Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	pray_v	prayer_n	6,987	5	6.6304	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79011	The saints rest: or Their happy sleep in death. As it was delivered in a sermon at Aldermanbury London, Aug 24. 1651. By Edmund Calamy B.D.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1651 (1651)	Wing C264; Thomason E641_19; ESTC R206731	10,922	21

THE SAINTS REST OR Their happy Sleep in Death As it was delivered in a SERMON AT Aldermanbury London Aug 24. 1651. By Edmund Calamy B. D. JOHN II. II. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth PSAL. 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints LONDON Printed by A. M. Anno Domini MDCLI THE SAINTS REST Act. 7. 60. the later part And when be had said this be fell asleep THese words contain in them the happy closure and upshot of Stephen life wherein we have three particulars 1. The Person that fell asleep 2. The Speech that he made when he fell asleep 3. What he did when he had finished his Speech First We have the Person that fell asleep and that was Stephen He was a man full of faith and full of the holy Ghost as you may see Act 6.5 He was the first Martyr that ever suffered for the cause of Christ hence I might gather this Doctrine viz. That the best of men are subject to violent and unnatural deaths Stephen that was full of the holy Ghost was stoned to death and John the Baptist that was full of the holy Ghost from the very womb was beheaded Peter was crucified and so was Andrew Isaiah was sawed asunder Teremiah was stored and Zacharias was slain between the Temple and the Altar But I shall passe this The second part of the Text is the Speech that Stephen made when he fell asleep Hoc dicto obdermivit that is when he had finished his prayer He fell asleep Hence observe That it is an excellent way to close up our lives with prayer To die praying is a most Christian way of dying They stoned stephen calling upon God After this manner Christ died he prayed Father into they hands I commend my spirit and having thus said gave up the ghost This he did that it might be a patern to all Christians Prayer is a necessary duty at all times but especially when we are a dying and that for these three Reasons 1. Because when we are to die we have most need of Good help for then the devil is most busie and we most weak 2. Because when we are to die we are to beg the greatest boon of God that is that he would receive us into his heavenly Kingdom Now prayer is the chief means to obtain this mercy for it is Porta Coeli Clavis Paradisi the Gate of Heaven a Key to let us into Paradise Therefore we have great reason to die praying 3. Because when a Saint of God is dying he is then to take his last farewell of prayer In Heaven there is no praying but all thanks giving there is no need in Heaven therefore no prayer in Heaven Now a Saint of God being to take his leave of prayer when he is to die therefore it is sit he should die praying I beseech you remember this patern in the Text St Stephen died calling upon the Lord Let us die praying as that Emperor said Oportet Imperatorem stantem mori so may I say Oportet Christianum mori praecantem it behovesa Christian to die praying Quest But what was the substance of Stephens prayer Answ. He prayed for himself and he prayed for his persecutors 1. He prayed for himself Lord Jesus receive my Spirit ver. 59 2. He prayed for his persecutors Lord lay not this sin to their charge ver. 60 I will not enter upon this part of the Text for it would swallow up all my time Therefore I shall wave it and come to the third part which is that that by Gods assistance I purpose to speek unto viz. What Stephen did when he had finished his prayer When he had said this he fell asleep that is he died Behold here the magnanimity the piety and the Christian courage of Stephen The people were stoning of him and gnashing their teeth upon him and the good man dies with as much quietness of minde as if he had died in his bed He fell asleep while they were stoning him While he died he prayed and while he prayed he died But what made Stephen die thus quietly Reade the 55 verse and you shall see the reason of it Being full of the holy ghost he looked up sted fastly into Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God Behold saith he I see the Heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God This made him die with such a sweet quiet and calm temper He saw Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive his soul and that made him die with such an extraordinary quietness of minde Death in Scripture especially the death of Gods children is often compared to a sleep It is said of David That he slept with his fathers And it is said I Thes. 4.13 I would not have you ignorant concerning them which are asleep that is concerning them which are dead And I Cor. II. 30 For this cause many are weakly and sick among you and many sleep that is many die This expression is a metaphorical expression and will afford us many rare and precious instructions about death And therefore the grace of God assisting me I desire to spend the rest of the time in the opening of this metaphor The Observation is this viz. That when a childe of god dies though his death he never so unnatural and violent yet it is nothing else but a falling asleep Or The death of a childe of God though stoned to death though burnt to ashes though it be never so violent and unnatural is nothing else but a falling asleep When he had said this he fell asleep Somnus est mortis imago Sleep is the image of death There are many notable resemblances betwixt sleep and death some of which I shall speak unto at this time 1. Sleep is common to all men there is no man can live without sleep A man may live long without meat but no man can live long without sleep So it is true of death Death is common to all it is appointed for all men once to die And therefore David said He was to go the way of all slesh Statutum est omnibus semel mori Omnibus est calcanda semel lethivia All men must sleep the sleep of death or else be changed which is a metaphorical death 2. As sleep ariseth from the vapours that ascend from the stomack to the head and tie the senses and hinder their operations so death came into the world by Adams eating the forbidden fruit and by the poisonfull vapour of sin that brought death upon him and all his posterity By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Had Adam never sinned Adam should never have died But In illo die said God In that day thou eatest the forbidden fruit thou shalt die the death Sinne