Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	eternal_a	life_n	lord_n	11,091	5	3.8914	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36233	The preachers precept of consideration, or, Englands chief lesson and duty in this sad time of visitation wherein is contained, 1. A catalogue and collection of all the particular capital sins mentioned in Scriptures ... 2. The author's opinion and judgment, for which and why it is, that this unparallel'd visitation is now laid upon us / delivered in the parish church of St. Katherine Coleman, London, upon the monthly fast-days set apart for humiliation, by His Majesties special command.	Dobson, Jeremiah.	1665 (1665)	Wing D1799; ESTC R32815	35,607	45

the midst and worst of tryals or evils that can befal us or our Relations inasmuch as He is thorow Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and hath graciously promised (l) Psal 145 9. that all things shall work together for our good and that he will never leave us nor forsake us Love and Mercy as the Psalmist intimates is ever more one Ingredient in all his Dispensations towards us Insomuch that I dare deliver it for a certain Truth though perhaps a seeming Paradox that many times it is a mercy that God is pleased to remove and withdraw a mercy from us For we may be sure if he take away one it is that thereby He may make way for another a greater and better to be bestowed upon us Thus He oft withdraws temporal Comforts to make room in mens hearts for Spiritual Blessings and Graces thus He oft denies health to our bodies to make us mind the welfare of our souls yea thus He oft deprives his own dear Children and Servants of a natural life that so He may take them unto Himself and put them into a full and actual possession of heavenly joys The Prophet Isaiah averrs what I say Chap. 57.1 2. The consideration whereof I suppose was that which enabled patient Job so contentedly to entertain the most sad news of the sodain death of all his children (m) Job 1.21 The Lord gave c. This made David so chearfully say (n) Psal 31.5 Into thine hands I commit my spirit c. And this made (o) Phil. 1.21 23. St. Paul desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ and to count death his exceeding gain Again 2. Another thought and consideration that may be of very good use to arm and fortifie Believers against the affection of overmuch Fearfulness and Despondency Remedy 2. is to consider what Death is Some indeed look upon it as Summa Malorum the Worst of all evils Rex terrorum the King of fears and fancy it to be a most terrible fiery Serpent but the (p) 1 Cor. 15.56 57. Sting we know is taken away and then why I pray you should it be so dreadful In Scripture I am sure it is called a sleep a (q) Job 3.17 ceasing from trouble a resting from labours and so the Grave a (r) Isai 57.2 bed to rest in Now what more grateful and welcome to Nature when men are wearied and tired out with labour than to betake themselves to their rest What more comfortable than a soft Bed What more desirable and pleasant than sleep Nay for some reasons in holy Writ and by the ancient Fathers it is very plainly preferred before life For life says St. Augustine is nothing at all but transitus ad mortem a passage to death but Death is introitus in vitam meliorem an Entrance into eternal life This therefore all things considered must needs be better as tending to a more excellent end No wonder then that you hear St. John (s) Rev. 14.13 pronounce them blessed that dye in the Lord. And good ground it seems had the Wiseman to say (t) Eccl. 7.1 that the day of death is better than the day of ones birth and Reason He had (u) Eccl. 4.2 to praise the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive It is observable that the very Heathens were wont to celebrate the day of their Birth with sadness seriousness and sorrow but of a friends Death with all mirth joyfulness and feasting So fully and verily were they perswaded of the truth of that memorable Saying of the Oracle Optimam non nasci proximum mori i. e. the best and most desirable thing is not to be born at all the next to dy quickly Let none of us I beseech you therefore fall short of them in point of courage and resolution forasmuch as our hope is not confined only to this life for then indeed (w) 1 Cor. 15.19 we were of all men most m●serable But we are assured of unspeakable bliss and eternal peace in the life to come and a joyful Resurrection of our bodies at the last day The Wiseman tells us (x) Eccl. 12.7 that the Spirit shall return immediately unto God that gave it and as for the Body though it be laid in the dust and (y) 1 Cor. 15.42 43. sown in corruption yet it shall be raised in incorruption though sown in weakness yet it shall raised in power though sown in dishonour yet it shall be raised in glory Which Metaphorical phrase of St. Paul gave the holy Fathers occasion to call the Churchyard Gods field upon earth Wherein the graves are the furrows the dead Bodies of his Saints are the Seeds sown and the Resurrection at the last day the time of harvest when God will send forth his Reapers i.e. the holy Angels as Christ himself expresly (z) Mat. 13.39 calls them that they may (a) Mat. 24.31 gather his elect together from the four winds and from the one end of heaven to the other even as wheat into his garner And then 3. Another consideration is the impartiality of Death Remedy 3. when our appointed time is come and the natural necessity of it In regard whereof the Heathen (x) Horat. Ode 4. Poet says well that aequo pede pulsat pauperum tabernas regumque turres i. e. It boldly knocks at the Palace gates of Princes and Nobles as well as rings and raps at the doors of poor Peasants It balks nor spares none when it is sent be they high or low rich or poor young or old For (b) Heb. 9.27 Statutum est c. It is appointed for all men once to dye Death is the greatest Monarch and the most ancient King in the world For death says (c) Rom. 5.14 St. Paul hath reigned from Adam to Moses to which I may add that it hath reigned from Moses to us and so shall still reign over all to the end of the world Every one without exception must stoop and bow to his Scepter One (d) 1 Cor. 15.41 star indeed may differ from another star in glory i. e. in brightness lustre and magnitude but yet we know that as sure as they have their Rise in the West so sure they are to set in the East Even so it 's true One man on earth may differ from another man in glory i. e. in wisedom and wealth or beauty and honour c. but yet notwithstanding as sure as they had a rising in their Birth so they shall have a setting in Death the honour of the greatest as well as the meanest when their appointed time is come must be laid in the Dust For (e) Eccl. 2.15 16. one event happens to them all and how dyes the wiseman even as the fool Dye we must said the (f) 2 Sam. 14.14 wise woman of Tekoah neither doth God respect any person Now seeing it is thus that Death is

so impartial and unavoidable what greater folly pusillanimity and meanness of spirit can any man be guilty of than to be terrified with the thoughts of it A far better course I am sure it would be to fit and prepare our selves carefully for it For then as 't is natural and necessary for all to dye so it would be honourable and comfortable to them Whereas an unprofitable Fear of Death serves for no end that I can tell of but only to render it dreadful and miserable and is so far from helping any ever a whit more to avoid and escape it that it doth but rather hasten it upon them But 4. The last and principal consideration is the thoughts of that most blessed and advantagious consequence thereof Remedy 4. I mean that (g) Col. 1.2 inheritance of the Saints in light that (h) 2 Tim. 4.8 incorruptible Crown of righteousness that * 2 Cor. 4 17. far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory which we hope to be made partakers of hereafter in Heaven For k 2 Cor. 5.1 we know says St. Paul that when our earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens The consideration whereof one would think should be enough to quell and suppress all inordinate fears of death and rather indeed make it desirable than terrible to us Object But that which keeps me so much in awe will some perhaps plead and makes my departure hence so terrible is my unfitness and uncapableness at present of such a blessed state and condition Answ If you think so and this be the Cause Why do you not speedily and in good earnest strive to remove it Ipsa morte nihil certius c. that dye we must there is nothing more certain but as for the circumstance of the Time when the Place where and the Manner how there is nothing in the world more unknown and by consequence more uncertain Why should you then trifle away one minute more of your precious time or neglect any good means that may tend to your Assurance Consider I pray that for this end chiefly it is that God lends you time and affords you frequent opportunities here in this world And therefore the l Ephes 5.15 16. Apostles Precept is See that you walk Circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the dayes are evil And likewise St. Peters Exhortation m 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather ●rethren give all diligence to make your calling and Election sure And to the same purpose is that most pithy Prayer of the Psalmist n Psal 90.12 Lord teach us so to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto Wisdom Now Doe but thus and then to remove that last ground and Cause of Fear that was mentioned viz. The thoughts of Judgment to come know for your comfort that He that 's appointed then to be Judge is your Advocate and Mediator and will appear for you as a friend and Compurgatour Sometimes indeed He is called a * Revel 5.5 Lion and represented to us in Scripture as a p Mal. 3.2 Refiner nay sometimes as q Heb. 12. ult a consuming fire in relation to the ungodly but to the righteous and true Believers he will then be a Lamb as He is styled for your comfort in the r Revel 5.8 Apocalypse and as the Prophet Isaiah describes him he will manifest himself to them s Isa 9.6 as a most wise and wonderfull Redeemer the everlasting Father the Prince of of Peace So that they need not be afraid of that dreadful doom Math. 25.41 t Abite a me execrati c. Depart from me ye cursed but may with confident hopes and assurance expect to hear that sweet Absolution and Invitation * Ibid. v. 34. Adeste benedicti patris mei Come ye blessed Children of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World And so much by way of Reprehension Again Use 2 Is it so Of Exhortat that when Gods judgments are in the Earth and the sad tokens of his displeasure appear against a Person or Nation then its a proper season for them seriously to lay things to heart and wisely to consider I beseech you then be exhorted to the Duty And that none of you may be at a stand or loss in your selves for want of fit matter to meditate upon I shall here now resume and according to my promise enlarge my self to the full upon those five forenamed Particulars The subject-matters of our Consideration which I told you before in the Explication are the most proper subject-matters of our Consideration in the day of adversity 1. The Affliction it self 1. The affliction it self the evil disaster or Visitation whatsoever it be that is befalne us This must be seriously thought upon and considered by us that so by consulting Gods holy Word and by the help of his Grace and Spirit we may come at last as Himself † Micah 6.9 requires to understand the Voyce of Gods Rod and the mind and meaning of Him that appointed it Now the present Affliction and sore Visitation which we of this great and populous City with the Places adjacent and divers eminent Towns of this Nation do so sadly groan and labour under is that noysom and deadly Epidemical disease of the Plague and Pestilence Concerning which to help you a little in your Considerations upon it I shall briefly subjoyn something 1. Touching the Names and Metaphorical Appellations that are assigned unto it in Scripture And then 2. I should likewise adde something concerning the Nature of the Disease But for this I referr you to the Philosopher and the Physician whose Art and Profession doth oblige them to search into and study the Nature both of this and of all other bodily Maladies and Distempers And I do it the rather because we shal finde enough in the Names to acquaint us with the foul Nature of it which I heartily wish if it be Gods will that none of you that hear me this day may ever experimentally find nor further understand than by the Names and Characters of it that you hear from others Scripture-names of the Plague 1. The most usual Name is that of Pestis quasi Perestis says the Etymologist from the Verb Peredo i. e. to eat through or utterly to consume and destroy And thus it is called as I conceive from the contagious and most pernicious quality and property of it which sometimes hath been so extreamly violent quick and diffusive that we read of above fourteen thousand that once were destroyed by it in a moment as you may see plainly Numb 16.45 46 49. and of three or four and twenty thousand that dyed of it in the space of a day Numb 25.9 with 1 Cor. 10.8 and afterwards of threescore and ten thousand