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	resurrection_n	soul_n	16,270	5	5.8130	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32952	The inheritance of the saints in light set forth in a sermon preach'd at Whitehall, August 11, 1700 / by Ab. Campion ...	Campion, Abraham, d. 1701.	1700 (1700)	Wing C405; ESTC R1424	15,676	29

how to measure the Powers of a Humane Soul in its State of Light and Enjoyment If the Soul of Man then be such a Wonderful Thing capable of such elevations of Spirit of Infinite Enjoyment what pity is it that God should intrust the greatest part of Mankind with such a precious Jewel What pity is it that this Heaven-born Creature should be suffer'd to trifle away its time here on Earth and which is worse to wallow in Filth and Brutishness and at last descend into Everlasting Darkness and Eternal Wailings Cursing and Blaspheming of that God which it was made to Admire and Adore to Love and Praise to all Eternity 3. I hasten to the 3d Acception of Light as it is taken for Purity of Heart Holiness of Life in reference to Practice In this sense also the Inheritance of the Saints above is a State of Light because a State of the greatest Purity In this Sense our Saviour enjoyns us to take care that our Light so shine before Men as that they may see our good Works and by our bright Examples be directed and enlightned in the Paths they should walk in that by the Beauty of our Conversation they may be enamour'd and charm'd into a compliance and glorifie God by an ambitious imitation of our Wisdom and Holiness Christians are therefore stiled the Lights of the World 1 Joh. 1. the Children of the Light and of the Day In this sense we find it introduc'd by St. John with a most pompous Preface the four first Verses being a solemn preparation to this great Truth that God is Light v. 5. and in him is no Darkness at all to fully the brightness of his Understanding no impurity to biass his Will he hates it therefore as being perfectly contrary to his pure Nature what communion hath Light with Darkness Impurity is indeed Darkness it clouds the Mind which is tinctured with it as we have seen already in Matters of Opinion or Doctrine in practical Matters much more In these especially the Flesh having a greater interest and concern the Soul of a Man is in greater danger of being benighted and fool'd and often made to act contrary to the Principles of all good Reason The inconsistencies and madness of Sinners are every where notorious their brutish and perverse reasonings and actings especially in moral Matters their whole Life being a continued course of follies and ill humours If thine Eye be Evil saith our Saviour Mat. 6.23 and the Light that is in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness even as great as the Evil which is in the Eye and bears always a proportion to the power of the reigning Lust being a result and effect of it Hence it becomes so hard a thing amongst us Sinners to find that precious Jewel so much talk'd of Right Reason Most certainly it is no where to be found but in a purified Soul The only Expedient therefore to restore Light to a Sinner's Soul is to purifie it from its Lusts For this Reason did Baptism anciently go under the Name of Illumination as conveying the Holy Spirit with his Sanctifying Graces into the Soul which do by degrees enlighten it here in this Life as it passes from one degree of Grace unto another 'till at Death it is compleatly Sanctified and fitted for its Heavenly State of Light especially when at the Morning of the Resurrection it shall be dress'd up with its Spiritual and Glorified Body which will then be no burthen to the Soul as this Fleshly Tabernacle is now but will conspire with it in its operations in its enjoyments of God in the perfect practice of Holiness and all the business of Heaven There will be right Reason in Perfection according to the extent of its Knowledge no Darkness at all the whole face of the Soul will be bright and clear not one spot to be discovered there This is a State of Light indeed And let me farther observe that in proportion as the Body was purified by Grace here in this Life shall it be more refined more Spiritual and have brighter degrees of Glory It s sight of God more clear its communications from the Fountain of Light more strong having its Faculties extraordinarily strengthened to behold the Glorious Godhead The more pure Souls shall be peculiarly fitted to receive the stronger impressions of Divine Love For the State of Light is a State of Love If Love be the fulfilling of the Commandments compleat Holiness can be no other than perfect Love the Top of Heavenly Happiness Love is the Beauty of Angels the Glory of God himself God is Love and God is Light his Love and Favour is often express'd in Scripture by the Light of his Countenance Love has its Flames we all know the Love of Saints especially For inexpressible are the transports of a Purified Soul when admitted into the immediate presence of God when it has a clear view given it of the best of Beings when it has all Goodness for its Object all Perfection How quickly like Lightning its Affections are kindled how vehemently In a moment it is all on fire and with an inflamed appetite flies to its most Beloved Excessive Love placed upon a Creature is Torment and does abuse the Appetite because quickly drawn dry But when God is the Object Love cannot be excessive there being enough in him to give Eternal Satisfaction Thrice happy Souls infinitely more than thrice happy whose Business it is to love They love always they love vehemently and yet can never never love too much But beyond all this if any thing can be more a sense of being beloved by God of living always under the smile and shine of his Countenance This indears all his Infinite Perfections and gives them another Infinity To be beloved by a Creature below our selves is very obliging and does wonderfully draw forth our Affections to that little thing what e'er it be When the Great God then infuses a sense of his Love into the Soul it transports it into such an Extasie as is fit only for the other World Mortality cannot bear it Mortality cannot conceive it It is necessary therefore that I stop here So near as I can conceive such as this is that State of Light that Inheritance of the Saints the great Object of our Hopes the Business of this Life that we may be made meet to be partakers of it If what has been Discoursed has raised in any Person desires of being well assured of this State of Happiness I proceed 2dly To consider the Certainty we have of it our good Title to it it is call'd an Inheritance The whole Creation is the Family of God he provides for it every day he gives even the Ravens their food But Man that was made after the Image of God has a more particular Relation to him By his Natural likeness he would have appear'd a true Son of God had he preserv'd his Original Character undefil'd But what Man lost

should be Redeem'd he freely offer'd himself to the Work tho' they were bitter things that the incensed Father required of Man's Surety But so that God might be glorified it pleas'd him to become an Object of the greatest Misery and Contempt To give us an Example of an intire dependance upon the Providence of God and trust in him he made himself poor destitute of Worldly Comfort and Accommodation the Foxes have holes but he had not where to lay his head He could indeed turn stones into Bread but we do not read that ever he work'd a Miracle to sustain his own hunger but trusted himself intirely to his Father's keeping 'T is true he complain'd with loud passion upon the Cross but not from despair or the least mistrust of God's failing him for with considence he commended his Spirit into his hands but a quick sense he had of that unusual change in his Father's Countenance It touch'd him to the quick that the beloved Father should look so full of Anger upon his most beloved Son It was the sting of his Sufferings to see a Cloud and severe Frown upon that Beauteous Face which always used to shine upon him with a pleasing Aspect now especially whilst he knew himself to be performing an Act highly acceptable to his Father Observe yet farther and imitate his Conversation was in Heaven whilst here on Earth his heart always there his Discourses tended thither Heavenly things being ever predominant in his Thoughts he was always ready to take fit Occasions to improve all Occurrences to Spiritual Purposes and raise up the Minds of his Company to the things above He sought opportunities of Retirement that he might have frequent and immediate Converse with God his Father Those hours wherein Nature call'd for Ease and Sleep he very often imploy'd in his Devotions spending whole Nights in Prayer He sat loose from the World perfectly dead to it The great and most difficult Lesson of Religion He had no affection for the things of it they appear'd not worth his thoughts But yet his contempt of them was decent and generous he did not with proud disdain spurn at them as a rude Stoick would have done he did not affront Men of Quality and Title but paid all becoming respect to those Honours of the World which he had not such regard for as to assume them to himself In his common Conversation he was very obliging affable courteous always in good humour conversing freely even with the worst of Men with Publicans and Sinners to make them if possible wiser and better He was always disposed to put the most fair and candid interpretation upon the Behaviour of Men ready to make the best excuses for them that their Case would admit of with any tolerable shew or colour of Reason willing to impute their faults and neglects to infirmity the weakness of their Flesh or Mind rather than to Malice or ill design When the Case would admit of no excuse but he was treated with the vilest usage and ill language yet he reviled not again but by cool and good argument indeavour'd to convince them of their Blasphemy and Outrage How calmly did he receive even Judas himself in an Act of the basest Treachery with the Title of Friend wherefore art thou come When his mind was loaded with grief to that extremity that he sweat drops of Blood no murmuring fretful or discontented word dropt from him he retain'd his Temper as well as his Integrity When he hung upon the Cross in most excessive pain no uneasiness of Spirit appear'd but he was quietly submissive to his Father's Will His whole Life was a constant course of Charity always doing good to the Bodies or Souls of Men healing their Diseases raising their Dead to Life and at last dying himself an accursed Death that his Enemies his Enemies that used him despitefully that hated him to the death might be saved This is our Calling Christians this is our Pattern Let us go and do likewise If we can thus live if we can thus love then are we meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light But if the Case be thus with us we may begin with amazement to cry out who then can or shall be saved We seem to have reason to fear that our Saviour has undone us by his Example has carried the Mark so high and propos'd such Conditions of Salvation as Flesh and Blood can never reach to can never hope upon these terms to be made meet partakers of the Heavenly Inheritance 4thly It highly concerns us therefore to inquire if they be possible How these Qualifications are to be obtain'd In a word it is true that Flesh and Blood Corrupt Flesh and Blood especially can never advance to that pitch of Holiness as to live as our Saviour lived and cannot by its own strength we may be sure fit it self for an admittance into that high and Holy Place But the Comfort is we do not go forth in our own strength we have the same Spirit of God promis'd and given to every baptiz'd Christian which sanctified our Lord Christ himself and inabled him to walk as he walk'd 'T is true he had the Spirit of God given him in much greater measure Heb. 1.9 and was anointed above all his fellows as the Apostle has taught us to speak whether Angels or Men for the advancing and perfecting of all kind of Vertue and Holiness and tho' it may not consist with the method of God's Grace and our present State and Condition that the Spirit of God should act so powerfully in us yet if it be not our own fault he will certainly act as effectually and afford us sufficient strength for the doing of what is requisite in order to Salvation and by degrees will lead us on towards that perfection as will fit us to dwell with the Saints above The difficulty of the Work can give us no just reason to despair when we have a God working in us and will not fail to do his part But yet tho' nothing is impossible with God and he will not fail us there is something for us to do in this great Work there lies our Danger therefore there ought to be our Care The Advice which I shall briefly offer shall be this and so Conclude 1. To be very Constant and Diligent in the use of those Means which the Gospel has prescribed For a Qualification for Heaven is not a Fitt but a lasting Temper of the Mind which is only to be obtain'd by a Constancy in Religious Practice Let every Morning and Evening at least have its fix'd times for Private Devotion with serious application of Mind Let us every day look over and examine well our Account between God and our own Souls This is an excellent Expedient to make short Reckonings at last He that makes even with God every day by Repentance is every night qualified for Heaven and has but one day to account for when ever he dies Read some part of the Word of God digest it well by Meditation this supplies the Soul with its daily Food for Spirits must be nourish'd as well as Bodies be continually fed with good Thoughts or they will languish or which is worse grow Brutish and Devilish In their proper Seasons Publick Ordinances are to be duly attended and more Solemn times of Self-examination fix'd but I lay the greatest stress of Religion upon those private daily Performances In the neglect of these it is impossible to be Religious in earnest and keep up a true Spirit of Devotion It is difficult to perswade to these but they being once secured the rest will easily follow The Gospel-Means are not empty dead Ceremonies like those of the Law they are Living Ordinances they are Bodies with a Soul for the Holy Ghost accompanies the due performance of them which as at first convey'd with the waters of Baptism to the Soul so by every Sermon Prayer or Sacrament rightly perform'd takes fresh possession and comes in with new degrees of strength A diligent use of these means of Religion are therefore necessary as being the only way to obtain and secure this Spirit of God 2. Keep your Eye always fix'd upon your Inheritance having his Eye upon the recompence of the Reward animated our Saviour himself to go through with his difficult Undertaking This is one of the peculiar Advantages of the Gospel that the Gates of Heaven are in a manner set open to us and such a view given into those Regions of Happiness as is sufficient to excite to Duty and keep us in our way thither More knowledge of Heaven might do hurt at present might exalt us into rapture and extasie and make us impatient of tarrying here God has therefore wisely proportion'd these Discoveries to our present Circumstances and Necessities It concerns us to make a right use of this peculiar benefit of the Gospel never to lose the sight of Heaven which it affords All the Kingdoms of the Earth and Glory of them are not sufficient to make an impression upon that Mind that is full of Heaven He walks therefore with the World under his feet having his Heart always with his Treasure above and he that lives above the World at present where should he live but in Heaven hereafter Being by the Grace of God thus made meet to be a Partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light let him give thanks to the Father and with joyful Lips bless his Holy Name and begin his Eternal Praises To God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost be all Honour and Glory now and for Evermore FINIS