Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	death_n	separation_n	20,420	5	10.8447	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89716	Gods great care of his good people in bad times discovered in several sermons / preached by Mr. James Nalton (late minister of St. Leonards Foster-Lane) immediately upon his return from Holland, about twelve years since ; published by J.F., teacher of short- writing, who took them in characters from the said Mr. J. Nalton.	Nalton, James, 1600-1662.	1655 (1655)	Wing N122A; ESTC R42508	60,551	169

many a fiery dart Sathan seeks to wound us with at one time or other I but God is our help God will not cast us off for all that True indeed we are troubled on every side yet not distressed 2 Cor. 4.9 we are perplexed but not in despair It is an elegant expression in the Greek tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed Cast down I but not cast off we may be cast into adversity and be cast off by men and yet not be cast off by God for all that O what a consolation may this be to every one of Gods children That is an excellent Scripture Isa 54.10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenaxt of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee O comfort your selves with that Text of Scripture therefore as the Apostle saith triumphingly Rom. 8.35 to the end Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword nay saith he in all these things we are more than conquerers We conquer when kil'd kil'd and not destroyed death may make a separation between body and soul but it can never make a separation between the soul and Christ Neither things present nor things to come nor bonds nor imprisonment nor sickness nor banishment nor fiery Furnace nor Lionsden nor Principalities nor powers nor life nor death nor Devils nor any thing shall ever make a separation between God and his people he will never cast them off in any of these conditions O that we could but suck the sweetness of this consolation and lay it up as a Cordiall for a fainting day And thus I have done with the first Point of Doctrine gathered from the first branch of the Text the Author of this comfortable message it is the Lord the God of Israel he is Israels God when Israel is carried captive therefore though God may cast off his people seemingly yet he doth not cast them off when he seems to cast them off It remains I should come to the second branch of the Text and that is the message it self I will own them and acknowledge them saith God like these good figgs But of that I shall speak something by Gods assistance in the further prosecution of the Text. SERMON II. Jeremiah Chap. 24. Verse 5. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel Like these good Figs so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah whom I have sent out of this place into the Land of the Caldeans for their good YOu know what entrance I made into this Text two parts I shewed are considerable in it The Author of a comfortable Message and the Message self The Author of the comfortable Message is the Lord described here by his relation to his people the God of Israel and this first branch I have dispatched I come now to the second branch of the Text and that is the Message it self Wherein we have first the explication of a Type and then the application of it The explication of a Type in these words Like these good Figs where the Lord informs the Prophet Jeremiah what is the meaning of the Vision of the two baskets of Figs the one of good Figs the other of bad Figs Like these good Figs saith God so are all those good or godly persons whom I have sent away captive into Babylon so that God here compares the small number of godly ones that were yet carried captive to Babylon to Figs and he compares them to good Figs. But here it may be demanded first Why are these godly persons compared to Figs I answer For these three Reasons briefly First Because all the goodness they had in them was of Gods own planning Isa 60.21 The branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified Secondly They are compared to Figs because as Figs you know ever grow more and more till they come to a ripeness and maturity that they may be fit for the Gardiner that planted them so did these godly persons grow more and more in grace till they came to some ripeness and maturity that they might be fit for the service of that God who had bestowed this grace upon them fit to glorifie him here and fit to be glorified of him hereafter And then thirdly As Figs when they are ripe they are very pleasant and delightfull they were much esteemed and desired among the Jews as appears by Hosea 9.10 I saw your fathers saith God as the first ripe in the Fig tree so likewise these godly persons that had the Image of God stampt upon them and were now trees of rightēousness that brought forth fruit unto God they were very delightfull unto God God was well pleased with them Psal 147.11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy And by the way you may observe there a very sweet conjunction between fearing God and putting our trust in his mercy we must so fear the Lord that we still put our trust in his mercy lest we should despair and so put our trust in his mercy that we fear him lest we should presume but that I quote the Scripture for is this the Lord delights in them tha● fear him and it is very much that God should take delight in such poor despicable creatures as we are 〈◊〉 and we have a very strange expression 1 Chron. 29.17 I know also my God that thou takest pleasure in uprightness a wonderfull condescension that the great God of Heaven and earth should take pleasure in any service that such poor worthless worms as we are can perform●● that the Lord should take pleasur● in us or in any thing that is in us but we must know that uprightnes● is the work of Gods own Spirit i● our hearts and therefore God fi●●● bestowes the graces of his Spirit up on his servants which are call'● the fruits of his Spirit and then h● delights in his own fruits according to that of the Psalmist Psal 104.31 The Lord rejoyceth in his own works that is in the works of his own Spirit that he hath wrought And St Austin hath a sweet Meditation upon it Lord saith he do not thou look upon my own works but look upon thy own works in my heart for if thou lookest upon my works I shall be cursed but if thou lookest upon thy own works I shall be crowned God takes delight in his own works he crowns his own gifts not our merits in us Thus you see why they are called Figs. But then secondly it may be demanded How these could be called good Figs when our blessed Saviour saith expresly Matth. 19.17 There is none good but One that is God To this I answer It is true

no cause therefore either to fret or be disquieted at any passage of Gods Providence In times of presperity we should not be lifted up and in times of adversity we should not be too much cast down these are the four lessons by way of instruction Secondly Vse 2 Another Use I would make of this Point is for examination O! let every one of us call himself to account and see whether the providences of God in wayes of severity have wrought for our good yea or no hath sin been prevented hath sin been discovered hath it been imbittered hath it been weakned if not quite destroyed have our graces been tryed have they been exercised have we had more faith more patience more meekness more humility have our prayers been more fervent have our affections been more heavenly have we got good by every one of our afflictions To perswade you to this tryall I will use but this one Motive and remember it and take it for a rule It is a never failing evedence discovering a man to be in the state of grace when he finds every condition drawing him nearer to God for then it is a manifest sign you are in the number of those that are called according to his purpose and who love God and are beloved of God that is the second Use Thirdly Vse 3 and so to draw towards a conclusion It may serve for the unspeakable consolation of all those that are good good Figs those that are inwardly good that are impartially good that are constantly good that fear God and that love God those who are called according to his purpose I tell you my brethren this is that which may be a seasonable support to your spirits in sad and sinking times this very Doctrine may be a heart-ravishing cordiall which were it but rightly relished and digested by you might make your very hearts dance within you for joy O! that I were but able to convey the comfort the sweetness of this cordiall to your hearts and to my own certainly if you did but seriously consider this you would not be much troubled at any outward troubles that could befall you no trouble would be very troublesome to you I but saies one alas I am slandered and reproached I am reviled and scorned and am evill spoken of yea though I have not deserved it how can this tend to my good yes God can by this teach thee to live above the world above the credit and repute of men it may be thou didest rest too much in the applause of man and didest triumph too much in a good name now God will by this teach thee to seek that honour that comes from him onely and not that honour that comes from man It was that which our Saviour laid to the charge of the Pharisees John 5.44 saies he How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God onely And saies our Saviour Mat. 5.11 12. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven It is a sweet saying of St Austin That man that willingly detracts from my good name he doth against his will adde to my Crown All the reproches of men will make our Crown so much the heavier O! but saies another I am very poor my estate and trade is gone I lie under a great deal of poverty I want bread for my family c. How can this ever tend for good yes it may be God by the poverty of thy estate would make thee poor in spirit would make thee humble and base in thine own eyes it may be God foresees that if thou shouldest be rich thou wouledst be proud and therefore he will keep thee poor that thou maist be humble and 't is better a thousand times to be poor in the world and rich in grace than to be rich in the world and poor in garce Jam. 2.5 God chooseth the poor in the world to be rich in faith and have other men greater estates than thou it may be they have greater snares than thou are they in higher places than thou then they are in greater danger of falling than thou the truth is the soul can better manage a state of adversitie than astate of prosperity and when the soul is under some abasement pray mark it it is usually at a lesse distance from God I but I have a body troubled with many infirmities with many diseases pains and aches how can this tend to my good yes God by this will put thee in mind of thy mortality that thou hast a poor tottering Tabernacle that ere long will drop into dust and that therefore thou must seek for a house on high a house prepared in heaven for thee and have other stronger bodies than thou it may be they have souls less weaned from the world than thou hadst thou a healthfull body it may be thy heart would be too much glewed to and set upon the world and this makest thee weary of the world so that thou longest to be with Jesus Christ where thou shalt be freed from all these pains and sorrows and sufferings mark it look wherein we are inferiour unto others in one kind God still makes it up in some other kind I but I am tempted and buffeted with Sathan and am disquieted in mind can this be for my good yes the great God of Heaven and earth can order all these temptations for thy good as David saies Psal 118.13 Thou hast thrust sore at me speaking of Saul that I might fall but the Lord helped me so though Sathan thrust sore at thee to wound thee yet God will so order it that he shall wound thy sin but shall not hurt thy soul 'T is an excellent saying of Saint Austin God saies he is so good that he would never suffer evil to be in the world were he not so wise that he could order all evil for the good of his own people Nay God is so infinitely wise that of poyson he can make an antidote against poyson God can order the sins of his own people for their good to make them more watchfull and to be more humble and abased in their own eyes and to long to be where they shall sin no more This is not an argument for presumption but a prop to keep us from despair O! what a comfortable what a blessed condition is this that whatever the state of Gods people is yet God can and will turn it all for their good What tongue of man or Angel can express the consolation the soul might sind in this Doctrine were it but rightly relished and digested But one Use more and I will have done and that is a use of exhortation as you have heard something for your comfort so you must hear something of dutie also If God in the severest of