Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	wonderful_a	world_n	worthy_a	26	3	5.6093	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03698	The shield of the righteous: or, The Ninety first Psalme, expounded, with the addition of doctrines and vses Verie necessarie and comfortable in these dayes of heauinesse, wherein the pestilence rageth so sore in London, and other parts of this kingdome. By Robert Horn, minister of Gods Word.	Horne, Robert, 1565-1640.	1625 (1625)	STC 13825; ESTC S104237	130,560	160

repentance to flee vnto when a floud is sent the wicked hauing no such consideration stand naked by sinne in the face of euery storme that is sent and perish in it The summe of all is this they that be Christians indeed must and will take a true inuentorie of Gods fauours and iudgements and set downe in their minds by deepe obseruation as with a pen of iron what he hath strangely done where Christians in face onely haue no such notes about them of his strange acts and forget all his workes as if they had neuer bene Let vs therefore not forget Gods acts his strange acts neither Gods workes his fearefull workes worthy to be had in remembrance And put it in your bookes what he did so lately one yeare in a spring of no raine and the next yeare in a sommer of so much raine take your bill or booke of tables and write what God did scarefully in that great Plague Luke 16.6.7 and strangely in remouing it Also what desolations he made by the sea in those West-country flouds or if we haue forgotten let vs remember how God set his heauen as brasse against our faces of brasse and made it to weepe day and night in raine of long continuance because wee would shed no teares for our sinnes Let vs not forget the signes which he sent among vs and which haue not bene few nor his tokens on earth nor his wonders in the sea nor what strange lights he hath set with his owne hand in the firmament nor what a graue was made for vs by Spaniards once and once by men of our owne nation and how we were at both times deliuered and they throwne in as our ransome nor how often the sword hath bene set to our very heart in practises against our mother in Israel and our father now Gods end in causing the righteous to see the Plagues of sinners is to assure them the more in their weake faith and patience that he will ratifie what he hath spoken and here we learne That the Lord knowing whereof we are made Psal 103.14 doth dispense with his owne right to beare with our infirmities So he did not onely burie the Aegyptians in the sea but did it his people looking on Exod. 14.30.31 who saw them to go downe quicke to those graues and Dauid saith When the wicked shall perish thou shalt see Psal 37.34 His meaning is that the wicked shall die strangely and that the godly shall see their strange death they shall perish as God hath said and the other see it that they may not doubt or they shall perish that God may magnifie his truth vpon his enemies and his people see it that he may be magnified in his children The smoke of Sodome mounted vp as the smoke of a fornace and Abraham must see it Genes 19.28 Sedome was wicked and destroyed and Abraham the friend of God beheld her destruction Likewise the fiue Kings of the Amorites appointed to the sword could not be hid but were found and brought out to be executed before all Israel that same day Ios 10.24.26 it must be done and Israel must see it done For the man of power shall be destroyed and the man of wisedome the righteous man shall see it Psal 52.5.6 The reasons Our graces of faith patience perseuerance spirituall fortitude Reason 1 and the like are very weake many times without the vphold of the outward senses and therefore hee that for our weakenesse hath added Sacraments as seales to his word to beare it vp is content to vphold his promise in other things with these sensible helps And now as there is no sense more helpefull and certaine then this of seeing none that imprinteth deeper affections in the passiue part of the soule then it So the Lord chuseth in such cases to confirme and settle vs rather by seeing then by heare-say He that is able to say that he is an eye-witnesse to a thing may better resolue himselfe and perswade another in that thing then he that can onely say he heard it Secondly if God did not thus to beare with his children by Reason 2 dispensation giuing them for the helpe of their weake faith in him proppes of sense to hold by they would quickly not stagger onely but fall downe in a despaire of his promises but God will not see the fall of his people and his people shall see the saluation of their God Reason 3 Thirdly beholding in others with our eyes the recompence of sinne it will make vs if we belong to God in a fright to forsake that way that casteth such troubles vpon those that trauell in it Now the Lord knowing that such frights are sometimes necessarie for his children to the helpe of their conuersion to him doth set the wicked before them in the recompence of their errour by some notable destruction that they may take heede in time Vse 1 This dispensation of Gods mercy to his children in a time Pestilence or other publick visitation bearing with them and not suffering them to come vpon the scaffold where others are cut off by death should teach them from such matter of his patience toward them and seuerity to others to gather benefit to their amendment and not boldnesse thereby to doe euill Rom. 2.4 If God be terrible in his works that is if he visit with a wonderfull Plague with strange sicknesses and yeares with disorderly springs and summers with dearths and death it is that the world the godly at least should worship him and sing vnto his Name Psal 66.3 4. or that they should turne to him and not turne wantons For they are not spared by chance or because they are worthy nor doe they ouerliue the calamities of those who in times of mortalitie come sooner to deaths house then they that they should flatter themselues in an euill custome because God hath beene more fauourable to them then to these but they see the destruction of others in their owne safetie that by such a sight they may be made more fearefull to offend and more carefull to please God in his commandements now then before And this good vse must all Gods children make of his sparing hand to them or theirs not carrying the grace of it into wantonnesse for God doth it in loue to their benefit and they must apply it in wisdome to the cure of their vnbeliefe and purging of their wickednesse Some as if the Lord did punish at aduenture in such cases and not directly for sinne hold on their prouocations neither changing their skinne nor altering their spots Ier. 13.23 And these are more sensles then the sensles beast for the Beast feareth exceedingly when hee seeth one of his fellowes knockt downe before his face and pitifully roareth out when he senteth his fellowes blood but these are sensles of Gods strokes lift vp vpon men like themselues and are not moued where the beast is so greatly moued neither pitie Christian blood It is said of

the wine of violence and wrong at the Lords Table and lastly if our Magistrates reuenge for themselues with the sharpe edge of their authority and not for Gods dishonor and the contempts of his truth how can it be but God must needs breake in by Pestilence or some other way and lay out sinnes vpon vs I say some other way for he doth not visit alway after one manner and with one kinde of iudgement but diuersly and with sundrie sorts of Plagues When therefore God beginneth his iudgements among vs let vs impute them to the right father the vncorrected and raging wickednesse of the land and not to a wrong cause as most doe Some when a contagious disease is sent are carefull to purge the body which is not to be omitted but haue no care to reforme the soule which should be first done for the cause of all infirmities is in it If God send troubles they take them away by policie but not the cause of them by repentance and when God scourgeth a nation they looke at the rod but little regard the striker So much for the promise made to the godly mans Person that which is made to his dwelling or those that dwell with him followeth Neither shall any Plague come nigh thy dwelling VVEe haue heard that no euill shall come to the Person of the godly man to hurt him for the Lord will inlarge his footing vnder him and put his owne arme betweene him and the graue if he be streightned any way he that sees him through the b Cant. 2.9 chinks of the doore will when he seeth time open a wide doore vnto him of large deliuerance and after many sea-blasts bring him to the hauen or rode where he would bee Psal 107.30 Now the Prophet sheweth that not onely his owne Person shall be safe but his dwelling also or dwellers with him for his sake for the house is taken here by a figure for those that are in it and so his meaning is when God shall visit for sinne with any of his sore Plagues both the righteous man and the righteous mans familie and houshould shall be safe and sound The Doctrine is manifest in the Text which is That a good mans familie shall bee safe for that good mans Doct. 1 sake and more generally it teacheth that the wicked fare better for the godly that dwell among them and that God oftentimes spares a house for his seruants sake that is in it So in that Psalme that blesseth marriage and containeth the richest veine of counsell to persons about to marrie or already married the Prophet in the name of God promiseth many outward blessings to the man that feareth the Lord that is that scrueth him with feare and is faithfull in his commandements which he calleth the walking in his waies Psal 128.1 and for that mans sake the promise goeth farther as it were in alonger chaine to his wife and children verse 3. not staying at him God promised Abraham that if tenne righteous persons could bee found in Sodome hee would not destroy it for the tennes sake Genes 18.32 and so long as Lot was in the Citie or till he his wife and daughters were gon out he could do nothing against it Gen 19 12 22. Cursed Cham for his good fathers sake had his safe abode in the Arke during all the time of the flood his fathers sincerity was his security or Arke or harbour against it Gen. 9.18 Heb. 11.7 Labans house was the better for Iacob Gen. 30.27 and so was Potephaers for Ioseph Iacobs sonne Gen. 39.3 So the Lord gaue vnto Paul that is kept in safety for Pauls sake all that sailed with him Act. 27.24 and they were in all two hundred threescore and fifteene soules besides himselfe the sixteenth verse 37. the onely person for whom all the other were saued The reasons Reason 1 The godly are the first borne of God written in heauen Hebrewes 12.23 that is as the first borne of men first open the wombe so these first open the wombe of God as his first borne viz. the wombe of his councell concerning his Saints and the wombe of his open workes such as are his creation and prouidence concerning the world for for their sakes he first made this vniuerse the beauty of it and variety in it for their sakes and till the number of them be accomplished it standeth to this day and but for them it should presendy receiue the doome of fire Now as God spareth this world generally for the faithfull that are in it or are to bee in it before the dissolution so more particularly hee forbeareth townes and houses for his childrens sakes that bee in them or make request for them as Abraham for Sodome that they may be spared Reason 2 Secondly the godly serue the Lord in truth and with reuerence and God blesseth the place where he is so serued being in the midst of two or three that so serue him Mat. 18.20 Reason 3 Thirdly they pray heartily for the wicked and God will doe much for his children that pray vnto him Gen. 18.26.28.29.30 Iames 5.16 Exod. 32.10 Gen. 20.7 Reason 4 Fourthly where the godly are there is a sweete perfume and incense of gracious admonition and many good instructions tending to godlinesse which refresheth the place and filleth the house where the wicked are and how can they but be better by such an ointment powred out also they shine in a light of good example to vnrighteous persons and leade in good waies and how can they that looke at their candle and direction but amend their liues somewhat by their coppy and how can it bee but iniquity must needs be somewhat curbed when it is so much and euidently reprooued by the righteous deedes of good men Vse 1 A strong motiue to our faith in God and feare of him seeing that by obedience to him and the reuerence of his name men may not onely put dangers from themselues but bee meanes of faluation to others when dangers come 2. Sam. 20.22 Eccles 9. 15. Now to deliuer one soule from death is a praise worthy thing how much more to deliuer or to bee meanes to deliuer a whole towne or Citie but this the Lord will doe for their sakes by way of honour that honour him in his commandements thus will he binde the preseruation of many to the neighbourhood of some few that feare him and thus will he manifest to the mightiest and most how much he loues his owne and can there bee a greater spurre to godlinesse and bridle from sinne then this It seemed an vnreasonable thing to one of the seruants of Nabal that Dauid and his men hauing beene a wall to Nabal and his shephards both by night and by day should be railed on as he was by his Master 1 Sam. 25.14.16 and he could not but say euill will surely come vpon him for it verse 17. And what greater honour then to be iustified by an enemie or to bee