Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	death_n	sin_n	sting_n	1,797	5	12.9319	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62591	A sermon preached before the King, April 18th, 1675 by John Tillotson ...	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.	1675 (1675)	Wing T1228; ESTC R6940	11,844	38

or how little is remaining therefore be sure to make the best use of that little which may be left and wisely to manage the last stake 4. Seeing the delay of repentance doth mainly rely upon the hopes and encouragement of a future repentance let us consider a little how unreasonable these hopes are and how absurd the encouragement is which men take from them To sin in hopes that hereafter we shall repent is to do a thing in hopes that we shall be one day mightily ashamed of it that we shall one time or other be heartily grieved and troubled that we have done it It is to do a thing in hopes that we shall afterwards condemn our selves for it and wish a thousand times we had never done it in hopes that we shall be full of horrour at the thoughts of what we have done and shall treasure up so much guilt in our consciences as will make us a terror to our selves and be ready to drive us even to despair and distraction And is this a reasonable hope Is this a fitting encouragement for a wise man to give to himself to any action And yet this is plainly the true meaning of mens going on in their sins in hopes that hereafter they shall repent of them 5. If you be still resolved to delay this business and put it off at present consider well with your selves how long you intend to delay it I hope not to the last not till sickness come and death make his approaches to you This is next to madness to venture all upon such an after-game 'T is just as if a man should be content to be shipwrackt in hope that he shall afterwards escape by a plank and get safe to shore But I hope none are so unreasonable yet I fear that many have a mind to put it off to old age though they do not care to say so Seneca expostulates excellently with this sort of men Who shall ensure thy life till that time Who shall pass his word for thee that the providence of God will suffer all things to happen and fall out just as thou hast designed and forecast them Art thou not ashamed to reserve the reliques of thy life for thy self and to set apart only that time to be wise and virtuous in which is good for nothing How late is it then to begin to live well when thy life is almost at an end What a stupid forgetfulness is it of our mortality to put off good resolutions to the fiftieth or sixtieth year of our age and to resolve to begin to do better at that time of life to which but very few persons have reached But perhaps thou art not altogether so unreasonable but desirest only to respite this work till the first heat of youth and lust be over till the cooler and more considerate part of thy life come on that perhaps thou thinkest may be the fittest and most convenient season But still we reckon upon uncertainties for perhaps that season may never be however to be sure it is much more in our power by the assistance of Gods grace which is never wanting to the sincere endeavours of men to conquer our lusts now and to resist the most heady and violent temptations to vice than either to secure the future time or to recover that which is once past and gone Some seem yet more reasonable and are content to come lower and desire only to put it off for a very little while But why for a little while why till to morrow To morrow will be as this day only with this difference that thou wilt in all probability be more unwilling and indisposed then So that there is no future time which any man can reasonably pitch upon All delay in this case is dangerous and as senseless as the expectation of the Ideot described by the Poet who being come to the river side and intending to pass over stays till all the water in the river be gone by and hath left the channel a dry passage for him at ille Labitur labetur in omne volubilis aevum But the river runs and runs and if he should stay a thousand years will never be the nearer being dry So that if the man must go over and there be a necessity for it as there is for Repentance the onely wise resolution to be taken in this case is to wade or swim over as well as he can because the matter will never be mended by tarrying 6. Lastly consider what an unspeakable happiness it is to have our minds settled in that condition that we may without fear and amazement nay with comfort and confidence expect death and judgment Death is never far from any of us and the general Judgment of the world may be nearer than we are aware of for of that day and hour knoweth no man And these are two terrible things and nothing can free us from the terror of them but a good conscience and a good conscience is only to be had either by innocence or by repentance and amendment of life Happy man who by this means is at peace with God and with himself and can think of death and judgment without dread and astonishment For the sting of death is sin and the terror of the great day only concerns those who have lived wickedly and impenitently and would not be perswaded neither by the mercies of God nor by the fear of his judgments to repent and turn to him But if we have truely forsaken our sins and do sincerely endeavour to live in obedience to the Laws and Commands of God the more we think of death and judgment the greater matter of joy and comfort will these things be to us For blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he comes shall find so doing Let us therefore as soon as possibly we can put our selves into this posture and preparation according to that advice of our blessed Saviour Luke 12. 35 36. Let your loins be girded about and your lamps burning and ye your selves like unto men that wait for their Lord. And now I hope that enough hath been said to convince men of the great unreasonableness and folly of these delays nay I believe most men are convinced of it by their own thoughts and that their consciences call them fools a thousand times for it But O that I knew what to say that might prevail with men and effectually perswade them to do that which they are so abundantly convinced is so necessary And here I might address my self to the several ages of persons You that are young and have hitherto been in a good measure innocent may prevent the Devil and by an early piety give God the first possession of your souls and by this means never be put to the trouble of so great and solemn a repentance having never been deeply engaged in a wicked life You may do a glorious I had almost said a meritorious thing in cleaving stedfastly to