Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A69742
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A Christian hnd [sic] sober wish for moderation by a true son of the church.
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True son of the church.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing C3939; ESTC R9061
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12,080
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18
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straight rules of mens dutyes as they are Christians as Men and as Subjects I am confident they would appear so crooked and unanswerable in every respect that Charity leads me to hope that the unreasonableness and danger of these eager courses being thereby manifested will make way for more moderate and sober Counsels When therefore I look upon the Law of Christ it is so plain in this case that I may well say with the Apostle 1. Thes 4 9. For as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you for your selves are taught of God to love one another God hath created us all Bretheren hath therefore stamped his Image upon us all and hath renewed it when defaced through Jesus Christ hath given to us the same Law the same Promises and hopes of the same Inheritance hath ti'd us altogether with that indisoluble bond of Love Made that the fulfilling of his Law Gal 5.14 the confirmation of our hopes the earnest of our Inheritance and the touch-stone of our Love to God without which here no hope of Union with Him hereafter 1 John 4.20 If any man say I love God and hateth his Brother He is a lyar For our Furtherance in this great duty God hath taught us by his own Example John 3.16 For God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son c. 1 Ioh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins Hath magnified that Grace by owning of it v. 7. Love is of God Hath owned it as his own essence made it himself v. 8. God is Love And from all this grounds our duty v. 11. Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another Hath taught us by his Precepts John 13.34 A new Commandement I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you That ye also love one another So again Ch. 15. v. 12.17 Christ there maketh this his Badge the sure Mark of his Disciples Ch. 14.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another And least any should presume to limit this Vniversal duty within such bounds as Interest Malice and Passions of our corrupted narrow hearts would prescribe unto it God hath also taught us both by his own Act and by his Command That none no not our bitterest Enemyes are to be excluded from being the Objects of our Love Rom. 5.8 But God commendeth his Love towards us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ dyed for us ver 10. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Eph. 2.4 To the same purpose Mat. 5.44 45. c. But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute you That ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven For he maketh his Sun to rise upon the evil and on the good and sendeth raine on the just and on the unjust And to the same is that of Luke 6.25 c. But because every man will be ready to affirm as usully they do of faith That he hath love give me leave to say to him the same which St. James to such boasters of faith Iam. 2.10 Shew me thy love without thy works and I will shew thee my love by my works God hath made his graces fruitful that they may be visible and occasions to glorifie him As faith worketh by love Gal. 5.6 So love also is continually operative Mercy and Pity and their effects flow from it as light and warmth do from the Sun Thus hath the love of God manifested it self in the redemption of mankind through the death of his onely Son Thus Christ made his love appear by laying down his life and commands us as before to love our neighbour even as he loved us and to be ready to give the same testimony of it as he had done Commands us not onely to love our enemies but to bless them to do good to them to pray for them to forgive them Matth. 6.14 To give to lend c. And from hence are those often Exhortations and Precepts in Scripture to love Mercy Bowels c. Zach 7.9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hoasts Execute true âudgment and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother Rom. 12.10 Be kindly affectioned one to another in brotherly love 14. Bless them which persecute you c. 1 Pet. 3.8 9. Finally be ye of one minde have compassion one of another Love as brethren be pitiful be courteous rendring not evil for evil or railing for railing but contrariwise blessing c. Col. 3.13 Put on therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of Mercyes kindness humbleness of minde meekness long-suffering forbearing one another c. This is a Principal channel whereby through the whole Scripture the spirit of the Covenant in Christ seemeth to delight to run The first and second Epistles of St. Iohn are a continual Eccho of Christ his last legacy so oft commanded in the 13. and 15. Chapter of St. Iohns Gospel But my resolution for all possible brevity enforceth me to conclude this point with that of Rom. 12.19 20. Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath Vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord Therefore if thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst c. Much more to our Bretheren Qui eundem Deum ex eâdem lege colunt etiamsi forte sententiis quibusdam aut Ritibus disside ant Grotius de Iure Belli c. who by the same Law worship the same God though perhaps they differ from us in some Opinions or Ceremonyes But because this may be thought by some to be too high a Forme in this corrupted Age and to strict a rule to be applied to the generality of men let us examine the proceedings before mentioned by those dutyes which lie upon us as Men among which none so natural and therefore indispensable to us as Gentleness Tenderness Pity Mercy towards all Men and hath therefore obtained the common name of Humanity This I say is so natural to us that where we are not hindred by Interest or other incitements of Corruption we do as naturally and without discourse or use of reason exercise this virtue as we do eat drink digest and other actions which we performe Ductu Naturae by natural instinct So that to be wanting in this duty is to put off Man nay to fall below the nature of Beasts for Clementiacunctis In similes It may be objected That such meer natural actions if not guided by Reason may prove of most dangerous concernment we may eat if without consideration poison c. I shall therefore lay that Rule also to them But because this would open a