Selected quad for the lemma: body_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
body_n	dead_a	faith_n	true_a	7,023	5	6.6884	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66053	Of the principles and duties of natural religion two books / by the Right Reverend Father in God, John, late Lord Bishop of Chester ; to which is added, A sermon preached at his funerals, by William Lloyd ...	Wilkins, John, 1614-1672.; Lloyd, William, 1627-1717. Sermon preached at the funeral of John, late Lord Bishop of Chester.; Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.	1675 (1675)	Wing W2204; Wing L2705_PARTIAL; ESTC R20334	178,528	530

publickly burnt at the Interment To which I conceive the Preacher alludes Eccles. 7. 1. where he says A good name is better than precious oyntment and the day of ones death than the day of ones birth When one cometh into the World none knows how he may prove if he do well in it he goes out with this publick testimony After which the Jews never mentioned such persons without a blessing on their memory But above all others the Primitive Christians were very observant this way They saw it was the will of their Lord and Master that the good work which was done upon him by Mary should be kept in perpetual memory and is therefore recorded in the Gospel They saw how the works of Dorcas were shewn at her death the Coats and Garments which she made for the poor They saw what need there was of great Incentives in those days when Christianity was a most dangerous Profession It is of no small force to make men love a Religion when they see it infuses excellent Principles that it excites so suitable practises that it is proof against suffering and death And the experience of that power it hath in some provokes and animates others to the same Upon these and the like considerations and perhaps with allusion to that Text where S. John is said to have seen the souls of the Martyrs under the Altar They had their Memorias Martyrum their places of Worship where they placed the Altars over the bodies of their Martyrs What with any intention to worship the Martyrs It was so suggested by the Adversaries and as vehemently denied by the Christians of those times By those of Smyrna in the undoubted acts of Polycarpus We cannot say they worship any other than Christ We love the Martyrs as being followers of Christ We celebrate the days of their passions with Joy We do it both in remembrance of those Champions of God and to train up and prepare others for the like conflicts Besides this which was peculiar to the Martyrs they had a lower degree of remembrance for Bishops and Confessors and all other eminent persons departed this life whom they not only praised in Orations at their Funerals but writ their names in their Diptychs or two-leaved Records which contained in one page all the names of the Living in the other the Dead that were of note in the Church All these were recited in the Communion-Service Where as the Living for themselves so for the Dead came their Friends and gave Oblations and Alms. Which before they were distributed among the poor were first offered up to God in a prayer like that which we use for the Church Militant here on Earth These Doles were their only Sacrifices for the dead Only Alms to the poor with which sacrifices God is well-pleased And their prayers were not for any deliverance from pains unless the Patriarchs and Prophets and the Apostles and Virgin Mother of Christ were in the same pains too and needed the same Deliverance For they were all mentioned alike and together as it is to be seen in the ancientest Liturgies Among all these Innocent Offices and Rites of the Primitive Christians was there any thing of prayer for souls in Purgatory Was there any thing of prayer to Saints departed this life Was there any foundation for those superstitious Observances Of adoring their Reliques of Prostration to their Images of Pilgrimage to their Shrines of making Vows of saying Masses of Offering to them and the like The Papists say there was they plead the practice of the Church for it they wrest places of Scripture to their purpose Nay the Rhemists and others alledge this very Text without which I should not have mention'd them at this time But as the Learnedst men among themselves have been so just not to charge this upon my Text and some of them confess they have no ground for these things in any one Text of Canonical Scripture So they would do us but right to acknowledg that none of these things was practis'd for some hundreds of years after Christianity came into the world In those Primitive times all their Offices for the Dead were either to give Testimony of that Faith in which they died and that death had not dissolv'd their Communion with the Living or they were to bless God for their holy Life and happy Death or to Pray to him not for their deliverance from Purgatory of which there was no Faith in those times but for the Increase of that Good which they believ'd them to be possest of already or for the Attainment of that farther good which they thought they were sure of namely for their speedy and happy Resurrection for their perfect discharge at the day of Judgement for the Consummation of their bliss with their own in the Kingdom of Glory Not to say how the Fathers differ among themselves in these particulars or how many of these particulars are omitted in the Roman Church as well as ours it is enough that here is nothing makes for them but much against those their Errors and Corruptions All that is agreed on all hands or that we find in the Practice of the first Ages being sufficiently contain'd in those Offices of our Church in the prayer for the Church-Militant in the Collect on All-Saints day and in the Office for the burial of the Dead where we pray That it would please God of his gracious goodness shortly to accomplish the number of his Elect and to hasten his Kingdom that we with all those that are departed in the true faith of his holy Name may have our perfect consummation and bliss both in body and soul in his everlasting glory Lastly Remembrance in Action is the other duty enjoyn'd in my Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Imitate their Faith that is their Christian profession and practice their whole Life and Conversation according to their own belief of that word which they have spoken The Reason of this duty is plain for it is our business in this world to recover the Image of God in which he created us to be like him here in Righteousness and Holiness that we may be like him hereafter in Glory and Happiness To this End God has given us those Lineaments of himself which are written sufficiently in our Nature but more fully and distinctly in Scripture In which Scripture he so oft and so vehemently requires us Be ye Holy as I am Holy be ye Just as I am Just be ye Merciful as I am Merciful be ye Pure as I am Pure be ye Perfect as your heavenly Father is Perfect This good Word of God which was given by the Prophets and Apostles is still inclucated on us by them that speak to us the word of God Which Office being primarily of Bishops as appears in my Text They are first and above all others to conform themselves to it to shew others how possible and how practicable it is Our Apostle suppos'd this in

end they design There being no kind of men that are more exposed whatsoever they themselves may think of it than those that seek for credit by despising of Religion Fools in venturing their future estates and their souls upon such hazards as all mankind would cry-out-upon for the most palpable folly and madness if they should do the like towards their Temporal estates or their Bodies Cowards In being more afraid of little dangers because they are present than of greater because they are future and at a distance As that Souldier who doth more dread the present danger of fighting when he is obliged to it than the future danger of suffering by Martial law for running away may justly be esteemed a notorious coward so may that man who is more afraid of a present inconvenience by incurring the prejudice and displeasure of his loose companions to whom he would be acceptable than of a future mischief from the judgment of God No man will esteem another to be truely valiant because he is not afraid to do such vile unworthy things as will expose him to the displeasure and punishment of the Civil Magistrate much less should he be so accounted for daring to do such things as will in the issue expose him to the Divine vengeance CHAP. VII How Religion conduceth to the happiness of the Inward man as it tends to the regulating of our faculties and to the peace and tranquillity of our minds AS for the Internal well-fare of our minds this as I observed before doth depend upon these two things 1. The perfecting and regulating of our faculties inabling them for their proper functions and the keeping of them in due subordination to one another 2. In the peace quiet contentment consequent thereupon And both these do likewise depend upon Religion 1. For the perfecting and regulating of our faculties and inabling them for their proper functions These things do depend upon Religion both Morally Naturally 1. Morally as these things are blessings and priviledges so do they belong to Religion as the proper reward of it Those men only being fit to have free and large minds and refined faculties who are willing to improve them to the best use and advantage To this purpose there are several expressions in Scripture A good understanding have all they that do his commandments Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies He that doth the will of God shall know it 2. Naturally as these things are duties so are they the proper effects of virtue The generality of the Heathen Philosophers have agreed in this that sin is the natural cause of debasing the soul immersing it into a state of sensuality and darkness deriving such an impotence and deformity upon the mind as the most loathsome diseases do upon the body And therefore it must be Religion and virtue on the other side that must enlighten and enlarge the mind and restore it from the degeneracy of its lapsed estate renewing upon us the image of our Maker adorning us with those beauties of holiness which belong to the hidden man of the heart 'T is the proper work of Religion to frame the mind to the nearest conformity unto the nature of God upon which account it is said in Scripture to consist in a participation of the Divine nature Other things may be said to have some remote resemblance to the Deity but man only amongst the visible creatures is capable of those more immediate communications from him by Religion And all kind of perfection is to be measured by its nearness or remoteness to the first and chief pattern of all perfection As all kind of vice doth go under the name of impotence so Religion is described to be the spirit of power and of a sound mind Because it doth establish in a man a just empire over himself over all those blind powers and passions which of themselves are apt to raise tumults and commotions against the dominion of Reason That which health is to the body whereby the outward senses are enabled to make a true judgment of things that is virtue to the mind whereby the inward faculties must be fitted and disposed to discern betwixt things that differ which those who are under the power of vicious habits are not able to do But to speak more particularly Religion doth 1. Enlarge the understanding enabling it to see beyond the narrow bounds of sense and time to behold things that are invisible God being in the intellectual world as the Sun is in the sensible world and as natural blindness doth disable men from seeing the one so will spiritual blindness for the other 2. It doth exalt and regulate the will to a desire after and acquiescence in such things as will promote the perfection of our natures and consequently will beget in the mind the truest liberty ingenuity generosity which are altogether inconsistent with the servitude of lusts and passions 3. It doth reduce the passions unto a due subordination to the superior faculties restraining the violence and impetuousness of them from whence the greatest part of the trouble and disquiet of mens lives doth proceed As he that is of a healthy constitution can endure heat and cold and labour with little or no prejudice to himself so can one of a virtuous mind undergo various conditions without receiving any hurt from them Such an one is not lifted up by prosperity nor dejected by adversity He is not a servant to anger fear envy malice which are the great occasions of disturbing our inward peace and quiet 2. The second thing wherein the wellfare of our minds doth consist is peace tranquillity joy confidence in opposition to inward disquiet anxiety grief fear diffidence And these do depend upon Religion likewise both Morally Naturally 1. Morally as these things may be considered under the notion of blessings and priviledges so they belong to the rewards of Religion All Philosophers having agreed in this that inward serenity and composedness of mind is the proper reward of moral virtue To which the Scripture doth attest in those expressions where 't is said that a good man is satisfied from himself in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence The righteous is bold as a Lion Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee That the fruits of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever That tribulation and anguish shall be upon every soul that doth evil but to him that doth good glory and honour and peace serenity and composedness of mind peace that passeth all understanding joy that is unspeakable and full of glory 2. Naturally as these things are considered under the notion of duties so they are the most genuine fruits and effects of Religion which doth oblige us to them and enable us for them 1. Religion doth oblige men to joy and peace and confidence The very Heathens have acknowledged these