Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A49502
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Death the sweetest sleep, or, a sermon preach't on the funeral of Mr. William Hiett, late citizen of London by Tho. Lye ...
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Lye, Thomas, 1621-1684.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing L3531; ESTC R5710
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14,347
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36
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Observation of Jerom an Antient Father and the Resolution of the 3d. Christus non ploravit Lazarum mortuum sed ad hujus vitae arumnas ploravit resuscitandum Toletan Council concerning Christs weeping over Lazarus Joh. 11.35 That it was not so much becaus he was dead as becaus he was to be raised up again to feel the burthens and afflictions of this Life Gods Jonahs find this Life to be a stormy passage A tempestuous Sea-Voiage wherein they meet with many Whales many Leviathans Death sets them safe on shore puts them into safe harbour whilst here the Archers sorely griev Gods Saints shoot at them hate them draw out their Swords after them strong Bulls of Bashan beset them round the Plowers plow upon their backs they make long their furrows But there the weary is at rest Job 3.17 There the wicked cease from troubling No need now to fear A Gardners Prison Bonners Stocks or Cole-house nor a flaming Smithfield Lucius to Urbicius I thank you with all my heart that by death will free me from wicked Governours Here Gods Peter's no more dread the Cross nor Paul's the Ax nor James's the Sword nor Gods Elijah's a cursed-painted Jezabels bloody threats In A Word the whol Army of Gods Noble Martyrs are here past all fear of halters Cyprian God be blessed for this Goal delivery racks wheels stakes gibbets the most exquisite Torments that either PAPISTS or DIVELS can invent or are ready to inflict 3. From Passions and inward perturbations griefs Anxietys Here in this Life Babylas Now will God wipe away all Tears the Believers pulse beats slow and faint his heart pants his eies moisten'd and his cheeks blubber'd with tears you may read the Anguish of his Soul in his Countenance But in Death every tear dried up in the eye wiped off the cheek All sorrow and sighing flown away Rev. 21.4 The Saints Baca is turned into A Berachah sighing into singing misery into mercy 4. Pic. Mirand Death is welcom not so much as an end of Troubl as of sin From sins iniquities corruptions Whilst here the poor sin-pester'd Saint cries out of the Law in his Members warring against the Law of his mind against the body of sin and death You may hear his out-cry as of a person on a Rack Rom. 7.23 24 But now he that is dead is freed from sin Ro. 6.7 1 Pet. 4.1 Not the least spot or wrinkle left in his Soul Eph. 5.27 Not one Agag spared alive Every Egyptian not sprawling but stark-dead upon the shore The end of a Saints Living is the Non ultra of a Saints sinning With this that good Martyr held up his head when he encouraged his fellow with telling him that my Lord of London he meant that BLOODY Butcher Bonner was sending of them there where they should sin no more 5. From Temptations assaults trialls combates Satans winnowing c. Not an Adam no not in the Paradice of the Church but hath an Eve in his bosom Chast Joseph attaqu'd by a Potiphars-Wife A Messenger now and then from the lowest pit to buffet us 2 Cor. 12.7 A damp arising from Satans deepest Mine to choak us Anakims To Wound Daughters of Heth to Troubl Daughters of Midian to Allure us Snares Ginns Traps Limetwiggs 1 Pet. 5.8 Satan going about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour This world is the poor Saints Gymnasium Arena Wrestling place And Tho' It be the Saints Honour at length to Conquer yet It is and cannot but be the Saints Troubl thorn pain so long to Conflict But now Death puts the Saints into so peaceabl an Estate as that he is not only without foil but fighting Not only the Accuser but the Tempter of the Brethren is cast out Rev. 12.10 Thus we see The Paralel betwixt sleep and death with Respect to Rest Let us see next how they suite in 2. Resurrection or Awaking Natural Sleep is not perpetual We sleep and awake again Believers tho' they sleep they shall arise again as men awaken'd out of sleep This is expressed in the Words immediately following our Text. Our Friend Lazarus sleepeth but I go to awaken him out of sleep i. e. to rais him from the dead The Apostle Paul is much upon this Metaphor see 1 Cor. 15.18 20 51 52. Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Job 19.26 27. Although after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God c. Death may yea shall prevail over the whol outward Man Death spends both skin and reins swallows up both flesh and bones And yet for all this this Total Consumption of the Body of Man is no impediment no barr in the way of Faith to stop us from a firm Belief of our Resurrection As Death shall triumph over Jobs Body so Jobs Faith triumphs over Death He that believes in Christ yea tho he were dead tho' totally corcupted and consumed yet shall he live again John 11.25 I have done with the proof of our Point the Improvement follows Use 1. Of INFORMATION Is Natural Death a sleep and no more hence 't is easy To inferr not only the Truth of that great Articl of our Faith the Resurrection of the Body but the facility and easiness of Accomplishing it After Natural sleep men use to awake again So after Death the Bodies of men shall be awaked i. e. rais'd up out of their Graves to life at the last day And 'T is most just that those Bodies which hav been the Souls Copartners in doing good or evil should therefore participate in the reward and punishment which cannot be done without a Resurrection But the white I aim at here is the facility of the Accomplishing it How easily is a living man awaked out of a shallow slumber or deep sleep Much more easy with God by his Almighty power and voice To revive and rais the dead at the last day 1 Thes 4.15 16 17. Use 2. Of TERROUR to and mourning over unregenerate unbelieving impenitent ones living and dying in their sins and lusts Poor wretched Creatures 'T is Tru you must dy certainly and you may dy speedily but Know that your Death is but A sleep You must wake again and when you wake you will awake dead-sick Those Bodys of yours must hereafter be awaked and rais'd out of your Graves at the last day and united again To the Soul that both Souls and Bodies may be cast together into Hell Torments for ever Joh. 5.27 28. Mat. 25.33 Oh how well were it for such if their Souls and Bodies might utterly perish and be abolished by Death as the Bodies and Souls of Brute Beasts How happy is A dead Lion abov An ever-living-or-rather-an ever-dying damned-unbelieving Caitif Use 3. OF SUPPORT AND CONSOLATION TO SOUND Believers Precious Souls 1. You complain of sad and unpleasant lives of dark and gloomy daies of black and restless nights Cheer up
hearts and yet distemperd heats of the shallow Professors of this divided Age. We hav dispatcht the Subject proceed we to Secondly The PREDICATE of our Saviours Assertion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dormit i. e. mortuus est SLEEPETH i. e. is dead The Apostl makes use of that which we call an Euphemismus By a soft expression hinting that which is of a more harsh signification So to depart hence is To Die The Syriack Version renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jacet cubat decumbit is Laid down to sleep to rest himself on a bed of Earth on a pillow of Dust So the word is used 2 Sam. 7.12 Isa 14.8 and interpreted by the Septuagint But our Lords own Mouth is his Best Commentary What he Here calls Sleep ver 13.14 he most expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. most plainly without a Metaphor calls Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is dead From hence we gather This Note That Obs A Tru Believers Death is a Sleep A sweet a Blessed Sleep Not a Natural sleep such as that Mat. 28.13 is Luk. 22.45 Act. 12.6 of this the Discipls misunderstood the words of Christ ver 12 13. of this Chapter But a Metaphorical sleep Our sleep here is but a shorter Death and our Temporal Death but as a longer sleep None can Know the Estate of Life or Death so well as our Blessed Saviour who is Lord of Both. It is enough that he tells us that Death is no other than Sleep Quest But What is That that is said to sleep in Death Sol. 1. Negatively ' Not the Soul after its departure from the Body No The Bodies of men indeed Gen. 3.19 Almondo a Via My body dies my spirit livs The day of death to the body is the birth of Eternity to the Soul after Death return to the dust and see corruption Act. 13.36 But their Souls having an immortal subsistence and vivacity neither die nor sleep but immediatly return to God that gave them Eccl. 12.7 The Souls of Believers ar at their Death made perfect in holiness the spirits of just men ar then made perfect Heb. 12.23 and do immediatly pass into glory So our Blessed Saviour assures the penitent Thief that that very day he i. e. his Soul should be with him in Paradise Luk. 23.43 and Paul Knows that as soon as ever his Soul departs out of his body it will be with Christ Phil. 1.23 and that when this our earthly house of this Tabernacle is dissolved the Soul hath a building of God an house not made with hands Eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1.6.8 That as soon as we ar absent from the Body we ar present with the Lord. Not the Soul then but 2. Positivly The (a) Mat. 27.52 Body that and that only is said to sleep This Metaphor of sleep applied to Death is taken from the Body only Now the great Resemblance between a Believers (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plat. Death and Sleep appears in four Things 1. From those many Synonymical Texts that do all with one Mouth Eccho to this Truth David slept with his Fathers 1 Kin. 2.10 Solomon 1 Kin. 11.43 Asa Jehoshaphat Hezekiah 'T is Pauls usual Idiom to call death sleep 1 Cor. 7.39 and 11.30 and 15.6.18.20.51 a sleep in Jesus 1 Thes 4.13 14 15. Since the Fathers fell asleep 2 Pet. 3.4 the sleep of death Psal 13.3 Thus the Protomartyr Stephen his Death is exprest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 7.60 He fell asleep 2. From those Terms that are given to the Saints Graves They are call'd their Beds They shall rest in their Beds Isa 57.1 2. When a Believers Work is done all he hath to do is to go to Bed and take his rest on his Bed not of down but dust Hence the places of the Saints Burial both in Greek Latin French 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dormitoria Cemitieres i. e. sleeping places As in Dutch Gods-acre becaus bodies ar only sown there to be rais'd again which the Heb. express with a greater Faith by calling the Grave Beth-chaim the house of the Living 3. From that which is Contrary to Death viz. Resurrection It is call'd An Awaking When I awake with thy Likeness Psal 17.15 Many that sleep in the Dust shall Awake Dan. 12.2 To allude only to that Isa 26 19 20. Awake and sing ye that dwell in the Dust 4. From that notable Parallel that most clearly runs betwixt Sleep and Death which say judicious Divines appears principally in two things Rest and Resurrection 1. Rest Sleep argues Rest at least it tends to it and disposes for it They shall rest in their (a) Ut somnus mortis sic lectus imago sepulchri Beds Isa 57.2 Sleep on now and take your Rest Mat. 26.45 When A Believer dies he goes to his Rest to a sweet repose in his Bed of Earth Warm'd and Perfum'd for him by the precious Body of his Lord and Saviour A fivefold Rest from Labour Troubl Passions Sins Temptations 1. From Labour This Life is the day of the Saints Labour and Working his Death is the Night of his Resting The Sun ariseth and Man goeth forth To his Labour till the Evening Ps 104.23 When the Sun of A Believers Life ariseth he goes forth to his Labour till the Evening of Death Till Evening but no longer for then he shall rest from his Labours Rev. 14.13 A Christian here is like quick-silver Vidus Bressius If Gods Spirit say Tru I shall strait rest from my Labours my Soul is even taking VVing to fly to her resting place which hath in its self a principl of motion but not of rest is never quiet His Life is a continued motion his Death a continued Rest Here as a Ball upon the Racket as a Ship on the Waves a Strong man in his Race Death brings him To his Goal to his Port of Rest This life is but nois and tumult Death is silence 2. Troubls sufferings oppressions and these either publique or private I. Publique The Lord foresees a storm of Blood and Wrath to com in mercy he houseth A Believer before the Storm falls As the Egyptians hous'd their Cattle and Servants before that dreadful thunder Exod. 9.20 Isa 57.1 and hail came Merciful men are taken away from the Evil to com This the Lord is pleas'd To promise as A gracious Answer and Return To Josiahs praiers tears Humiliation reformation viz. that he should be gathered to his Grave in peace and that his eies should not see all the evil which God would bring upon Jerusalem 2 Chron. 34.27 28. II. Private and Personal Man is born to Troubl as the sparks fly upward They that will liv Godly must suffer persecution Affliction is the Lot of Gods Israel This World ever was and ever will be An Egypt to the Saints and here they must expect to find most cruel Task-masters This Life is so full of Trouble that 't was the