Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	pass_v	sin_n	sin_v	8,257	5	9.3818	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79011	The saints rest: or Their happy sleep in death. As it was delivered in a sermon at Aldermanbury London, Aug 24. 1651. By Edmund Calamy B.D.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1651 (1651)	Wing C264; Thomason E641_19; ESTC R206731	10,922	21

THE SAINTS REST OR Their happy Sleep in Death As it was delivered in a SERMON AT Aldermanbury London Aug 24. 1651. By Edmund Calamy B. D. JOHN II. II. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth PSAL. 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints LONDON Printed by A. M. Anno Domini MDCLI THE SAINTS REST Act. 7. 60. the later part And when be had said this be fell asleep THese words contain in them the happy closure and upshot of Stephen life wherein we have three particulars 1. The Person that fell asleep 2. The Speech that he made when he fell asleep 3. What he did when he had finished his Speech First We have the Person that fell asleep and that was Stephen He was a man full of faith and full of the holy Ghost as you may see Act 6.5 He was the first Martyr that ever suffered for the cause of Christ hence I might gather this Doctrine viz. That the best of men are subject to violent and unnatural deaths Stephen that was full of the holy Ghost was stoned to death and John the Baptist that was full of the holy Ghost from the very womb was beheaded Peter was crucified and so was Andrew Isaiah was sawed asunder Teremiah was stored and Zacharias was slain between the Temple and the Altar But I shall passe this The second part of the Text is the Speech that Stephen made when he fell asleep Hoc dicto obdermivit that is when he had finished his prayer He fell asleep Hence observe That it is an excellent way to close up our lives with prayer To die praying is a most Christian way of dying They stoned stephen calling upon God After this manner Christ died he prayed Father into they hands I commend my spirit and having thus said gave up the ghost This he did that it might be a patern to all Christians Prayer is a necessary duty at all times but especially when we are a dying and that for these three Reasons 1. Because when we are to die we have most need of Good help for then the devil is most busie and we most weak 2. Because when we are to die we are to beg the greatest boon of God that is that he would receive us into his heavenly Kingdom Now prayer is the chief means to obtain this mercy for it is Porta Coeli Clavis Paradisi the Gate of Heaven a Key to let us into Paradise Therefore we have great reason to die praying 3. Because when a Saint of God is dying he is then to take his last farewell of prayer In Heaven there is no praying but all thanks giving there is no need in Heaven therefore no prayer in Heaven Now a Saint of God being to take his leave of prayer when he is to die therefore it is sit he should die praying I beseech you remember this patern in the Text St Stephen died calling upon the Lord Let us die praying as that Emperor said Oportet Imperatorem stantem mori so may I say Oportet Christianum mori praecantem it behovesa Christian to die praying Quest But what was the substance of Stephens prayer Answ. He prayed for himself and he prayed for his persecutors 1. He prayed for himself Lord Jesus receive my Spirit ver. 59 2. He prayed for his persecutors Lord lay not this sin to their charge ver. 60 I will not enter upon this part of the Text for it would swallow up all my time Therefore I shall wave it and come to the third part which is that that by Gods assistance I purpose to speek unto viz. What Stephen did when he had finished his prayer When he had said this he fell asleep that is he died Behold here the magnanimity the piety and the Christian courage of Stephen The people were stoning of him and gnashing their teeth upon him and the good man dies with as much quietness of minde as if he had died in his bed He fell asleep while they were stoning him While he died he prayed and while he prayed he died But what made Stephen die thus quietly Reade the 55 verse and you shall see the reason of it Being full of the holy ghost he looked up sted fastly into Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God Behold saith he I see the Heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God This made him die with such a sweet quiet and calm temper He saw Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive his soul and that made him die with such an extraordinary quietness of minde Death in Scripture especially the death of Gods children is often compared to a sleep It is said of David That he slept with his fathers And it is said I Thes. 4.13 I would not have you ignorant concerning them which are asleep that is concerning them which are dead And I Cor. II. 30 For this cause many are weakly and sick among you and many sleep that is many die This expression is a metaphorical expression and will afford us many rare and precious instructions about death And therefore the grace of God assisting me I desire to spend the rest of the time in the opening of this metaphor The Observation is this viz. That when a childe of god dies though his death he never so unnatural and violent yet it is nothing else but a falling asleep Or The death of a childe of God though stoned to death though burnt to ashes though it be never so violent and unnatural is nothing else but a falling asleep When he had said this he fell asleep Somnus est mortis imago Sleep is the image of death There are many notable resemblances betwixt sleep and death some of which I shall speak unto at this time 1. Sleep is common to all men there is no man can live without sleep A man may live long without meat but no man can live long without sleep So it is true of death Death is common to all it is appointed for all men once to die And therefore David said He was to go the way of all slesh Statutum est omnibus semel mori Omnibus est calcanda semel lethivia All men must sleep the sleep of death or else be changed which is a metaphorical death 2. As sleep ariseth from the vapours that ascend from the stomack to the head and tie the senses and hinder their operations so death came into the world by Adams eating the forbidden fruit and by the poisonfull vapour of sin that brought death upon him and all his posterity By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Had Adam never sinned Adam should never have died But In illo die said God In that day thou eatest the forbidden fruit thou shalt die the death Sinne brings

omnimodam mortem all kindes of death it brings death temporal death spiritual and death eternal Now because all men are poisoned with the poison of sinne therefore all men must sleep the sleep of death It is sin that hath poisoned all mankinde 3. As a man when he goeth to sleep puts off his clothes and goeth n●ked into bed So it is with us when we come to die We came naked into the world and we must go naked out of the world As we brought nothing with us into the world so we must carry nothing with us out of the world And therefore death in Scripture is called nothing else but an uncloathing of our selves 2 Cor. 5.4 Death to a childe of God is nothing else but the putting off of his cloaths The body of man is animae {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} vestimentum it is the souls cloathing and death is nothing else but the uncloathing of the soul it is just like a man going to bed and putting off his cloaths St Peter cals it The putting off our earthly tabernacle 2 Pet. 1.14 Our bodies are the souls tabernacle and death is the putting off of this tabernacle Beloved when we come to die we shall be stript naked of three things 1. We shall be stript naked of all our worldly honour riches and greatnesse 2. We shall be stript naked of our bodies And 3. Which is above all we shall be stript naked of our sins And that is the happinesse of a childe of God he shall put off not only his mortal body but the body of sin 4. In the fourth place observe As no man knoweth the time when he fals asleep a man fals asleep before he is aware So no man can tell the certain time when he must die There is nothing so certain as that we must die nothing so uncertain as the time when we shall die Death comes suddenly even as sleep comes upon a man before he is aware 5. Observe As children and infants because they do not know the benefit of sleep are very loth to go to sleep many times the mother is fain to whip the childe to bed even so it is with most of Gods people because they do not study the benefit of death That death puts an end to all miseries and sins and opens a door to let us in unto everlasting happiness and that we shall never see God or Christ before we die I say because Gods people do not study the benefit of death therefore they are like to little children loth to die loth to go to bed And therefore death is called The King of terrors Death is terrible to many of Gods children because they are but infants in grace and because they do not know the benefit of death 6. Observe As when a man is fast asleep he is free from cares and free from troubles Let it thunder as it thundered not long since as you know yet a man that is fast asleep while he is asleep he hears it not Let the house be on fire while the man asleep he fees it not neither is he troubled at it So it is with the death of Gods children when Gods children sleep the sleep of death they are free from the thunders of this world they are free from all cares from all troubles they go to their graves as to their beds and rest in quitness and are not sensible of any troubles that are in the world For Abraham knows us not Isa. 63.16 So 2 King 22.20 Thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place When a childe of God sleeps the sleep of death he doth not feel nor is he sensible of any of the calamities or sad providences of God upon the earth 7. When a man goeth to sleep he goeth to sleep but for a certain time in the morning he awakes out of sleep So it is with the sleep of death and therefore death is called a sleep becuse we must all awake in the morning of the resurfection We are in the grave as in ourbeds and when the trumper of God and the voice of the Archangel shall found we shall all rise out of our grave as out of our beds Death is but a sleep for a certain time 8. Sleep is a great refreshing to those that are weary and sick and when the sick man awakes he is more lively and chearful then he was before he fell asleep and therefore sleep is called Medicus laborum redintegratio virium recreator corporum The great Physician of the sick body the redintegration of mans spirits the reviver of the weary body And so it is with death when Gods people awake out of the sleep of death they shall be more active for God then ever they were before when you lie down in the grave you lie down with mortal bodies It is sown a mortal body it shall rise up an immortal body it is sown in dishonour but it shall rise up in honour it is sown a natural body but it shall rise up a spiritual body 9. As in the morning when we arise out of our beds we then put on our clothes So in the morning of the resurrection we shall put on a glorious body like to the glorious body of Jesus Christ we shall put on Stolam immortalitatis the garment of immortality 10. As no man when he layeth him down to sleep knoweth the direct time when he shall awake So no man can tell when the resurrection shall be They do but cozen you who say that the general resurrection shall be such or such a year for as no man can know the minute when he shall awake out of his natural sleep no more can any man know when we shall arise from the sleep of death 11. As it is a very easie thing to awake a man out of sleep it is but jogging of him and you will quickly awake him So it is with the sleep of death it is as easie for Jesus Christ to awake us out of the sleep of death as it is for me or you to awake a man out of sleep in bed Nemo nostrûm tam facilè excitat dormientem de lecto quàm Christus jacentem in sepulchro 12. As when a man ariseth in the morning though he hath slept many hours nay suppose he could sleep twenty years together yet notwithstanding when he awakes these twenty years will seem to be but as one hour unto him So it will be at the day of Judgement all those that are in their graves when they awake it will be tanquam somnus unius horae but as the sleep of one hour unto them 13. Lastly and most especially As sleep seizeth only upon the body and the outward senses but doth not seise upon the soul the soul of man is many times most busie when the man is asleep And God hath heretofore