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death_n pass_v sin_n sin_v 8,257 5 9.3818 5 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A65767 The reward of Christian patience as it was discover'd in a sermon preached at the funeral of Mr. Tho. Badland, a nonconforming minister at Kedderminster / by R. White ... White, Richard, b. 1636. 1693 (1693) Wing W1803; ESTC R38599 12,178 32

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matter that 1. As there is scarce any Person so there is scarce any thing but may be made use of as an Instrument by Satan to draw men into sin All things that are grateful to our Appetite he can make use of as Bates to allure men to Sin in order to the obtaining of them All things that are adverse and grievous to us he can make use of as means to fright us from Obedience to Gods Will and Commandments yea sometimes he makes use of the very Gifts and Graces with which men may be Endowed to become a Snare and an occasion of Pride and Security unto them and so as Lime Twigs whereby to draw and allure them to sin But yet 2. Persecutions and Afflictions and such things as are grievous to our Tender Natures are those things which the Apostle here especially means by Temptations as being especially those things whereby men are wont to be tried whether or no they will persist in a course of Obedience to the will of God to the end and whereby Satan particularly designs to draw men into Sin that Afflictions and Persecutions are here especially to be understood by Temptations is evident because of the Expression of enduring them which as you will hear more by and by denotes something of Patience and Christian Fortitude which are the Graces and Vertues that are conversant about and wont to be exercised by Afflictions and Persecutions and this may serve for the explaining of the first Particular propounded which was what is here to be understood by Temptations 2. I proceed now to shew what it is for a Man to endure Temptations in Answer to which you may take these following Particulars 1. This enduring of Temptations doth signifie a Willingness and Readiness to suffer Afflictions and Persecutions yea an Actual Suffering of them and that even to the Death rather then for the avoiding of them to be guilty of the Commission of any known Sin 'T is true Afflictions and Persecutions are not things Eligible and Desirable in Themselves 'T is Lawful yea our Duty to endeavour to avoid them and get rid of them by all honest and lawful ways and methods 't is plain from hence because they are Temptations and as we are to Pray unto God not to lead us into Temptation so we are by all honest and lawful means to endeavour to avoid and get rid of Persecutions and Afflictions as being those things which are great Trials of our Constancy may if we have not the greater Care be occasions of Sin unto us Affliction and Persecution are never to be chosen and embraced but when they stand in competition with Sin and then indeed they are to be chosen when it comes to this Point that we must either choose Sin or Suffering the Case is plain Suffering is to be chosen rather than Sin according to that Rule E malis minimum of two Evils the least is to be chosen Now that Suffering even the greatest Suffering is a less Evil than Sin even the least Sin is plain hence that Sin is the procuring and deserving cause of all Suffering if there had been no sin there would have been no Suffering All the Calamities Woes and Miseries that any where appear in the World yea and Death it self came in at the back-door of Sin By one man sin entred into the World and Death by sin and so Death past over all men for that all have sinned as the Apostle saith Rom 5.12 so that it must needs be that since Sin is a greater Evil then Suffering when these come in Competition together so that we must either choose Sin on the one hand or Suffering on the other in this Case Suffering is to be chosen and submitted to and thus to choose and submit to Suffering for the avoidance of Sin is one great Instance wherein doth consist this enduring of Temptation here mentioned But 2. It denotes further something of the manner of our submitting to and enduring Afflictions and Persecutions that Patience and quiet Submission to the Divine Will ought to be exercised therein It becomes not Christians when at any time they are under Afflictions in any kind to be Tumultuous and Unquiet both to themselves and others about them like a Wild-bull in a Net but to remember that a State of Affliction is a special Season wherein we are called upon to Exercise the Grace of Patience and to fortify our selves therein from all those Considerations that are apt to Conduce thereunto as particularly 1. From a believing Consideration of this that Afflictions arise not out of the Dust but are directed to men by a special Providence he that believes a Providence in general can't doubt of this Is there any evil in the City saith God and the Lord hath not done it 2. From a believing consideration of this further that God doth not delight in Mens Afflictions meerly for themselves that he doth not Afflict willingly nor grieve the Sons of Men He takes no more delight in Afflicting Men especially his own People then the Father in Correcting his Child or the Surgeon in Cutting and Lancing his Patient that he intends all Afflictions to be Medicines whereby to Purge away our Sins and to bring us to Repentance and Humiliation for them and that 't is in very Faithfulness and Love that he Afflicteth his People and that there is some need of it one way or other whenever he lays his Rod upon them according to those words of the Apostle if need be Ye are in heaviness through manifold Temptations 1 Pet. 1.6 3. From a believing Consideration of this further that God will continue the Affliction no longer then there is need of it but that in due time he will quite remove the Rod from us or us from it and that He knows how to cause all things to work together for good to them that love God to them that are called according to his purpose These Truths and such as these are things which being really believed and duely considered are apt to quiet and compose the Spirits of Men under Afflictions and to make them of a patient submissive frame of Spirit these are the things which must enable the Soul in a State of Affliction to say heartily with Job Shall we receive good at the hands of God and shall we not receive evil and to bless God and persevere in the praising of him even when we are under a State of Affliction as well as when we are compast about with Prosperity saying again with Job The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. This patient and quiet Submission to the afflicting hand of God as it doth arise from the Exercise of Faith is likewise included in this enduring Affliction here spoken of so that by this time you may conclude who it is that is the Man that endureth Temptation he is one that chooseth Suffering rather then known Sin when he 's under