Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A30733
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A sermon preach'd at St. Mary-le-Bow to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, April 5, 1697 by Lilly Butler.
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Butler, Lilly.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing B6282; ESTC R27140
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16,186
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51
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The Powers of Darkness and the corrupt Nature of Man are against us but if God be for us we are certainly the stronger side And why should we not hope that God will at length arise and plead his own Cause and make his Work prosper in the Hands of those that faithfully and zealously apply themselves to the help of the Lord against the mighty For the Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose Heart is perfect towards Him 2. Chron. 16. 9. Fourthly How unsuccesful soever our zealous Endeavours may be for the reforming the Nation yet they may be succesful for the Preservation and Benefit of it God may shew Favour to the whole Body for the sake of those few Members of it that are ingaged so heartily in promoting his Honour and Interest He may do that for us for their sakes which he did for Zoar for Lot's sake and would have done for Sodom its self had there been but Nine more such as he was to be found in it Fifthly Our zealous Endeavours for reforming others though they may not be effectual for the Preventing publick Calamities yet they may be a means to preserve us from them or to procure for us great advantages under them Thus were Noah and Lot and Jeremiah preserved at least from the extremity of those publick Judgments which by their zealous Attempts to reform the Lives of Men they endeavoured though unsuccesfully to divert But what share soever God may think fit to give us in outward Calamities we may be sure of the support and comfort of a good Conscience under them a Conscience testifying to us that they are not the effect of any Sloth or Neglect of ours that we did our best to prevent them and that tho' we fall under them yet we do not fall under that Wrath of God which accompanies them that all these things will work together for our good who have loved and served God with so much Zeal Secondly Some perhaps may object against these zealous Attempts to reform the Wickedness of the Age that they will expose them to Scorn and Derision to harsh Censures and foul Reproaches But had ever any great and good thing been done if Men had always thought this a sufficient Excuse for declining the attempting of it Have not the best Men and the best things been always subject to the Scoffs and Revilings of prophane and dissolute Men Was there every any brave heroical Attempt made on the behalf of Religion that could escape the spiteful Censures of a naughty World But can any unjust Reproaches alter the nature of a good action or make it less our Duty or less becoming of us Is not the approbation of our own minds and the esteem and love of all wise and good Men and of the infinitely wise and good God a sufficient Encouragement against all the scurrilous Language of unreasonable and wicked Men Will not a strong and mighty love to God make us to glory in the Cross of Christ and to rejoyce that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name A malicious Informer is indeed a Character to be abhorred but when Informing signifies nothing but Witnessing against the great and scandalous Sinners of the Age we live in for their and the publick good and the Glory of God then it is a generous and honourable thing then it is doing what all the Prophets and all the Apostles and our Blessed Lord himself did before us And if ye are reproached for so doing happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth on you and these light Afflictions which are but for a moment will work for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Why then should we not seek with all our Might to affect our Hearts with Zeal in these matters that with vehement Desires unwearied Industry and Invincible Courage we may persue the great and good design of restraining and reclaiming Sinners I proceed therefore Fifthly To direct to some proper Considerations for the inflaming our Souls with Zeal in these good things First Consider What mighty Obligations God hath laid upon you to do the utmost you can for him It is in him you live and move and have your being It is by his Providence that you are preserved and by his Bounty that you are supplied with all the good things you enjoy and by the Blood of his only begotten Son whom he freely gave for such weak and foolish and provoking Sinners that you are redeemed from Death and Hell And can you be cold and negligent in seeking to advance the Kingdom and Honour and Interest of so hearty a Friend so liberal a Benefactor so tender a Father so good and gracious a God Can you think of all the Wonders of the Divine Love with cold and unaffected Hearts Do you not blush to tkink how little you have done for him who hath done so much for you Secondly You should often set before you the Zeal of our Blessed Saviour in this matter For this purpose he came down from Heaven to seek and to save that which was lost He took upon him the form of a Servant and being found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself unto death even the death of the Cross that he might redeem us from iniquity and purify to himself a people zealous of good works that he might destroy the works of the Devil and rescue the souls of Men out of his hands This was the business of his Life and the design of his Death And can any thing better deserve our Zeal than that which he thought not unworthy of his Blood Can we be indifferently affected to that which our dear Redeemer valued at so dear a rate Can we be better or more honourably imployed than in uniting our Endeavours with the Son of God and working together with him for the recovery of a perishing World Are we not concerned that in any respect he should live and die in vain who lived and died for our Salvation Can we stand still and make no Attempts to stop the growth of that which renders his Passion of none effect to Men and destroys the Souls for whom he swet and bled and died Thirdly Consider the Zeal and Diligence of the Enemies of this good work of reclaiming sinful Men. How Zealous and industrious is the Prince of Darkness in corrupting the Lives and destroying the Souls of Men All his Cunning and Strength and Activity is imployed in this work He is always laying his Snares and persuing his malicious Devices running to and fro and walking about seeking whom he may devour How zealous are his Agents and Ministers in carrying on the pernicious design of their Master to advance his Kingdom to increase the number of his Captives to entice Men to run with them into the same excess of Riot and to carry them down to Hell with them And