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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	woman_n	worth_a	year_n	16	3	3.5295	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96372	A treatise of the power of godlinesse: consisting of three parts. 1 wherein it consists. 2 cautions against, and discoveries of, several mistakes and hinderances, most common to the people of God. 3 several means and helps for attaining of it. / By Thomas White, preacher of Gods Word in London.	White, Thomas, Presbyterian minister in London.	1658 (1658)	Wing W1848; Thomason E1848_1; ESTC R209711	168,479	438

is doubtlesse farre from being an eminent Christian and those that make this Covenant are not onely to tell one another what they see evident to bee amiss but they are also to tell them of their fears and jealousies and of the reports yea even of slanders that are spoken of them for a Saint may get a great deal of good from slander for generally wee do something that gives some occasion to the slanderer to misreport us for if they report that one is a drunkard and a glutton though we may be far from deserving those calumnies yet it gives us just occasion to examine our selves whether wee do not take somewhat too much liberty in the use of the creature and many times wee should go so far if slanders were not raised that wee should deserve them Another great advantage from this our Communion with the Saints is our being acquainted with all their spiritual experiences the waies means that God useth with them what places of Scripture do most affect them either by way of Consolation or provoking and stirring them up to a more strickt and circumspect walking and to a high prizing of and longing after heaven and Christ which places will either stir us up and work the same frame of heart in us or else they will much humble us when wee consider the strange frame of our own hearts that those places that makes others like the charets of Aminadab should not move us and those places that enflame others should not thaw us Another rare advantage that wee have with Gods people is from those high discoveries that God makes of himself to them upon their beds of languishing a little before they depart hence and bee no more seen and because I will not transgress my own thoughts in this particular being confident that relations of the great discoveries that God doth make to his people wil much affect the Christian reader therefore I shall relate some few of the eminentest I know A very precious Christian acquaintance being sick unto death as those that were about have thought I coming to her she said Sir I have examined my own heart but am not willing to trust it but desire the seal of your Ministery and that you would try and examine if there bee any way of wickednesse in me I put her to her choice whether shee would discover her own condition or put mee to finde it out by questions shee chose the former and said O sir God hath handled mee on his knees from my Cradle to my grave for I hope this night the nuptials between my Saviour and my soul shall bee consummate I askt her if shee could remember the time of her conversion shee told mee that shee alwaies lived blamelesse since she could remember But about twenty years ago I was at a Sermon and the point that was spoke to was that every done ought to examine what it was that they had that they durst own at the day of judgement I went home and examined my graces I found them weak and bid them stand by I durst not own them at the day of judgement I examined my duties and found them sinfull and when I found nothing in my self I went out of my self unto that rock that is higher than I and there I have been to this day Her pronunciation as well as her expressions being full of joy and earnestnesse I askt her whether none of her sinnes lay upon her conscience and whether shee used to have such joyes shee answered that God had hid all her sinnes from her for the present and that she formerly used rather to have calmness than joy but now there was a beam of light and joy came into her soul but how shee knew not and speaking much of her desires to bee dissolved I askt her why shee desires to dye shee answered that shee might bee rid of sinne and free from temptation and have an eternity to praise her God in A Neighbour of hers comming in to see her who was a carnal man she left her discourse with others and applyed her self to him and with abundance of intention of spirit and voice shee said O Sir see that you get Christ and the time that you spend in your Garden for hee much delighted in his Garden spend on your knees for I le tell you I would not loose the joys of my dying hour for ten thousand worlds some about her wisht her not to speak so loud for shee would spend her self not speak for my God said shee I will speak for my God as long as I am able to speak and when I can speak no more I will hold my tongue and it was so by Gods good providence that shee resting pretty well that night the next day shee beganne to recover whereupon shee fell a trembling every joynt and shee being askt why shee trembled and what became of her joyes shee answered that ●er joyes was as great as ever but shee trembled to think that shee should live to dishonour that God that gave them when shee was well recovered I askt her what were become of her joys shee answered mee that ever since shee knew God shee had the faith of adherence and I hope that God would have mercy on mee but I never thought it almost possible that God would ever shine upon such a dung-hill as I am but now I can say that God hath stampt upon my soul that I am his and he is mine That precious Saint Mris. Drake of whose life and death there is a little Book worth the perusing out of which I shall only give you an account of her carriage and the wonderful raptures that God gave her a little before her death She was a woman of great temptations and desertions for the space of ten years yet notwithstanding the endeavours and labours of those four eminent servants of God B. Usher Doct. Preston Mr. Hooker and Mr. Dod but at last growing sickly being free from her desertions she became incessant in her discourses of heaven and of the things of God night day so that she took little rest but spent her time and strength in duties and conference shee knew her end approached neer though others lookt upon her distemper rather as an indisposition of body than a fit of sicknesse but she being confident she should dye and thereupon went to her Fathers house where shee alwaies desired to end her daies and Mr. Dod comming to her spending much time in prayer conference and expounding the Scripture shee carried her self with such unsatiable desires of more and such inflamed discourses of the things of God that they were all fill'd with admiration The Lords day before her death shee call'd all her children together and with many admonitions and zealous instructions and heavenly discourses shee spent much time that day with them The Tuesday following Mr. Dod came and spent some time in heavenly discourses and then went to prayer and suddenly as prayer

that which God requires of them that they should love us but if wee know that it is no way in reference to God wee ought also to disrelish it upon that account Those that preach Christ out of envy the Apostle sayes hee did rejoyce and would rejoyce but it was that Christ was preached not that hee was preached out of envy that doubtless was some trouble to him one may delight in the love of Wife Children Friends c. but it should be a grief to us that it should be any way proportionable to that love which they should bear to Christ Indeed thus farre we may rejoyce in their love viz. because by that meanes wee have a great advantage to make our spirituall advises and instructions and discourses of the things of God more pleasant Hence it is that the Apostle doth endeavour captare benevolentiam to gain the hearts of those to whom hee wrote or preach'd but it was that hee might gain them not to himself but to Christ From hence it is that Ministers ought accordingly to endeavour to gain the hearts of those over whom God hath placed them that hee entring in and having a place in their hearts himselfe may have the better opportunity of letting in Christ also The second high degree of love is rather to be acted by then to act love when wee have love as wee are said to have an ague or a fever which rather indeed have us than wee them and the Spouse doth call it being sick of love not that Love is a distemper or a disease but that as a disease to our hurt so the love of God rules us and over-powers us for our good so that to say properly Love is not so truly in us as wee in love when love is turned into ravishments of spirit and therefore the third excellency of love is when it constrains us as the Apostle speaks when wee neither can nor will stand out against the power of Love 't is said of Christ that hee was driven into the Wilderness by the Spirit in one Evangelist in another that hee was led to shew that hee went willingly yet with so much speed as if hee had been driven As long as thou canst rule thy love to God thy love as yet hath not come to that height and paroxisme that it ought to do for wheresoever the love of God is it ought to rule the soul in which it dwells for as before regeneration corruption gives laws to the whole man and carries it whether soever he pleases so that hee cannot so much as bridle it so after regeneration love should be the chief Monarch The fourth excellency of Love is when it makes us to triumph in and over difficulties and dangers and sufferings It was an high act of Christs love to us when his love made him more complain until he suffered than when hee suffered upon the Crosse I have a Baptisme to bee baptized withal and how am I streightned until it be accomplished Hee thought it long while hee suffered not when hee suffered Wee read of those that rejoyced more in the spoiling of their goods than others do in great spoils So the Apostles that they were thought worthy to suffer for Christ they took an holy pride in their shame and pleasure in their pains When dangers and sufferings threaten us in the wayes of God we should do as the Saints did in the Primitive Church when the wilde beasts were let loose upon them they came with stretch'd-out armes to meet and as it were imbrace them Wee should bee glad of having any opportunity to express our love to God 't is a poor thing when we serve God onely of that which cost us nothing Wee read of a woman who in the time of persecution came running all undrest and they ask'd her what shee meant and shee said 't was for fear she should come too late to suffer Martyrdome for that day there were divers that were put to death for Christ and shee came lest shee should loose that Crown 5. Then love is strong when wee can love God when there is nothing else to love but God when hee strips us of all his blessings and let 's Satan loose upon us as hee did upon Job nay when hee does not so much as leave us his love to love him for but takes away the sense of that also shuts out our prayers runs on us like a Giant as Job speaks when wee see nothing but his frowns his wrath when our enjoyments are gone our hopes gone nothing left but a sad expectation and fearful looking for of Judgement and fiery wrath of God for a soul in this case yet to love God as those in desertion do they will not sin against God for a world nay that which makes Hell terrible to them is that if they go thither they shall blaspheme him there I have heard of one that when God delivered her out of her desertions shee acknowledged that when shee was in them as shee has been going along in the street shee expected every step to sink down into hell yet if shee had heard but an oath sworn shee was ready to fall down dead it was such an horror and abomination to her to hear God dishonoured 'T is reported of another who being ask'd what hee would do if God should cast him down into hell hee answered that hee had two armes the one of faith the other of love and hee would imbrace him so that hee would carry him with him and then Hell would bee Heaven 6. Another great act of love is when one hath all things and God with God yet to love nothing but God this is that excellent frame of spirit that they in heaven have that though there be so many rare and wonderful enjoyments such as the least whereof would astonish and ravish us yet they no way divert the thoughts or abate the love of those that are in Heaven and indeed therefore it is that God hath reserved those joyes in abundance for that place for if God should vouchsafe us to see and hear those things that they see and hear they would bee temptations to us instead of blessings and wee should fall in love with Heaven more than God or else wee should bee past hope or some other way be distempered for so it had been with Paul if God had not sent him a messenger of Satan to buffet him it had been better for him to have wanted those revelations but they in Heaven are able to bear that weight of glory which would sink us but it is but their balast and makes them more steady in their joyes That wine that does but refresh a Giant would distemper a childe that which makes him more active will lay a childe asleep and wholly disable him It seems it may bee to some an harder matter to bee patient and holy under great afflictions but doubtless it requires more grace to be so in the time of prosperity

as he might abide great torments for hee was cast before a cruel Libbard thirsting most extremely after blood to the intent that he might devoure with his teeth the rest of his body but the beast smelling of him forgat his cruelty and turning away his face hee did no hurt to the Martyr but hereat the Tyrantsrage encreased and the Martyr by suffering such torments was made more constant crying aloud O how pleasant is that death unto me which is caused by all sorts of torments for Gods sake yea so much the more pleasant for that I assuredly hope to finde reward for it in heaven Let these torments inflicted upon mee O Tyrant satisfie thy cruelty for my pain is not by thy tortures encreased but rather my pleasure as thou shalt finde by my patience in this agony more willing am I to suffer than thou to punish yea my pain in suffering is less than thine by inflicting the same upon me I am tormented for the truth and observing the Law and the Justice of God shall banish thee from thy Regal Seat thou by tormenting art tormented and almost consumed thy wrath and fury being almost spent upon mee in vain thou shalt not escape the Day of Judgement eternal pains are there prepared for thee which neither thy profane minde is able to endure nor thy cruelty of power to decline thy sinful soul being condemned to eternal punishments Thus hee remaining constantly in his Faith and animated by his Brothers example departed unto heaven Then the third Son was brought whom all pittied for the death of his two Brethren and many exhorted him by his Brothers examples to desist from his opinion and so avoid punishment but hee being hereat angry thus replyed One Father begot us one Mother did bear us one Master instructed us wee are all of one mind and all alike affected do therefore no longer prolong the time in vain I came hither for to suffer and not to speak use all your tyranny possible against this body for you have no power at all over my soul The Tyrant hereat moved to see this third nothing relent by his brothers deaths he devised more cruelty than humane wit alone could invent wherefore hee commanded a Globe to bee brought and tied the holy Martyr about it in such sort that all his bones were set out of joynt and displaced whereat the holy Martyr was nothing dismaide the skin also of his head and face was pulled off and then hee was put upon the wheel but hee could not bee racked any worse for that all his bones were displaced and did hang one separated from another in most pitiful manner And when blood issued from him abundantly hee was deprived of the use of his hands and feet but perceiving his life to bee spent hee spake thus and died Wee O Tyrant endure this torment for the love of God and thou the Author of such unjust cruelty shalt suffer everlasting pain then his tongue being cut out of his mouth hee was put into a Frying-pan and so amidst those torments yeelded up the Ghost Next after followed the fourth Brother whom all the people perswaded and entreated to obey the King but hee contemning their exhortations said thus with all constancy Your fire shall not separate mee from the Law of God nor from my Brethren who instead of this mortal life enjoy life everlasting I denounce unto thee O Tyrant destruction and overthrow but to such as believe salvation Make tryal of mee therefore and see if God will forsake me who hath with open and stretched out armes received my three brethren that are gone before mee and whom the Womb of so holy a Mother at several times brought forth unto glory The cruel Tyrant hearing this was much moved and leapt down from his Chair to torment this Martyr himself that so hee might overcome him and in his fury commanded his tongue to bee cut out but hee hereat not terrified said unto Antiochus This cruelty will nothing avail thee neither shalt thou hereby as thou supposest conquer mee our God needs not by voice to bee awakened but rather by secret cogitation to bee prayed unto to help his servants and our God knoweth all things before wee ask and before wee our selves enter into cogitation thereof hee understandeth our necessity cut out my tongue thou canst not cut out my minde while my life remaineth Those prayers which by it I have uttered to Almighty God have taught it to suffer Would God thou wouldst so sanctifie all parts of my body by punishing them for thou therein inflictest punishment upon thy self and reward upon mee and think not that thou shalt thus escape long unpunished When hee had thus spoken his tongue was cut out of his mouth and hee bound to a stake and there hee was beaten with ropes ends and hee did patiently endure this notwithstanding the colour of his face became dead and wan being loosed from thence hee was put upon the wheel and then praying for the Church of God hee by death went unto the rest of his Brethren Then the fifth Brother before hee was haled to torments spake in this manner Behold I come to bee punished before thou command mee hope not therefore any jot to alter his minde who as thou seest desireth to bee tormented the blood of my four innocent brethren which thou hast shed hath condemned thee to hell fire I am to make them up the number of five that by it thy pains may bee encreased Tell mee for what offence by us committed dost thou thus punish us For what impiety dost thou so persecute us What villainy have wee committed What wickedness what naughtiness have wee attempted This is all thou canst alledge against us that wee honour God our Creatour and live justly in obedience of his Lawes and therefore do not esteem thy punishments but they are to us honour and salvation and not punishment we shall bee greatly rewarded by God if no part of us bee left free from torment Whilst thus hee spake his Executioners by the Kings command took him and cast him into a brazen pot and was prest down in it his head to his feet and afterwards hee suffered all other torments which his Brethren had endured yet not amazed hereat hee suddenly started up and thus hee said Cruel Tyrant how great benefits doest thou against thy will bestow upon us yea the more thou art incensed against us the more acceptable to God shalt thou make us yea I should bee sorry if thou shouldst shew mercy upon mee this short affliction gaineth us life everlasting if this temporal death should not betide mee everlasting life could not befal mee and thus hee finished his agony and died Then the Tormentors laid hands upon the sixth Brother who was permitted either to chuse honour or else punishment but hee aggrieved at his offer said although I be younger in my years than my Martyr'd Brethren yet my constancy of minde to theirs is not