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	jesus_n	lord_n	8,211	5	3.8236	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44635	The evil of our dayes with the remedy of it : a sermon preach'd at a visitation at Rothwell in Northamptonshire, Octob. 12, 1697 / by John Howard ...	Howard, John, 1647-1729?	1698 (1698)	Wing H2982; ESTC R8165	19,799	29

great advantage to our selves as in the Verse following that ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven St. Paul after Solomon gives us a like Precept in order to the Spiritual good of our Enemy Rom. 12.20 If thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head Which is a Metaphor taken from Metals that are soonest melted when fire is cast upon them And therefore the Sense of these words seems to be by these means thou shalt soften thine Enemy and reconcile him to thee For though they will bear another Sense yet this is most probably intended by the Apostle because he adds in the Verse following Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good Now if an Enmity conceiv'd against us upon the account of the Gospel may be thus conquer'd a Person is thereby reconcil'd to Religion and so brought into the way of Salvation And what greater Motive can we have to shew kindness to our Enemies next to the Glory of God and the Happiness of our own Souls than the probability of convincing them of sin and bringing them to Repentance and Reconciliation with God by this means This Kindness will also give a great advantage as was before hinted to such other menas as we use to convince any Sinners It will add strength to our Arguments with them that err in judgment and make all our Reproofs and Instructions come with greater Force and Authority upon others 2. As we are to use these Means to convince the Guilty so we must also Warn and Instruct others that they fall not into the same Errors either in Judgment or Practice To this end it will be necessary with all plainness and earnestness to Represent to our People the Sinfulness of our Nature the evil and danger of Sin the many Temptations we are encompass'd with and the Judgments of God denounc'd against Sin both in this and a future State And on the other hand the natural goodness of God to his Creatures his Infinite Love in Christ to all that truly Repent of their Sins believe in the Lord Jesus and obey his Commands the Comfort and Happiness of a Holy Life here and the Glorious Salvation which will be the Reward of it hereafter To these things we must add particular Cautions against those Sins and Errors which are most common amongst us shewing the dangerous consequence of them And all this with such a Sense and Zeal as may convince them we believe it our Selves that we have a true Compassion for their Souls and desire of their happiness But our greatest care should be employ'd about the most hopeful part of our Charge the Children in our several Parishes to Instruct them in the Principles and Rules of our Religion that they may know whatsoever is necessary to be Believ'd and Practis'd in order to Salvation To which end we must not only take care that they are perfect in the Form of their Catechism but endeavour by explaining it familiarly to them to make them understand it as far as they are capable that the Fear of God and a Sense of their Duty to him possessing their Hearts betimes may preserve them from the sins of the present time and fit them to do eminent Service to God hereafter And we have the greater reason to hope for this success because the habits of Sin being but weak in them are more easily subdu'd by good Instructions and their Minds not yet prepossess'd with other Notions will receive the deeper and more lasting Impressions from them and not only for the Informing their Understanding but Governing their Conversation too according to that of the Wise Man Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it So that if we have but little success in Reforming the present Age this will conduce much to the Innocence of the next and thereby to the Glory of Almighty God the Prosperity of his Church and the Eternal Salvation of many Souls But here we shall need all Assistance from their Parents too who by that Interest they have in them and being so much with them may do this Good Work with greater Advantage than our selves especially if it be seconded by their good Example 3. To these Means we must add our daily and fervent Prayers to that God who searches all Hearts and can change them as he pleases who is Light and Truth it self and can reform all the Errors of Mens Minds who sees and hates the Ungodly Conversation of some and the Lukewarmness of others amongst us who is ready to bless all proper Means that are Zealously and Prudently used for the Correcting Mens Errors and Reforming their Hearts and Lives and with whom the Effectual Fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man availeth much that he would be pleas'd to direct and assist us in all our Endeavours to these Ends and Crown them with his Blessing 2. I am to shew how we are to redeem our Time or make the best use of it with respect to the evil of Suffering And this I shall do in Two Particulars 1. We must carry our selves prudently towards the Enemies of Religion 2. We must bear patiently those Sufferings we meet with for the Sake of Christ 1. We must carry our selves prudently towards the enemies of Religion that we may not give them any occasion to offer Indignities to us according to the Rule our Saviour gave his Disciples Mat. 10.16 Behold I send you forth as Sheep in the midst of Wolves be ye therefore wise as Serpents and harmless as Doves The enmity which many bear to Religion will make them apt to take up any new Pretences against it and therefore they will the more curiously observe our Conversation and be ready to charge us with the least appearance of evil in it How much does it concern us therefore to the take the Apostles Caution in the Verse before my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See therefore how circumspectly or warily ye walk and that Col. 4.5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time Thus we shall make the best use of our time with respect to them if we also shew that kindness to them which was mention'd before 2. We must bear patiently those Sufferings we meet with for the sake of Christ in doing our duty Though I confess that Persecution which comes upon us from the bad Principles and Conversation which comes upon us from the bad Principles and Conversation of Wicked Men whereby the Honour of God and the Interest of Religion suffer so much in the World and many Souls are in so great danger of eternal Damnation will justify our Impatience more then any other To be quiet and easie in the observation of these things is the effect not of a great but of a sensseless Mind and to be satisfy'd before we have try'd all Veans