Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A66978
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A funeral sermon, occasioned by the death of Mrs. Jane Papillon late wife of the very worthy Thomas Papillon, Esq; first preached July 24. 1698. and now published at his request. By John Woodhouse.
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Woodhouse, John, d. 1700.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing W3462; ESTC R220039
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22,486
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67
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must render it I must do it as I can because I can do it no better Viz. Oh the Blessednesses of that Man not Blessed Adjectively and in the Concrete but Blessednesses Substantively and in the Abstract not Blessedness in the Singular Number but Blessednesses in the Plural and O the Blessednesses A compleat Complication of them in that Soul that lives in Christ walks in him and dyes in him and though Philologers are not certainly agreed Whether it be a Noun Substantive or Adjective Plural containing all kind of Felicity or an Adverb or Interjection Well is it for that Man Happily is he Provided for Yet they seem agreed that which soever it be and one they generally think it must be it hath the force Habet affluentiam omnium bonorum vel omnium bonorum aggregatione perfectus Modis omnibus accumulate beatus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multum gaudens Others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à vehementiore gaudio of a Pathetick Joyful Acclamation and then they come much to one as the Learned Drusius hath it He is abundantly and every way blessed beyond Expression I have the rather Noted this because the Seventy Translate the Hebrew Word which we render Blessed by the very Original Word in my Text which Philologers derive from Words importing Great Joy Joy unspeakable and as I may say full of Glory It does denote that a Soul in Christ when he dyes shall have such a Blessedness and Joy such a fulness of Joy and Pleasure that he shall neither want nor wish for more But not to stay upon the Name which was to lead us into the Thing Let us see what we can say of it And O! how gladly would I commend the Blessedness of this State to you that I might commend this Dear and Blessed Jesus to you Verily Sirs you could never set so light by this Jesus as you do if you did but know the Worth of him if you knew your Need of him and what you should have by him If I fail in this I shall avail you little The dead that dye in the Lord are blessed Which does denote First A Separation a Removal of all that is Evil and Distressing There shall when thou dyest in the Lord be a Separation from all Evils Natural and Moral that are so great a part of thy Distress here Every one feels the Evil of Afflictions every one can complain of this Plague of the Heart every one hath his own Body of Sin and his own Burthen I do not know any is without one you do not feel mine nor I yours but I feel one and you another Oh! what a Complaining World is this Sickness Pain Calamity Losses of Relations Crosses on the one Hand and Moral Evil which is the greater Evil on the other Hand the Evil of Sin Dwelling and Working in us The Tender-hearted Soul that hath a new Nature in it that is set against Sin hath a very tender Sense of the Evil of that Sin that dwells in it and is an implacable Enemy to it I am sure it made Paul pour out more Complaints than all his Stripes and Stoning Irons and Imprisonment did Where do you hear him complain how adverse how miserable soever his Case was as he does on this Occasion O wretched man that I Rom. 7. 24. am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death Sin fate uneasie upon his Spirit tho' it was not Reigning and Allowed but Unallowed and Hated Well Soul bear up if thou be but heartily come to Jesus if thou art but one of those that are willing to follow this Lamb whithersoever he goes I can tell thee Good Tydings of Great Joy it cannot be long e're thy Blessed Jesus will deliver thee from all this thy Anguish Vexation and Miseries shall all be done away All thy Sweat thy Labours shall cease all Tears be wiped from thine Eyes and all Sorrows done away with the Causes of them and though thou art now conversant with a Sluggish and Sleepy and Hypocritical Heart thou knowest not what to do with it thou bringest it to Ordinances and God in them to better it and this without any great and good Effect hitherto Bear up Soul this Holy Jesus hath undertaken for thee thou art in him and thou shalt dye in him from henceforth thou shalt not feel the Temptations the sinful Workings of a Naughty Heart Oh! that will be a Joyful Change to a Holy Soul that is under the Tender Sence of these things here This is one part of the Blessedness as it denotes an Abolition of and Separation from the Evils of this Life both Natural and Moral from that of Affliction and that of Sin which tho' it be rather Negative than Positive yet it is that without which positive Blessedness cann't be enjoyed None can be fully happy with so much Misery hanging about him and pressing upon him Methinks therefore it should be Joy to Holy Souls to wait for and expect such a day when Sin and Sorrow shall be fully done away and shall be known no more for ever Secondly I must tell you it does denote A fruition of the most felicitating Good the best Good that the Soul is capable of the Blessed God that Summum Bonum that the blind Heathens fought after so long to so little purpose Eustachius in his Excellent Ethicks and our other Masters in Ethicks when they write of this tell us that Felicity or Blessedness is either Objective or Formal Objective Felicity denotes no more but God the Object but Formal Felicity denotes more Some kind of Union to Communion with and Injoyment of this Felicitating Object and this is as it were to be made one with it They commonly place it in two things give me leave to put it in three or four 1. It lyes in the Contemplation of this delightful Object 2. In a Delightful Love of it 3. In a Participation or Enjoyment of it 4. In a Contentation in it When the Soul shall be let into this State it will be a State of Possession and Fruition which as far as I can understand is imported in these four Words First Knowledge or Contemplation The People of God shall know him in another manner than now they do It is called Seeing of God and the Beatifick Vision What sensible Views God will give them to gratifie their Bodily Eyes when they are re-united to their Souls we cannot tell tho' it seems rational to think all our Powers even the lowest of them shall be suitably employed but it will be an intelligible or an intellectual Vision a rational Discovery of the Excellency of this God and his Christ which gives Rise to this Happiness which the Spirits made perfect shall be everlastingly employ'd to view and contemplate with intense and pleasurable Applications of Mind I dare not herd with those bold Presumers that dare to determine whether it be the Divine Essence that is thus view'd immediately or some Created Glory flowing
12. as received him that is believed on his Name When I receive him as God offers him and to the Ends and Purposes for which he offers him to do that for me which God hath appointed him and which he hath undertaken to do for me in the Gospel to be a Prince and Ruler as well as a Saviour to give Repentance as well as Remission of Sin to bless me Acts 5. 31. in turning me from my sins Is not this a Controversie between thee and thy Christ Sinner it hath been a Cause of parting betweeen him and many a Soul and is like to be so to many more Thou hast the more Reason to look diligently to it that it be not thy Case It is a common Case and a dangerous one see to it it be not thine own If thou name the Name of Christ in reality art indeed a Christian more than in Shew or Livery thou must thou wilt depart from Iniquity not only leave it in Affection and Conversation but fight on Christ's side against it as 2 Tim. 1◠16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Word signifies This will this must reach to thy Constitution-Sin thy Calling-Sin which perhaps thou thinkest thou livest by thy Darling Sin that is Peccatum in delicijs One Reservation one Exception from Christ's Terms will not be born by him If thou dispence with thy self in any allowed way of known Iniquity he will not dispence with thee and such one Leak will sink thy Vessel He will not I had almost said he cannot indulge thee in one of these He will save thee from thy sins not in them how vainly soever thou flatterest thy self in the Matter He is the Author of Eternal Salvation but Heb. 5. 9. to none but those that obey him in whatsoever he Commands Yea even when he Calls them to cut off a right Mat. 5. 30. Ch. 18. 8. hand pluck out a right eye to mortifie sins that are as pleasurable and as useful as these I know but one Place in the whole Bible that seems to give Countenance to any thing cross to this and I think with Submission it is the Translation not 2 King 5. 18. the Original which affords the Umbrage to it Where Naaman taken to be a true Convert seems to ask and have a Grant to continue his Honourable and Gainful Post Bowing down in the Idolatrous Worship in the House of Rimmon Had it been translated The Lord pardon thy Servant when I have bowed down in the House of Rimmon as the Rules ◠Conversivum about the Conversive Particle in the Original and the Rules of the Accents some say do warrant tho' not fit matter for such a Discourse as this he had been brought in begging Pardon for what he had done not begging an Indulgence to go on in his Idolatry which seems inconsistent with his Sincerity and the same would be inconsistent with thine And when this is truly done thou must further add Thirdly A firm Affiance in and Recumbence on him Thou must rest upon him and him alone for all he hath undertaken to do for thee This in Scripture Language is called Staying on him and trusting in him Isa 26. 3. This is a special Exercise of Faith Paul trusted him committed his all 2 Tim. 1. 12. to him Trust to him for Grace all kind of Grace for Justification Sanctification yea and Eternal Salvation 1 Tim. 1◠16. Look unto him and Lean upon him as one that hath satisfied Divine Justice for thee merited that Divine Grace that is sufficient for thee Expect all from him and from none but him who is all to thee Trust not to thy Duties nor thy Graces for any thing Christ hath undertaken to do for thee Neither trust to Christ to repent believe and obey the Gospel for thee because he requires this of thee tho' he affords the help of his Grace to thee without which thou canst not thou wilt not do it Well Sirs will you see this be done that you may get into the Lord in Order to dying in him and being blessed with him Nothing short of this will do it Oh! live not short of this Nay let me beg of you this further 4. That you would when thus got into him Abide in Jesus dwell in him cleave unalterably to him never think of quitting him Whither canst thou go Is there Salvation in any other Canst thou have Salvation by him in any other way on Col. 2. 6. any other Terms As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him Let him be the Principle Pattern and End of all when the Flesh and the World court thee to turn aside from him when Satan puts in to offer better things to thee for he will promise thee fair as he did thy Lord say No I see my need of him my lost Estate without him I cannot be better I am for my dear Lord he hath Dominion over me and he shall have it I have been am and will be govern'd by him that I may be saved by him I will follow him fully I will follow him whithersoever he goes I will do any thing suffer any thing rather than forsake him I will never leave him nor forsake his Ways nor reject his Terms his Righteous his Reasonable Terms Fifthly Above and besides all this Pray labour to get Evidence and Assurance of all this that you are got into him that you abide in him dwell in him and walk in him and so shall dye in him and be blessed by him There is a Blessedness some shall share in they have a good Title to it now and shall shortly have possession of it Can you produce a good Title to a share in it Sirs Do I speak all this to you as to Persons unconcerned about this Matter What will you not purchase a Farm or House without looking into the Title to see it be indefeasable And will you when any Doubts arise review and clear up the Title to it Will you in such a Case sit down without searching into the Matter and say I hope well Where is there a Fool of this Size to be found in City or Country And is a Title to Blessedness and Unspeakable Glory the only thing that is not worth Minding thy Clearing up What hast thou no Evidences for Heaven no Scripture Grounds for thy Hope of a Future Blessedness and wilt thou be at no Pains to get any 'till Sickness Old Age and Death overtake thee Wilt thou not get them 'till thou hast such Occasion to use them Alas Christians this is the Common Folly how many that hear such Things from us with little regard in times of Health cry out to us on their sick and dying Beds when indisposed and disabled by Sickness and Pains of Body and Anguish of Mind for such solemn and important Business Oh! what shall we do for cleared Evidences for Heaven and have them to seek when they should