Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	death_n	great_a	life_n	4,353	5	4.2040	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76354	The worst enemy conquered A brief discourse on the methods and motives to pursue a victory over those habits of sin, which war against the soul. Delivered, on June 6th. 1698. the day for election of officers, in the Artilery-Company [sic], at Boston. By Mr. Joseph Belcher, Pastor of the church in Dedham. [Two lines in Latin]	Belcher, Joseph, 1669-1723.; Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.; Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.	1698 (1698)	Wing B1783; ESTC W20950	15,646	39

Corruption as well as Grace Though Sin be beat out of its strong holds yet it hath betaken it self to its inward Castle where it will remain and have a being in us as long as we shall have a being here in this world This Canaanite will dwell in the Land nor can the Children of God drive it out of this City God doth with us in respect of Sin our inward Enemy as the Psalmist prayed against his outward Enemies Psal 59.11 Slay them not scatter them by thy power and bring them down O Lord our Shield Thus doth the Lord do in respect of Sin and Corruption in his Saints here in this World those enemies are brought down from that power and dignity in which they were wont to be but they are nor wholly slain They are surrounded are taken arraigned a Sentence of death is past upon them and they are dead in Law but yet they have their lives lengthened out for a season during our bodily life nor can we till the death of the Body expect perfectly to be freed from the body of death The wise man proclaims a Challenge to all the world to enter the Lists with him upon this account Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made mine heart clean And though there may be some of man-kind that may falsely and presumptuously say that they have yet none can truly and safely say that they have For if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1.8 Conclusion 5. Sin not being thus quite overcome and destroyed it follows that every man who hath listed himself under the banner of Christ hath a diversity of principles in him between which there can be no amity and friendship but on the other hand a continual warring The principles Sin and Grace Flesh and Spirit are diametrically opposite one unto another are the greatest contraries in the whole world as contrary as light and darkness as life and death as good and evil as Heaven and Hell And being so opposite and contrary they cannot be dormant and latitant in the Soul but must needs be up in armes indeavouring to vanquish and expell each other These two principles are as it were the company of two armies Cant. 6.13 They lie intrencht and engaged one against the other As long as a man keeps his league with sin and serves that he feels nothing at all of this While the strong man armed keeps the Palace his goods are in peace Luk. 11.21 A● long as Israel is subject to the Egyptians and doth their drudgery all is well there 's no stir but when once they shake off that Servitude and set out for Canaan then they are pursued with all the forces and powers imaginable to be brought back to their former bondage Especially therefore upon a mans first chusing of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Captain of his Salvation is this onsett high and not only then but when we have made considerable proficiency and have obtained much victory over Sin Yea those that have arrived to the highest Attainments are not free from this combat within but like Rebekah have twins struggling in their wombs the Flesh and the Spirit like the twins in her womb do war and strive one with another The law in the members wars against the law in the mind Rom. 7.23 the fleshly lusts war against the Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 and the Soul also wars against them Gal. 5.17 The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these two are contrary one to the other Conclusion 6. This keeping under the Body of Sin and bringing it into subjection consists in such a warring with Sin as to endeavour its death and destruction and the subjecting all our faculties and members to the Service of God and Christ We must endeavour the death and destruction of sin in this sense there must be a Resistance unto blood striving against Sin Heb. 11.4 Sin will have it pleas to be spared and saved alive and we may be willing to deal gently with it as David gave charge concerning Absalom this Prisoner of War will cry for quarter when the life of it is in danger and will speak us fair and make seemingly great propositions Some sins will promise us profit and worldly gain if we will not slay them as those ten men said to Ishmael Jer. 41.8 Slay us not for we have treasures in the field Others will promise us promotions and worldly honour as Baalak said to Balaam Am I not able indeed to promote thee unto Honour Others will promise us pleasures and delights if they may be spared and indulged Others will plead they are little ones and therefore will desire they may escape yea and others will plead they are our Relations and our Kindred flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones and no man ever yet hated his own flesh but we must stop our ears against all their most cursed charmes endeavour to do by every Sin as Joab by Absalom thrust it through the heart 2 Sam. 18.14 Both small and great must be dealt with after this manner The great ones the Champions the Goliahs that come out of the Camp of these Enemies these Philistins must be fought with and kill'd and the little ones must be also dasht against the stones This slaughter must be like that which Saul was commanded to effect against the Amalekites 1 Sam. 15.3 all sorts both young and old must be put to the Sword and not so much as one Agag must be spared alive And as there is in the duty we are speaking of an endeavouring the death and destruction of Sin so an endeavouring to subject all our faculties and members to the Service of Christ every thought we must endeavour to bring into obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10 5. Our members not only the parts of our Bodies but the faculties of our Souls also these must not be yielded as Instruments of unrighteousness unto Sin but yielded as instruments of righteousness unto God Rom. 6.13 we must not any longer live the rest of our time to the lusts of men but to the will of God as it is exprest 1 Pet. 4.2 Our bodies i. e. our whole man I conceive a part is put for the whole man Rom. 12.1 Our whole man must be presented a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God and when we do sincerely endeavour this viz. the death and destruction of Sin and the improving the whole man for the Service of God though in many things we may fail and sometimes by our indwelling enemy be put to the worst yet if this be our bent inclination sincere desire and endeavour it will be accepted of God and we shall be accounted by him as such as do keep under the Body of Sin and bring it into subjection And thus of the first thing proposed to be spoken to we pass to the second Secondly We shall endeavour to shew how this keeping

many wounded yea many strong men in this sence have been sl●in by it But that which is the dreadful consequent and effect of not keeping under the body of sin and bringing it into subjection is the perdition and destruction that it exposes to in the world to come This War with sin will terminate in nothing short of the death of one of the parties engaged in it If we are not the death of our Lusts and Corruptions they will most certainly be the death of us of our Souls if we are conquered by them and brought into subjection to them we shall have no other stipend and pay for our Service but Death Rom. 6.23 Our great Captain will not spare any man that spares any of his Sins God hath appointed every Lust to death they are all men of death by his appointment and whosoever spares them or lets them go his life must go for theirs As it was said to him 1 King 20.42 Because thou hast let go out of thine hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore shall thy life go for his life we must therefore vanquish by indeavouring the subjection of sin or else we shall be overcome by that and must dye our selves So that laying these things together it is very evident and clear that those that would fight to purpose in this Spiritual War must endeavour to keep under and bring into subjection all those carnal lusts and affections which they have warring in them And thus of the two first things proposed briefly to be touched upon We come to the third and last which is the APPLICATION USE of Incouragement Let every one that would fight to purpose in the Spiritual War endeavour to keep under their Body of Sin and bring it into subjection If so be we had no Lusts warring in us and against us there would be no need of such an Exhortation but since we have a necessity lies upon us to suffer it and attend it and Wo unto us if we don't We read concerning Moses Exod. 2.11 12. That when he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew one of his brethren he slew the Egyptian There are if I may term them so Egyptian Lusts within us which ever and anon smite our Souls which are nearer friends to us than a Brother they are our darlings our all when ever therefore we espy these cruel Taskmasters they would be so smiting our Spiritual part we must encounter them and endeavour to slay them To animate and incourage us hereto I shall lay down but two particulars unto which I shall subjoyn two or three words by way of Direction and so conclude Motive 1. This combate after a while you may hope will not be Irksome and tedious but pleasant and delightful Sinners that are overcome and led Captive by their Lusts they count that Captivity their greatest Satisfaction and most pleasant life they like their Service love their Master and are unwilling to go out free they think they must change Naomi for Marah and therefore when called upon hereto are ready to say with the Olive tree and Fig-tree Judg. 9.9 11. Should I leave my fatness should I forsake my sweetness and good fruit should I leave the pleasures that I enjoy in walking in the way of mine heart and the sight of my own eyes to Mourn to Fast to live a strict life of Mortification this they cannot tell how to comply with Well but give me leave to tell you as to this warfare you are under a mistake You are not called to quit your pleasures only to change the objects of them and that every way for your profit and advantage to leave those that are low and base for them that are high and noble sensual delights for spiritual delights the satisfactions of Swine for those of Angels and therefore if pleasures and delights will charm you or have any influence upon you I will assure you that here in this Warfare you may enjoy those that are rational and Heavenly whereas as long as you continue slaves to your Lusts you may enjoy only those that are base and filthy delights of a Beast yea of a Devil Believe it you will find one hour spent in prayer mourning for sin and secret Communion with God better than many spent in the service of Sin and those lusts that Sinners are wont to indulge themselves in so that though the beginning of this incountring the Body of Sin may be hard it will be easy after a while and at length very pleasant Motive 2. The Victory is certain and also most signal and glorious This is that which encourages a Souldier to be Valiant the hope of Victory and this is the priviledge of the Christian Souldier that he shall most certainly have Victory He is not left at uncertainty to the chance of War wherein the Victory in Battel is not always to the strong but a Christian may know and be assured that he shall overcome and obtain the Victory The issue of the War is revealed and made known to us by Christ in his word as Sin Satan Death and Hell could not conquer our Lord Jesus Christ the Captain himself so neither shall any of them be able to conquer his Souldiers A Christian may sometimes be foiled and seem to be beaten back but yet he shall recover himself again though he fall yet he shall rise again It may be said of him as of Gad Gen. 49.19 Though a Troop may overcome him yet he shall overcome at last And as this Victory is most certain so it is most signal and glorious the Victory it self is most signal and glorious and so is the Reward of it The Victory it self is so it 's a greater conquest than to be Conqueror of the World for some that have been Conquerors of the World have yet been taken Captives by their own lusts and affections Prov. 16.32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh a City he that ruleth his Spirit is better and more victorious and more glorious This is the noblest and most signal victory the Reward also is most signal glorious it being no less than a Crown not of silver or gold but of Eternal Life if we through the grace and assistances of the Spirit do kill and put to death the deeds of the Body we shall live eternally Rom. 8.13 Let then the consideration hereof incourage us to our Duty For Direction take a few particulars briefly Direction 1. Begin with this enemy betimes crush it in the first motions of it it 's easiest overcoming at the first Warriors are wont to set upon their enemies where they find them feeblest so we should set upon sin before it get head and if we do before it get too much hold upon our faculties or break forth by outward acts we may more easily subdue it and hold it under as a slave and vassal These Lions we