Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
death_n wonder_v world_n year_n 22 3 4.1984 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A42781 Demonologia sacra, or, A treatise of Satan's temptations in three parts / by Richard Gilpin. Gilpin, Richard, 1625-1700. 1677 (1677) Wing G777; ESTC R8221 552,054 651

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

all those hard names have this general signification that the Devil hath made a great stir in the World by Errour and Opinion After times might also be summoned in to speak their evidence and our own knowledg and experience might without any other help sufficiently instruct us if it were needful of the truth of this that Errour is one of Satan's great designs Secondly Let us next look into the Reasons which do so strongly engage Satan to these endeavours of raising up Errours If we set these before us it will not only confirm us in our belief that this is one of his main imployments for if Errour yield him so many advantages for the ruine of Men and the dishonour of God there can be no doubt of his readiness to promote it This also may be of use to put us in mind who it is that is at work behind the Curtain when we see such things acted upon the Stage and consequently may beget a cautious suspition in our Minds against his proceedings the Reasons are such as these First Errour is sinful so that if Satan should be hindred in his endeavours for any further mischief than the corrupting of any particular Person yet he will reckon that he hath not altogether lost his labour Some Errours that overturn fundamentals of Faith are as deadly poyson and called expressly damnable by the Apostle 2 Pet. 2. 1. These Heresies are by Paul Gal. 5. 20. recounted among the works of the Flesh of which he positively affirms that they that do such things cannot inherit the Kingdom of God Those that are of a lower nature that do not so extreamly hazard the Soul can only be capable of this Apology that they are less evil yet as they are oppositions to Truth propounded in Scripture for our belief and direction they cease not to be Sins though they may be greater or less evils according to the importance of those Truths which they deny or the consequences that attend them and if we go yet a step lower to the consideration of those rash and bold assertions about things not clearly revealed though they may possibly be true yet the positiveness of avouchments and determinations in such cases where we want sufficient reason to support what we affirm as that of the Pseudo-Dionysius for the Hierarchy of Angels and some adventurous assertions concerning God's secret Decrees and many other things of like nature are by the Apostle Col. 2. 18. most severely taxed for an unwarrantable and unjust presumption in setting our foot upon God's right as if such Men would by violence thrust themselves into that which God hath reserved for himself for so much the word intruding imports the cause of this he tells us is the arrogancy of corrupt Reason the fleshly Mind suitable to that expression Matth. 16. 17. Flesh and Blood hath not revealed it the bottom of it is Pride which swells Men to this height and the Fruit after all these swelling attempts is no other than as the Apples of Sodom Dust and Vanity intruding into those things which he hath not seen Vainly puft up by his fleshly Mind If then Satan do but gain this that by Errour though not diffused further than the breast of the infected Party Truth is denied or that the heart be swelled into Pride and Arrogancy or that he hath hope so to prevail 't is enough to encourage his attempts Secondly But Errour is a Sin of an encreasing nature and usually stops not at one or two Falshoods but is apt to spawn into many others as some of the most noxious Creatures have the most numerous Broods for one Errour hath this mischievous danger in it that it taints the Mind to an instability in every Truth and the bond of stedfastness being once broken a Man hath no certainty where he shall stay as a wanton Horse once turned loose may wander far This hazard is made a serious warning against Errour 2 Pet. 3. 17. Beware lest ye being led away with the errour of the Wicked fall from your own steadfastness One Errour admitted makes the heart unsteady and besides this inconvenience Errour doth unavoidably branch it self naturally into many more as Inferences and Conclusions resulting from it as Circles in Water multiply themselves grant but one absurdity and many will follow upon it so that 't is a Miracle to find a single Errour These Locusts go forth by Bonds as the experience of all ages doth testify and besides the immediate consequences of an Errour which receive Life and Being together with it self as Twins of the same Birth We may observe a tendancy in Errours to others that are more remote and by the long stretch of multiplyed inferences those things are coupled together that are not very contiguous If the Lutherans 't is Dr. Prideaux his observation admit Vniversal Grace the Huberians introduce Vniversal Election the Puccians Natural Faith the Naturalists explode Christ and Scriptures at last as unnecessary this is then a fair mark for the Devil to aim at if he prevails for one Errour 't is an hundred to one but he prevails for more Thirdly Satan hath yet a further reach in promoting Errour he knows 't is a Plague that usually infects all round about and therefore doth he the rather labour in this work because he hopes thereby to corrupt others and infected Persons are commonly the most busie Agents even to the compassing of Sea and Land to gain Prosilytes to their false Perswasions This Harvest of Satan's labour is often noted in Scripture they shall deceive many Matth. 24. 24. Many shall follow their pernicious ways 2 Pet. 2. 2. How quickly had this Leaven spread it self in the Church of Galatia even to Paul's wonder Gal. 1. 6. I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ into another Gospel Instances of the spreading of Errour are frequent Pelagianism rose about the Year 415 but presently spread it self in Palestine Africa Greece Italy Sicily France and Britain Arrianism like fire in Straw in a little time brought its flame over the Christian World and left her wondring at her self that she was so suddenly become Arrian Socinianism had the like prevalency Laelius privately had sowed the Seeds and after his death Faustus Socinus his Nephew did so bestir himself that within ten years after his confident appearing whole Congregations in Sarmatia submitted themselves to his Dictates as Calovius affirms and within twenty or thirty Years more several hundreds of Churches in Transilvania were infected and within a few Years more the whole Synod was brought over to subscribe to Socinianism We have also instances nearer home after the Reformation in the raign of Edward the sixth how soon did Popery return in its full strength when Queen Mary came to the Crown which occasioned Peter Martyr when he saw young Students flocking to Mass to say That the tolling of the Bell overturned all his
this Gulph and become nothing to him You see Amnon vexed and sick for his Sister Tamer waxing lean from day to day You see Ahab though a King who had enough to satisfie his Mind in the same condition for Naboth's Vineyard If you say these were wicked Men who rid their Lusts without a Bridle and used the Spur look then upon better Men and you will see too much Rachel so grieves and mourns for want of Children that she professeth her Life inconsistent with her disappointment Give me Children else I die Hanna upon the same occasion weeps and eats not and prays in the bitterness of her Soul and the abundance of her complaint and grief Jeremiah being pressed with discouragements from the contradiction of evil Men calls himself a Man of strife and contention to the whole Earth Jer. 15. 10. his sorrows thence arising had so imbittered his Life that he puts a woe upon his Birth Wo is me my Mother that thou hast born me a Man of Strife Paul had a noble courage under manifold afflictions he could glory in the Cross and rejoice in persecutions nevertheless the greatness of his work the froward perversness and unsteadiness of Professors which put him under fears jealousies and new travel the Miseries of Christians and the care he had for the concerns of the Gospel which was a constant load upon his Mind his Heart like old Eli's trembling still for the Ark of God made him complain as one worn out by the troubles of his Heart 2 Cor. 11. 27. In weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness Besides those things that are without that which cometh upon me daily the care of all the Churches Who is weak and I am not weak c. For the Jews he had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his Heart and for the Gentiles he had perpetual fears Now though he had a great share of divine Comforts intermixed and a more than ordinary assistance of the Spirit to keep him from sinful discomposure of Spirit at least to such an height as it ordinarily prevails upon others yet was he very sensible of his burthen and doubtless the Devil laboured to improve these occasions to weary out his strength For by these and such like things he frequently vexeth the righteous Souls of the faithful Ministers of the Gospel from day to day so that their hearts have no rest and their hands grow often feeble and they cry out O the burthen O the care being ready to say as Jeremiah chap. 20. 7. O Lord thou hast deceived me and I was decieved I am a derision daily every one mocketh me Thus say they Did we ever think to meet with such disappointments such Griefs from the Wilfulness Pride Weakness Ignorance Pettishness Inconstancy Negligence and Scandals of Friends and such Hatred Contradictions Scorns and Injuries from Enemies Were we free what Calling would we not rather chuse what place would we not rather go to where we might spend the remainder of our dayes in some rest and ease Were it not better to work with our hands for a Morsel of Bread for so might our Sleep be sweet to us at Night and we should not see these sorrows At this rate are good Men sometime disturbed and the anguish of their Spirit makes their Life a burthen 2. Yet is not this all the disturbance that the Devil works upon our hearts by these things though these are bad enough but they have a tendency to further trouble Discomposures of Spirit if they continue long turn at last into troubles of Conscience Though there is no affinity betwixt simple discomposure of Soul and troubles of Conscience in their own nature the objects of the former being things external no way relating to the Souls Interest in God and Salvation which are the objects of the latter yet the effects produced by the prevalency of these disturbances are a fit Stock for the ingrafting of doubts and questionings about our Spiritual condition As Saul's Father first troubled himself for the loss of his Asses and sent his Son to seek them but when he stayed long he forgat his trouble and took up a new grief for his Son whom he feared he had lost in pursuit of the Asses So is it sometime with Men who after they have long vexed themselves for injuries or afflictions c. upon a serious consideration of the working and power of these Passions leave their former pursuit and begin to bethink themselves in what a condition their Souls are that abound with so much Murmuring Rage Pride or Impatience and then the Scene is altered and they begin to fear they have lost their Souls and are now perplexed about their Spiritual estate To make this plain I will give some instances and then add some reasons which will evidence that it is so and also how it comes to be so For Instances though I might produce a sufficient number to this purpose from those that have written of Melancholy yet I shall only insist upon two or three from Scripture Hezekiah when God smote him with Sickness at first was discomposed upon the apprehension of Death that he should so soon be deprived of the residue of his years and behold Man no more with the inhabitants of the World as he himself expresseth it Esay 38. 10. afterward his trouble grew greater He chattered as a Crane or Swallow and mourned as a Dove he was in great bitterness ver 17. and sadly oppressed therewith ver 14. That which thus distressed him was not simply the fear of Death we cannot imagine so pious a Person would so very much disquiet himself upon that single account but by the expressions which he let fall in his complainings we may understand that some such thoughts as these did shake him that he apprehended God was angry with him that the present stroke signified so much to him all circumstances considered for he was yet in his strength and Jerusalem in great distress being at that time besieged by Sennacheribs Army and for him to be doomed to death by a sudden message at such a time seemed to carry much in it and that surely there was great provocation on his part and it seems upon search he charged himself so deeply with his sinfulness that his apprehensions were no less than that if God should restore him yet in the sence of his vileness he should never be able to look up I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my Soul ver 15. which expression implies a supposition of his Recovery and a deep sense of Iniquity and accordingly when he was recovered he takes notice chiefly of Gods love to his Soul and the pardon of his sin which evidently discover where the trouble pinched him Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the Pit of Corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back vers 17.