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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	day_n	lord_n	1,882	5	3.6758	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10874	Life after death Containing many religious instructions and godly exhortations, for all those that meane to liue holy, and dye blessedly. With the manner of disposing ones selfe to God, before, and at the time of his departure out of this world. With many prayers for the same purpose By Francis Rodes.	Rodes, Francis, Sir, ca. 1595-1646.	1622 (1622)	STC 21140; ESTC S112044	39,083	228

by day by night at home and abroad and neuer missing let all estates at all times and in all places be alwayes ready armed against the assaults of Death CHAP. 6. Against the feare of Death DEath is the ineuitable Law of nature therefore to feare that which cannot bee auoyded is meere folly But our feare of death proceedes from doubt and doubt from vnbeliefe and our vnbeliefe chiefly from ignorance because wee know not the good that is elsewhere and doe not beleeue that our part is in it so that true knowledge and true faith driues away all feare of death Assurance of heauenly things makes vs willing to part with earthly Hee cannot contemne this life that knowes not the other and he is not worthy to liue in the other that is vnwilling to die in this to despise this life is to thinke of heauen and not to feare Death is to thinke of that glorious life that followes it If we can endure pain for health much more ought wee at our last to abide a few pangs that cannot last for an euerlasting glory How fondly doe wee feare a vanquisht enemie ouer whom Christ hath already triumphed by whose death death is swallowed vp in victory and we thereby deliuered from the tyranny thereof It is enough to vs that Christ died for vs who had not died neither but that wee might die the more willingly and with greater safety Death is necessarily annexed to nature and life is giuen vs with a condition to die and our Creator in his mercy continues the vse of our life to this end onely that we may learne rightly to die There is but one common rode to all flesh and there are no by-paths of any fayrer or neerer way no not for Princes Haue we bin at so many graues and so oft seene our selues die in our friends and doe wee shrinke when our course commeth Imagine thou wert exempt from the common Law of mankinde yet assure thy selfe death is not now so fearefull as thy life would then be wearisome Thinke not so much what Death is as from whom he comes and for what Wee receiue euen homely Messengers from great persons not without respect to their Masters and what matters it who he be so he bring vs good newes and what better newes can there be then this That God sends for thee to take possession of a Kingdome Let them then feare Death that knowes not Death to bee the messenger of Gods iustice and mercy To die is a thing naturall necessary and reasonable Naturall Naturall for it is the generall Law of the whole world that all must die and our very essence is equally parted into life and death for the first day of our birth sets vs as well in the way to death as to life Death is the condition of our creation and life is giuen vs with an exception of death to die therfore is as naturall as to be borne and as foolish is hee that feareth to die as to be old To be vnwilling to die is to be vnwilling to be a man for all men are mortall Death being then a thing so naturall why should it be feared The feare of griefe and paine is naturall but not of death Children and mad men feare not death why should not reason then be as able to furnish vs with security as they are fortified by their simplicity idiotisme Beasts feare not death therefore it is not nature that teacheth vs to feare death but rather to attend and receiue it as sent by her whose seruant it is Fooles feare death and wise men attend it It is folly to grieue at that which cannot be amended therfore when Dauid vnderstood of the death of his child he ceased to sorrow any longer for him saying While he liued there was hope but being dead there was no remedy and so his care ended Death is a debt of nature which must be payd whensoeuer it is demanded It is no taking day with God when his will is to call for it Therefore it is in vaine to flie from that which wee cannot shunne and those things which of necessity must be performed of vs ought to be done cheerefully not by compulsion as Chrysostome saith Let vs make that voluntarie which is necessarie and yeeld it to God as a gift which we stand bound to pay as a due debt Death is a happines to the faithfull because it is a deliuerance both of soule and body from all misery and sinne By death the world was redeemed to such therefore as doe beleeue in Christ their Redeemer death is to them an aduantage and a thing rather to be desired then feared for they onely are affrighted and daunted with the feare of death that are destitute of faith and hope If thou beleeuest in God why art thou not forward to goe to Christ who died for thee There cannot be a more happy thing then deuoutly to render thy life into his hands who to spare thee spared not himselfe but gaue his life for thee Christ saith Saint Paul is gaine to me both in life and death holding it for a wonderfull gaine to be no more subiect to sinne It is a more grieuous thing to liue in sinne then to die for as long as a wicked man liues his iniquity increaseth if he die his sinne ceaseth the euill therefore of death is only in sinne Necessarie Death brings an equall and an ineuitable necessitie ouer all therfore did nature make that common to all which commonly was feared of all to the end that such an equality might asswage the rigour and seuerity of death and that none might iustly complaine of death from which none was euer exempted 1 Two causes that lets men from dying willingly Lacke of faith But one chiefe cause that lets vs from dying willingly is lacke of faith for had we faith we would night and day desire this messenger of the Lords Iustice and Mercy to deliuer vs out of this miserable life that wee might enter into the fruition of eternall felicity for hauing confidence in GOD wee shall finde death to be as a guide to bring vs to our euerlasting home 2 Loue of the world Another cause of the feare of death is the loue of the world for they feare death most that most loues the world and giues themselues most to the pleasures and delights of this life which they feare to be depriued of by death To feare death is for a man to be enemie to himselfe and to his owne life for he can neuer liue at ease and contentedly that feareth to die therefore to contemne death is a thing one should learne betimes for without this meditation none cā haue any repose in minde seeing it is most certaine that die we must not knowing when and it may be at the very instant of our thought how then can any enioy a peaceable soule who feares death Improuidence ads terror vnto death which threatens

him euery minute of this life There is not a more dangerous enemie against a mans selfe then himselfe by his follies his fantasies his vanities his surfetting and excesse his lust his anger his feares and the rest of his affections whereof within his breast he fosters a Forrest full That man is onely a free man which feares not death and contrarily life is but a slauerie if it were not made free by death for death is the onely stay of our libertie and the common and readie remedy against all euils and the onely meane to all good It is then a misery and miserable are all that doe it to trouble their liues with the feare of death and their death with the desire of life For a man to torment himselfe with the feare of death is great weakenesse and cowardlinesse for there is no passion in the minde of man so weake but can master the feare of Death and therefore death is no such enemie when a man hath so many followers about him that can conquer him reuenge triumphs ouer death loue esteemes it not honour aspireth to it deliuery frō ignominie chuseth it griefe flyeth to it feare preoccupyeth it what an extreme madnes is it then for a man to torment himselfe for nothing and that willingly Scienter frustrà niti extremae dementiae est Death beeing then so necessarie and ineuitable it is to no purpose to feare it for such things as are certain as Death we must attend and in things past remedy we must be resolute therefore making of necessity a vertue we must welcome it and receiue it kindely for where there is not vertue and willingnesse to death life is but a seruitude and to bee truely free from the feare of death is to thinke continually on death so shall wee thereby bee the more couragious against the necessitie of our departure Reasonable and iust To dye is a thing reasonable and iust for it is but reason that we giue place to others since others haue giuen place to vs and since we haue enioyed the places offices and heritages of them that were before vs it is but equall that those that doe come after vs should likewise possesse thē accordingly It is a thing generall and common to al to die Why should then any feare to goe whither all the world goeth where so many millions haue gone before and so many millions are to follow after They whom wee suppose to be dead do not perish but precede they are only sent before whom we must presently follow after in which meane time notwithstanding there is no long time betweene their meeting and ours for euery moment of this life is the death of the other the time past is lost and gone death is already possessed thereof onely the time present we haue share with death so that euery day we die by little and little why then should any feare that once which is acted euery day The death which wee so much feare and flye takes not from vs life but only giues it a truce and intermission for a little time and as for our bodies they haue no more damage by death then hath the seed for hauing a little earth harrowed ouer it Let euery one therefore indeuour to make euery day as it were his last day for to spurne against death is to striue against nature against our faith against all dutie Yet euery one hurries on his life and trauels in the desire of future things and wearinesse of present times but hee which bestowes his whole time to learne how to die well neither desires nor feares what may happen the day after for vvhat can hee iustly feare that hopes to die according to that answere of the Lacedemonians vnto Antipater who threatned them cruelly if they yeelded not to his demand It is not said they in thy power O Antipater to threaten vs with any thing that is worse then death death is welcome to vs. CHAP. 7. How to carry our selues concerning Death TO feare and flye death as an euill is a thing not approoued by men of vnderstanding though by the greater partie it be practised to desire death argues we are out of charitie with the world to contemne life is vnthankfulnesse to nature to attend death is good but to flie and feare death is against nature reason iustice and all dutie If wee consider death as in it selfe then naturally wee feare it but if we consider it as a meane to bring vs to Christ then ought wee to imbrace it The feare of death in contemplation of the cause of it and the issue of it is religious but the feare of it for it selfe is a testimonie of great weakenesse Men feare death as children feare to goe in the darke and as that naturall feare in children is increased with tales so is the other There is not a thing that men feare more then death and there is nothing that hath lesse occasion or matter of feare then death or that contrarily yeeldeth greater reasons to perswade vs with resolution to accept of it for if it bee an euill it is of all euils the least euill and the euill that doth least harme nay it is so farre from beeing an euill that it is the onely remedie against all euils for in this life euils and dangers attend vs continually whereas by death our life is exempted from all euils and filled vvith eternall ioyes Moreouer if it bee an enemy it is of all enemies the least or rather of all friends the best for he brings vs out of all danger of enemies into the protection and safegard of our best and most assured friend for euer Iesus Christ our onely Sauiour and Redeemer Wee must then thinke that it is a meere opinion and a vulgar errour that hath wonne the world to conceit so hardly of death It is not death it selfe that men are afraid of but the opinion and apprehension of death that onely terrifies now this terrible apprehension is grounded vpon a precedent opinion of our infirmitie and contrarie to truth for veritie incourageth opinion danteth vs. Opinion bands it selfe against reason and seekes to deface her with the maske of death it may bee the spectacle of death displeaseth because they that die looke gastly but this is not death but the maske of death that which is hid vnder it is beautifull for death hath nothing in it that is fearefull Death then in it selfe is not euill therefore not to be feared CHAP. 8. This life is but a prison a pilgrimage a warfare and as a voyage vpon a tempestuous Sea DEath is the soueraign good of Nature and the onely pillar of our libertie whereas this life is but a prison a pilgrimage a warfare as a voyage vpon a tempestuous Sea In this life wee are alwayes in prison and our Soule inclosed in the body as in a prison which desires releasement as the thirsty doe coole fresh waters Our life is but a