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	sin_n	time_n	4,986	5	3.8313	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44693	A sermon on the much lamented death of that reverend and worthy Servant of Christ Mr. Richard Adams, M.A. sometime fellow of Brazen-Nose Colledge in Oxford, afterwards, minister of St. Mildred Breadstreet, London, more lately, pastor of a congregation in SOuthwark, who deceased Febr. 7th, 1697/8 preached, February the 20th, 1698 / by John Howe.	Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1698 (1698)	Wing H3039; ESTC R15457	15,888	56

in this World would be much more a valuable Good unto the Christian Church and unto this or that Church in particular that had injoyed and might further injoy his most fruitful Labours His difficuly and straight was not either what was best for him or what was best for them but which of these two he should upon the whole prefer whether he should prefer his own Private Interest or prefer the common Interest of Christ in the World And upon weighing and pondering the Matter with himself he does prefer the latter so as without any kind of Hesitation to express a great complacency in it that he should be continued yet longer some time longer for common good in this World And it was a most noble piece of Self-denial that was exercised herein if you consider what the Apostles Priviledges had been He had been caught up into the Third Heaven he had there seen unutterable Things nor could he doubt his Interest in the Felicity and Glory of the Heavenly State On the other hand consider his Life here on Earth was no voluptuous Life it was not a Life of Ease and Pleasure See the Account that he gives of it in 1 Cor. 4. and in 2 Cor. 6. and in Chap. 11. of the same Epistle And to find amongst how many Deaths he converst as it were every Day of his Life how familiar Labours and Fastings and Watchings were to him yea Stripes and Imprisonments and that he was now at this Time a Prisoner as we see in some foregoing Verses of this very Chapter viz. ver 13 14 16. even in the very Lions Paw in the continual Expectation of being devoured and not long after to be offered up as he elsewhere speaks Yet he seems to take great Complacency in the Thoughts of having some Addition made to his Time in this World on the common Christian Account and that his own Blessedness and Glory should be for this Reason a little while deferred he was Patient of this he could indure it out of his Love to Christ and the Souls of Men. But as to himself for what he esteemed and desired accordingly as his best and most valuable Good he was in no Hesitation or Doubt concerning that but Pronounces without any more ado That he did desire to be dissolved or Depart the Words may be read either way and to be with Christ which is far better only he distinguishes what was his own most valuable good and what was the most valuable good of the Christian Church And though he give this latter the Preference as in it self the more considerable Thing Yet as to himself and his own concerns to Depart and be with Christ he reckons far better And accordingly he did desire it as such as better for him as having nothing to detain him or nothing which on his own Private Account he could so much Mind or Covet as that Now in this Comparison 't is this one side of it which the Words that I have read to you do call us to consider and confine us to at this Time As to that other Part it lies within the Compass of the Context but not of the Text and so we shall not Treat of that at present But consider what is the genuine Temper and Disposition of a Christian and more principally of a Minister of Christ in reference to what he is to eye and look upon as his own best and most valuable Good and that is to Depart and to be with Christ. This indeed the Apostle speaks of himself a great and eminent Minister of the Gospel of Christ. But though this Temper and Disposition of Spirit was agreeable it was not appropriate to such a one It is indeed very agreeable it is very suitable to the Spirit of a faithful Minister of Christ in reference to himself and any Interest and Concern of his to desire to depart and to be with Christ But it is not so agreeable to such a one as to be appropriate to him or to exclude the generality of serious and living Christians because it is upon one account principally common to Ministers and to other Christians that this Judgment is to be made and this Desire is to have Place in Reference to that Judgment And therefore that is what I will for the little Time that remains chiefly insist upon That it ought to be and in very great measure is the Temper and Character of gracious Persons or sincere Christians but principally of the faithful Ministers of Christ with Reference to any Interest or Concern of theirs to desire to leave this World and to be with Christ. And in speaking to this I shall briefly 1. Explain what requires to be explained in it and then 2. Shew you upon what grounds this Temper and Disposition of Mind is agreeable in the General to sincere Christians 3. Upon what more peculiar grounds it is more especially suitable to the faithful Ministers of Christ. And so make use of the whole 1. As to what requires Explication Here we must show you what the Object of this Desire is in the first Place and then secondly Show you what this Desire with the Judgment unto which it is conformable imports and carries in it Then we shall proceed to consider the grounds both with Reference to Christians in General and the faithful Ministers of Christ in Special of their having this as an habitual Temper of Spirit belonging to them 1. We are to consider the Object which this Disposition of Spirit here described has Reference to And that is Two-fold Privative and Positive There is 1. The Privative Object that this Disposition has Reference to and that is departing from hence Their desire is to be gone not to stay always here i. e. as to any Concern of their own Indeed upon other Accounts abstracted from their own and more important there may be Considerations that may induce their willingness to stay But as to their own Concerns the Privative Object of their Desire is to be dissolved or to be gone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they would fain be dissolved take that reading and this is such a ones sense I would fain have my Bonds and Shackles taken off I would be loose not be always confined to a Body of Sin and Death and to a vain and wicked World For these are the things to which we are united Or take the other reading that are to be left in this departure To depart What are we to depart from Why the Gravamina the most grievous things are a body of Sin and Death and a vain and sinful World When God sees good I would depart says such a one from these irksome grievous Things that while they detain me Torment me every hour And then 2. There is the Positive Object that this Disposition has reference to and that is to be with Christ. This is a mighty thought if we had time to stay upon it It is generally to be considered here with