Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	earth_n	sea_n	see_v	4,259	5	3.9841	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19491	A defiance to death Wherein, besides sundry heauenly instructions for a godly life, we haue strong and notable comforts to vphold vs in death. By Mr. William Covvper, minister of Gods Word.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1610 (1610)	STC 5917; ESTC S120025	84,536	398

were with a white vaile though in deede it bee very blacke for if the pleasures thereof be compared with the paines it will bee found that the paines exceede the pleasures both for their number greatnesse and continuance it being most certaine that no pleasure in the earth hath beene found to endure so long as the paines of a feuer whereas on the other hand if death bee looked vpon with the eyes of nature it seemes to be very terrible as it were couered with a blacke vaile but is white indeed being to the godly but a finishing of our miseries entrance to our endlesse glorie And this shall be euident if we mark these phrases by which the spirit of God describes death to vs in holy scripture the death of Abraham is called a gathering of him to his fathers the death of Moses a sleeping with his fathers Dauid calles the death o● his bodie a resting of his flesh in hope S. Luke calles the death of our Lord the time of his assumption S. Peter cals it the deposition of an earthly Tabernacle Now I pray you what here is terrible vnlesse to be gathered to our fathers to let our bodies sleepe for a time and rest in hope that our soules may be assumed vp into heauen be terrible to vs. But most cleerly doth S. Paul by three proper similitudes expressethe nature of death vnto vs for first he compares it to the laying aside of an old rotten garment in stead whereof wee put on a better teaching vs thereby that as no poore man will grudge to lay aside his contemptible garment when a better is offered vnto him far lesse shold a Christian murmure when God vncloths him of his corruptible bodie since he doth it that hee may cloth him with a more excellent garment of glorie and ●mmortalitie Secondly he compares the laying of our bodies in the graue to the sowing of seede in the earth teaching vs thereby that suppose our bodies being couered with moulds rot putrifie vnder the earth yet they shall spring vp again and the●fore we shold willingly render our bodies to the Lord that great husbandmā to be dimpled like pickles of liuely seede by his owne hand in any parte of the earth hee pleases yea if it were in the bottome of the sea seeing the whole world is the Lords husbandry which he can cause to bring out fruite to him at his pleasure At his word both the earth and water brought out to him liuing creatures which neuer had been and shal we not thinke that at his word they wil render to him these creatures which haue bin before And thirdly he cals it here a flitting from one house to another a remoouing from our cot house on earth to a Palace of glorie in heauen Now this being spoken vpon the worde Dissolued for our comfort in death somthing further must we marke out of it for our preparation to death Howeuer death be most certaine yet the Apostle speaks indefinitly of it both in regard of the time the place and the kinde of death it is out of al doubt our bodies must bee dissolued but wee know not when nor where nor how in these three respects death is vncertaine As to the time of our death God hath hidden it from our eies Nihil certius morte nihil incertius hora mortis Many goe out of the body being disapointed as concerning the time lipning and looking in their owne thought for a longer time then they find ordeined for them In this folly by nature wee are all followers of that rich man who dreamed to himselfe that he had many daies to the fore when in very deed hee had not one for that same night his soule was taken from him Vita haec multipliciter illudit hominibus longam se simulat vt fallat Alway the vncertainty of death in regard of time God hath done it in wisedome to make vs the more carefull Ignoratur vnus dies vt obseruentur multi Hee hath made one day vnknowne that many daies may be obserued If the good man of the house had known what houre the thiefe would come hee would haue watched not suffred his house to be digged through Be ye therfore prepared the house is the body the theef that breakes it is death the treasure thou keepst in it is thy soule therfore watch pray the conclusion of the Parable telles vs that God hath hid the houre of death from vs not to snare vs but to stirre vs to vigilance Ideo voluit horam mortis incertam esse vt semper sit nobis suspecta God hath made the houre of death vncertaine because hee will haue it alway suspected The life of man on earth is but a life of seauen daies how manie yeares soeuer he liue yet hath hee but these same dayes multiplied vnto him As he therfore who hauing seuen seruants to serue him if he be aduertised that one of the seauen will slay him takes seruice from them with the narrower obser●ation of euerie one of them when they come by course to serue him so man whose life runnes vpon seauen dayes in the weeke which together with their shaddowes serue him by course since he is tolde that in one of them hee must die and he knows not which it is he shold the more carefully obserue them all to liue holily and godly in them let all of them be passed ouer in feare let none of them want their owne exercises of godlinesse so shall we die peaceably and with comfort in any of thē wherein it shall please God to call vpon vs. Secondly in regard of the place death is also so vncertain somehaue died in the wombe wherein they tooke life some in the Cradle as the infants of Bethlem some in the bedde as Ishboseth some in the Parlour as Eglon some on the stoole as Arrius some at the table as Ammon some in the Chappell as Sennacherib some in the Temple as Ioab In a word what place is there wherin we can come in the which or the like of it some men haue not died before vs and this to warne vs how in euery place we shold be prepared Vbique te expectatmors tu si sapiens fueris vbique cam expectabis Thirdly the kinde of our death is also left vncertaine vnto vs that against all kinds of death wee may be prepared there is one way by which we all come into the worlde but many wayes by which wee goe out of it for some die in the water as Pharao some in the fire as the King of Edom some by Lions as the disobedient Prophet some by Beares as the railing children some by dogges as cruell Iezabel some by vermine as proude Herod some by the sword as swift Azahel some smothered in the house as the children of Iob some by the fall

is none but good and if the pasturage heere bee so pleasant where Goats Sheep feede together what pleasures are there where the Sheepe are gathered together by themselues and their Pastor lies with them and rests feeding them without feare in the noone tyde of the day And as the consideration of the place renders vs comfort so doth it also giue vs this instruction that we must be holy if we desire to dwell there for no vncleane thing can enter into heauenly Ierusalē we see that in the frame of this world thingsare placed according to their excellency the earth as grossest is set into the lowest roome ●boue the earth is the water as being purer then the earth aboue the water is the ayre which is purer then the water aboue the ayre is the fire aboue the fire is the Firmament with the celestiall spheres which ar purer then any of them and aboue them all is the third heauen wherein our building is situate excelling in purity all these things which are seene whereunto wee are admonished that we who by nature are not onely of the earth but are also earthly minded must be transchanged by grace and endued with a heauenly disposition before we can be admitted to these new heauens wherein as saies Saint Peter dwels righteousnesse and none but righteous and renued men can inherit them Ver. 2. Therefore we sigh desiring c. The Apostle hauing laid downe that solide ground of comfort which stands to all Christians as a strong preseruatiueagainst the feare of death comes now to build vpon it and drawes out of it a three-fold fruit of godlinesse which hee protests the certain knowledge of the glory to come wrought in his heart and which if wee also can feele wrought in our owne hearts by the spirit of God shall serue vnto vs as wholsom preparatiues to prepare vs in our life and makes vs capable of that comfort of all Christians in our death the first fruite is an earnest desire of that glorie to come the second a contentment with boldnesse to remooue out of the bodie the third a continuall care both in life and death to please the Lord. Heere first wee perceiue the nature of that true and liuely knowledge which by the Gospell is wrought in the minds of men not onely doth it let vs see high and excellent things but also carries our hearts affections after them for the Gospell is not onely a mirrour wherein wee behold the glorie of God with open face but also the power of God vnto saluation by which we are transformed into the selfe same Image similitude therefore the Apostle denies that they haue learned Iesus Christ who haue not learned to cast off the old man which is corrupted thorough deceiueablelusts and to put on the new which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse And if by this rule the mē of this generation be tryed many shal be found ignorant of Christ who seeme vnto themselues to haue learned him well enough In the heauens are two lights wherof the one to wit the Moone hath light without heat or chaunging vertue the other to wit the Sunne doth not onely shine but sends out such heate and vertue that by it things hard are mollified dead creatures are reuiued and fading hearbs and trees are made to flourish so is there in the minde of man two sorts of knowledge the one lets him see the good way and allures his heart to follow it the other giues him light whereby he may discerne things but allures allures him not to follow the best it encreases light in the minde but works not holines in the heart it doth not conuert but convince them so is it with many in this age whose knowledge is better then their conscience of whom wee may say with the Apostle it had bin better for them not to haue knowne the way of righteousnesse nor after that they haue knowne it to turne from the holy commandement giuen vnto them We sigh The first effect which the certaine knowledg of the glory to come wroght in the Apostle is as we heard a feruent desire therof which caused him to breake forth in sighing for it for the man who knowes better things which are to come can not be cōtent with the best of these which are presēt but doth in such sort vse thē that he declares he longs for better by sighing and lamēting for the long delay thereof as Iob protests that his sighing came before his meat and Dauid mingled his cuppe with teares so al the godly who know a better thinke long till they enioy it Non satis futura gaudia nosti nisi re●uat consolari anima tua donec veniant Thou knowes not rightly the ioyes to come vnlesse thy soule refuse all other comforts till thou obtaine them In the children of God desire goes before satisfaction but it is certaine what they desire according to Gods word they shall obtaine it It is the faculty of them who are in heauen that they are satisfied with the fulnesse of ioy which is in Gods face it is the felicity of them who are militant on earth to hunger and thirst for righteousnes with the which they shall be satisfied they haue obteyned in a great part that which they desired we ar made sure by Gods word to obtaine that which now we desire through his grace for his promise is The Lorde will fulfill the desires of them who feare him whether it be righteousnes here or glory hereafter If then we cannot do as we shold at least let vs desire to doe so tota vita boni Christiani Sanctum desiderium est the whole life of a good Christian is a holy desire yea the Apostle is not ashamed to protest of himselfe that his desires were better then his deede for hee desired to doe the good wherunto hee could not attain such is the fauor and indulgence of our God toward vs that our desires hee accepts them for deeds therfore should wee bee comforted against the conscience of our wāts insufficiency by the vnfeined desires of better which through his grace are in vs for true desire of grace and glorie is an vndoubted argument of grace receiued and glory to be receiued But this as I haue said is to bee vnderstood of true not of vain desires such as was the desire of Balaam who desired that he might die the death of the righteous Two wayes may the one be discerned from the other first these desires which are wroght in the soule by the holy spirite are ay the longer the more feruent wheras the other is but a false conception which incontinent dies and euanishes away Secondly true desire of the glorie to come vses carefully all those meanes which may bring vs vnto it such as are the exercises of the Worde