N01903:34
Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things…
Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things are to be entertained withal. A sermon at Boston-Lecture, on the death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, and the day before her interment; who expired Septemb. 26. 1721. / By her father. ; Whereunto there is added, a sermon on, the refuge of the distressed, which was preached on the Lord's-Day preceding.Silentiarius. A brief essay on the holy silence and godly patience, that sad things are to be entertained withal. A sermon at Boston-Lecture, on the death of Mrs. Abigail Willard, and the day before her interment; who expired Septemb. 26. 1721. / By her father. ; Whereunto there is added, a sermon on, the refuge of the distressed, which was preached on the Lord's-Day preceeding.
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland, 1721
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.
BUT then, Secondly. A Shame of the Sin that has brought our sad things upon us; This belongs to that Holy silence, wherewith GOD is to be Glorified under them. The Confusion which Repentance is attended withal, it has an Holy silence in it. Repentance is thus described; Ezek. XVI. 63. That thou mayst Remember, and be Confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy Shame. A true Penitent is thus exhibited unto us, Lam. III. 28, 29. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence; because he hath born it upon him; he putteth his mouth in the Dust. The frame of a true Penitent is that; Ezra. IX. 6. O my God, I am ashamed. I blush to lift up my Face unto thee. And, I Blush to open my mouth before thee. Under our sad things there is a Repentance called for; A Repentance that will not leave us a Word to say for our selves; but cast us into the Confusion of an Holy ⟨p. 20⟩silence before the Glorious GOD, against whom we have sinned. The most agreeable Voice of Lamentations is that, Let us search and try our Ways, and Return unto the Lord. But in this Return unto the Lord, there must be an Holy silence caused by the Confusion arising from what we find in our searching and our trying of our Ways. We are told, That if we would speak aright, we must say, What have I done? But then having so spoke aright, there must follow an Holy silence, from the shame of what we have done. If ••d things befall us, we are to-hear an Holy GOD saying unto us, Thy Way and thy Doings have procured those things unto thee; this is thy Wickedness. Under sad Things, let us Examine our selves, What have I done to procure these things? What Wickedness, either in point of Commission, or of Omission, have I been guilty of? Oh! Let us Loath and Judge our selves before the Glorious GOD, and with an Holy silence let us take to our selves the shame of our Miscarriages, •y which we have provoked His Majesty to inflict such sad Things upon us. •hen sad Things befall us, we may say, ⟨p. 21⟩