N00280:18
The high esteem which God hath of the death of his saints. As it…
The high esteem which God hath of the death of his saints. As it was delivered in a sermon preached October 7. 1683. Occasioned by the death of the Worshipful John Hull Esq: who deceased October 1, 1683. / By Samuel Willard teacher to a church in Boston. ; [Four lines of quotations]
printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Sewall, 1683
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.
3. The Saints have a privilege above other Men in their Death: what this privilege is will follow; that there is such a thing, the limitation of the general Subject, Death, to this particular Subject, Saints, in disposing of it to be capable of the ensuing predication, evidenceth. When the Psalmist hath something worthy and excellent to say about Death, he restrains and bounds it in the Saints, q. d. all Men die, but all do not thus die, this is not a common privilege which I am speaking of, but it is appropriated to the Saints of God. Hence, all that would have any advantage above other Men in their dying, must make it their great care and endeavour whiles they are living to be Saints.
3. The Saints have a priviledge above other Men in their Death: what this priviledge is will follow; that there is such a thing, the limitation of the general Subject, Death, to this particular Subject, Saints, in disposing of it to be capable of the ensuing predication, evidenceth. When the Psalmist hath something worthy and excellent to say about Death, he restrains and bounds it in the Saints, q. d. all Men die, but all do not thus die, this is not a common priviledge which I am speaking of, but it is appropriated to the Saints of God. Hence, all that would have any advantage above other Men in their dying, must make it their great care and endeavour whiles they are living to be Saints.
2. The Predicate of this Subject: It is precious in the sight of God; and here is a double excellency of the Saints Death discovered, viz.
1. Innate or real; in it self it is precious: for God doth not esteem of things otherwise then they really are; when we hear that he reckons them so, we may conclude that they must be so indeed: the word signifies, weighty, honourable, precious, dear and rare. Death which is in it self an evil thing, when it befalls a Child of God, becomes a thing of very great worth.