Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A60134
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A funeral sermon preached upon the death of Mr. Nathaniel Oldfield who deceased Decemb. 31, 1696, ætat. 32 : with some account of his exemplary character / by John Shower.
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Shower, John, 1657-1715.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing S3669; ESTC R37551
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32,128
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104
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sometimes by Lingering Painful Sickness Antecedent to dying Therefore you may and should take Heart by their Examples and follow their Faith HOW you should do so I will sum up in * See Mr. Baxter's Life of Faith 4 to Chap. XXII p. 585. And Mr. D. B's Christian Commemoration and Imitation of Saints Deported 120. 1691. Where these things are more fully express'd better Words than my own Let us fix upon the same Ends to Glorifie God and Enjoy him let us choose the same Guide and Captain of our Salvation let us believe the same Gospel and build upon the same Promises let us obey and trust to the same Spirit of Holiness and Comfort let us live upon the same Truths and exercise the same Graces and watch against the same Sins and Corruptions let us choose prefer and use the same Company and other helps and means of Grace and under all the Trials and Temptations of this Life act the same Faith and Patience and Hope unto the End and we shall finish our Course as they did and inherit the Promises as they do In order whereto III. LET us consider the End of their Conversation Be mindful of your Deceased Ministers that you may observe the happy End of their Conversation and so be assisted to follow their Faith Their Conversation and Course of Life was agreeable to their Faith agreeable to the Doctrine they believed and taught and their End was answerable They lived in the Faith and they dyed in the Faith The End of their Conversations an End attended with Victory and Deliverance the same Word that is used for Escape 1 Cor. X. 13. Consider what Difficulties they met with and yet did overcome their Faith did not fail their Hope did not perish their Courage did not faint They endured to the End and finished their Course came off with Victory and are got safe to Everlasting Rest THE Consideration of this their happy End knowing what they were and what we are should encourage us to Follow them It ought to raise our Desires and Hopes fix our Resolutions answer our Doubts scatter our Fears make Death less formidable and the thoughts of Heaven more familiar and so excite and forward our Preparations for it That following their Faith we may with them at last receive the End of our Faith and Hope the Salvation of our Souls I NOW come to the other Part of my Subject to speak of Your Deceased Pastor Not that I design to give you the History of his Parentage Birth and Education before he came to London that is before my Acquaintance with him or yours but some Account of his Example as a Christian and as a Minister of Christ that being the more sensible of your Loss you may take the more care to improve it AND tho' I feel my self a real and hearty Mourner with you as for one whom I highly esteemed and loved and had a great deal of Reason to do so I shall yet take care that my Affection may not prompt me to say any thing concerning him that cannot be well attested either by my own Knowledge or by some of you who now hear me As knowing that I ought not to speak any thing that is not true of a dead Friend any more than raise an Evil Report of a living Enemy But I speak to those who knew his Doctrine and manner of Life Purpose Faith Patience Love Long-suffering and Charity 1. HE was considered as a Christian a lively Instance of inward Godliness and Real Religion He believed and practis'd what he preached to others He lived in the firm Perswasion and Expectation of the Invisible Everlasting World and in diligent Preparation of himself and others for it Humility the Badge of our Relation to Christ was his Cloathing and Ornament endeavouring to approve himself to God and to the Consciences of Men as in the sight of God Not as pleasing Men but God who seeth the Heart 2 Cor. X. 14 15. PRAYER was his Delight Strength and Excellency I have hardly heard of any more abundant in Prayer more Constant and Conscientious in it with the like Variety and Fervour upon all Occasions Besides what you had the Assistance of in Publick in his Family and Closet every day and also with his Wife with that Seriousness and Frequency that 't would be thought incredible should I name Particulars And many times early in the morning before day after the Example of his Blessed Master he wrestled with God in Secret Prayer He tasted the Sweetness and reaped the Benefit of such Converse with God AT other times the Thought of God and how often in a day did he think of God! and the very Name of God was wont to strike him with a becoming A we and Reverence His whole Life was almost a Life of Prayer which made his Face to shine and his Grace to thrive and gained him so much of the Divine Presence in his publick Work that sometimes you might manifestly discern that God was with him He never went about to compose nor preach a Sermon without most serious earnest Prayer before-hand with a particular Reference to that Occasion He gave himself continually to Prayer as well as to the Ministry of the Word Acknowledging the most and best of his Knowledge and Learning he got upon his Knees PRAISE and Thankfulness to God for all his Mercies was a great part of his daily Prayer and made up much of his Religion The Love of God and the joyful Praises of our Redeemer were his constant and most hearty Service They that knew him best can witness how much he delighted in Singing the Praises of God and how stated a part of Family-worship he made it every day THE Hely Scriptures were his continual Delightful Study as a Treasury of Divine Wisdom and Knowledge He despised all Books of other Learning in comparison of this And next to the Bible he most esteemed such Practical Books as Mr. R. and Jos Allen's and Mr. Corbet's Kingdom of God amongst Men c. THE Lords-Day was his Peculiar Delight and the Solemn Worship of it the Joy of his Soul He was then and thereby revived tho' he had been ill all the Week before And when confined to his Chamber by Pain and Languishing Sickness so as he could not attend the publick Assemblies how would he lament the slight Sabbaths he thought he kept and made Others keep but could add Thanks be to God it was otherwise formerly HIS Relative Religion in his Family was most strictly Christian and Exemplary His Affection to his Relations evidenced in his Concern for their Souls and particular Recommendation of their Case to God by Prayer upon all Occasions aggravates their Loss in his Death but will make his Memory precious with them AS to his Carriage and Behaviour abroad he thought the Life of a Minister in some respects was scandalous if it were not Exemplary and managed with greater Strictness than that of Ordinary Christians What
called to do it MANY of our Fellow Soldiers have fought the Good Fight gained the Victory and received the Crown Their Example tells us that the Difficulties and Conflicts that we fear are no other than they have experienced They complained as much we can of inward Corruption and outward Temptation of an unfaithful World and a busie Devil and a desperately wicked Heart and yet by the Grace of God they have Overcome We have a Cloud of Witnesses among our particular Friends and Acquaintance whom we have known and loved whom we have seen and heard with whom we have convers'd and discours'd And it is a great Encouragement to consider we are to follow Them For why should we be disheartned as if that were Impobssile to us which the Grace of God hath enabled them to do and suffer T IS one great Design of God's Gifts and Graces to Some that they may instruct and edifie Others The path of the just in this sense is a shining Light We are to Shew forth the Word of Life in our Conversation that we may direct others in the way And by our Zeal we are to provoke many AND when the Precept is exemplified into Pattern and the Commands of Christ made legible in the Lives of Christians we are the more encouraged to obey This hath more Influence than meer Law and naked Authority We find that Examples strangely affect us and the Lives of Holy Persons writ with Truth and Judgment and Caution have a singular Advantage to attract our Imitation When Charity and Humility Self-denial and Patience Piety and Devotion are characterized in the Practice and Actions of the Saints they are written as it were with Light notwithstanding some mixture of Darkness from Humane Passions and Failings for which in all Men there must be Allowance That Holy Examples are apt to affect the Mind more deeply than Holy Laws alone is evident by the Malice of the Devil and his Instruments against the Holy Scriptures exemplified in the Godly more than against the Scriptures themselves they can better bear the Precepts of a perfect Rule than the imperfect practice of them in a Holy Life They have burnt Martyrs that could endure good Books SUCH Examples may be of Use both to Quicken and Enoourage us 1. TO quicken and excite our Diligence to this purpose the Apostle makes mention of them Chap. VI. 12. Be not sloathful but be ye followers of them who by Faith and Patience inherit the Promises To cure the Sloath and Laziness of Christians he saith this and to stir them up to Holy Diligence with this Encouragement in the following Words that if they follow their Guides in their Faith in Christ they will find him an Unchangeable never failing Saviour For it is added Jesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever i.e. He will certainly receive forgive assist preserve and save them as he did their Deceased Guides If we follow them we shall find the same Comfort and meet with the same Reward HOW may the Temper and Spirit and Carriage of such Exemplary Christians shame our Negligence Their Humility and Zeal their Gravity and Seriousness their continual Awe of God and Apprehension of his Eve their constant Watchfulness over Hearts Words and Actions may be considered to humble and shame us When I think how diligently they improved their Talents how faithfully and fervently they attended their Work how their Hearts were in it and how much they did in a little time and how God was with 'em in abundant Success it should shame and quicken me Do I pray or preach or live at that rate of Seriousness Integrity Self-denial and Devotedness to God as they Durst they have indulged themselves and pleased themselves and allowed themselves the Liberty which I take Were they guilty of such Omissions and Neglects as I am Am not I more slight and formal seldom and heartless in Prayer than they were wont to be c. IF we have the same Spirit of Faith with the Holy Persons whose Examples we read or hear of these things will quicken and assist us for so the Apostle argues 2 Cor. IV. 13. We having the same spirit of Faith according as it is written I believed and therefore have I spoken we also believe and therefore speak And if they do not move us and excite us to follow them in their Faith and Obedience it is a sign that we are not partakers of the same Spirit 2. NOT only as to Duty but let us consider 'em for our Encouragement and Comfort Whatever Difficulties we may meet with in the Christian Race the Consideration of these Examples may encourage our Faith and Patience and Perseverance They found the Sweetness of Dependance upon God and the Success of a Life of Faith and had gracious Answers to Prayer and suitable Help in every time of need They could set to their Seal that God is true and the Scripture true and never any Word of his in which they regularly trusted did ever fail them And is it no Encouragement for us to be able to say Lord our Fathers trusted in thee and were delivered they trusted in thee and were not ashamed they cryed to thee and thou didst answer them They have told us what thou didst for them How Good was God and Faithful how Wise and Gracious The Word of the Lord is tried in six and in seven Troubles they found it true AND we that live in the latter Ages of the World have a greater Cloud of Witnesses than others we have the Benefit of the Experience of all the Saints that have gone before us They can tell us what they have found of the false Cavils Slanders and Objections of Unbelief of the Folly and Disingenuity of our Carnal Fears of the Fraud of the Devil's Suggestions of the certain Accomplishment of God's Promises and a good Issue of all Events if we wait on the Lord and keep his Way AND as to many of them we may observe with what admirable Patience they endured greater Trials sharper Pains and longer Exercises without Murmuring and without Fainting than ever yet we have known How Diligent Heavenly and Fruitful were some of them under less Advantages and Help than we The Examples of the Poor may shame many of the Rich The Examples of some young Converts may shame Old Disciples Religious Children may shame many Parents There are younger Brethren by whom the Elder are out-gone Such who were new-born but lately who exceed them that were in Christ many years before HAD not they whose Faith you are exhorted to follow the like Temptations as you meet with Have not you the same Rule to walk by the same Promises Assistances and Encouragements in the way to Heaven Are your Wants to be supplied Diseases to be cured Difficulties to be conquered Burdens to be endured more or greater or other than what they met with And was not Death the Passage to Glory as to all of them and