Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	end_n	life_n	7,923	5	4.6130	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15580	The saints aduantage or The welfare of the faithfull, in the worst times A sermon, preached at the Hage the 18. of May, 1623. before the most high, and mighty princesse, Elizabeth, by the grace of God, Queene of Bohemia, Countesse Palatine of the Rhene, &c. By Iohn Wing, an vnworthy minister of the gospel and pastor to the English Church at Flishing in Zealand.	Wing, John, of Flushing, Zealand.	1623 (1623)	STC 25847; ESTC S120119	54,386	92

with all temporall delights he that had the largest share in them of any mortall man that ever liued even Salomon tell 's vs they cannot giue full contentment againe the eye cannot be satisfyed with seeing Eccles 5.10 nor the eare with hearing c but here at our very worst we haue our measure of joy and solace pressed downe to the bottome filled vp to the brym and running over vpon vs from the Lord who telleth vs that these light and short troubles 2 Cor. 4.17 doe not only thus consist with our great rejoycing here present but they procure vnto vs in heaven an exceeding excessiue for soe the words doe sound in their true sence eternall waight of glory loe what words the Holy Ghost vseth to expresse these things to vs exceeding excessiue to giue vs to know that these being the greatest words which can shew any thing to vs the things intended in them are greater then all words can expresse And why then doe we droope or faint vnder any thing dearely beloved how ill doth sorrow or feare of this sort become a Saint 1 Thes 5.16 Phil. 4.13 who is not only commanded to rejoyce in the Lord evermore but hath reason givē him soe to doe in the things thus farre declared by vs. Questionlesse if we could settle our thoughts vpon these divine things they would produce very divine effects in our harts and put vs as it were into heaven before-hand in part and make vs much the more meete for the absolute posession of the perfections thereof in due time And this is the first vse of this most worthy point of truth wherein though we haue seemed long to insist yet know it is such good being here as Peter once sayd that we could even build tabernacles in the blessed comfort of the same as finding it to be much harder to get out then to goe on further in the discovery hereof wherein a faithfull man is after a sort transfigured and mounted aloft farre beyond all mortality misery and vexation of men or divells in this world which now thus raysed either he seeth not or if he doe he beholdeth them as farre vnder his feete with a Christian and holy contempt and himself hath his hart being setled on these things his seate on high with the Lord and his blessed and beloved ones vnto whome he seemeth to be translated in the sweete apprehensions of his soule while he is conversant in these sacred and supernaturall meditations and beholdeth the glorious face of God shyning vpon him and his owne hart soe dazeled with the heavenly lustre of this most blessed light that he cannot well tell for the time where he is whether in the body or noe his soule soaring aloft and finding such inconceivable contentment in these consolations But we must put an end to our discourse of these comforts and leaue the rest to that time when we shall come into actuall and full posession of endles life where we shall enjoy the infinite fullnes of those things whereof all that can be sayd of the best things that are here are but the beginnings and first fruits of that which we shall haue there Vse 2 And soe we come to a second vse of the this blessed truth which concerneth wicked men Terror to presecutors vnto whome we must change our note and sing another tune from the true consequence of the same for it soundeth as all heavenly truth doth heavily in their eares and was not more sweetely musicall to the saints then it is dolefully miserable to sinners We neede not say much to them the losse of all the aforesayd happines and faelicity of the faithfull is more then a litle inasmuch as we haue seene as we haue gone all a-long from one passage to another their misery vnhappines hath still beene entwisted oppositely to the joy of Gods chosen and entayled therevnto so that they are not only deprived of soe much joy as hath appeared to the faithfull in every particuler from point to point but are further assured of as many and as great mischeifs as our mercyes doe amount vnto every comfort to vs carrying with it a curse also vnto them Yet over and aboue all that we haue sayd there is somewhat more falling vpon them to their further terror from this truth and that is meant vnto the persecutors and tormentors of Gods people who doe full often affright and terrify those whome they haue in their power with big and bitter words with cruell and cursed speakings viz that this and that they will doe and they shall I that they shall well know that it is in their power to excercise their pleasure and to haue their will vpon them Iust as insolent and jmperious as Pilate knowest thou not that I haue power to bynde thee c and these tyrants will jmprison will torture will kill what will they not doe and what shall not Gods childe endure if either vile words or villanous deedes may put them into dread distraction yea desperation But wilt thou know Iam. 2.20 O thou vayne man and vile miscreant how jdlely all this is vttered to terrify him who can by vertue of the glorious light of this gracious truth tryumphantly retort all this vpon thy self to thyne owne terror and amazement of hart and tell thee to thy teeth that seing the worst of Gods childe is better then the best of any wicked man therefore all thou canst say or doe cannot make him halfe so miserable as thy self art who doest thus menace the members of Iesus Christ. When thou hast spett-out all thy mallice spued vp all the venyme spent and emptyed vpon them all the malignity and gall the divell ever engendered and encreased in thee yet even then thou hast not made him halfe soe vnhappy as thou now art in thy conceited happines and exemption from all these extreamityes And the poore distressed Martyr of the Lord Iesus may say in the tryumph of a true powerfull faith O Tyrant or Oppressor know that now in this agony in these anguishes I will not change states with thee my case is better then thine all thou canst doe cannot make me so bad as thy self my tortures are to he preferred to thy pleasures my racks chaynes scourges c cannot make me so miserable as thy palace prosperity case honour and power make's thee I am more joyous vnder all these great greivances then thou canst be in all thy greatest gloryes doc thou persecute I will joy doe thou afflict I will pray smite thou I will smile my God hath layd a sweete a soveraigne a healing yea a heavenly plaister to all these bitter sores which fully cure's them and comforts me namely that he hath taught me to learne that which now I haue learned to feele that my worst estate is better then thy best the sweetnes of which lesson make 's all evills casy to swallow and of quick and comfortable digestion even at

exactly to the vtmost by which words he meant to giue Peter to vnderstand what miseryes he was like for the truthes sake to vndergoe and how it came to passe accordingly by Gods permission of the Divell and the power and malice of his adhaerents the story of his denyall before Christs death and the relation of his life and death in the booke of the Acts of the Apostles doth abundantly evidence and declare But wherewith did Christ comfort Peter when he tolde him of this outward discomfort and danger why even with this very thing ver 32. but I haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not which was as much as to say though many persecutions and perills may surprize thee to the endangering of thy life even vnto the death yet know thy soules estate shal be secured the power of grace in thee the assurance of glory to thee shall in no wise faile that shall stand fast for ever whatsoever becometh of thy temporall part which will perish And not to Peter alone was thus much spoken but our Lord Iesus Christ sayd as much to all that are of vpright harts when he spake that parable of the shepheard and the sheepe Ioh. 10. wherof we read in the gospell He compares himself to the good shepheard and his saints to his sheepe now because no creatures doe more miscarry through the violence cruelty and outrage of devouring beasts then sheepe doe and none are in so much danger to be torne in peices as they and no sheepe that men haue are in halfe the danger that Christs sheepe are Christ doth of purpose provide to prevent I say not the danger it self as if he meant that never wolfe or beare should come neere his folde but that feare that might follow the danger wherevnto they are incident saying my father who gaue them to me is greater then all ver 26. and none can take them out of my fathers hand as if he should tell them it were very possible easy and ordinary for tyrants to breake into the fold and fetch a way a sheepe or two and scatter if not devoure a whole flock but saith Christ though your fleeces should be shorne yea though your flesh should be torne and you taken from house home yea from the earth yet know that your best part is safest your soules shall none be able to touch or take out of my fathers hand who holdeth you fast and will not let you goe from himself Psa 73.33.24 vpon any tearmes but will hold you by his right hand and guide you by his counsell and afterwards bring you to glory though it may be through the butchers hands And the Apostle Peter himself tell 's vs it may well be out of the happy experience of the feeling of that which Christ sayd to himself before that the saints of God in those times did rejoyee and that in the middst of many heavy temptations with joy vnspeakable and glorious be cause they were secured touching their soules estate of that jmmortall and never fading inheritance which was reserved for them through the favour of God in the heavens and they preserved through the power of God vnto it In some vncomfortable heavines they were because of their present afflictions but the joy they felt by this blessed assurance of their soules estate was so much that it was vnspeakeable But now for the vngodly and the sinner on the other side the case is altered with them in this thing his body and state may be both very secure and every thing may goe with him as he would haue it he may be planted and rooted and grow rancke and encrease mightily in all contentments to the defire of his hart but in the meane while though all his externall things seeme to be built on the rock yet his soules estate is founded on the sand and that soe loosely that every puffe of wynde every waue of water beare's it downe by reason of the perpetuall perill wherein it is We haue too many witnesses of this wofull truth A whole world fell at once when they thought themsel ues firme and fast in the dayes of Noah neither were the bodyes of them all neerer drowning then the soules I will not say of all 1 Pet. 4. ● for the Apostle seeme's to me to controle it but of the most of them were to demnation The Prophet Esaiah Isa 5.15 bring 's in a merry crew of such as neither cared for nor feared any thing but passed their time with merriment and musike and soe exceeded in jollity as it pass●t but on a suddaine the next newes we heare of these good fellowes is that hell had enlarged it self and opened her mouth without measure to receive them as if hell were hungry for them and could not be satisfyed till it had them and are not they in most danger after whome hell is thus eager The rich glutton in the gospell was so well lyn'd and growne soe warme in his wooll having jun'd all his corne enlarged every barne and brought all things soe about that now he was at harts ease and could let himself a lease for many yeares of peace safety fullnes all kinde of contentment as if he thought that not a man among a thousand was better vnderlayd then himself and that as David once dream'd his rock was made so strong that their had beene no styrring of it alas alas what plight was his soule in all this while Noe sooner had he breathed out the words that argued his conceited safety but instantly another voyce was heard from heaven a voyce dolefull heavy and terrible arguing his dangerous nay his desperate nay his damned estate now jmminent and hanging over his head and jmmediately to be excecuted vpon him thou foole this night shall they take away thy soule was ever man neerer mischeife that thought himself so farre from it he talkes of many yeares happines God tell 's him of that perdition that the Propher speake's of destruction shall come vpon the wicked Isa and he shall not see the morning thereof that is such confusion as shall soone come and make quick dispatch of all when it doth come Thus are the soules of Gods saints bound fast vp in the bundle of life by the Lord himself the Lord of life who hath bound himself by his owne truth and faithfullnes yea sworne by himself and his holynes to saue them wholy harmeles at the worst that can come vnto them in this world But for the soules of wicked persons they are in wofull plight in their bodyes best estate and lye soe scattered neglected and vnregarded as things of naught that God in justice let 's them alone to be seized by Satans malice to be a prey to that devouring lyon who will soone make everlasting havock of them in hell And this is the third difference and the saints third advantage beyond all vngodly men wherein how easy is it to determine who

vpon the good things God created for vs and made them evill to vs not in their privation alone but even in our posession of them also as was noted in the former advantage Now this curse that by sin cleaveth to the blessings of God is as was also aforesayd inseparable to the sinner because his sin is not remooved from him or satistyed for him by Christ vnto God in whome he himself having no parte or portion but remayning vnder the power and rage of sin and right and posession of Satan soe doe also all those things likewise which he doth enjoy remayne vnder the malediction of Almighty God and in them he is as much deceived as he is in himself who though Note he seeme to be at least to himself as good as any yea it may be better in his owne conceit then the best of the Lords beloved ones is yet but a lymme of Satan an ympe of hell and no such man as he made account he was So that himself is no such person and all he hath are nosuch things as they are conceited to be being reputed good but discovered to be stark naught I ooke what we are before the Lord such are all things to vs which we haue they can be noe other in his sight But shall we heare the Holy Ghest speake in this point and that from them or rather in them whose experience doth actually justify that which we doe avouch Looke I pray and obserue yea admire the Apostle Pauls evidence in this particuler he was a man that had tryed the worst that could be endured and the worst he saith of that he felt is only this that it only seemed to be worse then jndeede it was found to be nay on the contrary that it was but a shaddow of evill 2 Cor. 6.8 9.10.11 and a meere appearance therof without any substance or reall sence of the same at all Take we notice of his words as we finde them and we shall see this point jmpreguable he speake's purposely of his miseryes persecutions and distresses of all sorts and in them all what saith he why even this that the worst of them were not the things themselues they seemed to be but only some shewes or outsides of them their sorrow was no more but this As sorrowing and yet all wayes rejoycing their poverty but this As being poore yet making many rich their want but thus As having nothing yet posessing all things and soe of the rest insomuch that he breake 's out most affectionately ver 11. O Corinthans c. as if he should say Oh deare Christians if you did but know how well it is with vs at our worst how the Lord doth grossly infatuate the Divell and befoole wicked men in suffring them to conceit how vnhappy we are through the evills they cast vpon vs and how he doth graciously comfort vs in taking away the evill of all these evills from vs soe as that we are nothing soe afflicted or distressed as they dreame vs to be but on the quite contrary we are cheered comforted and encouraged that we can and doe rejoyce excedingly in the vtmost extreamityes of all that they are able by might or malice to inflict vpon vs if this were but knowne to you as it is felt of vs you would rejoyce together with vs and be perswaded as we are that no more misery can come to a true Christian for the profession of religion then may remayne and well consort with all the joy peace solace and happines which hart can wish And in this declaration the Lord hath enlarged our harts to tell you that truth which the world cannot receive nor beleeue to wit that the worst we can endure may consist with the best we can desire The mischeifs men bring vpon vs of sorrow want c are but pictures or jmages of these things but the joy fullnes c the Lord giue 's in the middest of them all are true and reall sound and substantiall consolations But now on the other side for the vngodly it is not soe with them all their good things are evills indeede how good soever they seeme to be Haue we not shewed them to be all in the generall denounced as curses to them from Gods owne mouth Deut. 28. and if we come to particulers will not every severall blessing prooue a curse vnto them vpon due search They haue myrth Pro. 14.13 but such as in the middest wherof the hart is heavy and doe they not droope many times jnwardly when outwardly they are frolike and joviall God saith they doe and some of them haue shewed it to be too true it is but mock-myrth they haue lent them by Satan to delude them a litle while to be taken from them by God at a moments warning whensoever he shall but offer to frowne vpon them in the least They haue wealth and the world sayes that they who haue that haue the blessing of God but what is their wealth seemingly good yea that which make's them the best men in mens judgment but if you wil be judged by God who hath spoken it he call's it by so many odious epithets as must needes perswade any man that it is nothing lesse then good jndeede take a few for a taste is it not called Hurtfull Eccle. 5.12 Deceitfull Mat. 13.22 Dangerous 1 Tim. 6.17 Filthy lucre 1 Pet. 5.2 Vnrighteous mammon Luk. 16. With a multitude more of most loathsome appellations to the same purpose by any one of which nothing that is truly good was ever entituled And what we say of their wealth and myrth might be sayd of the honour and pleasure of these men and of all their contentments whatsoever all and every of which vpon true and serious inquisition would be found no such matters as they are made account to be in the weake jmaginations of wicked men but things quite contrary to the great opinion they haue of them Now what a wyde difference and what a worthy advantage is here that a childe of Gods worst is but seeming evill and true good and an vngodly mans best is but seeming good and true evill Surely a litle deliberation would serue to a full resolution of any mans choyse of these two which he would haue whether the former condition or the latter And this is our second advantage The third followeth And that is this 3. Advantage 3. That the soule of a childe of God is safe in the worst estate he can be in in this life but a wicked mans soule is in most danger when his estate is at best Let the Lord speake for both out of his blessed word we know he will not nay cannot but say true for either side For the faithfull and their safety first Christ fortell's Peter of as much misery as might befall him Luk. 22.31 when he signifves vnto him that Satan had a desire to wynnow him with the rest as wheate that is throughly

hath the better end or which is the happier state any man that hath but a mans soule jndued with reason will soone preferre safety to danger in themselues but whosoever hath a Christians soule seasoned with religion will preferre the former vpon any tearmes even the very worst and accept the latter vpon noe tearmes no not the best The fourth advantage followeth 4. Advantage 4. A childe of God at the worst he can be in in this world hath no true cause of feare And a wicked man at his best is in a state most fearefull The most afflicted condition of the faithfull is voyd of feare and the fayrest estate of a wicked man is full of feare Gods booke giue 's abundant testimony of both fully freeing the saint from feare and filling the sinners hart with litle else Let vs take notice of that which is revealed for the people of God in this particuler The Prophet Isaiah Isa 43.1.2.3 for tell 's marve lous misery vnto the Church vnder the names of fire and water both which doe resemble both great distresses and great abundance of them also you know they are merciles and outragious creatures that doe wholy burne and vtterly overturne all they prevaile vpon and like vnto them must the calamityes be that are likened to vs by them Now though the very naming of fire and water of floods and flames especially to this end to be metaphors of more heavy miseryes were enough to terrify and affright men and to cause feare to overflow all hope of any happines yet the Lord will in no wise haue his children afrayd but laye's it vpon them by expresse inhibition here as he also doth many a time elswhere Feare not O Iacob my servant and because this might seeme an exceeding strange injunction he giue 's them a stronge excellent reason for it For I am with thee the waters shall not drowne the fire shall not burne thee c. Behold when he tell 's them of things most fearefull he will not haue them feare at all And the Apostle is of the same mynde with the Prophet writing to the Church at Philippi and in those dayes the times were terrible tyranny and extreame persecution prevayled exceedingly vpon all such as could be found to professe Christianity and exhorting them in nothing to feare the adversayes for our is not originally expressed Phi. 1.28 Observe how generall the exhortation is both touching the adversaryes and the things to be feared in them in nothing feare the adversaryes let them be who they may be never so merciles feirce or inhumane let their rage be what it wil be never soe vile villanous dyrefull yea diabolicall yet when both are come to the most and worst that can be neither is worth fearing In like manner Iohn writting to the Church of Smyrna giue 's them the same comfortable counsell and encouragement against their persecutions now approaching saying Feare nothing that thou shalt suffer and yet he tell 's them that their tribulation shal be soe extreame and extraordinary as if the divell were broke loose among them and come from hell it self to make the earth a kinde of hell vnto them for in what sence their to rmentors are called Divells their torments may be called hell and yet he would not haue them feare at all though he tell them of that which would feare yea affright yea almost amaze any body to thinke that their enemyes are divells that is soe exceedingly surpassing and beyond all ordinary oppressors that none is bad enough to represent them but the divell himself These are the generall accquittances that the Lord hath given his servants to free them from all feares in all afflictions yea let them seeme never so fearefull or insernall they are not all of them noe not at the worst worth fearing in the least Thou drewest neere saith good Ieremiah in the day of my trouble Lam. 38.55.56.57 and saydst vnto me Feare not and that when I was in the low dungeon Though I walke in the valey of the shaddow of death that is in the most discomfortable state of death it self yet I will feare noe evill saith good David Ps 23.4 And in a word our Lord Iesus Christ gaue this for one among those many most gracious lessons he left behinde him Feare not them let the men be as many Mat. 10.28 as mighty as malicious as they may be that can kill the body be their manner of killing as tyrannous torturous yea barbarous and cruell as it can be as if he would say neither persecutors nor persecutions of any kinde are cause of any feare in the faithfull he who spake it as man well knew what he sayd as God and therefore we stand bound to obey him as Christ both God and man knowing right well that if any thing in mans power might haue beene just matter of feare to the faithfull he would not haue layd this jnjunction vpon them but being man and accquanited with humane frailety and being God having command over such corruptions as he knew would flow from the same he forbids all feare in all cases because no such feare in vs can consist with the freedome of his graces 1. Ioh. for as true loue so true faith casteth out feare and soe doth every saving grace which he hath given vs. But now on the other side the feare of the profane doth overflow him at his best in the fullest streame of his externall happines it breake 's in vpon him to the disturbance of his hart yea to the fearfull destroying of himself even when he feare 's nothing Pharaoh followed Israell with a resoved mynd to reposesse and re-enslaue them vnto him for ever he hath all the successe hart can wish the sea is holden vp for him by the same miraculous hand of the Almighty which kept it for his owne people to passe over why should he feare any ordinary danger of drowning who had an extraordinary meanes of preservation and now that he see 's God to seeme at least to favour him he is bolde and adventurous and feare 's not but he may follow them close but you know the fearefull issue of this feare-les attempt to wit his owne and his peoples helples overthrow in the middst of that sea wherein he supposed himself as safe as Gods saints were and besides the wofull perishing of his body the losse of his soule was most heavy of all Belshazzar Dan. 5. was were he would be you know when he had his princes his peeres his wiues and concubines about him to quaffe swill and carouse in the sacred vessells of Gods house how frolike joviall and merry that King was we may easily conceive and how farre he had put away all feare of any dismall accident from him we may also well jmagine Howbeit beholde when he suspected nay surmized nothing that might any way disaffect much lesse amaze him he hath such a suddayne and