Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	eternal_a	good_a	reward_n	7,006	5	8.9757	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80841	The good man's epitaph briefly explained & applyed in a sermon at the funeral of Mr. John Drury. By Thomas Cartwright, M. of A. of Queens College Oxon, and now vicar of Waltham-stow in Essex.	Cartwright, Thomas, 1634-1689.	1659 (1659)	Wing C699; Thomason E1001_16; ESTC R207856	12,722	24

left behind of the sufferings of Christ which must be filled up by his body the Church and happy are those who contribute most unto it And this is a duty which our times make highly seasonable to be prest though the present occasion of our meeting do withdraw me from pursuing it Now there is a particle of time mentioned in this blessing which breeds some small difference among Interpreters from henceforth from now from this time which some with Beza would joyn with Blessed and then the words run thus Blessed from henceforth are they who dye in the Lord. Others are unwilling to stir it out of the place which our Translation has given it and therefore joyn it with Dying and then they read them thus Blessed are those that dye from henceforth in the Lord not but that those who dyed in former ages were also blessed but because the times which the Angel here spoke of were times of great persecution and therefore required more signal comfort then ordinary A third sort restrain it not to the time of uttering this Prophecy but to the instant of death and thereby make this voice from heaven of strength enough to blow out Romes pick-purse flames and beat down their Doctrine of Purgatory Now because every Epitaph is supposed to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Commendatory and therefore is likewise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consolatory carrying something in it that may calm the minds of those friends who shall bewayl the parties ●●●psed therefore the holy Spirit here writing upon the Saints departed closes their Epitaph with matter of comfort to their surviving relations wherein he takes care by a fresh gale of consolation to blow over those showers of tears which would otherwise fall for them in the last words for they rest from their labours and their works they follow them So that III. Their Friends are Comforted from an assurance of a double Priviledg that they 〈◊〉 their death enjoy viz. Rest and Reward 1. The First Cordial that the H. Spirit administers to keep up their fainting friends is a serious consideration That they rest from their labors By which it seems That Christianity is no lazie Imployment God admits none but Labourers into his Vineyard Loyterers have nothing to do there We must bestir our selves in it all the day till the evening comes and with that the Messenger of Death from God to serve a Quietus est upon us and command us to rest from our labour Labors are a Law which we all are bound to submit to who have Adam for our Grandfather and Crosses are a Curse which will reach us all who acknowledge Eve for our Grandmother and though the wickeds death is not properly a Rest but a Remove to a greater place of torment as well as Labor yet there remaineth a rest to the people of God which at the hour of death they enter into possession of for then they Rest from their labors that is from Evils of all sorts from the Injuries of the World from Temporal Chastisements from all Infirmities and Bodily Diseases from all painfull and Laborious Imployments and therefore they are never better delivered then when delivered by death For they are now in their Haven and no longer tugging at the Oares Their Work is done their Journey ended no more Fasting Weeping Watching Sinning Suffering no Peccant Humors to disturb their crazie bodies no griping Fears nor consuming Cares to afflict their minds as formerly but they are freed from all these and enjoy an absolutely perfect and complete Rest from all their Labors from the sence of Gods displeasure from the Disturbing Temptations of Satan from the Allurements of the flesh from the bewitching Snares of the World from all Abuses and Dissentions from the many Duties which their Weakness made burdensome from the disturbance of Desires and Hopes of their Longing and Waitings which made them weary of their lives and desirous to be dissolved But before we dismiss this Clause let us not forget to reconcile it with another in the same Book which may seem to stand at a distance from it where 't is said of the Saints in Heaven That they have no Rest day or Rev. 4. 8. night whereas one of the principal Fruits of Life Eternal is shadowed out under the Metaphor of Rest and here 't is recorded as a Priviledg of theirs That they rest from their Labors To bring both which expressions together to salute one another with a Kiss of Peace let us consider that a Rest indeed they have viz. Such a one as implies A cessation from all toilesome and troublesome Labours But yet they are not Idle in Heaven they have their work to do there as wel as on Earth but yet such an one as will not in continuance of time tire them but eternally Delight them such as wil not at any time destroy but for everperfect them And therefore weep not for them but your selves in that God has not thought fit to give you a Writ of Ease to sit down with them 2. The second Comfort which the Holy Spirit administers to the Living at the death of their righteous Friends is That their Works follow them which if they were Good must needs Comfort the pensive spirit of the Mourner and administer a Cruse of Oyle to his Joy but if Bad a Conduit of Tears to his sorrow for Qualis vita finis ita As men live so they dye As Evil Works have two Punishments following of them close at their heeles viz. Remorse and guilt of Conscience in this life and Eternal Damnation in that which is to come So Good Works have two Rewards attending them the one in this life and that 's Peace of Conscience the other following them into that to come viz. Joy for evermore Then shall they reap the Fruit of their Labors when God renders to every one according to their deeds that they have done in the flesh whether good or evil Good Works are the Seeds of Glory A man may as well ride to Rome upon a dead horse as go to heaven with a dead faith and such is that which is without Jam. 2. 17. Works and therefore Blessed are they whose works follow them into Heaven whither Christ is gone before them and do there claim of God that exceeding weight of Glory which is not out of our Merits but His Mercy treasured up for them who dye in the Lord so that if thy Actions have been good on Earth great will be thy Reward in Heaven where thy Grace will be consummated thy Glory perfected and thou have the inseparable Company of Christ and immediate communion with thy God where thou shalt feast thy self with the vision of that Being which is Invisible and according to the Riches of Gods promise Inherit that Kingdome which flesh and blood cannot inherit No sooner does the Messenger of death arrest us but Riches they take wing and fly away our Pleasures they steal from us and

forsake us but our Good works prove our close and faithful friends they follow us still in regard whereof David extolls this as one of the Priviledges of godly men That they shall eat the labor of their hands happy shall they be and it shall be well Psal 128. 2. with them insomuch that when their palates shall disgust all other things yet shall their souls be much affected in tasting the Fruits of their Labors But when do these Works of theirs follow them and what haste do they make will you say I answer Those Works which they did in the Soul only follow them through the Chambers of death and overtake them immediately The soul instantly after her departure from the Bodie receiving upon the state of separation her reward for them but as for those which they performed partly by the soul and partly by the body those will not make any more haste then to overtake them by the Day of Judgment their recompence being reserved for the Sentence of Remuneration to be pronounced at that day Mat. 25. 34 35. If Our Works shall certainly follow us what manner of men ought we to be in all sober conversation And what a bitter Pill is this for those wicked men to chew upon whose consciences will convince them That all their works have been works of Darkness when they shall certainly know that they will follow them into the Place of Eternal Darkness which to prevent follow your works now that they may follow you hereafter To do well here is the only way to fare well hereafter and therefore they are the wisest men who are the best livers The fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from evil that is Understanding If honour liberty length of dayes riches or contentment might have the favour to pass with us for things desireable that which God commands us for our duty might easily suffer us for our reward too If we had so much of the Saducee in us as not to believe the Resurrection or of the Atheist as not to dream of the life to come yet methinks there is allurement enough in goodness to chalenge our choice our sweat our industry But if our obligation to it and comfort which we may reap from it will not move us think upon the benefit and reward which will follow it for if Faith can but discover to you what the eyes of reason is too dim to see the eternal weight of glory which is laid up for those in the life to come who shall serve God in this I cannot think how you can need any encouragement to press you to lead your lives in a constant obedience to Gods commands as I question not but our deceased brother did that so when sickness shall nail you to your Pillowes you may have a full assurance that you shall dye in the Lord and partake of that blessedness which I am fully perswaded he now inherits To give the dead their due praises is both for the Glory of God and the benefit of the living And therefore I shall not need to crave your pardon but patience whilst I unlock our dear brothers Coffin and set his chief virtues out as so many precious Jewels before you which are the rather worth your present view because they follow him But because Adulation has been a familiar vice too frequently following Hearses in this latter age to their Graves and that it may appear to you all how sollicitous I am to avoid it I shall not play the Wire-drawer with his commendations but rather omit the mentioning of those things which could not possibly incur the suspition of either flattery or falsehood His carriage to those of his acquaintance was so modest his words so civil his dealings so just his conversation so obliging and his friendship so real that I may confidently say he left a monument in every brest that knew him And I begin the rather with this because he himself sufficiently understood what is fit to be preacht to you how Morality is a fair step toward Christianity and the Observation of the second Table the best touchstone to try our sincere obedience to the first But to his endless commendations as well as comfort he did not rest here but went on in the course of his life to prove himself a religious as well as an honest man of his stedfastness in the true Faith notwithstanding the many temptations which our giddy times might profer to shake it as likewise his frequent attending on the ordinances and improvement by them he hath left me amongst others a faithful witness and of his more than ordinary diligence in those stricter duties which require more retirement his nearest relations give abundant testimony all his actions were sufficient evidences that he judged his Wife his second self for he behaved himself so lovingly so meekly so courteously tow●●ds her that there was no difference or distast between them from the first hour of their acquaintance to that of his departure nor did he seem to entertain any displeasure but that he could not be better than he was so that his worth was like her loss and therefore not to be exprest but with silence and admiration In fine he was neither ashamed to live nor afraid to dye out of a full perswasion that Christ would be an advantage to him in both Now before we lay him in the Grave that bed in which he will rest from his labours let me bespeak his nearest surviving relations that they would set bounds to restrain their exorbitant passions Rachel though otherwise very good yet was in this too much a woman that she would not be comforted I neither hope nor attempt to preach you up to a stoical Apathy our headstrong passions like unruly Horses are not to be broken at the first attempt and therefore there will be time as well as wisdome required to moderate them 'T is true the blow by which he fell did reach to you who were so neerly concerned in him but yet remember from whose hand it came even from God and then you 'l find your selves obliged to sit down in silence and give glory to him by shewing the strength of your graces in this present opportunity which he gives you of exercising them This will work you up to acquiesce in old Eli's resolution It is the Lord let him do what seems him good It behoves you rather to be thankful to God for sparing him so long than to murmur and repine at his taking him away now at last I know you love him too well to wish the deferring of his happiness which yet he could never have had but by death and therefore do not betray so great a design of injuring him as to be sorry that his goodness hindred him no longer from glory Put this Dilemma to your own Souls and try what answer they can give you to it Either you loved him for himself and then you must needs be pleased with that change which makes so much for his advantage or else you loved your selves in him and then you may very well be ashamed to let us know it If you sorrow for him as those without hope you distrust this voyce from heaven and if an Angel should come from thence you would not believe him Though the loss be yours yet the gain is his nay the loss cannot be yours because the gain is his whatsoever you complain of he is freed from whatsoever you desire if it be good he enjoyes it and therefore weep not for him but your selves and though his Soul be beyond the reach of your commendations yet consider how you are obliged to follow after him by invitation that so you living as he did in the fear may dye in the favour of the Lord and in his good time rest from your labours and of his special grace have your best works that is the comfort and exceeding great reward of them following you into his presence where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Amen FINIS