Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bless_a	let_v	zion_n	19	3	8.6899	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04597	A spiritual chaine, and armour of choice, for Sion souldiers Which, whosoeuer weareth graciously, shall be sure of the best honour, comfort and safetie (whether he liue or die in the battell) that can come to a Christian souldier. Very necessary for these times.	Jones, Anthony, fl. 1622.	1622 (1622)	STC 14717.5; ESTC S114423	39,266	114

neighbour fare you well I am resolued of my course if I neuer come againe to my house I haue a house not made with hands prepared for me By a little shadow of this couragious resolution viz. that it was the most glorious and blessed thing that could be to die for ones country O praeclara mors quae naturae debita patres est redita Cicero in Philip. the old Romanes who were like old wine which is better then new became a kind of Lords ouer their owne liues not caring for death and thereby at length a kinde of Lords also ouer the knowne parts of the world If they could thus resolue vpon so poore weake and sandie a ground what maner of resolution may Sion souldiers make vpon the most faithfull promise and oath of the God of truth Heb. 6.13 to the end 1. Cor. 2.9 1. Pet. 1.4 touching those surpassing ioyes which the eye hath not seen nor the eare heard nor the heart of man conceiued laid vp and reserued in store by our good God for them that loue him Math. 9.29 Math. 10.34 lose any friends for his sake yea and especially for them that die in his cause If mortall Princes and gouernours hold it their renoune to requite their Captaines and souldiers for their constancie and courage how will the immortall God performe this to his worthies If the Romanes could giue their Torquatus a chaine of honour and a name of dignitie which remaineth to this day euen the name of a chaine what will our God giue his valiant men Surely both palmes and garlands and chaines and a celestiall crowne together with an euerlasting name in heauen What is it then to lose our country or friends for such a King such a God What is it to lose a lim for him nay what is it to lose life it selfe for him Surely it is no losse but great aduantage And they who in this sort lose a mortall life shall find an immortall life Therefore you Sion souldiers take this linke of courage together with the rest for making vp a chaine of honor here which will procure you a better chaine then the Romanes could giue their Torquatus O prepare to come from home with resolued couragious mindes And therefore prepare to come also with resolued hearts to behaue your selues so as becommeth Christians in all maner holinesse otherwise doe not loo●e to obtaine true resolued courage from our God For this heauenly resolution can neuer enter into the heart of a wicked man because our God hath threatned yea and assured him the quite contrary euen euerlasting punishment with the Diuell and his Angels except he repent except he amend except he be new borne except he present his bodie a liuing sacrifice Rom. 12.1 holy and acceptable to God which things if by the grace of our most gracious God he performe then shall he be more valiant then any giant then shall he not feare the face of any enemie but strike and dash to peeces the iaw bones of Gods foes flee at them like a Dragon and teare them like a Lion Reu. 5 8. because the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda is with him Such souldiers as these haue no cause to feare any enemies because they feare God and haue him for their friend If they die they die in great honor because they die for God and in God and to God if they liue they liue in great honour both for their good life and for their true valour True valour I say that is stirred vp by a calme and religious minde to fight for the truth Desperate resolutions proceed not from Christian fortitude but from rash furie It is not brainsick venturing in mad moods drunken veins and furious fits that makes a worthy souldier a noble souldier in life and death by such venturing thou maist venture vpon and enter into hell As it is in Martyrdome so it is in battell The cause not the torment maketh a Martyr Right so a good life lead in peace not a bad life lost in warre makes a blessed souldier at his death in the fields Let Sion souldiers therefore be resolued vpon true valour then may they stand to it with courage because they stand vpon a certaintie They shall be certaine either of a glorious victorie in life or of a more glorious victorie by death Such souldiers are far more resolute for Sion then euen the ancient Romanes were for old Rome or the new ones can be for new Babylon Such warriers are indeed more excellent conquerers then euer the most excellent Romanes were For by Christ Iesus their Captaine they become spirituall conquerers of the whole world yea of the flesh and sin and death and diuell and hell These be truly couragious and truly resolued souldiers Thus much for the third worthy namely a resolute courage 4. Worthy Mercie The fourth worthy thing to be considered of Sion souldiers is Mercie Albeit a sacred souldier must be couragious and valorous and that in such sort as to lay about him most manfully without respect of the life of any whosoeuer rather then put his owne life and his countries and his cause in danger yet on the other side there are times when and persons to whom mercy must be shewed I pleade not here for Agags 1 Sam. 15.33 Iudg. 2.21 nor for Zeba's and Zalmunna's whom the Lord will haue destroyed principall irreconcilable enemies such must find no fauour the blood which they haue mercilesse spilt crieth out for their blood without mercie Benhadad 1. King 2. Sam. 15.11 But the thing which I would say is this Such as are mis-led ignorantly like those two hundred whom Absalon abused mercie is due to them Such as before haue shewed mercie to others mercie is due to them If Zeba and Zalmunna had been mercifull vnto Gideons brethren Gideon saith Iudg. 8.29 he would not haue slaine them Babel was commanded to leaue her throne and sit in the dust because she shewed no mercie to the Israelites but laid a very heauie yoke vpon the ancient Isai 47.6 Deut 20 10. 2. Sam. 20.18 Psal 137. Obed. The like is said also of the children of Edom Such as yeeld in due time without resisting mercie is due to them Such captiues as may be spared without any danger of present or future harms through their trechery or multitude it is better to shew mercie there then rigor Matrons and virgins vnlesse they haue bin like Iesabel it is good in sacking of townes to shew mercie to them whom to handle in the least vnchaste maner let the thought thereof be far from all Sion souldiers The great huffing Harlot mother of the Stues leaue villanie to her sonnes fie vpon such filthinesse let it not once be named among Protestant souldiers but rather giuing of thanks for the victorie Moreouer yong children if there be any kinde of hope to stay them by the word it is pitie to slay them by the sword

saith the Apostle the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the euill day Eph. 6.13 and hauing done all to stand Stand therefore hauing your loines girt about with truth and hauing on the breastplate of righteousnesse and your feete sh●d with the preparation of the Gospell of peace aboue all things take the shield of faith wherewith ye shal be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked and take the helmet of saluation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit Let me now lay downe a little concerning euery of these seuen peeces of armour Truth the girdle the better to expresse them for the vnlearneds sake First of all Truth in worshipping the true God and soundnesse in this truth must compasse you about like a girdle to make you strong in your marching as they whose loines are girded whereby you may the better fight against all aduersaries whatsoeuer they be that oppose this truth In truth and in spirit you are to worship the true God hee will make this truth a mightie defence to you being indeed the first part of a Christian souldiers armour This armour is not like the corporall which is put on peecemeale this part first and that next and then the girdle last nay this is put on all together and so the girdle of veritie fastneth on all the rest For without this truth in Gods worship no other parts will sit closely or remaine orderly vpon you As the heathen man Cato said well of Cesar touching his earthly girdle Odi puerum male cinctum I hate that same yonker who goeth so loosely girded so our God hateth old and yong high and low who care not for his true worship this gracious girdle marke their behauiour you shal find it loose He that cares not for this truth in worshipping the true God shall be a false and a loose souldier Therefore keepe on your girdle you Sion souldiers Beware of idols beware of all false worship Masses and the purtenances adoration of Saints and such like Then hauing endeuoured to giue our God his due Righteousnesse the breastplate then I say comes your Breast-plate of righteousnes your righteous life must shine cleerly before men Part not this true life from true worship our glorious God shall haue great honour thereby and the aduersaries shall rest ashamed whē they speake that euill of you which they cannot proue This plate will so couer your breasts as to make them vndaunted and ioyfull continually yea it will be such a peece of armour as none shall be able to pierce no not the greatest Anack or Goliah in earth or hell This peece of armour thus setled you must also put on spirituall shooes before you go abroad Peace the shooes you must haue peace from the Prince of peace you cannot stand in any war without this peace which passeth all vnderstanding If you venture abroad without those shooes that peace euery place shall be as sharp stones nay as thornes wheresoeuer you tread and if you kicke you shall kick against pricks Therefore you must carefully put on this peece of armour euen that peace which comes from the God of peace you must fasten it on to your soules as shoes to your feete then shall you tread safely Mal. 4.3 Vpon what Euen vpon the neckes of the wicked at last till they be as dust how great soeuer they be They haue their pleasure now and you shall haue your ioy hereafter their pleasure is momentanie your ioy shall be euerlasting Nay more then so our good God doth oftentimes also affoord his souldiers this downe treading of his enmies in this world Ios 10 24.25 yea vpon their very necks as he did in Iosuahs time This peace with God is the chiefe peace which no war of the most vile enemies can keep from you This peace with God will breed peace with men also and with all the creatures yea and nourish patience and courage against all oppositions without which men shall come so vnprepared to battell as a traueller to his iourney if he want shooes What a comfortable peace is this How famous are the very soles of these shooes and how beautifull are the feete that bring you this peace To this peace you are prepared by the glad tidings which the word of our God brings you touching the Messiah Faith the shield in whom our peace consisteth Your shooes being on abroad you go but not without your Shield in any wise In your iourney ouer and aboue stones and thornes make account that you shall meete with Buls of Basan whom no inclosure will hold with yong and old foxes also yea mad dogs and other mad beasts such as Paul fought with nay vvith Beares vvolues lions tigres and aspes feare them not you Sion souldiers depend faithfully and wholy vpon your heauenly Father trusting in his mercie through the merits of his deare Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord Sauiour and grand Captaine and vpon his good will towards you and withall vpon his most powerfull abilitie to defend you This faith shall be your shield and by it you shall be shielded This part of your armor is of such proofe as you haue a whole cloud of witnesses in the word of our God Heb. 11. the whole chap. chap. 12.1 to testifie that whosoeuer vsed it in a gracious maner vvere alvvayes kept from all the hurt of any troubles You may haue seeming griefes Heb. 12.11 but they shall bring you a substantiall quiet fruit This is that shield which performeth that truly vvhich is falsly reported of inchanted shields viz. continuall preseruation no earthly nor infernall blow can vtterly and finally ouerturne him that hath vvell put on this shield 5. Saluation the Helmet But yet left notvvithstanding all this dreadfull death do offer to seize vpon you and vtterly to dismay you you must haue more armour then this deaths stroke is mightie it offereth violence to the verie heart of your temporall comfort euen to life it self How shall you doe now On vvith your Helmet O Sion souldier and that is saluation Say to your selfe and say truly Saluation is mine by my Christ reserued in heauen for me 1. Pet. 1.4 2. Pet. 1 1● nay an entrance into that euerlasting kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ is ministred vnto me abundantly When this Helmet is thus put on let death strike and doe the vvorst it can this assurance that eternall life is yours and kept in store for you by him from whom none can vvrest it this this vvill couer your head in the day of your greatest battell Then shall you say to death 1. Cor. 15.55 where is thy sting and to the graue Where is thy victorie My head my life is kept safe by my Head that Lord of life Imitate the vvilie serpent in this he still