Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	die_v	land_n	tenant_n	4,804	5	10.0751	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77999	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the House of Peeres, in the Abbey at Westminster, the 26. of Novemb. 1645. Being the day appointed for solemne and publique humiliation. / By Jer: Burroughes. Published by order of the said House.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.	1645 (1645)	Wing B6117; Thomason E310_2; ESTC R200440	36,639	57

saith he is not only to be understood in the Genitive case singular Domini but in the nominative plural we are Domini the Lords of life and death whether we dye or live though wee be not Lords of so much Land of such Mannors we cannot Lord it over so many Tenants yet over life and death we are Lords we can Lord it over them Death takes away all your possessions and Lordships from you but death is part of the possessions of the Saints they are Lords over it 1 Cor. 3.22 Life or death or things present or things to come all are yours A gracious heart who lies low under God and Christ yet hath all other things under his feet yea the lower he lies the more hath he all the bravery pomp and glory of the world under his feet great is this mysterie of godlinesse 7. According to the increase of his abundance he seeks a proportionable measure of holinesse Solomon desired much wisdome because he had a great people to govern men who have sensuall hearts think a little Religion is enough for a Gentleman or Nobleman it is for poore men who have little else to minde or content themselves in to look after Religion in the strictnesse of it But if God gives a gracious man abundance he doth not think that measure of grace that he had before will serve his turne now except God causeth his grace to abound as wel as his estate and honour he lookes upon himselfe as miserable 8. He is as much apprehensive and sensible of his dependance upon God in the height of prosperitie as in the depth of adversitie Hence Noblemen and Princes are taught by Christ to come every day to Gods gate to beg their bread 9. A godly man enjoyes his abundance aright by getting all he hath sanctified to him by the Word and Prayer 1 Tim. 4.4 5. All a man hath is sanctified when it is consecrated to the last end for God and for the furtherance of eternall good as time and place is sanctified when there is a consecration upon them for God so when the blessing of God is upon my estate all I have so as all works to my eternall good in the glory of God now it is sanctified to me But how comes it to be so By the Word and Prayer 1. Through the Word of the Gospel revealing the restitution of my right forfeited by sinne yea a higher title then ever I had in Adam 2. By the Word of Promise which gives nothing without a blessing to it If indeed I had what I enjoy meerly in a naturall way of general providence I could not expect such a blessing but now enjoying all by the Word I enjoy it all in a spirituall way all is sanctified to me Hence of all men Gentlemen and Noblemen have most cause to be much conversant in Scripture it would be a sad charge upon any of you who abound so much in the world that you have not a Bible in your closets or seldome look into it And by Prayer The more any man hath the more he had need to pray Carnall men will pray much in affliction but to be put on to prayer by prosperity this is rare Gentlemen had need pray more then poore men Noblemen more then Gentlemen But if this be a truth certainly it is a mysterie few of you think so fewer doe so 5. The excellency of this lesson 1. When this is learned grace in you will be very conspicuous it will appeare in the lustre of it as a Diamond in a golden ring Magna faelicitatis est à faelicitate non vinci Aug. or rather set in a Crowne sparkles and is more glorious then in a dirty rag Zech. 9.16 there is a Prophesie that the Saints shall be as the stones of a Crowne lifted up it is in part made good when grace appears in the glory of it in you who are in eminent place 2. You may doe abundance of good many soules will blesse God for you and for all the abundance you enjoy of which there is so good an improvement Blessed be God that ever such men lived in such places and times the Cause of God and the good of his Saints how hath it been promoted by them will not this be a greater good to you then all your titles of honour and bravery of your lives Judges 5.9 My heart is towards the governours of the people which offer themselves willingly Blesse ye the Lord. Because of the great service that a rich man may doe Paul was so moved when he had liked to have lost Sergius Paulus the Deputy of the country Act. 13.7 8. c. he set his eyes upon Elimas who sought to turne him away from the faith which he began to hearken after and embrace and said Oh full of all subtilty and all mischief thou child of the devil thou enemy of all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord 3. This argues much strength of grace Magni pectoris inter secunda moderatio Sen. as the braines resisting abundance of vapours so as not to be hurt by them argues the strength of it 4. From these who have learned thus God receives most of that rent of praise and honour that is due to him for all the good things of the earth he lets out to the children of men You who are great Landlords complaine much that in these times you cannot receive your rents they were never so ill paid as they are now call your selves to account how well you pay your rents to the Lord of whom you hold all you have You esteeme well of such as are certaine and punctuall in paying your rents God esteemes high of those who render to him in a constant way his rent for those many plentifull enjoyments they have in this world 5. There is no fear that adversity that any afflictions should doe hurt to such who know thus how to use prosperity If you can deliver your selves from the deceits of the one it will not be very difficult to resist the temptations of the other Nulla infaelicitas frangit quem nulla faelicitas corrumpit 6. This is the more excellent because it is so rare Where is the man who is able to stand against the temptation of a prosperous estate if Adversity hath slaine her thousands Prosperity hath slain her ten thousands Rara virtus humilitas honorata 7. How sweetly and comfortably may such dye who have honoured God with their riches and honours They may with a holy boldnesse in the close of all look up to God and say with Nehemiah Chap. 13. vers last Remember me oh my God for good Let God be remembred with your goods and he will remember you for good 6. He that will be skilfull in this mysterie of knowing how to abound must learne also these lessons 1. The lesson of the feare of God Deut. 6.11 12. God forewarnes his people that they should

whole world you had need then learn how to abound for if you doe not God thereby doth manifest that he hath separated you to this doome to give you no other portion but what you have here Fiftly you had need learn how to abound for otherwise there goes along with your abundance a secret curse of God Psal 69.22 23. Let their table be made a snare to them and that which should have been for their welfare let it become a trap but few understand this it is their misery yea a part of the curse that is upon them for so it followes Let their eyes be darkned that they see not Sixtly you had need learne how to abound for il you doe not you will do abundance of hurt in the places where you live A man who abounds and hath not grace with his abundance is a publique evill to the Countrie where he lives Those who are meane poore people though they be wicked yet they can doe no great hurt but a man who is in honour and esteeme in the world and hath a great estate if he be not godly he is very mischievous A little weed in a garden is not very hurtfull but if there growes a great Elder-tree in the midst of it it spoils all about it Seventhly your abundance will endanger your salvation if you learn not how to abound Chrysostome upon the Hebrewes saith he wonders how any Governour can be saved and our Saviour Matth. 19.24 saith It is easier for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven Eightly if you learn not this lesson if ever you bee brought into afflictions oh how grievous will they be your abundance will prepare matter for the terrours of your consciences yea it will make death very terrible when you shall look back and consider how much you have had from God and how little you have done for him yea how much ye have done against him death will strain out the sweet but leave the guilt 4. The mysterie of godlinesse there is in learning how to abound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am instructed The strength of reason may goe farre in ordering a prosperous condition so as not to be very offensive but there is a great mystery of godlinesse in knowing how to abound in a christian spirituall way 1. A godly man learnes to abound by being faithfull Prov. 28.20 A faithfull man shall abound with blessings Many think the only way to get abundance is by being false by shifting courses they dare not trust to the wayes of faithfulnesse they see a mighty Current of opposition against them but the godly man desires neither to get nor to enjoy more in the world then he may have by being faithfull 2. He learnes to abound by often resigning up all his abundance to God not by keeping it to his own proper advantage Lord I professe all to be thine to enjoy nothing but in order to thee take all improve all lay out all for the praise of thine own name by this he enjoyes his abundance with more comfort and freedome of spirit The oftner any thng is given up into Gods hands and comes out of them to us the better it is those men who having got any thing out of Gods hands once dare not venture to put it into them again enjoy not the comfort and blessing of what they have that man who can dayly as freely and cheerfully resign what he hath to God as receive any thing from him is the only man that is blessed in what he enjoies in this world 3. He seeks to preserve his estate and to enrich himself by communicating what he hath to the necessities of others and the publick This is a mysterie to the world Isay 32.8 The liberall man deviseth liberall things and what then so he may lose all he hath No by liberall things he shall stand He thinks it more gain to part with any thing to doe good by then to keep it for himselfe 1 Tim. v. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded that they trust not in uncertain riches but that they be rich in good works Here is a way of being rich that the world is not acquainted with by being rich in good works the more he layes out in good works the richer he is God himselfe accounts his riches to be in the works of mercy Ephes 2.7 That he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us The Apostle 2 Cor. 9.8 brings this argument to move men to communicate their estates for the good of others God is able to make all grace abound towards you that yee alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work 4. He learns how to abound by moderating his affections in his abundance by the moderation of his joy he increaseth his joy Phil. 4.4 5. Rejoyce and again rejoyce This is a good exhortation Well then let us let out our hearts to the uttermost in joy nay saith the Apostle you must take care you keep your affections within bounds Let your moderation be known to all men You will have more solid comfort in the moderation of your affections then others shall have in the greatest liberty they take to give up themselves to mirth and jollity 5. By his abundance his humility is increased to be humble in the enjoyment of abundance is much but to be humbled by it is a mystery 2 Sam. 7.18 The Lord having spoken of great riches and honour he bestowed upon David and would still further bestow upon him he tels him his house should be great among the great men of the earth was Davids heart puffed up by this No Then saith the Text went King David and sate before the Lord and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto wherefore thou art great oh God Saul was little in his own eyes before God made him great But when he was made great God was lesse esteemed by him The greater David was the lesse he was in his own eyes and the greater was God in them not Lord I am a happy man that I am made so great but who am I and what is my house but thou art great oh Lord. 6. Though he judges himselfe unworthy of the least good he hath yet his heart is raised in a holy manner above all his abundance at the same time hee judges himselfe unworthy of the least crumme and yet he thinks all creatures in heaven and earth too low for him to be his portion this is a mysterie No man knowes in a spirituall way how to abound Sive vivimus sive morimur Domini sumus non tantum Genitivo casu sed Nominat plur vitae morti dominamur but he who is above all his abundance Luther speaking of that place Whether wee live or whether wee dye wee are the Lords This