Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A40652
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The best name on earth together with severall other sermons / lately preached at St. Brides and in other places by T. Fuller.
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Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing F2413; ESTC R28667
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34,017
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156
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with me first the party to whome the wrong was offered was a stranger the word stranger in the very mention of it ought to carry with it a protection from all wrongs the heathen Romans were so Christian in this kind that if their enemy chanced to enter into their house in nature of a stranger there was a cessation from enmity during his abode under their roof and revenge gave place to hospitality Secondly she was a woman that sex may seem in some sort to be fenced from injury because it is not fenced from injuries For such is the known weakness of women that wee count it weaknesse in men to offer them any wrong and our modesty is the best safeguard and defence for theirs Thirdly she was a Levites wife and methinks some shadow of sacrednesse should be reflected from him on her Fourthly she was abused to death indeed she died not presently but before she came into the house her soul got out of her body and even in our law it is murther that comes within the compasse of a year and a day now murther you know is a crying sinne yea like Stentor the Graecian it shouteth louder then 50. other ordinary offences The monster mother may smother her child but when she hath done she cannot smother the murther of her child Fifthly abused to death by a whole city those are deceived who conceive the multitude of offendors diminish the offence Rather the more the sinners the more heinous the sinne the worst sinne that ever was was the most generall sinne that ever was when all mankind together sinned at once in Adam yea in our law that which being done by one or two is but a trespasse committed by more assumes the name of a ryot Lastly by a whole city of Israelites but if they had been Hivites or Hittites that had done me this dishonour then perchance I should have born it had they been Canaanites or Jebusites had offered me this disgrace then more patiently could I have digested it but they pretended to serve the same God and observe the same religion They were descended from the loyns of Jacob and issued from the womb of Rachel what good doth the ark of God in Shiloh with Levites a tending before it Aarons rod pot of manna mercy seat within it if there be a Sodome in Sion a Bethaven in Bethel folly in Israel verily I say unto you I have not found so great an offence no not amongst the Gentiles Happy those poor Armenians which live in those remote parts where the shrill sound of the gospel was never trumpetted forth their invincible ignorance will be an Orator in the ears of the mercifull judge not wholly to excuse but much to diminish their fault not to prevaile for a full pardon yet to procure a lighter punishment whilst in the same day they shall rise up and condemn the Jewes in my text seeing better by the light of a candle then the Iewes by the beams of the sun I come now to the prescribing of the wholesome order for the future consult consider and give sentence but first wee must remove an objection which here may rise for may some say why is it not particularly exprest in the law of Moses what punishment ought to be inflicted upon an whole city when by lust they abuse a woman to death had this been a book-case and the penalty precisesly specified it would have spared the Israelites all their pains to consult and consider yea this may seem to argue the law of God of some defects and imperfections that it is not adaequate to all occasions and of extent large enough for all necessities and needs to be patcht and peeced with the accession of humane deliberation For two reasons the particular punishment is expressed first because the spirit of God being charity it self charitablely presumed that no Israelites would be so wicked the heathen appointed no punishment for parricides supposing that sinne could not be committed Men must first murther all nature in themselves before they can be so unnaturall as to murther their parents Secondly the mentioning of the punishment might by satans suggestion and mans corruption be abused to make them commit the sin some sinnes are left out in the law not because they are too little but because they are too great should the punishment of every villany be put into the law the committing of many villanies would be put into our minds which otherwise might be forgotten and sinnes punisher would be made sins remembrancer Yet though this case for circumstance is not set down in the Bible for substance it is in severall places who sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed Gen. 6.9 now the scripture is not written for those that will be idle but for such as comparing one place with another by faithfull consequence will proportionably extract and deduce what ought to be done in each severall action whose substance in the bible is recorded though each circumstance particularly set down And now I come to the order for the time to come but behold in the order it self much confusion arising from the variety of translations you shall scarce find three bibles wherein two of these words are rendred alike what therefore must wee do the best way to expound the text is to practise it and before wee give sentence what should be the meaning of these severall words let us first consult with interpreters and consider the originall The first word in the great Bible consult importeth in the originall a meeting of many together rendred by learned Tremelius adhibete vos ad istud settle your selves together to this matter The observation is this in matters of moment we are not severally to follow our private advice but jointly to unite your selves together in consultation eyes see more then an eye saith the proverb I must confesse Paphnutius with his one eye for his persecutors had bored out the other saw more in the matter of ministers marriage then the 300 two-eyed bishops assembled in the councel oâ— Nice But he was an exception from a generall rule ordinarily tow are better then one yea Solomon the wisest of earthly kings had his councel of aged men which stood before him 1 Kings 12.6 nay a greater then Solomon may be brought for the proof of this point God himself Genes 1.26 being about to contract the first volume of the world into the abrigement of man called as it were a councel in the persons of the Trinity let us make man Had God any need of councel is not the same eternall act which is done by one person done by all or are not these things rather written for our instruction surely for our instruction they are written that when we enterprise things of consequence we may call for and make use of the councels and directions of others to blame then are they who rashly runne on their own heads I cannot but commend the swiftnesse of
Sermon unto us 1. It putteth us in mind of what Christ hath done for us and the many benefits we obtained by his life death resurrection and intercession 2. It is a remembrancer unto us of what we should do for Christ in gratitude to the many favours he hath done for us 54. Secondly Christians it is the largest name it takes in all Christs little flock within the compasse thereof agreeing in the same fundamentall doctrine though there may be difference betwixt them in unimportant controversies where the errour doth not intrench on salvation though their opposites may unmercifully censure and condemn them for the same O! if God were not more mercifull to us then we are charitable one to another his flock would be so little it would not deserve the name of a flock 55. 3. It is the ancientest proper name Believers Saints Brethren Disciples they were but epithites and appellatives and though they still be in being and lustre yet they are all out-shined with the word Christian the best largest and ancientest name for all of our profession And the Disciples were first called Christians at Antioch FINIS THE WORST of EVILS Ephes. 2.3 And were by nature the Children of wrath even as others By T. F. B. D. LONDON Printed by R. Daniel MDCLVI THE WORST of EVILS Ephes. 2.3 And were by nature the Children of wrath even as others IN this chapter S. Paul is the remembrancer to the Ephesians and reades them a lecture of their badnesse before their calling and conversion surely such thoughts are right profitable to Christians to call to minde how bad they were whilst they were wilde Olives before they were ingrafted into Christ for first it will raise their thankfulnesse to God What am I or what is my fathers house that thou shouldst bring me hither it will make us pay one tribute of praise more fully more freely when we consider if we be vessels of honour it is no difference in the clay but in the pleasure of the Potter Secondly it is excellent physick against the pleasure of pride to let our souls bloud with the consideration how bad we have been he that will not confesse his former badnesse I suspect his present goodnesse whether he hath any or not Lastly it will make us both pitty the present wofull estate of wicked men and hope well and pray heartily for their future conversion why should we fear that arm of God should be too short for others that could reach us thinke not that we are the last lost sheep that shall ever be found The most crooked tree will make timber for the temple if God pleaseth to hew it For these and other reasons S. Paul in this chapter paints out to the life the dead estate of the Ephesians whilst they were in trespasses sinnes following their own lusts and the power of the Prince of the aire and in conclusion showes the cause thereof namely their corruption by nature so that the last item in this black bill is in effect the very imprimis of all the rest And were by nature the children of wrath even as others we will observe this plain method 1. That by Nature all are the Children of wrath 2. How it comes to passe that we are so 3. Seeing so it is what good use we may make thereof to our selves 1. That by nature we are the children of wrath is the very language of my text yet lest any should object my text should be but a single Instrument heare how it is tuned according to the dolefull consort both of scripture and reason in this point of scripture Psal. 51.5 behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sinne did my mother conceive me Romans 5.12 wherefore as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned 2. By reason fetcht from the mystery of Circumcision under the old Testament Baptisme in the new the whole saith our Saviour have no need of the Physitian but those which are sick Secondly because we want that original righteousnesse wherein we were created and which is required to the purity and perfection of our nature which righteousnesse was in Adam who was created after Gods own image consisting chiefly in knowledge and holinesse as for Adams knowledge he gave sufficient proof thereof in giving names to rhe Creatures if a Godfather at the font give a foolish and fond name to a child the Bishop at confirmation hath power to alter it had Adam either imposed improper or insignificant names on the creatures God no doubt could have reversed and revoked them but the text saith Gen. 2.19 whatsoever Adam called living creatures that was the name thereof God did concurre with Adam and approve their names as brief definitions of their natures nor was his sanctity any whit inferiour to his knowledge each faculty of his soul did look straight forwards on his proper object without squinting aside on any other so that what was said of this great world was as great a truth of this little world man and behold all things therein were exceeding good now because we want thiâ— originall righteousnesse we are therefore the children of wrath Thirdly because all the partâ— and powers of our soul and bodâ— are depraved with originall corruption now as Nehemiah did by night survey the ruines of the walls of Jerusalem so let us with shame sorrow and silence behold the breaches and dilapidations of our souls Our understandings are so bad that they understand not their own badnesse our wils which are the Queens of our souls become the vassals of sin our memory like Jett good onely to draw strawes and treasure up trifles of no moment our consciences through errours in our understanding sometimes accusing us when we are innocent sometimes accquitting us when we are guilty our affections all disaffected and out of order must not that needs be a monstrous face wherein the blewnesse which should be in the veins is in the lipps the rednesse which should be in the cheeks in the nose the hair that should grow on the head on the face must not our souls needs seem ugly in the sight of God who have grief growing there where joy should joy where grief should wee love what wee should hate hate where we should love wee fear where no fearis and fear not where we ought to fear and all our affections either mistake their true object or exceed their due measure this made the purest Pagans see somewhat of their naturall impurity and the most refined Philosophers complain of their drowsinesse by nature they saw alâ— was not right all was not well which made them complain thaâ— nature was Noverca a stepmother nature was a mother in law but when or how their own mother dyed that they could not tell or remember they could not know how their souls forfeited originall righteousnesse being a mystery too high for them