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	heaven_n	life_n	6,725	5	4.4984	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26276	A sermon preached at Welde-House, in His Excellency the Spanish Ambassador's chapel: on the third Sunday of Advent, December 12. 1686. By the Reverend Father Br. James Ayray, Friar Minor of the Holy Order of St. Francis, chaplain and preacher in ordinary to His Excellency. With allowance and special order of superiors.	Ayray, James.	1686 (1686)	Wing A4297A; ESTC R208687	10,913	32

come So wretched Man is still put off with It is not yet time as soon as I shall have setled my Affairs in the World as soon as my Childern shall be disposed off as soon as I shall purchase this Estate that Office that Imploy as soon as I shall have gained this Law Suit as soon as I shall be at liberty and free from the Cares and Troubles of the World I will then begin to think of serving God and study the Advancement of my own Soul But Quis es tu who are you inconsiderate Creatures that do thus Capitulate with Heaven and imposing measures on your God do lay your vain and fruitless Projects for Eternity 2 Cor. 6.2 Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile Behold now is the time acceptable The future as yet is not and perhaps will have no Being for you but in your own senceless phancy Nay should it ever find an existence it may be incumbered with more and greater obstacles than now you meet with When those imaginary designs are brought to pass which now so powerfully impede your progress in the way of Vertue that working head of yours shall be fit to create new difficulties ten times more intricate and hard Your cares and solitudes your more urgent occasions if you make a right use of them will rather further you in the way to Vertue and what you now falsly deem a hindrance will certainly promote perfection All things do assist and co-operate with the Just omnia co-operantur in bonum iis Rom. 8.28 qui secundum propositum vocati sunt sancti and drawing advantages from all occurrences they providently do lay up a plentiful provision for the future Which is my Third and Last Point PART III. THis future or time to come besides that it doth hold us in suspence uncertain of our end whether good or bad giveth us moreover reason to question whether there shall ever be any time to come for us at all how it may continue and if its like to be favourable or averse The Son of God in the Gospel doth command us still to be upon our guard because we are wholly ignorant not only of the hour that must put a Period to our life but even of the day that is to be witness to our death vigilate quia nescitis diem neque horam Matth. 25.13 And Holy Writ doth suggest unto us one fatal moment which will turn all the delights of this world into bitterness Et in puncto descendant in infernum They whose chiefest study is an idle indulgence of their own slothful ease and who sencelessly content themselves in the injoyment of vain worldly Pleasures do often find themselves grasped with the cold hands of a sudden death when they imagined themselves most secure and in a moment they make a most sorrowful change parting with their darling Earth for the flames of a Hell Fire Job 21.13 Et in puncto descendunt in infernum All the moments of our life are subject to the decisive stroke of Death and every hour may send us a melancholy messenger to Eternity And as in time past every moment might have been our last so in this time to come every particle may be the sad beginning of our misery Wherefore be always watchful and keep your selves always in such a state as may send you to an Eternity that may be happy and not unfortunate let not Death surprize you unprovided lest that very instant you design'd for Vice be the last of your sinful life and the first of your pains The continuance of this future Hereafter is uncertain and should it conduct our gray hairs to the cold Tomb its durance were but a day in respect of Eternity Ps 89. tanquam dies hesterna quae praeteriit Imagine what 's to come by what 's already past and by that dram of life which hitherto you have lived guess at the instability of what 's to come hereafter How stupid then must that Man be whose chiefest design is to frame a wretched Fortune here and exposing himself to a thousand hazzards finds himself with all his projects dash'd in an instant Oh! were it not much better and more secure to labour for an Eternity of Bliss and studying to increase your Fortune lay the foundations of it in a kingdom that will last for ever Holy Job when most of all favoured with Prosperity dreaded the unlucky strokes of Adversity and being ignorant of the event still remain'd prepared for the worst of accidents Job 3.25 timor quem timebam evenit mihi quod verebar accidit A prudent force-sight renders Evils less troublesome and a prepared Will receives Misfortunes with a greater calmness minus jacula feriunt quae praevidentur A Will perfectly resigned kisseth the Rod before it strikes and placeth the disasters of this life in the number of Celestial Favours It is arm'd by Providence against the worst and plainly discovers the hand of God in all its Accidents and intirely relying on Divine Wisdom leaves it self to be conducted by that God whose Eternal Decree was the happiness of his Creatures 1 Tim. 2.1 omnem hominem vult salvum facere If doubts and fears still attend the present state of our Affairs the expectation of our Eternity must needs be anxious none can dive at once into all the parts of his life much less can he know his end I will now suppose you good believe you vertuous and deserving a Celestial Crown for your Duty and Obedience to your God But who knows the disorders that may follow a Will subject to inconstancy and a mind impatient of command may at length spurn at Heaven and contemn the Orders of his Maker Solomon the Son of so great a Father the miracle of Wisdom indowed with a Knowledge from above did lay so glorious beginnings as the World never knew or shall ever be acquainted with strayed at last out of the way began a Sinful Journey and such Crimes he did there imbrace as gave occasion to his lasting Posterity to suspect his final end O Devout Christians Who are you compared with this Prophet and Son of a Prophet Tu quis es O never more presume on your own force Phil. 2.12 but let the Admonition of the Apostle be your guide Cum metu tremore salutem vestram operamini With fear and trembling work your Salvation Do not imitate those persons over confident who promising themselves the Joys of Heaven do day by day remit the works of Pennance and falsely think the extremity of Time sufficient to redress the many disorders of their disturbed Consciences Oh! unhappy Souls you do but vainly imagine your Names register'd in the Book of Life for for all you know the Sentence of an eternal Death is ready to pass upon you Should you now at this very instant leave this Earthly Stage the assurance you have of Heaven would perhaps dwindle to a Nothing and your big hopes be

frustrated with an unexpected and everlasting Death The great Saint Augustin was never so afflicted as when the dubious inquiry of his eternal Inheritance molested his mind and the desire to know how he might stand in the affections of his God was a vexation that did perpetually torment him Eccl. 9.1 Nemo scit an odio dignus vel amore sit The Saints themselves lived in perpetual apprehensions and the continual Alarms they receiv'd about their final Happiness did incessantly disturb their quiet The Wise man doth frame for Mortals a Lesson of Instruction from the labours of the Industrious Ant who laying up in Summer her necessary Provision doth pass the Winter in a greater Plenty The profit of our past Actions is but small Gal. 6.10 if any and if we intend to live for Heaven dum tempus habemus operemur bonum let us work whilst we have time Cast an Eye back and reflect a little on the Answer Saint John made to the Priests and Pharisees in this days Gospel Joh. 1.26 medius vestrum stetit quem vos nescitis there hath stood in the midst of you one whom you know not Consider that God is always present with you and it will be a bridle to curb the irregular motions of your evil Passions and squaring all those Actions you shall then perform to the divine Rule shall adorn them with a Rectitude suitable to their Model I could wish I was able to perswade you that Almighty God is always with you and when ●●y foul Temptation doth sollicite your less-well-regarded heart remember that God doth look upon you and if ever you intend to be wicked be so prudent in your own concerns and for your own sake as following the counsel of that great Light of the Church Saint Augustin Find out some obscure place where you may secretly commit your Crimes unseen by Heaven find out a House of all the Town the least regarded and in the darkest hole of that obscure retreat search diligently into all the Beds and Chairs least your God lie there concealed and if you can be so fortunate as to find a place hid from his all piercing Eyes go there triumphantly commit the worst misdeeds and escape unpunished But wretched Soul if all the Mansion be full of Eyes if God not only be in your Chamber Ps 115.9 but in the very midst of your own Self est in medio tui How dare you presume to do that in his Presence which you would be ashamed the Eyes of Man should see It is not sufficient to abstain from evil Works medius vestrum stetit quem vos nescitis Almighty God is present with you therefore lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris you must have lighted Candles in your Hands and imitateing the prudent Virgins your Lamps must be well stored with Oyles your Designs must be the practice of good Works and laying up a Treasure for Eternity you must endeavour by your Prayers Fasts Almes-Deeds and the Love of God to purchase Paradise Your good Works alone will bear you company and if your Provision be but small you 'll have reason to apprehend an eternal Dearth A wise Traveller provides a Viaticum proportionable to his Journey and we are all bound for the new World and our abode there is to exceed the length of time Let us therefore be Provident and make so good use of the time which now is as we may redeem the time already lost and imploying the whole present to the best advantage we make such large and ample provisions for the time to come as injoying the Fruits of our Labours through the Merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus we may be admitted to Praise and Glorifie him for an Eternity with the Saints in Heaven which God of his infinite Goodness grant us all In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen FINIS