Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	devil_n	life_n	power_n	5,141	5	4.6090	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01980	A recovery from apostacy Set out in a sermon preached in Stepny Church neere London at the receiving of a penitent renegado into the Church, Octob. 21. 1638. By William Gouge D.D. and min. in Black-Friers London Herein is the history of the surprizall and admirable escape of the said penitent.	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1639 (1639)	STC 12124; ESTC S103306	53,252	98

grace wherby hee enables men to doe it But Martyrdome is the most difficult the most acceptable and honourable worke that on earth can be done Vnto you it is given in the behalfe of Christ saith the Apostle Phil. 1.29 not only to beleeve in him BVT ALSO to suffer for his sake Martyrdome therefore is in Heaven crowned with the highest degree of Glory GREAT is their reward in Heaven Math. 5.12 On this ground they who set down the different degrees of celestiall glory by the different fruites which the good ground brought forth Some thirty some sixty some an hundred apply the hundred fold which is the highest and greatest degree of glory to Martyrdome 6. Persecutors and torturers of Martyrs have by their admirable constancy unto death bin exceedingly astonished and even confounded They have so long continued even from morning to evening and that by course to torture Christians among others a woeman Blandina by name as they were weary and acknowledged themselves to be overcome And the Governours themselves who commanded them to be tortured and stood by to see execution done were confounded that their tortures nothing prevailed and that they were overcome by woemen and they who sate as assistants by the Governours were affrighted thereat So as Christians condemned were enabled to endure whatsoever was inflicted on them and their Judges much affrighted Yea by the undaunted and invincible courage of Martyrs some of their executioners and tormenters have beene converted have professed them selves to bee Christians and suffered with the Martyrs and received the crowne of Martyrdome These are the victories triumphs and trophies of constant Martyrs Thus they lead captivity captive 7. The Divell himselfe is by Martyrs constancy exceedingly disappointed For hee sets his instruments on work to deale with Christians as Haman intended to deale with the Jewes Hest 3.23 namely to destroy to kill and cause to perish all Iewes both young and old little children and woemen But with like successe did the Divell plot against Christians For as by the disappointment of Hamans device many of the people of the Land became Iewes Hest 8.17 So while Satans instruments sought to make an end of Christians they increased the more For the blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church Wee reade Reve. 13.3 of a Beast whose head was wounded to death Surely the Divell with his feends were wounded even unto death by Martyrs resisting unto blood The time of the ten fierce persecutions and of the purity and power of Religion that followed thereupon containe those thousand yeares wherein Satan was bound Rev. 20.2 They who on the fore-mentioned grounds accounted not their life deare unto them but prefer'd their Faith in the Lord Jesus and a stedfast profession thereof before wealth honour liberty and life it selfe and chose rather to be faithfull Martyrs then desperate Apostates had good ground to be so minded O that all who professe the Faith of Christ were like minded It well becomes us all to bee so minded And if indeed wee be so minded God who knowes the mind heart and spirit of a man will answerably account of him and accept him though he never bee brought to the fiery triall as if he had beene brought to it and indur'd it to the very uttermost The virtues and graces of the mind sometimes are manifested in their deed or work and sometimes lie hid in their habit as the virtue of Martyrdome Many may have the same prowesse that Martyrs have who are not brought to the same proofe thereof By trialls that which is in a man before God is brought foorth before men Not that it is then first begun but that it is then first manifested Before the Divell went about to sift Iob his soule was possessed with patience which the Lord well knew and whereunto he gave witnesse But to men it was made knowne by the tryall of tentation Thus we see how we may bee Martyrs in the most halcyon times that can be even such as ours are So as the ground and glory of Martyrdome is meet to be made knowne and to be meditated on in these our daies and the rather because we cannot be sure of an everlasting continuance of our peace or of the Gospell of peace among us As it is therefore needfull and usefull in the prime and strength of our age when we have best health to meditate on the sundry kinds of diseases and manifold casualties whereunto we are subject and on death the end of all so in the most flourishing times of the Church meditation on the uttermost that may be endured even to the shedding of blood for fast-holding our profession of Christ is a most meet meditation Most especially is this like to be usefull for you Mariners Merchants Merchants-factors and others whose calling it is to goe to sea in ships and to doe businesse in the great waters where yee are in danger to be surprized as this Penitent was by the mortall enemies of Christians or have occasion to abide and trafique among them You may be brought to triall and to give proofe before men whether the habit of Martyrdome be in you or no. Be yee therefore strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Take unto you the whole armour of God that yee may be able to stand in the evill day and having done all to stand For this end receive these few directions 1. Be well instructed in the verity excellency utility and necessity of that faith which yee professe so as yee may be able to maintaine it against all adversaries The Apostle Col. 2.7 adviseth Christians to be rooted and built up in Christ and stablished in the faith Therein he alludeth to a tree well rooted in the ground and to an edifice well set upon a good foundation Such an edifice though the raine descend and flouds arise and winds blow and beate upon it will stand and not fall Mat. 7.25 There are trees whose rootes are as deepe and spread as farre abroad in the earth as their boughs ascend and spred themselves in the aire Our okes are supposed to be such No stormes no tempests can overthrow them The branches may sooner be rent from the body and the whole tree split asunder then rooted up and throwne downe So a Christian well rooted and grounded in the Articles of his faith will sooner have his limbes pull'd one from another and his body and soule severed then drawne from his faith and renounce his profession thereof 2. Take an unalterable and invincible resolution before hand to stand to thy faith and never to renounce thy profession thereof This is an especiall meanes to make a Christian stand steddy against all assaults Yee Mariners know what it is to have a resolved mind and purpose to saile to your intended place yee passe through all weathers no gathering of clouds no shouring of

against him returned this answer I am resolved and certainely determined to enter Wormes in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ though I knew there were so many Divells to resist me as there are tiles to cover the houses in Wormes can we imagine that this man would have accepted deliverance on his adversaries termes Galeazius a Gentleman of great estate who suffered Martyrdome at Sant-angelo in Italy being much pressed by his friends to recant and save his life replied that Death was much more sweete to him with testimony of verity then life with the least deniall of truth Francis Camba a Martyr in the Diocesse of Millaine being much assailed by his friends and terrified by his foes by no meanes could be overcome but gave thankes to God that he was accounted worthy to suffer cruell death for the testimony of his Sonne Such were the expressions of joy in his sufferings as his persecutors caused his tongue to be boared thorow that he might speake no more to the people Anne Askew being offered the Kings pardon even at the stake if shee would recant gave this resolute answer I come not hither to denie my Lord and Master By that which this Gentlewoman with admirable courage and constancy indured shee verified that which of old Iulitta spake concerning their Sex We women ought to be as constant as men in Christs cause Walter Mille who suffered Martyrdome in Scotland being sollicited to recant made this resolute reply Yee shall know that I will not recant the truth for I am corne I am no chaffe I will not be blowne away with the winde nor burst with the flaile but I will abide both Mr. Iohn Rogers the first Martyr in Queene Maries daies being sollicited to revoke his doctrine for saving his life said That which I have preached I will seale with my blood Iohn Hooper Lord Bishop of Glocester upon the sight of a pardon cried out If yee love my soule away with it if yee love my soule away with it Thomas Hawks a Gentleman in Essex on a like occasion gave this resolute answer If I had an hundred bodies I would suffer them all to be torne in peeces rather then abjure or recant Bishop Ridly to like purpose thus So long as the breath is in my body I will never denie my Lord Christ and his knowne truth Old Father Latimer used such a speech to one that advised him to spare himselfe as Christ did to Peter on a like occasion which was this Get thee behind mee Satan In like manner all the holy constant Martyrs refused to accept deliverance some after a more zealous others after a more milde manner Many were the motives whereby Martyrs in all ages have beene enduced to be not onely carelesse but even prodigall also of their lives Therein they had respect to Christ to the Church to the Faith to their Bretheren to Themselves to Persecutors to Satan 1 Christ much rejoyceth in such servants For constancy of Martyrs unto death of such Martyrs as professe the name of Christ and suffer for his Truth is a great honour unto Christ Is it not an high honour to a King to have such Captaines and Champions as will not yeeld to their Soveraignes enemies but stand it out to the uttermost till they get the victory though it cost them their life to get it Yet no mortall King can as Christ doth put spirit courage or strength into a subject onely it is conceived that such valourous souldiers as are ready to hazard their lives for their Soveraigne serve a good Master Thus doe Martyrs give persecutors to understand that they serve a good Master and that they beleeve in him who hath done more for them then their dearest bloud is worth who enables them with courage and comfort to endure whatsoever for his names sake can be inflicted on them and therin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be more then conquerers and after all give such recompence as their sufferings are not worthy to be compared with Rom. 8.18 37. Is not this an honour to Christ 2. The Church which breedeth and sendeth foorth such couragious and resolute children as are ready to spend their blood in their mothers cause is much honoured Never did any Church bring up such children as the Church of Christ She hath the glory of invincible Martyrs Of it it may truely be said O blessed Church which is honoured with so divine renowne which the glorious blood of Martyrs doth beautifie 3. The Faith which such Martyrs professe by their standing stedfast therein unto dea●h is sealed and confirmed The blood of Martyrs is a seale of that Faith for which they shed their blood By this kinde of ratifying the Christian Faith many have beene brought to embrace the Christian Faith As of old many were enduced to beleeve in Christ by the miracles which he himselfe did and which his Apostles did in his Name If the tortures whereby sundry Martyrs were put to death and their manfull cheerefull and joyfull enduring of them wherof before be duly weighed we shal find their induring to bee so miraculous as their sufferings may well be accounted miracles 4. The Bretheren which beleeve and professe the same Faith are by the constancy of Martyrs much streng●hened For the invincible courage of some putts life and spirit into others In an army valourous Leaders much animate the rest of the souldiers and embolden them to follow their leaders Now the Church is as an army with banners Cant. 6.4 Martyrs are as Leaders they couragiously and victoriously make the on-set Other Christians by their example are pricked on as occasion serveth to follow them Reade Phil. 1.13 5. They procure to themselves even for the present in their soules much peace comfort and joy For as the sufferings of Christ abound in them so their consolation also aboundeth by Christ 2 Cor. 1.5 Then especially are the comforts of the Holy Ghost even poured upon a Christian soul For they could never endure such torments in the flesh unles they had much peace in their soul For the future on earth they leave a most sweet savour of a renowned name When their bodies are consumed their name is as an oyntment powred out and they therby do light a torch of Fame to posterity For the Church was wont to celebrat the memory of Martyrs For which end they had set daies in the yeare wheron Christians in full assemblies met together rehearsed catalogues of Martyrs and gave solemne praise to God for the power of his Spirit manifested in their admirable patience and perseverance And in Heaven they have the highest degree of glory For though God doe not reward men simply for their workes namely for the merit of them yet he rewards according to their works Rom. 2.6 and proportions the degree or measure therof according to the kind of work which on earth is done and according to the measure of