Thus we have done with the first Doctrine in the next place we shall look upon Elisha as a holy Prophet and from hence give you this observation Doct. 2 That such Ministers who are very usefull and holy must dye Elisha a most gracious Prophet furnished with a double portion of that spirit which acted in his Master Elijah a most usefull man the Chariot and the horsemen of Israel must not live alwaies but give up the Ghost For proofe of the Doctrine consult with these Scriptures though we have had many sad experiences and that of late to confirme it Zach. 1.5 1 Sam. 25 1. What is become of all the Apostles who served God in their generation were spirituall Fathers to beget soules unto God who both planted and builded up the Church of God who were choice and precious men one was crucified another headed another boiled in a Cauldron and all died Where is our Preston our Taylor our Sibs our Hill our Whitaker and many more The grave hath swallowed them up The reasons which we gave you to prove the precedent Doctrine might serve for the confirmation of this but we will adde one or two more First Because people will not make that use of their Ministry as they should God sends them to negotiate a peace between his glorious Majesty and peoples precious soules Now when they have made many overtures from their great Lord and Master and all are slighted none will be accepted God thinkes it fit to send for them home when Princes see that Embassadours cannot obtaine with Forreign States what they expected they call them home again there are not more usefull instruments in a State or Church than faithfull and holy Ministers God sets them up as lights to enlighten the minds of men as guides to direct men as watchmen to warne them as saviours to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies Sin Sathan and the World Now if no body will make use of their light follow their directions regard their warnings or be willing to be resened out of the hands of their spirituall enemies it is but just with God to take them away Who hath beleeved our report saith the Prophet and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed 2. God will not suffer his Ministers alwaies to live in the world because the world is not worthy of them they are so far from improving their doctrine and life that they are rather filled with rage against them both the Scripture speakes much of the worlds unkind and perverse carriage towards the Messengers of God read these places 2 Chron. 36.16 Ier. 15.16 Chap. 20.7 8. Micah 2.6 Mat. 23.37 by abusing mercies we justly forfeit them The world is weary of Gods Ministers and Gods Ministers are weary of the world now God will ease the world of his Ministers and when he doth this it is in wrath to the world and he will ease his Ministers of the world but when he doth this it is in mercy to his Ministers God is very tender of his Messengers takes the scornes and affronts cast upon them as offered unto himself he cannot endure to see them wrong'd and hence it is that he will remove them 3. Should the Ministers of God live here alwaies none would be so miserable as they are did not their future hopes support them their present condition would be very sad though all that live godly in Christ suffer persecution yet none so persecuted as the godly Ministers 1 Cor. 15.19 other Christians may drinke of bitter cups but the dregs usually are poured on the Lords Embassadours if others endure a storm yet the fiercest part lights upon them 4. Die they must that they may receive that Crown of righteousnesse which God hath laid up for them in heaven the Crown of life will not be set upon their heads till they have passed through the straights of death Rev. 2.10 1 Pet. 5.2 3. Uses First It should teach us that are Gods Ministers to do what we can for God whilest we have time and strength How active was the Apostle Paul when he perceived a doore was opened to promote the interest of the Lord Jesus He knew not how long that doore might stand open nor how soone he might be taken away and this made him to bestirre himselfe the more when he perceived that his departure drew nigh he sends for the Elders of Ephesus Act. 20. and bestows his counsels and prayers upon them The Apostle Peter also understanding that he had not long to live was the more carefull to stir up the minds of the dispersed Jews to keep the faith that had been delivered unto them and to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ and to take heed that they were not carried away with the errour of the wicked and so fall from their own stedfastnesse 2 Pet. 1.13 14. Chap. 3.17 18. Take we therefore the counsell of Solomon Eccl. 9.10 Let our thoughts and our studies our prayers and our counsels our time and our strength be laid out for our Lord and Master Let that which a godly Minister wrote upon his Study doore be deeply engraven in our memories and thought upon every day by us Minister verbi es hoc age Let us be more mindfull of our work than of our wages how to encrease Christs Kingdome than to advance our own secular interests how to make our people good than how to render our selves great how to enrich the soules of others rather than to be enriched by others we have a good Master that will pay us well 1 Pet. 52 3.4 and though we should have little encouragement from the ungratefull world yet we shall want no encouragement from our gracious God Oh that the same mind were in us which was in Jesus Christ who sought not his own honour but the honour of him that sent him We know not how soone we may be laid aside let us worke the harder whilest we have time Secondly Must Gods faithfull Ministers die yet do you take heed of having any hand in their deaths precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints but the death of no Saints is more precious in Gods sight than the death of his Ministers Were you not afraid saith God to Aaron and Miriam to speake against my servant Moses one who was so neere unto God much more cause have we to feare to act against them if God was so angry vvith those vvho did strike them vvith their tongues hovv angry vvill he be vvith those vvho strike them vvith their hands That counsell vvhich Pilates Wife gave him in reference to the Lord Jesus will not be amisse for any to take in reference to his Ministers and servants you may read it Mat. 27.19 Have no physicall hand in their death have no morall hand in their death provoke not God by your sins to deprive you of their labours the lengthning out of their lives may be the
gone gone never to be seen in this place nor in any of your houses or families againe do we love our neighbours and brethren let us mourne that they as well as we have lost at one clap a faithfull friend a faithfull counsellour a faithfull instructer a faithfull reprover a faithfull comforter in a word a faithfull Preacher Let every one of us mourne together and yet mourne apart let the wife mourn that she hath lost so pious a yoke-fellow let his children mourn that they have lost so carefull a father let the servants mourn that they have lost so religious a master let the people mourne that they have lost so painfull a Pastor and let us Ministers mourne that we have lost such a fellow-labourer one that did joyne with us and help us to oppose those grand enemies Sin Satan and the World True it is none have cause to mourne in reference to his present condition but rather to rejoyce he hath fought a good fight finished his course and kept the faith and now is wearing that crown of righteousness which hath been prepared for him Could he speake unto us he would say as Christ to the women who be wailed and lamented him Luk. 23.28 Weepe not for me but weepe for your selves Let us search our hearts and lives and find out the causes of this our losse why God hath given us such a cup of gall and wormwood for to drinke And is there not a cause Yes certainly Our unthankfulnesse our unfruitfulnesse our pride our worldliness our deadness our coldness our lukewarmness our hypocrisie our contempt and undervaluing of such a blessing have provoked God to deprive us of him The losse of our first love hath made God to scourge us with this loss a loss with a witness a loss to many at once a loss to the State a loss to the Church a loss to the Country a loss to his Parish a loss to his Neighbours a loss to his Yoke-fellow a loss to his Children a loss to his Brethren we have lost we know not what this loss may be more felt hereafter than it is for the present I wish you may never have cause to say where is the spirit of Elijah Where is he now whose zeale was wont to inflame our hearts whose forwardness for God was wont to put us forward whose teares were wont to set us on mourning whose spirituall fervour was wont to heate and warme us whose elevated heart in the waies of God hath helped to lift up our hearts in Gods waies the prevalency of whose prayers we were wont to feele in the encreasing and quickning of our graces whose powerfull Sermons were wont to leave most sweet and refreshing influences upon our soules Where is he Where is he God grant that the spirit of Elijah may be doubled upon his successour that you may not pine and languish away in such sad complaints I make no question were it in the power of prayers and teares of fasting and mourning to fetch him back againe you would not be long without him But now it is too late thankfulness fruitfulness and a close walking with God might have kept him still amongst you who cannot be recalled by any teares or supplications Thus having finished the first thing that Joash did after he came to see Elisha we come now to speake of the second effect or fruit of his visitation expressed in the honourable titles which he gave unto him First he cals him his Father from whence we may observe That honour and respect ought to be shewed from all sorts of men to the faithfull Messengers and Ministers of God Joash did no more than his duty the spirit of God would not have left it upon record for his commendation had it not been a thing that God liked and approved All Sexes whether men or women all relations whether Prince or people husband or wife or all degrees whether high or low rich or poore all conditions whether good or bad righteous or unrighteous learned or unlearned are bound to honour and respect the Messengers and Ministers of Christ there is an inward honour belongs unto them we are highly to esteeme of them to love them there is an outward honour belongs to them we are to honour them in our words by speaking well of them and respectfully to them we are to honour them in our gestures and carriages towards them the Babylonians were charged with this fault that they respected not the persons of the Priests Lam. 4.16 Mat. 13.57 It seemes then nothing was more common and ordinary than to shew respect and honour to the Prophets of God 1 Thes 5.11 1 Tim. 5.17 Reasons First God honours them and therefore men should not neglect to honour them it is ground enough for us to love a man because God loves him and to respect men because God respects them Christ would have us to be mercifull that we might be like unto our heavenly Father who is mercifull Mat. 5. So we must honour those whom God honours that we might expresse our conformity unto God What shall be done unto the man whom the King will honour saith Ahasuerus to Haman Est 6.6 Haman thought no honour too great for and none too great to honour such a man what shall then be done unto the men whom the King of Kings will honour Surely mortall men should not thinke much to honour those whom the immortall God thinkes not much to honour Now there is no faithfull Minister whom God doth not hath not will not highly honour 1 Sam. 2.30 they honour God and God will honour them Secondly Their Office is an honourable office their calling an honourable calling Heb. 5.4 to be a Steward to another man is a place of honour Yearely Stewards if I mistake not are Esquires by their places as Knights eldest Sons are by their birth To be Lord High Steward to a Prince is a place of greater honour Now all Gods Ministers are Stewards to that God who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1 Cor. 4.1 Againe the Office of an Embassadour who represents the person of the King is a place of great honour Ministers are Gods Embassadours they negotiate for God and they are employed to treat about a peace between God and man about a marriage between Christ and the soules of people 2 Cor. 5.20 Again they are said to be co-workers and fellow labourers with God himselfe in the salvation of sinners 1 Cor. 3 9. Thirdly Good men have been ready and carefull to honour the Messengers and Ministers of God such who have slighted them before their Conversion have much respect and reverence unto them after conversion Those who mockt at Peter and the Apostles when they were in the state of nature did very much honour them after they were wrought upon by Peters Sermon Acts 2.37 Cornelius a good man was ready to go beyond his bounds in shewing honour to Peter he was ready to give him too much
people together blessed them in the name of the Lord prayed earnestly with them and for them and entreated them to keep close to God to wait upon the publike Ordinances not to forsake as the manner of some is the publike Ministry to take heed of being carried away with the errours of the wicked and that they fell not from their stedfastnesse Oh let those and such like counsels of his be precious to you who heard them thinke much of them walke according to them let these words of your dying Pastor never be forgotten Be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you He was a successefull Preacher God went along with his Ministry he did not labour in vaine neither did he spend his strength in vaine he was a spirituall father to many children I must confess admiring and adoring God for the freenesse of his grace and the riches of his mercy that the first breathings of spirituall life which ever I felt were under his Ministry Others no question have been no lesse laborious in their Masters vineyard than this blessed servant of God but all nay few in these parts of late have been so fruitfull in begetting of children unto God It may be said of him as it was said of Octavius that when he came to Rome he found the walls made of common and ordinary stone but left them walls of marble When he came to Wilby he found a company of Atheists but hath left a company of Beleevers he found a company of Blasphemers but hath left a company blessing and glorifying of God he found a company of drunkards but hath left a company of sober men he found a company of prophane ones but hath let a company of holy ones he found them enemies unto God but hath left them Gods friends so that he could say to his people as once the Apostle to the Romans Chap. 6.16 17. But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that forme of doctrine which was delivered unto you Being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness Now give me leave to press the subsequent words upon you his people by way of exhortation As you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yeeld your members servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse Againe as God used this blessed servant of his to be an instrument to encrease his kingdome and to bring soules home unto him so he made him an instrument to keep those whom he had converted from being drawn a way with the errour of the wicked How many Ministers may say of some of their most hopefull people as Paul of the Galatians that they are removed from those truths and ordinances which they once seemed to embrace that they are enemies to that Ministry which they once seemed to respect and honour some being turned Seekers some Quakers some Arminians some Antinomians some Antisabbatarians some Anabaptists and what not But God hath been pleased to keep his people from falling into the snares of seducing spirits the foxes and the wolves have not made a prey of them they turned not their backs upon his Ministry they forsooke not the publike ordinances and let it not O ye people of Wilby be said ye did run well who did drive you back that you should not obey the truth Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not entangled with any of those soule-ruining snares wherein many are caught Lastly He was a zealous Preacher full of spirituall heat filled with a holy indignation against sin stirring and active for his God he did not the worke of his Master negligently but was willing to spend himselfe and to be spent in his Lords service Now as his life was holy so his death was sweet and comfortable He told me that he blessed God he was not afraid to dye God did not let loose that accuser of the brethren upon him but filled his heart with joy and peace unspeakable and glorious what cause faith he have we to triumph God is our glory God is our joy Being at one time full of paine and in his own apprehension too impatient he asked his neighbours whether they were not grieved at his impatience who saying nothing he spake thus unto them Truly I am not impatient for want of inward comfort for as I have not so little as to conceale it so I have so much that I am not able fully to expresse it He did earnestly long to be dissolved that he might be with Christ often crying out when will that houre come It is but one knock more and then this earthen pitcher shall be broken and I shall be with my God and see such glory which is unutterable When his neighbours standing by seeing him so willing and desirous to dye told him that God had no need of him in heaven but they had need of him on earth he replied True saith he God nath no need of me but I have need of him and he will glorifie me He would often speak with much admiration and affection of Gods goodness to him in dealing so graciously and favourably with him in the time of his sickness and professed that he thought that God laid him as softly in the grave as ever he laid any man Oh said he to the standers by Walke close with God he can do you a good turne when you come to dye Well gone he is God looks for improvement of losses as well as of enjoyments search out those sins which have made God to take him away from your heads be humbled for them cast them away that God may look down graciously upon you visit you in mercy send you a Pastor after his own heart and that a double portion of that spirit which was upon your never to be forgotten Father and instructer may rest upon his Successour FINIS