Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	sin_n	soul_n	sting_n	5,285	5	11.5055	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45559	The pilgrims wish, or, The saints longing discussed in a sermon preached in St. Bennet Grace Church at the funeral of Mrs. Anne Dudson ... who departed this life the 4th day of January, 1658 ... / by Nath. Hardy ...	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1659 (1659)	Wing H738; ESTC R2193	17,690	36

Ejus est in mundo diu velle remanere quem mundus oblectat saith St. Cyprian He that is taken with cannot but desire to continue in the world and it is a kind of death to think of parting with it which he knoweth must be when death comes And therefore said an Ancient truly The soul can never willingly be seperated from the body till it be taken off from these worldly pleasures 2. Let no sinne have dominion over us When the sting is plucked out of the Serpent it is not terrible but amiable St. Paul hath told us The sting of death is sinne Oh let us pluck it out by repentance It is impossible for him who lyeth in sinne to live with Christ Well may he be afraid to dye Indeed if a wicked man desire to dye it is out of ignorance and incogitancy because he doth not rightly apprehend or at least seriously consider what followeth after death Alas it were far better for an impenitent sinner to live here though in meannesse and misery then to go hence and be with Devils in torment to eternity Oh let it be our care in life to separate stnne from our souls and then the separation by death of our souls from our bodies will be a means of the union of our souls with Christ and consequently an Object rather of joy then fear 3. Let our Faith grow up to a full Assurance It was by Faith that Moses refused Pharaohs Treasures and chose affliction with the people of God and by Faith it is that we are enabled to contemn life and desire death Those things which are so glorious in the worldlings eyes are to Faith contemptible and those things which are so dismall when looked upon with an eye of sense become amiable to the eye of Faith Even death which is the King of terrours is to a Believer a Queen of desires That he who questioneth whether there be a life after death or who doubts whether he shall partake of it should be afraid to die is no wonder He that knoweth not what shall become of him when he goeth hence may well be desirous to stay here And therefore let us strengthen our Faith in the Promise of eternal life and make our calling and election sure 4. Finally Let our love to Christ be more and more enflamed Love is desirous of Union and if fervent will break through all difficulties to the enjoyment of its Object Friends delight much in each others society What loving Wife would not willingly be with her Husband I and go to him though it be over the boisterous Seas Oh when shall I come and appear before God was Davids wish arising from his zealous love to Gods presence in his Sanctuary Come Lord Jesus come quickly is the voice of the Church earnestly longing after his approach because she dearly loveth him And from this sweet spring bubled up that affectionate wish of an Ancient Utinam essem cum Christo meo Oh that I were with my Christ Mori timeat qui nolit esse cum Christo as St. Cyprian excellently Let him be afraid to die who would not be with Christ to which he cannot be unwilling who hath a sincere affection towards him Thus let us remove out of the way those stumbling blockes of reigning wickednesse and worldly love let us take to our selves the wings of Faith in and love to Christ so shall we make haste in our desire to be dissolved that we may be with him HAving given a dispatch to the Text it now remaineth that I adjoyne a few words concerning this our Deceased Sister whose remaines are to be laid up in the Grave And truly whither you looke upon Her in Her Life or Death in her Health or Sicknesse you shall find Her a Patterne of many graces Shee was the Daughter and Neece of two Reverend Ministers of the Gospell now with God and as I doubt not but Shee had a Religious Education So Shee retained the sweetnesse of that Liquor with which Shee was at first seasoned That truly Reformed Religion of the Church of England wherein Shee had been grounded and established Shee constantly professed and in some measure practiced Shee was an affectionate Wife a tender Mother a prudent Mistresse a Friendly Neighbour a Virtuous Woman and a Devout Christian It pleased God of late to visit Her with much Sicknesse which Shee underwent with much Patience being often heard to say Shall I kick against my Maker In her last Sicknesse Shee was full of Heavenly Expressions by which Shee gave Testimony of the graces of God confer'd upon Her Shee renewed Her Repentance and godly sorrow for Her sinnes for though She blessed God who had kept her from notorious sinnes that Shee could not but accuse Her selfe for many neglects and infirmities being much troubled yet Shee had spent her time so ill and not done that service for God Shee ought Ardent were Her longings after Gods favour often saying A Reconciled God is worth all the World Shee testified Her submission to Gods dispose by that sweet language If it were Gods will I am content to live but not else Her affections were much taken off from the world for which reason Shee said Shee was unwilling Her Children should be about Her Bed least they should steale Her Heart from God and though Shee had the World at will yet Shee accounted all dung that Shee might win Christ It pleased God to suffer Satan to Winnow Her but Her Faith did not faile and after some conflicts Shee got the Conquest triumphing over him bidding defiance to him casting Her self in an humble confidence upon the merits of Her Redeemer Finally when Shee was desired by her Friends to forbeare much speaking least it should exhaust Her Spirits Her reply was Can I spend my self better then for God with whom I trust Shee now is which since it is far better for Her I hope it will not be too much trouble to her Relations Let not Her dear Husband grieve inordinately Since Shee is gone to Her better Husband Christ Let not her affectionate Aunt mourn immoderately because Shee is gone to Her Heavenly Father Let none of Her Friends weep much for Her who is with Her best Friend rather let all of us learne to follow Her in those Virtues which Shee practised that we may attaine that glory whereof I hope Shee is possessed whither he bring us who hath dearly bought us Iesus Christ the Righteous Amen FINIS Gen. 1. Partie 1. 2 Tim. 4. 6. 2 Pet. 1. 14 15. Tertul. l. de animâ c. 27. Ambros. de bono mortis c. 2. Plat. in Phad Cic. in Tusc. Ambros. ibid. Aug. l. de spir. anim c. 43. Eccl. 12. 11. 2 Cor. 5. 1. Iohn 1. 14. 1 Pet. 2. 11. Aug. Iob 14. 10. Mic. 2. 10. Luke 12. 35. Partic. 2. 2 Cor. 5. 6. Rev. 14. 16. Luk. 23. 43. 1 Thes. 4. 17. Rev. 6. 9. Aug. l. de Eccl. dogin c. 79. Id. De consid. mort. Serm. 2. Just M. Quaest. Resp. Orthod 9. 75. Greg. Naz. in erat Caesar Macat hom. 12. Chrysost. in Phil. hom 3. Iren. adv. haer. l. 5. Chrysost. Ibid. Jobn 14. 18. Cypr. de Mortal Gen. 2. Partic. 1. Hier. Turtul Luke 12. 36. Cypr. Ibid. Greg Mor. l. 5. c. 40. Isai. 57. 2. 2 Cor. 5. 4 Quer. 2. Vulg. Lat. Exod. 20. 12. Luk. 2. 29. Sen. Ep. 24. Cic. Cypr. de mortal Sen. Ep. Cypr. de mortal Id. ibid. Arab. Heb. 1. 0. Rom. 8. 17. Prov. 8. 18. Eph. 2. 6. Rev. 3. 21. Joh. 17. 24. Rom. 8. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 1● Rev. 3. 20. M●● 4. 2. Psal. 15. 10. Psal. 73. 25. 1 King 10. 8. Bulling Mat. 17. 4. Cael. Rodig l. 21. c. 44. See my Sermon called the Epitaph of a godly man Ver. 21 24. Zanch. in l●c Bern. Serm. 12. in Cart Cypr ib. Diad●ch 1 Cor 15. 56. Psal. 42. 2. Rev. 22. 20. Cypr. ibid. Mr Abraham and Mr Isaac Calfe

thus styled it is applied to Conquerours coming back from the Wars and the Lords returning home from the Wedding is expressed by this phrase Whereas all men are in truth and good men in their own esteem strangers by death they go home to their Heavenly Countrey Quis non peregre constitutus properaret in patriam regredi What stranger doth not long to return to his native soyle nothing more naturall to a man then to love his home death is a departure home Sometimes it is used for mens being set free from bonds and Prison and of Oxen when after their labour in the evening the yoake is taken from off their necks The body is as it were the Prison of the soul yea the whole world is but as a larger Prison to a Saint from which death sets him free Dissolvi nonquaereret Paulus nisi se proculdubio vinctum videret In that St. Paul desired to be loosed no doubt he apprehended himself a Prisoner Was ever any man in love with his Fetters and what Prisoner doth not groan for enlargement or captive would not welcome liberty death is a departure out of Prison Once more It is sometimes used of going to bed we are wearied in the day of our life with manifold labours at the evening of death we go to our bed so the Prophet Isaiah's expression of the Righteous when they perish they enter into their beds Doth not the weary Labourer long to be in his bed of ease and refreshment Death is a departure to our bed and no wonder if under these considerations of rest and liberty and returning home it be the Object of desire To all this it may be further added That the primary object of St. Pauls desire was not the departure but being with Christ Sutable to this it is that else where he saith We that are in this Tabernicle do groan being burdened not for that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon that which a Christian so earnestly desires is the state of bliss in the enjoyment of Christ Death is only desired in order to that and that upon necessity because there is no going to Christ without a departure hence otherwise the best men would abhorre it By this time you see the Resolution of the first Quaery which amounts to this that death was not by St. Paul is not cannot be desired by any one but only in ordine ad aliud in order to that which followeth it and especially the being with Christ The Quaere which would next be satisfied refers to the Legitimacy Whither and how far death may be desired To which end be pleased to knew that that desire of death which is lawfull yea not only lawfull but excellent 1. Is not Active but Passive So the Vulgar Latin reads it Cupio dissolvi I desire to be dissolved In some cases the truth of our destre is testified by the endeavoure but it is not so in this that command of killing respects a mans self as well as others and forbids not only the act but the endeavour he that by neglect of good meanes shortens his life or by any evill meanes attempts the hastening of his own death being no other in Gods account then a self-murderer We must not desire death as we desire grace we ought so to desire grace as to use all wayes for the obtaining it we must not so desire death as to take any course for accelerating it 2. Not impatient but submissive not repining at Gods delaies but waiting his leisure if God please or when God pleaseth is the language of a Christian as in others so in this matter Indeed Simeon prayeth Now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace but it was as appeareth by that addition according to thy Word because having seen the Messiah he knew the time of his dissolution was come We must not limit God to this or that season And whilest we desire the thing we must contentedly wait the time Sapiens è vita non fugere debet sed exire saith Seneca A wise man must not fly but go out of life He learneth accipere to receive death willingly but he hateth arripere to runne upon it desperately Nor dare he break the Prison doors though he be ready when God sets them open to go forth Animus piis omnibus retinendus est in custodiâ corporis nec injussu ejus a quo ille est nobis datus ex hominum vita migrandum saith the Orator Our Soul must not be dismist out of without his leave who infused it into the body In this respect the good man hath a desire at once both to live and to die according to Divine appointment If God will have him continue longer on earth to do him service he is willing and if he will take him to himself he is willing resolving still to bow his will to Gods 3. Lastly Not Carnal but Spiritual Many there are who wish themselves in their Graves meerly out of discontent at the condition of their life either because they have not what they would or suffer what they would not Some there are who desire to die that they may be in Paradise rid of misery and enjoy faelicity But the right desire after death is upon higher and spiritual Grounds not so much to be free from sorrow as sinne to be in Paradise as to be with Christ Indeed these words to be with Christ are both Incentive and Directive to our desire of death No stronger Argument why we should desire it no higher end for which we should desire it What can make death welcome to us if this of being with Christ will not Nor should any consideration make it more welcome to us then this of being with Christ And thus you have the second Question answered the result whereof is that provided we do not hasten our own death but are content to tarry Gods time and that we do not only or chiefly wish it for self-ends we may nay we ought to desire if God will that we may depart and be with Christ and this is that whereof our Apostle hath here given the Phillipians and all Christians a Pattern But oh my Brethren how doth St. Pauls desire upbraid our backwardnesse and chide our feares It was St. Cyprians complaint of the Christians in his time and it is still true Obnitimur reluctamur pervicacium more servorum ad conspectum Domini cum tristitia maerore perducimu● excuntes istinc necessitatis vinculo non obsequio voluntatis We resist and struggle and like peevish servants must to our grief and sorrow be forced into our Lords Presence going hence not with a willing obsequiousnesse but out of a compelling necessity Omnes refugiunt terminum ad quem curunt said Seneca Truly all men would fly from the Goale of death to which they runne I am afraid the most Christians are unwilling that should be