Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A40725
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Concio ad magistratum a nations honour, and a nations dishonour, or, A kingdoms prospective-glass : discovering who are the most faithful friends, and who the most dangerous enemies to the peace and prosperity of a kingdom / written by P. Fullwood.
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Fullwood, P. (Peter)
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1673
(1673)
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Wing F2522; ESTC R7022
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26,022
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48
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the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord other servants may change their master but the served of the Lord with him in the old law must be bored through the ear to ferve him for ever be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of Rev. 2. life If you want any further direction the Text suggests it in the words following worthy of the Lord which is the next step of this first general that ye walk worthy of the Lord here worthyness according to the current of interpreters seems to note a correspondency of one thing to another God is the most exact copy for us to follow Jesus Christ Ephes 5. v. 1. came into the world to be an example as well as a Saviour be ye followers of God as dear children and walk also in love as Christ also hath loved us other examples may be followed so far as they follow God without this lunitation they will prove but an ignis fatuus to lead us out of the way Lucius Aemilius looking upon the Image of Jupiter at first stood amazed afterward burst forth into this expression solus profecto Jupiter Phidae Jovis Homerici expressit imaginem we make the applycation to God Almighty such is his eternal weight of glory as the tongue of Men and Angels is not able to express it yet we may behold him in his back parts with Moses so far as he hath revealed himself to us in his holy word he becomes an exact copy not only for admiration but imitation there are four things wherein Gods example is set forth to us for our imitation First his wisdome and knowledge in him are hid all the Col. 2. v. 3. treasures of Wisdome and Knowlâ—dg so glorious is this Suns lustre as might dazzle the purest eyes to behold it in the perfection of its beauty yet in those beams descending thence it becomes obvious to our sight so pretious a Jewel is wisdome the splendour whereof makes the Angels out shine all the Worthies of the World it is the distinction betwixt man and man and man from beast but this is but the trapings of wisdome the beauty whereof doth most clearly appear in the saving knowledg of God in Christ this is life eternal John 17. 3. that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Secondly purity and holyness it is the quintesence of the divine essence the life of God the character of his Laws the qualifiâ—ation of his Subjects he is so jealous of the least tincture of impurity as he hates the garments spotted with the flesh he that hath the hope purifyeth himself as he is pure 1 John 3. 3. Joh. 1. 29. Mat. 11. 29 30. 1 Kings 12. v. 14. Christ himself comes into the World as a Lamb in all his â—ermons he strives to work meekness and humility propounds his own example the preservative of meekness and lawliness take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lawâ—y and you shall find rest unto your Souls for my yoak is easy and my burden is light It was Rehoboams answer to old mens counsel my father made your yoake heavy but I will add to your yoak but Christs yoak is easy and his burden is light Fourthly Love and Charity God is love and is the fountain from whence all those rivelets of charity do flow he spared not his own Son that he might spare us but delivered Rom. 8. 32. him up for us that he might deliver us from death amor sine exemplo charitas sine paralelo love without an example charity without a paralel and as he is the fountain of love so he â—â—â—ds us to draw water out of this well of salvation our blessed Saviour breathing out of the bosome of his Father his will to us doth stretch forth this duty like Davids Sun Psal 19. 6. from one end of the Earth to the other not only to our friends and those that have done us good but even to our very Enemies love your enemies bless them that curse you do Mat. 5. 44. good to them that hate you pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you how prone are we Elijah like to call fire from Heaven upon our Enemies hence our Saviour seems to keep our mouth as it were with a bit and bridle and to temper our language that we may bless them that curse us and when our weening passion seems to bespeak us as God did Moses let me alone that I may be avenged of this People Christ binds our hands and turns our hearts to do good to them that hate us and directs our prayers to pray for them that despitefuly use us and persecute us and all this is perfumed with the sweet odour of love So I come to the third step of this first general quem ad sinem to what end unto all pleasing and these words seem to be referred ad formale religionis to the right ordering of our actions so as they may please God we must so guide the Stern of our actions as they may arrive at the Harbour of Gods acceptance we must not rest in opere operato in the deed done but look at the modus agendi let not formality Luk. 12. 43. 1 Cor. 9. 24. 1 Cor. 11 28. Heb. 12. v. 1 2. swallow up the crown of your endeavors God is much delighted in Adverbs blessed is that servanâ— whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing So run that ye may obtain Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this cup. Then let us run with patience the race is set before you looking unto Jesus the Authour and finisher of our faith So I come to the first step of the second General being fruitful The terms seems Metaphorical a tree not only buds and blossomes but brings forth fruit a Christians buds are holy thoughts his blossomes godly words his fruits is in the power of godliness we must not only be budded with good thoughts nor blossome in good words but bring forth fruit the fruit of righteousness yet how few such trees of righteousness are there some bring forth no fruit and fall Mat. 20. 6. within the compass of our Saviours reprehension why stand ye here all the day idle neglect of duty lets in all suggestion and holds in all pollutions idleness is aâ—horrent to Nature the heart is alwayes thinking the fancy alwayes working the Earth doth bring forth herbs for the service of man if all this will avail nothing consider that heavy doom denounced against the unprofitable servant cast ye the unprofitable servant Mat. 25 30. into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth others bring forth false fruits How many such Jezebels there be that can paint over a foul face with fair colours and draw a fair