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A41317
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The Failing & perishing of good men a matter of great & sore lamentation : held forth in a sermon preach'd the 26 of June 1662, being the day before the internment of that eminent and faithful gospel-preacher, Mr. John Sympson.
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1663
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Wing F93A; ESTC R40573
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25,149
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50
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The Failing Perishing OF GOOD MEN A Matter of Great sore Lamentation Held forth in A SERMON Preach'd the 26 of June 1662. Being the day before the INTERMENT OF THAT Eminent and Faithful GOSPEL PREACHER Mr. John Sympson Prov. 10.7 The memory of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Psal 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Accusator qui confortem defert sese iutueatur Printed in the Year 1663. To the Church of Christ and every member thereof over which Mr. Iohn Sympson was made by the Holy-spirit over-seer Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you thorow the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ Beloved in the Lord IF I should spend much time in making an Apologie for my self in reference to the Dedication of this following Discourse to you of the Congregation I might well be judged to complement It 's yours by right If it come into other hands through God's blessing it may do good but as in the preaching of it I had so now in the Printing of it I have a special respect for you and to you of the Church it was first preach'd and now printed for your sakes However I think meet in this place to give some brief account of the reason both of its Publication and Dedication First for its Publication the reason is manifold 1. For that I did judge the subject in it self to be suitable to the present state of the people of God and might be of use to the stirring them up to humiliation and reformation 2. That I might manifest that dear respect I had for and that affection I did bear unto that choice servant of Christ deceased under whose Ministry I have been so often refreshed and raised in my spirit 3. Because I was desired by several of the friends of Mr. Iohn Sympson either to print my discourse or give them copies of it wherefore I chose to do the former because I did judge it might give the greater satisfaction 4thly That I might do something towards the vindication of the name of that glorified saint both from former and later reproaches and slanders Those that have a good conscience have not always a good name The people of God in this life are called the troublers of Israel they are seditious rebellious what not Christ himself was accounted a deceiver and imposter and Paul was said to be aseditious person and suffered in the opin on of some as an evill doer 2 Tim. 2.9 Wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer even unto bonds Job was represented unto the world as an hypocrite and that by his friends which went very near him The ministers of the Gospell must expect above any other to meet with reproaches 2 Cor. 6 8. the Devill hates them most because they most oppose his Kingdom and interest and therefore if he can't debauch their consciences hee 'l spit his venom at them through the mouths of wicked and ungodly men But let wicked men know that the time is hastening on apace wherein as God will make inquisition for blood so for names as the death so the name of a saint is pretious in Gods accompt God will roul away the reproach of his people * Josh 5.9 Psal 37.6 Psal 112.6 hee 'l cause their innocency and righteousness to break forth as the sun at noon * and their names shall be had in everlasting remembrance I had thought something might have been done this way by a better pen before this time but it being severall months since the death of Mr. Sympson and nothing done I was willing to make publique what I had preacht I hope it is not out of the pride and haughtiness my heart though a proud and wicked heart I have and blessed be free grace that in any measure I know it so to be but to do Christ and his people service The soul of our dear brother is in glory above any Encomiuas or Eulogie that can be made of him What therefore is spoken in the following discourse extends not to him but unto the living it 's not to advantage him but to prevent others from disadvantaging themselves by thinking or speaking evilly of him Lastly That I might present the virtues of Mr. Sympson to you for your imitation Undoubtedly it 's your duty to follow him so far as he followed Christ Now there were very many choice things in that faithful man worthy of emulation and imitation wherein you will do well to walk as you had him for an example Thus mâ—ch for its publication The Reasons why I did dedicate it to you of the Congregation are First Because I did judge the Dispensation of God to which the following Discourse refers did more immediately concern you than any other it 's true there are many not of the Congregation that did undoubtedly receive good by Mr. Sympsons Ministry and will have cause to bless God for it unto all Eternity and these are much concerned in his death But however considering his relation unto you how he was under Christ your Bishop Fastor Feeder Leader c. And how faithful constant and laborious he was in the discharge of his trust committed to him it must needs be granted that that Providence of God did most nearly concern you and consequently this following Discourse 2. It s to acknowledge my thank fulness to God and you for all those presious dayes and hours which I have enjoyed in your Assemblies To my best remembrance I never saw nor enjoyed more of the presence and glory of God in any Assembly setting the Min-stry of Mr. Bridge of Yarmouth aside than I have done in your Assemblies The consideration of which as it doth in the first place oblige me to bless the Lord in whom all my Well-springs are and who is the Fountain of consolation to his people so in the next place it doth engage me to serve you his people with and among whom I have enjoyed such great mercies to the utmost of my abilities By this Dedication I do not profess to have paid my Engagements unto you I do onely take an occasion hereby to acknowledge my self your Debtor Pay my Engagements I cannot better then by praying for you My hearty desire therefore to God for you is That you all may know love and enjoy Christ in truth that every member of your visible Body may by the Spirit be baptized into that one Mystical Body over which Christ is the Head that Hell may be never the fuller for any of you but that you may all live graciously which is the way to dye blessedly And further that God would keep you together and hide you in the secret of his presence cause his glory to rest upon you and cause a defence to be upon that his glory that he would give you Pastors after his own heart and annoint them with a double measure of his Spirit a spirit fit both to rule
consider the great blessing and success that did attend his ministry He was through Gods blessing instrumental for the conversion of many souls he hath lâ—ft behind him many seals of his ministry Every faithful laborious preacher is not attended with such a blessing Many a Godly minister hath Isaiahs commision Chap. 6.10 To make the heart of his people fat and their ears heavy dreadful work and to shut their eies lest they see with their eies and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed It was the saying of a godly Minister in England after some years preaching to a people That he had preach'd his people dead I say not but that many might be the more fit for hell by the means of Mr. Sympson's ministry it might through the wickedness of the hearers be the savour of death unto death to many but this I say that God blest him above scores nay hundreds of Preachers in the great work of Conversion in turning souls from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God c. Now to lose a Minister whose ministry was attended with so great a blessing especially at such a time when it is rare to hear of one new Convert must needs be a great loss I shal here in the close of this Exhortation speak a word or two by way of Caution Caution and that 1. Though this stroke of God be a matter of sorrow and humiliation yet you must take heed of a murmuring spirit You have cause to bee displeased with your selves and your sins but not with God and that 1. Because God takes away nothing but what he first gave The person and gifts of this Saint were given unto you by the Lord he hath taken nothing but his own Learn therefore to say with Job Chap. 1.21 The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. 2. You have no cause to murmure and that because you had sorfeited this mercy long ago that God continued the Ministry of this his servant so long among you was a fruit of his superabounding love 2. Though you are to mourn under this stroke yet take heed of mourning as those without hope without hope I say 1. With respect to him his happiness is unquestionable your loss is his gain He is taken up into glory and hath there communion with God He is out of the reach of all his enemies they can now imprison him no more He is where hee 'l never have any thing imposed upon him contrary to Conscience hee 'l never suffer there for Non-conformity sake There God is served adored and glorified with one heart and with one consent 2. Mourn not without hope with respect to your selves as if God were not able to make up this loss I remember a relation of a Lady from whom it pleased God to take an onely Son that sometime after a friend coming to visit her and bemoaning this her sad loss she breaks forth into these expressions I profess saith she God can never make me amends for the taking away of that Son A dreadful speech it was take heed my friends of this spirit It 's true your loss is great but God is able to supply it and that either 1. By causing the spirit of Elijah to fall upon Elisha by anointing and raising up of some other to head and feed you in the room of this his servant Or 2ly he can feed you himself without a Minister God can fill up the room of Ministry and Ordinances Indeed let God be absent and there 's nothing can fill up his room It 's not husband wife children estate liberty Pastors Ordinances c. can supply the want of God but now let God be present and that is above and more then all And undoubtedly if God deny you a publick Gospel-Ministry it 's your duty to wait upon him for more secret and immediate feedings I am afraid that as formerly professors were greatly guilty of sleighting and despising the means and ministry of the Gospel so now they will be guilty of Idolizing the Ordinance of publick Preaching at such a rate as to think themselvs bound and obliged to hear men of any principles or practices rather then to neglect that Ordinance Arminians Socinians Jesuits c. any thing every thing rather then be out of publick worship Take heed of mourning in a spirit of unbelief saying Can God spread a table in the wilderness can God feed and teach without a Preacher To live without the true worship of God is bad but to be found in a way of false worship is worse It 's my duty to omit that Ordinance of Christ which I can't enjoy without sin Thus much for that part of the Exhortation which relates to Humiliation I shall give you two brief words further and so close First Is it so that the death of faithful instruments is a matter of great Humiliation Then let this stirr you up to be earnest with the Lord that he would continue and preserve those faithful ministers that do yet remain that he would double his spirit upon them hide them in the secret of his presence increase their number Not forgetting the prayer of Moses for the tribe of Levi Deut. 33.11 in these words Bless Lord his substance and except the work of his hands smite through the loins of them that rise against him and of them that hate him that they rise not again These words shall undoubtedly be made good with respect unto the ministry of the Gospel Christ will in his time smite through the loins of them that rise up against a Gospel ministry hateing and despitefully using his faithfull servants hee 'l so pierce through their loyns as that they shall fall and never rise more In the mean time take heed you that profess the name of Christ that you do not endanger the rest of the faithful labourers that are left amongst you and that neither 1. By slighting and despising the meanest of them 2 Chron 36.16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words misused his prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy Nor Secondly By idolizing those that are most eminent How many famous instruments to speak according to man's judgement hath the professors of this age sent to their graves before their time by idolizing their persons and gifts ascribing that honor and glory to them which was due to Christ alone This spirit and frame hath even forced the Lord in order to the convincing and humbling of his people either to take away the spirit of zeal and courage from such instruments thereby render them unfit for further service or else to remove them by death from earth to heaven out of the sight of all his people that dwell in tabernacles of corrupt clay Lastly Such strokes should teach us all to provide for death God takes away our leaders and we must follow them those that would not follow the counsel and advise of Mr. Sympson while living must follow him to the grave now dead to the grave wee must all go and the Lord knows how soon Of what import therefore is it that we all manage matters so while we live as that when we com to die we may dye in peace in ful assurance of our entrance into glory We should manage all our matters so in this world as those that must once dye and come to judgement performing every thing with this proviso That I may dye well I am so to buy sell and converse with creatures that I may dye well I am so to hear pray read receive the supper have communion with the saints as that I may dye well dye in peace all is to be done in order to dying well My beloved this life is the trimming chamber unto eternity by all the means and mercies that thou dost injoy thou art fitting either to bear the eternal weight of glory or the eternal weight of wrath thou art fitting either for heaven or hell thou wilt either be bound up in the bundle of life or else thou wilt be bound up for hell fire Now the Lord give us all hearts to provide for that everlasting state Amen and Amen FINIS ERRATA Page 1. line last for secret read severe and what literal mistakes or mis-pointings-hath escaped the Press you are desired to amend as you find them