messengers of Christ by visiting of them in their distresse as we may receive good from them so they may receive good from us Onesimus was no small comfort and support to Paul when he was in trouble Junius reaped much spirituall advantage from the discourse of a plaine country man thus inferiour members of the body may be serviceable to the superiour Uses First This may reprove those who as they never cared for any converse with godly Ministers in their health but always kept at a distance from them so they care not for comming neare them in their sicknesse not for feare of any bodily infection but for want of sincere and spirituall affection let such men know they who love not the servants of Christ are without love to Christ himselfe and Christ will one day flight those who have slighted him in his servants It is to be feared that they never got any good by the Ministers of God vvho are disrespectfull unto them novv a sad doome hangs over the heads of all barren Christians vvho have enjoyed the choice mercy of a painfull and faithfull Ministry they are neere unto cursing and may expect to heare that sentence Cut them down why cumber they the ground Secondly This may reprove those vvho though they are not altogether so profane as to neglect the giving of a visit to Gods messengers lying upon their sick-beds yet come to see them not out of obedience to Gods command nor out of love to their persons or office nor out of any affection they beare to their doctrine nor out of any desire they have to comfort them or to receive counsell or comfort from them but meerly out of custome or in complement or to stop the mouths of some who would cry shame upon those who should neglect so necessary so charitable an Office Thirdly Let us be humbled for the neglect of this duty should God be extreame to marke our failings in this one particular what would become of us Jobs friends tooke a long and a tedious journey to see him when they heard how the hand of God was upon him but how often are we backward to take a journey of two or three houres riding nay to step a bows-shoot out of doores to visit an afflicted member of Christ to communicate with him in his sorrows to comfort him in his griefes to refresh and revive him with our presence and spiritual and pertinent discourse How should we shame our selves for this our want of love to the command of Christ to the members of Christ yea to Christ himselfe Well let us cry peccavi beg our pardon and looke upon it as a matter of duty to visit those with our personall presence whom Christ will vouchsafe to visit with his gracious presence The Apostle James excludes all those from being truly religious who make no conscience of the performance of this worke of love Jam. 1.27 Are there any of Gods friends and our acquaintance any of Gods Messengers and our Pastors any of Christs Members and our Brethren cast upon the bed of sicknesse Let us imitate Christ who when he heard Lazarus was sick went down to see him Let not this example of Joash rise up in judgement against us and condemne us would we not have others to expresse such a kindnesse to us Let us not deny that to others which we expect from others Mat. 7.12 But let us not give complementall visits only the sin of the times we live in but so discharge what God cals for in this businesse that God may have Glory the person visited comfort and we our selves benefit and advantage First Visit whether Pastor or Neighbour out of obedience to Gods command let Gods command not base and by respects carry thee on to this worke no action of ours though enjoyned by God will be accepted of unlesse it be done out of obedience to that God who enjoynes it Zach. 7.5 6 7. Secondly Do this that Christ cals for out of love to Christ then will Christ take it as done unto himselfe Thirdly Do this duty with an honest heart and sincerely the Prophet David tels us of some that came to see him in his sicknesse but not out of any cordiall affection they did beare unto him but for base ends to see whether there were any hopes that he would dye or to gather something or other from him that might prejudice him in his credit and esteeme and render him odious Fourthly Since God must make every office performed unto others comfortable unto them and profitable unto us let us upon such occasions and at such times lift up a secret prayer unto God that such a meeting or visitation might be blessed with the fruits of mutuall joy quickning and edification Having dispatched this Doctrine we now come to the effects that Joâ—sh his visiting of our Prophet did produce and they are two First He wept over his face Secondly He gave him honourable titles 1. He cass him his Father 2. He stiles him the Chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof from his weeping over the Prophet now ready to expire we may observe Doctrine That the death of godly and painful Ministers is matter of great lamentation all forts of people good and bad righteous and unrighteous have cause to mourne and bitterly to bewaile the death of such Ministers who have been pious and faithfull First The Church in generall the whole company of beleevers who know and heare of it have cause to mourne Ministers are given to the Church for her gaine and cannot be taken away without her losse Eph. 4.12 They are not only members of her body but such members which are very usefull and necessary they are called the lights guides watchmen of the Church yea they are called her rulers let a man lose any one member it would trouble him but the more usefull any member is the greater will be his trouble Secondly The wicked have cause to mourne when God takes away his faithfull Ministers Joash was of this mind otherwise he would not have done what he did good reason there is why graceless men should lay to heart the death of gracious Ministers 1. God is never more angry with wicked men than when he removes his Messengers from them true bad men are never more merry than when good Ministers are laid in the dust but they have more cause to sigh than to sing to cry than to laugh If to be let alone in sin without check or reproofe be a judgement then certainly it is a judgement to wicked men when godly Ministers are taken away who by their reproofes and counsels did what they could to keep them from sin 2. They have lost one who did both earnestly desire and constantly endeavour their spirituall and eternall good and therefore they have cause to mourne if the losse of a bodily friend be matter of griefe what matter of griefe is the loss of a soule friend 3. They have lost one that stood
and malicious enemies are delivered from them And is not this the condition of all our gracious friends vvhen they dye Are they not novv at ease vvho vvere once in paine Are they not novv at liberty vvho vvere once in prison For this vvorld is a prison to a pious soule Are they not novv freed from all their enemies vvho could have no rest night or day from one enemy or other Rejoice therefore that their vvarfare is accomplished and blesse God that he hath not taken avvay himselfe from us though he hath deprived us of such vvho vvere our deare friends vve have no cause to grudge at the losse of these Cisternes so long as vve have the fountaine What though these bottles be dry vve cannot vvant the refreshing vvaters of comfort so long as the spring is vvith us vvhen God takes avvay our outvvard helps he takes avvay such as may better be spared than himselfe let our losses be what they vvill they may very vvell be borne so long as vve enjoy God vvho is alsufficient Hast thou lost a loving husband yet blesse God that Christ vvho loves thee and will live vvith thee is not lost thy naturall Father is dead but thou hast a Father in heaven vvho vvants no vvisdome to counsell thee no love to comfort thee no povver to help thee no supplies to relieve thee vvho is not ignorant or unsensible of thy condition and vvill be vvith thee continually Thou hast lost a precious Pastor yet thou hast a better shepheard to take care of thee the Lord Jesus blessed for ever But vvhy say I vve have lost our friends vvhen they dye We rather part vvith them for a season than lose them they are gone a little before us to that place vvhere vve shall be ere long and enjoy them more refined more pure more lovely and amiable never to part vvith them more Besides vve have cause to rejoyce though not in the death of our Christian friends yet in the spirituall benefits that vve shall reap by their deaths God hath said Rom. 8.28 All things shall vvorke together for good to those vvho love him and are the called according to his purpose True vve cannot see hovv the losse of gracious friends shall turn to our advantage but vve must shut the eyes of sense and live by faith in the promise it is ground sufficient for us to beleeve that vve shall be gainers by our losses because God hath said so vvho cannot lye 7. Must godly men dye Then let godly men take heed of setting their hearts inordinately upon these outward blessings and comforts from which they must part the more the world is in our affections the lesse pleasing and welcome will the thoughts of death be unto us Why are we loath to dye Because we are not prepared and why are we not prepared But because we have minded earth too much and heaven too little Oh the world the world how hath it got too much hold of the hearts of too many good Christians never was there more need to preach upon that Text Take heed and beware of covetousnesse Or upon those words of Paul Set your affections upon things above not on things below What heare we from the men of the world For ought we see these who pretend so much to heaven are as greedy after the earth as others and it were well if their tongues were no flander in this particular if the world be our treasure why make we a profession of Christ And if Christ be our treasure why do we embrace the world It is no wonder to see earnall men who have not God for their Father who have no promise for a necessary supply of those outward things who have no spirituall stock to comfort their hearts no heaven but what may be found in the confluence of temporall enjoyments to be violent in their desires and endeavours after the world but you that are Christians indeed and not in name only have no cause to be over-carefull or to cumber your selves with too many things Gods power and faithfulnesse are engaged that you shall want no good thing Psal 84.11 Mat. 6.33 Rom. 8.32 Grant you have wife and children to provide for yet take heed of wounding your own soules and consciences by excessive thoughtfulnesse for their bodies the Apostles rule must be obeyed or else we shall be found guilty but what is that you will say read 1 Cor. 7.29.30 31. the best way we can take to provide for wife and children is to do what God commands and not to practice what God forbids Psal 112.1 2 3. As I would not have you to neglect your particular callings so I would not have you to forget your generall callings thinke not only that you are men and stand in need of earthly supplies but remember also you are Christians and are call'd to have your conversation in heaven be you thoughtfull to honour God and God will be thoughtfull to maintaine and provide for you and yours Walke therefore closely with God keep up and maintaine the power of Godlinesse improve all opportunities put into your hands to do or to get good balke no duty commanded Be more mindfull to make thy friends and children good than great and to leave them in the armes of Christ than to leave them millions of gold and silver An estate raised by sinfull neglects or commissions will do thy children more hurt than good and it is more than an even lay that that will be spent loosely by them which hath been gotten covetously by thee 8. Must the godly dye Then let those who are godly prepare for death do nothing now which may move God to conceale his love in that last houre True it is no sooner shall your breath be stopt here but your soules shall be carried into heaven yet you may so order the matter that your departure may be clouded Ah! how sweet will it be for God to smile upon us when we come to dye to say unto us Well done thou good and faithfull servant enter now into thy Masters joy Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure keep your evidences cleare blot them not by any loose or scandalous practice take heed of grieving that spirit which hath at any time sealed you to the day of redemption 9. Must the godly dye Let this be matter of support and consolation unto all godly ones in the midst of those troubles and temptations which they meet withall in the world Art thou buffeted by sathans temptations wearied with that body of death which thou carriest about thee Dost thou groane under the burden of a vile and cursed heart Art thou followed with variety of afflictions Do thy enemies scorne and persecute thee Be of good comfort death will come death will come ere long and set thee free from all thine enemies Job speaking of the grave tels us There the wicked cease from troubling there the weary are at rest Job 3.17
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