Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	hell_n	sin_n	sting_n	5,056	5	11.5139	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01883	The fall of man, or the corruption of nature, proued by the light of our naturall reason Which being the first ground and occasion of our Christian faith and religion, may likewise serue for the first step and degree of the naturall mans conuersion. First preached in a sermon, since enlarged, reduced to the forme of a treatise, and dedicated to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie. By Godfrey Goodman ...	Goodman, Godfrey, 1583-1656.	1616 (1616)	STC 12023; ESTC S103235	311,341	486

their cloysters of recreation were places of burials for their meditation if they found themselues giuen to immoderate ioy their delight was abated with the sight smell of dead bones Thus liuing they were dead their mind was among the dead they conuersed with the dead and thus the meditation of death did prescribe vnto them answerable to a vale of miserie befitting a sinfull state a course of life in mortification and sorrow O death which doest astonish man with thy sight how fearefull is thy blow when wee shall goe and neuer returne or recouer our owne strength Soles occidere redire possunt at nobis nox perpetua dormienda est O death which in this last age of the world wherin sinne and iniquitie doe abound and religion seemes to haue taken vp wings and euery where to bee put to flight and indeede to haue gone vp to heauen from whence she descended yet death stands like a stoute champion to fight in defence of religion death stands at the backe of religion assuring vs that there must bee an end of this sinful state and of these worldly vanities and death is this end assuring vs that there must be a time for the manifestation of Gods iustice and death seemes to summon vs to appeare at his iudgement seat assuring vs that there is another world to succeede and death is the passage to that other world for otherwise in vaine should wee preach the mercie of God together with his promises in vaine should we teach the law of nature the instinct of nature the moral precepts the mysteries of grace the maiestie of God in vaine should wee preach humilitie to sustaine iniuries with patience to forgiue all offences to make restitution for wrongs in vaine should wee perswade men to spend whole nights in watchings fastings and prayers to repent in sackcloth and ashes alas alas these are all vnprofitable lessons to the worldlings let vs therefore leauing the force of Church discipline Ecclesiasticall censures Excommunications c. let vs implore brachium seculare the helpe of the temporall power to restraine sinne Remember thine owne death remember thine owne death if thou wilt not forsake the world the world shall at length forsake thee here is our last refuge to serue at a dead lift for the conuersion of a sinner here is no faith of things inuisible here are no strict rules of mortification here are no precepts which seeme to oppose the practise of mans naturall inclination but consider the state of thine owne body and the degrees of thine age how thou doest daily decline and learne to dye by the daily precedent experience and example of others Filimi memorare nouissima in aeternum non peribis My sonne remember thy last end and thou shalt neuer perish euerlastingly As it serues for a meanes of our conuersion so is it no lesse cause of great ioy and comfort to a well resolued Christian Cupio dissolui esse cum Christo Life is the only hinderance of our coupling with Christ this old house must first bee taken downe before the new building can be erected now death serues as a bridge or a passage to a better life it is a holie relique which first seazed vpon Christs bodie and at length shall befall vs we must dye with him that wee may raigne with him where the head hath already entred the whole bodie must follow But here is our comfort hee that stood in the forefront hath now abated the strength of our aduersarie he that sanctified all other creatures the earth with his blood the ayre purified with his breath the water washt with his washing the fire purged with his spirit in fierie tongues he hath likewise sanctified death it selfe by his owne death Death is now made a safe harbour vnto vs which before was the terrour of nature for as it was truly prophecied of Christ so is it verified in the members of Christ He shall not leaue his soule in hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption Thus is death now become the sole sacrifice of a Christian man a free oblation at Gods altar wherein whole man is bequeathed vnto God wee commit our soules to his safe custodie and keeping wee leaue our bodies to be the dust of his Temple all our goods we dispose as he shall direct vs some by the course of nature which hee himselfe hath appointed some to pious and religious vses which hee himselfe hath commanded some to almes-deedes and charitable beneuolence according to that natural compassionate instinct which God hath imprinted in our hearts and as the present necessitie of these times seemes to require and what is so left wee leaue it not behind vs but it followes vs and ouertakes vs at heauen gates And thus is man become a whole burnt offering vnto God and that by the meanes of his death and therefore we may now securely triumph ouer death O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God who hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. Death is the sole comfort in all my worldly miseries for it seemes to be the vpshot and period of my woe which if I shal once attaine as needs I must attaine then shall I be like the sea faring man who being arriued in the Hauen hath safely escaped the troublesome waues of this turbulent world the assurance and expectation whereof doth inable me with patience and forti●ude For what can befall me Suppose losse of senses losse of limbes losse of substance losse of honour yet one thing remaines I shall dye I shall dye here is my comfort for here is the end of my woe What if the bloodie Tyrant shall sport himselfe in the shedding of my innocent blood what if the great states-man shall pick out some flawes and finde out some nice errors in my estate and thereby vnder the faire shew of concealements shall make me a bootie Sentiat hoc moriar mors vltima linea rerum My life is a pilgrimage the quicker my expedition is I shall sustaine the lesse sorrow Now this contempt of death giues the true Christian man such an excellent spirit such a braue courage and resolution as that indeede he proues the only good souldier thou maiest repose confidence in him for he will neuer reuolt or forsake a iust cause in his attempts thou shalt finde him valiant aboue measure for this resolution of death is his armour of proofe for conquer hee will and conquer he must though with his owne passion fearefull and terrible hee is to his enemies for hee that regards not his owne life is Lord of another mans life Whereas the worldling who hath placed all his happinesse here in the course of this life is indeed a base coward fearefull vnfaithfull performing his seruice onely to the outward shew carrying a heart full of

carries no sensible quantitie in respect of the heauens all the mists that proceede from the earth cannot any way indarken the Sunne but are suddenly dissolued it lies not in mans power to obscure Gods glorie which either will drop downe in mercie or breake foorth in iustice and therfore the greatest sinne in respect of Gods losse may well bee ranckt with the least and the least with the greatest though otherwise not in respect of Gods commaund his anger his punishment But I pray' what sinne could Adam haue committed at that time greater then was the tasting of the forbidden fruite Couetousnesse or oppression could not assault him as hauing the whole world in possession there was no place for enuie or wrath as wanting a competitor there were no publike assemblies to be blowne vp with gun-powder no Princes to bee murthered no factions to bee massacred no Churches to bee made a prey for sacriledge no virgins to bee defloured no places of iustice which might be defiled with briberie no legall proceedings wherein periurie and false information might be admitted no widow or fatherlesse to be subiect of wrong and oppression mans owne knowledge the many blessings receiued together with the fresh memorie and experience of the ●re●tion could not admit of idolatrie and yet according to the condition of those times man was not wanting to his own sinne as farre foorth as hee could he tempted and prouoked God there being but one precept in the breach of that one precept if more had lien in his power more he had attempted in a higher degree but here was the mercie of God only to permit the least for God deales with man as parents doe with young children first to trie with the least that so the first sinne might not at first sight be vnpardonable We must here conceiue that according to the condition of man who consists of body and soule so there was both inward outward corruption In the mindes of our parents there was a great disobedience in the breach of Gods law this disobedience proceeded from a great natural pride in so much that as by the inticing so according to the example of the bad Angels they sinned against God in a very high point of his prerogatiue namely his wisedome ●ritis s●●ut dij sciemes ●●num malum as the Angels desired in generall to possesse the Throne of God so man in this one particular point of his wisedome did aspire to be equall with God and therein to vsurpe his prerogatiue and heere the necessitie did seeme first to bee imposed vpon the wisedome of God that the same wisedome should satisfie for the offence committed against it selfe and therefore Iesus Christ the righteous who was verbum in intellectu sapientia patris hee must interpose himselfe as a Mediatour betweene God and man and bee the propitiatorie sacrifice for this sinne hee must come downe in our flesh and be like vnto vs whereas we attempted to be like vnto him He must breake the veile of the Temple and Ceremonies lay open the secrecies and mysteries of his kingdome and yet bee accounted an vnwise man that so by the foolishnesse of preaching he might correct or con●ound the wisdome and subtiltie of a Serpentine generation Now marke the conformitie of our mindes with our forefathers as the similitude of nature so the similitude of corruption The first sinnes of the minde seeme to be disobedience and pride when we too highly esteem of our selues neglecting and contemning all others whereunto if you please to adde the naturall curiositie of our mindes here is the first step and degree to a second fall a fall into all damnable errors and heresies And for our bodie gluttonie seemes to bee the well-spring of all our carnall and bodily sinnes as a surfeit is for the most part the beginning of all our diseases the most dangerous of all our diseases and whereunto man is most subiect and prone it doth vndoubtedly argue that the first sinne was the sinne of a surfeite and gluttonie the tasting of forbidden fruite Marueile not though our Diuines bee strict in preaching their fasts mortifications for they desire to preuent sin in the roote open warre will not easily preuaile against a State vnlesse it bee diuided in it selfe with parts-taking and factions if the flesh be pliable and obedient to the spirit wee neede not feare any outward assaults and tentations If still the offence seeme little then you may well coniecture Gods wrath and indignation for sin which breakes into vengeance for so small an offence if the punishment seeme ouer large in respect of the crime thou canst not truly iudge of the foulenesse of sinne which is not to be valued according to mans own estimation but as it is an high presumption and contempt of the basest worme against the infinite maiestie of the diuine power yet in truth the punishment seemes not to be so dreadfull and horrid as the case now stands betweene God and man Thankes be to the mediator of this couenant betweene God and man that God and man Christ Iesus for now it serues rather as an occasion of a further blisse and happinesse then as a punishment for sinne Felix culpa quae talem habuit redemptorem The miseries of this life they are such that if they be sanctified with Gods grace seasoned with the hope of a better life to succeede receiued with patience acknowledged with true humblenes of minde I doubt not but in them wee shall finde sufficient comfort and consolation in so much that wee may now safely triumph ouer death it selfe O death where is thy sting O hell where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God who hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. So much for the sinne as it was radically inherent in Adam now how the posteritie of Adam should be liable to the guilt of this sinne together with the manner of propagating this sinne I will speake briefly and so conclude It may bee questioned whether it might stand with Gods iustice to condemne all all the whole kinde all the whole succession the vnborne childe for the sinnes of one And for answere of this question I will extend my speech further that if God for no offence committed should reprobate and torment all his creatures yet could it not be any iniustice in God for how shall the vessell say vnto the potter why madest thou me thus This I speake hauing relation to Gods infinite and vnlimited power but as the c●se now stands assuredly God neuer wrought in his creatures according to the rigour and extent of his iustice for the creation was a worke of mercie heere all things tooke their beginning from mercie being thus created Gods mercie doth ouerflow all his workes Hence it is that mercie sometimes appeares without any taste of iustice as in the free distribution