Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	great_a	time_n	year_n	7,732	5	4.6212	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64563	The mammon of unrighteousness detected and purified in a sermon preached in the cathedral church of Worcester on Sunday the nineteenth of August, 1688 / by William Lord Bishop of Worcester.	Thomas, William, 1613-1689.	1688 (1688)	Wing T979; ESTC R26294	19,694	45

THE Mammon of Unrighteousness Detected and Purified IN A SERMON Preached in the Cathedral Church OF WORCESTER On Sunday the Nineteenth of August 1688. By the right Reverend Father in God William Lord Bishop of Worcester Aude Hospes contemnere opes te quoque dignum Finge Deo. LONDON Printed for Sampson Evans Bookseller in WORCESTER Imprimatur Decemb. 18. 1688. Hen. Wharton RR. in Christo Patri ac Domino D. Wilhelmo Archiepisc. Cant. à sacris domesticis To the Reader I Had no Design to expose this Sermon to Publick Uiew and Censure in this Critical Age and Climate but being Preach'd in a Languishing Infirmity of Body rendering my Voice not audible to the greatest part of a Venerable ample Congregation I have been sollicited to transmit it to the Press for Expiating the Defailance of Eloquution in the Pulpit that those Religious Advertisements which vanish'd in the Air perish'd in their Birth in the Temple may be retained revived in the Closet that they may by the Divine compassionate Grace conduce to promote a Heavenly Conversation on Earth It hath been required of me as an Equitable Reparation to the Eye the more exact diffusive Test for the disappointment to the Ear. The God of Mercies and Purities grant that it may take deep Impression in the Hearts of those who shall vouchsafe to Read it to excite them effectually to resist the Impulse of Covetous Affections to dread to decline the too little resented yet too much practised plausible Impiety darling Idolatry of Mammon Luke 16. 9. I say unto you make to your selves Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness that when ye fail they may receive you into Everlasting Habitations MY Text is Verbum Diei it is part of the Gospel for this Day it is the Cloze and the Lustre of a Parable the Style of the primitive Eastern Rhetorick for Instruction The Structure of the Parable holds resemblance with that of the Temple of Jerusalem for the Porch the outward and the inward Court. The Introduction is not the Porch of Solomon but of Christ he said to his Disciples in Ver. 1. This Gate of the Temple may truly venerably be called Beautiful The three Parables recorded in the immediate precedent Chapter of the lost Sheep the lost Groat and the prodigal Son were moulded for the Scribes and Pharisees to lance their Bosom Imposthume of Spiritual Pride and Arrogance who in being imaginary Saints became real Miscreants The Parable of the unjust Steward recited in this Chapter is calculated for another Meridian not for the Judaical Synagogue but the Church of Christ. An Advertisement for his select Train his signal Disciples who like Eagles soaring aloft did cast a glance on the Prey below whilst their Professions were raised to heavenly Enjoyments their Affections were somewhat deprest by Earthly Though pure Bullion from the Ore yet not yet entirely refined from the Furnace not without an Alloy of Dross a Mixture of Rubbish To cure this spreading Malady Christ enwraps his Dose in a Parable To unveil the Narration of the Parable Commentators understand the certain Rich man in the first Verse to be Christ verus a true though not merus Homo a mere man in St. Austin's Expression the sole Proprietary the Lord paramount of all the Treasures of the Earth and of Heaven also that illustrious City resplendent with Streets of Gold and Gates of Pearls Theophylact and Euthymius expound the Steward in the first Verse to be a wealthy personage improved in Fortune yet not enfranchised not discharged from his dependance not so properly endowed as intrusted impeacht he is for his Talent misemployed it is a Bill of Wast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Ver. 1. scattering imbezeling his Masters Goods The Accusation is recited but the Accusers concealed Satan who is a smooth Tempter to suggest to solicit Guilt becomes a sharp Orator to charge to aggravate it Every humane Offence calls for in some cases importunes clamors for the divine Judgment The Offenders perhaps last yet not his least Accuser is his own Conscience this secret Whisper is more terrifying than a Clap of Thunder The Accusations are varied yet Christ arraigns examins before he dooms not like Augustus precipitate Sentence without the Traverse without the Method of Indictment against the Inhabitants of Perusium Moriendum they must die It suits not with the Track the Custom of the Israelitish not of the Roman Pagan Justice to condemn any one unheard Christ affords the Person charged in this Parable Liberty to assay to vindicate himself in Ver. 2. Give an account of thy Stewardship of thy Fortune of thy Office thy Knowledge thy Talent whatsoever as some run varieties of Descants on this Note Every Stroke of Affliction every lash of Conscience is a kind of Reckoning betwixt God and Man for each of these God righteously deprives men of those Talents those Enjoyments which they unrighteously manage It is a disconsolate Sentence pronounced in Ver. 2. Thou canst be no longer Steward Some determine this to be executed at the Hour of Death Before the fatal time of Dissolution God may reduce the wealthiest Personages to Penury the greatest Potentates to Impotency the most subtle politick Statists the most accurate Artists to Folly to Infatuation Albertus the great was bereaved of his great Stock of Knowledge three years before he died The Steward sentenced in the Parable was at first dampt and chil'd staggered in Perplexity of Mind he was too nice and delicate to be a Labourer dig he could not he was too haughty and arrogant to be a Petitioner to beg he was ashamed however he is not long destitute of an unholy Clue to wind him out of this Labyrinth He lays an Obligation on his Masters Debtors by his own Transgression ingratiates and depraves himself contrives his Iniquity to be his Support and yet the Lord commended the unjust Steward It sounds a Riddle that he whose Injustice was his Design his Artifice that he who was injuriously bountiful dishonestly liberal should be extolled by that Master whom he had defrauded To dispel this Cloud The Lord commended the Subtilty not the Integrity of this false Steward his Wit not his Grace For the Children of this World are in their Generation wiser than the Children of Light. Ver. 8. It is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more wise but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more wily more crafty serpentine the Serpent devoured the Dove Wisdom not only in the Judgment of S. Austin but of Aristotle also is the Knowledge of divine Perfections Philosophers decipher it to be speculative the Fathers state it to be active It is Sapientia quasi sapida scientia saith Gerson Wisdom is a Savory Science not contemplative but affective not seated in the Brain but in the Heart which is best discern'd by the Pulse of the Hand Prudence is of a lower Size Cunning is of a courser Metal less refined and sublimated They who are addicted devoted to secular Interests may