Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A95931
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Words whereby we may be saved. By Thomas Vincent, sometime minister of Maudlins milk-street, London
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Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing V452A; ESTC R230467
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50,841
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90
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the soul will survive the body O take heed that when your souls come forth of their houses of clay that they be not cast into the deep and dark prison of Hell 2. Your souls are more precious than the whole world our Saviour esteem'd them so and he best knew the worth of souls who knew the making of them and made purchase of so many lost souls see Matth. 16. 26. What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul Suppose that you had your hearts-desire in the world that your baggs should throng in your Coffers till there were no more room your gold and silver should encrease without number suppose you had great possessions abroad large revenues stately houses fruitful gardens and orchards pleasant groves and walks spacious fields and meadows which as the Poet saith would weary the wings of a Kite to fly over in a day suppose that you had sweet and beautiful wives at home like loving Hindes and pleasant Roes unto you like fruitful Vines about your houses that you had towardly and hopeful Children like Olive-plants round about your Tables that you had most kind and faithfull friends of most pleasant conversation that you had servants horses chariots coaches doggs hawks and all sorts of serviceable and delightful creatures the best and in the greatest number at your commands to attend your pleasure suppose you were cloathed with purple wrapped in fine linnen adorned with gold and silver and pretious stones and had the most rich and glorious Attire that the greatest cost and art could make for you suppose that your food were most delicious that Aire Earth and the Sea were ransack'd to provide dainties for your Table that your courses were served up with the most rich and generous Wine the most sweet and harmonious musick suppose that you were laden with titles of honour and had all the Crowns and Scepters of the earth laid at your feet and that the whole world had you in the highest esteem and were in willing subjection unto you yet what would it profit you to gain all these things or any thing else that the heart of man could desire in the world and lose your souls which are a thousand fold more pretious the gain of these things are but for the body and but for a while whereas the loss of the soul is for ever and when the soul is lost all is lost when the soul leaveth the body a period is put to all earthly enjoyments and the more you have of these things the more grievous will it be to part with them Think with your selves that you must dye certainly and may dye suddenly and then if not before you will acknowledge the worlds vanity and the preciousness of your souls which are of longer duration than the age of ten thousand worlds put together and what is the gain of the world which is so transitory and temporal in comparison with the loss of the soul which is immortal and whose loss is irrepairable a loss in the estate may be recovered Riches may fly away upon the wing and sometimes return upon the wing again as in the case of Job but the loss of the soul can never be recovered when once the soul hath taken wing and is fled into the lower regions it will never find wings to return again to its former estate O therefore whatever you lose take heed you do not lose your souls your souls are very precious seek after their salvation 2. It is the salvation also of your Bodies which I would have you endeavour after I do not mean the salvation of your bodies from sufferings which Religion doth sometimes call you unto nor a salvation of your bodies from sickness and temporal death which Religion doth not exempt any from but the salvation of your bodies from perpetual death and pain of Hell you may pamper your flesh for a while on Earth which may make it a more fit bait for the Worms in the grave and your bodies after death may be at rest and take a sweet sleep for many years in the dust but there is a morning approaching after the long night of death and many hours of darkness in which the graves will be opened and the dead will be awakened and then your bodies will come forth of the dust and they will be adjudged by Christ unto most horrid and endless torments in Hell to burn for ever in unquencheable Fire if you be found under the guilt of sin O therefore labour after the salvation of your Bodies when your bodies now are sick you endeavour to get them cured when they are full of pain you use means to get the pain removed and you will fly as fast and as far as you can from natural Death and you will do much to lengthen out and strengthen the thred of your life though do what you can it will in time be cut asunder and death which hath you upon the chase will overtake and overcome you whatever resistance be made O labour to get deliverance from the pains of body which are prepared in Hell for the damned Fly O Fly from eternal Death and the strokes of Gods wrath which will come upon the bodies of the wicked hereafter if you would not have those faces scorched those eyes and tongues and hands rosted and that flesh broiled and fearfully tormented in the flames of Hell fire labour after salvation As you love then your selves your souls and bodies seek after your salvation CHAP. III. Motive 2. FRom the consideration of the Salvation which you should endeavour to obtain and here I shall set before you some properties of this salvation to move you the more effectually to seek after it 1. It is a great Salvation 2. It is a rare Salvation 3. It is a necessary Salvation 4. It is a possible Salvation 5. It is a neer Salvation 6. It is an evident Salvation 7. It is a free Salvation 8. It is a sure Salvation I. It is a great Salvation and that both in regard of the thing it self and in regard of the causes of it 1. It is great in regard of the thing it self As in Motion so in Salvation there is the terminus à quo and the terminus ad quem the term from which and the term to which that which people are in Salvation delivered from and that which in Salvation they attain unto both which are exceeding great 1. That which people in Salvation are delivered from There are six great evils which those that are saved are delivered from 1. From sin the greatest evil of all from the guilt of sin Eph. 1. 7. and the power the reigning power of sin Rom. 6 14. 2. From Sathan the greatest enemy of all from his power and tyranny Col. 1. 13. 2 Tim. 2. 26. 3. From the Law the evil which it occasioneth namely the provoking to concupiscence and
accepting of this near and sweet Relation which he calleth me unto I joyn and espouse my self unto the Lord Jesus and do promise to be for him only and with full purpose of heart to cleave unto him to love honour and serve him never to deny nor leave him whatever reproaches and distresses I may meet withall for his sake though Persecution should arise and that even unto death I do promise to own his Name and Cause and Truths and Wayes so long as I have breath in my Body But knowing that I am utterly insufficient to do any of these things in my own strength therefore upon the knees of my Soul I earnestly beseech that I may have strength for all these from himself alone Further because God my Father is invisible to the eye of sense and incomprehensible by the grasp of Reason and because my dearest Lord Jesus Christ who alone hath declared him in regard of his bodily presence is now in Heaven absent from his people and because whatever spiritual light or life grace comfort or spiritual communion with the Father and with his Son is vouchsafed unto the people of God it is by the Holy Spirit who is appointed by Office hereunto and graciously promised unto them in the Word Therefore I avouch and choose the Holy Ghost to be my Teacher and Guide to be my Sanctifier and Comforter to help my infirmities in duties to strengthen me with might in my inner man against sin and Satans Temptations to cleanse me from all filthiness of flesh and spirit to heal me of all my spiritual distempers to revive me under all my faintings to supply me with all Graces as to kinde and measure as shall be needfull for me in my place and work to testifie Gods love to my Soul to give me earnests of Glory and to seal me up unto the day of Redemption And O that I might have the presence and abode of the Spirit of God with me and never grieve quench resist and drive away the Spirit any more Also because the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God endited by the Holy Ghost the Epistle of Jesus Christ wherein he hath given notice of his love and will because they are the only sufficient and in themselves a perfect Rule for Faith and a holy Life and 〈◊〉 fully do declare the way and means unto everlasting happiness Therefore I choose the Word of God to be the Rule of my Faith and Life and the Ordinances of God therein prescribed to be the means of my acquaintance and converse with my God so far as I am capable of and he shall vouchsafe and to be the means also of preparing of me for the full and perfect enjoyment of him beyond my present capacity And because the Ordinances are but dark glasses to see the Lord in because ignorance and unbelief do exceedingly vail God from mine eyes flesh and corruption do damp my love to God and my spiritual Joy in him and interrupt my communion with him because of the sins sorrows temptations and afflictions which I cannot be wholly free from and therefore cannot be perfectly happy here in this World and having life and immortality brought to light by the Gospel a discovery and promise of eternal Life made unto me in the Word and withall a command of my Lord to lay up my Treasure in Heaven Therefore I choose Heaven for my Treasure and Inheritance for ever to live there in the company of all the holy Angels and Saints in the blessed sight love and enjoyment of the infinitely blessed God to see and share in the glory of my Dearest Lord Jesus Christ whither I hope my Soul shall be transported by the Angels so soon as it is separated from my Body and that my vile Body when awakened and raised in the Morning of Christs coming shall be fashioned like unto Christs most beautifull and glorious Body and both inherit the Kingdom prepared and promised by my Father Lastly being perswaded of my Duty and encouraged by Gods promise of assistance and acceptance I now dedicate and deliver up my self fully freely and for ever unto the Lord I yield and resign up my Soul with all its powers and faculties my Body with all its senses and members to be the instruments of righteousness unto God I resign up my Minde to think upon the Lord and those things which concern his Interest and Glory to receive embrace and maintain his Truths I resign up my Memory to be a store-house and receptacle chiefly of the great things which do belong to his Kingdom and other things of a more inferiour rank as they may have a reference unto his Glory I resign up my Conscience to receive light and purity from his Word and Spirit and desire that it may act faithfully as the Lords Deputy I resign up my Will unto the Will of God to submit to his Precepts to embrace his Promises to oppose what he hath forbidden to comply with all the dispensations of his Providence towards me to be willing that I should be and do and bear and choose and lose what God would have me I resign up my Heart and Affections to fear and reverence the Lord to believe and trust in the Lord to desire and seek after the Lord to love and delight in the Lord and desire to put them all under his Government and to have them exercised according to his will I resign up my Fancy to be governed and employed by my Reason in the service of my Master I resign up my Sensual Appetite after meat and drink sleep and any pleasures to be subservient to my Rational Appetite and no further to have satisfacton than will tend to the glory of the Lord. I resign up my Hands to work for God my Feet to walk for God my Ears to hear for God my Eyes to see for God my Tongue to speak for God I resign up all my Graces all my Gifts all my Talents to be used for the Glory of my Lord and Master and my whole Man to be ruled and governed by his Laws Promising though my Flesh do contradict and rebell that I will endeavour to order my whole conversation according to his Word humbly looking up to him for strength so to doe that I may be enabled by him to every duty And now I look upon my self no longer my own or that any thing I have is at my own dispose but I wholly belong unto the Lord And therefore blessing and praising and giving thanks unto the Lord for vouchsafing to enter into Covenant with me and enclining my heart to enter into Covenant with him Bending my neck under the feet of the most glorious Jehovah I subscribe my self Witness my Hand and Seal The devoted Servant of the Lord A. B. Direct 10. You must be stedfast and persevere in the wayes of God unto your lives end if you would be saved And here you must be stedfast 1. In the wayes of Truth 2. In