Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	death_n	sin_n	wage_n	4,853	5	11.4614	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80829	The vanity and mischief of making earthly, together with the necessity and benefit of making heavenly treasures our chiefe treasure opened in a sermon at Mary Spittle, before the Right Honorable the Lord Major and court of aldermen, of the city of London, and divers worthy citizens at their solemn anniversarie meeting, on Tuesday in Easter Week, being the 17 of Aprill 1655. / By John Crodacott, preacher of Gods word at Saviours Southwark, and Sepulchres London.	Crodacott, John.	1655 (1655)	Wing C6964; Thomason E844_11; ESTC R210367	30,576	56

said to be poor Revel 3.17 thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blinde and naked though they were rich in worldly treasures yet were they poor God-ward and Heaven-ward because they wanted this heavenly treasure Jesus Christ Oh! therefore let me beseech you to improve your all this way namely to get this treasure you will say what must we do Answ 1 You must read and hear the Word of God which is compared unto a treasure Matth. 13.44 the Word of God openeth unto us the inestimable value of this heavenly treasure 'T is the means that God hath ordained to bring us unto Christ the true treasure in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Take heed that you undervalue not the truths of Christ because brought unto you in an earthen vessel Remember what the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.7 we have this treasure in earthen vessels O! let not the vilenesse the weaknesse or meannesse of the vessel prejudice you against the preciousnesse and choicenesse of the treasure that is in it 2 You must believe the Word which you read and hear you must mix it with faith or your reading and hearing will not profit you Heb. 4.2 Audientes corporis sensu non audiunt cordis assensu Aug. The Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it 3 You must treasure up divine truths in your memory which although it be one of the britlest parts yet is it one of the richest cabinets and treasuries in the soul of man and therefore too good to keep lumber and rubbish in 'T is a treasury for the richest and most precious Jewels to this use did Mary put her memory Luke 2.19 Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart O! that Christians would put theirs unto the like use 4 You must believe in Jesus Christ with all your heart you must receive this treasure upon his own terms 5 You must frequent the Lords Table where this treasure is freely offered by God the Father unto every believing communicant 6 You must pray in faith and with an holy fervency for this treasure But these means have been I presume frequently inculcated upon you and therefore I wave any further discourse of them Two things I must commend unto you from the Lord as ever you would have Jesus Christ to be your chief treasure namely 1 That you would forsake all your sins 2 That you would forego some part of your earthly treasures 1 That you would forsake all your sins Thus did that wise merchant in the Gospel when he had found the true treasure the precious pearl he went and sold all that he had and bought it now what had he or we to sell nothing that is properly our own but our sins all things that we have are Gods already unlesse it be our sins and are your sins worth the keeping do you think you cannot live comfortably and die blessedly without such or such a lust why should you think so what think you of the Angels and glorified souls in heaven they live without sin and are they not blessed yea are they not therefore blessed because without sin Consider with me I beseech you 1 Sins unreasonablenesse 2 Sins undesireablenesse in it self 1 The unreasonablenesse of Sin there 's all the reason in the world that we should serve God but no reason that we should sin against God Sin is folly and darknesse and it tends unto and ends in utter darknesse when we perswade you to part with sin we perswade you to part with that which if not parted with will incur and binde that direful and dreadful sentence upon your souls and bodies unto all eternity Matth. 7.23 Depart from me ye that work iniquity We petswade you to part with that which will be the bane the poison the ruine of your precious souls 2 The undesireablenesse of sin in its self alas you see the bait but you see not the hook that is under it the venomous poisonous sting of sin is but honied over you feel the pleasures of sin but believe not the pains after and for sin because you feel them not were not the horrour of sin disguised your souls would cry out in sober sadnesse Oh I have no pleasure in such an heart-iniquity or way of wickednesse now I see the fruit of sin is shame the wages of sin is eternal death separation of soul and body from God for ever Therefore let me again beseech you as you would have Christ for your treasure forsake your sins 1 Universally fell all that you have for this treasure be willing to part with all your sins deal not by your sins as Ananias did by his goods who retained a part to or for himself but you know how heavy the hand of God was upon him for his dissembling O! beloved be not indulgent to any lust think it not enough to loath some one sin although you love and live in another if you will keep sin in part you shall lose this precious this glorious treasure and so your souls in whole and forsake your sins 2 Perpetually think it not enough to lay aside your sins for a time as you do your cloaths at night when you go to bed and in the morning put them on again As the Israelites lusted after the flesh-pots of Egypt But shake off I beseech you all your sins as Paul did the viper never to resume them again take heed of returning with the dog to his vomit and the sow to her wallowing in the mire This is the first thing I would commend unto you forsake all your sins And be willing 2 To forego some part of your earthly treasures for Christ yea the whole if Christ call for it but I shall bespeak a part onely at this time lay not up earthly treasures for your selves but lay them out in doing good to the poor members of Iesus Christ this Injunction our blessed Saviour laid upon that rich man that came unto him and moved a very needful question Matth. 19.16 Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life to which Christ returns this answer verse 21. Go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven How happy should you and I be if I could perswade you that are rich men to be rich in good works You that abound in earthly treasures to make the bowels of the needy your treasury manus pauperum gazaphylacium Christi saith one of the Ancients the poor mans hand is Christs treasury O that it might be yours I hope you will not say we have little enough for our selves and families should you say we have too little for our lusts I should rather believe you indeed lust is unsatiable but you cannot truly say you have little enough for your selves how many are there that have scarce covering for their nakednesse when as you many of you

have cloathing for your comlinesse and statelinesse how many are there that have scarce food for their hunger when as you have plenty and variety of delicious dishes for your delight and daintinesse many of you cannot say you are not rich men except you be of the judgement of Marcus Crassus whom Plutarch speaks of who accounted no man rich except he could at his own charges maintain an Army Profane Esau could say I have enough my brother I hope you will not prove your selves to be worse then Esau if you be resolved to make it your businesse to satisfie your lusts then I must tell you that you go about an endlesse businesse but I know to whom I speak I hope not to men rich in worldly goods onely but to some that are rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdome which God hath promised to them that love him To you I speak and yet not unto you onely but unto all here before the Lord who have enough to supply your wants and over be merciful be bountiful be open-hearted and open-handed improve your earthly treasures as helps to further you in the attainment of the true heavenly treasure This counsel I crave leave to back with six quickening considerations 1 What hath God and Christ accounted too dear for Consid 1 you the Father accounted not his own son too dear for us the Lord Jesus accounted not his life too dear for us Indeed our Saviour himself was sold at a vile base price namely for 30 pieces of silver Matth. 26.15 They covenanted with him for 30 pieces of silver which price the Prophet Zachariah calleth a goodly price Zach. 11.13 but 't is in scorn disdain the price at which he was prized sold was sordid but were we bought with such a price O! no the Apostle Paul tells us that we are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 And the Apostle Peter telleth us with what price namely not with silver and gold or such corruptible things but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1.18 19. the price of our souls was so high as that the whole Creation was not able to pay it we were base and vile in our selves yet would not our redeemer buy us with a vile a base price nay not with vast treasures of the gold of Ophir or the precious Onyx but with his own precious blood Now shall we count any thing too dear for Christ and his poor members who counted not his own heart blood too dear for us Consid 2 2 What are the things I presse you to lay out for pious uses but such as you had from God woe be unto you if your earthly treasures came not out of Gods hand I will presume they did either they were bequeathed unto you by your parents or friends or you have acquired them by your own industry but who is it that hath made you rich but the Lord and why hath he given you earthly treasures surely not that you might hoard them up for your selves but that you might distribute and communicate them unto others you are but Stewards not owners or proprietaries in reference to God of your earthly treasures These aswell as gifts of minde as Understanding Wisdome and Policy which God hath endowed any of you with these I say are talents which the Lord expects you should not lay up in a napkin but trade with and lay out for his service 3 What do I presse you to part with but what the Consid 3 Lord can return you back again the Rivers empty themselves again in the Sea and the Sea fills all their channels again and cannot the Lord the bottomlesse Ocean return back whatsoever you lay out upon him and for him Notable to this purpose is that portion of Scripture Prov. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet encreaseth and there is that with-holdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to poverty this is a Paradox a mystery to the world there be some that get by giving and there be others that lose by keeping and not giving so Isai●h 32.8 the liberal man deviseth liberal things yea will a worldling say so may he part with all he hath nay saith the Spirit of God by liberal things shall he stand Well beloved this argument which the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 9.8 useth to induce men to lay out their earthly treasures for the good of others I leave with you God saith he is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work 4 What are men content to lay out for their lusts Consid 4 how prodigal was that prodigal son of whom it is said Luke 15.13 that he wasted his substance with riotous living yea he spent all vers 14. and as prodigal are many in our dayes when the Devil or their lusts call for pounds when pride or a dainty tooth or a drunken appetite or the fire of a filthy lust calls how profuse and prodigal are many men Now shall hell overbid heaven Shall wicked men empty their bags and pockets to fill their souls with wickednesse and shall not we emptie ours for treasure in heaven so much we finde promised Matth. 19.21 Sell that that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven Shall men lay out more for their filthy soul-damning lusts then we do for the soul-saving treasure Consid 5 5 What do I presse you to lay out for pious uses but that which you must leave can you carry your earthly treasures with you alas no death is so strict a door-keeper as that 't will look that as you brought nothing into the world so you shall carrie nothing out 1 Tim. 6.7 Nay if your earthlie treasures have been unjustlie gotten or undulie with-held death will strain out all the sweet and leave only the sowre and guilt upon your souls I say if unduly with-held believe it you may lose and damn your precious souls by pinching and saving aswell as by extorting from others the wicked which we read of Matth. 25.41 42 c. are sentenced unto everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels not for robbing but for with-holding bread from the hungrie not for fleecing or uncloathing but for not cloathing the backs of the poor members of Jesus Christ Now whether it be not Christian prudence to lay up in store for your selves a good foundation against the time to come that you may lay hold on eternal life by doing good by being rich in good works ready to distribute and willing to communicate Judge ye In short the world passeth away and not the world onely but the lusts thereof also 1 John 2.17 when you come to leave the world your earthlie treasures will not relish with you but your souls will say I have no pleasure in them Consid 6 6 If God be honoured and the poor members