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	life_n	love_n	7,775	5	5.2746	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32768	Ecclesiasticum, or, A plain and familiar Christian conference concerning gospel churches, and order for the information and benefit of those who shall seek the Lord their God and ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward ...	Chauncy, Isaac, 1632-1712.	1690 (1690)	Wing C3751; ESTC R23991	70,072	162

that joyns to the Church doth primarily and professedly joyn themselves to the Lord in Church Communion And the immediate declared event of this Exhortation of Barnabas was that they joyned to the Lord in Church fellowship and became a Church ver 26. See also Act. 16.5 2. It appears to be the duty of every Believer to joyn himself to a particular Church from the Nature of Conversion it is the turning the whole man unto God in all the ways and appointments of Christ wherein he is to be found but Church fellowship is a Divine Institution where God is to be found joyned with and submitted unto as is abundantly manifest from the currant of the Old and New Testament This seems to be the meaning of the Apostle when he doth beseech the Romans ch 12.1 by the Mercies of God to present their Bodies i. e. their Persons to give up their Persons by presenting them to or before the Lord viz. in Church Communion a living Sacrifice of thanksgiving Holy and Acceptable unto God which is your reasonable worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it should be rendred your word service or worship the word is used for the Word of God 1 Pet. 2. Or a service of Words As new born babes desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sincere Word the Milk or Milk of Word So that the Exhortation of the Apostle seems to be made to Believers to devote and dedicate themselves unto the Lord in Church fellowship by a Covenant or Obligation of Words being called their service of Words viz. their explicate word the Presentment or Devotement of themselves unto the Lord according to Hos 14.2 This Dedication or Devotement is lively signified in Baptism wherein every Believer doth federally oblige himself to Father Son and Holy Ghost and thereby doth both bind himself to joyn unto the Lord in professed Subjection to all his Ordinances and doth shew it Sign and Seal it before the Lord. And every adult one that professeth himself baptized and doth not actually joyn himself unto the Lord in Church fellowship doth practically deny his Baptismal Dedication wherein he is devoted to be a living i. e. visible lively Sacrifice of thanksgiving in his Person and all his performances unto the Lord. 3. That Believer that joyns not himself in Church Society falls short of many great ends of his professed high and holy Vocation for we are called according to Gods purpose of Grace to be a choice Generation a Royal Priesthood a People 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. for a peculiarity i. e. unto God for his special visible service to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices of a true Gospel Nature acceptable unto God through Jesus Christ ver 5. Wherein the Virtues of Christ are shewed forth or declared ver 9. Not only perceived in our selves but shewed forth in Practice and Profession and this is or can be no way so much as in Gospel instituted worship wherein a Believer comes unto and is built up in the Lord Jesus Christ as a living Stone The great reason of squaring a stone is to be laid in the building as the end of squaring the Stones in Mount Lebanon was to lay them in Solomons Temple a Type of a Visible Gospel Church Such I doubt not but the Holy Ghost means by the Apostle Peter saying Ye as lively Stones are built a spiritual House ver 5. and so the Apostle Paul Eph. 2.20 21. Again the Lord Jesus doth declaredly design that Believers should be visibly separated from the World to come out in the way of Gospel Communion from all unclean things and Persons 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17. From all Heathenish Antichristian or false unwarranted worship and from Communion with professed Vnbelievers and enter into a solemn explicite Covenant with the Lord without doing of which they answer not the end of their calling in Christ Lastly our Calling is not only to be the Lords singly but conjunctly with the Saints and redeemed ones to a mystical Relation to Christ in a Community of the Elect and called ones which is answered by us as in our inward and spiritual so by our external and visible joyning our selves to the Society of the faithful to serve the Lord in one Body with them for we are called to the Peace of God that rules in our Hearts in one body Col. 3.15 i. e. with other Saints and Believers and therefore are to walk worthy as it becometh this vocation not only as to Moral Duties but instituted worship Eph. 4.1 c. Phil. 1.26 Let your Conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ and this in our Order and stedfastness of our Faith in Christ Col. 2.5 4. There are Duties to be performed by every Believer by Virtue of his Relation to Christ as such which cannot be done but in a way of Church Communion for he is obliged to observe what ever Christ hath commanded Mat. 28.20 And how great things hath Christ required to be observed in a way of Church Communion as the exercise of Brotherly love Heb. 13.1.1 Joh. 3.11 And he there refers to our Saviours express command Joh. 13.34 The Obedience to which lyes in the sensible Expression thereof as it appears by what follows Hereby shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one for another i. e. In outward visible acts And the Apostle speaks of the ●ommunion of Love fellowship of the Spirit Bowels of Mercy sameness of Mind c. Phil. 2.1 2 3. Love is a Grace that gives Life to all acts of Communion it flou●isheth and branches it self in the most lively manner in a Society and Societies are for the sake of it Destroy love and not only the ends but the very bond and Life of a Society comes to nothing There are great commands of Christ that we are not capable of obeying him in but in Church Communion As frequent assembling together provoking one another to love and good works Heb. 10.24 The remembrance of the Lords Death frequently in the Lords Supper And this is to be observed in a Body or Society of Believers See 1 Cor. 10.16 17. I might instance also in all Duties that concern brotherly watch Pastoral watch each Officers duties by their respective places and Members to them all Discipline actively or passively considered Christs Church Institution Ordinances and Statutes are those which are principally intended by David Psal 119. And such were those that Zechary and Elizabeth walked in blameless Luk. 1.6 5. Every one that supposeth himself in a state of Grace should use all endeavours required by Christ and means instituted by him for growth in Grace Now that Church fellowship and Ordinances are instituted by Christ for growth in Grace I think no sound Christian will go about to deny Believers are exhorted or commanded to grow in Grace 2 Pet. 3.18 And that Churches and their Officers and Ordinances are appointed for that end which we are to abide stedfast in the use of

the New Testament and why called so Christ They are Baptism and the Lords Supper And they are called Sacraments because sacred and solemn ratifications of Gods Promise to us and ours to him they are signs being significant of Invisible Grace and Blessing They are called Seals as Circumcision and the Passover were being for confirmation of the Covenant relation between God and Us. Phil. I pray speak of Baptism it hath been much controverted upon many accounts Christ I shall not detain you upon the most controverted points of it but tell you now briefly what we believe and practise about it 1. That it is an instituted ordinance by the Lord Jesus Christ to remain in the Gospel Churches to the end of the world as appears by Mat. 28.19 2. That the Element or significant sign is Water 3. That it being blessed by Prayer is to be applyed in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost 4. That the thing signified is the washing in regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost wherein the Lord Jesus Christ his precious Blood is applied for Justification and Sanctification and the person Baptized dedicated unto the Lord remission of Sin is eminently signified thereby Act. 2.38 chap. 10.43 Phil. Then you think a person to be regenerated in Baptism Christ It is but a sign of that which is or should be in adult persons it 's requisite there be credible signs or grounds to think they are regenerated but many such who are Baptized are not and therefore it is evident none are regenerated meerly by partaking of that Ordinance unless we allow falling away from effectual grace and when it is administred to the Infant Seed of a Believer it is a sign of what is or may be and is both desired and prayed for Phil. I see you are for the Baptism of Infants Christ. We are for it and do practise it We doubt not of it and upon good grounds for we look upon Baptism to be the right of every Child of a Church Member 1. As the Infant is a Church Member in the Parents right the Parent having given himself and Children to be the Lords in Church Relation 2. That it is a Priviledge the Parents challenge by vertue of the Promise which the Spirit of God saith Act. 2. belongs to them and to their Children the Promise made to Abraham is transferred to all the Faithful who are said Gal. 4.28 chap. 3.29 to be the Children of the Promise as Isaac was and therefore have the Covenant and Seal of the Covenant belonging to them for themselves and Children as Isaac had And in the administration it is of use to the Parents 1. For confirmation of their Faith in that extensive Promise 2. For a Solemn dedication of the Child unto the Lord. 3. For an obligation to bring it up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Phil. May not a professed Believers Child be Baptized that is not actually a Member of any Church Christ. He that is a Believer ought to claim his right to all Church Priviledges and therefore to joyn himself to some particular Congregation where he may enjoy all Ordinances according to the rule of the Gospel And whilst he doth not he evidently lives in a Sin of great Omission if Providence hath given him opportunity so to do And I know not but a credible Believer may as well desire the Lords Supper without adding himself to a particular Congregation as to desire the Baptism of his Child without it and therefore it renders his profession very hardly credible whilst he lives in this great Sin of Omission Phil. Is there any just ground to believe that an Infant Baptized and Dying in his Infancy is certainly Saved Christ. By no means if you understand all Infants of good and bad as they are usually now promiscuously Baptized for the Salvation of Infants is a Divine Secret Phil. But what comfort hath a Believing Parent in this case any more than a professed Unbeliever or Infidel Is there no promise that he can take comfort from upon this account If not then it 's possible such an affliction may befall a Child of God for which he hath no promise from the Word of God to support him in for without a promise Faith can take no hold of God for Comfort Christ. In case a Believers Child dieth in Infancy and his trouble be about the Eternal state of his Child I know no Promise in the Word of God will reach forth Comfort to him but this I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed Seeing his Child lived not to make a personal and professed Rejection of his Covenant Relation in adult years as Ishmael and Esau did And thus a Believer by Faith in that Promise can take such Comfort to himself in that Condition which no Unbeliever can For there 's not one Word in Scripture that speaks of the Salvation of an Unbelievers Child dying in Non-age What God hath reserved in his secret Counsel is not for us to determine Phil. Is not Baptism a converting Ordinance Christ If it be true as your Church saith that he that is Baptized is certainly saved it must needs be so most times But although it 's a sign that referrs to Regeneration and Initiation thereby in the Covenant yet it is a confirming Sacrament as the other is it is always for Confirmation of Faith in the Promise both in Parents and Children neither is it improved by the baptized till he believe Phil. Now I pray speak something of that other great Seal the Lords Supper Christ It is called breaking of bread by a Synech Act. 2.42 ch 20.7 11. It is the Supper John 13.2 ch 21.20 The Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11.20 Because of peculiar Relation to the Remembrance of our Lords death as the observation of the first day of the Week hath to his Resurrection therefore called the Lords day Christ instituted this Ordinance for a solemn remembrance of his Death in the Churches till he come the second time And he did it the Night he was betrayed after he had eat the Passover with his Disciples Mat. 26.26 The Elements Bread and Wine the Sacramental Actions are Blessing the Elements distinctly 2. Breaking the Bread and pouring out the Wine 3. The delivery of each to the people with the words of Command appropriated by the appointment of Christ 4. The Order 1. The Bread blessed then broken then distributed 2. The Wine poured out blessed delivered forth after this a Psalm or Hymn is Sung as our Lord Jesus Christ did and that Ordinance is ended Tho' most Churches conclude with a short Prayer wherein Gods name is further blessed particular Cases of the Assembly spread before the Lord before which Prayer is usual a liberal Collection for the Poor and support of Ordinances Phil. What is the great Use and Improvement a Communicant may and should make of his participation of this Ordinance Christ 1. That as the Bread broken and