Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A45206
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The dreadfulness of the plague. Or A sermon preached in the parish-church of St. John the Evangelist, December 6th. being a day of public fasting. By Jos. Hunter M.A. and minister in York
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Hunter, Josiah, minister in York.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing H3766; ESTC R219103
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15,661
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32
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and their sins admit of those aggravations which the sins of other men do not and therefore why should we think that they should be priviledged from those temporal punishments which God is went to inflict for such sins 2. Consider that good men even by their sins do help to draw down a judgment and common calamity upon a Nation indeed God takes most notice of their sins concerning the common sort of prophans persons he saith These are foolish they have not known the way of the Lord nor the judgment of their God but when his own People in Covenant with him when these shall break the bands then he bursts out How shall I pardon thee for this now if good men by their sins be instrumental in drawing down a Pest upon a Nation why should they expect any other but to be involved in it 3. Consider this as you cannot tell me any sin be it never so gross into which a Believer may not fall except it be the sin against the Holy-Ghost so you cannot assigne any judgment be it never so great whereunto a Believer is not obnoxious unless it be Everlasting damnation There is no condemnation indeed to those that are in Christ Jesus but for temporal calamities they are so incident to good men that the Scripture seems to make them their Portion and it may be truly said of Gods Servants as Augustus said once when he sat between Virgil and Horace whereof the one was bleer-eyed and the other much given to sighing they sit inter suspiria lachrymas between sighing and weeping I am plagued all the day long and chastened every morning saith David Psal 73. 14. That is a pretty saying of Clemens Alexandrinus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that is neer to God is always under the â—â—sb It is a Pestilent Doctrine therefore to aâ—â—irm that none who believe in God and love him sincerely can dye of the Plague it is very tâ—uâ— the dying of the pl guâ— shall be no more prejudicial to them in respect of their salvation than the dying of any other dâ—â—th All things and therefore the Plague work together for good to them that love God but the sentence of jâ—sâ—ification Gods acceptation of them into favour gives not Believers an immunity from any disease but their persons are still subjâ—ct unto those diseases which the nature is and it is very soundly observed by one Mr. â—â—mford who writ a little Tâ—eâ—â—ise the laâ—â— great Plague but this at London that God by suffering good men to dye of the Plague glorifies both his justice and his wisdâ—me his justice among the wicked in giving them cause to say If God spare not the green tree what shall be done to the dry his wisdome among the godly lest they should say for our own Righteousness â—e are delivered Thus I have answered the three Questions Why the Plague is so dreadful a judgment what it is that provokes God to send it Whether it be incident to good meâ— I have now only a Cauâ—ion to subjoyn and then I shall come to Application The Cautiâ—â— is this though the plague be a dreadful judgment yet the Scripture speaks of another plague which is far worâ—e and yet whilest we do what we can to â—lie the leâ—â—er plague we do what we can to pursue the greater but what Plague i that Solomon will tell you 1 King 8. 38. The plague of the heart sin in general is the plâ—gue of the heart every mans own iniquity his peccatum in deliciâ—â— his darling lust that is the particular plague of hâ—â— own heart now this plague of the heart is worse than the other plague in several respects I will name them tâ—ough I cannot insist on them 1. As in good things the cause is beâ—tâ—r so in evil things the cause is worse than the effect bu the plague of the heart is the cause of the other plague sin brought in misery at first and mâ—sery hath ever since pursued sin 2. We are more sensible of the plâ—gue of the body than that of the heart and therefore the plague of the heart is more dâ—ngerouâ— the first stâ—p to â—ealth is to have a feeling of our disease therefore there is less hope of câ—re where there is less feeling of the Distemper 3. Nature doth not only feel the Plague of the body but is may by Gods blessing upon means be of force to work out the malignity of it that it shall not prove mortal for else none that have the plague should escape death bâ—â— by a miracle but corrupt nature as it is not sensible of the Plague of the heart so neither hath it power to work it cut if the great Physitian of Souls cure iâ— not it is not all tâ—e strength of Nature the art of man the power of Medicines that can avail any thing but the soul is infâ—cted and will be destroyed 4. Though the plague of the body be infectious yet the plague of the heart addâ— venâ—â—e and malignity to it The spirit of a man will hear his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can hear sin emâ—itters and poysons any affliction the sting of every pâ—nal evil is sin this is the plague of the plague an affliction consists not in the bulk of it but the burthen what is a Serpent without a sting or a great bulk if it hath no weight where the plague of the heart is cured the other plague is more easily bornâ— though the cross continue yet the cursâ— is taken away 5. The plague of the heart is worse than the other plague because it seiâ—eth upon and infects the better part of man his Soul that which is more worth than a world and could be Redeemed by no less than the precious blood of Christ look how much better the Soul is than the Body by so much worse is the plague of the heart than that of the body Lastly as Christ said concerning men so may I say concerning the plague the utmosâ— it can do is but to kill the body and that for a time but the Plague of the hears will destroy both body and Soul everlastingly that death which consists only in a separation of the Soul from the Body is nothing so terrible as that which consists in an everlasting separation of the Soul from God But some men will never be convinced what a plague the Plague of the heart is till they come to feel the plagues of the damned then they shall wish for death but it shall flee from them I come now to Application 1. If the plague be such a token of Gods wrath what cause have we of this Nation to think that God iâ— wroth and displeased with us since he hath visited us with such a Plague as cannot be parallelled since the Sweating sickness and that in such a juncture of time when it could not have been more prejudicial to the affairs of the Nation it is