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	good_a	soul_n	9,788	5	5.0756	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14996	A caveat for the couetous. Or, A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, vpon the fourth of December, out of Luke. 12. 15. By William Whatelie, preacher of the word of God, in Banbury; Caveat for the covetous.	Whately, William, 1583-1639.	1609 (1609)	STC 25300.5; ESTC S105709	57,700	142

to liue here for a few dayes and then yeeld to the stroke of death and of corruption the other a soule incorporall spirituall immortall which cannot die nor suffer corruption And the Lords will is that a man liuing here in the body should make all carefull wise and godly prouision for his soule that that departing hence out of the body may not be cast into the torments of eternall vengeance which are prepared for such as in this life vse not all good diligence to escape them but may rather enioy its portion in that euerlasting and vnspeakable blisse which is also made ready for all them that doe constantly and with honest hearts vse the meanes to attaine the same And the meanes of attaining this happines are faith repentance and the continual encrease of these graces by praying reading and meditating in the word and good conference daily as also hearing the word preached when occasion is offered and sanctifying vnto the Lord for these vses euery seauenth day For the former of these are to the soule of him that hath a true liuing soule as I may so tearme them daily repasts and meales wherewith his inward man is strengthened and refreshed growing daily from grace to grace the latter that is the celebration of the sabboth is as I may say a solemne feast day and a great banquet for the soule wherein all bodily labours so farre as mercy necessitie and comelinesse will permit being set apart the soule should haue libertie after a more then ordinary manner to solace and delight it selfe in God and feede vpon Iesus Christ in the word and Sacraments other holy exercises that it may grow fat well liking in all graces and chiefely faith and repentance the two principall graces Now these being the meanes of Gods owne ordaining to attaine sound grace here and glory hereafter dayly to pray read and meditate and conferre of good things weekly to sanctifie the Sabboth hee that doth so surcharge himselfe or his family with outward busines that he hath not leisure daily to performe the daily duties and weekly that weekly dutie in such conscionable sort as God doth require at his hand for a purpose so profitable and most excellent cannot denie that he loues the world too much being that he seeketh not as Christ commands first the kingdome of heauen but first the worthlesse things that this earth can afford and leauing that which is the true and proper end of his being here that is to get grace and saluation employes himselfe too much about that which was but a secondary end and to be done onely by the way so farre as might be helpfull to the former and no further Euery man will yeeld that hee desires earthly things inordinately which desires them more than eternall life and it is as certaine that he rather wisheth wealth then eternall life which suffers the meanes of attaining that to shoulder out and exclude quite or else driue into a very narrow corner small roome the means of attaining this for the desires rule the actions and that a man longeth most for which hee most labours for As he that suffers hawkes hounds and vain though in themselues lawfull pastimes so to deuour his time that he hath little or no leisure for the performing of the fore-mentioned religious duties is conuicted before all vnpartiall Iudges to be a louer of pleasure more than a louer of God So hee that suffers buying selling bargaining reckoning trauailing and any such businesse lawfull in it selfe but vnlawfull in the immoderate vse of it to rob him of leisure for the same exercises must needs be condemned to loue wealth more than God by the verdict of any man that will speake the truth according to his conscience and therefore bee it noted as a sure rule that euery man is in that measure couetous that ouer-worke-some and laborious about worldly things and in that measure ouer-laborious that he suffers the plenty of these things to withdraw him from the conscionable constant and holy performing of better things tending more directly to a better life 4. Vniustice of which Now folfows the last note of couetousnes and that is vniustice or the vsing of iniurious and indirect meanes to get wealth For must it not needes be yeelded that hee desireth wealth too much which will dig to hell fall downe to the diuell for it And what else is it but a falling downe to the Diuell for it when a man doth put the regard of obedience to God of charitie to his neighbour of honestie in himselfe behinde the respect of enriching his estate to al which things doth he not manifestly prefer mony that wil do wrong to win it God forbids wrong charitie honestie and euery mans conscience forbids it onely the Diuell and lucre commaund it Is hee not worthy to be called a money-slaue and a slaue to the diuel that wil disobey all these to serue the desire of being rich for is not euery man his seruant to whom he doth obey And doth he not obey lucre abiectly that will rebell against the most high Lord and the conscience his officer for these things sake So then euery man is so farre forth couetous as vniust in his dealings 1 In generall Now all those practises are vniust and vnequall which be not conformable to two generall rules set downe in Scripture that by them we might square out al our particular actions The first is to do to euery man as we would haue him do vnto vs. Not as we out of our disordered distempered passions somtime be content to haue another deale with vs so we may deale with them but what in the true sentence of our iudgement Mat. 7.12 grounded vpon due and deliberate consideration of the things we would approue of being done to vs that wee must doe to our neighbours so that whatsoeuer thing a man would condemne in his iudgement not in his passions being offered to himselfe that is wrong and iniquitie if he offer it to another The second rule is Gal. 5.13 1 Cor. 13.6 to serue each other in loue for loue seekes not it owne thinges meaning only without regard of another but doth so equally and indifferently consider another with it selfe that it would not profite it selfe with this endammagement therefore whosoeuer is wholy possessed with selfe-regards and hath his eye so fixed vpon his owne aduantage that he cannot looke vpon another man with any euen regard of him this man in all such dealings walkes iniuriously because vncharitably and shal be condemned though not by the strict law of humane iustice yet by the perfect rule of Christian charitie for a wrong doer And by these 2. rules wisely applyed to each seuerall action it wil be easie to spie out vniustice though it hide it selfe vnder neuer so faire and colourable pretexts But wee shall not haue sufficiently pressed this sore if wee deale with it alone in

also fit able to subdue the other too And therefore also in the Parable hee calleth couetousnes by the very name of the cares of this world because wheresoeuer it is strong there it doth encumber the heart and pester it vp with a throng and multitude of most noysome carkings So then if any man doe find himselfe to stand so disposed in minde that hauing enough for the present time yet he doth eat vp his heart breake his sleepe disquiet himselfe and turne into gaule that comfort which he might haue in his life by this vnprofitable and ouer-reaching thoughtfulnesse Ah how shall I doe if a deere yeere come how if I haue so many children how if I liue till I be so old or till I be lame or blind sure I shall spend all I shall consume all I shall be vndone I shall die a beggar and come to great want and extremitie and such like terrible dreames if any man I say stand thus affected these things doe most rankly sauour of couetousnesse this vice playes the Lord and Tyrant in that mans soule when he that is not assured of life till to morrow nay that ought to be ready to depart this life before to morrow wil thus turmoile himselfe with fruitlesse and vnprofitable feare about that which his dreaming conceit tels him may befall many a day nay many a year after so not suffring himself to be free from a burthen when he may because hee feares he shall not be free when he would this man is most notoriously and violently couetous and so must knowe himselfe to bee whether hee bee rich or poore A second note of couetousnesse is niggardice 2. Niggardice Pro. 11.14 which is the fault which Salomon points out when he saith hee that spareth more then is fit When a man is so ouerchary of his wealth that hee cannot suffer a graine to be diminished from the heape hereof with any willingnesse no not then when good iust and reasonable causes doe require expence when hee keepes his wealth to feed his eye and saues his money to looke vpon this is a fit that proceedeth from the desiring of earthly things ouermuch and doth plainly declare an excesse of that humour This the wise man sets out when he saith Eccles 6.1.2 There is an euill seene vnder the Sunne a man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures but hee hath not the power to cate thereof This neerenesse immoderate sauing shewes that a mans sou e hath the dropsie and that not alone when it grows to such extremitie as a man will pinch and depriue his owne person and his wife children and seruants of those comforts and benefits that hee might enioy but euen then also when a man is pinching towards the poore and so close-fisted that hee will not part with a part of his substance for the reliefe of those which are in neede and necessitie by him which is indeede the true end why God giues to one man more abundance to an other lesse euen this hardnesse I say to the poore and needy doth prooue a man to be very dangerously couetous though hee doe neuer so liberally yea and perhaps ouer-liberally bestow vpon himselfe of which we haue a cleare proofe in the words of the Apostle that saith Whosoeuer hath this worlds goods 1. Ioh. 3.17 and seeth his brother want and shutteth vp his compassion from him how dwelleth the loue of God in him That man you see that is so much giuen to holde and keepe as when God calleth for it to releeue the distressed comming as it were to borrow in and by them he will say him nay and turne him away emptie or poorely serued the loue of God doth not dwell in that man whatsoeuer shew he may make and therefore consequently the loue of this world hath taken vp the holt of his heart I doe not meane ney ther doth the Apostle that he which giues not to euery vagrant rogue or idle begger which comes to his doore or meets him in the way may presently be termed vnlouing and couetous Nay there be two sorts of poore Gods poore whom his hand crossing them any way hath brought to want though they be laborious and thriftie and the diuels poore vpon whom their owne idlenesse riote and sinnefull courses haue forced necessitie now for these last vnlesse they will settle themselues to labour and liue honestly they should be relieued with punishment and correction and helped out of their sinne not maintained in it by abusiue mercy or rather foolish pittie but the former sort of men are those whose case wee should pittie and tender as our owne and therefore both open our hearts in compassion and our purses according to our power in liberalitie to succour and to helpe them Gods poore must haue God almes and for those that in such case can goe slincking and trudging away not extending their charitable contribution to the refreshing of their bowels comforting their hearts that are pressed with want they must either giue the Apostle the lie or confesse that the loue of the world hath choked the loue of God and of their neighbour in them yea when soeuer any needfull thing doth require vs to bee at some cost and expence either for the maintenance of Gods worship or of the common good as in publike seruices payments and the like but chiefly for works of mercy then to mutter and grudge and murmer and pinch and hang backe and complaine is a certaine signe of an heart greedily disposed towards earthly things he that thinkes himselfe ouercharged by such expences is certainely ouercharged with worldlinesse As he is prodigall that spends when the Diuell and his lusts call for it so he is couetous that spares when God and good vses call for it The third note of couetousnesse 3. Too much busines in the world is to clog a mans selfe with too much outward businesse and to prosecute these earthly affaires ouer eagerly When a man fals into that sinne which Salomon forbids saying Pro. 23.4 Toyle not thy selfe to be rich then it is sure that he hath cast his eyes vpon that which is nothing that is set his desires ouer-strongly vpon those outward vanities that haue no true substance in them If any man for get the rule of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 7.31 that bids vs vse this world as if wee vsed it not and fall to such immoderatenes in his dealings as if he had neuer heard of a better world to prepare for it is an vnquestionable truth that hee desires the things of this world more then he should doe Now then any mans businesse is ouer-plentifull and excessiue when the multitude thereof doth hinder him from the carefull constant performing of all or any of the good duties appointed by God for the saluation of his owne or his families soules For the Lord hath composed man of two parts the one a body which is fading and mortall