Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	grace_n	sin_n	6,825	5	4.8322	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56453	More than conquerour a sermon preach't on the martyrdom of King Charles the I, Jan, 30, at Christ-church, Dublin : before his Excellency Arthur Earl of Essex, lord lieutenant general and general governour of the Kingdom of Ireland / by B.P.	Parry, Benjamin, 1634-1678.	1673 (1673)	Wing P555; ESTC R31070	13,763	42

punishment and derision of mankind why did David complain that he was become a scorn to all that were round about him he might have turned scorner himself and instead of being the Royal Prophet have been a Tyrant or an Atheist as proud and imperious as the greatest Pagan or Barbarian Monarch For a Prince to wish himself a door-keeper in the house of God and be content to leave his Throne and Kingdom flowing with milk and honey for a new Jerusalem was a pleasant Paradox for the Carnal and the prophane to droll at And that the Apostles and their successive Martyrs should endure the scoffs miseries and torments of vulgar rage and madness for an invisible Kingdom had they not the strongest convictions for proof and the highest consolations for support might well be look't upon as the highest degree of folly in the world And so no question it appears to those that are yet strangers to their graces and have not yet felt the least spark of that Divine fire which warmed them into flames and rapture They that will not believe shall never find nor know what the joyes and breathings of the Spirit are how secret and irresistable its strength how sweet its influence how ravishing its charms how powerful and divine its motions and its light Let the Infidels wit then grow big with his own folly and strain hard to make his nonsense fashionable and taking let the Atheist and the prophane sit as dictator in his Chair and be the founder of a new Academy wherein to Apostatize or Blaspheme shall be no more a sin but an improvement Let the Temporizer and the Coward the worldly mind and the false heart follow the fortune and flatter the sins of Tyrants be Disciples of a prevailing faction and Canonize the crimes of prosperous impiety count Treason no sin nor inconstancy a shame laugh at sacriledge and fast with the Pharisee onely to whet their stomacks and be the more devouring anoint their forehead with perjury and make long prayers even to a desolation Let the levelling of Churches be the Zealots pride and the pulling down of Crowns and Scepters the Saints priviledge let the vitious and the vile thrive and flourish for the time grow rich and secure in all their worldly ends and enjoyments yet after all there is God that judgeth the Earth and who besides his vengeance hereafter can curse the wicked in their Graves when they seem to have escap't his anger pursue their Carkases and Ruines and make their very death but the beginning of a worse destruction plague their posterity and bring them also to an account for their predecessors crimes Blood hath a crying and a peircing voice it awakens the Dead and makes them speak nay it reaches Heaven and will not let God alone till he descend and revenge its cause it was Davids fright and his prayer That God would preserve him from blood guiltyness if he prayed so for himself what must they do that murderd David If the blood of Gods private Saints and Servants cry from under the Altar That of his Anointed will peirce through sure and when the sin seems spent or forgotten yet the punishment is not that may last and pass from one generation to another and even in this life as well as the next God will make it appear that sooner or later he will bring iniquity to remembrance and avenge the blood of his Saints and plague a guilty land with astonishment and horrour And therefore it is the special duty and design of our present meeting this day to silence if we can the voice of innocent and Royal blood by a repentance loud as our sins and also to reverence and renew the memory of a Prince sacred for his Government and his graces bury him afresh who can never dye and whilst his murderers barbarous after death denied him the Obsequies of a King we will be his yearly mourners and interr him afresh with a more illustrious sorrow And truly no Age or People almost since the Creation stand more in need both of the preaching and the practice of true repentance and obedience than the sinful Kingdoms in which we live for none have so degenerated from the honour and beauty of Christianity none have so affronted its Holy Authour and disgrac't his Gospel despised his Word or perverted it more For that very course and method which God at first appointed and still continues to the world to cure its confusions creating Magistrates to keep the Peace and sending Kings as his own Vice-gerents to heal our disorders and strengthning the Blessing by commanding every soul to submit to their authority and power that so we might the better learn to fear and obey him We have employed to a quite contrary design and as if we had never heard or learnt any such Lesson by a new Divinity will neither fear God nor honour the King for Monarchy they say is an arbitrary Government not fit for Saints that would rule all as Kings themselves Such is the end and fruit of all popular Tumults preach't up under colour of Religion and Reformation no noise louder no quarrel finds more Seconds than that of Religion every man turns zealot in such a cause wherein he hopes his own Diana shall be uppermost and his fortune advanc't by usurping his Neighbours Vineyard for his inheritance and accordingly they made it their business to cry out on the Magistrate that they might get proselytes for a faction and exclaim against the Church to gain Disciples for a Reformation Endeavouring to find fault first with their Prince and then as handsomely transferr it on his evil Counsellors out of their loyal and abundant affection abusing him doubly First in his person than in his choice committing a double errour first in making themselves both parties Judges and Executioners and secondly In taking a wrong course by making Rebellion a way to Reformation Disobedience a remedy for pretended inconvenience and redress at most but small faults by committing much more great and horrid an Artifice so profoundly politick and Divine that by it no person or calling ever can or shall be secure But Pride and Ambition scorn all bounds of Justice or Duty The new the best and surest way to subvert the Crown was by taking away its Supporters And therefore those two great Heroes and Champions of Church and State the noble Strafford from whom the Reformation of this Church and Kingdom derives the best part of its strength and beauty and the pious Laud who thought nothing too great for God and the King were by a new found ordinance thought the fittest Sacrifice to prepare and lay the Scene of a deeper and more fatal Tragedy Princes seldom fall alone Crowns and Miters like Twins cannot well be parted so great a Majesty and vertue could not goe of a cheap and single Sacrifice but like a mighty Earthquake carry open ruine with it And though his Murderers like themselves denyed him the

delight above toyes and trifles storms or misfortunes but divine love and a victorious faith a firm piety and a constant devotion these are the miracles of the world the joy and glory of mankind without which we had been still in darkness and the shadow of death heirs of sin and slaves to the Devil And therefore it is indeed a higher act of omnipotence and love to restore the soul than the body to redeem from hell than the grave to rouz the sinner than Lazarus from his tomb a greater miracle of goodness and power to be renewed for Heaven than awakened from our dust it cost more to ransome us from our selves and the Devil and renew the divine image than to make us live or form us out of earth and nothing But thus did God unlock his treasury and display the riches of his grace to let us fee That as nothing is too great for his power so nothing should be too dear for his love astonishing the heavens and amazing the earth and making the powers of hell shake at the wonders of our Redemption whilst the Angels sing and the Seraphims renew their flames and brightness at our Conversion and glory as if they themselves were made happier thereby Stand still ye Righteous and behold the salvation of the Lord the wonders and rewards of his Servants Piety through the World The 11 chapter to the Hebrewes is a Catalogue of all the Worthies that lived and dyed in Faith and the beginning of the next is a Trumpet to Rouze us up to the same glory Enoch walked with God the onely solitary Saint of his time that conversed with Heaven by the purities of a transcendent Devotion the first Hermit that went out of the way the common ordinary road of the World to walk with God and because there was no fit company for him on Earth the World not being worthy of him God was pleased to translate him up alive to himself that we might see what are the fruits of a Holy life the rewards of Piety and the raptures of Divine love Noah was a Preacher of Righteousness and when they who regarded not his Doctrine were buried with their Sins and Riots in silence together God provided him a Sanctuary to preserve his name and vertue and perpetuate his Memorial with his Church for ever Abrahams Faith renewed his years and made him fruitful in his posterity as well as his Graces he became the founder of Monarchies and Kingdoms but his noblest title of Honour was his being Father of the faithful that was indeed a blessing which Crowns and Scepters could not give he believed and it was imputed to him for Righteousness and that was Throne and Glory enough He staggered not at the promise and that establisht him for ever he enjoyed his Maker here on earth and conversed so familiarly with heaven before he came there that his very bosome hath been reckoned a place of Paradise ever since Such is the priviledge and happiness of the just who lives by Faith he cannot dye even when he is breathless for his life is hid with Christ in God and being dead unto the world he is alive unto God and speaks eternity in his graces he lives here by faith a life of secret and invisiible joyes for the life of nature is but a sleep and that of sense a Dream but that of grace is truly Vital made up of the choicest Spirits and a never-dying composure This is the life of a true Christian and the greatest glory of heaven upon earth when we become conformable to the Death of Christ Death hath no more dominion over us but we can triumphantly with our Apostle in another place cry out O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory A heart replenisht with divine grace is not easily frightned with stripes and imprisonment hardship and want peril or the sword or whatever else may scare a meer animal or Coward but prepares to meet his God in what way soever he shall be pleased to call him 'T is true it is no mean talent no small gift to bear our afflictions with a chearful and pious submission to God's will It is not for every palat to endure the bitterness of this Cup but his that with David hath tasted how good the Lord is and that the end and fruits of his Cross are deliciousness and peace Storms and thunders are the tryals of a Christian he that can endure these and not be shaken or overthrown at Root is sit for Paradise and the regions of peace To follow Christ for the loaves and miracles in time of prosperity and triumph is no news they that crucified him did so but to keep him company in the desart or more formidable Garden and not shrink at the approach of Lanthorn and Souldiers the Traytor and the Trainband a midnight-terrour or an open distress To fall when we are in our Spring and be sacrific'd in the pride and strength of nature to submit to flames and Axes and be tormented at every Tirants pleasure to take up our heaviest cross and thus dye for the name of Christ is a temper as Rare as it is Happy the results of an invincible Piety and Faith the highest strength and glory of a Christian And therefore Secondly It is a mighty proof and argument of the Divinity of the Gospel That the Doctrine of the Cross should find so many worshipers and followers That men should at first be converted onely to afflictions and made Regenerate that they might suffer grow in love with their persecutions and rejoyce in nothing more than imitating the example of their Holy Lord. 'T is true we read of some Heathens That brag'd of their Valour and Courage in the midst of their misfortunes that they had acquired a temper of being above storms and could defie lightning and thunder by Lawrels of their own making and though nothing be more noble to Conquer our passions and be armed against the Casualties and Calamities of this World Yet examples in this kind are very rare few or none amongst them have ever done it for even the prowdest Stoicks and they that spoke biggest of themselves and vertue were Cowards to their own Rules and fainted under the flourish of their fine discourses and whatever their seeming bravery might be yet their hopes were vanishing and shallow neither satisfactory to the Soul nor durable in themselves and though some of them are said to have endured death rather than violate or falsifie their word and trust they are to be commended for so doing and it is no error or mistake to say that God might Crown them with more strength than ordinary as well to justifie a good cause as for the encouragement even of moral vertue in this life but yet these instances and whatever else can be produced in this kind are nothing to the List of diviner Heroes in the Church the multitude of victorious Sufferers of every Age and Sex who cannot

possibly be thought owners of such strength of body and mind as to endure the torments to which they were exposed without a secret arm an invisible power and a mighty irresistable grace subduing all before it And if it shall be further urged that even amongst Christians as Sectaries and others if they may be called Christians that are out of the Church there are some so stout that no penalties almost can force them to recant or renounce their errours and return to their wits and duty again we must say first That they are few for the number and much fewer for their worth Secondly That the obstinacy of bad men in a bad cause as it doth not justifie their crimes so neither doth it disparage the piety and virtue of good men in a good for a notorious Malefactour is not less a Criminal for being obstinate and unrelenting and therefore it does not at all disparage or evacuate the power of Gods grace that even wicked and carnal men may seem to have a share sometimes of the same fortitude and courage for hypocrisie is no stranger in the World The best things have their Counterfeits and it is the Devils constant work and choicest master-piece to imitate as much as he can the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit and Transform himself into an Angel of light to delude the World but as no man in his witts will say there is no such thing as Truth because some have writ Fables and Romances so neither can we deny the mighty operations of Gods Holy Spirit in his Church and Servants because there are so many lyars and pretenders to the same Spirit since we have a sure rule left us by which we are to walke our selves and judge of others In a word if it be true That it is the cause alone which makes a Martyr than they who have no other certificate from Heaven but that which is common to Brutes also are not Saints and Conquerours but Cheats and Deceivers and they are Children in grace as well as knowledge that will be thus baffled and trepann'd from their Holy faith by such Tricks and Impostures There is no man living without his Cross in this World one way or other but he that bears it piously and bravely and endures to the end he shall be saved and he that suffers for Righteousness sake is blessed for ever What man is he that would see good dayes in spight of all his Enemies and Oppressors keep thy Soul from evil and thou shall be happy in the midst of thy Troubles and what ever the World may rob thee of yet Heaven is thy portion and its refreshments thy comfort and reward no adversity can deprive thee of that since the more thou art afflicted the greater is thy Crown and therefore no good Christian will murmur or repine at the various methods of Gods providence in this World that thus exerciseth the faith and patience of his Servants that their joyes and his glory may be the greater For what ever the frailty of our natures and the weakness of flesh and blood may be he that sincerely makes God his hope shall not want a deliverance from or Consolation in his distress which they that carnally and Sceptically deride are not worthy to receive which brings me to the next particular The happy fruits the victorious consequences and effects of this spiritual warfare with the rewards and triumphs that attend it in making us more than Conquerours Crowning us with peace strength and joy in the Holy Ghost in this life and eternal glory in the next When God told St. Paul That his grace was sufficient for him he triumphantly declares He could do all things through Christ that strengthened him for having made it his constant exercize and study to have alwayes a conscience void of offence he feared not the face of man but thirsted to behold that of Gods and could with more zeal and pleasure lay down his life than other men could preserve theirs so vast so admirable a change can the Spirit of God make in the soul of man with such glory display his Omnipotence in our weakness His Majesty in our infirmities and make humane misery and distress a Theam and Theatre to display the strength and riches of his power and love Our Blessed Lord could have armed his Apostles with a word to have crush't the Earth to nothing given them legions of Angels to prepare their way and gather Captives or with storms and lightning have blasted the World into submission and Homage and made Kingdoms tremble and bow down before them But he took another course which though not so outwardly pompous or seemingly powerful and prevailing was yet more wonderfully and unexpectedly glorious and successful making weak things to confound the mighty and foolish things to confute the wise and Babes and Children to disarm Caesars and their legions baffle their strength and their Philosophy together and by humility and patience faith and perseverance gain more Triumphs then by Arms and Banners teaching us thereby neither to trust in nor make use of an arm of flesh in His service that His Gospel was not to be propagated by violence and blood force or murder Treason or Compulsion but the nobler Warfare of Obedience and Peace Vindicating also his Providence by bringing good out of evil defeating the malice of his Enemies and the arts of the Devil making good the Truth of his promises in the faith and courage of his Saints and Martyrs that his Holy Spirit was indeed the Comforter the Lord and giver of life both in the Tryal and the exaltation the exercise and establishment of their hopes and graces not onely in supporting and sustaining their infirmities but by inspiring them above all the horrours of Mortality rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name sake An honour greater I may say then that of Angels who live but not by dying are Ministers of his will but not Martyrs for it They stand before the Throne but their voice is not heard from under the Altar they afford not their Maker cause or occasion to display such variety of wonders And therefore for man frail man dust and ashes not to fear death is more wonderful and glorious than to be above it and to expire for Gods Truth more noble than their immortality Wherefore our Holy Lord hath pronounc't a double blessedness to them that suffer for Righteousness sake the honour and the reward of persecution Their Memory shall be sacred and their name precious their sufferings eterniz'd and their very dust immortal and the Kingdom of Heaven being their assured portion they shall at the Resurrection of the just exchange their Purple for a Robe of light and their Crimson dye for a Crown of Glory and shine for ever as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father And truly were it not for this what would the life of a Christian be but a miserable and empty nothing the