Dr. Thomas Manron's Funeral Sermon. Tears, and offt.r as it were, a holy Violence to the King of Heaven, to recoverthcir /irfl (eren ity of Mind, the lofl Peace of Heart ? How paffionately do they cry out, with Job, in the Book of bis Patience, (Job 29. 2, 3, 4· ) 0 that I were as ;, months plljl, tli i11 the day.r when God priferved me: 1vhw his Candle Jbi,'d 11p01t my Head, and wheu by his Light I wn.lk'cl through darl:nefs: As I WfH i11 the day1 ofmy youth, wheu t!R Secret ofGod was lfpou my TabenMclc. And fometimes God delayes tl1c revealing him1elf even to his dearcfl Children; not that he does not fee thei r Neceffities, and hear their Prayers, or is fo hard that till their Extremities he is not moved with Compaffion, but for wife and holy Rea[ons; Either that they may not rct11rn to Folly, if by any prefumptuousSin they forfeited their Peace ; or if they have been careful to pleafe him, yet he may deprive them of Spiritual Comforts for a time, to keep them humble, and that with an obedient refignation to his Sovereign Pleafure they may wait for his reviving Prefencc. And then Joy rewrns greater than before. For thus God ulually renders with interefl what he fufpended only for trial. But the Saints above are for ever enlightned with the vital fplendor and dear regards of his Countenance, always enjoy his beamy !miles. A continual effufion ofGlory illuflrates Heaven and all its hleffed Inhahitants. And their Contemplation of God is fixed. If the Obje{l, though extraordinary ~~~r:~:ihilie~ }~a;~:~~\do~~;'J,;~:r~~t:~,~~k ~~~tt :f,~~:~do~l~;~~ai:.dh~:i~~ru~:r~:: tural vigour, to fee the hrightnefs of God's Face, and by the mofl attentive Application always conver!es with that blelfc<! Obje{l, fo that the Joy of He•ven is never intermitted for a moment. They always fee, and love, and rejoyce, and praife him. on'~}'ft~~~~ .. ~~;;~~~~;:t/~f. ~t~Y;;~~JnJ~n~~;tA:~~~~s~e '}~;0t~:!e~~l,~1f~~~~~ Happinefs in the vanity of the Creatures, at·e always defirous of Change, and have their Judgments fo corrupted, that wltile they Janguifh with a fecret defire after an unchangeable Good, yet they conceive no Good as defirable, that is not changed. Di~~:i~~~~~~~{lt~~:s~~~~ ;h~~~~fr~~a~r'J;;i~~~ ~: ~~;~t~.~~nt1~~: ~~~~ t~1b~~~~~~~s: r. Senfible things are offuch a limited Goodnefs, that not any of them can Cupply all our prefent wants, fo that 'tis neeelfary to leave one for another. And the mofl of them are Remedies of our difeafed Appetites, and if not temperately ufed, are defl:rutl:ive Evils. Eating and Drinking are to extingufh Hunger andThirft, but continued beyond jufl meafure become naufeous. Befidcs, the Infufficiency of their Obje{ls, the Senles themfelves cannot be fatisfied all at once. The Ear cannot attend to delightful Sounds, and the Eye be intent on beautiful Colours at the fame time ; the Satisfa{lion of one Senfe defea ts another of enjoying its proper good; therefore the CameObjell: is not conflantly pleafant, hut the Hea rt is diflemper'd from as many Caufes, as there are Defircs unaccomplifh'd. Add further, all things under the Sun afford only a fup~rficial Deli.ght, ~nd miferahly dece_ive the Expe~ations railed of them: and many t1mes there ts a nuxtureoffomeevtl m them, that IS more offen!ive than the good is delightful. The Honey is attended with a Sting, fo that often thole '. v;, nos ~~~~f.s w~:~~~~r:~~/~1~a~gf~s~1~Ur:~i~f~fr~~'c;~fee~ t~~~v~~c; olatrai2 '~od~:~~ f~~ ~~a~~:~~:~~ finite Good, and whatever is tru ly de!irable and precious is in him in all degrees of ~onfi\IUm,nec Perfeltion. And in his Prefence all the Powers of the Soul are drawn out in their ~'tltf;iic~~: mofl pleaC1nt exercife, and always enjoy their entire Happinefs. The Fruition of po«n. c."r' !tim exceeds our mort raifed J;Iopes, as mu~h as he is ~ore glorious in Himfelf than ~~~mno~ft~r· m any borrowed Reprefentattons. God will be to us mcomparably above what we venimus ad ilwz ask or think. The Compafs of our thoughts, the Der- th of our defires are imper- '"d bo~•m & fell: Meafures of his Perfefrions. And as he is a Pure Good in Himfelf, fo he is pre- i~r~;~a~~e, ~~~~~t(h~~a~~ ~vg~d'~T~~e~;~~~~t therefore, that nothing can allay the Joys of Saints ~~~J~~:~~ 2. Novelty is not requifite to ingratiate every Good, and make itperfetl:ly delight- flra,qui i ulrra ft1l. *God is_ infinite!~ ~appy, to w?om _no Goo~ was ever new. _'Tis indeed the ~A:~~s~ ~: Sat:ce that g1ves a dehcto.us tafle t~ mfenour Thmgs. For Men relifh only what is •P; '!·. , emment, and the good tlungs of this World are fo truly mean, that they are fain to . 'i ~ '"f" borrow a fuew ofGreatnefs by comparifon with a worfe eftate preceding. But an :::M ':,.~E'' infinite Good produces always the fame pure equal compleat Joy, hecaufe it arifes ;g.,.'"'' from its intrinfick pe:fefrion, that wants no ~~il tocom~ne.nd it. The Pfalrnifl: breaks~,'; ~~~:~ forth, Whom btl'!Jc I m Heaven b11t Thee? Th iS IS no vamfhmg Rapture, but a confrant ;,'If"~' xctltu joyful height of Affe{lion. God the elfential Happinefs of the Saints, is always per- ~'t,'"r: Ann. fell:ly lovely and delightful to them. G g gg g 3· Thew~.' ·'b.7· ,.
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