Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A04238
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The good mans priuiledge A sermon lately preached at Plimmouth in Deuon, by I.B. And now published at the request of some that then were auditors.
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Barlow, John, b. 1580 or 81.
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1618
(1618)
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STC 1436; ESTC S100848
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19,948
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34
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Omniscience wee will proceed to his Omnipotencie and there wee shall perceiue that it is also good for his children for knowledge without power were to little purpose but when these concurre in one person what euill may not be preuented what good procured This power is of great force to confirme our faith for by it we beleeue Heb. 11.3 that he was able to create the world of nothing that he doth and can preserue all things that they be not destroied Psal 114.5 c. or the whole order thereof disturbed ouerturned that God can procure foode and raiment rather then we should want extraordinarily that he can curbe and bridle the rage and violence of men and diuels raise vp the dead and make a new heauen Deut. 32.39.40 c. Phil. 3.21 2. Pet. 3.13 and a new earth wherein shall dwell righteousnesse And what is it that he wanteth power to doe if it may make for his glory and our good for The Lord is in heauen Psal 115.3 and doth whatsoeuer he will Furthermore Rom. 4.21 it will confirme our confidence in the accomplishment of all his promises though they be neuer so many or great or seeme sometimes to exceede or crosse nature Dauid would not feare Psal 27.1 when the strong hand of the Lord was with him Abraham would willingly offer his sonne for God had power to raise him to life againe Heb. 11.17.19 In a word if he be with vs what mattereth it Who Rom. 8.31 or what is against vs For by his Power he is able to preserue our essence from perishing and to keepe and support vs as a hand of strength for euer Thus you may perceiue that his power is good for his children Now from his Omnipotency let vs descend to his Mercy Psalm 73.1 Lam. 3.22 and is not that the spring that comforteth the thirstie soule the fountaine of all ioy in miserie and that that must support vs from horrour and despaire This will make vs willing to come before him in life bold in death and full of ioy in the great day of his comming and our appearing Yea it will worke in vs compassion to our brethren Psal 103.1 thankefulnesse for his benefits and will not his bountifulnesse allure a good heart to true repentance Rom. 2.4.5 But no man maketh doubt of this therefore the more briefly we will touch it and goe to the Attribute of his Iustice Iustice is a terrour to all wicked and vngodly men they cannot endure to heare it but what will these persons doe when they must vndergoe it they checke him that will preach it vrge it crying as the people in times past Ye take too much vpon you Numb 16.3 1. Iohn 1.9 for all the Congregation is holy yet is it exceeding comfortable and profitable to them that are effectually called howeuer it worke with the wicked for it wil moue them to cease from sinne encourage them to doe good 2. Thes 1.4.5.6 strengthen them in faith and worke in them patience being by the prophane persecuted for they know Rom. 2.6.11 that sinne must not goe vnpunished godlinesse vnrewarded and that there is no respect of persons with the Lord. In conclusion it will make them carefull how to iudge the Lords proceedings Rom. 9.14 not to accuse him as wicked Psalm 36.7 to deny their owne merits tremble at his word reuerence his extraordinary acts of prouidence Acts 16.30 and to seeke for a righteousnesse to satisfie the iustice of his Law And thus could I touch the rest of Gods Attributes and declare that as they are good in God so to his children But I omit them and because this of all other things doth most deceiue many I will a little further follow it We are to know that the mercy and iustice of God are equall as they be in him and so be all his attributes for whatsoeuer is in God is God and there is no difference betweene the essence and attributes of God but in our apprehension yet though they be equall amongst themselues it may be demanded Quest Whither is the greater in respect of the externall obiect about which they are exercised Ans If we respect the latitude the Iustice seemes to exceede his Mercy and enlarge it selfe beyond it for how many haue not the meanes of mercy the Gospell of Christ More want it then they that enioy it Againe Mat. 13. of the foure kinds of grounds one but receiued the good seed which is meant of them that are in the Church visible And Christ saith that the way to heauen is narrow and few find it Mat. 7.13.14 but to hell broad and many goe in thereat Yet to speake as I conceiue the truth is if we regard the profunditie or depth of his mercy then in that it hath the preheminence and in foure things it will appeare first the Lord found out a way to saue man Genes 3.15 1. Pet. 1.12 when Satan or the good Angels could not peepe into that secret It went beyond the Serpents skill for all his subtilty how a finite creature could make an infinite satisfaction Secondly Iohn 3.16 in that God gaue his owne onely Sonne freely to take vpon him mans nature that there might be a reconciliation Thirdly that he was contented to receiue the debt from a suertie and not at the debtors hands for it was in his owne election and libertie Rom. 5.8.9 c. Fourthly and herein is his mercy manifested wonderfully that he hath sent his Word and Spirit to beare witnesse of this great worke to open mens blind eies Rom. 8.15.16 that they might see into it infuse faith into their vnbeleeuing hearts to credit it and in particular to apply it so that in these respects they that vnderstand it and are assured that they be partakers of this rich mercy may say that it is a depth past finding out But first get vnder the act of his mercie Rom. 11.33 taste of it and then maist thou iustly and with comfort commend it otherwise be it as it is infinite it will profit thee nothing And now we will come to speake briefly of some acts or effects that proceed from God and declare how they also doe worke for his childrens good First his Decree is profitable for them for though it exclude the reprobate from all true blessednesse Matth. 24.24 yet it includes the Elect within the booke of life and saluation The Apostle compares it to a foundation 2. Tim. 2.19 And so it is in three respects First because it comes from God who is the originall and beginner of all things Secondly in regard that it is the basis and ground on which all the worke of mans saluation stands And thirdly in respect of the firmenesse and surenesse of it for it abideth constant and stedfast for euer so that he who is builded vpon this rocke as all the faithfull be cannot
we reade 2. Tim. 4.11 that Paul willed Timothy to bring Marke with him for he was profitable to minister A rare spirit was this in Paul and hard to bee found in these dayes that would send from Rome to Troas for an assistant Finally let vs now come to our selues and if wee bee effectually called all that is within vs or that proceedeth from vs shall turne to our benefit not onely the good graces of Gods spirit and all outward fauours with our holy actions but our Originall sinne and actuall transgressions For first this inbred corruption will humble vs to the earth and make vs vile in our owne eyes Secondly cause vs to pray earnestly and often and thirdly will we nill we to denie our owne power and free-will and fourthly to seeke to God for mercy in Christ his Sonne And our actuall sinnes will worke the same effects also And is not he that is burthened wounded humbled in the way to be eased healed exalted I could instance in particulars Sampson some thinke sinned in matching with the Philistim Iudg. 14. yet thereby God brought a great destruction vpon the Churches enemies and made him a liuely type of our Lord. Isaac mist it through circumstance Gen. 26.8.9 insporting with Rebeccah notwithstanding it was a meanes of his safe deliuery out of the Kings hands Iacob may steale his brothers blessing but cannot the Lord sanctifie it vnto him 1. Sam. 21. vlt. Dauids faining of himselfe madde cannot well bee excused what of that God can so worke that thereby he shall escape death and danger And let this be obserued that as a man hauing tumbled in the mire and mudde by occasion whereof washeth off his clothes many lesser spots then which hee before that fall neglected so the faithfull through the commission of some great and fowle offence be brought by repentance to cleanse themselues of smaller sinnes then which had not yet been reformed except the other had befallen them And these may serue to manifest the truth of the thing that actuall sinne shall as it hath worke by the good hand of God for his childrens benefit and great commodity And now I come to render some generall reasons of the generall Proposition Reason 1 And first of all who can hinder the Lord from this action Prou. 21.30 Is there any wisedome counsell or vnderstanding against him cannot he tell that made all things of nothing brought light out of darknesse how to turne all for the good of the godly Who or what is able to preuent it no policy or inuention of man or Angell Reason 2 Againe his power is proportionable to his vnderstanding â—ob 9.4 for as he is wise in heart so is hee mighty in strength He can confound the policy of Achitophel breake the arme of Satan and turne the fierie bullets of his foes bark into their faces to fight for him and his and destroy the aduersaries he can cause all the crooked wheeles of the wicked to runne straight for the execution of his good pleasure This he hath done and this he can and will effect hereafter Reason 3 Moreouer as he knoweth how to doe it and hath power to effect it so hath he a will to execute it and who is able to hinder that irresistable motion â—om 9.19.22 will chaffe cast on the violent streame stay the current thereof from running shall a feather hinder the turbulent wind from blowing or the pismire moue the earth out of the worlds center why then may his will be preuented frustrated Reason 4 And is it not for his owne glory to effect this for the seed of the woman and for the shame of the wicked to bruise the head of that subtill Serpent Yes doubtlesse for if all his plots were not ouerthrowne then Satan and his brood should haue somewhat to glory in God to bee humbled for but they shall neuer effect their willes or the Lord be preuented of his Isa 59.5.6 They may weaue the webbe of the Spider but a winde shall huffe it away sit and hatch the Cockatrice egges but they shall breake forth into a Serpent that shall eate out her owne and their bowels And thus we come to make vse of the doctrine which is profitable euery manner of way Vse 1 First for confutation of the Papists who maintaine that A man effectually called iustified and in some measure sanctified may fall totally and for euer If the Popes position be a truth then the Apostles is a falshood for if one may fall from sauing grace and vtterly perish how can all things be said to worke together for good to such a person And in my opinion no one Text though there bee many for that purpose doth more make against our Aduersaries then this we haue in hand And what a comfortlesse doctrine is that which they defend Vse 2 The next is for reprehension of those which say It is in vaine to be religious Iob 21.15 What profit is there in seruing the Almighty What profit why all profit for all things shall worke together for their good sinne Satan death iudgement and hell Yea the worst thing that befalleth any of his children shall doe them more good then the best shall that can befall the wicked Heb. 11.25.26 It was better for Moses to suffer affliction with the faithfull then to haue been called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter and enioyed the pleasures of sinne for a season Oh that the men of our age did consider but this one thing then doubtlesse they would alter their minds and speedily change their manners For many fall into vtter desolation because they doe not deepely ponder this in their hearts Vse 3 And here it may teach the enemies of Gods children to learne a point of wisedome and if they will not shew themselues mad men to amend Psal 2.2 Psal 11.2 The Papist and Atheist may band themselues against the Lords annointed shoot at the vpright in heart and make hast to the spoyle But the righteous God shall cut their cords asunder Why then doe the Heathen rage Psal 94.8 and the people murmure a vaine thing O yee fooles when will ye be wise I haue often wondred why they still perseuere in their mischiefe But either they beleeue not the truth Psal 14.1 for the foole hath said in his heart there is no God or else with some of the former Pharisies and Alexander they haue sinned vnto death and that is a wickednesse implacable and if not so yet like Elymas the Sorcerer Act. 5.3 and 13.10 they are full of the diuell and pursue them of enuie or for lucre's sake and haue their hearts so set vpon malice Rom. 1.32 that though they are conuinced in iudgement and know that they doe euill and that God will reuenge yet will they persist in their wicked practises Doe wee not see some wrangling Clyants that though their learned Counsell tell them that their case