Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	faith_n	law_n	sin_n	6,700	5	5.1939	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42464	Mysterious cloudes and mistes, shunning the cleer light, a little further disclosed in a short answer to Mr. John Simpsons long appendix, entituled, Truth breaking forth through a cloud and mist of slanders, wherein the charge of slander, so far as it concerneth, both himself and some others, is taken of and removed / by Tho. Gataker ...	Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1648 (1648)	Wing G324; ESTC R21793	15,658	16

or proceeding to examination of witnesses they were by the Committee entreated to deliver their minds in writing for the better clearing of themselves concerning such points as were suggested to have been either taught or maintained by some of them or to go for currant among their followers that so the businesse might be in a fair and friendly way if it were possible composed without proceeding in any such judiciary course But this they utterly at first refused to doe nor without much urging and pressing by the Committee could be induced at length to condescend unto And when they had by such importunity been drawn to undertake it and a day assigned them to bring in their answer how willing or desirous they were to clear what they had taught or to make manifest what their mind and judgement was may appear by their answers returned to some of the Questions in writing delivered unto them which out of the Copies remaining in the worthy Chairmans hands I shall here word for word insert Question 1. Whether the morall Law did oblige a beleeving Iew to obedience Answer That the beleeving Iew before Christ if any such one was meant was kept under the Law shut up unto the faith that should after be revealed Gal. 3.23 Quest 2. Whether the morall Law doth now as strongly oblige a beleeving Christian to obedience Answ That the beleeving Christian after Christs death if any such one be meant is not under the Law but under grace Ro. 6.14 Quest 3. Whether a beleever be bound to conform his life to the morall Law because God in that Law requires it Answ That the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.4 I through the Law am dead to the Law that I may live unto God Gal. 2.19 Quest 4. Whether he that maketh the Law his Rule be a Papist in heart whatever he be in practise Answ That though the Law be an eternall Rule of righteousnesse yet he that putteth himself under it contrary to Paul is so farre a Papist Quest 5. Whether the Law be a Rule by which unbeleevers shall be condemned and not a Rule by which they ought to walk Answ The Law abstracted from Christ is no Rule for unbeleevers to walk by for life Quest 6. Whether a beleever may make threatnings a motive to deterre him from sin and the promises a motive to encourage him to duty Ans. That to serve God for the hope of a legall reward and for fear of legall punishment is no Christian service or in Mr. Tindalls words That to serve God for fear of hell or the joyes of heaven are but shadows of good works Quest 7. Whether Peters person sinned in denying Christ or his flesh only Ans. That as it was in Paul so in Peter No longer I but sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7.17 Quest 8. Whether a beleever in sinning breaks any morall Law Ans. Sinne is the transgression of the Law 1 Joh. 3.4 Quest 9. Whether when Peter wept bitterly for denying Christ he did it out of weaknesse of faith or duty to God Answ Peters weeping might be from weak faith and so from fear or from strong faith and so from love but whether we know not only we hope it was an Evangelicall duty· Quest 10. Whether a beleever be as well pleasing to God in the act of adultery or murder as before Quest 11. Whether a beleever in the act of adultery or murder may see the discharge of that sin in Christ and his part in Christ before his repentance and humiliation for it as well as after all the humiliation in the world Ans. 1. They are framed in very odious and ambiguous terms 2. That a true beleever seldome or never falls into such wilfull scandalous wickednesse because the love of Christ constrains him far above all legall motives 3. That if perhaps a beleever should fall so yet ought he not to adde infidelity to this other sinne Quest 12. Whether a beleever in the act of adultery or murder may enjoy as sweet communion with God as in the performance of any holy duty Ans. That the repetition of it is unfit for any Christian mouth and eare Quest 13. Whether God doth chasten a beleever for sin Ans. That the chastisement of our peace was upon him that is Christ and that by his stripes we are healed Esay 53.5 Quest 14. Whether a beleever falling into sinne ought not to pray for the actuall pardon of it in the sight of God or only for the manifestation of it to his own conscience and the continuation of it Ans. That when it shall be explained to us out of the Scripture what is meant by actuall pardon and what by the sight of God then shall we be better able to answer to this proposition Quest 15. Whether there ought to be dayes of fasting and humiliation appointed under the Gospell Ans. We know nothing to the contrary Quest 16. Whether a Christian ought to afflict his soul with sorrow for sin in a day of humiliation and whether it be sin to sorrow for sinne Ans. That all humiliation and sorrow for sin which is not of faith is sin Quest 17. Whether a beleever humbling himself for sin in these sad dayes seeking Gods face and returning unto him may not expect a blessing from God and the Nation for Christs sake in so doing and whether the doing of these duties for this end be the cause why our fasting and Prayer prevailes no more with God for the healing of the land Ans. That although a man pretend to humble himself yet if he make his humiliation repentance and reformation a fortresse and tower of defence the munition armour and wall of brasse to defend the Kingdome and Nation if he makes his repentance of such omnipotent efficacy that there is no thunder-bolt so great no wrath so furious in God but it will abolish it without so much as mentioning the Lord Iesus who only delivereth us from the wrath to come who if he had not delivered us from the desert of the sinfulnesse of our humiliation repentance and reformation the just wages thereof would have been everlasting fire we beleeve such humiliation is neerer the pride of Lucifer then true Christian humiliation 2. That among the great sinnes of the Kingdome we beleeve that the great esteem dignifying and exalting of our own works doings and duties to make our peace with God is a dethroning our great and only peace-maker and thereby a most dangerous enemy to the peace of this Kingdome Now besides that from some of these Questions it may be observed what wholesome and savoury documents their followers at least deduce from the tenents by these men maintained to let I say that passe let any intelligent and indifferent reader judge by most of their Answers whether these men desired to have men know their mind and judgement as this man pretendeth that his desire and endeavour was

to have done but that he was so interrupted that it was not possible for him so to do Sure in writing there was no body to interrupt him or them and Mr. S. himself being the principall spokesman among them was by some of the brethren in an orderly manner disputed with without any such interruption as he here complaineth of and was often also afterward heard at large Nor was there proceeding to any hearing of witnesses untill they had refused to give more clear and satisfactory answer unto these and some other of the Questions delivered unto them for unto many of them they returned no answer at all And if this mans mind therefore were not then fully made known as he pretends concerning those points himself was in fault in whose power and at whose choise it was to have fully in writing expressed the same had he been minded so to doe mean while that he had so taught as in the charge is related was then and there averred nor any exceptions taken unto those that witnessed the same These things then so transacted at a publike hearing and such points charged upon and testified against Mr. S. to have been delivered by him which himself cannot gain-say I suppose it to have been no “ breach of charity as hee chargeth it to deem that * from thence those exclamations of his might well proceed away with the Law away with the Law as also that horrid speech so I term it again and still shall do whatsoever colours Mr. S. shall please to varnish it over with thereby to smooth or smoother the horridnesse of it The Law cutteth of a mans leggs and then biddeth him walk which whether it be fitly paralleled “ with those passages of the Apostle * The motions of sinne which were by the Law and “ The letter killeth or whether it do not justly deserve such an Epithet I shall leave to any pious and impartiall Christian to determine for the speeches themselves are not denyed And as for some “ harsh expressions of Luther concerning the Law as the like also concerning Christ which in overmuch heat of passion seem to have fallen from him and I would rather men should read in the writings of Mr. S. and others of his way and strain then hear from me I suppose men moderately minded will hardly justifie them muchlesse take liberty to themselves therein to imitate him and yet further muchlesse to forge others thereby far harsher then those of his The next matte of charge against Mr. S. was that he should teach * That God doth not chastise any of his children for sinne nor is it for the sins of Gods people that the Land is punished Whereunto might further have been added that presumptuous speech of his in open Court then confidently uttred whereof my self was an ear-witnesse That he did not beleeve that any sinne of his own or of any beleever had any hand in the procuring of the judgements of God then upon the Land As also what in a paper was given in by him under his own hand conteining the heads of a Sermon Preached at Algate at the giving and taking of the Covenant occasioned it seems by that Question among others propounded whether a beleever may lawfully take the Covenant as it reqireth his confessing his sins deserving the calamities and judgements that now ly upon the Nation in these words I did professe that J thought what I had taught was a truth That nationall punishments do not come upon a Land or Nation for those sins for which Gods justice is satisfied in Christ Now concerning this which he cannot deny and yet would fain salv he maketh answer that “ some few weeks for want of experimentall knowledge he was a little clouded in his spirit concerning the doctrine of affliction but that his mistake was never charged upon him by his accusers which riddle of his what it means I cannot arread and that * yet in his darkest and most cloudy discourses he held forth enough to charitable and loving hearers to free him from this charge He might better have said that by these and the like assertions he staved people of and kept them aloof such especially as were forward to rank themselvs among the number of beleevers from deeming their sins to have any hand in the procurement of Gods judgements upon the state and from being humbled in that regard in the sight of God for the same Sure when he appeared in the Star-chamber he was far enough from holding out that that might free him from the charge belike his appearance there was within the compasse of those few weeks during which his spirit was under the cloud he speaks of And yet by * a long lacinious discourse to shew either the subtilty or sublimity of his wit in being able to argu either way he would make men beleev that he taught nothing then but what he holds now though he professeth now to have attained “ a more cleer and truly spirituall knowledge of the point And herein he seems to resemble * one that living sometime in the City did preach publikely that the plague was not infectious who being convented before autority and qestioned for such his doctrine his answer was that he denied not but that the plague-sores or blains might be infectious but his meaning was that the stroke of Gods Angel was not infectious But as his doctrin so delivered whatsoever his reserved meaning was did encourage people to repair over-boldly to those that were visited and that as was then deemed to the damage yea and death of not a few So it may justly be feared that these cloudy or rather peremptory assertions of Mr. S. have endamaged and endangered soules not a few in with-holding them from serious humiliation for their sins under the hand of God as wel upon themselvs in particular as upon the land in generall notwithstanding these his distinctions which he cometh out with now but not heard of then when this charge was given in against him at which time it seemed to be grounded upon Gods not sight of sin in any Beleever the principall subject of Mr Eatons book then justified among them else what reason should there be of Gods not inflicting evills nationall more then personall upon any in regard of sins satisfied for by Christ in both which † himself makes the case to be all one Mean while what hath bin affirmed is not here removed that this position in both branches of it was by witnesses produced proved to have bin delivered by Mr S. which is as much as I avert The like may be said of the next Point to wit * That if a man by the Spirit known himself to be in the state of grace though he be drunk or commit murder God sees no sin in him To this Mr S saith nothing but that † if he should name the party that gave this in against