Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	cause_n	good_a	life_n	4,640	5	4.5822	4	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

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

she is commended That shee did choose the better part which shall not be taken from her In her wisedome two things 1. The Action 2. The Obiect The action That shee did choose the obiect the better part which should not be taken from her In the Obiect two things 1. The Excellency 2. The Perpetuity The excellency that it was Better The perpetuity It should neuer be taken from her In each of these three things shall be handled 1. Maries Commendation 2. Maries Imitation 3. Our Application Maries Commendation laid downe in the Text That shee did choose the better part which shall not be taken c. Maries Imitation the same with the Text That shee likewise hath chosen the better part which shall not c Our Application taught from the Text That wee also make choice of the better part which shall not c. That so wee may make these two Maries our examples to follow in the way to Heauen that thereby wee may find fauour with God and men That with Mary we may liue in Gods feare and with Mary die in Gods fauour of these in their order and first of the person approued The person approued is named by Christ Mary we finde but three Maries spoken of in the Gospell and all for good Mary the mother of Iesus Mary Magdalene which as most affirme is this Mary in my Text and Mary the mother of Iames and Ioses One beares Christ in her wombe the other washes his feete with her teares and wipes them with the haire of her head Her Commendation and here sits at Christs feete the third with the two other stand by his crosse when he is crucified and seeke him in his graue after hee was buried Wee finde not so many vertuous woemen of any other name in Scripture not that the name makes them the holier but that their vertues make the remembrance of their names blessed I could stand vpon the letters of the name if it were so profitable Maria. M standing vpon three bases or feete M to signifie their stedfast faith in the blessed Trinity one God and three persons A a an interiection of sorrowing their repentance R r with two branches like a tree the sweete fruite of their vertue and holinesse I i the least of the letters Their great humility A a the first letter in the Alphabet and the last in the name Their charity the cheifest of all vertues because it g 1. Cor. 13 13. 2 Maries imitation Luk. 11.27.28 continues last This Mary paralels the other Maries She bore Christ though not in her wombe yet which is more in her heart often shee washed his feete with the teares of repentance stood at his Crosse to the washing away of her sinnes in his bloud often she sought him in his graue to the mortifying of her sinnes and daily sought him at the right hand of God in Heauen for the pardon of her sinnes we shall finde more vertues in her life then letters in her name Mary by interpretation is as much as Stella maris the Starre of the Sea which standing immoueable in the midst of heauen doth direct the Mariners As the Starres are fixed in the volume of the heauens so Mary in my Text is a fixed Starre in the volume of Gods written booke A direction for all Christians to the Hauen of happinesse Though this Mary presented to our eies be not in Gods written booke yet in the Lambs booke of life her name is written in Heauen A Star for purity of heart A Starre for the shining light of life and conuersation A fixed Starre for her heart was fixed vpon the Lord yet neuer moued backward nor neuer stood still but as The Sunne in the firmament reioyced to runne her course 3 Our Application For our Application Let vs become shining Starres grace our names with vertues that with Mary the memoriall of our names may bee blessed Wisedome as Augustine saith consisteth cheifly in Choosing and Refusing In choosing the Good and Refusing the Euill The first thing in her wisedome is Elegit The Action Shee hath chosen But how was it in Maries power to choose the better part Howsoeuer in ciuill actions we haue Free-will to choose or refuse yet as the same actions are good we haue no ability at all in our selues Of our selues wee are not able to thinke one good thought saith the Apostle ● Her commendation Power we haue to thinke but no power to thinke that which is good To come to Church to heare the word is a Ciuill Action we haue power to come or not to come but to come with a desire and loue to the word to glorifie God for the sauing of our soules by Nature we haue no power at all Therefore in that Mary chooseth it is Actus Naturae an act of Nature but in that shee chooseth the better part it is Actus Gratiae an act of Grace He that commends her for her choice gaue her power to choose the beter part Elegit as one saith id est Deus volentem trahit coronat sua dona in nobis vt dicamur fecisse elegisse nos quae ipse in nobis est operatus She hath chosen that is God drew her being made willing and he doth crowne his giftes in vs that we may be said to haue done and to haue chosen those things which he himselfe hath wrought in vs. Vnlesse God did first choose vs we should neuer choose him Yee haue not chosen mee but I haue chosen you saith Christ 1. Ioh. 4.19 We loue him because he loued vs first saith his Apostle For euen as the heat of the Sunne falling vpon our body encreaseth our heat so the feeling of Gods loue towards vs makes vs loue God againe His election of vs makes vs elect and choose him The word in the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath chosen that she did not embrace the pleasures of this world all her life and made choice of the better part at her death they that do deferre it so long it is to be feared it will be too late for Sera poenitentia nòn est vera poenitentia Late repentance is seldome true repentance but Elegit Shee hath chosen So this Mary being a chosen and elect vessell of God 2 Maries imitation sanctified from the Wombe by Gods grace did choose the better part not at her Death but all the time of her pilgrimage shee led an Angelicall and holy life This Good part was her Treasure all her Life and at her Death as you shall heare shee had the comfort of it For our application 3 Our application let vs not wallow in the pleasure of sinne all our life and thinke it shall bee in our power at our Death to choose the better part but with this Mary let euery one of vs prepare prouide for the time to come be sure that we can say euery one