Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	bread_n	eat_v	manna_n	4,436	5	12.4770	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25204	Decus & tutamen, or, Practical godliness the ornament and muniment of all religion being the subject of several sermons preached at Westminster upon Titus ii, 10 / by V. Alsop ...	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.	1696 (1696)	Wing A2907; ESTC R16042	63,995	144

World know to its shame that we have a God whom we can securely trust 2. In pursuance of this let us walk chearfully before the World upon the Credit and Security of the Promises There was a time when Holy Job could walk in darkn●…ss by the light of God Job xxix 3. When the Light of the Promises guided and comforted him in the Darkness of Providences when tho' all was gloomy without yet all was clear within It 's a great Blemish that Professors give the Face of their Religion that we hear much and often of their Complaints seldom of their Praises always mourning never rejoycing This represents Religion as a melancholy cloudy thing and affrights Strangers from all acquaintance with it whereas did we live up to the height of what our Religion would justify us We might glory in tribulations Rom. v. 3. Rejoyce evermore 1 Thes. v. 16. And give thanks to God who always causeth us to rejoyce and triumph in Christ. 2 Cor. ii 14. Nor would this be any Triumphing before the Victory seeing we are already more than conquerours in him that loved us Rom. viii 37. For what could all our outward Afflictions Tribulations Crosses Losses Disappointments that we meet withal in the World do to the extinguishing our Joy did we as we might urge the Promises upon our own Hearts plead them with God and object them to the Tempter 1. We might urge them upon our own dejected Souls Psal. xliii 5. Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him We are apt to be cast down and disquieted when we are not able to assign a good Reason of the Dejection and Disquiet We have a God to trust in a Word from that God by which to lay hold on him and why then cast down And this Psalmist at other times has been able to relieve himself from such a word Psal. cxix 50. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickned me 2. We might plead the Word of Promise with God and humbly press his own Truth upon himself Psal. cxix 49. Remember thy word unto thy servant on which thou hast caused me to hope as if he had said Holy Lord Thou hast encouraged me to Hope and I have thy word for the ground of that encouragement and I am thy Servant to whom this Promise is made and have therefore Reason to apply the Word to my own Case and wilt thou forget thy Word and fail a Servant of thine who hopes upon thy Security If thou hadst never promised I had never hoped but since thou hast caused me to Hope answer my Hope If I could not say in Sincerity Lord I serve thee I could not say in Faith Lord Save me If I had forgot thy Precepts I could not plead with thee to remember thy Promises It was therefore excellent Counsel that Chrysostom gave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hear thy God in his Precepts that he may hear thy Prayers for although the truth of God is the security of our believing yet sincere Obedience is the ground of our applying to our selves the Promises 3. We have the word of Promise to answer and refel all the Objections of the Tempter His great design is to undermine and blow up that great Fundamental Principle that God is good and faithful that he is good and gracious in all his Ways and Works faithful and true in all his Words and great advantage he has got this way over many holy Ones David was ready to conclude Psal. lxxvii 8. That God's Mercy was clean gone for ever That there was a Total and final failure of the Divine goodness and that his Promise failed for e●…rmore Now when the wicked One prevails thus we are driven from our Anchor and he ●…loating and hulling upon the Waters exposed to the next Storm to be dasht in pieces against the Rocks To all these Suggestions and Injections we have this one Answer 1 Cor. x. 13. God is faithful who will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able 3. Make all that observe you confess that you dare venture and if the Will of God be so lay down and lose all your outward concerns upon the sole ensurance and counter-security of the Promises God does try us sometimes how much we dare ensure upon his Word Matth. xix 29. Every one that has forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my names sake shall receive a hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life where you easily observe that the Promise is large enough and the Title unquestionably good the only Question is whether we dare venture our All upon this Security He that lends Mony will be satisfied in two Points First Whether the Mortgage ossered will bear and answer the sum he lends upon it Secondly Whether the Title of the Estate be good What Warranty will be given Now in both these we have the clearest satisfaction imaginable There can be no dispute whether the matter of this Promise will answer whatever we can possibly venture upon it for a hundred fold and everlasting life is far more than we can lay down nor can there be any question about the clearness of the Title since Christ himself undertakes to make it good If therefore we believe how freely how cheerfully shall we lay down our All at his Feet with them Hebr. x. 34. Who not only patiently but joyfully took the spoiling of their goods knowing in themselves that they have in heaven a better and enduring substance 4. Lastly Live the life of Faith and despise this poor beggerly life of Sense in Comparison of it The life of Sense has its proper Food its Comforts Supports and Supplies it has its Employments its Hopes its Trade and Gains but they are all low and mean all within the road and reach of Sense The life of Faith has its Food too its Joys its Hopes Business and Designs but these lie out of the road and way of the Flesh. Now if we could through the Grace of God make future invisible things our All and conform our Hearts our Ways our Course of Life to the great End we should effectually persuade Men that the Doctrine of the Gospel is a most glorious Doctrine Our Blessed Saviour tells his Disciples Joh. iv 3-1 That he had meat to eat which they knew not of As a Believer has a hidden Life so he has hidden Meat to support it He has a hidden Life Col. iii 3. Tour life is hid with Christ in God and he has hidden Food Rev. ii 17. To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden Manna As he has secret Sorrows which the World knows nothing of so has he hidden Joys Prov. xiv 10. The heart knows its own bitterness and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy And hence it is that the World knows little or

nothing of the Bread he Eats the Life he Lives the Joy he Joys 1 John iii. 1. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not Whatever is within the compass of Sense and Flesh the Natural Man understands that he values prizes relishes and blesseth himself in because he finds a suitableness between them and his own Frame but if those who profess themselves Believers have nothing more than this comes to to produce in vain do they hope to persuade others of the excellency of their Religion Let us therefore give all Diligence to get such a view of the glory of that unseen World as may dash out of countenance all the glittering glory of this and make it appear by our Conversation that we can with a holy Scorn trample upon present visible earthly perishing things that so living by Faith and not by Sense our Hearts may be in Heaven where our Treasure is and our Conversation in Heaven where our Hearts are § 4. Come we now to the fourth General Head the only thing remaining before we come to the Application viz. The Reasons why every one that Professeth the Gospel of Christ should conscientiously labour to Adorn the Doctrine of it in All things The Reasons assigned will be very few let us Pray that the Good Spirit would make them very strong 1. Reason It ought to be our great Care to Adorn the Doctrine of the Gospel because it is the Doctrine of the Great God It 's a Doctrine that was given forth from him that has absolute Power to Command us John vii 16. The Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me and therefore we are to receive it entertain it as such 1 Thess. ii 13. Te received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God The Reproach cast upon the Word of God is cast upon the Author of it God himself Rom. ii 23 24. Through breaking of the law dishonourest thou God For the name of God is blasphemed among the G●…ntiles through you As the affront offered to the Laws reflects upon the Law-giver and God is concerned in Honour to vindicate the dishonour cast upon his own Laws These things are drawn into a narrow Compass and we may enlarge upon them with ease in our own Hearts Let us be well advised whether we be not bound in Conscience to vindicate the Name of God by Adorning this Doctrine which has been so horribly blasphemed by defacing it He that Spits in the Face of Religion Spits in the Face of God He that tramples upon the Word tramples under Foot the Son of God 2. R●…ason 'T is the Doctrine of our S●…viour our Redeemer and these Terms carry strong Obligations in them to Adorn his Doctrine or having already defiled it to repair the damage we have done it The former Reason was drawn from Authority but this from Interest and both of them work by Love Christ is a Saviour and has preach'd the Doctrine of Salvation A Redeemer and has revealed the Doctrine of Redemption A Mediator and has made known how Sinners may come unto God by him It was St. Austin's censure of the Pl●…tonists Patriam viderunt viam ignor●…runt They saw their Country but knew not the way to it they had at least some rude consused Notions that Blessedness must needs lie in the enjoyment of a perfect infinite Being but how to attain Reconciliation and Communion with him they were at a loss what they saw in a Glass darkly the Gospel has revealed plainly and we see it with open Face 2 Cor. iii. 1 8. And what they were totally ignorant of we behold in a clear sight that is wherein our everlasting Happiness doth consist and how we may reach that Happiness And shall we tread under our Feet that blessed Doctrine the power whereof in our Hearts will certainly save us and the Guilt lying upon our Head will eternally Condemn us The Apostle's Pleading is clear and strong 1 Cor. vi 19 20. Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price that ye may glorifie him in your spirits and bodies which are his It is an acknowledged piece of Justice that he that purchases lawfully should enjoy peaceably and with what indignation do we exclaim against that Man that keeps out of Possession a lawful Purchaser Consider this Case 't is your own if Christ has bought you with an invaluable Price whose true value none can perfectly understand but the Father to whom it was paid shall we Treat that Gospel which brings us these glad tidings with Contempt and Neglect 3. Reason To Adorn the Doctrine of our God and Saviour will be our own greatest Ornament Holiness was the comely wear of Primitive Christianity no Artificial Dress did ever so Adorn its Profession and Professors as plain Godliness The Varnish and Paint of Art will wash off with a little stormy Weather but wisdom makes the face to shine Eccles. ix 1. This is the Counsel of Divine Wisdom Prov. i. 9. My son hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother for it shall be an ornament of grace to thy head and chains to thy neck This was the Tyre wherewith the holy women of old time Adorned themselves 1 Pet. iii. 4. Even th●… Ornam●…nt of a meek and quiet spirit which in the sight of God is of great price Such was the Dress of the Gospel before the commonness of vain Modes and wanton Fashions took away the Deformity of Pride and almost forced the Antient Simplicity to retire into Corners Did we see an Antient Piece drawn by the Hand of some of the great Masters of Greece or Italy we should admire the Painting tho perhaps ridicule the Antick Garbs Surely if some of the Primitive Professors should rise from the Dead they would neither know us nor we them A heavenly Conversation is Antiquated every one wears the Livery of his Party the distinguishing Shibboleth of his own Sect but where are they that accommodate themselves in All things to the Doctrine according to Godliness What an honour to be a Citizen of the New Jerusalem To be an Heir of God and a joint Heir with Christ his Elder Brother and let us endeavour to reflect some of the honour back again upon the Gospel which we receive from it 4. Reason To Adorn the Doctrine of the Gospel will greatly recommend it to those who are at present Strangers to it We have the prejudices of Men to contend with their radicated Enmities to subdue and conquer we dispute we argue in vain 'T is a severe uniform Holiness suited to the Principles Precepts and Promises that must either wrest their Weapons out of their Hands or make them freely lay down their Arms at the Foot of a Redeemer 1 Pet. iii. 2. The Apostle supposes a very hard Case that a believing wife is unequally yoaked to an unbelieving husband an uneasie condition But how may it