Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	life_n	live_v	sin_n	25,063	5	5.2140	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65875	No remission without repentance nor will a bare confession withovt a real forsaking of sin avail to the averting God's heavy visitation and judgments from this nation of England, the cause whereof being somewhat more fully declared herein then is confessed in the fast which was appointed for the averting of the same heavy visitation and this concerns both the rulers, clergy, and people of London and Westminster and all parts of this realm to look into and lay to heart who are concerned in the observation of the said fast to consider what fruits they bring forth and whether the end of the true fast be answered by them yea or nea, according to Isa. 58.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1665 (1665)	Wing W1943; ESTC R27068	10,104	16

NO REMISSION WITHOUT REPENTANCE Nor will a bare CONFESSION WITHOVT A real forsaking of SIN Avail to the averting God's heavy VISITATION and JUDGMENTS from this Nation OF ENGLAND The Cause whereof being somewhat more fully declared herein then is confessed in the FAST which was appointed for the averting of the same heavy Visitation And this concerns both the Rulers Clergy and People of London and Westminster and all parts of this Realm to look into and lay to heart who are concerned in the observation of the said fast to consider what fruits they bring forth And whether the end of the true Fast be answered by them yea or nay according to Isa. 58. Printed in the Year 1665. No Remission without Repentance FIrst In the Book concerning the order of Fasting for the averting of God's heavy Visitation upon many places of this Realm which Fast was appointed to be observed within the Cities of London and Westminster and places adjacent on Wednesday the 12 th of July so called and both there and in all parts of this Realm on the first Wednesday in every Moneth c. These following Confessions and open acknowledgements of the causes of this heavy Visitation are very remarkable and seriously to be laid to heart by both Rulers Priests and People who are concerned therein as that with speed they ought to repent and turn from those causes and endeavour the rectifying of what hath been amiss and make restitution while yet there remains a little space of breathing that so thereupon both this temporal Judgement and eternal wrath and misery may be escaped where yet there remains any place of repentance Observe that in the warning given of the Fast it s given in these words viz. And with penitent hearts to pray unto God to turn these Plagues from us which we through our unthankfulnesse and sinful lives have deserved c. And especially they are to take heed that they spend not the day viz. of the Fast in playes pastimes idlenesse haunting of Taverns and Alehouses lacivious wantonnesse surfeiting or drunkenness for which and other sins of our Nation the heavy displeasure and wrath of God is fallen upon us And that among the Prayers in the Letany to be said by the People after the Minister it s thus confessed viz For our transgressions multiplied against thee as the sand of the Sea shore might justly bring over us a deluge of thy wrath the cry of our sins that hath pierc'd the very heavens might well return with showers of vengeance upon our heads while our earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof what wonder if thou commandest an evil Angel to pour out-his Uial into our Air to fill it with infection and the noysom Pestilence and so to turn the very breath of our life into the savour of death unto us all c. O let us live and we will praise thy Name and these Iudgements shall teach us to look every man into the plague of his own heart that being cleansed from all our sins we may serve thee with pure hearts all our dayes c. Now as for these Confessions before they are very true and remarkable and these great abominations and crying sins which greatly abound in this Nation both among Priests and very many of their followers and upholders have greatly provoked the most High and grieved his holy Spirit and vexed the righteous souls of his people who cannot joyn nor have unity with such a Church and Priesthood as this that 's guilty of such gross iniquity and provocations against God as these mentioned are which have even pierc'd the very Heavens which whilst you that are so deeply concerned herein do pray to be cleansed from all your sins and to serve God with pure hearts all your dayes do neither really endeavour so to be cleansed by ceasing to do those wicked acts whereof you are guilty and inclining to the witness of Truth in your consciences that in secret reprehends and reproves you nor yet believes that such a state is attainable in this life by any as the being cleansed from all your sins and serving God with pure hearts for your Priests believe it not but oppose it though they pray for it how can you but have the Plague in your own hearts they being given up to rebellion and hardness and how can you but fear death and destruction which many both of the lofty and proud ones Priests and People are greatly surprised with the fear of who thereupon have fled from these Cities of London and Westminster and have left the poor and oppressed in it where many of the servants of Christ called Quakers do still lye in prisons and nasty holes meerly for their conscience towards God for assembling together in his fear and worship in ●pirit for which many are sentenced for Banishment into strange and forreign remote Plantations from their native places and Relations and endeavours have been much used for the transporting of them some of which being already Shipt away from hence Oh the great oppressions and both unchristian and inhumane proceedings and usage that many have met withal upon this account both by their long imprisonment and so many being crouded together in prisons nigh a year after they were sentenced that for want of convenient room and accomodation being so crouded up and oppressed in such nasty holes and places of cruelty and slaughter this hath occasioned the death of many innocent persons both Men and Maids Oh! do not these inhumanities cruelties and oppressions even pierce the Heavens and should you not have confessed this your great crying and Land-ruining sin of persecuting and destroying the poor and innocent people of God though you have omitted that among your Confessions yet you cannot clear your selves in the sight of God herein but his witness will pursue you whither ever you go and as if there were not cruelty enough used to destroy the innocent in prisons or as if the destroying of them here in this City and Nation would be too much taken notice of where they and their innocency is known Another course is lately taken with near 60. of them tending more speedily and hiddenly to destroy kill the poor innocent Lambs in their being forced on Ship-board by rude souldiers and others into an insufficient old leaking Vessel intended for their Transportation where they cannot lye dry in their beds and where also the deck is so low over them that they are fain to creep under it since which four of the Prisoners died on Ship-board and many more of them are sick and this was since the observation of the said Fast but do you think that this Fast or observation of a day will either avert God's heavy Judgements or be accepted of him whilst his innocent servants are thus persecuted as sheep for the slaughter for the true and spiritual worship when instead of loosing their bands and removing their heavy burthens and letting them who are oppressed go

which they have ground enough for against you whilst you act thus directly contrary to Christs example who came not to destroy men lives but to save them and if you do not reform from these great iniquities and abominations to remove your sins out of the sight of God which you confess to be the remedy that remains but still go in your unchristian conversation of all sorts in which is included your persecuting and oppressing the Innocent and the Widows and Fatherless for which God threatned Israel with his wrath and indignation it will fall heavy upon you when you you do not only so but also make many Widows and Fatherless and strangers from their own Land so far as you are permitted by going about to Banish innocent men from their Wives and Fathers from their children does not this cry in the ears of the Lord and may you not dread and tremble before the Lord God and be afraid of his heavy Judgements and displeasure which you incur by these your iniquities and if the Lord should give you a little respite by abating the present calamity and you thereupon harden your hearts the more against us and think to persecute us afresh know that assuredly the Lord can fall upon you afresh with his Judgements which you cannot escape if you persist without repentance and reforming and though that many that are innocent as infants and others who have not contributed to those gross evils and great provocations mentioned may be taken away in the time of this Calamity and Pestilence do not you who are our Persecutors thereupon think to put the cause of it from your selves you being so deeply guilty according to your own Confessions for all upon whom outwardly this may or does come though occasioning their death are not guilty of the cause of it as mentioned for the Lords going about thus to thin thus to depopulate this City or Nation both of many old and young was first occasioned by the great inquities and crying sins of Persecution Oppression and unchristian conversation of all sorts but those that are innocent and the righteous who are taken away from the evil to come which their enemies do not consider they are taken away in mercy as to them and their fear is not like to their enemies fear who are surprized with an Egyptian fear and ready to be consumed with terrors who though the Lord hath smitten and doth smite as in the dayes of old yet they return not to him See Amos 4. And furthermore this following Confession of your own I leave with you touching these great and gross abominations that are found among you who persecute us who are innocent herein for our Conscience and Religion because we cannot conform nor joyn with you in worship among whom such pollutions are found as is here confessed viz. The people of Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and are there not many of the daughters of England too like to those of Moab and too many Zimiries amongst us whose fornication are notorious and scandalous in the sight of the world who care not to conceal their abominations blush not at their crimes but impudently boast and glory in their shame and therefore no marvel if God himself stand forth to plague the Land for them Add to these that we have perhaps with David lifted up our hearts because of the multitude of our people magnified our selves that we are a mighty and populous Nation placing our confidence in the arm of flesh and ascribing to our selves and to our own strength or skill our valour or conduct that honour and victory over our enemies which God hath purchased unto himfelf for his own glory Take notice of these your ample and large Confessions and consider your latter end you that are herein guilty both high and low and how you have rejected the Lord God and his counsel in confiding in the arm of flesh by which you and your Priests have gone about to set up and establish your Religion Church and Worship by persecuting imprisoning and banishing such as are innocent and conscientious towards God in his Light and Spirit though you confess that in preparing your selves to leave this world what one thing is more necessary then a charitable heart towards all let God's witness in you all judge and testifie against you herein whose cruel practices and unchristian-like proceedings against the innocent manifests both your want of charity love and moderation and natural affection And as to the large Apology that 's made for mens avoiding of the Contagion as for not mingling the sound with the sick but to shun and avoid the persons and places that are infected and that we should be careful to avoid it c. But why do you then keep so many innocent persons both men and women thronged in prisons for their consciences both in London and many other places in these you reckon dangerous and contagious times And whether doth it not appear to be rather out of a design to destroy them then any charitableness to imprison such persons in or about this City in such a place of Mortality as Newgate wherein men are liable to be infected or stifled till death for meeting innocently together to serve and worship God in Spirit What will be the end of such both uncharitable and inhumane proceedings against innocent persons to confine them in such places of slaughter and cruelty Let the righteous God judge in this case who though he either can preserve or take away mens lives as he pleaseth and hath wonderfully preserved many of his servants in that place yet it 's quite contrary to the charity pretended by you either to imprison or confine harmless persons in such places to murder and destroy them And now we see that that custom of the Priests accompanying of the bodies of the dead unto the grave which is accounted Christian and laudible and their commending them in decent manner to their Rest as is said and their reading and praying over the dead This they are fain to lay aside in divers places for fear of the Contagion which their superstition will not bear them up above and so now they can plead for no more to accompany the dead then is needful for their Interring Herein they may see how they are put to it and confounded and how the Judgement of God has appeared against them and their inventions by which they have vexed him till the Plague is broken forth as of old Psal. 106.29 but how have many of their Church exclaimed against the people called Quakers for not burying their dead according to the Popish way or their superstition and invention which is counted decency and how in many places have the bodies of the dead been forced from them upon this occasion and not only so but some of our friends at Amersham had both the corps rudely forced from them and were lately imprisoned in Buckingham-shire for accompanying the dead towards the burying ground with unparalleld and unreasonable proceeding against the Innocent did cry through the Countreys Many and innumerable are the injuries which we have undergone since we were a people but we commit our cause to the Lord God and desire him to judge and make decision in righteousness between us and our Oppressors and where yet a place of repentance remains for any of them they may haste to find it that remission of sins may be received which we have sought and desired for our enemies by often warning and informing them as not desiring the death of sinners but rather that they should return and live but how many have slighted their visitation and stopped their ears and made their hearts as an Adament as those that are hastning on their own destruction and perpetual misery I leave it to the All-seeing and only wise God and his just witness in all to determine who will rebuke Princes and Nations for his own Name and suffering Seeds sake with which I am a sufferer G. W. London the 14 th day 6 th Month 1665. THE END·