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
A46992	Comfortable words to afflicted consciences together with a short advice to ministers how to handle them : and also Mansio Christiana, or, The Christians mansion-house, being a sermon preached on the Lords-day, 7th Feb., Anno Dom. 1668 at the funeral of Mrs. Martha Walmisley, the wife of Mr. Charles Walmisley, minister of Chesham magna in the county of Bucks / by William Jole ...	Jole, William, d. ca. 1702.	1671 (1671)	Wing J887; ESTC R8442	40,808	152

bring us into this Land Numb 14. ve 8. Hearken unto Caleb and Ioshua unto the faithful spies and true Ministers which declare from the word of God what place Heaven is and hearken not unto any that endeavour to bring an evil report on this good Land where only is fulness of Ioy and pleasures for evermore Indeed there are some difficulties will meet us in our way thitther but no impossibilities Say with Caleb the Lord is with us we are able to overcome them Numb 13. compared with Num● 14. ver 9. 2. Pray against earthly mindedness The young man that seemed so earnest to get to Heaven as is set out by his postures of running and kneeling and asking what to do yet his great earthly Possessions hindred him from being prevailed with by the promise of Heavenly treasure Mark 10. ver 2● Reuben and Gad had so much Cattle that they are not eager to dwell in Canaan Iacob's Flocks and Herds made him drive slowly homewards Gen. 33. v. 14. though I grant his fear of Esau might be a great cause also Those Christians are in most danger of neglecting Heavenly Mansions that are well seated in Earthly places haec sunt quae faciunt invitos mori these things make us unwilling to die Let us use the Earth as the Birds do the Air is their proper place and they care not to descend on the Earth but only for their times of Feeding so long as they keep aloft they are secure but when they come to settle on the Ground there are Nets or Guns or some Snare to endanger them So long as Christians keep their thoughts on Heaven and the thing above they are ●afe from Temptation but when they ●et them hover too long upon Earth and the things ●●low Satan is ready to shoot at them or hath one Snare or other to catch them though your daily Bread grows on Earth yet look on Heaven as your home and send your thoughts desires thither again that it may appear though you Table here you expect to dwell in Heaven A few words more and then I shall conclude 1. Be content though God allo● you but a low place or no place in this world seeing Christ is preparing a place for you in a better world 2. Get your affections more weaned from earthly Houses you that have them and fix your thoughts more on those Heavenly Mansions Because Children know no better things they are so much in love with every painted Gew-gaw It is our ignorance of the Joys in Heaven that makes us so greatly pleased with these toyes on Earth 3. Be not immoderate in grieving for any Relations or Friends departed no though you have h●d them but a little while with you So long as we are in the Body we are absent from the Lord the Apostle Paul groaned earnestly in desires of enjoying his Heavenly Mansion 2 Cor. chap. 5. ver 2. and he gives us his Reason in the 1. ver Who would not go out of a thatcht Cottage to inherit a Pallace those that die in the Lord do but leave an Earthly Tabernacle to inherit an Heavenly Kingdom and will you think it too s●on for them to be thus happy Solon being asked who were happy tells a story of two Youths who out of affection drew their Mothers Chariot to the Temple and the Gods to recompence them caused them to die presently those are happy that can number Death among their priviledges and bid it welcom If I could offer your Wife or Children House or Land would you say no I thank you I cannot spare them yet they shall tarry with me one year longer before they go to possess it We are wiser in earthly matters why are we such fools in Heavenly matters if we did cordially believe and seriously meditate on the blessedness in Heaven we should grudge at every hour we ●arry on earth we should think the shortest life too long and like the next Heir be eagerly desirous to inherit I say nothing of the party deceased though she hath left a good name behind her because I was totally ● stranger to her FINIS PAUL The Pattern of PARDONING MERCY Being A SERMON ON 1 Tim. Chap. 1. Ver. 15. Howbeit for this cause I obtained Mercy that in me first Iesus Christ might shew forth all Long-suffering for a Pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting 1 Tim. 1. Chap. 16. Ver. Howbeit for this cause I obtained Mercy that in me Iesus Christ might shew forth all long suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting THis Verse referreth to the last words of the former Verse whereof I am chief howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy as if the Apostle would say Although I was so heinous a sinner yet Iesus Christ hath made me a pattern of mercy to all others As God makes some stand as fearful monuments of his wrath to fright ●hose that are impenitent like Lot's wife tu●ned into a Pillar of Salt to season after Ages So God is pleased to set others as Monuments of free-grace to invite all penitent Sinners the Apostle tells us what was Gods aim in pardoning him that was so great an offender to make a pattern of long suffering to encourage the greatest sinners to lay hold on his Mercy For Division of the words 1. Here is an Act mentioned Obtained 2. The thing mentioned Mercy 3. The Person mentioned I that needed long sufferings I the chief of sinners Lastly the Reason mentioned for this cause that I might be a pattern to them that shall hereafter believe that is to say that by my Example the greatest Sinners m●ght be encouraged to lay hold on the offer of Free Pardon seeing such a desperate opposer of Jesus Christ as I was received into favour that none might hereafter despair of Pardon but all Sinners might be encourag'd to come to God through Jesus Christ. The Doctrine will be most comfortable thus rendred That God hath set Paul as a glorious pattern of Mercy to encourage all sinners by his Example to seek for pardoning Mercy The orderly handling of this Doctrine will be 1. To see what a Pattern is 2. How Paul may be said to be a Pattern 3. Why Paul was made a Pattern Lastly What excellent ●ncouragement all Sinners hereafter may make of this glorious Pattern of Free-grace For the First What a Pattern is For on this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lyeth the stress of the whole matter A Pattern is materi● proposita ad imitandum something that is laid before our eyes for us to imitate when a Li●mner hath drawn some curious Picture in which he thinks he hath shewed much of his Art he hangs it out for all Passengers to look on to shew them what he can do every piece is not fit to be a Pattern but the most exact Pi●ces In the converting of Paul who by his own confession was one of the greatest

word of God and sees the Fetters on its Soul namely the terror of Consc●ence and Satan standingready to to●ment him finds himself already in danger of despair what fear and horror must needs surprize such a poor Soul this is that which makes so many under the Spirit of Bondage to fear that God will cast them off for ever and to complain as though they were in Hell already And questionless the great torment and mis●rie of a wounded Spiri● hath been the reason that made any so bold to say That there is no Hell but that of Conscience The Apostles words Rom. 8. 15. For ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear do imply that all the Elect undergo the terrors of the Spirit of Bondage before they receive the Spirit of Adoption 2 Reason is because God may and often doth leave his Children for some time under Spiritual des●rtion Many pretious Servants of God lie in the Little-ease of an afflicted Conscience a great while If Christ complain as if God had forsaken Him it is no wonder to hear a Christian complain of being forsaken It is ●eported of one who lay in a despairing condition 12 years and some think that Heman lay in that comfortless condition above threescore years guessing from the age of his life when he spake those words Ver. 15. From my youth up while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted The Lord may forsake his Children for a little moment and though it be as long as they live yet it is but a moment compared with Eternity but Reprobates are forsaken for ever 3. A Child of God may relapse into some Sin which he had repented of and that may cause terror of Conscience God Redeemed and brought up Israel out of Egypt but they would go back into Egypt again Num. 14. ver 4. and this foolish attempt caused God to forsake them for a long time Christ hath Redeemed us from Sin and though the Christian have r●pented of Sin yet many times he hath thoughts of going back and sometimes doth relapse into some Sin formerly repented of And it is just with God to fright him out of such wicked attempt by the terrors of Conscience If God shoot terrours into the Soul they will stick fast and make us go heavily if God set our ●ins in order before us He can make the sense of Sin to be more painful then the most acute disease whether Stone or Srrangury Wracks and Strapadoes are but ●asie punishments to the wracking of Conscience to set out the misery of such a condition the Scripture tells us The Spirit of a man may bear his infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can bear ● 18 Prov. 14. The courage and strength of body may wrestle with a Disease but the trouble of mind is insuperable and insupportable the grief of the Soul is the Soul of grief If we see the fits of an Ague so easily master the greatest Spirits and make them quiver and quake in a cold fit and burn and be distempered in a hot fit if a Disease can so punish the Bodie then what terrours can the Almighty dart into the Soul even to make our very knees to shake as Belshazzar's did when he saw the Hand-writing against him and for the ●ame reasons which occasioned h●s trembling namely because it was a hand from God and because the writings mentioned the loss of his Kingdom A wounded Conscience is the more filled with horror because the writing is from God and it doth threaten the loss of the Kingdom of Heaven What Consternation was there what sad thoughts during the time of that devouring Fire in London O then when the Soul looks on God as a consuming fire and thinks it shall dwell with everlasting burnings what horror and disquiet must it needs be seized with Usually God dealeth with obstinate Sinners as Men deal with sturdy Rogues put heavier Irons upon them and give them severer punishment the more we load our Consciences with Sin the more God loads us with terrors of Conscience and so gives us sour sauce for the seeming sweet-meats of Sin If we have been great and notorious sinners God may chastise us with Scorpions Manasseh was a great sinner and it is said he was taken among the Thorns and bound in Fetters in the 2 Chron. 33. chap. 11. Ver. The more we have delighted in any sin the more it will torment conscience when God reckoneth with us for it Paul a refractory Persecutor was strucken to the ground when God converted him 4. Reason why a child of God may think himself damned for a time is because the wisdom of God bringeth much good out of this evil this will make us more highly to prize both our Redeemer and our Redemption too How sweet and comfortable is the sight of a Pardon to a condemned person Ho wpretious is a glimpse of Christ's love in any promise to a sinner condemned in his own Conscience How comfortable is the thought of Christ to Justi●ie unto those Souls that are ready to be swallowed up of Despair what love what thankfulness will such a sight beget in such a Soul How thankful were the famishing Egyptians to Iosep● 47 Gen. 25. Thou hast saved our Lives though they exchanged their Land for Bread Then what thanks is due to Jesus Christ who saveth our Souls freely 2. This good ariseth from this evil of an afflicted Conscience that it will mightily increase our hatred of Sin This is one of Gods great designs in breaking our bones for sin that he may break our Souls from sin Invite a Christian that hath lain long in the stocks of the Law to commit any of his former sins will he not answer I will not buy Repentance at so dear a rate had your Soul been so long broken on the wheel of Conscience as mine hath been had you so long carried in your bosom the burning coals of an accusing Conscience had you been thus scorched with the flames of Hell surely like the burnt Child you would dread the fire more you would not dare to add sin to sin and heap up more wrath 3. We are made to Pray more earnestly the Prisoner at the Bar begs heartily because he is begging for life A self-condemned sinner prayes heartily because he is begging for the life of his soul. 4. The terrors of Conscience will make us more humble and compassionate all our days pride will not so easily breed in this bitter wood the Worm takes the sweetest wood soonest the Wormwood of Conscience kills pride 5. Gods breaking and bruising is in order to a perfect cure The last reason why a child of God may think himself damned it may arise either from a neglect of a serious examination of our condition or from a melancholy temper which contributes very much to such despairing thoughts Who hath not either read or heard what strange conceits melancholy hath caused some to have of their bodies some fancying