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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A65312 A sermon preached July 2, at the funeral of Mr. John Wells late pastor of Olave-Jury, London by Thomas Watson ... Watson, Thomas, d. 1686. 1676 (1676) Wing W1143; ESTC R9175 13,834 40

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shortly lye in the ashes Shall not he which is cloathed with Mortality be cloathed with Humility The thoughts of the Grave would bury our pride When the Lord had said to the Judges Psal. 82. 6 I said ye are gods lest they should grow proud he adds a corrective but ye shall die like men Ye are dying-gods 3. The meditation of the shortness of time would hasten our Repentance Repentance is as necessary as Heaven as radical moisture and natural heat preserve the life so repenting-tears and an heart burning with love preserve the soul. It is natural to delay Repentance We say as Hag. 1. 2 The time is not yet come But the Text saith the time is short our life is a taper soon blown out The thoughts of Times volubility and swiftness would keep us from proroguing our repentance 'T is no time for us to make a long work when God is making a short work It is observed of the Birds of Norway that they fly faster than the birds of other Countrys By the instinct of nature knowing the days in that Climate to be very short they therefore make the more hast to their nests The consideration of our short abode here will make us avoid delays and fly faster to Heaven upon the wing of repentance 4. The meditation of the shortness of time would antidote us against the temptations of Satan Temptation is Satans eldest daughter that woes for him Satan doth more mischief by his wiles than his darts He knows how to suit his temptations as the Husbandman knows what seed is proper for such a soil Satan tempted Achan with a wedg of Gold David with Beauty It is hard to keep up the banks of Grace against the sea of Temptation I know no better remedy against Satans immodest solicitations than this Text The time is short What Satan dost thou tempt me to vanity when I am going to give up my accounts shall I now be sinning when to morrow I may be dying How shall I look my Judg in the face Christian when Satan sets sinful pleasure before thee shew him a deaths-head this will make temptations vanish 5. The consideration of the shortness of our stay in the world would be an help to Temperance it would make us sober and moderate in the use of worldly comforts By excess we turn things lawful into sin the Bee may suck a little honey from the leaf but put it into a barrel of honey and it is drowned We may with Jonathan dip the end of the rod in honey but not thrust it in too far Noah took too much of the Grape Gen. 9. 21. The flesh when pampered rebels The best preservative against intemperance is this Tempus est contractum The time is short When we are feasting death may quickly take away the Cloth Plutarch reports that the Egyptians used at their great Banquets to bring in the Image of a dead man and say to their Guests Look upon this and proceed in your Banket An excellent Antidote against a Surfeit Joseph of Arimathea erected a Sepulchre in his Garden to spice his flowry delights with the thoughts of death 6. The meditation of the shortness of time would much mitigate our grief for the loss of dear Relations It is observable when the Apostle had said The time is short he presently adds Let them that weep be as if they wept not No doubt the loss of Relations is grievous to the fleshy part It is like pulling a limb from the body When God strikes us in our right eye we weep 'T is lawful to give vent to our grief Joseph wept over his dead Father But though Religion doth not banish grief it bounds it We must weep quasi non as if we wept not Rachels sin was that she refused to be comforted Mat. 2. 18. Origen it is thought died of grief and if any thing can stop the issue of sorrow at least asswage it it is this The time is short We shall shortly have our losses made up and enjoy our godly Relations again in Heaven 7. The Meditation of the shortness of time would make us highly value Grace Time is short but Grace is for ever 1 Joh. 2. 27 The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you Grace is a blossome of Eternity it is semen manens an immortal seed 1 Joh. 3. 9. Grace is Embryo Gloriae Grace is not blasted by death but transplanted into a better soil Grace is not a lease which soon expires but an inheritance intailed for ever He who hath true Grace can no more lose it than the Angels can who are fixed in their Heavenly Orb. Rev. 10. 6 The Angel sware by him that liveth for ever that there should be time no longer But Grace shall survive time and run parallel with Eternity 2. Branch If Time be so short and winged take heed of mispending this short time to mispend time is the worst prodigality 1. Take heed of spending time unprofitably Domitian wasted much of his time in catching Flies Many live to cumber the ground Telluris inutile pondus Judg. 10. 4 ● Jair had thirty Sons that rode on thirty ass-colts and they had thirty cities and they died So it may be said such an one was born in the reign of such a King and he possessed such an Estate and he died his life was scarce worth a prayer or his death worth a tear An idle person stands in the world but for a cypher and God writes down no cyphers in the book of life many are like the wood of the Vine useless Ezek. 15. 3 Will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon Too many resemble the Lillies which toil not neither do they spin They spend their time as the Emperour Caligula he was at a great expence to provide a Navy and when it was provided he sent his Mariners to Sea to gather cockle-shells and so they sailed home again God hath furnish'd men with precious time wherein they may work out Salvation and they imploy it vainly aut aliud agendo aut nihil they ravel it out in impertinencies What reward can be expected when there is no work done who is crowned that never fights Mat. 25. 30 Cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness 2. Take heed of spending time viciously Divers spend their short time in drinking gaming whoring Esau while he was hunting lost the blessing many while they hunt after sinful pleasures lose Heaven Sin is boiled to a great heigth in this Age men study new Oaths and count it a shame not to be impudent they are steep'd and parboil'd in wickedness they live in the world to infect others as the Basilisk with its breath poisons the herbs What a dreadful account will they have to give who have nothing to shew God but their Treasons Branch 3. If the time of life be so short let us improve it Ephes. 5. 16