Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	life_n	love_n	soul_n	8,923	5	5.0064	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11850	Christs counsell to his languishing church of Sardis. Or, The dying or decaying Christian, with the meanes and helpes of his recovery and strengthening. By Obadiah Sedgwicke, B. of D. late preacher to the inhabitants of S. Mildreds Bredstreet, London	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1640 (1640)	STC 22151; ESTC S117037	59,254	284

them You see how many worthy and faithfull Ministers God hath taken away of late by death and shall the present Prophets live for ever O then in your day and time hearken regard repent beleeve live and thrive under holy and faithfull Ministers make more use of their doctrines of their rules of their counsels of their comforts of their experience and prayers the night will come when neither we nor you must worke any longer 4 Study the grounds and principles of religion better first lay good foundations and then build on them errours in the entrance weaken all in the progresse Take paines to know what that good and acceptable will of the Lord is a well bottomed Christian is like a well-bottomed vessell at sea which can ride out in all weathers no Christian stands so fast or thrives so well as the well grounded Christian 5 Be rather an agent then a disputant in religion the vanity of wit is to argue much but the sincerity of the heart is to doe much for doubtfull points and subtile novelties let others beat them and serve them and in the meane while pray thou much that thou mayest obey the truths which thou kno west In speculatives be wise to sobriety in practicals be as good as thou canst it is not the wittiest scholler but the truest Christian who shall goe to heaven 6 Be lesse formall and more fruitfull know that as we must be brought to an account for every word which we speake so much more for every word that God speakes Meere godlinesse is not enough under constant and great meanes of grace God expects much when he gives much if it doth not utterly cast thee yet it must excessively trouble thee to be thin in bearing when God hath been large in sowing 7 Let all Christians bee of more fruitfull hearts and charitable spirits one towards another There are treacherous and malitious hearts enough in the world thou needest not to helpe the divell to be an accuser of the brethren It is a sad thing when one Christian can hardly trust another and that they who should pitty and heale infirmities are yet inventers of lies and obloquies these are the wounds which my friends gave me said the Church in the Canticles If thy fellow Christian doe faile rather compassionate and succour him then hate and reproach him thou shalt never establish thy graces or name upon the ruines and scandals of another man if thou be a strong Christian be more tender if weake be more silent the strong should beare the infirmities of the weake and the weake should hearken to the directions of the strong your graces are strong and safety surer by love then by division therefore be of one minde and live in peace let brotherly love continue 8 Minde death often and prepare for it betimes hee who is a stranger to dying thoughts is ordinarily a stranger to a godly life thou wouldest hasten and better thy worke if thou didst more looke backe on thy life and more forward on thy death 9 Be diligent in your particular places the idle body can hardly hold a good soule that man is in danger who is all for heaven or all for earth both our callings must be regarded 10 Be much in praier the Christian usually gets the greatest blessings on his knees God is much with him in grace who is most with God in praier And pray not for your selves onely but for others and as for others so for me as Saint Paul desired of the Ephesians c. 6. 19. that utterance may be given unto mee that I may open my mouth boldly to make knowne the mystery of the Gospell that therein v. 20. I may speake as I ought to speake and so as the same Apostle in his ultimum vale said to those Ephesians the same I say unto you Brethren I commend you unto God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance amongst all them which are sanctified FINIS The Table A ACtivity of love to set on graces p 144 Affections are many times dying p. 11. 45 Ardency of affections an exceeding helpe 1 to the remembrance of truths taught 2 to the holding fast of the truth p 198. 213 The different carriage of a weakened and a strengthened Christian under afflictions p 111 The application of Christ the ordinances and other meanes helpefull against decaying p 72. 98. 131 Apostasie from the truth seven causes of it p 272 Gods approbation to be studied p 158 A distinct apprehension of truths needfull to the remembrance of truths p 200 C CAuses of a dying condition p 16 Christ strengthens a languishing Christian three waies p 79 Comforts attend Christians and when p 40 Communion with God and its kindes p 38. 39 Conference about truths taught usefull p 201 Conscience to be joyned with science p 250 Conscience wounded and vexed p. 16. 40 Corruptions have a decaying power p 16 Considerations of a mans condition is necessary p 121 A dying conversation p. 10. 50 Truths taught to be kept in a mans conversation p 215 Lively consociation what p 135 D DAmping of communion with God p 38 Depression of heavenly strength p 36 Delight taken in godly company p 108 Delightfulnesse in love p 145 Diligence in love ibid. True doctrines discovered from false in seven things p 240 Seven disadvantages in a weakened condition p 92 Desertion a consequent of decaying p 40 A dying disposition opened p 8 Christians are dying in seven respects p 10 Dying in duties how knowne p 44 53 E EXamination neglected the evill of it p 22. 23 Excesse in passion dangerous p 28 Excellency hath two things in it p 217 Expressions of grace 1 passionate 2 deliberate p 63 Extenuatiōs of excellencies by decayings p 34 Truths are to be embraced p 248 F FAintnesse in acts of religion p 53 Faith a radicall and strengthening grace p 14. 142 Forgetfulnesse of the word evill and hurtfull p 190 Formality to be checked p 69 G MEn may decay in gifts and graces and how p 13 14 Graces given to men for three ends p 54 Graces are inclining inlarging and cleansing principles p 55 56 57 Graces bestowed are to be kept in repaire p 88 Graces diffused and graces imployed how to be understood p 64 H HEaring not enough for a Christian p 187 A plaine and a pliable heart p 132 Helpes first to remember secondly to hold fast truths p 198. 238 Hold fast the truth p 210 Divine truths a Christians heritage p 219 Humbling under decayings p 67 Deep humiliation a meanes to strengthen a decayed Christian p 123 I IEalousie and three things arising from it p 70 Inconstancy and its causes p 232 Implantation of holy principles what it is p 74 Interruption in duties p 64 Decaies in judgement p 12 The imperfection of our estate before God p 157 Truths held fast in judgement p 211 L THree things in love furthering duties p 144 145 Loyall affection to the truth p 299 Ten legacies p 253 M MEditation an helpe to memory p 199 Meanes to keepe up graces p 67 Meanes to recover out of a dying condition p 73 Meanes of strengthening p 121 N NEglect and its danger p 19 O COnstant operation what p 200 Opposition against dying causes p 137 Ordinances and three things about them 97 P THree sorts of people living under the meanes p 7 Perfection and a striving unto it p 68 Perfecting of holy principles p 75 Persistance in holy truths p 202 Practise a keeper of truths p 202 Practicall remembrance what it is p 167 Practicall truths what they are p 175 Preparation to the ordinances p 97 Physicking the soule what p 22 Dying in profession what p 10 Truth is held by profession p 214 R REasons for the strengthening of a spirituall condition p 84 Reasons to hold fast divine truths p 216 Active reformation what p 128 Truths taught are to be remembred p 163 The nature sorts waies causes and meanes of rememembrance p 160. to 202 Resistance of sinne p 102 Rising of graces p 110 Solid resolutions p 125 Resolution to cleave to the truth p 249 Revolting from doctrine p 228. and in conversation 231 S SIlence in heaven what and when p 41 Sin and a Christian in sinning p 60 61 Seriousnesse in society p 71 Standing at a stay p 70 Strengthening of spirituals under decayes p 74. 78. 83 Supplication must be ardent p 129 Suspition of a mans owne condition p 42 Sen siblenesse and spiritualnesse not equall p 62 T TImes of spirituall troubles p 41 Truths add their sorts p 175 205 206 Divine truths is Gods trust p 220 Three things about a trust p 221 Z A Case resolved about decayings in zeale p 62 FINIS Errata PAge 8. line 16. for a reade secondly p. 147. l. 3. for wit r. we all know c. p. 221. l. 4. for instructed r. intrusted Octob. 22. 1639. Imprimatur IOH. HANSLEY

strength unto them by a constant application of the ordinances partly by hearkning unto some sinfull temptations So that now repentance may become more difficult and unable and godly sorrow can scarce be discerned for that extreame hardnesse of heart and faith can scarce finde the way or make any use of Christ and the promises but the gates of unbeliefe seeme to possesse the soule Yea the feare of God may now not so restraine and awe and the love of God may not so prevaile and excite as they have done in former times Object But you will demand what may be the causes of this dying condition Sol. I conjecture these 1 Simile Some deadly corruption which hath seized upon their spirits if poyson get into the body it works upon the spirits and so weakens and indangers life The people of God are sometimes tasting of poyson they are tampering with unsound doctrines which as they doe infect the judgement so they doe abate their spirituall principles and abilities The Apostle was afraid that he had lost his labour and spent himselfe in vaine to those of Galatia that they were even leaving their hold in Christ and what was the cause of it Surely some false Apostles had leavened them with errour about circumcision and the observation of the law When the judgement is corrupted with any errour then truths are not of that power with the soule where truth looseth in authority there grace will loose in its strength and efficacie 2 Some deadly wound is given unto them you know that a man may dye not onely by a draught of poyson but Simile likewise by the cut of a sword which divides the parts and le ts out the bloud that carries and preserves the life of man There are things which doe fight against the soul 1 Pet. 2. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 11. and not onely fight against it but wound it nay not the soule and conscience onely but likewise our very graces Sinnings doe not onely prove a troublesome wound to the conscience but likewise a killing and dying wound to our graces if any thing in the world extinguisheth or abateth our graces they are our sinnings which are to graces as water to the fire But now even the people of God doe many times hearken to some baser lusts and viler commissions as you know in David and others and when sinne hath got any favour in the judgement or affection it is like a disease which will not off without a manifest breach of health and strength Simile sinne lames our graces 3 Some deadly neglect Simile if the soule grow negligent it will quickly grow dying as you shal see that inordinate abstinence and neglect of food brings a man quickly into a consumption so when the people of God through spirituall pride shall grow carelesse of vitall assistances that they keepe not so close to the word of life nor to the Sacraments of life nor to the great principle of life by an earnest and constant communion in prayer no marvell if they grow dying persons It is with us in respect of God as it is with the plants in respect of the sunne which live or dye flourish or decay upon their conjunction if I may so speake and Grace is not a life and strength it selfe Minuit supra vires alimenti penuria said Fernelius l. 1 de morb causis neerenesse with its heat So our soules yea and our graces live by that conjunction which they have with God if we keepe not to him close and neere but draw off what doe we but draw off from the principle of our being and conservation 4 Inconsiderate toleration of particular evils not a timely expurgation of them Simile You know that if peccanthumours redound in the body and be not considered of and purged out in time they may of ordinary distempers turne into deadly diseases and so it is with particular corruptions admit they be such as wee are pleased favourably to call infirmities or any other sinnes if they be not quickly expelled and reformed they may bring us neere the gates of death one sinne may bring on another or the same sinne may steale unto a strange degree of strength so that a person unawares is languished extreamely and whence comes this not onely from an inconsiderate admission of sinnes but also from an untimely correction of sinne The soule should presently have physicked it selfe with first a right apprehension of the greatnesse of the evill in the beginning secondly speedy humiliation before the Lord thirdly fervent supplication for mercy and more strength fourthly resolute reformation and abandoning of it But the neglect of these hath brought the soule into a spirituall languor and perhaps into a deep consumption of graces 5 Defect of frequent examinations though at our originall and first conviction of sinne and a sinfull condition we are very tender and circumspect and ever and anon feared and overlooked our spirituall conditions whereby we found singular additions to our graces yet after a while after Christians have got over the pangs of the first birth and have procured more peace and comfort as if a gracious soul would thrive of it selfe they are generally apt to keepe on the course of obedience but thinke it superfluous at least not so necessary often to search and view and fannow themselves And what now befals them surely two great evils viz. that the estate and operation and acts of sin are not so strictly eyed secondly that the estate of their graces is not so well knowne and guarded against speciall motions and temptations whereupon it often fals out that the poor soul is reduced to great streights and leannesse the man cannot pray as heretofore nor finde that love to God and Christ as heretofore nor have that delight in the ordinances nor doe that good in society nor receive that profit nor feele that mournfulnesse of spirit as heretofore why hee did let and suffer his spirituall estate to run on at hazards and the lesse searching of heart the lesse strength of grace alwaies 6 Defect of solemne humiliations in extraordinary fasting and prayer Those meanes which beget our graces are likewise ordained to preserve them and as the use of singular meanes confers more power and life to our graces so a cessation in the use of them proves an exceeding decay unto them it is as if you should take away the pillars from the house or the raine from the earth Now this is certaine that extraordinary times of fasting and prayer they have beene blest with power from heaven to make the strongest temptation and corruption to flye no sinne is able to stand before them and so likewise they have been blest with an answer of singular enlargement addition to our spirituall estate oh how cheerfully how tenderfully how much more fully and fruitfully is thy soule inabled after those duties rightly performed but Christians grow very strangers to these solemne duties either totally omitting of them