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
A90544	A sermon by Hugh Peters: preached before his death: as it was taken by a faithful hand. And now published for publick information. Entred according to order.	Peters, Hugh, 1598-1660.	1660 (1660)	Wing P1717; Thomason E1046_9; ESTC R208056	16,844	32

consider is it because you can pray well or preach well that thou mayest have Christ or is it of Gods free mercy and that because he delights in mercy Mic. 7. 17. Never tell me of deadness in duties to keep thee from Christ but bring with thee an empty soul and my soul for thine Christ will be found of thee to thy comfort Object Sir I am afraid it will not stand with Gods justice to pardon such sins as I have committed for if I were in his place I should not do it Answ. This God answers himself Were you in Gods place you would not pass by such offences but saith God My ways are not as your ways I know a way how to be merciful to such a soul in Christ therefore let no unworthiness hinder thee from coming to Christ Come we then to the words of the Text Seek ye the Lord and put all the parts together the act agent and object time and cast them up and see what the count will be I think it will be thus much Doctr. 2. That all those that do seek for true happiness excellent solid and sound comfort must seek the Lord Jesus to accomplish their ends See this made more plain by a place or two of Scripture John 3. 16. It is called the g●eat promise God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life seeking and believing in him come very near together so Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you And see what our Saviour saith I am the Way the Truth and the Life John 14. 6. No man can come to the Father but by me So Rev. 22. 17. Let every one that is a thirst come The same is proclaimed John 7. 37. it is he that comes with healing under his wings The point is plain and I think understood of all come we then to Reasons for we aim at Application Reas. 1. Taken from the ground of contraries because all other things besides Christ whatsoever they be cannot give satisfaction to the soul they are all sublunary all things are short but onely Christ Take what you will pitch upon any thing Honour it passeth and comes to nothing Riches takes the wings of the morning and flies away Beauty there comes a disease and that is blasted whatsoever it be that man can take pleasure in there is not a Goa●d under Heaven but it hath a worm in the root that will eat it up therefore look to your hearts Many people trust in vain things the old doting dreamer he comes and he hopes well of his estate and condition why because he comes to Church he was baptized and he pays every man his own and he receives the Sacrament Ah the Lord pity thee thou yet falls short of Christ This is as if a man come to some water side and had much business to go over and all in post calls for a boat and he gets in and he takes a nap in the boat and goes no farther though his busine●s be of great importance This is the state of many for want of going over the water they fall short of Christ and so neglect their greatest business much to do they had but they never sought Christ there they rest onely in the boat of the Ordinance we come to the Temple but we finde not Christ there Again thou hast many outward blessings and thou sayest I have a good stock and thou resteth there well but there is a worm in that goard that will eat it out thou hast a pretty childe and thou much delights in it and thou seest not that it hath a desperate and cursed heart which it will bring to thee and as a worm will devour it Again some dote upon a wife and beauty in a wife and then comes a disease and seiseth upon her then her beauty is gone and she exposed so much misery and death takes her away and deprives thee of all thy comfort thou tookest in her Another man he shrewds himself under the King or State for there be but few but have some goard or other for will some say and have said O the Parliament will help us all Some rest in the wisdom and policy of our Statesmen but you see there is a worm in that goard Oh but we come to the Sacrament and fast and pray and that will help all but a worm eats up that goard and you see our helps are almost blasted for say some we need not come so often tegether and keep Conventicles as it is called other matters will serve the turn we need not be so strict but that worm will eat the goard We trusted on another sort of people that have another goard O say they we have the Gospel and that in a flourishing manner as none in the World have the like but alas is there not a worm in that goard is not the Doctrine of Devils set up amongst us Arminianism and Heresie will soon eat up your Gospel that is now ready to be devoured with open mouth If thou hast all these things and no Christ thou hast yet an empty soul and unsatisfied for want of Christ thou art yet disappointed of thy ends and hopes Reas. 2. The second Reason is Because that in Christ there is all that a soul can long for or heart can desire therefore if you would have your hearts filled with joy it must be drawn out of the excellency and fulness in Christ for there is in him a balm to heal all our dumb and deaf lame and blinde diseases he is onely able to satisfie a thirsty soul There be three things that will not be satisfied without this all-sufficient remedy First the justice of God it comes and claims its right this soul was forfeited to me and so it cryes out for condemnation against such a soul because it despised mercy when it was offered therefore justice claims his right Here the poor soul is lost no stay in the World but if the sentence of justice be propounded then the Lord have mercy on thee as we say of a condemned man Then in comes Christ and brings a pardon and he answers Gods justice and says this is an humbled soul it is mine I have satisfied justice for it and thou hast nothing to do with it here a poor soul were lost for ever if Christ had not come in Secondly The Devil comes Oh thou art mine for thou art forfeited to me in Adam and hast been lead by me and art a wretched sinner and a damned creature and therefore must share with me in torments for ever Well what will help thee now call all thy friends together thy wife and children and see if they can help thee call all thy state together and offer it for a ransome to the Devil alas it will all be nothing all thy silver and gold and friends cannot redeem

I perish But alas poor wretch thou hast meat and drink and a deal of worldly trash and that contents thee is this a seeking of Christ Thirdly And who puts this in execution we stand dreaming about it it is good he saith but we hope all shall be well and many other good thoughts but alas thou hast a miserable poor soul so that take it as an act we may in some measure see whether we seek Christ or not 2. Consider this as it is a Christian and good action three things herein very necessary to be considered 1. A clear sight or knowledge of the thing we go about 2. A sincere affection to it 3. Quickness in dispatch of it 1. Consider the thing we go about is weighty and of great importance to find Christ pardoning sin and working our redemption now there must be a true knowledge of this else there can be no true seeking Herein are reproved all ignorant Masters and Ministers I met lately with a man of eighty years of age save one I asked him how many Gods there were he could not tell It is a pittiful case one day their children will cry out Oh murdering parents you might have made me better had you catechised me I had never come to these flames Oh cursed Father and Mother it is you that sent me to hell I might have had a Saviour had it not been for you for ought I know Shall the Lord give you children and will you give them to the Devil Your servants they moil and toil for you and you send them to hell for their labour well they will one day curse you and say I had not been here but for my bloody Master Oh the Lord help you to think of this better How good a course is it for a Minister to quarter out his Parish and set himself and make it his daily work to go to four or six houses in the afternoon and see how it stands with their families and deal plainly with the poor souls of his people you will finde much good follow this you will deliver many souls from hell and meet with them you never met withal Ah the Lord help us we want a spirit of love to their poor souls What is the reason so many make haste to hell it is through ignorance and want of better instruction many old doting fools are ready to say of these times Never was good world since there was so much preaching But alas it is because they know no better of Christ but alas for thee poor ignorant old man or young man who ever thou art look to it thou art going to hell if no knowledge of Christ there is no love to him Now let me intreat you to buy orthodox books make store of them get Bibles into your houses get your Minister to catechise you and to instruct you to have a care of your poor souls And thus much let me say to Ministers If ever you would spend your selves or be spent for the souls of your people Now is the time the Palatinate and other Countries are shaken already and England begins to shake fast and it is likely it cannot hold out therefore labour as much as you can to bring them to Christ for Popery gets head and grows fast therefore never more need 2. To seek Christ argues some sincere affection after Christ Judas had knowledge but for want of practice he died in a halter Would you think your servant dealt well with you if you send him to look your lost cattel and he goeth step by step and spend half the day before he get to the place where he should look them Should not Ministers now come and lift up their voyces and cry Oh get Christ you perish else yet see how undisposed we go about it and we will take our own time now here wants affection for Christ But finally for quickness in dispatch of this action it is too much seen what long delays and excuses and pretences we have it is soon enough we hope so that any thing will hinder that work Come we to the third rule of this seeking and so to the metaphor which stands in three things First It requires a good light we have cause of great thankfulness for the light we enjoy God hath been merciful to this Nation light instead of darkness many a poor soul hath had light when most of the Kingdom have been in darkness Now if God intend to save thee he will send thee a light where thou dwellest or else remove thee to a light in a family if God intend to save thee he will send a light some good husband or wife or childe or servant If you would have Christ you must have light and walk in the light while you have it for it darkens apace and our Sun is decliming Now for the Lords sake look about you if ever you had need to get Christ and we to preach Christ now is the time for it is almost past time already and yet we believe it not see it not If thou sayest thou hast Christ I ask thee how thou camest by him either thou hast Christ by the Word or else thou hast him not at all This may be proclaimed to all the World If any man come to Christ it must be by the light of the Word Secondly In a particular action there is required a good eye A blinde man cannot tell how to do any thing Now this eye is the eye of Faith for no faith no Saviour no Christ Now it is this faith that lays hold on a particular promise and gets Christ It fares with faith pitched on a particular promise as it is with a childe a father dyes and leaves six children and in his Will he bequeaths to every one of his children a portion When the Will comes to be read Item I give to my eldest son John so much Land that is mine saith he I give to my daughter Elizabeth so much money that is mine saith she So in this case when Gods Will is read that is his Word wherein his legacy is bequeathed to his children and there is read Whosoever is a thirst let him believe and here is water of life for him Oh saith the thirsty soul that is mine And so when he hears That whoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life Such a soul as believes in Christ he takes and receives Christ to the use and benefit of his soul as act and deed and therefore he claims his right in everlasting life Such a soul will adventure any thing for Christ Oh saith some to such a soul what need you be so earnest in runing to Sermons it was a better world when there was less Ah poor hearts you will not come together to seek well when Gods judgements fall heavy upon you then it will drive you together pell mell then O good Sir help but help will not be found And thus much let me say to