Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	great_a	know_v	life_n	7,935	5	4.3038	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81174	The white stone: or, A learned and choice treatise of assurance very usefull for all, but especially weak believers. By Nathanael Culverwel, master of arts, and lately fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge.	Culverwel, Nathanael, d. 1651?	1654 (1654)	Wing C7573A; ESTC R231750	66,496	141

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I taught him to foot it on the wayes of Religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I drew them with the cords of a man all gentle and perswasive sollicitations with bands of love I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws and I laid meat unto them The yoke of bondage the soul was under God freed the soul brought him to an easie pleasant yoke God has a special care of tender plants when Israel was a tender vine O then he fenced it and hedged it and shone out upon it c. Now Christ is thus pleased to reveal his love to unbosom himsel unto the souls of young Converts for their greater incouragement in the wayes of grace At the first step to heaven he gives them a viaticum If after the soul had been steept in legal humiliation and possest with fears and terrours and amazements compast with Clouds and now at last it has been drawn by a mighty work to receive a Saviour If after all this it should have no Sun-shine it would droop and languish and be ready to pine away it would be very unfit and unserviceable the wheels of the soul woud move heavily God therefore oils the wheels poures the Oil of gladnesse into the soul And now it moves like the Chariots of Aminadab with a nimble spontaneity Christ begins to flourish through the Lattices le ts in some of his love into the soul I and gives it a sense of this love too and this constrains it to obedience sets the soul a longing for more of this love and for more sence of this love so it will never leave longing til it have a full fruition of it in heaven this is Gods method this is the usual progress of grace in the soul And hence you may see why young Converts are usually so active in the wayes of Religion so forward and vehement O they have fresh apprehensions of the love of a Saviour what an eminent alteration he hath wrought in them how they are raised from death to life O they can tell you long stories of his goodness what great things he hath done for their soul So that their affections are raised there is a flush of joy the soul runs over and knowes no banks no bounds Thus God does many times seal up the work of grace in the soul and gives a satisfying light at the first conversion but yet I cannot say that this is alwayes so for there are diversities of workings and grace sometimes wrought in the soul after a more still and undiscernable manner as we shall have occasion to speak more hereafter 2. Sacrament-times are sealing times I speak of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for as for those secret breathings of the spirit upon Infants in that other Sacrament of Baptisme they are altogether unsearchable and past finding out Now in the Lords Supper you have the new Covenant sealed up unto the soul the soul has not only his graces increased but they are printed clearer that seal of the spirits does print a Christians evidences with a clearer stamp You have plaIn and visible representations of the love of a Saviour and you have the sense of this love powred out into you A Christian feeds not only upon sacramental bread but upon hidden Manna too has tastes of that love that is sweeter then wine Here 's a feast of fat things The soul is satisfied as with marrow sweetnesse spiritual refreshments like fat things they are sweet and they are filling too yet not like the fat things that have a cloying fulsomness in them no these carry a delicious relish with them such as the soul takes present complacency in them and has a longing appetite for them The soul never nauseats the feast of fat things but the more it feeds upon them the more it hungers after them Now the two grand ends of this Sacrament in reference to a Christian are 1. Growth of Grace 2. Sens● of Grace 'T is a Sacrament of Augmentation by which a new-born-infant-soul may grow up to its just proportion and full stature in Jesu● Christ and 't is a Sacrament evidencing this hi● condition to the soul Christians come hithe● ad corroborandum Titulum the smoaking fla● comes hither to have some light and the bruise● Reed comes hither to have some strength th● worm Jacob crawles into the presence of a Saviour and is sent away with an encouraging voice Fear not thou worm Jacob. Many a tender babe in Christ has stretcht out his weak and trembling hand to lay hold of a Saviour and has found vertue coming out from him Many a thirsty soul has come breathing and panting after the streams of water it has opened his mouth wide he has filled it The longing affectionate soul has come with vehement and enlarged desires has found full expressions manifestations of his love towards her Many acloudy soul has come hither to see if he could spie out one beam has bin sent away brighter then the Sun in all its glory You that come hither with the most ample and capacious souls tell us whether you be not filled up to the brim whether your cup don't overflow O what heavenly entercourse is there between you and a Saviour what pleasant aspects what mutual love-glances what smiles and blandishments Do not you finde in your own souls a full Paraphrase upon the book of the Canticles that book of Loves He comes with an earthy and drossie soul that is not raised and advanced with such glorious mysteries And yet my meaning is not as if every true Christian that had received this Sacrament must needs have assurance No we know 1. Beleevers themselves may receive unworthily as the Christian Corinthians when Paul tells them they came together for the worse and not for the better he speaks it of such as were truly in the state of grace Thus he concludes his discourse You are chastened of the Lord that you might not be condemned with the world And thus the soul may go from a Sacrament with lesse comfort then it brought thither 2. Many that have much joy and sweetness from a Sacrament real and spiritual joy I and strength and vigour too yet it may be have it not in so great a proportion in so high a measure their cup is not so brim full as that it should reach to assurance All that do truly partake of these heavenly delicacies yet don't go away equally satisfied Some have but a taste which is enough to cherish them others a full draught which doth mightily enliven them So then all we say is this those Christians that have assurance have it usual at these times and some Christians that have wanted assurance yet here have found it which should strongly engage all to come hither with great and solemn preparation quickening and exciting their graces improving all present strength breathing and longing after these pleasant streams

truth which is made a fatal stumbling-block to some shall prove a solid foundation of joy and sweetness unto them The very possibility of Election should banish all such thoughts as these Who can tell but God may have been gracious unto thee and have fixt an eye of love upon thee Oh then breath after him pant and long for him desire him to expresse his minde to thee to communicate his love to thee Besides though thou dost not know Election will meer love do nothing Though thy God did not intend to glorifie thee yet thou shouldest intend to glorisie him Though he does not chuse thee for his Servant yet thou should'st chuse him for thy Lord. There is worth in him though there be none in thee Resolve that into what condition soever he throw thee though into Hell it self that there thou wilt love him and there thou wilt praise him and long for him that there thou wilt adore and honour him and wilt grieve only for this that thou canst honour him no more that thou wilt admire his goodness to others his justice to thee I and his goodness to thee too that layes lesse upon thee then thou deservest Such thoughts as these would make hell it self lightsom VI. As Election is secret and mysterious so Vocation may be easily known That Astrologer was deservedly laught at that was so intensely gazing upon the Stars so admiring their twinkling beauties as that unawares he tumbled into the water whereas before if he had but been pleased to look so low as the water he might have seen the Stars there represented in that Crystal glasse Such as will needs be prying into the Star that will ascend up into heaven and gaze upon Election they do but dazle their eyes and sometimes by this are overwhelmed in the depths of Satan whereas they might easily see the Stars in the water they might see Election in Sanctification in Regeneration Now Vocation does plainly and easily appear by that great and eminent alteration which it brings along with it It is a powerful Call 't is an audible and quickening voice the voice of the first Trumpet that awakens men out of the graves and makes them happy by having their part in the first Resurrection great and sudden alterations they are very discernable Now here is a most notorious and signal change made Old things are past away and all things are become new here is a change from death to life from darkness to light and what more discernable then this A living man may know that he is alive and that without any further proof or demonstration whatever the Scepticks old or new would perswade us to the contrary Will you not allow a man to be certain that he lives till a jury of life and death hath past upon him Could not the blind man in the Gospel think you perceive when his eyes were opened could he not easily tell that now he could see and discern variety of objects or must he only conjecture that he sees and guesse at a Sun-beam must he still at noon-day go groping in uncertainties And is there not an easie and sure difference between those thick veils and shadows of the night between those dark and Ethiopick looks and the virgin blushes of the morning those beautiful eye-lids of the day The smilings and flowerings out of light much more the advancement of light to its Zenith and Noon-day-glory And thy then cannot an Intellectuall eye discern as well that now it sees that now it looks upon God with an eye of love with an eye of faith with an eye of confidence and that now God looks upon him with an eye of tenderness and compassion with an eye of grace and favour with an eye of delight and approbation Who but an Anaxagoras will go about to perswade a man to disbelieve his eyes and if a corporal eye deserve such credit why may not a spiritual eye then expect as much Say not then in thine heart Who shall ascend into heaven to bring down Assurance from above who shall unclasp the Book of Life that is sealed and turn thee to thy name or who shall bring thee a Certificate that is written there Behold it is nigh thee even in thy heart The work of grace there the Law written on the tables of thine heart by the finger of the spirit is the exemplification and counterpane of that Decree the safest way the best way the only way to make sure of Election is first to make sure of thy Vocation Make your Calling and Election sure FINIS