A51833:127
Advice to mourners under the loss of dear relations in a funeral sermon long…
Advice to mourners under the loss of dear relations in a funeral sermon long since preached / by the late Reverend Dr. Thomas Manton ... And now occasionally published on the much lamented death of Mrs. Ann Terry, who died the 9th of November, 1693. With a short account of some passages of her life, and papers left under her own hand.Advice to mourners under the loss of dear relations in a funeral sermon long since preach'd / by the late Reverand Dr. Thomas Manton ... And now occasionally published on the much lamented death of Mrs. Ann Terry, who died the 9th of November, 1693. With a short account of some passages of her life, and papers left under her own hand.
London: printed by J.D. for Jonathon Robinson, 1694
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.
PAPER III.
YE will not come unto me that ye may have Life. O the Stupidity of poor, careless and secure Sinners! What, will you not come to Christ, who alone can give you Life, Natural Life, and Spiritual Life, and Life Eternal? We spare no Pains nor Cost to save the Life of the Body; but O what Fools, what senseless and sottish Creatures are we, not to provide for Eternal Life! What is this momentary Life given us for, but to provide for our Departure hence, to labour to get an Interest in God and Christ? Our Time was given us that we might have an Opportunity of working out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling, and that we may make our Calling and Election sure; that we may get some comfortable Hopes that we do belong to the Election of Grace. O get your Title to Heaven cleared, that you are born again, that your Sins are pardoned, that your Person is justified, and that you are truly sanctified and cleansed from all (wilful) Filthiness of the Flesh and Spirit: Don't indulge your self in any known Sin, not in omitting any known Duty, nor in ⟨p. 45⟩the Commission of any known Sin. The least Sin, without Repentance, is damnable; but the greatest Sin, upon true Repentance, is pardonable: for the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sins, even those that are of a Crimson Die; If our Sins be as Scarlet, God can make them as white as Snow, if we do but truly repent of them, and forsake them. Let not that Complaint of the Prophet, Hos. 5. 4. be verified in you, that you will not frame your Doings, to turn unto the Lord. What, will you not do what in you lies, to frame your Doing to please the Lord? What, will you not avoid some petty Sins that do highly offend your good God, and may cause him to hide his Face from you? Thus saith the Lord, Seek ye me, and ye shall live. But may not our Conscience condemn us, and tell us, that that precious Time that our good God hath given us to seek him, and to be reconciled to him, and to make our Peace with him, even that Time hath been spent in Sin and very Vanity, in adding Iniquity to Iniquity. We are commanded to keep our selves in the Love of God, looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life. It is to no purpose to expect Mercy from Christ, or to hope for Eternal Life, if we do not what we can to keep our selves in the Love