Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	eternal_a	see_v	6,178	5	3.7252	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92775	A glasse for the times: wherein is represented the malady and remedy of divisions. / In a sermon preached at Mercers Chappel, April the 7th 1650. By La. Seaman D.D. pastor at Alhallowes-Breadstreet. London.	Seaman, Lazarus, d. 1675.	1650 (1650)	Wing S2175; Thomason E597_13; ESTC R206295	20,165	35

flesh that his owne Son should come and take upon him our nature and live in obedience to the Law and yet suffer the curse due to transgressours and that we should be freed from the curse and that this should be made knowne to men by the ministry of the Gospel all this businesse is the pure designe of love Well therefore God must have all the glory of reconciliation and all those that desire it must in an especial manner apply themselves to him Reconciliation can never be effected unlesse God be pleased take God in and let him have his full interest give we up our hearts to him sincerely and then the businesse will succeed But I hasten to the second Observation and that is The ministry of the Word is a principall meanes that God pitcheth upon to make a reconciliation by That we may the better understand this I beseech you consider what there was in Johns ministry for our minds will presently be running thither what singular thing that made it so effectuall for reconciliation and for conversion I shall in a few Observations plainly set before you what is obvious out of the Scripture concerning the ministry of John First of all John laid his foundation in self-denyall he laid himselfe concerning his person as low as possibly might be His rayment is said to be of Camels haire and a leather girdle about his loynes and his meat was Locusts Matth 3. 4. and wilde Honey He came not as our Saviour observes of him neither eating nor drinking That is he would not take to himselfe the ordinary freedome that Matth. 11. 18. other persons did he was one of exceeding temperance and abstinence in all that belonged to his person He was also very meane and humble exceeding carefull that no apprehensions should be had of him beyond those that he was worthy of And therefore when his Disciples envyed the dignity of Christ and thought their Masters honour would be eclipsed thereby You your selves saith he beare me witnesse that I said I was not the Christ but that I am sent before him He must Joh. 3. 28. 30. increase but I must decrease Here was Johns principle and foundation That 's one thing that is to be observed Secondly in his ministry he especially applyeth himself Matth. 3. 2. for the pressing of repentance that was the sum and substance of his ministry to call all sorts of men to this duty to convince them of the necessity of it and that if they would have the forgivenesse of their sins and escape the wrath of God they must needs repent to declare both their repentance and faith he required them to submit to every ordinance that was of Gods commanding and particularly to be Baptized And to bring forth fruits meet for repentance Matth. 3. 8. Thirdly he opened a dore of grace to all humble sinners for he told them of Jesus Christ that was to come and of the Kingdome of God that was at hand 1 Joh. 1. 29. Behold saith he the Lamb of God that taketh away the Matth. 3. 11. sinnes of the world I baptize you with water but after me cometh one that shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire This is the third thing we have to observe in him Fourthly he did presse every one without respect of persons unto the duty of his place calling state and condition And therefore that Herod should carry himself like Herod as a King and that he should take to himselfe no other liberty for sin then other men he told him to his face that it was not lawfull for him to take his Matth. 14 4. brothers wife c. And when the souldiers came before him and put questions and cases of conscience he pressed Luke 3. 14. them strictly to their duties that they should do violence to no man neither accuse any falsely and be content with their wages In the fifth place the ministry of John was rather practicall then polemicall there were many disputations in those times amongst the Pharisees and the Sadduces and divers other Sects but we never heard that John ingaged himselfe in any of those controversies but went on in the preaching of repentance and faith and obedience not minding those matters of lesser difference wherein the Jews of those times contended among themselves But sixthly although the ministry of Iohn was practical rather then polemical yet he was a faithfull witnesse in the grand controversie of the time concerning the matters of religion in that great question whether Iesus Christ was the true Messias or no And therein he alone bore up his head against all the John 1. 8. body of the Jews and though he was not that light yet he came to beare witnesse of that light In this he was so farre from not engaging himself as that he became the principal the hottest and most zealous man in this point and upon all occasions did labour to make it out in the most convincing manner that Jesus Christ was the true Messias And when they would have had him to have thoughts of himself as if he had been the man When the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Ierusalem to aske him who art thou He confessed and John 1. 19. 20. denied not but confessed I am not the Christ So as though he medled not with lesser things of difference yet he contended for the truth of this And seventhly there is one thing more I shall note to you concerning the ministry of Iohn It was his great designe to prepare Disciples for Christ and to bring over all his Disciples to be the Disciples of Christ and as much as in him lay to magnifie Iesus Christ and to vilifie himself yea to make himself nothing that Iesus Christ might become all in all In the third of Iohn there you have a very large story for the confirmation of this The Disciples of Iohn take notice of Jesus that he baptized and all men came to him John 3. 26. they seeme to be offended at this and thought that Iohn was wanting to his owne credit and reputation if he did not something to recover his dignity Oh! saith Iohn ye are my witnesses that I said I am not Christ I am but the friend of the Bridegroome and therefore I must be true to him hereupon he stirs them up to beleeve that Jesus Christ was the Sonne of God And he that beleeveth on the Sonne of God as he there teacheth hath eternall life and he that beleeveth Verse 36. not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Thus you see that in Iohns ministry there was nothing of flattery or complying with any corrupt interest of the times this was his plaine down-right way of preaching the necessity of repentance and of faith and of a holy life these were the great things to which Iohn applyed himselfe and above all to drive on the interest of