Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	conscience_n	life_n	sin_n	4,202	5	4.3704	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30638	The fathers legacy: or Burtons collections Containing many excellent instructions for age, and youth, shewing them how to live godly in this life, and to attaine everlasting happinesse in the life to come. First written for the instruction of his onely son, and now set forth for the benefit of others. By Edw: Burton.	Burton, Edward, of Stanton, Derbyshire.	1649 (1649)	Wing B6159; ESTC R215093	76,775	223

in being righteous as he is righteous that is by casting off the old man which is corrupt thorow deceivable lusts and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse This casting off and putting on doth teach us that there is in us something that befits us not to retaine if we will be the true Sonnes of God not by reputation amongst men but by imputation in Christ What is to he cast off and what is to be put on is plainely expressed in the Apostles words namely to cast off all deceivable lusts which includeth all things forbidden and to put on righteousnesse which implyeth a spirituall indowment of all heavenly graces among which none is of that singular force vertue and effect as is zealous and hearty prayer in faith unfained which none can effectually make but such as have put on this new man For the old man knoweth not how to pray being clothed with corruption and blinded with the mist of ignorance The new man onely shaped in holinesse knoweth to whom when in whom for what and how to pray all which circumstances are duely to be considered in Prayer and yet none of these doth the naturall man that is the olde man truely apprehend and consequently the lip-labour that he pretendeth to bestow in prayer is not onely not profitable but sinfull To pray unto God with the lips for any corporall benefit and yet to have t●e eye of the heart fixed in confidence upon naturall meanes is a kind of spirituall Adultery For what man is he that having a wife outwardly affable using words of love unto him and yet her heart set upon another man will not think her a faithlesse and unchaste wife And is God lesse jealous thinke wee who craveth our hearts when we shall worship him in words and outward shew of works when our Consciences cannot but tell us that we aske that of God which we inwardly believe more probably and possible to be obtained by meanes without him Is not this a fasilfying of our faith and dissembling of our prayers Is not this a manifest breach of the Law that sayes we shall have no other Gods but JEHOVAH As also not to take his Name in vaine as they doe which call upon him with their lips their hearts farre from him God requireth not our prayers because he hath neede of them as a service beneficiall or profitable unto him but because we have need of his graces and blessings and that he loveth us in his beloved Sonne he willeth us to pray unto him for every spirituall and corporall blessing And although it be true that he knowes whereof we have need yet in common reason he that wanteth and disdaines to ask he is not worthy to receive that whereof he hath need And heavily it will befall them who having received so many blessings at Gods hands are no whit the more moved to love him And so many threats for their unbeliefe and ingratitude and yet not moved to feare him Will they not be drawne then from their deceiveable vanities Will they rather then for lesse then an Aple or a messe of Pottage disclaime their Birth-rights and lose that Kingdom and Crowne so dearely purchased for the faithfull Nay were losse of it all it were not so horrible If a man missing the good promised could avoid the danger threatned it would something mittigate the dispairing Conscience and ease the troubled minde If after death there were neither life nor death If a man might have no being nor feele nor endure torment though he had no comfort it were a kinde of ease to the carnall minde that knoweth no other heaven then the profits and pleasures of this life Nor feareth other Hell then the misery penury and afflictions of the same But the case is otherwise They that misse the Kingdome of heaven by not beleeving the promises of God by not praying unto God for direction in the course of their lives may assure themselves though they seeme not yet to beleeve it that there remaines for them and attends them the god of darknesse and the Angel of Horrour and of Torment But possesse thou me my sweet Soveraigne and raigne in my body by obedience to thy Lawes and in my soule by confidence in thy promises Frame my tongue to praise thee my knees to reverence thee my strength to serve thee my desires to covet thee and my heart to love and imbrace thee And as thou hast formed me according to thine Image so frame me according to thy will And as thou hast made me a vessell by the stampe of thy creation to serve thee here on Earth so make me a vessell of Honour by the priviledge of thy grace to serve thee in thy everlasting Kingdom sweet Father I beseech thee Comfortable Sentences for such that are afflicted COme and let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he w●ll heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Hos 6.1 I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted me Psal 119.75 We have had the fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence spall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of our Spirits and live for they verily for a few dayes did chastice us after their owne pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partak●rs of h●● holinesse Heb. 29.10 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation make way to escape that yee may be able to beare it 1 Cor. 2.3 For his anger endureth but a moment in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning Psal 30.5 He will not alwaies chide neither will h● keep his anger for ever Psal 103.9 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous least the righteous put forth their hands to iniquity Psal 125.3 For yet a very little while and mine anger shall cease in their destruction Esa 10.25 Come my people enter into thy Chambers and shut the doores about thee hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be over-past Esay 26.20 For a small moment have I forsaken thee but in great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath I hid my selfe from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer Esay 54.7 8. For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the Spirit should faile before me and the Soules which I have made Esay 57.16 For I am mercifull saith the Lord thy redeemer and I will not keepe anger for ever Jer. 3.12 So will I make my fury towards the● to rest and my jealousie shall depart fro● thee and I

and an abject Then shall the memory of misery patiently sustained be sweet when in the meane while the wicked shall sobb and sigh Then shall the godly rejoyce and be glad but the reprobate shall howle and weepe Then shall the afflicted more triumph then if continually he had been in joy Then shall the base apparell be glorious and the proud attire infamous Then shall the poore Cottage be more commended then is the guilded Pallace praised Then shall constant patience more prevaile then all the power of the world Simple obedience shall be more commended then then all the subilty of man Then shall a cleare and good conscience more rejoyce a man then profound skill in Philosophie The contempt of Riches shall doe more good then all the riches in the world then shall a zealous Praier bring more delight then ever did fine Cates. Thy silence kept in thy life time shall more cheare thy heart in that time then long babbling good works then shall be respected then copy of sweet words And then shall thy paines taken to reforme thy maners more delight then could all the pleasure in the world Wherefore learne in this life to suffer small things that in the world to come thou maist escape great and grievous dangers Try first in thy life time what thou canst suffer after thou art dead and if thou canst not endure but light things in comparison now how wilt thou beare afterwards everlasting torments And if now so little paine can make thee impatient what will the fire of Hell doe For perswade thy selfe thou canst not be twice happy that is to enjoy thy pleasure in this life and raigne too with Christ in the world to come Now suppose thou hadst lived hitherto in perpetuall honour and pleasure what good would these things doe thee if thou shouldest dye out of hand Seest thou not how all things are vaine save onely to love and serve God for he which loveth God with all his heart feareth neither death nor paine nor judgement nor damnation for perfect love maketh a man w●th boldnesse to appeare before God But marvell it is not though he which delighteth as yet in sinne doth both feare death and the day of judgement Notwithstanding if the love of God cannot allure thee unto godlinesse yet let the feare of hell fire drive thee from wickednesse But if neither the love of God nor the fear of Hell can better thee one jot then look not to stand in a good estate long but quickly to fall into the snares of Sathan And gentle Reader if none of these perswasions ●ill prevaile with thee mark well his ensuing discourse that followes Of the paines appointed for sinners after this life AMongst all the meanes which God useth towards the Children of men to move them to resolution a●ainst sinne whereof I intreat the strongest and most forceable to the common sort of men is the consideration of punishments prepared by God for rebellious sinners and transgressors of his Commandements wherefore he useth this consideration often as may appear by all the Prophets who do almost nothing else but threaten plagues and distruction to offendors And this mean hath often times prevaled more then any other that could be used by reason of the naturall love which we bear towards our selves and consequently the naturall fear which we have of our own danger So we read that nothing could move the Ninivites so much as the foretelling them of their eminent destruction 〈◊〉 And St. John Baptist although h● came in a simple and contemptibl● manner yet preaching unto the peopl● the terrour of vengeance to come and that the Axe must be put to the Roo● of the Trees to cut down for the Fire all those which did not repent he moved the very Publicanes and Souldiers to feare which otherwise are people of very hard mettall who cam● unto him upon this terrible Embassage and asked what they should doe 〈◊〉 avoid these punishments After ther● that we have considered of death an● of Gods seveare judgements whic● insueth after death and wherein every man hath to receive according t● his works in this life as the Scriptu●● saith it followeth that we consider a●so of the punishments which are appointed for them that shall be foun● faulty at that account Hereby 〈◊〉 leastwise if no other consideration w● serve to induce all Christians to th●● resolution of serving God for if ever● man have naturally a love of himselfe and desire to conserve his own case then shall he also have feare of perill whereby he is to fall into extreame calamity This expresseth Saint Bernard excellently O man saith he if thou have lost all shame which pertaineth to so noble a creature as thou art if thou feele no sorrow as carnall men doe not yet lose not feare also which is found in every beast we vse to lead an Asse and to weary him out with labour and he careth not because he is an Asse But if thou wouldest thrust him into the fire or fling him into a ditch he would avoid it as much as he could for that he loveth life and f●areth death Feare thou then and be not more insensible then a beast feare death feare judgement feare hell This feare is called the beginning of wisdome and not shame or sorrow for that the spirit of feare is more mighty to resist si●ne then the spirit of shame or sorrow Wherefore it is said remember thy end and thou shalt never sinne that is remember the finall punishments which are appointed for sinne after this Thus farre Saint Bernard First then to speake in generall of the punishments reserved for the life to come If the Scriptures did not declare in perticular their greatnesse unto us yet are there many reasons to perswade us that they are most severe dolerous and intollerable For first as God is a God in all his works that is to say great wonderfull and terrible so especial●y he sheweth the same in his punishment being called for that cause in Scripture the God of justice as also God of revenge wherefore seeing all his other works are all full of M●jestie and exceeding our capacities we may likewise gather that his hand in punishment must be wonderfull also God himselfe teacheth us to reason thus in this manner when he saith and will ye not then feare me and wi● yee not tremble before my face which have put the Sand● as a stop unto the Sea and have given the water a commandement never to pas e its bound● no not when it is most troubl●d and the floods most outragious As who would say If I am wonderfull and doe passe your imagination in these works of the Sea and others which you see dayly you have cause to feare me considering that my punishments are like to be correspondent to the same Another conjecture of the great 2nd severe Justice of God may be the consideration of his infinite and unspeakable mercy the which as it

Religions the world through and you will find none that ascribes so much to God nor that constitutes so firm a love among men as does the establisht Doctrine of the Protestant Church among us All other either detract from God or infringe the peace of men The Jewes in their Talmod say before God made this he made many other worlds and mard them again to keepe himself from idleness The Turkes in their Alcaron bring him in discoursing with the Angels and they telling him of things which before he knew not and after they make him sweare by Mahomets pen and lines and by Figs and Olives The Papists portray him as an old man and by this meanes dis-deifie him derogating also from his Royalty by their odious interposing of merits and for the society of men what bloody tenents do they all hold as he deserves not the name of Rabby that hates not his enemy to death That 't is no sin to reven●e injuries that 't is meritorious to kill an Heritike with whom no faith is to be kept even to the ungluing of the whole worlds frame contexted only by comerse and contracts What abhor'd barbarisme did Selinus leave in precept to his Successour Soliman which though I am not certain they were ratified by their Mufties I am sure they are practiced by the Inheritors of the Empire By this taste learn to detest them all Think not thy kindreds murther ill t is none By thy slain brothers to secure thy Throne This is the way how kingly names may be In fast and from distructive terrors free In other Religions of the Heathen what fond opinions have they held of their gods reviling with unseemly threats whē their affaires have thwarted them as if allowing them the name they would conserve the Numen to themselves In their sacrifices how bucherly cruell as if as t is said of them they thought by inhumanity to appease the wrath of an offended Deity The Religion which we now profess doth establish all in another strain what makes more for Gods glory what more for the mutuall love of man then the Gospel all our abilities of good we offer to God as the Fountain from whence they streame Can the day be light and that light not come from the Sun can a Clock go without a waight to move it or a keeper to set it as for man it teaches him to tread on Cotton milds his wilder temper and learnes him in his patience to affect his enemies and for that which doth partake on both it makes just God a friend to unjust man without being unjust either to himself or man Sure it could be no other then the invention of a Deity to find out a way how man that had justly made himselfe unhappy should with a full satisfaction to exactest justice be made again most happy I would wish no man that is able to trye to take his Religion upon others words but once resolved in it 't is dangerous to neglect where we know we do owe a service For God neglected plentiously Plagued mournfull Ittaly And this before Horrace his time when God is neglected of man man shall be condemned of God when man abridgeth God of his honour God will shorten man of his happiness It cannot but be best to give all to him of whom whatsoever we have we have received and we hold I believe it saftest for to take that Religion which most magnifies God and makes most for the peaceable conversation of men For as we cannot asscribe too much to him to whom we owe more then we can asscribe So I think the most splended estate of man is that which comes nearest to his first Creation wherein all things wrought together in the pleasant imbracements of mutuall love and Concord That Divinity does not crosse nature so much as exceede it THey that are Divines without Philosophy can hardly maintain the truth in their disputations 't is possible they may have an infused faith sufficient for themselves but if they have not reason too they will scarcely make others capable of their instruction certainly Divinity and morallity are not so averse but that they well may live together For if nature be rectified by Religion Religion is strengthned again by nature And as some hold of fate that there is nothing happens below but is writ above in the Starrs only we have not skill to find it So I beleeve there is nothing in Religion that is contrary to reason if we knew it rightly For conversation among men and the true happiness of man Philosophy hath agreed with Scripture Nay I think I may also adde for defining of God except the Trinity as neare as man can conceive him how exact hath he made Justice how busie to find out truth how rightly directed love exalting with much earnestness all those graces that are any way amiable He that seekes in Plato shall find him making God the solum summum bonum To which a pure and vertuous life is the way For defining God my opinion is that man neither by divinity nor Philosophy can as they say tell what he is It is fitter for man to adore and admire him then in vain to study to comprehend him God is for man to stand amazed wonder at The clogged and drossie soule can never sound him who is the unimaginable Fountain of spirits and from whom all things by a gradnate derivation have their light life and being In these things they agree But I find three other things wherein Divinity overtoureth nature In the Creation of the world in the redemption of man and in the way and rites wherein God will be worshipped In the Creation of the world no Philosophy could ever reach at that which Moses taught us Here the Humanists were all at a stand and far all their conjectures being rather witty and conceits then true and reall Some would have all things from fire some from Ayre some from water some from earth some from numbers some from attomies from simples some and some from compounds Aristottle came the nearest in finding out the truest materia prima but because he could not believe this made of nothing he is content to erre and think it was eternall Surely his conceit was as far from reason as the other his reason might have fled unto omnipotency as well as to eternity And so indeed when Philosophy hath gone as far as she is able she ariveth at Almightinesse and in that Abbi is lost where not knowing the way she goeth but by guesse and cannot tell when she is or right or wrong yet is she rather subordinate then contrary Nature is not crosse but runs into omnipotency and like a petty River is swallowed in that bondles Main For the redemption of man Even the Scripture calles it a mystery and all that humanity could ever reach of this was only a flying to the generall name of mercy by the urgins of the Conscience They all knew they had