Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	dead_a	sin_n	trespass_n	4,880	5	10.3889	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10916	The glory and happines of a true Christian A sermon preached by Master Rogers at Needham in Norfolke the 28 of Iune. 1617	Rogers, John, of Chacombe.	1618 (1618)	STC 21186; ESTC S100039	21,430	65

these stragling Christians The third sort are happie and blessed euen such as haue not defiled their garments such shal be with Christ in white that is in glory heereafter for they are worthy Oh that I had an heart and tongue that I might so speake and you so heare that such of you that be naught become good and those that be decayed and cold may become better Touching the first sort of men to be spoken of they haue a name to liue but indeede are starke deade that is they boast and bragge that they haue that which they haue not and are that which they are not such wee haue now and such were in the Prophet Esaie his time there were many that complained that they had ●asted and that they had sacrificed to him but it was not regarded But they were told by him that they had fasted to strife c. their sacrifice was as much esteemed of God as if they had cut of a doggs necke So likewise in Ieremie they did much boast of the temple of the Lord and of their seruice done there but yet saith the Prophet will yee lie steale Murther comit adultery sweare yet stand before the Lord in his house Also Iohn Baptist he told such as boasted that Abraham was their father that they were a generation of Vipers And our Sauiour told those that bragged they were free borne and Abraham his sonnes that they were of their father the diuell for his workes they did and did so much resemble him in their cōditions were so like him as if they had beene spued out of his mouth So likewise the Church of Laodicea did boast that shee was rich and needed nothing yet they were wretched miserable poore blinde and naked They deceiued their owne hearts through pride and ignorance as many others doe saying they were rich and did not knowe indeede they were poore Now besides these the diuell he commeth tels such kinde of persons that their state and case is well inough and would perswade some of the sorwarder sort that their condition is starke nought But be not deceiued for flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Againe be not deceiued for no fornicator c. 2 Cor. 6. 9. Againe Be not deceiued saith Iames the Apostle in seeming to be religious and yet canst not refraine thy tongue this man his religion is in vaine So I say be not deceiued for though a man refraine many sinnes and yet retaine one knowne sinne which he is loath to forsake that man cannot be saued till hee hath repented of it also But now to come to particulars there be diuers sorts of men that haue a name to liue who in truth are but dead The first sort are ignorant persons that want knowledg of God and of religion and of this kinde are many of the poorer sort but yet you shall neuer heare them complaine of this their wretched estate but will rather say they hope to be saued But how euen by their good meaning and good prayers and good seruing of God c. These men in their owne account are fish whole The second sort are such as liue in some grosse sinnes as Swearing Lying Cursing and banning Drunkennesse and Vncleannesse Pride Vsury and Couetuousnesse and such like damnable sinnes yet they thinke their estate good enough but if they be rebuked for their sinnes and told of Gods condemning of them then they hope they be not so great sinners but God can pardon them and doe make account to dispatch all in the end with a Lord haue mercie vpon mee The third sort of dead persons are the worldlings and such as d●● nothing else but busie th 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worldly busines not respect●●g ●●●gion These men are like vn●● 〈…〉 ‑ les that run in the earth and are cunning to know euery muse in the ground but if they be taken out of it they are at their wits end and they be also like vnto fishes when they are taken out of the water The fourth sort bee ciuill men who hauing some restraining grace doe liue in a ciuill manner among men abstaining from common grosse sinnes which are breaches of the second table and can say with the old phrase I thanke God I am not as ther men But yet these men make no conscience to performe the duties of the first Table and yet are taken among their neighbours to be very honest men but yet for hearing of the word praying with their families they care not Notwithstanding such men doe not thinke that they haue any neede of Christ and indeed Christ hath no neede of them Now such miserable persons which thinke a ciuill life can bring them to heauen although ignorant of the grounds of religion these men are in a miserable condition howsoeuer their neighbours haue dubbed them to be faire conditioned men yet they are farre of as yet from the state of saluation yea Many Publicans and sinners may goe to heauen before them The fifth sort of dead Christians are such as though they doe heare the word of God diligently and thereby get knowledge and make much of their ministers yea are able sometime to beare checks for their profession of the Gospell yet bee like the thorny ground and doe retaine some vile sinne as Pride Vncleannesse Couetuousnesse c. They being neuer truely humbled and not hauing the gift of sauing faith such men may fall away from their former profession some sooner and some later and may be without true sauing grace to doe them any good All these fiue sorts before described shall not be seuered in their seuerall estates as sure as the Lord is in heauen and why because they are all borne dead in trespasses and sins and vntill they be ioyned to Christ who is the fountaine of spirituall life for there is no life but in him they be starke dead euen as the diuell sauing onely their possibilitie to be saued Thou art as a Toad yea as a rotten carrion and till thou hast true faith thou art starke deade Many haue common gifts others knowledge which may afterwards proue persecutors and fall away I can tell thee thou wert once dead now if thou canst tell me when thou wert made aliue If thou canst truely say thou liuest the life of grace and art dead to sinne and not in sinne then being dead aliue take heede this life of grace doe not decay in thee nor goe out like a Candle then shalt thou goe to heauen as sure as God is in heauen Thou Ignorant man prophane worldling ciuill person or Hyppocrite thou not hauing true faith and the spirit of sanctification learne to know as yet thou art in the state of damnation and if thou dyest in this condition thou must goe from this first death to the second death which is endlesse Now when you haue taken these fiue sorts of dead Christians out of your congregations I

can tell you there will be but a few left behinde But some man may say why doe you thus search into vs of our estates and of the danger of them Why because wee must fanne the chaffe from the wheate And Paule doth bid you try and proue your selues whether you be in the faith or no and if yee be not in the faith yee are no better then Reprobates for ought as yet yee know or wee either But wee see among men how much the backe and the belly is cared for as for the poore soule that is little cared for Wee are combred about many things but few are carefull for that one needfull thing the reason is for few are elected Such as come to heare Gods word should pray that the Lord would raise them from the death of sinne for man nor Angell cannot doe it In the 5 of Iohn The dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue There be many which liue in the visible Church which shall be damned Desire that thou which art dead in the graue of sinne euen as dead as Lazarus that the Lord would speake powerfully by his word and call thee out of this graue Seeke for the power of sauing grace for it is possible that thou which wert dead maist become aliue and thou that wert a Persecutor as cruel as the Iayler maist becōe humble Thou that wert couetuous as Zacheus maist become liberall Thou that art an Hyppocrite but halfe a Christian as Agrippa maist become a whole Christiā And why not we all of vs once were dead the best of vs drawne from among such as you be Let this then be the day of your rising if ye liue the life of grace yee shall liue the life of glory but if yee go on in that natural course yee shall misse of that glorious life And I speake it from my heart I call heauen and earth to witnesse yee shall be surely damned and the greater shall your condemnation be because the Ministers of God doe now rowse you vp and woe be to the Ministers that daube vp your consciences If you goe on in your ignorance prophane ciuill or hipocriticall courses yee shall surely be damned and this that is spoken this day shall be for your further condemnation because yee were fairely warned but would not take heede or take a faire warning Now touching the second sort of Christians namely such as had receiued from the Lord sauing grace but they were much abated of that they were at the first calling or else sluggish these may be said to be of the second sorts also whereof the first are such as had beene very zealous and forward but now decayed The second sort are those that be drowsie Christians and were neuer much better but stand at a stay Concerning the first sort there be many men that haue beene very zealous in the profession of the Gospell and carefull of good things which be now falne in tempering with the world and into much worldly businesse and follow the fashions and courses of worldlings are much decayed in grace and shamefully falne from their first loue yet this many of these at their first calling were so forward as they could not tell how to be thankefull enough and zealous enough but soone after they grew to be cold in zeale and very carelesse and remisse in the practise of godlines such men in regard of Gods vnchangeable loue cannot quite fall away from the grace they haue receiued yet they doe shamefully dishoner God and giue occasion of scandall and offence to others and bring sorrow and smart to their owne soules and great shame reproach to themselues to other Professors For as a man that hath borne skot and lott as wee say in a towne if he be brought to such a poore estate as that hee is constrayed to take almes of his neighbours it must needes be a great griefe and shame vnto him so is it with these kinde of Christians whereas they should grow forward in the loue of God as the light doth increase after the Sunne newly risen they on the other side grow backeward and this must needes be grieuous vnto God and it openeth the mouth of the wicked to the reproach of their profession and they will say seeing these forward men make a stay of their forwardnesse in their course what neede wee set forward and be so hott in the spirit and they bring a slander vppon the land of Canaan Thus many men when they were young were very zealous in religion and being come to temper and deale in the world then they make a stay of their forwardnesse like vnto a dogge that at the first setting forth runneth swiftly after the game or chase till he meete with a peece of carrion then he standeth and goeth no further And this befalleth vnto these men either because they neglect the meanes as prayer hearing of the word and meditating vpon the same if done yet very carelesly so that their zeale is decayed as fire goeth out for want of tending it or putting fit matter to it to cherish it But indeed the chiefe cause of all this decaying grace is the loue of this vild world which eateth vp all and hindreth greatly the growth of godlinesse Euen as a great high Ash will suffer nothing to thriue that groweth vnder it And this commeth by reason of our plentie caused by our long peace For euerie man almost now layeth about him how to make or feather his owne nest and to prouide store of riches for him and his posteritie And Christians liuing among these worldlings they learne to doe as they doe but if wee had warres euery three or foure yeares and put in feare of the enemie wee would then say what should wee gather so much goods for the enemie to spoyle vs and them But oh what a shame is it for a man once to make heauen his chiefe treasure shall now fall to seeking so greedily after the earth Can God take this well at our hands NO such as doe see are like vnto a man yet hauing a comely woman to his wife shall forsake her and seeke after the company of some vild blouze or base harlot Such cold Christians may well be ashamed when they doe seriously consider what they once were and now what they are fallen into Now for the second sort of Christians which need to be awaked they are such as were euill dull and sluggish in the practise of the duties of godlinesse they hang as it were by the eye lids for they hauing receiued of God a little measure of faith and of sanctifiing grace are content to ioyne with others in good things and company with some of the forwarder sort But their seruice to God is so poore and so cold as it is little worth and indeed the vilde loue of the world eateth vp these two they heare the word but