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	sin_n	spirit_n	19,754	5	5.4357	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85664	Axinē pros tēn rhizan. = The axe at the root, a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, at their publike fast, April 26. 1643. By William Greenhill.	Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.	1643 (1643)	Wing G1848; Thomason E103_2; ESTC R17567	41,085	62

there was none of a publique Spirit that did execute Judgement in the broad places neither King Councellors Priests or Prophets did execute Judgement and therefore hee could not pardon when none appeare to cut down sin God will appeare to cut down sinners Isa. 5. 7. ● looked for judgement ludah was his pleasant plant he had hedg'd dig'd dung'd watered shined upon them and looked for Judgement but there was none therefore God would breake downe the hedge and lay them wast If God could have found 10 righteous persons in Soddom he would have spared it You may take the word righteous not onely for godly men but for men executing Judgement there were none such Lot could have no Justice from them and that inforc'd God to execute Justice on them 4. Blood oppression uncleannesse hatred of truth and such like which I put together because I cannot inlarge upon all particulars Hosea 4. 2. 3. By swearing lying killing stealing and committing adultery they breake out and blood toucheth blood Therefore shall the Land mourne God will destroy because of these sinnes Ezek. 36. 18. When the Brittains called in the Saxons to helpe them against the Scots and Picts God who hath power over Kingdomes and people made them his Axe to how and destroy the Brittains for they soone joyned with their adversaries and picked quarrels against the Britains and God so stirred up their Spirit against the Brittains that they spoyled them in many places drove them into corners of the Land made them flee into forraine parts and destroyed the Country with fire and Sword The a sinnes then observable were such as were not among the Gentiles hatred of the truth and the patrons of it drunkennesse contention crueltie uncleannesse countenancing of lies and the forgers of them respect to lewdnesse more then goodnesse the better things wrought most discontent all vice was in the Clergie and people Princes were Tyrannicall Murtherers Adulterers Soddomiticall and the last of the b Brittish Kings flying into France said woe to us for our great iniquities we had time to repent but did it not therefore justly now the wrath of Godrootes us out When the c Danes conquered England the Land was guilty of blood and uncleanesse it was in d ●theldreds time whose wayes were cruell miserable and shamefull his eares were open to accusers to calumniations and no mans life was in security When Roderick King of Spaine deflowred the Daughter of Count Iulian who in revenge stir'd up the Moores shewed them the way to get Spaine which they conquered and possest above 600. yeares At the Conquest by the Normans the sinnes were prophanesse ignorance uncleannesse neglect of Justice and Religion the people were a prey to the Nobles which made Edw the Confessor say before his death that England should be given into the hands of Divills and wicked Spirits You see what sins made the great changes in this Kingdome sins not unlike the Amorites which from Levit. 18. Deut. 2 12. are conceived to be Idolatry oppression and filthinesse which are destructive of Religion Justice and holynesse of life the onely bands of humane Societies and when these sinnes of theirs were full God cuts them off for when sinnes become destructive to Societies they whet Gods Axe and hasten it to the root and now you have heard what are the sinnes bring the Axe thither It followes that I shew you the third thing sets out the severitie of God and that is Thirdly the impartialnesse of God in the worke Every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire let it be an Olive Tree or a Bramble a Fig tree or a Vine no exception excuse evasion pretence or priviledge or plea is admitted but the axe is laid to the root of every one it referres to that in Deut. 20. 20. The trees thou knowest be not for meat thou shalt destroy such trees must not be spared though great and goodly In particulars you may see this truth more cleerly Looke at Kings they are tall Cedars Dan. 4. 14. Hew downe the Tree Nebuchadnezzar himselfe must downe Herod Pharaoh Belshazzer were cut off by the root Gods axe neither feares nor spares the proudest Psal. 76. 12. Not Prophets Balaam is slaine by the Sword Num. 31. 8. Not Priests 1 Kin. 18. Not Nobles Zimri and Cozbi are runne through Num. 25. Not Apostles Iudas falls headlong and bursts in pieces Act. 1. 18. Not Statists and great Counsellors Ahitophel is smitten a Sam. 17. Not Tribes Iudg. 21. 3. A Tribe was lacking in Israel afterwards ten were wanting Not Cities Sodom Ierusalem Babylon are layd wast Not a World 1 Pet. 3. 20. That is drown'd no priviledge will advantage Abrahams seed Children of the Kingdome are cast out Mark 8. 12. No place secures Ioab is taken at the hornes of the Altar Angels in heaven are thrown down 2 Pet. 2. 4. the Figtree in the Garden is not spared Luke 13. 6 That of Coniah is most observable Ierem. 22. 24. Though Coniah be as the signet on my right hand yet would I pluck him thence though he be much esteemed and very deare as Signets on Princes hands are yet it shall not priviledge him you may thinke his nearnesse and my affection to him may preserve him in his place but be not deceived as I live saith the Lord I will pluck him thence Thus you see the severity of God in his impartiallnesse towards every tree Now I come to make application of the point I might here first shew you that all Kingdomes have their Periods and learned writers tell us that there are no Kingdomes so great so glorious so powerfull that extend their duration above 500. or 600. yeares at most but are either ruinated and fall to ashes or else suffer some great change The Jewish State from Egypt to the Temple was 480. yeares from Saul their first King to Zedektah the last of Judah were 480. yeares and then they were led into Captivitie and after their returne within 500. yeares they were cut off by Vespasian and Titus the Axe in my Text and are not a Tree to this day And the ten Tribes after their division 260 yeares were carried away the Assyrian Persian Grecian and Roman Monarchies had their Periods and were cut downe by one Judgement or another the Britaines after 500 years were quit of the Romans tyranny in England and Athens from the time of its Monarchy to the time of its Democracy had 490. yeares The Lacedemonians flourished 491. yeares The Saxons had to do here 469. years The Danes 242. And then there was an end of them and it is known to all of you how long we have been since the conquest but I doe not desire to prophesie and foretell things to come all seasons are in the hand of God but its thought we are upon the Tropicks if we be not ruined altogether certainely there will be some great alteration

the Nation of the Iewes by the warre they made upon them by the famine attended that warre and the dispertion followed it they were utterly cut downe I will a little shew you the resemblances between them and an Axe Because Gods judgements are called Axes First an Axe is a sharpe and terrible thing so are Gods Judgements Psal. 45. 5 Thine arrowes are sharpe in the heart of the Kings enemies Gods Arrowes are not onely his truths but also his judgements and they are sharpe at distance but especially upon the entrance when they come into the hearts of Christs enemies they wound and that dreadfully Ier. 5● 20 〈…〉 called Gods battell Axe and that you know 〈◊〉 a terrible Instrument God by Babylon did break and terrifie Kingdomes he dealt sharply and roundly with them and his Judgements executed by Babylon were very dreadfull Psal. 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am affraid of thy Judgements David that was not affraid of the Beare of the Lyon nor of G●liah yet was affraid of Gods Judgements If the giving of the Law made Moses and the people quake Heb. 12. 20 21. surely Gods Judgements which are lexanimata the execution of the Law will make Kingdomes to tremble At the entrance of the law Mount S●na did smoak and when God shall avenge the breach of the Law Mount Sion will burne Lament 4. 11. When Ananias and Saphira were smitten great feare fell upon all the Church and all others that heard of it insomuch that none of them durst joine themselves with them Acts 5. 11. 13. So you see Gods Judgements are sharpe and dreadfull Secondly an Axe as its terrible so its strong and weighty and Gods Judgments have strength and weight in them Psal. 90. 11. Who knowes the power of thine anger there is power and strength in the wrath of God let him use the least creature to execute his judgements and there is strength enough in that creature to ruine any the raine is a weake thing but if God will use raine as a Judgment it is strong enough to drown a world Job 37. 6. It is called the great raine of his strength God can put that strength into a cloud into a few drops of raine that they shall conquer any opposite power the worms eate up Herod Act. 12. A humor in the feet tumbles down Asa 2 Chron. 16. a disease in the bowells consumes Ieh●ram 2 Chron. 21. And Stories tell us small things have overthrowne men of great renowne a grape stone a flye some petty thing God can arme the weakest creature with that strength that no man is able to stand against it not the Princes of the earth Psal. 76. 1● Hee cuts off the spirit of Princes Hee deales with Princes as men deale with a Vine an Axe is too strong for a cluster of Grapes or a sprig of a Vine it easily cuts them off so God by a Judgement easily cuts off the spirit of Princes they are not able to stand against the least Judgement of God when he puts strength into raine wormes or any other creature they fall Thirdly an Axe is an instrument to hew with wood and stones they hewed with Axes Esa. 10. 15. Shall the axe boast it selfe against him that heweth therewith God by His Judgements hewes Nations and Kingdomes He hewed Israel by forraigne Nations when Israel was under the Judges the Philistimes and others were Gods Axe to hew them After they had chosen them a King the Lord also hewed them 2 King 10. 32. He cut Israel short in all their coasts the Hebrew word is to curtaile to cut off the ends Hazael was sent and smote them in all their coasts he took their coast Townes cut off the supplies and succors came from thence and much molested them Psal. 75. 10. The hornes of the wicked will I cut off the Lord will deale with them as men doe with Trees first loppe off one bow then another then a third and leave only the trunke so for wicked men God will loppe off their pride their strength their glory and leave them destitute Fourthly againe the Axe is destructive Trees are cut down by Axes and great woods The Lord by His Judgements cuts down Kingdomes and Princes Psal. 110. 5. In the day of thy wrath thou shalt smite through Kings God shall not only smite but he shall smite through Kings an Axe cuts and cuts through and Gods judgements cut through the greatest and throws them down Ezek. 14. 21. Gods Judgements are sore ones the Sword Famine Plague noysome Beast they are His sore Judgements to hew down People and Kingdomes hence it is that God is called a consuming fire not that He is so in his owne nature for he is nothing but love and delight but when He sends out his sore Judgements then GOD is fire and will be everlasting burning to the wicked The next thing to open in the words is what is meant by the Tree and the Root of it By Tree we are to understand the Jewish state principally they were called Gods pleasant plant Isa. 5. 7. God had digged dung'd watered and shined upon and done much for them they were a great and goodly Tree but now the Lord layes the Axe to the Root of this Tree and if God cut downe this Tree his pleasant Tree then no State no Family might ever after look to find Mercy that was in the condition of this Tree Every tree that bringeth not forth fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire For the Root of the Tree some make Man the Tree the life of Man the Root of it the Axe to be the sentence of Death and Death it selfe the cutting down of the Tree Others make the Root of the Tree to be whatever they built most upon and confided in they built upon their Temple Greatnesse Strength Chariots Horses and such things But I shall commend to you these 4. things wherin the Root of the Tree did mainly consist The First was that Covenant which they had with God they were the Lords People and he was their God and this was one Root which afforded much sap to this Tree God being theirs in Covenant He protected them provided for them and did wonderfull things among them Now the laying the Axe to the Root was the breaking His Covenant with them Zach. 11. 10. 14 v. there is the staffe of beauty and bands saith God I tooke my staffe Beauty and cut it asunder that I might breake my Covenant with all the people and when God had broken that it was not long before He brake that other staffe of Bands viz. the brotherhood between Israel and Iudah the ten Tribes were dispersed before but they had some communion with Iudah at Ierusalem but God would break the staffe of Bands he would disperse them at Ierusalem and so there should be no communion between Iudah and Israel for the future The Covenant being dissolv'd they were wounded

the sight of the great wrong to God men are humble there is the bitternesse in sin Let us then consider seriously of our sinnes and throughly view the enmitie that is in them to God to Christ and to his Holy Spirit let us goe downe to the root of all even originall corruption and charge the enmitie which is in that sin to God and in all those have sprung thence deeply upon our hearts that feeling the wrong they have done to God and the reall bitternesse is in them we may be truely and throughly humble If the bitternesse in sinne will not do it let thoughts of Judgement and bitternesse for sinne helpe on and perfect the worke Consider is there not an Axe in the Land and an Axe at worke is not God hewing and lopping of us are not hundreds and thousands cut off Are not Townes Counties and the Kingdomewounded doth not Ireland lie bleeding to death Is it not drawing its last breath Shall a Tribe be lost in our Israel and we not be sensible of it Shall the Christian world be shaking and cutting downe as it is at this time and shall we not lay it to heart Are we Christians where is the Spirit of Christ He wept over Ierusalem before the Axe came we weep not over Ireland or England now the Axe is come If we will be slight and formall in our humiliations we provoke God to be reall and severe in our destructions Iob 36. 18. Because there is wrath beware lest hee take thee away with his stroke his hand is lifted up and where his stroakes fall they are deadly let us therefore humble our selves under his mighty hand that we may not be cut down When the Axe is at the root the danger is great and Repentance necessary if teares flow not the chips must flie the tree must downe a Chrysostome saith the Text is compulsorie John constraines them to repentance can you endure to see your wives and children cut down your habitations laid wast your Temple and worship destroyed your City to be burnt most of your selves to be slaine or enslav'd the Axe is at the root if you repent not these things you must see and feele Repentance now may prevent all Smite upon your breasts and say woe is me its my sin hath provoked God to anger and brought the axe to the root of the tree that hath endangered all and now through the helpe of God I will doe what lyeth in mee to save all If we were humble and broken with the bitternesse of sin and weight of judgements wee should find mercie 2 Chron. 12. 56 7. There was a great Army came up against Ierusalem Shemiah tells them they had forsaken God and therefore he had left them to the spoile of their enemies upon this the King Princes and people humble themselves and acknowledge the righteousnesse of God in his Judgements upon them and what followed presently upon their humiliation comes deliverance God saw and sent he saw them humble and sent them mercy and in Iudah things went well v. 12. If we would have things goe well in the Parliament well in the Armie well in the Kingdome then must we humble our selves and suitably to our sins 2 Chron. 7. 14. If there be through humiliation God will heare helpe and heale our Land if we be truly humble Gods Axe shall not cut us downe but his hand shall lift us up in due time 1 Pet. 5. 6. Fourthly as there must be humiliation so there must be Reformation let us lay the Axe to the root of our sinnes this day if God lay it to the root of Kingdoms its time for us to lay it to the root of our sins Prov. 28. 13. it 's said he that confesseth his sinne and forsaketh it shall have mercy It 's without question we have often times in publique confessed our sinnes but if heaven should now demand of us whether we have forsaken them I feare there would be a generall silence It s a vaine thing to expect mercy and live in sinne if we do not forsake them they will stop the sluces of mercy and hasten in destruction upon you us all Humiliation without Reformation is a mocking of God and provokes much Hath sinne brought us low let the Axe of Reformation bring sinne low this day lay it to the root of sinne and cut that down Psal. 110. 5. It 's said of Christ In the day of thy wrath thou shalt smite through Kings Is not this the day of your wrath with your sinne are you not angry with them do you not hate them if it be so shew your selves Christians that you have the Spirit of Christ in you Smite through Kings I meane your kingly lusts There be kingly reigning sinnes in men lusts that do command and imbondage their Spirits to base things coveteousnesse pride uncleannesse selvishnesse inconstancie unfaithfulnesse unbeliefe carnall reasonings creature feares and such like which are predominant in the brests of men and indanger their eternall condition these we must mortifie else we dy for it and that eternally Rom 8. 13. Let this therefore be one of our great works to mortifie our sinnes and to destroy them utterly Many deale too kindly with their sinnes they do by them as you do by Malignants in prison they have their friends come to them they have their wine their feasts and what they will onely they are a little restrained of their liberty so some restraine them of their lusts and that is all the Martyrdome and Mortification they have their fantasies give them frequent visits and feast them with delightfull meditations and so in sparing of their lusts they ruine themselves When Ioab went out against Absalom what said David Deale gently with the young man for my sake and beware that none touch him 2 Sam. 18. 5. 12. He would have Absolom spared though it tended to the ruine of the Kingdome And thus is it when we come out against mens Absoloms their lust they would have us deale gently with them not touch them especially not wound them their lust they would have spared though a Kingdom by them should be ruined But you know how Ioab dealt with Absolom v. 14. he thrust him thrice through the heart while hee was alive in the midst of the Oake hee made sure work and prevented future commotions in the Kingdome You are caught in an Ordinance this day of Prayer and Fasting it 's our aime and desire to strike through the heart of your lusts by the darts of divine truth that for the future there may be no commotions in your soules O suffer us to doe it and helpe on the worke for it lyeth most in your hands You know what lusts are strong and living in you set upon them spare them not It was an Argument of wickednesse in Saul that he spared Agag of righteousnesse in Samuel in that he hewed him to pieces if you spare your lusts your great and fat ones