Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A26388
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The Addresse of some ministers of Christ in the Isle of Wight & County of Southampton to the people of their respective charges, by way of exhortation, to discharge their parts of those two great and necessary duties, private conference and catechising
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1658
(1658)
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Wing A545; ESTC R8217
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16,345
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31
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THE ADDRESSE OF SOME Ministers of Christ IN THE Isle of Wight County of Southampton To the People of their respective Charges by way of EXHORTATION to Discharge their parts of those two Great and Necessary DUTIES Private Conference AND CATECHISING Prov. 22. 6. Train up or Catechize a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Gen. 18. 19. I know Abraham that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord London Printed by J. H. for J. Rothwell at the Fountain in Goldsmiths-row in Cheapside 1658. The ADDRESSE of some Ministers of Christ in the Isle of Wight and County of Southampton to the People of their respective Charges by way of Exhortation to discharge their parts of those two great and necessary Duties Private Conference Catechising Dearly Beloved THat the good tidings which the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ brings to sinners was first heard at Jerusalem was a mercy a great mercy to the Jews That it was not confin'd to them alone but ordered to passe among all other Nations was a gratious a very exceeding gratious dispensation to us sinners of the Gentiles That it found out this obscure Angle of the world where we live so early that our priority before many Countries in the enjoyment of so invaluable a blessing is justly accounted amongst the highest of our Prerogatives was an evidence of the Lords peculiar goodnesse to our Progenitors and we are not so regardlesse of the Land of our Nativity nor so forgetfull of the Rocke from whence we were hew'n and the hole of the Pit from whence we were digged as not to think our selves enough concern'd in their mercies to blesse God for them And as the God of our mercies did so seasonably prevent us so hath his goodnesse and mercy all along followed us in affording means of light and life to us from one generation to another If we remember the days of old and consider the years of many generations if we ask our fathers they will shew us and our Elders they will teach us in what a deplorable condition of Ignorance Idolatry and Atheisme and how deeply plung'd in all Imaginable Abominations the Lord found us when he sent us by his Gospel Jesus Christ the Light of the world with means enough to direct us out of darknesse and the shadow of Death and to guid our feet into the ways of peace And though the interposition of our sins betwixt heaven and us hath not suffered the Sun of the Gospel for many ages to break out upon us in its full glory yet hath it not at any time been able totally to eclipse it since first it arose upon the Nation And this we mention upon no other account than to remember you of our being brought forth in a Land of Blessings which we think it our duty to look back upon as a providence too full of goodnesse to be despised But as in which our own concernments are more specially wrapt up we desire most of all to spend our serious considerations upon the Lords gratious dealing as to Gospel mercies with this Nation in our days That holy arme which scattered among us means of Conversion and life in former times clothed is now made bare those compassions that did then flow from divine bowels but at an ordinary rate are now advanced God that commanded the clouds from above to let fall drops then hath now opened the windows of Heaven and raineth down large and plentiful showers of his Gospell into our bosomes our blessings have prevailed above the blessings of our progenitors When or where did the King of Saints ever ride up and down in his ordinance of preaching the Gospel in so much Glory and Triumph as in this Age and Nation This blessing is doubled is multiplyed upon us in respect of other times and places whether we look backward or round about us we are presented with a necessity of acknowledging that the light of the Moon with us is as the light of the Sunne and the light of the Sunne as the light of seven days And as we desire to look upon these gratious outgoings of the Lord towards us with thankfull and glad hearts as they are a plentifull provision of means to bring us to the great ends we ought to aime at the service and eternall enjoyment of himselfe who is alone the creatures best and greatest both master and wages so when we do on the other hand consider how disproportionable we are in our returnes how unanswerable in our principles and practises to such mercies how few attain the ends but now mentioned how many are grosly ignorant even of the Principles of that Religion they think to be saved by how many who have the droppings the raine of the Sanctuary coming often upon them do bring forth nothing but thornes and briars and what a lamentable propensity too many do discover to be led away by the error of the wicked our hearts begin to gather blacknesse and are seized upon with feare lest these sweet mercies should be swift witnesses against us and in stead of converting us to Jesus Christ our deliverer from the wrath to come should be converted by us into such aggravations of our sins as will leave us in a lesse tolerable condition than Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Judgment and we are very well assured it is every good mans duty to prevent as much as in him lies so sad an issue of such invaluable blessings The Duty we say of all good men but specially of Ministers whose office iâ— is to lay out themselves in a constant attendance upon the good of Souls upon which accounâ— we the unworthy Ministers of Christ whose Names are under-written having through mercy been stirred up to improve our Talents to the uttermost for the advancement of the Kingdome and Interest of our deare Redeemer and the eternall welfare of youâ— immortall Soules who are respectively committed to our Charge and having waited upon God in a way of earnest prayer and solemne humiliation for directions to that purpose have joyntly agreed to communicate our thoughts desires and purposes unto you by this Paper hoping that we shall find it a very good expedient to â—â—â—â—itate so great a work Brethren we have seriously considered not so much the necessity of Knowledge to salvation for who is not convinc'd of this that is convinc'd of any thing but how little or no acâ—â—aintance many of our people have with the things of God how unhappy a qualification this is for any thing that is evill and what unavoidable advantages the Devill hath against those poor souls whom he is sure to set upon in the dark Though we are constrained to beleeve that some are very well able to digest their convictions and have light enough to see themselves wallowing in the pollutions of the world yet can we not but
2. In relation to your Children Though what we have said of Catechizing as a duty to your whole family we know you will conclude doth concerne the fruit of your own bodies the choicest part of it yet we shall crave leave to presse it more particularly and to beseech you againe to lay it to Heart 1. How expressely God layes it upon you as a duty 2. How many Engagements there be upon you conscientiously to discharge it For the former because what we are desiring of you is a duty consisting of two branches 1. To Catechize them your selves 2. To send them being thus prepared to be further instructed and taught to understand the grounds of Religion unto us we are willing to let you see both parts of the duty 1. For your Catechizing them at home we shall adde to what hath been said already 1. Those precepts of the Scripture where this charge is laid upon parents in expresse Tearmes we shall but name the places and leave them to your meditation and practice Deut. 4. 9 10. and Chap. 6. 6 7. and Chap. 11. 19. Exod. 12. 24 26 27. Exod. 13. 8 14 15. Josh. 4. 6 7 21 22. Psal. 78. 5 6. Joel 1. 3. Eph. 6 4. Pro. 22. 6. 2. The Example of parents fearing God whose practice of this duty is upon record as Abraham Gen. 18. 19. David 1 Chron. 28. 9. which we hope you will beleeve was written for your Instruction And lest you that are Mothers should think your selvs excused we beseech you to consider that as a child must receive the instruction of his father so he must not forsake the Law of his mother Pro. 1. 8. She is described to be a vertuous woman that openeth her mouth with wisdome Pro. 31. 26. that teacheth her children their duty both to God and man Not only did Solomons father teach him Pro. 4. 4. but we have the Prophesie also that his mother taught him Pro. 31. 1. Timothy knew the holy Scripture from a child 2 Tim. 3. 15. and you cannot doubt of the contribution his mother yea and his Grandmother afforded to this Timely acquaintance of his with the Things of God when you reade the Character you have of them Chap. 1. 5. under the hand of an Apostle And that John the Evangelist found of her children walking in Truth had not so much redounded to the praise of that Elect Lady to whom he writes his Second Epistle if she had not instructed them in the way Augustine writes of his mother Monica that she planted precepts of life in his minde by her words watered them with her teares and nourished them by her example You will we doubt not look upon these holy women who Trusted in God as very worthy to be imitated in so great a duty 2. For sending your children to us we shall briefly offer you the duty of it in these particulars 1. We are to feed the Lambs of Christ as well as his sheep they are part of our charge who are to watch over their soules as well as yours 2. That the Sabbath be sanctified by the children is by an expresse Law of God charged as a duty upon the parent of which already from Exod. 20. 10. 3. A great part of the sanctification of this day is in coming solemnly together to waite upon God in the duties of his worship and particularly to heare his word and to be instructed by it What wee ought to beleeve concerning God and what duties God requires of us This your Christianity will not give you leave to doubt of 4. This duty you cannot discharge as to your children but by causing them to beare a part in all the publique duties of that day which they are capable of and particularly to be that way instructed both as to faith and manners in which they are likeliest to receive most benefit and we need not tell you again that this is to be Catechized For the Second How many Engagements there be upon you to perform this duty have we any need to say a jot more then this that they are our children how many motives doth this deare and tender relation wrap up in it we had no intention to leave a volumne with you and so shall but consider 1. The need they have to have this course taken with them Do they not come into the world with soules altogether as naked as their bodies nothing but filth upon the one nothing but sin upon the other and the wages even of this sin is eternall death Rom. 6. 23. What should not we doe that they may be borne againe 2. As our children are borne in sin so t is by our meanes we are instruments of it sin is conveyed to them thorow our Loines being sinfull our selves we beget them as Adam did Seth in our own likenesse after our Image How prevailingly should this move us to be instrumental in their cure as we have been in their disease to direct them to the righteousnesse of the Second Adam as we derived unto them the sin of the first that having begotten them after our own they may be begotten and borne againe after the Image of God and how great a part of that consisteth in knowledge and without which Righteousness and True Holiness the other parts of it are hoped for in vaine as long as it is life eternall to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Joh. 17. 3. 3. The Ardency and strength of our affections toward our children and how many other wayes we are wont to expresse it by our longing for them before we have them Gen. 15. 2. Gen. 30. 1. 1 Sam 1. 10 11. our joy and contentment afterward Joh. 16. 21. the inestimable value we set upon them 2 Kings 4. 13 14 15 16 our industrious care to keep them Gen 42. 36 38. 2 Kings 4. 22 24 27 30. Luc. 8. 41 42. Joh. 7. 47 49. 1 Kings 14. 4. our extreame griefe when we lose them Gen. 37. 33 34 35. 2 Sam. 18. 33. and Chap. 19. 2 4 Mat 2. 18. our Sympathizing with them in all conditions smarting under their paine Mark 9. 22. Mat. 15. 22. and feeling the comfort of their welfare Gen. 45. 27 28. Look Beloved into your bowells or if you cannot finde them there look into the Scriptures we have here brought you and see if these be not the affections of parents towards their children and if these expresse themselves at such a rate so many other wayes Can there be a stronger motive to lay them out the best way upon their souls by taking care that they may be instructed unto the Kingdom of God Let us pause a while and argue the case with our selves a little or if you will let us catechize our selves upon this point and aske such Questions as these Did we long to have children and shall we now suffer them to perish Shall we contentedly see them in such a condition that