Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	david_n	lord_n	nathan_n	4,238	5	12.7447	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65814	A discourse upon I Peter IV., VIII wherein the power and efficacy of charity as it is a means to procure the pardon of sin is explained and vindicated / by John Whitefoot.	Whitefoote, John, 1610-1699.	1695 (1695)	Wing W1862; ESTC R26478	56,458	143

Question from a double Interpretation which is given of those words the end of all things is at hand the one relating to this Life the other to that which is to come 1. Some Modern Interpreters of Good Note for their Learning and Judgement Dr. Hammond Mr. Jos Mede and others do understand those words not to be meant of the end of the World or the day of Judgement but of the end of the Jewish Common-wealth by the Destruction of the Temple and the City of Jerusalem together with the General Calamity of that People by their Captivity and Dispersion throughout the World by the Power and Victory of the Romans often foretold by our Saviour and called the abomination of desolation For the avoiding of which Calamity the Apostle adviseth the Christian Jews to whom he directs this Epistle to be sober and to watch unto prayer as hopefull means to save them from the extremity of that Calamity Adding further in this verse another special Point of advice to the same end to wit the exercise of a fervent Charity If this sense of the Apostles words be allowed supposing the end of all things so near approaching as was the time of that Publick Calamity which sense by the forementioned Interpreters is also applied to many other Texts of our Saviours and the Apostles speaking of the end of the World as very near I say if this be the Apostles Sense in this place no doubt can be made of this effect of Charity procuring Deliverance from Punishments of sin in this Life On the other side If by the end of all things must be understood that General End which is to come at the day of Judgement according to the more ordinary Interpretation of the words it is evident that this benefit of Charity will extend to another Life But because the Punishment of sin as hath been said before is both in this Life and that which is to come without Determining the true Sense of the foregoing Verse I doubt not to conclude that the Remission of sin expressed by the covering thereof declared by the Apostle is not to be limited to this or the other Life but may be understood of both and will be verified either in both or at least in one of these two Lives that is wheresoever this Vertue of Charity is found it will be available by the Mercy of God at least to some kind of Remission of sin i. e. of the Punishment thereof either in this Life and that which is to come too or else in one of them more or less according to the sincerity and degree of the Charity If the Charity be the Fruit of an unfained Faith accompanied with Repentance as it must needs be if it be sincere it will undoubtedly be available to the Remission of sin in the other World if not also to the Remission of Punishment in this World which is very hopefull though not so certain in all Respects as is the Remission of future Punishment in the Life to come Because there are some sorts of Punishments of sin in this Life which as was shewed before are in themselves necessary and inseparable Consequents of the sin and so unavoidable in their Nature as Shame and Dishonour in sins known to the World privation of Benefits consequent to other sins sorrow and remorse of Conscience common to all sins whereof a sinner is convinced Besides some other sorts of Punishments in this Life not so necessary in their kind may be consequent to the sin by the Justice and Wisdom and also by the Goodness of God which therefore he may refuse to remit in this Life where he intends a full Remission in the Life to come This is plain in the Case of David 2 Sam. 12. Many severe Punishments are threatned by Nathan the Prophet to be executed upon David for his scandalous sins of Adultery and Murder which were never remitted but punctually executed upon him notwithstanding that upon his Repentance testified by his humble Confession the Prophet assures him that God had put away his sin and that he should not die Ver. 13. And David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord and Nathan said unto David the Lord also hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die His repentance expressed by extraordinary testimonies of his Sorrow and Humiliation set forth in that Psalm Psal 51. which was penn'd and published by himself for that end was not sufficient to deliver him from all Punishment of his sin although it was accepted for his Deliverance not only from the punishment of eternal Death but also of such a temporal Death as he was justly lyable to by the Law which though it could not be executed upon him by any Human Authority by reason of his Soveraignty yet might have been executed by the Hand of God who had threatned by Himself to revenge and punish such presumptuous sins as the Magistrate could not or should neglect to punish Lev. 26.14 But did not thereby deprive himself of liberty to forbear such Execution of punishment according to his Wisdom and Goodness By this Example and several others that might be alledged if it were needfull in this place it appears that a Part of the punishment of sin may be remitted where the whole is not which I take to be the common Case of Mankind fallen under the guilt and punishment of Adams sin for it is experimentally evident Gen. 3. that the whole Punishment is not remitted to any Man because all are known to suffer many Penalties threatned in this Life besides that common one of Temporal Death whilst that of Eternal Death is remitted to many and promised to all that repent But to return to the Point in hand I say sincere Charity proceeding from a true Faith and accompanied with an unfeigned Repentance will certainly deliver the Charitable Person from the Everlasting punishment of another Life and may also be available either to save a man from all Punishments in this Life or to abate the Degrees of them But if the Charity be not fincere nor accompanied with any such Repentance as will render the sinner capable of Salvation in the other Life yet it may be and doubtless will be available for the Deliverance of the person from Punishments in this Life either in whole or in part For as other temporal Rewards are given by God to partial and infincere Vertues and good Works so may this of Deliverance from temporal Judgments And this perhaps was sometimes the only meaning of those words of our Saviour recorded in the Gospel to have been spoken to divers Persons that came to him to be healed of their bodily Diseases expressing thereby some kind of Faith in him and his Power And he said unto them thy sins are forgiven thee i. e. the Punishment of thy sins which lies upon thee is taken off and remitted Mark 3.34 cap. 10.52 Luke 7.50 cap. 8.48 cap. 18.42 and thou shalt be

exactly the Merits and Circumstances of every mans case that is to be tryed before him and who will be Advocate as well as Judge for every sinner as far as his case will bear And therefore as in humane Judicature or Exercise of distributive Justice amongst men when a Criminal is to be judged although his case be such as can neither admit of a Justification nor yet of a Plenary Pardon yet it is thought no more than reasonable that some consideration should be had of the rest of his Life especially if there be any Good Evidence of any Special Laudable Actions done by him they may be considered toward the abatement of utmost severity in the Penalty where any such abutement is possible as in Punishments which are not Capital So though I cannot assure any man that it shall be so in the case of any Persons falling under the necessary Sentence of Condemnation yet I think there is some Reason to hope that he that hath shewed Mercy to Men in this Life though he be not saved may find some Mercy in the degrees of his Punishment And that not only upon the account of such an abatement of his Guilt as was before signified respecting his sins of omission but also with respect to his sins of commission That there will be some kind of Counterpoise or Ballance of Good and Evil Works in the Divine Judgement and execution of Justice is not in my opinion to be rejected as a meer Rabinical or Platonical conceit Mal po●se qui ne contre poise Is the French Prov. though it be so too but seems to be in some measure probable as it is agreeable to the nature of Justice exercised amongst men privately and publickly The Summ of what I have said in the Explication of that Sense of the Apostles words which I here maintain is this That Charity if it be sincere as the Fruit of an unfeighed Faith and Repentance will be available towards a plenary Covering or Remission of a mans sins at the last Judgement If it be not so yet it will procure him some Remission at least if not Exemption from temporal Punishment in this Life besides other positive Rewards ordinarily given to the practice of this Vertue and may also be available towards the Abatement of the Degrees of positive Punishment in the Life to come I say of Positive Punishment commonly called Paena Sensûs Pain or Punishment of Sense because the Privative Punishment Poena Damni the Punishment of Loss can admit of no degrees of Abatement For the loss of Eternal Life will be equal to all that are not saved and can be no other from the Nature of the thing though the sense and affliction of that Loss may differ much according to the different capacities Men were in to obtain that Life and the inequality of the Means thereof received and rejected or neglected For in this respect the Loss of Eternal Life will be more tolerable as our Saviour saith for Sodom and Gomorrah for Tyre and Sidon that never had the like means of Salvation though they were not excluded from all means or possibility thereof then it will be for Bethsaida or Capernaum And so it will be proportionably for all People under like Inequality of the means of Life neither is it possible for any Person that never had any such Means as some other had and therefore cannot be guilty of Rejecting or Neglecting them I say it is not possible for any such Person to fall under the same Degrees of that necessary Punishment of the never-dying Worm as that is supposed to signifie the anguish and torment of the guilty Conscience This natural punishment of the Afflicted or afflicting Conscience for the same Reason must needs be abated also to him that hath done some Good works of Charity in this Life because his Conscience cannot charge him at the same rate as it must needs do him that hath totally neglected them under an equal or larger Ability Whether the substance of this Interpretation of the Text either necessary or most probable must be left to the judgment of the Reader but that it is neither Popish nor Singular as some may be ready to charge it I must take leave to challenge whiles I find that this Sense of the Words hath neither been received by all Papists nor rejected by all Protestants Some of the Pontificians baulking this Interpretation as Estius Tirinus and others which I insist upon do give the same which is given by most Protestants namely That Charity will cover the sins of other Men not the sins of the Charitable Person in such a Sense as is hereafter to be declared And some Eminent Protestants do admit that other Sense which I prefer as most probable And that not only in this Text but also in that of St. James wherein the same Phrase is used Jam. 5.20 He which converteth a sinner from the Errour of his ways shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a Multitude of sins The origiginal Words are the same in both Texts and are thus Paraphrased by a Learned Doctor of our own Church Dr. Hammond It is a most excellent glorious Work which he hath wrought the Effect of which is that God will free him on whom this Change is wrought from Death eternal and perhaps from present temporal Death through Sickness fallen upon him for that sin vid. v. 15. And besides he will accept and reward the Charity of him that hath wrought that good Work with the free Discharge of whatsoever sins he hath formerly been guilty of but hath now repented of See the same Authors Annotation upon the Text. This Sense is agreeable to the words of the Prophet Daniel Dan. 12.3 They that turn many to Righteousness shall shine as the Stars for ever viz. in Heavenly Glory which necessarily implyes a Remission of their sins And why the zealous Endeavouring to convert sinners from the Error i. e. evil of their Way should be available to procure the Covering of a multitude of sins in him that makes it his care and study so to do a very good Reason may be given from the nature of the Act which imports one of the best Testimonies of Repentance that can be In that Penetential Psalm wherein David sues to Almighty God for the Pardon of his gross sins of Murder and Adultery he urges this as a Motive towards the obtaining of his Request Psal 5.13 Then will I teach Transgressors thy Ways and sinners shall be converted unto Thee And surely no greater Reparation can be made by sinfull man to Almighty God for the dishonour done to his Majesty by his own sins than when the penitent sinner together with his own Hearty repentance and amendment of Life shall endeavour also as much as lies in his power the Conversion of other sinners unto God So did Abner design to make his peace with King David after his professed Enmity and Rebellion first by Promising