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	dust_n	soul_n	5,391	5	5.7737	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93746	The nature of God's kingdom and dominion over men clearly laid open and explained, as the same relates to these following particulars ... in a discourse on Deut. 8.2. wherein is likewise shewed, what influence these things ought to have upon our life and conversation / by Richard Stafford.	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1697 (1697)	Wing S5125; ESTC R42792	28,272	40

fron within which shall fetch out the Soul to receive for its Sinful Evil Deeds Saith one It is easy for the Lord to recompence a Man according to his ways in the day of his Death Nay He doth it not so properly in the ex●ct and particular day of Ones Death as afterwards for as when we begin an Action or Commence a Suit at Law against any Man we do first Arrest him by such a Bayli● or Inferiour Officer So God hath his Sergeant or Messenger who sits upon a Pale Horse whose Name is Death and enters into Palaces all One as common Houses for no Place or Person is Priviledged against him who arrests severally all the Men and Women of all Generations and Countries and fetches out their Souls from their Bodies Luke 12. 20 And then God begins his Process or Proceedings against them according to what they have done in this Life whither Good or Evil. God could have Punished Man in this Life and on this Earth If he had so pleased But his general Decr●● is to spare them here expecting that his Goodness Forbearance and Long Suffering should lead them to Repentance but when he hath given them a space to Repent and they Repented not then comes Retribution and Punishment In this Life man doth Despise and Provoke the Lord God but by Death God takes Vengeance on Man For the Wrath of God is Revealed from Heaven against all Vngodliness and Vnrighteousness of Men Rom. 1. 18. Mark here diligently how it is expressed It is Revealed that is as much as to say It is made known from Heaven but it is not yet executed and sensibly felt which will then be after the Breath of Men is gone out of their Nostrils and their Souls are departed from their Bodies or rather when they come to rise up and be Reunited again then they shall receive according to what they did in them in this Life and on this Earth On this wise all the great Promises a●d Threatnings of God do stand The Promises are now revealed or made known from Heaven they belonging unto Godliness and Righteousness but are not yet Actually given But they shall be certainly given in the appointed time or rather at the End of time And so the Threatnings are Revealed or made known from Heaven against all Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of Men by which last Word is signified all that is contrary unto that great and compleat Rule of Righteousness in Scripture Comprehending all our Duty to God as well as to our Neighbour and not only Injustice and Wrong between Man and Man although this is included also it being contrary to that great and compleat Rule of Righteousness therein mentioned but God doth not execute his Threatnings presently nor yet are they sensibly felt by the Children of Men. Which yet some of them will sensibly feel Smart and Groan under after that their Spirits are deceased or departed from these Bodies of Clay and are removed to another place then this Earth God hath another place besides this Earth and another time besides this Life to fulfil and make good every thing to the least little that he hath now spoken unto the Inhabitants of this Earth in his written and Revealed Word The Bruitish Man and Unbeliever and Ignorant Persons are apt to put off all this with a transient Jest or their way of Proverb What Shall I speak of it after I am Dead Shall I feel Punishment when my Body can feel nothing Implying as if there was an Impossibility in this No such matter Behold I shew you a Mystery Neither they nor we shall Dye but we shall be all changed How now What dost thou contradict Scripture and the Experience of all Mankind It is appointed to Men once to Dye Notwithstanding that I will however make out what I before said and affirmed that neither we nor yet Unbelievers shall ever Dye We that is our selves our Souls shall not Dye This is most true For it is only the Body that Dies then shall the Dust return to the Earth as it was and the Spirit to God who gave it Then the Soul doth only decease or depart from this Earthly House God knows where Hence Death is properly called a Decease or Departure Our Life is only taken off from the Earth Acts 8. 33. but continued elsewhere And so the Soul is equally alive the next Hour or Day after her departure from the Body all one as she was when she was in it And it returns to God who gave it And then she hath a more Lively Hope or Comfortable Assurance of good things from him or a Fearful Expectation of Evil things according as she hath behaved he self well or ill in the Body The shewing unto ye this Mystery doth also answer those two other Imaginations in the Children of Disobedience which emboldens them to Sin or Transgress against him because he is out of sight and he now keeps Silence For besides that the same Word of Truth which saith No Man hath seen God at any time Joh. 1. 18. doth elsewhere acquaint us with the Glorious Appearing of the Great God Tit. 2. 13. And how that it shall be one day said to the Cities of Judah Behold your God Isa 4●●9 The same Word which doth take notice how that God hath a long time refrained himself and held his Peace even of Old Isa 57. 11. There it is added And thou fearest me not Even for that same Reason because he h●ld his Peace And so he holdeth his Tongue when the Wicked Devoureth the Man that is more Righteous then he Hab. 1. 13. And also whilst that Evil Iniquity and Treachery are Transacted which is mentioned in the very same Verse And so it is whilst the whole course of Sin and Transgression goes on as the same is committed by the Generations of Mankind Th●se things hast thou done and I kept Silence Psal 50. 21. Why here the same Word that expresses how God holds his Peace holds ●is Tongue and keeps Silence doth also mention and assure us Our God shall come and shall not keep Silence I will Reprove thee and set them in order before thine Eyes Psal 50 3. 21. Even all the things that were done in this Life and on this Earth Behold how one Scripture answereth to another for it is even so in the Order and Determination of God And we shall see it accordingly so fulfilled as it is written in the Scriptures when the Lord God of Elijah shall take away all the Generations of Mankind from this Earth and shall cause the Dead to arise and the great Day of his Judgment is come and the after State It was before mentioned that though God is now out of sight yet at this very time he hideth himself and standeth behind the Skreen of his Visible Creatures yet Faith would find him out and perceive him for all that As also an Obedience of Faith would approve our selves unto and please him all

One as ever any Son or Servant did serve his Father or Master according to the Flesh whom he saw every day and was almost continually with him An Obedience of Faith must needs be accepted because it is such an Obedience as God himself hath Ordained and Established and the reasonable Creature in this State cannot render any other But I do believe and conceive that as it is written The Lord will come down in the sight of all the People upon Mount Sinah Exod. 19. 11. And it is af●erwards said And Mount Sinah was altogether on a Smoke because the Lord descended upon it in ●ire And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinah on the ●op of the Mount V●r. 18 20. Which Lord in Acts 7. 38. is said to be the Angel Supposed to be the Son of God even Jesus Christ We Read there Verse 16. and Exod. 20. 18 19. Heb. 12. 21. What effect it had upon Moses and upon all the People as to cast a very great Awe Terrour and Trembling ●pon them The like is not to be expected again in this World But this I do believe and conceive that when the Inhabitants of the Earth of all Generations and Countreys from the Creation of the World unto the End thereof shall be Summoned to meet with God by Death and Judgment at the last Trump For the Trumpet shall Sound then they shall have a sensible and more lasting Apprehension of the Great and Infinite God himself in Person then the Israelites had for the time of his Angel on Mount Sinah For that particular Place the whole Mount Quaked greatly but then the Heavens and the Earth and the whole Creation will quake and be dissolved to be changed and Created a new This also I do apprehend and conceive that in the mean while after the several respective Deaths of particular Persons until this great Day as it is written The Devils Believe and Tremble So the Souls of such Men and Women who in the Days of their Flesh were Disobedient and Provoking to God will also Believe and Tremble Yea they will be Magor Missabib Fear round about Jer. 20. 3. Because that in the Invisible World they will have nothing to harden themselves or to forget the sence of their approaching Condemnation and Misery as now they have as also because they will be nearer unto and know more of God unto whom all Flesh shall come The Apostle in 2 Pet. 3. makes the Use and Application of all this to our Hand for he speaking there of the very same admonishes Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all Holy Conversation and Godliness Wherefore Beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in Peace without Spot and Blameless Seeing that the Dispensation of the Kingdom and Dominion of God over Men stands on this wise What can be a more forcible Motive and Persuasion then the Knowledge and Consideration hereof for ye to be stedfast Vnmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. For as much as ye haste unto and draw nearer and must be let into these continuing things the inference here is Reasonable and Natural Wherefore Beloved seeing that ye look for such continuing Things be diligent that your selves continue in the Service of the Lord. I say ye look for continuing things which is opposite unto perishing things as such are all present things and things of this World I hope that none of ye do serve God for any visible present Recompence as to thrive better in your Trades or Callings and that ye are not in hopes to grow more Rich hereby and come to a place where his lively Word is declared and his Spiritual Worship used out of any sinister Respects and present Ends. If there was any thing to be got by it what a Throng would be here If ye do this or the ●ike ye will be mistaken For the Just shall Live by Faith He will seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and trust that all these things shall be added unto it The Terms we are to enter upon Gods Service is Grace here and Glory hereafter necessary Accommodations for our Pilgrimage and the true Rest to come the Patriark Jacob's Request Bread to Eat and Raiment to put on and all this is to be had only by Labour and Honest means and no others But when People come to serve the Lord if they have thoughts of any more and they do not find their Ends and Expectations answered then they leave off the Service of the Lord which they would not have done if they had known the Nature of God's Kingdom and the Way of his dealings towards the Children of Men. If there was a present Profit and Gain to be made by Religion by every one that would try after it then none would Fear God for nought Job 1. 9. nor yet serve him for the alone Hope and Expectation of unseen things But People would traffick for Heaven as they do to Jamaica or the Jndies and all still for the Love of themselves and not out of any Love to the Lord of that Countrey What a Company of Mercenary Souls should we have Then the places of Worship or Hearing the Word of God would be Flocked unto even upon Week Days as the Exchange or as Country People go to Fairs and Markets to Buy and Sell and get Gain Then Worldly Minded Men would become the best Christians Those who are all for themselves use Religion only now and then to serve a turn or for a reserve But if there was any thing to be got at present by so doing such would do most therein and still do nothing only for God's Sake There would be then no Work of Faith nor Labour of Love b●t all Selfishness But now God hath most wisely ordered it as it is that the Trial of Faith might be had that the Excellency of Obedience may be seen But yet more clearly it will appear how the right Understanding of the Nature of God's Kingdom and Dominion over Men helps to make a continuing Work from this Remarkable Scripture Because they have no changes therefore they Fear not God Psal 55. 19. My Soul hath much Meditated upon this Scripture it being so very Applicable and Suitable to the People abroad in the World for is not this the very Reason of the want of the Fear of God or when they talk of it in a General Way yet still there is not that real Awe and Dread of God upon their Hearts but there is a secret Contempt of him a●d a froward going on in the Way of their Hearts as also a turning back from the Ministration of his Word And all is because they have no changes they see no odds whither they do or do not Sometimes in mine own private Prayer every Morning and Evening I have performed the same in a Per●unctory Hasty and Careless manner and sometimes I have done it again more Solemnly Awefully and Attentively But I have observed no great matter of difference about the succeeding of my Actions the following day whither I performed them in a due manner or not Nay Perhaps It went more cross and thwart when I was in the Morning before in ●ervent Prayer then when I was remiss or negligent And hereupon an evil Heart o● Unbelief hath arose in me as if Prayers did signifie nothing and there would be no great matter of difference if they were said meerly out of custom or not at all Is not this the very same as to other things pertaining to Religion For do we see any odds or difference outwardly between him that Sacrificeth or him that Sacrificeth not Between them that go into the Sanctuary or them that do not Between them who are constant hearers of the Word or who despise the Word of the Lord and refuse to come to the place where it is holden forth or Preached Themselves sometimes make a trial of both and they find no changes and therefore they are Confirmed more and more in their Ungodliness Moab hath been at ease from his Youth and he hath been setled on his Lees and hath not been emp●ied from Vessel to Vessel neither hath he gone into Captivity therefore his taste remained in him and his scent is not changed Jer. 48. 11. Even that Taste and Scent of the Old Corrupt and Ungodly Nature Now as to all this and such like Imaginations in the Hearts of Men for by Thoughts or Imaginations every One is led guided and doth accordingly Here a right Understanding of the Nature of God's Kingdom and Dominion over us Men How by the Ordering of things so as they are he doth prove us to know what is in our Hearts whither we will keep his Commandments or no. By the way any one may choose whither he will keep the Commandments or not but then they must not choose unto themselves that Eternal Life which God hath Promised to the keeping of them nor yet may they choose or refuse to avoid that Eternal Death which is annexed to the Contempt Disobedience and Transgression of them God hath also Ordained an Obedience of Faith hath Permitted all things to happen alike unto all an Hour of the Wicked and the Power of Darkness Luke 22. 53. Prosperity to the Sinners Adversity to the Righteous But above all the Knowledge and Understanding that all things shall be exactly so as they are spoken of in the Scriptures this will engage and oblige People to continue in the Fear of the Lord whither they have any changes or no whither they be at ease from their Youth or emp●●ed from Vessel to Vessel even however it is with People in this Life and on this Earth They that know and understand all these things they will continue yet more fixedly firmly and constantly in the ●ear of the Lord and that so much the more as they see the day Approaching FINIS ERRATA Page 23. Line 36. for somirk Read Irksom