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A44635 The evil of our dayes with the remedy of it : a sermon preach'd at a visitation at Rothwell in Northamptonshire, Octob. 12, 1697 / by John Howard ... Howard, John, 1647-1729? 1698 (1698) Wing H2982; ESTC R8165 19,799 29

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to remedy such evils would argue a great want of Charity to the Souls of Men. Notwithstanding even while we have a due Sense of their danger and are zealously attempting to rescue them out of the Snare of the Devil yea if we have try'd all fit Means in vain or with but little success we must not be very much discouraged on this account For though the natural Seed usually springs up quickly and rewards the Labours of the Husbandman in a few Months yet the spiritual Seed the word of God with which we instruct and warn our People does often produce its effects many years after Therefore let us here take the advice which the Wise Man gives with respect to works of Charity Eccles 11.6 In the Morning sow thy Seed and in the Evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be alike good But whatsoever the success of our holy endeavours may be we our selves shall not lose the reward of them For if a faithful Minister has cause to complain with the Prophet Isa 49.4 I have labour'd in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain he may add with him too yet surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God And v. 5. Though Israel be not gather'd yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength As for other Afflictions which befall us for the same cause we ought to bear them as persons that have sufficient motives to encourage and comfort us under them all If Men despise our Profession we know that God has highly honour'd it And indeed there is nothing in our holy Office below the greatest Men shall I say or rather the most glorious Angel to perform The subject of our Preaching is the Word of God wherein are all the Treasures of Wisdom and Grace the end of it is to save Men from Eternal Misery and bring them to a state of Eternal Happiness The Sacraments we Administer are Pledges of the Love of God in Christ to Penitent Sinners Engagements upon them to be Faithful to their great Lord and means to convey those Divine Virtues which will enable them to be so When we visit the Sick it is to instruct and Pray for them that they may be fitted for Glory if they dye and to serve and honour God more if they recover When we bury the Dead we do an act of Charity both to them and to the Living To us God has given Authority to bless his People in his Name yea to Remit and Retain Sins All which things are so far above the contempt of Men that the holy Angels might envy us in the doing of them if they were capable of such a Passion And it is not for any meanness in our Office but for other reasons that God has not employ'd those Glorious Creatures in it The Work does indeed highly deserve them but we could not bear their Ministrations in it and God has committed this Treasure to earthen Vessels to Persons that are mean and frail and of such narrow capacities as our selves that the glory of its Success may be wholly his own 2 Cor. 4.7 Therefore if ignorant and senseless Sinners will despise such an Office it becomes us with St. Paul to magnify it and let them consider how much the Eternal God himself is concern'd in this case For he that despiseth despiseth not Man but God 1 Thes 4.8 And our Saviour tells the seventy Disciples and in them all Ministers of the Gospel Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Having therefore such partners in this contempt it behoves us rather to glory in it than be discouraged by it Whatever other Affronts or Injuries a faithful Servant of Christ receives he may be comforted not only from the former considerations but the case of our blessed Lord himself who came into the World upon the most gracious design that was ever carried on in it who was perfectly Innocent and continually went about doing good and yet endur'd the worst Persecutions of all sorts from those very Men whose Souls he came to save Therefore a Patient enduring of Afflictions will make us in a great measure conformable to the Lord Jesus and thereby work out for us an exceeding and Eternal weight of Glory It will also at present secure our own Peace and Tranquillity in despight of any that would disturb it and so make us better Merchants of the present Season in Redeeming it from such disturbing thoughts and complaints as those injuries are apt to provoke in us Thus have I shew'd in some part how we must use our time with respect to the Evil of it and that there is most need of Redeeming the time when the days are Evil to preserve our own Innocency to reform the Age we live in to bear our Sufferings patiently and to promote the Honour of God in the World To which I might add several other Reasons as 1. It is then most Praise-worthy 2. Then it is especially necessary to prevent the Judgments of God denounc'd against Sin particularly that which at last came upon Ephesus as well as the other Churches of Asia for not making a good use of their opportunities and means of Grace namely the removal of the Gospel from them according to our Saviours threatning Rev. 2.5 Remember from whence thou art fallen and Repent and do the first Works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou Repent Which Judgment we have also too much reason to fear and therefore ought to use our best care and diligence to prevent it 3. The improveing such a Season will be more abundantly rewarded both in this and a future Life I might also draw several inferences from what has been spoken but the time will not give me leave Therefore I shall only add that seeing this is a business of the greatest importance and very difficult too seeing our time is very short and uncertain our own abilities insufficient for such a Work and we live in the midst of many and great Temptations to abate our Zeal and diligence in it we ought to look the more carefully to our selves and use the best means to fit us for it Let us therefore Redeem what precious time we can from all unnecessary avocations and employ it diligently in Reading Meditation and Prayer Let us confer often with one another for our mutual assistance and encouragement and let us endeavour always to preserve such a Temper of Mind free from Worldly Cares and other distracting Passions as will make us capable of higher improvements by these means and engaging more entirely in the work of the Lord for the greater honour of his holy Name the better success upon the Souls of our People and a more glorious Reward to our selves hereafter in the Heavens THE END ERRATA PAge 12. l. 20. r. teaches us p. 14. l. 23. r. in it p. 15. l. 5. r. Zeal and Devotion p. 18. l. 29. r. Magnifying p. 2● l. 21. r. differences THe True Interest of a Nation or the Duty of Magistrates Ministers and People in order to the further Settlement and Prosperity of these Kingdoms A Sermon Preach'd at the Assizes held at Buckingham July the 5th 1692. By the same Author Printed for J. Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultry 1693.