Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A60347
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A funeral sermon occasioned by the death of Mr. William Rathband an aged and learned servant of Christ, and preached Octob. 13. 1695. at Highgate. By Samuel Slater, M.A. minister of the gospel.
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Slater, Samuel, d. 1704.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing S3965; ESTC R220549
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27,757
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34
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poor Sinners be wise while you may and know assuredly it is best going to him now for a pardon and grace and acceptance before you go to him to receive your final Sentence If you will not now go to him as humble Penitents with Confessions and Supplications that your Sins may be blotted out you shall come to him as Criminals in order to execution and if you desire to know aforehand what your punishment will be you may read it in 2 Thess. 1. 8. Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Secondly We may from hence learn what our life in the world should be It is a matter of very high and near concernment for men and women to understand themselves well in this particular to know what they should be and do and how they should live that they may be approved and truly our life should be a coming to God and a walking with him In the first Conversion there is a facing about a turning of the mind and heart to God Christ sent Paul to the Gentiles to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God And after the first turn is made there should be a further returning all the actions of the life should be so many steps back to God This was the great design and end of our Lord Iesus in his dying not only that he might bring pardon and peace to men but also that he might bring men to God bring them into favour with God yea and into obedience and conformity to him and into a communion and conversation with him 1 Pet. 3. 18. He suffered the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Now since that was the gracious design of Christ the blessed and noble end he had in his eye and was willing to be at so much cost for the accomplishment of shall not we comply with him therein shall it not be in our heart as well as in his And since we have so great an excellent Person to take us by the hand and introduce us and bring us in and present us to the Father let us go let us not draw back let us not stand questioning and disputing and saying Shall I shall I this is a meer loss of time let us go presently the sooner the better You have heard that you must go at last yes you must there is no possibility of avoiding it and therefore let us all be persuaded and heartily willing to go now To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Go now to God in your Mind and Thoughts in your Hearts and Affections before you go in your Persons Get as much of Heaven as you can before-hand The Psalmist said Psalm 73. ult It was good for him to draw night to God And without peradventure it is full out as good now as it was then as good for us as it was for him It is both a pleasant good and a profitable one Let us therefore do it yea and be drawing nearer and nearer to him every day never thinking our selves near enough so long as we are in a far Country and till we come to be with him in Heaven And yet again let us not think it enough to to be making frequent approaches to him in Holy Duties and in Gospel Ordinances which are as a Iacob's Ladder upon which the holy Soul ascends and makes its spiritual advances but keep up a daily Walk with God as Enoch and Noah did in their Generations maintain an intimate and constant Communion with him that you may be able to say with Paul Our Conversation is in Heaven And with Iohn Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son the Lord Iesus Christ. Oh how Noble is it to converse with God! it meliorates and raiseth and spiritualizeth the Soul it never is with him but it comes away better from him and how sweet is it God being pleasant for delights for certain you will find and judge it so when you do once come by experience to know what it is you will then say as Peter did upon the Mount of Transfiguration It is good Lord to be here Thirdly We may from hence learn that It is very much our Interest and therefore our wisdom to bid God heartily welcome whensoever he is geaciously pleased so far to condescend as to come to us You have heard and I hope you believe that it is appointed for all Men once to dye and when we do dye let it be in what way it will and by what stroke it will and let us be in what State and Frame we will we must all of us go to God all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ. And let us think with our selves what Entertainment we would have then how we would have Christ carry toward us Do not we desire that he should receive us graciously and bid us welcome as some of his old Friends and Acquaintance Would we not be glad to hear him owning us before his Father and the Holy Angels and saying to us Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you I do not in the least question but you would Then I counsel you that in order thereunto you would now carry kindly toward God and receive him as it becomes an infinite Great Holy and Glorious Majesty to be received Know this such is his Goodness that he often comes to you Frequently in his word therein he discovers and reveals his Mind and Will concerning you opens to you the Mysteries of his Kingdom that were kept hid from Ages and Generations from the Wise and Prudent of the World Bid him welcome and his Word welcome say with Hezâ—kiah Good is the word of the Lord yea those Precepts of it that are most contrary to corrupt Nature and those threatnings of it that are most tremendous and startling Receive it into your Hearts as well as into your Heads and let it dwell richly in you Do not imprison any word of God as Asa did one of the Messengers that brought it do not rebel against the Light do not hold any truth in unrighteousness Sometimes he comes to you by his Spirit in such and such an holy Motion awakening you out of your Sleep and Sloth reducing you from such a wandering calling you to such a Word and Duty Now do not you resist him but submit and comply do not you quench him but bring fewel rather do not grieve him but labour to be his Delight and Joy Carefully listen to his Voice and make speed to follow his Ducture as Paul did immediately not consulting with Flesh and Blood when God had once revealed his Son in him The Spouse was guilty of vile Ingratitude and sinn'd grievously in lying lazily and asking her self a company of simple questions I have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Which