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	sin_n	wage_n	10,905	5	10.9508	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45790	Divine contemplations, necessary for these times. By H.I.	Isaacson, Henry, 1581-1654.	1648 (1648)	Wing I1057A; ESTC R222591	27,531	74

it rained not on the earth by the space of three yeers and six moneths And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit Samuel having terrified the people for their ingratitude 1. King 17. 18. by thunder and rain in harvest ● Sa. 12.18 was entreated by the people to pray to God on their behalf to withdraw that judgement from them which he did Yet a little neerer to our selves The people in the absence of Moses cause Aaron to make a golden Calf God is highly displeased with them and saith to Moses Ex. 32.10.11.14 Let me alone that I may consume them Moses besought the Lord for them and he was appeased In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Gen 19.19 and the countrey round about Let by prayer preserved Zoar. Jonah being sent by God denounceth destruction to the great city Ninive The king and the people betake themselves to prayer and repentance Jon 3.4 10 and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not In particular cases we finde Gen. 32 9. Jacob prayed for deliverance from the wrath of his brother Esau and had it 1. Sam. 1.11 Hannah from barrennesse of womb and the Lord heard her By prayer Jer. 40. Jeremiah was comforted in the dungeon and released Dan. 6.22 Daniel saved from the violence of the lyons Job was preserved upon the dunghil Luk. 23 42. The Thief found Paradise upon the Crosse Act. 12.5 And Peter was delivered from prison by the prayers of the Church If any wanted necessaries they prayed to God for them As Jacob for bread Gen. 28.20 and raiment If for wisdom to manage their calling as Solomon he begged 1. Kin. 3 9. and had it in large measure If they lay sick and desired health as Hezekiah 2. Kin. 20.6 upon his prayer to God he had not onely the sentence of death revoked but fifteen yeers added to his life In the new Testament we finde th● duty in great estimation Our Savi●● to encourage us not that he had ne●● himself oft times used to pray and gave us a rule Luc 21 36 Pray alwayes So did the Apostle Paul 1. Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing And the Fathers and Doctours in the Primitive church gave prayer many encomioms stiling it the key of heaven and practised it oftner then any other religious duty Nay in those times as the best things may in time be corrupted some there were the Psalliam or Euchite that prayed so much that they which should hear of it saith Augustine would think it incredible and were therefore numbred among the Heretiques of that age Their errour grew upon the misunderstanding of those words of our Saviour and of the Apostle of praying alwayes and without ceasing which as the Fathers expound them was that men should allot some time daily for performing the duty of prayer But we wretched creatures a thing much to be lamented in these very times of heavy and bitter afflictions when heaven it self the elements and all creatures else seem to be sensible of them we I say do not so much as think of amendment of life nor seek we to God by prayer but in these extremities have recourse to the arm of flesh and rely upon our own strength and wisdoms them which God being neglected nothing is more vain and helplesse Nay being already stricken Jer 5 3. we have not grieved being almost consumed we have refused to receive correction We have made our faces harder then a rock we have refused to return And as it was in the prophet Esays time Isa 22.12 In that day a day like ours did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping and mourning and to baldnesse and to girding with sackcloth And behold joy and gladnesse 13. slaying oxen and killing sheep eating flesh and drinking wine Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die Insomuch as God may again take up that complaint which he did long since Jer. 2.30 In vain have I smitten your children they received no correction And it 's no marveile we coming so short in this duty of prayer of those which have gone before us that all the elements conspire against us nor is it wonder if we feel daily the revenging hand of God which prayer only as it were tyes up in greater measure then they felt it Therefore are we much to be blamed for though we conceive that God● judgements lye heavier upon us then upon any Nation of former ages yet we procrastinate and put off from us this wholsome remedy of prayer Our necessities are present why seek we not for present help Do we know whither we shall have time to pray while too morrow how dare we then promise so much to our selves The Parable of the foolish Virgins should teach us to take the present time for none ever escaped unpunished that neglected and let slip the time and opportunity of Gods mercy The Prophets counsell was Seek the Lord while he may be found Isa 35 6. call upon him while he is neer We are daily frighted with many fears and those not causelesse one plague one judgement suceeeds another nor are we free either within or without us from divine vengeance In these extremities what more present remedy or help can we finde then by calling upon God and casting our cares upon him Is any afflicted saith the Apostle Let him pray Jam. 5 13. If crosses dangers sicknesse warre famine pestilence tempestuous weather want or other calamity hang over our heads or befall us what is to be done Let us pray If the sence of our sinnes trouble us as well they may if the fear of eternall death the wages of sin afflict us Let us pray for prayer is the life and soul of the soul and so profitable a duty so necessary that the soul health life it self and all we have depend upon it Then why do we so much neglect it so little regard it why have we not recourse to God by daily and fervent prayers especially in these times when we have more need of his help and succour then ever before The Church is rent and torn the Kingdom distracted and even at the brink of ruine and destruction Can we behold these desolations with dry eyes without bleeding hearts shall we not deprecate Gods anger and imprecate his favour and become humble suppliants to him to pardon our great and manifold sins and to avert these his heavy judgements from us shall the heauens seem to mourn and shall not we shall we not If a man have lost all that he possessed and become blinde lame and infirme this man must either beg or starve and perish Certainly we have lost by our transgressions all the good we had and therewith all the gifts and graces of grace and nature what then remains but that like

which comes from God as a meer gift Diu desiderata dulcius obtinentur citius data vilescunt Things long desired are most acceptable being obtained whereas things soon granted grow contemptible and little worth Grata superveniet quae non sperabitur hora. A thing so long looked for as that we were out of hope of obtaining it is most welcome though it come late We see that Abraham prayed long to God for a son and so long that he even dispaired of obtaining one desiring onely of God Ge. 17.18 O that Ishmael his son by Hagar the bond-woman might live before him No doubt but when God had performed his promise to him in Isaac it was farre more acceptable to him then if he had received him sooner Hannah having her womb shut up by the Lord went up yeer by yeer to the house of the Lord 1. Sam 1. ● 7 and prayed for a childe God granted her requests at last which she received so joyfully and esteemed so highly of that blessing that she dedicated that son Samuel to the Lord 1. Sa. 1.28.2.1 and framed a song of thanksgiving for it Vult crebrius rogari Dominus ut tanto gratius sit concedentis Donum God will be often prayed to before he hears that his gift may be received the more thankfully 5. God denyes us that we pray for many times because he intends to give us better things then those we ask Bernard saith It comes to passe oft times that God hears not when we would have him according to our will yet soon after hears us in those things which are for our good and salvation That is though he gives us not the things we ask yet things farre better for us We have an example in the Prophet Elias 1. Kin. 19 4. who to rid himself of Jezabells tyranny prayed God to take him out of this life by death God heard him not presently in that he prayed for but soon after he translated him alive into his celestiall glory 2. Kin 2.11 Saint Paul besought the Lord thrice that the thorn in his flesh might depart from him ● Cor. 12 8 Gods answer to him was 9. My grace is sufficient for thee A better thing God could not give him One prayes for plenty of food and sustenance God gives him a little competency and health with it Another craves wealth God denies that but gives him wisdom and learning What cause hath any man then to quarrell with God but rather to give him humble and hearty thanks for such his affection and love to him Inasmuch as he hath so much care of him that he hears him not in those unprofitable things he asketh out of ignorance but changeth them into better gifts Multos non audit saith Aug ad voluntatem ut exaudiat ad solutem God hears not many according to their desires but hears them in that which doth them good And therefore concludes Non habeatis pro magno c. Account it not a great matter if thou bee'st not heard according to thine own will but esteem it as a great favour from God if he hear thee for thy benefit The same father gives the reason fully why God grants not some things we pray for Quando non dat ideo non dat ne obsint quae dat when he gives us not the things we ask it 's because if he should grant them they would be prejudiciall to us And in this case Exorari in perniciem rogantis bonitas est It 's his goodnesse not to hear us when we petition for those things that would be our destruction And frustrari in noxijs exaudire est To fail of our expectation for hurtfull things is better for us then if we were heard 6. Again as some men pray and are not heard because is is for their good and salvation So others pray and are heard even to their hurt and damnation Aust saith Apostolus rogat c. The Apostle prayed and received not In Ps 144. The Devil prayed and had his request granted The Apostle received not but it was for his perfection the devil received to his damnation God heard him whom he intended to damne and heard not him whom he meant to save Job prayed in his afflictions God put him off to prove him he sate long in the dust and God answered him not but he heard the devil and gave him leave to tempt him yet the one was but to be proved the other to be tormented Therefore saith he Let no man be discouraged or dejected Ps 145.151 or faint when he makes any just request to God and thinks he is not heard but let his eyes wait upon God Psa 145.15 who giveth meat in due season When he gives not it 's because it should not hurt him And he that prayeth for any unjust thing and is heard he is heard to his own punishment and detriment It 's fabled of the Bull and the Camel that they petitioned Jupiter for hornes The Camel obtained not his request but instead of hornes Jupiter caused his ears to be cut off The Bull had hornes given him but he repented soon after that he had made that petition for whereas being without hornes he was at liberty and could not easily be taken by having them he was soon caught and put to the cart and the plough and at last brought to the shambles I leave the application 7. Sometimes we pray for that which God hears yet will not grant because he hath otherwise decreed for his decrees and judgements are not onely past finding out Ro. 11.33 but irrevocable There are many devices in mans heart saith the wise man but the Lords counsel shall stand Pro 19.21 So saith God by the Prophet My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Heb. 6.17 Therefore the Apostle calls it the immutability of his counsell it cannot be changed Wee may see this in the destruction of Sodom Gen. 19. Abraham earnestly prayed to God to spare it he was heard yet his suit was not granted David prayed for the life of the young childe which he begot of Bathsheba in adultery 2. Sam. 12.16 19 hee was heard but his request was not granted for the childe died Luk. 22.42 Our Saviour prayed to remove the cap God heard him but he drunk of the bitter cup of death Act. 2.23 Saint Peter gives the reason It was the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God that hee should suffer d●a●h for the redemption of mankinde The Jews in Jeremies time had grievously and impenitently sinned against God he decreed utterly to cast them o●t of his favour Jer. 15.1 and said Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my minde could not bee towards this people And have not wee in this land committed as great sinnes as they Let us examine our selves impartially and there 's no question but we shall finde our selves as guilty of offending