Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	body_n	death_n	separation_n	3,748	5	10.7337	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45396	Hagieā theoū krisis Iudgment worthy of God, or, An assertion of the existence and duration of hell torments, in two occasional letters, written several years since / by ... Henry Hammond ; to which is added an accordance of St. Paul with St. James, in the great point of faith and works by the same author.	Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.	1665 (1665)	Wing H515; ESTC R15162	47,364	178

rather then they would entertain or admit Communion or desire and practices with them T is possible it may be said that the reason of the difference is because Origens opinion was contrary to Scripture and that this other is not To this I shall make no further reply then in the words of Vincentius Lirin Imo planè nemo unquam Magistrorum fuit qui pluribus divinae legis uteretur exemplis His only fault then must bee that he urged divine Testimonies in uncatholick Interpretations And whether that have not place here also I leave it to every one to consider and so saith Lirinensis again Dum parvipendit antiquam religionis Christianae simplicitatem dum se plus cunctis sapere praesumit dum Ecclesiasticas traditiones veterum Magisteria contemnens quaedam scripturarum capitula nova more interpretatur meruit ut de se quoque Ecclesiae Dei diceretur Si surrexit in medio Tui Propheta Thirdly then to come to your Testimonies from Scripture of the N T especially for proof of the affirmative And 1. for the use of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is acknowledg'd that these words properly signify the same that in English death or dying doth But that this should be limited to utter destruction and annihilation is most unreasonable For in the using of this argument it is foreseen and granted that death is taken sometimes for death in and unto Sin Only 't is suggested that those are mysticall and metaphoricall Sences Hereupon I infer that if the words be taken sometimes mystically and metaphorically and yet no assurance that they are so but because they are us'd in a matter whereto death as it signifies a separation of Soul and Body is unappliable then may they by the same reason be taken so elsewhere and not bound to that one which is thought to be the sole literal and proper signification If Death appear to signify in Scripture somewhat beside utter destruction then how can the wickeds utter destruction be concluded from the mentions of their death c Against this it avails not to say that the one is the proper but the other only metaphoricall notion of it for it being granted that the scripture useth Metaphors in one instance why may it not in another as probably This is sufficient to the force of that argument But then ex abundanti I adde that the Notion of Death for utter destruction i. e. Annihilation being only usefull to the disputer it will be hard for him to produce any one place either in Old or New Testament I might adde or in any other Author where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. signifies Annihilation It signifies indeed the separation of Soul from Body very frequently but that is not founded on supposition that in that separation either of the parts much lesse both utterly perish Nay the doctrine for which the proposer of the questions disputes supposes him not to mean death in that notion for then Eternall death the wickeds portion must be eternall separation of Soul and Body which is exclusive of all reunion or resurrection at the day of Judgment which the Disputer averts as hereticall Nay 't is to be observ'd that when our Saviour came nearest the expressing this matter or annihilation he chooseth two other Phrases not this of death or anything that way inclining having never been born and having a milstone hanged about the Neck and being cast into the midst of the Sea which by an imperfect resemblance seemeth meant on purpose to signifie annihilation And yet it is also observable to the main question that either of these states and so annihilation is better and more desirable then the Lot which in Gods decree awaites a betrayer of Christ a wicked man for that one fact Thus far by way of evacuating all force in that Argument To this I shall adde somewhat Positive toward the laying foundation for the evincing the contrary viz. That death in scripture use is as 't is granted in the objection oppos'd to life Life then ordinarily signifies that which results from the union of Soul and Body but it also signifies the result of another union Unio Virtutis betwixt God and the Soul or betwixt God and both In the former of these it signifies spirituall life both as that signifies living well whereby the passages of spiritual vertue betwixt God and us are kept open and free and as it signifies pardon of sin the contrary whereto is expressed by separating and hiding his face and turning himself from us In the latter viz. betwixt God and the Soul and Body i. e. Person of man it signifies Gods favour and protection of which under the style of Gods presence the Psalmist saith that in it is life And then as all felicity is the certain effect or consequent of this kind of union so life oft signifies felicity even that of the highest Magnitude And all this not Mystically or Metaphorically that I know of or if it did that exception is of no force as hath already been shew'd but as litterally and with as full propriety as the union of Soul and Body is call'd Life God being as the School saith out of St Augustin intimior cuicunque rei creatae then the Soul is to the Body and so the several parts of that union more necessary to the several sorts of life signified thereby Mean while it is evident that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life belongs not to being simply for all Ents have not life or to miserable being non est vivere sed valere vita but to greater or lesser degrees of happy and joyfull being the utmost of which is so naturally expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it wants not the addition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oft times to do it If thou wilt enter into life Mat. XIX 17. and VII 14. and XVIII 8. i. e. the happy being in Heaven Which is so properly that which is call'd life that this we live here scarce deserves the appellation in comparison with it Now in proportion to these acceptions of life must the Notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. be calculated Had life signified most properly being simply taken there might have been some pretence that the contrary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should denote the contrary to being viz. Annihilation But when it signifies those so many other things and not simple entity 't is most rationall that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should both technically and properly signify the opposites to those severals wicked life the displeasure of God a miserable being here separation of Soul from Body of both from God and above all endless torments in another World Joh. viii 51 52. and that as somewhat to be seen and tasted which were not so well appliable to annihilation and in many other places I instance in one or two more first Heb. 2 14. because there it seems to mee to have a mark

Fire and Brimstone into which they are cast which must be a very strange figurative expression if it signify no more then their own voluntary acts appetitions and aversations Thirdly it is manifest that those diseases which precede many Men's deaths do change their appetitions and aversations The luxurious Man on his sick Bed hath not those vehement desires of Weomen delicate meats c. which he had in his health Why then should I think that after Death his appetites of what he desir'd in via viz. in his life and health should continue to him Nay 4. When Souls are divested of those Bodies which were the necessary Instruments and also the fomenters of those carnall sins and again when the body before its re-union is so chang'd as not to be sustein'd as in via it is by eating and drinking 't is not imaginable it should retain those natural desires which in via it had And when they no more marry in Hell then Heaven and are as equal to evill Angels as the Saints in Heaven are to good ones and the natural end of all carnal desires ceasing it is not imaginable God should continue those desires to them for ever Or if any should so conceive many strange wild consequences unfit to name would be equally probable equally unimaginable 5. By this stating the losse of Heaven will from hence only be penal that Men desir'd Heaven in via or judg'd it fit to be desired And if so it will be no punishment to them that never thought of it at all as infidels or despised it as they did all spirituall joyes and thought it not worth desiring as they that placed all their appetites on carnall and material pleasures which are the worst sort of men who in consequence hereunto must be least punisht in Hell poena damni Having said thus much against your Scheme I owe my self the pains of adding a word or too for the defence of the way that I have us'd in the Practical Catechisme viz. by considering the option given to us by God wherein you seem to me not to have observ'd that on which the chiefe weight of my account was design'd to lie That God propos'd to Men life and death blessing and cursing eternal joyes and eternall paines as the Rector of the Universe I take for granted and so do you as an Article of our Faith So that of the an sit the question is not but considering the transitory short pleasures of sin the onely question is How eternal paines are with any justice proportion'd to them and to that the answer is Not that they are proportion'd to them but that there is no need they should be because God having propos'd the joyes of Heaven and much more immunity from these paines upon termes put absolutely in our power it is meerly our own fault not imputable to the decree of God if we fall under those hardest paines The extremity of which was primarily design'd as by all prudent Lawgivers punishments are to deter men from those sins which are fenced with so thorny an hedge not that they may be inflicted on any but that all may be kept innocent and in this sence 't is ordinarily observ'd that the everlasting Fire which is threatned men was prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels Yet when such threats are entred into those lawes whereby the Universe is governed it is just and reasonable that they should be also actually perform'd on the disobedient else it were as good nay better to all political ends that they had never been made or promulgate And if still when they come to be inflicted they appear to be hard or above the proportion of the offence there are yet other wayes of superseding that exception beside the evacuating the decree viz. The several branches of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all which the Gospel hath provided in this matter First That those which wee could not either by Physical or moral possibility avoid should not be charg'd upon us to this condemnation as Original sinne sinnes of Weaknesse Ignorance sudden surprise Indeliberation c. Secondly That know deliberate voluntary sinnes if timely retracted by repentance Humiliation Confession change of mind shall not fall under it Thirdly That God gives sufficient grace to avoid all willful sin and again sufficient grace to repent when it hath been committed and inflicts it not till he sees men go on obstinately and that they will not repent Fourthly That he calls and warns and importunes them to consult their own safety to make use of his grace timely and not obstinately to harden their hearts against their own mercy and so to perish in despight of mercy Fiftly That he offers not only deliverance from these torments but over and above eternal joyes upon so easy termes of so moderate nay desireable performances that they which will neglect so great Salvation propos'd to them with so many advantages and concurrence of all rationall motives and finally make so mad a choice as to take Hell as it were by violence cannot but be thought worthy to take their portion in that lake be it never so punitive and endless Because though in respect of that one sinne the short pleasure that comes in to them by sin compar'd with intensive endlesse flames there is no proportion yet 1. In respect of their obstinacy and unexcusablenesse 2. In respect of God's tendernesse using all wise means of moderating the rigour of his Law by the Gospel though not by utter abrogating his Lawes which becomes not either a just or wise Lawgiver or Rector of the Universe all shew of Injustice is remov'd particularly by the second taken alone much more in union with the first and third the rule being owned by all rationall men volenti non fit injuria be the evill never so great 't is just they should have it that finally make it their choice so doth the persevering Impenitent and that not only an hasty passionate choice as Nero's Mother's Occidat modò imperet which yet Historians observe to have brought her death justly upon her but a deliberate stanch obstinate constant choice when their Creator and Redeemer and Sanctifyer have us'd all prudent probable meanes to gaine them to better counsels and choices but all in vain they die because they will die When yet they are oft warn'd and expostulated with of the irrationalnesse of that will or choice 'T is true when they come to suffer their own choices they are far from liking them as Xiphilin observ'd of Neroe's Mother in the foremention'd case and then 't is likely would fly from them call to the mountaines to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb But their choices being primarily terminated in the pleasant sinnes and but consequentially in the paines annexed to them by God's Law 't will be as unreasonable that they which have chosen the former should be freed from the latter as that he that hath bought a Commodity at a price