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	soul_n	word_n	8,618	5	4.1828	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95857	A charge against the Jews, and the Christian world, for not coming to Christ, who would have freely given them eternall life. Delivered in a sermon, before the Right Honorable the House of Peers, in the Abbey Church at Westminster, on May 26. 1647. being the day of their publick fast. / By Thomas Valentine, one of the Assembly of Divines, and Minister of Chalfont in the County of Bucks.	Valentine, Thomas, 1585 or 6-1665?	1647 (1647)	Wing V24; Thomason E389_6; ESTC R201520	27,808	35

and most Schoolmen that write of that subject And they amplifie it thus The noblenesse of the cause argues the nobility of the effect the Spirit of God works in us and by his grace we are what we are our actions are not ours but Christs which by his Spirit produceth them in us therefore The second viz that these actions shall be rewarded not of grace but in justice Bellarmine urgeth 2 Tim. 4.8 and quoteth the words of Paul From henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give to me and not onely to me but to all that love his appearing here he triumphs for here is saith he justice or righteousnesse both in the Judge that gives the reward and in the Crown that is given and Justice gives every one their due and if it be of due debt it is merited And he urgeth the like phrase If we confesse our sins God is just to forgive them 1 Ioh. 1.9 God would have wrought in Adam per generalem influentiam he works in us per sperialem inspirationem quod munus nostrum minus merit●ium of all the arguments that I have met with this seemes to be one of the strongest For answer to the first branch it must be acknowledged that the actions of a man regenerate are more noble then Adams could have been if he stood in his integritie for his obedience had come from the liberty of his will and from his own spirit but now under the Covenant of grace we have a more glorious spirit the Spirit of Christ that works in us not by a generall influence but a speciall operation quickning inspiring acting and eliciting every thing that is good in us But though our actions are more noble yet lesse meritorious because they are lesse ours then Adams would have been For the second branch that God of justice not of favour and mercie is to give the reward I answer that justice is either in sayings or in deeds The former is truth and fidelity which stands in keeping of promises of which John speaks he hath promised pardon to them that make confession of their sins and therefore if you do it he is just and faithfull saith the text one explains the other and you shall be sure to have the pardon of your sins Justice in actions is either legall rigid strict justice or else Evangelicall tempered allayed justice whereby God condescends as lowe as may be parts with as much right as possibly he can and so gives man a reward which appears by the Apostles mentioning a throne of grace a throne is a place of Justice yet this throne in which God sits is a throne of grace erected upon the merits of Christ where strict justice is moderated and tempered Iob 9.15 else it were a vain thing for Job to supplicate his Judge We may have eternall life from this justice and yet it is neither merited nor due But if it will do them any good we may say heaven is due Debetur personae non operi and yet hold it as a free gift coming from Gods bountie It is due to the person by reason of his sonship and adoption not due to him in regard of any perfection in his service and obedience to the heir The inheritance is due saith the Cardinal we grant it but how came he to be a son and heir was it not free grace that made him so yes doubtlesse It is due in regard of Gods promise for God hath made himself a debtor not by receiving any thing from us Debitorem se fecit Deus non accipiendo sed promittendo but by his own free ingagement to us and what moved him to make us such a promise It was his free grace and goodnes to us It is due in regard of the Covenant of grace whereby he hath made over Heaven to them that beleeve in his Son If the condition be kept we are sure to have it But who inables us to beleeve Is it not God And what moved him to enter into Covenant was it not his free grace But now that the Covenant is established and Christ hath tendred a ransome for us and it is accepted the justice and righteousnesse of God will not suffer him to require a second ransom or to deny that which is purchased for us But let us leave this point I suppose it is clear to them that desire to see the truth You hear there is eternall life which Christ will freely give you and herein you have a view of his bountie Vse there are divers attributes in God which neither devil nor the worst man can condemne as love mercie patience bounty they have an amiablenesse in them and cannot be hated and when Christ doth in his bounty offer life to men he doth like himself a man may give honour wealth counsell but none can give life but God and nothing can be acceptable or indeed a gift without life If you would bestow never so much gold and silver or makeover Land to one that lyes dead before you nothing is done unlesse you could give him life and then they were fruits of your love and bounty Christ will give you life and lest we should undervalue this gift because life is accompanied with many cares and griefs and crosses in the world and if it were never so pleasant yet death comes and takes all away therefore our Saviour offers eternall life and this bountifull offer doth much aggravate the sins of men that will not come unto him But what ever Atheists and unbeleevers do let those that are wise and godly come to Christ that their souls may live And if you desire this life you will often enquire about your selves as you use to do of the Physitian when a childe or friend lyes sick Is he like to live do you think he will recover is there no danger of death For direction if you remember what was said in the beginning life eternall is begun in this life you must be made alive here or else you cannot live eternally and if you live by faith and are quickned who were dead in sins I can assure you you shall live eternally Bend then your thoughts to consider whether you are alive or no which will appear First by a desire to preserve the life of grace naturall life is carefully preserved what physick what bitter potions are taken what cost are men at what will they not do to prolong life And shall men do nothing for their souls will you live any where not caring whether the Sun of righteousnesse shine there or no will you live in dark cellars or dungeons or will you endure any unwholsome air and such are the places where the Gospel is not preached Heat is a signe of life cold is a fore-runner of death warmth is a temper arising from divers graces which we must carefully keep Rom. 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the

for their attonement the onely sacrifice that was propitiatorie they might have known that all the sacrifices under the Law d d looke at him they had their life from him and also their death from him for when he offered up himselfe Magna pars mundi accedere ideo negligit quia necessitatis suae sensu non tangitur Christum non curant hipocritae quia ebrii justitit propria gratiam ejus non si●iunt ex innumera pereuntium turba pauci se perire sentium Calv. they were to surcease their Priests especially their high Priests did typifie him and all the legall services and sacrifices without him were nothing Had they known their necessity they would have come unto him pain and apprehension of the danger of a disease will quickly convince the sicke that there is a necessity of having recourse to a Phisitian but these Iewes were ignorant and insensible of their miserie and though Christ was the onely Phisitian yet they will not come unto him 3. Love makes us to come to friends and often visit them and had they known the good things that Christ brought to man and the goodnesse that was in himself they would have been taken with him he honoured our nature and brought salvation to our soules he honoured man in that he was made man hee honoured the Iewes in that he was of the seed of Abraham he is our great benefactor he brings us into favour with God who were children of wrath he repaires lost man with an augmentation of glory he sets us into a right of an heavenly Paradise that lost an earthly one in Adam he like Jonathan to David puts his own robe of righteousnesse upon us which is a more glorious covering then Angels have and had the Iewes known these things they would have given him more respect and as he is good to man so he is most sweet and gracious in himself observe his cariage when you read the History of his life and death in the Gospel what it was to all save to those egregious hypocrites the Pharisees and you will finde in him the sweetest temper the strangest meeknesse the richest mercie the greatest excellency every way If you look upon the beauty of his graces Inter iras placida inter mimicitias benefica his holinesse and wisdom c. You may wonder that he was no more esteemed among men but the Iewes not knowing his worth nor being well affected to him will not come at him 4. Eminency in Christ might have drawn them to him Solomons wisdom drew many to him the Queen of Shebah came from farr to hear him Mat. 12.42 Ezek. 33.31 and Ezekiels skilfull and pleasant prophesying made the people come and sit before him but the wisdome and skill of Christ much prefer him above them Moses was eminent among the Iewes so were the Prophets but Christ much more then they for he was the Prince of Prophets he was the King of glory and they his Ambassadors he the Angel of the Co●●nant he was not onely aboue Saints and Prophets and Apostles and Angels as a King above his subjects but so above them that they must adore and worship him what ever light came to the mindes of holy men in visions and raptures it came from Christ it was but a beame from this Sun and the same argument that mooved them to honour Moses and credit the writings of the Old Testament might have convinced them to have regarded Christ but we will stay no longer with the unbeleiving Iew to discourse of his neglect of Christ we will further explain the dutie of coming to Christ and open the nature of the contrarie sin as it concernes all that live in the Christian world 2. To come to Christ presupposeth a man to receive power from him inabling him to come unto him Mat. 14 28. it being a spirituall action must have a supernaturall power we may see it plainly in that command given to Peter upon his own motion if it be thou saith he to Christ bid me come unto thee on the water if Christ had not given out a power aswell as a command to Peter he had sunk when he set his foot upon the sea and if another had adventured not having the like power he could not have come he would have miscarried by the way The great command of the Gospel is gone out from Christ into the world and it is come unto me Mat. 11.28 and the greatest part comes not the reasō is they have not power given them to come we must have virtue from Christ to come as well as to be healed when we come The dark minds of men must be enlightned to know Christ and their rebellious wils must be conquered and mastered or else they wil not come unto him for all Gospel truths are more then those of the Law above mans understanding and contrarie to his will and if we receive them it is given us from above No man can come to me saith Christ except the Father draw him Ioh 6.44 there is a violence offered to the corruption of the will Psal 65.4 but none to the will it self and the Psalmist hath the like expression Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to come unto thee Christ doth invite us and inables us to come and the honour of both belongs to him 3. To come to Christ is not onely to have recourse to him and judge him worthy of all respects and to receive power from him to inable us to come but to go on and not stay till we receive some saving benefits from him Some stay in the beginnings or in preparations and sit down too soon and loose the benefit of their former labour but wee must come on and not sit down till we get to the jorneyes end To come to Christ is either the the first motion of a new convert or else it is a continuall recourse to Christ for increase of all saving graces it will not be accepted to go once or twice and then to stay as the Jewes did Ier. 2.31 we are Lords we will come no more unto thee this were abominable pride and contempt let us a litle consider this action of coming to Christ and in the beginning at first it is sad and uncomfortable in the end joyfull and glorious At first when we come we labour are heavie laden the sinner in his sinfull course hath a labour it will wearie him Mat 11.28 the penitent sinner in his conversion hath a labour and the combatant in his fight against sin hath a labour there is no such toil as this is no burthen so heavie as that of sin it causeth an universall pain it is upon the conscience indeed but extends to the whole man and makes him wearie of himself Ier. 7.12 for it hath in it the vengeance of an angrie God the torments of a flaming hell the power of a just Law

word signifies heat and we would have our friends hot in our cause we would not have a Counsellor that should plead coldly or indifferently and shall we be indifferent in the service of God far be it from us Breathing is a signe of life it befals many that are in swoonings and dangerous fits that it is heard to tell whether they be yet if they breath in wholsome aire and pant after God and the Scriptures and after good advice to be set and kept in the way of Religion it is an argument they live I might follow the similie of breathing in and out but I surcease Those that are alive to choose would converse with the living and not with the dead I would not have any one to think that I would insinuate any such matter or suggest any such thoughts into the heads of any that should go about to tell who are dead and who are alive but we must not deny that which Scriptures plainly affirm to choose a man that is not dead in sins would not familiarly converse with any but such as he hopes in the judgement of charity to be alive and it stands thus between the living and the dead no fellowship no commerce if you speak to a dead man you are not answered if you take him by the hand and otherwayes expresse your self yet no correspondence no sutablenesse your love is not answered again and therefore there can be no joy in such conversing Speak to a worldly man he can say little unles it be in worldly things he is out of his element And surely such as rejoyce in good things must needs cheerfully delight in the society of such as minde the like And for further enlarging of this point think what a miserie it would be for a man to marry a dead woman to have her layed in his bed carried to his board to be with her continually it would be irksome and unpleasing You see Abraham would fain bury his wife Sarah out of his fight for the face of death is irksome and uncomfortable And is it not the case of many a man that lives with a dead wife and the wife with a dead husband if it be no sorrow to you it is so much the worse with you for then you your selves are dead A woman goes with grief and is daily in sorrow if she think her child is dead in her wombe she hath no joy to think of the time of her deliverance O what is it to carry about with you a dead heart a dead soul And it is so if you be not moved in pitie to such as converse with you of whose life in Religion you have no warrantable nor well grounded hope But all you that by these or the like signes can suppose and conclude to your selves that you are now alive I dare be bold to assure you that you shall still live and live eternally in heaven many things may in this world trouble you molest the comfort of your lives but nothing shall cut it off therefore with patience wait untill you injoy a better life then you now have beare with patience sicklinesse of body troubles of minde the reproaches and crosses of this life in hope of eternall life And the consideration hereof should make us willing to undergo any difficulties because we hope to live happily and that happinesse to remain eternally And surely there is great reason why the servants of God should wait patiently and cheerfully expect the accomplishment of their hope for of all men in the world they are in the way to the greatest preferment and by faith they see already the bounty of God which shal hereafter be manifested towards them It may be of reproofe justly to tax and challenge the most part of Christians Vse 2. for not longing more after life eternall what should moove us to be in love with the world Ah do we so much esteem life that is temporall it is a wonder to see so great matters mentioned in the Scriptures and our hearts so little affected with them and it may be a matter of wonderment why our hearts make no more after things that be so pretious I take it these causes may be rendered but all of them intimate matter of reproofe First men that are not assured of a better estate are loath to leave that which they have in possession a poore man tha●●ives in a cold house and hath never a good roome yet if he knowes not whither to go he will not wil●lingly go out though it be never so cold so is it with many men that are miserable and poor they have no assurance of a better estate and therefore they are loath to leave this It may be they have some hopes and cares and that honest and religious as in David he had a promise of the Kingdom and his heart was set on the service he meant to do when he came to the Kingdome this may be in the mind and hinder the more earnest desires of heaven The maine cause is life eternall and the joyes of heaven are so high above our spirit that till the soul be fitted by an extraordinarie measure of grace and raised above an ordinarie pitch it is not made sutable to them Paul that had visions and revelations was elevated higher than ordinary he was full of heavenly desires FINIS Die Jovis 27 May. 1647. ORdered by the Lords in Parliament assembled That Mr. Valentine one of the Assembly of Divines is hereby thanked for his great pains taken in his Sermon Preached yesterday before their Lordships in the Abbey Church Westminster And he is hereby desired to cause the same to be Printed and published Which is to be done onely by Authority under his own Hand Jo Browne Cler Parl ' I Appoint Joh Rothwell to Print my Sermon Tho Valentime