Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	bring_v	life_n	world_n	5,785	5	4.4206	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65466	A sermon concerning reformation of manners preach'd at St. Jame's Church, Westminster, Feb. 13, and afterwards at St. Brides, to one of the religious societies / by Samuel Wesley ...	Wesley, Samuel, 1662-1735.	1698 (1698)	Wing W1377; ESTC R14620	17,055	50

hates and which hates him and would if possible Dethrone him Lest otherwise they be dealt with as Saul was for sparing the Amelekites when he ought to have obey'd the Commandment of the Lord and to have utterly destroy'd them But we have yet a further Relation to the Almighty which obliges us to be valiant in his Cause and to fight his Battels We are his Servants as well as his Children and his Subjects he sav'd us from our Enemies he sav'd us when Rebels he rescu'd us from the Devil he ransom'd us by the Blood of his Son he has therefore by all imaginable Titles the Right of Dominion over us we are not our own but are bought with a Price and are therefore to glorifie God with our Bodies and Souls which are his and can by no means be accounted either grateful or faithful Servants if we desert the Interest of our Master if we refuse to engage in his Cause or are patient while he is Dishonoured Now if these Obligations and to which many others might be added did really cross our true Interest there might be some Pretence for our not pursuing them but if instead of that it shall appear that the Publick opposing of Vice does highly conduce to our Private our Civil our Temporal and Spiritual and Eternal Happiness what excuse can we make for our Negligence in this matter As for our Civil Happiness we are all born Members of a Community and consequently must desire the Good of the Whole unless we can hate our selves who are Parts of it Now 't is hard to say whether has done greater Mischief to the Publick either Ill Principles which have taken Men off from that Passionate Regard to their Country which was so remarkable and so glorious among the antient Heathens or else a Bad Life and a Dissolution of Manners which from a complication of many unhappy Circumstances has of late so visibly broken in upon us both of which have so plain an Influence upon each other Thus much is however certain that whoever truely loves his Country will heartily endeavour to make it better which cannot be expected considering the Disingenuity of the Bulk of Mankind without the due exercise of Discipline and the Punishment of those that do Evil. But this is an Article which has been so often toucht and so much exhausted that I shall insist no longer on it only leaving it to the Consideration of every prudent Person whether there would be so much Baseness so much Falshood Treason Bribery and Injustice so much Unrighteousness and Strife every where were Persons generally influenc'd with the Principles of Probity and Virtue nay had they not on the contrary abandoned themselves to the Stream of Vice and Lewdness which therefore 't is the concern of every Good Man to oppose with all his Might to prevent if possible that threatning Deluge which is likely to break in upon us and cover the Face of our Land Nor is the Opposition of Vice in order to the suppressing or at least the restraining of it less conducive to domestick Happiness than 't is to that of the Publick it being evident that the want of Discipline is the Ruine of Families and that the restoration thereof would make better Servants better Children better Masters and render all Relations much more useful and comfortable and happy But Vice is further injurious to every Mans personal Happiness to his Profit as well as Reputation to his Body as well as his Mind by innumerable Inconveniences it brings upon him Of how base a Spirit therefore he must be who yields to that Sin which as it first brought Death into the World so it continues daily to slay its Thousands brings the Judgments of God upon us emaculates Mankind taints and poisons the very first Threads of Life projects its Mischief beyond the present Age and loads Posterity with a feeble and a miserable Offspring Let us next reflect on what passes in our own Minds and the necessity there is if we consult their Happiness to oppose Vice in others as well as in our selves because its Contagion is so very spreading and dangerous Mistaken Men may call the Proud happy and so of other Sinners but 't is impossible they should be so and they know the contrary themselves for what more severe Tormentor can a Man have in his own Breast than any uncontroul'd Vice or sinful Habit. There are few Men who are altogether lost to the sense of Virtue and to that natural Tast of Goodness at first imprinted on the Mind and consequently Vice must needs be a Torment to the Mind as well as to the Body since 't is so contrary to our true Nature and a Man must be as uneasie under it as a wounded Person with an Arrow sticking fast in his Body It s true an Ill Man makes as good a Show as he can and thinks he bears it well out but 't is all Paint and Vernish he has something within that denies him Ease all his Triumphs are but like the miserable Ravings of one in a Fever who perhaps looks as fresh as ever and tells you he feels no pain when 't is but an unnatural flushing he 's still sick at Heart all within is disorder'd and he 's not far from his End Nor is the eternal Interest of every Man less concern'd in these matters than the present quiet of his Mind For unless we oppose Wickedness 't will as certainly gain ground upon us and hurry us away in the stream as the Sea will break in upon a Level if there be no Beach or Banks to resist it We know that the Wages of Sin is Death both temporal and eternal we know 't is an acceptable Service to God to oppose and resist it that he himself has told us Those who Honour him he will Honour and that our blessed Saviour has assured us That those who confess him before Men he will also confess them before his Father which is in Heaven II. I proceed to the second thing That as good Men are oblig'd to oppose Vice and Wickedness so they are to do this with united Councils and Endeavours What is a single Persons Duty in this matter cannot alter its nature when it falls into the Hands of Communities or Bodies of Men but may be much more hopefully and successfully attempted by them for the Offenders may sometimes be such Sons of Zerviah that they 'll prove too hard for any single Person Their Numbers may be so great that there will need one somewhat proportionable to oppose them since Miracles are generally ceas'd and tho Sampson and others of old could slay their Heaps upon Heaps yet 't is not now for single Persons to attack whole Armies nor will a greater Number of undisciplined Men who fight loose and stragling gain equal Advantages on the Enemy with a much smaller Body who engage with Discipline and Order It s true that the Kingdom of Darkness is likewise the Kingdom of

recommends to his Disciples and then they cannot err in this matter Humility is certainly a great part of Prudence and a noble Christian Virtue tho hardly ever known or mentioned in the Ethics of the Heathens and is highly necessary to those who are engaged in this Work For 't is not easie to be singular without a too great Opinion of our selves and being embittered and soured by the Censures of others as well as by their refusal to assist us in what we know to be a necessary and an honourable Undertaking c. those must have a great Command indeed of their own Minds who never felt any risings in them on such Provocations However thus much is sure that Modesty and Meekness did never yet hurt a good Cause and are so far from that meanness and demission of Mind which betray whatever they undertake that after all they are Arguments of the clearest Courage and Magnanimity To close this Head let us always remember that we are not to rise up tumultuously even against Evil-Doers but in an orderly and legal way Those that strive must strive lawfully in this as well as in all other parts of our Christian Warfare and prudently too and therefore with united Councils and Endeavours Which will be no prejudice but rather an advantage to their Zeal when it has so stable and so rational a Foundation And what further Encouragement can we desire to set us about this necessary tho invidious Employment with the utmost Zeal and Courage than those we already have What stronger Arguments to persuade us to fix our selves as Iron Pillars and Brazen Walls against the Workers of Iniquity To set our united Breasts against the Stream of Profaneness and Wickedness which if we did it must of necessity give way since Vice cannot act upon any settled Principles but is at the bottom cowardly and unstable Is it number that we want to encourage us Why we have a thousand on our side even in the Breast of every Ill man whom we bring to just Punishment We have now blessed be God the glorious Encouragement of Superiours that the Sword of Iustice shall no longer lye rusting and idle but be drawn and furbished up for the Battle and glitter against the Faces of Gods and our Countrey 's Enemies We may hope for the concurrence of most good Men upon Earth when they are satisfied of the sincerity of our Intentions and t●● Prudence of our Behaviour Nay of a●● the Heavenly Host above all the Ho●● Angels of God who if they rejoice ●● the Conversion of one Sinner cannot b● unconcern'd in any thing that looks t●wards a more publick and general Refo●mation But alas after all this what reaso● has every one who has any real Concer● for God and his Country to cry out wit● the Father of old To what dregs of ti●● are we reserved when Men may almo●● print or speak what Blasphemies they pleas● with Impunity and even with Triumph when too many of the inordinate Magistrates will not act nor the People generally assist them in the Punishment of Evil-Doers when it shall be reckoned patt of good Breeding or at least an Argument of Wit and Spirit to ridicule al● that 's scared and to profane the glorious and fearful Name The Lord our God and yet the rudest the busiest and the most clownish thing in the World to reprove to detect and punish such notorious Offenders tho by the most legal prudent and advisable Methods But there 's still one Comfort to those who do so and that is that God sees not as man sees that he is the God of Iudgment and by him Actions are weighed not in the unequal Scales of Prejudice and Partiality but by the unerring Standard of his own Immutable Iustice. And shall then a wretched Mortal a Worm of the same Dust and Clay with our selves and which must soon be reduc'd unto the same Dust again shall such a one presume to affront my Father my Patron my Friend my Benefactor my Saviour and I want Courage or Honesty to oppose him to detect him and to bring him to that Shame and Punishment he so highly merits Is this our kindness to our Friend or should we ever believe any Person to be ours who so basely deserted us Whom are we afraid of that we forget the Lord our Maker Let all the Potsherds of the Earth fall down together and humble themselves before the King the Lord of Hosts and let him alone be exalted whose Glory is above the Heavens and who shakes the Earth at his Displeasure The Mountains and the Hills shall flee away before him and the Thunder of his Power who can bear If we find our selves not yet warm'd or concern'd for any of these things or at least unstable double-minded and wavering in our Duty there 's one Method still remaining which will scarce fail to give a true and lasting bent to our Minds and throughly engage us in this matter and that is the entire Dedication of our selves to God without exception and without reserve especially and more solemnly at the Blessed Sacrament as often as the happy occasion is offer'd and then let us see whether we shall fear the World or whether that can ever hurt us Let us make Gods Glory the principal motive and end of all our Actions actually advest unto it and habitually regard it let us love God with all our Hearts and then we shall never endure to hear his Holy Name profan'd without a just and a tender Resentment Let us read often the Lives of the Martyrs and see what they suffer'd for his sake who loved them and washed them from their Sins in his own Blood Heb. 11. They were stoned were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the Sword they endured Tryals of cruel mockings and Scourgings and Bonds and Imprisonments and the most infamous and painful Deaths not accepting Deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection a new and happier State of things in a better World They endured all this in opposition to all the World for his sake whom they lov'd and who they knew did then see them and would unspeakably reward them Here was the Faith and Patience of the Saints Here were Christians indeed and not in empty Name and outward Profession only These trampled the World subdued the Flesh and conquered the Devil following the great Captain of their Salvation as he himself led the way with Crimson Banners and Garments roll'd in Blood and shall we pretend to follow them as they did him and pray for Grace to do so and yet be afraid of a few hard words or Frowns from Fellow-Creatures be unwilling at the expence of a little Reputation amongst mistaken or ill men to rescue the Honour of God and of Religion and vindicate the Laws and Glory of our Nation and of common Christianity Which is in truth the proper and immediate Office of the Magistrate and all others must rise up against