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	year_n	143	3	4.2794	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66101	The high esteem which God hath of the death of his saints as it was delivered in a sermon preached October 7, 1683, occasioned by the death of the worshipful John Hull, Esq. who deceased October 1, 1683 / by Samuel Willard.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.; Corlet, Elijah, d. 1687.	1683 (1683)	Wing W2280; ESTC R27592	13,583	24

these whiles times have changed and many Professors have degenerated when he strove to grow better as the times grew worse will speak the sincerity of his Profession his living above the World and keeping his heart disentangled and his mind in Heaven in the midst of all outward occasions and urgency of Business bespake him not to be of this World but a Pilgrim on the Earth a Citizen of Heaven In a word he was a true Nathaniel But God hath taken him from us and by this stroak given us one more sad prognostick of misery a coming when there are but a few Saints in the World and those die apace too what is to be thought to be at the door I dare say his Death was precious in Gods sight and he had some holy end in taking him away just now who might probably have lived many years and done much more service for God in his Generation I shall not make it my work to Prophesie the Lord grant we do not all know it too soon to our cost Mean time let us have such in remembrance and labour to be followers of them who through Faith and Patience do now inherit the promises and that will be the best way to divert the Omen Let us account the Saints precious whiles they live and God will not begrutch them to us but if we by contempt obloquy and wickedly grieving their Righteous Souls make their lives a burden to them if they cannot live in honour among Men they shall die in favour with God and he will make their death a precious gain to them though it be a diresul presage of a great inundation of sad Calamities coming upon those whom they leave behind them IN OBITUM LUCTUOSISSIMUM VIRI VERE GENEROSI PII PLURIMISque ALIIS NOMINIBUS HONORANDI JOHANNIS HVLL ARMIGERI Cum Dignitate pari degentis in Summo Dynastarum NOV-ANGLORVM ordine dum vixit Pius NEc ver perpetuum voluit Deus esse perennem Noluit oestatem sed Autumni quoque tempus Cedere quo jussit ver oestatemque coronam Flores fruges deponere cumque nivali Vinclo ut tristis Hyems coustringeret omnia Quo me Fert animus vereor ne Tu quoque terra Nov ' Angla Experiare vices Anni cui proeteriere Floribus ornatum ver tua frugibus oestas Quamque diu Autumni nobis inimica fuere Tempora dum Proceres divos sanctosque Prophetas Innumerosque pios messem nec adhuc satis amplam Ipse Deus reputans demessuit Vnde Nov ' Angli Nostratem hunc Procerum comitem sociumque fidelem Lugent Quem Deus hinc jam nunc subduxit in altum Aethera conclamant merito lugendus es HVLLI Vnus de fulcris ad propugnacula fixis Fixus eras populi suffragia de meruisti Tot tantisqne tuis virtutibus emicuisti Moribus a puero ingenuis te novimus omnes Signa dedit pubes jam tum virtutis adultoe Cumque annis succrevit hinc proelusit honori Gratus honos populi sed longe gratior illo Est virtutis honos hoc te celebravit honore Plebs pia quem norunt vitiorum labe carentem Correptumque sacrae-studii virtutis amore Sollicitum siquis fidei populique salutis Sed quid ego quod iners ausim sine divite vena Ingenii c. cedo sed non sine crimine cedam Ingratoe mentis sua si proeconia laudis Supprimo cum mihi per quasi ter duo lustra fuisset Dulcis amicus hinc rerum tutela mearum Quique bonos alios mihi conciliavit amicos Vestibus nummis animum relevavit egentis Sic cymbam prohibens tenuem mihi mergier undis Sed tamen ingratus mihi dulcis Amice videbor Si tua in angusto rerum benefacta mearum Limite concludam Tua facta benigna fuere Pauperibus Viduis charisque parentibus orbis Subsidio ingenti Ah quanto Respublica damno Mulctatur quantis hoec tristia tempora damnis Rebus in angustis mulctantur cum Deus ipse Nostris infensus vitiis hunc sustulit ad se Hunc justumque plumque piis Christoque fidelem Vt sit in oeternum cum sanctis incola coeli Sic fuit Autumni facies tibi Terra Novangla O si non nobis concrescant frigore brumoe Res sacroe celebres sed nobis gratia Christi Perpetuo servet sanas atque inviolatas ELIJAH CORLET FINIS

THE HIGH ESTEEM Which God hath of the Death of his SAINTS As it was Delivered in a SERMON Preached October 7. 1683. Occasioned by the Death of the Worshipful John Hull Esq Who Deceased October 1. 1683. By Samuel Willard Teacher to a Church in Boston Numb 23. 10. Let me die the Death of the Righteous and let my last end be like his De Imperatore Theodosio fertur magis se gaudere quod membrum ecclesiae Dei esset quam caput imperii Aug. Boston in New-England Printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Sewall 1683. PSAL. 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the Death of his Saints THis psalm is wholly Eucharistical the Psalmists scope being to profess his endeared love to God and to excite himself to a grateful acknowledgement of all those Engagements which were lying upon him to express this Love of his in true Thankfulness for all those Kindnesses which he had made him the Subject of Hence there are two things which he here endeavours 1. A summary recital of the grounds and reasons of this Profession or what it was that God had so deeply obliged him by Expressed Enlarged Aggravated to ver 12. 2. An earnest Endeavour to Affect and Engage his heart unto suitable gratitude from hence to the end of the Psalm wherein he studies and promiseth to let it be seen that he was not stupidly regardless of but sutably affected with these wondrous benefits of God towards him where while he is binding of himself to the payment and performance of sacred and solemn expressions of Thanksgiving and particular Testimonies of a thankful heart he draws the knot close and makes it more indissoluble by reviving the Arguments or Obligations lying upon him or by chewing upon the consideration of the endeared Love of God discovering it self both to his People in general ver 15. and to himself in particular ver 16. So that the Words of the Text are a lofty Expression of the deep Interest which the Saints have in Gods affection or the high esteem which he conceives of them who dearly loves them and that not only whiles living but when dying too In the Words there are two parts 1. The Subject about which the Assertion is The Death of Gods Saints such a Subject is presumed for the Scripture doth not pronounce or express the condition of non-entities And hence we gather these three Conclusions 1. God hath his Saints in the World as evil and degenerate as the World is grown yet there are some Holy Men in it It is true there is none so holy here as to live without sin but there are some that are so pure as to be undefiled in God's eye and esteem Numb 23. 21. God hath seen no iniquity in Jacob. Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled The Word used in our Text for Saints signifies properly one that is precious kind bountiful and merciful The Substantive is most commonly used for Mercy or pity and this Word in our Text is Translated Merciful Isai 57. 1. and so divers read it here his merciful ones others read it his beneficent ones much to the same purpose But the Septuagint for the most part translate the Word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Saint or an Holy one and so they do in this place Hence as some observe the Posterity of Jonadab the Son of Rechab were by reason of their strictness or severity of Life called Hassidim which is the Word used in the Text. 2. God's Saints must dye It were superfluous to decipher their happiness in Death if they were not appointed to be the Subjects of it the most strict holy and Exemplary Life of the People of God is no Bail against a bodily death although Gods Love be such to them that he will take effectual care about their dying well yet it is his holy pleasure that they shall tast of that Cup and meet with that common Lot of the children of Men Psal 89. 48. What Man is he that liveth and shall not see Death shall he deliver his Soul from the hand of the Grave and hence we learn that Death is not in it self a thing so formidable as Men think it to be but only the manner of dying it is no hurt to die if we die Saints 3. The Saints have a priviledge above other Men in their Death what this priviledge is will follow that there is such a thing the limitation of the general Subject Death to this particular Subject Saints in disposing of it to be capable of the ensuing predication evidenceth When the Psalmist hath something worthy and excellent to say about Death he restrains and bounds it in the Saints q. d. all Men die but all do not thus die this is not a common priviledge which I am speaking of but it is appropriated to the Saints of God Hence all that would have any advantage above other Men in their dying must make it their great care and endeavour whiles they are living to be Saints 2. The Predicate of this Subject It is precious in the sight of God and here is a double excellency of the Saints Death discovered viz. 1. Innate or real in it self it is precious for God doth not esteem of things otherwise then they really are when we hear that he reckons them so we may conclude that they must be so indeed the word signifies weighty honourable precious dear and rare Death which is in it self an evil thing when it befalls a Child of God becomes a thing of very great worth 2. In Estimation and that of him who best knows what esteem to put upon things viz. God himself he doth not tell us that it is so in the sight of Men for their judgement and verdict would not sufficiently determine the question for as for wicked men they account the Saints lives to be contemptible and their Death inglorious and as for good men they are fallible liable to mistakes and hence their judgement is not by it self satisfying to Faith nor may we build any conclusion upon the credit of the best of men but God judgeth aright he knows and speaks the truth and his testemony is to be taken the Phrase In the sight signifies the judgement knowledge and account q. d. thus it is to God he who sees all things and discerns their issues he reckons it to be so There are divers thoughts among Interpreters about the meaning of this Expression or in what sence the Psalmist intends that their death is precious in the sight of God which what it is most likely to be will follow to be considered Hence Doct. The Death of God's Saints is in his account or esteem a thing very precious God sets an high price not only upon the Lives but upon the Death 's too of his Children they are dear and honourable to him not living only but dying also For the clearing up of this Truth we may consider 1. Who are those Saints of God

of whom this is asserted 2. What is implied in their Death being precious in Gods sight 3. Whence it comes to pass that it is so 1. Who are those Saints whose death is thus precious A. I have already hinted the meaning of the Word and shall not need to make many Discourses upon the thing or enter a treatise about the quality and kind of Sanctity There is none on this side the Grave is so holy but to have in him some defilement none so clean but there may be some spots and blemishes found in him Eccles 7. 20. There is not a just Man upon Earth that doth good and sinneth not But a Saint in a Gospel sence may be described to be One who being powerfully wrought upon in effectual vocation and therein converted throughly unto God hath the Grace of Sanctification wrought in him and the Spirit of Holiness given to him to dwell in him and to purge his Heart and Conscience There are Saints in Heaven and they are just Men made perfect and there are Saints on the Earth too Psal 16. 3. To the Saints that are in the Earth and these though not at present perfected are yet perfecting They are such whom the Grace of God hath taught in part and is daily further teaching those Lessons Tit. 2. 11 12. To deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present world They do not ly wallowing in the mire of Sin nor delighting themselves in such courses as are provoking to God but are in heart soul and spirit devoted unto him and his service seeking his honour studying his glory contriving how they may best serve their Generation to his praise In a word every one that by the power of Gods Spirit is taken out of the World and made a true Believer is also a Saint in an Evangelical account Conversion and Sanctification go together inseparably Effectual vocation both designs and produceth Sanctification 1 Cor. 1. 2. Called to be Saints and such as these are are therefore called the Saints of God 1. Because God hath chosen and separated them for himself and his own service Psal 4. 3. Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself He hath taken them out of the World and consecrated them to an higher and more noble Imployment than such as the rest of Man-kind are engaged in now whatsoever is devoted to any special service of God is therein said to be Sanctified for to sanctifie is to separate from common and dedicate to special divine use and services upon this account the Tabernacle and Temple the Altar the Vessels the Priests the Levites the People of Israel were accounted Holy and the more separated they were the more holy were they reputed to be 2. Because they stand nearly related to Christ's Holiness not only Christs Righteousness as it stands to answer the Law for them in way of Justification is imputed unto them but his Holiness also is imputed unto them for Sanctification there is a relative Sanctity upon every true Believer and hence Christ is said to be made unto them Sanctification 1 Cor. 1. 30. the precious Priests Robes of their elder Brother are put upon them In the Ceremonial Law the Water of Purification by being sprinkled upon the persons and instruments that were for the service of the Sanctuary Sanctified them thus the blood of Christ sprinkled upon a Child of God renders him pure in God's Holy Eyes 3. Because they have the inchoations of inherent Sanctity in them there is a real formal Holiness in every true Believer and though imperfect in degrees yet perfect in parts the Holy Spirit of God given to and dwelling in the People of God works them up to a Conformity to himself and renders them like unto the Holy God and hence it is that Believers are said to be partakers of the divine nature 1 Pet. 1. 4. the Lord Jesus Christ hath wrought them up unto Holiness Hence that 1 Thess 4. 3. For this is the Will of God even your Sanctification and that verse 7. For God hath not called us unto Vncleanness but unto Holiness 4. Because they are growing up to and designed for perfection of Holiness Grace inherent is Holiness begun and founded in the Believer but they grow in it Psal 92. 12 13. The Righteous shall flourish c. and as the Lord Jesus Christ hath laid the foundation in them by effectual vocation so his intention is to fit them up for himself so as that they shall be every way like unto him and this is by making them to be without spot or wrinkle Eph. 5. 27. 2. What is implied in their Death being precious in the sight of God or wherein he makes it appear so to be A. 1. Negatively we are not to suppose that God takes delight in putting of his Servants to Death or that their Death as such contents him or is a pleasure to him Death in its own nature is an evil it is the fruit of the Curse brought in by sin and for God to will Death as so to his People were not an expression of his Love but Displeasure But 2. Positively and here Observe 1. Some read the Word here Heavy and take the meaning to be that God takes the Death of his Saints especially when it is procured by the means of their Enemies very grievously or heavily it is such a thing as he cannot tell how to bear and that David speaks this of own experience for when Saul when Absalom when Achitophel had contrived his Death and sought wayes how they might effect it God was very angry and would not suffer it yea manifestly discovered his deepest displeasure against them in that by signal judgements he destroyed each of them 2. Others read it Rare and Dear and understand it that because such things as are dear to us we are not wont to leave or commit to the dispose of others therefore David intends that God doth not easily or often grant Wicked Men their desires upon his Saints or suffer them to take away their lives and that David draws this general Conclusion to comfort others withal from the great Experience which he had had of manifold and strange Deliverances But 3. The most comprehensive meaning of this Expression may be this viz. That God takes as special and weighty care about the Death of his Saints as men are wont to do about those things that are of greatest worth and value in their esteem the Septuagint Translateth it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Honourable intimating that God puts great honour upon his dying Saints And this esteem discovers it self 4. In his all-wise and careful timing of their Death He takes order that his People shall alwayes die in the best time for them it may be a bad time for the World to lose them in but it is a good time for them to leave it in Hence 1. Till the fit time is come He