Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	death_n	sin_n	sin_v	6,726	5	9.1768	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13926	A pithie and short treatise by vvay of dialogue, whereby a godly Christian is directed how to make his last will and testament to dispose well and wisely of his temporall goods; and how to prepare himselfe to the Lord, to depart this world peaceably and comfortably, committing himselfe in soule and body, into the hands of God, his faithfull Creatour.; Pithie and short treatise by way of dialogue, whereby a godly Christian is directed how to make his last will and testament.	Jones, William, b. 1581 or 2, attributed name.	1612 (1612)	STC 24229.5; ESTC S119355	9,151	34

in disposing of his owne lands or goods so haynously that he may by God in his iustice be therefore depriued of heauen and consequently be cast downe to hell to be tormēted euermore Me thinks that seemeth very harsh Minister Yet so it is most certainly for first we know that euery sinne deserueth the same in it selfe as saith the Apostle the wages of sinne is death But in this one may sin most haynously as many do in giuing their goods lands or monie to their lewde harlots or bastard children hauing liued most damnably in their former life and leauing their owne lawfull wife and children vtterly destitute Also those that make foolish and ridiculous Willes disposing some to this prophane vse and some to that all being wanted by some neere vnto them to whom of right it doth belong Also all those that do in disposing of it deale partially without such iudgement as God requireth therein so that those which are best loued of God shall be sure to haue least and such as are not religious but meere carnall or else open prophane to haue most or depriuing the heire of his inheritance because he is more godly then he would haue him or for some small fault and passing ouer grosse offences in others Finally he that loueth not as God loueth and hateth not as God hateth being mercifull to the poorest louing to the godliest sharpe to the wickedst and comfortable to the distressedst iust vpright to all without carnall respects or partialitie is culpable in this kind and liable to the wrath and condemnation of the Almighty euen for this last sinne Christian. If this matter be of so great weight and moment then me thinkes it is not to be taken in hand rashly without the aduice and assistance of some who are able to counsell in all things according to Gods word and to iudge thereby aright of euery offence committed with the circumstances increasing or lessening the fault also the punishment by Gods word proportionable to the offence as before you haue declared but this rule is little regarded Nay my selfe though I thanke God for his mercy I haue learned something out of Gods word in all my dayes little considered the weight of this poynt as now I do see plainely by your godly instructions And well I perceiue that they which headily further their friends in making their Willes without such as can thus instruct them do most dangerously further them in the way to hell as much as in them lyeth I would not for a thousand poundes but haue had this your happie and blessed counsell and instruction in this my last action as it were or will making for litle thought I of taking such rules or warrants in euery thing from Gods word about this Minister It is indeede too much neglected neither do any almost teach it or write it effectually that so it might be learned by all as it ought But one thing is yet behinde whereof I haue not yet aduised you from the Lord and that is this namely your remembring the poore members of Iesus Christ your poore neighbours for all that you shall do vnto such our Lord Iesus Christ doth esteeme it as done vnto himselfe yea if one be able to giue but a cup of cold water and hauing bene charitable as euery true member of Christ is and must be in your life you shall do well to testifie at the end when you are going to giue vp your account to God that you are not lesse louing and pittifull to the poore than you haue bene before For they that haue not for the loue of Christ onely done any such good to his poore members to them that cannot be said in the last and euerlasting blessing When I was hungry ye fed me when I was thirsty ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me naked and ye clothed me c. But that shall be said to all that go into life eternall Therefore they that haue done no such good to the poore shall neuer enter into life eternall Christian. This poynt also I neuer was so effectually taught in before as now you haue shewed it and well I perceiue that they which regard not with pittie and compassion to giue to Christ in his poore members can iustly looke for no part of that blessing of Christ which you mentioned before And most wofull is this me thinkes against all those who haue little or no feeling of their poore distressed brethren And alas this is the most common charity now a daies euen that which Saint Iames reproueth so sharpely Go warme your selues and fill your bellies but they giue them neither of that they want so we vse to say in these daies Alas poore wretches God helpe you and comfort you and this is all But here is one thing doubtfull some are very wicked and vngodly of the poore and should they be pittied as the godly and Christian should Minister We must do good vnto all but especially to them that are of the houshold of faith but those that are not yet called we must loue as our selues for they are our neighbours euen all men and women as the example of the Samaritan doth notably set forth and therfore in distresse ought to be relieued And who knoweth whether our kindnesse and good example as also Christian admonition may not be an occasion to win them to Christ Therefore what you will giue that way commit the distribution thereof to some Christian neighbour with generall direction from you and in particular if you know any poore Christians that haue more neede then other or to whom by any speciall band you are more neere then to other them in particular you may nominate your selfe and you may also referre the like disposing of some to your Christian friends or ouerseeers vnto such particular distressed Christians as they know stand in neede besides the generall Christian. I do most heartily thanke you and God for you and now I will craue your fauour and further assistance to do all this that you haue shewed me and I pray you if I do faile in any thing helpe me and assist me for through my paine or weakenesse of memory or distraction other waies I may and shall surely do amisse Minister I will be your assistant in what I can as God by his grace shall enable me All that before said being finished and fully accomplished here followeth a prayer containing the summe of all very profitable for one in that case to contemplate of O Lord my God I am now ready when it pleaseth thee to appeare before thy iudgement seate to giue vp an account of my stewardship as all men must do when thou shalt call them Of thy bounty ô mercifull Father I receiued and haue enioyed all these worldly things for my better and more chearefull seruing of thee in my Iourney towards heauen and not mine but thine they be ô Lord and therefore

A PITHIE AND SHORT TREATISE BY VVAY of Dialogue whereby a godly Christian is directed how to make his last Will and testament to dispose well and wisely of his temporall goods and how to prepare himselfe to the Lord to depart this world peaceably and comfortably committing himselfe in soule and body into the hands of God his faithfull Creatour ESAY 38. Put thine house in order for thou must die LONDON Imprinted for WILLIAM IONES 1612. To the Reader THE holy Patriarch Iacob being demanded by Pharaoh how old he was answered his daies were few and euill and yet the time of his pilgrimage had bene an hundred and thirty yeares welnigh double mans ordinary race in this latter age Holy Iob also out of his owne sense experience witnesseth in these words Man that is borne of a woman is of short continuance and full of trouble Our daies are few and euill and full of trouble to weane vs from setting o●● affection and loue vpon this life which is subiect to so much vanity and molestation and to teach vs to employ and vse well and wisely the short and vncertaine time that is lent vs being so deare and precious as being once past cannot at any rate be recouered and got againe and therefore while we haue time so to bestow it as not onely our selues may be benefited our soules comforted our calling and election assured but also God himselfe glorified and our brethren and neighbours by our good example prouoked and by our good instruction allured to religious and holy duties And this duty of drawing others to God and godlinesse as it concerneth the Ministers and teachers of Gods word publickly so parents and maisters of families priuately The father saith the Prophet Esay shall declare thy truth to his children and so likewise the maister who is the father of the family is to performe the like dutie to his seruants Oh that all whom it concerneth would be carefull in this case and shake off that carelesnesse security and forgetfulnesse of this duty which too too much preuaileth in these daies Then would they bestow more time than they do in instructing gouerning and bettering themselues their charges and their families in the knowledge seruice and obedience of God and so should they rightly answer their name of Paterfamilias be true fathers of their families Great wil be the anguish sorrow griefe perplexitie and distresse that the neglect and omission of this duty may hereafter procure vs vpon our death-beds by a gnawing and griping of consciēce for our failing herein on the other side great is the comfort ioy peace solace quiet of conscience and tranquility of mind that the godly and conscionable performance hereof will bring vs in that day when we shall lie vpon our bed of sorow as Dauid calleth it Psal. 41.3 in the greatest extremities paines and pangs of death As it comforted Iob in his most grieuous calamity that he had not cōcealed or denied the words of the Holy one A full certaine assurance hereof to the conscience at that day will be more worth then all treasures of gold and siluer This might be confirmed by many places of Scripture and illustrated by many examples but we a●● in a preface and not in a treatise and therefore vnfit to be long and tedious and the rather because the treatise it selfe is so short and cōpendious Yet as short as it is you shall finde therein the performance of this duety laid forth in very excellent manner which many serue both for prouocation to moue vs vnto it and for direction to enforme vs in it It is quickly read being so short not hard to be practised if God giue grace The God of grace from whom cometh euery good and perfect gift enlighten our vnderstandings that we may know quicken and stir vp our affections that we may desire direct our actions that we may do those things that are pleasing in his sight that after his short and miserable life is ended we may liue in heauen where in his presence is all fulnes of ioy and pleasures for euermore Amen Christian Instructions giuen by a faithfull Pastor to one of his flocke concerning making his Will Minister I Am come to see how you do good neighbour hearing of your extreme sicknesse that if it please God to take you out of this life I may set you right in the way to heauen as I haue endeuored to do hitherto since I came to be your Pastor How do you man how feele you your selfe Christian. I thanke you good Sir for this your great loue and kindenes and also for all the cōforts I haue had by you since your first coming hither I thanke God I am wel in soule through the washing and purging by the bloud of my sauiour Iesus Christ which through Gods superabundant mercie cleanseth me from all my sinne but sicke in body I am so sicke as that I suppose my death dissolution is neere to the finishing of this life of misery and the entring and establishing of me in the blessed life of glory which Lord I beseech thee to hasten for thy Christs sake Amen And now I am most glad that you are come now to helpe me and direct me to the right end of my iourney desiring your assistance by Gods word in euery duty yet to be performed by me both to God and man And then with ioy I will bid the world farewell for I feele death aproach I beseech you therefore to be as briefe as you may and by Gods word direct me first for the disposing of my worldly goods lands and other things for that it is vndone Minister I am glad to see you so strong in the Lord deare brother and most willingly I will do that you request but I must tell you by the way that you haue done full euill in not making your will in the time of your health seeing your old age so to approach that by the course of nature your daies could not be long and if God should haue taken you away sodainely as he doth in mercy some of his deare seruants then should you thereby haue bene perhaps the Author of bitter strife and contention amongst your children which is one of the things so abhominable hateful in Gods sight namely to raise contentions among brethren And how you can auoide that yet though God in mercy do giue you time in this your sicknesse to make your will I know not except your children be the better disposed and louing one to another and you distribute so equally vnto them that none of them haue cause to finde fault But if in the time of your health you had disposed of your goods and lands then should you haue seene perchance whether any would haue bene discontent with your equall distribution and they that had without iust cause bene offended might by you haue bene depriued of that which otherwise they