A37028:85
The blessedness of the death of these that die in the Lord and more…The blessednesse of the death of these that die in the Lord and more…
The blessedness of the death of these that die in the Lord and more especially in an evil time excellently discoursed in seven very searching but sweet sermons on Revel. 14, v. 13 : wherein several weighty cases relating to death in general and to dying in Lord in particular are succinctly, solidly and satisfyingly handled / by James Durham.The blessednesse of the death of these that die in the Lord and more especially in ane evil time excellently discoursed in seven very searching but sweet sermons on Revel. 14, v. 13 : wherein several weighty cases relating to death in genereal and to dieing in Lord in particular are succinctly, solidly and satisfieingly handled / by James Durham.
Glasgow? : s.n., 1681
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 2d Use is of exhortation to stir up yourselves from these considerations to think on death more seriously, and how ye may die in the Lord; and to this end we shall propose three questions that ye would lay your account to be putt to answer at death.
1. Think how ye will answer the challenges that death will readily bring along with it and urge you for a satisfying answer unto, where there hath been a negligent life there will be many challenges, yea where there hath been a diligent life there will not be challenges wanting, ye would see how to prevent or answer these; I shall instance only in five of them. 1. When this comes, thou hast stifled many good purposes and ⟨p. 27⟩resolutions, or suspended the conscientious execution and practice of them, thou hast delayed and putt off from day to day the making of thy peace with God, how wilt thou answer that? When conscience begins to reflect and look back and to ask how is all? Is the house out of order through thy negligence? Tell me man what is the reason thou made not thy peace with God sure before this time? Diddest thou shuffle by such and such a duty when thou wast called to it and when it was pressed on thee? Why didst thou forbear to mortify such and such a lust? Consider, O • Consider how ye will answer such a challenge when ye will not dare to adventure on death▪ and yet will not be able to put it off, O secure Atheists and contemners of Godliness consider in time what ye will say to this. 2. Another challenge will be this, the conscience will say thou hast been busied in following after some vain Just, busy about the bigging of a house, about the gathering of some gear or riches, about making conquest of such a piece of land &c. Now what will all these advantage thee? And what profit hast thou of all these things whereof thou art now ashamed? Why diddest thou set thine eyes on, why bestowed thou so much labour and spent so much time and pains on that which cannot satisfy, on that which is not? What good will they then do to thee? It shall be said to thee, fool this night thy soul shall be taken from thee and then whose shall these things be; what advantage is there or can there possibly be in gaining the whole world if thou lose thy own soul? And O! What grounds of such challenges are there in this generation? A thing which when death comes will stick to and gnaw in the consciences of many of you that hear me this day, even that you have been cumbered and careful about many things while in the mean time the one thing necessary hath been postponed and quite neglected.