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	soul_n	unite_v	4,194	5	9.8657	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05056	Mary sitting at Christs feet A sermon preached at the funerall of Mris Mary Swaine, the wife of Mr William Swaine, at Saint Buttolphs without Aldersgate. Declaring her christian life, and comfortable death, for the encouraging of all christian gentlewomen, and others, to walke in the steps of this religious gentlewoman already departed. By Lancelot Langhorne, preacher of the word of God.	Langhorne, Lancelot.	1611 (1611)	STC 15197; ESTC S105859	10,285	46

MARY SITTING AT CHRISTS FEET A Sermon preached at the Funerall of Mris Mary Swaine the wife of Mr William Swaine at Saint Buttolphs without Aldersgate Declaring her Christian life and comfortable death for the encouraging of all Christian Gentlewomen and others to walke in the steps of this religious gentlewoman already departed By Lancelot Langhorne Preacher of the word of God Vade sed incultus PROV 31.10 Who shall finde a vertuous woman For her price is farre aboue the pearles LONDON Printed for Arthur Iohnson 1611. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull and vertuous Lady Christiana Leueson wife to the Right Worshipfull Sir Iohn Leueson Knight grace and peace in Christ Iesus MADAME COnsidering with my selfe that our nature is such as we cannot endure that these praises should be ascribed vnto others though they duly deserue them which we thinke our selues worthy of though indeed most vnworthy I resolued with my selfe to commit this Sermon to the patronage of some one who might bee able to defend the truth of it against the malicious traducing and repining of the enuious and amongst many I could find none more fit then your selfe partly because with MARY you haue chosen the better part and that according to your name your heart is the seat and temple of vertue partly by reason of that long continued loue familiarity which hath beene betweene you as also because of that full experience and true triall you had of her spotlesse conuersation therefore pardon my boldnesse and as you loue vertue and haue the praises of this rare Iewell inclosed in your breast so let them haue your louing protection and holy imitation to your vnspeakeable comfort in this life and the eternall saluation of your owne soule in the life to come Yours in the Lord Lancelot Langhorne To the Reader CONDEMNE not me gentle Reader for publishing this Sermon because I seeke not my selfe but the continual remembrance of this vertuous Gentlewoman vpon earth and was moued thereunto by perswasions of others who also procured it to bee licenced Accuse me not of flattery for my conscience beares me witnesse as thousands can also testifie that all I haue said is but a part of her praises Tax not my too much breuity that I haue not enlarged it as I might because I would haue no more printed then was first preached and this length best befits a Funerall which like life of man is but a spanne long Yours in the Lord L. L. MARY SITTING AT CHRISTS FEET LVKE 10.42 Mary hath chosen the better part which shall not be taken away from her IN this Story recorded by the Euangelist there is mentiō made of two Sisters two Actions a two-fold Censure vpon both by our Sauiour The Sisters Martha and Mary the Actions Martha troubled her selfe about many things Mary sate at Iesus feete and heard his preaching whereupon Martha was displeased that Mary did not helpe her But Christ answers that Martha was troubled about many things whereas one was needfull and that Mary had chosen the better part which should not bee taken away from her Christ loued them both and they both shew their loue to Christ Martha in entertaining him Mary in hearing him For as Caluin saith Laude digna Marthae hospitalitas Martha is praise-worthy for her hospitality but in that she busied herselfe aboue measure and did not with Mary choose the better part therefore Christ blames her Non Dominus opus reprehendit sed munus distinxit saith S. a Aug. Se● 27. de verbis Dom. Augustine The Lord doth not blame her worke but doth distinguish of both their offices Nec Martha in bono ministerio reprehenditur sed Maria quòd meliorem partem sibi elegerit antefertur saith S. b Ambros i● Luc. Ambrose vpon this place Neither is Martha blamed in her good seruice but Mary is preferred because shee chose the better part Martha in domum suam recepit Saluatorem in terris Maria potiùs cogitat quemadmodùm suscipiatur ab eo in domo non manufacta sed aeterna in coelis saith S. c Bernard de assump Mariae Ser. 3. Bernard Martha receiues her Sauiour into her house vpon earth Mary rather thinkes how she may bee receiued by him in a house d 2 Co. 5.1 Not made with hands but eternall in the Heauens The one is busie in entertaining Christ into her house the other is carefull to receiue him into her heart And this Christ preferres before the other That Mary had chosen the better part which shall not be taken away from her Some by Martha and Mary vnderstand the Actiue and Contemplatiue life that they must be as sisters both dwelling in one house both lodging in one heart or that they are the two Wings of the Soule by which it soares vp from earth to Heauen And why may we not apply them to the Body and the Soule of euery faithfull Christian both beloued of Christ both entertaining him two sisters vnited in life and separated only by death The Body the elder sister is troubled about many things as delicate feeding warme Clothing dayly Sustentation e Mat. 6.23 Continuall recreation whereas the Soule Mary thinkes one thing necessary To sit at Christs feet and to heare his preaching Martha the Body is here presented to our eies Mary her blessed Soule rests at the feet of Iesus Christ which sits at the right hand of God in heauen But leauing Allegories let vs fall vpon the literal sence which is Christs approbation of Maries choice and leauing to compare Martha with Mary let vs compare Mary with Mary this Mary before our eies with Mary in the text one commended by God the other no lesse cōmendable before God as Christ vouch safeth with his owne mouth to cōmend the one so the tongue of an Angell were but sufficient to praise the other For as the Philosophers say Excellens obiectum corr umpit sensum The brightnesse of the obiect doth weaken the sense So my mouth is too rude to speake the praises of so excellent a creature when I haue said all I can I shall say too little Momus may well accuse me of speaking too rudely or too sparingly but not of flattery I feare nothing but sinking while I wade into the depth of her vertues Therefore with f Math. 14.30.31 Peter vpon the water I will take Christ by the hand and from Christs mouth speake Maries commendation I come not to extoll flesh and bloud but to describe those graces God had endowed her withall and not onely from report for I haue conuersed with her almost these foure yeares and was present with her the most part of her sicknesse and sure I am out of mine owne experience that Mary with Mary hath chosen the better part which shall not be taken away from her In the words obserue in generall two things 1. The person approued 2. Her wisedome for which Christ approues her The person commended Mary her wisedome for which

her attire she condemned the monstrous pride of this age which is amongst woemen 1 Pet. 3.3 as the Apostle enioines vertuous wommen Her apparell was not outward in broidred haire or gold put about or in putting on of apparel but the Hid man of her heart was vncorrupt Her cariage generally towards all was so milde so wise so discreet so louing as it pleased all wrought an admiration in the eies of all at her death caused great lamentation in the hearts of all drew teares from the eies of all Her name by her Father was Winhall and lastly did Win-all that knew her And as all shall misse her so especially the poore for shee was so charitable as if she were made of the bowels of mercy compassion full of pittie towards the distressed full of mercy towards the needy her poore neighbours shal haue cause daily to bewaile her death For she stretched out her hand to the poore Pro. 31.20 and put forth her hand to the needy And what shee had shee bestowed it not vpō vaine toies but laid it vpon the backes of the poore members of Christ in clothing the naked and feeding the hungry She was a Nurse to the Fatherlesse Children eies to the blinde feet to the lame the blessing of them that were ready to perish came vpon her Thus in her life shee chose the better part laid vp her treasure in heauen a good foundatiō for the time to come that when Christ shall giue the last Sentence shee shall heare these comfortable words Come thou blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for thee For what thou hast done vnto one of these thou hast done vnto me And when God summoned her with sicknesse to leaue this world and with the New-yeare to set her heart in order for a new world though her whole life were a meditation of death her whole life a preparation for death yet out of her great humility shee confest her great vnworthinesse at the feet of her Sauiour that she was an Vnprofitable seruant and being taught by the Spirit of God that none shall bee saued but such as continue to the end she still prayed vnto our Sauiour for perseuerance and which is worthy to bee obserued though through the whole course of her life her soule was still powred out in praier vnto her God yet shee found by experience that when the body is weake with sicknes the heart is not so fit for praier Let vs heare her words which she vttered vnto two reuerend Diuines Mr Chark Mr Paget and often repeated to vs that were present with her in time of her sicknesse Let none deferr their preparation nor their praiers vnto the bed of their sickenesse for then the mind is too much troubled with the greife of the body to be imployed as they ought in spirituall exercises Yet she was strong in faith and had strong consolations and stil did cast her hope the sure and stedfast anchor of her soule vpon Christ Iesus the fore-runner in heauen and often shee desired in her praiers that Death might not be bitter vnto her to shake her faith or remoue her affections from her God but that she might haue an easie passage And behold the Lords mercy all that day before shee departed though her memory was good her senses perfect yet she said she felt no paine and so could not bee perswaded that Death was so neare But she left the world with no more striuing or greife then if shee had beene cast into a slumber or fallen asleepe as Saint Hierome saith of Iohn the Euangelist Quòd fuit à dolore mortis extraneus That hee was freed from the sorrowes of Death and as it is written of HENOCH That walking with God he was taken away So though her body must remaine in the dust vntill the last resurrection yet her death was so easy that it seemed rather to be a Change then a Death rather a Blessed Assumption then a Violent dissolution Now she found to her endlesse comfort that with Mary She had chosen the better part which should not be taken away from her 3 Our Application Let vs all for our application learne of a woman of the weaker sex especially woemen imitate her in her Piety in her meeknesse of spirit in her obedience to her Husband her Modesty her Grauity Mildnesse of Nature in her Charity Imitate her in her Life that you may be like her in her Death Imitate her in her Grace that you may be partaker of her Glory Make choyce of this part which shall neuer be taken from you As it is good so it is perpetuall Many excellent earthly blessings are bestowed vpon mā by God Sed pereunt cum pereunte they perish with the vsing either they will leaue vs or wee must leaue them but whosoeuer doth inherite this part shall keepe it without feare of loosing 1 Maries commendation Non auferetur It shall not be taken from them Mary considered that all things vnder the Sunne are vanity and therefore shee made choyce of the better part which shall neuer be taken from her 2 Maries imitation So this Mary had many outward blessings which flesh and bloud might haue reioyced in Shee was well descended but she considered that of all other vanities Honour is but a vayne title For her person a comely and graue Matron but shee remēbred what Salomons Mother saith That fauour is deceitfull Pro. 31.30 and beauty vanity but the woman that feareth the Lord shee shall be praysed She liued very comfortably with a louing and kind Husband yet shee knew that once they must part God blessed her with plenty in the world but shee knew that riches are vncertaine For long life that she knew by her owne experience that longa vita est longa agritudo long life is a long sickenesse the things that were vantage vnto her shee accounted losse for Christs sake as she said the same day she departed Shee would not change her estate in that shee was remouing out of the body to the Lord for all the world 3 Our Application For our application let vs imitate her happy choice set our affections on things that are aboue and not on things that are on the earth weane our selues from the loue of these worldly vanities which at last wee must loose or leaue and set our selues to attaine this good part which shall neuer bee taken from vs To haue Christ dwell in our hearts in this world that wee may dwell with him in the world to come where is true Nobility in that wee shall bee Heires Co-heires with Christ where is true Honour in that we shall bee crowned with the crown of righteousnesse where is true Beauty Mat. 13.43 in that we shine as the Sun for euermore where we shall haue long life euen life euerlasting where we shall haue true Riches an immortall inheritance reserued for vs in the Heauens where for the Company of our dearest freinds whom wee loue best Psal 16.11 we shall enioy the company of holy Angels blessed Saints euen the presence of God Where is fulnesse of ioy at whose right hand there are pleasures for euermore where we shall haue more comfort happines in one day thē possibly we could haue in ten thousand vpon earth if the world should make vs her Minions and which is worth all we shall enioy them with a Non auferentur neuer to bee taken from vs. Let vs then cast downe our selues at Christs feet that wee may with Mary haue euerlasting ioy in the kingdome of heauen Let vs with this Mary liue like Saints in this world that with Mary and the rest of the Saints wee may be glorified in the world to come Which the Lord grant vnto vs all for Christ Iesus sake that sits at the right hand of God in heauen to whom with the holy Ghost one God and three persons be ascribed all Honour Glory Power praise Dominion and Thanks-giuing of vs and all creatures now and euermore Amen FINIS