Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	power_n	sin_n	sting_n	7,486	5	11.7460	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10010	The saints qualification: or A treatise I. Of humiliation, in tenne sermons. II. Of sanctification, in nine sermons whereunto is added a treatise of communion with Christ in the sacrament, in three sermons. Preached, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Doctor in Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1633 (1633)	STC 20262; ESTC S115180	353,805	720

because that moves not so much being generall you will aske wherein this wrath of GOD is seene and wherein more particularly is this misery in being out of Christ I will name but these three particulars First you shall be subject to Death subject to Him that hath the power of Death You will say this is no such misery for are not holy men subject to death as well as evil men I but there is great difference the evill shall be subject to death as an enemie the last enemie that shall be destroyed is Death which shewes that Death is an enemie I say they are subject to Death as an enemie Death may come to two men and be a friend to the one and an enemie to the other that which he saith Death is the rich mans enemie and the poore mans friend we may better apply it to the godly man and to the evill man And surely it is true Death is the Godly mans friend and the wicked mans enemy the same Death as you know the same messenger comes to call Pharaohs Butler and his Baker he came as an enemie to the one and as a friend to the other he came to call the one to promotion and the other to execution so doth Death Now Death when that comes as an enemie is terrible when that comes with a sting Death indeed without a sting is nothing but Death when it comes with a sting and the sting of Death is sinne this we consider not that Death hath a sting it is a Serpent that often stings without hissing without warning it comes suddenly it comes certainly we see continually how men fall from the tree of life as leaves in Autumne we consider not this but this is among the miseries that we are subject to death and this is a great misery Those that can looke upon other miseries and dangers and out-face them without being daunted when Death comes that appales them that looses the joints that makes them tremble that makes their knees knocke together You know it is said of Saul David professeth that he was valiant as a Lion in his Songs of him when the newes of Death comes he fals to the ground there was no strength in him All are petty miseries to this this is the great Giant that makes the stoutest heart to tremble at his approach But is this all that we are subject to death when we are out of Christ No we are subject to the feare of death likewise which is an hundred times worse that death it selfe Heb. 2.14 He hath delivered us from him that had the power of death he hath delivered us that for feare of death were all our lives subject to bondage I say the feare of death is worse than death it selfe because death continues but a moment it is soone gone but the feare of death continues alwayes a long time like the hand-writing which kept Belshazzer in feare so this feare of death keepes us in a continuall trembling this is that that imbitters all our comforts that sowres all our joy this feare of death they were all their life-time subject to bondage through the feare of death Therefore it is not said that death is bitter to him that lives in pleasure but the remembrance of death all the joyes and comforts that we have in this life what are they when they are accompanied with this I say ther is nothing terrible but so farre as it is mingled with this feare All evill and dangers are so farre terrible as they are harbengers of death as they are crackes to give warning of the fall of the whole house that shall never be repaired againe Whatsoever pleasure we enjoy this is the gall that takes away the sweetnesse of all though the pottage were otherwise good when the Colloquintida was in them there is death in the pot so I may say when death is joyned what sweetnesse is in them That is the condition of every man living out of Christ he is not only subject to death but to the feare of death continually But is this all No there is yet more there is Hell Death hath a Page that comes behinde him that is ten times worse than himselfe Rev. 6.7 8. I looked saw a pale horse and the name of him that rode on him was Death and behinde him followed Hell That is Hell is the hooke that is hid in Death when we are once taken with that hooke we are kept there for ever If Death should come without Hell it were another matter Death is but the lightning it is Hell that is the crack of thunder and shall we like children be afraid of the lightning and not be afraid of the bolt It is hell that is the gate that keeps us for ever Death is but the arrest that carries us thither Therefore consider what it is to be subject to Hell as our Saviour saith What will that availe a man to win the whole world and lose his soule Consider well of that speech What will that availe you to save all things else if you lose your soules as if a man should save the paring of his nailes and lose his finger as if he should save his shooe and lose his foot as if he should save the ship and lose the fraught as if he should save the house and destroy the man that dwels in it so it is to save other things and to lose the soule No it is the terrible thing Hell that followes Death In all other miseries yet this is our comfort that Death will come in the end and put a full point and period to them but this second death Hell is such a death as hath no other death to end it Therefore as wee say But for hope the heart would breake surely there is no hope and therefore there is a breaking of the soule aswell as torment of the body Therefore consider what Hell is what eternity is this is the misery we are in out of Christ you are subject to the feare of death you are subject to Death and to Hell too Death is but the Stalking-horse it is Hell that is the Fowler that hath the peece and the shot to destroy us utterly And therefore consider what case you are in out of Christ what misery you are in out of him that when Hell and Death come as she said Vp Sampson for the Philistims are on thee so when we shall say Hell and Death is on you and your haires are cut off that is Christ is gone from you for the cutting off his lockes was but an embleme that God was departed from him I say when they are on us If Christ be away what a case are we in Shall they not take us and carry us to that prison there to lye for ever Therefore consider this it is certaine the destroying Angell will come and commonly he comes in the night Death commeth when thou least lookest for him as a theefe I say the destroying Angell

sinne As David in the one and fiftieth Psalme saith Against thee against thee onely have I sinned repeating it twice in that place he composed that Psalme to set forth his sin but that which wounded his conscience that made him see the hainousnesse of his sinne was this Against thee I have sinned So the Prodigall sonne this is the circumstance by which he aggravates his sin Against heaven and against thee I have offended So learne to know that your sinnes are against god and therefore to presse this Truth a little more Consider well with your selves what is the reason that God hath required such a vast punishment against sinne that is eternall death thinke what eternity is it is that which swallowes up your thoughts it is a punishment the length and depth and breadth whereof you cannto comprehend Thinke why God hath appointed such a vast punishment and you shall find it is because you sinne against an Immense a great and Almighty God the length and breadth and depth of whose greatnesse you cannot comprehend Againe what is the reason God should appoint such a Mediatour to take away the sins of the world that the Son of God must needs take flesh which the Angels themselves wonder at it is such a wonderfull action that they cannot but admire and in heaven we shall stand amazed at it which evidences the greatnesse of sinne Learne to know this put al these foure together and see how these doe hold correspondencie one with another and you shall finde out the nature of your sinne First consider the greatnesse of God his infinitenesse the greatnesse of his Authority the wonderfull vast Soveraignty he hath over all creatures from this greatnesse of God comes the second the greatnesse of sinne I have made knowne this Truth but thou hast with-holden it thence it comes that sinne is so great that the least sinne which thou makest nothing of is a thing of so great moment That is the second which followes on the greatnesse of God Thirdly upon the greatnesse of sinne you see the greatnesse of the punishment if such an one as Aristotle or a stranger from the Truth should heare of this punishment the greatnesse whereof appeares herein that the worme dieth not and the fire is not quenched how would he wonder at it but knitting these together it will not seeme strange Last of all the greatnesse of the punishment causeth the greatnesse of such a Mediatour to take away this punishment and sin So there is a correspondencie in them come from God to sin from sinne to the punishment from punishment to the Mediation or redemption by which this sinne is taken away Learne therefore to know what sin is I know not a truth of greater moment And to all adde that 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sinne If you look on death it is the most terrible thing in the world You know what the Philosopher said of it of all terrible things it is the most terrible the most fearfull but sin is the sting of death As if he had said Death is a small thing in comparison of sin let a man want sin and death is nothing it is but sleepe it is nothing to have the body and soule separated Againe suppose there were no death but let body and soule remaine together yet sin is a terrible thing it is above all the Terrours in the world as in Iudas see his Terrours though there was no death on him see Adam when he was not in Hell but in Paradise yet how was he Tormented with his sin Therefore weigh not sin in a wrong ballance looke not on it with a wrong light take heed of being deceived for in this of all other things men are most apt to be deceived That is the corruption of Nature that strange darknesse is brought on men by Adam that in the thing that most concerneth him which is sin in that he is most ignorant most apt to be deceived Therefore when the Apostle speaks of sin he comes in still with this caution Be not deceived 1 Cor. 6.9 Be not deceived neither Fornicatour nor Idolaters nor adulterers c. shall inherit the kingdome of God as if men in that were most apt to be deceived So Ephes. 5.6 Be not deceived for for such things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience And observe when Christ goeth about to show to any man or to any Church what their sins are or what their danger is he addes this Let him that hath an eare heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches his end being to tell them of their sin still that comes in He that hath an eare to heare let him heare As if he had said when I come to speake of matter of sin there be many here that can tell what I say that can understand me well but few have eares to understand indeed As when the Prophet came to Ieroboam he heard the Prophet so as it anger'd him he knew what his sin was but he heard it not to purpose So when Christ pronounceth a woe to the Scribes and Pharisees they heard it well enough but they had not an eare to heare it to purpose Men may heare what flesh and common reason and common men say of sin but not what the Spirit saith of it there is another kinde of sinfulnesse in sin which is the spirituall evill of sin and what the Spirit saith of this they doe not heare Therefore you must even be brought to Christ as the deafe man was who being both deafe and dumbe was brought to Christ that he might lay his hands on him now Christ put his finger into his eares and saith Ephata be thou opened and then the man heard and spake so of all men that heare this Word there is not a man but he is deafe according to this inward kinde of hearing therefore you must be brought to Christ and beseech him to give you eares to heare for few hath eares to heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches when it discovers their sin and misery Therefore let not this Doctrine be in vain to you but learne from hence to humble your selves to come to God and say to him Lord I am now amazed and confounded I thought before losses and crosses were great matters but now I see they are but flea-bitings to sin I was heretofore troubled at a small crosse but little or nothing at sin Lord I confesse this was my case but I see now sinne is another thing Thus we should learne to humble our selves before God But if any object This is the way to discourage men to make them desperate to make them fly from Religion by telling them sin is so terrible I answer it is not the way to discourage men from comming to Christ but to encourage them and drive them to him This is the way to Salvation Indeed if there were no remedy for sin it were a desperate case but

treasure in him that he is full of all grace Wilt thou goe poore and miserable and naked and in rags having such a full wardrobe there why dost not thou goe and sute thy selfe from top to toe Why doest not thou get grace of all sorts to adorne and beautifie thy selfe withall For all treasures are in him Why doest thou go starved hungry and thirsty drooping all the day If thou hast him he hath fatlings and fined wines he bids thee to a Feast that is there is abundance of comfort in him there be Priviledges there if you consider of them if you will feed on them as a man doth on meat you shall be comforted with them as a man refreshed with wine Consider what is in Christ and make use of it and know there is not only plenty in him but bounty too in him is all fulnesse and why is it in him not for his sake but for ours he hath filled himselfe for us and he is not only full but bountifull he hath an even hand to dispence that goodnesse therefore make use of it Now the second part of this exhortation I told you belongs to them that yet are not in him that they would be content to take the Lord Iesus for their husband for if the being in him be the ground of all salvation it is motive enough to bring you in Now you must know that the Lord offers him to you he is exposed to you if you will but take him You will say in what consists this taking It consists in these two Acts one is a perswasion that the Lord is willing to come to thee to be thy Husband to be thine The second is a resolution on thy part to be his if thou canst be content to give thy selfe up to him to serve him to love him to live no more to thy selfe but to him altogether Now when we exhort men to come into Christ it may be for the first Act you will be content to be perswaded of it that he is willing to take you though there be a difficulty in that yet it may be you will goe so farre but when you come to the second to resolve to give up your selves to him to be his for ever and to serve him in newnesse of life here every man is at a stand here men deale with God as they that were invited to the Marriage they made light of it and went their way one to his Farme another to his Oxen c. So is it here with us for the most part they make light when we offer Christ they goe about their businesse one about this vanity another about that they will not come in and take him and what shall we say to perswade men to come into Christ Indeed it is a dangerous thing to refuse to come in You are the men that are invited and we are messengers sent to invite you every man must apply this to himselfe he must thinke I am the man invited therefore I must consider what answer to give for you shall find of them that were invited and did not come not a man of them shall taste of the Supper not a man of them that was invited must com There were many thousands that were never bidden yea many hundreds that live in the Church were never bidden to the Feast that is Christ was never clearely offered to them but when Christ is propounded to you as you know he hath oft beene this is the very bidding of you to the Supper Take you heed of refusing It may be many others there are that were never bidden but when you have beene bidden take heed not a man of them that have been bidden and refused shall ●aste of the Supper Now you know wee are bid while wee are in this life this is the time of grace but yet when a man refuseth this bidding at this time or at any other time take heed lest he bid you no more he sent no more to them that refused Let them alone and they shall be slaine before me But howsoever our businesse is to compell you to come in that is by strong arguments by reasoning with you by perswading you effectuall to come in Therefore consider these Motives First you shall find rest to your soules Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavie laden and you shall finde rest Matth. 11.28 29. Rest is that which every man would have For Sinne is a wearinesse to the Soule it wearies you with the guilt of it with the taint and corruption of it You shall find rest unto your soules that is if you were in me once you should have your sinnes forgiven you Which David magnified in Psal. 32.1 Blessed is he whose sinne is covered But you will say this is a small mercy you shall have your sinnes forgiven will this move men to come in who cares for forgivenesse of sinnes if we should come and make offer to men that they should be free from crosses and troubles that they shall have present benefit and honours and riches that were a motive indeed to bring men to Christ Thou foole if thy sins be forgiven thee shall not all misery be taken away Is not sinne the first linke of the chaine the first wheele that drawes on all thy miseries If thy sinnes be forgiven all thy miseries shall bee scattered all those clouds shall be dispersed Therefore the Scripture compares Sin to a Cloud What hinders good things from thee but sinne When a mans sins be forgiven him he shall have them in abundance Be of good comfort saith he Thy sinnes be forgiven thee Till then a mans heart is never filled with comfort but as I said it is clouded with many discomforts sorrowes and perplexities therefore they are compared to clouds because they shal be dispersed as clouds when thy sinnes are forgiven thee all thy life after is as a Sun-shine day when all the clouds are scattered Therefore Be of good comfort Againe thou hast boldnesse by it The Innocent is bold as a Lion thou art bold with God For thou commest with boldnesse unto the Throne of Grace and thou hast boldnesse when thou hast to doe with men when trouble and persecution comes then art thou as bold as a Lion when thy sinnes are forgiven thee Againe when thou commest to beare any affliction it is nothing when sinne is forgiven for sinne is the sting of affliction and what is the Serpent when the sting is gone Affliction is nothing death is nothing you see what they were to Saint Paul imprisonment and death were nothing to him because the sting was taken away In a word thou art a blessed man if thy sinnes bee once taken away David saith Blessed is hee whose sinnes are forgiven When David looked round about and considered who was blessed he pitched on this Blessed is the man whose sinne is forgiven If some other had looked about him hee would

have said Blessed is a rich man a man in honour and dignity in credit and that hath health he is a blessed man No saith David but hee is a blessed man whose sinnes are forgiven whose iniquities are covered because such a man GOD sets himselfe to make blessed for blessednesse is the heape of all good things Now who can give that but God who hath the command of all things Can any but he cause all things worke together for thy good And if any thing be wanting thou art not blessed Againe when thy sinnes be forgiven thee God is made thine he is reconciled to thee for thy sinne is taken away and when GOD is thine thou art a blessed man for he brings all good things and hee is the Buckler that keepes off all evill he is the Master of the Creatures Now you know the Master is he who can rate the dogge when he fals on a Guest or a stranger and it is onely the Master that can doe it It is he that can rate any evill and suppresse it thou hast him therefore thou art a blessed man and thou hast him by having thy sinnes forgiven thee that is the great promise that he should save his People from their sinnes he needs say no more when he saith Hee shall save his People from their sinnes for then he saves them from all trouble and misery in the world Therefore this may be a great motive it was CHRISTS owne motive when hee would invite men to come to him he saith Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavie laden and I will ease you That is thy sinnes that are as an heavie burthen shall be taken off of thee But you will say I feele no burthen of it No but thou shalt finde it a burthen when GOD shall set every man to beare his burthen when GOD shall charge it on thy conscience and it is thy wisdome to have it taken off though thou finde it not a burthen I say guilt is a great burthen which will binde thee over to damnation It is a great burthen when conscience is awaked Againe Corruption is a great burthen for it wearies a man Sicknesse is a wearinesse to the bodie and Sinne is the same to the Soule that Sicknesse is to the body A sicke man is weary of every thing weary of his bed of his chamber of his dyet he is weary of sitting of standing for hee is sicke So it is with every man that hath not his sinnes forgiven him hee is weary not only of the guilt but hee is weary of every thing Put him in the best condition he findes no rest and in that hee is weary of every thing That which they say of Folly it may bee more truely said of every wicked man that every condition is miserable to him he is weary of himselfe he is weary of every thing he hath no rest Further when thou art in CHRIST he will give rest to thy soule that is he will take away the power as well as the guilt of sinne hee will heale thy sicknesse and then the worst condition will bee pleasant to thee thou wilt finde rest in a Prison thou wilt finde rest in sicknesse thou wilt finde rest in death every condition yea the worst will bee sweet unto thee before in the best thou foundest none for there was a restlesnesse within but when thy sinnes bee forgiven thee thou shalt finde rest to thy soule The end of the Seventh Sermon THE EIGHTH SERMON VPON THE NEW CREATVRE 2 COR. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ let him be a new Creature GOD hath planted in every man selfe-love every man seekes his owne happinesse Two things every man would have they would be freed from all evill and enjoy all good things if they could finde these in Christ men would be perswaded to come in Now we can assure you that both these you shall finde in Christ you shall by him be freed from all evil and be compassed about with mercy on every side First I say you shall be freed from all evill for what Christ saith to all his Disciples Luke 10. You shall tread on Serpents and Scorpions and all the power of the Enemie and nothing shall hurt you may be applied to all the Saints though there be many hurtfull things in the world yet nothing shall hurt them It is true indeed they may have to doe with Serpents and Scorpions that is evill things may fall upon them as well as upon others you see the same condition fals to all yet it shall not hurt them according to that in Luke 1.74 That we being delivered from our enemies is that we may serve him without feare Mark that you shall be delivered from all your enemies if you will come in that is there shall not an enemie in the world be able to doe you hurt and you shall live without feare that is the great advantage you shall have as if he should say other men feare a thousand things they feare death they feare sicknesse they feare losse of friends and good name but when a man is one in Christ he shal be delivered from all his Enemies he shall serve the Lord without feare because nothing is able to hurt him for what could hurt him Either it must be the Devill or men or some other Creature but none of these can hurt him Is not God the Governour of the house Is he not the Master Is not he able to rate the Mastives from flying in the face of any of his friends that come to him yea he is able to doe it and none but the Master of the house is able to do it None can keep the Creatures from hurting of you but he that hath the command of all the Creatures therefore if you will come in nothing shall hurt you he is a Buckler and a Shield to compasse you round about He will be your strong fortresse into which no Creature shall be able to shoot an arrow But besides this you shall have all things else that you can desire The Lord himselfe shall bee your habitation from generation to generation Psal. 90.1 That is you shall dwell in the Lord and you shall not dwell in him for a fit as we doe in our houses of clay but for ever and looke what an house doth that doth he he will keepe you safe and defend you from evill he is an house that it shall not raine thorow and such an house he is as will goe with you whithersoever you goe he is our habitation from generation to generation yea an house as will not onely defend you but refresh you with all manner of comforts for houses are made for delight as well as for defence Whatsoever you want he will helpe you to If you be sicke he is able to heale you if you be weake he is able to strengthen you if hungry to satisfie you whatsoever condition you

reasons we shewed the last day but not to stand to repeate them The last day because they stand so much on Fathers in this point we shewed you the opinion of divers of them Of Origen or Athanatius Ambrose Tertullian Augustine and the rest To that wee will adde but this to cleare that point con●erning the opinions of the Fathers You shall finde that Ireneus that lived within seventy yeares after the death of Saint Iohn is cleare in this point That the Bread and Wine are but Sacraments and Figures of the body and bloud of Christ after him thirty yeares lived Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullian and Origen for they lived much about a time Origen was the Scholer of Clemens Alexandrinus these do as evidently explaine it as any of our Divines though not so distinctly because the controversie was not then moved and therfore you must not expect so full and so cleare and distinct expressions as you have in these times when wee have more occasion to doe it I will not trouble you with Citation lest I spend time too much but you shall finde it so in them After their time Augustine expresseth it so fully as that Calvin or Beza hath not done it more clearely as I shewed by some Allegations out of him the last day From his time I doe not finde that this opinion of theirs had any footing in the Church till the time of Damascens that lived in the yeare seven hundred thirty He was the first that began in the Easterne Churches this opinion of transubstantiation Chrysostome hath sore hard speeches but such as may well be interpreted if you looke on him in the tract of his writings you shall see evidently that hee never dreamed of any such reall presence as the Papists affirme But I say Damascene was the first that set this false opinion abroach in the Easterne Churches in the Greeke Churches about a hundred years after In the Western Churches in Italy and those parts it began a little to bee set on foot in the time of Carolus Calvus Emperour who being troubled with that controversie set Bertram a work a Presbyter a learned man one of the most learned of those times and desired him to expresse his opinion in that point Hee writ a learned booke of it and so the controversie continued in good state and condition till two hundred yeares after or lesse betweene one and two hundred And the first man that began to infuse this poyson into the Church was one Lanfranke Arch-Bishop of Canterbury in England a man learned but very pernitious to the Church After his time the opinion began to bee somewhat hot and then Beringarius writ against it who upon his condemnation retracted it but before his death repented the retraction and upon writing his retractation it beganne to bee put upon men by necessity by the Pope which was done in the time of Bernard foure hundred yeares since I have done this that those may bee satisfied that are not satisfied with the Scriptures and with the reasons that were brought but would know the opinion of the Fathers To stand to cite all the particulars were a vaine worke So much for that After we shewed the falsenesse of their opinion we shewed in what manner Christ is communicated to us in the Sacrament Not to stand to repeate it Wee are now to come to those other particular blessings or comforts which we have in Christ which should invite us to come in and take him The next therefore is this you have it in Matth. 11.30 Come to me saith he all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you you shall finde rest to your soules that you shall have to invite you if you will come in and take Christ you shall finde rest to your soules that is looke what the haven is to a Seafaring weather-beaten man looke what a coole refreshing shade is to a man that is scorched with the heate of the Sunne looke what a cover is to a man that is beaten with the storme to the shore such is Christ to those that come in and take him And therefore that we may know what this rest is which you shall finde if you come into Christ. Let us finde out what this wearinesse is Now in sinne you shall finde this wearinesse First there is a wearinesse in the service of sinne there is no bondage to the bondage of tyrannous lusts they are hard masters they set you to hard taskes if they say goe you must goe if they say come you must come Christ sets you at liberty from this bondage by mortifying of sinne and killing it as Moses did the Aegyptian that strove with the Hebrew which is a deliverance farre exceeding that out of the bondage of Aegypt which was so much magnified as much as the substance exceeds the shadow This is one kinde of rest you shall have by Christ you shall be delivered from the bondage of sinne Againe there is a wearinesse in the guilt of sinne committed which haunts us like furies and ever and anon gives secret whippes secret twinges to the soule from this Christ delivers us For being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5.1 That is the conscience is calmed it is quiet which before was full of horrour and vexation Againe there is a wearinesse in the fruits of sinne the losses the crosses the sicknesse the imprisonment disgrace all which are but the fruits of sinne There is a wearinesse in these and from all these Christ delivers us partly in freeing us from many of these that otherwise we should have felt and partly in taking away the venome and sting from those we doe feele For that which is said of Death Oh death where is thy victory c. The sting of death is sinne it may be said of every calamitie The sting of imprisonment the sting of sicknesse the sting of disgrace the sting of all misery is sinne What is the Adder when the sting is away So what are all these when sinne is removed You know what they were to Paul what he endured how many prisons he went thorow how oft he was whipped how oft he was stoned how many things he suffered you have a catalogue of them ten or eleven and yet all was nothing to him he was happier in these than Nero was in his Palace But what should I give you an instance Take Adam in Paradice when he was in Paradice yet when he had but the sting of conscience you know he was filled with horrour Paul againe when he was sore whipped in the day and his feet were fast in the stocks and the sting of sinne was tooke away and he enjoyed a good conscience Silas and he sung that the Prison rung of them I say this condition you shall have in Christ you shall be delivered from sinne from the sting of sinne from the fruit of sinne

the worke is so farre accepted as it hath an operation on our hearts and affections It is so in every duty as in Prayer when you call on God in private doth God regard the words of a prayer No but ' its working on your hearts ' it s humbling of them ' it s bringing of them into frame and making them perfect with God every day by a thorow renewing of your repentance and this is the doing of the thing Amongst your selves if a servant doth onely make a show of doing a thing it is not regarded but hee that brings the thing to passe is accepted of you and that is it which the Lord requires and accepts in our performances Now we shall see that this Text will helpe us to all that is required in a Fast as will appeare in the particulars Phineas the sonne of Eleazar c. In the former part of the Chapter the disease is set downe and that is Sinne which is indeed the onely disease of the soule illustrated from two consequents First from the wrath of God who as the Text saith was very angry with Israel for they had committed whoredome and joyned with Baal-Peor That was the disease the sin for which they had brought on them Gods wrath And secondly from an effect of that wrath the Plague God struck them with pestilence that is the punishment In this verse is set downe the remedy and that is the turning away of Gods wrath For as the Physitian sayes Morbi curantur contrarijs so it is true in Divinity as the wrath of God was the cause of the Plague so the turning away thereof is the remedy This turning away of his wrath is set forth by the cause of its turning away and that was the zeale of Phineas while hee was zealous for my sake and that is made good by two reasons One is in the latter end of my Text therefore have I not consumed them in my jealousie As if hee had said If Phineas had not beene zealous my jealou● should have burned more and more and the jealousie of that should have beene utter destruction The second is Gods owne Testimony set downe before my Text. The Lord himselfe said unto Moses that his wrath was turned away I will say no more for opening the words but in them you shall see these five points lye evidently before you First in that the removall of the Plague is attributed to God and to the turning away of his anger this is clearely deduced That it is God only that doth good and evill for you see his anger brought the Plague on them and the turning away of his anger healed them againe Secondly it is sin that causes Gods anger anger in God hath alway relation to sinne for sinne is the cause of it Thirdly the way to turne away the Lords anger is zeale for his sake Fourthly if there be want of this zeale among us his jealousie shall grow hotter and hotter it shall encrease upon us more and more Fifthly and lastly the issue of this jealousie of his will be utter destruction Wee will begin with the first which is That it is God onely that doth good and evill to every Nation to every Church and Kingdome yea to every particular person As you see here it was not the corruption of the Aire that brought the Plague nor the clearing of it with f●ost and wind that turned it away but the cloud of the Lords wrath shed this storme on them and when he was appeased with them there followed health and peace The Lord wounds and the Lord heales For what is the Plague but a sword in the hand of an Angell who drawes it out and puts it into its sheath againe at his Masters appointment And is not there the same reason of all other evils Warre you know is a terrible thing when Enemies come as Bees on a Land but doth not the Lord hisse for them And againe they are driven away as with a breath at his appointment Famine is a leane devouring evill which causes the Land to eate up the inhabitants thereof but is not the Lord the onely cause of it Doth not he make the Heaven as Brasse and the Earth as Iron Doth not he when he will open the windowes of Heaven and unstop the bottels of the clouds and powre outraine unseasonably And is not hee the cause of death which is the journeys end of both the former To which every one of us is subject yet wee consider it not Though we see men fall from the Tree of Life every moment yet wee regard it not This the Lord takes onely to himselfe Psal. 68.20 To the Lord belong the issues from death and therefore let us give to the Lord this great Prerogative of his That he onely doth good and evill and let no man question it You will say who doth question it It is very true we doe not question it in words but if we question it in our deeds it is an argument that our hearts make a doubt of it though our tongues doe not question it Therefore let us examine the matter If wee thinke the Lord onely doth good and evill why then will not we obey him and serve him and please him in all things But provoke him to anger by our words and by our workes as the Prophet speakes Perhaps you will say to me as Saul answered Samuel when he came from the warre of the Amalekites Oh thou blessed of the Lord I have fully kept the Commandement of the Lord but saith Samuel If thou hast done so What meanes the bleating of the Sheepe and the lowing of the Oxen So I say to you if you obey the Lord what meanes so many sinnes amongst us What meanes Fornication and Whoredome which is so frequent What meane those Oathes amongst us for which the Land mournes Not onely greater oathes but smaller oathes which exceed the greater for frequency though the greater exceed them in that they take the Name of God in vaine Againe what meanes the breaches of the Sabbath Of which I will speake a word by the way and that you may know that I doe not blame you for that as a sinne which is no sinne I will make this digression Doe you not think that Sabbaths are to be kept and to be kept holy I will name but two reasons to make it good you shall finde them in Esay 57.30 It is My Holy Day First it is a Holy Day and if it be holy you may doe nothing thereon that is common A Vessell that is sanctified and made holy may not bee imployed to take up common water or used in common services for it is holy So the time of the Sabbath is holy therefore you must not spend it about common actions for if you doe you prophane that which is holy Seeondly it is My Day and if it be My Day rob mee