Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	know_v	life_n	spirit_n	4,772	5	5.1324	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66101	The high esteem which God hath of the death of his saints as it was delivered in a sermon preached October 7, 1683, occasioned by the death of the worshipful John Hull, Esq. who deceased October 1, 1683 / by Samuel Willard.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.; Corlet, Elijah, d. 1687.	1683 (1683)	Wing W2280; ESTC R27592	13,583	24

Mother or Brethren or nearest or dearest Friends for this is that which makes their loss to be greater than any other Relation doth or can others are natural but these are pious Tears that are shed upon this account Another Man may be a private loss when he is gone his Family or his Neighbours or Consorts may miss him but a Saint though he be a private Christian is yet when he dies a publick loss and deserves the tears of Israel how much more than when he hath been a Saint providentially put into a capacity of being and by Grace helpt and enabled to be a publick benefit by the Orb he moved in when a Saint Dies there is manifold ground of Mourning there is then a Pillar pluckt out of the Building a Foundation Stone taken out of the Wall a Man removed out of the Gap and now it is to be greatly feared that God is departing and Calamities are coming and are not these things to be lamented 2. When the Saints die beware of irregular Mourning though we are to lament their Death yet we must beware that it be after the right manner a dying Saint may say to his weeping Friends that stand round about wringing their hands after the same Language that Christ did to those weeping Women Luk. 23. 27 28 29. Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but for your selves and your Children c. It is we and not they that are indangered and endamaged by it we may therefore weep for our selves and there is good reason for it but to mourn for them is superfluous Is their Death precious in Gods let it not be miserable in our esteem and tell me you whose hearts throb and eyes run over with sorrow is it not a precious thing to be asleep in Jesus to ly in the lap of his providence and rest from the labours and sorrows of a troublesome World to be laid out of the noise of the whistling Winds and feel none of the impetuosity of those Storms and Tempests that are blowing abroad to be out of the sight and hearing of the rolling and dashing waves of the roaring Sea to sleep out the rest of the tempestuous night of this World standing in the inner Chamber of Gods Providence in answer to that sweet invitation Isai 26. 22. Come my People enter into thy Chambers and shut thy doors about thee c. To ly in Christ's Bosom and be ravished with his dearest love and most intimate Embraces to see none of those sorrowful changes that are coming on the places which they once lived in nor any more to be within the reach of the calumny and rage of their spiteful Enemies surely these Notes do not suit with an Elegiack strain and yet this is the comfort which is given them to feed upon whose dead Relations and Friends were Saints upon the earth 3. Is the death of the Saints precious in Gods sight let it be so in ours too They are not to be accounted for contemptible things which God sets an high value upon and it is our wisdom to think and speak of persons and things as God doth we ought not to slight the death of the righteous and speak meanly of it as of a thing that is little momentous I am sure their arrival at Heaven is there taken notice of as a thing worthy of observation and shall not their departure be regarded they are welcomed into the Palace of delight with Panegyricks and shall then be hence dismissed with no more but a sorry saying there is now a good Man gone and he will be missed in the Family or the Church to which he once belonged we should embalm the memory of the Saints with the sweet smelling Spices that grew in their own Gardens and pick the chiefest Flowers out of those Beds to strew their Graves withal we should remember and make mention of them with honourable thoughts and words and though it be now grown a Nick-name of contempt among wicked and prophane Men yet count it the most orient Jewel in their Crown the most odoriferous and pleasant Flower in their Garland that we can say of them that they lived and died Saints all other Eschutcheons will either wear away or be taken down every other monument will become old and grow over with the Moss of time and their Titles though cut in Brass will be Canker-eaten and illegible this onely will endure and be fresh and Flourishing when Marble it self shall be turned into common dust Such an one it is whom we have now lost and Oh that we knew how great a loss we have sustained in him they are little things to be put into the account and weigh but light in the commendations we have to give him to say This Government hath lost a Magistrate this Town hath hath lost a good Benefactor this Church hath lost an honourable Member his Company hath lost a worthy Captain his Family hath lost a loving and kind Husband Father Master the Poor have lost a Liberal and Merciful Friend that nature had furnished him with a sweet and affable Disposition and even temper that Providence had given him a prosperous and Flourishing Portion of this Worlds Goods that the love and respect of the People had lifted him up to places of honour and preferment this this out-shines them all that he was a Saint upon Earth that he lived like a Saint here and died the precious Death of a Saint and now is gone to rest with the Saints in glory this hath raised those Relicks of his above common dust and made them precious dust When Conscience of duty stimulated me to perform my part of his Exequies and put me upon it to do him honour at his Death methoughts Justice required and envy it self would not nibble at this Character and if the Tree be to be known by its Fruits his works shall praise him in the Gates For his constant and close secret Communion with God which none but Hypocrites are wont to do with the sound of a Trumpet such as were most intimate with him have known and can testifie the care which he had to keep up constant Family Worship in reading of the Scriptures and praying in his Family from which no business publick or private could divert him was almost now unparalleld the honourable respect he bore to God's holy Ordinances by diligently attending upon them and esteeming highly of God's Servants for their work sake and care that he used to live the Truths which he heard from time to time was very singular the exemplariness of his Life and Converse among Men and the endeavours which he used to shew forth the Graces of the Spirit not being ashamed of Christ nor being willing to be a shame unto him let all that knew him bear witness of his meek boldness in reproving Sin and gentle faithfulness in endeavouring to win Sinners as he had opportunity is known to such as lay in his way His constancy in all

THE HIGH ESTEEM Which God hath of the Death of his SAINTS As it was Delivered in a SERMON Preached October 7. 1683. Occasioned by the Death of the Worshipful John Hull Esq Who Deceased October 1. 1683. By Samuel Willard Teacher to a Church in Boston Numb 23. 10. Let me die the Death of the Righteous and let my last end be like his De Imperatore Theodosio fertur magis se gaudere quod membrum ecclesiae Dei esset quam caput imperii Aug. Boston in New-England Printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Sewall 1683. PSAL. 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the Death of his Saints THis psalm is wholly Eucharistical the Psalmists scope being to profess his endeared love to God and to excite himself to a grateful acknowledgement of all those Engagements which were lying upon him to express this Love of his in true Thankfulness for all those Kindnesses which he had made him the Subject of Hence there are two things which he here endeavours 1. A summary recital of the grounds and reasons of this Profession or what it was that God had so deeply obliged him by Expressed Enlarged Aggravated to ver 12. 2. An earnest Endeavour to Affect and Engage his heart unto suitable gratitude from hence to the end of the Psalm wherein he studies and promiseth to let it be seen that he was not stupidly regardless of but sutably affected with these wondrous benefits of God towards him where while he is binding of himself to the payment and performance of sacred and solemn expressions of Thanksgiving and particular Testimonies of a thankful heart he draws the knot close and makes it more indissoluble by reviving the Arguments or Obligations lying upon him or by chewing upon the consideration of the endeared Love of God discovering it self both to his People in general ver 15. and to himself in particular ver 16. So that the Words of the Text are a lofty Expression of the deep Interest which the Saints have in Gods affection or the high esteem which he conceives of them who dearly loves them and that not only whiles living but when dying too In the Words there are two parts 1. The Subject about which the Assertion is The Death of Gods Saints such a Subject is presumed for the Scripture doth not pronounce or express the condition of non-entities And hence we gather these three Conclusions 1. God hath his Saints in the World as evil and degenerate as the World is grown yet there are some Holy Men in it It is true there is none so holy here as to live without sin but there are some that are so pure as to be undefiled in God's eye and esteem Numb 23. 21. God hath seen no iniquity in Jacob. Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled The Word used in our Text for Saints signifies properly one that is precious kind bountiful and merciful The Substantive is most commonly used for Mercy or pity and this Word in our Text is Translated Merciful Isai 57. 1. and so divers read it here his merciful ones others read it his beneficent ones much to the same purpose But the Septuagint for the most part translate the Word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Saint or an Holy one and so they do in this place Hence as some observe the Posterity of Jonadab the Son of Rechab were by reason of their strictness or severity of Life called Hassidim which is the Word used in the Text. 2. God's Saints must dye It were superfluous to decipher their happiness in Death if they were not appointed to be the Subjects of it the most strict holy and Exemplary Life of the People of God is no Bail against a bodily death although Gods Love be such to them that he will take effectual care about their dying well yet it is his holy pleasure that they shall tast of that Cup and meet with that common Lot of the children of Men Psal 89. 48. What Man is he that liveth and shall not see Death shall he deliver his Soul from the hand of the Grave and hence we learn that Death is not in it self a thing so formidable as Men think it to be but only the manner of dying it is no hurt to die if we die Saints 3. The Saints have a priviledge above other Men in their Death what this priviledge is will follow that there is such a thing the limitation of the general Subject Death to this particular Subject Saints in disposing of it to be capable of the ensuing predication evidenceth When the Psalmist hath something worthy and excellent to say about Death he restrains and bounds it in the Saints q. d. all Men die but all do not thus die this is not a common priviledge which I am speaking of but it is appropriated to the Saints of God Hence all that would have any advantage above other Men in their dying must make it their great care and endeavour whiles they are living to be Saints 2. The Predicate of this Subject It is precious in the sight of God and here is a double excellency of the Saints Death discovered viz. 1. Innate or real in it self it is precious for God doth not esteem of things otherwise then they really are when we hear that he reckons them so we may conclude that they must be so indeed the word signifies weighty honourable precious dear and rare Death which is in it self an evil thing when it befalls a Child of God becomes a thing of very great worth 2. In Estimation and that of him who best knows what esteem to put upon things viz. God himself he doth not tell us that it is so in the sight of Men for their judgement and verdict would not sufficiently determine the question for as for wicked men they account the Saints lives to be contemptible and their Death inglorious and as for good men they are fallible liable to mistakes and hence their judgement is not by it self satisfying to Faith nor may we build any conclusion upon the credit of the best of men but God judgeth aright he knows and speaks the truth and his testemony is to be taken the Phrase In the sight signifies the judgement knowledge and account q. d. thus it is to God he who sees all things and discerns their issues he reckons it to be so There are divers thoughts among Interpreters about the meaning of this Expression or in what sence the Psalmist intends that their death is precious in the sight of God which what it is most likely to be will follow to be considered Hence Doct. The Death of God's Saints is in his account or esteem a thing very precious God sets an high price not only upon the Lives but upon the Death 's too of his Children they are dear and honourable to him not living only but dying also For the clearing up of this Truth we may consider 1. Who are those Saints of God