Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
blood_n	abel_n	brother_n	slay_v	683	4	7.5542	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86549	Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ: or, The doctrine of sanctification (which is the greater part of our salvation) founded upon Christ, who is both the meritorious, and and efficient cause of sanctifying grace, purchasing it for, working & perfecting it in his people. Applied (as it was specially intended) for the better information of our judgements, and quickning of our affections in holiness, wherein our everlasting our everlasting happiness chiefly consisteth. / Preached in the weekly lecture at Evesham in the county of Worcester, by George Hopkins, M.A. minister of the Gospel there.; Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ	Hopkins, George, 1620-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing H2743; Thomason E1608_1; ESTC R208454	135,124	325

the Lord brought so heavy a judgement upon Eli and his house because he did no more to restrain them What judgement then do such parents bring upon themselves their families who are leaders of their children by example to sin 4. Evill example in those that are eminent professors is very injurious to many soules Their bad examples are of two sorts 1. In matters of Practise 2. In matters of Opinion First in matters of practice which is also of two sorts First more grosse and seldome miscarriages Secondly more light and frequent First their more gross though seldome miscarriages do much evill to divers 1. Wicked men are hardned in their wickenesse and more prejudiced against the waies of God whereby their salvation from sin is the more difficult 2. They are emboldned the more to reproach and vilifie the waies and servants of God 2 Sam. 12.14 By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme said the Lord by Nathan to David when he had fallen into those sins of Adultery and Murther 2. In miscarriages lesse and more frequent Herein the examples of eminent Christians are a snare to many as for example Some that have been long and some noted in the profession of Religion allow themselves much liberty of vain talking unseemly jesting and sometimes too far complying in evill company Now how doth this 1. tend to confirm carnal Persons in the like vanity They will be ready to say such and such that are good men and know more than we do thus and thus why may not we do so too 2. Weak Christians are brought to allow themselves more liberty than formerly they did when they see professors far more eminent than themselves not to be so strict I doubt not but divers Christians can by experience say the examples of good men in evil practises have done them much wrong and their lighter miscarriages in this respect do more injury than their soule falls There was little danger of godly mens being inclinable to imitate David in his Adultery and Murther it would be matter of caution and lamentation rather because the offences were foul and notorious and conscience would much resist such temptations at the first thought of them but vain talking idle jesting and the like are looked on as small and no evils and many are inclinable to think they may possibly be allowed yet have some scruple and hesitancy and will forbear such vanity for feare of offending But when they heare an eminent Christian taking liberty in the way they formerly feared flesh and blood will be ready to say How needlesse were such feares and doubts taking such a mans example to be a resolution of the doubt Eminent and ancient professors had great need to look to their wayes and set a narrow watch before the dore of their lips 2. In matters of Opinion examples of eminent Professors do much mischief in these times When a Cedar falls it beats down many shrubs under it when a noted person for parts and piety receiveth an opinion how many are swayed by his example And the temptation in this is more dangerous than in most practicall miscarriages for weak Christians ordinarily know what is good or evill in things of common conversation and importance but they want judgement to weigh controverted doctrines and therefore follow the example of such as they best esteem The proof of this is too full by the sad experience of these times A fift way of hindring the salvation of people from their sins is by evill enticements counsels and perswasions Sinners who are Satans agents have their crafty allurements hence Solomon gives warning Prov. 1.10 If sinners entice thee consent thou not Solomon describes the manner how Harlots entice young men to commit folly you may read it at your leisure Prov. 7.6 to 24. Drunkards have likewise their enticements to gain their companions and when they are intangled they have their various artifices to draw them in to excesse Ale-sellers also have their fetches to bring in customers to throw away their money and precious time in swinish swilling 'T is a sad complaint that I have heard of some of the wives of poor labourers that their husbands can hardly passe with a penny in their pockets but they are drawne into one Alehouse or another to spend it while their wives and children want bread at home This the Magistrate may do well to look to But it is farre more sad to consider the wickednesse and mischief of such inticers to the soules of those that are intangled by them they plead they cannot live and thrive unlesse they use such means to draw their beer But alas what a living is it to live by the sins of men to destroy souls for a little gain The Jewes refused to put Judas his thirty pieces of Silver into the Treasury because it was the price of blood but these inticers make a treasury by the blood of souls mean while treasuring up to themselves wrath against the d●y of wrath I doubt not but the calling in it self is both lawfull and necessary but there are few that use it lawfully Well whosoever thou art that art an inticing sinner that hast made it thy practise to draw others to sin consider how many soules have perished and are like to perish eternally by thy inticements Thou that art an inticing drunkard are not some whom thou madest thy roaring companions now roaring in hell for the sins that were of thy procurement When Cain had killed his brother Abel said God Where is thy brother Abel the voice of thy brothers blood crieth unto me from the ground And now art thou cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand So may the Lord say to thee where are thy companions thy brethren the voice of the blood of their ruined soules crieth to me from hell And how art thou cursed from hell which hath opened her mouth to receive thy companions souls at thy hand What if thou hadst wilfully murthered thy Neighbour by stabbing or cutting his throa would not thy conscience terrifie thee and all men cry out of thee as a most desperate and wicked wretch unfit to live upon the earth O the blood of souls is most precious blood the destroying of one soule is more than the killing of a hundred innocent persons and this is the sin even soule murther that thou art guilty of and if the judgement of Cain be sevenfold surely thy judgement must be seventy times sevenfold The Danger is greater when the Inticement is from a special s Omnis inimica amicitia seductio mentis investigabilis c. Aug Con. l. 1. c. 9. friend or one of neere relation The enticement of a wife is strong with a husband and the enticement of a husband is strong with a wife Sathan can do more by such instruments than by his immediate temptations or by the threats of an

enemy therefore when Sathan had overcome Eve he makes use of her to tempt her husband as being a more likely way to prevaile than to treat with him himself Thus he made use of Solomons wives to draw him to Idolatry For this cause the Lord forbad the Israelits to make marriages with Idolaters Deut. 7.3 4. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son For they will turne away thy son from following me that they may serve other Gods And Paul giveth the like admonition to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6.14 Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers And as the Lord warned the Israelites of the danger that would insue upon the making of such Marriages so accordingly it befell them when they transgressed this command Their strange wives became a snare to them Judges 3.5 6. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites Hittites Amorites Perisites Hivites and Jebusites And they tooke their daughters to be their wives and they gave their daughters to their sons served their gods It was Sampsons Delilah that betrayed him into the hands of the Philistims And how is it found by sad experience that such as yoke themselves unequally for carnall advantages are much insnared in their spirituall condition When Marriages are made the infidelity or prophanenesse of the one party is not sufficient to make a necessary divorce but the believing and spirituall are to do what they can to win the unbelieving and carnall yet when persons are free they had best take heed how they intangle themselves And wo to that person that becomes a snare Thou that art an inticing husband canst thou not be content to perish alone but thou must needs draw thy wife to the same eternall ruine with thee Thou that art an inticing wife canst thou not be satisfied to perish alone but thou must draw thy husband to the same everlasting torment with thee must you needs go to hell by couples As those that have been happy instruments in saving their yoke-fellows shall reap the everlasting comfort of it So on the contrary it will be an everlasting torment to those husbands and wives who have been Sathans instruments in destroying each others soules O consider this and lay it to heart before it be too late The last way I shall mention of hindring the saving of people from their sins is by persecution Although now there is not blessed be God such open persecution with violence as in the dayes of Popish Kings and Rulers with fire and faggot and other waies of torture Yet the scornes decisions and abuses that have been offered to the waies and servants of God have been a great means to hinder some by discouraging them in the way to turn others out of the good way wherein they were going In these times I confess a slight forme of godlinesse and some smooth words About matters of Religion especially the arguing of controversies in divers opinions is in great credit and much in fashion and the upper garment of Saint ship is the very livery of the times we live in But the power of godlinesse is but here and there found and serious Christian practice hath little savour and acceptance He that will be a Christian indeed shall be reviled by the profane party on the one hand for his precisenesse and scorned and vilified by our Novelists on the other hand as a Legallist and Formalist as one that trusts to and hopes to be saved by his duties Is not ancient serious christian practice every where spoken against by the wantons of our age who account old stedfast professors no better than Pharisees and Selfe-justitiaries It was a cruell practice of Paul before his conversion that he persecuted the Saints shutting many of them up in prison and gave his voyce against them when they were to be put to death and that he punished them oft in every Synagogue and being exceedingly mad against them persecuted them even to strong cities but the most mischievous of all was that he compelled them to blaspheme Acts 26 10 11. The other were but temporal sufferings this a spirituall mischief So now may we say it was a murtherous practice in Bonner and others that burned the Saints in the daies of Queen Mary but of far more evil consequence is the sin of those that by scoffs and scornes at the power of godlinesse under specious pretences have deluded many simple soules causing them to blaspheme the ancient tried and approved wayes of God and rejoice in it as if they had done God good service O how doth this confirm the ungodly in the midst of their wickednesse and cause many that began to minde Religion to take up with a slight Antinomian profession and go no further And how sad is it to heare many talk of Gospel liberty and Saints priviledges applying all to themselves while they are in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity their lives conversations plainly declaring that they are as great strangers to the worth of Regeneration as ever Nichodemus was And while they promise liberty they bring themselves into real bondage 2 Pet. 2.18 19. Whosoever thou art that hast had a hand in managing this will of the Devil to secure poor Soules in the midst of their sins as it were bidding them sleep on and take their rest crying peace peace where there is no peace know that a fearfull woe belongs to thee the blood of those soules which thou hast destroyed will be required at thy hands Suppose thou hadst seen the vision of John in the opening of the fifth Seal Rev. 6.9 10. and hadst beheld under the Altar the Soules of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held and hadst heard them crying with a loud voyce saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwel on the Earth wouldst thou not have blessed thy selfe from being of the number of them that should have a hand in their blood But there will a louder and more direfull cry from poor damned soules in hell be lifted up for vengeance against thee even those whom thou hast destroyed by teaching them to spurn at the power of godlinesse The Martyrs that were slain died but temporally to live eternally but those poor Soules whom thou hast taught to score at holinesse indeed must die eternally and without recovery O that all these sorts of hinderers of the work of Christ in saving people from their sinnes had but this reproof set home upon their hearts O that seducing Teachers mischievous Dividers scandalous Ministers and others exemplary for wickednesse that enticing Sinners and self-admiring Scorners at Godlinesse had but the loud cry of dying souls that by their means perish in their wickedness continually ringing in their eares that it might be a means to recover them out