Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	end_n	good_a	life_n	9,382	5	4.8333	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94058	A sermon preached at a visitation held at Lin in Norfolk, June the 24th anno 1633. Being an admonition to the clergy to remember and keep those severall oaths, promises, and subscriptions, which they solemnly have made at the taking of their degrees, their ordinations, and institutions to their benefices. By William Strode D.D.	Strode, William, 1600 or 1601-1645.	1660 (1660)	Wing S5986; Thomason E1035_8; ESTC R203693	17,644	32

fear of perjury when shame is a lesser Evill then that What violence in the Judge when the clamor of Sin will not let him rest What insnaring of Brethren when their health is mainly intended If every wholsome Ordinance should be straightway rejected for the accidentall Evill which some particulars from thence may gather stop your Ears at the Word fly the Sacrament in the one ye may suck the savour of Death in the other ye may eate your own Damnation Yet as none but a Judas will abhor the bread lest a Divell should enter into him so none but the wicked-minded such a one as may passe pro Confesso Convicto will mutter against this Oath lest it should turn to his poyson He that spites the Gallows though it be the Engin of Death is or would be a Malefactor but this Ordinance is a provision for Life whose direct and proper consequents are the opening of Truth the rooting out of Exemplary sin the Reformation and Peace of sinners and besides the good intended to the party sworn it works also many publick Ends not deer even with the losse of some particular persons Scandall remov'd Justice maintain'd the Church Edified God glorified This policy of the Church being never Thundered down by any plain prohibition of Scripture is strongly buttressed up by its generall precept of Obedience as in the first of Saint Pet. ch. 2. v. 13. Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man even of man for the Lords sake The Magistrate when he crosses not the supream Master doth ever bear his Person Submit your selves to Him therefore as to God even with your souls Let every soul be subject to higher Powers for there is no Power but of God Rom. 13. 1. Though an Oath be vinculum Animae Num. 30. a chain laid on the Soul yet ought it no more to be refus'd than a chain laid on the Body in like case of a suspected crime The Gospell being sent to all Nations govern'd by different Lawes hath prescribed no set form but only Obedience to that which is anywhere established By which implied Warrant each particular Church is authoriz'd to constitute her Nationall Orders but in this Order all Churches consent a great signe that it is very Naturall and further if God's peculiar Policy may bear any sway with your Imitation know that in his judiciall Ordinances over Jewry himselfe did immediately and expressely injoyn this form and in matters both Capitall and lesse Criminall in case of Theft Exod. 22. 11. When goods intrusted mis-carry an Oath of the Lord shall be between them that he hath not put his hands to his Neighbour's goods in case of Adultery Num. 5. 19. If the spirit of jealousie come upon a Man the Priest shall charge the Woman with an Oath in case of Murder Deut. 21. v. 6. When a man is slain all the Elders of the City that is next unto the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the Valley And they shall testifie and say Our hands have not shed this Blood neither have our eyes seen it Be Mercifull O Lord If in the weightiest Matters surreption of Goods desilement of Body spoil of Life an Oath might be exacted and from persons happily unblameable an honest Man a civill Woman a whole City and on slight grounds power of the House or Field jealousie of an ill Husband Vicinity of place and all to satisfie particular losses why not then an Oath with us in lesse matters from scandalous persons on greater suspitions for publick good Would you see the practice of this precept how Gods rule hath been follow'd by the example of Men this form hath been anciently obey'd when the Oath was dangerous to the Person sworn So did Achan answer to Joshuah Michaiah to Ahab Jeremy to Zedekiah all Israel to Esdras so did Peter to the Jewish Councill Stephen to the high Priest Paul to the Captain so did one Neighbour to another as from Solomons supposition you may gather 2 Chro. 6. 22. Yea so should every one confesse his theft only upon generall Cursing without a particular Inquiry Pro. 29. v. 24. Much more his fault being question'd and on the publick behalf and before the Judge and on his Oath Before the Magistrate who sustains Gods Person a meer Interrogatory is little lesse constringent than the Oath added for as the perjur'd man calls God a witnesse to a Lie so the false answerer lies to God's face so that from some persons an answer may be and is well taken without it Neverthelesse God in his wisdome hath abundantly provided against the dull inconsiderance of the vulgar people by prescribing to the Jews and every where by permitting an Oath Good reason for it you ●ave seen you have seen God's Law and the Interpreter thereof the Saints Practice and how far or in what cases Obedience thereto hath been commanded and yielded for proof whereof I have turn'd my Bible in the Church do not you at Home turn yours for Objections lest unhappily the Devill interpret to some he hath don 't already as appears by their cunning malice against the Church in this particular For though the same Oath be practised in Temporall Courts in the Chancery Exchequer Common-Pleas and be there put to the Defendant Witnesse or Jury though the Body else-where be sometimes Rack'd to draw out confession they do not gainsay Onely they grudge against this Rack of the Soul in the Examination of the Church that which onely troubles them is the Power of the Church All Courts of Judicature partake the same reason the same ground of their power for All derive it from Christ Yet because the Church is lesse arm'd with external might to redresse her wrongs they first assay the weaker Fort that when they find the same flaw in a stronger their malignity may grow more confident and successively batter down all Authority But you my Brethren who have sworn to obey your Ordinary in all things lawfull have made this Assertory Oath a part of your Promissory you have taken an Oath that you will take this Oath which you cannot refuse nor disgrace without breaking the other Concerning this and other Injunctions since you have past a promise to God it must be your necessary Care and my next Argument that you keep it Promise to the Lord and keep it This is the Second main Proposition Holy Promises once made must be necessarily kept When thou abstainest from vowing it shall be no sin unto thee Deut. 23. 22. The not-doing may or may not be sin according as the case stands howsoever the not-Vowing shall not be sin for where no Law hath commanded the form of Obligation there the omission can be no transgression Lesse righteous thou mightst have been not more sinful but having once undertaken to shine thou must continue a Star or go out a Snuff after thou hast once betrothed thy Liberty to God a strong Necessity is laid upon thee