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
A53272	The first, last, or, The formal hypocrite further from salvation (as to the way of God's ordinary working) than the prophane sinner being the substance of several sermons preached in course at a lecture in the countrey / by J.O. ...	Oldfield, John, 1627?-1682.	1666 (1666)	Wing O219A; ESTC R17591	60,026	155

sensible of his growth nor a fit Judg of it That of the Orator concerning growth in knowledg may be fitly appli'd hither As we see the shadow of a Dial to have gone but see it not go and the Herb or Grass to have grown but do not see it grow so the encrease of knowledg and the same may be said of Grace because it consists of very small additions is seen only at some distance Yet with these limitations I may affirm That every true Christian is in a constant thriving posture 1. That he grows downward like Trees in Winter when he seems to decay upward he grows more humble when he seems to be less holy and this is real growth God in wisdom suspends his influences as to the growth of other Graces that there may be a proportionable growth in that Christians like the Athenian Students the more they grow in Grace the more out of conceit with themselves As they at their first coming thither arrogated the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wise men then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lovers of wisdom Afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Speakers of wisdom At last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ideots So it is with Christians 2. That he grows more into hatred of sin when he seems to decay in strength against it when he feels corruption prevail lusts predominant he cryes out with the Apostle Rom. 7.15 What I hate that do I. And v. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death He more loaths sin and himself that he cannot conquer it he abhors the very thoughts of it and grows more impatient of its yoke 3. That he grows in depth of Judgment when he declines in height of Affection possibly when young he had more leaves and blossoms stronger affections and more serverous motions but now is more sober and solid At first he was sick of love now more rooted in love But now it is otherwise with the Formalist he experiences no such growth but the contrary he goes backward and not forward Jer. 7.24 grows more proud and self-confident sin grows less burdensome or more delightful to him as he hath less strength so he hath less heart then formerly to resist sin or perform duty Conscience is in a consumption and he that would have strain'd at a Gnat can after some time swallow a Camel he loses his seeming love to and savour of Religion Observe then if it be thus with thee for by these thou mayest discover thy Formality 2. But it is not enough to get a convincing sight of this sin i e. that thou art a Formalist except thou hast also an humbling sense of it there 's a great distance betwixt the eye and heart a man may clearly see that he is a sinner yet be little affected with it the Drunkard Swearer c. cannot but see their sin yet are far from feeling it It must be therefore our endeavour in order to the cure of this sin to get the heart affected as well as the Judgment convinced Sin must be our burden else we shall never look out for ease To this end therefore it must be thy endeavour to view this sin in its aggravations to consider and dwell upon the consideration of its hainousness till thy heart be pressed with the weight of it To help thee a little in this take a few things of many 1. It is a sin that turns the greatest reality in the world into a meer shew and shadow Religion is the greatest reality all we do in the World besides the work of Religion is but a meer dream Regeneration Communion with God the Spiritual combat the Life of Faith Mortification of sin c. these are realities indeed Now Formality turns all these into a naked empty Profession a vain Theatrical shew as the Poetical Fiction of the Eccho metamorphosd from a real Virgin to a meer Sound as the Papists have turn'd the true Fast into a m●ck-fast Repentance and afflicting the soul into lashings of the Body and Pilgrimages the Sacrament of the Supper into a dumb shew and the whole Worship of God into a ceremonious Enterlude So the Formalist turns Prayer Hearing Sacraments c. into shadows and is this a small sin think you Dwell upon this consideration how soon would Religion vanish into nothing if there were not a few serious spirits to uphold it in the power of it This eats out the kernel the heart the life of Religion It was no less serious then witty a division which one gave of that Text 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godliness Here said he you have 1. The Body of Religion viz. Form 2. The Soul of Religion viz. Power 3. The death of Religion and that is the separation of the Soul from the Body Power from Form This is the effect of thy sin it murders Religion 2. It is a mocking God to his very face it 's a lying to God and will God endure it What are your formal Petitions Confessions Thanksgivings c. but meer mockeries Thou com'st to hear but it is as they in Jer. 42.5 6 9. who when they received a Message contrary to their designs tell the Prophet to his face that he lies or as Isa 58.2 who were but as a people that did righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God Or as they are described in Ezek. 33.31 32. The Prophet's Preaching was to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice They heard his words but did them not And what greater abuse can be put upon God then for men to come and pretend a desire to know his Will yet to take no care of performing it As to your prayers I may invert that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14. 14. Your understanding prayeth but the spirit is unfruitful Your approaches to the Lords Table are no better than a Judas's kiss nor can God take any more pleasure in your approaches then he did in the like service of the Jews Isa 1 12-15 66.3 You do but complement with God and that is no better then meer mockery O think how wretched a thing it is how highly displeasing your duties all of them while you continue in Formality are so many jeers and abuses put upon God 3. By this sin you put a cheat and fallacy upon your own souls you mock God but deceive your selves Gal. 6.3 If a man think himself to be something when he is nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he deceives himself seduces his own soul Jam. 1.22 Bare hearers do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 play the sophisters put tricks and fallacies upon themselves So v. 26. He that bridleth not his tongue and such ordinarily is the Formalist bitter railing censorious but deceiving his own heart his Religion is vain And what greater madness than for a man to cheat himself Lay this home and aggravate your condition by it Wretch that I am I think to deceive

hereby contracting upon them the just odium of the Jewish Nation Hence that suitable counsel of John to them Luk. 3.13 Exact no more then that which is appointed you Upon this account Zacheus as a special testimony of his sincere repentance offers a fourfold restitution of any thing got by false accusation Luk. 19.8 That being the sin of his calling Yea so wicked they were that in Scripture Heathen and Publican are equivalent Mat 18.17 So that when our Saviour would beat the Jews out of their carnal confidences and high conceits of themselves and their doings he ordinarily compares them with Publicans shewing them that they either come up no higher then they as Matth. 5.46 47. or that they fall short of them as Luke 18 10-14 and this Text. Yea so wicked were they thought that it was judg'd a crime in our Saviour to converse with them Matth. 9.11 and cast upon him as a grand opprobrium that he was a friend of Publicans and sinners Matth. 11.9 Harlots their sin is too well known amongst us Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vendor properly those quae corpus habent venale who prostitute their bodies for money If you would see their wickedness read Proverbs 6 and 7. Chapters and 23 27 c. Some think that 27. Chapter to be Allegorical and that under the shadow of an Harlot is represented the deceitful and destructive nature of sin if so this sin is exceeding sinful which though but one species yet contains in it the whole nature and properties of its genus and is as it were an Epitome of all sin Kingdom of God is used in many senses to pass by other it is taken sometimes for the state of Grace the Church Militant sometimes for the state of Glory or Church Triumphant here both may be taken in the one as the Way the other as the End So that the plain sense is Publicans and Harlots notorious vile sinners sooner repent believe embrace the Gospel c. so consequently come to Heaven then you formal self-conceited Jews Priests and Elders Before you The speech is something improper as Beza notes Improprie hîc dicuntur praeire quos nemo sequitur They go before you i. e. they are saved and you perish as appears by comparing this with Matth. 8.11 12. The children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness They upon Faith and Repentance are made happy in glory while you continuing in unbelief and impenitency fall into eternal perdition The words thus opened take the sense of them in this plain Doctrinal Proposition or Conclusion Doctr. That the vilest sinners Publicans and Harlots c. often believe repent and are saved while Pharisaical self-justifying Formalists continue in Vnbelief and Impenitency and so perish eternally Proof Thus you see it was in the course of John's preaching vers 31. and thus it fell out in our Saviours preaching Levi the Publican becomes Matthew the Evangelist Luke 5.27 with Matth. 10.3 Zacheus the chief of the Publicans and very rich becomes a Son of Abraham i. e. a Penitent believer Luke 19.9 Magdalen the Harlot is made Magdalen the Convert Luke 7.37 Nor was it onely so with these two or three but Mark 2.15 Many Publicans and sinners followed him Luke 7.29 30. The Publicans justified God But the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves c. Nay Luke 15.12 Then drew near unto him all the Publicans and Sinners for to hear him and the Pharisees and Scribes murmured Amongst these self-conceited self-justifying Formalists there was but Vnus alter one Nicodemus one Joseph one Paul and not many more that I remember That question John 7.48 Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him implies the rarity of such mens coming in So that as it is said of Ministers Quis unquam vidit Cl●ricum paenitentem though I hope such are no black Swans in this age so it might have been said in that age Quis unquam vidit Pharisaeum paenitentem Who ever saw a Pharisee a Scribe a Ruler a Lawyer repenting Nor was it otherwise in the Apostles time the immediate Successors of Christ you will find throughout the History of the Acts that the formal Jews were the greatest contemners of the Apostles Doctrine and the most deadly inveterate haters and persecutors of their persons while whole Cities and Countries of the prophane Idolatrous Gentiles readily embrace steadfastly believe and cordially obey their Gospel Take a few instances among many Acts 8.5 Philip hath incredible success in Samaria the Gospel is received there with great joy v. 8. which the Jews had driven away from them by a great persecution vers 1. So Acts 13.45 The Jews seeing the multitudes are filled with envy contradict blaspheme but vers 48. The Gentiles are glad and glorifie the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed whereas the Jews v. 50. do Omnem moverê lapidem stir up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the City and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their Coasts Go to the 14 Chapter at Iconium a great multitude both of Jews and Greeks beleeved v. 1. But then v. 2. the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles c. At Lystra the Idolatrous people mistaking the Apostles for their supposed Heathenish Deities are scarce restrained from doing sacrifice unto them Here was a wide door opened and might in all probability have proved more effectual had not the inveterate enemies of the Gospel the carnal Jews stopt the passage by enraging the people against the Apostles as you may see v. 19. Go on to the 17. Chapter v. 1.5 You find the Apostles succesfully preaching the Gospel at Thessalonica a great multitude of devout Greeks believing and of the chief women not a few v. 4. But v. 5. the Jews their old adversaries oppose c. The like success they had at Berea v. 10 11 12. and the same opposers v. 13. At Corinth Acts 18.8 with 12 13. At Rome though few of the Jews believed Acts 28.23 to the end yet the seed which Paul cast there sprung up into a flourishing Gentile-Church whose Faith was spoken of throughout the whole World Rom. 1.8 'T is needless to heap up instances of this nature they being common and obvious to any that observe them Thus you see that de facto it was so and the case is not much alter'd now that it was much more ordinary and frequent to see a penitent Publican or Harlot or the like gross Sinner then to see a proud self-justifying Pharisee or Formalist repenting and embracing Christ CHAP. II. A first sort of Reasons viz. What may move God to call the Prophane rather then the Formalists Negatively and Positively NOw it will be well worthy of our pains to enquire into the Reason of this evident Truth and those may be two wayes considered 1. Quoad Deum in reference