A44693:34
A sermon on the much lamented death of that reverend and worthy Servant of…
A sermon on the much lamented death of that reverend and worthy Servant of Christ Mr. Richard Adams, M.A. sometime fellow of Brazen-Nose College in Oxford, afterwards, minister of St. Mildred Bread Street, London, more lately, pastor of a congregation in Southwark, who deceased Febr. 7th, 1697/8 preached, February the 20th, 1698 / by John Howe.A sermon on the much lamented death of that reverend and worthy Servant of Christ Mr. Richard Adams, M.A. sometime fellow of Brazen-Nose Colledge in Oxford, afterwards, minister of St. Mildred Breadstreet, London, more lately, pastor of a congregation in SOuthwark, who deceased Febr. 7th, 1697/8 preached, February the 20th, 1698 / by John Howe.
London: printed by S. Bridge for Tho. Parkhurst, 1698
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.
And now for the reasons of this temper and posture of Soul, in reference to this State of the Case. There are divers very obvious.
1. That this is most agreeable to the Law of our Creation, to desire and covet the most perfect State whereof we are capable. It is an Unnatural Thing, not to do so, not to covet the Perfection of that State, that we can finally attain to. Nature, in all Creatures, tends to Perfection; it is a monstrous disorder in Nature, for any Creature, if it be capable of choice, to choose a State beneath the highest Perfection whereof it is capable. And
1. That this is most agreeable to the Law of our Creation, to desire and covet the most perfect State whereof we are capable. It is an Unnatural Thing, not to do so, not to covet the Perfection of that State, that we can finally attain to. Nature, in all Creatures, tends to Perfection; it is a monstrous disorder in Nature, for any Creature, if it be capable of choice, to chuse a State beneath the highest Perfection whereof it is capable. And
2. It is most suitable to the design of our Redemption, whether we consider the Privative Object, unto which our Redemption refers, or the positive. The Privative Object, this World, that we are to forsake and leave, with this Flesh, that con-naturalizes us to this World. Christ gave himself for us, to deliver us from this present Evil World, Gal. 1.4. ⟨p. 20⟩As for his Redeemed Ones, those for whom he gave himself, he is willing they should be here a while; but he gave himself for them, that they might not be here always; That he might fetch them out of this horrid Abyss of Darkness, Impurity, and Death.