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
if they continue in it it had been good for them they had never been born If their souls be not filled with good is not an untimely birth better then they If our children be not brought to the knowledge of God and have no provision made them for eternity will not Davids Imprecations concerning wicked men serve us for wishes concerning them As a snaile which melteth oh that every one of them had passed away or like the untimely birth of a woman that they had never seen the Sun Shall we provide our selves a Temptation to curse our childrens day as Job cursed his own Job 3. Let the day perish wherein they were born and the night in which it was said they are conceived Let darknesse and the shadow of death staine it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blacknesse of the day terrifie it why died they not from the womb why did they not give up the ghost when they came out of the belly why did the knees prevent them or why the brests that they should suck To suffer them to perish for lack of knowledge may it not put us upon all this Were we so joyfull when we had them and shall we not tremble to think that when we shall have them no more the Devil will and can any thing else be their lot if for want of instruction they dy in no better a condition than they were born Did the Mother forget all the anguish of her travail for joy that they were borne into this world and will she not endeavour to provide against the swallowing up of all this joy by a just feare lest they should dy eternally in the next And for what but a land of darknesse can a condition of darknesse qualifie them Do we set so invaluable a rate upon them and shall not their immortall part be considered in the account Are we so carefull to keep them that we think no pain trouble cost too much to save their lives and shall we lay out none of all this to save their souls Do we grieve at such a rate when we lose them and shall we not strive to make our losse as easie as we can that when God doth take them from us he may take them to himself And have we any warrant to beleeve that God will take whom he doth not know or know those that were never taught to know him Can we Lament over every misery of theirs else and not be troubled at the misery of their Soules weep and pray and advise when they are sicke and not afford them a teare a prayer an instruction as they are sinfull Do we well to feel the pain of their bodies which they feel themselves and to be insensible of the blindnesse of their souls which they feel not Can we rejoyce at all other good that betides them and endeavour the procurement of it and have we no affections to bestow upon their best good Are we glad that they have health and indifferent whether they have Grace glad they have an interest in the world indifferent whether they have an interest in Christ If we seriously Catechize our selves at some such rate as this and find how unable we are to answer that sin and folly which carries all our love to our children only to their outward concernments God might blesse it into a diversion of much of it towards their Souls and if the flame once break out at any rate this way we will not doubt but 't will sufficiently light and warm you in this great duty 4. The promise you made when your children were baptized was it not to instruct them in the knowledge of Christ to whom you dedicated them in that ordinance breach of promise specially breach of promise where the interest of Christ and of pretious Souls is so much concerned is not a sin of an ordinary magnitude We hope we shall not find one amongst you all that is incorrigibly guilty and so shall not upon the offer of any child to Baptisme hereafter be necessitated to demurre whether it be not our duty to deny it you or at least to defer it 3. In relation to your servants All that we have said already of the duty you owe to your whole Families as we have remembred you how special an interest your children have in it so we think it expedient to adde a little in particular reference to your servants to prevent any temptation you may have of supposing the care of their souls to be none at all of your concernment We shall lay what we have here to adde before you in a very few words 1. 'T is not for nothing that the title of father is bestowed upon Heads of Families in relation to more persons than the children of their bodies they are fathers to their servants 2 King 5. 13. you can never make that title good unlesse you excercise a fatherly care over them nor doth any care so well deserve this honourable appellation as a care of their souls which you can no way better expresse than by causing them to be instructed in the way to Heaven 2. They are advantageous members of your Families and in the sweat of their Browes doe ye eat much of your bread In the Inventory of mens estates are servants reckoned as a part of their riches Gen. 12. 16. and 24. 35. and 26. 14. and 30. 43. and 32. 5. 2 Kings 5. 26. Eccles. 2. 7. Shall they serve you and can you be carelesse whether they serve God or no that you pay them the wages of their work what will it profit them if you endeavour not to bring them to Christ that they may not receive the wages of their sins 3. Very much of your interest is wrapt up in their Piety we mean your interest as to outward things your affaires will prosper the better in their hands even wicked masters have found godly servants a great blessing pray read Gen. 39. 2. 3. and Chap. 30. 27. Philemon Ver. 10 11. and see if all that you have at home and abroad your Tillage your Cattle your Trading will not fare the better in case you teach your servants how to serve the Lord Christ as well as your selves 4. Set before your eyes the practice of the Saints Abraham had in his Family 318 Servants and they are all said to be his trained or instructed servants instructed and catechized in matters of Religion what ever you do for them if you leave out this do not even Publicans and sinners yea do not the Heathen which know not God the very same yea 5. Set the Catechizing of your servants in the things of God aside and doe ye more for them than ye do for your beasts have they victuals from you so have all your Cattle have they Clothing so have your Horses if they want it have they Lodging so have your Oxen yea your very Dogs do ye endeavour to procure them Remedies when they are sick