Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	death_n	die_v	sting_n	7,584	5	12.3979	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45205	Dorcas revived the second time: or a sermon preached at the funerals of Mrs. Anne Mickle-thwait the one and twentieth of March 1658.	Hunter, Josiah, minister in York.	1656 (1656)	Wing H3765B; ESTC R224179	44,466	48

probable that Dorcas had been Sick before but not unto Death but now She was Sick and Dyed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not break forth into any Rhetorical Declamations against the cruelty of Death yet the Scripture calls it an Enemy and the last Enemy 1 Cor. 15. and it doth the worst it can even to Gods own people But it may be said of it as Socrates said of his Enemies they may kill me but they cannot hurt me For what Basil said of Martyrdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is true of any kind of Death to Gods Children it is but a way to passe from a Temporal Life to an Eternal She Dyed The Holyest and most Religious persons are subject to Death The Apostle speaking of the Patriarches these all Dyed saith he 11 Heb. 13. Grace gives comfort in Death but not power against it It is one of the Statutes of Heaven which cannot be revoked Statutum est 9 Heb. 27. it is appointed for all Men once to die There is no man hath power over the Spirit to retain the Spirit neither hath he power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that Warr 8 Eccl. 8. no union unseperable but that between Christ and a believer Death will seperate the union between Husband and Wife between Children and Parents between David and Jonathan yea the union between Soul and Body for a time Privilegia singularia regulam non faciunt regulam non infringunt Personalis Actio moritur cum persona nec sunt amplianda privilegia but not the union between Christ and the Soul for when the people of God are dissolved then they go to be with Christ which is best of all If it be objected that Enoch and Elias never saw Death the Answer is that singular privileges neither make a Rule nor break a Rule these were personal privileges and a personal Action ever dies with the person Neither are privileges to be amplified for then they are no privileges Though Christ hath taken away the sting of Death that it cannot hurt us the strength of Death that it cannot always hold us yet hath he not as yet altogether destroyed it But the best men must dye that as Sin brought in Death so Death may again cast out Sin Death was first inflicted as the punishment of Sin now it is the end of it 2 Cor. 5.4 Therefore do the holyest men dye that their mortality may be swallowed up of life Again sometimes God takes away his dearest Children by Death 2 Chro. 34.28 ●7 Isa 1. as he did Josiah from the evil to come Lastly that of the Apostle is considerable speaking of the Martyrs he saith of whom the World was not worthy 11 Hebr. 38. The World is apt to deride revile maligne and cast aspersions upon good men they will not profit by their Admonitions and good Examples therefore the World is worthy no longer of their Societie and God takes them away He thinks that he hath let them live but too long to have no kinder usage and therefore he takes them up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Justin Martyr speaks to their heavenly kindred where they shall be more made of 5 Wisd 4. Hence we learn that as they are Fools who account the Godly mans life madness so are they that think their end to be without honour It is not the misery of good men that they die For he is not miserable that dyeth but once and for a moment that death may for ever be swallowed up of life But he is miserable that is ever dying and yet lives in torments infinitely worse then death Thus it is with the wicked in Hell who passing out of this life are immediately seised on by the second death but for the Godly the Scripture saith blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death shall have no power but they shall be Preists of God and of Christ Secondly the Godly are desirous of death 20 Revel 6. 1 Phil 23. for love is an affection of Union Now Christ is with the Saint here there is security in that but the Saint also would be with Christ for in that there is full foelicity Lastly though the holiest Persons die yet God suffers not Death to put in his Sickle before they be ripe There is no question what age soever Dorcas was of being so full of good works She could not but be fit for Heaven For this reason a Christian can never die out of season Paul saith that he was as one born out of season 1 Cor. 5.8 because he had not seen Christ on Earth but he could not die out of season because he was sure to see Christ in Heaven That Dorcas died the Text tells us but how she died it doth not tell us neither was it very necessary for we may be confident that She who lived so piously could not but die peaceably She that was so full of good works in her life we may probably think that she was not full of fears at her death The wise man tels us that the wicked is driven away in his wickednesse but the righteous hath hope in his death 14 Prov. 32 Dorcas being so righteous a woman could not but have hope in her death and it is very probable She had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The full assurance of hope 6 Heb. 11. It is likely She had that full assurance of hope that filled her with joy But to be sure She had that hope in her death 5 Rom 5. which would not make her ashamed at the day of Judgement I will only add this now Dorcas is gone her works we are sure have followed her long since and our praises can add nothing to her glory only they are an excitement to our selves To him that soweth righteousnesse there shall be a sure reward 11 Pro. 18. Which reward Dorcas now hath For God is not unrighteous that he should forget Dorcas works and labour of love which She shewed towards his name in that She ministred unto the Saints 6 Hebr. 10. That Dorcas Soul is blessed I can tell you But how blessed if I had the tongue of Men and Angels I could not tell you The Scripture hath left us but a Negative description of the Saints blessedness Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard c. 1 Cor. 2.9 Paul was translated out of himself to behold it 2 Cor 12. and being returned into himself could not express it Doe not envy Dorcas her happiness but imitate her holinesse 14 Rev. 13. 2 Pet. 1.13 25 Math. 4. She hath rested from her labours and received her Crown but left us still to sweat and toil in Gods Vine-yard Nor must we think to come to Heaven upon easier terms than Gods Saints have done before us Wherefore let us gird up the loyns of our minds let us every day be adding more Oil to our Lamps that

precious to be but drosse and dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ her Lord. 3 Phil. 7 8. More particularly She was full of the Grace of Faith and therefore notably well acquainted with the promises Pabulum fidei which are the food of Faith A diligent attender on the word Organum fidei 10 Rom. 17. Nutrimentum fidei the instrument of Faith An earnest desirer and a most conscientious frequenter of the Lords Supper the means to increase it and by reading the promises hearing the Word receiving the Sacrament joyned with a special Act of application in them all she had attained to a kind of Plerophorie a full assurance of Faith 10 Heb. 22. When she was now Sick she told me that since her conversion she had at several times many doubts and fears arising in her Heart Satan desired to Winnow her as Wheat but said she my Faith failed not God did enable her still to hold fast her integrity 22 Luk 31.32 2 Iob. 3. and Satans shaking her with his temptations did but help to establish her the more afterwards and well indeed might she hold fast the integrity of her Faith who continued to hold fast the integrity of her Obedience walking as Elizabeth in all the Commandements and Ordinances of the Lord blameless 1 Luke 6. making such Conscience of the discharge both of her personal and relative duties that so farr as I have observed or been acquainted though many Daughters have done vertuously yet she excelled them all The strength of Faith is best judged of 31 Prov. 29. when brought to the Tryal And I shall never forget her deportment under the sad death of her most dear Husband Mrs. Stillington When I took upon me the boldnesse to ask her in private her Daughter being then only present whether she did under this affliction doubt of Gods Fatherly love or whether the guilt of any Sin but those which are called Sins of dayly incursion Quotidianae incursionis Te●t pressing her Conscience did render the affliction more bitter her answer was she did not doubt she was assured of Gods love She looked on God at that time as an angry Father but she had ever found him and then knew him to be a loving Father And for the guilt of any Sin pressing her Conscience she acknowledged that her infirmities were many 1 Nehem. 11. 119 Psal 5. and though her desire was to fear Gods name and to direct her wayes according to his Statutes Yet she was defective in many things and fell short of her duty that was her grief of her desire likewise that was her comfort but she professed that her Conscience did not accuse her of any wicked or willful disobedience 119 Psal 104. 119 Psal 6. she hated every false way and had respect unto all Gods Commandements at all times 79 Psal 8. only she feared that in this affliction God might remember former iniquities long since committed which it may be she had not throughly humbled her self for I asked her then why she was so sorrowful the substance of her reply was that she thought a more than ordinary measure of sorrow was in such cases lawful being warranted out of the Scripture by the examples of good men and also convenient to express the sense of Gods hand upon her but yet she desired she said and would endeavour so to restrain her grief that it might neither offend others nor dishonour God Being thus full of the grace of faith she could not but be full of love seeing faith where it is works by love A great lover she was of the ordinances 5 Galat. 6. a lover likewise of Gods people her delight was in the Saints of the earth in her eyes a vile person was contemned 16 Psal 3. 15 Psal 4. Christum hospitantem in Augustino but she honoured them that fear the Lord where she saw any thing of Christ she loved the person as Ambrose loved Christ dwelling in Augustine I think one of the greatest arguments of a mans love to Christ is when it puts him upon endeavours to gain others to the love of him and in this very thing she spent most of her time wherein through Gods blessing she laboured with such successe that beside her natural daughters I doubt not but she hath many other daughters in the faith 1 Tim. 1.2 who may arise up and call her blessed such whom she was a special instrument either to beget unto Christ 31 Prov. 28. or afterwards to build up in their holy faith She was full of the spirit of prayer and supplication in which duty she was very frequent according to the injunction of scripture 12 Za. 10. 4 Colos 2. 1 Thes 5.17 and though she was not an Euchite so as to neglect all other duties of her calling yet she remembred that all things are sanctifyed by prayer 1 Tim. 4.5 and therefore would never omit it Nazianzen would have men so much in this duty that they might be able to shew the wounds of the knees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and there is a figure in the Heavens which Astronomers call in the knees Sure I am this Gentlewoman if any might have shewed the wounds of the knees for set aside her private and family devotions I have seen her my self once twice more than the third time in private meetings use this gesture for four or five houres together and though age and her infirmities might have tolerated her another posture yet I have observed to my admiration that for so long time she hath seldome changed her gesture when others more young and strong have made use of their liberty to sit or stand 12 Rom. 12. It is not enough that we be frequent in prayer unlesse fervent no more did this servant of God think it The Orator said once of the Athenians comparing them to men running up an hill they breath much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but have little strength so many men in prayer breath much but have little strength whereas Basil would have us with an holy impudence to make God ashamed 32 G●n 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he cannot look us in the face if he deny our importunity Such a powerfull faculty had this Gentlewoman in prayer as I have heard those that lived with her acknowledge and admire One thing of her practise in this duty I may not omit and that is she used to go to prayer with her children alwayes about five of the clock in the afternoon and then examined them and because she was sensible how much the welfare of the Church depends upon Gods guidance of the Governours thereof therefore in her devotions she never forgot to pray for the King and taught her Children while they were yet young to do so 1 Tim. 2.2 She was full of humility which is the grace of all other graces