the righteous dye and mercifull men are taken away and no man considers it Secondly we have plenty of examples the whole Church crying out Psal. 12. helpe Lord for the Godly man ceaseth for the faithfull faile from amongst the children of men You all know the great lamentation made at the death and buriall of old Jacob at the death of Moses of Samuel of David especially at the untimely death of good King Josiah how all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him how Jeremie the Prophet lamented for him and all the Singing Men and Singing Women spake of Iosiah in their lamentations to this day and made them an ordinance in Israel behold their lamentations are written in the book of the Lamentations insomuch that the greatest mourning that ever should be in the world is by the Lord compared to the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon which was the bitter lamentation of the Church at Josiah his death so in the 24. of Esaiah you shall find that among the songs that were heard from the uttermost parts of the Earth even glory to the righteous rejoycing in that remainder of Godly men who were found amongst them the Church cryeth out My leannesse my leannesse Woe unto me because the good men were but as the shaking of an Olive-tree and as the gleaning Grapes when the Vintage is done And when the Martyr Stephen was so barbarously murthered when devout men carryed him to his Buriall they made great lamentation over him The time would faile to name particular instances I will adde but one more of a King and hee none of of the best Ioash the King of Israel who when Elisha was fallen sicke of his sicknesse whereof he dyed came downe unto him and wept over his face and said O my Father my Father the Chariot of Israel and the horsmen thereof Thirdly wee have also strong reason out of Scripture to enforce it First in regard of God there is required sorrow fear and trembling at such evident manifestation of his wrath in these remarkable judgements When Nadab and Abihu fell untimely by fire which issued out from the Lord and devoured them though they dyed in and for their sinne yet being the Lords Priests from whom better things might have been expected God commanded that the Whole house of Israel should bewaile the burning which the Lord had kindled Assuredly if God would have the death of these men lamented in whose fall his displeasure was manifested not against his people but against themselves onely much more doth he expect it when he taketh away our jewells our comforts our meanes and instruments of good not in wrath to them who die but in sore displeasure to us who remaine alive when our heavenly Father thus spitteth in our faces should we not be humbled and ashamed before him Secondly From the honâ—ur due to them who are thus taken away God threateneth in his word that the name of the wicked shall rot but the memoriall of the just shall bee blessed the righteous shall bee had in everlasting remembrance now it is one great degree of rottennesse to the name of the wicked as to live undesired so to die unlamented which was Iehojakim his portion concerning whom thus saith the Lord they shall not lament for him saying Ah my brother or ah my sister They shal not lament for him saying Ah Lord or ah his glory He shall be buried with the buriall of an Asse drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Ierusalem But now this is a great glory and honour which God putteth upon his servants to have their death honoured with the sighs of his mournefull people and embalmed in their teares Was it not a great honour to the Patriarch Jacob to have all the Princes and Nobles of Egypt and all the Elders of Israel lament his death threescore and ten dayes together Was it not a great honour to Abner to have David and all his people following the Beere lifting up their voices and weeping over him saying dyed Abner as a fool dieth c. Was it not a great honour to Elisha the Prophet to have the King of Israel to acknowledg that the Chariots and Horsmen of Israel all fell in his death The like may be said of all mentioned before and of Dorcas about whom the Widdows stood weeping mournfully shewing her Coats upon their Backs I have read of Lewes the eleventh King of France that he counterfeited himselfe to die to try whether his death should be honoured with the tears of his Court and somewhat to this purpose of Paulus Aemilius whose Son died just when he was himself to triumph that hee more joyed to see their mourning for his Sonne then in all the other glory of his Triumph nature in these men did draw them to breath after that which free Grace casts-in to them even in this World who do worthily in the service of God besides their eternall reward in heaven that as they are desired in life so they shall be lamented at their death Thirdly in regard of our selves there is then great cause of mourning in divers respects First because we are hereby deprived of so many means of our good of their counsell and direction the lips of the righteous feed many and disperseth wisdome and knowledge their examples are as a tree of life they are the lights of the world their very presence every where a blessing they are a blessing in the midst of the land where-ever they goe God is with them God will give Kingdomes for their ransome hee 'll rebuke the devourer for their sake they may stand in the breach to turne away Gods wrath when it 's ready to breakein to devoure people they may run with their Censers and stand between the dead and the living and make an attonement for a whole Congregation when wrath is gone out from the Lord against them the innocent men may deliver the Iland and it is delivered by the purenesse of their hands they are the very chariots and horsemen of the places where they live their Prayers are exceeding powerfull which can open and shut heaven it selfe What is it that the God of mercy will deny to their prayers who saith Aske me of things to come concerning my sonnes and concerning the worke of my hands command ye me In a word they are very store-houses and granaries of good to the places where they live fruitfull trees affording both food and shelter the only excellent men of the world they are wholly medicinable and should not such a losse as this be felt and lamented Secondly And as their death deprives us of much good so it often presages and pregnosticateth wrath to come upon those they leave behind Esa. 57. The righteous perisheth and no man layes it to heart mercifull men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from
spirit of His was accompanied with three admirable properties wherein he excelled all that ever I knew and most that ever I read of First such singlenesse of heart that no by respect could any whit sway him no respect of any Friend He regarded them in their due place but knew neither Brother Kinsman not Friend Superior nor Inferior when they stood in the way to hinder his pursuit of the publike good Magis amica Respublica And he used to say Such a one is my entire friend to whom I am much obliged but I must not pay my private debts out of the publike stock Yea no self-respect no private ends of His owne or family were in any degree regarded but Himself and His were wholly swallowed up in the care of the publike safety insomuch that when friends have often put Him in mind of his family and Posterity and prest him that although he regarded not himself yet he ought to provide that it might be well with his Family a thing which they thought he might easily procure his ordinary answer was If it went well with the publike his family was well enough Secondly such constancy and resolution that no feare of danger or hope of reward could at any time so much as unsettle him How often was his life in danger vvhat a World of threats and menaces have bin sent Him from time to time Yet I challenge the Man that ever saw Him shaken by any of them or thereby diverted from or retarded in His right way of advancing the publike good nor could the offers of the greatest promotions vvhich England could afford in any measure be a block in His way in that He was as another Moses th' only man whom God went about to bribe who desired that Hee and his might never swim if the cause of God and his people did ever sinke His spirit was not so lovv as to let the whole World prevaile with Him so far as to hinder his vvork much lesse to be his Wages Thirdly such Vnweariablenesse that from three of the Clock in the morning to the evening and from evening to midnight this vvas his constant employment except only the time of his drawing nigh to God to be some wayor other helpfull towards the publike good burning out his Candle to give light to others Who knows not all this to bee true who knevv this Mans conversation not onely since the time of this Parliament but for many yeers together hath He beene a great pillar to uphold our sinking frame a Master workman labouring to repaire our ruinous house and under the weight of this worke hath the Lord permitted this rare Workman to be overthrown and that 's all I meane to say of His Life And as His life such was His Death enjoying all the time of his sicknes the same evennesse of spirit which he had in the time of his health with an addition of a more cleare evidence of Gods love in Jesus Christ and most ready subjection to Gods will to live or dye at Gods choice professing to my self that it was to Him a most indifferent thing to live or dye if Hee liv'd Hee would doe vvhat service He could if Hee dyed Hee should goe to that God whom He had serv'd and who would carry on his worke by some others And to others He said that if his Life and Death were put into a paire of ballances He would not willingly cast in one dram to turne the ballance either way This was his temper all the time of his sicknesse but as He drevv nigher to his end the swifter His motion was to God-wards enjoying more abundant comfort in His spirit more frequently pouring out His heart in prayer and whereas formerly his Soliloquies and private devotions were only betwixt God and his own Soule now out of the abundance of his heart his mouth was compel'd to speake and that so audibly that such of his Family or Friends who endeavoured to bee neere Him lest he should faint away in his weaknesse have over-heard Him importunatly pray for the Kings Majesty and his Posterity for the Parliament and the Publike Cause for Himselfe begging nothing but that if His worke were done He might bee received into his Masters joy And a little before His end being recovered out of a swound seeing his friends weeping about Him he cheerfully told them hee had look't death in the face and knew and therfore fear'd not the worst it could doe assuring them his heart was filled with more comfort and joy which hee found and felt from God then His tongue was able to utter and soon after whilsta Reverend and godly Minister was at prayer with Him He quietly slept in the Lord It may bee some of you expect I should confute the Calumnies and Reproaches which that generation of Men who envied his Life doe already begin to spread and set up in Libels concerning his Death ' as that hee dyed Raving crying out against that Cause wherein he had beene so great an instrument Charging him to die of that loathsome Disease which that accursed Balsack in his Booke of slanders against Mr Calvin charged him to dye of But I forbeare to spend time needlesly to wipe off those reproaches which I know none of you believe And this will satisfie the World against such slanders that no lesse then eight Doctors of Physick of unsuspected integrity and some of them Strangers to him if not of different Religion from him purposely requested to be present at the opening of his Body and well neere a thousand people first and last who came many of them out of curiosity and were freely permitted to see his Corps can and doe abundantly testifie the falshood and foulnesse of this Report the Disease whereof he dyed being no other then an Imposthume in his Bowels But now to leave this tell me all you that passe by the way have we not great cause of Mourning in the fall of such a Man May I not say as David to the People Rent your Clothes and gird you with Sackcloth and mourne before Abner Verily when I consider how God hath followed us with breach upon breach taken away all those Worthy Men I before mentioned and all the other things wherein the Lord hath brought us low and now this great blow to follow all the rest I am ready to call for such a Mourning as that of Hadadrimon in the valley of Megiddon But mistake me not I do not meane that you should mourne for Him You his deare children You Right Honourable Lords and Commons who esteeme him little lesse then a Father I mean not that you should mourne for Him his worke is done his warfare is accomplished He is delivered from sin and sorrow and from all the evils which wee may feare are comming upon our selves Hee hath received at the Lords hand a plentifull reward for all his Labours I beseech you let not any of you have one sad thought
who injoied thâ—m and either opposed them or under-valued them or improved them not as they might have done this God threatens Isa. 57. The righteous perisheth mercifull men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to comâ— by their removal the Lord opens the Sluces to his judgments as men pluck away the props or Pillars of an house when they are willing it should fall downe as in Noahs time as soon as God had housed him in the Arke he presently sent in the flood upon the World of the ungodly and in Lots time as soon as the righteous man vexed with the unclean conversation of Sodome was removed from them presently God rained fire and Brimstone from Heaven and destroied those five Cities thus was it in Iosiahs time as soon as he slept with his fathers all that fierce wrath of God wherewith his anger was kindled against Iudah and Ierusalem which was kept in all the while Josiah lived brake out to the removing of Judah and Jerusalem out of his sight Give me leave now to make a brief application of this First Is this so doth God often times take away the most usefull men when his Church hath most need of them then let all the Church learn never to rest on men how excellent so ever I begin with this first because it is our great and generall sinne that we either vilifie or deifie all Gods instruments either respecting them lesse or more then God will have us if God give us any precious jewels we deal as the Israelites did in the wildernesse turne our golden Eare-Rings into an Idol and thereby change our glory into our shame and misery offering infinite injury unto God who gives us these meanes to use but not to depend upon to bring us neerer to him not as we sinfully make them occasions to draw us further from him this is a very great sinne whereby we lose the taste of Gods goodnesse while wee choose to respect the stream rather then the Fountain and even take our heart off from God and stay too much upon the creature making our comfort to ebbe and flow according as these weak props doe break or hold and even compell God to deprive us of them as Ezekiah uused the Brazen Serpent reserving it in an honourable shrine so long as it was but looked upon as a monument of Gods deliverance But when once they went a Whoring after it he brake it in pieces and that they might know it was but Neâ—ushian a piece of Brasse thus doe we break our staves in leaning too hard upon them It is confidently reported that the King of Sweden a little before his death told some in ward friends that he verily feared God would not use him long because the people attributed more to him then was due to a mortall man and I feare this sinne costs us deare at this day we have over-valued our Parliaments our Armies our Treasures our interests in the hearts of the people leaned too much upon them looked too little unto God who hath therefore brought us low in most of these To my owne knowledge some good men have said of some choise Instruments whose hearts were right with God and zealous in his cause These are the men who must do the deed God will certainly deliver us by their hands Who when they have heard of the sudden and unseasonable cutting off of those men have bin forced to lay their hand upon their mouth and to say What fooles are we to expect any great things from Man whose breath is in his Nostrils God hath sadly broke all our carnall confidence some excellent men he hath took away by death some whom we over-highly valued have beene permitted to discover the falsnesse of their own hearts others little lesse then blasted by peoples mistake although their hearts remaine upright to God and his cause And I verily fear left our relying too much upon the assistance of our brethren from Scotland by their Armies may more prejudice theirs and our successe then the strength of the Enemies can do Let us therfore be perswaded in the feare of God to use men as Gods instruments but build nothing upon them lest our expectation prove that of Cesar Borgia who built infinite projects upon his interest in the Pope and when newes was brought him of the Popes sudden death cried out This I never thought upon now my designes are all lost Certainly whoever lookes for much from men how excellent soever will prove like men who go to lotteries with their head full of hopes and returne with their hearts full of blankes Let therefore every one whom God hath fitted for any service doe what their hand findes to doe with all their power this is Solomons counsel Eccles. 9. and upon this verie ground whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe doe it with all thy might for there is neither worke nor device nor knowledge nor wisdome in the Grave whither thou goest as if he should have said thou knowest not how long God will use thee lay not up thy Talent in a Napkin thy Master may suddenly call thee to an account for it This made our blessed Lord take so much paines Iohn 12. 13 14 15 16 17 Chapters delivering all that excellent matter in one evening because hee was to leave them the next Day This made Paul continue his Preaching at Troas untill mid-night because hee was the next Morning to bee gone from thence this very Argument was thought upon and applied by our blessed Saviour unto himself Iohn II. who when his Disciples would have perswaded him not to hazard himselfe among the Iews who lately sought to stone him answered Are there not twelve houres in the day must I not doe the worke of him who sent me while it is called to day when night comes no man can work God hath fitted thee with many Excellent Talents with Wisdome and Vnderstanding with place of Office and Authority with interest in Friends with strength of Body and courage of Spirit and by all these put some beames of his owne excellency upon thee which is the greatest favour in the World To be a usefull man is at least equall with being a saved man ply this work diligently doe as it is recorded of a famous Minister who wrote upon his Study doore Minister verbies hoc age Thou art a Minister of the Word attend to this worke and thinke often how uncomfortable it would be to thee if GOD should take thee off in the midst of thy race when thou hast burnt out much of thy Candle in play wherein thou shouldest have done much of thy Masters worke And Secondly let the thought of this keep thee from being high minded thinke not too much depends upon thee it may bee thou imaginest what great need the Church or State the City Parish or Family hath of thee or thy parts and abilities Suppose they have are these things thy