Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	everlasting_a	reap_v	sow_v	4,291	5	10.3472	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26695	A sure guide to heaven, or, An earnest invitation to sinners to turn to God in order to their eternal salvation shewing the thoughtful sinner what he must do to be saved / by Joseph Alleine.	Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.	1688 (1688)	Wing A977; ESTC R28088	129,275	198

of Gods immutable counsel or corrupt him whom the Father hath sealed to go directly against his Commission then and not otherwise maist thou get to Heaven in this condition To hope that Christ will save thee while unconverted is to hope that Christ will falsify his trust He never did nor will save one soul but whom the Father hath given him in election and drawn to him in effectual calling Iohn 6. 34 37. Be assured Christ will save none in a way contrary to his Fathers will Iohn 6. 38. Secondly To offer violence to all his attributes 1. To his Iustice. For the righteousness of Gods judgment lies in rendring to all according to their works Rom. 2. 5 6. Now should men sow to the flesh and yet of the Spirit reap everlasting life Gal. 6. 7 8. where were the glory of divine Justice since it should be given to the wicked according to the work of the righteous 2. To his holiness If God should not only save sinners but save them in their sins his most pure and strict holiness would be exceedingly defaced The unsanctified is in the eyes of Gods holiness worse than a Swine or Viper Mat. 23. 33. 2 Pet. 2. 23. Now what cleanly nature could indure to have the filthy Swine Bed and Board with him in his Parlour or Bed-chamber It would offer the extreamest violence to the infinite purity of the divine nature to have such to dwell with him They cannot stand in his judgment they cannot abide in his presence Psalm 1. 5. Psalm 5. 4 5. If holy David would not endure such in his house no nor in his sight Psalm 101. 3 7. shall we think God will Should he take men as they be from the Trough to the Table from the Harlots lips from the Stye and Draff to the glory of Heaven the world would think God were at no such a distance from sin nor had such dislike of it as we are told he hath● they would conclude God were altogether such a one as themselves as they wickedly did but from the very forbearance of God Psal. 50. 21. 3. To his Veracity For God hath declared from Heaven That if any shall say he shall have peace tho' he should go on in the imagination of his heart his wrath shall smoak against that man Deut. 29. 19 20. That they only that confess and forsake their sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. 13. That they that shall enter into his Hill must be of clean hands and a pure heart Psal. 24. 3 4. Where were Gods truth if notwithstanding all this he should bring men to Salvation without Conversion O desperate sinner that darest to hope that Christ will put the lye upon his Father and nullifie his word to save thee 4. To his Wisdom For this were to throw away the choicest mercies on them that would not value them nor were any way suited to them First they would not value them The unsanctified sinner puts but little price upon God's great Salvation Mat. 22. 5. He sets no more by Christ than the whole by the Physician Matthew 9. 12. he prizes not his balm values not his cure tramples upon his blood Heb. 10. 29. Now would it stand with wisdom to force pardon and life upon them that would give him no thanks for them Will the all-wise God when he hath forbidden us to do it throw his holy things to Dogs and his pearls to Swine that would as it were but turn again and rend him Mat. 7. 6. This would make mercy to be despised indeed Wisdom requires that life be given in a way suitable to God's honour and that God provide for the securing his own glory as well as Man's felicity It would be dishonourable to God to set his Jewels on the snouts of Swine continuing such and to bestow his choicest riches on them that have more pleasure in their swill than the heavenly delights that he doth offer God should lose the praise and glory of his grace if he should cast it away on them that were not only unworthy but unwilling Secondly They are no way suited to them The Divine Wisdom is seen in suiting things each to other the means to the end the object to the faculty the quality of the gift to the capacity of the receiver Now if Christ should bring the unregenerate sinner to Heaven he could take no more felicity there than a Beast if you should bring him into a beautiful room to the Society of learned men and a well-furnished Table when as the poor thing had much rather be grazing with his fellow-brutes Alas what should an unsanctified creature do in Heaven He could take no content there because nothing suits him The place doth not suit him he would be but piscis in arido quite out of his element as a Swine in the parlour or a Fish out of water The Company doth not suit him What communion hath darkness with light corruption with perfection Filth and rottenness with glory and immortality The imployment doth not suit him The Anthems of Heaven fit not his mouth suit not his ear Canst thou charm thy Beast with Musick Or wilt thou bring him to thy Organ and expect that he should make thee melody or keep time with the skilful Quire Or had he skill he would have no will and so could find no pleasure no more than the nauseous stomach in the meat on which it hath newly surfeited Spread thy Table with delicates before a languishing Patient and it will be but a very offence Alas if the poor man think a Sermon long and say of a Sabbath What a weariness is it Mal. 1. 13. how miserable would he think it to be held to it to all eternity 5. To his immutability or else to his Omnisciency Omnipotency For this is enacted in the Conclave of Heaven and enrolled in the decrees of the Court above that none but the pure in heart shall ever see God Mat. 5. 8. This is laid up with him and sealed among his Treasures Now if Christ yet bring any to Heaven unconverted either he must get them in without his Fathers knowledge and then where is his Omnisciency Or against his will and then where were his Omnipotency Or he must change his will and then where were his Immutability Sinner wilt thou not yet give up thy vain hope of being saved in this condition Saith Bildad Shall the earth be forsaken for thee Or the rocks moved out of their place Job 18. 4. May not I much more reason so with thee Shall the Laws of Heaven be reversed for thee Shall the everlasting foundations be overturned for thee Shall Christ put out the eye of his Fathers Omnisciency or shorten the arm of his eternal power for thee Shall divine Justice be violated for thee or the brightness of the glory of his holiness be blemished for thee Oh the impossibility absurdity blasphemy that is in such a confidence To think Christ will ever save thee

Silver c. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God Prov. 2. 3 4 5. Is not here a fair offer Turn you at my reproof Behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you Prov. 1. 23. Though of your selves you can do nothing yet you may do all through his Spirit enabling you and he doth offer assistance to you God bids you wash and make you clean Isa. 1. 16. you say you are unable as much as the L●●pard to wash out his spots Ier. 13. 23. yea but the Lord doth offer to purge you so that if you be fi●thy still 't is through your own wilfulness Ezek. 24. 13. I have purged thee and thou wast not purged Jer. 13. 27. O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean when shall it once be God doth wait when you will be made clean when you will yield to his motions and accept of his offers and let him do for and in you what you cannot do for your selves You do not know how much God will do upon your importunity if you will but be restless and instant with him Luke 11. 8. and 18. 5. If God hath not bound himself by express promise to wicked men to give them grace in the diligent use of the means yet he hath given them abundant encouragement to expect it from him if they seek it earnestly in his way His most gracious nature is abundant encouragement If a rich and most bountiful man should see thee in misery and bid thee come to his door wouldst thou not with confidence expect at thy coming to find some relief Thou art not able to believe nor repent God appoints thee to use such and such means in order to thy obtaining faith and repentance doth not this argue that God will bestow these upon thee if thou doest ply him diligently in prayer meditation reading hearing self-examination and the rest of his means Otherwise God should but mock his poor creatures to put them upon there self-denying endeavours and then when they have put hard to it and continued waiting upon him for grace deny them at last Surely if a sweet natured man would not deal thus much less will the most merciful and gracious God. I intended to have added many other arguments but these have swoln under my hands and I hope the judicious reader will rather look upon the weight than the number The Conclusion of the whole AND now my brethren let me know your minds What do you intend to do Will you go on and die or will you set upon a thorow and speedy conversion and lay hold on eternal life how long will you linger in Sodom how long will you halt between two opinions 1 Kings 18. 21. Are you not yet resolved whether Christ or Barabbas whether Bliss or Torment whether the land of Cabul 1 Kings 9. 13. or the Paradise of God be the better choice Is it a disputable case whether the Abana and Phar●har of Da●●●us be better than all the streams of Eden or whether the vile puddle of sin be to be preferred before the water of life clear as Cristal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb Can the world in good earnest do that for you that Christ can Will it stand by you to eternity Will pleasures titles lands treasures descend with you Psal. 49. 17. 1. Tim. 6. 7. If not had you not need look after somewhat that will What mean you to stand wavering to be off and on Foolish Children how long will you stick between the womb and the world Shall I leave you at last no farther than Agrippa but almost perswaded Why you are for ever lost if left here As good not at all as not altogether Christians You are half of the mind to give over your former negligent life and to set to a strict and holy course you could wish you were as some others be and could do as they can do How long will you rest in idle wishes and fruitless purposes When will you come to a fixed full and firm resolve Do not you see how Satan gulls you by t●mpting you to delays How long hath he toll'd you on in the way of perdition How many years have you been purposing posing to amend What if God should have taken you off this while Well put me not off with a dilatory answer Tell me not of hereafter I must have your present consent If you be not now resolved while the Lord is treating with you and wooing of you much less are you like to be hereafter when these impressions are worn out and you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Will you give me your hands Will you set open the doors and give the Lord Jesus the full and present possession Will you put your names into his Covenant Will you subscribe What do you resolve upon If you are still upon your delays my labour is lost and all is like to come to nothing Fain I would that you should now put in your adventures Come cast in your Lot make your choice Now is the accepted time now is the day of thy salvation to day if you will hear his voice Why should not this be the day from whence thou shouldest be able to date thine happiness Why shouldest thou venture a day longer in this dangerous and dreadful condition What if God should this night require thy soul O that thou mightest know in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace before they be hid from thine eyes Luke 19. 42. This is thy day and 't is but a day Iohn 9. 4. Others have had their day and have received their doom and now art thou brought upon the stage of this world here to act thy part for a whole eternity Remember thou art now upon thy good behaviour for everlasting If thou make not a wise choice now thou art undone for ever Look what thy present choice is such must thine eternal condition be Luke 10. 42. Luke 16. 25. Prov. 1. 27 28 29. And is it true indeed is life and death at thy choice yea 't is as true as truth is Deut. 30. 19. why then what hinders but that thou shouldest be happy Nothing doth or can hinder but thine own wilful neglect or refusal It was the passage of the Eunuch to Philip See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized So I may say to thee see here is Christ here is mercy pardon life what hinders but that thou shouldst be pardoned and saved One of the Martyrs as he was praying at the stake had his pardon set by in a box which indeed he refused deservedly because upon unworthy terms But here the terms are most honourable and easie O sinner wilt thou burn with thy pardon by thee Why do but forthwith give up thy consent to Christ to renounce thy sins deny thy self take up the Yoak and the Cross and thou carriest the day Christ is thine