Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A62907
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The faith of the saints as to a future house and happiness in the other world set forth in a sermon preached at the funeral of that worthy servant of Christ, Mr. Walter Marshal / by S. Tomlyns.
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Tomlyns, Samuel, 1632 or 3-1700.
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1680
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Wing T1859; ESTC R23761
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22,228
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33
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that kills the gourd of this Natural Life Rom. 8.10 The body is dead by reason of sin the Plague of Spiritual Leprofie infects this house and provokes God to pull it down The heavenly Husbandman is displeased with that Soil that will still nourish and feed Satans Tares The Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth is resolved and bent against the old Frame of Nature he will pull it down and destroy it and that in his own and best People God hath ingaged in and is pursuing of a most gracious and excellent design and hath drawn an exact draught and idea of the New Creation viz. Rev. 3.14 Jesus Christ to which all the Saints must be conformed This Natural Frame was destroyed and utterly abolished in his own Son by Death and God will not uphold that in the Members which he hath taken down and abolished in the Head The Spiritual and Glorious Body of Christ is the great Pattern and Example according to which all the Bodies of the Saints must be Framed and Fashioned Vse 1. Information From hence we may learn Gods Hatred of and Severity against Sin God threatned the first Adam that if he did offend and transgress he should surely die and he will not repeal his Sentence or reverse his Decree The Righteous Judge is fixed in his determinations and inexorable as to the Doom he hath passed on the Natural bodies of sinners As Numb 14.29 30 31. God sware against the old Men that came out of Egypt that they should die in the Wilderness but the New and Young generation they should enter into and possess Canaan So God hath resolved that the Old Man shall Perish 1 Cor. 15.50 that Flesh and Blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God it is the New Man that shall enter into the heavenly Canaan and be heir of the Eternal inheritance Vse 2. If this House and Tabernacle must be dissolved reckon upon it and expect it The Master will shortly take away your Stewardship your great Landlord will warn you out of this Earthly house The Lord of Hosts will call you to March out of this into another World live in expectation of that fatal word Return you sons of Men to your earth and dust Ps 90.3 Isa 38.12 13. Hezekiah says that he had as a weaver cut off his Life and that he reckoned that God would shortly make an end of him Consider you are upon the brink of the Pit and on the borders of Eternity Is it not past high-water with some of you doth not your strength and vigour Ebb do not your Lamps burn dim doth not Death make its near Approaches to you and begin to seize on the Posts and Out-works of your Senses is it not entred already at your Eyes and Ears as Posts did run to tell the King of Babylon that his City was taken at one end so Jer. 51.31 may I not say that this City of the Body is already taken at one End hath not Death already invaded and possessed the Cinque Ports of your Senses and shall your thoughts settle and your affections Centre on that place from whence you are removing will you not provide a better habitation being warned out of this house of Clay will you not seek out a New World to plant and settle in are there not numerous Colonies of healed and sanctified Souls already seated in it and will you not desire a Lot and Place among them you have no abiding City here and will you be wholly destitute by neglecting to seek one to come are you setting in the Horizon of Time and will you not make sure that you shall Rise and Shine for ever in the Horizon of Eternity Send out Faith as a Spy into the Heavenly Canaan Labour to enter into Rest Lay hold of the Hope set before you Improve Time before the spiritual Market is done before the Ladder that joins Earth and Heaven be drawn up and the door of the Bride-Chamber be shut for Ever Doctrine 3. When Saints depart out of their Earthly House they have a Building of God a House not made with hands Eternal in the Heavens Two things I shall here insist upon First What this house is Secondly What grounds there are to conclude that departing Saints have and shall enjoy this House First Quest What is to be understood by this house I Answer these two things I. The glorious Place * Of this place I did speak before but I shall now speak something of the state as it is comprehended in the word House and blessed State of the Souls of Saints separated from their Bodies II. This house comprehends the Recovery and Happiness of their Bodies 1. By this house we are to understand the glorious Place and State of the Soul it shall mount up to the highest Heavens and dwell there with God and Christ 1 Thes 4.17 We shall be for ever with the Lord. The glory of God is as a Covert and House over the Spirits of Just men Rev. 22.3 it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall dwell with them but Rev. 7.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall dwell or tabernacle over them Oh what a happy change is this to go out of a vile Tabernacle of flesh into a Place where the excellent glory of an infinite Majesty will be as a Tabernacle or Tent over us The immediate Presence of God will be as a Tent and House to guard us and keep off all Evils and as a living Fountain to derive all good to us Rev. 7.15 17. 2. This house takes in the Body and its happy State Saints do groan earnestly and desire to be clothed upon with their house from heaven and by a house from heaven the Apostle means the Recovery and Resurrection of the Body when the Lord from heaven 1 Cor. 15.47 shall beget it from the dead When by the arm of the second Adam stretched out from heaven it shall be plucked out of the Jaws of Death The Soul shall not live still as a naked ejected Spirit as dis-seized of its habitation but it shall be housed in the body and seated in its former and ancient dwelling Though Soul and Body be divorced yet they shall be joined together again these two Friends though long parted shall have a joyful meeting The grave is a Womb that must Travail and bring forth the bodies of the Saints their seed-time shall be followed with a harvest Death shall vomit up its Morsels this Whale shall spue out God's Jonah's and then it shall itself be swallowed up for ever The body that lies in the lowest grave shall sit in the highest heavens that which dwells for a time in darkness shall dwell in glorious Light for Eternity that which fed Worms shall feast with Angels on the delicious Fruits of the heavenly Paradise and though this was to be accomplished at the distance of some hundreds if not thousands of Years yet the Eagle-Eye of Faith seeth it as
is now possessed and enjoyed by Christ and he that receives Christ and hath propriety in him hath also Title to it Will you suffer Satan to wrangle you out of such Clear and wrest from you such Comfortable and Reviving Texts of Scripture will you not Echo your Assent of Faith to this good Word of God and take hold of the Hope that is set before you We have more food and abundant supports for Faith in this new Testament dispensation and therefore Faith is now said to be come Gal. 3.23 25. and Hope in a more excellent way is said to be set before us Heb. 6.18 And is it not a dishonour to this glorious new Testament dispensation for Christians to walk in darkness and to live in continual Doubts and Fears about their Everlasting Condition The Testament of the Son of God is Ratified and Established by his Death God hath promised and sworn to bless the Heirs of Promise and why should you not apply the Comfort of both to your selves and say as the Psalmist the Lord hath been mindful of us and he will bless us Psal 115.12 God hath spoken in his Holiness take him at his Word and you shall find that he will not deny his Promise or go back from it Let not Satan darken your minds or unbelief perplex your souls with needless Objections it is by Grace that you must be saved Matth. 6.33 The Kingdom of Glory is Gods free gift to men and the Righteousness that qualifies for it is wrought in them by his Spirit A new Heart is freely Promised as well as Eternal Life both are the gifts of God through Jesus Christ Ezekiel 36.26 27. Rom. 6. last Receive therefore and trust on Jesus Christ for them both As the Christian Sabbath is the first day of the week and so our Resting-day is before our working-dayes so truly we must enter into a spiritual Rest by Faith in Christ our Consciences must be sprinkled purged and pacified by his bloody before we can serve the living God Heb. 4.3 Heb. 9.14 Christ died for sinners came into the World to save sinners and those that see themselves to be such must look to and trust on Christ for Healing and Sanctification for Grace and Glory or else all Mankind must be excluded Here is no fear of presumption or deceiving our selves provided that we desire and rely on Christ for his whole Salvation for deliverance from the Power as well as the Guilt of Sin Apply your selves therefore to Jesus Christ receive him and you shall in and with him receive an abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousness Rom. 5.17 and so Reign in Life for evermore If you believe in Christ Job 1.12 Rom. 5.16 17. God is your God and Father and if you are Sons you are Heirs the Kingdom of glory the heavenly Inheritance is yours Match with Christ get into him who is the true God and Eternal Life 1 John 5.20 and he will provide you a place and make you welcome in his Fathers house for ever If you have the Son you have life None that belong to him can be shut out of the Banqueting-house and glorious Bed-chamber 2. You that are true Christians be exhorted to rejoyce in your Habitation say to your Souls that your Lines are fallen to you in pleasant places and you have a goodly heritage have you not a Rest and House above the reach and rage of Satan and his instruments When they have done their utmost they can but consume you on earth Psal 119.87 they cannot quench your spiritual life or rase your heavenly house If you are thrust out of this World you have a better Country to enjoy if you are dispossessed of your houses you have a more lasting habitation to enter into When cruel Enemies stoned Stephen they could not hinder him from placing his Jewel in a safe hand from committing of his Soul to Jesus Christ Acts 7.59 Why are your Souls Clouded why do your Spirits droop why do your hands wax Feeble Let this Truth Chear and Incourage you that so great an inheritance is bequeathed to you so glorious a house is prepared for you in heaven 3. Do you know that you have an Eternal House built for you in heaven Oh then let this Truth raise your Minds and elevate your Hearts to Heaven Oh let your Conversation be in Heaven Phil. 3.20 Christ hath said where the Treasure is there the heart will be also Matth. 6.21 If this eternal house be prized as your Treasure will it not be a Loadstone to draw up your hearts to heaven Why do you weary and wound your selves among the Briars and Thorns of this wretched Wilderness when your Minds might Converse in the delightful heavenly Paradise Why do you grovel on the ground embrace the Dunghil and feed on Dust when you might soar up to the Throne and Feast with Christ at his Table satisfying your selves with the fatness of his house and drinking of the Rivers of his Pleasures Oh set your Affections on and seek the things that are above Col. 3.1 2. Let your Loins stand girt suffer not your Minds to get loose fall down and draggle on this low and dirty World Christ by his Ascension into Heaven hath fixed a new Centre towards which the Minds and Hearts of all Believers should move and in which they should stay and Rest Joh. 17.24 Joh. 14.2 3. Christ hath prayed that all his People may be with him and he hath prepared a glorious place to entertain them in and yet shall our Minds stay and our hearts dwell here below shall we despise that now that we must Feast on to Eternity shall we be strangers to our everlasting home and forget our heavenly Country Oh Christians why do your Minds so often and so much leave the Guest-Chamber and the upper Rooms of Immanuels house why do you so often come down and delight so much to dwell in the low Rooms and ground Chambers of this World can you not meet with sufficient delights and full satisfaction above Is the Air on the Mountain of Myrrh and the Hill of Frankincense too pure and fine for your gross and carnal hearts O seek to Christ to cure your spiritual disease and to recover your Appetite to spiritual enjoyments Oh beg him to take off your weights of Unbelief and Carnal Affections and give you wings to mount upwards that as Children you may live on the Fatness and Dainties of your Fathers house and as Citizens of Zion you may delight your Souls on the delicious Fruits of the Tree of Life and in the pure River of Living water that Flows from the Throne of God and the Lamb. FINIS