Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
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A96940
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The servant doing, and the Lord blessing. A sermon preached at the funeral of the right honorable Richard Pepys, Lord Chief Justice of the upper bench in Ireland. Who deceased 2. Ianuary anno 1658. By Edward Worth D.D.
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Worth, Edward.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing W3619; Thomason E974_3; ESTC R207667
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15,516
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39
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bosom he rested had been a mighty Prince In Gods-house are both Rulers and Ruled 2. All in Gods house are not Rulers The question implies this VVho is that faithfull and wise Servant whom the Lord hath made Ruler The body of the Saints and them who have the rule are clearly distinguished Heb 13. 24. We are all Crabstocks by nature God grafts upon us what fruit he pleaseth On some one kind on others another If all were Rulers who should be Ruled 3. Such as are Rulers in the Lords house should be of Gods making The hand out of the Cloud must put on the Crown with this motto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à Deo coronatus What servant dates own him as a Steward whom the Master ordains not God hath set us our ranks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the breaking of them must cause confusion 4. Those who are made Rulers over us are Servants under God and are to serve God in their places as God hath plac'd them in his service If Rulers as Rulers serve not God God will not as Rulers own them That duty which God requires of us reacheth every capacity especially that of our spheres we are bound to serve God as others cannot serve him Rulers therefore as Rulers And indeed that we are in Gods service which we are in our proper places Rulers are called Gods as bearing Gods image Wherefore as God is Optimus Maximus so those who are like to God good in serving And this is the proper act of these Rulers they are to distribute to give The gifts and graces which Gods servants § 6 receive they receive to give To profit withall for edification As the Sun hath light a fountain water not onely by way of abundance but redundance And to him who thus hath shall be given As milk in the breast is Luke 8. 18. both more and better for being suckt That which these Rulers distribute is meat § 7 not poyson nor altogether sauce but meat Not what may infect or puff up the soul but feed it This food must not onely be good but proper § 8 What is one mans food is anothers poyson Vice may be nourish'd with the milk of virtue Each servant must have his own mess his proper portion demensum suum Prov. 30. 2. And herein lastly must Rulers over God's § 9 houshold observe time and season Though it be worse in them than any others to be time-servers and in that sense to turn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by ringing changes to the time Yet above all others is it required in them like these Heads of Issachar to know the times what Israel ought to do In a word Gods servants must do his service § 10 in a right manner faithfully wisely Faithfully as Rulers over his houshold giving his servants meat wisely giving meat proper in proper seasons VVho is that faithfull and wise servant whom the Lord hath made Ruler over his houshold to give them meat in due season Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing CHAP. V. The reward of Working aright Servants Friends and Children are distinct relatives § 1 among men but they meet in one and the same to God Such as are the Lord's Servants are his Friends such as are his Friends are his Children also And being his Children shall not miss their Childrens Portion Blessedness The first Sermon of Christ on the mount § 2 was filled with blessing so shall the last sentence on the bench He concludes as he begins The influence of this Sun of righteousness to his disciples in Virgo was and in Libra shall be Blessed 'T is the last Scene denominates the play in § 3 a Tragedy or Comedy Though the Children of God may tast blessedness now as Ionathan did honey on the top of the rod yet they shall not eat with a full hand till the Lord's coming The contract is made now but then shall the Marriage be consummated Blessed when the Lord cometh The Lord comes both to the good and ill Servants § 4 but to the good as a special messenger with a writ of ease to the ill as a Iaylor with a mittimus and in both warrants this clause ne omittas propter aliquam libertatem His coming to the evil is like the coming of an Husband provoaked to an Adulteress wife dreadful ungrateful To the good like the coming of a living Husband to a faithful spouse cheerful welcom The Lords servant loses nothing by death but what is better lost then kept Sin and misery He dies in life and therefore lives in death and is Blessed at the Lord 's coming Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Though there be nothing for the Lord 's § 5 Servants to pay the Lord hath done that to the utmost farthing yet is there somewhat for them to do Men and Brethren what 2. Acts. 37. shall we do to be saved God finds his doing and then gives the blessing Holiness goes before happiness And indeed were it possible for an unholy person to enter Heaven yet to him Heaven would not be Heaven For communion with God is not onely ungrateful but grievous to an unholy person and by so much more by how much more close and spiritual as appears in all ways of communion in grace And this communion with God is the Heaven of Heavens which to an unsanctified man would be rather a Hell then a Heaven Without holyness we cannot see God That Servant whom the Lord blesseth he finds so doing It is not ita fecisse so to have done but ita § 6 facientem so doing Perseverance is the Queen of graces Others may strive well but she alone shall be crowned Iudae laudantur exordia sed finis proditione damnatur Many who have blossom'd fairly at spring have been blasted before Gal. 5. 7. Harvest Ye did run well is no honour but I have finished my course Those are blessed 2. Tim. 4. 7. whom the Lord finds so doing Nor doth this order of blessing restrain Gods freeness in blessing for as he freely gives grace to do so he freely gives glory on doing Blessed is that servant whom the Lord finds so doing That servant The subject is one both of § 7 the duty and priviledge of doing and blessing The substance the same the accidents onely changed The garment the same onely new trimmed Blessed is that Servant that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing CHAP. VI. Application to the occasion THis whole Sermon in all its parts might be § 1 exemplified in his single instance whose Funeral we at present solemnize The harmony is full I shall touch and but touch a few strings First he was the Lords Servant and as a § 2 Servant in all his doings made his Lords will his rule his Lords glory his end 1. His Lords will his rule in sacred things
46 47. Of the later in the rest of the Chapter The first Subject described Relatively in relation to God A Servant Gods household A Ruler Absolutely by his Habits Faithfulness Wisdom Act Giving illustrated by the Object Personal Them Real Meat Adjunct Time In due season Adjuncts described Distinctly The duty considered Materially Doing Formally So doing Priviledg in its Kind Blessedness Season At the Lords coming Conjunctly Order First Duty then Priviledg Subject One and the same That Servant Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing CHAP. II. Our relation of Servants GOd is the Lord his dominion is absolute § 1 over all yet we find him not called Lord till Man is created his special Dominion is over Man Inferior creatures serve the Lord passively man actively as they praise God objectively with mans mouth so they serve God with mans hands Man therefore in a special respect stands thus related to the Lords service Whose obedience to God as to the manner should be like childrens to parents free and ingenuous but as to the matter and end like servants to their Lords For as servants may not act according to their own wills but their masters nor for their own but their masters behoof Even so the Lords servants act in all things conformably to the Lords will of precept as their ground subserviently to the Lords glory as their chief end Devils conform to Gods will of purpose Wicked men may as Jereboam did to Gods will of prophesy but the Lords servants do to his will of precept Devils likewise and wicked men may subserve the Lord and his glory effectively or God may serve himself by them but the Lords servants do it intentionally and make it their aim and chief end Nor is it mercenary even for the Lords servants secondarily to respect their own good or the recompence of reward for Scripture motives cannot stir up directly an unlawfull affection provided the Lord and his glory be the chief end And though there be special acts of Gods service as especially referring to this supreme end yet he that in all things eys Gods word as his Rule Gods glory as his Aim is rightly said in all things even in his shop and at his plow to serve the Lord. And such is the service here meant whereby we serve God in holiness the sum of Luke 1. 75. the first Table in rightousness the sum of the Second sincerely before him intirely all the days of our life To this service we are obliged by Creation § 2 Providence Redemption Covenant First By Creation 1. The benefit of Creation is infinite because the distance is infinite between not being and being wherefore in that we are we are infinitely obliged to serve that God by whom we are 2. Each thing returns to its first principle waters to the Sea a stone to the earth God is the Rock out of which we Isa 51. 1. are hewn our returns should be to him and no other way so to return but by the way of Service 3. Each creature for its single perfection makes such returns Man should much more who is Index Rerum the complex of all perfection A Microcosm he hath being with the stones growth with the trees sense with the beasts and reason with the Angels so that all creatures may say of man as Israel of David Have we not all our share in man And shall stocks and stones shall dogs and swine shall toads and serpents serve God in their places and shall not man serve God in his 4. Every inferior creature subserves the superior water and earth that hath being and not life subserve grass and trees that have being and life grass and trees that have being and life but not sense subserve beasts and birds that have being life and sense beasts and birds that have being life sense and not reason subserve man that hath being life sense and reason God is mans sole superior and shall not man serve him shall this string be out of tune and break this admirable harmony 5. God designed his own service in making us Patriae te genui non Catilinae said the Roman to his Son so may God to us I made you not to serve Sin or Satan your selves or the world but to serve me The making of a piece of work is a legal title whereon to ground property and the maker knows best how to determine the use and end of his work so made God is our maker and he hath made us for his own service We therefore are the Lord's Servants by Creation Secondly Providence We are uprising and downlying in the Lord's Family fed at his Table Cloth'd at his cost From him we receive Meat Drink and VVages If we give but part we expect service and shall not We serve God who giveth all All that We have yea all that all Creatures have God hath impowered us as Stewards in his Family to gather in the Rent from the whole Creation and for all he requires no other payment from us then this of Suit and Service Thirdly We are the Lords Servants by Redemption § 4 that We might be Exalted to the Lord's Service He that thought it no robbery to be equal with God humbled himself to the form of 2. Phil 7. 8. a Servant By which means it is both our priviledge and therefore Luk. 1. 74. Said to be granted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 granted as a special Act of Grace and our duty to Serve the Lord. Our duty because we are not our own we are bought with a price It is stealth to rob a man 2 Cor. 6. 20. of his purchase Sacriledge to rob God of his God's motto is servo I save a Christians is servio I serve Fourthly We are God's Servants by Covenant § 5 or his Covenant-Servants Baptisme and the Lord's-Supper are called Sacraments that is military engagements the first obteining the second renewing that Obligation to fight as Souldiers under Christs Banner against the VVorld the Flesh and the Devil They are in the like sort called Seals ratifying our Covenant agreement as Apprentices seal their Indentures not thereby witnessing what they have done but what by Covenant they stand obliged to do Under both notions We are thereby engaged to the Lord's service In a word We are the Lord 's made Servants his hired Servants bought Servants sworn Servants God is the Lord We all his Servants CHAP. III. Our Work of Service Servitus implies servitium are we God's Servants § 1 We must up then and be doing him service The Lord never placed man upon Earth as Leviathan is plac'd in the Sea barely to take his Pastime therein Adam in Paradise had no such idulgence but must dress the Garden Less since the fall Gen. 3 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread Whether considered as a Commination thou shalt not eat without sweating or as a Promise on sweating thou shalt eat or as