Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	lord_n	mercy_n	soul_n	6,568	5	5.1684	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26337	A sermon preach'd at White-Hall on Sunday, September 8, 1695 being the day of thanksgiving for the taking of Namur, and the safety of His Majesty's person / by J. Adams ...	Adams, John, 1662-1720.	1695 (1695)	Wing A485; ESTC R20047	10,228	27

can it be thought any Hindrance to His Happiness or Detraction from His Glory to Support and Govern what He first Created and therefore the Psalmist says Excellently 13 15. ver of this Psalm The Lord looketh from Heaven and beholdeth all the Sons of Men. He fashioneth their Hearts alike and Considereth all their Works Alas How vain without him are all the Undertakings of Wretched Man We poor Creatures hurry'd about by our Lusts and Passions are Striving and Contending together perpetually and yet are not able to do the least good to our selves or hurt to others without His Permission Let us fancy to our selves in one place a Company of People met together Enrag'd with Malice and Revenge Binding themselves with dreadful Oaths and Solemnities to Execute some Conspiracy Let us imagine another Number debating anxiously concerning Peace or War Let us suppose again two Fleets or Armies hotly Engag'd What is all this but the incertain Motion of so much Dust and Ashes incertain till Determin'd by Divine Wisdom Whatever cautious Age advises or Eager Youth undertakes How busie or vain-glorious soever we are we only Execute the Orders of our Great Master and are the Instruments of His Providence How greatly then should we Rejoyce when we discover plainly this Wisdom to be working in our Behalf With what pleasure ought we to look Back and Consider the several Steps by which His Providence has proceeded and acknowledge with Humility and Shame the Folly of our former Doubts and Fears How Rash is Man in his Wishes and how ingrateful in his Impatience We can scarce be perswaded to wait even for our Safety from the Slow Motion of second Causes but like the Israelites heretofore are always for a Miracle any little want in our Necessities any small disappointment in our Undertakings makes us immediately at a Stand mistrust Heaven and repine against God while all the while His Wisdom is acting in such a manner as may make the Effects of His Goodness more sure and lasting to Us and the Effects of His Power towards others more Remarkable Great and Publick Evils are seldom cur'd in a moment yet that Health which Returns slowly when once settled is most lasting Thro how many Difficulties were the Israelites led to their Canaan and how many defeats and delays did their own murmurs Cost them and yet at length how many Victories did they Gain in a Short Time when the Iniquity of the Amorites was full God often makes use of the Ambition and Pride of ill men as Malefactors are frequently chosen for Executioners to punish those that are better in order to their fuller Repentance and when they have done so and their own Iniquities are grown Ripe for Punishment they become the more Remarkable Examples of His Justice Calamities may happen to Private Men or to Small Governments without being much Regarded But when a Nation has long Insulted over the Rest of Her Neighbours when a Prince has Us'd His own Subjects with the Utmost Cruelty and is lifted up far above the ordinary Condition of Humane Greatness When after all Such a one is cast Down the Noise of His ruin draws all Mens Eyes upon it and forces the Inhabitants of the Earth to Learn Righteousness 3. Rejoyce in the Lord in Regard of his Power Tho this Attribute must be very terrible to those whose Guilt may make 'em fear it should be turn'd against them notwithstanding this the Righteous shall be glad and trust in the Lord and all the Upright in Heart shall Glory That very Power which is so dreadful to His Enemies at which the Whole Creation Trembles at which the Everlasting Mountains are scatter'd the perpetual Hills do Bow when He marches Thro a Land in Indignation and threshes the Heathen in his Anger as the Prophet That very Power can do as much for the Righteous So that this Attribute cannot be dreadful to good men but on the contrary must be most pleasant and delightful to them For tho He is the Lord of Hosts the God to Whom Vengeance belongeth He is also the Lord Mighty to Save Mighty to Save His Faithful Servants and those Who put their Trust in Him How much then ought we to Rejoyce in Him at all Times upon this Consideration What a Comfort in Affliction what a Support to our Faith must it be when we Remember that whatever His Goodness moves Him to do His Power is ready to Put in Execution whatever He promises as an Indulgent Father He is able to perform as an Almighty God But more Especially How should We Rejoyce in Him when We find this Power acting in our Behalf in so glorious a manner Men are apt indeed to attribute their Success in War to Themselves and impute much to Their Own Strength and Wisdom But since there are so many instances of the Weaker sides prevailing since so many Victories have depended upon Strange and Unexpected Accidents this must proceed from a Superiour Power And Indeed if God's Providence is allow'd to be Engag'd at any time about things on Earth it must be so certainly When the Lives of so many Thousands of His Noblest Creatures of those for Whom the World it self Was made are Concern'd Therefore the Psalmist again in this same Psalm 16.18 There is no King sav'd by the multitude of an Host a mighty Man is not deliver'd by much strength Behold the Eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him upon them that Hope in His mercy to deliver their Soul from Death If this then is so we ought to Praise God for the Watchfulness of His Providence and the Assistance of His Almighty Power and that Particularly because the Evils That are Avoided by Success in War are really greater and more Universal than we Escape by being freed from any other Calamity For Plagues or Famine spare at least the Liberties the Laws the Religion of Countries but Conquest Conquest tramples insolently upon all Especially when Whetted by Superstition and Revenge And Thus have I Endeavoured to show what persons are properly Qualify'd for Praise the Object of it and upon what Considerations chiefly it ought to be Paid namely the Goodness Wisdom and Power of God And how Conspicuous have all these Appear'd together in the Blessings that We Celebrate this day And therefore what Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving ought Every grateful Heart to Offer At length We find that Torrent which has over-run Europe for so many Years with so much Noise and Devastation Shrinking back again into its own Channel At length we have Asserted our Ancient Dominion over the Seas and Every Element has Contributed to our Glory while both our Fleets and Armies especially the latter have been Successful in Spight of the greatest Advantages of Nature Art or Humane Power And to add to all These Mercies That Great Prince Whose Life is Sought for not only by all open Attempts but treacherous Practises And yet Who Exposes it Continually by so many Journies and Voyages nay in so many Battles Is still preserv'd by Divine Providence Remains still untouch'd by the Arrow that flyeth by day and secure from the Malice that walketh in Darkness Let others boast of Victories which they never saw make Luxurious Persian Campaigns be skillful in Corrupting others Faith and always Ready to break their own and after such glorious Atchievements Raise Triumphal Arches dawb their City Gates with Trophies and Inscriptions Pick and Bribe their own Historians No Place can be ignorant of our Conquerours Great Actions and He may trust His Greatest Enemies to Record His Virtues How Unshaken in Resolution How unwearied in Labour and How Undaunted in Danger But I forbear Next to the Performing great Actions 't is the Hardest Thing to Commend them Worthily and tho There may not perhaps be so much danger of Flattery upon this Subject as any other yet this Holy Place ought to be free from the least Suspicion of it To Conclude then let us Endeavour to Continue these Blessings to Us by the Sincerity of our Praise and Thanksgiving and let the Consideration of God's Goodness prevail upon Us by the Sweet Motives of Gratitude and Love to a Union and Constancy in our Obedience That we may with one Mind and with one Mouth Glorifie God Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ To Whom with the Holy Ghost be ascrib'd all Honour and Glory Praise Power Dominion and Thanksgiving This Day and for Evermore FINIS