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
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

the Lord Jesus Christ these are the characters of his ministry Now such a kinde of ministry as this is the Lord delights to make use of to be the instrument and meanes both of conversion and of reconciliation to turne the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to or by the wisedome of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luke 1. 17. And now beloved give me leave to close this with two or three words of counsell and exhortation to you Vse First of all take heed of those men and of that spirit which decryes the ministry of the word of God as if so be it were a needlesse vaine and superfluous Ordinance or as some pretend no Ordinance but pretended to be onely for the interest of some particular persons and not for the good of mankinde or common benefit of all sorts within the Church Certainly this tendeth to nothing but more and more division to bring mens hearts farther off from God and from one another it s the Devils great designe first to take men off from the ministry then from Ordinances in general when he hath prevailed with them so far then also to take them off from the Scripture upon pretence that the immediate communication of the Spirit of God sufficeth and is all in all But by this meanes he secures men to himselfe and brings them to be where he would have them for then he is able to make his owne impresses upon their spirits transforming himselfe into an angel of light and causing something in them that is not humane but beyond the power of a naturall spirit but those elevations are no other then such as proceede from himselfe the Prince of darknes take we heed lest we also be caught in his trap as of late yeers many have been Secondly seeing ministry is the instrumentall meanes that God pitcheth on to convert and reconcile by let us pray that the Lord would be pleased to gift qualifie and blesse the ministry of this age wherein we live for such a work as this is for certainly nothing seemes to be more necessary for the glory of God good of Christians then that some wayes of reconciliation should be found out and that the foundation should be laid in converting mens hearts to God thereby reconciling them one to another which is not to be done without a reall change it cannot be by outward power or by humane meanes alone there must be some divine influence that must bring this to passe God hath pitched upon an Ordinance and made that the way and rode which he choseth to walk in And however he steps sometimes a little out to fetch in some persons yet neverthelesse he never useth to bauke this meanes nor to decline this way It hath pleased him all along in all ages to carry on his great designe of changing the hearts of men by an Ordinance of spirituall efficacy and not in the way of outward power When God had that great businesse to do to fetch his peope out of the Land of Egypt however he could have forct them out of Pharaohs hands yet neverthelesse he chose rather that it should be done by way of divine oratory and therefore sends to him a Prophet he pleads with Pharaoh and the Lord graces the ministry of Moses adding also a power of miracles and course of judgements till he made it effectuall But God sets a speciall observation upon this That Hos 12. 13. by a Prophet he brought Israel out of Egypt and by a Prophet was he preserved Because though Plagues and Judgments wrought most on Pharaoh yet the Ministry of Moses as a Prophet prevailed most of all upon his people And when God had a minde to bring them out of the Babylonian captivity and settle them againe in their owne Countrey that was to be effected not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith Zach. 4 6. the Lord. When God intendeth to reduce the later ages of the world by the destruction of Antichrist the calling Rev. 19. 15. of the Jewes and the remaining Gentiles the principall meanes to effect all this shall be the ministry the Sword that commeth out of the mouth of the Lord. And therefore seeing this is the meanes that God in his revealed will hath pitched upon we should pray and encourage our selves in praying that God would be pleased in mercy to provide such a ministry for us and give such a spirit unto those of this age and generation that they may be instrumental hereunto Thirdly and this all Is the ministry the meanes that God pitcheth upon for reconciliation then certainly it is not to be despised the wisedome or the judgement that God gives unto his servants the Ministers of the Word is not lightly to be sleighted neither may men promise unto themselves securely to contemne and scorne it there may be more of the minde of God then we are aware of in the genius and disposition of his servants And therefore it should reverently be respected but especially every one of us should bow our selves to the Ministry when it comes unto us in the power and evidence of the Word it selfe my meaning is Those things that are clearly preached to us to be Gods revealed will for sinne to be repented of errour discountenanced order and government to be set up when the ministry of the Word beates upon us convincingly in these particulars we should bow our selves and look besides the instrument that is speaking to us and consider of the will of God that manifesteth it selfe hereby Truely those that are of a disposition to sleight the Ministry are not onely very much injurious to God but wanting likewise to the good of their owne soules as much as in them lies they labour to make that meanes ineffectuall that God hath intended for the turning of themselves and others and likewise for the happy and comfortable converse of men in this world And here it must be remembred that more is not to be Caution expected from the Ministers of this later age then from those of former time we may not call for a spirit of infallibility and say unlesse they be infallible they be not worth the hearing For where hath God promised an infallible Ministry and therefore why should we tye him to send it We are sure of this when Jesus Christ ascended up on high he gave gifts unto men Some Apostles some Prophets and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for Eph. 4. 11 12 the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ If God had intended to binde himselfe to give us Apostles Evangelists and Prophets we should have had them and heard of them for these 1600 yeeres that are past and by gone but certainly they have beene nowhere to be found and yet God hath not beene unfaithfull in making good his word nor Iesus Christ in taking care for his Church and therfore we must suffice our selves with our Pastours and Teachers But we must look up to God for Ministers whatsoever they are they are but instruments in his hand and farther then it pleaseth God to blesse they labour for nought and spend their strength in vaine If we had Prophets and Apostles if we had John Baptist and Elijah in person if we had Iesus Christ himselfe amongst us farther then it shall please God to blesse their ministry to conversion and reconciliation they could not be effected by it Paul may plant and Apollos water but it is God onely who giveth the encrease If God will vouchsafe encrease though it be by the meanest of his servants it sufficeth and if God with-hold it is in vaine for us to cry out for other instruments But I finde my selfe very much straitned for time those things that have beene spoken I shall commend to God for a blessing FINIS