Sermons Preached on Several Occasions, Half title – Table of contents
Dr. CONANT's SERMONS Preach'd on Several Occaſions.
IMPRIMATUR.
Geo. Royſe, R.Rmo in Chriſto Patri ac Dom. Dom. Johanni Archiep. Cant. à Sacris Domeſt. Mart. 14. 1692/3.
SERMONS Preach'd on Several Occaſions.
By JOHN CONANT, D. D.
LONDON: Printed for Richard Chiſwell, and Tho. Cockerill; At the Roſe and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard, and at the Three Leggs in the Poultrey over-againſt Stocks-Market. MDCXCIII.
TO THE INHABITANTS OF NORTHAMPTON; AND More eſpecially to thoſe of the Pariſh of All-Saints there.
Chriſtian Friends and Neighbours,
THough my great Age, and the Infirmities attending it, have lately conſtrained me to quit my relation to you, yet I ſtill account my ſelf obliged to endeavour to promote your ſpiritual welfare what I may. In order whereunto, I here lay before you ſome few of thoſe plain and practical Sermons which I formerly preached unto you; hoping that they may take better effect, than when you heard them from the Pulpit; which that they may ſo do, is the unfeigned deſire and earneſt Prayer of
Your truly loving Friend and Servant, JOHN CONANT.
THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER.
IT may be expected by thoſe that knew the Reverend Author of theſe Sermons, and the publick Station he was in for ſeveral years in the Univerſity of Oxford, as Divinity Profeſſor there, that he ſhould have gratified the World with another ſort of Work, I mean his Lectures which he there read, and were compoſed with great Learning, Accuracy and Judgment. But that it ſeems is not ſo agreeable to his native modeſty, who chuſes rather to live and die in a kind of obſcurity, than be ſet as a city upon an hill; and values himſelf more upon the relation he had to a Parochial Cure, and the Capacity he was in of doing good to the Souls of men, than of being in one of the moſt publick Stations in the Church: And in which, ſince by the privation of his Sight, and other Infirmities of Age, he has been no longer able to ſerve, he thought, by publiſhing ſome Practical Diſcourſes preach'd in that Auditory, he might, though he be in a ſenſe dead, yet ſpeak, and be uſeful among them.
The Diſcourſes are ſuch as he uſually compoſed, plain and practical, and ſuited to the meaneſt Capacity.
And if there be any thing that is not of that nature (as there is very little) and which the Author, had he had the laſt peruſal, would have reviſed; the Error is to be imputed to the Publiſher, to whoſe care and choice they were committed.
The Diſcourſes ſometimes are large, and comprehend ſeveral Sermons, though under the title of one, but it was not well to be prevented; and which the Reader however may well diſpence with.
The Two laſt Sermons are Occaſional, but the occaſion ſuch as will render them profitable to all.
John Williams:
THE CONTENTS.
SERMON I. JOHN III. 19, 20.
AND this is the condemnation, That light is come into the world, and men loved darkneſs rather than light, becauſe their deeds were evil.
For every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, leſt his deeds ſhould be reproved. Pag. 1.
PART II. Verſe 20. Every one that doth evil hateth the light. pag. 25.
SERMON II. JER. XIII. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his ſpots? then may ye alſo do good that are accuſtomed to do evil. pag. 59.
SERMON III. EPHES. V. 15, 16.
See then that ye walk circumſpectly, not as fools, but as wiſe,
Redeeming the time, becauſe the days are evil. pag. 89.
SERMON IV. 3 Ep. JOH. Ver. 3. Beloved, thou doeſt faithfully whatſoever thou doeſt to the brethren, and to ſtrangers. pag. 183.
SERMON V. PROV. XXII. 2. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all. pag. 219.
SERMON VI. 2 CHRON. XXXIII. 10, 11, 12, 13.
And the Lord ſpake to Manaſſeh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the Hoſt of the King of Aſſyria, which took Manaſſeh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
And when he was in affliction, he beſought the Lord his God, and humhled himſelf greatly before the God of his Fathers,
And prayed unto him, and he was intreated of him, and heard his ſupplication, and brought him again to Jeruſalem into his kingdom. Then Manaſſeh knew that the Lord he was God. pag. 257.
SERMON VII. 2 CHRON. XXXIII. 10, 11, 12, 13. And the Lord ſpake to Manaſſeh and his people: but they would not hearken, &c. pag. 337.
SERMON VIII. LAM. III. 39, 40.
Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the puniſhment of his ſins?
Let us ſearch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. pag. 403.
SERMON IX. LAM. III. 40. Let us ſearch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. pag. 463.
SERMON X. EZRA IX. 13, 14.
After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great treſpaſs; ſeeing that thou our God haſt puniſhed us leſs than our iniquities deſerve, and haſt given us ſuch a deliverance as this:
Should we again break thy Commandments, and join in affinity with the people of theſe abominations? Wouldeſt not thou be angry with us till thou hadſt conſumed us, ſo that there ſhould be no remnant nor eſcaping.
SERMON XI. HAG. II. 6, 7, 8, 9.
Thus ſaith the Lord of Hoſts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will ſhake the heavens, and the earth, and the ſea, and the dry land.
And I will ſhake all nations, and the deſire of all nations ſhall come, and I will fill this houſe with glory, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts.
The ſilver is mine, and the gold is mine, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts.
The glory of this latter houſe ſhall be greater than of the former, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts: and in this place will I give peace, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts.