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	life_n	nature_n	5,551	5	5.2232	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64745	The Mount of Olives: or, Solitary devotions. By Henry Vaughan silurist. With an excellent discourse of the blessed state of man in glory, written by the most reverend and holy Father Anselm Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, and now done into English.	Vaughan, Henry, 1622-1695.; Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109.	1652 (1652)	Wing V122; ESTC R203875	62,277	216

that are more permanent we may by the doctrine of contrarieties make them as useful as any of the former And this is elegantly done by the poet who was then serious and stayed enough though somewhat passionate Nam mihi quid prodest quod longo flumina cursu Semper inexhaustis prona feruntur aquis Ista manent nostri sed non mansêre parentes Exigui vitam temporis hospes ago What is 't to me that spacious rivers run Whole ages and their streams are never done Those still remain but all my fathers di'd And I my self but for few dayes abide Thus he of the water-course which he saw would out-run him and will do so with all that come after him But the quick tyde of mans life when it is once turned and begin to ebbe will never flow again The Spring comes constantly once a yeere and flowers when the frosts are past keep house no longer under ground but feel the Sun and come abroad The leaves come again to whisper over our heads and are as green and as gay as ever but mau●dieth and wastesh away yea man giveth up the ghost and where is he In these sad contemplations was the Brittish Bard when he broke out into this Eloquent complaint Mis mawrddh rhyddhig Adar Pob peth y ddhaw trwr ddhayar Ond y marw maur vy garchar In March birds couple a new birth Of herbs and flowers breaks through the earth But in the grave none stirs his head Long is th' Impris'ment of the dead The dayes of darknesse are many and he that goeth down to the grave shall not come up his place shall not know him nor shall he returne to his house he shall not be awaked nor raised out of his sleep untill the heavens be no more These last words were put in for our comfort and imply the resurrection or the time of restoring all things This was manifested to Ezekiel by the vision of dry bones with a noise and a shaking amongst them and they came together bone to bone and were clothed with sinews flesh and skin and the breath of life entered into them and they stood upon their feet an exceeding great army We have it also confirmed out of the mouth of Iesus Christ himself Iohn 5.28 29. his words are these Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voyce And they shall come forth that have done good unto the resurrection of life but they that have done evill unto the resurrection of condemnation The Scripture is every where full of these proofs But I shall insist only upon three 1. For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the later day upon the earth And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me Job 19 25 26 27. 2. Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 26.19 3. Behold O my people I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves and shall put my spirit in you and yee shall live Ezek. 37.12 13 14. And thus have we most full and absolute promises from the divine spirit and from Iesus Christ who is the life of the world for the redemption of our bodies Nor are we left destitute of very clear and inexcusable demonstrations of it in nature We see mortal men when the body and substance of vegetables is consumed in the fire out of their very ashes to make glasse which is a very bright and noble body how much more shall the Immortal and Almighty God who created all things of nothing out of dust and corruption raise us up incorrupt and glorions bodies Thou fool saith St. Paul that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die first and that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body which shall be but bare grain but God giveth it a body as he pleaseth There are in nature many creatures which at certain seasons that their spirit is inconsistent with fall into a dormition or dead sleep which differs little from death and convey themselves into secret places as hollow trees or some desolate ruines where they may rest in safety during that season as being taught by some secret informant that they shall awake again Here have we a clear type of the resurrection for what else is death but sleep as the Apostle calls it A great Philosopher and Secretary to nature discoursing of the resurrection of the dead tells us that he oftentimes lighted upon some of those creatures in that dark state of dormition and did dissect some of them and cut off the limbs of others and yet saith he could I perceive no signe of life at all in them their arteries and flesh being as hard and as dry as a stick but casting them into a pot of seething water they would soften by degrees and shortly after stir about and those very parts which were dissected would give very clear and satisfactory Indications of life This is so strong a Symboll of the resurrection that I think it needlesse to make any application Onely this I shall adde that the curious observers of nature reckon these creatures amongst those of the lunar order And indeed if we consider well the nature of that planet whose sphere is the veil or partition drawn betwixt us and Immortality and whose relation to this lower world is more intimate and of a greater tye then any of the other six we shall finde that she exactly typifies and demonstrates unto us those two famous states of terrestrial bodies viz. their state of darknesse and their state of glory their dissolution and restoration for she doth agonizare and suffers a monethly recession of light and in a short time becomes full again And I pray are not light and life compatriots What else is death but the recession and absence of life or darknesse but the absence of light Sic nostros casus solatur mundus in astris So our decays God comforts by The Stars concurrent state on high Do not we see divets birds of this regiment such as are commonly known to us with other meaner Creatures as silk-worms and the humble-bee which yet are not so contemptible but they may serve us for noble instances in this point seeing there is in them a living spirit and that creatures of the same rank with them are recorded in Gods own word yea and are own'd by him as memorable and select Instruments of his service as Joshuah Cap. 24. ver 12. And

the Swallow a nest for her selfe where she may lay her young even thine Altars O Lord of Hosts my God and my King Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be still praising thee For one day in thy Courts is better than a thousand I had rather be a doore-keeper in the House of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickednesse Let it be thy Care then when thou art there present to carry thy self like a true worshipper Give none offence neither outwardly to thy Brethren nor the Angels 1 Cor. 11.10 Nor inwardly to thy God whose Eyes shine within thee and discern thy reins and thy heart Look seriously about thee and Consider with thy self how many beauteous wittie and hopeful personages in their time lie now under thy feet thou canst not tell but thy turn may be next Humble thy self in this dust and all vain Imaginations will flie from thee Consider that thou art now in the Cave of Macpelah in a sacred Repositorie where the Bodies of Saints are asleep expecting that hour when those that are in the grave shall hear his voyce Do not then stop thy eares against the Charmer but give diligent attention and hear him while it is yet to day that in the day of thy death thou mayst rest there in the same hope When thy vessel is fill'd with this Manna and thy soul satisfied go not off without Thanksgiving Be not like those nine Leapers who never returned to give glory to God but come back with the thankfull Samaritane and receive another blessing Go in peace Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles making mention of the Ethiopian Eunuch who came up to Ierusalem for to worship tells us that in his returne he was reading in Isaiah the Prophet This blessed Convert I would have thee to imitate When thou hast fill'd thy Hin with this living water leave it not behinde thee at the Fountain spill not thy Milk and thy Wine because thou hast it without money and without price but carry it home and use it Thou mayest have need of it in six dayes and perhaps shalt not come to draw again untill thou drinkest it anew with thy Saviour in his Fathers Kingdom A Prayer before thou goest to Church LOrd Iesus Christ who out of thy Fathers bosome wert sent into this world to reveal his will unto sinners and to instruct them in the way of salvation behold I am now going to hear thy blessed word and these many yeers have so done expecting still thy good pleasure and the Consummation of thy sacred will in me I have come unto the bread of life and yet am hungry into the light and yet am blind unto the great Physician and yet my Issue runs The former and the later rain of thy heavenly Doctrine falls still without intermission upon my heart but this bad ground yeelds nothing but Thornes and Briers Many dayes many moneths and many yeers hast thou expected fruit and found nothing but leaves It is thy Infinite mercy O Lord that thou hast left unto us the seed of thy word and sendest into thy harvest such upright and faithful labourers but in vain O Lord shall they cry in our Ears unlesse thou openest and renewest our hearts Open then I beseech thee O blessed Jesu the eares of my heart that not onely the outward hearing but the inward also may be stirr'd up in me and what I hear with the eare I may understand with the spirit O thou most mild and merciful Lamb of God! the onely and the Almighty sower grant I beseech thee that the seed which falls this day upon my heart may never be choak'd with the Cares of this world nor be devoured by the fowles of the aire nor wither away in these times of persecution and triall but so Cherish it with the Dew of thy divine spirit that as in a good and faithful ground it may bring forth fruit unto eternal life to the glory of thy great name and the Comfort of my poor soul which thou hast bought with thy most precious and saving blood Amen Another when thou art come home or in the way if thou beest alone LOrd Iesus Christ my ever mercifull and most loving Redeemer I give unto thee most hearty thanks for this thy heavenly spiritual provision wherewith thou hast fed and refreshed my soul. Grant I beseech thee that this Celestial seed may take root in me and be effectual to my salvation Watch over my heart O Lord and hedge it in with thy grace that the fowles which descend in the shadows of the Evening may not pick it out But so prepare and fit me for thy love that I may never forget thy gracious words thy blessed and saving advice but may know in this my day what belongs unto my peace It is thy promise by thy holy Prophet That as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So thy word that goeth forth out of thy mouth shall not return unto thee void but shall accomplish that which thou pleasest and prosper in the thing whereto thou sendest it Isai. 55. 10 11. Even so Lord Iesus let it be as thou hast promised Let the words I have heard this day out of the mouth of thy servant the Dispenser and Steward of thy Mysteries prosper in me and make my life answerable to his Doctrine that I may not onely know what thy blessed will is but performe also and fulfill it so that at last by thy mediation and mercies I may attain to thy eternal and most glorious Kingdom Amen Admonitions for Evening-Prayer REmember that in the Levitical Law there is a frequent Commemoration and Charge given of the two daily Sacrifices the one to be offer'd up in the morning and the other in the Evening Exod. 30.7 8. These offerings by Incense our holie harmlesse and undefiled High-Priest hath taken away and instead of them every devout Christian is at the appointed times to offer up a Spiritual Sacrifice namely that of Prayer for God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth John 4.24 At these prescribed times if thou wilt have thy Prayers to ascend up before God thou must with-draw from all outward occupations to prepare for the inward and divine To which end thou hast here this following Meditation that thou maiest therewith season and invite thy soul from thy worldlie imployments to her proper vocation and so come not altogether undrest into the presence of the King of glory A Meditation at the setting of the Sun or the Souls Elevation to the true light THe path of the Just O my God is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto a perfect day of eternity Prov. 4. But the wicked neither know nor understand they walk in darknesse