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
A63051	A vindication of the Protestant doctrine concerning justification, and of its preachers and professors, from the unjust charge of Antinomianism in a letter from a minister in the city, to a minister in the countrey.	Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.	1692 (1692)	Wing T2023; ESTC R938	36,348	46

Faith of it from being confounded Hence we see the difference betwixt mens frame in their Disputes and Doctrine about these points and their own sense and pleadings with God in Prayer 4. This Doctrine of Justification by Faith without any mixtures of man however and by what Names and Titles soever they be dignified or distinguished hath this undoubted advantage that it is that which all not judicially hardened and blinded do or would or must betake themselves unto when dying How loath would men be to plead that Cause on a Death-bed which they so stoutly stand up for with Tongue and Pen when at ease and that evil day far away They seem to be jealous least God's Grace and Christ's Righteousness have too much room and Men's Works too little in the the business of Justification But was ever a sensible dying person exercised with this jealousie as to himself Even bloody Stephen Gardiner when a dying could answer Dr. Day Bishop of Chichester who offered comfort to him by this Doctrine What my Lord will you open that Gap now then farewel altogether To me and such other in my case you may speak it but open this Window to the People then farewel altogether Book of Martyrs V. 3. p. 450. In which words he bewrayed a conviction of the fitness of the Doctrine to dying persons and his knowledge that it tended to the destroying the Kingdom of Antichrist As Fox in the same Book of Martyrs Vol. 2. p. 46. gives this as the reason of Luther's success against Popery above all former attempts of preceeding Witnesses But saith he Luther gave the stroke and pluckt down the soundation and all by opening one vein long hid before wherein lieth the touchstone of all Truth and Doctrine as the only Principal Origine of our Salvation which is our free Justification by Faith only in Christ the Son of God Consider how it is with the most holy and eminent Saints when dying Did ye ever see or hear any boasting of their works and performances They may and do own to the praise of his Grace what they have been made to be what they have been helped to do or suffer for Christ's sake But when they draw near to the Awful Tribunal what else is in their Eye and Heart but only Free-Grace Ransoming Blood and a Well-ordered Covenant in Christ the Surety They cannot bear to hear any make mention to them of their Holiness their own Grace and Attainments In a word the Doctrine of Conditions Qualifications and Rectoral Government and the distribution of Rewards and Punishments according to the New Law of Grace will make but an uneasie Bed to a dying Man's Conscience and will leave him in a very bad condition at present and in dread of worse when he is feeling in his last Agonies that the Wages of Sin is Death if he cannot by Faith add but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.23 He is a wise and happy man that anchors his Soul on that Rock at which he can ride out the storm of Death Why should men contend for that in their life that they know they must renounce at their death Or neglect that Truth now that they must betake themselves unto then why should a man build a House which he must leave in a Storm or be buried in its ruines Many Architects have attempted to make a sure House of their own Righteousness but it is without a Foundation and must fall or be thrown down sorrowfully by the foolish Builder which is the better way It is a great Test of the Truth of Doctrine about the way of Salvation when it is generally approv'd of by sensible dying men And what the Universal Sense of all such in this case is as to the Righteousness of Christ and their own is obvious to any man He was an ingenuous Balaamite who being himself a Papist said to a Protestant Our Religion is best to live in and yours best to die in But notwithstanding of these great advantages and they are but a few of many that this Doctrine is attended with There are not a few disadvantages it labours under which though they are rather to its commendation than reproach yet they do hinder its Welcome and Reception As 1. This Doctrine is a Spiritual Mystery and lyeth not level to a Natural Understanding 1 Cor. 2.10 14. Working for Life a man naturally understands but believing for Life he understands not To mend the Old Man he knows but to put on the New Man by Faith is a Riddle to him The study of Holiness and to endeavour to square his Life according to God's Law he knows a little of though he can never do it but to draw Sanctification from Christ by Faith and to walk holily in and through the force of the Spirit of Christ in the Heart by Faith is meer canting to him A new Life he understands a little but nothing of a New Birth and Regeneration He never saw himself stark dead Nay not only is it unknown to the Natural Man but he is by his Natural State an enemy to it he neither doth nor can know it nor approve of it 1 Cor. 2.14 Wisdom that is Christ's way of saving men revealed in the Gospel is justified of all her Children and of them only Matth. 11.19 Luke 7.29 30 35. This Enmity in Men to the Wisdom of God is the cause not only of this contempt of its Ministry but is a Temptation to many Ministers to patch up and frame a Gospel that is more suited to and taking with and more easily understood by such men than the true Gospel of Christ is this Paul complains of in others and vindicates himself from 1 Cor. 1 17. and 2.2 he warns others against it Col. 2.8 2 Cor. 11.3 4. Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. And it is certain that doing for Life is more suited to corrupt Nature than Believing is 2. Our Opposers in this Doctrine have the Many for them and against us as they of old boasted John 7.48 This they have no ground to glory in though they do not we to be ashamed of the Truth because we cannot vie numbers with them With our Opposers are all these sorts and they make a great number though I do not say or think that all our Opposers are to be ranked in any of these Lists for some both Godly and Learned may mistake us and the Truth in this matter 1. They have all the Ignorant People that know nothing of either Law or Gospel They serve God they say but most fasly and hope that God will be merciful to them and save them To all such both the clear explication of God's Law and the Mysteries of the Gospel are strange things Yet sincere obedience they love to hear of for all of them think there is some sincerity in their hearts and that they can do somewhat But of Faith in Christ they have no knowledge except by faith you

by an Ignorant Flattering Minister though it may be the poor creatures never did in the whole course of their Life nor at their Death imploy Jesus Christ so much for an Entry to Heaven purchased by his Blood and only accessible by Faith in him as a poor Turk doth Mahomet for a Room in his Beastly Paradise How common and fearful a thing is this in this Land and City When we come to deal with a poor awakened sinner who seeth his lost state and that he is condemned by the Law of God we find the same Principles working in him for they are Natural and therefore Universal in all Men and hardly rooted out of any We find him sick and wounded we tell him where his Help lies in Jesus Christ what his proper work is to apply to him by Faith What is his Answer Alas saith the Man I have been and am so vile a sinner my heart is so bad and so full of Plagues and Corruptions that I cannot think of believing on Christ But if I had but Repentance and some Holiness in Heart and Life and such and such gracious Qualifications I would then believe When indeed this his Answer is as full of Nonsense Ignorance and Pride as words can contain or express They imply 1. If I were pretty well recovered I would imploy the Physician Christ 2. That there is some hope to work out these good things by my self without Christ 3. And when I come to Christ with a Price in my hand I shall be wellcome 4. That I can come to Christ when I will So ignorant are people Naturally of Faith in Jesus Christ and no Words or Warnings repeated nor plainest Instructions can beat into mens heads and hearts that the first coming to Christ by Faith or believing on him is not a believing we shall be saved by him but a believing on him that we may be saved by him And it is less to be wondered at that ignorant people do not when so many learned men will not understand it When we deal with a Proud Self-Righteous Hypocrite we find the same Principles of Enmity against the Grace of the Gospel A Profane Person is not so enraged at the rebukes of Sin from the Law as these Pharisees are at the discovery of their ruin by Unbelief They cannot endure to have their Idol of Self Righteousness touched neither by the Spirituality of God's Law that condemns all Men and all their Works while out of Christ nor by the Gospel which Reveals another Righteousness than their own by which they must be Saved but they will have God's Ark of the Covenant to stand as a Captive in the Temple of their Dagon of Self-Righteousness until the Vengeance of God's despised Covenant over throw both the Temple and Idol and Worshippers There is not a Minister that dealeth seriously with the Souls of Men but he finds an Arminian Scheme of Justification in every unrenewed Heart And is it not sadly to be bewailed that Divines should plead that same Cause that we daily find the Devil pleading in the Hearts of all Natural Men And that instead of casting down 2 Cor. 10.4 5. they should be making defences for such strong holds as must either be levelled with the dust or the Rebel that holds them out must eternally Perish It is no bad way of Studying the Gospel and of attaining more Light into it that may be us'd in dealing particularly with the Consciences of all sorts of Men as we have occasion More may be learned this way than out of many large Books And if Ministers would deal more with their own Consciences and the Consciences of others in and about these Points that are most properly Cases of Conscience we should find an increase of Gospel-Light and a growing fitness to Preach aright as Paul did 2 Cor. 4.2 By manifestation of the Truth commending our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God Let us keep up in our Hearts and Doctrine a reverend regard of the Holy Law of God and suffer not a reflecting disparaging word or thought of it The Great Salvation is contrived with a Regard to it and the satisfaction given to the Law by the Obedience and Death of Christ our Surety hath made it glorious and honourable more than all the Holiness of Saints on Earth or of the Glorified in Heaven and than all the Torments of the Damned in Hell though they do also magnifie the Law and make it honourable But if men will teach that the Law and Obedience unto it whether perfect or sincere is the Righteousness we must be found and stand in in our pleading for justification they neither understand what they say nor whereof they affirm 1 Tim. 1.7 They become Debters to it and Christ profits them nothing Gal. 2 21. and 5.2.5 And we know what will become of that man that hath his Debts to the Law to pay and hath no Interest in the Suretys Payment Yet many such offer their own Silver which whatever coin of Man be upon it is reprobate and rejected both by Law and Gospel Let us carefully keep the bounds clear betwixt the Law and Gospel which whosoever doth is a right perfect Divine saith blessed Luther in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians A Book that hath more plain sound Gospel than many Volumes of some other Divines Let us keep the Law as far from the business of Justification as we would keep Condemnation its contrary For the Law and Condemnation are inseparable but by the Intervention of Jesus Christ our Surety Gal. 3.10 14. But in the practice of Holiness the fulfilled Law given by Jesus Christ to Believers as a Rule is of great and good Use to them as hath been declared Lastly Be exact in your Communion and Church Administrations If any walk otherwise than it becometh the Gospel if any abuse the Doctrine of Grace to Licentiousness draw the Rod of Discipline against them the more severely that ye know so many wait for your halting and are ready to speak evil of the Ways and Truths of God The Wisdom of God sometimes orders the Different Opinions of Men about his Truth for the clearing and confirming of it while each side watch the extreams that others may be in hazard of running into And if controversie be fairly and meekly managed this way we may differ and plead our Opinions and both love and edifie them we oppose and may be loved and edified by them in their Opposition I know no fear possesseth our side but that of Arminianism Let us be fairly secured from that and as we ever hated true Antinomianism so we are ready to oppose it with all our might But having such grounds of jealousie as I have named and it s well known that I have not named all men will allow us to fear that this Noise of Antinomianism is raised and any advantage they have by the Rashness and Imprudence of some Ignorant Men is