the evil to come So it proved in this place The good man is perished the vile are left behind then followeth vers. 4. The day of thy watchmen and thy visitation commeth now shall be their perplexity It 's true as I said before to them who are godly the Fountaine remaines when the Pipes are cut and there is ten thousand times more cause of joy in their God who lives then of sorrow for their friends who die but to others it 's a sad prediction that when God makes up his Jewels and carries them away he hath a day comming that shall burne as an Oven and all the wicked shall be as stubble that it shall leave them neither root nor branch And indeed they are the very {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the onely meanes to keep off wrath and judgement from the places where they live Every mercie saith to such a people as Elisha to Jehoram Surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehosaphat I would not looke toward thee nor see thee and the devouring judgements say to these godly ones as the Angel said to Lot We are come to destrâ—y this place up get thee out hast thee escape hence for we can doe nothing till thou art gone When the Husband-man thus p 〈…〉 s up the fence and gathers in his crop it is a signe that shortly you 'll have wild beasts in the field This Jeroboam and his whole family found to be true who had Abijah one child in his family in whom some good thing was found toward the Lord and as soone as he was taken away the judgements of God broke in upon his house and cut off him that pist against the wall and him that was shut up and left in Israel and took away the remnant of the house of Ieroboam as a man takes away dung till it be allgone This the old world found true in Noah and Sodome with the rest of the Cities in Lot this the Iews found true when the Christians admonished from heaven left Ierusalem fled to Pella soon after their departure the enemies made a trench about them and laid their City even with the ground and their children with them not leaving one stone upon another Thus fared it with the City of Hippo in Africa where Saint Augustine was Bishop which as soone as ever he was dead was taken and sackt by the Goths and Vandals Luther was no sooner translated to a better life but the Smalchaldick war begun in Germany wherein all the Protestants were almost wholly wasted No sooner was old Paraeus taken away from Heidelberg but Spinola entred the Towne These and many other instances of Gods wrath breaking in upon the departure of godly men abundantly manifest that we have cause to weep and lament not for them who thus dye but for our selves and our children because of the miseries which we may then justly feare are comming upon us Take a briefe Application of this Lesson and I have done my Sermon First Would God have his people thus to mourne when usefull men decay and faile how sadly then doth this reprove our generall stupidity the Lord hath made many great and lamentable breaches amongst us in this kinde he hath broken all our carnall confidences our Parliament is weakned our Armies wasted our treasure is exhausted our enemies increased and of those few able hearts heads and hands who abode faithfull to this great cause and worke in hand it might even stab us to the very heart to thinke how many of them the Lord hath even snatcht away in the middest of their worke and our greatest need That excellent spirited Lord the Lord Brooke that rare man Master Iohn Hampden that true-hearted Nathaniel Master Arthur Goodwin pardon me I beseech you though I mention them amongst these friends who cannot thinke of them without bitternessâ— How are these mighty men fallen in the midst of the baâ—tell ana the weapons of warre perished the beauty of our Israel is slaine in the high places Whose heart wou 〈…〉 not bâ—eed and cry out as David at Ionathan his death Tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of â—skelon lest the daughters of the Philistins reioyce lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph But now which of us laies these things to heart who considereth the bitter things which God writes against us No we are rather like that wretched people who when the righteous perished and mercifull men were taken away though it were from the evil to come were so farre from laying it to heart aright that they banished all serious thoughts from them every one looking to their owne way some to their gaine others to their pleasure Come ye say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drinke and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant and this even when the righteous perished Verily this is our carriage the Lord deprives us of these excellent men and we it may be for a moment bewaile their losse in some passionate expression saying There is a brave man lost I am sorry such a man is dead c. and then every one goeth on againe in his owne way As I have seen a Hen pardon an homely similitude goe clocking and scraping in the midst of her Chickens then comes the Kite and snatcheth away first one then another then a third till all are gone and the Hen brustles and flutters a little when any is snatched away but returns instantly to her scraping and picking as if she had lost nothing Even so doe wee presently forgetting our great losses but no man sitting alone by himselfe to enquire What God hath done and what He meanes to doe with us or what we have done to provoke him thus far against us thrusting such thoughts far away from us passing by on the other side of the way as the Priest and Levite did by the wounded man as if it nothing concerned us O Beloved this wofull security and regardlesnesse of ours is one of the saddest tokens of Gods purpose still to bring us lower It was the Prophet Hósea his complaint against Israel a little before their utter ruine Strangers have devoured his strength and he knew it not gray haires were here and there upon him and he regarded it not The losse of good men was one of his gray hairs which argued his declining and his not-regarding it was the saddest evidence of his incurablenesse the Lord in mercy make us sensible of these heavie strokes before it be too late lest we prove like them of the old world who did eat and drink marry and give in marriage and would know nothing untill the flood came and swept them all away Secondly but how exceedingly doth this discover the wickednesse the divellishnesse of the spirits of a generation of men amongst us who are so far from bemoaning and lamenting the losse of
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
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
touching him Nor secondly would I have you mourne out of any such apprehension as the Enemies have and for which they rejoice as if our Cause vvere not good or wee should lose it for want of hands and heads to carry it on No no beloved this Cause must prosper and although we were all dead our Armies overthrown and even our Parliaments dissolved this Cause must prevail out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings will God ordeine strength to quell all the Enemies of it even the great Enemy and the Avenger Nor should we much mourne because the Enemies rejoyce I confesse it is as a Sword in our Bowels to heare their blasphemies but as in relation of the Cause their blasphemies need not trouble us Let my enemy said Job be as the wicked and he that riseth up against me as the ungodly Let them fill up the measure of their wickednesse God will the sooner take a course with them and the more eminently and speedily plead our Cause but let us mourne that we have thus farre provoked the Lord God to displeasure and to manifest it by such heavy stroakes that wee are deprived of such an Excellent Godly man such a Patriot such a Light such an Example such a Store-house of good such a Jewell snatch't out of our bosome as we all knew him to be and that we have such a sad prediction in his death of the increase and prolongation of our Calamâ—ties But especially right Honourable Lords and Gentlemen let me prevaile with you to make such use of him that with Abel though he be dead he may still speak unto you that as a graine of corne he may prove more fruitfull when buried under the ground then while he lived with us upon earth And certainly if God sends us to the Pismire to consider her waies and thereby to learne wisdome it can be no disparagement to any of you to consider his worth and thereby to grow better I shall therefore make bold to propound him as Bishop Mountacuâ—e did Master Perkins in his Funerall Sermon To be the Man that taught England to serve God and Ministers to preach Jesus Christ so Master John Pym to be the Man whose example may teach all our Nobles and Gentlemen to be good Christians good Patriots good Parliament-men You all knew him well and knew That he was not a man who when he was called to the publike service of his countrey lay here to satisfie his lusts spending his time in riot and wantonnesse in gaming drinking whoring c. Take heed none of you be such He was not a man who prov'd a Traitour to God and his countrey and the cause of Religion which he had solemnly protested to maintaine Take heed none of you be such Hee was not a man who though hee appeared often in the Parliament house yet neither promoted good causes himselfe nor willingly permitted others to do it Take heed there be none such among you He was not a man who own'd the good cause so long as it was like to thrive and then tackt-about when it seemed to decline resolved to secure himselfe what ever became of the publike Beware none of you be such He was not a man who would feed himselfe or feather his owne nest or provide for his family or friends out of the publike Stocke or treasure of the Kingdome Take heed none of you be such He was not a man who would favour the cause of his friend or presse too heavily against his enemy he was no respecter of persons in any cause or judgement Take heed none of you doe so He was not a man who would consider how far any publike service would stand with his owne private designes and promote the one no further then the other could be driven on â—ith it Beware this be none of your condition He was not a man who for maintaining or propagating any private opinion or way of his owne would hazzard the publique safety Take heed none of you be such He was not a man who feared to promote the Reformation of Religion lest himselfe should be brought under the yoke of it Take heed that none of you doe so Not a man living I beleeve could justly taxe him for any of these God grant none of you may be found guilty of any one of them in the day of your account If you be such or should prove such let me tell you it 's most probable you do but dance in a net All good men are not Fooles some of them will discover you however though we may possibly suffer a while by your wickednesse yet soone enough to your owne ruine your sinnes will finde you out But in stead of these things he was the holy man the good man adorned with that integrity constancy and unweariablenesse in doing good which I before told you of Goe and doe likewise Get such an upright heart to God Lay out your selves wholly in the publike cause Put both your hands to this worke and the smaller your number is be the more diligent and fall the closer to it Set selfe and selfe-respects aside Drive 〈◊〉 designes of your owne Count it reward enough tâ— spend and be spent in this cause Esteeme the workâ— more worth then all your lives â—mitate him in theiâ— things So might you make him as another Sampson more advantagious to the cause of God in his Death then ever he was in his whole Life You have done well thus to follow his Corps with honour to his Bed of rest you have done well to appoint a Committee to consider his debts and how hee hath wasted his estate as well as spent his life in the publike service that so his Family may finde he did not all this to an ungratefull State The Lord reward this faithfulnesse into your bosomes But would you endevour to be like him to set him up for your Patterne and not to rest till a double portion of his spirit might be found in you This were the greatest honour you could possibly doe unto him So should we all blesse God for his example and your imitation so should you be Repairers of our breaches so should you be even Saviours unto us so should you doe worthily in Ephrata and be famous in Bethlem Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS Introduction Gen. 50. 11. The Text explained Vers. 2. Hest. 10. 3. 2 Chron. 24. Act. 11. 24. Gen 8. 19. Prov. 14. 32. Doct. 1. God oft takes away usefull Instruments and proved 1. by Examples 2 King 13. Mal 4. ult. Esa. 53. 8. By Reason Hereby hepro vides for his owne Glory His Power Esa. 40. 2. Wisdome Iâ—h. 14. 12. 2 Eâ—r the good of his own of them who dye sa 53. 2. Of them who live Deut. 34. 6. 3. For judgment and 〈◊〉 upon others 2 King 23. Vses Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Esa. 26. Psal. 125. Doct. 2. 1. God requires it 2. The Saints practising it Gen. 50. Deuâ—. 34. 2 Chron. 35. 24 25. Zechar. 12. Isa. 24. 13. 16 Act. 8. 2. 2 Kiâ— 13. 14 3. Scripture-reason inforâ—eth it Because God is then displeased 〈◊〉 10 8 2. Because the dead are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psalme 122. Ier. 22 18. Gen. 50. 2 Samuel 3. Acts 9. 39 3. Because we our selves are hereby endammaged Pro. 10 21 Pro. 15. 7 Mal. 3 Psal. 106 Num. 16. 46 Iob 22. Iam. 5. 17 18 Esa. 45 11 Mal. 3. 17 2 Kings 3 Gen. 19. 13. 22 2 Kings 14 Luke 19 Vse 1. For reproofe 2 Sâ—m 1. 1â— c. Esa. 56. ult. Esa. 52. 1. Hos. 7. 9 〈◊〉 Obad. 2. Ezech. 26. 2 Rev. 11. 10 〈◊〉 3. Ier. 9. 1â— Chrys. hom de laudib. Paul Percepimus gaudia magna solatia magna fomenta maximè quòd et gloriosas Martyrum non dicam mortes sed immortalitates gloriosis et condigâ—is laudibus prosequutus es Tales enim excessus talibus vocibus personandi sunt ut quae referebantur sic dicerentur qualiter facta sunt Cypri Ep. 26. Exod. 32. 10. Num. 14. 12. 1 Sam 3. 31. Zach. 12. 11. Iob. 27. 7. Mat. 23. 32. Heb. 11. 4. Iohn 12. 24. Prov. 6. 6. Esa. 58. 12. Obad. 21. Ruth 4. 11.