that naturally cared for your matters I condemne not al that went before him I know some meant well but were vnequally yoaked ouermatched As for others I neede not tell you what burning firebrands they have proved to the West publico malo nati as if they had been borne for publique mischiefe who forsooke their faith betrayed the country wherewith they were intrusted and with it as much as in them lay the religion lawes and libertyes of the whole Kingdome But for this Noble Colonell you know the proofe of him and I dare make my appeal to you as S. Paul once did to the elders of the Church from the first hour that he came into this towne you know his behaviour among you at al seasons how watchfull industrious was he night and day for your safety what arts did he vse at what expence was he to keepe the hearts of the souldiers to him especially of such as were in places of chief trust greatest danger I thinke there are none that are able to judge but will give him the testimony of a faithfull prudent commander as for those that misrepresented his best actions invying him while alive and reproching him now he is dead I dare appeale as Iohn Husse once did from Pope Alexander to Pope Alexander so I from themselves to themselves from their tongues to their hearts I le but name our dutyes towards him and I have done 1 Shall I say let us lament him or blesse God for him Surely both become us 1. Lament him Our losse is great The Church State town country wil find a misse in him 1. He was a bravo Commander resolute active of solide judgement of publique vse and spirit and shall we send him to the grave without an Ah. his glory and not weepe over his beir as David over Abners know ye not that a great man is fallen this day in Israel 2 The Church will have a great want of him he was a hearty true promoter of the cause of Christ he cast in all he had into the Churches treasury his parts estate strength person life never a good Minister in the towne but had incouragement from him indeede he was a man of speciall vse and service for Church and commonwealth so that we have cause to lament him if we knew our losse And I think there is no good man that knew the estate of the towne when he dyed but tooke up some such lamentation as Micah did woe is me the good man is perished out of the earth blessed be God that hath since supplyed that losse and I pray God from my heart that this towne may still be so furnished that you may have no want of valiant Colonel Gould 2. Or rather for why should we reckon our friends gaines our losses he dyed I doubt not in good time for himselfe but to us to the towne country kingdom too soone let us give God the glory and him his due double honour spreading his name which is the last the all we can doe for him with some such attestation as Deborah gave her voluntier governours Judg. 5. blesse ye the Lord that raised up the person and spirit of Colonell Gould to stand for the publique cause of religion lawes liberties to spend his time strength estate parts and to jeopard his life for the same blessed be God that raised up his spirit to such a pitch of magnanimity and resolution in such a time as that was and let his memory be blessed though envy bark and his name be precious with the Lord and with the generation to come 2 All that I have to say to you Noble and resolute commanders wish for you is that you would expresse him Be humble be serviceable be active for Christ You cannot do or suffer too much in his cause Be constant faithfull in your intrustments resolute to live and dye with the Church of Christ and for it in one word live live live much spend your thoughts on Christ which way you may set up his Name what may be for his honour advancement of his cause and not what is for your own advantage Lay out your time strength parts your all for Christ Feare not losse here you cannot drive a more gainefull trade in life you shall be honoured desired in death honoured lamented after death crowned with a crowne of glory that fadeth not away FINIS
I Have perused this Sermon intituled Deaths advantage and finding it to be sound and judicious pious and profitable I License it to be Printed and published JOHN DOWNAME DEATHS ADVANTAGE OR A SERMON PREACHED AT THE FUNERALL OF THAT Noble and Valiant Gentleman Colonell WILLIAM GOULD High Sheriffe of Devon By order of Parliament and late Commander of the Fort and Island in Plymouth By STEPHEN MIDHOPE Mr. of Arts. REVEL 14.13 Write Blesse are the dead which die in the Lord from hence-forth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their workes do follow them LONDON Printed by L. N. for FRANCIS EGLESFIELD and are to be sold at the Marigold in Paul's Church-yard 1644. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL SIR JOHN BAMPFIELD BARONET THE WELL-DESERVING AND Honoured Commander of the Fort and Island in Plymouth Grace and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ NOBLE SIR THAT there is a life above that of sensuall pleasure the Heathen by the twy-light of Nature could discerne who thought him not worthy the name of a man that spent a whole day together in sensuall pleasure reckoning such amongst beasts in humane shape but that there is a life of faith as far above that of reason as it is above the life of sense that comming from God returnes to him againe moves by higher principles and to higher ends acts all for the honour of the great God aymes in all at the setting up of Christ and making him glorious before the world this is such a dark and hidden path that had we not the fiery Pillar of Gods truth to cleare it to us together with a cloud of many witnesses especially in these last dayes that have beaten it out before us whose life is not in carnall pleasure nor civill transactions no nor yet in philosophicall speculations who lay out all their strength are ready to exhaust all their bloud from Christ and his truth we must have been for ever ignorant of it This is not to be found in the Schoole of Socrates nor in the pit of Democritus What those Masters of morality groped after in the darke but could never reach viz. the right way of living I have adventured to present to your and the publique view in this poore and plaine Sermon which I confesse hath no other argument to procure either your view or patronage but this one that it hath the Name of Jesus Christ in it the want whereof when Austin espied after conversion in Tullies Booke abated the heat of his delight which he once took in it When you meet with weaknesses may you be pleased to Remember that not any selfe-forwardnesse or over-valuing hath obtruded these unpolished Meditations into the publique light but my willingnesse to put a stop if it may be to the false and slanderous aspersions on the dead that I perceive have already cankered the hearts and mouths of many and to raise though upon the ruines of my own credit a monument of deserved praise to him to whose fidelity and resolution in the cause of Christ the Kingdome stands so much indebted to this day And now Noble Sir these rude Notes being forced to looke abroad whither shall they run for shelter but to you Surely your right is greatest to them as succeeding the man in his honour and intrustments as well as in his holy activity for the publique good But I perceive by Austin Retr lib. 1. cap. 2. who repented him that he attributed more to Theodorus to whom he wrote a booke though otherwise he were a godly man then was meet that it is easie to over-lash in the commendation of a good man Only this therefore let me name without flattery to give the world an accompt of my choise Your love to Christ in his Ministers and members your constancy in sticking to his Cause with the losse of friends and lands in these back-sliding and forwardnesse in acting for him in these bleeding times doe more then satisfie me that I have found a Patron sutable to my subject Wherefore praying your favourable construction and acceptance of this poor mite I commend you to the Lords grace who double the spirit of his deceased servant on you make you high and Noble in all your ends faithfull and constant in all your instruments couragious and valiant in all your undertakings for Christ and his truth Remember Sir riches honours high places may make you great not gracious not happy they passe away daily and often much faster then they came I 'le ad deum copiosus ille opulentus adveniet cui astabunt misericordia patientia charitas fides Lactant. lib. 7. c. 27. and if they tarry with you to your last yet then must you leave them to others as they are now left to you We shall carry nothing with us but a life spent in and for Christ Worke apace then be diligent to take in and put off as much as you can for your Masters advantage that you may go richly laden to the Haven at the last and when you have fulfilled your time receive the crowne of righteousnesse and glory for which he prayeth who is yours Devoted to serve you in all Gospell offices STEPHEN MIDHOPE DEATHS ADVANTAGE PHILIPPIANS 1.21 For me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine THE Text is a compendious expression of S. Paul's scope in life and hope in death The inference is thus After salutation and gratulation from the 1. verse to the 12. he proceeds for the better incouragement of the beleeving Philippians to boldnesse and constancy in the profession of the Gospell and fellowship with Christ and his Church to declare unto them 1. His present estate in bonds and the good God had wrought out thence from the 12. verse to the 18. 2. His hope of the like for the future verse 19 20. viz. I not only have had and now have but I shall still have great cause of rejoycing in my sufferings For 1. I know what-ever the adversaries worke against me all through the helpe of your prayers and assistance of the Spirit of God shall still turne to my salvation 2. I know likewise that Christ shall be hereby glorified in my body which whether it be by life or death by living to him or dying for him 't is all one to me For to me to live c. The words are diversly rendred by Interpreters The Syriack reades them as do our English Translators so all the Ancients so Erasmus with others Calvin and after him Beza render them thus Christ is in life and death advantage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supplying the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the sense will be 'T is indifferent to mee whether I live or die for having Christ I must be a gainer by both estates for 't is Christ alone that makes me happy in life and death For my part as I take no pleasure in dissenting from such eminent lights so I dare not
On the contrary what ever specious pretexts may be drawne and held out by the wicked yet their desires are after such things only from which they cannot hope or expect any thing but Gods everlasting wrath though the one dares not doe so much evill as he desires for feare of shame or punishment The other cannot doe so much good as he desires for want of power yet according to the prevalency of his affection this way or that way such is the man in the Scriptures estimate either righteous or wicked 4. Delight 4. Hereupon followes delight when we rest in the fruition of that good wherunto our desires have carried us This both in Scripture and natures expression is called life What is life not the conjunction of soule and body for then they in hell should not be said to die the death but a conjunction of the soule with that it loves and joyes in and this also hath a most inward relation to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ethic. l. 2. c. 3. and main influence upon all the actions of life Joy is the rule of life such is the life as is the delight whether it be good or evill 'T is joy to the just to doe judgment but a pastime to the wicked to do wickedly 5. 5. Endevour This drawes the indevour puts sinewes into the hand makes strong and active in doing and suffering for that we love this is called the life of the hand Isa 57.10 They were industrious to bring about their idol worship they compassed their designe not without much difficulty got their living by their hands Vita actuosa est mors quiâ—ta Life is in action so much as we do so much we may be said to live what time is spent vainly idly is to be accounted death a man without hands is a man without life an unactive heavie sleepy drone is dead while he is alive Now then summe up all these and take them in one view and you have a full description of this notion To LIVE That which is a mans love his care desire delight the bent of his heart the imployment of his hand is his life Thus thus Christ is To live to a godly man his love is drawn out after Christ alone his care only for the things of Christ his inward and secret plots and projects are only spent for the setting forward grace and the glory of Christ the maine streams of his desires are after the inlargement of Christs Kingdome he has no other delight then in the service of Christ no other object of his imployment but Christ and his glory That this is so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might be made appeare in a full induction of the Saints practices in all ages but I shall content my self with this only instance in the text 't is fully home to all the forenamed particulars Take a view of S. Paul in his love how deare was Christ in his Church to this good man As a nurse cherishing her children as a father exhorting comforting charging them So was he among the beleeving Thessalonians 1 Thess 2.7.11 How did his love to Christ carry him to a kind of spirituall distraction and heavenly ecstasis Phil. 2.17 1 Thess 2.8 that he was not only willing to be offred up as a drink-offering on the service of the Churches faith not only ready to impart with the Gospell his own soule to them but could wish himself were accursed from Christ Rom. 9.3 2 Cor. 11.28 that Christ might be glorified in the salvation of his brethren Where was his care on what did he spend his thoughts but about the Churches night and day praying preaching Christ into them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.20 This was his ambitious care Never a proud Courtier did so study his preferment cast about his plots how to rise as he how to gaine souls to Christ how to inlarge the territories of his Masters kingdom No lesse careful was he parta tueri where he had planted Churches to confirme build them up for this cause he could not forbeare visiting them in person sending to them on all occasions 1 Thess 3.1.5 Lest the tempter should have tempted them and his labour been in vain His desires how eager how affectionate were they after Christ in his members longing after them Phil. 1.8 Coloss 1.29 striving as one in an agony for them that he might present them perfect in Christ Jesus And was not Christ in his Gospell his only delight the doing of the work of Christ fulfilling his ministery building up the body of Christ This Act 20.24 this was his joy which he prefers to life it selfe yea counted himselfe then 1 Thess 3.8 and so far only to live as this work did go on and prosper As for his endevours never any that the Scripture sets forth or story mentions that lived more if life be in action 1 Cor. 15.10 Heare himselfe professing I laboured more abundantly then they all And did not all his actions carry this inscription in the forehead FOR CHRIST if you follow him in his travels you shall see him from Jerusalem to Illyricum round about filling soules with the Gospell of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.19 Miraculum hominum Look on him at his handy-craft he wrought with labour and travel night and day what was to be seen here also but Christ in his wayes 1 Thess 2.8 9 Church glory he laboured with his hands that he might be an ensample of diligence and industry in the calling to the inordinate walkers 2 Cor. 11.7 9 to prevent the scandall of the weak the calumnies of the malignant lest they should say that he preached for his belly or for gain he therfore laboured that he might make it appeare 2 Cor. 12.14 he sought not theirs but them not their goods but their soules Thus were his actions But what were his suffhrings no other then the dying of the Lord Jesus We are fooles for Christs sake 1 Cor. 4.10 2 Cor. 4.11 Delivered to death for Iesus sake with such like expressions And lest any might thinke Paul herein to be singular he tels us all that are Christians indeed do and ought thus to live Rom. 14.7 8. none of us if we have as wel the Spirit of Christ in us as the Name of Christ upon us but wee live to the Lord make Christ and his praise the supreame end of our living preferring his honor above our own wel-fare willing to abase our selves that we may exalt Christ bringing forth all our fruit to him thus do all beleevers And els where he tels us there is great reason it should be so which leads me to the demonstration of this truth which I will briefly dispatch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. That this is so that every godly man lives to Christ consecrates all his life to Christ wil easily appeare if we consider that