Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A35172
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KelaŹ» le-dor a compend of the covenant of grace as the most solid support under the most terrible conflicts of death, though arm'd with desertion, decay of grace, and sense of guilt / by Walter Cross.
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Cross, Walter, M.A.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing C7258; ESTC R27629
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28,536
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34
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are nor are the same things requir'd of Infants and adult Persons Pagans and Christians 2. Precepts about our Life precede them about our Work Faith that is the Appetite we live by is first Commanded Christ is the true Bread of Life and Faith the fix'd and determin'd Desire on him Parents have as much Care about feeding their Children as afterwards when Men about their Calling and Trade The subject of Faith is Man's Appetite and Desire that is the faculty it resides in the Gift of Faith is the Presentation of Objects or forming Idea's of God in Christ that determines this desire alone upon him Psal 4. Who will shew us any good there 's the Faculty the Soul of Man as passive and recipient Lord lift on me the Light of thy Countenance there it 's determin'd by Faith that is the Exercise of Faith Heb. 11.1 Faith is the evidence of things not seen there the Object determining it the Gift of Faith the way it is wrought is by presenting the Objects immediately to the Mind the kindly entertaining these Objects is our Duty and our first Duty and the Duty of Self-preservation or Maintenance We quench the Spirit who works them we provoke him if we do not 3. Precepts about External Ordinances precede Internal and Spiritual Exercise Phil. Work in and about your own Salvation as Camero well translates it to which Ability of Spiritual Performance is annexed I will work in you to will and to do 1. Ordinances keep the mind from Distraction with worldly business then our minds are retir'd to contemplate spiritual Objects only they are helps to keep us from quenching the Spirit 2. Hence Ordinances are the Means of working Faith Before they call I will answer while they are yet speaking I will hear The Spirit presents the Idea's of which the Words are signs to the Mind Faith comes by hearing therefore People ought to be Careful of their Choice of a Ministry Understanding Sound and whom the Lord has sent to whom he has given a Commission thus the Word becomes the Seed of Regeneration for beholding in this Glass the Glory of the Lord we are chang'd into the same Image 2 Cor. 3. It 's Satans Conclusion for deserted Souls to forsake Ordinances or to abstain for want of Grace and yet to continue in them without obtaining Grace is to lose their end 4. Precepts about forbearing sin Mortification are before Practice of Godliness Cease to do evil learn to do well 3. An harmonious Order is seen in the Relation of these two to one another 1. In the strictness of the Relation The relation between God and the Creature is as soon broken and dissolved as this they are inseparably perpetually and universally united no man has a right to the Promises that is not under Obligation to the Precepts If a Man lives holily never question his right to the Promises if a Man has a Right to one Promise he has a Right to all 2. In the Sweetness and Comliness of the Relation 1. There are more Promises than Commands the Duty is but an Acknowledgment a Quit-rent there are Promises for Ability Exercise Perseverance Rewards to every Command 2. There is a Priority in the Promises a Stock some Talents before we Trade 3. An Usefulness We have Ability to Obey from the Promise we have Knowledge what to do from the Precept We have the Motive of Reward from the Promise we have the Light and Conduct about the way from the Precept We are kept from Despair by the Promise and preserv'd from Presumption by the Command We were undone if the Covenant wanted its Precepts 3. The Third thing the Order of the Covenant is discernable in is about its Ends. 1. God's Glory 2. Christ's Honour 3. Sinners Salvation For the first God has his Sovereignty Exalted in the Obedience of his Son for he and we his Obedience and ours are both enjoyned in this Covenant it 's more Glory to have such a Subject than ten Thousands of Angels his Wisdom in its Contrivâ—nce how to save his own Justice and Truth and yet save the Rebel to be Just and Justifier of the Ungodly is a Wonder of Wisdom His Justice in his Son's Sufferings his Mercy in Sinners Salvation 2. Christ's Honour is highly Exalted It 's a Question among Divines whether any Creature should ever have been so nighly United to God as that Humane Nature is if Man had not fallen if not what an Honour to all the Humane Nature especially the Man Jesus suppose there should have been what an Honour for a Man to be in such an Office the King of Kings and Lord of Lords one Mediator the Angels Sovereign and Sinners Saviour to have a Fulness not only for himself but all Creatures How wonderful is his Condescending Love who by Union and Birth thus high and yet became as a Worm and no Man and his Exalted Glory who was as a Root out of a dry ground the Scorn and Contempt of the People and became higher than the Heavens and Holyer than the Angels the Visible Image of the Invisible God in his Incommunicable Attributes to have Life in himself an Independent Life when once given the Wisdom of God and the Power of God all the Works of God being managed by him 3. Sinners Salvation It is wonderfully ordered to render their Salvation 1. Possible 2. Easie 3. Certain 4. Suitable The apparent Repugnancies were either from the Law Law-giver Surety or Sinner 1. The Law threatned present Death but not Eternal In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye He did Dye the Eternity was founded on the Perpetuity of sinning and Heinousness of the Crime not on the Letter of the Law it spoke nothing against an Intervening Surety after the Sinner was once dead to relieve him from that Death It is appointed for all Men once to dye but the Law spoke nothing against a Resurrection 2. The Law-giver was satisfi'd since his Truth in the Law was sav'd since the Obedience and Sufferings of the Mediator did sufficiently evince the Holiness and Justice of the the Governour 3. As to the Surety having his Life wholly in his own Power it was lawful for him to dye and since it was in his Power to Redeem his Brethren to re-establish the Order of Divine Government to glorifie his Maker more than any thing done by Creatures yet could there was a becomingness that he should Decency makes a thing in some respect a Duty It was in the Power of his Hand to relieve his Brethren We cannot thoroughly Love our Brethren without doing what we can for Relief to their Misery His Incarnation was an act of Choice but once Man and made under the Law the Love of his Brethren was a Duty 4. As to the Sinner it 's not only made possible but easie for tho Justification and Sanctification were both impossible to Man the satisfying for past Guilt or the ceasing from sin yet Christ having done both
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A COMPEND OF THE Covenant of Grace AS The most Solid SUPPORT under the most Terrible CONFLICTS OF DEATH THOUGH Arm'd with Desertion Decay of Grace and Sense of Guilt By Walter Cross M. A. LONDON Printed for Henry Barnard at the Bible in the Poultrey 1693. fluence of Example and Praise to make them good and virtuous 3. The Mouths of those are stopt whose Duty it is to take all such Opportunities to recover a degenerate Age from Hopes of Glory or Honour at Death who glory in their Shame when they Live But the Abuse of a Natural and Necessary Duty ought not to remove totally its use it 's engraven on the very Nature of Man to speak well of the Dead By the Jewish Custom a Bride takes place of a King but a Corps takes place of both Lev. 10.18 The Mourning for the Dead takes place of positive External Worship Moses was satisfied when Aaron told him the Reason of not Eating the Sacrifice in the Holy Place was because of his Grief for the Death of his Sons And what is the Language of Morning for the Dead but Praising of them Sorrow is a Passion rais'd from the Apprehension of the Loss of a great good and not to Lament the Dead is next to leave them without Burial as Dung upon the Earth Jer. 16.14 The Dead have not their Justa duely paid them when no Tears are mingled with their Dust the Gospel that wipes away all Tears from all Eyes only mitigates this 1 Thes 4.13 Sorrow not as those who have no hope of ever meeting again Christ himself wept over a Lazarus that he could and did raise again presently but as to more remote Relatives or Friends it enjoyns Sympathy Rom. 12.15 Weep with them that weep Tho' the Egyptians hated Israel they mourned over a dead Jacob Gen. 15.10 so that the Canaanites call'd the Place Abel Mizraim the Weeping of the Egyptians How unnatural are the Affections of those Children and other Relatives that the Possession that they succeed to drowns the Sorrow and prevents the due Performance of Honour to the Deceased who have spent their Lives if not Sold their Souls for an Estate to them Whatever others do they ought to be zealous of keeping their Names savoury and fresh Forreigners Aliens will Commend the Names of their Founders But These four Rules seem to be drawn from the most pure Fountains of Nature guided by the most powerful Conduct of Reason Confutius 1. To shun all Ostentation and Magnificence in Funerals that savours of Pride and Vanity 2. Not to bewail the Dead with Excess or be overcome with Grief that bespeaks want of Reason and more the want of Piety and submission to our Sovereign Lord. 3. Not to extinguish Grief totally or hide the Profession or Expressions of it for the want of Natural Affection is a desperate Condition and no Person can expect faithful Friendship from that Man that can bury his Love and Duty to his Friend or Relative and his Memory and Esteem of him with his Corps 4. That Applauses or Encomiums are the proper Duty of Friends Neighbours or more distant Relations Modesty shou'd suppress it in Husband Wife or Children except to intimate Acquaintance for that is but Praising themselves Others ought not to be silent The Law of God allow'd an Office for it once In this Case the Modesty of Relatives has suppress'd a Name that deserves to be wrote in Letters of Gold but it suited the Person 's Temper that rather would have a Name in Heaven than Fame on Earth and would have it rest with the Dust and be silent as the Grave until that glorious Resurrection A Second Restraint is that it's Ministers Duty to Preach a dead and a risen Christ his Will and Testament is the Gospel we ought to Preach our Office is making of his Funeral Sermons R. 1. Christ is willing that his Saints share of his glory while it is an exalting of his own also The manifestation of Christ's Care of his Saints is much for his Glory Consider the Patience of Job and the End of the Lord. When a Man has been an envi'd persecuted Man for the profession of Truth and dyes in peace leaving his Family in Plenty and Prosperity it is a clear demonstration of Christ's Care of his faithful Servants and his just Resentment of the Indignation done to them when we may observe an invisible Moth consuming the Estates of their Enemies and an invisible Worm gnawing their Consciences 1. Destruction is threatned to them who observe not the Dispensations of Divine Providence Psal 78.3 And 2. Rods have as observable a Nature as any they have a significant Voice that every wise Man should understand Mic. 6. Zeph. 1.14 3. Death is as great a Judgment as can be When Plague Sword Famine come on a Nation or City it 's but Death still but tho' the Death of the Wicked be the greatest Judgment a frequent Death of the Righteous is the greatest Prodigy Isa 57.1 The Righteous perish and no Man layeth it to Heart Not knowing they are taken away from the evil to come 4. The Death of the Righteous at this Day is as determin'd in its Language as ever and more Rev. 14.13 Blessed c. from henceforth I shall give this Paraphrase of it according to my imperfect Scheme of that Book We are now about the time of the Death of the Witnesses which tho' it be a severe stroke to the Militant Church a time of Faith and Patience for the Saints the repeating of that Index Rev. 11.13 a great Earthquake in Sicily is such an Argument for it that I know not how we can disbelieve it without saying God designs to deceive us in his Providence which is the best Comment by fulfillment of these Prophecies for a greater never was The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah tho' it hath some Likeness yet no Equality nor Proportion to it whether we compare the number of Cities People or sulphureous Lakes the Largeness of the place or the Dreadfulness of the Manner beside another Vulcan new erected or a mouth of Hell open'd yet it is an Harvest for the Triumphant Rev. 14.15 God is now gathering all the Righteous out of the Earth that he may set the Earth on flames Rev. 14.18 The Angel that has power over fire This Fire is the Wine-press of Divine Wrath wherein the Wicked are to be trod down Lot must be removed from Sodom before the sulphureous Flames be kindled The Harvest of the Righteous must precede the Vintage of the Wicked the Salt of the Earth must be gone before its Corruption come There was a Spring-time of the Gospel in the Apostles time the Summer of Persecution follow'd Now is the Harvest and the Winter to the Wicked is at the Door But it is more than time to return to my Text the first Verse whereof affords this Doctrine That the Spirit of God doth often immediately pen the