Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	death_n	sting_n	victory_n	6,058	5	10.0485	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56812	The great concern, or, A serious warning to a timely and thorough preparation for death with helps and directions in order thereunto / by Edward Pearse.	Pearse, Edward, 1633?-1674?	1674 (1674)	Wing P983A; ESTC R24450	97,407	255

terrible as the wit and malice of men can possibly make it He can converse with his last enemy as one that hath lost his sting and power and so without the least fear or dismayedness of spirit None of these things move me sayes Paul neither count I my life dear unto my self that I may finish my course with joy His Afflictions did not move him did not terrifie him but if death should come what then Why that shall be welcom too saith he Acts 20.24 Who is afraid of a conquered enemy an enemy which a man seeth dead and slain in the field One that has all things ready for a dying hour he sees death to be a conquered enemy an enemy conquered by the death of Christ and so is carried above the fear of it 2. Hereby the soul is inabled in a holy manner to triumph over death and even to scorn and contemn it which is an higher Conquest still A man that has all things set right and well ordered in the matters of his soul he is not only carried above the fear of death but he rides in triumph over it as one that divideth the spoil He can with boldness and comfort challenge this last Enemy of his and even dare it to do its worst to him O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory saith the Apostle The sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the Law But thanks be to God who giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. As if he should say Death you talk of a Sting but where is it Grave you would threaten us with Victory and overthrow but do your worst conquer us if you can As a man that has disarmed his Enemy thrown him upon his back sayes to him O Sir where is your Sword Where is your Pistol Where is the execution you threatned Do your worst 3. Hereby the Soul comes to be able solemnly to choose and desire Death yea to exult and rejoyce in Death as that which of an Enemy is become a Friend and an in-let into all happiness to him So 2 Cor. 5.5 6 8. Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God who hath also so given unto us the earnest of his Spirit Therefore we are alwayes confident knowing that whilest we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. So Phil. 1.22 23. But if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of my Labour yet what I shall choose I wot not for I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Mark he desires Death he chooses Death as that which is a Friend to him and an in-let into his happiness Such an one can say as I have read a German Divine did when dying I am ready sayes he and desire to be gone out of this life in which all things are not only full of miseries and calamities but which is to be lamented all things are full fraught with sins I say I desire to pass into that life in which there is no sin no misery Yea more such an one can exult and rejoyce in death Luke 2.29 30. Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation They are words of joy and exultation in the sight of Death's approach The Child of some tender and indulgent Father being abroad at sojourn and seeing a Messenger come from his Father to fetch him home how does he exult and rejoyce O sayes he my Father has sent for me home now I must go to live with my Father to eat and drink at my Father's Table to live in my Father's presence enjoy my Father's love and counsels and this he rejoyces in and exultingly embraces the Messenger 'T is the very case here the soul having all things ready all things set right within when Death comes 't is but as a Messenger to him to fetch him home to his Father's house which he can welcome and embrace with joy O sayes he my Father has sent for me home home to Heaven there to live immediately in his presence and upon his fulness and now I shall be for ever with my Father now I shall for ever feast my Soul with my Father's love and the constant views of my Father's face now I shall see him face to face whom here I could never see but through a glass darkly now I shall see and be for ever in the embraces of my sweet Lord my Lord that bled for me that died for that trod the Wine-press alone for me Now shall I enter into the glorious liberty of the Children of God I have hitherto been in bondage in bondage to Satan in bondage to my own heart which has all along wretchedly imposed upon me but now I shall enter upon the glorious liberty of the Children of God Now I shall partake of the Inheritance of the Saints in light Now I shall bathe my soul in the Chrystal streams of undefiled pleasures running fresh along the banks of Eternity at my Father's right hand Now I shall spend a whole Eternity in Praises Doxologies and Hallelujah's to God and the Lamb Now I shall have all my spots and wrinkles my sins and sorrows done away at once Now shall I sigh no more and which is infinitely better I shall sin no more for ever no more complain of dark visions and short visits from God no more complain of distances and alienation between him and my Soul for ever There shall be no more interruption of communion with my sweet Saviour but I shall stand in his presence and behold his face for evermore In a word hereby death the King of Terrors becomes the King of Comforts to the Soul and a man comes to die both happily and comfortably Some men die neither happily nor comfortably and such is the case of all who die out of Christ they die in their sins they die to be damned for ever Some die happily but not comfortably such is the case of poor Christians dying under dissertion whose Sun sets in a Cloud they die in the dark not knowing what shall become of their Souls to Eternity which yet go safe to Heaven being built upon the Rock of Ages the Lord Jesus Christ Some die both happily and comfortably such is the case of all those who have all things set right between God and them all things ready and in order before a dying hour comes Some die presumptuously thinking all is right and well in the matters of their souls when indeed nothing is so that is sad for Eternity The Lord deliver your souls and mine from such an Exit Some die tremblingly or doubtingly not knowing how things are with them whether well or ill but they fear ill that

Self-denial and the like We have also Secondly Special work to do the work of our particular Stations and places work that is incumbent upon us as we stand thus and thus related being Magistrates or Ministers 〈◊〉 Masters of Families or the like for all such Relations bring their work and duty with them and this indeed is properly our own work and this we should be diligent and faithful in as ever we would be found ready for a dying hour Paul had his work to do and he was diligent and faithful in the discharge of it which gave him comfort when he came to die 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness c. He had been faithful in the discharge of his work while he lived and being now to die he found the comfort and sweetness of it yea this was that which our Lord himself comforted himself withal when he was to die and in the sense of it goes to his Father with boldness for his glory Joh. 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do indeed he had a great deal of work given him by the Father and he was faithful and punctual in the discharge of it all which was a comfort to him now he was to die and he himself tells us that is the blessed servant whom when his Lord shall come shall find so doing that is faithful and diligent in the discharge of his proper work Mat. 24.46 Truly this is the posture which some though but a few are found in they make conscience to discharge the duty that is incumbent upon them they say with their Lord I must work the work of him that sent me while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work John 9.4 they see a Night coming Death coming Judgment coming Eternity coming and accordingly they desire to lay out their whole souls in the work of God to live up to the Laws of Christ in every relation and they look upon that day as lost wherein they have not done somewhat for God and their own souls and how comfortably may such look death in the face when it comes I have read the Life of an Holy Minister who was seised upon by sickness which was unto death while he was preaching the everlasting Gospel and lying a few days sick ere he died a Fellow-labourer of his another Holy Minister coming to visit him and seeing death in his face cryed out in some passion O dear Sir are you going to Heaven from us To whom he replied Yes and I bless God that my Master found me in his work Truly might a man have his choice and option he would have death to find him while he is engaged in the work of God Oh study your own work study the work and duty of your Christian calling study that work and duty which is incumbent upon you in your particular relations and beg of God a heart to be diligent in the discharge of one and the other Eighthly Would you indeed have all right and in order in the 〈◊〉 of your souls ere a dying 〈◊〉 then be sure to suffer no 〈◊〉 no estrangement to grow up between 〈◊〉 and you but labour to keep 〈◊〉 ●●●stant and intimate acquain●●●●● 〈◊〉 him Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace Job 22.21 the more of an holy intimacy and acquaintance with God we maintain the more we are at peace in our selves and I am sure the more we are at peace in our selves the more ready we are for a dying hour Woe and alas for us how oft do we let fall our converse and communion with God and suffer sad distances and estrangements to grow up between him and us And indeed my Beloved it is a sad and amazing thing to think how suddenly and imperceptibly distances and estrangements will grow up between God and a mans soul for my own part should I have heard of it only by the hearing of the ear and had not found it by too many sad and woful experiences I could not have believed how suddenly and imperceptibly distances and estrangements will grow up between God and a mans soul yea and that after the nearest liveliest and most intimate acquaintance and communion with him which calls upon us to be very watchful and circumspect as to this thing and my Beloved as you would die with boldness and comfort let me advise and persuade you to give all diligence to keep up constant intercourse and acquaintance with God and watch narrowly against all distances between him and you Which of us that knows any thing of the things of God knows not that we suffer distances and estrangements to grow up between God and us we cannot tell how with any tolerable boldness and comfort to look him in the face in a duty or scarce to think of him with delight much less shall we be able to look him in the face with comfort in death in case we suffer distances to grow up between him and us moreover take this for a sure rule That the more you are versed in communion with God and do maintain an holy intimacy and correspondence with him the more boldness and comfort you will have when you come to die then you will be able to say I am now going to be and live for ever immediately with that God with whom I have lived in much sweet and intimate communion here I am now going to converse more fully with him in Heaven with whom I have enjoyed much sweet converse here on Earth Should death find a man under distances and estrangements between God and him it must necessarily be uncomfortable unto him but when there is an holy intimacy kept up between God and the soul then the soul need not fear or be ashamed to look death and Judgment both in the face Little Children saith John abide in him that when he shall appear we may have boldness and not be ashamed before him at his coming 1 John 2.28 We are put into Christ by Faith at our first Conversion and we abide in him by after-acts of Faith and Communion and this abiding in him is the way to have boldness before him at his coming therefore mind this and pray much about this take heed of distances growing up between God and you and labour to have those sweet visits those sweet intercourses of love those blessed acts of communion kept up between God and you that are wont to be kept up between him and his watchful close walking Saints and in order hereunto take three or four short hints First Look upon and esteem converse and communion with God to be as indeed it is your highest happiness both here and in heaven the highest happiness souls are capable of here is to live in