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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26928	Faithful souls shall be with Christ the certainty proved and their Christianity described, and exemplified in the truely Christian life and death of that excellent saint, Henry Ashhurst, Esq ... : briefly and truly published for the conviction of hypocrites and the malignant, the strengthning of believers, and the imitation of all, especially the masters of families in London / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing B1265; ESTC R4853	35,484	74

in his house and seen his children and servants carry themselves as reverently and respectfully to him as if he had been a Lord when yet he was so lovingly familiar with them will think there was some cause for this Those that hear it the common speech of Magistrates godly Ministers and people that we have lost the most excellent pattern of Piety Charity and all virtue that this City hath bred in our times will think that there is some reason for this praise Some of us seem to shine to strangers who are cloudy and contemptible to those that are near us And many excellent obscure poor Christians are taken little notice of in a low retired or unobserved station But his esteem and honour and love was at home and abroad by his Children Servants Neighbours Fellow-citizens that I say not even by some that loved not his Religiousness or that took him to be too much a friend to those whom their opinions and interest engaged them against And if you would truly know what was the meritorious cause of all this Love and Honour I will tell you It was the Image of Christ and the fruits of his holy Doctrine and his Spirit No man believeth that there is a God who doth not believe that the liker any man is to God the better and the more honourable he is All is Glorious that is Holy that is of God and for God separated to him from all that is common and unclean Base fools may more admire and reverence a proud Man or gilded Idol but all that know God and the almost nothingness of vain Man do value all things and persons in the measure as they are dispositively actively and relatively Divine The Spirit of God by David begins the Psalms with describing such blessed Men as these And Christ next after his preaching Repentance begins with such Mens characters and blessedness Matth. 5. I shall therefore now truly tell you what our deceased Brother was and what of God so shined in him as commanded all this Love and Praise While far greater Men by their filth and folly their sin and hurtful cruelty have made themselves the Plague and burden of their Times as the Children of him whose name is but the contract of Do-evil I. His Religion was only the Bible as the Rule He was a meer Scipture Christian of the Primitive Spirit and strein No Learning signified much with him but what helpt him to understand the Scripture The Bible was his constant Book and in it he had great delight And he loved no Preaching so well as that which made much and pertinent use of Scripture by clear exposition and suitable application He liked not that which worthy Dr. Man●●n was wont to call Gentleman Preaching set out with fine things and laced and gilded plainly speaking self-preaching man-pleasing and pride For when Pride chooseth the Text the method and the style the Devil chooseth it though the Matter be of God Therefore he also highly valued those Books which are much in such wise and seasonable use of Scripture of which he commended above all the Lectures of Mr. Arthur Hildersham II. He neither much studied books of Controversie nor delighted in discourse of any of our late differences I scarce ever heard him engage in any of them But his constant talk was of practical matter of God of Christ of Heaven of the Heart and Life of Grace and Duty or of the sense of some practical Text of Scripture He so little 〈◊〉 and minded the quarrels that many lay out their greatest zeal on and find matter in them to condemn and backbite one another that he either carried it as a stranger or an adversary to such 〈…〉 III. Accordingly while Men were guilty of no 〈…〉 Heresie or Sin but held all great and necessary Truths in love and holiness and righteousness of Life he made little difference in his Respects and Love A serious godly Independant Presbyterian or Episcopal Christian was truly Loved and Honoured by him Indeed he Loved not Church Tyranny nor Hypocritical Images of Religion on one hand nor confusion on the other But the Primitive Spirit of Seriousness Purity and Charity he valued in all A differing tolerable opinion never clouded the glory of sincere Christianity in his Eyes He was of no Sect and he was against Sects as such being of a truly Catholick Spirit but he could see true godliness and honesty in many whose weakness made them culpable in too much adhering to a Side or Sect. IV. He greatly hated backbiting and obloquy Speak evil of no man was a Text which he often had in his Mouth I never knew any noted Men so free from that vice as Judge Hale and Mr. Ashhurst If a Man had begun to speak ill of any Man behind his back either they would say nothing or divert him to something else or shew their distast of it Sin he would speak against but very little of the Person Only one sort of Men he would take the liberty to express his great dislike of and that was The Hinderers of the Gospel and Silencers of faithful Preachers of it and Persecutors of Godly Christians and Oppressors of the Poor and their pretenses of Government and Order and talk against Schism could never reconcile him to that sort of Men But his distast was never signified by scurrility nor any thing that savoured of an unruly or Seditious Spirit V. His Heart was set on the hallowing of Gods Name the coming of his Kingdom and the doing of his Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven on the propagating of Religion and encouraging all able faithful Preachers and Practicers of it to his power Ever since I knew him it seemed much more of his serious business in the World than his Trade or worldly gain was He was a right hand to his faithful Pastor good old Mr. Simeon Ash How seldom did I visit Mr. Ash at any time but I ●ound or left them together And now they are together with Christ He did not Love with barren words nor serve God of that which cost him nothing Few but I knew from his own mouth that he gave these 18 years since August 24. 1662. an hundred pound a year to the ejected Ministers of Lancashire and some Schools there and in the neighbour parts and many Bibles Catechisms and other good Books to divers places besides the said 100l a year And a friend of his and mine tell me that it was to him that he yearly delivered it to be distributed save that lately twenty pound a year of it went to Northumberland VI. Indeed Charity was his Life and business Another mean man that was oft with him saith that he hath had of him many score pounds to give away which few ever knew of I do not think that there are many that can say that ever they were denyed when they askt him for money to a Charitable use I am sure I never was About 1662 and

Faithful Souls SHALL BE WITH CHRIST THE Certainty Proved and their Christianity Described and Exemplified in the truly-Christian Life and Death of that excellent amiable Saint HENRY ASHHURST Esq Citizen of London Briefly and truly Published for the Conviction of Hypocrites and the Malignant the Strengthning of Believers and the Imitation of all especially the Masters of Families in London By RICHARD BAXTER Luke 10. 37. Go and Do thou likewise LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Three Golden Cocks at the West end of St. Pauls Church 1681. To my worthy Friends Mrs. Judith Ashhurst Widdow of Henry Ashhurst Esq. and Mr. Henry Ashhurst their Son with all his Brethren and Sisters Grace Mercy and Peace Dear Friends I Am perswaded that the Image of so good a Husband and Father cannot but be deeply printed on your minds but yet it may not be wholly needless to be told of the Comfort and the Duty thence to be inferred It was you Sir his eldest Son and Executor who called me to the publick performance of that which I have thought meet to make more publick I have long known you so well that I am comfortably perswaded that your Father had great cause to place that great affection on you and confidence in you which he did Your dear Love to him and great Reverence of him and hearty Love to the good which he loved and your singleness and uprightness of Mind and Life are your amiableness and better than the greatest earthly birthright But I did purposely say little in the following discourse of your Fathers example as consolatory and obligatory to all his nearest Relations because I thought that their special interest in him did give them right to a special address which is the intent of this Epistle Gods Scripture blessings of the faithful and their seed doth make this relation honorable and comfortable to you all How chearfully may you all follow the footsteps of one so near you who sped so well in following Christ The greatest comforts and blessings are the greatest obligations to further duty and that duty is the way to get greater blessings It will be some help to you to Love God and Goodness good Men and all Men to remember how much all these were loved by one who so tenderly loved your selves You have not only heard but seen and felt that Holiness is not a bare name or dream and Religion a meer art or image but a Divine Nature a reall renovation of Heart and Life and that the effects of Gods Spirit in sanctifying Souls do greatly difference them from carnal minds You have seen that Godliness genuine and real is not a wearysom uncomfortable Life Live as he did and it will be a cure of melancholy passions and discontents and a constant tranquillity and delight What a help is his Example to you to live in true Love to one another to be of an humble meek and quiet Spirit neither vexatious to your selves or others As also to be absolutely devoted to God of publick minds and comforts to the poor and needy and to use all that you have as his Stewards daily preparing for your great account You have seen how you may live above the World even while you prosper in it and how to expound Love not the World nor the things that are in the World If any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 Ioh. 2. 15. For where your Treasure is there will your Hearts be also Matth. 6. 21. The Spaniards have a Proverb The World is a Carrion and they are Dogs that love it much more that snarle and fight about it One would think that to read and believe Matth. 5. 6. Luk. 12. 16. and Jam. 4. should affright Men from being deceived by such a shaddow whose speedy vanishing all foresee You have seen what it is to be a Christian indeed and how your affairs your conversations and your families should be ordered And you have seen how the best may suffer and must die and therefore what need we all have to be prepared with strong and well exercised Faith Hope and Patience and by daily conversing in the heavenly regions to get sweeter thoughts of Heaven than of the most prosperous state on Earth that we may die like serious believers and joyfully commit our departing souls to Christ when we leave these corruptible bodies to the grave O dear Friends the day is at hand the change is of unspeakable importance the work of Faith and Hope is high and difficult Set to it speedily with heart and might and let not flesh and the world entangle and deceive you The great love which your Father had to me and much more which he had to Christ his Church and all the Faithful obliged me to be the larger in describing his example for your use and comfort For as Christ gone to Heaven hath left here his servants called his Brethren that men in them may shew their Love and thankfulness to him which he will reward as done unto himself so the way which I must take to express my Love and gratitude to your deceased Father is by desiring and endeavouring the true felicity of his Wife and Children whom he so dearly loved And that must be by taking God for your God and Father Christ for your Saviour the Holy Spirit for your Sanctifier the Holy Scriptures for your Rule the Church for the Body of which you are Members true Pastors for your Teachers the Faithful for your most beloved Companions especially each other who are by so many bonds obliged to more than ordinary endearedness and Love and Christ for your chief pattern and such as your Father in following him Heaven for your felicity home and hope and this short life for the day of your preparation and salvation and the world flesh and Devil so far as they are against any of this for the Enemies which with all vigilancy and resolution must be overcome O how great how good and absolutely necessary a work is this which if any one of you should miscarry about you would be more unexcusable than most persons in the world But that you will all faithfully imitate such an example of holiness humility meekness mortification peace and dearest Love to one another and to all good men is the comfortable hope and hearty Prayer as it is the present faithful Counsel of Dec. 7. 1680. Your Servant for such ends Ri. Baxter JOHN 12 26. If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will my Father honour IF our Judgments and Wills had been the choosers and disposers of Humane events as the affairs of the world would be otherwise managed than they are so the meeting of this day would rather have been for a joyful thanksgiving for our deceased friends recovery to health than a mournful solemnizing of his Funerals But it is not we

It is not solow a matter as great birth or riches or any other worldly honour which I am to remember of our deceased friend Multitudes that are now in misery did once excel him in all these But yet as a touch of the History of his life is fit to go before his exemplary Character which is my work and because it it is a great honour and blessing to be the seed of the faithful I shall premise a little first of his Parentage and then of that part of his life which I knew not but give you on the unquestionable credit of others He was the third Son of Henry Ashhurst of Ashhurst in Lancashire Esquire by Cassandra his wife daughter of Iohn Bradshaw of Bradshaw of the same County Esquire His Father was a Gentleman of great Wisdom and Piety and zealous for the true Reformed Religion in a Countrey where Papists much abounded And when King Iames the more to win them was prevailed with to sign the Book for dancing and other such sports on the Lords days he being then a Justice of Peace as his Ancestors had been and the Papists thus embolded sent a Piper not far from the Chappel to draw the People from the publick worship he sent him to the house of correction And being for this misrepresented to the King and Council he was put to justifie the legality of what he did at the Assizes which he so well performed that the Judge was forced to acquit him though he was much contrary to him and an occasion being offered to put the Oath of Allegiance on his Prosecutors their refusal shewed them Papists as was before suspected God blessed this Gentleman in his three Sons The eldest was a man eminent for his Wisdom Integrity and Courage a Member of the Long Parliament called 1640. though all such by interested partial men are accounted and called what their prejudice and enmity doth suggest and though with many more such he was by the Conquering Army abused and cast out The second Son was a Colonel and Henry the youngest about Fifteen years old was sent to London and bound Apprentice to a Master somewhat severe And whereas such severity tempteth many proud and graceless young men to be impatient and weary of their Masters and to break out to seek forbidden pleasure at Play-houses Taverns and perhaps with Harlots and to rob their Masters to maintain these lusts til they are hardened in sin and break their own hopes and their Parents hearts alas how many such wretches hath this City Gods grace in our friend did teach him to make a clean contrary use of it This affection did helpe to drive him to hear good Preachers for his comfort and to betake himself to God in prayer and to search the Scripture for direction In which way he found the teaching and blessing of his heavenly Master which helpt him to bear all harshness and hardness in his place And having no place of retirement but a cold hole in the Cellar in the coldest nights he spent much time in prayer and meditation and his good Father allowing him a yearly pension for his expences he spent it mostly in furnishing his poor closet with good Books Not Play-books or Romances and idle Tales but such as taught him how to please God and to live for ever From his childhood he had a humble meekness and sweetness of temper which made his life easie to himself and others and made him so acceptable to godly Ministers and People that their acquaintance and converse and love became to him a great confirmation and help to his growth in grace especially good Mr. Simeon Ash a man of his plainness and of the Primitive strein of Christianity His Master I need not tell how so wasted his Estate that he shut up shop when Mr. Ashhurst was gone from him whose great fidelity had helpt to keep him up And he took care of his indigent children afterwards His Portion was but 500 l. and a small Annuity and one Mr. Hyet a Minister lent him 300 l. more with which stock he set up in partnership with one Mr. Row a Draper and so continued three years Mr. Row took up his stock and was a Major in the Earl of Essex's Army and left Mr. Ashhurst to the whole Trade narrowly escaping the misery of an unsuitable match he married on Mr. Ash's motion the daughter of one Mr. Risby who is now his sorrowful widow having with her about 1500 l. He began his Trade at the beginning of the Warrs when others left off theirs He dedicated yearly a good part of his gain to God in works of Charity and it encreased greatly And as his known trustiness made men desirous to deal with him so God strangely kept those men that he trusted from breaking when the most noted Tradesmen in the same Towns broke to the undoing of those that trusted them And though his Trading was great about thirty years he managed it with ease and calmness of mind and was not by it diverted from duties of Religion He usually was at one word in his Trading His body being healthful he rose about four a clock or five and in secret usually spent about two houres in Reading Meditation and Prayer and then went to his Family duties as is afterward described He was a great improver of his time or else he could never have done what he did for so many persons usually saying He desired to live no longer than he might be serviceable to God and men But he was most regardful to lose no part of the Lords day in which he did all towards God and his Family with great reverence and humble seriousness And as he much desired godly trusty servants he had much of his desire and his house was as a school of piety meekness and as a Church When his faithful Pastor Mr. Simeon Ash was buried the very day before the new Act of Uniformity would have silenced him being an old Nonconformist he used to go at the end of the week to Hackney to his Countrey house and there spend the Lords day In the Common fire his house was burnt as well as others but is rebuilded with advantage And all Gods corrections and the hurt which by his permission we undergo from bad men will turn to our gain if we believe and patiently expect the end Thus far I have given you for the most part but what his best knowing friends have most credibly given me of the history of his Pilgrimage But I will next tell you what I knew my self in above twenty years familiarity with him And that shall be more descriptive than Historical though in what is already said from others you may much know what he was Mr. Ash's praise and his own free love first brought on our acquaintance And indeed my many restraining hinderances have kept me from so much familiarity with many Those that knew him need little of my description Those that have been much