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	live_v	sin_n	27,888	5	5.5903	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B05969	A golden chain of four links to draw poor souls to their desired habitation or, The four last things briefly discoursed of, viz. Death, which is most certain, judgment, which is most strict, hell, which is most dismal; heaven, which is most delightfull. To which is added wholsome instructions both to young and old, in order to prepare themselves for their latter end, and avoid all sinful allurements, which usually obstructs that great and necessary work of salvation. With some necessary directions to die well, in order to avoid hell, and obtain heaven. / By Mr. J. Stevens.	Stevens, Joseph, fl. 1700.	1700 (1700)	Wing S5497B; ESTC R184642	10,619	16

A Golden Chain OF FOVR LINKS To draw poor Souls to their desired Habitation Or The Four last Things Briefly discoursed of viz. Death which is most Certain Judgement which is most Strict Hell which is most Dismal Heaven which is most Delightfull To which is added Wholsome Instructions both to Young and Old in order to prepare themselves for their Latter End and Avoid all sinful Allurements which usually obstructs that great and necessary Work of Salvation With some Necessary Directions to Die well in order to avoid Hell and obtain Heaven By Mr. Jos Stevens EDINBURGH Printed and Sold by James Watson in Craig's Closs on the North side of the Cross 1700. COnsidering that this Ungratful Age abounds with so much Infidelity Impiety Unbelief as to make some so obstinate as to affirm That the Spirit of Man vanisheth with his breath and that Death is only the end of this Life and not the beginning of another I thought it highly necessary as well as Proper and Convenient in order to awaken the hardened and drowsie Consciences of such to give some lively though brief touches upon the Four last things viz. Death which is most certain Judgment which is most strict Hell which is most dismal Heaven which is most delightfull All which I shall particularly and briefly instance I. Of Death Psalm 89.4 What Man is he that liveth and shall not see Death OUt of the Dust was Man formed and unto the Dust shall Man return It is appointed for all Men once to die Heb. 9.27 Death to the Wicked is the end of all Comfort and the beginning of all Misery but Death to the Godly is a happy discharge freedom from Sin Sorrow and the only inlet to Peace and Happiness the Saints Enjoyments shall be incomparable when the Sinners Torments shall be intolerable when a Sinner dies he carries his bad with him leaves his good behind him But when a Believer dies he leaves all his bad behind him carries his good with him The Sinner goes from Good to Evil the Believer from Evil to Good When a Saint leaves the World his Flesh turns to Dust his Spirit returns to rest When a Sinner leaves the World his Body goes to Worms to be consumed and his Soul to Flames to be tormented When you come into the World you do but live to die again when you go out of the World you do but die to live again He that lives well cannot die ill He that lives without fear shall certainly die wthout hope He that hath no grace in his Life can have no true peace in his Death This King of Terrors Death levelleth the highest Mountains with the lowest Valies the Robes of Princes the Rags of Beggars are both laid up alike in the wardrobe of the Grave which is a bed to rest in but not a Shop to trade in therefore go to your beds as you were going to your Graves and so close your Eyes in one World as you would open them in another remember that God can as easily turn you into Dust as he took you thence to Day is your living day tomorrow may be your dying one In short the Meditation of Death is the only Motive in order for a Preparation thereunto Therefore Christian Soul whosoever thou art consider the shortness of thy Life how uncertain Death is he may come this Hour before the next Thou art not sure when thou goest to bed at Night to take thy rest whether thou shalt ever awake again though never so well if so be thou awake in the Morning whether thou shalt live till Night for Death is the great Messenger of Mortality his coming is certain but when is uncertain There is no resisting of his mighty Power when he comes He sweeps all before him both Rich and poor Old and Young it 's all one to him for when their Glass is run they must stay no longer here but to change this Life for a better or worse according as thou hast spent thy time here whether in doing Good or doing Evil. Therefore dear Soul put not off thy Repentance until another Day for thou art not sure to see an end of this Provide therefore that thy Bed may rather find thee fitted for God than fit thee so order thy Estate and thy Soul in thy Health that when Death comes thou mayst have nothing to do but to die Let not thy Thoughts be how thou shalt live here but how thou shalt live hereafter mind not the vain pleasures of this World which is but momentary but rather pray to God for his Grace without which you can do nothing that you may endure all Hard ships and Crosses here with patience and Comfort and that you may do all the Good that in you lies to the Advancement of his Glory and your Eternal Welfare II Of Judgment MEditate upon Judgment which is most strict We must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ they who have been graceless in their Days will be speechless in this Day they who would not come before his Mercy-Seat shall be forced to come before his Judgment-Seat those that would not believe his promises shall tremble at his Threatnings and indeed it must be very Amazing to see the Earth flaming the Heavens melting the Stars falling the Graves opening the Judgment hastening the Sun and Moon declining and Christ and his Angels coming He that comes to raise the Dead comes also to judge the Dead Oh! this great Day to great Sinners will be a terrible ghastly day when they shall behold Christ coming in the Clouds having the person of a Man but the power of God being crowned with Dignity and guarded with Angels enraged with Anger and enabled with power to bring forth both High and Low Rich and Poor to his Bar where he will judge them not by the whiteness of their Countenance but by the Blackness of their Consciences and though he was guarded to the Cross with a Band of Soldiers yet here he is guarded with a glorious Train of Angels You that make no account of his coming what account will you make at his coming therefore for the Lord's sake meditate upon Judgment for it is the only means to make you Judgment proof O Christian seriously consider this and repent of your Sins before it is too late and break those Bands assunder that leads to utter Destruction for there 's no Repentance after Death for after Death comes Judgment O ye Drunkards Swearers Lyars Whoremongers Covetous and Oppressors of the Poor you that do despite to the Spirit of Grace will not hearken to the many loving Calls invitations of Almighty God by his Spirit Ministry take notice that this Day of God's Wrath will be a Day of Terrors to you which will make your Hearts sink within you your Countenance to change your Joints to be loosed when the Terrors of the Almighty at this time shall

be a Saint among those that are tetrified nor in Heaven a Sinner among those that are glorified The Sea of bitter Damnation shall not be sweetned with the least drop of Compassion Oh Christians will you pity 〈◊〉 Body that is going to the Block and will you not pity a Soul that is going to a Bottomless pit VVhat a sad Visitation is that where the Black Horse of Death goeth befo e and the Red Horse of wrath followe●● after Oh how intollerable must it needs be where one Deat● comes upon the Neck of another A Mans condition in this Life may be honourable and yet his state as to another Life may be damnable It is better to go with poor Lazarus to Heaven then go with rich Dives to Hell Therefore let us strive to go to Heaven by contemplation that we may avoid going to Hell by condemnation Consider further and add Extremity to Eternity and then think of Hell as it truly is Hell indeed for if the Ague of a Year or the Cholick of a Month or the Rack of a day or the burning of an Hour or the Minutes twitch of a Tooth be so unsufferable here what is Millions of Thousands of years nay Eternity of unspeakable Torments in Hell and instead of being abated continually aggravated by infernal Fiends whose Society alone would be hideously frightfu amazing Now what Heart would not bleed to see Men run headlong to these Torments that are thus endless and intolerable Oh that it were allowed to the resolute and desperate Ruffians of ●hese our days that Swear and Curse Drink Rob and Kill ●nd Blaspheme to have but a sight of this Hell how would it Charm their Mouths Moderate their Spirits and astonish their Hearts nay if they could have but the leaft glimpse ●hereof they would rather chuse to be pined to Death ten thousand times over than willfully commit one Sin that would send them thither IV. OF HEAVEN THe Fourth necessary thing is to meditate on Heaven which is most joyful Matth. 25.30 Come ye blessed inherit the Kingdom prepared for you Oh who can reveal the Glorys of Heaven or what tongue can express the everlasting pleasures that's there There 's no Care nor Sorrow nor Toil nor Labour no Vexation to disturb your Quiet There 's all Peace never ceasing peace There 's all the Divine Souls as Angels Saints Prophets Martyrs Seraphims and Cherubims and all the Coelestial Quier breath forth in their Harmonious Voices Eternal Halelujahs Songs of Praises to the All glorious Almighty and Everlasting God blessed for evermore There every righteous Soul that departs hence goes and receives a white Robe and an everlasting Crown of Glory and dwells in that Land of Peace and drinks of the Rivers of pleasures and not for time but for Eternity an Eternity I say that will never have an end there they behold the beauty of the blessed God seated upon a Throne of divine Majesty with his dearly beloved Son our blessed Saviour on his right hand admire the gloriousness thereof there they themselves outshine the Sun in brightness there they continually hear Sounds of harmonious Musick possessing continual Joy and endless Comfort There is Mirth without Sadness Light without Darkness Pleasure without Pain Life without Death Rest without Labour Plenty without Poverty and Gain without Loss VVho would not but work for this Glory with the greatest diligence and wait for it with the greatest patience Oh what Glorys are there in Glory Crowns of Glory Vessels of Glory a VVeight of Glory a Kingdom of Glory Here Christ puts His Grace upon his spouse but there he puts his Glor● upon her In this Life the Believers have some good things but there the best are reserved for thee Heaven is not only a Possession promised but a Possession putchased VVhen our Contemplations are in Heaven then we injoy a Heaven upon Earth Do we delight in good Company VVhat pleasure then shall we enjoy in the Company of Saints and Angels in whom there is nothing but Joy Comfort and delight Do we desire Riches Honour Beauty Pleasure long Life or whatever else can be named to be delectable no place so glorious by Creation nor so beautiful with delectation so Rich in Possession so Comfortable for Habitation not so durable for lasting There are no Estate but inheritance no inheritance but Kingdoms no House but Palaces no Noise but Musick no Robes but Scepters no Garments but Robes no Seats but Thrones no covering for Head but Crowns Rom. 8.17 Tit. 3.7 Heb. 9.15 Mat. 31.34 2 Tim. 4.8 Gal. 4.7 1 Pet. 3.9.10 Mark 10.23.24.25 Rev. 7.3 There we shall see the blessed Face of God who is the Glory of all sights and the sight of all Glory yea our selves shall out-shine the Sun in brightness Mat. 13 34 In short our Joy will there be full and none shall be able to take it from us or lessen it Solomon in all his Glory and Royality to this was but a Spark of light in a Chimney to the Sun in the Firmament Absolom's Beauty to that is but Deformity Samson's strength to that is but infirmity Methusalem's Age to theirs is but Minority yea how little how nothing are the poor and Temporary enjoyments of this Life in comparison to those we shall enjoy in the next 1 Cor. 2.9 Nay Paradise or the Garden of Eden was but a wilderness compared with this and if the Gates be of Pearl and the Streets of Gold what then are the inner Rooms the Presence Chamber of the great Monarch of Heaven and Earth what then may we think of the Maker and Builder thereof who there will be all in all unto us as Meat to taste Beauty to our Eyes perfumes to our Smell Musick to our Ears and what shall I say more but as the Psalmist saith Glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of our God Psal 87.8 Rev. 3.2 3. and 21.10 to the end That which makes Heaven so full of Joy is it is above all Fear and that which makes Hell so full of Horror is that it is below all Hope The Vessels of Grace shall swim in the Ocean of Glory Here all the Earth is nothing for one Man but there one Heaven is enough for all Men. Therefore Sirs live so that the word which hath brought Salvation unto your Souls may bring your Souls to Salvation We must first shine in Grace before we can shine in Glory Be willing to want what God is not willing to give Man is such a Debitor to God that he can never pay his due to God we are so far from paying the utmost farthing that at the most we have not a farthing to pay there is no Man but hath received more good then he deserveth and none more Evil and therefore should be contented tho he enjoy but little good and not discontented though he suffer much evil 1 Tim. 6.8 A Christian is to submit to the Will of God's disposing as well as