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	sin_n	transgression_n	7,400	5	10.9794	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60498	Conversation in Heaven. Being devotions; consisting of meditations and prayers on several considerable subjects in practical divinity. Written for the raising the decay'd spirit of piety. By Lawrence Smith, LL.D. Fellow of St. John's College in Oxford.	Smith, Lawrence, 1656-1728.	1693 (1693)	Wing S4128B; ESTC R221501	97,123	362

seeking whom he may devour He watches for our Ruin and Seduction and therefore we ought to watch for our own preservation he is diligent to betray us and therefore it imports us to be very careful that we avoid his treacherous Snares He walketh about is never at Rest from attempting our Corruption seeks occasions lies in wait to offer us Temptations then when he finds us most unguarded then when he finds our hearts most light and vain and consequently most liable to entertain his Suggestions He watches what sinful Allurement is likeliest to take Effect with us by means of his observing what our General Temper of body most inclines us to or what our occasional disposition of Mind renders us the most subject to comply with and he baits his hook with such a Temptation as is most agreeable to our sinful Inclination which he hath aforehand discover'd or at least shrewdly Ghest at and therefore it nearly concerns us to Guard our selves against him with Watchfulness to keep us from those sins we are most inclinable to that they gain not the Dominion over us to keep us from Constitutional Sins to which our Tempers byass us from those of frequent occurrence from sins of Infirmity which being Lesser ones are on that account less Observable and Dreaded and consequently the more Dangerous to be very careful to avoid the Occasions of sinning the pre-dispositions means and opportunities leading thereunto to shun the very shews and Appearances of Evil In short to watch against all Sin and Temptation in General There is no Condition of life free from its Enticements to sinning they are apt to intermingle themselves with whatever we Think Speak or Act Wealth and Prosperity is a dangerous Temptation to the sinful Abuse of Divine Blessings into Excess and Wantonness into Pride and Carelesness into Forgetfulness of God and our Duty owing to him and Want and Adversity is a strong tho' undue Provocative to Distrust and Diffidence of God's Goodness presiding Care over us is an Incitement to Murmuring Impatience and Discontent with his Providential Dispensations So that in every state we are Unsafe and Insecure in every thing Sin lies at the door to surprize and Assault us its Snares are spread for us every where though we are insensible of them though perhaps for the present they have not in any Gross instance Caught and Entangled us and when we live thus among vicious Baits and Dangers always Near always Expos'd to 'em ought we not to be extream wary and vigilant Alass the Partition Line between Lawful and Unlawful is so small and narrow that the passage from one to the other is but a Step or rather if we advert not a sudden and easie Slip The utmost Freedom in things Allowable is a Bordering on the confines of Disallowable nay not only a Bordering upon what 's prohibited but also an hazardous Temptation thereunto We must not come Nigh a Pest-house if we would not be infected with its Contagion Temptation is indeed the Subject-Matter and Exercise of Vertue so far from Moral Evil in it self that 't is the Tryal and Improvement of our Graces the Tryal of an honest upright Heart of our sincere Love to God and Goodness of our resolved Constancy in the ways of Holy Obedience But however 't is a perilous proof of our Vertue and better be without the Proof than without our Innocency better be out of the reach of Temptation than by coming in its way endanger our being over-power'd therewith Yet since we can never be wholely out of the Reach of Temptation at least out of a Liableness thereunto good Reason have we to be continually watchful and circumspect over our Hearts and our Behaviour that sin through its Deceitfulness Gain not upon us For Satan's wicked Allurements his vicious suggestions could never take hold on us would never find Admittance into our souls were not the way prepared for their Entrance by our evil Lusts and corrupt Appetites those Foes of our own Household who like Treacherous false friends in a Besieged Cittadel set open the Gates thereof in time of Rest and Security for the Besiegers to enter in at Let us chiefly therefore have an observant eye over our own Hearts endeavour our utmost to free them of all impurities and beg of God that he would cleanse the Thoughts the Desires of our Hearts by the Inspiration of his most Holy Spirit and then we might bid safe Defiance to all the Devils wicked solicitations to all the Worlds enticeing Flatteries We are apt to say of Smaller sins of sins of humane Frailty and Infirmity of some Bosom Lust as Lot did of Zoar is it not a Little one and my Soul shall live But ah how do we deceive our selves with such vain words For can any Sin be Small which is an offence against an infinitely Great and Glorious Divine Majesty which is a violation of an Holy Just and Good Law can any sin be Small the wages whereof is Death Eternal The Price of whose Expiation was the precious Bloodshed of the Son of God The Distinction of sins into Greater and Lesser ones is made not in regard that Lesser sins for their matter are not Great ones in their Evil Quality are not great Repugnancies to the Divine Purity highly displeasing unto God equally exposing of us with Greater Vices to the Sentence of Condemnation and to a suffering the vengeance of Eternal fire but for that they are Lesser breaches of the Established Order and Harmony of things in this World Offer Less violence to the checks of our Consciences are Less offences against the well-fare of our brethren or smaller injuries to our own Temporal Interests whether of Mind or Body of Goods or Good-Name However in strictness of speaking Small Sins are of a great Guilt because more easily Resistible because the Temptation to them is Lighter and therefore a complyance with it is an Evidence of great Degeneracy of Spirit of an evil Heart within which chooses sin with Little Bait in great measure for Sinnings sake The Weakness of Assaults from Lesser Temptations adds to the inexcusableness of our Cowardice if we suffer them to vanquish us and therefore they ought the more unyieldingly to be withstood This then being my Duty watchfulness against all iniquity against all Temptations all Occasions tending thereunto I will by the Grace of God be very diligent in the Exercise of it And dothou O God strengthen my Purposes confirm my Resolutions Assist my sincere Endeavours of Striving against sin of Resisting all its Allurements of being brought under the Dominion of none of them O Lord lead me not permit me not to be led into Temptation but Deliver me from all evil both Moral and Natural Corporal and Spiritual for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen The Prayer O THOV Divine Supporter of the weak thou strengthner of such as do stand and Raiser up of them that fall

Alas How art thou all over Disorder and Irregularity Madness and Unreasonableness Shame and Disgrace Depravity and Corruption How dost thou render the practicers of thee the Objects of God's curse and hatred who is otherwise the most kind and benign being for God who is Love it self Love in the very Abstract does however infinitely hate the Sinner hates him even unto Death Eternal O the Guilt the inexpiable Guilt of sin unrepented of that nothing less than an Eternity of punishment is its Recompence that it shall ever be Attoning for and yet never be Attoned that the precious blood of Jesus as infinitely satisfactory as it is can yet never quench the infernal flames to which sin unforsaken exposes us Ah did men but thoroughly understand the Evil Nature of Sin the baseness the turpitude the Disingenuity and Ingratitude thereof the Greatness of that Everlasting Vengeance to which it renders Sinners obnoxious the full import of Damnation Damnation occasioned through Neglect of so great Salvation as that the Gospel offers us no Temptation sure would be big or prevalent enough to entice them to the wilful commission of Impiety but they would reject it with the same holy scorn and abhorrence as Joseph did the impure sollicitations of his Egyptian Mistress crying out How can we do this Great wickedness and sin against God our Heavenly Father How can we do this great wickedness and sin against his Son our Saviour's most plenteous and merciful Redemption against the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier's most kind and earnest and often repeated Strivings with us to bring us to repentance who wou'd we suffer him to do it did we not resist him by sinning would seal would Confirm and Establish us in Grace unto the Day of Redemption 'T is observable that St. Paul describing the odious and heinous Nature of sin knew not better what to call it than by its own filthy impure Name sinful sin that Sin says he might appear sin and sin by the Commandment appeared exceeding sinful Any other Name than its own had been too Good for it any other than its own would have seemed to have Lessen'd its evil Quality There is nothing in the Creation Irregular and Deformed but as Sin has defaced and brought a Curse upon it Sin the Reverse to all that 's Great and Good Praise-worthy and Honourable the bane and Disorder of Universal Nature That which turned Angels of Light and Glory into Angels of Darkness and Confusion changed their once happy and pure Beings into the unhappyness and impurity of Devils which expelled Mankind out of Paradise expelled them at once out of a state of Innocence and felicity Sin that which exposed us to Sickness Misery and Death Temporal of the Body to Depravity of mind Disorderlyness of Appetites perturbation of passions and the Spiritual Eternal Death of the Soul 'T was fatal impiety and transgression which turned a fruitful Eden into a barren Wilderness turned the Garden of God into a Seed-plot of Temptation for the Devil Subjects the Creature unwillingly to bondage and Corruption makes it Groan earnestly for a Deliverance for the Renovation and Restitution of all things when there shall be no more pain Sorrow Sickness or Death because no more sin the occasion of them no more Bodily Evil because no more mental and moral evil Sin 't is the great Malady and Distemper of the Soul the destruction of its health beauty vigour and Safety that which puts it into a preternatural temper puts all its powers and faculties out of order renders it enflamed with violent passions Sick with inordinate appetites tortured with various and contrary desires and is it not madness to be in Love with such our Disease To hug and Retain so much Spiritual Sickness and infirmity Sin is also the Death of the Soul the Death of it to the Life of Grace and Vertue the Death of it to the Quickning influences and Renewing Efficacy of Gods Spirit the Death of it to any pleasing sense and Grateful Relish of Divine and Heavenly Good things and is it not the highest imprudence to be Jocund and Merry amidst a Dying condition Nay to be Dead actually Dead stupid and benummed in Sins and trespasses and yet Alive delighted in and well-pleased with such our calamitous estate Sin is likewise the most abject Slavery of the Soul that which renders us the Servants of Corruption a Slavery of it to impure lusts and vices to Tyrannous evil customs and habits to the over-ruling Temptations of the Devil who leads wilful sinners Captive at his pleasure And is it not folly to be Gratified and Contented with such a Servile state with such a base and loathsome Drudgery Sin 't is opposite to all God's glorious Attributes and Perfections for if we consider his Soveraignty of Dominion Sin is Disobedience and Rebellion if his Wisdom 't is Folly and Madness in contradicting it if his Power 't is Impotency in vainly defying it if God's Justice is respected Sin is Iniquity if his Goodness and Forbearance 't is Disingenuity and Unthankfulness if his Holyness and Purity 't is the Greatest Pollution and Degeneracy if his Truth and Veracity Sin is Falsehood and Error So that Sin being contrary to the pure and holy Nature of God which is the Original Pattern and Standard of all good Sin consequently must needs be the Top the Abstract and Epitome of all Evil And ought such a thing to be the Object of our Choice of our Love and Approbation of our practice and prosecution Sin contains in it the very formal Nature of Hell and future punishment for what makes Hell What but the Hellish that is the wicked impure tempers and dispositions of the wretches inhabiting it which evil tempers of mind would prove their unhappy owners internal Torment and Disquietude were there no External Lake of fire and brimstone of avenging flames and utter Darkness Nay Sin is not only the principal and constituent part of Hell but also a much worse and far Greater Evil than Hell it self for Hell is Good for something to take vengeance on the finally impenitent and disobedient and thereby to vindicate God's Justice and Holiness but sin serves only to abuse his Grace and Goodness Hell was of Gods making Sin of the Devils Nay Hell was made in pitty to Mankind to deter them from coming into that place of Torments but Sin offers violence to Hell as if it were the seat of Happiness forces open the Gates of that Infernal fiery Furnace dragging men into it much against the Will and Rescuing Endeavours of their Creator Preserver Sanctifier and Redeemer O Sin where is thy profit when as thy Loss is that of our immortal Souls that of Heaven of peace of Mind and Joys in the Holy-Ghost unspeakable and full of Glory Where thy pleasure when-as thy Torment is that of a guilty disquieted Conscience that of continual dread of Divine Punishment that of short empty Delights and after vexatious Reflections on them