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
A94266	A vvarning-piece for the slumbring virgins. Or, An alarm to the friends of the bridegroom, in some awakening meditations upon Christ's own watch-word, Matth. 26.41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, &c. / By Geo: Scortreth, preacher of the Gospel in Lincoln.	Scortreth, George, b. 1612 or 13.	1657 (1657)	Wing S937; Thomason E1638_3; ESTC R209055	57,932	207

Man Job 29.2 3. Oh that it were with us as in the moneths of old when the candle of the Lord shined upon our heads c. What slothful servants have we been hiding our Masters Talents in a napkin when we should have ministred one to another 1 Pet. 4.10 as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God And now the rust of them witnesses against us as the worldlings gold and silver We have shut our ears and hearts against the Lord and his good Word and now the Word of the Lord is against us We have slighted the sweet counsell and comforts of the holy Spirit and now we feel its sharp Convictions We would not hear the checks of Conscience and now we must hear its chidings Oh the sting and the smart of a self-condemning Conseience when it is once awakened out of self-pleasing and self-easing security by the scourging rod of the Almighty Secondly what Aversenesse and frowardnesse will fill thy Spirit in sad houres who hast sinfully slipt and slept out so many good ones When thou feelest thy sufferings weightie and thy shoulders weake thy pressures great and thy patience small thy body languishing thy soul fainting thy faith failing How will thy Spirit be distempered thy peace disturbed thy heart will be readie to fret against the Lord Pro. 14.3 thou 'l be angrie as Jonah even to the death to see death looking thee in the face when thou last looked for it and the evill day neerest when thou puts it farthest from thee And now thy slumbrings and wandrings will be set in order before thee and thou hast neither set thy house or heart in order before the Lord and now the Judge standeth at the door to call thee to an account and thou hast not made up thy reckonings for many a day thy time misspent thy stock spent thy experiences lost thy evidence to seek Oh how discontented will thy disappointed heart be at such a day Thou hast long neglected the ruling of thy own spirit and now 't will be too unruly for thee as a wild bull in a net how apt wilt thou be to kick against the pricks Ephraim-like as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke An heart not watcht over will be much out of frame for doing well much more for suffering When the weight of affliction falls upon a lazy lame spirit what haltings will be discovered and uneaven carriage under the rod 2. By way of Permission As the Lord may be said to lead us into temptation by way of Probation when he takes us into his own hand so by way of Concession when he takes off his own hand and suffers Satan to put forth his hand against us 'T is true the evil one is alwaies limited by the Holy One that he cannot do his worst or else he would play the devil indeed he 's under Divine restraint and in a prison as it were when most at liberty this strong man armed is reserved in chains by a stronger then he Yet his heart is set upon the servants of God Job 1.8 Hebr. as 't was upon Job with as much ill will as it can hold though through mercy he cannot have his will on them The roaring Lyon gapes with open mouth to swallow them up How earnestly did he desire to sift the Disciples of Christ Luk. 22.31 Gr. he was greedy of such a prey as this and if the Lord did not put an hook in the nostrils of this Leviathan what a piercing Serpent would he be How ready was the evil spirit to offer his service Isa 27.1 to be a lying spirit in the mouth of the Prophets he would fain be deceiving 1 King 22.22 that he might be destroying Now if we neglect our spiritual Watch we grieve the Spirit and tempt him to leave us to the temptations of the evil spirit who will be ever grieving and vexing our spirits and doing us all the mischief he can and 't is much he can do with Gods leave if the Lord take away the hedge this wild Boor will be in upon us and root up all 2. We tempt the Lord to tempt us when we give over watching and praying by leaving us in temptation as by leading us into it and that 's a very Sad Case As 1. By withdrawing himself and his holy Spirit from us when we are under tryals And this must needs be a dark time when God covers us with a cloud in his anger and covers himself as with a cloud too What a terrible Eclipse will that be when the light of his Countenance is withheld in a day of darknesse and gloominesse This indeed is the burthen of all afflictions and lyes heaviest upon honest hearts This is plain to see in the severall perplexed cases and distressed conditions of Job Job 13.21 Psa 88.14 Psa 13.1 30.7 Heman David c. under variety of afflictions and temptations The hiding of Gods face was the forest trouble the saddest tryal this struck deepest into their hearts and made their faces gather palenesse how were their spirits drunk up with the terrours of the Almighty Now 't is most righteous with the Lord to leave us in a day of adversity when we leave him in dayes of prosperity to leave us at a losse in our straits when we leave and lose him in liberty He will withdraw from us when evill drawes near if we have withdrawn and wandred from him when he drew near to do us good He will turn his back upon them in times of calamity who have given him the back and not the face in times of tranquillity 2. Psa 81.11 12. By delivering us up to our selves and our own spirits When Gods people would have none of Him He gave them up to their own hearts lusts they would not own the Lord and be his servants and he leaves them to be slaves to their own lusts lording it over them Ah when a people grow weary of God have done with him as to Watching in prayer and let him alone coming seldom at him hee 'l be a stranger to them and leave them alone as he did Ephraim Hee 's joyned to Idols Hos 4.17 18. let him alone sayes God he will not joyn himself to the Lord and the Lord will have nothing to do with him but leave him to himself and to his Idols and now all goes ill with poor Ephraim his drink is sowr or is gone as in the Hebrew all is gone when God is gone and he commits whoredome continually all sowres on his hands and in his heart too Ah when we slight the Lord and slumber in his sight he will let us slip out of his hands and then as a bowl falling out of the hand down a steep hill we follow the Byasse of our own corrupt hearts and run headlong without stop or stay Hell-ward 'T is not to say How fearfully and shamefully the best of men will leave the Lord and lose

They that had seen his glory in the Mount when his Countenance shined as the Sun c must now see him under a Cloude his glory vailed they beheld him in his Triumph and must see him in his trouble 'T is Christs familiar way to be before-hand with his suffering Servants to give them some hearty draughts of the Cup of consolation before he put into their hands the Cup of trembling And 't is a sweet heart-taking method well-becoming our tender-hearted Physitian who loves to be preventing his poore ones with tender mercies so preparing them for sufferings for him by declareing his lovelinesse and love to them In the 40th verse Vers 38 Christ finds his Disciples asleep when he had newly called upon them to watch so apt are we to sleep under awakning teachings when he was heavie and sorrowfull even to the death how heavie were their eyes how heartlesse they at such a time even as dead men they cannot watch with him or for him Vers 40. when his enemies were watching to take him Ah poore helplesse Spirit-lesse friends to him who had so befriended them His own disciples have least care to watch when greatest cause to watch now was their time if ever to watch when he so awakened and now they let their watchfall What not watch with me one houre Is it come to this no better Souldiers under so good a Captain what deale so ill with mee who have dealt so well with you Yea not watch with me one houre who have watched so long over you for good And now the houre is come too If not for mee yet for your selves for when the Shepherd is smitten the Sheep will be scattered But no warning will keepe them awake when the heart 's asleepe he comes once and againe yea the third time and finds them sleeping thus the sleepie evill growes upon us we are usually most secure when least safe and heaviest with sleep under heaviest awakning providences In the Text we have Christs faithfull watch-word or friendly alarme to his slumbring Disciples where observe 1. A double duty commanded 2. A double reason commended 1. A double duty commanded watch and pray an excellent present remedie against spirituall security A word in season an happie conjunction a blessed paire joyned together by Christ himself let no man put them asunder watching without prayer will be helplesse and prayer without watching will be heartlesse but both together heartfull and helpfull Prayer without watching will never awaken us and watching without prayer will never awaken the Lord to watch over us for good but both togeather will bring in many awakening quickning and comforting visits betwixt God and our Souls watching in prayer makes it a good watch and prayer in watching makes all things work for good 2. A double reason commended Lest ye enter into temptation The Spirit indeed c. 1. Ye are exposed to temptation 2. Ye are indisposed to opposition 1. Yee are exposed to temptation if you do not watch and pray you tempt the Lord to lead you into temptation and leave you there you tempt the tempter to tempt you if you do not watch and pray he 'l watch to make a prey of you And you tempt your selves you lie neerest to and fairest for temptations when you are farthest from watchfull supplication 1. You close with temptations you are in the mid'st of them before you be aware if you watch not to shut the doore against them you open the doore to them there will be temptations upon you within and without and you will be within them while you lie sleepie and prayerlesse upon a bed of ease you even lay a Cushion for Satan to lie down by you you enter into temptation and temptations will enter into you 2. Temptations will enclose you you 'l not know how to get out when once in you are in danger to be lost i' th croud you may be easily ensnared but not so easily enlarged 't is hard getting out of the Devills labyrinth 2. Ye are indisposed to opposition the flesh is weak and your temptations strong here observe 1. Christs candid concession the Spirit c. 2. His cleare conviction the flesh c. 1. His Concession the Spirit is willing your heart is good though your hand be short there 's sinceritie in you though you want abilitie Christ cannot find in his heart to break the bruised reed the broken heart he owns their willingnesse with a good will though much weaknesse in them 't may do one good at heart to see how his heart was upon their hearts when their heads were heavie how sweetly his Spirit sympathizeth with their Spirits 't is like himself the Spirit is willing saith he 2. His Conviction the flesh is weak Christ is willing to overlook their infirmities but will have them look upon them they must not indulge themselves for his indulgencie towards them Here 's Counsel implyed to take care of their Spirits that they may be quickned cherished and strengthened by his Spirit who helps to will and do of his good pleasure that to will may be present with them and to perform too And here 's Caution intimated to take heed to the flesh to keep them humble and sensible of their weaknesse that he might perfect his strength in weaknesse I shall summe up all under this one word and 't is Christs own Watch Oh that he would own it and follow it home to our hearts by his Spirits that we may own it for his sake Obs 'T is an Evangelical Duty to Watch. This is wisdoms own Counsel and must be her Childrens care The Captain of our salvation gives this word to his Souldiers to awaken them to work out their salvation c Now Souldiers upon pain of death must be at a word of command The watchfull Shepherd of Souls calls upon his sheep to watch and his voyce they most heare How oft is this hammer lift up to knock at the everlasting doors of our hearts even by the King of glory himself Ten times at the least we have this word expressed by the Evangelists from Christs own Mouth How apt are we to sleep on both eares that he must cry so hard and call so oft upon us saying Watch watch watch c how hardly are we awakened what a dead sleep is upon us that there must be such crying jogging knocking c How dangerous is carnal security that Christ should so importunately warn us and affectionatly watch over us as to this spiritual duty of watching there must needs be much in it when hee 's so much upon it and sure watching well will tend greatly to our best welfare and happinesse seeing our good Lord and Master makes it so much our businesse But what is this Gospel duty of Watching First in general 't is a busie work much goes to the doing of it in a Gospel way This one work well understood will find us all work enough The word is

pray at all in Gods account But that a true Israelite who has had power with God in prayer should cease to pour out a prayer before him this is strange and yet no more strange then true amongst slumbring Christians who cannot chuse but give over praying when they give over watching the Spirit of prayer must needs be silent under a spirit of slumber 3. Is not thy Spiritual warfare maintained dost not thou wrastle against spiritual wickedness c Dost thou not feel the Law of the mind warring against the Law in thy members Art thou not at odds with thy own heart every day and quarrelling with it for heart-sins Why then the heart is asleep whilest thy lusts lie sleeping within thee thou dost not watch whilest thou dost not war How shamefully wilt thou be foiled by the lusts thou fightest not against Sin will get head and heart too whiles thy heart is asleep thy lusts like so many flies will swarm about thy sleepie soul Thou dost not reckon with thy self about thy dying to sin self c. Alas how dead is thy heart in the mean time thou hast given over thy complaining of the body of death and yet thy lusts are more lively and thou livelesse they strong and thou art weak sure they are awake and thou sleepest 4. Art not thou sensible of the subtile insinuations and secret suggestions of Satan in this busie day of his Dost thou meet with none of his buffettings now he layes so about him dost thou feel none of his fiery darts now Hell is broke loose Mayst thou not be very suspitious that a spirit of slumber is upon thee and the evill spirit rocks thee Art not thou pleasing thy self with smooth things lying quietly upon a pillow of carnal security and Satan pleasing of thee too and loath to disquiet thee Art thou at ease in Zion singing a Requiem to thy Soul why thou mayst sleep on for him and take thy rest 'T is not for his purpose to awaken us out of false dreams this cunning Fowler is most busie with awakened spirits that are struggling from him that would be ever upon the wing Christward but he stirs little when men lie asleep at his feet onely watches over them he makes least noyse there but does most hurt Oh the mystery of iniquitie works most and worst amongst idle souls that work not watch not 5. Dost not thou sympathize with the suffering servants of Jesus Christ Is not thy heart affected with the afflictions of Joseph Hast thou little or no fellow-feeling of thy brethrens calamities Canst not bleed in their wounds as thine own heart whose blood has been spilt like water upon the ground for the testimony of of Jesus Sure then thy spirit within thee is benummed under a spirit of security and almost past feeling Did not the sad cryes of the distressed Protestants in the Valleys of Piedmont and in Germany saying Have pity upon us O our Friends have pity upon us for the hand of the Lord hath touched us Did not I say their doleful complaints come to thine ears and did not this go to thine heart do not thy bowels sound within thee towards them who are sighing it out Our bowels our bowels dost thou not make lamentation over them crying Alas alas Is it nothing to thee there are so many mourners in Zion at this day hanging their harps upon the Willowes and dost thou put no tears i' th bottle for them And further how stands thy heart affected towards such as are afflicted in spirit Does not thy soul bleed within thee towards poor wounded souls who are even ready to bleed to death for want of the gracious presence of the Lord of life Canst thou not mourn in secret for such as walk mournfully without the Sun Time was when thine head was as water and thy eyes as fountains of tears that thou couldst not but weep with those that wept and mourn as the Doves of the valleys with them that mourned but now thy eyes are dry thy bowels strait and thy heart hard Oh what strong stupidity is upon thee if all the members should suffer when but one suffers how stupid and senselesse is that one that suffers not when so many suffer I cannot but pity such slumbring Christians who want yearning bowels of pitty when I consider what sharp medicines must be applyed to their insensible stupified spirits to cut them to the quick and fetch up their spiritual senses to sympathize with Christ in his members 6. Is not thy Soul vexed at the filthy conversation of the ungodly 2 Pet. 2.7 8. as Lots righteous Soul was Dost thou not bear the backslidings of Gods own people was a burthen upon thine heart before the Lord Dost thou not inwardly tremble at the dishonour put upon that Name which hath been proclaimed amongst us in so loud languages as glorious in holinesse c Are not the abominations of the Times the very abomination of thy soul Canst thou not mourn in secret for the open Pride prophanenesse profusenesse of so many thousands in our Israel at this day Why then believe it thy heart is asleep indeed when the crying sins of this adulterous generation do not awaken it Oh how many who have appeared as Children of the day have fellowship now with the unfruitfull works of darknesse who once seemed white as snow and are now black as a coal who some years since would not have touched the garment spotted with the flesh have now put on the Aethiopian skin again and the Leopards spots having once escaped the pollutions of the flesh and are again entangled therewith Hovv are the honourable things of the Law and Gospel too become contemptible in the eyes of many who seemed to prize them above thousands of gold and silver how are the precious pearls of Jesus Christ which are worth more then a world and of which the World is not worthy trampled under foot as if they were nothing worth Oh what loathing of Manna even amongst Israelites what turning of grace into wantonnesse Horrible things are done in our Israel and that in the sight of the Sun published in the streets of Ashkelon so that the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph And shall not the daughters of Zion sigh and mourn for these abominations which are more then enough to break ones sleep and heart too which break the Lords own heart And if thou lay them not to heart Ezek. 6.9 thy heart 's asleep Directions for Watchfulnesse 1. Even set before thee the All-seeing eye of Jehovah which is ever upon thee His eyes which are ten thousand times brighter then the Sun daily looked upon by an eye of Faith will be very awakening Think much upon those heart-stirring meditations Psa 139.1.2 3 4. of Gods glorious presence which were so much upon Davids heart as Gods encompassing thy path and thy bed besetting thee behind and before looking thee thorough in all places at all times watching

we have refused the cleare counsel and pure comforts of the Holy-Ghost in the day of his gracious visitation what strong delusions and strange declinings to the right hand or the left since we have forsaken the guide of our spirits 3. Watch your spiritual enemies they watch us Luk. 4.13 as Satan did Christ when the Tempter is gone and his temptation seemes to be quite over he does but watch another season and therefore we must watch in season and out of season As Nehemiah and the people of God with him did with Sanballat and the enemies of God Neh. 4.7.8.9 they prayed and set a watch day and night the enemie was very wroth and they were very watchfull a sword in one hand when at work with the other So should we at this day watch at the Lords work Watch and Pray watch and heare watch and speak c 'T is very seasonable that counsell of the mightie Counsellour Take heed no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ deceive many Oh how much are we concerned in that blessed caution upon whom the ends of the World are come Math. 24.4 5 11 24 25. How affectionate and importunate was Paul the aged and experienced in warning the people night and day and that with teares to beware of such as should seeke to withdraw them from the Gospel of Christ Do not spiritual dangers multiply upon us every day whiles we are under a Spirit of slumbring securitie from our soul-enemies and that on every side Oh what need of the whole Armour of God on the right hand and on the left what need of a diligent spiritual watch over our heads and hearts words and wayes teachings and hearings Oh gather up your spiritual forces every day and call in auxiliaries from Heaven and follow the Captain of your salvation Watching and Praying as the armour-bearer did Jonathan climbing upon heads and feet contend eamestly for the faith which was once given to the Saints and as you 're fighting the good fight of faith be ever looking up to Jesus 1 Pet. 1.5 and you shall be kept as in a Garrison so the word imports by his power through faith unto salvation 4. Watch over and for one another for good in an evil time 't is very seasonable to be knocking at one anothers doores and jogging at each others elbowes in the Spirit of meeknesse to keep as many awake as you can in this slumbring time through the good hand of God upon you and surely they whose hearts are awakened in such a day as this by the Lords speaking from heaven to them cannot keep silence but must be speaking to their brethren in the name of the Lord saying awake awake As our hearts should dwell much upon awakening meditations so our mouths should be filled with awakening salutations and exhortations when we meet with the servants of Christ as it was with the lively Christians in the primitive times saying behold he comes like a thief and The Judge standeth at the door and the like When so many watch one anothers haltings let us watch to be helpers of one anothers faith and joy by provoking one another to Watching and Prayer when many fellow-servants are smiting one another with words of violence and verulency let us smite one another with words of truth soberness and the deeper they pierce the heart in the Spirit of Love the better could we hit one another o' th heart-vein 't would be a mercy Oh that the righteous would thus smite one another with gracious words of reproof to restore one another and all in much mutual soul-love what a kindness would this be Such precious oyntments would not break the head but mollifie and meeken the heart Such wounds would be welcome from the hand of a friend Alas we complain every where of the Saints slumbring wandring and wantonnesse 't were better we turned our complaints inward and left them upon our selves that we do not stir up one another to Watching and Prayer we do but bear one another as burthens upon our spirits when we should beare one anothers burthens and help at a dead lift as with one shoulder we see poore Christians in a dead sleep on every hand and we lie dying by them but who calls upon them to be watchfull and strengthen the things that are readie to die Rev. 3.2 How many have our eyes beheld lying as a man asleep upon the top of a Mast and floods of temptation under them too prov 7.23.34 readie to swallow them up but how few have we laboured to awaken to this day 2 Sam. 16.17 may we not reflect upon our selves in the words of Absalom to Hushai Is this our kindnesse to our friends Is this nothing to you all ye that passe by do you not take notice how many foolish Virgins lie slum-bring and languishing upon beds of sensualitie and securitie and the house readie to be set on fire over their heads and do you take no care to awaken them would it not pitty your very heart to see the flames seize upon them while they are asleep How long has the keeper of Israel watched over them and kept them as the apple of his eye notwithstanding all their slumbrings and wandrings and does he not expect think you that you should be your brethrens keeper for his sake and cry unto them in all haste to prepare to meet him least he withdraw the wing of his protection from them and leave them naked if you see your brethren sleeping starving dying and shut up the bowels of your compassions from them in such a case how dwels the love of God in you And if you say 't is not in mans power to awaken anothers heart who cannot awaken his own can a man raise the dead T is true the low voyce of a weak man can never make those hearts heare which can sleep under the loud thundrings of Heaven why but can you weep over them as the Jewes did over Lazarus in his grave yea can feelingly sigh over them saying Can these drie bones live Who shall roul away the stone and open their graves why he that is the resurrection and the life can awaken them out of the deepest sleep and quicken them with a word of his mouth If Jesus will but groan in Spirit with you and say awake arise come forth the dead shall heare his voyce and live You cannot lift up their sleepie hearts no alas they are too heavie for you but cannot you lift up a prayer for them If any man see his brother sin a sin not unto death he shall ask 1 Ioh. 5.16 and he shall give him life what high encouragement is here to praying-praying-souls to lift up their voice on high for such as are sinning and sleeping in sin almost to death oh then if the Spirit of prayer were raised again from the dead as one may say what blessed