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	spirit_n	8,899	5	5.3156	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64235	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sir John Shorter, Knight, lord mayor of the city of London at Grocers-Hall, February the 12th, 1687/8 by Nathanael Taylor.	Taylor, Nathanael, d. 1702.	1688 (1688)	Wing T549; ESTC R34647	25,151	42

may not shine into their hearts 3. Christ rejoyces in and gives thanks for such a Dispensation because the power of God is magnified herein He shews himself to be the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth in revealing these things unto Babes In making the simple wise unto salvation elevating their weak Understandings to a saving apprehension of those matters which the wisest and most learned of themselves are not capable of attaining unto He shews the power of his own grace to be far above the force of Nature when raised to its highest pitch and glory When he makes things that are not do more than things that are enables them that have not Logick enough to perceive the force of an argument in other matters 1 Cor. 2.4 yet understand the demonstration of the Spirit V. 14 which the most learned cannot know because 't is spiritually discern'd those that can't search into the vulgar Subjects of Philosophy much less into the abstruser parts of it see into the profound depths of the Divine Wisdom those whose discourses on all other Arguments are weak and trifling yet can speak of God Christ Heaven and the great things of the Gospel in such an admirable manner that the best Scholars may not only be astonisht at them as the Rulers were when they perceived Peter and John were ignorant and unlearned men Acts 4.13 but be instructed by them too as Priscilla the Wife of a poor Tent-maker Acts 18.3 26. expounded the way of the Lord more perfecty to an Eloquent Apollos Those that are not able to dive into the cunning Intriegues of States-men shall pierce into the infinitely deeper Counsels of God's Will Those that can't manage the Affairs of this life with common discretion but are easily over-reach'd by their Neighbours in every business yet are not ignorant of Satan's devices nor entangled by the cunning craftiness of them that lie in wait to deceive them to their eternal ruine Those that are dull and heavy in other matters Is 11.3 Is 35.8 yet are of a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and tho fools yet they err not in the way of holiness in which the unclean tho never so knowing cannot pass He that doth these things declares himself to be a God that worketh wonders Behold God exalteth himself by his Power Job 36.22 who teacheth like him that makes dull Scholars understand in writing by his Hand upon them 1 Chron. 28.19 how to perform those Duties and excel in those Graces which the greatest Men of this World can't so much as know what to make of much less can they imitate To be humble in Prosperity to live by Faith in Adversity James 1.9 10. for a Brother of high Degree to rejoyce when he is brought low as much as other Men when they are raised up to love the most bitter Enemies and hate the dearest Friends and Relations Hab. 3.17 when there is no fruit in their Vines yet to sit chearfully under their Shadow rejoycing in the Lord and joying in the God of their Salvation to set their Affections on things above while they are here below have their Conversation in Heaven while they dwell on Earth to be killed all the day long Coloss 3.3 and yet believe their Life is hid with Christ in God where their Enemies Swords can't reach them to be diligent in their Callings and yet careful for nothing to bear Burdens and yet cast them all upon God carefully to preserve their Lives and yet hate them too and desire Death longing to depart and be with Christ to be meek under Reproach and Injury when smitten on the one Cheek to turn not to requite the Affront but offer the other also to the same Indignity In a word to live by the Spirit walk by the Strength do the Will and design the Glory not of themselves but of another whom they never saw yet they love 1 Pet. 1.8 in whom tho now they see him not yet they believe and rejoyce and that sometimes with joy unspeakable and full of Glory These are things which God by his teaching enables many simple Men to do things that the Wise and Prudent can't so much as understand but gaze and wonder at them as if they were not only Mysteries and Riddles but Impossibilities and Contradictions when they hear us mention them we are Barbarians to them and speak a Language which they know not He that doth all this teaches with a wonderful Authority and a mighty Power 4. Christ rejoyces and gives thanks because in such a Dispensation the Soveraignty of God is declared This is an Attribute that Men do not much care to hear of as if it were like those Flourishes and Pictures that we see in Maps placed there to fill up some void room but of no real use And 't is very remarkable that for preaching this very Doctrin of the Soveraignty of God in the free distribution of his special Favours without any regard to human Worth or Excellency Christ himself was in danger of being murther'd Luke 4.25 For when he discoursed to the Men of Nazareth about one only Widow and she of Sarepta fed by Elijah and one Naaman and he a Syrian too cured by him there being many Widows and Lepers and they in Israel also who were passed by tho they might one would have thought have pretended a better Title to such a Favour than these uncircumcised Gentiles the Men of the place were filled with Indignation against a Preacher of such Doctrin v. 29. and endeavoured to cast him down headlong from the brow of the Hill. But vain Men may think as they please this is one Letter of Gods Name which he himself did not leave out when he proclaimed it and caused his Glory and Goodness to pass before Moses Exod. 33.19 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious Christ himself in my Text rises up as high as this Well-head and acquiesces in this even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight And hither must we resort for Satisfaction and here must we rest at last If a Reason be asked of any Person absolutely consider'd Why is God savingly made known unto him It do's not savour of Evangelical Humility nor a Gospel Spirit to say Because he was more worthy or as some mince the matter because he was less unworthy Rom. 9.16 The Scripture answer is 'T is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy Titus 3.5 according to his meer Mercy and Grace and not for any Works of Righteousness which he hath done If the Question be asked of any one absolutely consider'd Why are not Gospel Truths savingly made known to him 'T is a Truth that will stop his Mouth and his own Conscience will attest it by sinning against natural Light and common Grace he hath deserved it and there is no unrighteousness in God. But

And what the success of his Labours generally was he himself tells us not many wise men after the flesh were called 1 Cor. 1.26 3. The great things of the Gospel and the sacred Records of Christianity are not suited to the Genius of these wise and prudent ones nor penn'd so as to gratifie their vanity So far are the Apostles like some Modern Missionaries in the remoter parts of the world from drawing a veil upon those Articles of the Christian Doctrine that seem most naked and where it lies most open and exposed to shame and reproach that that part of it a Crucified Saviour they mainly insist on in their Sermons and Writings and magnifie as the highest instance of Divine Wisdom Power Holiness Justice and Goodness and require all men heartily to own it as such Coloss 2.15 They openly triumph in the Cross of Christ as he did upon it a thing which the wise men of this world have scorned in all ages as the greatest weakness and folly The Truths as well as the Laws of Christianity tend to promote Holiness and are not accommodated to the evil inclinations of Mankind as a Garment shaped so as to humour the body of a crooked person The Sacred Pen-men are peculiarly severe against those sins that men are most in love withal They blow on all humane wisdom and learning that they may blast the glory of it and the whole of our Religion is so contrived as to suffer men to glory in nothing but this Jer. 9.24 that they know the Lord. Had the Holy Scriptures been penn'd in an exact method according to the rules of humane art had they been adorned with all the beauties of style and expression had they transmitted to us the secret intrigues of Princes the Politick Maxims of States or a more accurate History of the flourishing Empires of the world than all the Prophane Authors have done Had Paul when he came down from the Third Heavens discoursed of the Hierarchy of Angels and their several Orders had his Language been as high as his rapture these men would have read and studied him with a mighty relish But here 's not Cicero's Rhetorick for an Austin nor sublime Metaphysical subtilties for a profound Bradwardine The Mantles which these Elijahs dropt and left behind them when they went to Heaven are not so finely wrought nor so curiously embroider'd as they would have had them nor of such a fashion as pleases them The main scope of them is nakedly to relate matters of fact concerning an obscure Person one Jesus who was dead but they affirm to be alive propose many surprizing and stupendous Mysteries and lay down very strict and severe rules that concern all alike They don't run out into high useless speculations nor stand on Mathematical Certainty but press all on the naked authority of God which these men think below them to bow and submit themselves unto And all this in such a manner that tho 't is plain enough to men that are vertuous and humble that they are from God yet not so plain as to hinder vain proud Atheistical and captious men from starting many Objections against them and stumbling at them And therefore all Ages have had but too much reason to complain as they did of old that unlearned men rise up and take Heaven by violence while great Scholars sink down into Hell live in spiritual darkness and pass into that which is eternal II. Well but tho this be true as to matter of fact is not this a mighty reproach and scandal to Christ and Religion Had it not been more for his honour and interest to have had the wise and prudent ones on his side Or however seeing it hath pleased God to take a contrary course had it not been enough patiently to have born this to have considered it with calmness and submission Would it not have been more suitable to his tenderness and mighty concern for the welfare of Mankind to have turn'd his eyes towards these men with all the expressions of sorrow rather than to have lifted them up towards Heaven with all the signs of delight What reason is here for joy and thanksgiving considering either the thing it self hiding from men the things that belong to their eternal peace or the person spoken of What! the blessed Jesus the great Lover and Saviour of men One would have thought he should rather have lifted up his voice and have wept upon this occasion and as he did on the death of Lazarus have groaned rather than rejoiced in spirit And here Saint Chrysostom's answer will not help us out viz. that this joy and thanksgiving of Christ doth not refer to the former the hiding these things from the wise and prudent but to the latter Clause only the revealing of them unto babes And so he parallels it with that place of the Apostle God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin Rom. 6.17 but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was deliver'd to you Where St. Paul can't be supposed to thank God but for the latter only q. d. Tho you were once the slaves of sin yet now I praise my God that you are become the Lord's Free-men But there is a mighty difference between these two Scriptures For the Apostle doth not in that place ascribe their being the servants of sin unto God as the Author of it as our Saviour in my Text doth the hiding of these things from the wise and prudent Thou hast hid them Moral evils come not from God Isa 29.14 but penal and judicial ones of this nature are frequently ascribed to him as his marvellous acts Isa 6.10 That tremendous Prophetical threatning of his making the heart of a rebellious people fat and shutting their eyes lest they should see c. is repeated no less than six times in the New Testament God as a Soveraign and a Righteous Judg denies or withdraws his Grace when a people have a long time sinned against the light with a high hand leaves them to themselves and delivers them up to the will of Satan who blinds their eyes and hardens their hearts The true answer therefore is this That tho the blinding of any men consider'd nakedly in it self and as they are rational Creatures made after the Image of God and capable of eternal happiness is matter of great sorrow yet Christ being a true Man and filled with quick and lively affections to God and his Glory doth rejoice and give thanks for the hiding these things from the wise and prudent as well as for revealing them to men of weaker capacities as such a dispensation in both the branches of it tends to the displaying and glorifying the Wisdom Goodness Justice Power and Soveraignty of his Father For all these are magnified herein And 1. Christ rejoices and gives thanks because such a dispensation makes exceedingly for the honour of his Wisdom and Goodness See this in