uti Seneca times I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High I will remember thy wonders of old Yea the Heathen could knowingly speak of the sweet fruits of old age if men had wisedom to reap them And all ages do demonstrate that ancient men are most meet by their grave counsels to be serviceable unto the publick This Reverend man whose Funerall we now celebrate was wont to say That a few gray hairs would do more work then many young locks Besides other proofs hereof the History concerning the different advice given to Rehoboam by his young and old Counsellors will 1 Kin. 12. 6 8. sufficiently witnesse this truth These considerations may quicken the godly aged to gratitude for their hory heads but I must add that they have much more cause to magnifie God for making them godly because old age may be the guift of common bounty whereas righteousnesse is the product of peculiar grace The wicked may become Job 21. 7. Mat. 13. 43. old but the righteous are the adopted children of God and the heirs of heavens glory Therefore their souls should praise the Lord because when their lives are redeemed from Psa 30. 11. with 4. destruction they are also crowned with loving-kindenesse and tender mercies Now that I may prevail with you to honour God whose hoary heads are crowned with righteousnesse I will briefly propound to your most serious thoughts these following meditations 1. That your selves in the estate of depraved nature were of that number of whom it is most truly said There is none Rom. 3. 9 10. righteous no not one and that this righteousnesse which is your Eph. 5 9. Crown was the fruit of Gods Spirit Therefore the glory thereof is due unto the Lord and not unto your selves because he and not your selves hath made the difference betwixt 1 Cor. 4. 7. you and others 2. That the greatest part of mankinde doth abide in the waies of unrighteousnesse The whole world saith the Apostle 1 Joh. 5. 19. Gen. 18. 32. lieth in wickednesse The small number of ten righteous persons could not be found in Sodom and Gomorrha with their Suburbs And before the Floud God himself could not espy any other besides Noah Thee only have I seen righteous before Gen. 7. 1. me in this age Now by how much the more rare righteousnesse is amongst men by so much the more thankfull should we be if God hath wrought it in us 3. Can you remember either your own many strong and long-continued resistances made against divine assaults or the manifold Providences and Ordinances by means whereof you have been brought into the way of righteousnesse May not Christ speak unto you as once to Jerusalem How Mar. 23. 37. often would I and ye would not yea for a long time might not this be charged upon you You alwaies resisted the holy Ghost Act. 7. 51. And by how many hammerings and humblings by what showrs and Sunshine by what shakings with meltings in the Ministry of the Gospel have you been won to the Lord Now should not all this patience and goodnesse of God leade you unto thankfulnesse 4. Lastly Take notice of the various and precious priviledges whereof you are made partakers by means of righteousnesse These I will only mention without amplification Pro. 3. 16. 4. 22. Gen. 15. 15. Job 5. 26. Hereupon you may be confident 1. That your lives are lengthened not only by common providence but in the pursuance of special promises made unto them who have received peculiar grace 2. That you shall be supplied with all necessary accommodations in your passage to heaven These are Christs own words unto them who seek righteousnesse All these things shall be added unto you Mat. 6. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. That you shall undoubtedly persevere to glory The righteous shall hold on his way 4. That all occurrences shall be sanctified to your spiritual Job 17. 9. advantage Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well Isa 3. 10. with him 5. That Gods vigilant eye of providence shall never be withdrawn from you in which respect you may be the rather Job 36. 7. assured of the seasonable and full accomplishment of all his promises 6. That upon Natures dissolution your souls shall be perfect Heb. 12. 22. and that at the generall Resurrection your bodies and souls shall inherit life eternall Now who can beleevingly look upon Mat. 15. 46. Express thankfulnesse by a conversation ordered according to Scripture himself interested in these glorious obligations of Gods grace without a thankful heart If by these many Arguments the hearts of any aged ones being resolved upon gratitude shall enquire how they may in realities expresse their thankfulnesse unto the Lord both for his long-sufferance and loving-kindenesse towards them My answer is this That you shall be regularly and acceptably thankfull unto God both for your gray-hairs and your graces by studying and endeavouring such a frame of heart and course of life as may answer that counsell which himself hath left on record for your guidance in the holy Scriptures which I shall plainly and faithfully impart unto you But before I mention particulars to direct your behaviour I shall premise these two things to move attention with resolutions to practise them 1. That howsoever too often men themselves do not observe when gray hairs are here and there upon them and Hos 7. 9. many times the aged may seem youthfull unto others yet God doth take exact and particular notice of every aged person in the world The holy Ghost recordeth when Joshua waxed old and was stricken in age and about what time Josh 23. 1. 1 Sam. 17. 12. Gen. 17. Luk. 2. Jesse the Father of David went for an old man in Israel The like I might discover in regard of Abraham Sarah Anna But I forbear 2. That the Lord doth punctually observe all the good Gen. 17. 24. 1 Chro. 23 1. 1 Kin. 13. 11. Gen. 19. 4. Eze. 23. 43. and all the evils of them who are stricken in years whether they be his own people or others This I enlarge not by specifying instances because the naked quotations may be sufficient Having thus briefly premised these things I proceed to the directions which I finde registred in the Word of God that the aged may know how to order their conversation in some measure of answerablenesse unto that Crown of glory which the Lord by his grace and their gray hairs hath put upon them In generall They must be of such behaviour as becometh Tit. 2. 3. holinesse whether they be aged men or women therefore they ought to advance and expresse the power of Gods grace by a diligent improvement of all such means as God hath sanctified The Apostle John writeth to the Fathers who were knowing men that they might become more holy 1 Joh. 2. 13 14 Luk.
Gray Hayres CROWNED WITH GRACE A SERMON Preached at Redriff Aug. 1. 1654. At the Funerall of that Reverend eminently Learned and faithfull Minister of JESUS CHRIST Mr THOMAS GATAKER PROV 20. 29. The beauty of old men is their gray head PROV 12. 26. The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour ISA. 43. 4. Since thou wast pretious in my sight thou hast been honourable LONDON Printed by A. M. for George Sawbridge at the Sign of the Bible on Ludgate-hill M. DC LV. To the Reverend and my much HONOURED BRETHREN the Presbyterian MINISTERS of the Gospel within the Province of LONDON Brethren THe sad occasion of this Sermon and not any opinion of its worth hath moved me to presume upon this Dedication I know that you are sensible of the smart of that providence which having not long since removed worthy Dr Gouge and M. Whitaker hath also taken from us famous Mr Gataker and the rather because they all were not only members of but also cordiall friends unto our Provinciall Assembly And these our late losses may well minde us of Mr George Walker M. Herbert Palmer M Edwards M John Gere M. Robrough M. Love c. the death of many more of our brethren whose hearts heads and hands went along with us in the setting up and exercising of the Presbyterian Government in our respective Congregations with mutuall assistance Classicall and Provinciall both for the Ordination of Ministers and the more pure administration of the Sacraments Hereby doubtless the Lords voice crieth to the City Mic. 6. 9. more particularly unto us the Ministers thereof Oh that his Majesty would make us men of wisedom exemplartly to see his Name This is the advice of the Holy Ghost Hear the rod and who hath appointed it Brethren I will not undertake to teach you who are able to instruct others what use should be made of these dolefull dispensations Have we not cause to complain that we did neither thankfully prize nor fruitfully improve their Ministeriall gifts graces and experiences as we should and might have done And seeing they though dead do still speak by their usefull Books printed or their holy Lives remembred or by both should not we be conscientious imitators of their constancy and fidelity in those wayes of holy truth discipline and worship which were heartily approved by them even unto their death Moreover Because so many active members of our Province are translated ought not we who survive to strengthen one anothers hands the rather unto double industry with undaunted courage in our whole Ministeriall imployment and to be the more affectionately frequent in prayer that our good God would make up our loss by the more abundant communications of his peculiar grace And although this saying may be sighed out with sorrow we heretofore had the society and assistance of the forementioned fellow-helpers because now we have them not yet may it also be a matter of incouragement because our Presbyterian path hath been trodden without fainting yea with joy by the foot of them whose remembrance will be as a sweet perfume unto posterity Having spoken thus much give me leave upon the same account Mr Cortwright M. Hildersham M. Dod. M. Gleaver M. Dorrell M. John Paget M. Bradshaw M. Ball c. to minde you of some few good old Nonconformists unto whom many more might be added who many years since when under Prelaticall power and oppression endeavoured by preaching printing praying and suffering to introduce this Presbyterian government which we do now exercise Though those men disliked the use of superstitious Ceremonies yet they opposed their tenents and practice who separated from the Church of England condemning it and the Ministry of it as Antichristian But they studiously sought to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace whose labours God blessed to the conversion of thousands of souls and to the maintaining of the power of godliness all their dayes and whose profitable Works do still praise them in the gate But what need I look so farre backward seeing we can easily remember a great company who formerly joyned with us here in London in setting up and exercising Dr Harris D. Arrowsmith D. Tuckney D. Wilkinson D. Chambers D. Wallis M. Lea. M. Timothy Dod. M. Cawdry M. Blake M. Burgess M. Gower M. Roberts M. Burdall M. Strickland M. Cauton M. Fisher M. Allen Gear c. the Presbyterian government besides the many others in the severall parts of the Land who now are of chief note for Learning and Piety in both Universities and other places whose hearts and prayers I am confident still go along with us for our incouragement As this bright clowd of so many witnesses some in Heaven and some on earth may be relieving unto our mourning hearts under our great loss so blessed be God we have not yet cause to complain with the Prophet that there is no cluster * Mic. 7. 1 2. for though much contempt is cast upon us by many who rather seek great things for themselves in the world then the things of Jesus Christ as an inconsiderable number yet we have I will speak it to the praise of the Lord threescore Presbyterian Ministers within the precincts of our Province who preach profitably and live godly who are not tainted with the erroneous tenents either of the Arminians Antinomians or Anabaptists And the most high will I humbly hope incouragingly appear farther for us in these pathes which as our consciences be perswaded are chalked out in the Scriptures of truth for the welfare of his Churches and the honour of his own Name by Jesus Christ Upon all the glory shall be a defence Isa 4. 5. I will conclude this my address unto you my much honoured brethren with this hearty prayer that you may hold on in this good old way till you be gray-headed nothing doubting but that your heary heads will be a Crown of glory being found in these wayes of righteousness Your loving brother and fellow labourer in the work of the Gospel SIMEON ASHE Novemb. 24th 1654. PROV 16. 31. The hoary head is a Crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousnesse WHosoever knew this Reverend man either by his own acquaintance or the true Report of others whose Funerall doth occasion this great Assembly will acknowledge that my Text is suitable unto the occasion of our meeting The Lord make my Sermon as serviceable as I know my Text to be seasonable These Proverbs are grave Sentences full of worth and weight which are the rather to be pondered seriously because of the Authours wisedom and authority The Proverbs of Solomon the Son of David King of Israel They are intire Prov. 1. 1. Propositions especially from the beginning of the 10th Chapter and therefore for the most part to be considered without any context or coherence at all Every Proverb is like a precious Pearl tending to inrich all them with spiritual
righteousnesse which is attended with a Crown of glory upon earth will undoubtedly bring that which is very much better in heaven Hearken what our Saviour promiseth The righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom Mat. 13. 43. of their Father And observe the expectation of David upon this account As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse Psa 17. 15. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse Though I may not spend words in illustrating these passages yet I wish that the aged would seriously consider how much is comprehended in this glorification and this satisfaction assured upon the righteous at the generall resurrection 3. Who doth not upon such grounds as have been hinted desire to die the death of the righteous as that wretch Num. 23. 10. Balaam did therefore wisedom would work endeavours to attain righteousnesse in the time of life I remember a passage in the promise made by the Angel concerning the successe of John the Baptist his Ministry He shall turn the disobedient Luke 1. 17. to the wisedom of the Just There is singular wisedom amongst the righteous as in other regards so herein because as they intend the best good as their end so they seek to accomplish it not only by wishings and wouldings but by the reall use of the means sanctified for the obtaining thereof Let us therefore herein make imitation 4. The unrighteous shall not finde any favour with God because of their gray heads when he cometh to judgement Somewhat was before suggested to this purpose therefore now I will onely mention two Scriptures which may be awakening to aged persons sleeping in security Though a Eccl. 8. 12 13. sinner do evil an hundred times and his daies be prolonged yet it shall not be well with the wicked Forbearance is no acquittance but God will be sooner or later upon their bones with blows of vengeance And their shutting out of heaven is so certain that the Apostle taketh it for granted that none will question it Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit 1 Cor. 6. 9. the Kingdom of God How can you old people give credit to these expressions of divine severity without resolutions to look out after righteousnesse 5. You aged ones are the greatest monuments of divine patience which should leade you unto repentance and the Apostle giveth in two considerations to adde strength unto this argument viz. 1. Because otherwise your hearts will be more and more obdurate and your selves become lesse and lesse able to reform 2. Because through your abuse of Gods forbearance his wrath will be kindled and encreased against you Weigh I pray you his words Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse Rom. 2. 4 5. and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of Jer. 13. 23. God I have been the more earnest in pressing the reformation of the aged sinners because it is attained with difficulty through their accustomed continuance in wickednesse Secondly I shall bend my advice to the aged who are through Gods grace really righteous These persons are to be perswaded unto reall gratitude to the Lord who hath set a Crown of glory upon their gray-heads The Psalmist cals Psa 148. 12 13 Senes ad gratiarum actionem excitare upon old men to praise the Name of the Lord This is one of Mr Cartwright inferences from the Text. And doubtlesse such aged people have abundant cause to be thankfull unto the Almighty 1. For drawing forth the thred of their lives to so great a length 2. And especially for converting them unto the way of righteousnesse First You may be moved to praise God for your old age by these Meditations 1. Because his Highnesse is the maintainer of our lives and the lengthener of our daies Notwithstanding the means Deut. 30. 20. Act. 17. 28. used whether ordinary or extraordinary food Physick c. to continue our daies upon earth yet it must be acknowledged that the Lord holdeth our soul in life And here let it be Psal 66. 9. Deut. 8. 3. remembred that Gods blessing giveth strength to bread and efficacy unto all other means of health Consider also how much of Gods wisedom power goodnesse patience c. hath been daily yea hourly exercised for your preservation Minde likewise from how many thousands of dangers his hand of providence hath secured you both in the time of fool-hardy youth and unwieldy old age Upon such like thoughts the holy Psalmist thus expresseth himself to the Lord Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour Psal 71. 6 8. 9. all the day 2. Because by stroaks of death ten thousand have fallen on your sides on your right hands and yet it doth not come Psa 91. 7. nigh to you What multitudes of men and women and children more likely to have lived long then your selves are dead and gone but your selves still abide in the Land of the living The good young King Josiah is deadly wounded by an Arrow And old Eli the Priest of the Lord fell from his 2 Chro. 35. 23 24. 1 Sam. 4. 18. seat backward and his neck brake What great numbers have lost their lives some in war and others in times of peace yea very many much more fitted for the service of Church and Common-wealth then your selves In this regard you should look upon your selves as reserved to magnifie the God of your lives and mercies 3. It is threatned as a judgement upon a Family when there is not left one aged person belonging to it There shall not be an old man in thy House These words speak much displeasure 1 Sam. 2. 31. against Eli Whereas it is an honour to have old stakes standing to support a Family which issued out of an ancient stock Like as old Oaks are accounted an ornament to a Park though they bear neither fruit nor leaves This is one promise made to the man who feareth God Thou shalt Psa 128. 6. Pro. 17. 5. live to see thy childrens children And Solomon tels us The glory of children are their Fathers 4. Because your many years have enriched you with manifold Et senes magis experientiâ valent itaque major corum solet esse dignitar Mercer experiences and this is judged by some Expositors to add much unto the Crown of old age This I might enlarge by manifesting the advantages of old mens experiences both in reference unto their own comfort and the service of others The holy Psalmist relieveth his drooping spirit in an estate of desertion by improving of Gods ancient administrations I have considered the dayes of old the years of ancient Psa 77. 5 10 11. Plena est voluptatis senectus Si illâ scias