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	soul_n	word_n	8,618	5	4.1828	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34597	The country-curate's advice to his parishioners, in four parts I. Directs us, how to serve God on the Lord's day, II. On the week day, III. How to discharge our duty in our several relations, as husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants, IV. How to prepare for death / by H.C.	H. C. (Henry Cornwallis), 1654?-1710.	1693 (1693)	Wing C6333; ESTC R37664	30,893	81

●e than on the God above me have not I ●een intemperate at my Meals and eat and ●rank more than nature required have I af●●r Dinner set my Servants to read and did I pray for them and with them Have not ● this day been guilty of some crying Sin fo● which God might justly punish me as he di● the Fool in the Gospel with Death c. If upon enquiry you find you have mad● any progress in Vertue got ground of Satan and mastered your Corruptions give Go● the Glory by whose Grace you overcam● them and return him thanks in this following Prayer PRaise the Lord O my Soul yea let all th●● is within me praise● his holy name praise be the Lord from the rising up of the Sun unto th● going down of the same thou art my God an● I will praise thee thou art my God and I wi●● bless thee who hast preserved me this day from falling into Sin and hast kept me from t●● power of the evil one for my Soul is this d●● escaped as a Bird out of the Snare of the Fowle● the Snare is broken and I am delivered my he● standeth in the name of the Lord who hath ma●● Heaven and Earth But if upon enquiry you find that yo● have been guilty of many Frailties and Imperfections if you have not been so devout 〈◊〉 you ought to have been in your Prayers a●fect your Soul with the sense of your Sin i● this following Prayer AH frail weak and wicked Wretch art thou not ashamed to remain still in thy wonted negligences and tepidities to sing the same sinful Song after so many Vows Promises and purposes of better Obedience wallowest thou still in the same mire and lyest thou still snorting in the same Bed of Sensuality O horrid ingratitude if thou wert now summoned to give up thy just accounts what couldst thou answer for so much time mis-spent so many inspirations neglected and so many Graces abused thou approachest nearer Death and Eternity but recoilest backward in religious Piety and Perfection wilt thou still lye sleeping in this dangerous Lethargy is this the grateful and dutiful Service thou renderest thy Creator for having afforded thee all convenient means to repent for having so patiently expected thy Conversion and amendment Alas my Confounded Soul what will become of thee what course wilt thou steer and when and how wilt thou begin Ah sinful Wretch prodigal Child disloyal Friend sue to thy Physician return to thy Father repent thee of thy Disloyalty request Pardon Grace and Love resolve to repent for what is past and amend for the time to come and from this moment consecrate the remainder of thy Life to his Service And now O my Lord as thou hast given me Grace to frame this Resolution so give me strength and courage to put it in execution But if upon Inquiry you find you have greatly broken the Sabbath-day neglected his publick Worship relapsed into some crying Sin which without God's great Mercy will bring upon you speedy Death and Damnation affect your Soul with this Prayer O My good God Father of all Comfort and Compassion Creatour of Heaven and Earth and Redeemer of my poor Soul behold here a poor Worm prostrate at the feet of thy Divine Majesty humbly craving pardon for all the Iniquities and Impurities that I have committed against thy Divine Majesty from my Youth up until now especially those that I have this day committed against thee such a Sin especially most justly provoking thy wrathful Indignation against me the remembrance of them breeds an extreme Shame Fear and Sorrow in my now sensible penitent Soul Shame for having left an infinite Good to embrace an empty fading nothing Fear for having forsaken the Light of Heaven and the Life of Aeternity to remain in aeternal Death and Darkness Sorrow for having offended thee my God wh● art so loving and liberal unto me Oh that my Heart could rend asunder with true Contrition and Compunction and my Eyes dissolve into a flood of Tears for having been disloyal to so faithful a Friend and disobedient to so free-hearted a Father Mercy dear Father to thy prodigal Child Mercy dear Lord to thy sinful Servant Pardon my past Faults pity my present Follies protect my future Frailties that with a clean quiet contented Soul I may strive to please and praise thee all my Life long hereafter and in the end die happily in thy Favour and Friendship O my Crucified Jesu my only Hope and Refuge bathe me in thy Blood beautifie me with thy Merits bless me with thy Grace by the Tears that issued out of thy Eyes by the Prayers that came from thy Mouth by the Blood that gushed from thy Wounds and Heart by all the Pains of thy Body and Pangs of thy Soul by all the Mercies of thy Divinity and Merits of thy Humanity by all that is dear and near unto thee in Heaven and Earth Cleanse quiet clothe comfort content my sick sinful weak and wretched Soul O thou Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World take away the world of sins that is in me O thou that wert my Saviour upon Earth be thou my Advocate in Heaven pleading and interceding that none of these Evils my sins have deserved may fall upon my head Forget and forgive all the Crimes Ingratitudes and Impurities of my Life past and in particular whatsoever through my carelessness have escaped my memory and whatsoever my dreadful Judge may in the rigour of his Justice lay to my charge that at the end of my days I may receive the end of my hopes the Salvation of my precious and immortal Soul Grant this O Lord for Jesu Christ his sake Amen Then fail not to add to this this usual Prayer for the Evening Before thou goest to bed be sure to offer unto God thine Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving This was shadowed out unto us under the Law where the Lord required his Evening Sacrifice as well as the Morning therefore much more doth he require it of us under the Gospel And truly if thou liest down in thy sins unrepented of thou mightest haply awaken with Hell-flames about thy Ears Thou mayst better and safelier sleep with a Serpent in thy Bosom than with a Sin upon thy Soul the one can only punish thee temporally the other torments thee aeternally Before ever then thou suffer the Temples of thy head to take any rest beg O Christian Brother not only Pardon of thy Sins but his Protection from all Dangers which you may do in this following Prayer ALmighty and Everlasting God I yield thee most humble and hearty thanks for that thou hast vouchsafed me of thy great Mercy and Goodness to preserve me this day from all evil and I also beseech thee for thy bitter Death and Passion most mercifully to forgive me a wretched Sinner all my Offences which I have this day committed by thought word or deed and hereafter to preserve and

keep me from all danger as well of Body as of Soul to the end I may rise again in Health to praise thy glorious Name and joyfully to serve thee with a clean Body and chaste Heart Whilst thou art going to bed exercise thy Mind with these holy and heavenly Meditations As thou art pulling off thy clothes think how it will not be long before thou be stripped of all and go out of the World as naked as thou camest as Job excellently expresseth it Naked came I c. And when thou art laid upon thy bed to take thy Repose let it mind thee of thy Grave thy Sheets of thy Shroud and thy Sleep of thy Death which indeed is the shadow of it and labour to fall asleep with the sweet Meditation of it and to that end while thou art awake exercise thy Mind with these or such like Meditations Beg of Christ That you might imitate him in his Death which you may do in these short Prayers 1. Jesus died patiently O my Soul how ill have we imitated our sweet Saviour in our Life and Manners let us at least strive to imitate him in his Death by taking patiently whatsoever Cross and Affliction he shall lay upon us following chearfully to Mount Calvary O my Saviour though my Soul be not forced out of my Body by such a violent Death as thine yet imprint I beseech thee in my Soul such sweet Thoughts and Affections as thou didst feel when thou didst die for my sake 2. Jesus dyed willingly O my God give me health or sickness life or death give me what thou pleasest not my will but thy will be done O my Saviour thou being God's innocent Son dyedst in the flower of thine Age and shall I desire long Life who am a Sinner a Rebel a Criminal I yield Lord I yield and submit to Death's Summons Farewel Earth farewel World farewel this Vale of tears and miseries Heaven is my happier home Paradise is much more pleasant and agreeable and Death is my way to it 3. Jesus prayed for strength and courage in the agony of death O my Jesu when my Glass shall be almost run out when my Senses fail me when my Strength decays and my Breath almost spent O do not thou forsake me Dear Jesu when all things else shall leave and abandon me Thou art graciously pleased Compassionate Creator to take pity on the Fowls of the air and the Beasts of the Earth and to succour them in time of n●●d O refuse not thy favours to a Soul stampt with thy Sacred Image and resemblance but pity me succour me comfort me and protect me from the hands of the Enemy 4. Jesus dying pardoned his Enemies and pray'd for them O my sweet Saviour in honour of this thy fervent Charity I pray forgive all them that have offended me in my whole Life time it now heartily grieves me that ever I hated them and were they here present how humbly would I embrace them and beg their Pardon Give them O my God thy Grace in this World and thy Glory in the next Thus have I finished my imperfect Piece And O my God as I began it by thy Goodness so I end it with thy praise Let not the weakness and simplicity of the Agent be the Readers discouragement but O my Heavenly Father give me thy Grace to live up to these Rules lest whilst I preach and write to others I my self become a Cast-away FINIS Advertisement BRief Directions for our more devout Behaviour in Time of Divine Service With a Short Rationale on the Common-Prayer By the same Author

not mine Ears listned unto filthy Communication And my taste delighted it self in Gluttony and Drunkenness 5. Have I been so truly thankful for God's Mercies as I ought to have been 6. Have not I this Week omitted my Prayers Slovered them over or suffered my thoughts to wander in them Lastly Have not I been guilty of some crying Sin that might justly cause God to reject them These Queries proposed and thy Heart O Christian upon Enquiry declaring thee guilty with me say Of these and all my other Sins that I have committed from my youth up unto this present day I most heartily repent me O Lord my God! and I am truly sorry for every thought word and act by which I have provoked thy wrath and indignation against me especially for my disobedience of so holy a Law and extream ingratitude to so bountiful a Lord. O God I do acknowledge my self unworthy the least of thy Mercies and obnoxious to the greatest of thy Judgments but thou hast revealed thy self a God of Pity and Compassion for giving the Iniquities of such as truly repent and acquitting those that voluntarily acquit themselves Wherefore with a penitent and contrite Heart I confess my own guiltiness resolving patiently to bear whatsoever affliction thou laist upon me for my Sins hoping for Pardon through the alone Mercies of our Saviour Christ And now O most gracious and liberal Benefactor with my whole strength and faculties of Soul and Body I praise and magnify thy name for thy great and innumerable benefits proceeding purely from thy bounty and intended wholly for my good Particularly for preserving the this Week in the midst of so many dangers incident to my condition and delivering me from so many Calamities and Miseries due to my Sins Thou art my Creator O my God! and gracious Protector thou art the ultimate end of my being and the supream perfection of my Nature and under the shadow of thy Wings is my perpetual repose from the Light of thy Countenance flows Eternal Joy and Felicity To Thee be Glory and Honour Adoration and Praise from all Creatures now and for evermore Amen And since thou hast ordained us the day to labour in and the night to take our rest as I praise thee for the blessings of the day past so I beseech thee for thy Protection this Night Let the Eye of thy Providence watch over me and thy holy Angels pitch their Tent about me that being safely delivered from all dangers and comfortably refreshed with moderate sleep I may be the better enabled to perform the employment of my condition and faithfully persevere in the duties of thy Service to my Lifes end Amen Beware of sitting up late your self on the Saturday Night or of causing others to do so Lest when you go into the House of God to join with the multitude in Prayer you are fitter to sleep than pray differing little from the dead Bodies asleep in their Graves The one sleeps above the Earth the other underneath it And when you are laid in your Bed let not your mind run on Worldly thoughts but think of the infinite Majesty of God that you are then to meet think of the great weight and importance of the holy Ordinances then vouchsafed you how they concern thy Salvation or Damnation thy Everlasting Life or Death Meditate on the short time thou hast to enjoy the Sabbath in how near thy Life is to an end how easily God can take down this Earthly Tabernacle how there is no working no labour no striving in the other World to which thou art going and continue thus musing till the fire of Meditation begin to burn If thou thus leavest thy Heart with God on Saturday Night no doubt but you will find it with him the next Morning CHAP. II. Of Awaking with God AS soon as sleep hath unseal'd thine Eyes lift up thy Soul in Thanksgiving to thy Maker for preserving thee that night and affording thee a good beginning of a new day especially a Sabbath day to labour for his Glory and the good of thine own Soul And that you may be incited to perform this Act of praise consider these several motives 1. That perhaps many others not so sinful as thy self have been hurried from their Beds to the Bar of Judgment from a Bed of Down they have been cast into a Bed of Flames yet God in his infinite Mercy hath spared you until now to Repent and prepare your Accounts 2. Consider that many others are visited by God Almighty with Sickness so that they cannot serve God in the Publick Assemblies while you enjoy your health and free liberty to go with the multitude into his Courts 3. Consider that you are now brought to the beginning of another day which when past you shall never see again Thou maist possibly see more Sabbath Days but that space of time when the Sun is once set thou shalt never see again any more How careful then should'st thou be to improve this Day so that it may turn to the best account Solomon sends Man to School to the Ant to learn this good Husbandry Prov. 6.6 7 8. Oh that we were as wise for the Bread of Life that came down from Heaven as the poor Pismire for Bread that springs out of the Earth The Sabbath is an Harvest and he that sleeps away his time in Harvest is a Son that causeth shame The Seaman or Mariner observes his Wind and Tide otherwise he cannot get to his intended Harbour but Seasons of Grace are not like the Tides of which if you miss one you may get another How careful then shouldst thou be to improve every Minute Our Saviour Christ said to his Disciples concerning the Loaves and Fishes Gather up the Fragments that nothing be lost The like advice I give you concerning the Lord's Day Gather up the Parcels thereof Let no part of it be lost no not the least Minutes which are pretious to this end Spiritualize all the objects you meet with in the Day as thus When first awake think that God Almighty can as easily awaken you out of your Graves from the sleep of Death as he hath in your Beds from the sleep of Nature Let the rising out of your Beds put you in mind of the Resurrection And when you see the Sun Let your Meditation be That if the rising of one Sun be so glorious how glorious will that day be when so many thousands of Bodies far brighter than the Sun shall appear to accompany Christ at the great Assizes Consider that this great Star must run in one Day ten or twelve Millions of Leagues and shall you make no progress in Virtue Consider that unwearied Harbinger is gone to take you up a Lodging in the Grave each Minute is so much deducted from your Life Follow therefore the Counsel of the Son of God Work while it is Day for the Night cometh when no Man can work Let not then this Light burn in vain but

may learn to redeem time and number all our days our Sabbaths more especially that so we may apply our hearts unto Wisdom that we may now get wise religious believing and Repenting Hearts O Lord give us Grace to consecrate this day as a day of delight holy and honourable to thee not doing our own Works nor following our own Pleasures nor speaking our own words but exercising our selves in duties of Piety and Mercy publickly and privately in thy House and in our own So that we may make this Season a day not only of reconciliation for the Sins of the Week past but also a day of Preparation and spiritual Provision furnishing our selves for the better performance of the duties of the Week to come And now O Heavenly Father we are going to thy House to partake of thy Ordinances we beseech thee to go with us thither and stand by us there and bring us back again rejoicing when we shall find our Faith encreased our Hope quickned our Zeal kindled our Hearts inflamed with the Love of thee and our Brethren Let us not we beseech thee make thy House which is an House of Prayer and Spiritual Exercises to be a Den of Thieves but let us look to our Feet that so we may be more ready to hear than to offer up the Sacrifice of Fools It is a fearful thing when this word which should he a Savour of Life unto Life does prove a Savour of Death unto Death as it does to many who regard not what they hear Grant therefore O Lord that we may take diligent heed what we hear and how we hear keep us we humbly pray thee that we be not like unto them that be compared unto the high way who do not so much as bend their minds to regard what is taught nor to them who are compared to the stony ground who do it but shallowly and superficially nor to them that be compared to the thorny ground that do choak and smother it with minding their ease pleasure gain and profit over much But give us Grace to be like the good ground who coming to the word with honest and good hearts bring forth good Fruit with Patience and in good Season So that keeping this day as we ought to do we may be translated to keep an Everlasting Sabbath in the highest Heaven Amen CHAP. V. Of the great obligation that lies upon every one of us to worship God in Publick NEglect not publick Ordinances upon pretence of serving God in private that God Almighty gives his Blessing both to private and Family-Duties is most certain but to put God off with these and neglect publick Worship is to rob him of a greater summ and pay him with a less It is worth our Observation that the Sabbath and publick Worship of God are by him joined together therefore let no Man put them asunder Ye shall keep my Sabbath and reverence my Sanctuary I am the Lord your God They then that despise God's Sanctuary cannot observe God's Sabbath Do but consider David's Tears for the want and his Prayers for the fruition of Publick Ordinances even then when he had opportunity for private Performances and surely then thou wilt esteem the Ministry of the word no mean mercy See his sorrow for the want of them I was driven saith he from the Sanctuary when I did but think of it my Soul was poured out like water for I had gone with the multitude I went with them to the House of God Psal 42.3 My Soul was poured out that is was over-whelm'd with grief and even ready to dye when I compare my present condition with my former happiness in the fruition of religious Assemblies How bitterly and passionately doth he plead with Saul If the Lord hath stirred thee up against me let him accept an Offering but if men Cursed be they before the Lord for they have driven me out this day from the inheritance of the Lord. 1 Sam. 16.19 How pathetically does he bemoan his own Soul Woe is me for I dwell in Meseck and have my habitation in the Tents of Kedar The loss of his Father Mother Wives Children Lands Liberty nay life it self would not have gone so near his Heart as the loss of the publick Ordinances As his sorrow was great for the want so was his Soul most earnest for the fruition of them How many Prayers does he put up for the liberty of the Tabernacle Psal 43.3 4. and Psal 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord which I will seek after viz. That I might dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord and visit his holy Temple And Verse 8. When thou saidst seek my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek David at this time was banished the Temple and he among other reasons useth this argument to restore him to his happiness as if he had said O God thou hast commanded me to worship thee in the Temple To appear before thee is my delight my heart desires to seek and see thy face there Thus he prays to God for the performance on his side that he might be enabled to obey God's Precept Peter and John went up to the Temple at the hour of Prayer Acts 3.1 and St. Paul reasoned in the Synagogue every Sabbath day Acts 13.14 those that by their practices contemn publick worship have neither Christ nor the Apostles for their Pattern One of the Jewish Rabbies hath a saying he that dwells in a City where there is a Synagogue and cometh not to Prayers merito dicitur vicinus malus if thou forsakest the Assembly of God how useful thou maist be to others Bodies I know not but I am sure thou art neither to thine own Soul or theirs in neglecting God's service Consider the condition of Primitive Christians who were forced to serve the Lord with fear and attend his Ordinances with trembling who built Churches under ground rather than they would want the opportunity of serving God in Publick Consider also how David bemoan'd himself counting Swallows and Sparrows in this much better than he because they could build their Nests in the Temple while he was banished from it Psa 84.1 2 3. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God Yea the Sparrow hath found an House and the Swallow a Nest for her self where she may lay her young even thine Altars O Lord of Hosts my King and my God Did David being abridged thereof thus bemoan himself Surely then we should count it a great Mercy that we have Publick Churches and Oratories to go unto without any lett or molestation that we have no Tyrants no Foreign Enemies no Rods no Axes no noise of War to affright us from God's publick Ordinances what cause of rejoicing is here But yet if this liberty of ours make us wanton and the plenty God gives us tempts us to