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	return_v	soul_n	5,051	5	5.6903	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04597	A spiritual chaine, and armour of choice, for Sion souldiers Which, whosoeuer weareth graciously, shall be sure of the best honour, comfort and safetie (whether he liue or die in the battell) that can come to a Christian souldier. Very necessary for these times.	Jones, Anthony, fl. 1622.	1622 (1622)	STC 14717.5; ESTC S114423	39,266	114

compelled to war in a cause apparently knowne to be vnholy and vniust Most true it is that he must go to war sometimes when wel he knoweth the cause nay more then that when he is vtterly ignorant thereof For souldiers may be iustly pressed by their gouernours to take weapon way and ship towards some exploit which as yet is hidden and vnfit to be opened for a season If it be hid continually then they must beware of suspition and iudge louingly of their Prince Loue is not suspitious 1. Cor. 13.5.6.7 but hopefull rather rest fully perswaded that the cause is good Their diligent search to know the goodnesse of the cause Pro● 5.3 and their desire to fight in a holy cause when by any secrecie in the Princes heart which is deepe and vnsearchable or by any suddennesse of combat it cannot be reuealed is accepted by our good God who searcheth the herat Now if he cannot come to an euident truth of the iustnesse of the cause yet a Centurion souldier so I call the obedient at a becke must go with all speed Math 8.9 labouring to fight with as much courage as if he knew the cause to be euer so iust and then our gracious God who seeth his holy purpose will take this good hope conceiued of his Deputie in good part and take his due obedience giuen to his Deputie as done to himself Beware then of false whisperings which many times bring disobedient murmurings Gods Vicegerent must not be denied aide no nor so much as grudged at vpon surmises and rumors so they might haue no heartie vse at all of subiects for maintaining their wars Howbeit that serious enquirie that full purpose that heartie desire to fight in a good cause abhorring the contray should be in all Sion souldiers Therefore those souldiers shew themselues to haue ignorant blockish and wicked hearts who care nothing at all in what cause they venture lims and life much more they who hazard themselues when the cause is plainly discerned to be bad If hope of gaine be their principall motiue then haue they hearts possessed with the roote of all euill 1. Tim. 6.10 Here mercenarie souldiers are greatly to be reproued who runne to and fro like greedie wolues and flie hither and thither like hungrie Eagles where they may haue most wages whether they fight for God or for the Diuell they care not so they may haue mony and spoiles Such as these can looke for no good successe in the battell God forbid that any Protestant souldier should be of this mercenarie mind Hence it is that I aduise all godly souldiers to vse all good meanes to be throughly perswaded of the goodnes of their cause that so that good God and mightie defender of right may stand for them and that they may stand to him with true courage in the field And yet again I aduise a gracious souldier to iudge the best of the cause if by those occasions which I haue named or the like he can neuer find the depth of it for he must in no wise contest with his gouernours about the cause by standing vpon nice termes shifts and euasions Thus might vnwilling souldiers find store of starting holes to auoide all skirmishes To conclude a Sion soldier must be zealous for a good cause and not iealous of a good Prince he must vse all good inquisition and auoide all euill suspition And thus much for the second worthy sink namely a worthy cause Thirdly sith all men though vertuous 3. Worthy Courage godly and prudent are not endued with courage fit for war for courage is a speciall gift of God it behoueth a true Christian to consider how God hath stirred him vp that way and not offer himselfe to war vpon a sudden heate or mood in euer so good a cause but stay till he find that the God of battell hath bestowed a firme couragious heart vpon him without which he is able to do small good nay rather much harme Faint hearts may sooner discomfort others then performe any acceptable seruice at all Yet this I say in the case of courage when any goeth to warre voluntarily vpon a deceiued heart and then findeth his courage faint or when any that is pressed to war by his Prince is oppressed with feare of the enemie then let him do that to obtaine courage which men ought to doe for obtaining wisedome Iam. 1.17 both these descend from the Father of lights Iam. 1.5 Therefore as Saint Iames saith If a-man lacke wisedome let him aske it of God which giueth to all men liberally and reprocheth no man so say I if any Christian souldier want courage let him aske it of God in faith and for his glorie not for by and bad respects and if then our most wise God doth not vouchsafe vpon earnest petitions to bestow this gift vpon him surely he should do well to confesse his faintnesse and then such gracious Captaines as shall haue full notice thereof shall do well also to send him backe for some other emploiment at home I make no way here for dissemblers to wind out of their Princes seruice our God can giue holy Captaines discerning spirits to iudge of things in wisedome but I speake of such souldiers whose dastardly feare is apparently seene Here I suppose that old rule of our good God is to be remembred and practised for euer which saith Let the officers speake vnto the people Deut. 20.8 and say Whosoeuer is fearfull and fainthearted let him go and returne vnto his house lest his brethrens hearts faint as well as his heart yet I determine nothing hereof but leaue it to the godly wisedome of religious Captaines To go forward now in speaking more fully of courage I must put you in mind that this courage which here I write of hath alwayes a holy and noble resolution from the first houre to the last What resolution A Christian resolution full of magnanimitie A heart a soule a bodie fully resolued and prepared for all kinde of extremities yea death it selfe which endeth all a heart a soule which makes the will and testament at home in such sort as if the man were neuer to returne to his short home but to go as our phrase of speech is to his long home a heart a soule prepared to leaue all in all and to beare all brunts for Christ his sake When the person of a souldier is once accepted of his God in that most worthy Sonne of his that Lambe I say who is worthy to receiue power and riches and wisedome Reu. 5.12 and strength and glorie and praise then with this resolution which is vnseperable from that acceptance the Sion souldier defieth all Gods enemies despiseth all dangers and after a heauenly maner denieth all friends and himselfe also for Christs sake Then he saith Life I looke not for thy continuance Death I feare not thy sting Wife father mother sonne daughter brother sister friend

maintaines his head aboue all parts so doe you maintaine your head-peece assured saluation The next peece of armour is your Sword Remember vvel that you are not to fight as children 6. The word the sword vvith fists or vvith little vvands but vvith a two edged sword that vvord of our God This cutteth euery way it defendeth it offendeth As Dauid said of Goliahs sword for preseruation of his bodie None to that 1. Sam. 21.9 giue it me so say I of this sword for preseruation of your soule None to this take it to you in your right hand Math. 4.1 With this sword our Sauiour put off Satan that great Tempter by the same sword all his members do the same It beates your enemies weapons to their faces yea to their souls and bruiseth their hairie scalpes Binde it fast on let it not rust 2. Sam. 23.10 vse it yea till it cleaue to your hand like the sword of Eleazar Dauids worthy Then if at any time you begin to faint in so great a skirmish as the Apostles did in that great wind 7. Prayer the key when they feared the sinking of the ship you haue another excellent peece of armour defensiue and offensiue also and that is prayer nothing daunteth Sathan more neither is there any thing which more comforteth the thirstie soule of man in this combat We may spiritually and truly call it Heauens key Eliah shut and opened the heauens by it Iam. 5.17.18 2. King 6. Exod. 32.10 Ios 13.14 Elisha shewed his seruant an armie of Angels by it Moses stayed the Lords hand by it Iosua stayed the course of the Sun by it the better to be reuenged on Gods enemies But of this peece of armour I shall haue occasion to speake a little more in the last Worthy Meane while thus I say You haue heard seuen peeces of spirituall armour the last whereof euen prayer hath the most charge laid vpon it because it helpeth to make all the rest brighter and brighter and is of a larger extent for doing good to others yea to the whole Church This peece of armour may be a meanes to wound them that wound your deare ones namely your Princes Pastors fellows in arms and domesticall friends more then any gun or other weapon whatsoeuer you must vse it specially for benefiting the Lords annointed and your spirituall Leaders who are to direct you for doctrine and life Gods salt to season you Gods lights to guide you your charge in this is that you vse it with watchfulnesse instancie and feruencie yea when the wicked sleepe drunken sleeps and all maner sinfull sleepes then must you watch to performe this dutie of prayer seeking him in your bed by night whom your soule loueth Cam. 3.1 as the Spouse in the Canticles yea rising at midnight as Dauid did Psal 119.62 to praise so good a God Remember that you haue a speciall care of this armour otherwise you will be found naked and so lie open to the enemie of enemies But if you be thus armed then I say againe that no darts of Satan nor of his wicked partakers shall vtterly daunt you no not the dart of death But who shal help you to put on this armour Who but your reuerend holy skilfull and louing Preacher by whom if you will you may haue this armour of proofe and this worthy Chaine more fully expressed vnto you yea the verie life of them brought to your soules The writings of mortall men are like an image as it were in respect of that life which comes from the mouth of Gods Embassadours by direction and impression of his Spirit As you haue watchmen continually for your bodies lest you should be surprised on a sudden so God hath made them watchmen for your soules therefore be ruled by them and suffer your spirituall armour to be ioyned together and put vpon you with all willingnesse and thankfulnesse Infinitely happie are they who make true vse of this armour of armours And if those faithfull Armorers whom God sends to arme their soules against the assaults of that compasser of the world Iob 1.7 1. Pet. 5 8. that Aduersarie who goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may deuoure And thus much for this seuenth worthie that is to say worthy armour consisting as you haue seene of seuen peeces This is such an armour of proofe as no shot no not canon shot no not the canon shot of hell shall euer be able to pierce therefore in any wise see that it be well put on 8. Worthy Consultation The eight and last worthie thing for sacred souldiers to consider is that in all actions whatsoeuer specially their great enterprises they consult with their God before they attempt any thing This hath alwaies bin the gracious practise of most famous Kings Princes Iudges Captaines souldiers and all this did Moses this did Iosua this did Dauid this did the children of Israel presently after Iosuas decease Iudg. 1.1 Now the chiefe meanes to consult with our glorious God as well in these actions of war as in all other actions of peace are two by prayer and by the word I speake not here of the word of God and of prayer in generall which are two principall parts of the armour spoken of before but I speake of them onely as they are meanes to consult with God These two are twins and must not be parted Pray first and then to the Law and to the Testimonie Prayer is found to be a speciall meanes to ask counsell of and to receiue counsell from his diuine Maiestie yea to talke with his most sacred selfe as a son with the father What may I call praier but a key as I haue alreadie touched to open the heauens yea a kinde of most gracious violence offered to our most glorious God Math. 11.12 Exod. 17.11 2. Chron. 14.11 2. Chron. 18.31 By this meanes Moses preuailed against Amaleck by this meanes Asa preuailed against the King of Ethiopia by this meanes Iehosaphat scaped present death in war when Ahab for want of this was killed in the same battel The word is that other meanes to aske and receiue heauenlie counsell concerning which I say that no good Captaine or souldier will vndertake anie thing out of his owne or anie other mans wit policie learning or experience except he haue that word of God for his warrant 2. Sam 23.1 2 3 4. 2. Chron. 18.2 2. King 19.2 From hence did good King Dauid take his counsell in martiall affaires from hence Iehosaphat from hence Hezekiah The word maketh yong men wiser then their elders yea then their teachers nay then the greatest counsellers who take not their counsell from thence You must therfore with King Dauid make the testimonies of your God your delight Psal 119.24 yea the men of your counsell This is the line and leuell of a Sion souldiers life this is the true light to walke by without which