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	life_n	soul_n	23,154	5	5.3621	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41600	Instructions for apprentices and servants·	Gother, John, d. 1704.	1699 (1699)	Wing G1329EA; ESTC R223704	19,351	57

whatever other Helps they want of God Only let them Remember to add this Instruction to the former Of daily endeavoring to Practice Patience Humility and Meekness amidst the many Trials and Provocations they meet with in their State They cannot fail of meeting some every Day either from those whom they serve or from their Companions and if under these Trials they would be mindful to Humble themselves to suppress all Impatience to avoid Contentions and receive both the Troubles and Difficulties of their Place as from the Hand of God this Practice of Humility Patience and Self-denial would supply all the want of Prayer and set them on forward in their Way to Heaven above any thing else they can possibly do This I most earnestly recommend to Servants because the great Art of Salvation is for all Christians to practice those Virtues which particularly seem to belong to their State and to Advance towards Heaven in that way in which God seems to call them Now as the Rich are to do this by Hospitality and Alms-giving Church men by being true to the Duties of their Function Parents by the Care of their Estate Children and Family the Afflicted and Sick by submitting to their Trouble and Pain so Servants are to do this by bearing the Burthen of their State by Patiently Humbly and Meekly accepting all the Uneasiness of it so that if they cannot Pray give Alms c. like others they have still a way to Heaven as direct as any others and there can be no Miscarriage but because they will not walk in the way belonging to their State and in which God calls them to him SECT VIII Other Duties of Servants in regard of themselves VVHen Servants have learnt the practice of these Rules their Improvement in the Knowledge of God and in the Sense of Eternity will find them daily more Time for Prayer But especially on Sundays and Holy-days when having some Rest from their usual Labors they will be Careful to take the Advantage of such leisure by turning their Thoughts to God and employing some Time in Prayer and the Business of Eternity This is certainly one Duty of Servants as well as of others to sanctifie the Lord's Day as far as their Circumstances will permit by the Worship of God by Prayer and by carrying on the Work of their Salvation And because neither Prayer nor any part of the great Affair of the Soul can be well perform'd without due Instruction in the Christian Doctrin therefore all those Servants who think in earnest of providing for Eternity make this one Business of Sundays and Holy-days to be well Instructed in the Principles of Christian Doctrin This they do by constantly Reading such Books as are proper for this End and by Hearing those who are willing to teach them And if they cannot Read themselves they desire this Charity of others to Read to them take all Opportunities of hearing Instructions and follow such as are willing to give them The Instruction I here speak of is not to be confin'd to Catechisms but extends to all those Books which teach the Practice of a Christian Life The Difficulties and Temptations and Distractions which Servants as well as others must meet with oblige them to Read and Hear such Books or Instructions that by them their Hearts may be rais'd towards God be quicken'd in his Service and be inspir'd with new Resolutions of Fighting against their own Passions and Sin and carefully avoiding all the Occasions of it Those who are not Constant in thus conversing with Good Books Neglect their own Souls and tho' they are never so well Instructed yet if by Reading they do not Revive what they know their Knowledge is not likely to bring forth much Fruit but will be smother'd by the continual Business Snares and Dissipations of Life so as to be in danger of becoming wholly useless in them Hence it must be reckon'd a Fault in Servants on Sundays and Holy-days to Neglect Reading or Hearing others Read what may be for their Instruction and as for such who at that time Contrive purposely to be out of the way to be Sleeping Conversing or running Abroad rather than be employ'd in the manner as the Day requires and is for their Spiritual Good there needs no other Mark to fear the Worst of them for as those Branches which receive no Nourishment from the Root must certainly Wither and Die so those Christians must be in the way of a Spiritual Death who make it a Custom to deny themselves that Nourishment which is Necessary for the Life of the Soul Those then who are subject to this ill Custom thro' Sloth or Neglect must not wonder if their Ignorance be great if their Passions be violent if they are Strangers to Virtue if they are Fond of what is Idle and Vicious for how can it possibly be otherwise since they are careless in making use of those Means by which Knowledge Strength and Grace is to be Communicated to them SECT IX More Duties of Servants in regard of themselves THere is still another General Duty they owe themselves and that is to be watchful against all Corruption and Sin and more especially against that to which they find their Nature most inclin'd whether it be Swearing Lying Back-biting Quarrelling filthy Speaking unbecoming Familiarities or whatever else it be by which God is Offended For since they know there is no place in Heaven for such Sins these must either be Amended or else they must conclude themselves to live in the Displeasure of God and then how vain is the Hope of coming to the Possession of him This Work is not to be effected but by Labor in which they are never to be tir'd and they who Work so hard for Bread and a Poor Salary are not to wonder if Heaven is to Cost them some Pains But one Principal part in this Work consists in avoiding the Occasions of Evil by declining their Conversation who are the Encouragers or Promoters of what is Sinful in them and if it cannot be wholly declin'd in a Family they are at least so to manage their part as neither to Consent to nor Concurr in any thing that is Offensive to God If any Fellow-Servants are subject to Murmur against those who are over them or against the Absent If any are accustom'd to Contentions if any to Spiteful Whisperings or Malicious Suggestions if any to Immoderate Songs or Discourses the others who are present are not any ways to encourage or approve such Sinful Conversation they are not to shew themselves pleas'd with it but are bound to express their dislike of it either by leaving the Company or condemning their Discourse upon the Spot There can be nothing more necessary for so doing but a Good Will and a Good Resolution for tho' there may be greater difficulty in regard of their Betters yet when all are Equals any one may take that Liberty as to reprove whatever is publickly Sinful in the

Sinful and have a Mark set upon them by the Apostle as things not to be nam'd amongst Christians They are not purposely to use any such Expressions which having a Double Meaning may be taken in an ill Sense for tho' this may be intended only for Mirth yet 't is Jesting with Poyson and may as certainly bring Death to the Soul as if it were design'd to Kill They are not to use with their Companions any such Freedom of Words or Actions which are the Effects of Lightness and Corruption and carry with them the evident danger of Sin and as for all beyond this 't is so notoriously Criminal that it needs no Caution here They are not to carry their Companions into ill Company or such Houses where they are in danger of being drawn into Excess They are not to invite or perswade their Fellow-Servants to such Divertisements Games or Entertainments which are forbid by the Master or may be the Occasion of keeping ill Hours They are not to turn Informers against their Companions except in such Cases where Justice or Charity oblige them to it And if they carry Stories to their Masters push'd on by a Secret Malice or Ill-will against any they in this Offend against Charity and not only injure their Neighbor but do a much greater Injury to their own Souls by making God their Enemy and incurring the Guilt of such a Sin which cannot be forgiven but by making Restitution for whatever wrong they have done This is a Point in which those Servants are very much concern'd who having the Ear of their Master or Mistress are in the daily Occasion of falling into this Sin And the Temptation is so great whether by their own Itch of Talking or by the Hopes of Recommending themselves or by Flattering their indiscreet Curiosity who seem desirous of Hearing all that passes in their Family that if they have not a great Command of themselves and as great Discretion in Distinguishing what is fit to be told and what not they will every Day Offend against Charity and Justice and by these Sins make Void whatever Good they otherwise do in Order to Salvation These Rules ought to be observ'd with Care by all such Servants as desire to satisfie their Duty to God and Man And where there is not this Care it can be no wonder if such Servants fall into remarkable Disorders and are judg'd by all that know them as unfit for a well Disciplin'd Family SECT VII Duties of Servants in regard of themselves Q. THere is one Principal Question yet to come and that is What are the Duties of Servants in Regard of themselves A. One Duty is that of Prayer For this being a Means appointed by God by which Christians are to obtain such Graces and Blessings as they daily want it must be as necessary for Servants as for any other Rank and the Neglect of it can be esteem'd no less than withdrawing themselves from the Protection of Heaven and Robbing their own Souls of those Helps which are necessary for making them Faithful Servants and Good Christians Q. How can they perform this Duty who have so little time to themselves and being generally tir'd are fitter for Sleep than Prayer A. Let them but make the best use of what Time they have and God will certainly accept it as he did the Widows Mite when she had no more to give It cannot be expected they should employ as much Time in Prayer as those who have their Hours at Command But if they make their Business the Excuse of their Sloth and upon this pretext Neglect their Duty to God when if they were more Careful and Industrious they might find Time for performing it they will have God the Judge of their Insincerity and Sloth in his Service to whom it is known however they may hide it from all others All Services are not so hard as to allow no Time for Prayer And if all those Servants who make this their Excuse would Examin themselves and see how much Time they find every Day for Unnecessary Sleeping Curious Gazing Idle Talking c. they might soon discover that 't is not Excess of Business but want of Good-Will is the general Occasion of their not finding Time to Pray And that a little more Resolution with better Management would help them to all the Time that could be necessary for this Duty Leaving therefore these with the Advice of being more Industrious I turn to such who are really so streightn'd in Time that they cannot find Opportunity to Pray And to these I give the following Instructions First That they endeavor to be Constant in saying some short Prayer in the Morning Offering themselves to the Protection of God for the following Day and to be preserv'd from all Sin Secondly That if by any Accident they are hinder'd in this they be careful to supply it by raising up their Hearts to God even when they are at Work and earnestly begging the same Protection of him Thirdly That often in the Day they would turn their Thoughts towards God and Speak to him from their Hearts with this Assurance that if they could say no more than such short Sentences as these Lord have Mercy on me O God be Merciful to me a Sinner Jesus forgive me my Sins O God thy Will be done in me O God desend me from all Evil O God be thou my Comfort and my Strength O God Save my Soul c. such short Prayers said from the Heart might find as good acceptance with God as the longer Devotions of these who have more Time Fourthly That they would Offer up all the Work they do to God Beginning it in his Name and Ending it to his Glory For since all their Labors are to satisfie the Duties of their State and this is what God requires of them they may Offer up to him every Work as done in Compliance with his Will and thus observe S. Paul's Advice in Doing their Service with Good-Will as to the Lord. Fifthly That since God himself enjoin'd Labor on Adam and his Posterity for the Punishment of Sin Gen. 3. 19. they would Submit to all their Labors as to the Execution of this Sentence pronounc'd by God against Sin Sixthly That as often as they find difficulty in any part of their Duty as in Rising in the Morning or in hard Work or in doing such things to which they have a dislike or in complying with Humors or Submitting to Passions c. they would consider it is God s Will it should be so that it is the Punishment God has set upon Sin and upon these Motives of satisfying the Will and Justice of God perswade themselves to a ready Compliance and make Nature bend to that to which it is most averse If these Rules be observ'd no Servant need complain for want of Time to Pray for that by this way all they do will be Prayer and become a proper Means for obtaining the Divine Grace and