Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	angel_n	body_n	death_n	3,705	5	5.0794	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70241	The vanity of man at his best estate, and the vanity of Dives, his desire when at his worst viz. to have a preacher sent from the dead to his fathers house / discoursed of in two sermons, the first before the University of Oxon, the other at Ayno in Northamptonshire, at the anniversary for the foundation of the free-school there, by T.H., B.D., sometime rector of Souldern in Oxfordshire.	Hodges, Thomas, d. 1688.	1676 (1676)	Wing H2325; ESTC R38792	37,311	52

that he was sent of God that he came out of the bosome of God the father the God of Abraham Isaack and Jacob that he came to preach repentance and forgivenesse of sins and yet the grosse of the Jewish Nation would not be perswaded to repent and believe on him behold one greater then Moses and all the prophets and therefore one greater then Lazarus and he too from the dead his soul from paradise and his body was raised out of the grave and he was one who could tell them of the joys of heaven and of the torments of hell more and better then Lazarus he could tell them that for to procure pardon to sinners he himself had suffered the pain of sence in the garden when he said his soul was exceeding sorrowful unto the death and when he sweat great drops of blood trickling down to the ground and the pain of loss when he hung on the Crosse and cryed out my God my God why hast thou for saken me he could tell them that for their sakes he had endured the pains of hell to the end that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all nations beginning at Jerusalem yet how few in comparison amongst the Jews believed on him 3. 'T is observable what we reade of Herod that he heard John Baptist gladly and did many things at his preaching though John wrought no miracles and when he heard of the same of Jesus Christ and the mighty works done by him and imagined that it was John the Baptist or some old prophets risen from the dead but for all that did not repent and amend his life that ever was heard of 4. There are to be found many too too many amongst us that call themselves Christians D. All. and professe to believe in Christ crucified dead and buried descended into hell that he arose from the dead the third day ascended into heaven and from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead and for all this are impenitent and unbelieving 5. Passe we to the Church of Rome and see whether it be better there they tell us of the obambulation of spirits of the apparitions of dead men whose souls have come out of the fire of purgatory a temporary hell and yet how few amongst them are brought to true repentance and amendment of life 6. How often do men come from the beds of dying men and women from the last words perhaps of good men and women telling them they are as full of joy as they can hold that they desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ or from the beds and last words of wicked men who would if it was possible call time again or desire to live though it was but the life of a toad rather then dye and yet how few are thereby wrought upon to repentance unto life to a repentance never to be repented of 7. Come we to our selves and as a Reverend and learned Author observes D. Allest we diverse of us have been in our own apprehension at deaths door and have had the prospect of the other world before our eyes as it were and God hath said to us at such a time by his providence return return thou shalt not dye and then our good purposes and resolutions of dying to our former sins die presently and we mend into and live unto our old fins again And how then should another mans coming from the dead make us repent when we our selves have come as it were from the dead and have not repented Are these things so let 's learn then to attend to Moses and the Prophets i. e. to the holy Scriptures and that they are more likely and effectuall means to bring sinners to repentance then if one came unto them from the dead and that now we are not to expect Messengers or preachers to be sent unto us from the dead nor any signes wonders or Miracles to be wrought to bring or perswade us to repent or to warn us to fly from the wrath to come Let none be found amongst you that asketh counsel of the dead for all that do such things are an abomination to the Lord Deuter. 1811. To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this Rule it is because there is no light in them men must not seek or ask counsel for the living of the dead Isa 8 19.20 When King Saul in his distresse went to the witch of Endor to raise up Samuel from the dead to enquire of him the devil appeared to him in Samuels mantle and sad was the issue of that enquiry and should we desire and have an apparition from the dead how should we be assured that it was not a cheat put upon us by the devil and that it was not the devil appeared to us in the likenesse of our friend or of the party we had a minde to consult withall Angels even evil Angels can assume bodies for a time and move them or else make to themselves aerial bodies and move them though not inform them as the soul the body We reade that Satan can transform himself into an Angel of light if so then surely into the likenesse of a dead man yea of a dead saint Again we might probably be more affrighted then edified by such an apparition and when the fright was over we might question whether there was any such thing or no whether it was not a dream of our own brain or a cheat or trick put upon us by others or whether there was not some mist cast before our eyes and some juggle or trick used to make us think we saw what we did not see Further the holy Scriptures teach us that God hath magnified his word above all his name above his creatures and the works of his creation above his providences ordinary and extraordinary in plain english above miracles signes and wonders Here in this parable we are taught rather to attend to the holy Scriptures then to one that should come to us from the dead In the first Chapter of the 2d Epist of Peter 17 18 19. verses the holy Apostle teaches us to attend unto the word of prophesy as more sure then a voice from heaven from the excellent glory when our blessed Saviour was transfigured upon the holy mount and had conference with Moses from the dead and with Elijah from heaven concerning his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or departure out of this world and truly this is the only instance in all the Scriptures of the matter of the discourse of any one that arose from the dead our blessed Saviour himself excepted if God had ever intended that we should be taught by men from the dead surely we should have had some directions or instructions from those whom the prophets our Saviour or the holy Apostles raised from the dead but behold Altum Silentium not a word to this purpose And this deep silence in this

his body doth not sleep doth not cease to be It would be happy for Atheists Epicures Gluttons Drunkards Blasphemers and unclean persons for oppressors for covetous and unmerciful Dives's if there was no life no world after this but that as they have lived like beasts or worse then beasts so they may die like beasts also But if there had been neither Moses nor the prophets to testify the contrary yet needed not any to come from the dead to do it heathen poets and phylosophers have had knowledge of a future estate witnesse their Elisian fields a kinde of paradise for the vertuous and their Phlegethons a river of fire a kinde of hell for the wicked But 2dly If a Ghost should appear to us we should be apt to think that we should die shortly and that the Ghost of a dead man did come to call or summon us to the state and place of separate souls such an apparition would be like the Messenger to Hezekiah set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and probably would put us into Bellshazzars posture when he saw the hand-writing upon the Wall would make our countenance change would make the joynts of our loyns to be loosed and our knees to smite one against another And one would think that such a fear terror and consternation might reasonably minde us of what we had done namely to undo our selves and what we should do to escape the wrath to come or the damnation of hell And 3dly All this probably might prove more effectuall if that one that came from the dead should be Lazarus a good man whose soul came from the bosome of Abraham Lazarus one who likely might be known to Dives his brethren to have been a poor miserable and contemptible person whilst he lived in this world when they should see him come from heaven from one of the highest places there from Abrahams bosome and probably in a glorious manner make his appearance this might teach them and minde them that 't is possible that poor men may be happy in the other world and besides when he should tell them as he might be well able to do how happy he was there though he had been never so poor here and how miserable Dives their brother was in hell not withstanding all his great riches in this world this one would think should be an effectual means to warn to perswade and to bring them to repentance I say when he should tell them that poor Lazarus was comforted and rich Dives was tormented how he was advanced to heaven and their brother Dives thrown down to hell when he should tell them the glorious visions and fruitions of heaven and that there was no comparison betwixt earth and heaven betwixt the fading riches of this world and the durable riches of the other 'twixt sensible pleasures and heavenly joys 'twixt the honour from men here and the glory that is to be had from God hereafter 'twixt the company of men though never so great and rich here and the society of God and his holy Angels in heaven And that Dives his palace was but a dungeon or dunghill to the palace of the great king of heaven and earth that riches either horded up or Epicurean-like laid out upon our selves our back and our belly would not avail in the day of wrath and would only be able to aggravate our misery and to encrease our torment there further when he should tell them that money though it answers all things here yet in the other world it is of no use at all Saints and Angels above slight it as much as worldlings overvalue it below behold in the other world Dives and all his riches were weighed and sound too light that Dives his greatness Riches and Honours and delicates were momentary and all vanished and that in place and room thereof how he is tormented How that he saw him in hell torments instead of delicious fare and delightful musick behold weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Instead of purple and fine linnen behold fire and Brimstone and the smoak of the Bottomless pitt compassing him as a garment And on the other side for his own part he had no cause at all to repent him of all his poverty hardship and misery he went through or underwent in this life for that now heaven makes amends for all That his light afflictions which were but for a moment are now recompensed with a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And if after all this and a great deal more which he might say he should tell them that if they did continue in their sins and die in them they should have their portion in hell with their brother Dives yea with the Devil and his angels for ever but if they would now forsake their fins if they would break off their sins by repentance and their iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor if they would cease to do evil and learn to do well if they would be open hearted and open-handed to their poor brethren when they dyed God would send his Angels to carry their souls into the bosome of Abraham from whence he came out sent by their father Abraham and at the request of their brother Dives If all this had been said and done one would be ready to think that here had been enough and more then enough to have perswaded the worst and most hard-hearted sinner to repentance But so is it that a great deal more effectual means then all this prove insufficient to turn sinners from the errours of their ways 1. The Jews had Moses and the prophets amongst them who being dead yet spake unto them in their writings They received the law by the disposition of Angels yea God himself preached unto them in thunder and lightnings and flames of fire at Sinai the Jews had more signes wonders and miracles wrought amongst them or for them then the whole world besides they had three raised from the dead under the Old Testament-dispensation our Saviour when he came he raised three from the dead one newly dead Jairus his daughter one carried out to be buried as the widdow of Naim her son and one that lay four days in the grave viz. Lazarus and yet the Jews the body of the nation were ofttimes hard-hearted and impenitent sinners even when Christ came in the flesh and manifested forth his glory amongst them in working more miracles then Moses and the prophets that went before him yet they would not repent that they might believe that Jesus was the Christ the Messiah and that believing they might have life through his name yea they sought to put Lazarus to death whom Christ raised from the dead and at last put Christ himself to death who brought him from the dead so far were they from being wrought upon to repent once unto life by this miracle 2. Yea Christ himself afterward raised himself from the dead and confirmed his doctrine and his mission

his brethrens souls and now many do what they can in a manner to damn their own and their brethrens fouls also 9. That there are rewards and punishments after this life there 's a future Estate of happiness or misery for rich and poor there 's an Abrahams bosome for some and hell-torments for others those that have done good and suffered evil things here shall be comforted and those who have done evil things and enjoyed good things here they shall be tormented 10. That some of the Children of Abraham finde no place in the bosome of Abraham Dives cal'd Abraham father and Abraham cal'd Dives son but yet Dives had his place and portion in hell 11. That rich men must expect mercy in the other world according as they have shewed mercy to the poor in this he that giveth to the poor lendeth unto the Lord and the Lord will repay him his own again with usury Giving to the poor is but sowing of feed and in due time they that sow plentifully shall reap plentifully shall I say thirty or sixty yea I dare say an hundred-fold even in the world to come life everlasting 12. That the way to escape hell and attain heaven is to hearken to to obey the holy Scriptures these are they that shew unto us the way of salvation the only way of peace and reconciliation with God and remission of sins namely repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ These these are they that are as a voice behinde us or within us saying this is the way walk in it when that which is holy just and good is proposed to us But when we are tempted unto evil these are unto us as the Angel to St. John saying see thou do it not Let us not in the least question the divine authority of the holy Scriptures either of the Old or New testament both are confirmed by the exerting of supernatural power in miracles and of supernatural wisdom and knowledge in fulfilling of prophesies and forasmuch as Abraham in heaven sends us to Moses and the Prophets and even Christ himself a greater then Abraham appeals to Scripture proves by Scripture though he received the spirit without measure and resolves as it were his own authority into the divine authority of the Old Testament 13. And again that if one of the Testaments be true neither of them can be false let 's know and believe all that is written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Christ and all that is written in the Gospel in the Acts in the Epistles and the Revelation concerning Christ and Christians our Saviour or our selves and let 's not only hear the Scriptures but do them so that we may be blessed in the deed And when we hear any new or strange doctrines let 's be noble like the Bereans and search the Scriptures to see whether things be so or no as these men teach Let 's try opinions doctrines and actions our own and others by this touchstone Let 's weigh them in this ballance of the sanctuary and accordingly judge them And that I may speak a word in season both as to the text and the occasion and that some good account may be given of this days concourse let 's all of us labour to shew forth our faith by our works and as we hold that our faith justifies our persons before God so let our good works justifie our faith before men They are like the hand on the dial of a Clock which shews how it goes although it doth not cause it to move Le ts feed the Hungry Clothe the Naked make our selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousnesse that when we fail we may be received into everlasting habitations Let 's be confident that our cruise of Oyl shall never fail so long as we pour it out in these empty vessels and that one penny laid out upon Gods poor upon Christs brethren will redound more to our account at the great day then many thousands laid up in our Coffers or laid out upon our vain delights and pleasures and should the Lady of this Manour arise from the dead this day I dare say she could testifie that the widows mite so as I take it she called the donation and benefaction we now commemorate was of more avail and advantage to her then the thousands she laid up in her treasury therefore whilst we have opportunity let us do good unto all men especially to them who are of the houshold of Faith to the bretheren of Christ and what soever good we finde in our hearts to do let 's do it with all our might for there is no wisedome nor counsel in the grave whither we are going Let 's beg of God that we may not have our good things in this life and our evil in the other that we may not be like Dives of the number of those worldlings who have their portion in this life as the Psalmist speaks Or as those fools who lay up for themselves treasures on earth and are not rich towards God And let 's manifest that our treasures are in heaven because there are our hearts also let 's set our affections on things above and not on things on the earth considering God has made the earth to set our feet upon not to set our hearts upon let us not be like blinde Moles ever rooting digging in the Earth living here as in our proper Element for when a few years perhaps weeks or days are gone and death comes our eyes shall be opened as the Naturalists say the eyes of the Moles are when they come to die and then we shall see clearly that we have laboured in vain in vain have we risen early gone to bed late eaten the bread of care fulnesse for Riches Miser-like hoarded up or Epicure-like laid out upon our selves profit not in the day of death To conclude all let 's not suffer any poor Lazarus to starve at our gates for want of crumbs and let none of us that are ministers suffer any poor soul for whom Christ died to starve at the gates of the Temple for want of our breaking to them the bread of life we are all by our profession children of Abraham now then let us do the work of Abraham let 's walk in the steps of Abraham let 's be rich in faith full of self-denyal full of good works chariry Hospitality let 's go out and invite strangers on occasion as he did and then he will not be ashamed to be called our father nor unwilling to take our soul into his bosome yea let 's imitate Lazarus let 's make God our help our trust so he did and so his name as the name Eleazar imports And let 's patiently bear all the evils that God lays on us himself or suffers man to lay on us in this world and then when we die God will send his Angels to do the like office for us which they did for Lazarus even to carry our souls into Abrahams bosome Errata PAge 3. line 12. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 8. l. 1. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 20. l. 6. for sumus r. fumus p. 25. l. 2. for which r. who p. 15. l. 8. for powrs r. pours p. 27. l. 3. for them r. him p. 3● l. 32. for any r. an p. 37. l. 22. for an r. and. FINIS