Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	grave_n	sin_n	sting_n	4,163	5	11.3993	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45182	Christ mysticall, or, The blessed union of Christ and his members also, An holy rapture, or, A patheticall meditation of the love of Christ : also, The Christian laid forth in his whole disposition and carriage / by J.H. D.D. B.N.	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1647 (1647)	Wing H374; ESTC R16159	67,177	294

are enlightned by his vvisdome justified by his merits sanctified by his grace are yet conflicting vvith manifold temptations and strugling with varieties of miseries and dangers till upon their happy death and glorious resurrection they shall be fully freed by their ever-blessed and victorious Redeemer He therefore vvho by vertue of that heavenly union is made unto us of God Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification is also upon the same ground made unto us our full Redemption Redemption implies a captivity We are naturally under the vvofull bondage of the Law of sin of miseries of death The Law is a cruell exactor for it requires of us vvhat vvee cannot now doe and vvhips us for not doing it for the Law worketh wrath and as many as are of the workes of the Law are under the curse Sinne is a vvorse tyrant then he and takes advantage to exercise his cruelty by the Law For when we were in the flesh the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Upon sinne necessarily follows misery the forerunner of death and death the upshot of all miseries By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned From all these is Christ our Redemption from the Law for Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us From sin for we are dead to sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace From death and therein from all miseries O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thanks be to God which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now then let the Lavv doe his vvorst we are not under the Law but under Grace The case therefore is altered betwixt the Law and us It is not now a cruell Task-master to beat us to and for our vvork it is our School-master to direct and to whip us unto Christ It is not a severe Judge to condemne us it is a friendly guide to set us the vvay towards heaven Let sin joyn his forces together vvith the Law they cannot prevail to our hurt For what the Law could not doe in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his owne Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Let death joyn his forces vvith them both vve are yet safe For the Law of the spirit of life hath freed us from the Law of sin and of death What can vve therefore fear vvhat can vve suffer vvhiles Christ is made our Redemption Finally as thus Christ is made unto us Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification Redemption so whatsoever else he either is or hath or doth by vertue of this blessed union becomes ours he is our riches our strength our glory our salvation our all he is all to us and all is ours in him From these primary and intrinsecal priviledges therefore flow all those secondary and externall vvherewith vve are blessed and therein a right to all the blessings of God both of the right hand and of the left an interesse in all the good things both of earth and heaven Hereupon it is that the glorious Angels of Heaven become our Guardians keeping us in all our ways and vvorking secretly for our good upon all occasions that all Gods creatures are at our service that we have a true spirituall title to them All things are yours saith the Apostle and ye are Christs and Christ Gods But take heed my son of mis-laying thy claime to what and in what manner thou ought'st not There is a civill right that must regulate our propriety to these earthly things our spirituall right neither gives us possession of them nor takes away the right and propriety of others Every man hath and must have what by the just Lawes of purchase gift or inheritance is derived to him otherwise there would follow an infinite confusion in the world we could neither enjoy nor give our owne and onely will and might must be the arbiters of all mens estates which how unequall it would be both reason and experience can sufficiently evince This right is not for the direption or usurpation of that which civill titles have legally put over to others there were no theft no robbery no oppression in the world if any mans goods might be every mans But for the warrantable and comfortable injoying of those earthly commodities in regard of God their originall owner which are by humane convciances justly become ours The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse of it in his right what ever parcells doe lawfully descend unto us we may justly possesse as we have them legally made over to us from the secondary and immediate owners There is a generation of men who have vainly fancied the founding of Temporall dominion in Grace and have upon this mistaking outed the true heyres as intruders and feoffed the just and godly in the possession of wicked inheritors which whether they be worse Commonwealths-men or Christians is to me utterly uncertaine sure I am they are enemies to both whiles on the one side they destroy all civill propriety and commerce and on the other retch the extent of the power of Christianity so far as to render it injurious and destructive both to reason and to the Lawes of all well-ordred humanity Nothing is ours by injury and injustice all things are so ours that we may with a good conscience enjoy them as from the hand of a munificent God when they are rightfully estated upon us by the lawfull convention or bequest of men In this regard it is that a Christian man is the Lord of the whole universe and hath a right to the whole creation of God how can he challenge lesse he is a son and in that an heire and according to the high expression of the holy ghost a co-heir with Christ As therefore we may not be high-minded but fear so we may not be too low-harted in the under-valuing of our condition In God we are great now mean soever in our selves In his right the world is ours what ever pittance we enjoy in our owne how can we goe lesse when we are one with him who is the possessour of heaven and earth It were but a poore comfort to us if by vertue of this union wee could only lay claime to all earthly things alas how vaine and transitory are the best of these perishing under our hand in the very use of them and in the meane while how unsatisfying in the fruition All this were nothing if we

tempting variety he puts his knife to his throat neither dares he feed without fear as knowing who over-looks him Obscenity detraction scurrility are barred from his table neither doe any words sound there that are lesse savoury then the dishes Lastly he so feeds as if he sought for health in those viands and not pleasure as if he did eat to live and rises not more replenished with food then with thankfulnesse In a due season he betakes himself to his rest he presumes not to alter the Ordinance of day and night nor dares confound where distinction is made by his Maker It is not with him as with the brute creatures that have nothing to look after but the meer obedience of nature he doth not therefore lay himself down as the swine in the stye or a dog in a kennell without any further preface to his desired sleep but improves those faculties which he is now closing up to a meet preparation for an holy repose for which purpose he first casts back his eye to the now-expired day and seriously considers how he hath spent it and will be sure to make his reckonings even with his God before he part Then he lifts up his eyes and his heart to that God who hath made the night for man to rest in and recommends himself earnestly to his blessed protection and then closeth his eyes in peace not without a serious meditation of his last rest his bed represents to him his grave his linnen his winding sheet his sleep death the night the many days of darknesse and shortly he so composeth his soul as if he lookt not to wake till the morning of the resurrection After which if he sleep he is thankfully chearfull if he sleep not his reins chasten and instruct him in the night season and if sleep be out of his eyes yet God and his Angels are not Whensoever he awakes in those hands he findes himself and therefore rests sweetly even when he sleeps not His very dreams however vain or troublesome are not to him altogether unprofitable for they serve to bewray not onely his bodily temper but his spirituall weaknesses which his waking resolutions shall endevour to correct He so applies himself to his pillow as a man that meant not to be drowned in sleep but refreshed not limiting his rest by the insatiable lust of a sluggish and drowzie stupidnesse but by the exigence of his health and abilitation to his calling and rises from it not too late with more appetite to his work then to a second slumber chearfully devoting the strength renued by his late rest to the honour and service of the giver His carriage is not strange insolent surly and overly contemptuous but familiarly meek humble courteous as knowing what mold he is made of and not knowing any worse man then himself He hath an hand ready upon every occasion to be helpfull to his neighbour as if he thought himself made to do good He hates to sell his breath to his friend where his advice may be usefull neither is more ambitious of any thing under heaven then of doing good offices It is his happinesse if he can reconcile quarrels and make peace between dissenting friends When he is chosen an Umpire he will be sure to cut even betwixt both parties and commonly displeaseth both that he may wrong neither If he be called forth to Magistracy he puts off all private interests and commands friendship to give place to justice Now he knows no couzens no enemies neither couzens for favour nor enemies for revenge but looks right forward to the cause without squinting aside to the persons No flattery can keep him from brow-beating of vice no fear can work him to discourage vertue Where severity is requisite he hates to enjoy anothers punishment and where mercy may be more prevalent he hates to use severity Power doth not render him imperious and oppressive but rather humbles him in the awfull expectation of his account If he be called to the honour of Gods Embassie to his people he dares not but be faithfull in delivering that sacred Message he cannot now either fear faces or respect persons it is equally odious to him to hide and smother any of Gods counsell and to foist in any of his own to suppresse truth and to adulterate it He speaks not himself but Christ and labours not to tickle the ear but to save souls So doth he goe before his flock as one that means to feed them no lesse by his example then by his doctrine and would condemn himself if he did not live the Gospel as well as preach it He is neither too austere in his retirednesse nor too good-cheap in his sociablenesse but carries so eaven an hand that his discreet affablenesse may be free from contempt and that he may win his people with a loving conversation If any of his charge be mis-carried into an errour of opinion he labours to reclaim him by the spirit of meeknesse so as the mis-guided may reade nothing but love in his zealous conviction if any be drawn into a vicious course of life he fetches him back with a gentle yet powerfull hand by an holy importunity working the offender to a sense of his own danger and to a saving penitence Is he the master of a family he dares not be a Lion in his own house cruelly tyrannizing over his meanest drudge but so moderately exercises his power as knowing himself to be his apprentices fellow-servant He is the mouth of his meiny to God in his daily devotions offering up for them the calves of his lips in his morning and evening sacrifice and the mouth of God unto them in his wholesome instructions and godly admonitions he goes before them in all good examples of piety and holy conversation and so governs as one that hath more then meer bodies committed to his charge Is he the husband of a wife He carries his yoak even not laying too much weight upon the weaker neck His helper argues him the principall and he so knows it that he makes a wise use of his just inequality so remembring himself to be the superiour as that he can be no other then one flesh He maintains therefore his moderate authority with a conjugall love so holding up the right of his sexe that in the mean time he doth not violently clash with the britler vessel As his choice was not made by weight or by the voice or by the hiew of the hide but for pure affection grounded upon vertue so the same regards hold him close to a constant continuance of his chast love which can never yeeld either to change or intermission Is he a father of children he looks upon them as more Gods then his own and governs them accordingly He knows it is onely their worse part which they have received from his loins their diviner half is from the father of lights and is now become the main part of his charge