Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A51816
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A sermon at the funeral of Sir John Norton, Bar. lately deceased prech'd at the Parish-Church of East-Tysted in Hantshire by Thomas Mannyngham.
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Manningham, Thomas, 1651?-1722.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing M498; ESTC R30510
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11,241
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40
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Esteem the Prophet David has given these Vertues of Honesty Justice and Truth by making them the chief Ingredients whenever he describes a truly pious Man So that let the Disturbers of Peace and Truth contend never so earnestly about Opinions Speculations and outward ways of Worship Men are no further religious than they are honest and just Our practising the Duties of the second Table being the best Evidence that we can give of our right Observation of the Duties of the first as may be undeniably manifested through the whole Current of the Old and New Testament particularly through all the account of the Lives of the Patriarchs through the ancient Book of Job the Psalms of David the Proverbs of Solomon the Sermons of the Prophets the Expositions Parables and Discourses of our Saviour and the Rules and Precepts of the Apostles And they who forsake these plain and numerous and divine Testimonies of what was always esteemed pure and sincere Religion and undertake to dress it up in new Notions of their own as they best suit with their private Passions Fancies and worldly Interests may make Mankind either ignorant Worshippers of they know not what or phantastically zealous they know not why but will never perswade People to be truly humble charitable and substantially Good or imprint upon their Minds an awful and just Reverence of the Eternal and Incomprehensible Godhead Now the Honourable Person whose bodily Remains are here before us was one who shew'd the Truth of his Religion by the Honesty and Justice of his Life and declar'd his Faith in God by his Fidelity to Man. He never took up a Reproach against his Neighbour or a Reward against the Innocent or admitted of any unlawful Gain but was true to all his Covenants and Contracts faithfully kept his Oath of Allegiance and would still have done so tho' it had been to his temporal Hindrance All you who are now present can fully testifie his exceeding Worth in all the Variety of his Capacities and Employments both private and publick You who are of the Nobility Gentry and his worthy Relations can witness the high Generosity of his Soul the Greatness and Constancy of his Friendships the Love the Honour and the Sincerity of all his Correspondencies You can witness for many of You were Partners with Him in all his eminent Stations and deserve your Commendations too You can witness how assiduous and punctual He was in all the Important Trusts that were committed to Him whether in the August Assembly of the Parliament his honourable Commands in the Militia or his Justitiary Affairs upon the Bench. How highly Loyal He was ever to His King and yet a studious Preserver of the ancient Priviledges of his Countrey but yet no such turbulent Lover of his Countrey as any ways to undermine the just Prerogatives of the Crown How firm and resolute He always was for upholding the established Church of England and yet not Factious against the right Succession How vast an Empire he had obtained in the Affections of the People by his Affability his Hospitality and his repeated Acts of Kindness and yet how innocently how justly and how loyally He managed so dangerous a Power That largely extended Popularity in which he always liv'd and which would have made perhaps another man vainly giddy or seditious made him more thoughtful and more steddy to the Crown For he could not but consider what peculiar Obligations He had to be faithful to the Government since so great a Multitude of all sorts had committed themselves to his charge and own'd Him for their Oracle in Civil Wisdom Therefore He guided them in all humble Submission to their Sovereign and inspir'd them with that Allegiance which He constantly practis'd himself which he practis'd with the same Sincerity with the same Conscience of his Oath to God as well as to Man under all Accidents and Circumstances through all Variations and Changes for no Sufferings could terrifie Him no Prosperity could soften him out of his Duty no publick Discontents could sowre Him no private Friendships could byass Him But lo He has now concluded the Male-Line of his Loyal Ancestors with untainted Honour and may all his collateral Posterity both imitate and inherit the Glory of this his Character And may all You who were his Noble Friends and Acquaintance maintain the same illustrious as well as truly Christian Vertue to the end of your days whatever difficulties arise whatever temporal Losses You undergo for otherwise You will blast the Reputation of the Church of England You will forfeit the Protection of the Divine Providence and lose the fairest Opportunity that this Nation ever had of glorifying God by a meek perseverance in Obedience and Truth And as You are Christians you must acknowledge that the Gospel is not upheld by Wilfulness but by Humility and by Patience They who are of the Clergy can testifie what Regard he always paid to that Order how gladly he receiv'd their Visits many times return'd them and never seem'd more satisfy'd than when his Table was fill'd with their Society He was not afraid of their Learning their Prudence and their Observations but could throughly relish their wisest Discourses and match their accutest Sayings A Reverend and a Virtuous Divine was no tedious Burden to him no Censure on his Manners no Comedy to his Servants and no Jest among his Family No I am sure whoever of them brought any Esteem along with them to his House never went away with it any ways diminish'd but rather increas'd with the Additions of a due Respect He well knew the sad Degeneracy of this Age with what Contempt and Scorn the Men of that Function are many times treated by those who envy their Subsistence and hate their Vertues who having renounc'd their Allegiance to God are continually offering Violence to his Embassadors and being conscious to themselves that they have justly deserv'd an Excommunication for the notorious lewdness of their Lives cannot but expect an Anathema from every Church-man that they meet and therefore treat them as their greatest Enemies These horrible Impieties he knew were too much in fashion among the Great in whom Civility and common Manners are usually accounted the lowest of their Qualifications and therefore he endeavour'd to set them a better Example for he had never any thing to do with the Throne of Wickedness or with the Chair of the Scorners He never put those Faces to Confusion that were made tender by Modesty and Retirement he never cast a Cloud of Infamy and Reproach upon the Beauty of Holiness but he always rejoyc'd to express his Reverence of God and his Affection to Religion by his proportionable Respects to the Clergy he lov'd to be a Partaker of the Tranquility the Wisdom the innocent and meek Conversation the Joy and Gladness of the Righteous and to be held a Companion of all those who with an unparalell'd John 15.14 15. but yet unenvy'd Title are call'd