Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	church_n	militant_a	triumphant_a	5,237	5	11.5840	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59969	The Christians triumph over death a sermon at the funeral of Richard Legh of Lime in the county Palatine of Chester, Esq., at Winwick in the county Palatine of Lancaster Sept. 6. 1687 / W. Shippen ...	Shippen, W. (William), 1637?-1693.	1688 (1688)	Wing S3441A; ESTC R4015	35,882	69

cheerfulness and gladness of Heart By ingaging our passionate and melting Souls in the Divine and Pathetick transports of Joy and Exultation with this Triumphing Saint By Lanching as it were out of the Body to fly up after him into those Orbs of Blessedness above to be present at his Coronation and to behold how he Reigns and Shines in the Kingdom of Glory At least let us turn our Condoleances into Congratulations Anoint our Heads and put on both Festival Robes and Spirits at this time of his happy Inauguration How unsuitable are our mourning weeds to those white Raiments with which he is now Array'd How Incongruous are our sad cries and Ditties to his Joyful Hymns and sweet Hallelujahs Sure his blessed Condition which hath Advanced him above the Benefit though still below the Addresses and Adorations of our Prayers is a fitter subject for Thanksgiving than Lamentation One of the best Arguments of true Love is the sympathizing in both fortunes with the party beloved But what a Strange and Ridiculous proof do they offer of their Affection who break their hearts with Sorrow because their friend is Transported with Joy who suffer their own spirits to be the more Dejected by how much his is exalted like the Representation of the heavenly bodies in the water the higher the Objects are in Reality above its surface the Lower doth their Image and Counterpart seem to sink beneath it Let us rather Ascend with him in Divine Meditations and rais'd Affections into the highest heavens Let us Rejoyce with him who doth now Rejoyce and Sing with him who is now Singing a new song of glory and praise and thanksgiving to Him that sits upon the Throne for the infinite mercy of this his happy Translation There 's none who had any true affection for him here but would be desirous to have as much Converse with him still as is possible Now the only way and the highest degree of keeping up a spiritual Correspondence a holy Communion with him is by doing Gods will on Earth as he is doing it in heaven by gloryfying our Creator at his footstool as he is doing before his Throne by bearing though it be never so mean a part in that Universal Consort and Anthem of Divine praise which is Maintain'd by the Church OEcumenical whereof he is singing the highest and sweetest Notes in the August Cathedral of heaven There is Doubtless joy among the Angels at the Coronation of a Saint as well as at the Conversion of a Sinner and if there be no Expressions but of Sorrow amongst men on that Occasion what is this but to walk directly opposite to the Inhabitants of that upper world and to justify this Churches title of Militant on Earth upon this if there were no other reason that it Clashes with the ways and interests of that which is Triumphant in Heaven Let us wipe off this black Infamy from the glorious name of Christians Let Atheists and Libertines whose hopes Expire with their breath go whining about in the Low and Lamentable style of Melancholick and Doleful Elegies at the Death of their friends and of Despairing Declamations and bitter Curses upon the Cruelty of the Fates It becomes the Inlightned Race of Christs Disciples who profess themselves heirs of Eternity to make a higher and nobler Flight and in a generous and heroic strain to sing a Triumphant Song at the Departure of those who Die in the Lord and to Congratulate their happy Advancement with a chearfulness of Spirit not inferiour to that wherewith they now possess it This which I propose is no Impossibility in Nature nor Romance in Divinity but a practical Mystery and a Noble eminence of Religion The loving our Mortal Enemies and the rejoycing at the Death of our dearest friends are perhaps two of the greatest heights in all Christianity and the latter seems no harder a task than the former The one being but a Reconciling the Antipathies the other the divorcing the sympathies of humane Minds A pitch this which was oftner Reach'd by the Strength of Nature and reason in the more considering Heathens than the former The Thracians who mourned at the Nativity used to rejoyce at the Funerals of their Friends The Egyptians Celebrated the Obsequies of their Prophet Isis The People of Salamis of their King Evagoras and the old Massilienses of their Chiefest Friends not with sorrowful Lamentations and Cries but with Feasts and Entertainments with Plays and Showes with Musick and Dancing with Songs and joyful Acclamations as for those who were entering upon great Honours and Preferments Whereas we run counter to the common stream of nature as well as to the custom and reason of those Nations if at the birth of our Friends when they weep we rejoyce and at their Death when they rejoyce we weep and lament And though the Author of nature our blessed Saviour wept for Lazarus yet if we allow the a Doluit Lazarum non dormientem Christus sed potius resurgentem Hieron Consol ad Tyras It. Concil Toletan 3. Can. 22. Fathers Descant it was not for his death which freed him from the Miseries of this world but for his rising from the Dead which would again expose him to them And Religion recommended to the first and best Christians this more suitable and chearful practice of Rejoycing at their friends Death not only for the Pagans consideration that they rest from their Labours and all the troubles of this Life but upon a higher reason also that their works follow them and that they are admitted a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Hom. 4 in Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianz. in laud. Cesarii Hieronym ad O ean Epitaph Fabiolae It. ad Eustach Epitaph Paulae into the Joy of their Lord. For the Ancient Church had their gladsome Torches and joyful Hymns and Psalms in their Offices of burial which they sung at their Funerals in Testimony of their hope in the Resurrection and in token that the Christian Combatants having now Conquer'd were Crown'd and advanc'd to glory praising and thanking God for the same taking Comfort to themselves and giving Honour to the person departed some Footsteps of which Primitive usage seem still Legible in the Customs of those places among us where Psalms are sung all the way while the Body is Carried to the Grave Antiquity celebrated the anniversary memorials of their Saints also not with the drooping and Melancholick ceremonies of tears and cries nor in the Mourning habit of Sackcloath and Ashes but with the most splendid Scenes of Mirth and Festivity with the sweetest expressions of Joy and Thanksgiving And Doubtless if we had the same vigorous faith and hope which they had we should not fail of shewing the same serenity of brow and alacrity of spirit upon the like occasions This is neither an unpracticable nor a very difficult province to him that hath learned to Live by Faith to him that not only confesses with his mouth but