Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A49830
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A sermon preached at the funeral of the honourable Christopher Sherard, Esq., eldest son to the right honourable Bennet Lord Sherard, February the 28th, 1681 by T.L. ...
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Laxton, Thomas.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing L744; ESTC R34511
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18,144
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36
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a Councel and took a more than ordinary care and cost in its first draught and lineaments But when it became polish'd by an ingenious and liberal Education every step and motion in his Deportment was a prevailing Argument to beget both Love and Admiration Thirdly And all this is as far Inferior to his Inward Perfections as the shining of the Gold-Ring in comparison of that lustre and splendid Excellency which the Artificially Cut and well-set Diamond affords the Spectator When first Judgment and the use of Reason began to open and perform its Acts how industrious was he to impress good Habits That that Season might be improved to Vertue which in many Children is too prone to Liberty accustoming himself to good Manners before he was fully comprehensive of a greater Knowledge and Understanding And when at any time whilst under my Tuition any thing seem'd difficult to his obtaining in that very particular the goodness of a sweet Disposition so eminently appeared That did not Court and Complement an Indulgence from me but subdue by Conquest And ever as His days and years increased so did also a most Accomplish'd model of his Duty toward God and Man How often have I when expecting to have interrupted his Innocent Divertisements by a sudden surprisal found to my great Comfort this hopeful and pious Blossom in a Saint-like posture on his knees to God with two or three gathered together tendring his Morning Sacrifice Nor was it done by fits and extorted by Fear or a severe Discipline but a constant and Free-will Offering Had you seen that pithy and suitable Form of Prayer annexed in his first Grammar slubber'd and defac'd by his tender hands with his daily perusal it would be no great wonder that God should so soon remove him to sing Allelujahs in the Choire of Heaven that had so early and so well perform'd it on Earth He that had so soon vers'd himself in the Principles of Religion contain'd in the Church-Catechism to the delight of his Earthly Parents could not long be detain'd from being made perfect with Gods Children to the glory and honour of his Heavenly Father He in whom there was such a fruitful Spring of all imaginable good hopes of doing good in his Generation among Men is now glorifying God amongst Angels as the one in deep Sighs and sad Accents of Lamentations bewails our great loss so the other as a most strong Cordial should revive our drooping Souls Many excellent things might be communicated unto you not only for Imitation but Admiration St. Paul 2 Tim. 2.20 tells us In a great house there are vessels of Gold some to honour some to dishonour Give me leave to borrow his Metaphor In this Noble house this great Family He was a choice Vessel What Eusebius calls his Beloved Friend I may well apply unto him he was Vas Virtutum admirabile A Vessel adorn'd with an admirable variety of Natural Abilities Moral Vertues and Spiritual Graces every way suitable to his Birth Quality and Education O that all the Sons of Honour of this Kingdom and Off-spring of good Blood had the like Pious and early Inclinations to good Literature and Education Such Ambitious Thoughts to be eminent in Knowledge and Piety Such Sentiments of the Vniversities Such Revere to the Members thereof Such value and esteem to their Parts and Merits Then I should be in greater Hopes of seeing a flourishing State and Kingdom Then would there be more Amicable Overtures between the Church and State I dare be bold to say it That there is nothing sooner likely to weaken and prevent if not expose and ruine the flourishing State of this or any Kingdom than the want of sound Learning and Exemplary Lives in the Nobility and Gentry thereof I cannot omit the imparting one thing observable in this young Hero at his first entrance to make his own Conceptions into Latin in order thereunto I gave him this Subject Ignorantia est sola inimica Doctrinae i.e. Ignorance is the alone Enemy to Learning which made such impressions upon his tender Thoughts that in his most free Conversation with those that the Hospitable House-keeping of his Honourable Parents gave many and frequent Opportunities for He daily observed those Persons to have the meanest Thoughts not only of Clergy-men but of all others whatsoever under any Coat or Garb if Learned whose Education and Scholarship could carry them very little further than to Write and Read I have a large field to turn me in where I might expatiate in his just and due Character being gone out like a Taper that hath left a sweet Savour behind him in the Nostrils of all that knew him But I am willing to contract my self knowing I am contain'd in the prescrib'd limits of such Time as may be most suitable to the Offices of this Nature And what should I say more for the Time would fail me to tell of his Humility Meekness Modesty Courtesie Condescending to those of low Estate the great Aims and Ambition to express Duty to his Parents Love to his Friends Familiarity with his Neighbour Vnmoveable affection to his Servants Lowliness to his Inferiours Respect to his Superiours Kindness to his Equals and Insuperable Goodness to his dearest and nearest Relatives Thus he left the World having obtain'd a good report through Faith Heb. 11.39 in the flower and first budding of his days upon the confines and borders of the 16th year of his Age at the Feet of Gamallel newly placed in a station of good Literature in a Constellation of Arts and Sciences in that Ancient Foundation of Exeter-Colledge long since Laid by the Learned and Charitable Walter Stapleton Bishop of Exeter amongst the young Glories of our present state universally Lamented universally Beloved in his Virgin-purity unstain'd and unspotted nowly Espoused with the joyful Approbation of Parents on both sides to a Lady whose promising Excellencies not only of a considerable Fortune but of Vertue Youth Beauty good Nature good Parentage and all such commendable Qualifications as might have in all appearing probabilities rendred them both as happy as our Desires and Wishes could have expected and their Worths merited and deserved O! But that God that rules and governs all things by his Wisdom and Providence the reasons and causes of the various effects whereof are Subjects to employ the eyes of our Faith and Hope but not to be discover'd in Prospectives of Human Reason sent an Host of Heavenly Spirits to attend and recal that Spirit he himself first breathed to the celebration of Nuptials of an higher Nature with Jesus Christ the great Bridegroom of departed Saints in the Beatifical Vision of the all glorious Trinity the Father of an Infinite Majesty the true and only Son the Holy Ghost the Comforting and Sanctifying Spirit And shall we now either irrationally complain or religiously murmure and repine at or uncharitably envy at his glorious Translation He is inlarg'd from the Prison of this Life and shall we bemoan his Liberty He has quickly weathered through the disturb'd Waves in the unquiet Sea of this World and shall we in a mistaken Zeal debar him the quiet Haven Unwise Mortals that we are Is there any Earthly Inheritances Crowns or Dignities that could court him into a Return or an Exchange for those Mansions of Eternal Glory he is in possession of No no his Gains in his removal are of such a Nature both for Body Soul Estate Place and Company as can neither be sufficiently expressed or conceived by Human Wit and Invention For his Body that is stript of all sinful and natural Defects the Abortions of Sin and fill'd with all heavenly Contemplations at its reunion with the Soul of Mortal it becomes Immortal of Corruptible Incorruptible of Natural Spiritual i. e. not needing natural helps There is no use of Meats Apparel Physick Sleep Beds of weak and infirm glorious And for his Soul that is first eas'd of all the Rags and Reliques of Sin delivered of Igno rance and Self-love delivered of all the Consequences of Sin Griefs Fears Guilts Accusations And then it is filled with the Image of Jesus then all the Powers and Faculties are advanced above the ordinary strain of Nature and his Soul furnished with all the Attendances of Christ's Image everlasting Joy perpetual Peace a constant Correspondence and Communion with God and his Holy Angels And here we leave him But it is but for a short time the Division betwixt him and us is of a small continuance we must suddenly cut over the same Ferry and meet him on the other side of the Shore Death's Boat was not appointed to carry all at once the Ferry not made to land all at one Tide stay the return of Water for our turn In the mean time praying for a prosperous Gail and giving God thanks for all his Servants departed this Life in his Faith and Fear beseeching him to give us Grace to follow their good Example that with them we may be partakers of his heavenly Kingdom through Jesus Christ our Mediatour and Advocate To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost three Persons and one God be ascrib'd all Honour Adoration and Thanksgiving now and for ever Amen FINIS
blessed Exchange shall we Mourn for their glorious preferment whom we profess to live with God Spei nostrae ac Fidei prevaricatores Simulata ficta fucata videntur esse quae dicicimus Cyprian What difference in this respect between the Hopeless Heathen and the Professed Christian St. Cyprian thinks it incongruous to Mourn for them in Black that follow the Lamb in White This perhaps may seem a Flower of Rhetorick but certainly Excessive Sorrow shews us to be of a defective Faith That Faith can hardly be thought sincere unto which we walk so contrary in Practice Especially seeing a very Heathen could say That we do not amittere but praemittere not lose them but send them before us in Hope as our Faith further teacheth us to follow and communicate with them in the same Glory and Blessedness And this leads me to the next General part of the Text the First Reason against Excessive Sorrow for the Dead the Nature of Death It is a sleep Sleep in phrase of Scripture admits of divers senses for we find First The sleep of Nature A binding of the Senses Somnus Naturae a Rest cessation and suspention of them from their Actual operations and consequently Ligatio sensuum of all the Members of the Body from executing their Natural offices and functions Thus Adam slept in Paradice Jesus in the Ship Peter in the Prison 2. The sleep of Sin A secure Spiritual Lethargy Somnus Culâ—ae Eph. 5.14 1 Thess 5.6 Awake thou that sleepest Let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober that is Arise from the Grave of Infidelity and Sin unto the Life of Faith the Life of Righteousness and then to keep the Eyes of our Souls continually waking lest we be inveigled by the Devil or the Worlds Temptations 3. The sleep of Grace Somnus Gratiae A holy Peace and Tranquility of Mind arising from the apprehension of Gods favour in Christ I will lay me down and sleep If David can attain a glimpse of the light of Gods Countenance then he will lay him down and sleep 4. Somnus Sepulcri The sleep of the Grave The long sleep of Death when the Body lying in the Bed of Dust doth rest until it be awakened by the Sound of the last Trumpet Now to prevent Error and Mistake this Sleep is not to be conceiv'd of the separated Soul as some have vainly thought supposing it to be not only without Organical by a bodily Instrument action but without all Action Not considering that the Soul even in the state of Union and Commerce with the Body hath her proper and Immaterial acts of Thinking Reasoning Judging c. Yea the most perfect Acts of the Soul are exercised when the Bodily Senses are tied up as in Extasies and deep Contemplations Besides the Spirits of Men in and after their Transmigration are still Spirits but without motion and activity they would be no Spirits For the Nature and Essence of a Spirit consists in Act and it is not obscurely intimate Rev. 5.12 that they are employed in Magnifying and praising God Understand this Sleep therefore to be of the Body in the Grave a Metaphor very frequent in Holy Scripture Deu. 12.2 Many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake Of divers of the Kings of Israel and Judah 't is said that they slept with their Fathers St. Paul reproving the abuse of the Holy Sacrament in the Corinthian Church For this cause saith he many are sick and weak among you and many sleep And St. Stephen having commended his Spirit into the hands of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 7.59 fell asleep A Similitude used among the Heathen Hence their distinction of the Greater and Lesser Sleep Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One calls it Deaths Brother Another Deaths Sister Another Deaths Image Of one Gorgias it is said That being sick and heavy unto Death and very sleepy being ask'd how he did Virgil. Stulte quid est somnus gelidae nisi mortis Imago Jamme somnus incipit tradere fratri suo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 replied Now sleep begins to deliver me up to his Brother Death These although Ignorant of a Resurrection could easily find in Death the similitude of a Sleep Hence our Graves are called Beds and our Churchyards Sleeping-places or Dormitories And indeed if Death be a Sleep the Grave must needs be the Bed Isai 57.2 Unto this may fitly be applied that of the Propht They shall enter into peace they shall lie down upon their Beds each one walking in his uprightness Divers Reasons may be given of this Similitude I shall pitch upon two First Sweetness of Rest Secondly Certainty of Resurrection 1. Sweetness of Rest Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their Labours Man is born to affliction as the sparks fly upwards No Family Age Sex or Condition of Men but hath experience of Humane Miseries A heavy yoak is laid upon the Sons of Men from the day of their Birth unto the day of their Death Afflictions like Waves come rolling one upon another the end of one misery is the beginning of another Hear we not one crying My belly my belly with the Prophet another My head my head with the Shunamites Son One My Father my Father with Elisha another My Son my Son with David One complaining of Cruel Enemies another of False Friends One of Sore Labour another of Hungry Meals One of Grief in the Body another of Sin in the Soul Here lies Jacob in the Fields there Joseph in Prison Here Jeremy in the Dungeon there David in the Wilderness Daniel among the Lions the Three Children in the Fiery Furnace It is not unsignificant that Nature sends us into the World Weeping a sad presage of our future Calamity Such our Ingress such our Progress through this Vale of Tears So that Man and Misery seem to be born under one Planet If Man had not been Sorrow upon Earth had never been And as we suffer many Evils so we do more the Flesh continually lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh so that the good which we would we do not and the evil which we would not that we do From all these this Sleep in my Text gives us a sweet discharge the Soul carried into Abrahams Bosom And what is the Fathers Bosom but a place of Repose unto the Child The Body laid up in a Couch of Sacred rest and security sweetned sanctified seasoned and perfumed by the most precious Death and Burial of Christ Cubile in quo mollius dormit quisquis durius se en hâc vitâ gesserit where our sleep shall be sweeter as our labour hath been harder The Body no sooner dead but it feels nothing the Soul no sooner fled but it feels it self happy 2. Certainty of Resurrection Indeed more certain than we are