Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	eternal_a	grace_n	sin_n	7,886	5	4.9100	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40495	A Friendly letter to all young men shewing the benefit of a religious and friendly reproof, conversation and admonition, and not only to live good lives themselves but to incourage others to do the same : with a letter to masters of families : to which is added a specimen of the rules and orders of the religious societies, as now practiced in the cities of London and Westminster.		1699 (1699)	Wing F2223A; ESTC R26731	24,637	62

thought the most innocent is To divert and pass away the Time But O consider what a sad thing it is to drive away that Time which flies away too fast Consider that your whole Life if you were sure of its duration is but a short time for to fit and prepare your Soul for an Eternity in which if you should miscarry you are for ever Wretched and Miserable That Word Pastime is a Word of the Devil 's making the Holy Scripture says the direct contrary Redeem the Time Consider the difficulty of the Work you are to do and then you will think the Time but too little You are to become a New Creature throughout changed in every respect from your present vain Conversation Your Immortal Spirit came pure out of God's Hand you have here polluted it by the Vanities of the World which are at Enmity with God you must return it to Him either Innocent which is impossible or wash'd with the Tears of Repentance which Repentance does consist in a Change of your present Course and a Turning to God So that your Will must be first chang'd before you can be accepted of Him You are therefore to be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind to mortifie and subdue all those Lusts and Affections you now so study to please you are to root out that Revenge which you Now think so justifiable upon an Affront and to take up that Meekness which you Now so much contemn for Cowardice in others you are to break off that pursuit which you Now make after Riches and instead of being so careful for the Morrow you are in the sober Use of proper Means to cast all your Care upon God to put your whole Trust and Confidence in his Providence and in all your Undertakings contentedly leave the Issue to Him You are to endeavour the Change of your whole Nature to rejoyce in Tribulation which is Now so grievous to distribute liberally the Wealth you Now hoard up to mortifie and keep under the Flesh you Now pamper to merit by well-doing the Hatred of the World whose Applause you Now so much seek to contemn all those Pleasures in which you Now consume your Time and when you have done all this and a great deal more there is yet a bitter Cup of Repentance behind for all those sinful Thoughts Words and Actions which through Frailty or Wilfulness you have through the Strength of your corrupt Nature been drawn into and also for those Numberless Sins of Omission which so few think of This Work of Repentance is so much the Duty of our Lives that it is the very Condition of our Salvation for by it only is Christ's Redemption apply'd to us that is He has by his Death made our Repentance available for the Pardon of our Sins How inexcusable then are we who thus have by God's Grace the Means put into our Hands of qualifying our selves for the Pardon of our Sins and consequently for Eternal Happiness if we shall fool away that Time in which this great Work must be done and then think to set about it when Time shall be no more when all Means of Reconciling our selves to our offended God shall be removed far from us What Multitudes are there now in Hell who sought for Pastime in their Youth and thought to Repent when they grew Old Wo be to them that are with Child in those days when the Days of Tribulation are come upon them that conceive good Resolutions but the Days of Darkness overtake them before they bring forth any thing Consider this therefore ye that forget God lest he pluck you away and there be none to deliver you If you stop your Ear now to his Call and even This is one of his Calls and are resolved to Enjoy the Pleasures of Sin which are but for a Season a very short Season the Time will come when you will call and cry and then He will not hear but then He will laugh at your Calamity and mock when your Fear cometh Would you then escape the Terrors of that dismal Day that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord the Doom of which shall last to all Eternity Be instant in Prayer to God for his Assistance to work that Change in you which I before-mentioned and then set about it your self with the utmost Diligence lose no Time but Flee for thy Life as the Angel said to LOT and look not behind thee Work out your Salvation to Day while it is called to Day before the Night comes when no Man can work for unless you do beget in your Mind a Love to Heavenly things while you are here and which cannot be done all of a sudden Heaven will not be Heaven to you when you come there You will not you cannot then relish what you have been so unacquainted withall and the contrary to which you have been all along so used to and delighted with Now one of the best Means to do all this is To avoid evil Conversation and to seek for Good for as I said before the Nature of Man requires Conversation and Society And in a Christian State he that will travel alone in the Way to Heaven because it is narrow will often want a hand to lift him out of the Mire of Temptation a Companion to support him in the Storm of Persecution and even a Guide to admonish him to avoid the ruggid and rocky Ways of Imprudent Zeal and to help him out of the Thorny Paths of a Scrupulous and Doubting Conscience to all which a Christian Conversation is the greatest Help in this World Christian Society is like a Bundle of Sticks laid together one kindles another and that First even by Example To see an Injured Christian Meek a Rich one Charitable a Great one Humble a Mean and Ignorant one Obedient and Thankful for Instruction an Infirm and Sickly one Thirsting after Heaven and looking down with Pity on the Vanities of this World a Christian can hardly be in such Company without Edifying his Soul thereby Art thou Dejected through Losses or Disappointments in thy Fortune Lo here another much Poorer than thou yet giving God Thanks for his Bounty to him Art thou Tempted by Lust Lo here another Christian Lustier and Stronger who yet by Mortification and Self-denial by Fasting and Prayer keeps his Soul and Body Pure and the Fit Temple of the Holy Ghost Art thou grovelling in the World and eating the Bread of Carefulness Lo here a Heavenly-minded Christian having nothing and yet possessing all things that can say I know how to abound and to be in want yea I count all things but Dung that I may gain Christ. But though this be a great Benefit of Christian Conversation for our Example thus to see in the same Person the Christian Mixtures of Greatness and Humility of Suffering and Meekness of Poverty and Contentedness of Knowledge and Modesty of Pain and Patience which nothing could unite but that which will make the Lamb

and the young Lion to lie down together yet the Hearing of the Ear in this is yet of more Benefit than the Seeing with the Eye Indeed the silent Arguments of Example work even upon the Natural Man but Discourse edifies more the Christian by Grace for Faith comes by Hearing And therefore in the Second place one Christian kindles another by Consolation Counsel Admonition Instruction and Reproof which though it be every ones Duty to do yet none performs it but the true Christian he who has a greater Love for other Mens Souls than for their Favour or Esteem For want of the Discharge of this one Duty alone How many Thousand well-disposed Persons are utterly lost who cannot of themselves see the Sin that does so easily beset them Witness David who could not see whilst himself was Party and lived near a Year insensibly under the Guilt of Murther and Adultery Certainly Miserable is the Man that has no such Friend and none can be such a Friend but the Christian for he that does not cast the Beam out of his own Eye before he pretends to take the Mote out of his Neighbours his Reproof will be taken for Envy or ill Nature and so will Exasperate rather than Melt But Thirdly this Christian Conversation might be yet more highly improv'd and render'd much more beneficial to our Souls if we would in conversing together so seriously consider the the Graces we want and the Blessings we injoy as by God's Ordinances of Prayer and Praise and the Reading of his Word to bring Christ into our Company to have Him in the midst of us O how happy would that Meeting be and even this we have his sure Word of Promise for then would our Meetings be every Day for the Better to us and we should rejoyce to come often together and even injoy that Communion of Saints which we hope to be of in Heaven A Zeal for God's Glory a Thirst for his Ordinances a tender Love and Pity to the Souls of Men and a Strictness of Life would then insensibly grow upon us so that we should be habitually prepared for all Holy Duties for the Blessed Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper and even for a sudden Departure out of this World if it should please God so to call us hence and might hope to be reckoned of the Number of those of whom the Prophet Malachi speaks saying Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a Book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a Man spareth his own Son that serveth him I know there are those that would count you Troublesome and Busie-bodies to give them Advice or to pretend to concern your selves about their Souls but however let not this discourage you for of those you give Advice to or admonish if but One in Twenty hears you seriously you have no reason to repent the Loss of your Labour in all the rest Nay if even that it self should not happen yet for Religion's sake you should not hold your Peace for Shall Men be Impudent in the Devil's Service and shall we be Ashamed to own God's Is the Great God and our Maker become so inconsiderable in our Esteem that we dare not stand by Him when Men dare stand up for their Vices Is Eternal Salvation so indifferent a thing that we should be unconcerned for it Do we see the Vices of the Age Growing and Spreading and shall not we stand in Opposition to them Therefore since one teaches another Vice let us teach each other Virtue since one guides another to Hell let us help one another forward in the Way to Heaven and as they make one another Prophane let us teach one another Righteousness in all our Conversation and Friendly Societies and let us incourage others to do the same by our Advice and Example that Religion may once more become a general Practice that our Churches may be fuller and the Publick Prayers more frequented by all that are true Members thereof and those that name the Name of Christ may depart from Iniquity For if it be Charity to direct the Blind in his Way or when we see our Neighbour in danger of being Robbed or his House in danger of being Burnt if to run and help him is Charity then certainly it is greater Charity to instruct the Ignorant by shewing them the right way to Salvation And therefore if you see your Christian Brother your Neighbour or Fellow-Servant in danger of being Ruin'd by keeping ill Company or their Souls in danger of Hell-Fire by Prophaning the Lord's-Day by Neglecting his Laws and Forsaking his Commandments to help such by Godly Advice and Admonition is a great Deed of Charity nay it is your Duty too for thus saith the Lord Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy Heart Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him Be not Guilty then of this great Crime upon any Pretence whatsoever But Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the Deceitfulness of Sin knowing that he that converteth a Sinner from the Error of his Ways shall save a Soul from Death and shall cover a multitude of Sins All the Texts almost of the Holy Scripture point to this Duty either by Exhorting or Commanding us to set about this Necessary Work first to lead good Lives our selves and then to incourage others to do the same I do not exhort you to Controversie nor to meddle much with those of another Persuasion for that is the Minister's Work but this is your One thing needful to meddle with those that own the same Church and profess the same Faith and yet act contrary to it in their Lives and Conversations Put these in mind of their Baptismal Vow How they then promised to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and yet do live within the Embraces of them all Ask them How they dare blame others for their Unbelief while they live like Atheists themselves How they dare condemn others for separating from the Church when their own Lives and Conversations are quite contrary to the Holy Doctrines thereof How they dare reproach others for want of Seriousness when they live loose Lives themselves and are so far from Remembring their Creator in the Days of their Youth that they forget Him and his Laws all their Days But intreat them to take the Wise Man's Counsel That they make no tarrying to turn to the Lord and put it not off from day to day Put them in mind of the great Benefit of a Holy Life and early Piety and what a Pleasure it will be when they come to die to look back upon a well-spent Life and be able to say