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	lord_n	soul_n	13,508	5	5.1021	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26336	A sermon preached at White-hall on Sunday, the 17th of February, 169 4/5 before the right honourable the lord chamberlain, ladies of the bedchambers, and others of the houshold to our late gracious Queen Mary, of blessed memory / by J. Adams ...	Adams, John, 1662-1720.	1695 (1695)	Wing A484; ESTC R32693	9,966	27

sudden Attack of Death but if it comes on by Degrees if they reach old Age what sad Spectacles of Woe are they What Ruines of Vice appear in every Limb yet their greatest Hell is not visible the Torments of the Mind are far more insupportable But the Righteous feel nothing of all this there can be no Fear where no Guilt is and for Death it self they know that this is but the Passage to that Eternity which is their Reward How bless'd and happy is he How secure his Innocence Who reflecting upon one well-spent Day can say Return to thy Rest O my Soul for the Lord hath rewarded thee 'T is but doing thus for a little while and he may with as much Readiness and Joy lie down in the Grave The Life of a Good Christian ought to be a continual Contemplation upon Death for he that keeps this farthest Point in his Eye shall never mistake his Way He that considers how soon his Body tho it be fearfully and wonderfully made though he be never so Healthful or so Young so Great or so Good is by the least Accident shaken into its Dust will ever be in readiness if Death come never so unexpected 't will find him doing his Lords Will but if he be continu'd to a good old Age his Body fails Regularly because he liv'd so every Passion and Appetite grows less imperious as every Sense decays and the Soul grows more sprightly and vigorous the nearer it is to its Separation Nay let us follow such a one to his last Minute let us consider him as just passing into the next World if he have leisure to look back on this what a Blessed and Chearful Prospect does his well spent Life afford him how do his Works of Righteousness rise to his View in Numerous and Goodly Order There where he sees how many Naked he has Clothed how many Sick he has Visited how many Temptations he has Mortified has he any thing to do think you but to Comfort his Friends useless and unreasonable Sorrow Or does any Passion move him unless it be a Holy Joy for the Nearness of Eternity No certainly Mark the perfect and behold the upright for whatever his Life is 't is certain that the Death the end of that man is Peace Psal 37.37 But it may be objected that a Man may be so absolute an Atheist and have so sear'd a Conscience as to be past feeling past any Sense of Guilt or Fear of Death such a Monster can scarce be fancied but never known the most Speculative Atheist can get no farther than Incertainty as to a God and future State and how far incertainty in a matter of so great Importance can contribute to a settled Peace of Mind any one may guess when what Pains soever he shall take to Root up or Stifle these Notions the Danger the dismal Consequence of being mistaken will return often upon him and let him choose what Vice he pleases for that 's the modern way of Dispelling these Vapours as they call 'em yet after the most industrious Debauch this Qualm of Mind will always follow but more especially if any Calamity befalls him what a Wretch does he grow without Council or Courage then however he has been entranc'd for a Moment the frightful Images of his former Wickedness return more powerfully and increasing still in Terrour as Death draws on There is no Peace saith my God unto the Wicked the way of Peace they have not known in their Lives and therefore shall never find it at their Deaths V. The Work of Righteousness does not only promote Peace in the Act of doing Well but also by the memory of such Actions by leaving such sweet impressions upon the Soul as bless us as often as we Reflect upon them with ever new and everlasting Pleasure What Horrour Confusion and Dejection of Soul attends the Reflections of an ill Conscience When a Wretch considers how Perversly and Ingratefully he has neglected or Despis'd the most gentle and gracious means of Salvation Fear Sorrow Shame Anguish and Dsepair Wrack and Torment him the Sense of an Offended God His Love and Mercy Despis'd His Justice and Anger Provok'd no length of Time no change of Place can give him any Ease This is excellently Describ'd in that dreadful threat Deut. 23 65. c. Thou shalt find no Ease neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest but the Lord shall give thee trembling of Heart and failing of Eyes and sorrow of Mind and thy life shall hang in Doubt before thee and thou shalt fear day and night in the morning thou shalt say would God it were evening and in the evening thou shalt say would God it were morning So restless a Condition so far from any the least Peace is the wicked Man And this is the farthest from Remedy of any Evil for other Afflictions Reason Cures but Reason itself promotes remorse upon ill Actions gnawing upon the Soul to its Shame and Confusion For as they who have Agues or Fevers feel a more intense Heat or Cold than those who dwell under the Pole or the Equinoctial so the mind is less affected with outward Accidents but an ill Conscience when 't is Eccho'd from within I none but I my self have been the cause of all this what Torture and Despair Whereas on the contrary the worker of Righteousness not only enjoys the immediate Pleasure of his good Actions but provides wisely against Age Adversity and Death itself and lays up continually Satisfaction for Hereafter Such Satisfaction as not only Reason promotes but Revelation Encourages by repeated Promises of the greatest Assistance and Reward Wherefore no Plenty of Riches no Nobility of Blood no Extent of Empire can yield such Serenity and Calmness to Life as the Souls being free from ill Actions for when that Fountain of Action is preserv'd pure and clear good Deeds perpetually flowing from it bless us with the sweetest Peace and fullest Happiness make us look back upon Life with Pleasure and forward upon Death with Joy Let us then be so far from doubting of the Torments hereafter or questioning the Eternity of them as rather to be Astonish'd at the Divine goodness in promising Immortal Joys Immortal Happiness for our momentary Obedience here when we have so great and so immediate a Reward as a good Conscience But tho this may be so yet Can no outward Evils disturb this Peace of the Mind Will not the Malice of wicked Men or the suddenness of great Afflictions shake and disturb it In answer to this I proceed to the other part of my Text The effect of Righteousness shall be Quietness and Assurance for Ever By the first of these is meant that the Work of Righteousness shall produce Peace in regard of our Neighbour this we are assured from the Scriptures That when a mans ways Please the Lord he maketh his enemies to be at peace with him Prov. xvi 7. And that this is agreeable to

both together and in this equal Mixture wherein the Soul is neither toss'd nor driven violently one way or other consists its Ease and Happiness This is that Ease which the Mind finds in the Knowledg of God which must be suppos'd as the Ground of our Obedience in Working Righteousness and this Knowledg is wonderfully increased by the Works of Righteousness A Barren Contemplation of the Perfections of the Divine Nature is no Improvement of the Soul but when it is withal fruitful in good Works this is what the Scripture calls Drawing nearer to God and being like Him and for this God has promised His Holy Spirit by which they shall have a more full Knowledg of Him Thus our Blessed Saviour 14. John 21. verse He that hath my commandments he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto Him And from these Grounds it is that the Work of Righteousness brings Peace to the Soul in the following Respects as III. The Work of Righteousness contributes to the Peace of the Soul by the Pleasure which is to be found in the instant of doing it This I do not question but every Body here has frequently experienc'd there is no one Work of Righteousness which regards God or our Neighbour but bring along with it its peculiar Satisfaction What an unspeakable Peace of Mind accompanies Devout and Fervent Prayer How is the Heart enlarged in Holy Joy when it pours out itself in Praise and Thanksgiving to its Great and Good Creatour And when we assist our Neighbour either by Relieving his Wants or Comforting his Sorrows are we not good to our selves in the Satisfaction which we feel immediately as well as the Reward which we expect hereafter What a generous Delight is there in a Quick and Ample Return of any Benefit And what a Blessing to a great Mind is the very Opportunity of being grateful But in that Noblest way of Conquest of overcoming an Enemy with Kindness when 't is in our Power to be Severe to him is a more Rational and Complete Satisfaction than in that which is counted by some the Sweetest of all things Revenge In a word the most Solid Sublime and Durable Delight accompanies the Act of Doing Well and tho there be much Danger in most kinds of Satisfaction in ones self there is no fear of Flattery in the Applause of a Faithful Conscience When a Soul well practis'd and experienc'd in Virtue and conscious of a due and regular Use of its free Will Acquiesces in its good Actions and something whispers from within Well done thou good and faithful servant Happy is the people that are in such a case yea blessed is the man who has thus the Lord for his God Psal 144. v. 15. IV. The Work of Righteousness promotes our Inward Peace by Regulating our Passions How great Disturbers of the Mind these are is too well Known and yet how ready is every Body to be led away by them How little of the least of them is sufficient to make vain Man That Lord of the World That Boaster of his Reason A Tyrant over his fellow Creatures and a Slave to himself Sometimes the uneasiness of Pride Sours him into Habitual Peevishness sometimes he is rais'd in unreasonable Joy and then cast down again in as unjust Despair then Envy and Ambition Grief Hatred and Revenge Rage in him by Turns and often all together What can express the misery of the Soul in this Condition Yet this is not all this makes a Man not only miserable as to himself but odious or Contemptible to all the World There is something in Gentleness and Meekness which is most proper to procure Respect and Love For these Qualities are the Causes of Order and Beauty not only in Peoples Looks but in their Words and Actions but in Anger or any other violent Passion all is Deformity yet such a Deformity as becomes rather ridiculous than terrible for tho it may surprise at first yet when it is found to be unreasonable and customary it is scorn'd and contemn'd and when it finds that it is so it rages often unto Madness Now this Violence of Passion is chiefly occasion'd by Mens being mistaken in their Esteem or Dislike of the things of this World and the Rashness of their Inclinations or Aversions accordingly Whereas the Work of Righteousness supposes a true Knowledg of the Good and Evil of such things and is nothing else but a Regular Pursuit of the first and an Orderly Flight from the latter And in this consists the Government of all our Passions and our Peace and Happiness An ill Man can find nothing of this while his Passions drag or hurry him each a different way But O what Rest what Quiet what Security of Mind can a good Christian want when every Work of Righteousness joyns kindly with the other and all contribute sweetly to his Peace The Wicked are in reference to their Extravagant Restless Passions compar'd to a troubled sea which casts up mire and dirt Is 57.20 Turn the Metaphor and you will find the whole Life of the Righteous Man a continu'd Calm How Compos'd is his Temper How moderate are his Desires and how well Govern'd his Fears And this is not only caus'd but also promoted by such Works of Righteousness as are enjoyn'd by the Gospel because that Jesus who enjoyns them there give us also the greatest Example of Humility and Meekness for with what Patience did He go about doing Good Healing the Sick Graciously Instructing the Ignorant Gently and Reproving the Wicked Calmly With what Lowliness did He bear the greatest Injuries of Contempt or Violence Alas if we reflect in the least upon His miserable Life and Death we shall find a Thousand Instances wherein we may Learn of him to be meek and lowly Mat. 11. and in so doing to find Rest to our Souls When I name the Word Jesus says one of the Fathers Bernard in 15. Serm. Cantic all that is Sweet and Delightful comes into my Mind Grace Mercy Bounty Forgiveness Goodness and Love compose the Blessed Sound and the very Pronouncing of it as it cast out Devils heretofore might be sufficient now to Allay our Passions and Compose our fiercest Anger or Revenge But of all the Passions there is none more uneasie than Fear and no Object so apt to cause this as Death but the Work of Righteousness continues Peace to the Soul by securing it from this The Wicked are in this Regard the farthest from any Peace they own that Death cannot be avoided they are ignorant when it will happen and yet never think of it till 't is upon 'em Then all the Faculties of the Soul are in as great Confusion as a Town taken by Surprise and the stubborn obstinate Wretch sits him down and expects the Worst in a surly Despair the more timorous sneak and cringe in Officious Superstition this upon a