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	love_v	perish_v	4,249	5	7.8268	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92857	The riches of grace displayed in the offer and tender of salvation to poor sinners. Wherein is set out, the gracious behaviour of Christ, standing at the door and knocking for entrance. The dutiful behaviour of sinners in hearing Christs voice and opening to him. And the comfortable event upon them both. / By Obadiah Sedgwick. B.D. and late minister of the Gospel in Covent-Garden.	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1657 (1657)	Wing S2379; Thomason E1683_2; ESTC R209163	87,999	316

to beg and there to depend for an almes of free mercy there is so much unbelief whether Christ can save or whether Christ will save so many reasonings so many fears besides the natural oppositions of the will of a sinner to the commands of Christ the holiness of Christ and the conditions of Christ that it is of al things under heaven the most difficult to be willing to open to Christ O how many Sermons how many strokes in afflictions how many lashes in conscience how many condescensions of mercy how many operations of the spirit of God ere the sinner will step and stoop to open unto Christ The Prodigal was wel-nigh famished ere he would returne to his Fathers house and the sinner is made to lie a while in hell before he can be made willing to accept of heaven 5. Many think that their wills are opened to receive Christ and yet they are stut or else not truely opened They like to heare a Minister preaching of Christ especially such a Minister O Sirs it is not the excellency of Christ which draws you it is only the elegancy of the servants which affect you It was not Christ but the loaves which made the multitude to flock so much The child loves the painted book but cares not for the printed lesson You like the phrases we speak your eares are open but you regard not the precepts which we deliver from Christ to you your hearts are not open Their hearts are open to a glorified Christ but not to a crucified Christ when Hosanna was sung then all the multitude follow Christ but when crucifying was cryed then they all forsook him They are willing to open to Christ so that they may be open to sinne too this is like an Inne-keepers doore which is open to every passenger Or if willing only and altogether for Christ this is onely in case of extremity upon a racking conscience or upon a dying bed Quest How then may we know that our hearts have been or are rightly opened to let in Jesus Christ Sol. This may be known as I conceive three wayes 1. By the causes 2. By the concomitants 3. By the consequents of opening 1 By the causes 1. The right opening of the heart ariseth from the word this is the key of the Spirit of Christ by which he opens a sinners heart The word in the legal part is a key which shuts up a sinner Gal. 3. 23. and in the evangelical part it is a key which opens the heart of a sinner there it is said in Isa 61. 1. to open the prison to them that are bound When it hath convinced a person of his sinful and lost estate and killed and broken him in respect of wrath and self confidence then it proceeds to revive him and raise him by the possibilities and hopes of mercy and salvation in Christ And this it doth three ways 1. Proponendo both by revealing objecta credibilia the matter and manner of a sinners salvation God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3. 16. and by inviting the sinner to come and accept of him and his salvation If any man thirst let him come unto me John 7. 37. 2. Imponendo by commanding sinners to come unto Christ 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his commandment that we should beleeve on the Name of his S●nne Jesus Christ This is called a bidding of people to a marriage Mat. 22. 3. 3. Apponendo by promising that Christ will not reject such a coming soule John 6. 37. nor deale harshly with it matth 12. 20. not break the bruised reed But will lovingly embrace it Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me and I will give you rest yea and secure it from hell and assure it of heaven John 3. 16. 2. The right opening of the heart ariseth from faith this in Scripture is called the coming grace and the receiving grace and the opening grace when the Lord gives faith to the heart this is an eye to see all the revelations of the Gospel this is an eare to hear all the commands of the Gospel this is an hand to clasp all the promises of the Gospel and to set the door wide open to Jesus Christ O sinner saith faith here is mercy to be had and here is salvation to be had and Christ to be had and all for thee Thou gavest up thy condition as desperate but be of good cheer I see a Saviour I see a satisfaction I see a deliverance God is willing to be reconciled to thee Christ hath born thy sinnes made thy peace offers himself to thee entreats thee commands thee assures thee of salvation if thou comest to him O cryes out an heart awaked by faith O Christ I blesse thee O Christ I come unto thee Thou art worthy of all acceptation my heart is ready the door is open O Christ and welcome O Christ too c. 2. By the Concomitants 1. The whole body if I may speak improperly of the will is opened to Christ when the heart is rightly opened The Schoolmen report unto us divers motions and abilities in the will which give me leave to make use of to my purpose they tell us in the will of man there 5. Acts of the wi●● is 1. Election which is a preacceptation of a good before an evil or of one good before another 2. Consent which is a complying of the will with the judgement in a good propropanded and apprehended and approved 3. Intention which is a tendancy or an extending of the will in the use of means for the assecution of a good represented and desired 4. Imperium or command which is a secret authority it hath to do dispose all the faculties of the soule to move according to its bent 5. Fruition which is a delightful acquiescence in a good possessed All this appears in the heart which is rightly opened unto Christ The Will 1. Makes choise of Christ above all and before all Sinne is vile and the world is empty there is none in heaven that the soul prefers to Christ or on earth that it desires in compariof Christ Christ is best best of all 2. Consents to Christ subscribes to Christ Christ hath not one will and the soul another What Christ commands is good what he likes is best 3. Extends the soul to all the meanes of attaining Christ It will pray for Christ enquire for Christ hear for Christ wait for Christ weep for Christ 4. Commands all the man to give up to Christ every room in the house every facultie in the soul it will set up Christ in our contemplation in our judgments in our affections in our speeches in our studies in our lives 5. The fruition of Christ is most sweet and pleasunt I have enough said Jacob Joseph is yet alive The Merchant who sold all for the pearl and bought it rejoyced in his pearle

are weary and heavy laden Mat. 11. 28. Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. 4. His expostulations why will you not come to me why wil you die yea and his forcings of sinners compel them to come to the wedding 5. His acceptations never did any sinner open to him but he entred into him Never did any sinner come to him but he accepted of him John 6. 37. Him that comes unto me I will in no wise reject There is a rejection 1. Negative in passing by 2. Positive in hating neither of these for them that come to Christ There are two Negatives in the Greek I will not not reject him to take off all feares and disputes 6. His compassions towards sinners and that both to those 1. That have still shut the door He wept over Jerusalem because she would not know the day of her visitation 2. And to those that have opened the door unto him How he ran to meet the lost child and fell on his neck and kissed him gives him Luke 15. not one harsh word He will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking f●ax 7. His frequent knocking 's at the door and all of them to get us to open the doore unto him He knocks at every doore of man 1. At the eare of man that first wicket by the preaching of the Word 2. At the fore-door the minde of man by enlightning it to see its vile and lost condition without him 3. At the Chamber-door the conscience of man by strong troubles and despair of self-deliverance 4. At the closet-door the will Open to me 1. Per legem 2. Per crucem 3. Per lucem 4. Per concilium 5. Per afflatum auxilium in l●● and affections of man by notable excitations to stand out no longer but to yeild and to receive him Hearken unto me and your soules shall live Or as Viega or Pareus c. on this place He knocks at the door by the Law by the Crosse by light shining in the Gospel by Councels by the breathing and aid of the Spirit 8. His patient expectation if answer be not presently given yet he doth repeat his stroaks nay though denial be many times given yet he assayes sinners again and again waites after three yeers one yeer more on the fig-tree stretches out his hand to a gainsaying people that is to them that have said him nay and that all the day long Rom. 10. 21. and of Jerusalem he saith How often would I have gathered thee Mat. 23. 37. How many Sermons by one Minister to wooe us to open our hearts to Christ and when he is dead or gone how many more by another He hath stood at our doores more then one day or night more then one week or two more then one yeare or two more then one twenty years or two Would he do thus if he were not willing to come in and save us 9. His retorical and soul-drawing Arguments Partly 1. Privative ye shall not perish if ye will open to him 2. Positive ye shall have ever lasting life if you will open to him John 3. 15 16. the words are doubled whosoever beleeveth in him he shall not perish he shall not perish but he shall have everlasting life Your sinnes you feare will damn you but open to me and I will be your surety I will undertake to satisfie God for them and will assuredly deliver you from his wrath and from damnation Your sinnes you feare will shut heaven against you O fear it not open the heart to receive me and my blood shall open heaven to receive you 10. His gracious Articles he requires no more but open the door unto me 1. He doth not say If I find Not on merit desert in you then I will enter O no he hath entred into the most undeserving hearts That woman in John 4. 7 c. was a very undeserving creature In respect of worship she was an ignorant and superstitious person ver 22. In respect of morals she was a common where verse 18. In respect of present disposition she was an hard hearted wretch she would not give Christ so much as a cup of cold water verse 9. nay a mocking sinner almost at every word that Christ spake and yet Christ stood not upon any of these And so for Paul he was a blasphemour he was injurious he was a persecutor c. 2. Nor doth he say if I finde Not on holinesse any holinesse or comelinesse in you then I will enter Ezek 6. 8. When I passed by thee and looked upon thee Behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine Verse 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live O note Live live live and this was when thou wast in thy blood in thy blood in thy blood All the condition that Christ stands on is this do but come do but open to me do but receive me And he is willing to work in you this condition too for he hath appointed the Ministery of the Gospel upon hearing to be a word of faith Rom. 10. 17. yea he did open the door in Lydia upon the hearing of Paul Acts 16. 14. 11. The opening of the doore unto him makes Christ 1. Exceeding joyful when the lost child came back what rejoycing was there It was meet said his father Luke 15. 32. that we should make merry and be glad For this thy brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found 2. Exceeding thankful See Mat. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast revealed these things unto babes as if he had said O my Father this is such a mercy as my heart cannot conteine it self I must needs acknowledge this c. Quest But why should Christ be thus willing to enter into the hearts of sinners and to save them Sol. The Reasons briefly are these Because 1. Not only that Philanthropy in him above all other creatures His bowels of mercy and compassion 2. Not only his perfection of obedience to his Fathers Will whose Will he came down from heaven to do John 6 38. And this is the will of him that sent me that every one who hath the sonne and beleeveth on him may have everlasting life ver 40 3. But also it is the very end of his Mediatorship The conjunction of the divine and humane nature in his person was to conjoyne us and God to declare the name of his Father and his love Joh. 17. 25 The qualifications of him with the grace of union and with the grace of unction was to perfect our Redemption and