Selected quad for the lemma: rest_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
rest_n	day_n	labour_n	sabbath_n	6,576	5	9.5742	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91738	Deaths advantage; opened in a sermon preached at Northampton, at the funeral of Peter Whalley Esq; then mayor of the said town. And now upon the earnest desires of his friends published by Edward Reynolds. D.D.	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1657 (1657)	Wing R1244; Thomason E501_2; Thomason E912_6; ESTC R206048	18,423	35

are not in themselves beneficial at all but onely as they are necessary to make rich returns from remote Countries Mercatura est amittere ut lucreris It is good husbandry to sell all for an invaluable pearl 2. Death is not to be desired out of fretfulness passion weariness of life impatience of sufferings as Job and Jonah desired it Job 3 20-23 Jon. 4.3 and in great anguish men are apt to do Jer. 8 3. but in faith and an humble submission to the will of God out of a weariness of the body of sin and pilgrimage in the valley of tears suspiring after the presence of Christ and consummation of holiness thus it may be desired So Jacob waited for the salvation of God Gen. 49.18 So Simeon desired to depart in peace Luk. 2.29 30. and so our Apostle here I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Phil. 1.23 3. We may not for all this use any compendious way to be partakers of this gain we may not neglect our body nor shipwrack our health nor do any thing to hasten death because we shall gain by it He that maketh haste even this way to be rich shall not be innocent Prov. 28.20 When men grew weary of the long and tedious compass in their Voyages to the East Indies would needs try a more compendious way by the North-west passage it ever proved unsuccessful our times are in Gods hands as the Psalmist speaks Psal 31.15 and therefore to his holy providence we must leave them We have work to do and therefore must not be so greedy of our Sabbath day our rest as not to be willing and contented with our working day our labour A composed frame of heart like the Apostles here an holy indifferency of soul either to stay and work or to go and rest is the best temper of all I conclude all with but naming the last Proposition from the other reading Christ in life in death is gain unto beleevers If the Apostle live he shall serve Christ if he dye he shall enjoy him if he live he shall glorifie him by his ministry if he dye he shall glorifie him by his martyrdom When Christ is ours every condition life or death prosperity or adversity is gainful to us It is hard to say whether it be better for a wicked man to live or dye being in both equally miserable If he live he encreaseth his sin if he die he entreth upon his sorrow But unto a godly man either condition is comfortable and blessed his life is fruitful his death is peaceable the grace of Christ is manifested in his life and the glory of Christ is manified in his death Let us be careful to secure the Pronown he●e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To Me that we be such as Paul was who rejoyce in that Christ is preached though we should suffer by the means who are not ashamed of the afflictions of the Gospel but are willing that Christ may be magnified in our body whether by life or by death and then we may boldly conclude as our Apostle doth whether I live or whether I die Christ will in both conditions be advantage unto me COncerning this worthy Gentleman who with one spring of his soul gave so sudden a leap from Earth to Heaven I confess I have been so surprised with sorrow that I thought it hardly possible for me to undertake this service but that I must have covered over my affections and his Elogies as the Painter did Agamemnons grief for Iphigenia with a vail of silence He was a copious subject a man one of a thousand as Elihu speaks which way ever we take the view of him we shall finde him to be as Aristotles character is of his honest man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a four-square man that had in every capacity a Basis of honesty and integrity to fix upon How tender and dear an Husband how loving and careful a Father how wise and prudent a Disposer of his domestical affairs your eyes and their sorrows can abundantly testifie Towards others abroad I do not know a man fuller of love and faithfulness more ready more active to lay out himself upon the good and interest of his friend There are some drags very wholsom but very bitter good in the operation but unkind in the palate and some friends are such real in their love but morose in their expressions of it that a man is almost afraid of their very kindnesses But this our dear friend was full of sweetness as of fidelity His love was not like a Pill that must be wrapped in something else before a man can swallow it but the candor and sereness of his disposition made his love as amiable as it was useful unto his friends so that he well deserved the character given to one of the Roman Emperors Neminem unquam dimisit tristem He was indeed in his disposition made up of love and sweetness of a balsom nature all for healing and helpfulness He was not a friend in pretence and complement that can bow handsomly and promise emphatically and speak plausibly and forget all but he was serious and cordial in his affection Some mens love is like some plants in the water which have broad leaves on the surface of the water but scarce any root at all lik Lemons cold within and hot without full expressions empty intentions speak loud and do little Like Drums and Trumpets and Ensigns in a battel which make a noise and a shew but act nothing But this our dear Brother was an active friend his reality exceeded his expressions His words were the window of his heart truly as Aristotle calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the notifiers of his affection And his fidelity to his friend was ever seconded with wisdom as our Saviour saith of John the Baptist he was a burning and a shining Lamp we may say in this case of him he had not onely an ardent but a prudent love was not onely affectionate to intend good but able to counsel and contrive it Some friends are like a vine fruitful but weak their love is sweet but their strength small he as able by his wisdom to advise as ready by his love to help and tender Nor was this disposition of his narrow and contracted towards a few but it was diffusive The mildness and moderation of his soul made him willing to do good to all and so far as would consist with integrity to preserve every man from peril Some mens love is like some flowers which open onely towards the Sun which come out onely in the hottest seasons like the load-stone that points onely one way and bend onely towards them that do not need it But his love would grow in the shade as well as in the Sun and though it were specially directed to those of the houshold of faith yet he had learned of the Apostle to do good to all men and to speak evill of none But

all this Gain is from Death at a distance while we are out of its possession Is there any Gain from such an enemy while we are under his power Yes even here there may be gain was not the fire an enemy to the three Children were not the Lions enemies to Daniel yet they were rebuked When a mans ways please the Lord he maketh his enemies at peace with him Prov. 16.7 Laban pursued Jacob in great anger Esau meets him as we may suppose with hostile purposes but the Lord by his powerful providence over-ruled their hearts that they could not hurt him Saul Davids Father-in-law persecutes him and Achish the King of Gath from whence Goliah came whom David had not long before slain and who could not but for that reason be hated at that place gives him entertainment God can make Moab a covert for his out-casts as he was unto the Father and Mother of David Isa 16.4 1 Sam. 22.3 4. Though Death be an enemy the Lord can weaken it disarm it pull out the sting of it and make us at peace with it But you will say All this is rather harm suspended then gain obtained Is there any more proper and gennine gain to be found in an Enemy such an Enemy having us under his power and possession surely yes We finde the Egyptians bitter Enemies to Israel furnishing them with Jewels of silver Jewels of gold and Raiments Exod. 3.21 22. Was not the Whale that swallowed Jonah an enemy a very type of our enemy here as our Saviour tells us Matth. 12.39 40. Yet by it was Jonah carried safe to land he regained life by that which devoured him he had been drowned in the Sea if the fish had not found out the Shore for him Were not the waters of the Red Sea and of Jordan enemies to those that should go into the midst of them yet through these did Israel gain liberty out of bondage victory over Pharoah and his host and possession of Canaan their promised Rest. Take it in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here men are absent from the Lord 2 Cor. 5.6 as Jonah is said to have fled from his presence cast out into a Sea of cares troubles fears and sorrows Death as the Whale devours us and lands us at a better shore leads us from the thraldom of Satan from the temptation and sufferings and fiery Serpents which we meet with in the wilderness of this world and brings us into our Heavenly Rest So then even under the notion of an enemy here is gain from death As a Lamprey is esteemed delicate meat when the sting of the back is taken out as the waters of Marah were made sweet by the tree which was cast into it so death being by the cross of Christ purged of its venome and bitterness is become useful and gainful unto us Secondly Let us view Death on the better side for it is as a plaited picture on the one side it looks like a grim and angry enemy as destructive to nature on the other side it hath a more calm and friendly aspect as reconciled unto us by Christ It is as a Servant sent from a Father to call his Son home as a Nurse which taketh the Childe in her arms to carry it to the Mother it is a depositary entrusted with the custody of the body and shal give an exact accompt thereof unto Christ He by his holy body hath sanctified the grave made it a bed to sleep in We find Angels at either end of Christs grave Joh. 20.12 They keep the Saints not onely in their ways but in their graves The Jaylor who before did beat Paul and scourge him and thrust him into the inner prison being converted treated him after another manner washed his stripes brought him into his house and set meat before him Act 16.33 34. Such a change there is in death before the spirit of bondage represented it with a chain and scourge it kept the soul down under the fear and dread of it But now unto a beleever by Christ it is so far altered that it is become part of his dowry and portion numbred up by the Apostle amongst those good things which with Christ are graciously bestowed upon us 1 Cor. 3.22 We will consider the Gain we have by this Friend first privatively then positively Privately It freeth us from all other evil and toilsom labours which we were by the curse pronounced against Adam subject unto It is a kinde of Canaan a Rest a Sabbath unto beleevers write saith the Lord from heaven to his Apostle Blessed are they that dye in the Lord for they rest from their labors Rev. 14.13 they enter into peace they rest in their beds Isa 57.2 1. They rest from the toilsom captivity and tyranny of sin a burden under which they complain as too heavy for them to bear There is no rest in my bones because of my sins mine iniquities are grown over mine head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me Psal 38.3.4 6 7 8. the Apostle calleth it a weight and an encompassing sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Pet●i Fabri Agonistic l. 2. c. 3. Methedius apud Epiphan haeres 64. a fat and heavy body wholly indisposeth for an Athletick imployment This body of lust being destroyed they are made perfect Heb 12.23 As Ivy which hath gotten its roots into ●ll the joynts of a wall can never he qu●●e killed till the wall it self be demolished so sin and corruption being deeply seated in the whole nature of man is never quite slain and subdued till the whole frame be taken down and dissolved 2. Greg. Tholos Syntagma juris l. 31. cap. 20. Bestias Asiaticae pressurae Tertul. de resurrect carnis cap. 48. They rest from the buffets and temptations of Satan it was a sore conflict for the Apostle to fight with Beasts at Ephesus whether they were truly or Metaphorically such beastly men 1 Cor. 15.32 but this combate was nothing to the messenger of Satan to the roarings of that Lion how rampant and outragious he will be against the servants of God when the Lord is pleased to leng then his chain and to give him liberty what dismal fears what hellish impressions what fiery darts what black and horrid suggestions he will amaze the souls of poor sinners withal the examples and experiences of many of Gods afflicted people can abundantly testifie insomuch that their soul chuseth strangling as Job speaks Job 7.15 Now being by death translated into Abrahams bosom they are far removed out of Satans reach he was thrown down from heaven and can never shoot up any darts or come near any of Gods servants there to affright or annoy them 3. They rest from the cares sorrows snares toils temptations of the world the examples of sinners do not endanger them the sight of their filthy conversation doth no longer afflict them the fear of their cruelties and persecutions doth no more trouble them