Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	day_n	good_a	time_n	5,951	5	3.7938	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66558	The vanity of mans present state proved and applyed in a sermon on Psalm 39.5. With divers sermons of the saints communion with God, and safety under his protection, in order to their future glory, on Psalm 73. 23, 24, 25, 26. By the late able and faithful minister of the Word John Wilson	Wilson, John, minister of the Word.; Golborne, J.	1676 (1676)	Wing W2905; ESTC R218560	137,734	239

him Oh how ambitious and impatiently desirous should we be to get acquaintance with and interest in God that fills heaven and earth that is worthy of all glory honour and praise Rest not you that are at a distance till you can say this God is my God This is the very end for which you were made that you should seek after him know him and yield him the respect belonging to him Acts 17. 26 27. He hath made all Nations of men That they should seek the Lord if haply they might feel after him and find him God do's so exhibit himself in his creatures that he is therein even palpable and sensible 2. The Exhortation is to you who are come near to God are acquainted with and have interest in him perform the duties you owe him upon the account of his supreme excellency 2. Let 's value and love him above all The more we enquire into his nature and concernments the more cause we shall see we have to value and love him There is this difference betwixt him and his creatures that as for his creatures the more we know them the less commonly we esteem of them and respect them But for God the more we know him the more cause we shall still find that we have to value and love him Here looking increases loving as it causeth likeing 2. Let 's rejoyce in him If we have a Relation or Friend that is indued with high virtues we count it matter of great joy What matter of joy then should we count it that he whom we have chosen for our God and whom we make account for ever to dwell with is induced with such transcendent perfections All those excellencies which are spread throughout the whole volume of the Creation are not only contained in him but infinitely exceeded by him And Oh what matter of joy is this such a well-spring is he of joy and gladness that when we can rejoyce in nothing else we may rejoyce in him Habb 3. 17 18. Let what will come of loss and though I be cut off from worldly comsorts yet will I rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Oh there is in him matter of fresh and everlasting joy Phil. 4. 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and again I say rejoyce 3. Is there none like God then let us glory in him and boast of him Though there is nothing in the world we may glory in yet in the Lord may we glory Jer. 9. 23 24. Wisdom strength or riches are not to be boasted of But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord. He is the excellency of Jacob Amos 8. 7. He is our glory Jer. 2. 11. My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit He is our praise Deut. 10 21. He is thy praise and he is thy God And therefore let us extoll him and lift him up whilst the poor blind Heathens are praising their Gods of Gold Silver Brass Iron Wood Stone Dan. 5. 4. Shall we fit still and hold our peace Oh no let our tongues rather be as the pen of a ready writer As long as we have tongues to speak with let us imploy them in praising him Psal. 104. 33. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise to my God while I have my being Such are his perfections that we can never praise him sufficiently Stand up say the Levites Nehem. 9. 5. and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever And blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessings and praise Psalm 106. 2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord Who can shew forth all his praise 4. Let 's be willing to be taught and ruled by him Who so fit to rule and teach us as the supream being How do we find good men very ready to comply with the instructions of God Heb. 11. 8 17. Abraham obeyed the command to leave his own Country went out not knowing whither he went He doth Caecam obedientiam praestare which to do to men is folly but to do to God is greatest wisdom Abraham disputes not the case but goes and offers up Isaac How so That is he was willing and the will is accepted for the deed 5. Let us adhere and keep close to him whatever difficulties trials discouragements lye in the way We see we cannot possibly chose one like to him nor can we follow one whose good guidance we may be more sure of As Abraham when he was so hard tasked yet readily obeys so must we and not only be directed by him but yeild ready obedience without disputing quarrelling scrupling so are we in every respect to own God as our God Gen. 28 21. 22. Jacob vowed If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and rayment to put on so that I come again to my fathers house in peace then shall the Lord be my God Here Jacob doth not capitulate with God upon any high terms What if God will not perform these conditions shall he not be Jacobs God Yes But if he give me meat and rayment and return me to my Fathers house he shall be much more my God This shall be an additional obligation upon him All people will walk every one in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever When men are blindly busie groping for God though he be not far from them and adoring the creature instead of the Creator who is blessed for ever let us be better and more wisely imployed in seeking finding and serving the Lord our God in whom we live move and have our being We may make tryal of as many as we please but when we have done we shall have cause to say with revolting Israel Hos. 2. 7. I will go and return to my first Husband for then was it better with me than now Neither Heaven nor earth can afford us a God like him 4. Use of Comfort to you who have made choice of God for your God What a comfort must it needs be to a man that he hath a God to whom none is like in Heaven or Earth Why this is your case and this is that which may swallow up all your sorrows and wipe away all your tears Oh what comfort have good men taken herein They havefeasted themselves in the thoughts of his mercy that God was their God 1 Sam. 30. 6. David encouraged himself in the Lord his God Psal. 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death He is no worse no less good now than he was then the same yesterday and to day and for ever The differences of time make no difference in him A poor man may say though I am not so rich and honourable as

unworthiness it is in good men to appear against God or do any thing to his dishonour or against his interest It is no less than to appear and fight against their own strength Should you see a man strike at and beat his own arm you would take it for a piece of strange madness And yet no less madness is it for any one to ingage against God to ingage against him who is his strength For men to fight against him is to kick against the pricks a folly to a Proverb and for the people of God to oppose him is for Israel to oppugne the strength of Israel to fight against themselves He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul all they that hate me love death Prov. 8. 36. 2. Use of Exhortation 2. Let us in time of affliction of body and soul flee unto him and make use of him who is the strength of our life When any thing ailes us either in body or soul let us have recourse to him for he is abundant in strength he is mighty in strength and wisdom Job 36. 5. None can enter the lists with him Who hath been his counsellor His strength is everlasting Isa. 26. 4. In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength He is ready to communicate it to his people Isa. 41. 10. I am thy God I will strengthen thee And what more can we desire to encourage us to have recourse to him 2. Let us plead it to him when we are in need of help from him Let 's urge it to him whether he be not our strength and in case he be let us plead with all reverence and holy boldness whether it be not proper for him to help us Psal. 43. 2. For thou art the God of my strength why dost thou cast me off Thou hast caused me to hope in thee thou hast said that thou wouldst be my strength thou hast engaged that thou wilt not cast them off that cast their concerns on thee that trust in thee and have hoped and trusted in this word I have refused all other things as empty vanities that cannot help and wilt thou cast me off Let men and Angels see that thou art faithful and wilt not in thy works fly off from thy word Lord let it be unto me according to thy good word of promise and as thou hast been unto thy people make it appear as 1 Sam. 15. 29. That the strength of Israel will not lie 3. When we undertake the performances of duty let us undertake and perform them in his strength Distrusting our own strength let us rely and depend upon his You know the voice that came down to Augustine In te stas non stas Such is the weakness of our own strength that if we have no more than it we shall do just nothing When we ingage in any duty pray read hear or sing let us rely on him to help us to the acceptable performances to help our infirmities when we know not how to offer them as we ought and to bless us in the deed Psal. 71. 16. I will go in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousness even ofthine only We look upon our selves strong enough to manage duties and this hath been the overthrow of many a duty that we have horribly fail'd in it and lost the blessing of it 4. Let 's not measure our safety or welfare by any thing in our selves but by the strength of God If we measure our strength and welfare by what is in our selves we shall be despairing and fainting every day but measuring it by him we shall be capable of preserving our selves in a state of hope and confidence when we have such difficulties before us we may pass the sentence of death on our selves without blame and cast off our confidence and let our expectation perish but whiles they are no other than such as he is able to deal with there is ground of hope stand still saith Moses to the murmuring Israelites and see the salvation of the Lord. Herein we commonly miss it that we measure our safety by a wrong rule 5. Let us ascribe our enduring of sufferings and performance of duties unto him If we suffer patiently bear under the yoke of Christ let us give the praise to God saying not to us but to thy name give the glory Psal. 115. 1. 'T is not our own strength not our own courage that can bear us up under or get us out of trouble The Psalmist ascribes strength to the Lord as that which belongs to him dare not usurpe and attribute to himself his deliverances Psal. 59. 17. Unto thee O my strength will I sing for God is my defence and the God of my mercy 3. Use of Comfort Is God the strength of his people when they are exercised with any distress Here then is comfort for you who labour under faylings both of body and mind You are exercised perhaps with decays in your sences strength health with sorrow fear distrust and find your own ability insufficient to encounter herewith However be of good cheer God is engaged for you and what condition can you be in which God is not able to deliver you out of It is not your own strength but his which you have to trust to Which is a consideration so full of comfort that it may afford us relief in the lowest condition in the saddest times and most difficult seasons How low was the condition of Asaph yet he settles his thoughts and quiets himself with this consideration That God was his strength the strength of his heart and his portion for ever Doct. 2. That God is the portion of his people Notwithstanding all his perfections sufficiency and fulness yet he hath bestowed and setled himself upon them for all those advantages and uses which a portion is serviceable to Not judging any thing in the world good enough to be a portion for them he hath bestowed himself upon them Herein he hath so ordered things that the business stands reciprocall 1. They are his portion Deut. 32. 9. The Lords portion is his people Jacob is the lot of his inheritance Zach. 2. 12. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy Land They are the portion of mankind that he makes his peculiar that he will own and delight in And then 2. He is their portion Psal. 119. 157. Thou art my portion O Lord. Lament 3. 24. The Lord is my portion saith my soul. And that you may not think he restrains himself to particular persons he is said to be the portion of Jacob. Jer. 10. 16. The portion of Jacob is not like them Now there is a great deal of difference betwixt the grounds of their being his portion and his being theirs They are said to be his portion inasmuch as he hath chosen them from amongst all the people in the world to profess his name hold communion with him and serve him And he is said

for seven years lives like a wild beast after the expiration whereof recovering his understanding and humbling himself before that God whom he had by his pride offended he returns to the Government of his Kingdom Oh how dangerous a thing is it for the greatest persons to lift up their heads against God! How soon can he divest them of their greatness and ruine them in their designs and hopes An instance like unto this we have in the spiritual or modern Babylon Rev. 18. 7 8. She saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widdow and shall see no sorrow Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire Whiles she suggests she is as happy as may be and promises to her self that she shall be so still without interruption or disturbance she is brought to utter desolation and ruine and as for other reasons so for this in particular that she put such confidence in her present state And our Saviour Luk. 12. 19. 20. brings in a rich man saying Soul Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry But God said unto him Thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided What reckoning did this man make of his great possessions How wealthy did he imagine himself to be And what strong felicities did he promise himself from those good things God had bestowed on him But whiles he is congratulating himself in the apprehensions and hopes of his future contentments he is cut off and bereaved of all and so he and his hopes fall to the ground at once And how many thousands have there been in the world to whom it hath thus hapned After they have taken a deal of pains in forming such and such contrivances and ways for the furthering of their worldly interest ingaged themselves in the diligent pursuit thereof and promised themselves much happiness therefrom they have been suddenly cut off and utterly bereaved of what they made full account to enjoy How many have we our selves known who after they have erected such a building purchased such an estate made such a bargain got themselves out of debt or done some business from whence they promised themselves much happiness have been suddenly taken away and thereby disappointed of those comforts they made such reckoning of This is a case that falls out so frequently that there is no man who hath any acquaintance with the world but he can afford us various instances thereof 4. He is vain in respect of his Labours and Endeavours Upon the fall God denounced this curse against him In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread Gen. 3. 19. And this we every day see fulfilled in all places wheresoever we come One layes out himself in one imployment and another in another one drives on his interest this way and another that and each in such a way as he thinks fittest to serve himself Eccl. 1. 8. Solomon saith All things are full of labour man cannot utter it And as it was then so it is now insomuch that it is even unpossible to express the great the various the tedious labours wherewith the sons of men exercise themselves When we look about us and take a view of their proceedings What a bussle and hurry do we find them in Some are busie upon the Sea others at Land some in their Shops others in the fields and every one promises himself much advantage from the way wherein he is ingaged Like a company of Ants they run up and down and hasten to and fro and every one is in chase of a particular interest from which he makes account to receive not only that which will countervail his pains but yield him very much happiness Now what is the use of all this labour and bussle Do's it render the Authour thereof happy Alas no it yields nothing but disappointment and vexation Who more likely in regard either of interest in God or his own wisdom to direct his labours to a good issue than Solomon Who knew better how to manage them than he And yet how ineffectual his labours were and how far they were from answering his end he himself shews What profit saith he hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the Sun Eccles. 1. 3. Again then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labour I had laboured to do and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit and there was no profit under the Sun Yea I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me Eccles. 2. 11 18. So that notwithstanding all his wisdom parts diligence labours they were so far from answering his ends that they were unprofitable vexatious and hateful And he was not herein alone How wise a people were the Jews and yet to how little purpose did they imploy their labours Wherefore saith the Prophet do ye spend mony for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Isa. 55. 2. And thus it was with the Babylonians Jer. 51. 58. It s said They laboured in the fire that is their labour amounted to no more than only the creating of fewel to feed the fire They took pains to make a fire to burn themselves There labour was so far from making for them that it made against them And how hard did the Disciples labour and yet to how little purpose Master saith Peter we have toyled all the night and have taken nothing Luk. 5. 5. But what need of particular instances How great are the labours of many amongst whom we live and yet to how small an account do they bring them Oh how thoughtfull and carefull are they What arts and projects do they use What diligence and pains are they at How early do they rise and how late do they go to bed How restless and unwearied are they in the pursuit of their business And when all is done their labours signifie no more than that they have kept a great deal of stir to little or no purpose for either their labours yield increase or not if not they are evidently in vain If they do what is the increase which they yield what does it it amount to what can it do towards the rendring of them truly happy no more than a little air can do towards the filling of a mans purse or a little wind can do towards the satisfying of his appetite or stomach So that whether mens labours yield increase or not the issue is still this that they are in vain 5. He is vain in respect of his possessions and injoyments He takes a deal of pains to get an estate and when he hath it he is vain in the injoyment of it If it be small he is vain

greatest straits and perplexities and though all may say these things make against them yet all are for their benefit who are the called according to his purpose 3. He is a faithful guide one that will not betray or ensnare them his guidance is ever such as tends to their good As he knows which is the best way so he leads them therein Psal. 25. 10. His paths are truth He may deal severely with his servants but he cannot he will not deal falsly Isa. 54. 10. The mountains shall depart the hills shall be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Convenant of my peace be removed Sooner shall heaven and earth cease than he will prove unfaithfull his people have his Word his Oath his Being and Nature in security for their faith and confident dependance on him This promise is worth mountains of Gold How great a matter is it to have a faithful a skilful guide that we may put confidence in one that will not fail his people that is faithful in his promise and in his proceedings Prov. 13. 17. A faithful Embassadour is health 4. He is his peoples only guide so far is he above all other guides that there is none fit to bear that name with him Deut. 32. 12. The Lord alone did lead him that is the children of Israel There was indeed the Ministry of Moses but that was such a subservient inconsiderable thing that Moses himself declines the mention of it ascribing the conduct of Israel to God only And hence it is that his servants depend only on him Psal. 65. 2. Oh thou that hearest prayers and workest deliverance And ascribe their welfare only to him Psal. 4. 8. Thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety 5. He is a continual guide He is ready upon all occasions to conduct and lead them He do's it not for a day or two but during their whole lives Psal. 48. 14. This God is our God for ever he will be our guide even unto death Isa. 58. 11. And the Lord shall guide thee continually He never ceases guiding them till he have brought them through all danger till he hath received them up to glory 6. God is an effectual guide to his servants and that in two respects 1. He makes them close with his guidance when he sees them goe astray he constrains them to close with his counsel and to be obsequious to his conduct When he sees them wandring he calls to them saying Isa. 30. 21. This is the way walk in it When they are going astray turning to the right hand or to the left either in prosperity or adversity God takes them as it were by the hand and makes them to go along with him He delivers to them his advice and causes them to close with it Jer. 18. 2. Go down to the potters house and there I will cause thee to hear my words Ezek. 32. He caused me to eat the roll What a Magnetism was there in the words of Christ when he spoke to Simon and Andrew what an attractive and drawing power had they Mark 1. 18. For they straitway forsook their nets and followed him It was a strange thing that the words of a stranger and one that had no outward splendor nor authority and power no glory and lustre should so prevail upon men that were busie upon their imployments to throw all away and immediately follow him There went power from Christ to engage them secretly to yield to his commands 2. He is an effectual guide because he blesses his guidance to them insomuch that they attain the end which they propose to themselves in following him Mat. 19. 28 29. You that have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in in the throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Those that follow him shall not do it for nought they shall not be losers though they leave father mother wife children lands for his names sake but shall receive an hundred fold and inherit everlasting life 2. What kind of counsel God guides his people with and there is a fourfold counsel that he guides them with 1. There is the counsel of his purpose The Holy Ghost useth to call the purpose of God his counsel Psal. 33. 11. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever The thoughts of his heart to all generations This is the purpose and councell that shall stand Prov. 19. 21. When the devices in mens hearts and their subtil and secret thoughts shall be cut off God can bring about his purpose that all things shall fall out according to the counsel of his will Let mountains lie in the way God can remove them if rocks God can divide them if waters he can dry them up if fire God can quench it God doth guide his people by his counsel inasmuch as he fulfils it upon them and conforms their condition to it As if a father take up such purposes concerning the government of his children and then manage all things towards them in a way agreeable thereunto he may be said to govern them by those purposes so it is in this case God doth rule and governe guide and direct his people according to his purpose and counsel set down with himself that nothing shall happen to them but what he hath designed and for very good purposes to them So Rom. 9. 11. That the purpose of God according to election may stand Jacob have I loved Rom. 11. 7. The Election hath obtained mercy in Christ. So strict herein is God that in all his proceedings with his children he still keeps close unto his purpose not departing so much as an hairs breadth therefrom So that we see though his purposes be no rule to us it is to him the perfection of his nature requiring that what he purposes he should perform 2. There is the counsel of his word that the Holy Ghost stiles his counsel Luke 7. 30. But the Pharisees and Lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves This is the revelation of his counsel and eternal purpose and contains omne quod a nobis vult fieri multum quod ipse vult facere All that he would have us do and that much he himself will do but not all for it is enough and abundantly sufficient that God hath revealed what is our duty and what we should do This is that fixed and standing rule God hath delivered to us to walk by Psal. 119. 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path It is the Lanthorn that God hath hanged out of heaven to guide us thither Hereby he directs us what to do in order to our comfort here and happiness hereafter this word we are to have recourseto upon all occasions We must have an eye to the Law and to the Testimony Asaph went to the Temple heard the word of God then his questions were dispelled