Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	word_n	work_n	worldly_a	39	3	7.8174	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78140	A sermon preached at the funerall of the Right Honourable and most excellent lady, the Lady Elizabeth Capell dowager. Together with some brief memorialls of her most holy life and death. By Edm. Barker, late chaplain to her Honour, and now rector of Buriton in Hampshire.	Barker, Edmund, b. 1620 or 21.	1660 (1660)	Wing B766; Thomason E1046_14; ESTC R38546	36,267	67

feel the benefit and receive the comfort of them And questionlesse that peremptory promise Ioh. 20. 23. Quorumcunque peccata remiseritis whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted doe signifie much more then the bare complement of an indifferent usage and Ceremony The same day she departed which was Ianuary 26. about three a clock in the afternoon she sent for me four severall times to go to prayers with her thrice in the morning and once in the afternoon at which last time all her children one onely excepted which was not in Town were present and joyned in prayers together with us Soon after that I was called to her again to perform my last Ministeriall Office the recommendation of her soul into the hands of Almighty God and then indeed and not before her senses began to fail her and within few minutes after in much peace and sweetnesse she concluded her last breath I doe here willingly passe over many other most remarkable carriages of hers during the time of her sickness as her most Christian Charity her constant Devotion her stupendious Silence Patience even to a miracle the amazement of beholders Her perfect Weanednesse from the world her continuall thoughts and discourses of the joyes and happinesse of heaven and indeed in this latter God Almighty was exceeding gracious to her for she would often wish that if it might stand with the good will and pleasure of God as he dealt with his servant Moses and gave him a little before his death a sight and view of the land of promise so he would also some time before her departure hence vouchsafe her some sensible tastes and feelings of the joyes and happinesse of heaven And truly in this she had her request granted and God was in most signal manner as good to her as her desires for her soul was full of the glory of God and of the joyes and happinesse of heaven and she was in a manner caught up into Paradise and saw in her spirit strange sights and heard words of joy and peace not to be uttered and did sensibly feel new comforts every day breaking in fresh and more upon her soul and lived to see all her former fears vanished and doubts satisfied and objections answered and scruples resolved and hopes evidenced and in a word her whole mind most sweetly composed and settled into a heavenly posture of pious confidence and assurance so that now she had nothing left to do but to resolve with holy David Psal 4. 8. To lay her down in peace for the Lord had graciously made her to dwell in safety Accordingly a few dayes before her death she was pleased to utter her self to me in these or I am sure such like words Oh Sir what a gracious God have I how rich in his mercees towards me how favourable in his corrections of me The thing which I so greatly feared a painfull torturing death he has turned into ease and comfort And my wordly cares and thoughtfulnesse for the provision of my children he has also in great measure taken off of my hand And now what doe I lingring and tarrying here any longer all my work is done and the world has no further need of me why may I not forthwith goe to my God Is it not much better for me to be dissolved and to be with Christ These and such like heavenly sayings were her frequent and usuall discourses with me so that it was an exceeding joy and comfort to me when at any time she did send for me neither doe I know that I ever went to her and did not learn somewhat remarkable from her And indeed every speech and posture of hers was a most fruitfull Sermon to all those who had the happiness to attend about her to minister unto her did either hear the one or observe the other the one a visible Sermon of patience the other an audible Sermon of devotion But I see I am now entred into a large Field and may say with Elihu in Iob chap. 32. 18. I am full of matter and the spirit within me constraineth me And indeed I can very hardly wind my self out but I must have regard to my promise of brevity Take all therefore which I shall adde further in these few words and believe it they are not the words of vanity or flattery but of truth and soberness uttered in the fear presence of God I have in my time been with severall dying persons have seen their piety observed their patience taken speciall notice of their whole carriage and behaviour yet never in all my life did I see such an uniform Samplar of piety nor a whiter Soul return to its maker One thing was very notable and I beseech God to make us truly thankfull to him for it as being a most signall instance and evidence of his goodnesse to her and which indeed considering the condition of her disease may justly deserve the name of a miraculous mercy It was this Though her sicknesse as I said before was very painfull and grievous yet it pleased God for some dayes before her death to deliver her from any sense of pain at all so that she had her thoughts very free and at liberty and made a most Christian use and advantage of that freedome Yea when we and her self too by reason of the little rest which she took greatly feared that her sicknesse might at last grow into some kind of distemper It pleased Almighty God to secure her from that also so that she enjoyed her understanding and memory and all her senses very quick and perfect to the last even so long as she had any occasion or need to make use of them And thus have I at length given you the whole world in a Map a brief account and history of the holy Life and Death of our most excellent Lady See for all the world as she lived so she died she lived in peace and she died in peace her whole life here was as a man would say one continued act of piety and good works and as for her death that in like manner was a conclusion of most heavenly sweetnesse and comfort The Lord in mercy give us grace who survive so to frame our lives according to the example of her piety that when it shall come to our turns to die we also may share in like feelings of comfort All the farther application which I shall now make hereof is to you that are here present and particularly to those who were her dearest relations Her right Noble and Honourable Children most earnestly beseeching them to consider and call often to mind these pious Parents of theirs to endeavour to tread in their steps and to follow the example of their piety and not give themselves the liberty of committing those sins which they were so carefull to prevent or lightly neglect any of those wholsome customes practises whither in their private Closets or Families which they made

sweet and comfortable death so on the contrary it is very rare and seldome that a wicked life makes a good and happy end And therefore Tully an heathen Oratour could call this the highest pitch and emprovement of the best wisdome To do those things living which we would desire to have done when we are to die holy Bernard seconds it with advice much to the same purpose In every action and enterprise of thy life sayes he be still saying over to thy self Si modo moriturus esses istud faceres if thou wert to die out of hand wouldst thou doe so and so And who of us all can tell that he is not modo moriturus to die soon for life we know is uncertain and death very ordinarily comes suddenly upon people and not alwayes in the preface and solemnity either af a lingring Consumption or a swelling Dropsie or a tedious Ague or a growing Fever or the like but many times in the sudden surprisalls of some secret and unexpected accident which we could not possibly foresee untill it came to light fatally and mortally upon us And does it not concern us then to be continually numbring our dayes and putting our selves in as great a readinesse and preparednesse for death as may be that so we may rather our selves be said to meet it then That to come suddenly and unexpectedly upon us And to this purpose was this Psalm here penned which contains in it if you mark it well a relation and narrative both of the necessity of our mortality and also the brevity and uncertainty of our lives To the end that having these things alwayes in our thoughts before our eyes both the necessity of our mortality that it is necessary for us at some time to die and also the brevity and uncertainty of our lives that it is possible for us to die every hour we might the sooner be awakened out of our present course of sin and incogitancy into studious endeavours and practises of piety and devotion of abstinence and mortification of heavenly mindednesse and spirituall affections in a word of a wise and timely provision of such gracious habits and dispositions which may in some good measure dresse our souls for a fit salute and entertainment of death These words which I have now read unto you do contain in them the form and substance of a devout and pious prayer and whether David was the Authour of it or Moses that should not need to trouble us for to be sure the prayer it self is most Divine and heavenly and the very piety of the prayer does sufficiently declare the Authour whoever he was to be highly pious and religious In it we have particularly considerable these four things First Quis petit who it is that prayes or the party praying and that indeed is not expressed in terms but conceived by some to be holy David whose are most of the other Psalms but presumed by others to be Moses grounding their opinion and that not without good cause upon the Title and Inscription of the Psalm Psalmus Moses viri Dei a Psalm of Moses the man of God Secondly Proquibus petit who they are whom he prayes for not if you mark it for himself alone but for others as well or for himself conjunctly and together with others Doce nos Teach us Thirdly Quid petit what it is which he prayes for and that is negatively no worldly advantage at all no temporal concerment but positively to be taught and instructed in the mysterious art of spiritual Arirhmetick to be put into a right way and method of numbring and counting up our dayes Doce nos numerare dies nostros Teach us to number our dayes Fourthly Propter quid petit the design and end of his prayer or the particular reason principally moving him to make this request and that is adductio cordis ad sapientiam the application of our hearts unto wisdome or our spiritual instruction and edification Sic doce ut adducamus So teach us that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome I shall begin with the first of these The party making the request and he as is generally concluded was holy Moses A man of God So the inscription of the Psalm styles him One that was faithful in all his house so the Authour to the Hebrews reports him chap. 3. 5. See what what an high character what a large commendation here is some are faithfull in this or that in one or two particular instances of piety Thus one man is very temperate another very humble another very patient another very mortified another very charitable but Moses you see he was a through proficient an universal Saint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faithfull in all Whence be pleased to take away with you this observation that the best and most excellent Saints of all have great need and reason to pray to be better taught and instructed in duty And why in many things we do all fall short and offend the brightest Moon hath its spots the richest wine hath its lees and there are dreggs and much corrupt matter lodging in the best and most improved Saint of us all Well but mark what it is which Moses here prayes for onely to be taught to number his dayes But did he not do this already was it not his dayly work this his constant and continual employment Yes doubtlesse it was yea and he did it carefully and conscientiously too But yet he thought he did it not well enough and therefore prayes here in the Text to be taught to do better See a good man how little he pleaseth himself in any action of his life in any performance of duty that he does He can never think that he does well enough whatever he does but still desires to do otherwise and would fain do better There is an affection of modesty and humility which still accompanies real piety and every pious man is an humble modest man never reckons himself a perfect proficient or to be advanced above a teaching but is content and covetous to be a continual learner to know more then he knows and to do better then he does yea and thinks it no disparagement to his graces at all to take advice and to seek instruction where it is to be had A proud man is evermore high lofty in his own conceit and none is so wise as he none fit and worthy enough to teach him What doest thou teach us said the Pharisees you know to the blind man in the Gospel Iohn 9. 35. oh but an humble man is ever meek and lowly in his own eyes and takes it well yea and is glad and desirous to be taught Accordingly O teach me sayes holy David to do the thing that pleaseth thee Psal 143. 10 and here in the Text So teach us to number our dayes S. Paul 2 Tim. 4. 3. reports it of some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who will not endure sound doctrine But such

such a Conscienc to observe Oh consider Right Honourable that you are born of pious Parents Your Father dy'd a Blessed Martyr and your Mother lived a Precious Saint upon earth and you have great reason to believe that they doe now both of them shine glorious Saints in heaven Think now I beseech you what a lessening of their happinesse will it be there to understand and know that you their dear and naturall Relations which came out of their own bodies Children of so many Prayers and Teares of so much care and tendernesse as you have ever been to them That you I say after their deaths should in the least measure prevaricate and degenerate from the example of their piety They were pleasant Vines oh be not you Thornes and Thistles They were active Christians oh be not you barren and unnfruitfull Know that they that are born of pious Parents as you all are are born under the greatest possible obligations unto piety that may be The bare example of their pious Parents which all have not forcibly provoking and engaging them in like pious practises Would you shine glorious Saints in heaven as they now doe why then live Religious Saints upon earth as they here did and then indeed you will fare much the better for their Piety's sake for every pious Parent doth hoard and treasure up a stock of blessings for his Children but then it is upon a condition of like piety in them and not oherwise Remember what the Prophet Ezekiel sayes to this purpose and consider it and lay it seriously to heart Chapt. 18. 20. The righteousnesse of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickednesse of the wicked shall be upon him The soul that sinnes it shall die Now to God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost be all possible Honour and Glory and Praise now and for evermore Amen Amen 2 Chron. 9. 5 6. And she said to the King it was a true report which I heard in mine own Land of thine Acts and of thy wisdome Howbeit I believed not their words until I came and mine eyes had seen it and behold the one half of the greatnesse of thy wisdome was not told me for thou excellest the fame that I heard FINIS AN ELEGIE Upon the much lamented Death of the Right Honourable and most excellent Lady The Lady ELIZABETH CAPELL DOWAGER ANd was 't thou not afraid bold Death to touch That Heav'n-inspired Saint who had none such But thou thy hands had'st first i' th' martyr'd bloud Of her Dear Lord imbru'd and so grews't proud To snatch of his what else did here remain Though yet her Death prov'd more thy loss then gain To do her mischief thou did'st make her Saint And much against thy will did'st her acquaint With Angels company where now she sets And all her Earthen comforts here forgets At least not wants them Rare felicity Earth's mud exchang'd for Heav'ns Eternity There now she sits and Queen's it pitying much Our sorry Comforts here which we with such Hard pains do gather up as sometimes were Th' Israelites forc'd to wander here and there To pick up Manna in the Wilderness And having got them call them Happiness Hydropick thirstie Happiness no doubt So far from slaking that th' encrease our drought But our blest Saint is got above these toyes And scorns them now feasting on heav'nly Joyes And would not for a World her fingers more Soil with those dirty Comforts we adore Now Riches Honours Friends and Children are To her Rich Soul but so much paltry ware Strong Mans'ons Goodly Pallaces Buildings fair Seem now to her but Castles in the air And here they seem'd so too these little things Were much below her Soul the lofty wings Of her desires soar'd higher all her Bliss And Joy was Heaven which rather then she 'd miss She was resolv'd to dye and so she did But not as we low Souls whose Life is hid And buried in the Rubbish of the Earth Rather she did depart t' enjoy the mirth And melodie of Angels withdrew from hence To th' end she might a glorious Saint commence She willingly uncas'd her Soul that so She might with swifter pace to Heaven goe Her flesh was her incumbrance which to take Away from her did but her freedome make Her Soul was kept close Pris'ner 'till by Thee T' was happily releas'd and so made free And whither did it flie I trow canst ' tell If not I 'le tell thee now 'T is gone to dwell With blessed Saints and Angels there to sing Joynt-praises with them to her Heav'nly King Thus wert thou fool'd weak Death for what by Thee Was meant a mischief prov'd a Courtesie Heavens blest her here with Comforts to her mind But nothing like to what she now does find Oh that we felt what she feels then would we Chuse to die too and bear her Company But stay my Friends Heaven and Happiness Are costly Pennyworths If you sweat less For them then for the world you 'l surely miss Of what she now enjoyes Eternal Bliss She was not born a Saint no more then we No priviledge did her Nativity Give her 'bove us they were her Piety Her virtuous Life her rare Humility Her flaming Zeal her sober Gravity Her yearning Bowels melting Charity Her Faith her Hope her Love her Patience Her Meekness Temp'rance Her obedience To ev'ry Providence not once replying Or yet Oh t is a sore one vainly crying These made her Saint these gain'd her Heaven too And would gain't us as well would we live so Compound of Goodness who by far hadst more Graces in thee then we have names in store What Virtue shall we call thee we can't tell Wh'ther this or that for Thou wert all as well Thine own sole Rival For alas what were Failings in thee they our Perfections are And doubtless we should thy Divinity Have fondly worship'd had'st not chose to dye And so remov'd that doubt But though we call Thee not a breathing Angel yet we shall Strict Votaries resort unto thy shrine And pay Thee Honours next unto Divine Methinks I see now that Majestick Face That Garb that Presence mixt with comely grace Those frowns those looks of hers commanding Eye Heart-breaking softness cutting Clemency Thus chiding Sin Bold Sinners how dare ye I looking on act thus unhandsomely How dares the sawcy darkness of the Night Out-face the presence of the noon-day light Thus was she fear'd and lov'd alike whilst they Who wish't the Sin full well yet chose t' obey And cease from sin though but in Reverence To her grave Aspects charming Influence Thus have I seen erewhiles in winter nights The wanton Stars sporting with twinckling Lights And dancing at the absence of the Sun But that no sooner 'bove the Horizon 'Gan to peep forth but they in trembling wise Strait hid their faces and shut close their Eyes Astonish't at that presence Thus we 're told By th' tell-troth Records of Historians old