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	wage_n	5,559	5	11.2143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30122	The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing that the day of grace may be past with him long before his life is ended : the signs also by which such miserable mortals may be known / by John Bunyan ; to which is added his Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.; Bunyan, John, 1628-1688. Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.	1688 (1688)	Wing B5485; ESTC R29145	71,178	194

worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God c. Heb. 10. 28. Wherefore against these Despisers God hath set himself and foretold that they shall not believe but perish Behold ye Despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days which ye shall in no wise believe though a Man declare it unto you Acts 13. 41. After that thou shalt out it down Thus far we have treated of the Barren Fig-tree or fruitless Professor with some Signs to know him by whereto is added also some Signs of one who neither will or can by any means be fruitful but they must miserably perish Now being come to the time of Execution I shall speak a word to that also After that thou shalt cut it down Christ at last turns the Barren Fig-tree over to the Justice of God shakes his hands of him And gives him up to the fire for his unprofitableness Thou cut ent it down Two things are here to be considered 1. The Executioner Thou the great the dreadful the eternal God These words therefore as I have already said signify that Christ the Mediator through whom alone Salvation comes and by whom alone Execution hath been deferred Now giveth up the Soul forbears to speak one Syllable more for him or to do the least Act of Grace further to try for his Recovery but delivereth him up to that fearful Dispensation To fall into the hand of the living God Heb. 10. 31. 2. The Second to be considered is The Instrument by which this Execution is done and that is Death compared here to an Ax and forasmuch as the Tree is not felled at one Blow therefore the strokes are here continued till all the blows be struck at it that are requisite for its felling For now cutting-time and cutting-work is come cutti●g must be his Portion till he be cut down After that thou shalt cut it down Death I say is the Ax which God often useth therewith to take the Barren Fig-tree out of the Vineyard out of a Profession and also out of the World at once But this Ax is now new-ground it cometh well-edged to the Roots of this Barren Fig-tree It hath been whetted by Sin by the Law and by a formal Profession and therefore must and will make deep gashes not only in the natural life but in the Heart and Conscience also of this Professor The wages of Sin is Death the sting of Death is Sin 1 Cor. 15. Wherefore Death comes not to this Man as he doth to Saints muzzled or without his Sting but with open Mouth in all his strength yea he sends his First born which is guilt to devour his strength and to bring him to the King of Terrors Job 18. 13 14. But to give you in a few Particulars the manner of this Man 's dying 1. Now he hath his fruitless Fruits beleaguer him round his Bed together with all the Bands and Legions of his other wickedness His own Iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be holden in the Cords of his Sins Prov. 5. 22. 2. Now some terrible discovery of God is made out unto him to the perplexing and terrifying of his guilty Conscience God shall cast upon him and not spare and he shall be afraid of that which is high Job 27. 22. 3. The dark Entry he is to go thro will be a sore amazement to him For fear shall be in the way Eccl. 12. 5. yea Terrors will take hold on him when he shall see the yawning Jaws of Death to gape upon him and the Doors of the Shadow of Death open to give him passage out of the World Now who will meet me in this dark Entry how shall I pass through this dark Entry into another World 4. For by reason of Guilt and a shaking Conscience His Life will hang in continual doubt before him and he shall be afraid day and night Deut. 28. 66 67. and shall have no assurance of his Life 5. Now also Want will come up against him he will come up like an armed Man This is a terrible Army to him that is graceless in Heart and fruitless in Life This Want will continually cry in thine Ears here is a New Birth wanting a new Heart and a new Spirit wanting here is Faith wanting here is Love and Repentance wanting here is the Fear of God wanting and a good Conversation wanting Thou art weighed in the Ballance and art found wanting Dan. 5. 27. 6. Together with these standeth by the companions of Death Death and Hell Death and Devils Death and endless Torment in the everlasting flames of devouring Fire When God shall come up unto the people he will invade them with his Troops Hab. 3. 16. But how will this Man die Can his Heart now endure or can his Hands be strong Ezek. 22. 14. 1. God and Christ and Pity have left him Sin against Light against Mercy and the Long-suffering of God is come up against him his Hope and Confidence now lie a dying by him and his Conscience totters and shakes continually within him 2. Death is at his work Cutting of him down hewing both Bark and Heart both Body and Soul assunder The Man groans but Death hears him not He looks gastly carefully dejectedly he sighs he sweats he trembles but Death matters nothing 3. Fearful Cogitations haunt him misgivings direful apprehensions of God terrify him Now he hath time to think what the loss of Heaven will be and what the torments of Hell will be now he looks no way but he is frighted 4. Now would he live but may not he would live though it were but the life of a Bed-rid Man but must not He that cuts him down sways him as the Feller of Wood sways the tottering Tree now this way then that at last a Root breaks an Heart-string an Eye-string snaps assunder 5. And now could the Soul be anihilated or brought to nothing how happy would it count it self but it sees that may not be Wherefore it is put to a wonderful strait stay in the Body it may not go out of the Body it dares not Life is going the Blood settles in the Flesh and the Lungs being no more able to draw Breath through the Nostrils at last out goes the weary trembling Soul who is immediatly seized by Devils who lay lurking in every hole in the Chamber for that very purpose His Friends take care of the Body wrap it up in the Sheet or Coffin but the Soul is out of their thought and reach going down to the Chambers of Death I had thought to have enlarged but I forbear God who teaches Man to profit bless this brief and plain Discourse to thy Soul who yet standest a Professor in the Land of the Living among the Trees of his Garden Amen FINIS AN EXHORTATION TO PEACE and UNITY Ephes. 4. 3. Indeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace BEloved Religion is the great Bond of humane

thereof And this is more than intimated by the Dresser of the Vineyard until I shall dig about it and dung it I will supply it with a more fruitful Ministry with a warmer Word I will give them Pastors after mine own Heart I will dung them You know Dung is a more warm more fat more hearty and succouring Matter than is commonly the place in which Trees are planted I will dig about it and dung it I will bring it under an heart-awakening Ministry the Means of Grace shall be fat and good I will also visit it with Heart-awakening Heart-warming Heart-encouraging Considerations I will apply warm Dung to his Roots I will strive with him by my Spirit and give him some tastes of the heavenly Gift and the Power of the World to come I am loth to lose him for want of digging Lord let it alone this Year also until I shall dig about it and dung it And if it bear Fruit well And if the Fruit of all my Labour doth make this Fig-tree fruitful I shall count my Time my Labour and Means well bestowed upon it And thou also O my God shalt be therewith much delighted For thou art gracious and merciful and repentest thee of the Evil which thou threatnest to bring upon a People These words therefore inform us that if a barren Fig-tree a barren Professor shall now at last bring forth Fruit to God it shall go well with that Professor it shall go well with that poor Soul His former Barrenness his former tempting of God his abuse of God's Patience and long-Suffering his ●●●spending Year after Year shall now be all forgiven him Yea God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will now pass by and forget all and say Well done at the last When I say to the Wicked O wicked Man thou shalt surely die if he then do that which is lawful and right if he walk in the Statutes of Life without commiting Iniquity he shall surely live he shall die Ezek. 3. 3. Barren Fig-tree Dost thou hear the Ax is laid to thy Roots the Lord Jesus prays God to spare thee Hath he been digging about thee Hath he been dunging of thee O barren Fig-tree now thou art come to the Point if thou shalt now become good if thou shalt after a gracious manner suck in the Gospel-dung and if thou shalt bring forth Fruit unto God well but if not the Fire is the last Fruit or the Fire Fruit or the Fire Barren Fig-tree If it bo●r Fruit well And if not then after that thou shalt cut it down And if not c. The Lord Jesus by this If giveth us to understand that there is a Generation of Professors in the World that are incureable that will not that cannot repent nor be profited by the means of Grace A Generation I say that will retain a Profession but will not bring forth Fruit A Generation that will wear out the Patience of God Time and Tide Threatnings and Intercessions Judgments and Mercies And after all will be unfruitful O the desperate Wickedness that is in thy Heart Barren Professor Dost thou hear the Lord Jesus stands yet in doubt about thee There is an if stands yet in the way I say the Lord Jesus stands yet in doubt about thee whether or no at last thou wilt be good whether he may not labour in vain whether his digging and dunging will come to more than last labour I gave her space to repent and she repented not Rev. 2. 21. I digged about it I dunged it I gained Time and supplied it with Means but I laboured herein in vain and spent my strength for nought and in vain Dost thou hear Barren Fig-tree There is yet a Question Whether 't will be well with thy Soul at last And if not then after that thou shalt cut it down There is nothing more exasperating to the Mind of a Man than to find all his Kindness and Favour slighted Neither is the Lord Jesus so provoked with any thing as when Sinners abuse his Means of Grace if it be barren and fruitfless under my Gospel if it turn my Grace into wantonness if after digging and dunging and waiting it yet remain unfruitful I will let thee cut it down Gospel-means applied is the last Remedy for a barren Professor if the Gospel if the Grace of the Gospel will not do there can be nothing expected but cut it down Then after that thou shalt cut it down O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy Children together as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings and ye would not Therefore your Houses are ●●ft unto you desolate Matth. 23. 37 38. Yet it cannot be but that this Lord Jesus wh● at first did put a stop to the execution of his Father's Justice because he desired to try more Means with the Fig-tree I say it cannot be but that an Heart so full of Compassion as his is should be touched to behold this Professor 〈…〉 be cut down Luke 19. 〈…〉 And when he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy Peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes After that thou shalt cut it down When Christ giveth thee over there is no Intercessor no Mediator no more Sacrifice for Sin all is gone but Judgment but the Ax but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Heb. 10. 26 27 28. Barren Fig-tree take heed that thou comest not to these last words for these words are a give-up a cast-up a cast-up of a cast-away after that thou shalt cut it down They are as much as if Christ had said Father I begg'd for more time for this barren Professor I begged until I should dig abou● it ●nd dung it But now Father the time is out the Year is ended the I Summer is ended and no good done I have also tried with 〈…〉 have digged about it 〈…〉 the fat and hearty 〈◊〉 of the Gospel to it but all comes to nothing 〈…〉 deliver up this Professor to thee again I have done I have done all I have done praying and endeavouring I will hold the head of thine Ax No longer Take him into the Hands of Justice do Justice do the Law I will never beg for him more After that thou shalt cut it down Wo unto them when I depart from them Hos. 9. 12. Now is this Professor left naked indeed naked to God naked to Satan naked to Sin naked to the Law naked to Death naked to Hell naked to Judgment and naked to the Gripes of a Guilty Conscience and to the torment of that Worm that never dies and to that Fire that never shall be quenched Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who