Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A45686
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A funeral sermon preached upon the death of Mrs. Rebecka Goddard, November the 13th. 1692 At Joyners-Hall. By Tho. Harrison.
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Harrison, Thomas, fl. 1700.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing H910A; ESTC R213017
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15,833
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28
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bestow them upon us or continue them with us Though we may make use of all lawfull Means to obtain and preserve Temporal good things yet we must not forget to apply our selves unto God whose Blessing alone can render them effectual Physitians will be of no Value for the recovery of our languishing Relations unless God sends forth his Word and heals them Secondly Hence I Inferr That they deserve to be reproved who when they have sustained any Losses reflect upon perplex themselves about and ascribe those Losses solely or principally to second Causes We are very prone in such Cases to blame Instruments instead of eyeing the Providence of the principal Efficient to resolve all troublesome Events into the malignity of Second Causes This part of practical Atheism we are apt to be guilty of thô common Observation might be sufficient to Confute it The same second Cause which produces such an effect at one time or in one Person shall not produce the like at another time or upon another Person Why should we ascribe the Death of our Relations principally to the Malignity of the Distemper wherewith they were seized when we see others surviving the same Distemper when attended with the same dangerous Circumstances Thirdly I Inferr That when any of our Outward Comforts are taken away from us we should diligently enquire into the end and design of that separation which hath been made between us and them Tho' the Ends of Humane Acts are not always worthy of our search and enquiry yet the ends of Divine Acts are always so God hath Noble and Excellent Ends in all his Operations Let us therefore at such a time address our selves to God in the words of Holy Job 10. ch 2. v. Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me Fourthly I Inferr The Folly of those who put their Trust and place their Confidence in any thing as a security from Death Were they who go to their long Home only taken away by Men then there might be some probability of warding off the fatal blow but seeing they are taken away by God what can prevent it Can you think that the great Jehovah will be charm'd by your Beauty or overpower'd by your Strength Are there any Forts or Towers into which he cannot enter Can you flie into any remote Countrey where his Arm cannot reach you Will the Great God have any regard to your Worldly Riches or Temporal Grandure By none of these things can you deliver either your own or others Souls from Death or hinder them from going down to the Pit Thus much for the first part of the Words I now proceed to the second Secondly We have a Natural and Necessary Inference or Conclusion from both the forementioned Propositions Blessed be the Name of the Lord In which words we have two things contained viz. First An Object The Name of the Lord. This Phrase hath various acceptations in the Holy Scriptures But there are two things which I conceive may be intended by it in this place and indeed the latter is plainly included in the former First By the Name of the Lord is intended God himself The Name of a Person or Thing is often put for the Person or Thing named Thus 1 Acts 15. The number of the Names together were about an hundred and twenty i. e. the number of Persons they being numbered by their Names So 44 Psal 5. and several other places Secondly By the Name of the Lord are intended the Attributes and Perfections of God By them is his Nature discovered unto his Creatures and indeed all his Perfections are inseparable from his Essence Secondly We have an Act which was exerted upon this Object and that is Blessing By blessing God we are to understand either what we express in Words concerning God or what we think concerning him God is blessed by his Creatures when his glorious Perfections are published with Praise and Thanksgiving or when they have high great and glorious Thoughts of him when they inwardly reverence Honour and Love him The former is a Blessing with the Tongue the latter is a Blessing with the Heart the Tongue blessing without the Heart is but a tinkling Cymbal the Heart blessing without the Tongue makes sweet but still Musick both in Consort make that Harmony which fills and delights both Heaven and Earth When Job saith here Blessed be the Name of the Lord we are to understand it both ways Job speaks out the Blessing of God with his mouth and likewise had high and honourable Thoughts of him From these words I shall present you with the following Observation Doct. That it is the Duty and will be the Disposition of the People of God when in a right frame of Spirit to bless a taking as well as a giving God This is indeed a very hard Work but it is a very necessary Work God's People are not at all times engaged in it but they are so when in a right frame of Spirit In the Prosecution of this Point I shall take the following Method First I shall more particularly shew you what is intended by or implyed in our Blessing a taking God Secondly Endeavour the Proof and Demonstration of the Doctrine Thirdly Make some Improvement and Application of it First I shall more particularly shew you what is intended by or implyed in our blessing a taking God This I shall do by laying down the following Propositions First Prop. This is not exclusive of a holy mourning for the loss of our Outward Comforts At the same time that we bless God who hath taken away what we once enjoyed we may Mourn for our Loss These two as plainly appears from the Text and Context were joined together by Job and their Conjunction was approved by God as appears from the words following my Text In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly Mourning is allowable if we exercise a Christian Moderation therein Second Prop. Our Afflictions are not in themselves the proper Subject of Thanksgiving Outward Comforts being in themselves good things the loss of them absolutely considered is an evil Now the proper Subject of Praise is something that is Good Third Prop. Blessing God is absolutely exclusive of being directly opposite to every thing that is implyed in Cursing him Blessing and Cursing are Opposites To Curse God is to Blaspheme him either in our thoughts or words to think or speak unworthily or unbecomingly of him there is a Cursing God with the Heart as well as a Cursing him with the Lips We Curse God when our Hearts are imbitter'd against him or our Tongues sharpen'd to wound his Honour Therefore they that Bless him will not either think or speak unbecomingly of him they will not either mentally or verbally Murmur and repine at him they will not Question his Justice Reproach his Goodness or Accuse his Providence Fourth Prop. Blessing God implies the Exercise of Patience and our thinking and speaking honourably of God under affliction The Soul who