Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	jesus_n	law_n	spirit_n	7,842	5	6.0757	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29185	The ministers of England which are called, the ministers of the gospel vveighed in the ballance of equity: by way of consideration, whereby it plainly appears, whether they be the ministers of Christ, or of antichrist. And also, whether to bear a testimony against a setled maintenance, either by tyths or any other way which may be invented to uphold that ministry, be any way dangerous to destroy the gospel of Christ; resolved. With a serious meditation upon the dealings of God with England, and the state thereof in general. Published for the satisfactiou [sic] of such as desire to prove all things, and are willing to hold that fast which is good; by a friend unto the faithful ministers of the gospel of Christ, John Braithwait.	Braithwaite, John, fl. 1660.	1660 (1660)	Wing B4206; ESTC R221651	16,773	40

Apostles Christ said Cor. 2.6 be ye perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect and the Apostle said Rom 8.2 we preach wisdome among them that are perfect mark that are perfect was not that in this life but do not these learned men say that none can be perfect in this life the Apostle said the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Hath made me free mark that was not that in this life or while the Apostle was in the body John 1.9 8 12 but do not they say none can be made free from sin in this life John said that was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World was not Christ that true light who said I am come a light into the World that whosoever followeth me should not abide in darkness but should have the light of life but do not they say that every man is not lighted Tit 2 11 except it be with a natural a created light the Apostle said the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men but is not their Doctrine that it hath appeared but to some men And when I began to weigh these Doctrines of theirs in the equal ballance I found them very unsound and contrary to the Scriptures Matt 7 16 and then came into my mind that saying of Christ By their fruits ye shall know them or every tree is known by its fruits men do not gather grapes of thornes nor figgs of thistles and when I had thus considered the state of the tollerated Ministers or pretended Ministers of the Gospel in England and found them clear contrary to Christ his Apostles in these and many more things which I might mention then I saw it was the Lords righteous judgments upon them to strip them naked and bare and stain their glory for as much as they have sought honour to themselves and have dishonoured the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who is now risen in his power which they have denyed and in effect they have said his arme is shortned that it cannot save as in former ages and revelations is ceased and is to be expected no more and so the day hath been dark over them Prov. 29 18. and there hath been no vision and where there is no vision the people perish and for this cause will the Lord God let them know the revelation of his righteous judgments which shall shortly come upon them though they would put it far away and though they cry peace peace yet shall sudden destruction come both upon them all that willingly doe uphold them And then I began to consider upon the setled or rather forced maintenance which as it appears doth uphold them whether to bear a testimony against it be any way dangerous to destroy the Gospel of Christ yea or nay and when I had considered well upon this matter I could not see nor find that Christ had laid a settled or forced maintenance for the foundation of the Gospel but did send forth his Ministers freely Freely they had received Mat. 10.8 freely they were to give and he that preacheth the Gospel may live of the Gospel here the Gospel was to maintain them and not a forced maintainance to maintain it 1 Cor. 9.14.18 for the Gospel is the power of God to Salvation saith the Apostle whose care was not to make the Gospel chargeable but as it doth appear those men which are called Ministers of the Gospel now in England strive to make that which they call Gospel chargeable and that not only to them who receive their doctrine but also to them who deny it which is a most unrighteous thing what can be more unrighteous than that one Congregation or Assembly of people should be forced by a law to maintain the Minister and meeting place of another Church or Assembly which are clean contrary the one to the other in their Judgement in things appertaining to the worship of God and if it may be unrighteousness in the one is it not so in the other Seeing they both beleive or at least they say the way which they walk in is the way of God Object But if it could be certainly judged which of them is in the right way might not they that are in the right way compel and force them that are not to maintain them Answ Nay he that is in the right way must do as he would be done unto and that is just and right and that is the royall law Jam. 2.8 the Law of Christ now if thou wouldest not willingly maintain the Minister of an assembly that differeth from theein judgment then thou must not desire much less force a mantenance from them but if thou keep a flock eat the milk of the flock Cor. 9.7 if thou plant a Vinyard eat the fruit thereof mark he that plants a vinyard may eat of the fruit thereof he doth not say thou may eat of that thou hast not planted for how could that convince men or convert them unto God To eat them and to devour them would rather set mens hearts against thee and that way which thou dost professe and therefore as in this respect to bear a Testimony against Tythes or any other forced maintenance to maintain Ministers is no way dangerous to destroy the Gospel of Christ Object But if there be not a law to compel men to pay to the Ministers People are so hard hearted and Covetous they will not pay toward their maintenance and then preaching will go down and people will become heathens Answ It seems then that for all the Preaching that hath been in England people are yet hard hearted and Covetous what reason is there then that those that are yet hard hearted covetous should pay or maintain those men that they have not profited by when I consider this thing it appeareth to me to be greater covetousness in those men called Ministers to desire to have a maintenance from those people that have not profited by them than it is for the other to detain it And as for Preaching going down and people becoming Heathens this I say that Preaching which is grounded upon covetousness let it go down let their Preaching go down for they rather keep people in heathenisme then bring any to the true knowledge of God who themselves dare not trust God for their maintenance after which things the Gentiles seek Object But though those learned men have been Covetous and proud and made an evil use of their maintenance nevertheless is it not convenient that the law remain which compelleth men to pay to the Ministers for peradventure God may raise better men in their places as gifted men and such like Answ Let the Law of Christ remain let him that preacheth the Gospel live of it but let not any law remain which compelleth men Was not the first