Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	begin_v	life_n	live_v	4,413	5	5.6341	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87089	Death's alarum: or, Security's vvarning-piece. A sermon preached in S. Dionis Back-Church, at the funerall of Mrs. Mary Smith (daughter of Mr. Isaac Colfe, formerly minister of Gods Word at Chadwell in Essex, and late wife of Mr. Richard Smith of London, draper) who dyed the 9th. day of Novemb. 1653. and was buried the 16th of the same moneth. By Nath: Hardy, Mr. of Arts, and preacher to that parish.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1653 (1653)	Wing H714; Thomason E725_4; ESTC R206763	23,164	36

the nature and press the practise of this duty 1. To illustrate the nature of this preparation be pleased to observe both the intent of the thing and the extent of the time by the former we shall see wherein this readinesse and by the latter when it ought to bee performed 1. The duty it self being of very weighty importance It should be a little inquired into what things are requisite to denominate a man ready for Christs coming The severall metaphors of a Bridegroome of a Lord and of a Thiefe under which the coming of Christ is represented to us may very fitly be made use of to this end and purpose 1. They are ready for the coming of the Bridegroom who have on their wedding garment And this is no other in a spirituall sense than that white rayment to wit of Christs righteousnesse apprehended by faith which our blessed Lord adviseth the Church to buy of him indeed when death cometh it will strip us of all other induments Job saith of himselfe and it is no more than what every man shall finde true Naked came I forth of my Mothers womb and naked shall I returne thither onely of this garment it cannot bereave us and he alone who is thus clothed may with comfort look death in the face 2. Againe he is ready for the coming of his Lord who hath discharged the trust reposed in and improved the stock left with him by his Lord Indeed thus to doe in reference to God exactly is impossible but yet this to endeavour is necessary and he onely is fit for death who hath beene carefull in life to employ his talents for Gods glory and to keep a good conscience in all things When the Lord cometh he expects an account of the Servants receipts and disbursments and how unfit will the idle or wastfull servant bee to make up his account That life must needs render a man unprepared for death which is spent in doing nothing or that which is worse than nothing in abusing the mercies we receive to the dishonour of him who hath bestowed them on us Finally he is ready for the coming of a Thief who keepeth himselfe and his family waking hath his doore locked bolted and barred and is furnished with weapons both of defence and resistance So must we prepare our selves for Christs coming by awaking our soules out of carnall and sensuall security by keeping our hearts with all diligence and by putting on the whole armour of God the condition of that man will be very sad whom death findes asleep in sinne without a spirituall guard and destitute of those graces which should arm him against its venomous sting If you desire a more distinct explication of this preparation let Christ be his owne expositor in that elegant Scripture where he adviseth his Disciples to have their Loynes girt and their Lamps burning The worke of preparation for death is both privative and positive in removing what may hinder us and procuring what may enable us to meet Christ at our death with comfort Both these we are taught under those metaphoricall allusions the former in the girding of our Loynes the latter in the burning of our Lamps 1. To be ready is to have our Loynes girt where by Loynes we may very well understand our affections and lusts which are to be girt by repentance and mortification The sting of death saith S. Paul is sinne so that we are never fit to dye till we have taken out the sting by subduing sinne he that liveth in any lust is so farre from being armed for death that he armeth death against himselfe death is a journey called therefore a going to our long home but how shall he be fit to go this journey who hath not laid aside the weight of sinne and girded up his loynes which will be a sore impediment to him More especially this girding of Loynes may referre to the expelling of worldly love out of our hearts To this purpose both that action of Christs drinking Vinegar and those words of his It is finished immediately before his death are not unfitly moraliz'd to teach us that by despising the world as vaine and bitter we are more prepared for the finishing of our life Oh how unwilling is he to goe out of the world whose heart is glued to it And therefore let it be our wisdome to hang loose in our affections from all earthly relations that as Seneca divinely if we be called to it Nihil nos detineat nec impediat quo minus parati simus quod quand●que faciendum statim facere no worldly thing may hinder us from being ready to do that presently which must be done at some time 2. To be ready is to have our Lamps burning to wit the Lamp of our Soule burning with the graces of Gods spirit the Lamp of our Life burning in the exercise of good works towards God and man Certainly he is very unfit to dye who hath not yet begun to live thy condition must needes be desperate if the lamp of thy life be put out before the lamp of grace be kindled S. John saith of them who dye in the Lord their works follow them to wit those good works which have gone before their death in the course of their lives he onely is fit to meet Christ in death who can say to him in Hezekiah's words Remember Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart a renewed nature and a reformed life are the best preparatives to a comfortable and happy death 2. You see the duty it selfe The next thing to be considered is the time when we should make our selves thus ready it is that which must by no meanes be left out since though we all agree about the thing yet we differ about the time we must be ready for Christs coming that is acknowledged but when we should goe about it is not so easily determined The answer to this is not expresly given in the text but yet manifestly implyed in the context since the housholder no● knowing when the thief will come knowing he will come is alwayes expecting and providing for him and indeed this we shall finde in the ●parallel Scripture expresly supplyed where our Saviour bids his Disciples to watch and pray {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} alwayes It is that then which ought to be the wisdome of every Christian alway to be in a readinesse for the coming of Christ suitable to this is that resolve of holy Job when hee saith All the dayes of my appointed time I will wait till my change come not onely one or a few or some but all his dayes were dayes of watching for the approach of his change according to which is that counsell of S. Basil {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} we must every day of our life be in a posture ready to goe out of this life if our Lord

well as old age Christ may send it to seize upon thee Hast thou not need then to be every where and at all times prepared Consider this oh vain man whoever thou art that puttest off thy preparation in hope that Christ will delay his visitation thou purposest to be ready when thou art old I but what if Christ come whilest yet thou art young Thou promisest to prepare thy self to morrow but what if thou diest to day Oh beware that thy promises beare not a date far longer than thy life It is storied of ambitious Archyas that having by fraudulent and unjust courses at length compassed the government of Thebes he with his complices kept a riotous feast in the midst of his intemperance a messenger cometh to him with a letter from a friend importuning him speedily to peruse it but he slighting the admonition and putting it under his pillow said {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} serious things to morrow when as the thing which the letter concerned was effected that night to wit deprivation at once both of his life and dignity by a combination of the Citizens This this my Brethren is I feare the dolefull case of too many who purposing to be serious and pious hereafter are snatched away before that hereafter come Couldst thou oh man assure thy selfe the continuance of thy life for a day a moneth a yeare thou mightest with more pretence of reason defer thy preparation so long but Cui sit exploratum se ad vesperum esse victurum saith the heathen Orator truly who can assure himselfe he shall live till evening nay who can justly promise to himselfe the next moment Be not then so foolish nay mad nay bruitish as ●o live an hour a moment in the estate wherein thou wouldst be loath to dye 4. That hour in which men make least account is commonly the time of the Son of Man's coming Be ye therefore ready Whilest the Croc●dil being asleep openeth his mouth the Indian Rat getteth in and cateth up his bowells whilest the Theban Centinel was nodding Epaminondas came and thrust him thorow when men are secure in their sins death stealeth upon them unawares At what gate there is the least guard smallest strength the besieger maketh his onset and endeavoureth entrance Oh feare lest in that day death approach to thee wherein thou art most regardlesse of death 5. All the time alotted you before Christs coming is little enough for this great work Be you therefore alwayes endeavouring to make your selves ready Tota vita discendum est vivere said the Philosopher we scarce learne to live well in the whole space of our lives nay Totâ vitâ discendum est mori saith the Divine our whole life is scarce sufficient to learne the art of dying well Were a short prayer or a single sigh a God forgive me or Lord have mercy upon me a valid preparation for Christs coming the work were easie and a little time might dispatch it but be not deceived God is not mocked This great work is not so facile a taske Doe but ask the servants of God who have taken much paines and spent many yeares in this work and you shall hear them complain that to this day notwithstanding all their prayers teares fastings watchings and struglings they finde themselves very unready for death and is it not a wretched presumption in any man to think he can fit himselfe for death as it were at an houres warning 6. When the Son of man cometh there will bo no opportunity for the doing of this work Be you therefore ready Likely it is at the approach of death many men w●ll be earnest suiters in Davids words Oh spare me a little one moneth one weeke longer but in vaine their request cannot be granted nor the time delayd Very apt to this purpose is the story of S. Gregory concerning ond Chrysorius a man as full of sin as he was of wealth who on his dying bed in a bitter agony of spirit cryed out Inducias vel usque mane inducias vel usque mane Truce but till the morning stay but till to morrow but with these very words he breathed his last Christ may sometimes stay long before he cometh but when he comes he will not stay {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} saith S. Basil excellently learne to be wise by the foolish Virgins example for whom the Bridegroome being come would not stay a moment and onely they that were ready went in with him to the Marriage 7. Your preparation for will be no acceleration of Christs coming and therefore be you ready It is the fond conceit of many that if they think of and prepare for death death will presently come to them upon which ground it is that they put off the setting both their house and soule in order but let not vain feares beguile thee thy death is not the nearer but onely it will be the sweeter graemeditati mali mollis ictus the blow will not come the sooner but it will be the easier nay indeed by being ready to die thou art the fitter to live and both thy life and thy death will be the more comfortable 8. Finally the Sonne of Man's coming will be most dismall and exitiall to all unprepared persons Be you therefore ready S. Chrysostom upon these words conceiveth that Christ representing his coming under the resemblance of a thief checketh our ●luggishness who are less carefull to be ready against Christs than the Housholders is against the Thiefe's coming whereas the Housholder's danger is onely the loss of his goods or money or jewels but ours of our precious souls Oh my Brethren if Christ when he cometh by death finde us unprepared wo to us that we were born our case will be like that of the foolish Virgins against whom the doore of Heaven was shut and no intreaty could prevaile for the opening of them nay like that of the man whom when the King came in he found at the feast without a wedding garment who was bound hand and foot and cast into utter darknesse yea like that of the evill servant in the end of this chapter when his Lord coming cut asunder and appointed him his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And oh that any or all of these considerations might awaken our security and quicken our industry This Son of Man hath been pleased to call upon us often for the performance of this duty perhaps he will come to some of us before the next call Oh then delay no longer but be we ready whilest it is called to day and whilest this day he vouchsafeth to call upon us It was an excellent saying of an ancient when his corrupt heart tempted him to procrastination I will make use of the day to repent in and leave the morrow to God so do thou say Christ may come to morrow I will be