A47613:325
A summons to the grave, or, The necessity of a timely preparation for death…
A summons to the grave, or, The necessity of a timely preparation for death demonstrated in a sermon preached at the funeral of that most eminent and faithful servant of Jesus Christ Mr. John Norcot who departed this life March 24, 1675/6 / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed for Ben Harris, 1676
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
11. And lastly, Here is cause of lamentation, because evil and dark days many times follows the removal of Gods Worthies. When God take away so many faithful ones, what may we expect to look for. I might give divers instances of the sad effects, or what hath followed the taking godly persons & sincere Labourers away*. But I am afraid I have been too tedious already, remember what the ⟨p. 58⟩Prophet saith, The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; Merciful men are taken away; and none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. Isa. 57. 1.
11. And lastly, Here is cause of lamentation, because evil and dark dayes many times follows the removal of Gods Worthies. When God take away so many faithful ones, what may we expect to look for. I might give divers instances of the sad effects, or what hath followed the taking godly persons & sincere Labourers away*. But I am afraid I have been too tedious already, remember what the ⟨p. 58⟩Prophet saith, The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; Merciful men are taken away; and none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. Isa. 57. 1.
- *Mr. Clark gives us several instances how the death of the righteous hath been the Fore-runner of sad and lamentable Judgements: Begins with Methuselah before the Flood, whose very name was very significant upon this account. Also I lately met with a Sermon of a godly Minister in New England that was preached sometimes before their late calamities and miseries broke forth there, and amongst their other signs of approaching judgement, that he seemed to be very apprehensive of, he minds that of the dropping away of many holy and godly persons. Oh how many able and godly preachers and others have we lost in a short space? We may look upon it as one sad sign or symptom of approaching evil.