Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A23644
|
A gainful death the end of a truly Christian life a sermon at the funeral of Mr. John Griffith, late minister of the Gospel, who departed this life May 16, in the 79th year of his age / preached May the 20th, 1700 by Richard Allen.
|
Allen, Richard.
|
1700
(1700)
|
Wing A1041; ESTC R28091
|
13,910
|
48
|
A Gainful Death the end of a truly Christian Life A SERMON At the FUNERAL of Mr. John Griffith Late Minister of the Gospel Who departed this Life May 16. in the 79th year of his Age. Preach'd May the 20th 1700. By RICHARD ALLEN LONDON Printed for Andr. Bell at the Cross Keys and Bible in Cornhil and M. Fabian at Mercer's Chappel in Cheapside 1700. TO THE READER I Have no other Excuse to plead for exposing the following Sermon but the common one that it was not by my own choice but thro the earnest and often repeated Importunities of the dearest Relatives of that Worthy Person at whose Interment it was preach'd 'T is impossible I should commit it to the Press verbatim as then deliver'd But tho several Expressions then used may have eseaped my Recollection yet the substance from my own brief Notes and Memory is here transmitted with some little Additions The Subject is undoubtedly excellent had my Abilities in handling it been somewhat proportionable I should hope the advantage would well compensate the small Cost and Labour of the perusal Such as it is I commit it to publick View If God please by his Blessing to make it in some measure useful to promote a Christian Life and a gainful Death in any into whose hands it shall come let such be excited to give the greater Glory to God from the Consideration of the meanness of the Instrument R. A. Phil. i. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain AS I thought strange when Application was made to me so I doubt not but several here may wonder that I should be ingaged in a Funeral Discourse at the Interment of this antient and worthy Minister of the Gospel Such I would inform that it was nothing but the earnest Solicitations of his dearest Friends and Relations together with the venerable Esteem I had for himself that prevailed with me And having consented I had many thoughts what Text to make the foundation of my present Discourse but being assured that these excellent words of the Apostle were a very great Support and Solace to the Mind of this Reverend Person in the approaches of his Dissolution and often repeated by him with much delight but few hours before his last Exit I concluded none more fit to be consider'd upon this solemn occasion and the rather because they are the words of one to whom I will venture to liken tho in vastly different degrees this our deceased Friend viz. an antient faithful Minister of the Lord Jesus Christ the great Apostle Paul who was now a Prisoner at Rome and under the apprehensions of a sudden Dissolution not indeed as our antient Friend through the Infirmities of Age and Sickness but as a Martyr of Jesus Christ which Apprehensions were so far from being frightful and surprizing that they were very comfortable and delightful to him as appears v. 20. The ground of which holy Confidence and fearless Expectation of Death was his consciousness that Christ was his Life and that therefore Death would be his Gain as it is expressed in my Text For to me to live is Christ and to die is Gain In which words we have two Generals First The Apostle in himself gives us a Description of a living Christian in these words For to me to live is Christ or as Tremellius from the Syriac and others render it * Vita enim mea Christus est For Christ is my Life understanding that the Apostle useth the Infinitive †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to live for the Noun ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Life which is very usual both in Scripture and other Authors and being thus understood the words contain this Proposition That Christ is the Life of a true Christian as Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our Life shall appear c. Secondly The happy Exit of such a one He that can say upon clear grounds with the Apostle That Christ is his Life may assure himself that Death will be so far from being the King of Terrors that it will be Gain to him Doct. All those and only those who have Christ for their Life shall be Gainers by their Death In handling this Truth I shall endeavour two things I. To shew what 's included in Christ's being the Life of a true Christian II. What are the Advantages that such gain by their Death I. The first thing we shall enquire is What may be included in Christ's being the Life of a true Christian that thereby we may make some Judgment of our own State I conceive it includes these following things which I may little more than glance at 1. Christ is the meritorious Cause of a true Christian's Life We are all thro Sin dead in Law and under Condemnation but a true Christian is passed from this State of Death and Condemnation into that of Justification and Life But how Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ 'T is thro the meritorious Sufferings and Obedience of the Lord Jesus imputed to Believers in respect of the saving Benefits thereof By Sin all are alienated from the Life of God but the true Christian is rais'd up from a Death of Sin to a Life of sincere Holiness But how 't is by the gracious operation of the Spirit of God which he shed on us abundantly Tit. 3.6 through Jesus Christ our Saviour 2. Christ is the Principle of the Spiritual Life of a true Christian which springs from Vnion with him 'T is a dangerous Error for any to suppose themselves to live a Life of Justification before they have some real experience of a Life of Sanctification and 't is impossible to live a Life of Sanctification before this vital Vnion Gal. 2.20 I live says the Apostle yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the Life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me 3. The Laws of Christ are the governing Rule of the true Christian's Life If we savingly receive Christ we receive him as Lord Col. 2.6 i. e. We as willingly receive him as our King to rule and govern us and to save us from the Power and Dominion of Sin at present and from Sin it self hereafter as we receive him for our great High Priest to atone for our Guilt and procure and maintain our Peace with God by his Sacrifice and Intercession Christ is the sole Author of eternal Salvation Heb. 5.9 but 't is only to them that obey him 4. The Love of Christ is the constraining Motive of a true Christian's Life None can upon clear grounds say with the Apostle To me to die is Gain but such as can in some good measure also say The Love of Christ constraineth us 2 Cor. 5.14 2 Tim. 4.8 The Crown of Righteousness is promised to all them and to them only who love
our Souls in which we were made but little inferior to Angels before our Bodies in which we are little superior to Beasts to give the Preference to Heaven above Earth to Eternity above Time to prefer solid and endless Joys and Felicities before empty and perishing Pleasures and then the result of its Determination must surely be that the seriously religious Person is the only wise one And 2. 'T is on the contrary the greatest folly to neglect that Life which alone will end in this gainful Death O what stupendous folly is it to make light of Christ Mat. 20 2-5 who must be our Life if ever we live indeed 'T is great folly in any measure to neglect but what unaccountable Madness is it wholly to neglect this great Salvation Nor is it less folly for any to satisfy themselves with the Name without the Life of Christianity with a mere Form without the Power of Godliness for any to please themselves because they eat in Christ's Presence and sit at his Table tho they secretly work Iniquity and indulge themselves in worldly and fleshly Lusts Such have no part or lot in this whole matter However such Hypocrites may now flatter themselves with a vain expectation of Happiness tho they are regardless of that sincere Holiness which is the only way to it this their Hope shall at last utterly perish and be suddenly cut off Job 8.14 and their Trust will be as a Spider's Web. Tho they feed upon Ashes Isa 44.20 and carry a Lie in their right-hand and are so turn'd aside by a deceived and flattering Heart as to entertain no serious thoughts of securing and delivering their Souls they shall at length be rouz'd out of this delusory Dream However they have lull'd their Consciences asleep fancying themselves spiritually rich by reason of their Profession and external Privileges they shall not by all their empty Pleas be able to deceive their all-knowing Judg nor appease him who will then be inexorable to their most earnest Intreaties but with wrathful Countenance he will profess to them Mat. 7.23 saying I never knew you Depart from me ye that work Iniquity Death will not be to them any Gain but the end of all their Delights and the beginning of never-dying Sorrows and Woes 3. Seeing none shall be admitted into Heaven but those who have Christ for their Life as far as in us lies we should admit and retain no other in Christ's Church which ought to be an Emblem of Heaven upon which account 't is often call'd the Kingdom of Heaven Such as make Christ's Laws the Rule of their Life Christ's Life the Pattern of theirs and make his Glory and Interest their ultimate End and Design these are the only Persons likely to be a Reputation to or receive benefit by Church Communion One scandalous Sinner being indulg'd in the Church tho but a little Leven yet leveneth the whole lump that is 1 Cor. 5.6 renders the whole Church guilty by their abetting of him It is a horrid Reproach to our holy Religion to suffer any such in Christian Communion and much more is it so if such a one should be a magnified Teacher in any Society of Christians as several of the Greek Fathers tell us Theodoret Chrysostom c. Vid. Poli Synopsin in locum Ver. 2 6. that incestuous Fornicator amongst the Corinthians was and that therefore they were puffed up from a conceit of his applauded Eloquence and profound Learning instead of mourning and being humbled and gloried in their connivance at his Wickedness instead of being asham'd of it Heb. 12.15 16. Look diligently saith the Apostle to the Christian Church lest any root of bitterness be suffer'd to spring up and be not rooted out lest there be any Fornicator or profane Person and thereby many be defiled 4. This should perswade all that have Christ for their Life to love one another Joh. 3.3 All such are born * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11.13 from above and therefore are but Strangers and Pilgrims here below The whole time of their continuance upon Earth is but the time of their sojourning here 1 Pet. 1.17 They are in the World as well as others but they are not of it but are God's elect ones and peculiar Treasure being by their gracious Redeemer chosen out of the World Joh. 15.19 and therefore the World hates them and carries it strangely towards them and they likewise are in the Temper of their Hearts and in the Deportment of their Lives alienated from the World And because they are Strangers on Earth Eph. 2.19 they are no more Strangers and Foreigners in Heaven but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God As therefore Natives of the same Country tho they may have little acquaintance and familiarity while at home yet are much endeared in their mutual Affections by meeting together in a strange Land especially if it be withal a barbarous Country where they are Partners in Sufferings and Hardships so Christians considering they are all fellow Travellers thro a wast howling Wilderness to the Celestial Canaan should take that excellent Counsel good Joseph gave his Brethren Gen. 45.24 See that ye fall not out by the way If Christ be our Life then we are all Members of one Body Ephes 4.4 and Partakers of one Spirit and call'd in one hope of our Calling we are then all Subjects and Disciples of one Lord Ver. 5. and have in respect of the saving Essentials but one Faith and are all the Children of one God and Father all which are very uniting and endearing Considerations But especially if besides all this we are visibly initiated into Christ's Church by that one Baptism which he instituted different Apprehensions about more disputable Matters of Religion should not hinder us from jointly and studiously endeavouring Ver. 3. to keep the most close Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace 5. This yields great Support when our Godly Friends and Relations are taken from us by the hand of Death We may then indeed have manifold cause to mourn but not to sorrow as others who have no hope 1 Thess 5.13 seeing they are only fallen asleep in Jesus they shall certainly awake and be for ever with the Lord. You the surviving Relations of this our deceased Father have cause to mourn for your Loss and the Church of Christ hath great cause to mourn for hers but you have both great ground of Support in that God continued him with you to a good old Age and especially in that his hoary Head was a Crown of Glory Prov. 16.31 being found in the way of Righteousness He liv'd near fourscore years and more than threescore of them were solemnly and we have just reason to believe sincerely devoted to the Lord Jesus in his Church Yea he had been as I am certainly inform'd about fifty four years a Pastor or