Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	according_a	body_n	life_n	5,604	5	4.5482	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39242	The great danger and uncertainty of death-bed repentance as it was deliver'd in a funeral sermon preach'd lately in the parish-church of Chiswick in Middlesex.	Ellesby, James, b. 1644 or 5.	1693 (1693)	Wing E538; ESTC R24951	18,514	33

grow rather worse than better We meet with too many instances daily for to confirm us in the belief of this Truth and I am sorry to think that there should be any among you of this Parish to make up the Number some of whom I have visited in their Sickness been witness to their Vows and Promises solemnly made to God of new and better Obedience who yet have started aside like a broken Bow and behaved themselves falsly in God's Covenant Psalm 78.37 57. Such I do earnestly desire and in the name of God seriously charge to remember from whence they are fallen to call to mind the many Vows and Promises made to God in the time of their Trouble and Distress and to make Conscience of the Performance thereof as considering that the bitterness of Death is not yet past and they know not how soon God may reduce them to the like or worse Circumstances lay his Hand more heavy upon them and fill their Souls with far greater Horrour and Amazement in the remembrance of their Vile Hypocrisie and abominable Dissimulation And how then can they hope God should hear their Cries and accept their Vows who have been already so false and treacherous to their Word and Promise the last Estate of such Men and Women 't is to be fear'd will be worse than their First Luke 11.26 Thirdly Consider further you that are apt to put off the thoughts of Death and of Repentance with it if you cannot endure the serious thoughts of dying now how will you be able to bear up under the near Approaches and feeling Apprehensions thereof when Death shall overtake and sieze you in good earnest and there shall be no hopes to escape or avoid it what Oh! what will you then do The Apprehensions of Death to a sick Man are very Awful and Terrible but much more so to one that finds himself unprovided for it to one that is unfit to give up his accounts to God or appear with Comfort before his Great and Dreadful Tribunal If the great and necessary duties of Repentance and Amendment Mortification and Self denial be judg'd so hard and troublesome to you now do you think the Trouble and Difficulties thereof will wear off and grow less by your delays or shall you be better able to master or overcome them when you shall want both Time and Strength to go through with them He that thinks seriously of Death and a future Judgment to ensue thereupon methinks cannot be so much forsaken of his own Sense and Reason as not to judge it necessary to make the best and most timely preparation for them that he can and to use all the helps and assistances of Religion for that end and purpose For God's Sake Sirs consider of these things in time and bethink your Selves in good earnest before the Evil days come and the Years draw nigh wherein you shall say I have no pleasure in them Eccles 12.1 and let the Advice of the Holy Ghost in the Text prevail with you though mine cannot To day if you will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts Remember your immortal Souls are in danger every hour every Moment that you live in any known wilful Sin and refuse to repent of it Life is short frail and uncertain Eternity is at Hand and hastens upon you apace Heaven and Hell are at the end of your Lives and stand ready to receive you according as you have fitted and prepared your Selves either for the one or for the other those Spirits which you carry in your Bosoms must live for ever for ever I say in perpetual Bliss or endless Woe and we have all but a little time before us to secure our Eternal State in therefore be sure to find time to endeavour and set about it whatever you neglect do not neglect the things that belong to your Everlasting Peace let not the Cares the Business and the Troubles of the World much less the vain and foolish Pleasures and Pastimes thereof misimploy your time and take you off from this one thing needful and most necessary You that are Poor and Mean in the World ought to do this you ought to find some time to make Provision for your Souls as well as for your Bodies and to labour as diligently for the Bread of Life as for the Meat that Perishes for according to the Apostle Meat is for the Belly and the Belly for Meat but God will destroy both it and them whereas the Bread of Life which comes down from Heaven is able to nourish your Souls unto Eternal Life so as never to hunger or thirst more Alas What signifies it for you to drudge and toyl and take pains to maintain your Bodies and in the end to lose your Souls for want of setting apart some time and bestowing some care upon them But especially you that are above the wants and necessities of the World and have so much time and leasure lying on your Hands that you complain thereof and know not well how to get rid of it or pass it away except it be by Drinking or Gaming by going to Plays and running into bad Company to divert your selves such as you be sure will be Inexcusable before God if instead of laying hold of the present Opportunity to make ready your Accounts against the Judgment of the great Day you shall swell and increase them by a Life of Sloth and Vanity Luxury and Profaneness To such as you therefore I address my self not as the Rich and Great ones of the World for as such commonly you are apt to Despise our Counsel and think your selves above Reproof but as Frail Dying Mortal Men who must shortly Die as well as others have your Dust mingled with that of the meanest and all your Pride and Greatness Niceness and Delicacy converted into Stench and Rottenness and the Dishonours of the Grave and moreover as having many more Talents to be accountable for than your Poor and Indigent Neighbours Is not the Day of your Death as certain as that of your Birth or present Life and tho' you are loth to think of Dying and willing to put off the Evil Day far from you as a melancholy prospect and Unwelcome entertainment as a Subject that is apt to damp your Mirth and unsuitable to your brisk and gay humours Yet consider the putting off the thoughts of Death will not prevent its Approach or make it less Terrible when it comes nay quite otherwise it will make the surprize thereof more dreadful and amazing and render you so much the more unfit to grapple and encounter with the King of Terrours Ecclesiasticus 41.1 O Death how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that lives at rest in his possessions unto the man that hath nothing to vex him and that hath prosperity in all things yea unto him that is yet able to receive meat The more unwilling you have been to think of and prepare for Death now the more

hath he not threatned to do it too Why than should you think your selves more safe and secure from danger then they were as long as you take so little care to prevent and avoid it Go too therefore ye hardned and impenitent Wretches ye mockers and deriders of all that is good and serious ye that are apt to tempt and encourage one another in an evil way take heed you do not provoke God to make you the next instance of his fierce Anger and Indignation take heed you do not draw down the Wrath and Vengeance of Heaven upon your heads and that sooner than now you think for For truth it self hath told us that great Plagues remain for the ungodly Psal 32.10 That to God the Lord belong the issues of Death but God will wound the head of his Enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goes on still in his Wickedness Psal 68.20 21. When they shall say Peace and Safety then sudden Destruction shall come upon them as Travail upon a Woman with Child and they shall not escape 1. Thes 5.3 But he that being often reprov'd doth harden his neck shall suddenly be destroy'd and that without Remedy Prov. 29.1 After all this can ye imagine that the Patience of God which hitherto hath been so forbearing and long-suffering will always wait in vain and suffer his goodness to be continually affronted and despised by the vilest of his Creatures No reason to think that Obstinacy and Impenitency shall always go unpunisht for you have but your time and others have had theirs before you who now reap the fruit of their Folly and find to their Grief and Sorrow what an evil and bitter thing it is for to sin against God Or suppose punishment should be delay'd and no remarkable Judgment should overtake you in this life but you die in as stupid and secure a manner as now you live Yet the less you are punisht here the more reason you have to fear that God doth but reserve you for greater punishment and vengeance hereafter For the Lord knows how to deliver the Godly out of Temptation but to reserve the wicked to the day of Judgment to be punisht 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord hath made all things for himself yea even the wicked for the day of Evil Prov. 16.4 And again the wicked is reserv'd to the day of Destruction they shall be brought forth to the day of Wrath. Job 21.30 Therefore Sirs think often of these things and weigh them well in your Minds for as Moses told the Israelites it is for your Life for the Life of your precious and immortal Souls which are in danger to be lost and the loss so great as can never be recompenc'd by a whole Life of Sin and Pleasure much less by those Pleasures that last but for a moment and die away in the Enjoyment of them I shall conclude all with those Remarkable words of the Son of Sirach to this purpose Follow not thine own Mind and thy Strength to walk in the ways of thy Heart Say not who shall controul me for my Works for the Lord will surely revenge thy Pride Say not his Mercy is great he will be pacify'd for the multitude of my Sins for Mercy and Wrath come from him and his indignation resteth upon Sinners Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord and put not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth and in thy Security thou shalt be destroyed and Perish in the day of Vengeance Eccles 5.2 3 6 7. Consider this all ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psalm 50.22 FINIS