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	sin_n	soul_n	8,809	5	5.0614	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65319	A lawyer's advice to the devil's agents: or, Some strokes at the unfruitful works of darkness, tending to their destruction made with a weapon taken out of the armory of the Most High. By William Watson, student in law.	Watson, William, student in law.	1693 (1693)	Wing W1150A; ESTC R220895	26,435	71

certainly consume and destroy the Soul tho' for the present we may not be sensible of it as the Fire would the Body if it were cast into it And thus far private Men are obliged to reprove Sinners as for Magistrates and Men in Authority they are obliged to go farther and if these Methods will not do inflict punishment upon them for they are the Ministers of God and Revengers to execute Wrath upon them that do evil Rom. 13.4 And 't is recorded to that good Governour Josiah's Praise that he forced the Israelites to serve the Lord 2 Chron. 34. at the two last Verses And Josiah took away all the Abominations out of all the Countries that pertained to the Children of Israel and made all that were present in Israel to serve even to serve the Lord their God And all his Days they departed not from following the Lord the God of their Fathers And such punishment would not only be a means of restraining the Offenders upon whom it is inflicted but of making others also beware of offending for Smite a Scorner says Solomon and the Simple will beware Prov. 19.25 And if the punishment that the Law appointe for obstinate and notorious Offenders such as prophane Swearers Drunkards Adulterers Thieves and the like was duly and impartially inflicted such horrid Cri●●s and Offences would not be so common amongst us as to the shame of our Profession of Christianity which most se●●●ely forbids them now they are And this war the method that Moses commanded the Prople of Israel to take to put a stop to presumption the making the presumptuous person suffer Deut. 17.12 13. And the Man that will do presumptuously and will net hearken unto the Priest that stands to minister there before the Lord thy God or unto the Judge even that Man shall die and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel And all the People shall hear and fear and do no more presumptuously But alas these things are now neglected and this Duty of reproving sin his been so long and by so many suspended that 't is commonly looked upon as a Soloecism or fault in a Man's Manners and a Reflection upon his Education to do it But these Excuses are to senseless and have so little weight in them that one would think no one should be so soolish as to omit it upon this or any such like account especially if he has recourse to St. James's Saying in his last Chapter at the two last Verses Brethren if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converts the sinner from the errour of his way shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of sins And certainly 't is better and he gains more that saves a Soul from Death that is Damnation which is called the second Death or Death everlasting as 't is opposite to Salvation which may be said to be the second Life or Lise everlasting Rev. 21.8 than he that gains an Empire For a Soul is more worth than all the riches in the World And now consider shall I that carry about so precious a Jewel through neglect and carelesness suffer the Devil to steal him away from me What spend all my time in taking care of the corruptible Continent I mean the Body which will e're long be turned into Dust and neglect the incorruptible thing contained in it the immortal Spirit which shall live to all Eternity Why shall I suffer the Devil to cast his venomous Dart through the wide Breaches that sin continually makes into my Soul Should not 〈◊〉 use my utmost endeavours to prevent an Enemy of wounding my flesh and shall 〈◊〉 putiently permit tghe greatest and most malicious Enemy the Devil to wound my Soul unto Death and eternal Damnation But oh the wonderful subtilty of the grand Adversary of Mankind He covers his may licieous designs under pretence of gratifying Mens Lusts and rendering their Live more pleasurable and slily perswading o● them that these things are consistent with the liberty of the Gospel which as the wicked Simon Magus that great Factour of the Devil used to say was not intended to abridge Men of their carnal Delights and worldly Pleasures and telling of them If they believe the Scriptures and are called Christians and come now and then to their Assemblies they need not be so strict and circumspect in their Lives nor so solicitous about their Salvation which according to his deceitful way of arguing is so easily attainable And thus he hardens Men against the loving Calls and earnest Entreaties of Christ in his Holy Word and so draws them from sin to sin from a less to a greater 'till at length he brings them to that degree of wickedness as to commit sin with greediness as the Apostle says Ephes 4.19 Who being past seeling have given themselves over unto Lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness and now he thinks he has them secure and if at any time their grieved Consciences represent to them the miserableness of their condition and they are terrified with the distracting thoughts of their ensuing misery into a weak resolution of endeavouring to get out of this lamentable state he derides them and tells them 'T is too late the Season for doing it is over and they were as good take what pleasure they can here for it is in vain for them to coepect any hereafter for Christ will nto accept those that are so loaded with Iniquity as they are But to their unexpressible comfort if they will turn from the evil of their ways and diligently follow after Righte-ousnesss they shall immediately hear Christ contradicting this Father of Lies and kindly inviting of them to come unto him and graciously promising of them rest Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I 'll give you rest And here take notice of the extraordinary Love of Christ who thus kindly invites Sinners which have been his greatest Enemies and despised and disobeyed his Holy Precepts and so plunged themselves into that trouble and vexation which they are in no wise capable of getting out of without his assistance to come unto him for relief Who but a Mad-man would disoblige him and refuse to accept his Invitation when it proceeds from the pure motions of his Love towards us and an earnest Desire of our being everlastingly happy If one Saviour indeed did intreat us like many frail Mortals ambitious of Empire and Greatness to give Obedience to his Commands and live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World only for his own Interest and Advantage the case were somewhat altered but 't is purely for our good that we may escape the eternal Damnation of Hell and reign with him for ever in the Kingdom of Heaven and behold his Glory John 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou

resists these Solicitations to Vice should be addicted to Covetousness it cannot properly be said to be that which keeps him from this Sin neither can he in the least be said to be guilty of it by abstaining from it for he only is the Covetous Man who when it is his part to receive receives more than he ought and when it is his part to disburse disburses less than he ought and desires that which of right belongs not unto him and through Oppression and Injustice encreases his Substance and not he that refuses to waste what is justly his own in sinful Extravagancies And as we ought not to speak or think evilly of or envy those that by their honest Industry and refraining the wastful Conversation of the Uagodly improve what they have but to praise and commend them and endeavour to imitate them so neither ought we to envy those that enrich themselves by Oppression or choose any of their ways as the Wise Man says Prov. 3.31 Envy thou not the Oppressor and choose none of his ways And here those evil-minded People that are apt to envy their Neighbours because they live in better Reputation and grow richer than they may see their Folly and Sin in disobeying God's Command For if they get them fairly and justly they are the Blessings of God and 't is his Pleasure they should have them because he knows if they will imploy them to a good use and he that is angry and through envy repines at this repines at the Mercies of God and is in effect angry with God tho' he may level his Anger only at the Man envied and vainly think it terminates in him because he gives Riches and Honour to that Person which he is unwilling should have them as if he knew better how to bestow God's Gifts than he himself does and this is no small Reflection tho' perhaps he thinks not of it upon God's Omniscience and by consequence a most heinous Sin And on the other side if they get them through Dishonesty and Injustice we are under the like Obligation not to envy them for tho' God may suffer them to flourish for a while yet when he sees fit he can soon stop their sinful Progress either by extending his pardoning and preventing Grace if they reform and sincerely ask for it or by exerting his Power and Justice if they presevere and continue obstinate in their wickedness and casting them down into Destruction And the thoughts of this soon made the Prophet David understand his errour in envying the Prosperity of the Wicked when he went into the Sanctuary to know the reason of it Psal 73.16 17 18 19. v. When I thought to know this it was too painful for me Vntil I went into the Sanctuary of God then understood I their end Surely thou didst set them in slippery places thou castedst them down into Destruction How are they brought into Desolation as in a moment They are utterly consumed with terrours And moreover a Man cannot envy others without vexing and disquieting himself he carries a Tormentour in his own Breast and therefore the Holy Spirit of God so severely declaims against this Sin in Sacred Writ because he would not have Men so foolishly sinful as to afflict and punish themselves Prov. 24.19 20 Fret not thy self because of evil men neither be thou envious at the wicked For there shall be no reward to the evil Man the candle of the wicked shall be put out Secondly We must not converse with the Wicked because we shall not only defile our selves and help to strengthen and confirm them in their ungodly Courses but entice others by our evil Examples to do the like for evil Examples will be sooner imitated if we may credit daily experience than good ones especially amongst such People as this Prophane Age abounds with which have naturally so strong a Tendency and Inclination to wickedness For if ever we had occasion to take up the Prophet Hosea's Complaint Chap. 4. Ver. 2. Now is the time for by Swearing and Lying and Killing and Stealing and committing Adultery they break out and Blood touches Blood The word in the Original for Blood is spoken plurally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bloods to express the great quantity that was spilt And what was the cause of all this Blood-shed but the Sin of the People And has there not been of late and is there not still a great deal of Blood spilt amongst us that call our selves Christians from the same cause when such Multitudes fall by the Sword Which we report only as matter of News little considering that our wickedness is partly the occasion of their violent and sanguinary Deaths and that so far as we by our Sins have been accessary to their Deaths so far without a speedy and sincere asking of Pardon and Forgiveness we shall be obliged to answer for them And how can we ever expect that God should bless our Forces with Success abroad if we lie thus shamefully wallowing in wickedness at home But we are so foolishly favourable to our selves as to overlook this and attribute these Wars and Commotions to other Causes we know and find there are as in times past tyrannizing and persecuting Princes and Potentates in the World and we fansie they are the sole Causes of them to satisfie their Ambition in enlarging their Dominions and rendring themselves more absolute 'T is true they are the Cause of Wars and Devastations but 't is only the Instrumental not the Efficient Cause that is Sin Wicked and Ambitious Princes and Rulers are the Instruments of doing mischief and making confusion in the Earth but 't is the sin of the People as well as their own that sets them on Work For God suffers wicked men to bear Rule that they may declare themselves Enemies to the Inhabitants of the Earth and punish them for their Iniquity And whensoever a potent Enemy or Enemies begin to disturb the Peace and Tranquillity of a Kingdom or Common-wealth they may assure themselves whatever other Reasons they may imagine there are for it that their ways are not pleasing to God For if they were he would force them to be at Peace with them Prov. 16.7 When a Man's ways please the Lord he makes even his Enemies to be at Peace with him God draws such a Line of defence about good Men that live 〈…〉 and Service that their most inveterate Enemies have not power to hurt them 1 Pet. 3.13 And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good But wicked Men lie open to the Wrath of God and the fury and malice of their Adverfaries and must never expect any real peace and comfort unless they return from the errour of their ways if the Scripture be true for God says plainly there they shall have no peace Isaiah the 57th at the teo last Verses But the wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose Waters cast up mire and

to censure your Ministers and affirm that they do not take pains enough in their Stations and therefore do not Preach to you with that liveliness and earnestness that otherwise they might but don 't consider that you your selves are in a great measure the occasion of it For what can more discourage a Minister than when he has preached ten or twenty years against gross and heinous sins to find them reign as much or more in his Congregation than when he first came to it and that almost all his Labour is lost as to the reforming of his sinful Hearers and his Doctrine despised and neglected Is not this the way to help to stop and hinder the Utterance of your Ministers instead of praying that it may be given to them according to the Apostle's Command that they may be bold to make known the Mysteries of the Gospel Ephes the last Chapter 18 19 20th Verses Praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirits and watching thereunto with all Perseverance and Supplication for all Saints and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth hodly to make known the Mystery of the Gospel For which I am and Embassadour in Bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak And if St. Paul had occasion for the Prayers of the People to enable him to speak as he ought much more occasion have the Pastors of our times who are far inferiour to him in gifts and knowledge But truly if they could not in some measure speak as they ought without them I know not when they would for I doubt many People seldom think of praying that their Teachers may be able to teach them as they ought much less do it But let them know that their forgetting or neglecting of it does not in any wife make it cease to be their Duty Secondly You have not that Estimation for them that you ought but generally contemn and despise their Office and Authority and set less by them tha the temporal Physician and the Professor of the Law for though you 'll advise with the one when your Bodys are arrested by a dangerous Disease and if your Title to your Estate be any way scrupled you will not be any means omit consulting the other yet you think it beneath you to advise with your Minister though your Souls are in danger of perishing throgh Sin and your Title to Heaven be never so doubtful and will imprudently rely upon your own Judgments in this respect although it is a matter of the greatest moment t' ye in the whole World and that which you are highly obliged to be as well assured of as possible yo can And hereupon 't is you are so earnestly exhorted by the Apostle to make your Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure But this may serve to inform us and that much to our disgrace that we are generally more careful in the preservation of our Bodies and Estates which are mortal and perish in the very using than we are of our Souls which are immortal and can never cease to be either happy or miserable And hence it comes to puss that your Ministers are not worthy to be sent for in your sickness no not in the greatest extremity of it even at the point of Death but perhaps you think 't is their Duty to come I shall not say 't is not for I suppose 't is if they know it but I am sure if they do not come without sending for 't is your Duty to send for them Jam 5.14 15. Is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with Oil in the Name of the Lord And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he has committed Sins they shall be forgiven him But this Text of Scripture is some what intricate and the true meaning of it may not easily be comprehended by a vulgar Capacity and therefore I shall not think it impertinent a little to explain it Elders is a Title of Dignity rather than of Age and there were two sorts of them the one took care of the Government and Behaviour of the Congregation only the other besides that did pray and preach to them also And both these Orders were very honourable as appears from the saying of the Apostle 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double Honour especially they which labour in the Word and Doctrine But methinks I hear some conceited ignorants say How shall any one send for the Elders there are none in our Church But that is their mistake All Ecclesiasticks compleated in sacred Orders by what Titles soever they are dignified or distinguished are Elders and so were the very Apostles also as they frequently stile themselves 1 Pet. 5.1 The Elders that is those that are Pastors and have the care of the Church as you may easily gather from the following Verse which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder But then you 'll say Why don't we call them so We do in effect so call them for our word Priest is the original word for Elder which is I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contracted or shortened And as for the word Bishop which many seem to take offence at it is derived from the Saxon word Bisceop and that from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the very Title by which those of the highest Dignity in the Church were stiled in the Apostles days Tit. 1.7 and signisies an Inspector or him to whom the Over-sight of the Church belongs and this Name I take to be given to them for reason because as it was the Office of him that was called by this Name among the Heathens to see that their temporal Food was duly administred to them so it is the Office of a Bishop to take care that Christians may have their spiritual food duly administred to them And though some that delight in Novelties choose rather to call those that officiate in their Churches Ministers and Superintendents than Priests and Bishop are the same thing only Priest and Bishop are derived from Greek Fountains which is the Original Language of the New Testament and Minister and Superintendent the one is a Latin word and the other derived from a Latin word and if they abhor the Doctrine of the Latin Church so much as they pretend I wonder why they should have such an esteem for its Language as rather to let it enter into their Church by their Ecclesiastical Titles than the Greek or words derived from it which is the Language Apostolical And truly those persons act very imprudently that raise Controversies about and contend against and hate the innocent Names by which those of the Holy Function are distinguished for the Offences of the