Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	flesh_n	sin_n	sinful_a	2,809	5	9.4946	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76447	The penitent death of a vvoefull sinner. Or, the penitent death of John Atherton executed at Dublin the 5. of December. 1640. With some annotations upon severall passages in it. As also the sermon, with some further enlargements, preached at his buriall. / By Nicholas Barnard Deane of Ardagh in Ireland.	Bernard, Nicholas, d. 1661.; Atherton, John, 1598-1640.	1641 (1641)	Wing B2014; Wing B2017; Thomason E176_3; Thomason E176_4; ESTC R2358	42,210	46

with the whole congregation vers 13 Priest anoynted did sinne his Offring for expiation was to be asmuch as for the sinne of the whole Congregation So the sinnes of such as are consecrated and set apart for Gods service require a deeper measure of repentance a greater portion of sorrow than might suffice for many others by how much they are the more scandalous And hath not this of late beene the cause of the contempt of our calling that the vulgar though erroneously have argued from the persons to the Offices according to that of Malac. 7.8 Because yee have departed out of the way and corrupted the Covenant of Levi therefore have I made you base and Contemptible before all the people according as you have not kept my wayes A good strict life needes no other helpe to gaine respect Vice usually stands in awe of vertue See but that instance in d Marke 6.20 Herod who feared Iohn and observed him because he was a just man and a holy c. T is the prescription of S. Paul to e 1 Tim. 4.12 Tit. 2.15 Timothy and Titus for it I speake the more of it in regard the contrary hath beene pretended as the Originall of all these stirres A present lamentable example wee have in this person the fruite of whose life hath beene this ignominious death both scandalous both lamented Yet in this differing his life a continuall spirituall death his death a beginning and a great progresse of a spirituall life Let him die in your thoughts for his life But let him live in your memories by his penitent death forget the former and imitate the latter And thus we have considered the second part of the Text applicatorie to this our Brother as it was to have beene his imployment towards others A word of it onely as it was effectually found in himselfe and so we shall have done with it Yee have here a Threefold Metaphoricall description of the sinfull state of nature before Conversion and the state of Grace after it The former by a 1. Blindnesse 2. Darkenesse 3. Slavery The latter by a 1. Sight 2. Light 3. Libertie The Devision of the former is somewhat like S. Iohns Tricotomize c. referring f 1 John 2 16. all in the world to the Eye the Flesh and Life according to the usuall distinction of sinnes into those of the Heart Fact and Custome The first ex Ignorantiâ the second ex Infirmitate the third ex Studio As this sinfull condition by Nature is a dead estate you may g Tribus gradibus ad peccatū pervenitur in corde in facto in consuetudine tanquā tres mortes una quasi in domo altera quasi pro lata extra portum tertia quasi in sepulchro jam putrescens Quae tria genera mortuorum Dominū suscitasse quisquis Evangelium legit agnoscit Augast sermon in Mont. perceive three degrees of it according to a distinction of S. Augustines The first Blindnesse is like the Man dead in his Bed the second Darkenesse put into his Coffin The third Vnder the power of Satan layd in his Grave Three such our Saviour raysed to life h Mark 5.41 Iairus his daughter in her bed within doores i ●●k 7.14 The Widdow of Naims Sonne in his Coffin carrying out k John 11 4● And Lazarus putrifying in his Grave all were miracles but the last the greatest Such severall Degrees of sinners is S. Paul heere sent to rayse from the death of sinne to the life of Grace to the last degree of which to magnifie Gods mercie the more was this our Brother falne and raysed againe by repentance 1. The first degree of our wretched estate before Conversion is set out by a Blindnesse to open their eyes therefore blinde before which indeed is like his Ioh. 9.1 from our very birth And yet in many things this of the Soule is worse than that of the body Hee that is blinde in body is glad of a guide these often scorne instruction the former thinkes them happy that see and defires it These despise such and will not see though they might The one beleeves he is blinde and laments it The other thinkes he sees well enough like the Pharisees Iohn 9.41 The Corporally blinde sometimes excell in parts of the minde as Memory c. But a man spiritually blinde hath no good thing in him at all 2. The second by a darkenesse as the world the first day of the Creation was emptie and voyde wrapt up in a confused darkenesse such is our estate as wee are borne at first voyde of all good Rom. 7.18 Darkenesse in the Vnderstanding Confusion in the Affections and Conscience And there is some similitude between them First a man in Darkenesse is subject to errour so are such to goe astray resembled in the lost * Luke 15. Groate and Sheepe Secondly subject to * Iohn 11 1● stumbling so are these to dangerous fals and scandals in their lives till they slip at last into that Pit of darkenesse Thirdly insensible of any evill before them So are these of Hell and damnation let them be never so often turned Fourthly subject to mistakes to thinke they are right when they are wrong So are such often strongly conceited they are in the way to heaven and yet Posting the contrary Lastly subject to feares and frights such is the Case of those who live in the workes of darkenesse they have many horrours and scars within their Consciences especially if they fall into any danger of death by sickenesse or any other accident The same which this our Brother often acknowledged to have beene his condition before his Conversion 3. Thirdly by a slavery and the worst of any omni malo exitio pejor under the power or thraldome of Satan 2. Tim. 2.26 An Embleme of it yee have in Sampsou who had his eyes first puld out by the Philistines and then bound in fetters and made to grinde in the Prison t is so expressed Esay 42.7 To open the blinde eyes to bring out the prisoners from the prison house Signified somwhat by the Israelits miserable estate in the Egyptian bondage They were in a strange Countrie so the more helpelesse hopelesse Such is this where we are Pilgrims and strangers The taske-masters may resemble the buffetings and cruell exactions of our spirituall enemies Pharaoh commands to have their Children killed in the birth and so doth Satan endeavour daily to crush the very first motions and beginnings of any spirituall birth in us like the Dragon in the Revelation l Revel 12.4 when hee could not murther the Mother attempted the Child assoone as it was borne Sinne is in us as in the streame in Adam as in the Spring in the Devill as in the Sea from whom as all comes so to whom all that die in them must returne And yet herein as Anselme observes by some Circumstances the Scholler exceedes the Master the sinnes of