereto it must propound to men some things necessary to be believed some things necessary to be done And that both must intend the making of them good in order to the making them happy or the saving of them from eternal misery That both are sufficiently propounded by the kind and great Author of this Constitution Christ himself in his Word or Gospel Yhat this Gospel besides many incidental things expresly represents some things as of absolute necessity to Salvation by which are settled the very Terms of Life and Death unto Sinners and as a Principal most comprehensive and