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book_n	lord_n	name_n	write_v	5,698	5	5.8489	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60326	Comforts against the fear of death. Being some short meditations, composed by that precious gentlewoman Mrs. Anne Skelton, late of Norwich Wherein are several evidences of the work of grace in her own soul, which were the stay of her heart, against the fear of death; from which may be discerned the name of a true Christian spirit. To which is added some short notes of a sermon preached at the burial of that choyce servant of God in St. Andrews in Norwich. By John Collings M.A. and one of the most unworthy embassadors of Jesus Christ for the preaching of the gospel in the late city.	Skelton, Anne.; Collinges, John, 1623-1690. aut.	1649 (1649)	Wing S3932A; ESTC R221500	38,402	100

say not that Faith as my act doth justifie me but it is instrumental as it 's hand to receive Christ and unite thee to him those righteousness alone is the meritorious cause of thy Justification Now here is a promise for thee to rest on John 3. 16 36. Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life And he that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life Now my Soul exercise thy Faith apply this promise to thy self I beleeve and therefore I shall have everlasting life Labor for that reflect act of thy Soul to know more that thou dost beleeve The sincerity whereof in thee is in some measure approved by thy resigning and giving up thy self wholly to him as the Apostle Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and th● life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Desiring as well to be ruled and guided by him as saved by him purged as pardoned freed from the power as the punishment of sin cleansed from the filth as discharged of the guilt of sin What though thou art not able wholly to put it in practise but lost full of and come short in performance thereof was not this the Apostle Paul his own case which he so ●●●gely deploreth Rom. 7. 15. 23. I allow not that which I do for what I would that do I not but what I hate that do I. I see another Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my mind and leaving me Captive to the Law of sin which is in my members It sufficeth to warrant the sincerity of thee my Soul and Spirit in this case that with the same Apostle in the same place Thou takest notice of thy failings art grived for them there is in thee a nature or part that abhors them thou watchest against them endeavorest what thou canst to reclaim thy self upon discovery of falling laborest by carnest prayer to God against them and continuest constant in the use of the means sanctified by him for spiritual strength and abillity and restest on Christ and expectest from him power to overcome thy corruptions Therefore comfort thy self herein O my Soul and apply this to thy self for thou art but in the same case that Apostle Paul was then in who at that very time had truth of grace and was even then in a most happy and blessed condition Therefore fear not though thou findest many temptations either to despair or to think all thy hope but presumption none of the Saints or Servants of God was ever heard praying to be rid utterly of their corruptions forthwith and at once Suffice them and thee it may and must that he will one day rid them utterly of all and mean while to support thee Know that thy corruptions shall never so prevail against thee as to reduce thee again to the sway and soveraignty it once had in thee when it had its throne in thee these shew that there is a part in thee that is regenerated as Paul had Now to such as these are the promises of God made good Malla 3. 16 17. A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name And they shall be to me saith the Lord of H●sts in thee day a flock and I will spare them and man spareth his own son that serveth him 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. Hezekiah prayeth to the Lord to be merciful to him that prepareth his whole heart to seek the Lord God though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people Psal 33. 18 19. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him and upon them that trust in his mercy to deliver their Souls from death and to preserve them in famine Psal 37. 40. The Lord shall help them and deliver them from the wicked and shall save them because they trust in him Psal 34. 22. The Lord redeemeth the Souls of his Servants and none that trust in him shall perish Oh my Soul set thy Faith a work lo here are promises for it to rest on apply them to thy self for they are precious Another Sign or Evidence of Grace is thy constant desire of and love to the Ordinances of God whereby these may be attained and that for this very end that thou mayst know what God requires of thee and be enabled to practise it and get strength against thy corruptions endeavouring to apply thy self thereto with delight in the use of them This evidently testifies the sincerity of thy desire love and affection to God as David urget●● oft and presseth the like for himself Psa 119. 11. I have hid thy promise in my heart that I might not sin against thee Also Vers 24. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors And Ver. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keep it even to the and. Also Vers 40. Behold I desire thy commandments quicken me in thy righteousness Hypocrites desire the and only delight in them for by and sinister ends not enduring them where they find they cross their corruptions But the closer they come home to thee and most strike at thy corruptions the better thou likest and more lovest them thou dost not spare any sin I have sworn that I will Psa 119. 106 keep thy righteous judgments Another evidence of Saving Grace is thy hatred of every false way desiring God to discover to thee thine iniquity that thou art most prone or aptest to fall into by natural inclination custom or company This was made an argument of Davids integrity Therefore O my Soul make thou the same application to thy self also to uphold and comfort thee And dost thou not groan under the ●urthen of thy inward corruptions and thoughes as well as actual transgressions Wouldst not thou fain be rid of them Is it not thy greatest grief that thou dost dayly so sin against God who is so good so loving and merciful to thee Thou darest not deny it Oh that I might and could so live as never to commit any one sin more so long as I live to offend so good a God as he is to me not no more grieve nor quench his holy Spirit in the motions of it ● I resolve so to do Oh that I could do so Another sign of true Grace Hast thou not respect unto all Gods Commandments desiring universality of sincere obedience to all alike not shunning any one nor reserving any sin to thy self So David Psa 119. 5 6. O that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes Then should I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments And when fallen dost thou not loath thy self the more for that and renew thy faith in Christ and repentance as sin is renewed

nothing of what he did was too little nor any thing too much there could have wanted nothing and there was nothing redundant if he had not dyed he had not merited deliverance from Spiritual Death if he had not risen he had not conquered Natural Death if he had not ascended he had not led all Captivity Captive Let every action of Christ comfort thee who did all that he did for thee Thirdly From hence we may be instructed why so many are afraid of death Temporal Death I mean The cause may be double either a want of Christ or a want of Faith 1. Wicked vil● wretches they are afraid to dye Oh that that cup might ever pass from them they know not how to think of that day and parting hour and truly no great marvel death with its sting in it will fear the stoutest man in the world For a poor wretch to be ready to dye and cry out Now goes out my poor soul to answer for all my oaths and blasphemies for all my Sabbath breaking and profaness now must I take my leave of all comforts friends wife children all adieu for ever If death be not kil'd it self it kills the heart of the stoutest the poor wretch cannot see that Christ hath redeemed him from the power of the grave 2. Gods own dear children may fear death through a want of faith not applying with such a confidence as they ought the merits and vertue of Christs death to their souls Those now that the Lord hath given a perswasion to that they have an Interest in Jesus Christ those dye without fear they know their Redeemer lives and this was the happiness of this precious Saint of God that he hath now taken from us She had comforted her self against the fear of Death that she could say O death where 's thy sting Therefore in a book she had composed and written for her own use to Her book ●s annexed to this Sermon comfort her against the fear of Death She makes it her work to prove her interest in Christ and did it by several marks which made her dye without giving death an ill word or countenance death came but he had lost his sting Christ had been its plague A second Use may be of Consolation to comfort the children of God against the fear of death Lift up your heads O ye righteous be glad ye upright in heart All your enemies are trodden under foot fear not sin death nor hell Death hath lost its sting Hell hath lost its victory 1. Fear not spiritual death Sin shall no longer have dominion over your mortal bodies for Christ hath died to free you from the guilt of it and to deliver you from the power of it It may live it shall not reign it may fight against it shall not conquer you 2. Fear not temporal death Consider the Wasp hath lost its sting What hurt can it do thy soul It is not thy ruine Christian It is thy perfection Luke 13 32. I do cures saith Christ to day and to morrow and the third day I shall be perfected Thou art not perfected here Christian there is a crown of glory that the Father will set on thy h●ad with the black hand of death Who fears the Serpent that hath lost its teeth the Bee that hath lost its sting O death Christ hath been thy death Though thou mightst be afraid to take up death when it was a Serpent yet see its turned into a rod. What is thy life Christian is it not full of frowns are not all thy days almost tears and sorrow Doth not the wicked world look a squint upon the Saints of God is not suffering an hereditary disease that runs in the blood of Mighty Jesus that every Saint is born to inherit the Cross and through Golgotha to take his way to glory what should wed thee to the world Christian not thy desire of life and sure it cannot be thy fear of death Death hath nothing formidable in it Say to it Christ is dead O death where is thy sting then Much less can they fear eternal death for they are passed from death to life and the second death hath no power over them I have but a word more and that is of Exhortation First To all to get an interest in Jesus Christ Thus prepare your selves for the day of dissolution It is a statute in the Records of Heaven That all men should once die and afterwards come to judgment Death is a bitter cup to those that know nothing to sweeten it Learn here to get a part in the Lord Jesus Christ a title to him an interest in him He hath taken out the sting of death he hath been its plag●e but not for all see therefore for thy interest in him Hic labor hoc opus est Christians here is your work you spend else your time for nothing and your labor for that which will not profit Work out your salvation give all diligence to make your calling and election sure This is your land-work Saints and while it is done you will never be prepared to go to Sea to set sail for eternity he will never be satisfied with time and days that hath not some grounds to hope for eternity O that you would labor to make this work your work You spend your days in labor and sorrow and when you die you will lie down in sorrow Believe it you that spend your strength for that which will not profit you will see the day when your souls will be troubled for the hours lost in dressing vanity in the following the lusts of the eye and of the flesh O make this your work to get a portion in Christ and believe him who though he knows but little knows that you will finde it a difficult work a work that will be enough for the time and for the strength you have to spend If you have Christ you are well if not you die a slave to death and will be a gally-slave to Satan in Hell for ever O that you would be wise and consider your latter end before you come down wonderfully This was the work and constant work of this precious Si●●er of ours whom God hath now taken from the evil to come It was her practice to hasten over the business of her family as a thing to be done yet not her great work and then to apply her self to the great work of making her calling and election sure In which her pains were as unweariable as others are in vanity That she hath lest behinde her several Books written which are as the C●ronicle and Annuals of her life collecting those promises on which her soul rested framing the objections of her own spirit and seeking out satisfaction from Gods Word If in any thing she doubted she ●nquired at the lips of them that should preserve knowledg and pens down their answers observes Gods ways with her self and her own frame towards him and from all gathers up a posie of such evidences of saving Grace as she could finde in her soul to comfort her in her latter hour And if any asks what profited this labor I could onely have wished that such persons had been as I was a witness to her dying happiness to have seen with what a peace of Spirit what a fulness of assurance what hope what joy she entertained her last affliction the messenger of death There they should have seen this promise made good the grave destroyed the Saint delivered hell troden under foot death desired conquered despised this song sung O death where is thy fling O hell where is thy victory Be exhorted O ye that have a portion in Christ be exhorted to tred under foot your conquered enemy What is there in death that is terrible or bitter to those that have a portion in the Lord Jesus Christ Why are you afraid to be made perfect there is no taste of hell in the cup. The prison doors shall not be lockt the bolts are broken off the bitterness of death is past O desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Love the winding-sheet that wrapt up your Saviour the stones and gravel of the grave have nothing in them that is hard or harsh Christ hath been the plague of death and the destruction of the grave I heard a voyce from henceforth saying Blessed are they that die in the Lord yea saith the Spirit for they rest from their labors Lastly From this Text may those that mourn for the dead in the Lord be comforted Hast thou lost a believing friend Weep not for her weep for thy self Not that she is gone but that thou art here Death hath our friend in his hands but not in his power It is Christ that hath said I will rede●m you from the power of the grave Is not Christ dead is not he risen again and ascended hath he not led captivity captive why mournest thou then for a Saints freedom is there any thing of bitterness in the cup that thy and her Father hath given her to drink Triumph because she triumpheth rejoyce because all tears are now wiped from her eyes shew a faith in Christs death Resurrection Ascension conquest over Sin Death and Hell The work of Righteousness is peace and the ●ffect of her Righteousness quietness peace and assurance for ever FINIS