Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	know_v	life_n	love_v	8,582	5	6.6638	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78006	Christ the Sts advantage both in life and death. A sermon preached at the funerall of Ms Elisabeth Coke, wife to Colonell Tho. Coke of Pebmersh, Esquire. By Thomas Burrough, preacher of the Gospel at Pebmersh in Essex.	Burroughes, Thomas, b. 1611 or 12.	1646 (1646)	Wing B6130; Thomason E1200_3; ESTC R208763	15,668	69

fainting fits Thousands I am confident of imprisoned and plundered Saints can experimentally speake to the truth of this It is but the fulfilling of that promise of him who is Truth it selfe who hath engaged himselfe to be present with his in their greatest streights When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee and thorow the rivers that they shall not overflow thee When thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Isai 43.2 Whither will the childe feare to goe whilest it is in the fathers armes Though I walke thorow the valley of the shadow of death saith David yet will I feare none evill for thou art with me Psal 23.4 CHRIST's presence maketh amends for all Hee is so eminently and transcendently good that what-ever is wanting in the creature is supplyed out of his blessed selfe If food be wanting to his to feed them if clothes to cover and keep them warme yet hee is equivalently good yea better to them then all these or whatsoever else they can stand in need of O stand still then and seriously take notice of the happy estate of a soule reconciled to GOD in CHRIST all outward troubles cannot hinder his joy nor stoppe the entercourse of love betwixt CHRIST and his soule Hee liveth above all troubles His life is hid with CHRIST in GOD Coloss 3. vers 3. Hee liveth where hee loveth his conversation is in heaven Philip. 3. vers 20. All the enemies in the world cannot take away his joy Hee may lose house goods lands friends but still hee hath his portion GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion for even Psal 73. ver 26. All the powers of hell and all the enemies in the world are not able to take away his comfort They may strip him naked of all the comforts of this life yea they may if the LORD permit take away life it selfe but yet they cannot take away CHRIST who is the life of his life and the joy of his soule Here is a true beleevers conquest His jewell his treasure his best and greatest comfort both in life and death cannot be taken away Enemies may separate betwixt the body and the soule but never betwixt the soule and CHRIST USE 3. Thirdly This may discover unto us the desperate folly of those who are sollicitously carefull after the things of this world and in the meane time altogether carelesse concerning that which they ought principally to labour after never truely seeking after communion with GOD in CHRIST Of such wee may justly take up that complaint Yee will not come unto mee that yee might have life John 5. vers 40. They will not come to CHRIST they will not beleeve in him they will not roll themselves upon him for life and salvation They will not kisse the Sonne they will not have CHRIST to reigne over them To such I may say in the words of the holy Spirit Why is there a price put into the hands of fools seeing they have not an heart to it Why doe such lay out their money for that which is not bread Isa 55. ver 2. for that which will not comfort in time of need Why is the blessed free and gratious tender of CHRIST so slenderly esteemed and ungratefully refused This this will prove The condemnation That men love darknesse rather then light John 3. ver 19. How shall this muzzle the mouthes of all impenitent sinners that have lived in these Gospel times who have neglected so great salvation as hath been held forth unto them How unutterably miserable shall the condition of such be When the LORD JESVS shall bee revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not GOD and obey not the Gospel of our LORD JESVS CHRIST 2 Thess 1.7 8. USE 4. Fourthly The Use of this in the last place shall be for exhortation to exhort every one of us that as wee desire to finde any true solid soule-satisfying comfort either in life or death so to labour now to get a title and interest in CHRIST Strive to be found in CHRIST not having any righteousnesse of your owne but that which is through the faith of CHRIST the righteousnesse which is of GOD by faith Philipp 3. ver 9. Endeavour to get strong evidence to your soules that you are Christ's and hee yours Get the love of CHRIST shed abroad in your hearts that your soules may be heated with the reflection of this love Pray that your soules may be arrested with the love of CHRIST with such a love as the Spouse mentioneth Cant. 8. vers 6. A love as strong as death that conquers the greatest giant and mightiest Monarch A zeale for CHRIST as inexorable as the grave that the coales thereof may be fiery coales scorching coals This love will facilitate the greatest difficulties and make the Saints not to love their lives unto death This hath made the holy Martyrs kisse the stake and joyfully embrace the flames This made that blessed Ignatius when hee heard the lions roare that were purposely kept hungry to the end they might more eagerly devour him cry out O that I were with those beasts that are prepared for mee whom I desire should soon make an end of mee but if they should refuse to touch my body as through fear sometimes they have abstained from some of the Saints I would provoke them to fall upon me Others have said Racks strappadoes torments are but a play to us Flames of fire have seemed to them no lesse pleasant then beds of downe Thus have these blessed soules beene warmed yea inflamed with love to CHRIST The heat and strength of this love hath also moved the Saints lying upon their death-beds even as it is reported of the Swanne to sing before their death and to allure their soules as it were to hasten out of their bodies with old Simeon to cry out LORD now let thy servant depart in peace Luke 2. vers 29. And with good Hilarian These seventy yeeres and upwards thou hast served the LORD therefore now goe forth O my soule with joy They know right well that though they die yet the sting is pulled out and death to them is but a passage to a better life Hence it is that they welcome death as that blessed harbinger of their soules eternall happinesse This hath made them look upon the day of death as the day of harvest to the husband-man as the day of deliverance to the prisoner as a day of marriage to the Bride Upon this day have the Saints looked as a day of exultation and triumph over sinne death and hell O death Where is thy sting O grave Where is thy victory 1 Corinth 15. ver 55. It hath made them to long to be dissolved and to bee with CHRIST which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 farre farre the better Philip. 1.23 As a Reverend Divine that I have read of who the day before hee died called earnestly for the Bible saying Come oh come death approacheth let us gather some flowers to comfort this houre Another Oh what an happy change shall I make from night to day from death to life from a troublesome world to an heavenly rest Thus have many blessed Saints even longed for death and rejoyced at the very approaching of it which they could never have done had they not assuredly knowne that they should be exceeding gainers by their change had they not confidently beleeved that when these earthly tabernacles should be dissolved they should have a building of GOD not made with hands c. Oh how doth it concern us especially in these cloudy dayes to strive for interest in CHRIST Therefore as ever you desire to finde any comfort in these sad times especially at the hour of death when all other comforts shall take their leave so labour to get a tirle and interest in CHRIST that with Paul you may be able to say CHRIST is to mee both in life and death advantage NOw concerning this Gentle-woman whose death we have all cause to lament being one who was in an especiall manner instrumentall to the glory of GOD. Although I have ever hated flattery yet where I finde much of GOD I desire to speak something to his glory Many things worthy of imitation have I being much conversant with her observed in her A briefe account of some of them I shall in a word or two hint unto you First Shee was very conscientious in observing the Lords day Secondly Shee was principally carefull over the soules of her children and servants in her husbands absence A lively character of a truely vertuous wife When should the Moon shine bright but in the absence of the Sun Thirdly The cause of GOD and the welfare of his people were most deer unto her In a word Such was her demeanor in her whole conversation that I could easily be eloquent in speaking of her but I must set bounds to my selfe God hath taken her from us I must speake no more to her neither shall I for the present speak any more of her But oh that what I have or deservedly might have spoken of her might provoke others to emulation that you would strive to walk in her pathes that you might hereafter partake of her Crown I shall conclude in the words of the Apostle in the same Epistle wherein I began Phil. 4.8 Finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise think on these things FINIS

I am confident I may speak of her in the Psalmists words Shee did desire to preferre it before her chiefest joy Shee had learned how to sacrifice her deerest delights to the good of the publick Witnesse her willing not onely yeelding you up unto but also her earnest perswading you to accept of that call from God to serve your Countrey and Kingdome in that publick military imployment which the unanimous consent of the well-affected had cast upon you often professing that in this cause shee could as freely trust God with you in a showre of bullets as of raine being fully perswaded that the Lord could as easily protect you in the one as in the other Shee was a woman of a publick spirit truely sympathizing with the miseries of these sad times never thinking it was or could be well with her selfe or hers whilest it was so ill with the deer Saints and people of God both in the greatest part of our owne Kingdome and in many places elsewhere And as shee was exemplary in her life so was shee consolatory in her sicknesse and death With what a contented and thankfull frame of spirit shee did bear this her last visitation as her constant demeanour in generall did evidently declare so in particular I may instance in those last expressions which according to my best intelligence shee breathed out not long before her last breath when one of them that watched with her laying her eare to hearken what shee spake heard these words once and againe uttered What shall I render to the Lord for all his mercies What shall I render to the Lord for all his mercies Sir I could easily herein enlarge my selfe without exceeding the bounds of truth or intrenching upon the borders of flatterie both which I abhorre But I conceive it very unseemly to prefix a long Epistle before a short Sermon Therefore I shall humbly crave liberty to cease writing to you engaging my selfe upon all occasions not to omit praying for you That the Lord would please to sanctifie this your great losse to your abundant spirituall advantage This is and shall be the earnest request at the Throne of Grace of him who cordiallly subscribeth himselfe Sir Your Worships reall friend and servant for the good of your soul THO. BURROUGH CHRIST THE S t s ADVANTAGE both IN LIFE AND DEATH WEe are met to solemnize the memoriall of our dear friend that vertuous Gentlewoman the Lord hath lately taken from us desiring to improve our best indeavours to make some spirituall advantage of this our great losse If ever there was a time when that sad complaint of the Prophet Isaiah might be taken up viz. The righteous are taken away from the evill to come Isa 57.1 't is surely now If ever the surviving Saints might fear that their dear deceased Christian friends were taken away from future evils then surely may we now in these sad times May we not fear there is still a storm approaching when the Lord houseth his friends And that a night of trouble and perplexity draweth nigh when the great God as I may with reverence so speak dispatcheth his children to bed and thus layeth his beloved ones to sleep Providence hath chosen my Text for mee and I have willingly submitted to it When it pleased the Lord to take away this our deare friend I may truely say my wonned sleep that night immediately ensusuing departed from mine eyes and in the silent time of the night did my phantasie continually present her speaking unto me with her accustomed lively voyce Christ is to mee gain both in life and death whereupon I resolved for this time and occasion to fix my thoughts upon that portion of Scripture to which I shall now crave your attention as it is upon record The TEXT PHILIP 1.21 For to mee to live is Christ and to die is gain Or as the Geneva Translation readeth it Christ is to mee both in life and death advantage THe Apostle Paul when hee wrote this Epistle was prisoner at Rome which the Philippians understanding having formerly received the Gospel by his ministery send Epaphroditus their minister to visit him and by Epaphroditus send reliefe to his necessities Whereupon Paul taketh occasion to write this Epistle to them In the beginning whereof after his salutations he giveth thanks to God in the behalfe of the Philippians for their communion and fellowship in the Gospel confirming them with an assured confidence that the same God who had begun that good work in them would also perfect it unto the end And to this purpose he prayeth for them that they might increase daily in the knowledge of God and abound in the fruits of righteousnesse But fearing lest his present bonds and imprisonments might be an occasion of discouragement to any of them hee tels them that the cause of his imprisonment was well known both in Nero's Palace and to the Citizens of Rome yea his sufferings had been so farre from hindering that they had helped much towards the progresse of the Gospel for many through his bonds had searched more into the cause of his sufferings and were grown more bold and confident in the profession of the Gospel And although there were some that preacht Christ out of envie and contention supposing to add affliction to his bonds yet hee therein rejoyced How these thought to adde affliction to his bonds Expositors doe not absolutely resolve us Some think that they did adulterate and corrupt the Doctrine of the Gospel mixing it with divers erroneous tenents such as they conceived might render Paul more odious in the eyes of authority and so they thought to adde affliction to his bonds Others are of opinion that they observing what high place and esteem Paul had in the hearts and affections of the godly by preaching Christ they resolved that they would also preach Christ thinking thereby to eclipse and obscure his fame But what-ever was their intent in Paul wee have a pattern of a truely Heroick and heavenly spirit Hee was willing to be debased that Christ might thereby be exalted Christ is preached saith hee and therein I rejoyce v. 20. Knowing that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to my earncst expectation an expectation with lifting up the head or stretching out the neck as one that looketh for the coming of some speciall friend whose company he much delighteth in so much the word importeth Such an earnest expectation and assured hope had Paul that Christ should be magnified by him either by life or death And upon this perswasion hee findeth it difficult to determine whether to make choice of life or death His life and abode was better for the Philippians but for himselfe it was far better to be dissolved and to be with Christ If I live saith hee I have devoted my life to Christ if I die I am fully perswaded that Christ shall be magnified by my death Therefore Whether I live or die Christ shall be to mee advantage The

CHRIST THE S t s ADVANTAGE both IN LIFE AND DEATH A SERMON Preached at the Funerall of Ms ELISABETH COKE Wife to Colonell THO. COKE of Pebmersh Esquire By Thomas Burrough Preacher of the Gospel at Pebmersh in Essex PHILIP 3.7 But what things were gain to me these I accounted losse for Christ LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for John Bellamy at the 3. golden Lions in Cornhill 1646. MAY 2. 1646. Imprimatur JOSEPH CARYL To the Worshipfull my truely Honoured good friend Colonell Thomas Coke Esquire one of his Majesties Justices of Peace and Quorum for the County of Essex Sir HOw justly I shall incur the censure of indiscretion in giving consent to have these raw and indigested Meditations especially in these knowing times to passe the Presse I cannot but easily conjecture This by way of excuse I can truely say my conscience bearing mee witnesse I intended nothing lesse neither desired any thing more then that they might have been so buried in the hearts of the Congregation to whom they were preached that the sound of them might never have been farther heard But importunity of friends for the printing of this poor plaine unworthy Sermon hath not onely besieged mee but also gained so farre upon mee that I can keep possession of it no longer And being enforced to yeeld it up I knew not into whose hands to resigne it rather then into yours of whose favourable acceptance of my poore weak labours in the Ministery I have had so much experience Your clemency hath emboldened me not onely to present it to you but also to send it abroad in that plain posture and homely Dresse wherein it was delivered without alteration or addition Sufficient to procure from you for it the best welcome and most cordiall entertainment that can be desired is the very mentioning of the occasion and sending it with this bare Inscription A Sermon preached at the Funerall of your Dear Loving and Welbeloved Wife I have read a Spanish Proverb He that wipeth the childs nose kisseth the mothers cheeke Sure I am he that doth but mention the name of your dear Wife though hee renew your griefe yet in your apprehension hee reviveth your heart For upon my knowledge you account your tears shed for her sweet refreshment and those solitary places and times seem to you most delightsome where and when being alone you may as David once at Ziklag weep till you can weep no more 1 Sam. 30.4 I desire that you may imitate David also in the ensuing clause But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God ver 6. Sir You know right well that whatever comforts wee lose in the creature they are eminently and transcendently to be found in the blessed Creatour But the difficultie is in applying these things home to our selves when the Lord calleth us forth to triall I remember what the Comoedian saith Facilè cum valemus consilium damus aegroto I know it is farre easier in these cases to tell others what they ought to doe then to practise it our selves Sir I desire to sympathize with you in your griefe as the Lord hath made mee in some measure a sufferer with you in your losse You have lost shall I use that improper word a pious loving Wife and I and mine a cordiall faithfull friend Let mee ingenuously professe that theserious thoughts how the Lord hath now deprived mee of any other way or means to testifie my thankfull respects towards her was not the least motive that overpowred my spirit to displease my selfe for the pleasuring of others in the printing of this ensuing Sermon Truely Sir so many have been the favours that I and mine have received from you and so reall are the engagements wherein I stood bound unto you and your dear Consort that I shall far rather chuse to be accounted guilty of folly by others in coming into print then of the least suspicion of ingratitude from you you know that censure that is deservedly past upon unthankfulnesse Si ingratum dixeris omnia dineris It was your selfe together with your deare Yoake-fellow your second selfe who were the chiefe if not the onely instruments of bringing mee into this place When through feare of cruell enemies I was constrained to forsake an house that in some regards I might then call mine and to fly for refuge to the great and famous City of our Land you were pleased from thence to bring mee to your own house and to make your house mine for my use and your home a home both to my self and my family which you did for severall weeks not suffering us to depart thence untill you had provided a convenient house for us and furnished us with those necessary accommodations which by reason of our flight we were at that time most destitue of In which place through the good hand of God I have continued almost three yeers compleat enjoying much sweet and heavenly society with your selfe and your dearest deceased friend whom the Lord to our great griefe though her eternall gain hath now pleased to take from us whose zeale to God inflamed her heart with an ardent love to those that feared God The Saints were of all upon earth the onely excellent ones in her eye and in their communion shee placed much delight How conversant shee was in reading the works of godly learned men to omit divers others I shall instance onely in those choice passages which in reading some of the Labours of that worthily renowned and truly reverend Author Doctor Freston shee had selected for her owne private use With what an earnest desire of treasuring up spirituall knowledge shee read the blessed word of God who-ever shall peruse her Bible will easily perceive Great was her care and no lesse her industry concerning the education of those sweet children the Lord was pleased to bestow upon you 't was her desire to train them up in religion learning and manners To this end her daily practice was upon all occasions to sharpen instructions to them according as their young and tender yeeres were capable even as Bathshebah used to instruct her son Solomon and Eunice taught her son Timothie the holy Scriptures from a childe Sir The remembrance of these and many other sweet gracious properties wherewith shee was endowed although it might deservedly yeeld you much comford in this your disconsolate estate and condition and I know in many regards it doth yet I have often heard you speak of these and such like as aggravations of your griefe to consider how many comforts you have lost in one It cannot be denyed but your losse is exceeding great in the death of such a Wife and your childrens in such a Mother But let mee yet tell you seriously The losse in her is not onely though most principally and especially yours but the people of God in generall may justly claime a part in it So affectionately desirous was shee of the welfare of the Israel of God that