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	sting_n	3,690	5	11.8999	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75308	The triumph of a good conscience. Or a sermon preached upon the 2. of the Revel. the latter part of the 10 verse. VVherein the nature of faithfulnesse is in part opened, and the doctrine of perseverance confirmed, and some cases of conscience cleared. / By Paul Amiraut, minister of the Gospel at East Dearham, in the county of Norfolk.	Amyraut, Paul, b. 1600 or 1601.	1648 (1648)	Wing A3038; Thomason E426_10; ESTC R204574	20,497	32

winds Therefore for God to bring forth judgement into victory this is victory indeed Chrysostome speaking of Enochs translation professeth that he wonders at nothing so much as this ☞ that Enoch with a body of flesh passing through the ayre which is the Divells territory and therfore he is called the Prince of the aire yet he should passe unmolested the Divell not throwing so much as a stone at the mud-wall of his body though he was his greatest enemie at that time even when he came jossling by and confronted him as it were in the place of his own dominion So it is a thing that may carrie us to the highest pitch of admiration to see a Christian passe through the hoasts of the Divells temptations with not only a body of dust which he may feed upon as a Serpent For dust is the Serpents meat but with a body of sin too which he may command as a Captain to fight under his hellish standard and yet to Come forth as Christ did out of Bozrah having his garment stained with the blood of his enemies Esay 63.17 c. His small and scarce appearing grace being like unto Ionathans arrowes which never returned emptie from the blood of the slaine and the fast of the mightie 2 Sam. 1.22 This is worth an Io paan and an Io triamphe Well may a Christian say in this case with the Apostle O death where is thy sting O Hell where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thankes be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. But sinnes of presumption doe not make way for such victories but on the contrary presumptuous sinners lye down at Satans feet as his bond slaves they are said to be overcome of sinne and to be taken Captives by Satan at his pleasure You therefore that pretend your sinnes are sinnes of infirmitie see whether you can shew the trophees and monuments of such spirituall victories as these are else you have some cause to suspect your selves It will not be sufficient in this case to alledge your forsaking of grosse sinnes as drunkennesse adulterie c. this doth not argue victory for these sinnes must not be subdued in a way of victory but they must be escaped in a way of flight And therefore you have that expression of Peter concerning some Apostates that had escaped the pollutions of the world and afterwards proved guilty of a Relaps Simele 2 Pet. 2.22 If an house were much infected with the plague though they were enemies an Armie of Soldiers would hardly compasse it about and lay sledge to it to subdue it but they would rather flie from it and keep a distance from it So such infections and pestiferous slnnes as these must be the obiect of our flight and not of our victories Neither can we be said to have escaped them by refraining from those sinnes unlesse also we avoid those occasions and appearances of evill that bring us neere them because they that flee from any thing must not come as neere as they can but must keep at as great a distance as they can For men to refrain from drunkennesse and yet follow tipling to professe to hate pride and yet delight in strange apparell to refraine from the act of uncleanenesse and yet to practise dalliance to abhorre Idolatry and to observe superstious Ceremonies is to come so neere those grosse sinnes as it cannot be said of us that we have escaped them And yet when we have thus escaped them we are not thereby in a capacitie to be crowned as spirituall Conquerors For the Apostates spoken of in that place of Peter had gone thus farre and yet afterwards made it appeare by their Apostacie that they never knew what it is to conquer sin But the subduing of our spirituall corruptions as our unbeliefe our spirituall pride vaine glory love of the world c. These are the victories wherby we must try our selves and unlesse we find that our sins have made a spiritual conquest of them it is to be feared our sins are not sins of infirmitie but sins of presumption 4. The children of Israel by reason of these Gibeonites could the better intend their higher imployments because they did their drudgery worke for them so whiles these sins of infirmitie doe keep the soul low in a way of humiliation and as it were help forward this submissive worke Christians that by are the better inabled to walke strictly and exactly in all the wayes of God Those that in the 7. of the Romans complain so much of the body of death which they carrie about them in the person of the Apostle Paul are such as walke not according to to the flesh but according to the spirit Rom. 8.1 If a man have a disease in his body that he is sensible of if it be but a weaknes or infirmitie and not a raigning disease hee 'l be very exact in observing the rules of his Physitian Simile set the most luscious meat before him if the eating of it should indanger the breking out of his disease he will not dare to tast of it and hee 'l be verie charie how he mistimes himself he will have a speciall care not to doe any thing that may give a vent to his trouble It is true notwithstanding all the care he can take his trouble will now and then break out but yet this is no supersedeas to his care but rather a whetstone of his diligence Indeed he that is sick of a burning feaver and such like diseases that have the upperhand of nature these doe make us carelesse of those things that belong to our health and cause us to pitch upon such things as doe feed our disease rather then upon such things as strengthen nature So here if thy sinnes be such as hinder thy exactnesse and cause thee to make provision for thy lusts they are sins of presumption but if they be such sinnes as are an occasion to further thy exactnesse and increase thy care to walke after the wayes of God if thou darest not neglect thy communion with God in prayer nor omit any duty nor walk excentrically to the rule of Gods word it is but an infirmity such a sinne as may very well stand and comply with the state of grace It is remarkable that the infirmities of the Saints have been chiefly discovered about those graces for which they have been most commended ☜ As Abraham is chiefly commended for his faith yet those infirmities of his recorded in Scripture as his carnall knowledge of Hagar his equivocating concerning nis wife Sarah were nothing else but acts of unbeleefe So Iob is chiefly commended for his patience yet all his infirmities we can read of were nothing else but acts of impatience what doth this intimate unto us but that the sight of their infirmities have taken advantage to studie the contrary

compare their condition to Christs condition when he was dead they will runne parallell in these particulars Though Christ was dead yet that Hypostatical union betwixt his God-head and Manhood were not dissolved but his divine nature was as really united to his man hood at his death as it was when he was alive now for asmuch as the God-head is a quickning spirit nay life it self and the author and giver of life it must needs follow that there was stil a root of life left in him therefore he could not be radically dead So by those sinnes which the Saints committed the mysticall union which was betwixt Christ and their soules was not dissolved whereby he as their head and they as his members Impossible it is that a man thus united unto Christ should be quite cast of from Christ For then Christ himselfe must be maimed by the losse of a member See what full description Christ himselfe gives of that union Iohn 17. ver 23. I in them and thou in me where we see that this mysticall union is compared to that essentiall union which is betwixt him and his father and therefore as that cannot be dissolved no more can this I am perswaded that if the Patrons of the Apostacy of the Saints had felt the vertue efficacy of this union they would never have broached such an errour Now forasmuch as this Christ which is in them and so neerely joyned to them is a quickning spirit it is impossible that they should so fall but that still there is a Root of life left in them 2. Though Christ dyed yet he saw no corruption that is he did not rot in his grave So the Saints though they sin ungrievously yet they never go so far as to rot in thir sin they are never brought so low as that their root should becom rottenesse as the Scripture phrase is Rottennesse ariseth from hence when the outward adventicious heat drawes out the inward and radicall moysture and makes it runne into the outward parts So then a man rots away in sinnne when the moisture of his inward mind and affection is so drawn away from God as that it is wholly set upon outward things Now a Child of God can never fall thus low For to be carnally minded is death Rom. 8. ver 6. whereas a belever as I proved before cannot sinne unto death I thinke no child of God drunk so deep of the puddle of Epicurisme and sensuallity as Salomon did yet looke into Ecclesiastes 2. ver 3. which is his recantation Sermon and there you shall finde him professe that though he gave himselfe to wine yet he acquainted his heart with wisdom as if he should say although I gave my selfe to pleasure yet I resolved to keepe wisedome and the feare of God in my heart and to governe my affaires by the same and to use it as a bridle to check me in those abominations As the Aethiopian Judges leave the upper seate of judgement empty for God So Salomon when he was at the lowest ebb reserved the highest seate of his heart and affections for God Indeed that Seate was empty it was not adorned with his presence as before it was the more was the pitty but yet it was reserved for God free from the incroachments of earthly vanityes 3. The death that Christ died was the death of the Crosse and one reason why Christ chose this death as Divines affirme was because this death did wound his body but did not mangle it So Christians when they fall into sinnes their graces are wounded but not mangled that is they are weakned but not-made uselesse A man would have thought that the grace of self-denyal had been wholly destroyed in the sons of Zebedee by that fit of ambition mentioned Mat. 20. vers 23. but yet we finde it retained its full proportion though it was wounded by that sting of that contrary distemper which they fel into but notwithstanding when Christ cal'd for this grace It immediatly came forth ready to act her part they expected to sit at his right hand Christ asked them whether they were able to drink of that Cup that he drunk of and to be baptized with the baptisme that he was baptized with And it appeares by their answer how ready they were to stoop to that hot peece of service They were not so ambitious to weare a Crown but they were as wiling to kisse the stake not not so desirous to raign as they were wiling to burn which shews that though their grace was wounded yet not mangled by their sinne 4. As Christ did raise himselfe by his own power So they were active in their recovery not meerely passive as they were at their conversion when there was nothing in them to close with grace but in this recovery there was somthing left in them whereby they were not meere patients bue agents in their recovery As Peter wept himselfe alive againe and David repented himself alive againe and Solomon preached himself alive againe Thus we see what to judg of those grosse sinnes of the Saints But some men will object and say that this doctrine of perseverance should be rather extermined then determined in the Pulpit because it may nourish spirituall Idlenesse and presumption For if men be taught that having grace they cannot loose it why should they feare to commit any sinne And why may they not grow carelesse and throw the plough into the hedge to make holy day I answer If true grace will give way to such wantonnesse at her perill considering that it is the keeper of every faithful soule and not the soule the keeper of it and therefore Christians are said to be under the dominon of grace Rom. 6. so that no such thing can happen except grace it self should prove ungratious Simele If there were such a fire as could not be quenched would it therefore never resist his contrary So because grace is of that strength as it can never perish nor be wholly extinguished shall it therefore cease to resist sinne yeas sure it will resist it not only by counterfightings but by counterlustings Gal 5.24 The flesh cannot so much as put forth a desire to sinne but the spirit will put forth a counter desire to suppresse that It is true sometime corruption seems to get the advantage in the run but grace will have the advantage againe in the turne And though a Christian may fall very low yet we may say of that grace in whose custodie he is as David saith of God himself Ps 139.7 8. Whether shall I flie from thy presence c. So may wee say whether shall a Christian flie from such a keeper If to heaven I am sure we cannot then flie from it for thither is grace bound and it hath a Commission to bring us thither If to hell grace will find us out there too and be sure to bring us back If we should straggle and stray and have our heart too far carried away from God this grace shall lead us to God againe and her right hand shall hold us up If darkenesse of desertion cover us grace will help us at a dead lift and turn our darknesse into light And by this it appeares that the doctrine of perseverances gives no way to licentiousnes and carnall libertie And whereas the patrons of the Apostacie of the Saints charge this doctrin with this inconvenience that it opens a door to spirituall idlenesse and security this imputation may iustly be retorted upon them For you know a Christian hath much adoe to get grace it will cost him hot water many heart breaking and bitter pangs before Iesus Christ be framed and fashioned in him Now if people be taught that men have no sooner gotten grace but they are in danger to loose it again will not this enervate and emasculate end overthrow all godly endeavours What heart can a man have to take any great pains for that and to be at a great charge to purchase that which he is not sure to hold In all conveyances there is a tenendum as well as an habendum it is conveyed to us not only to have but to hold else we would hardly lay out any money about such purchase So take away perpetuity and perseverance from grace and what heart can we have to take any paines about it This is one inconvenience that will follow from this error Besides this opinion is most uncomfortable for it keeps the people in perpetuall suspence It makes the graces of Christians to be like Marchants goods that hang upon rops even upon the sandic ropes of our weak and frail endeavours And whereas Christ hath made an exceeding rich will yet it seems by this opinion that he hath made it so loose that no man can certainly prove the will nor be assured whether the will belong to him or no. Again how can grace that may be mortall soundly comfort an immortall soule At least by this doctrine we cannot be soundly comforted till we have persevered which cannot be till after death at which time men shall be either above or beneath comfort Thus much for this use Other uses were omitted for want of time but shall be added if this finde acceptance wherein I shall endeavour to discover the nature of Apostacy which sinne seemes now to be calculated for the Meridian of England Imprimatur Edmond Calamy FINIS

that are such cannot fall away but must needes stand compleat in all the will of God In the 6. of the Heb. the 5. and 8. verses you may reade of some that went very far and yet the Apostle supposeth that they might fall away but in the 9. verse he is otherwise perswaded of the faithfull Hebrewes because they were furnish'd with such things as did accompany salvation they had such gifts as would not leave them halfe way to heaven as Orpha left her mother in Law Naomi but would stick to them till they were housed in the blessed mansions of eternity so that all Apostates and Retrogades and all those that are turned the Devils proselytes casting off their faith to make up their fortunes have notwitstanding their glittering shewes and dazeling excellencies wanted those things that accompany salvation which a faithfull Christan and one that hath attained to a true Evangelicall perfection cannot be without Reason 2 2. Faithfulnesse is a grace that admits of no corrupting and Apostatizing principles it is like the Maronaan wine Simile which though it be mingled with other liquour and drinkes yet it keepes its sweetnesse and its strength without any abatement Faithfull men in Scripture are described by this that they have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty 2. Cor. 4.2 shewing that there is no root nor principle of Apostacy to be found in such now if there be no hidden root of apostacy within there can never be any appearance of Apostacy without But that place of Isay is very full chap. 11. ver 5. where faithfulnesse is called the girdle of the reines it is called a girdle Simile because as a girdle tyes our clothes fast unto us that they may not hang loose so a faithfull Christian girds the commands of God close about his Soule to prevent all loosenesse and Libertinisme in his life and conversation and it is called the girdle of the reines because as the reines in the bodie purge out the bad blood that it may not infect the liver so faithfulnesse though it cannot prevent all sin yet it is continually purging of it that it may not infect the heart and by that meanes these hidden things of dishonesty are kept out which might engage us to Apostacy and falling away see Psal 18. ver 23. It is impossible to poyson the Sea because the Sea doth ever work out what ever is offensive unto it Simile So it is impossible that a faithfull man should be corrupted because faithfulnesse doth alwayes purge out what ever is destructive unto it Reason 3 3. Faithfullnesse is under the protection of never failing promises The Lord promises that faithfull persons shall be as unmoveable as mount Zion Psal 125. ver 11. They are as an house builded upon the Rock which no windes or waves are able to overturne Mat. 7. ver 24. Chosen ones whom it is impossible for to seduce Mat. 24. ver 24. They are Christs sheepe whom no man shall pluck out of his Fathers hand Iohn 10. ver 29. They are kept by the power of God to salvation 2. Pet. 1.5 Though they fall they shall not be cast away for the Lord holdeth them up with his hand Surely it is impossible that a people of so many promises should perish yes say some for they may unpeople them selves by sinne and the Lord may unpromise them in a way of judgement Simile Not so say I for the promises not only prepare salvation for us but prepare us for salvation too in a way of holinesse and obedience see Jeremy 31. ver 32. and 32. ver 40. like some trades-men that do not only doe those workes that belong to their trade but frame and fashion those very tooles by which they work so here not only happinesse but holinesse which is the toole by which it is wrought flowes from the belly of the promise So much by way of confirmation Vse 3 Vse Here I might say some thing by way of Confutation for this truth meets with much contradiction abroad of those that deny perseverance to be essentiall to this grace of faithfullnesse and allow of no other perseverance but that which comes by hap-hazard affirming that Gods faithfull ones may fall into such sinnes as may cause an utter extinction of grace in them But I shall have some thing to say to these anon in answer to an objection For the present observe what a glorious change Christ hath wrought in death For in it selfe it is the prologue and preface and the beginning of that dolefull and fiery tragedie which shall be acted in hell but here in my text it is the non ultra the Hercules Pillar and the end of all the labours and sufferings of the Saints of God here upon earth There is no more required of them but to lengthen out their active and passive obedience to the houre of death then their race is at an end and their endlesse happinesse takes place In it selfe it is the begining of those woes that shall persevere unto all eternity But here in my text it is the Colophon the last draught and the Crowne of that perseverance that must help us to a Crowne of life Which may minister abundance of comfort to faithfull Christians in these stormy and tempestuous times We have seen of late the King of terrors ride abroad in triumph and death enter in at our windowes in a sulphureous fierie attire and we may plainly perceive that the fiery Comet still hangs over our heads our sinnes and distractions still solliciting God to trade with us in a bargaine of blood Now these that know not what change Christ hath wrought in death may be filled with terror to see the Cypresse tree planted before their dores But faithfull Christians have no cause to feare death For why should they be afraid of that which puts an end to all their labours and sufferings that strips them of their ragges to cloth them with robes that brings them glad tidings of the consumption of their sinnes and of the consummation of their graces setting a garland of glory upon their heads which will not wither unto all eternity Ob. But some will say we feare not much a naturall death such a death as causeth a faire dissolution by the mutiny of Malignant humors from within but it is terrible to have our earthly Tabernacle pull'd downe violently by Malignant persons from without and to be tormented to death in a way of cruelty by brutish men skillfull to destroy I answer that if faithfull Christians knew their strength and did well understand their priviledges they would as cheerefully upon Christs call open their bosomes to a violent death as to a naturall death for this is the death that Christ calls a Baptisme Matt. 20.23 Now Baptisme should not be grievous to a Christian ☞ seeing it is a signe and seale of the Covenant no more should any persecution and Martyrdome inflicted for the cause of Christ be

grace so much the more and advanced to so high a pitch in the practice of it that they did deserve rather to be commended for those graces then to be condemned for the contrary infirmities And if it be thus with us it is a good signe If thou beest addicted to pride and the sight of it makes thee to strive so much the more to be humble and to attaine to so much of humility that thou deservest to be commended for it rather then to be condemned for thy pride Thou shalt never stand indicted as a presumptuous sinner though thy sinnes may break out now and then And the like I may say of thy inclination to uncleannesse c. Fiftly and lastly The Gibeonites were enemies to the Israelites and yet carried the matter so that they made them believe that they came from farre So a sinne of infirmity is so neere grace that as Jacob and Esau strugled both in one wombe so do they conflict and grasple together in one soule yea in one and the self-same faculty of the soule There is never a sinne of infirmity but it is confronted by the contrary grace and that in the same subject yet Sathan puts such lies upon these sins of infirmity many times that they make us believe that there is a mighty distance betwixt us and grace and to call the truth of our conversion into question Thus David in the 77. Psal falling into a misprision of his estate and crying out as one that was cast out of Gods favour Simele in the 20. ver chargeth his infirmity with all Sin though but of infirmity will prove as a Thiefe in our candle it dimmes our light and steals away our love neither can I see how a constant and never interrupted assurance may comply with such a measure of sanctification as is yet imperfect whatever some may pretend to the contrary Now sinnes of presumption are quite contrary to this for though they are at a great distance from grace insomuch that he that is under the Dominion of those sinnes cannot justly claim the priviledge of a child of God yet Sathan put such lyes upon these sins that they make us believe that true grace they may very wel stand together according to that of Salomon Prov. 30. ver 12 There is a generation that is pure in their owne eyes though they be not cleansed from their wickednesse Thus the presumtuous sinner in the 29. of Deut. verse 19. will needes claime a right in Garizim the mountain of blessing when as notwithstanding he is bound to make his residence in mount Ebal the mountain of curses speaking peace to himself when yet he walks in the stubbornesse of his heart and the expression which the Holy Ghost addes is worth the observing it is said of him that he addes drunkenesse to thirst That is he doth as a drunkard Simele that is in love with drunkenesse and loath to pick a quarrell with it finding it to be loathsome and overcharging nature he doth therfore feed upon salt meates that may provok thirst that so his excesse in drinking may be the more pleasing to his Pallat and he through the abhorrency of nature may not be drawn to forsake it So a presumptuous sinner perswades himself of an interest in Christs death not as one that flees thither for refuge from the fury of the avenger of blood but as one that is loath to pick a quarrell against sinne which he knowes is terrible to the conscience and therefore might through the sting of a self-accusing spirit be imbittered unto him therefore he is desirous to perswade himselfe that because Christ died for sinners his sinnes will breake no square as if Christ did therefore come into the world to make sinne lesse dangerous then it was before and not rather to give us grace to subdue sinnes and to bring us to a greater measure of loathing and detestation of it as receiving a greater and more bloody tincture of guilt from his death then ever it could have had from the Law Heb. 10.28 29. Thus you see the differences betwixt sinnes of infirmity sinnes of presumption in which as I have eschewed the one extreme which is to strenghten the hands of the wicked so haue I laboured to avoid the other extreame in making the heart of Gods people sadd whom the Lord hath not made sadd Therefore come on you bruised reeds and smoaking flax which are so oppressed with the sense of sinne that you despise the consolations of the almighty come and view your selfe in this glasse and you shall see what little cause you have to bee dejected it is indeed a bitter thing to sinne against God but yet so long as your sinnes have not worse qualities then these aforementioned you have cause to lift up your heads and owne your evidences If your sinnes be so farre kept under as they are forced to officiate and help forward the worke of humiliation If they doe joyn with grace in the destruction of other sinnes for it is not unusuall for grace to call out a sinne of infirmity to perfect mortification If they give occasion to those spirituall victoryes which discover so much of the glorious power of God in the soule If they hinder not but rather further our exactnesse and lastly if they be such neer neighbours to grace as that grace and they may stand together in one subject Comfort thy self whatever the bulk of thy sin be thou hast not yet broke the Covenant and so long as Christ is the great Chancellour of Heaven and carryes a Chancery in his bosome thou shalt never take the foyle Indeed if thy sinnes beare the Eare-marke of Presumption I deare not open this City of refuge unto thee for God himselfe hath locked thee out so long thou continuest in that condition Deut. 29. ver 19. But yet for further satisfaction It will not be amisse to consider what to judge of those enormious sinnes of the Saints which are upon record Lots incest Davids adultery and murther and the like did they not break the Covenant in committing of them To this I answer That to break the Covenant is a sin unto death it is a spirituall adultery a forsaking of God that wee may goe a whoring after the Creature and into such sinnes the Saints of God cannot fall because the seed of God remains in them therefore they cannot thus sinne unto death I confesse these sinnes have a great deale of horror in them they are Sea-marks from which we must flee as their vertuous actions are land marks to which we must desire to approach in a way of imitation Nay if any one shall say that they did lye dead for a time without either the sense or use of grace I will not much gaine say him But this I confidently affirm that they were not radically dead that is they were not so dead but that there was a principle and roote of life left in them I may