A26793:13
A funeral sermon preached upon the death of the Reverend and Excellent Divine Dr.…
A funeral sermon preached upon the death of the Reverend and Excellent Divine Dr. Thomas Manton, who deceased Octob. 18, 1677 by William Bates ... ; to which is now added, the last public sermon Dr. Manton preached.A funeral sermon preached upon the death of the Reverend and Excellent Divine Dr. Thomas Manton, who deceas'd Octob. 18, 1677 by William Bates ... ; to which is now added, the last publick sermon Dr. Manton preached.
London: printed by J.D. for Brabazon Aylmer, 1678
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The general Proposition from the Words is this; The Saints after the Resurrection ⟨p. 4⟩shall be Completely and Eternally happy in the Presence of Christ.
The general Proposition from the Words is this; The Saints after the Resurrection ⟨p. 4⟩shall be Compleatly and Eternally happy in the Presence of Christ.
To make this supernatural Blessedness more easy and intelligible to us, the Scripture describes it by sensible Representations. For whilst the Soul is clothed with Flesh, Fancy has such a dominion, that we can conceive of nothing but by Comparisons and Images taken from material things. 'Tis therefore set forth by a Feast, and a Kingdom, to signify the Joy and Glory of that State. But to prevent all gross conceits; it tells us that the Bodies of the Saints shall be spiritual, not capable of Hunger and Thirst, nor consequently of any refreshment that is caused by the satisfaction of those appetites. The objects of the most noble senses, Seeing and Hearing, the pleasure of which is mixed with Reason, and not common to the Brutes, are more frequently made use of to reconcile that glorious State to the proportion of our Minds. Thus sometimes the Blessed are represented placed on Thrones with Crowns on their ⟨p. 5⟩heads; sometimes clothed in White, with Palms in their hands; sometimes singing Songs of triumph to Him that sits on the Throne, and to their Saviour. But the reality of this Blessedness infinitely exceeds all those faint Metaphors. Heaven is lessened by Comparisons from earthly things. The Apostle who was dignified with the revelation of the successes that shall happen to the Church till Time shall be no more, tells us, it does not appear what we shall be in Eternity. The things that God has prepared for those that love him, are far more above the highest ascent of our thoughts, than the Marriage-Feast of a great Prince exceeds in splendour and magnificence the imagination of one that has always lived in an obscure Village, and never saw any Ornaments of State, nor tasted Wine in his Life. We can think of those things but according to the poverty of our Understandings. But so much we know that is able to sweeten all the bitterness, and render insipid all the sweetness of this World.