Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	life_n	righteousness_n	6,721	5	7.6152	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09436	A graine of musterd-seede or, the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation. Corrected and amended by W. Perkins.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1611 (1611)	STC 19725; ESTC S113662	16,143	72

thou hast loosed thy sinne And Ambrose saith If he said I will confesse and obtained pardon before he confessed how much more when he had confessed saying I know mine iniquitie was his sinne pardoned Gregorie on this Psal. saith Marke how speedily pardon comes and how great is the commendation of Gods mercie in that pardon comes together with the desire of confession and remission comes to the heart before confession breake forth in speech II. Conclusion The first materiall beginnings of the conuersion of a sinner ar the smallest measure ofrenewing grace haue the promises of this life and the life to come The Exposition THe beginnings of conuersion must be distinguished Some are beginnings of preparation some beginnings of composition Beginnings of preparation are such as bring vnder tame subdue the stubbernes of mans nature without making any change at all of this sort are the accusations of the conscience by the ministerie of the law feares and terrours arising thence compunction of heart which is the apprehension of Gods anger against sinne Nowe these and the like I exclude in the conclusion for though they goe before to prepare a sinner to his conuersion following yet are they no graces of God but fruits both of the law being the ministery of death as also of an accusing conscience Beginnings of composition I tearme all those inward motions and inclinations of Gods spirit that follow after the worke of the law vpon the conscience and rise vpon the meditation of the Gospell that promiseth righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ out of which motions the conuersion of a sinner ariseth and of which it consisteth what these are it shall afterward appeare Againe grace must be distinguished it is two-fold restraining grace or renuing grace Restraining grace I tearme certaine common gifts of God seruing onely to order and frame the outward conuersation of men to the Law of God or seruing to bereaue men of excuse in the day of iudgement By this kind of grace heathen men haue bin liberall iust sober valiant mercifull By it men liuing in the Church of God haue beene inlightned and hauing tasted of the good word of God haue reioyced therein and for a time outwardly conformed themselues therto Renewing grace is not common to al men but proper to the elect it is a gift of Gods spirit whereby the corruption of a sinner is not only restrained but also mortified and the decaied image of God restored in righteousnes and true holines Now then the conclusiō must only be vnderstoode of the second and not of the first for though a man haue neuer so much of this restraining grace yet vnlesse he haue the spirit of Christ to create faith in the heart and to sanctifie him he is as farre from saluation as another Thus then the sense and meaning of the conclusion is that the verie lest measure of sauing grace and the verie beginning or seedes of regeneration doe declare and after a sort giue title to men of all the mercifull promises of God whether they concern this life or the life to come are therefore approoued of God if they be in truth and accepted as greater measures of grace That which our Sauiour Christ saith of the worke of miracles Math. 17. 20. If ye haue faith as a graine of Musterd-seede ye shall say vnto this mountaine remooue hence to yonder place and it shall remooue must by the law of equall proportion be applied to sauing faith repentance the feare of God and all other graces if they be truly wrought in the heart though they be but as smal as one little graine of Musterd-seede they shall be sufficiently effectuall to bring forth good workes for which they are ordained The prophet Esay 42. 3. saith that Christ shall not quench the smoking flaxe nor breake the bruised reede Let the comparison be marked fire in flaxe must be both little and weake in quātitie as a sparke or twain that cannot cause a flame but only a smoke specially in a matter so easie to burne Here thē is signified that the gifts and graces of Gods spirit that are both for measure strength as a sparke or twaine of fire shal not be neglected but rather accepted and cherished by Christ. When our Sauiour Christ heard the young man make a confession of a practise but of outward and ciuill righteousnesse he looked vpon him and loued him Mark 10. 21. and when he heard the scribe to speake discreetely but one good speech that to loue god with all the heart is aboue all sacrifices he said vnto him That he was not for from the kingdome of heauen Therefore no doubt he will loue with a more speciall loue and accept as the good subiects of his kingdome those that haue receiued a further mercie of God to be borne a new of water and the spirit III. Conclusion A constant and earnest desire to be reconciled to God to beleeue and to repent if it be in a touched heart is in acceptation with God as reconciliation faith repentance it selfe The Exposition LVst or desire is two folde naturall supernaturall Naturall is that whose beginnings and obiect is in nature that is which ariseth of the naturall will of man and affecteth such things as are thought to be good according to the light of nature And this kind of desire hath his degrees yet so as they are all limited within the compasse of nature Some desire riches honours pleasures some learning knowledge because it is the light and perfection of the minde some go further seeke after the vertues of iustice temperāce liberality c. and thus many heathen men haue excelled Some againe desire true happinesse as Balaam did who wished to die the death of the righteous because it is the propertie of nature to seeke the preseruation of it selfe But here nature staies it selfe for where the mind reueales not the will affects not Supernaturall desires are such as both for their beginning and obiect are aboue nature For their beginning is from the holy Ghost and the obiect or matter about which they are cōuersant are things diuine and spirituall which concerne the kingdome of heauen and of this kinde are the desires of which I speake in this place Againe that we may not be deceiued in our desires but may the better discerne thē from flittering and fleeting motions I adde three restraints First of all the desire of reconciliation the desire to beleeue or the desire to repent c. must be constant and haue continuance otherwise it may iustly be suspected Secōdly it must be earnest serious though not alwaies yet at somtimes that we may be able to say with Dauid My soule desireth after thee O Lord as the thirsty land And as the hart braieth after the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God my soule thirsteth for God euen the liuing God Thirdly it must be in a touched heart for when a