sorrow for their religious deceased friends as William Hunter said to his Mother when hee was to suffer Martyrdome For a momentany paine I shall have a crowne of life and may you not be glad of that So they for a slender troublesome contemptible condition have a full a peaceable a glorious estate in heaven and have in that respect great cause of rejoycing 3. This is the day of their Ioy 3 Ioy. now they are d Hos 2.19 2 Cor. 11.1 2 3. betrothed but then the Marriage between e Rev. 19.7 Christ and their soules shall be consummate as the Marshals wife of France said to her husband at the stake Be of good cheere your wedding was but a shadow an earnest of the blessed marriage which the Lambe will now consummate This then is the Marriage day of the godly and who will not rejoyce at least a little with his friend on his Marriage day 4. Recompence 4. This is the day of their Recompence now their f Rev. 14.13 workes follow them now is their harvest though heretofore they have g Ps 126.5 6. sowne in teares yet now they reape in joy 5. God gave our godly friends to us but for a season we are tenents at will the Lord may put us out at his pleasure of all our possessions and therefore we should learne with Iob to submit our wills to Gods will and say h Job 1.21 the Lord gave and the Lord taketh blessed be the name of the Lord. 6. We shall shortly i 2 Sam. 12 23. goe to them they cannot returne to us it is but a little while and we shall for ever have k 1 Thes 4 13.14.17 their fellowship in the Heavens 7. God will be instead of all God will be to the widow to the woman that hath no husband instead of a husband to the fatherles child instead of a father c. As Elkāa said to Hannah grieving at the barrennes of her wombe because she had no children l 1 Sam. 1.8 Why weepest thou and why eatest thou not and why is thy heart grieved am not I to thee better then ten sonnes So may I say in this behalfe to every woman every child every parent every friend why weepe ye why eate ye not why are your hearts grieved Is not God to you in stead of ten husbands ten children ten friends surely in God is all fulnesse and as the Sun is instead of all Candles so should the Lord be to us instead of all others and infinitly more then all helpers guides staies friends and comforters Let then the thought of their advantage who are gone the way of all flesh before us and the meditation of Gods constant and never failing goodnesse mitigate the sorrow and sadnesse which doth usually attend our losse in this behalfe let their gaine asswage the griefe of our losse and also quicken us to a carefull preparation that whensoever the day of our dissolution shall come we may also have a fiery Charet with Eliah to carry us into the heavens Thus are we come to the last thing noted in Eliahs translation and ascension the instrumenta motus the Angels of the Lord whence observe Doct. That the holy Angels carry the soules of the righteous at the day of their death into the heavens they now m Psa 34.7 encampe about them they now n Heb. 1.13 minister for their good and at last will carry their soules to heaven as they carried o Luke 16 22. Lazarus into Abrahams bosome The ground of this their attendance upon the righteous floweth from the Communion and conjunction of Gods faithfull people with the Lord Jesus a woman joyned in wedlocke with the Prince is honoured reverenced attended not onely by the common subjects but also by the greatest Nobles in that Princes Court so the Spouse of Christ true believers being married to Christ are served attended waited on not onely by the common creatures but also by the glorious Angels O the dignity whereunto man through Christ Jesus is advanced O that the Name of God might be magnified by us according to the honour he hath bestowed upon us Thus from Eliahs Ascension let us descend unto and looke upon Elishas Lamentation wherein you may remember was presented to us a threefold motive The first externall he saw Eliah ascending and thereupon cryed Wherein you may see That the sight of dying or departing is very forcible to move the affections of the surviving Note p Lam. 3.51 mine eye affecteth my heart was the saying of the Church in her Lamentations but this I must now passe by The second motive was his internall affection My Father my Father Note Where also learne That Gods holy Ministers are spirituall Fathers and therefore they must be to Gods people as fathers to the children and must be loved reverenced honoured by the people as children love reverence honour them that be fathers over them The third motive was next Note drawne from the experience Elisha had of the safety and defence ministred to Israel by the presence of Eliah among them therefore calling him the Horsemen of Israel and the Charets thereof because as the horsemen and charets are the strength of the people and the instruments of their defence so may we hereby learn That Gods faithfull Ministers are a singular stay and defence to the people where God hath set them but because time will not give leave to speak of these particulars I will from the degree increase and signe of Elishas sorrow and from his affection crying renting his cloths mourning as for a father propose unto you this observation Doct. That the death and departure of Gods faithfull Ministers ought to be deeply affectionately bewailed by Gods holy servants as q 2 Sam. 3.22 David lamented and all the people wept over Abner when he was slaine being a great man in Israel a man that went forth to gather all Israel unto David so have we great cause to mourne for and bewaile the death of the spirituall Captaines and Leaders which are sent forth to gather the people unto God and to r 2 Cor. 5.18.19 reconcile them and bring them into Covenant with the Lord thus Elisha here bewailed the translation of Eliah and King Ioash afterwards in the same words lamenteth ſ 2 Kings 13 14. Elisha Now Elisha was fallen sicke of his sicknesse whereof he died and Ioash King of Israel came down unto him and wept over his face and said O my father my father the Charets of Israel and Horsmen thereof And this is a part of the Churches lamentation t Lam. 1.19 20. My Priests and mine Elders gave up the ghost in the Cty behold O Lord for I am in distresse and this was a principall part of the peoples complaint a great aggravation of their affliction u Psa 74.9 We say they see not our signes there is no more any
Prophet neither is there any among us that knoweth how long and when Paul departed from the people of God at Ephesus this was their great griefe that they should see him no more for at his departure from them it is recorded * Acts 20.37 38. that he kneeled downe and prayed with them all and they all wept sore and fell on Pauls necke and kissed him sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more and that the people of God should thus deepely thus affectionately bewaile the death and departure of Gods Ministers there is great cause for Then they are without a Guide as Reasons 1 children without a father to instruct governe them as a Ship without a Pilot to conduct them as an Army without a Captaine to order them as Sheepe without a Shepheard to lead them so that as in the day of the King of Israels fall the Prophet in vision saw the people scattered like sheep without a x 1 King 22 17. shepheard and as men having no master So when the faithfull Minister of God the spirituall Pastor is taken away then are the people scattered abroad as y Mat. 9 36 sheep having no shepheard then they are as travellers without a guid then they are as the Syrians z 2 Kings 6 18 19. that had their eyes put out went they knew not whither into their enemies City when they thought they had beene travelling to their owne Countrey so people when the faithfull Ministers of the Gospell are taken from them they be as men without eyes they thinke they are in a good when they are in a very evill estate in the way to life when they be in the very gates of death for the Ministers are the eyes of the people therefore called a Isa 30.10 Seers and as Moses said to Hobab Numbers Leave us not I pray thee for as much as we are to encamp in the wildernesse and thou mayest be instead of eyes to us so may the people say to the Minister of God Leave us not we beseech thee for as much as we are to travell thorow the Wildernesse of this World and thou maist be to us instead of eyes in stead of eyes to teach us to discerne the things which differ to foresee evils to come to shew us the mysteries of salvation to guide us into the wayes of peace therefore as it would grieve a man to have his eyes put out so it should much grieve us to have the Ministers of God our spirituall eyes taken from us Then they are without spirituall food as children that have lost their Father their Mother their nurse are often without bodily food for the Ministers of God are their spirituall b 1 Cor. 4.16 Fathers the c 1 Thes 2.7 Nurses which must draw forth the breasts of spirituall consolations to nourish them the shepheards which must d Jer. 3.15 Joh. 21.16.17 feede them with knowledge and understanding the e Mat. 13.52 stewards which must bring forth old and new out of their treasury which must open and apply both the Law and the Gospell to their conscience f 1 Cor. 4.1 faithfull stewards g 2 Tim. 2.15 dividing the word aright giving every one his portion and that in due season Without these there is a spirituall famine a famine not of bread and water but which is farre worse a h Amos 8.11 famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Without these the people at the best are but like the sheepe brought by Labans daughters to the well but could not drinke till Iacob rolled away the i Gen. 29 8 10. stone for what else doth an un-teaching Minister but gather the people to the well call them to the word to heare the Scriptures but are unable to roll away the stone to give the k Neh. 8.8 sence as Ezra did to divide the word and give them waters out of the wells of life and therefore as it would much trouble us to bee in a bodily so should it much more disquiet us to bee under a spirituall famine Reasons 3 Then they be without their spirituall comforter as children when their parents are gone then their Comforter is gone the faithfull Ministers are the Comforters of Sion these have the charge given to minister consolation to the people l Isa 40.1 2. comfort yee comfort yee my people saith our God speake yee comfortably to Ierusalem c. These are the sonnes of m Act. 4.36 Consolation these are the Doves which bring the Olive branch of peace to the soule in the deluge of trouble their voyce through Gods blessing doth appease the troubled conscience as the n Mat. 8.25 26. voyce of our Saviour appeased the stormy tempest these under God are the Physitians which heale our wounded soules when all the World cannot cure us nor minister any peace or comfort to us as our Saviour cured the o Mark 5.39 woman of her bloudy issue after that shee had spent all that she had upon the Physitians and yet was not healed for these are the men to whom God hath given the p Isa 5.40 tongue of the learned to minister a word in due season when these therefore are gone the Instruments of our comfort are gone our starre is set we are left in darkenesse and are as the Church when she had no Comforter Lament 1.9 q Lam. 1.19 Then they are without the meanes Reasons 4 of their spirituall freedom easily taken and kept in the bondage of Satan when the Parents are gone strangers use to make a pray of the children so when the Ministers of God are taken away when the spirituall Parents are removed then sin Satan and the world easily make a pray of the people for the faithfull Ministry of the Gospell is the thunder by which the divell must be cast down to the ground like r Luke 10.18 lightning this is the warlike weapon which is mighty thorough God to cast downe the strong Å¿ 2 Cor. 10 4.5 holds of sinne as the walles of t Jos 6.20 Ierico were throwne downe by the sounding of the Rammes hornes so the walles of sinne the strong holds of Satan are overturned by sounding forth the trumpet of the Gospell Before Philip came to Samaria Satan had the possession there but when he came and preached the Gospell then the u Acts 8.8 9. uncleane spirits went out of many that were possessed with them thus is the Ministry of the word an instrument of victory to Gods people over the enemies of their salvation but when the Ministry faileth then Satans Kingdome is erected then his throne flourisheth when the gardener is taken away then the garden becommeth a wildernesse when the shepheard is gone the flocke is scatered the wild beast maketh a pray of it as the Psalmist saith in another case w Psal 104 20 21.
and the Souldiers of the Shipmen except these abide in the shippe yee cannot be saved so may I say to you of the holy righteous and faithfull servants of God unlesse these abide amongst us we cannot be in safetie we shall certainly bee exposed to many miseries for as the Prophet said to Iehoram were it not for good u 2 Kin. 3.13 Iehosaphat I would not looke towards thee so certainely were it not for the presence of the holy the mercifull the righteous the Lord would not looke towards us at least with any fauourable and shining countenance Reason 2 Gods blessing doth attend the place where they are for their sakes as the house of w 2 Sam. 11.6 Obed-Edom was blessed for the presence of the Arke so doth God prosper the Kingdome Towne Family where the righteous are for their sakes thus Laban x Gen. 30.30 prospered through the presence and service of Iacob and God blessed y Gen. 29.3 23 Potipheas house for Iosephs sake Reason 3 Their performance of religious and holy duties doth cause God to be graciously present in the place where they are if the Father have a child in a Towne or Family he will often visit that place he will not be strange but loving and kind to the people dwelling there So God where his Children are there will he be graciously present those places will he visit and there will shew much kindnesse and bestow many favours for where two or three be gathered together in his z Mat. 18.20 Name in his feare according to his word to invocate and worship him there will he be for it is among the a Rev. 1.13 Candlesticks in the Church among the beleevers where the light of the truth shineth where duties of godlinesse are exercised that Christ walked and shewed himselfe graciously present They are a safegard to the place and Reason 4 people where they are better then all walles and Castles then all Armour and Munition able to doe more by their prayers then the Souldiers with all their weapons as Origen saith one holy man praying can doe more then innumerable sinners can doe with fighting Thus Moses b Exod. 17 11. prevailed more by his prayers then Ioshua with all his Souldiers against the Amalekites and when the Emperour Marcus Aurelius was like to lose his Army through want of water the Christians in his Army prevaled with God and obtained raine As they procure many favours so they also prevent many evils which would otherwise fall upon the place wher they live c Psal 106 23. He would saith the Psalmist destroy them had not Moses his servant stood before him in the breach to turne away his wrath lest he should destroy them So that as Nabals servants said of David and his men d 1 Sam 25.15 16 The men were very good unto us and we were not hurt neither missed wee any thing as long as wee were conversant with them when wee were in the field they were a wall unto us both by night and by day so may every Kingdome Towne and Family say of the holy and righteous servants of God They have beene very good unto us and wee have had no hurt while wee have been conversant with them they have beene a wall unto us both by night and by day Reason 5 Their example their counsell their instruction their wisedome their blamelesse walking is of great force to restraine others from much evill to allure and draw them at least to the outward performance of many good duties as Husbands are wonne by the conversation of the wives while they behold their chaste conversatiō coupled with feare e 1 Pet. 3.1 2. wonne to approue of and attend upon that word of God which teacheth their wives to live so chastly to walke so circumspectly and to order themselves every way so holily so meekely so blamelesly so that men that are strangers to the power of a godly life are strongly wrought upon and very much affected with and wonne by the religious and gracious conversation of the Lords faithfull people Even Saul will f 1 Sam. 10.10 prophesie when he is among the Prophets the coldest stone will grow hot and full of burning being among the stickes in the fire and Iustin Martyr cōfessed he was first turned to Christ by Christian Religion through the admiration he had to behold the innocent and godly life of a Christian hearing them pray for their good and preservation who to the utmost endevoured and wrought their ruine thus forcible thus effectuall thus prevalent is the example of a godly conversation Now by the death of Gods people there is a removall of these priviledges and so the place of their former abode is exposed to many miseries for when the godly are removed when the righteous are taken away Then Religion and piety faileth and they become like a people without g Ephes 2.12 the Covenant without God and Christ in the world Then good Government and even Civility falleth to the ground like a House without a foundation then all runneth to ruine like a Shippe without a Pilot Therefore when the Lord would bring confusion upon Jerusalem for her sinne what doth hee He taketh from Jerusalem and h Isa 3.1 2 3 Judah the stay and staffe the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water the mighty man and the man of warre the Iudge and the Prophet and the Prudent man and the Ancient the Captaine of fifty and the Honorable man and the Counsellor and the cunning Artificer and the eloquent Orator and I will give Children to bee their Princes and Babes shall rule over them Then there is none to stand up in the gappe to turne away the wrath of the Lord from them but as Souldiers rush in at the breaches made in the walles when none are standing there to keepe them out so will all manner of plagues and miseries rush in upon the people when the righteous who should stand in the gap are taken away from them therefore when the Prophets saw vanitie and a lying divination when they forsooke the word of the Lord and flattered the people in their sinne then the Lord said O Israel thy Prophets are like i Ezek. 13.4 5. foxes in the De sarts yee have not gone up into the gaps neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battell in the day of the Lord. And againe in another place the Lord by the same Prophet saith k Ezek. 22 30 31 I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the Land that I should not destroy it but I found none therefore have I powred out mine indignation upon them I have consumed them all with the fire of my wrath their owne way have I recompenced upon their heads Vse This then discovereth the folly and impiety of such as love not desire
not delight not in the presence of Gods holy and righteous people whose delight is not in then that l Psal 16.3 excell in vertue as Christs is whose eyes are not upon the m Psa 101.6 faithfull in the Land as Davids was but rather wish and labour their removall Many there bee to whom the presence of the righteous is like the n 1 Sam. 6 1 5. Arke to the Philistines as that was a burden to their Land and their God therefore they sent it away so are the people of God a burden a trouble to many profane persons a crosse a contradiction to their doings and therefore desire and labour their absence and what doe they hereby but in the strength of their impiety and multitude of their folly involve themselves in remediles and irrecoverable miseries The Sodomites tooke offence at Lots presence but what became of them when Lot was gone Did not the o Gen. 19.24 fire and brimstone instantly consume them The presence of Moses was irkesome to Pharaoh he was charged no more to looke him in the p Exod. 10.2 8. face but what ensued what was the issue of it were not all the q Exod. 11 5. first borne in Aegypt thereupon destroyed Pharaohs servants conceived Israel to be a r Ezod 10 7. snare to be instruments of much evill endevoured their removall but when Israel was gone what became of them Did not the Å¿ Exod. 14 Red Sea swallow them the very day of Israels out-going Thus you see how usually it fares with profane persons upon the removall of the righteous and is it not strange that notwithstanding all this they should still distaste their presence still wish and worke their absence Doe they not hereby plainely declare and publikely proclaime 1. That there is no t 1 Ioh. 5.1 love of God in their soules for how can a man love the father and hate the presence of the child 2. That they have no union with Christ doe the living members in a body naturall hate and wish each others removall was it ever heard saith the Apostle that a man did u Ephes 5 29 hate his owne flesh 3. That there is no saving grace no presence no powers of the spirit in such doth not every thing agree with and rejoyce in its like Doe not waters agree and flow together in one Chanell And had these men the spirit of holinesse in them could they grieve at the presence of Gods people Surely it is impossible for the Spirit of God is a Spirit of w Phil. 2.1 2 fellowship love peace joy making men of one accord and of one minde and when the righteous are gone when the mercifull men are taken away who shall stand in the gap then Shall the profane shall the worker of iniquity What can he doe In what account are his prayers The blind man could see and say this God heareth not x Ioh. 9 31. sinners their prayers are an y Prov. 28.9 abomination in his presence as Salomon doth assure us This must therefore teach us deepely to bewaile and much to lament the losse of godly men when they are taken from us and to feare the evils like to ensue upon their departure O Beloved let us not I beseech you be like them of whom the Propht here speaketh that did not consider that did not lay to heart the taking away of the righteous from ensuing evils Let us not be like Ephraim whose strength was devoured by z Hos 7.9 strangers and he knew it not that had gray haires here and there and much weakenesse comming upon him and yet he knew it not O let us not be unsensible of the declining and decay of our strength and stay and of the miseries which are comming on us let us not be like a man in a Lethargy that hath no feeling of the cutting off and taking away of a member from him but rather as David upon the fall of Abner refused to eate till the Sunne was gone downe saying to his servants a 2 Sam. 3.35 38 39. know ye not that there is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel and I am this day weake and these men the sonnes of Zerviah be too hard for me may not wee say the like in this behalfe is not the Church of God weake are not the enemies thereof too strong Was not the man now fallen amongst us a Ruler an eminent man in this place And is there not in this regard great cause of mourning Doubtlesse there is For whensoever a good man doth fall 1. The Church of God on earth doth lose one member 2. The place where they lived doth lose one Pillar and so like a house whose pillars faile is much weakned 3. Hereby we loose his presence which was a whetstone to set b Pro. 27.17 edge upon us whose face was as Iacob said of Esaus as the c Gen. 33.10 face of God unto us 4. Hereby we lose his prayers which were as buckets to bring much water out of the wells of Salvation to us 5. Wee lose his instructions and counsels which were as a shining Lampe as a comfortable Guide to us in the way 6 Wee lose his comforts which were wont to be as the Apothecaries oyntments as the sweete flowers of the Garden to our nostrils as the Dove with her Olive d Gen. 8.11 branch to Noah as the Wagons which Ioseph sent to old Iacob the reviving of ours as they were the e Gen. 45.27 28. reviving of his heart 7. We lose his helpe and assistance which was wont like a strong arme to make our heavy burthen light as a fountaine of living water to refresh us as a firme sure anker to stay us therfore as Israel f Deu. 34.8 wept 30. dayes for Moses so have you great cause of sorrow and lamentation now for the taking away of this Moses this servant of the Lord here before us and also at other times whensoever the righteous doe thus perish are thus taken away from the evils ensuing And now to say no more here you see a shining starre in your Horizon set a maine Pillar of your house fallen a choice flower of your Garden taken away a man eminent for his endowments well known sufficiently tryed for his abilities a man of whom 1. For his Religion for his uprightnesse towards God I thinke I may say of him as the Lord himself of Iob g Iob 1.1 He was a perfect and upright man one that feared God and eschewed evill a man that held fast his h Iob. 2.3 integrity though there wanted not occasions and meanes to move and shake him as Satan moved God against Iob without cause to destroy him a man he was like the tree growing within the Courts of the Lords house i Psal 92.12 bearing much fruit in his old age 2. For his publike Government hee was like
also glorifie God with their bodies which by death are Å¿ Psal 6.4 5. disabled to doe God any service 3. Sometimes that they may among men t Psal 30.10 Psal 84.10 11 12. celebrate and praise God for his blessings and favours bestowed upon them that they may be an encouragement to Gods people anornament to Gods truth a terror to the adversaries of it here upon earth 4. Sometimes that they may perfect some good Worke which they have begun do good to others in their places and callings thus u Phil. 1.23 Paul though he knew it was better for him to be dissolved and to be with Christ yet he was willing to live longer because it was good for them that hee should continue with them so that though the people of God sometimes for such causes doe desire continuance here yet it no way denieth this truth that their future estate in the Heavens is very glorious And if so be their future estate be so glorious so pleasant so comfortable as we have clearely seene it is Then first Vse 1 This must teach the people of God patience under their present burthens troubles tryals miseries the joy is behind the glory the Crowne is 2 Tim. 4.7 8. layd up for hereafter here like Israel we have but a little taste a few x Num. 13.13 Grapes in the way the full Vintage is reserved till at last here we are like Sampson the Honey we have is in the y Judg. 14.14 belly of a Lyon but hereafter we shall have sweet without sowre light without darkenesse rivers of joy without a tempest therefore as the servant patiently endureth the heate of the day in expectation of his wages in the evening the Souldier the dangerous and deadly wounds of the battell in expectation of a Crowne the husband-man the heate of the Summer the cold of the Winter comforting himselfe with the comming of a full and liberall harvest let us doe the like in this case here is a wages a crowne a harvest which will abundantly answer all losses labours hardnesse reproaches and whatsoever doth for the present annoy us As our Saviour said in another case a z John 16.21 Woman when shee is in travell hath sorrow because her houre is come but as soone as she is delivered of the child shee remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man is borne into the World so in this case the people of God are now often in great anguish like a woman in travell but when this life is ended when our regeneration and new birth shall be fully accomplished we shall meete with that which will swallow up all our former griefe and trouble and make it as if it had never beene and as Salomons mother said in that case a Pro. 31.6 7. Prov. 31. give strong drinke to him that is ready to perish and wine to those that bee of a heavy heart let him drinke and forget his poverty remember his misery no more so here is a cup of consolations here is sweet wine here is a more pure river whereof when wee once come to drinke our full draught we shall forget our poverty we shall remember our misery no more therefore let us according to the charge of the Psalmist b Ps 37.5 6. commit our way to God trust in him and the Lord shall bring it to passe hee shall bring forth our righteousnesse as the light and our judgement as the noone day and in all our troubles tryals and against all adversary powers let us say as the Prophet Micah c Mica 7.8 9. doth rejoyce not against mee O mine enemy when I fall I shall rise when I sit in darkenesse the Lord shall bee a light unto mee I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute judgment for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousnesse And reckon also with the d Rom. 8.18 Apostle that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us evermore to remember that of S. Paul to the Corinthians that e 2 Cor. 4.17 18. our light afflictions which are but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding eternall waight of glory while we look not at the things which are but at the things which are not seene for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall thinke I beseech you of these things and let patience have her f Jam. 1.4 perfect work in all tryals troubles changes where with the Lord shall be pleased to exercise you This must teach the children of Vse 2 God constancy in the way and worke of God there is a blessed Price at the end of this race there is joy peace glory fulnes unutterable g Isa 64.4 inconceiveable O therefore bee not like Gideons many thousands which h Judg. 7.5 6 7. fainted which bowed downe upon their knees and drunke of the waters and so were discarded as unfit for the battell be not afraid of any losse of any trouble of any inconvenience having given your names to God O bow not downe againe to the World be no more as servants to your lusts or drudges to the earth I beseech you say not with the sluggard i Prov. 26.13 there is a Lyon in the way a Lyon in the streete feare not the Lyon of opposition of reproach of earthly losse or transitory trouble but goe on in the way of God be faithfull in the Covenant of the Lord be couragious in the service of our God and then as the spirit of the Lord came k Judg. 14.5 6 8. mightily upon Sampson so mightily that he rent the Lyon in pieces which roared against him and found at length a Honey combe in the belly of him so shall the Lord inable you to vanquish all oppositions and draw very sweete comforts from your present disquietments Let not the proverbe take hold of you l 2 Pet. 2.22 the Dog is returned againe to his vomit and the Sow to her wallowing in the mire be not like m 1 Tim. 1.19.20 Hymeneus and Philetus like unskilfull and cowardly marriners that flie back or make shipwracke with every tempest doe not with n 2 Tim. 4.10 Demas forsake Paul leave the Ministery become a stranger to the word and forsake God and goe back againe to this present World be not like the disciples which followed Christ for the o John 6.66 loaves but afterwards went backe and came no more to him but like Gideons 300. Souldiers goe yee on without fainting without bowing down to the World resolve in this as Hester did in that case p Hester 4.16 Hester 4. If I perish I perish whatsoever you loose whatsoever you endure here is an ample recompence be you faithfull
Manna as they of k Num. 11.56 theirs and as they fell a lusting after the onions and flesh pots of Egypt ' so doe many of us after the old Egyptian doctrine though the Gospel was never taught amongst us opened to us with such clearenesse power evidence and demonstration of the spirit as now yet because it hath been long continued many begin to loath it to grow very weary of it to take at least no pleasure in it It was Seneca his observation of old Sol spectatorem non habet nisi cum deficit nemo observat Lunam nisi laborantem adeò naturale est magis nova quà m magna mirari the Sunne hath no beholder except eclipsed no man observeth the Moone unlesse when she is in travell so naturall it is unto us to admire new things rather then great things The doctrine which is stiled Popish we reject because it hath an old name but let the same doctrine come under a new name a doctrine as like the Popish as one egge is like another as the Sunne that shines now is like that which shined many yeeres agoe or rather if yee will as the bramble which groweth now is like the bramble which grew a hundred yeeres since though a man might say to the teachers and embracers of it as the Prophet to Jeroboams wife disguising her selfe l 1 King 14. come in come in thou wife of Jeroboam why fainest thou thy selfe to be another then thou art So we in this case for as she was the same woman onely her apparell and gesture was changed so let this be the same doctrine with that which we call Popish yet because under a new name a little disguised somewhat arrayed in another apparell it will be by some highly esteemed strongly imbraced the fall of truth and faithfull Ministers of God not at all bewailed and what doe men by this declare but that 1. They were never of m Ioh. 18.37 Ioh. 2.19 the truth 2. That they never unfainedly n 1 Thes 2.10 loved the truth 3. That they never o 1 Pet. 2.2 3 felt the saving power nor heavenly comforts of it if they had tasted the sweetnesse of it been acquainted with the joy and peace which this ministreth had they seene the beauties the glory and excellency of God in it then as Peter beholding the glorious transfiguration of our Saviour said p Mat. 17.4 It is good being here let us build three Tabernacles c. so would they say it is good being under the Gospel it is pleasant it is comfortable being here let us build our Tabernacle here O let us dwell under this forever This must therefore move us to bewaile the losse of Gods faithfull Ministers the removing of these comfortable and shining Candlesticks as the childe bewaileth the losse of his parent the Traveller the losse of his Guide the Patient the death of his Physitian the Army the fall of their Generall and as all Israel was gathered together and p 1 Sam. 25.1 lamented the death of their Samuel so have you great cause to lament the death of your Samuel the departure of your faithfull Pastor As Ionah was much grieved at the q Ionah 4.6 7 8. withering of the Gourd which was a shadow over his head a comfortable protection and refreshment to him so have you great occasion to be grieved much at his withering at his dissolution who was a shadow an instrument of much of sweet refreshment whiles he lived to your soules And as Hagar sate downe and r Gen. 21.16 wept because her bottle was empty so have you great cause now to sit downe and weepe because the well which was wont to send forth waters of consolation is now dryed up for now you may behold how your Eliah like him of old though not in body yet in soule is gone in his Fiery Charet into Heaven he who shined like the Sun to you of this place for some yeeres is now gone downe from your Horizon whom your eyes shall see no more till the morning of the Resurrection the ſ Mat. 13.22 Tree whose fruit lately fed you whose branches lately shadowed and refreshed you is now withered dead and dry no more fruit to bee gathered from him he that was in some respect the Father the Charets and Horsemen of this place is now like Eliah parted asunder from you he that stood like t Ge. 29.8 10. Jacob to roll away the stone from the Well to open and give you the sence of the Scriptures can now no more doe that office for you He that lately stood like a u Isa 60.6 Watchman upon your walles to awaken you to warne you is now by death put to silence and can no more call upon you hee who of late like a good Steward brought out of his store-house old and new brake the bread of life amongst you hath now given account of his stewardship and shall no more bee steward over you God gave you a great blessing in him the Lord grant there be no curse attend his removall Sure I am as the people said of David w 2 Sam. 18.3 thou art worth ten thousand of us so may we say of him he was worth a great number of them that doe survive him the greater was his worth the more should be your griefe yet as our Saviour said to the daughters of Jerusalem x Luk. 23.28 Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your children so may I say to you weep not for him that is now departed frō you but weep for your selves for your children for the great losse you have taken as for the gaine which hee hath gotten the crowne which he hath won there is cause of rejoycing for hee you well know was a man in whom there was a rare confluence of all vertues as of lines meeting in one Center streames running into one Ocean there was indeed a singular compleatnesse in him his soule was a rich store-house a glorious garden having jewels and flowers of all sorts a Tree laden with all kind of fruits I may say of him as Horace in another case Micat inter omnes Iulium sydus velut inter ignes Luna minores and as the people said of y 1 Sam. 10.22 Saul in regard of his endowments He was the head and shoulders above many others For 1. The Lord enriched him with much knowledge according to the prophesie hee was filled with this as the Sea with z Isa 11.6 waters his Lampe was full of this oyle hee was as our Saviour said of the Baptist a bright and shining a Iohn 5.35 light the Lord gave him the tongue of the learned to minister a word in b Isa 50.4 due season 2. The Lord replenished him with such a rare dexterity singular wisdome to discerne advise and give counsell fit for every estate and undertaking of whom I may say in