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
A60548	Light out of darkness in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sir Robert Clayton, Kt., Lord Mayor of the city of London, in Guild-hall Chappel, the 26th of Sept. 1680 : wherein are contained, rules how to support our selves under dark providences, when they seem to supercede divine promises : also, directions how to obtain a prospect of serene and happy times / by Samuel Smith ...	Smith, Samuel, 1620-1698.	1680 (1680)	Wing S4201; ESTC R3482	14,587	40

of Darkness ushered in the Day-star Christ Jesus to enlighten the Gentiles and become the Glory of his People Israel Let me give you one Instance more in your own Experience Was not a thick Cloud on the Eye of the Clearest Understanding to conceal from us the proper Means of Slackning or Extinguishing that Dreadful Conflagration which burst out to the Consumption of all our precious and delectable Injoyments And yet even then we were hid in the midst of a Devouring Fire So preserved that the Sons of Violence durst not in that Extremity take the Advantage to assault our Persons thereby to out-act the Cruelty of the Flames Is not our City revived as a Phoenix out of its very Ruins Built fairer and firmer by an Awful and Wonderful Restauration Surely It s very Dust was precious to that God whose Good-will continued to dwell in the Flaming Bush to give it a fresher Verdure May this City of Solemnities become a Pattern of Reformation to the whole Nation This will strike a Terror into Restless Incendiaries who even execrate our greater Lustre as the Center of the Lords delight I hope the Envious Viperous Brood of Jesuits who are studious in contriving Mischief shall never effect our Second Desolation And that while we cleave to the Lord in our Integrity there shall be a Covering of Defence upon all our Glory However If any Cloud of Malice should stain and darken the Beauty of our present Prosperity yet the Most High hath Wise and Gracious Ends in permitting Distresses to exspatiate into Amazing Extremities before he appear to check them I shall briefly mention some of them 1 Hereby the Lord humbles and tries us to fit us for Comfort Thus he led Israel thorow Fire and Water the most Forlorn Distresses yet when they bowed with Submission to his Will he brought them forth into a Wealthy Land His Delays are no Denials nor Arguments of Insufficiency to Help but only Whets to the Importunity of Prayer a Touch-stone to try the Sincerity and Vivacity of Faith Love Self-denial and Obedience 2 Reas Hereby he makes the Mercy of Deliverance appear more Glorious He beautifies the Work of Salvation while it is interwoven with Difficulties Prepaired Mercies are longer before they be exhibited As they are curiously framed with deeper Impressions of Wisdom and Power so they would not be dispensed with faithfulness were they entailed upon such who cannot wait the Lords leisure of Bestowing them 3 Reas Sudden Help doth not so deeply affect with Thankfulness nor advance the Heart to so high a Pitch in Duty We prize what we obtain with Difficulty 4 Reas It is Wisdom in God to straiten before he relieve us least we should ascribe Inlargement to our selves The Use serves for Information Thus Under all Extremities of Affliction and seeming Ruins of the Church there lies hid the Seminal Hope of an Happy Restitution which may command a dreadful Restraint in Enemies and a Venerable Esteem from Friends Those Planets have the sweetest and most benigne Influence which are of the slowest Motion Let not therefore the Suspension of Gods Help breed any Suspicion of his Love because the choicest Exhibitions of Mercy are detained a while that the Beauty and Bounty of them may gratifie our patient Waiting for them Usually all the Benjamins of Mercy are first Benonies of Misery We many times meet with Storms which hazard a Shipwrack before precious Gems and Fragrant Spices unlade themselves into our Bosome Sampson's Honey Comb was the more pleasant because taken by Conflict out of the Carcase of a Lion so Mercies rellish sweetest when taken out of the Bowels of the most affrighting Providence The Lord settles his Church by shaking It that so the Desire of all Nations might Center in Christ under whose Banner only they can possess a Secure and Glorious Resting Place Be perswaded then to act this Life of Faith O the Usefulness and admirable Effects thereof This scatters our Fears raises our Courage cherishes our Hope silences our Repining spirituallizes our Duties evidences the Truth and Strength of Love brings Light out of Darkness Life out of Death Faith is the Parent of Self-resignation to God's Supreme Wisdom which makes the Soul to expect Comfort in his Time and Method It prevents any Contrivance how we may free our selves at once of all Discontentedness by any preposterous or unjustifiable Expedient Faith tramples on all the broken Reeds of Creature-props and Dependences It abhors the thoughts of Complying with such Sacriledge to God's Dishonour as to accept of any Creature to become bound with infinite Strength and unchangeable Faithfulness for the fulfilling of any Promise Therefore in all Straits suppress the shifting Life of Sense This is much like the Sick mans turning from one side of the Bed unto the other It may give a little ease or palliated Cure for the present but cannot root out the habituated Distemper of Discontent with our Condition Judging by Sense is a low-spirited-life which produceth nothing but airy expectation from the Creature and so loses that very Comfort which it seeks with an impetuous Impatiency Rather maintain Serenity in your Mind by Invigorating the Heroical Acts of Faith This will not leave you Floating on a dark Sea but will Pilot you to Christ in the Promise as a secure Harbour Therefore amidst all Storms and Rocks let this steer and over-rule your Course But you will say May not the Providences of God seem to thwart or supercede his Promises When these are very Gloomy and Tremendous how shall we do to support our selves or to demean our selves so as not to censure them out of Ignorance or Discontent To support our Hearts under dismal mysterious Dispensations consider these Rules and Directions 1. Rule You must know in the general that it is God's Prerogative to keep secret for some Tract of Time the ultimate scope of his Oblique and Circulate Dispensations He will set forth some Occurrences to puzzle Sense to silence Carnal Reason to abate the swelling of a proud Heart That so man by his most curious search may not find out any thing which God is resolved to lock up in his own Breast Besides if every Providence did run in a smooth Channel where were any Trial of the Faith and Patience of the Saints Yea the most Cloudy and Dreadful Cases serve to make up the Beauty of God's Government as White and Black Marble intermixt makes Checquer-Work the more admired Though Dust and Rubbish fly in our Eyes while the Lord is fitting and pollishing the rugged Materials of his Temple yet we shall see clearly the glorious Contrivance of the compleat Structure when the Scaffolds of our Self-conceited-Models which raise Pride and Prejudice are totally removed There is a secret Harmony betwixt Providence and Providence These like Fiery Exhalations seem to clash yet as to the main Design of God they combine to the Stability of our Faith and the Reward of our Duty in a patient waiting