Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A49543
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A sermon preach'd before the Honourable House of Commons on the anniversary fast for the martyrdom of King Charles I by E. Langford ...
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Langford, E. (Emanuel), b. 1657 or 8.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing L386; ESTC R7375
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16,818
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30
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the absolute Pattern of what he taught As His Doctrine was the most Sublime Instruction that was ever given to Mortal Men so it was most highly requisite that His own most Blessed Example should fully answer it in all Exactness and Perfection Mat. 3.15 or in His own words to John the Baptist It became Him above all to fullfill all Righteousness Joh. 3.46 And thus we find him appealing to His own Innocency Which of you convinces me of sin This alone one would think without his other mighty Deeds had been enough to assert the Truth of His Doctrine His whole Life and Death being as it were but one intire and uninterrupted Miracle This made Him in His Discourses appear as one having Authority and not as the Scribes Thus both the Old and New Testament represent Christ as sent to be a most singular Example to the World Hence Isaiah foretelling the Peaceable State of his Kingdom How the most Furious and Outragious Tempers should be quieted and composed by his gentle Precepts and mild Conversation thus expresses it by way of Parable The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb c. 11.6 and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid and the Lion with the Calf and a little Child shall lead them Men of all Humours and Conditions shall be reconciled to one another and their Captain or Leader shall be Himself as Harmless and Innocent as a sucking Child Again the same Prophet tells us c. 53.3 He was to be a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief He was to be oppressed and afflicted to be brought as in the words of my Text like a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so was he not to open His Mouth He was not to cry nor life up his Voice in the street He was not to break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoking Flax That is c. â—3 2 3. not to discourage the broken and contrite heart nor neglect any one that had the least spark of goodness left in him And all this he perfectly made good from the very Manger to the Cross Nay He did not despise the Virgins Womb. How highly reasonable and weighty then must St. Pauls command be Let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus He spake his mind Phil. 2.5 yes and exactly perform'd it too Tho He thought it no Robbery to be equal with God yet he made himself of no Reputation V. 6 7 8. He humbled himself and became obedient to Death even the shameful Death of the Cross What art thou then O sinful Worm that shall think thy self too great for any Condescension Hereunto says St. Peter are we called 1 Ep. 2.21 because Christ also suffered leaving us an Example that we also should follow his steps And to instance in no more let those words of our Blessed Saviour suffice If any one will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily Luc. 9.23 and follow me Do you think this daily Cross signifies only Persecution Affliction or Tribulation No it is as St. Hierome explains it Every Temptation likewise from the World the Devil or our own deceitful Heart Whatever is uneasy to a sanctify'd Mind and the taking it up is here declared to be our Mastering of it by self-denial after Christs own Blessed Example To some weak and willful sinners indeed such as are too much given up to their Lusts and Enslaved to their Passions this may seem a hard saying Custom I confess is another Nature and therefore must allow those words of the Prophet to be the very Truth its self Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his Spots Jer. 13.23 then may ye also learn to do good that are accustomed to do evil But this is spoken of Men perfectly Dead in Trespasses and Sins Men utterly given over to a Reprobate mind whose hearts are by continual practice so hardned As to Drink in Iniquity like water with all manner of greediness and delight For if there be any Serious Remorse of Conscience remaining at any time the Flax is still smoaking there is some little hopes of Life yet left A Sense of Sin and desire of Amendment are two previous Dispositions here always necessary to be supposed What then remains to do the Work but a constant and most earnest Endeavour with the Divine Assistance which our Merciful Father never witholds in such a Case We see in ordinary Cases of Human Life what mighty hard Tasks in a little time are overcome by only diligence and a serious application but here we have the vast advantage besides of Gods most Holy Spirit to direct guide strengthen and support us We know all Habits are acquired by often repeated Acts and by several Degrees and those that are bad as well as those that are good meet with an uneasiness and reluctancy at the beginning For I appeal to the Heart of any Man whether at the first breach of his Innocency at his first committing of any willful sin He has not had a Dispute with Himself before it was done and whether after his Heart did not smite him and make him unquiet tho afterwards perhaps by often falling into the same Vice by little and little his Conscience fell asleep and He then went on without any further Reflection at all On the other side whether in avoiding some occasion of sin or resisting some Temptation He has not met with the like Controversy and when he had overcome whether the Thoughts of his Escape have not fill'd his Heart with Joy and Gladness Now besides his sensual Appetite and Reason the outward and the Inward Man which wage this War there are with reverence be it spoken those Two Auxiliaries the Instigations of the Devil on the one side and the gracious Motions of the Holy Ghost on the other to carry it on And sure no Man will so far dishonour God as to say the Power of the Devil is in it self so great as that of His. If it seem so to any one it is because he makes it so by his own willful Apostacy For the Holy Spirit is always willing Behold says He I stand at the Door and Knock Rev. 3.20 if any Man hear i. e. obey my Voice and Open the Door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me Who can doubt of Gods help being always ready or once question his Sincerity and Truth when he reads those most convincing words As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Death of the Wicked Ezek. 23.11 but that he should turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your Evil ways for why will you Die Surely we ought to think the bare Word of God might have been enough but for our Encouragement he hath bound it with an Oath and because He could swear by no Greater He Swore by his
came to take Him tho he could have had at that instant more than Twelve Legions of Angels for His Rescue Mat. 26.53 yet He resisted not And when over-zealous Peter in his defence smote off Malchus's Ear He gave him that mild but astonishing Rebuke Put up thy Sword into the sheath The Cup which my Father hath given me John 18.11 shall I not drink it And what is yet more admirable that Himself might Exemplify his own Divine Doctrine of doing good to them that hate us He restored Luke 22.51 and healed the Ear by a miraculous touch The Time would fail me to tell you at large how He was mocked and scorned by the Scarlet Robe the Reed and the Crown of Thorns How he was spit upon buffeted scourged reviled by the Rulers and gazing Multitude and railed on by the very impertinent Theif yet under all this Barbarous usage he behaved himself as he really was like the Son of God and to Crown all the rest of his sufferings in his very last Agonies of Death and as it were gasping upon the Cross he pray'd for his Enemies Luke 23.24 Father forgive them for they know not what they do GO this way then O haughty Man of Fury and Revenge whoever thou art with earnest prayer and diligence daily Hear Read Mark and fear not but by degrees thou wilt Learn and Inwardly digest this excellent Lesson of imitating what thy Saviour both said and did If thou never makest the least serious application never complain that the business is too hard but blame thy shameful sloth and neglect Believe him that hath said Whosoever hath tho but a little to him shall be given Mat. 13.22 and he shall have more abundance And if that be not'enough to set you about this necessary work if thou despairest of arriving to so high a pitch of Perfection which He as God was only able to attain yet if thou settest before thine eyes those bright and shining Lights which He hath from time to time raised up thou wilt be sufficiently convinced that these his Laws are easy and pract cable to those that Love them Many and many instances the undoubted History of the Universal Church affords us of this Nature but to instance only in the Life and Behaviour of this most Illustrious and Royal Martyr whom we this day commemorate which brings me to the last observable wherein I promised III. To shew you how strictly he observed his Great Masters commands how Religiously he followed his Divine Example and by consequence how every good Christian that is true to his own endeavours and faithfully makes use of Gods assisting Grace is no less capable of performing and following the same It is commonly made an Excuse and Cloak for the Impatience and immoderate Complaint of some men that they are cast down from some great heighth of Prosperity and quite stript of ample Fortunes and Possessions as also on the other side He that calmly and chearfully bears up in such a Case is justly counted worthy of all Praise and Admiration Of such a one I am now to speak of a King whose loss we this day commemorate one who was born to and possest of an Imperial Crown of Three whole Nations so powerful and great as they would turn the balance and give Laws at pleasure to all Christendom None but Emperors could Rival his Birth and Fortunes therefore all future complaints in an Inferior Prince much more in the greatest Subject are quite cut off He was as Just and as Good as he was Great Who can doubt it that hath fully heard or impartially read his amazing Story or but cast his Eyes upon that Excellent and undoubted piece of his His Pourtraicture in his Solitudes and Sufferings He was but a Mortal Man indeed Vid. Dugdal late troub p. 381. and in that point infinitely short of his Lord and Master the Spotless Jesus We cannot say he was without sin but certainly He had as few to answer for as any Prince ever had It was the apparent Design of that Party that I may use their very Words to blacken him as much as they could and it is usual for Malice to aggravate every thing and to make even Nothing seem Something in such a Case Harrisons Tryal yet no man ever read or heard that He was any ways guilty of the least Immorality or so much as one of those Vices which are commonly incident to Mankind One Act indeed He did wearied out by restless Importunities rather than wone by Reason or Right which was his perpetual Lament as it was his heaviest Burthen to the day of his Death and made him on the Scaffold declare all his Sufferings to be justâ— It was his yeilding to that Unjust Sentence against the Lord of Strafford Na'sias Journal p. 11â— tho the Earl Himself by Letter had desir'd him to do it Yet he declar'd That He bore no Touch of Conscience with more Regret Dugd. p. 68 and constantly bewail'd his preferring what he thought Safe before what was Just his valuing Peace with Men before Peace with God â—urtrait 〈◊〉 2. and that to prevent Popular Discontents he should disturb the Quiet of his own Mind Yet even in this he was to us a most remarkable Example like David he gave us another Royal Pattern of true Penitence for he recovered himself by one continual Act of hearty Sorrow and Repentance to his Lives End Notwithstanding all this his admirable Piety and perfect Innocence Nalson ib. as to all things else he could not escape the grossest Imputations imaginable At his Trial he was Impeached for the Highest Treason that was ever acted on the Theatre of England He was not call'd a Man Gluttonous and a Wine bibber but a Tyrant a Traitor and a Murderer a Publick and Implacable Enemy to the Common wealth of England Nal. p. 32. and guilty of all the Desolations Rapines Burnings Damages Mischiefs and Spoils committed in that Vnhappy War He only smil'd at all this Foul and Villanous Language for an undanted Courage and immoveable Patience are not only the Effects but also the Indications of a guiltless and perfect Heart Certainly He that as I have shewn you Was so highly concern'd for the Guilt of consenting unto one Mans Death could never willfully occasion much less contrive the Effusion of so much Blood However to satisfy the whole World how well he remembred and how exactly he observed his Master's words Blessed are the Peace-makers Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you Joh. â—4 27 No man ever did labour to obtain it more than He. He sent above 40 Messages to the then Usurping Powers which are all in Print as an Invincible Demonstration of his Innocence herein to all future Ages All these return'd without Effect continually clog'd with new demands And there is no Man Living but must be forced to vindicate him herein who shall but compare