A89505:39
A sermon preached at the funeral of M. Christopher Love, in St. Laurence church,…A sermon preached at the funerall of M. Christopher Love, in St. Laurence church,…
A sermon preached at the funeral of M. Christopher Love, in St. Laurence church, August, 25. 1651. By Thomas Manton, minister of the gospel at Stoke-Newington near London.A sermon preached at the funerall of M. Christopher Love, in St. Laurence church, August, 25. 1651. By Thomas Manton, minister of the gospell at Stoak-Newington near London.
London: printed by J.B., 1651
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.
2. Strive for an assurance of Gods love; mine eyes have seen thy salvation, therefore now let thy servant depart in peace; now let me dye saith old Jacob, when he had seen his son Joseph; when you have seen Jesus Christ, when you can say experimentally he is my portion; then you may bid welcome to any death: death never comes untimely to such a man, though he may be cut off by some sudden stroke, if he hath an interest in Jesus Christ. A sinner though he live to be an old man, yet he is accursed.
2. Strive for an assurance of Gods love; mine eyes have seen thy salvation, therefore now let thy servant depart in peace; now let me dye saith old Jacob, when he had seen his son Joseph; when you have seen Jesus Christ, when you can say experimentally he is my portion; then you may bid welcom to any death: death never comes untimely to such a man, though he may be cut off by some sudden stroak, if he hath an interest in Jesus Christ. A sinner though he live to be an old man, yet he is accursed.
3. Mortify Corruption: he dyeth well that mortifieth corruption first; see your sins dead before you come to dye: Either sin must dye, or we must dye, What should an unmortified man do with heaven? that would be no place for his abode, because there are no carnal Bestial delights there; when wicked men go howling to hell, then might God say, go see whether your vain delights can save you.
3. Mortifie Corruption: he dyeth well that mortifieth corruption first; see your sins dead before you come to dye: Either sin must dye, or we must dye, What should an unmortified man do with heaven? that would be no place for his abode, because there are no carnal Bestial delights there; when wicked men go howling to hell, then might God say, go see whether your vain delights can save you.
4. There must be a holy Life and Conversation. Men live as though they never thought to dye, and then they dye as if they never thought to live; they that are not ashamed to live are not afraid to dye. We have a singular instance of this in our deceased brother, Balaam would fain dye the death of the righteous, but he would not live the life of the righteous: if we are careful to observe these directions, then our last hour will be our best hour.