diligence and delight Neither will it less profit you or prevail with you if you observe their practice as well as their precepts It being a great advantage and furtherance to our instruction when God gives us such for our guides as will confirm and clear up their rules by their own examples Non sic inflectere sensus Humanos edicta valent quam vita regentis Claud. de 4. Honori consolatu paneg You will find all means little enough to accomplish you with those vertues and graces which are requisite to your condition though you meet with precept upon precept line upon line one precept upon another and one example upon another As it is not a common measure that you should rest in so should the means by which you endeavour to attain it be more then ordinary To abound only in outward things is rather excess than excellency If you have only more wealth and higher titles than others therein doubtless you may exceed many good men and as many if not more bad men may exceed you To be rich and to abound in the things of the world is no more then is common to the wise and to the foolish to the righteous and to the wicked to be noble and the base But to be rich in good works and to excell in the endowments of the mind is peculiar unto them that are truly vertuous and noble Let it therefore be your endeavour to make it appear that as much as you are advanced beyond others in the favours of the world so much you are above them in the favour of God and in the vertues and graces of his Spirit Let not the bounty of God towards you in the things of this life be abused to serve either the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes or the pride of life Lest while you take and use them rather as a possessor of that which is your own then as a Steward and Dispencer of that which is anothers you should be numbred among the men of the world which have their portion in this life Psalm 17 14 Luke 14.25 Luke 6.2 How sadly will it fare with him to whom it shall be said Son remember that in thy life time thou receivedst thy good things Wo unto you that are rich for ye have received your consolation Yea rather let it be your resolution whensoever the Lord shall bring them into your hands to use them as becometh a faithfull and wise Steward even as the instruments and ornaments of vertue and grace And then you shall be sure to be blessed when the Lord shall come and find you so doing In the mean time the season and opportunity of giving glory to God and gaining honour to your self by doing of good is but short and uncertain Neither is it so much a long life or a lasting Name as a good life and a good name that is desirable And that not to be attained by a far fetcht pedigree or by the Blazon or display of Heralds but by noble vertuous actions even your Orators and Poets being Judges Non perpetua fama Plin. ubi Sup. 47. sed bona concupiscenda est ea porro non imaginibus statuis sed virtute ac meritis prorogatur Virgil. Breve irreparabile tempus Omnibus est vitae Aeurid l. 10 sed famam extendere factis Hoc virtutis opus A mans whole life is but a day and youth is but the morning of that day and how swift are the wings of that morning how soon will your Sun ascend to its miridian And assoon decline and hasten towards its setting Ars longa vita brevis there is much work to be done and but a little time to do it He that will do his dayes work had need begin in the morning Let your best time be spent in doing of your best works Think not the prime and flower of your youth too good to be consecrated to God and his service It is no way becomming a noble and generous spirit to offer up that which is worst to God to bestow the best and choicest wine upon the service of sin and to reserve nothing but the dregs for God Let not your youth be spent in making works for repentance in age That is the season which Satan most especially layes hold on to spread his nets and to lay his snares with utmost craft and subtilty and to press on his temptations with greatest violence because therein he finds the greatest success and still promiseth himself the easiest victory It was young Amnon whom he prevails with and draws to lust 2 Sam. 13. beg v. 28. ch 15. And young Absolom whom he wrought to murder and rebellion Prov. 7.7 It was a young man over whom the harlot prevailed Mat. 19. And it was a young man that would follow Christ no farther then he could carry his possessions with him And hence it is that the Apostle sees cause to warn young Timothy though a very good man to fly youthfull lusts 2 Tim. 2.22 and to mind Titus Tit. 2.6 to exhort young men to be sober minded That you may be the better able both to discern and to avoid such dangers Let the Word of God wherein you have been instructed dwell in you richly or plenteously in all wisdom Col. 3.16 and that will make you rich in wisdom even wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15.17 17. and throughly instructed to every good work Psalm 119 9. When the Psalmist puts the question Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way His answer is by taking heed thereto according to thy word Non erit hoc artis sed pietatis opus Let no day pass without consulting the Oracles of God Prov. 20.29 The glory of young men is their strength May it be your glory to be strong in the Lord Ephes 6.16 and in the power of his might and to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man Thus saith the Lord Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me c. This was it that incouraged the Apostle to write unto young men 1 Jo. 2.13 12. because they were strong and the word of God abode in them and they had overcome the wicked one It was no less an honour then a comfort to good Obediah 1 Kin. 18.2 that he could say that he feared the Lord from his youth How was the Apostle filled with joy when he called to remembrance the unfained faith that was in Timothy 2 Tim. 1.5 which dwelt first in his Grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice And Timothy by his stedfast persevering in the faith procured this honour unto his parents to have their names made as lasting as the Scriptures A serious
likely to give him satisfaction He was not wont to consult his Physitians in matters of Divinity nor his Minister in matters of Physicke nor either in matters of State He knew well what influences was like to proceed from such starres as moved beyond the sphere of their own activity All that I can pretend unto is little more then was obvions to common observation Only the experience I had of him and the opportunity of converse for many yeares may inable me to adde this much for the farther confirmation of that which hath been said That he was a person as far as I could discerne no way biassed by private or selfe interest Places of profit he neither needed nor disired at all and places of power or trust not so much as was wished He was sensible of the vanity and danger of popular applause and therefore willingly declined it Not but that he highly prized the affections of his country of which he had frequent and large experience and was willing to serve them But that he might not be rashly hurried on upon designes where he saw neither rationall nor probable grounds to hope to accomplish them He knew well that men are apt to be esteemed not according to their undertakings or endeavours but successe And the same men who are most prodigall in praising the courage of such as are bold and forward in attempting will be no more sparing to upbraid them with rashnesse and folly if in the issue or event they answer not their expectations The taunts and reproaches of light and inconsiderate persons he valued at a low rate supposing them to be promoted by such as rather envied then desired his happinesse and it may be were angry because they could not do him a greater displeasure It is the easiest way of blunting the edge of Calumny to slight and to neglect it But what need I say more Since the Lord in his most wise and gracious providence hath in a good measure removed that which was one maine cause of all these evils to wit our civil broiles and that in such a way as who would ever have expected that after all those miserable distractions and confusions that were grown so generall and dreadfull throughout the Christian world to the dishonour of God the ruin and destruction of Christian poople and to the infinite reproach of our Christian profession even when they were at their very height and when according to humane apprehension nothing was to be expected at least in these nations but utter desolation The Lord himself in zeal to the glory of his own name and in compassion to his people should send us help from his holy place And that also in such a way of love and peace as became him who is the God of love and peace which if duly considered according to all its circumstances was such a miracle of mercy as our progenitors never saw and our posterity will not believe Sufficient if any thing may be sufficient to provoke us to be at love and peace amongst our selves The season and instruments which he had appointed for this work he reserv'd to be disposed of by himself that he alone might appeare to be both the Auther and the finisher of it When his time was come and his instruments were set on work all things succeeded without let or interruption The lesse there appeared of man the more of God and he that ascribes all the glory to him Shall have never the lesse himself For he hath said those that honour him he will honour Having therefore such an instance of the kindnesse and love of God 1 Sam. 2 30 towards such a people as were living in malice envy hatefull or hated and hating one another I may conceive the better hopes that such as do desire to approve themselves to be like unto God and are not utterly void of that most Christian grace of Charity will be the more apt to accept of that which is here tendered for their satisfaction in the behalf of the dead And for others who being little studious of doing good themselves are best at leisure to find faults in others as Hierome speakes Qui sua non ornant aliena carpunt My prayer shall be that God will give them better mindes and then and not till then will they effectually know it to be their duty a Mat. 7.12 to do to others as they would others should do to them and to set as much by the esteem of others as they would that others should set by theirs In the meantime Let all Christians mind that it is their duty b Jam. 4.11 not to speak evil one of another c Ps 15.2 no nor to hear evil either ne auribus caluminiari They are said to be far from good men who give d Pro. 17.4 1 Pet. 2.17 heed to falsâ— lips or a naughty tongue Let us make conscience of the contrary duty We owe e Job 31 13.14 15 honour to all men What man so despicable that hath not something in him that is worthy of honour He hath communion with us in the same f Pro. 22.3 nature and is capable of communion with us in the grace and glory g Ro. 14.4 vid. Ames de cons l. 5 c. 13. It is true wicked men are not to be honoured as they are such nor so as may confirm or incourage them or others to have fellowship with them in their evill ways Yet we may not deny them a testimony of that vertue which is in them nor deprive them of that honour which God hath put upon them Lest we should reproach the Almighty or despise the wayes of his providence as if he might not do with his own as he pleased Mat. 20.15 Rom. 13.7 Shall our eye be evil because he is good We must render unto all their dues even honour to whom honour is due Alas if this be all that wicked men shall have it is but a slender portion and such as affords but small matter of glorying unto them or of envy unto us In a word A good name is that depositum or pledge Peccat qu audit sugillantem seu detrahenetem assentiendo vel non resistendo quam id facere deberet Azpilcueta manual confes c. 18. n. 37. wherewith every man is intrusted in the behalf of his neighbour and it is a crime of an high nature to be unfaithfull in a common trust That I might not offend either by assenting to or not resisting of such an evil as a learned casuist saith I might I have endeavoured in some measure to right the wronged and to rectify the wrong-doer And it is not unlikely but that such as have offended through evil affection will be impatient of being contradicted Where a those that have failed through mistak or inadvertency will take it in good part to be better informd the proofe whereof I shall leave to such as think it worth the observation Being
Obser 4 To be rightly informed in the doctrine of the power and interest which Jesus Christ hath in the resurrection and the life is an especiall meanes to cure the ignorance and to prevent the errours we are apt to be corrupted withall conceruing the power and Godhead of Christ That which hath been already spoken in the handling of the first observation I suppose may save me the labour and the time that otherwise might have been employed in inlarging upon this There you have heard that Jesus Christ is the author or efficient cause of the resurrection and the life And in the application we made use of it for the confirming of our faith in the Godhead of Christ I shall therefore adde no more for the proof or application of this point but only this That he which doth know and believe that Jesus Christ is the author and efficient cause of the resurrection and the life cannot doubt but that the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily or substantially 2 From the words in relation to the context Whereas Jesus Christ for the moderating quieting and comforting of Martha's spirit now apt to exceed in mourning and grieving for the death of her brother doth especially make choise of and insist upon the doctrine of the resurrection and the life and the informing her in and affecting her with his absolute power in it and Soveraignty over it Obser 5 The observation is this Rightly to be informed in and to be affected with the doctrine of the resurrection and the life and of Christs power in it is of especiall use to comfort the sorrowfull and mourning friends of such as die in the faith I say to be informed to exclude ignorance and to be rightly informed to avoid errour I say first to be informed in it and then to be affected with it Because the information of the judgment must go before the motions of the will and that not only as a guide to conduct unto the right end but also as a counseller to advise unto the proper meanes and also as Gods minister in some sort to command that is not by any power or authority of its own but by manifesting what is the will of God whereunto our wills are to be subject and by proposing the promises and threats either to quicken the dullnesse or to check the unrulinesse of our affections And I say both to be rightly informed and affected because both are necessary To have the mind inlightned and the heart not affected is to have light without life and much affection without knowledge is but distempered passion Jam. 3.6 not unlike to hell fire which hath much heat but no light There is neither profit nor comfort in the want of either But to have the mind rightly informed in the truth of the docrine of the resurrection and the life and of Christs power and interest in it and to have the heart sincerely affected with it quiets the minde and revives the spirit And he that layeth his friend in the grave being perswaded of his interest in Christ will have his fears so tempered with hope and his grief with patience as it is with the husbandman Amos 9.13 in a time of peace when the plowman overtakes the reaper and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed Jam. 1.2 The believer is allwayes sowing and reaping together he reaps good out of evil and comforts from crosses and joy in temptations The life of a christian is much like unto that of those Troglodites in Ethiopia amongst whom it is said toto anno seritur ac metitur All the year they are sowing and reaping Scalig. Exercit 249. distinct 2. The use of this piont is to shew the vast difference that is between the sunerall mournings of Christians and heathens The heathens indeed made death a Goddesse because of her power beatting down all before her but yet they gave her no divine honours nor temple nor priest nor altar nor sacrifice nor festivall dayes because they looked upon her as one that did them all the mischief and from whom they hoped for no good And for a like reason they crowned Pluto by whom they signified death or the grave with the leaves of the Cypress tree The like is said of the Piâ—e tree which also for that cause is used by some for an emblem of death which as they say is a tree of that nature that being once cut down never buds nor grows again And therefore it is not to be marvelled at if they exceeded in sorrow for their dead Since it is manifest they were men without hope But for Christians it ought not to be so with them To such the Apostle speaks Brethren I would not have you to sorrow even as others which have no hope 1 Thes 4.13 Eph. 2.12 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thes 4.13 14. They that die in the faith die in the Lord they sleep in Jesus Christ is still their head and they his members and if he be risen they must needs rise also As long as the head is above water the members cannot be drowned The heathen complaind that their dead were ingratefull Flebant Ver. Aeued l. 6. cineri ingrato suprema ferebant Though they cryed never so loud yet there was no reply though they performed never so many rites and services yet there was no return but for believers their faith speakes when they are dead Heb. 11.4 Their faith in God their covenant with God their prayers to him and all that ever they did or suffered for God are written in Gods book and are as so many speaking remembrancers before the Lord. Exod. 17.14 1 Sam. 15.2 Isa 37.35 Exod. 20.5 6. Deut. 9.27 Wicked mens evill works speak also but it is for vengeance upon their wicked off-spring the speaking of believers is for good to their posterity that walke in the same faith 2. Use This shewes what they are concerning whom their friends may thus comfort themselves in their death they are beliâ—â—â—rs and none but they None but such as believe in Jesus do sleep in Jesus and none but such as sleep in Jesus will God bring with him If ever we desire that our friends may have any thing to comfort themselves withall concerning us when we are dead we must be of the number of those that die in the faith otherwise we leave our friends comfortlesse and to mourn without hope But here it may be questioned 1 What is it to die in the faith 2 Who are they that as we may judge do die in the faith For answer 1 To die in the faith is to die in a constant dependance and reliance on the truth and faithfullnesse of God in the promises for remission of sins and life eternal in Christ in whom all the proses are yea and amen that is made and