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
A86695	A dry rod blooming and fruit-bearing. Or, A treatise of the pain, gain, and use of chastenings. Preached partly in severall sermons, but now compiled more orderly and fully for the direction and support of all Gods chastened that suffer either in Christ, or for Christ in these dayes. By G. Hughes, B.D. pastor of the church in Plymouth.	Hughes, George, 1603-1667.	1644 (1644)	Wing H3308; Thomason E48_9; ESTC R14529	125,445	138

the Father that doth chastise carries all the effects of grace in it righteousnesse is but his love and peace his love and life his love that is the issues of it and the rod makes way through the flesh to bring these into the soule and the Spirit through both perfects the effect and leaves Gods image more eminently stampt upon the heart that more exactly we might subject our selves to the Father of spirits and live Luke 15.17 Ier. 31.18 Psal 119.67 By this the prodigall was brought to himselfe and Ephraim tamed and turned and David establisht and perfected in the way of God Thus then conceive the way of this increase the Spirit by his power strikes out this bloom and fruit through the dry rod that is but the stalke yet such a stalk there must be the Spirit is the seminall vertue that gives forth the fruit and in this order by the smart awing humbling purging an untoward flesh and by love adjoyned drawing and conforming the soule to God so making righteousnesse and peace to abound 2. Freely doth this rod thus give the fruit the very word imports it yeelding it from it selfe No green tree yeelds its fruit more naturally none so freely as this For Grace is in it which every way is free and works most freely toward the creature Nothing more free then gift and that gift the freest which comes onely from and for the Donors selfe Thus the love of God through the rod gives forth this gain it is not by force nor charm that this dry rod is quickned and made fruitfull onely by Grace and Promise because the chastising father saith Hosea 5.15 I will afflict and they shall seek me early It is not for thy exercise but to thy exercise that the Lord commands his rod to yeeld this blessed fruit 3. Certainly shall this fruit be rendred from the Rod to the exercised soule It is not doubtfully delivered it may yeeld or it may not but peremptorily affirmed it doth yeeld If the power promise or truth of the Father of spirits can give certainty enough all is put to it to assure this fruit He that workes and none can let it hath thus spoken Isai 48.11 For mine owne sake even for mine owne sake will I doe it What will he doe Even refine his people and make them choice ones in the Furnace of Afflictions righteous and glorious nay it stands him upon otherwise his Name would bee polluted and his glory lost in his Churches barrennesse under the Rod. From all the premised explications we must take the state of the truth concluded the sum whereof is this Gods chastenings his smarting loving Rods for the afterward yeeld that is in their appointed time and manner give the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse both grace and blisse to them that are duly exercised by them Yee see the gain of the Rod discovered SECT VI. The demonstration of this Truth ADde we to these the Certainty and Necessitie of this truth then faith may freely feed and get strength from it Each particular indeed hath its light in opening enough to convince of all being put together yet to leave no doubt the intire truth shall be demonstrated in its certainty that it is so and in its necessity why it must be 1. That this is true in the whole proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be evident from two great Arguments Gods Revelation and Mans Experience 1. God hath spoken it therfore it is certain Take we some testimonies Isai 26.9 This is divine When thy judgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousnesse These judgements in the earth are chastenings to Gods portion there these inhabitants of the world are not all but some and they the people of truths whose souls are said to desire after Gods Name for the rest abide wicked these learn righteousnesse this is their gain but how come they by it Not by idlenesse but exercise they must goe to schoole for it and learn it This also is his Oracle Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing pretious seed shall doubtlesse come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him Here 's grieving and going and working and sowing in the day of mans affliction but what return He that goes forth shall as surely come to his home he that sprinkles his way with teares shall come leaping and rejoycing and he that beares and sowes his seed sowing to the Spirit so shall he reap for every seed he shall bring his handfull or for every handfull he shall have a sheafe aboundance of righteousnesse peace and everlasting life 2. The Saints have found it and experience is a visible demonstration then which nothing surer Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted saith David and good for me saith Job and for me saith Je●my and for me saith Daniel and for us say Abraham Isaac and Jacob all the Saints Psal 23.4 Patriarchs and Prophets subscribe to this And this steels David against distractions Thy rod comforts me what needs more witnesse 2. The necessity why it must be so depends upon one undeniable ground that is the supreme irresistible ordinance of God then which nothing can be stronger to convince The alone decree and ordinance of that great God whose counsell none can crosse hath so linked this chastening cause to this effect and this condition and this season that they cannot bee separated If we allow his Soveraignty in lesser matters wee may not deny it here unlesse we ungod him Ier. 33.20 The same power that hath decreed the Winter stormes and Summer calm the cold and the hot the wet and the dry the frost and the thaw to fit the earth that it may yeeld its strength to the labouring man in the time of harvest and none can alter one link of these or change his mind to that Soveraigne might we must grant that his counsel must stand what ever he determine In an higher and more excellent way hath he ordained that the rod to the labouring exercised Christian should hasten and give out the sweet fruit of righteousnesse and peace in the appointed season His authority is the highest reason Now that his Name and stamp is upon this truth to own it and make it his is visible in every peece of it as before declared It is all then his ordinance and thereforeour duty to beleeve and love and honour God in obedience thereunto SECT VII The inference of some truths depending HAving thus stated the Apostles Proposition Vse 1. Instruct it will be profitable for us to gather those pretious truths that fall from it foure fruitfull lessons I shall teach naturally issuing thence 1. It being in the scope a correcting assertion to allay the bitternesse of the former concerning present smart of chastening and to rectifie misguided thoughts that from sense might be ready to conclude nothing but evill in the

Spirit to bring in the severall vertues of Christ for perfecting our salvation in these speciall wayes 1. In answering the Spirit to his worke of union for as that from Christ takes hold of us so faith in us moved by the Spirit takes hold of him whereby the soule is actually united to him and by this union made partaker of all saving vertue in him therfore of the power of his death Rom. 11.20 Hence it is said that we are ingrafted into Christ by faith and no lesse that Christ dwels in our be arts by faith Ephes 3.17 Now the work whereunto faith moves us in this matter is to yeeld to the Spirits offer and to close with Christ as members whom he reveales as sent of God to be our head and so with him to become one Christ mysticall thus our minds by faith are moved to close with him by apprehending knowing and acknowledging him to be our head our wills by choosing him and yeelding to him as head and our hearts by faith also cleaving to him as head in loving fearing and delighting in him thus by consent of faith are we brought to union with Christ and thereby to communion in all his fulnesse whence we draw from his death that fruit which his death doth yeeld and from his resurrection that good which it carrieth for us and in a word from him thus we have grace for grace as the graft sucks out the juice and fatnesse of the good Olive 2. In answering to the Spirits worke of revelation faith is serviceable which faith doth and indeed onely can doe by making evident and reall to the soule what the Spirit by the word reveals Now indeed the greatest works of the Gospel on mens hearts are effected by revelation the Gospels light hath a mighty influence upon all saving effects Nothing of grace is wrought in a soule but by light this works life and all to men To the present case the Spirit reveales Jesus Christ the compleat salvation to his people his death the plague of their sin his resurrection the cause of their life to God and therefore a necessity of dying and living with him this revelation being made evident reall by faith unto a soule becomes not a Platonicall Idea or vaine speculation but an over-powering truth working it selfe into the heart and moulding it into its owne likenesse of death or life The power of such revelation is eminently averred by a mighty Apostle that was once a bitter enemy to the Gospel yet thus he speaketh Gal. 1.15 When it pleased God to reveale his Sonue in me immediately I conferred not with flesh and bloud It was so powerfull being evidenced by faith that it presently takes him from all carnall considerations knits him so fast to Christ that flesh bloud can never take him off somewhat like that fiery charret that separated Elijah from Elisha and took him unto God indeed such fire there is as well as light in these revelations realized by faith And that this is faiths serviceable worke to the Spirit so to evidence is cleare enough when it is styled the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 faith will convince when no light els can move The Spirit of revelation therefore meeting with faith Eph. 1.17.19 leaves great and mighty works upon that soule no lesse than the might of the power of God revealed to them can effect Such is that in the present instance when the Spirit revealing and faith evidencing the death of Christ to be sinnes destruction the soule is hereby lest dead unto sin Let faith therefore worke upon this revelation to evidence it that the minde may discerne it and heart rest upon it the life of sin will surely fall as the hearts of Israel at the sight of Goliah or as the man dyes at the piercing of the Cockatrices eye 3. Faith serves the Spirit to bring in the vertnes of Christ upon the soule in answering its application and direction concerning this matter by receiving one and obeying the other which being fitted for this instrument none but faith can answer It hath been declared before that the maine worke of bringing christ and his excellencies into the soule is upon the hand of Gods mighty Spirit This unites to him and reveales the force of him and by its spirituall energie gives or applies him intirely for life and every piece of him for the severall effects of grace with command so to receive him and expect the revealed force or vertue from him Now nothing but faith can sute the answer this onely receives what the Spirit gives and obeyes what the Spirit commands and so doing makes the soule have actuall experience of all that good of Christ ministred by his Spirit So that the obedientiall act of faith in receiving Christ as he is given in eying of him and depending on him as the onely salvation of his people is the onely way of faith to draw salvation from him So the like work of faith upon his death to evidence it the onely baine of sin in our flesh so to receive it in mind and will and heart and rest on it onely for this effect is the way to find the desired issue even the death of sin in our flesh To them therfore who are puzzeld with that question How faith should draw vertue out of Christ or his death I should onely reply premising that union with him and evidence of him forespoken it is by an obedientiall receiving the truth of him and resting on it to be made good by the Spirit of promise upon which reception all the benefits of person death and life are conferred by the arme of God upon that soule If God send this word to Naaman 2 Kings 5.10 Goe wash in Jordan seven times and be cleane though the water in it selfe had no more vertue to heale his leprosi● than anothers yet upon his obedience He that commanded did effect it Or a little more neer the case God commands Moses when the people were bitten with the fiery Serpents Num. 21.8 9. to make a brazen Serpent and set it upon a Pole with expresse word that if any bitten should look up unto it he should be healed and live If any now shall aske how did their looking to the brasse draw vertue for their recovery No satisfaction can be given but this their obedience being therein testified God fell not short of his word he healed while they were looking Our Lord himselfe applieth this to our present case Joh 3 14 15. As Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wildernesse so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life As eying the brazen Serpent healed the fiery bite so looking upon Christ lifted up crucified and dying heales the poysonous bite of that old Serpent and the sting of sin that the soule shall not perish by it but live Some difference there is