Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A51247
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AnÅthekrypta, or, Glorious mysteries wherein the grand proceedings betwixt Christ and the soule ... : is clearly laid open ... / by S.M., minister of the Gospel of God.
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Moore, Samuel, b. 1617.
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1647
(1647)
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Wing M2586; ESTC R9458
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79,159
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237
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behold his last greatest and approaching change and dissolution 'T is a blessed thing to be able to graspe Christ and death in the armes at once at one and the same time and is' t not an everlasting curse to die Christlesse Search the Scriptures and you 'l find it so Finally let the Lord perswade Vse you to bee endeared to Jesus Christ ever set him in your sight looke up to him who looks downe towards you for he 's the Author and finisher of your graces would you know the usefulnesse of such right apprensions of Christ then consider these things sincerelie First 't will increase inward Joy Have you a mind to be merrie be much in this and 't will make you right glad other mirth may end in mourning but this cannot this makes the spirit rejoyce in God its Saviour as she said there are many Joy-makers as friends estates the treasures and pleasures of this life the Scriptures tell you of a joy of harvest and a Joy of heart a Joy of harvest is verie great but this brings joy Isa 9. 3. 65. 14. of heart both great and good a cordiall Joy Precious soules sow precious seed weeping but a precious Christ being the fruit they reap their crop singing some sow in teares weeping mourning sighing roaring wailing after this dearest Lord and Jesus but when they find him themselves are found to reape in joy Righteous ones what though as the Spouse you have gone about Cant. 3. seeking him whom your soules love even earlie and late by night as well as day and have long desir'd societie with him yet have not found him and your selves in him Consider he seekes as well as you ha's lost as well as you besides when hee finds you and you him you 'l hold him fast and so good is he you 'l not let him goe Christ told the Jewes that Abraham rejoyced to see his day did see it and was glad And sensuall worldlings Ioh. 8. 56. what e're you deeme of such a favour it skills not sure I am that a right sight of Christ will make a right-sighted Christian glad at heart nothing do's him so much good as this small things cause laughter in the face when the heart 's a stranger to the Joy but this as 't is the nature of great things will make the heart glad even then when the face of a man and face of times is verie sad the comforts arising hence are meat for Saints to eat which the world knowes not of and now a word to you that would glorie in something what can be your glorie which shall not bee your shame besides the knowledge of Jesus Christ God ha's said The wise man may not glorie in his wisdome neither Isa 9. 23 24. Jer. 9.23 24. the mighty man in his might nor yet the rich man in his riches Why who shall glorie then and in what shall men glorie if not in such desireable things well Jehovah hath said Let him that glorieth glorie in this that he understandeth and knoweth mee that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindnesse Judgement and Righteousnesse on the Earth for in these things I delight God ha's shew'd you what to glorie in gracious spirits 't is in your acquaintance with him when you know and understand him aright see him as he is viz. full of loving-kindnesse Judgement and Righteousnesse one that acts as he is 't is his delight to doe such things Beleevers are you like him by looking upon him are you changed in this respect Marke well what it is you glorie delight and take pleasure in Secondly 't will strengthen patience under the crosse and chastizement for Christ doe you suffer from the hands of unreasonable men and would you be avenged of them as of your enemies looking up to Christ you 'l find he 's not yet aveng'd of his enemies do's God suffer shall not man does the head endure the contradiction of sinners against himselfe and can the members think to be free Is' t not all reason in the world that head and members should bee fellow-sharers in the sufferings of the whole bodie mysticall who dare denie it 't was a sweet saying of a faithfull witnesse to the truth of Jesus who seem'd to faint under his great triall and being offer'd a cup of spirits to sustaine him replied thus My Lord and Master had gall and vinegar given him as if he had been astonied to see himselfe fare better then Christ and indeed experienc'd Christians when you thinke in sufferings you are served ill you should consider sweet Christ was not served so well that will still your murmurings for can you suffer as much as hee ha's done I tell you nay yet farther do's the event or end of things bring cares upon you why James commands you by the Spirit to behold and see the end Iames 5. 11. of the Lord. You may thinke your troubles will end ill have an evill end but God can put a good end to ill beginnings as some things may be sweet to the taste yet bitter in the bellie so other things may be unsavorie in the first concoction which may be better in and by the second though in things naturall or corporall it is not so as Physitians have said CHAP. II. Of right Regeneration FAlne man's rising is graduall first by Grace and next by Glorie by man came the maladie and by man also comes the remedie a fruit lesse first birth may be repair'd by a second by Adam sinne entered and reigned unto death and by Adam grace entered reigning unto life 't is the second Adam that now I meane Grace can make up what nature ha's lost amend what nature hath done amisse First birth's priviledge is nothing Second birth's priviledge is all things all in all referring to felicitie Regeneration antecedes Glorification He that 's borne but once dies twice but he that 's borne twise shall not taste of the second death First-births are an Embleme of the second ther 's a certaine likenesse betwixt them both we 'l give you a hint of the whole thus FIrst naturall births bring sufferings both on the bearer and on that which is born the mother ha's her pangs and thro's and the child 's in straites too till it 's brought from the womb into the world spirituall births bring sufferings also the Spirit that brings forth is a sufferer too as well as doer it being quenched Spirituall Christians you can tell that you have often quenched the holy Spirit even in all its motions strivings and contestations within you Have not you when the Spirit ha's diswaded from evili and perswaded to good neglected its sweetest motions how seldome have you moved with the Spirit against the flesh and for the Lord aske your hearts this question obedient sonnes of God where almost is that man or woman that 's kind to the Spirit gives it good entertainment Ah Lord thy Spirit meets with hardest measure
being All changes are our owne the Lord ha's said he change 's not Mutation by sinne was the maladie but mutation by grace and glorie is the remedie man ha's chang'd for the worse yet man is chang'd for the better that 's the mysterie Man ha's made himselfe mutable yet the immutable God will translate him into an immutable estate of good though the changes of life bee many yet a change by death deprives them of beings He 's best that lives at rest can never alter more Now there remaines such a rest for the people of God Saints have their appointed Doct. time of change We 'l therefore shew you what a change is next the severall sorts of changes and then the use of them even after this manner FIrst to be changed is to have a different manner of being 't is the cessation of a person or thing from being what it once was We 'l now shew you what the changes of this world be then the sundrie kinds of them thus 1. Either such as respect the bodie 2. The soule or Spirit And thirdly such as concern them both joyntly First externall changes Saints whilest in the bodie are children of change nor can their injoyments of life bee found immutable Certainlie the sorrowes of life exceed the pleasures of the living strange are the turnings of things as well as times The turning of riches into povertie Plentie into scarcitie Health into sicknesse Joy into heavinesse shew that all seen good is short liv'd The Lord's arrowes stick fast in some and fester fouly Children of change tell me if you can how soone is a friend-like amitie turn'd into a foe-like enmitie even in these our dayes How doe friends start aside like a broken bow from fidelitie to Treacherie as Ephraim once did Consociation and Communion is now turn'd into Separation and confusion shall I give you the reason 't is the want of immutable unchangeable love Husbands and wives Parents and children Masters and servants are rent in sunder by reason of some different opinions Do's not this speake out strange alterations What do's it more and what do's all this but imbitter the comforts of a former communion Ther 's nothing in this world found long-lasting God ha's added brevitie as well as vacuitie unto all outward things Secondly there 's a change of spirits too God ha's given some other spirits then what they once had The Scripture tells you of a newnesse of Spirit there 's not an annihilation but a mutation in this respect This is to have the hearts frame turn'd into Christ's frame a corrupt mind converted into the mind of Christ Passion turn'd into Patitience Pride into Meeknesse hardnesse into softnesse Loftinesse into lowlinesse Hence the understanding makes right discoveries of Christ and selfe the will inclines unto and closeth with better objects than it was wont to doe Then affections of love to sinne are turn'd into hatred of sinne and nothing is so much belov'd of him as that Christ who suffer'd for sinne If any evill be discover'd he shunnes it if any good he embraces that is right glad of that oh how good is such a change 'T is a comfort to see grosse mettall pure darke aire cleare a dead Lazarus live and be lively But the comfort arising thence is not worthie the name of comfort if compared to that comfort arising hence Thirdly such a change as do's referre to them both joyntly and that 's a change of life a life of nature into a life of grace a life of grace into a life of glorie the first is sweet and good viz. the life of nature but the second is sweeter and better viz. that of grace the third the best and sweetest life of all Viz that of glorie And 't is alwayes God's method with those he 'l save thus to turne nature into Grace and Grace into Glorie and that by one and the same Spirit who workes out nature workes in grace and workes up the gracious unto Glorie Such a change is exceeding good makes exceeding glad But alas who can number the sorrowes of such as shall be translated from under mercies into everlasting miseries from a pleasing earth into a tormenting Hell Lord what a sad and bad change is this and what mortall can abide thy comming oh that naturall men then would become gracious that in fine they may become glorious and let me tell thee who ever thou art such a change as this will sweeten all other thy changes in this world In a word to bee gloriously chang'd is to have a vile body made like unto the glorious bodie of Jesus Christ But first the livelie bodie must be turn'd into lifelesse Elements whereof it is compounded 'T is a change of the bodies materialls and elementarie qualities and this last even this is that blissefull thing our Apostle speakes of this is that glorious Mysterie which merits observation Behold I shew you a Mysterie we shall not all sleep but wee shall all be chang'd Oh renewed soule Remember thou in all thy thoughts and wayes the worth and comfort of this thy last and best change thus thy Autumne is turn'd into a spring thy heavinesse of the night into the Joy of the morning even the morning of the Resurrection Now Vse 1 that that day come not on you as a thiefe in the night mind much these rules following 1. Expect it 2. Rejoyce in it 3. Suffer God to dispose you for it expect it and that on these grounds 1. Life's brevitie 2. Death's certaintie 3. Your owne Necessitie Life's brevitie What is life 't is said in the Scripture's that 't is but a shew and alas what 's Psal 39. 6. that 't is but of a short aspect though made verie glorious by the skill of the Artificer and then 't is shut up though the eye be not satisfied with seeing And elsewhere 't is call'd a shadow which Joh 8 9. if you doe graspe what have you gain'd open your hands and you 'l find 't is nothing James 4. 14. Besides when the Sunne is set or the Medium of its Representation it 's briefly forgotten as a thing whose Idea was never in mind 'T is but a vapour which the wind will soone dissipate scatter and disperse A Post that hastens name what you can that 's of the swiftest wing yet you 'l find lifes speed is greater by which it hasten's out of the living the posting Sunne of worldlie wealth and greatnesse is set in an instant in a moment Wee every day stand with our lives in our hand as David phrases his dayes on earth Life ha's many out-lets but few in-lets There 's many wayes to goe out of the world but onely one way into the world and that passage is verie dangerous too some have beings in the wombe and at last it 's made their tombe they ne'r see the world Others bring to the birth but want strength to bring forth Job may well call 't a flower