Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A44698
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Two sermons preached at Thurlow in Suffolk on those words, Rom. 6.13 \"Yield your selves to God\" / by J.H. ...
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Howe, John, 1630-1705.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing H3044; ESTC R14684
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27,043
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72
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TWO SERMONS Preached at THURLOW IN SUFFOLK On those words Rom. 6. 13. Yield your selves to God By J. H. Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside 1688. To the much honoured Bartholomew Soame of Thurlow Esq and Susanna his pious Consort My Worthy Friends I Have at length yielded to your Importunity and do here offer these Sermons to publick view and your own which were one day the last Summer preached under your roof attributing more to your pious design herein than to my own reasons against it I no farther insist upon the incongruity having divers years ago published a small Treatise of Self-dedication now again to send abroad another on the same Subject For the way of Tractation is here very different this may fall into the hands of divers who have never seen the other and however they who have read the other have it in their choice whether they will trouble themselves with this or no. And tho' your purpose which you urged me with of lodging one of these little Books in each family of the hearers might have been answered by so disposing of many a better Book already extant yet you having told me how greatly you observed them to be moved by these plain Discourses considering the peculiar advantage of reading what had been with some acceptance and relish heard before through that greater vigour that accompanies the Ordinance of Preaching to an Assembly than doth usually the solitary first reading of the same thing I was not willing to run the hazard of incurring a guilt by refusing a thing so much desired and which through God's blessing might contribute something tho' in never so low a degree to the saving of mens Souls I could not indeed as I told you undertake to recollect every thing that was spoken according to that latitude and freedom of expression wherewith it was fit to inculcate momentous things to a plain Countrey-Auditory But I have omitted nothing I could call to mind Being little concern'd that the more curious may take notice with dislike how much in a work of this kind I prefer plainness tho' they may call it rudeness of speech before that which goes for wisdom of words or the most laboured Periods May you find an abundant blessing on your Houshold for the sake of the Ark which you have so piously and kindly received And whereas by your means the parts about you have an help for the spreading the Knowledge of God among them added to what they otherwise more statedly enjoy may the blessing of Heaven succeed all sincere endeavours of both sorts to the more general introducing of the new man which is renew'd in knowledge where there is neither Jew nor Greek Circumcision nor Uncircumcision but Christ is all and in all To whose Grace you are with sincere affection and great sense of your kindness earnestly recommended by Your much oblig'd faithful Servant in Christ John Howe These Books Written by the same Author are sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside 1. THE Blessedness of the Righteous The Vanity of this Mortal Life On Psalm 17. ver 15. and Psalm 89. 47. 2. Of Thoughtfulness for the Morrow with an Appendix concerning the Immoderate Desire of Fore-knowing things to come 3. The Redeemer's Tears wept over lost Souls in a Treatise on Luke 19. 41 42. With an Appendix wherein somewhat is occasionally discoursed concerning the Sin against the Holy Ghost and how God is said to Will the Salvation of them that perish 4. Of Charity in Reference to other Mens Sins 5. A Sermon directing what we are to do after a strict inquiry whether or no we truly love God. A Discourse of the Saving Grace of God by David Clarkson Minister of the Gospel The Conversion of the Soul to which is added A Warning to Sinners to prepare for Judgment by Nath. Vincent Minister of the Gospel A Discourse of Old Age tending to the Instruction Caution and Comfort of Aged Persons Baptismal Bonds Renewed being Meditations upon Psalm 50. ver 5. By O. Heywood Minister of the Gospel Rom. 6 part of the 13th verse Yield your selves to God. THese are but a few words but I can speak to you of no greater or more important thing than I am to press upon you from them this day We are above taught how absurd it is to continue in sin whereto we are avowedly dead v. 1 2. as is signified by our Baptism together with our entrance into a new state of life and that in both we are to be conformed unto the Death and Resurrection of Christ v. 3 4 5. so that sin ought now no more to have a new dominion over us than Death can again have over him v. 6 7 8 9 10. We are therefore exhorted so to account of our selves and of our present state That we are dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord and thereupon never more to let sin govern us or reign over us or yield to it verse 11 12 13. former part But what then How are we otherwise to dispose of our selves If we may not yield our selves to the service of sin what are we then to do with our selves The Text tells us and the very reason of the thing shews it But yield your selves to God c. The Subject to be discours'd of is an express Precept charging it upon us all as our unquestionable duty to yield our selves to God which therefore it can only be our business in speaking to this Text to explain and apply 1. We are to explain it Whosoever shall charge upon others such a duty not obvious perhaps at the first view in the full extent of it to every ones understanding may well expect to be askt But what do you mean by this Precept or what doth this yielding our selves to God signifie And here are two things to be opened to you 1. How or under what notions we are to consider God and our selves in this matter 2. What our yielding our selves to him so consider'd must include 1. How we are to consider or look upon God in this affair You are to consider him both as he is in himself and according to the relations he bears to you whether before your yielding your selves to him or in and upon your so doing 1. As he is in himself You that have heard or now read what I have said and do write here make a stand and bethink your selves a while What! Are you about yielding your selves to God Sure you ought to be thinking of it as soon as you hear his claim laid to you But do you now know with whom you have to do Too many have the Name of God that great and awful Name in their mouth or ear and have no correspondent thought in their mind it passes with them as a transient sound as soon over as another common word of no
have you ever had a business of greater importance to transact in all your days If you were to dispose of an Estate or a Child would you not have all things be as express and clear as may be and would not they insist to have it so with whom you deal in any such affair And is there not a solemnity belonging to all such transactions especially if you were to dispose of your self as in the Conjugal Covenant tho' that is to be but for this short uncertain time of life so as that the relation you enter into to day may be by death dissolv'd and broken off again to morrow How much more explicit clear and solemn should this your covenanting with God in Christ be wherein you are to make over your Soul to him and for eternity You are to become his under the bond of an everlasting Covenant You are entring a relation never to be broken off This God is to be your God for ever and ever and upon the same terms you are to be his Is your Immortal Soul of less account with you than the temporal concernments of a mortal Child that you are placing out but for a term of years that soon expires yea or than a piece of Ground or an Horse or a Sheep about which how punctual and express are your Bargains and Contracts wont to be Or are only the matters of your Soul and wherein you have to do with the great God to be slightly managed or to be huddled up in confusion or to be slid over in silent intimations 'T is true that so express and solemn dealing in yielding and giving up your selves to God is not needful on his part who understands sincerity without any expression of yours but 't is needful on your part that a deep and lasting impression may be made upon your Spirits which if you be sincere you will not only feel your selves to need but your own temper and inclination will prompt you to it accounting you can never be under bonds strong and sure enough to him You will not only apprehend necessity but will relish and tast pleasure in any such transaction with the blessed God in avouching him to be your God and your self to be his The more solemn it is the more grateful it will be to you Do so then Fall before his Throne Prostrate your self at his footstool and having chosen your fit season when nothing may interrupt you and having shut up your self with him pour out your Soul to him tell him you are now come on purpose to offer your selves to him as his own O that you would not let this night pass without doing so Tell him you have too long neglected him and forgotten to whom you belong'd humbly beseech him for his pardon and that he will now accept of you for your Redeemer's sake as being through his grace resolv'd never to live so great a stranger to him or be such a wanderer from him more And when you have done so remember the time let it be with you a noted memorable day as you would be sure to keep the day in memory when you became such a ones Servant or Tenant or your Marriage-day Renew this your agreement with God often but forget it never Perhaps some may say But what needs all this were we not once devoted and given up to God in Baptism and is not that sufficient To what purpose should we do again a thing that hath once been so solemnly done But here I desire you to consider Are you never to become the Lords by your own choice Are you always to be Christians only by another's Christianity not by your own And again Have you not broken your Baptismal Vow have you not forgot it for the most part ever since I am afraid too many never think of any such matter at all that ever they were devoted to God by others but only upon such an occasion as this to make it an excuse that they may never do such a thing themselves And consider were these Christian Romans on whom the Apostle presses this duty never Baptiz'd think you Read over the foregoing part of the Chapter wherein you find him putting them in mind that they had been baptiz'd into Christs death and buried with him in baptism and that therefore this was to be an argument to them why they should yield themselves to God not why they should not Wherefore our way is now plain and open to what we have further to do viz. 2. To apply this practical Doctrine and press the Precept further upon you which hath been open'd to you and prest by parts in some measure already in our insisting on the several heads which you have seen do belong to it and are one way or other comprehended in it Which will therefore make this latter part of our work the shorter and capable of being dispatch't in the fewer words and with blessed effect if the Spirit of the living God shall vouchsafe to co-operate and deal with your hearts and mine Shall we then all agree upon this thing Shall we unite in one resolution We will be the Lords Shall every one say in his own heart For my part I will and so will I and so will I Come now one and all This is no unlawful confederacy 't is a blessed combination Come then let us join our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant not to be forgotten With whatsoever after-solemnity you may renew this Obligation and Bond of God upon your Souls as I hope you will do it every one apart in your Closets or in any corner and you cannot do it too fully or too often yet let us now all resolve the thing and this assembly make a joint-surrender and oblation of it self to the great God our Soveraign rightful Lord through our blessed Redeemer and Mediator by the Eternal Spirit which I hope is breathing and at work among us as one liuing sacrifice as all of us alive from the dead to be for ever sacred to him O blessed Assembly O happy act and deed With how grateful and well-pleasing an odour will the kindness and dutifulness of this Offering ascend and be received above God will accept Heaven will rejoice Angels will concur and gladly fall in with us We hereby adjoin our selves in relation and in heart and spirit to the general Assembly to the Church of the First-born Ones written in Heaven to the innumerable Company of Angels and to the Spirits of just men made perfect and within a little while shall be actually among them Is it possible there should be now among us any dissenting Vote Consider 1. 'T is a plain and unquestionable thing you are prest unto A thing that admits of no dispute and against which you have nothing to say and about which you cannot but be already convinc't And 't is a matter full of danger and upon which tremendous consequences depend to go on in any practice or in