Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A60137
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The mourners companion, or, Funeral discourses on several texts by John Shower.
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Shower, John, 1657-1715.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing S3673; ESTC R25149
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101,466
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242
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assist them hereafter as now otherwise it is as uncertain whether you shall Repent hereafter if you live as whether you shall live to that hereafter wherein you say you intend to Repent 6. Consider How great and Important a thing it is to Dye and to meet the Lord our Judge It is so even for good men that are habitually Ready after such a life of sense and the deep Impressions we are under by sensible Objects after our many Backslidings and actual Sins to look into the House of darkness and think of lodging there to lay down these Bodies to corrupt and Putrifie there to bid adien to all our Relations and take a solemn leave of all our Friends to think of passing thro' this dark Entry through which as we go right or wrong we are made or undone for ever to think of the Majesty and Holiness of God his Truth and Justico to consider the strictness and Spirituality of his Holy Law and the awful Solemnity of the Tryal and Judgment that all Mankind must come under These and such things consider'd which are obvious to any considering man make it no easie matter to dye even for the best But for an unprepared Soul that is Unready as to his State who hath done little or nothing ever in his whole Life of such Work no Expressions can describe the Terrors of that mans case especially for careless carnal Professors that attend the preaching of the Word and are deceived by the Devil to think they are in the way to Heaven while yet they live in secret Sin and are Enemies to God what killing disappointment will they meet with one moment after Death when they expect with the foolish Virgins to enter Heaven and find the door to be shut Sirs believe and tremble If you are not ready for the Coming of Christ you are ready for his condemning Sentence and ripe for Ruine If you are not ready as Vessels of Mercy prepar'd for Glory you are ready as Vessels of Wrath fitted for Destruction That Place and Portion which you are fit for you shall have at Death If you are not fit to be with Christ if you are not made meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in Life if you are not formed and wrought by the Spirit of Christ for this self-same thing you shall have another Place and Company and Portion with the Devil and his Angels in unquenchable Fire where is weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth for ever 7. You need not fear that you shall hasten your Death by Thinking of it and being Ready Christs Summons will not be hastened tho' thy Preparation be The stroke of Death will not be sooner but the easier and make Life and Death it self sweeter by now endeavouring to be Ready You will not then be afraid of every Sickness and threatning Danger that brings you to the borders of the Grave They were the foolish Virgins who were affrighted at the Midnight cry The Bridegroom cometh because their Lamps were out and they had no Oyl they were struck to the Heart their Hope 's dyed and they presently sunk into Despair But of such as are Ready we find them speak of Dying as of an easie sleep I must put off this Earthly Tabernacle shortly saith one Apostle The time of my Departure is at hand and I am ready to be offer'd up saith another 2 Pet. 1.14 2 Tim. 4.6 But as Christ will not delay his Coming tho thou be unprepared so neither is thy Readiness for Death a likely means to shorten thy Life 8. Consider It is for this end that our Lives are continued and all the mercies of our Lives that we may be ready What have you Life given you for why were not you cut off many years ago but that you might have Time and space to Repent and Prepare for the Coming of Christ How many years have some of you been spared It may be twenty thirty forty fifty years and yet after all you are not ready What have you been busie about all this while How have you employed your Time What is the end of God do you think in all the merciful helps He concinues you Such as Ministers and Books Ordinances and Providences your own Sickness and others Funerals You lose the benefit and use of all your Mercies of Life Health and Time and some of you of Wealth and Honour c. of all the Sermons you have heard of all the Providential warnings of God to Awaken you you have lost them all if they have not furthered your Readiness for the Coming of Christ And if you shall live many years to come you must say it was all lost Time and wish you had never had an hour of it while this preparation for Death and Judgment is neglected 9. Consider the unspeakable Difference between a prepared and unprepared Soul in a dying Hour The one is going to see the things he hath Believed and possess that which he hoped for and hath the promise of God that he shall enjoy The other is going to feel what he would not in time believe to endure the threatned Wrath he would not Fear so as to escape The one is come to the end of all his Prayers and Patience Labours and Sufferings The other to the end of all his Ease and Pleasure Mirth and Joy The one hath the promised Felicity with God and Christ and all the blessed Spirits above in view before him the other hath Death and Hell the Judgment of Christ and an Eternity of Misery before him ready to overwhelm his Soul The one can look back with Comfort and reflect upon his upright Holy persevering Obedience mixt with Repentance for many Sins and Failings and yet can hope in God for his acceptance thro Christ the other must review his Heart and Life with horror and regret and read over the black Items of his careless Impenitent Course with Bitterness and Torment and the fears of greater The one is leaving this World where he spent his days in preparing for Eternity thô he heartily laments that he began no sooner and minded it no more the other is passing into the invisible Eternal World for which he hath made no provision The one by Death shall be translated to a blessed State of Holinefs Love and Peace in the everlasting joyful Praises of God his Maker Redeemer and Sanctifier the other sort are passing into the Regions of Darkness and Despair among Devils and unholy miserable Souls with whom they must dwell under the Hatred and Curse of God and the unspeakable Terrors of his Wrath for ever O the difference between one that is ready and one that is unready when the Summons from Christ shall come to call them both away Consider this endeavour to be Ready for the difference between one mans Death and anothers depends on the difference between Heart and Heart Life and Life Preparation and Unpreparedness 10. Consider that all the Readiness you now can get
like Calamity before-hand is in some sence true but does not that inflict as much of the Evil before as it takes off afterward For such * Parker's Demonst of the Law of Nat. part 1. §. 28. a fore sight and Expectation cannot be without Anxiety and many sad and melancholly thoughts I mean upon Principles meerly Philosophical it cannot And therefore it is a Disputable point among that fort of men whether it be best to be surprized by an Evil or to pre-meditate and foresee it's approach Both grant we are condemned to be miserable Think upon it before-hand says the one sort that you may feel it the less Never think of it before says the other with equal reason that you may not feel it twice But others more plausibly and with some Weight will be ready to say You knew a Parting Time must come You knew the Matrimonial Union might easily and suddenly be dissolved and broken by Death What did you not know that you and your Relations must Die or did you not live together with this design to help and prepare one another for Death And the Providence of God continued such a suitable Relation to you for so many years might he not have made this breach sooner you ought to be thankful for such a blessing so long Besides it may be added as to the manner of their Disease they had what Art and Care could do to preserve their Lives and earnest prayer to God was added if it did consist but with his Holy Pleasure that they might be longer spar'd And after all they Died quietly on their Beds and went to the Grave in peace and died Lamented and the last Offices of Friendship were perform'd at their Funerals c. Moreover you know not but they are taken away from the evil to come for notwithstanding the beginning and progress of National Deliverances thus far some of us may live to see the Cup of Trembling that our Neighbours and Brethren have drank of come round to us so that the dead may be accounted more happy than the Living As the Prophet speaks Jer. 22.10 Weep not for the Dead but weep for him that goes forth and escapeth Death You know not but such a Calamity may befall this Land this City or their own Family or Dearest Friends as would have made their Lives bitter and miserable if they had been prolong'd And were nothing of all this to be consider'd it might yet be said It is in vain to weep and mourn you cannot call back the Desire of your Eyes to Life again You only torment and hurt your self for heaviness in the Heart of Man makes it stoop it dries the bones and deadens the Spirit and very much unfits for the Duties and Comforts of Life Yea which is worse Immoderate sorrow for your departed Friends does but prove that you love this World too well it shews too plainly that your Faith concerning the Invisible Future World is very weak that you your selves as yet are too unprepar'd to die or count upon tarrying longer here than it may be God intends you shall These and such like considerations have all their influence and use in their proper place to contribute somewhat to our support but of themselves are not sufficient There are four things among others that a Christian Mourner ought to consider for his Relief 1. Whose Hand it is that gives the stroke who it is that does it 2. The Faithfulness of God to his Covenant Promise notwithstanding any such Providences 3. The Gain of those who Die in the Lord by our loss of their Company 4. Our Belief and Hope of meeting them again with all the Children of the Kingdom and being with them for ever with the Lord in Glory And let me add our Expectation of knowing them there for that to me is more than probable First We should not Grieve immoderately when Dear Relations are remov'd by Death because it is the Lord that doth it he who hath a Soveraign Authority and unquestionable Right to dispose of us and them as seems him good I take away the Desire of thine Eyes with a stroke I have done it saith the Lord. We mistake our Tenure if we think he may not call for for his own whensoever he pleaseth The Lord gives and the Lord takes we must adore and bless his Holy Name in both He is not responsible at our Bar or Accountable to us for every thing he does He hath not given us an account of all his matters He does not think fit to answer all our Questions or say all he can to vindicate the Righteousness and Wisdom of his present proceedings therefore why dost thou strive with him Job 33.13 Asa Ruler it is true he hath shewed us reason enough in the general for such Providences but as our absolute Lord and Owner he need not It may be we importunately prayed for their Recovery that God would spare them longer But if we did not pray with a humble submission to his holy Will our very Prayer was a Provocation and we need to repent and mourn for our selves And do not all holy Parents pray more earnestly for the Salvation of their Children and yet you know they are not all answer'd in kind if they were all the World would be saved for doubtless holy Noah prayed for all his Children and they if they were holy would do so for them c. But do we not daily supplicate for the honour of Gods Government for the Glory of his Name the accomplishment of his Councels and the fulfilling of his unerring Will and shall we Repine and Murmur when our prayers are answer'd Consider then whose Hand it is It is He hath taken who gave thee that and all thy other Mercies and prolongs innumerable ones which thou hast forfeited And shall we not receive evil at the hand of God as well as good Job 2.10 Especially since he may have the same kind and merciful design in taking as he had in giving and hath promised that all things this not excepted shall work for good It is He hath done it who is Infinitely Wise and Gracious who loves and pities and spares us as a Father does a Child And shall we not drink of that Cup which our Heavenly Father hath put into our hands His Soveraignty might justly silence us but his Goodness Righteousness and Wisdom should calm and settle our Hearts and make us resign our Will to his It is He hath done it who hath purchased a people out of the World and is collecting them one after another so soon as they are ready and have served the ends of his Glory upon Earth And how shall the many Sons and Daughters be brought to Heaven for which end the Son of God was incarnate and dyed if we and others should have our wish that God should take whom he would and when he pleased but our Relations should be excepted It is He hath done it who told us