Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	death_n	see_v	sting_n	3,674	5	11.8588	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34575	The great necessity of preparation for death and judgment a sermon preached in the parochial chappel of Macclesfield, in the county palatine of Chester, at the funeral of Mr. John Corker, als Cor Cor, of Hurdesfield, on the eleventh day of November, 1693, and since revised and enlarg'd at the request of the relations of the deceased / by Samuel Corker, als Cor Cor ...	Corker, Samuel, 1645 or 6-1713.	1695 (1695)	Wing C6307; ESTC R9062	80,354	95

then our ways and goings are to Gods pure and piercing eyes who beholds our closest artifices and subtilest disguises as clearly as he sees our open and scandalous offences For the darkness hideth not from him Ps 139.12 the night shineth as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to him Job 34.21 22 His eyes are upon the ways of man fixedly and intentively and he seeth critically and curiously all his goings there is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of Iniquity may hide themselves Seneca told Lucilius Epist 41. Jer. 17.10 Ps 7.9.94.12 God is near unto us he is with us an observer of our good and evil actions the searcher of our hearts who knows the secret motions counsels and affections of our Souls and keeps acquaintance with our thoughts and is familiar with all our purposes and designs Now if we do believe this great truth it must doubtless be of unspeakable use to us for the regular and orderly government of our lives and make us as circumspect and cautious of our thoughts words and works as if we visibly saw him standing before our eyes writing down every action of our life in order to call us to account for it This consideration had so great an influence upon holy Davids practice that he assigns it as the motive of his obedience I have remembred thy name and have kept thy Law Psal 119.55 168. c. I have kept thy Precepts and thy Testimonies for all my ways are before thee this is a powerful Amulet against sin and a great preservative of vertue a means to make us sincerely upright in all our ways and to tremble to commit any sin or wickedness in the sight of our all-seeing Judge before whose presence we shall not be afraid to appear hereafter if we set him before our Eyes here as an observer and witness of our actions Psal 16.8 for thereby our hearts will be over-awed with a sense of his omnipresence so that we shall walk very cautiously and circumspectly before him having respect to all his Commandments and with a concern to please him in all things by this means death and judgment will not be formidable to us 8 That we may be ready for a comfortable passage into the eternal World it is necessary that we possess our Souls with frequent Thoughts of Death and Mortallity This is the earnest and pathetical charge of the merciful and compassionate God who is very heartily concerned for the everlasting happiness of Men by his eminent Servant Moses whom he was pleased to make choice of to be the Commander and Governour of a numerous People he bespeaks them in a most affectionate and obliging manner to remember the days of old what great things he had done for them in chosing them for his People and delivering them from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt by a mighty hand and an out stretched arm in preserving them at the Red Sea and in the Wilderness in subduing the Nations about them and in giving them possession of the Land of Promise flowing with Milk and Hony he intreats them to consider the transitoriness of their condition and to withdraw their affections from Farthly Glories O that they were wise to consider their latter end Deut. 32.29 to study and apply their minds to that holy wisdom which would fit them for Life eternal We are now Gods peculiar People he is as solicitous for our happiness and salvation as once he was for the Israelites and with the same tender affection doth he importune us to consider our end and to what Eternity we are going whether to bliss or misery we are but Sojourners and Pilgrims here having Heb. 13 14. no continuing City no certain abiding place our condition here is fleeting and vanishing Jam. 4.14 we know not whether we shall continue here till to morrow for what is our Life it is even a Vapour exhaled from the Earth by the influence of the heavenly Bodies Psal 90.9 Psal 73.20 that appears for a little time and then vanisheth away like a Tale that is told which is at an end e're we consider it or as a Dream when one awaketh suddenly which disappears being then that we are such weak creatures Psal 39.4 we should pray with David Lord make me to know my end and the number of my days that I may know how frail I am and how near to death so teach us to number our days that we passing by the cares the glories and pleasures of this World may apply our hearts with all diligence unto true wisdom 90.12 which is to be wise unto Salvation For the attainment whereof and for the more effectual impressing upon our minds deep and serious thoughts of our mortal state it is expedient that we visit sick and dying persons as oft as opportunity invites us not only to condole with them and to afford them our pity and compassion in their affliction Job 6.14 Chap. 19.21 Heb. 13.2 3. which is some alleviation of their misery to administer seasonable comforts to them to give them ghostly advice and counsel to bear with patience the chastisements of the Lord and humbly to resign themselves to his wise disposal but also to stir up in our selves many Pious and Devout Considerations of our approaching Change In the presence of dying Persons there is represented both to our eye and mind many objects that will naturally suggest to us holy Meditations serious and awful Thoughts of Death and Eternity There we may see the person visited strugling with strong pains of bitter Agonies and Death sit in his ghastly countenance we may hear the rueful Groans of his expiring nature and observe him exercised with Soul-conflicts with great terrors of mind and with powerful convictions of sin and dreadful apprehensions of the wrath of God unfit perhaps to die and yet past all hopes of continuing long in this transitory life There we may see the mournful looks of the spectators and hear the bitter lamentations and cries of Wife and Children and observe the trickling tears of dear Relations For if Alexander the Great wept when he heard of the death of Darius and Caesar at the relation of Pompey's and Titus Vespasian at the miserable destruction of the Jews how shall they refrain from tears at the sight of a dying Friend strugling with the pains of Death and perhaps doubting of his salvation Such a spectacle as this will administer to us such thoughts as these This person is now about putting off his Earthly Tabernacle his Soul is entring into the Confines of Eternity and his Body ere long will be a prey to Death and be laid down in the cold and silent Grave where the Worms shall be its companions till it hath put on rottenness and corruption The Angels will convey the immaterial Soul to the Bar of Judgment to receive sentence to its eternal state This

be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 2.6 a redemption-price so great and valuable that there needs no further satisfaction to be made for any St Paul saith that he gave himself a ransom for all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an emphatical word denoting the exchange of condition with another the laying down of ones life to save another And so did our dearest Lord and Saviour Tit. 2 14. Rom. 8.32 he gave himself for us and in our place and stead that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of●● good works The price which he paid for our Redemption was his own blood not a few drops for then what he shed at his Circumcision and bitter Agony when he sweat drops of blood might have sufficed but it was his hearts blood Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold 1 Pet. 1.18 19 from your vain conversation and course of life which is unprofitable for your souls and insufficient for Righteousness and Salvation but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Precious in the Esteem of Angels and Men but most of all precious in regard of the Glory and Dignity of the Qualifications and Endowments of the Gifts and Graces of the Person that shed it Coloss 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge in whose mouth no guile was ever found who needed not to offer Sacrifices for his own Sins being a person so perfectly holy harmless and undefiled No! it was for us and for our Salvation that he died Rom. 4.25 He was delivered by the determinate counsel and fore knowledge of God for our offences Acts 2.23 to make full satisfaction to his Father for them and to reconcile us to God By his own free and spontaneous act he laid down his life Joh. 10.17 Gal. 1.4 and gave himself for our Sins Not only to take away the Guilt with all the causes and consequences thereof Once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away Sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9.26 Rom. 5.19 to the abolition of Sin by the Sacrifice of himself by whose obedience many are made righteous but also to ease guilty souls of the pain and anguish of Conscience which doth fill them with dreadful fears and terrors and a certain fearful looking for of wrath Heb. 9.14 and fiery indignation The Blood of Christ doth purge your Conscience from dead works and not only justify and absolve the true penitent Sinner but also meritoriously purify the Soul from inherent corruption and sanctify it by infusing holiness So that body soul and spirit becomes one frame of Holiness to God to serve him here in the Beauty of Holiness and to enjoy communion with him in his Ordinances till he is pleased to fit him for the full fruition of himself in the Holy of Holies in Heaven This is the effect of Christ's Blood which was shed to put a silence to the clamours and accusations of Conscience and also to pacify the wrath of God for Sin Jesus being the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 1.10 Who delivers us from the wrath to come and is now actually delivering us by his prevailing Intercession and the supplies of his Grace enabling us to subdue the power of Sin and temptation and will most certainly compleat and perfect our deliverance at his second coming So that now the penitent Believer may safely make that bold challenge which the great St. Paul doth Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect Rom. 8.33 It is God that justifieth and absolveth them who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died and by his Death hath made a sufficient attonement to God for all our Sins and washed them away in his Blood which is a Fountain opened for Sin and for Uncleanness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Laver to wash away the pollution and filth of all our Sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness he is a propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only 1 Joh. 2 2. but for the Sins of the whole World Eph. 5.25 27. He delivered himself up for the Church that he might sanctify and cleanse it i. e. Purify all its members from the guilt filth and power of Sin endue them with a principle of Holiness and consecrate them to God a glorious Church without having spot or wrinkle free from the smallest remainder of sin and misery 1 Joh. 3.8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifest to destroy the works of the Devil the original word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might dissolve those chains wherewith Satan holdeth all his Vassals in bondage 4. So great was the care of our Lord to make men truly good and virtuous that when he left the World he sent the Holy Ghost the Promise of the Father to superintend the Affairs of the Church Vicarius Christi in Ecclesia whom Tertul. calls Christ's Vicar a Metaphor borrowed from certain Church-Officers who are so denominated as our Civilians say Quasi vice fungentes Rectorum to attend the Offices of the Church in the Rectors absence To oppose the Torrent of Vice and Wickedness to instruct people in the fundamental Principles of Religion to guide direct and encourage them in the paths of Holiness and Virtue and by a continual residence upon his Cure to be ever ready to perform the Duties belonging thereunto Even so the Holy Spirit was sent to supply Christ's room in the Church Joh. 16 7. If I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you He was not to enter upon his Oeconomy or Dispensation till after Christ's Ascension and Glorification as we learn from John 7.39 The Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Christ was not yet glorified Princes do liberally bestow their gifts and favours at the time of their Inauguration Eph. 4.9 and the Prince of Peace being ascended up on high and triumphing gloriously over all his Church's Enemies poured down a plentiful effusion of gifts and graces unto men As St. Peter acquaints his Auditors That Christ being by the power of God exalted Acts 2.33 and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear The design and end of his coming is as our Saviour saith Joh. 16.8 To reprove the world of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment To convince us of the evil and obliquity of our ways and doings and reclaim us from Sin and Error to regenerate us unto God's Image infusing holiness into our souls and giving us a right to eternal Salvation Tit. 3.5 by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the

enter into the Kingdom of Heaven John 3.3 except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish except ye be born again ye cannot see the Kingdom of God All Births are painful Chap. 16.21 Gal. 4.19 both the Natural and Supernatural but nothing is too hard for Omnipotency He can cause dry Bones to live and if we set our selves in earnest to amend our ways and doings and to implore the help of his Grace he will send his holy Spirit to invigorate and assist us with Divine Aids and infuse every Grace into the Soul which constitutes the Divine Nature The Conversion of a Sinner is a work purely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from above 1. Pet. 1.23 We are born again not of corruptible Seed but of that which is incoruptible and are sanctified and cleansed by the washing of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 and renewing of the H. Ghost and so made meet for our Lords Appearance 2. By Faith in Christ This Peace of Reconciliation with God may be obtained by a firm and stedfast belief that our Lord Jesus Christ hath appeased his Fathers Anger satisfied the Demands of his Justice slain the Enmity established a steady Friendship between God and us and purchased eternal Life and Salvation for us God the Father hath promised him in the Covenant of Redemption Rom. 3.25 to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood and it is by the Blood of his Cross that he made Peace as the Apostle affirmeth Coloss 1.20 for without shedding of Blood there could be no Expiation or Remission of Sins Therefore he became obedient to the accursed Death of the Cross that by the bloody Sacrifice of himself there once offered Heb. 9.14 he might perfect for ever them that are sanctified and do all that was necessary for their acceptation with God and the forgiveness of their Sins But altho' he hath done this for us yet it is Faith on our part which must lay hold of the Value and Merit of his Sacrifice and Suffering and apply the Benefit which he hath purchased for us God is the principal Efficient Christ the Meritorius and Faith the Instrumental Cause of our Justification the Accomplishment whereof is by Faith and not by Works By the Deeds of the Law there shall be no Flesh justified Rom. 3.20 and acquitted from Condemnation in the Court of Heaven and accounted righteous in the sight of God for by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin and a more exact and perfect Discovery of the nature and turpitude thereof than the Light of Nature could afford But there is another way of becoming righteous which is of God's Ordination and Appointment and which alone he will accept by Faith Being justified by Faith Rom. 5.1 we have Peace with God with whom before we were at Enmity as the Apostle testifies But now we are reconciled Coloss 1.21 Ephes 2.14 2 Cor. 5.18 19 by the Blood of his Gross and the Merit of his Death for he is our Peace and hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself and by Faith in him we become righteous in the sight of God Tit. 3.5 Jam. 2.22 Acts 15.9 not by any works of righteousness which we have done but by a lively operative Faith which is made perfect by Works and purifieth the Heart and bringeth forth the good Fruits of Sanctification and new Obedience in Life and Conversation This is that Divine Grace which renders God propitious to us and our Persons and Religious Services acceptable to him Without which it is impossible to please him Heb. 11.6 This is the Shield wherewith we shall be able to quench the fiery Darts of the Wicked Mat. 13.19 i. e. the Devil who is denominated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Wicked One because it is a Name that fitly denotes his spiteful malicious nature his desire to vex and annoy us with his violent Temptations wherewith he and his wicked Instruments fiercely assault us this is that part of our spiritual Armour by which we become victorious over the Fears and Terrors the Hopes and Joys the Temptations and Desires of this World which are the great Obstructions and Hinderances of our Obedience 1 John 5.4 This is the Victory that overcometh the World even our Faith By the assistance of this heavenly Vertue we are enabled to live above the World and despise the Pomps and Vanities of it because it represents unto our Minds * Heb. 11.1 invisible Glories and Felicities all the Riches and Treasures of Heaven and the future Recompences of Reward For this cause we faint not tho' our outward man decay 2 Cor. 4.16.18 our inward is renewed day by day whilst we look not at the things that are seen but at the things which eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor have entred into the heart of Man to conceive For the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal This is that Fruit of the Spirit which gives us Union and Communion with Christ Ephes 3.17 John 3.15 16. and entitles us to Eternal Bliss to live for ever with the Lord. Whosoever believes on him and commits the Care of his Soul unto him relying on him alone for Salvation hath such an Interest in him that he is not afraid of being condemned by the severe Judge at his Appearing He that over-cometh Rev. 21.7 8. shall inherit all things and I will be his God to love and glorifie him and he shall be my Son to inherit all the Joys and Happiness of Heaven and to live with me for ever but the fearful and the unbelieving shall have their parts with the Abominable and Murtherers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and all Liars in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second Death 3. By Prayer this is the most effectual means which God hath consecrated for receiving the highest Blessings for the obtaining of Peace with him and to compleat our Reconciliation Haec vis Deo grata est Tert. Salvation is not to be obtained without great vehemency in Devotion This violence which we offer to God in fervent Prayer is very grateful to him Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man is very prevalent with God for obtaining of what is desired When God had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbouring Cities by raining down Fire and Brimstone from Heaven upon them to consume them for their filthy lusts Abraham by his powerful intercessions had most certainly averted Gods indignation from those wicked people if there could have been found but Ten Righteous Persons among them Hereby Jacob in his conflict with the Angel of the Covenant wrestled so vigorously that he obtained the Victory and had the name Israel given him Gen. 32.28 For saith the Text

are all extinct in the Dust and mouldred to Atoms as are also those Triple Mitred Popes that from the time of Gregorius Magnus the last of the good and first of the bad to this day have filled the Roman Chair and affected the Title of Oecumenical Bishops and claimed an exorbitant Power and Supremacy over the Church of Christ and made Europe to tremble with their dreadful Fulminations But they have all found that there is a Hell for the Unrighteous and a Heaven for the Just but no Purgatory save that of the Blood of Christ which purgeth from all sin These are manifest proofs that Death is not to be avoided 'T is our wisdom then to prepare for it for by that means tho it be formidable to Nature yet the sting thereof is taken away and we may be rather said to fall asleep then to die to sleep in Jesus and go to a blessed and glorious immortality v. Holiness which is the best preparation for Death and Judgment the noblest qualification for Happiness is absolutely necessary for none but holy Souls shall stand with comfort before the Judgment Seat of Christ only they that have walked uprightly and wrought righteousness shall stand in God's presence Ps 15.1 2.24.3 4 5. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord who shall stand in his holy place he that hath clean hands and a pure heart whose life and actions are holy and unblamable who hath not lift up his eyes to vanity nor sworn deceitfully he shall receive the blessing from the Lord Grace and Glory and all other good things which are promised to them that walk uprightly and Righteousness together with the blessed fruits and rewards of it and those benefits which flow from it from the God of his salvation Mat. 5.8 Our Saviour pronounceth Holy Men blessed Blessed are the pure in heart who are they who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin The very best of Christians are not able to say sincerely and truly that they are free from all guilt and pollution of sin in heart and life Such only then come under this denomination who being purified from all filthiness in the precious Blood of Christ are of a sincere and upright heart and conversation though they be not legally pure and free from all sin yet the bent of their heart is after holyness or to speak in the words of a Reverend Divine upon this Beatitude Mr. Norris They are such as relate not only to the external conduct of their lives but also the inward frame and habitude of their mind and conform not only their actions but their wills and desires thoughts and affections to the rule of the divine Law and to the dictates of the internal light of God in the Soul Such as sanctifie the Lord in their hearts and compose the inward recesses of their Souls into an awe and reverence of the Divine Presence set a law to their intellectual powers and suffer not the least thought or passion to violate the order either of Reason or Grace Such holy Souls as these shall have the happiness to see God in the Beatifical Vision of him in Glory They have an imperfect view of him in his Creatures and in his Ordinances They now see as St. 1 Cor. 13.12 Paul saith through a Glass darkly but hereafter they shall see him face to face and be abundantly satisfied with his presence and glory to all eternity and their joy shall no man take from them Joh. 16.22 neither shall any be sharers with them in it but such only as are qualified for heaven by universal holiness Rev. 21.27 for there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth it no close Hypocrite no scandalous Sinner no unclean person that hath not by a holy life separated himself from all sin and wickedness and dedicated himself to God shall enter into that holy place 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolators nor Adulterers nor effeminate persons nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Extortioners Gal. 5.19 nor any other sinners that are guilty of the works of the flesh shall without sincere repentance enter into the Kingdom of God of which I tell you before before the day of Death and Judgment come when you will experimentally find what is here said to be true Eph 5.5 Col. 3.6 That no such workers of Iniquity shall have any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God But suppose they should be admitted into that blessed place they would there find nothing that would be grateful to them For the joys of Heaven are all pure and spiritual and upon that account cannot possibly afford any satisfaction to their carnal minds The immaterial felicities of the upper world agree not at all to their sensual desires neither would they find any complacency in those pure and refined delights because there is no suitableness in them to their constitutions and inclinations which are wholy bent to the gross and transient satisfactions of this world which perish in the using like crackling of Thorns under a Pot that make a blaze for a little while and then suddenly vanish away All the Beatitudes of Heaven both in their nature and degree are congruous only to the dispositions of the Saints and suitable to their natures to the divine principle of purity communicated to them by God they are not at all agreeable to the minds of wicked men and it is as unreasonable to think that such men can enter into heaven without vertuous habits and holy dispositions and divine graces as to think that a Lamp can burn without Oyl to maintain the flame Heaven is the habitation of the Holy God of spotless Angels and glorified Souls 't is the Region of the purest Vertue and the most perfect Holiness If ever therefore we desire to enter into it and to enjoy God in that blifsful place we must make it our chiefest business to purifie our selves even as he is pure for there is no enjoying him but by becoming like him Heb. 12.14 without holiness no man shall see the Lord. We can have no union to no communion with or enjoyment of God either in Grace or Glory without Holyness that we may therefore be ready to meet our Lord we must follow i. e. vigorously pursue Righteousness 2 Tim. 2.22 1 Thes 5.15 Faith Charity Peace and that which is good for so an entrance shall be administred unto us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Having thus shewed wherein this preparation and readiness for Death and Judgment doth consist and also manifested the indispensible necessity of it I proceed to consider 2. The cogent Motive or Argument which our Lord propounds to quicken our zeal and diligence in making