Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	body_n	death_n	sting_n	3,690	5	11.8999	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26645	Mirabile pecci, or, The non-such wonder of the peak in Darby-shire discovered in a full, though succinct and sober, narrative of the more than ordinary parts, piety and preservation of Martha Taylor, one who hath been supported in time above a year in by H.A.	H. A.	1669 (1669)	Wing A9; ESTC R13065	43,707	98

small mistakes of Words and Terms which afterwards were polished to a more acute and regular way of speaking 5. But the manner of her Speech was not worth the taking notice of if you compare it with the matter of the same Her ordinary sayings were very considerable with which I question not but I by my own or friends Collections might have Stuft more Sheets then at this time I must have leave to Bestow upon Her Story Most of these were Scripture Dialects and of them I shall give you no account I know others who have writ upon Young Maids under some such like Visitations have bestow'd twenty forty or more Pages upon the meer repetition of Scripture Passages These I do not I dare not reflect upon though I shall not imitate It was the good Assertion of one of her Judicious Visitors That he never heard her speak any thing untheological and that though she pretended to nothing of Inspiration nor any thing extraordinary but what was the Effect of her Reading and Diligence yet whatsoever Discourse did c●●urr he never found her lost in it but that she was clearly with good Language and to purpose able to talk of it The ordinary Subjects of her Discourse were upon the Blacks and Whites the Storms and Sun-shine of the Christians Life She thought no time lost in which she could but say something against sin and for Holiness in which she could but cry up the Promises to lost returning sinners and the Advantages of Affliction to them that belong to God in which she could but sufficiently dilate upon the miseries of a besotted World and the glorious enjoyments of the New Jerusalem SECT II. BUt I shall here give you a Copy of some of her ordinary sayings as they were not much above a Month ago taken from her own Mouth by the Hand of a Friend They were short Answers to Questions proposed but I shall take no notice of the Questions I blesse my God he hath wrought in me a desire exercise my self in all wayes and duties of Holinesse so as he may receive glory others edification and I comfort in the Day of Jesus I desire I resolve for sincerity I know that its God that works all in me and for me of my self as to pious actions I can do just nothing it 's He He that is become all to me and I am nothing but what I am in him my motion my being is in Him and of Him The Reproaches of the World which are many and crowd in upon me do not cannot rob me of my Joy which I have in Christ Jesus my Lord my Portion my Righteousness my Life my All. I in Christ or rather in me doth oppose Sin Errour Deceit yea all manner of uncleannesse both of Flesh and Spirit and it is He that giveth me the Victory over all Enemies Visible and Invisible So that to him belongs all the Praise and be shall have it I discaim any share in it let him have all I know by Nature wrath was my Portion and that I was born in open Rebellion to God Now if Christ through his unspeakable goodnesse and sorrow did redeem me to himself I am sure I ought to be zealous of good works and to glorifie Him with my Soul and Body which are his If I was able to feed upon all the good Creatures of God where as n●w I cannot yet they could none of them satisfie or solace my poor weak hungry Soul It is the enjoyment of him who is the Bread of Life the Life of my Life that is my satisfaction to whom be glory 2. Sin is the Serpents fruit and so it come● to be of that Poisonous Nature that it infects th● World sets God and Men at difference wound● the soul and begets the sting of Death Holiness as I shall speak of it is a Believer● serious Conversation which he lives in Christ by which he is doing what he can to re-gain tha● Image of God he lost in Paradise and to get himself ready for an happy estate in Heaven where all Holiness dwells Afflictions are the actings of Gods dear love towards Believers for whom the Lord loveth he afflicteth Afflictions are those strange seeds which while they are taking root in the Believers heart do beget war weeping and sorrow but yet at length they do bring forth the profitable the pleasant and peaceable fruits of righteousness The promises which are many great and precious are the rich manifestations and assurances of Divine goodness by which God designs to encourage the poor Believer and bear up his heart under all his sorrows The Reconciliation of the Promises and Providences of God seems to be one of the greatest mysteries and sweetest studies in the world To see how sweetly these joyn themselves together at the journies end though they seem to thwart one the other all the way The Word of God I mean the Word of Reconciliation is as it were God speaking forth himself to us in Jesus Christ It is the rule and Guide to Holiness to God and Happiness To speak of Heaven is a very great difficulty for 't is unspeakable kingdom of Glory eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of those things which God hath there prepared for them that love him How should I then tell what Heaven is any further then thus That there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore and that which makes all these excellent is that they are everlasting Death is no evil Messenger to the Saint for the Sting is taken away and he gains by dying Christ hath been the death of Death and so Death is no death to the Saint It is but as it were his dissolver out of Flesh into Spirit so that when Death comes the Saint may tryumph and bid it welcome What I said of Heaven I may speak just backward concerning Hell The torments are unutterable and for their extremity express'd by weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth these also are the more terrible because everlasting As I am crucified to the world and the world to me and as I know the Devil is my Adversary and God a present Help in time of trouble so I look upon all the scandals that are cast upon me to be as Pearls in my Crown I look upon my preservation without the use of creatures to be the manifestation of Infinite Power for the benefit and advantage of them that fear God to let them see how God can preserve life by and if himself and for the hardening of the obsti●●●● and impenitent for my own awakening and ●●●●ging into a way of holiness 3. Thus I have given you a taste of her sayings out of the Paper above mentioned which I have compendiz'd and put something into another order inserting also some few short Sentences which I heard my self or were communicated to me by worthy friends doing what I could to keep to her very words

Vent it self by the Pores We all know as to our own Bodies that Nature with very small help doth by these little insensible Holes in the Skin send forth those Vapors and Humors which would endanger the Body if they should take up their lodging within the same 4. The two Senses of Hearing and Smelling were once that I say not oftner so incomparably acute and quick that she would apprehend and distinguish their several Objects at a vast remove A considerable Ecclesiastick Person who did many times visit her told me That for most of the time he had taken notice of her he found she had all her Faculties and senses excepting that of Seeing in as great vigour as he thought it possible to be in an unglorified Body Our gross way of feeding doth very much dull and clogg up the Senses in their exercise we little know the great comfort we should enjoy in them if we did not so much indulge to the irregular Appetite Temperance or sobriety both as to the quantity and quality of what we live upon would abundantly quicken and put into right motion all the Senses 'T is undeniable that many Brutes who are compell'd to satisfie themselves with a spare and thrifty way of feeding do quite exceed us in Sense But I suppose if you take them in their greatest excellency our Martha did once out-vie them and that was in Smelling not onely that she could take pleasure in Smells for in that it s very probable Man exceeds all other Animals but she over-did them in the very thing in which some say they surpass Man which was the drawing nourishment out of Odors for as I told you in the preceding Section thus she lived for many Weeks together As concerning other things referring to the temper or frame of her Body under her Afflictions you had them touched upon before THE SECOND PART SECTION I. Concerning her Parts and Piety THough she may appear eminent in these especially the latter yet the rariety of them does not lye so much in their greatness as the way of their Attainment She was not Cultivated by Education at home or abroad the Country where she was Born and Bred is but too great a stranger to Accomplishments of either Nature The Inhabitants are more taken up with a strict search about the hidden things of Nature among the Rock and Hills then they are about those more enriching ones of Reason and Religion Their Hands and Thoughts are so much employ'd about that dull and heavy Mineral which is the standing Traffick of those Parts that they cannot afford to wear time or pains upon the more refined or spiritual Ornament of Body or Mind The very Breeding of that Country has been noted for something more then ordinary Rustick The Religion of very many there is but few degrees beyond ignorance Vulgar and pedantick conceptions look upon those more noble improvements to be requisites onely becoming them who have great estates and leasure of this barren and low-spirited humour were the most of Martha's Neighbourhood and first acquaintaince so that she had in the beginning none to discipline or direct her I mean very little Humane or Christian help this may make what follows cast forth brighter beams 2. Her Parts or External Excellencies which made her so taking to the Eyes and Ears of her unprejudiced Visitors were her Deportment Reading Prayer and Discourse For 1. Her Deportment which was very lovely raising up her head in Bed and bowing her self to all with a smiling grateful Countenance continually giving sutable terms of Respect and Decency Her Courtesie her Candour and Comely Carriage quite over-acted her original as to place and persons She was in the●e things handsome without humour and courteous without being conceited None experienced the contrary carriage in her but them who did openly declare themselves small Friends to her Person true Religion or her God 2 Her Reading though she was pretty exact in her Mothers Tongue yet the greatest observable was the way of her attaining it which was by her own industry having but little direction beyond the bare knowledge of the Alphabet She did of her self pursue Letters into Words Words into so●●●●es and Sentences into her own Heart 〈◊〉 were but spiritual A desire of inform●● 〈◊〉 her self with her own Eyes out of the Book of Life was the first motive to lay out her afflicted hours upon the learning to Read which having fully and happily obtained she laid out upon the holy Bible or some or other chosen Books And here now she bestow'd all her Breathing Seasons all the Spare Minutes which the Absence from Company violent Pains of Body or the Weakness of the Eyes would befriend her with 3. For Prayer She was observed to be constant in it either in Confessing Sin Begging Mercy or Praising God She seemed to be made up of Prayer when most afflicted The neer approach of the By-standers Ear might be satisfi'd in this That her Voice when at the weakest would be spending it self upon her God by fervent pious Ejaculations to hold up an heart-chearing Intercourse between Heaven and her hungering Soul For an affectionate Joyner in this great Duty when I Visited her I must confess I never found her Parallel She seemed by a sensible serious struggling melting frame of Spirit to go as it were out of her self into an upper Region so that when a rousing Prayer hath been ended she would be puzzled to reduce her self and compose the humane frame Her own personal way of praying which was much concealed and to her self was usually short and sententions but very significant comprehensive humble and powerful 4. Her Discourse which if you consider the Style of it and compare it with the common Dialect of that Country you will find it did for the most part very much excel The Peak Country has a very course Language very thick and home-spun but hers was of a finer unaffected m●ke usually pretty fluent and oratorical but never dull and sordid Some took much notice of this as a thing rather strange then contemptible no question but 't is a very lawful Art to advantage good discourse and pious conference with powerful taking Language 'T is if I may so call it a sacred Fraud every way lawful to steal the Ears and Hearts of those with whom we converse to the considerate observation of the deep concernments of an Eternal and better State The Sword of Rhetorick in a Wife Mans hand may wound the Champions of Irreligion and win the Day for Heaven The applauded wit of the Age in which we live doth but too much prostitute it self to the greatest Ribaldry Our Martha had the happiness to enjoy a considerable clear smooth Phrase not guilty of bombast or boyish vanity which for the most part she bestow'd upon the best of things I confess her ignorance of other Tongues then what she was born to did sometimes in the beginning Months of her afflictions produce some