Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	die_v	life_n	17,544	5	4.8615	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32952	The inheritance of the saints in light set forth in a sermon preach'd at Whitehall, August 11, 1700 / by Ab. Campion ...	Campion, Abraham, d. 1701.	1700 (1700)	Wing C405; ESTC R1424	15,676	29

should be Redeem'd he freely offer'd himself to the Work tho' they were bitter things that the incensed Father required of Man's Surety But so that God might be glorified it pleas'd him to become an Object of the greatest Misery and Contempt To give us an Example of an intire dependance upon the Providence of God and trust in him he made himself poor destitute of Worldly Comfort and Accommodation the Foxes have holes but he had not where to lay his head He could indeed turn stones into Bread but we do not read that ever he work'd a Miracle to sustain his own hunger but trusted himself intirely to his Father's keeping 'T is true he complain'd with loud passion upon the Cross but not from despair or the least mistrust of God's failing him for with considence he commended his Spirit into his hands but a quick sense he had of that unusual change in his Father's Countenance It touch'd him to the quick that the beloved Father should look so full of Anger upon his most beloved Son It was the sting of his Sufferings to see a Cloud and severe Frown upon that Beauteous Face which always used to shine upon him with a pleasing Aspect now especially whilst he knew himself to be performing an Act highly acceptable to his Father Observe yet farther and imitate his Conversation was in Heaven whilst here on Earth his heart always there his Discourses tended thither Heavenly things being ever predominant in his Thoughts he was always ready to take fit Occasions to improve all Occurrences to Spiritual Purposes and raise up the Minds of his Company to the things above He sought opportunities of Retirement that he might have frequent and immediate Converse with God his Father Those hours wherein Nature call'd for Ease and Sleep he very often imploy'd in his Devotions spending whole Nights in Prayer He sat loose from the World perfectly dead to it The great and most difficult Lesson of Religion He had no affection for the things of it they appear'd not worth his thoughts But yet his contempt of them was decent and generous he did not with proud disdain spurn at them as a rude Stoick would have done he did not affront Men of Quality and Title but paid all becoming respect to those Honours of the World which he had not such regard for as to assume them to himself In his common Conversation he was very obliging affable courteous always in good humour conversing freely even with the worst of Men with Publicans and Sinners to make them if possible wiser and better He was always disposed to put the most fair and candid interpretation upon the Behaviour of Men ready to make the best excuses for them that their Case would admit of with any tolerable shew or colour of Reason willing to impute their faults and neglects to infirmity the weakness of their Flesh or Mind rather than to Malice or ill design When the Case would admit of no excuse but he was treated with the vilest usage and ill language yet he reviled not again but by cool and good argument indeavour'd to convince them of their Blasphemy and Outrage How calmly did he receive even Judas himself in an Act of the basest Treachery with the Title of Friend wherefore art thou come When his mind was loaded with grief to that extremity that he sweat drops of Blood no murmuring fretful or discontented word dropt from him he retain'd his Temper as well as his Integrity When he hung upon the Cross in most excessive pain no uneasiness of Spirit appear'd but he was quietly submissive to his Father's Will His whole Life was a constant course of Charity always doing good to the Bodies or Souls of Men healing their Diseases raising their Dead to Life and at last dying himself an accursed Death that his Enemies his Enemies that used him despitefully that hated him to the death might be saved This is our Calling Christians this is our Pattern Let us go and do likewise If we can thus live if we can thus love then are we meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light But if the Case be thus with us we may begin with amazement to cry out who then can or shall be saved We seem to have reason to fear that our Saviour has undone us by his Example has carried the Mark so high and propos'd such Conditions of Salvation as Flesh and Blood can never reach to can never hope upon these terms to be made meet partakers of the Heavenly Inheritance 4thly It highly concerns us therefore to inquire if they be possible How these Qualifications are to be obtain'd In a word it is true that Flesh and Blood Corrupt Flesh and Blood especially can never advance to that pitch of Holiness as to live as our Saviour lived and cannot by its own strength we may be sure fit it self for an admittance into that high and Holy Place But the Comfort is we do not go forth in our own strength we have the same Spirit of God promis'd and given to every baptiz'd Christian which sanctified our Lord Christ himself and inabled him to walk as he walk'd 'T is true he had the Spirit of God given him in much greater measure Heb. 1.9 and was anointed above all his fellows as the Apostle has taught us to speak whether Angels or Men for the advancing and perfecting of all kind of Vertue and Holiness and tho' it may not consist with the method of God's Grace and our present State and Condition that the Spirit of God should act so powerfully in us yet if it be not our own fault he will certainly act as effectually and afford us sufficient strength for the doing of what is requisite in order to Salvation and by degrees will lead us on towards that perfection as will fit us to dwell with the Saints above The difficulty of the Work can give us no just reason to despair when we have a God working in us and will not fail to do his part But yet tho' nothing is impossible with God and he will not fail us there is something for us to do in this great Work there lies our Danger therefore there ought to be our Care The Advice which I shall briefly offer shall be this and so Conclude 1. To be very Constant and Diligent in the use of those Means which the Gospel has prescribed For a Qualification for Heaven is not a Fitt but a lasting Temper of the Mind which is only to be obtain'd by a Constancy in Religious Practice Let every Morning and Evening at least have its fix'd times for Private Devotion with serious application of Mind Let us every day look over and examine well our Account between God and our own Souls This is an excellent Expedient to make short Reckonings at last He that makes even with God every day by Repentance is every night qualified for Heaven and has but one day to account for when ever he dies Read some part of the Word of God digest it well by Meditation this supplies the Soul with its daily Food for Spirits must be nourish'd as well as Bodies be continually fed with good Thoughts or they will languish or which is worse grow Brutish and Devilish In their proper Seasons Publick Ordinances are to be duly attended and more Solemn times of Self-examination fix'd but I lay the greatest stress of Religion upon those private daily Performances In the neglect of these it is impossible to be Religious in earnest and keep up a true Spirit of Devotion It is difficult to perswade to these but they being once secured the rest will easily follow The Gospel-Means are not empty dead Ceremonies like those of the Law they are Living Ordinances they are Bodies with a Soul for the Holy Ghost accompanies the due performance of them which as at first convey'd with the waters of Baptism to the Soul so by every Sermon Prayer or Sacrament rightly perform'd takes fresh possession and comes in with new degrees of strength A diligent use of these means of Religion are therefore necessary as being the only way to obtain and secure this Spirit of God 2. Keep your Eye always fix'd upon your Inheritance having his Eye upon the recompence of the Reward animated our Saviour himself to go through with his difficult Undertaking This is one of the peculiar Advantages of the Gospel that the Gates of Heaven are in a manner set open to us and such a view given into those Regions of Happiness as is sufficient to excite to Duty and keep us in our way thither More knowledge of Heaven might do hurt at present might exalt us into rapture and extasie and make us impatient of tarrying here God has therefore wisely proportion'd these Discoveries to our present Circumstances and Necessities It concerns us to make a right use of this peculiar benefit of the Gospel never to lose the sight of Heaven which it affords All the Kingdoms of the Earth and Glory of them are not sufficient to make an impression upon that Mind that is full of Heaven He walks therefore with the World under his feet having his Heart always with his Treasure above and he that lives above the World at present where should he live but in Heaven hereafter Being by the Grace of God thus made meet to be a Partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light let him give thanks to the Father and with joyful Lips bless his Holy Name and begin his Eternal Praises To God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost be all Honour and Glory now and for Evermore FINIS