Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A45346
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A sermon preach'd before Her Majesty the Queen Dowager in her chappel at Somerset-House, upon the fifth Sunday after Easter, May 9, 1686 / by William Hall.
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Hall, William, d. 1718?
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1686
(1686)
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Wing H447; ESTC R30723
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19,128
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42
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accompany and secure our Exit out of this Life and the bowing of his Head to us at that time is an Invitation to us to lift up our Hearts to him Inclinato capite emisit spiritum Ah my dearest Saviour I receive with the most profound Submission possible with the greatest Veneration thy Holy thy Divine Spirit I embrace it as bequeath'd me by my most tender Master I 'le cherish this sacred Depositum this divine Pledge of an infinite Love I 'le carefully preserve it to the end of my days for 't is then I desire to die when I cease to Pray 2. If Prayer came from Heaven as we must needs allow since it was brought us from thence by the Worlds Redeemer it glories in a Prerogative more to our advantage that is it leads and conducts to us Heaven 'T is the property of Water to remount to a Level with its Sourse or Origin Prayer therefore taking its rise in Heaven we must attribute to it an Excellency common to it and Grace Omnis qui bibit ex aqua hac fiet in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam If any one drink of that delicious Spring which pious and religious Souls so frequently refresh themselves with in the holy Exercise of Prayer it shall become in him a Fountain whose Waters shall reascend as high as their Origin as high as Heaven to that inexhaustible Ocean of ever-living Waters Quid est oratio says to this purpose the great St. Augustin nisi ascensio animae de terrestribus ad coelestia inquisitio supernorum invisibilium desiderium For what is Prayer but an elevation of the Soul from terrestrial to celestial Cogitations an inquisition or search into supernatural Concerns a fervent desire of purchasing that Happiness which is as yet out of sight 'T is for this Reason that Prayer is compar'd to the Ladder Jacob the Patriarch saw in a Vision As that gave an ascent from Earth to Heaven as those mysterious Rounds bore the mounting Angels to their Sovereign Lord so Prayer wings our earthly lumpish Nature that we can soar aloft to the Region of Spirits and to this purpose it refines our Humanity from all dregs of Mortality As our Lord was seen leaning upon the utmost Rounds of this mystick Ladder or rather as the Septuagint give a more congruous Construction as the Ladder was seen leaning upon our Lord that supported it so Prayer derives its efficacy its vigour and force from the gracious assistance of an all-powerful God who both raises and draws its Votaries to himself Finally as there were in Jacob's Vision seen ascending and descending Angels they are yet upon the same Concern for Christians devoted to Prayer They carry our Petitions as St. Hilary saith to the Throne of Glory they return to minister for us in the great work of our Salvation The Soul likewise upon the Wings of Prayer takes her flight to Heaven she enters into the Palace of her Lord without controul or disturbance Prayer being the Key of Paradise saith S. Augustin which gives her admittance into the Royal Bed-Chamber where she freely entertains her self with an infinite Majesty she becomes familiar with her God she not only obtains his Blessing as her Father disarms his just Indignation against her own and the Worlds Offences atones for her self and others but addresses her self to him as her dearest Friend appropriates him to her as her Beloved with the Spouse in the Canticles Dilectus meus mihi ego illi Insomuch that our Sovereign infinitely delighted with such familiar Addresses invites encourages and engages the Soul to continue her languishing Desires Fac me audire vocem tuam Let me hear thee speak Vox enim tua dulcis For thy Voice is sweet and charming Labia tua sicut vitta coccinea Eloquium tuum dulce Thy Lips are like a Thred of Scarlet thy Speech is sweet and grateful Such was the Prayer of Moses upon the Mount where he made up to God as to his best of Friends Discoursed with him face to face so much to the advantage of the glorious Saint that one would have thought the Almighty had interchanged Properties with him for he seems to tie the Hands of an Omnipotent God that was ready to dart his revenging Thunder at the criminal Heads of the rebellious Jews Dimitte me saith the Almighty ut irascatur furor meus Let me alone that I may give way to my anger As if he were unable to resist the Influence of the Prayers of Moses 3. But we have not only the advantage of being conducted to Heaven by Prayer 't is also blessed with a singular Priviledge that it makes us find Heaven upon Earth To evidence this Truth let us settle our serious Consideration let us fix our Regards upon such devout Christians as are given to Prayer We see they are disencumbred from the Bustle or troublesom Concerns of this World we see they are intirely divorc'd from the Creature totally united to the Creator we see they are dead to the Life of the World living a divine or supernatural Life dead to themselves animated with the Life of God Ah happy Death Happy end of a Life well lost Thrice happy beginning of a Life that must never end The union of Body and Soul is the Life of a Man the separation of the Body and Soul is the Death of a Man The union of the Body and Soul with the World is the Life of a Worldly Man the Death of a Christian The separation of the Body and Soul from the World is the Death of a Man as to the present World but the Life of a Man in reference to the World to come Men living with the Life of the World are dead to Heaven Men living or leading their Lives in Prayer find Heaven even in this World inasmuch as they are dead to the World to live with God to live with the Angels with the Life of God they are penetrated with God they are absorpt in God they are chang'd by a thrice happy Transformation into God himself But this Death to the World ought rather to be stil'd a Resurrection then a Death A Resurrection with their divine Original Christ Jesus from the Grave of this World Those that are risen with Christ have their Affections taken off from the things here below they savour nothing but what 's above Those by consequence that are devoted to Prayer are risen with Christ have a Heaven upon Earth with Christ not yet ascended will mount with Christ from Earth to Heaven If the Angels our Guardian-Angels to whose care and custody Man as yet a Traveller is recommended by God if they that keep us in all our ways that direct our steps through the Mazes of this World if they that are so much taken up with our Concerns as that they are continually upon the Watch upon the Guard to secure us from that roaring Lyon the Devil seeking to devour
of this Philistine The Beasts created for his use and service over whom he was appointed Lord and Master revolt by a joynt Instinct that seems to transcend the reach of a Creature guided only by the blind Impulse of Sense The Beasts revolt the Beasts rebel against him those that haue not Strength in proportion to their Hatred do all they can to shun the detestable Object those that are able to master this common Enemy never meet him but they devour him Were this the Non plus ultra of his Misery it might be said his Enemies were only such as were void of Reason But ah unfortunate Man thou art an Enemy to thy self thou hast Man thy Enemy One levels his Endeavours at the destruction of another In iâ—ineribus saepe Often upon the Road says St. Paul Periculis Latronum thy Life 's in danger Periculis in Civitate as often in the City If thou fliest to the Deserts Periculis in solitudine the wild and unhospitable Groves harbour thy Enemies Put to Sea Periculis in mari thou hast Enemies at Sea If thou return to thy Friends thy Friends are false thy Friends are Flatterers thou art likewise in danger there Periculis in falsis fratribus Devil with Devil firm Concord holds Men only disagree of Creatures rational As if they were not assail'd by Enemies enough besides they do their utmost to ruine one another Where therefore must Man miserable unfortunate Man seek for refuge against the united force of so many pernicious and malignant Enemies Where shall he find a shelter from a Storm that menaces his Destruction on all sides Whither shall he run for succour To God saith St. Chrysostom born up upon the Wings of Prayer Let him flie to the Throne of the Almighty far above these material Orbs that surround us far above the reach of an Invasion either from the Heavens Elements Beasts or Men. Let him enter In locum tabernaculi admirabilis usque ad domum Dei Let him enter into the place of the admirable Tabernacle let him enter into the House of God Vsque ad domum Dei Oratio humiliantis se penetrat nubes non discedet donec altissimus aspiciat The Prayer of the humble penetrates the Clouds and it shall not depart till the Almighty hath granted the Petition Do the Heavens molest him Prayer saith St. Chrysostom has been a sure Fence against their malignant Influence Plagas coeli irruentis delevit Oratio Prayer has appeas'd the anger of the Elements Tempestates sustulit Prayer has tam'd the savage Beasts Impetum Leonum cohibuit Prayer has compos'd the Differences of Men Bella composuit praelia removit Prayer has discover'd the Snares Men have laid to entrap one another Insidias hominum mala denique omnia delevit Oratio But now again as our Prayers are beneficial to our selves so also are they to others As they are a powerful Engin by which we draw down Blessings upon the Soul against the Miseries of the Soul upon the Body against the Miseries of the Body they likewise are efficacious for the good of our Neighbours whether Enemies or Friends To instance in the First as a more pregnant assurance of the efficacy of Prayer Who was a greater Enemy to Christians then St. Paul before his Conversion You are not I suppose ignorant of the Persecutions he rais'd against the Church in its Infancy when he bore the Name of Saul with the Nature of a greedy and ravenous Wolf that thirsted after the Blood of the Lambs and Sheep of that tender and loving Pastor Christ Jesus You know the bloody Designs he was bent upon when our B. Saviour appear'd to him in the Way with a Saul Saul Quid me persequeris Saul Saul why dost thou persecute me Never Tyrant the most inhumane Tyrant was more violent against Christians then Saul The Fury he was animated with answer'd the Cruelty of his Intentions He was full of Menaces in his Mouth of Rancour in his Heart of Fire in his Eyes of Weapons in his Hands Saulus spirans minarum caedis He travell'd from one City to another to seize upon Christians whom he loaded with Irons whom he dragg'd before the Magistrates whom he cast into Prisons against whom he became as well Executioner as Witness Rapiebat vastabat saeviebat says the great St. Augustine I do not exaggerate or enhance his Crimes when I affirm they were without Bounds or Limits Saul wag'd a bloody War not against Christians only but against Christ himself As Herod sought his Death amongst thousands of Innocents Saul aim'd at Christ amongst thousands of Christians tho' neither could meet with the Saviour of the World He escap'd Herod by his flight into Egypt He could not be assaulted in Person by Saul as being now risen from the Dead as being at this time ascended into Heaven And yet O Crime never to be paralell'd Saul not satisfi'd with that ignominious that painful Death the Jews had lately put our Saviour to extends his furious Rage even beyond the Grave insomuch that our Saviour not brooking the Outrage breaks even from Heaven into unusual Complaints and dispensing no longer with that sacred Silence he had so strictly observ'd in this World in the midst of his greatest Afflictions reproaches Saul's unheard of Cruelty from the Throne of his Glory Saul Saul Quid me persequeris Thus stands Saul a Criminal before us a Criminal of the blackest die Thus I have represented him wich these Iniquities about him to make a deeper Impression in your Souls of the prodigious Efficacy of Prayer and by consequence of the great Obligation we have of Praying as well for our Neighbours as our selves as well for our Enemies as Friends Saul however here so black with Crimes is for all this a glorious Saint is in full possession of an eternal Kingdom is reigning with Christ is an illustrious Member of the Church Triumphant is an Honour to the Church Militant Whence proceeds so miraculous a Change a Change of Name a Change of Nature A Change from Saul to Paul from an extraordinary Sinner to an extraordinary Saint From the Prayers of a Christian from the Sighs Tears and Prayers of a persecuted Christian a Christian persecuted by Saul himself a Christian expiring under a Mountain of Stones thrown at him at the Instance of Saul To the Prayers of St. Stephen we owe this prodigious Conversion While the Jews animated and encourag'd by Saul who ston'd St. Stephen with all their Hands by taking care of all their Clothes were answering to the cruelty of his intentions the Saint lifted up his Hands and Eyes to Heaven rais'd his dying Voice in a lamentable but engaging Accent and as if he had been the Eccho of his Lord upon the Cross cry'd out to Him as he did to his eternal Father Ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt His Prayers were heard in Heaven Jesus saw the Supplicant Jesus stood visible