Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	judgement_n	young_a	youth_n	116	3	8.4322	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87095	The first general epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded & applied. The second part, in thirty and seven lectures on the second chapter, from the third to the last verse. Delivered in St. Dionys. Back-Church, by Nath: Hardy minister of the gospel, and preacher to that parish.; First general epistle of St. John the Apostle. Part 2.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H723; Thomason E981_1; ESTC R207731	535,986	795

to thirty seaven and the fourth to the end of life and these foure ages they resemble by the foure Elements in the world the foure seasons in the year the foure h●mours of the body and the like and one upon my Text finding foure words in these Verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fits them to those foure ages David seemeth to comprize them in two I have been young and now am old St Paul to Titus mentions only Aged and young Men. But the most received distinction of mans age is threefold as Beza well observeth correspondent to which was that song of the Lacedemonian quire placed in three orders whereof the first who were the little Children sang Quod estis erimus that which you young and old Men are we shall be the second who were the old Men sung Quod estis fuimus that which you young Men and little Children are we once were and the third which were the young Men sung Sumus quod alteri fuerunt alteri futuri sunt we are what you old Men have been and you little Children are to be According to this tripartite division of mans Age our Apostle reckoneth up Fathers young Men and little Children 1. He beginneth with Fathers by which he meaneth old Men for though the name Father is properly vox naturae a word betokening a naturall Father in which respect whosoever hath a Childe is a Father there are besides Patres religione Fathers in respect of Religion so Elisha called Elijah Father who was a Prophet● and it is usuall to call Bishops nay ordinary Priests and Ministers Fathers Patres dignitate Fathers in regard of honour and dignity upon this account Naamans servant call him being a great man Father Senatours in Rome were stiled Patres Fathers and Kings are called Patres Patriae the Fathers of the Country over which they rule Finally Patres aetate Fathers in respect of age and so all who are stricken in Years are wont to be called Fathers in this sense it is manifestly here used by St John and that honoris ergo by way of reverence whilst he thinketh it not fit in plain terms to call them old men but in testification of his respect to them Fathers nor would it be passed by what this expression teacheth us Namely That reverence is due from Young to old Men as from Children to their Fathers what the Apostle saith of marriage is no less true of old Age it is honourable among all men in Scripture-Heraldry the ancient and the honourable are put together yea the command is expresse Thou sha●t rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man It is not unfitly observed that in the Greek language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 old age and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an honorary reward differ nothing as to sound and only in a letter as to writing to intimate that honour is due to old age It was one of Chilons golden precepts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to reverence old age And Phocylides his phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parents and old men are to have equall reverence To this purpose it is that Aulus Gellius relateth concerning the ancient Romans that they did not more honour wealth or birth then age and the younger did reverence the elder ad deum prope parentum vicem as if they were their parents nay Gods and this saith he they learn't of the Lacedemonians who by Ly●urgus his Laws were enjoyned great reverence to aged persons Accordingly it is that both Ovid and Juvenal tell us what great honour was of old given to the hoary head and how hainous a crime it was accounted as deserveing little less then death if a young man did not rise up before the ancient How justly will the Heathens of those ages rise up in judgement against the Christians of this wherein old age is become contemptible and youth malapert what more usuall then for green heads to contradict and vilifie gray hairs That brand which is set upon the nation God was resolved to send against rebellious Israel is verified in too many they respect not the person of the old Oh remember Antiquity is the image of eternity God is called the ancient of dayes and though it is idolatry in the Romanists to picture God as an old man yet we need not doubt to affirm that an old man is as it were the picture of the eternall God and therefore as in despising every man so especially an aged man we despise Gods image Learn we then how to account of old men namely as Fathers and accordingly to give them all due regard in words gestures and actions It is a good saying of Clemens Alexandrinus when a man by age draweth near his end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is so much the more highly to be honoured and Antiochus assureth us that to respect the ancient is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very acceptable in the ●ight both of God and man It is very considerable how St Paul adviseth Timothy though an elder in respect of office yet being young in years that he should entreat the elder to wit in age as Fathers And no less observable is this of St John who to manifest his respect to old age when he meaneth old men useth this honourable term of Fathers 2. By Fathers then he meaneth them who were about fifty years old or more in their declining age and had lived to see many dayes from them he descendeth to young men and though the word here used as P●llux affirmeth be especially meant of those who are in their fourth septenary from one to eight and twenty yet here the extent of it is as Estius well observeth a great deal larger and comprehends all qui exeunt ex ●phebis who are past fifteen till they come to the age of fifty From young men he cometh yet lower to little children and though the diminutive word take in all litle children whilest yet they cannot go nor sp●a● from their very birth yet here doubtless it must bear date from the time in which a child begins first to be capable of rational knowledge it being not probable that St John did write to them who were in no capacity of reading or understanding what he wrote and beginning at those years it comprizeth all who are in their nonage and are not come to the years of one and twenty That then which our Apostle here intimateth is that there were of all these ages among the Christians We read in the parable of the Vineyard that some labourers were hired to work at the third some at the sixth and others about the ninth and eleaventh hour Thus doth Christ call some little children with whom it is but the third some young men with whom it is the sixth hour some Fathers with whom it is the ninth nay eleaventh hour of the day God in the

forgiven for his names sake Indeed it is that which this argument presseth in three severall waies 1. In a way of imitation the Brethren are Gods Darlings he loveth all men so far as to forbear them but he loveth them so as to forgive them and surely fit it i● that where God forgiveth we should and whom he loveth we should Besides God loveth us so as to forgive us and forgiving to give all blessings to us and shall not we be mercifull and kind and loving to one another after his pattern 2. In a way of Gratulation Thus Na●gorgeus urgeth it So great a benefit as forgiveness Facilè persuadet ut e● benefaciamus strongly perswadeth that we should returne somewhat to him who and for whose sake we are forgiven Non Christo quidem sed membris this we cannot to him in himself but in his Members Quibus ille jussit To whom he hath commanded us to shew our affections Indeed the good Christian cannot but thus reason with himself If God hath at my request forgiven me pounds and given me Talents shall not I at his command forgive my Brother pence and give him Mites That love he hath shewed to me is infinitely surpassing that love which he expected I should shew to my Brother So that it is impossible for him who is truly affected with his Fathers goodness not to be inflamed with Brotherly kindness as therefore the cold stone or iron being warmed by the ●ire casts forth and reflects that heat which it hath received upon that which is adjacent to it So doth the sincere Christian reflect the heat of Gods Love which is shed abroad in his heart and sheds it abroad in Love to his Brethren 3. In a way of Impetration The comfort of this benefit of forgiveness lieth in the knowledg of it Indeed whosoever hath his sins forgiven is Really but he only who is assured that they are forgiven is sensibly blessed A well grounded assurance cannot be obtained but by finding those graces wrought in us which accompany Remission amongst which this of Brotherly Love is not the least If I can justly say That I Love my Brother for his names sake then and not till then I can comfortably say My sins are forgiven for his names sake When therefore we finde these passions of hatred envy ●●lice and uncharitableness to boyle in our hearts against others for tho●e injuries which either they have or at least we concei●e they have offered to us What better Antidote can we use then a serious meditation of Gods free and full underserved and unmeasutable Love towards us notwithstanding our manifold sins against him Which that we may duly imitate for which that we may be truly thankfull and of which that we may be comfortably assured it concerneth us and accordingly St John writeth to us to Love the Brethren THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St JOHN CHAP. 2. 13 14. VERS I write unto you Fathers because ye have known him that is from the beginning I write unto you young Men because ye have overcome the wicked one I write unto you little Children because ye have known the Father I have written unto you Fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning I have written unto you young Men because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have over come the wicked one PHilosophy not unfitly distinguisheth of a threefold naturall Life Vegetative Sensitive Rationall The first discovereth it self by growth and Augmentation The second by Motion and Sensation The third by Discourse and Ratiocination The first is only in Plants the first and second in Beasts all three in Man nor would it be passed by how Man doth as it were gradually put forth these severall Lives living in the Wombe the life of growth so soon as he cometh into the World the life of sense and after the expiration of some years beginning to live the life of reason And as thus there are three Lives so there are three Ages of Mans life which are to be reckoned from that time he begins to act as a man and make use of his reason Namely Childehood Youth old Age Our life is a day whereof Childehood is the Morning Youth the Noon and old Age the Evening After which succeedeth the night of death our life is a journey which consisteth of three Stages Childehood wherein we go up hill Youth in which we run forward and old Age in which we run down hill to the Grave Finally Our Childehood is as a budding Spring our Youth as a flourishing Summer our old Age as a withering Autumn after which followeth the Winter of death With all these our Apostle hath here to do and as every one of them is capable of instruction he directeth his writing to them not only joyntly bu● severally in the words now read I write to you Fathers because ye have known c. The particular Reasons why our Apostle wrote to every one of these Ages do yet remain to be discussed and before I enter upon them in particular there are two things I will briefly premise 1. That two of them are repeated namely that which respects Fathers and young Men whereas that to little Children is only once mentioned and if we well view it we shall finde there might be good cause for the Iteration of them and so no need to blame the Scribe as if the fourteenth Verse were beedlesly added Besides that one namely that which concerneth young Men is not a naked Repetition but withall an Amplification there is a double reason maybe assigned why he writeth to Fathers and young Men twice and but once to Children 1. Because his discourse was principally intended for Fathers young Men look as in our Preachings though sometimes occasionally we instruct little Children yet we must frequently direct our discourse to those who are drawn up to years of discretion so no doubt our Apostle designed this Epistle for and therefore directeth his writing to the young and old Christians 2. Because the things about which our Apostle writeth are such which young Men and Fathers have more need to be minded of then little Children There is not so great danger of little Childrens being infected with the world because they know not what belongs to it whereas young Men having so much imployments in are apt to be entangled with the world and old Men having been so long acquainted with cannot easily weane their affections from it Little Children are not so sensible of injuries and therefore not so apt to be enraged with hatred as young Men and Fathers are No marvell if he write again and again inculcating the argument by which he would perswade them to Love their Brother and disswade them from the Love of the World 2. That all of them are laudatory Characters commending that good which he observed in them the Fathers for their knowledg of Christ the young Men for their victory and spirituall

making or stones and Images of their own making but the Mahumetans and the Jews who worship the Great Creator inasmuch as those onely worship him as revealing himself in their fanatick opinion by Mahumet and these worship him onely as he was pleased to reveal himself of Old by Moses but not as now hee hath manifested himself in his Son Jesus nay both of them denying his Son Jesus are therefore most justly looked upon not onely as false Worshippers of a true God but in some sense as Worshipers of a false God because they have not that is they know not neither do they beleeve and worship the Father of Christ to wit not formally though materially adoring him who is but not as he is the Father 2 That phrase of St. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have the minde of Christ may serve as a paraphrase upon this To have the Father is to have the minde of the Father which is else where called his good acceptable and perfect will This will or good pleasure of the father is the redemption of the World which he sent his Son both to accomplish and reveal in this respect St. Basil upon these words Hee that hath seen mee hath seen the Father thus glosseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the figure or form of the Fathers essence which is most simple and uncompounded but the goodness of his will and therefore hee who denieth the Son cannot have but is either altogether ignorant of or Apostatized from the Doctrin of the Father of which latter the Apostle especially speaking the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so it is many times used to hold and accordingly Grotius glosseth Non tenet quae sit voluntas patris hee doth not hold fast the good will of the Father which is published in the Evangelical Doctrin And no wonder for hee that hath not holdeth not the foundation cannot have the Superstructure Now this Thesis That Jesus is the Christ is the very foundation of that Gospel-truth which the Father hath by Christ imparted to us and consequently the denial of this cannot consist with having the father that is with holding the will and minde of the Father declared in the Gospel 3 Lastly that Glosse of St. Cyprian would by no means bee left out Non habet patrem benevolum he hath not the father benevolous and propitious to him and so wee may construe this phrase by that in the first chapter of having fellowship with the father and whereas it is said in the former verse hee denyeth the father this carrieth more in it namely That the father denyeth him Indeed all that love the father hath to us and fellowship we have with the father is through his Son Whence it followeth that every one who hath not the Son but much more hee who denyeth the Son hath not the Father yea the Father is highly displeased and enraged against him When Theodosius would not bee intreated by Amphilochius to suppresse the Arrian Hereticks who denyed Christ to bee the eternal Son of God that Godly Bishop saith Theodoret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 found out a memorable stratagem to convince him of his fault for going into the Palace when Theodosius and his Son Arcadius were together hee saluteth the Emperour with his wonted reverence but giveth no Honour to the Son the Emperour supposing it was a forgetful neglect puts him in minde of it to whom his Answer was it was enough that hee had done obedience to him at which the Emperour being greatly offended the good Bishop thus bespoke him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 You see O King how ill you take it that your Son should bee dishonoured how angry you are with mee for not giving him Reverence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beleeve therefore that the great Lord of the universe cannot but abhor those who blaspheme his onely begotten Son Of this number were these Antichrists concerning whom St. John plainly asserteth that denying the Son they have not the father no true knowledge of him nor of his Doctrin nor can they expect his love and favour towards them What now remaineth but that wee take heed least we bee found among the number of them who deny the Son nor is this Caution unseasonable for 1 There want not among us such the Socinians I mean who affirm with those Hereticks of old Christ to bee onely man and these however they pretend to acknowledge yet consequentially deny him to be the Son of God for saith the Author to the Hebrews Vnto which of the Angels said hee at any time thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee and if not to the Angels surely not to a meer man who is lower than the Angels It would not bee passed by that a little after in that very Epistle Jesus whom the Apostle had proved to bee far higher than the Angels and that in this very particular of being Gods Son is said to bee little lower than the Angles and that this is to be understood in respect of his man hood appeareth by the Scripture just before quoted what is man that thou art mindful of him thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels the litteral sense whereof is to assert the humane nature inferiour to the Angelical surely then in respect of that nature wherein hee is below hee cannot bee far above the Angels and therefore to assert him a meer man though never so highly honoured is to deny him to bee the Son of God in the Apostles sense that is so as by reason of that Sonship to bee higher than the Angels for to allude to S. Pauls expression though they are called Gods whether in heaven or in earth as there bee Gods many and Lords many but there is but one God the father so though there bee that are called the Sons of God whether Angels or men yet there is but one who is the begotten Son of God which is so high a dignity that hee must bee more than Man or Angel who is capable of it and consequently to assert him a meer man is to deny him to be Gods Son 2 Besides wee may bee Orthodox in our Judgement concerning the Son of God and forward in our confession of him and yet interpretatively deny him and that especially two waies 1 When wee detract from the al-sufficiency of his merits upon what is it that the infinite vertue of our Saviours death did chiefly depend but this that hee is the Son of God so that hee that doth not relye on the virtue of his death denieth him to bee Gods Son and yet how apt are many to offend in this kinde by either a total despairing of salvation through Christ or a part al-joyning of other Saviours with him and to say that either Christs blood cannot at all or that it cannot alone to wit as a meritorious cause expiate sin is to