Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	contain_v	word_n	2,379	5	4.0437	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23644	A gainful death the end of a truly Christian life a sermon at the funeral of Mr. John Griffith, late minister of the Gospel, who departed this life May 16, in the 79th year of his age / preached May the 20th, 1700 by Richard Allen.	Allen, Richard.	1700 (1700)	Wing A1041; ESTC R28091	13,910	48

A Gainful Death the end of a truly Christian Life A SERMON At the FUNERAL of Mr. John Griffith Late Minister of the Gospel Who departed this Life May 16. in the 79th year of his Age. Preach'd May the 20th 1700. By RICHARD ALLEN LONDON Printed for Andr. Bell at the Cross Keys and Bible in Cornhil and M. Fabian at Mercer's Chappel in Cheapside 1700. TO THE READER I Have no other Excuse to plead for exposing the following Sermon but the common one that it was not by my own choice but thro the earnest and often repeated Importunities of the dearest Relatives of that Worthy Person at whose Interment it was preach'd 'T is impossible I should commit it to the Press verbatim as then deliver'd But tho several Expressions then used may have eseaped my Recollection yet the substance from my own brief Notes and Memory is here transmitted with some little Additions The Subject is undoubtedly excellent had my Abilities in handling it been somewhat proportionable I should hope the advantage would well compensate the small Cost and Labour of the perusal Such as it is I commit it to publick View If God please by his Blessing to make it in some measure useful to promote a Christian Life and a gainful Death in any into whose hands it shall come let such be excited to give the greater Glory to God from the Consideration of the meanness of the Instrument R. A. Phil. i. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain AS I thought strange when Application was made to me so I doubt not but several here may wonder that I should be ingaged in a Funeral Discourse at the Interment of this antient and worthy Minister of the Gospel Such I would inform that it was nothing but the earnest Solicitations of his dearest Friends and Relations together with the venerable Esteem I had for himself that prevailed with me And having consented I had many thoughts what Text to make the foundation of my present Discourse but being assured that these excellent words of the Apostle were a very great Support and Solace to the Mind of this Reverend Person in the approaches of his Dissolution and often repeated by him with much delight but few hours before his last Exit I concluded none more fit to be consider'd upon this solemn occasion and the rather because they are the words of one to whom I will venture to liken tho in vastly different degrees this our deceased Friend viz. an antient faithful Minister of the Lord Jesus Christ the great Apostle Paul who was now a Prisoner at Rome and under the apprehensions of a sudden Dissolution not indeed as our antient Friend through the Infirmities of Age and Sickness but as a Martyr of Jesus Christ which Apprehensions were so far from being frightful and surprizing that they were very comfortable and delightful to him as appears v. 20. The ground of which holy Confidence and fearless Expectation of Death was his consciousness that Christ was his Life and that therefore Death would be his Gain as it is expressed in my Text For to me to live is Christ and to die is Gain In which words we have two Generals First The Apostle in himself gives us a Description of a living Christian in these words For to me to live is Christ or as Tremellius from the Syriac and others render it * Vita enim mea Christus est For Christ is my Life understanding that the Apostle useth the Infinitive † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to live for the Noun ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Life which is very usual both in Scripture and other Authors and being thus understood the words contain this Proposition That Christ is the Life of a true Christian as Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our Life shall appear c. Secondly The happy Exit of such a one He that can say upon clear grounds with the Apostle That Christ is his Life may assure himself that Death will be so far from being the King of Terrors that it will be Gain to him Doct. All those and only those who have Christ for their Life shall be Gainers by their Death In handling this Truth I shall endeavour two things I. To shew what 's included in Christ's being the Life of a true Christian II. What are the Advantages that such gain by their Death I. The first thing we shall enquire is What may be included in Christ's being the Life of a true Christian that thereby we may make some Judgment of our own State I conceive it includes these following things which I may little more than glance at 1. Christ is the meritorious Cause of a true Christian's Life We are all thro Sin dead in Law and under Condemnation but a true Christian is passed from this State of Death and Condemnation into that of Justification and Life But how Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ 'T is thro the meritorious Sufferings and Obedience of the Lord Jesus imputed to Believers in respect of the saving Benefits thereof By Sin all are alienated from the Life of God but the true Christian is rais'd up from a Death of Sin to a Life of sincere Holiness But how 't is by the gracious operation of the Spirit of God which he shed on us abundantly Tit. 3.6 through Jesus Christ our Saviour 2. Christ is the Principle of the Spiritual Life of a true Christian which springs from Vnion with him 'T is a dangerous Error for any to suppose themselves to live a Life of Justification before they have some real experience of a Life of Sanctification and 't is impossible to live a Life of Sanctification before this vital Vnion Gal. 2.20 I live says the Apostle yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the Life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me 3. The Laws of Christ are the governing Rule of the true Christian's Life If we savingly receive Christ we receive him as Lord Col. 2.6 i. e. We as willingly receive him as our King to rule and govern us and to save us from the Power and Dominion of Sin at present and from Sin it self hereafter as we receive him for our great High Priest to atone for our Guilt and procure and maintain our Peace with God by his Sacrifice and Intercession Christ is the sole Author of eternal Salvation Heb. 5.9 but 't is only to them that obey him 4. The Love of Christ is the constraining Motive of a true Christian's Life None can upon clear grounds say with the Apostle To me to die is Gain but such as can in some good measure also say The Love of Christ constraineth us 2 Cor. 5.14 2 Tim. 4.8 The Crown of Righteousness is promised to all them and to them only who love