or to write them upon their Houses and Lands which yet Death and Time have wholly obliterated But it is the Honour of many saints to be recorded in sacred Scripture beyond all danger of Oblivion as great examples of Piety and Holiness towards God and of service to the Church of God in their generation And God hath since by his providence in all ages secured to his more eminent saints and servants the like Honour stirring up some survivors to embalm their precious Name and memory by recording and reporting the dead to posterity in more lasting monuments as great Instances of the Grace of God special matter of his praise and approved patterns as well for the encouragement as the imitation of the Living How dispised soever this excellent servant of Jesus Christ the subject we have to write of hath been in the eyes of some of his Generation yet I am persuaded none of the worthies in the Church of God that are gone before him will count it any disparagement to their Honour that he be added to their number whose precious Names survive their death The Records which have been made and published of the Lives of many Excellent and holy persons consist for the most part only of Such passages as have fallen under the observation of those who have more intimately and frequently conversed with them many hands have Contributed to the collecting of some more remarkable words and actions which an Ingenious pen in just honour to the Subject improveth as Indices of those singular accomplishments of mind and heart which are beyond the reach of the most observant Eye And were there nothing else to be recovered Concerning the subject before us but what might be so collected from the hands of those who had the happy advantage to know fully his Doctrine manner of Life Purpose Faith long Suffering Charity patience c. I doubt not but if managed by a skillful pen it would justly amount to such a character of him as might worthily render him a more than Ordinary example of Faith and Holiness of Scripturall knowledge and practice as well to the preachers as professors of the Gospel of Christ to the praise of the Glory of the Grace of God But their is less need of this in reference to our subject Himself having not only in great measure prevented and saved his friends that labour and service but moreover discovered the inmost secrets of his heart towards God beyond all that could be known of him by the Strictest observation of others What hath been the advantagious practice sometimes though very rare of some eminent Servants of God who have made Religion their business viz. to write Curriculum vita the manner and course of their own life appears to have been his He not only kept a strict Eye upon himself and took special notice of his own heart and wayes and the manner of his spiritual living unto God but lest he should forget and render it useless committed the same to paper recording the dealings of God towards him the workings of corruption and grace his Conflicts and Temptations the secret Intercourse and Communion between God and his Soul the approaches and withdrawings of the Holy Spirit his liftings up and castings down the actings of Faith and Love Divine assistance in Duty return of prayers the clearness of his evidences and rejoycings of his hopes c. Wherein the life and power of true Religion doth more consist than in all open and visibel acts Out of this Treasury which is enough to Supply a far larger volume hath been fetched the greatest part of that furniture which filleth these pages and that mostly in his own words You that read may therefore imagine you hear this holy Prophet bespeaking you in the words of another Prophet Come and read all ye that fear God and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul My own experience assureth me that to those who are engaged in the Spiritual War and running the Christian race and have set their faces towards God It will be useful encouraging delightful and satisfactory to read so much of the sense and feeling of their own hearts in the experiences of this Blessed Saint The greatest part of whom yet I believe will find cause to be ashamed before God seeing themselves so far cast behind and may be provoked to mend their pace in pressing forward towards the mark to which he hath attained As for such as rest in their negative goodness and commendable moralls their form of Godliness and bodily exercise in religion without the life and power thereof who knows but they may be convinced of the vanity of their hopes and the sandy foundation whereon they have built them and that yet they lack something while they read the thoughts affections and workings of his holy heart his understanding improvement of the Holy Scriptures and his Spiritual communion with the Holy God to which themselves are altogether strangers But such is the enmity and contradiction of the carnal mind to the spirit and grace of God that I cannot be without jealousie that much of what is true written will be matter of scorn and derision to the profane Generation However as the word of God delivered in the Scriptures and dispensed in the Ministry thereof hath its divers and contrary effects upon diverse contrary subjects whereon yet God knows how to raise his own Glory so shall the same word Exemplified in the life of this now glorified saint have the like effects on them that read it To the humble and teachable it shall be in adjutorium but to the scorners and despisers in Testimonium THE RELATION MR. Owen Stockton was born in the City of Chichester in the County of Sussex the last week of May 1630. was the fourth Son of his Father Mr. Owen Stockton a worthy Prebendary of that Cathedral who was a younger brother of that ancient family of the Stocktons of Kiddington Green in Cheshire About the seventh year of his age his Father dyed and left the care of him and his other Children to their Mother a pious Gentlewoman of the family of the Tilees in Cambridgeshire She being a Widdow and stranger in Chichester soon after the death of her Husband returned to her native Country and setled her self at Ely where was a very good Grammar School under the Government of Mr. William Hitches to whose care she committed this her Son for his education From a Child he was of great hopes while yet a little Grammar Schollar his inclination was such as presaged more than ordinary improvement Looking once accidentally into Mr. Fox his Acts and Monuments Ecclesiastical in one of the parish Churches of that Town and reading some little part thereof he was so affected with the knowledge of that History that he never ceased to supplicate his friends till he had obtained one part of them for his use Wherein declining the puerile recreations to which his
providence I set apart a day to humble my Soul with fasting and prayer that I might obtain from God a Sanctified use of my afflictions I sought God to pardon my sins which were the causes thereof and to make them work for my good I spent a good part of the day in meditating how I should make a right improvement of these corrections I Considered that one main end of all Chastisements was that God might make us partakers of his holiness Heb. 12 10. Isa 26. 9. I resolved in the strength and by the help of God to follow after holiness more vigorously than I had done and I engaged in this resolution because I saw from Isa 60. 21. that by my being holy and righteous God should be glorified And seeing the nature of holiness lieth in our bearing Gods image in our being like to God or in our conformity to the Divine Nature Eph. 4. 24. Col. 3. 10. I resolved to endeavour to imitate and resemble God in mercifulness Luk. 6. 36. in forgiving injuries Eph. 4. ult in doing good Ps 119. 68. in justice Deut. 32. 4. in Love Joh. 4. 16. in humility Ps 113. 5 6. in longfuffering Exod. 34. 6. in not retaining anger Ps 30. 5. in uprightness Isa 26. 7. in kindness Luk. 6. 35. in helping the fatherless widdow and stranger Ps 10. 14. 146. 9. And whereas we come to partake of Gods image 1. by beholding the discovery which he hath made of himself and his glorious Attributes in the gospel 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2 by applying the promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. 3. by walking with him Act. 4. 13. for we grow like those with whom we converse Prov. 22. 24. 25. I determined to walk with God to cleave to the promises and to meditate often on his glorious Attributes And seeing that our holiness lieth in the Conformity of our life to the will of God revealed in his word as well as in the resemblance of the Divine Nature I determined to set before me several Scriptures as my rule to walk by and often to ponder them and if I cannot walk up to these rules yet my endeavours shall be grace assisting to walk after them and that will be accepted as a demonstration of my Love to God 2 Joh. v. 6. For guiding and regulating my thoughts I set these Scriptures before me Jer. 14. 14. Isa 55. 7. Mal. 3. 17. Ps 104. 34. Phil. 4. 8. Prov. 23. 26. Deut. 15. 9. Eccl. 10. 20. Prov. 24. 9. Math. 9. 4. Zech. 8. 17. For regulating my affections these Col. 3. 2 5. Gal. 5. 24. particularly for my delight Ps 1. 2. 37. 5. my joy Phil. 4. 4. Ps 43. 4. my desire Isa 26. 8 9. my sorrow Ezek. 7. 16. my Love Math. 22. 37. Ps 119. 97. my hatred Ps 97. 10. my fears Luk. 12. 4 5. my hope Ps 39. 7. my trust Ps 62. 8. Isa 26. 4. For regulating my speech these Eph. 4. 29. Col. 4. 6. Deut. 6. 6 7. Ps 119. 46. Ps 71. 8. 24. Prov. 31. 26. We should lay it as a law upon our selves to speak kindly to all sorts of persons For my works these Tit. 3. 8. 1. 2 Tim. 2. 12. 1 Tim. 5. 10. Tit. 2. 14. Math. 5. 47. 1 Tim. 6. 18. Rev. 3. 2. Rom. 13. 12. Act. 26. 20. Our works must be Visibly as well as truly good Math. 5. 16. must be exemplary Tit. 2. 7. yet we must not expect Justification or Salvation by our own works but by grace Eph. 2. 8 9. Rom. 3. 28. Thus did this man of God gird himself with the Sword of the Spirit which he faithfully and successfully managed against his corruptions temptations and transgressions Thus did he put on the brest-plate of Righteousness holding the mystery of Faith in a pure Conscience applying the word of God as an inviolable Law and rule to his heart and life Sincerely aiming at the Glory of God and the obtaining that Blessedness which by the Covenant of God is secured to the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord. How fit was he to be the mouth of God and Ambassador of Christ to sinners who when with greatest importunity he called them to Repentance and Reformation of heart and life and the Mortification of the most beloved lusts and most earnestly pressed upon them Faith and Holiness and universal Conformity to the will of God was not reproached by his own heart as if he laid heavy burdens upon others which himself would not touch with one of his fingers But with deliberate choice and constant resolution imposed them upon himself and obviated all objections by demonstrating the strictest holiness to be practicable eligible and delectable by his own example But though he was very liberally instructed by Nature Art and Grace for the Office and work of the Ministry yet such low and mean thoughts had he of himself both of his Gifts and Grace And such deep and affecting apprehensions of the difficulty and weight of the Ministerial Service which as it is in it self so was to him Onus tremendum and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who is sufficient saith the Apostle that though it was his design and desire to serve God and his Church in that great work yet he was so discouraged that he would not as too many do hastily adventure and engage himself in that Office by solemn Ordination but would first prove himself well ask Counsel of God and his Word and attend to the Call of God by his Spirit and Providence Accordingly being Master of Arts he did sometimes exercise his Gifts in some Countrey Villages nigh the University Where his manner was at first privately to enquire out what small Parishes within ten or fifteen Miles of Cambridge were destitute of Ministers Unto these he went and Preached and that with such privacy as for some while none knew of it but himself and the Parishioners to whom he went and to many of them it was a long time unknown either who he was or from whence he came This Service he perform'd Gratis neither expecting nor according any worldly Reward yea it was a Charge to him Among these Countrey-people God blessed him and gave him the First-fruits of his Ministry making him instrumental and successful to the Conversion and Edification of many Whereby he was so endeared to them and they to him that after he was called to Preach at one certain place in Cambridge he would yet often go amongst them on the Week-days Preaching sometimes at one place and sometimes at another the people laying aside their Country-business and readily Travelling several Miles to attend upon his Ministry And after his remove from Cambridge to a considerable distance in Essex and Suffolk his manner was for the most part so long as he lived once a year to visit those people Preaching to them and Conversing with them After he had a while thus exercised his Gifts among the Country Villages He observed three things especially which
expired after he had begun his Week-day Lecture when the Mayor and one of the Aldermen of Colchester in Essex whither his fame reached applied themselves to him at Cambridge desiring him to accept their Lecturers place then void With which motion he so far only then complied as to promise to come over to them and Preach a Sermon or two among them which he performed about three weeks after After his Preaching the House of Aldermen and Common Council met and unanimously agreed to choose him to be their Town-Lecturer to Preach on Lords days Afternoon and on the Wednesday every Week Which choice had also the general Suffrage of the Sober and Godly people in Town and Country thereabout Which being signified to him by some of the Aldermen and Common Council after six weeks deliberation for so long time he designed to give his Answer seeking God for direction as his constant manner was having no objections before him as to Conscience in the case nor any obligation to stay at Cambridge save only the peoples desire which he Answered from Luke 4. 42. 43. and Act. 18. 20. and considering the joynt unanimous agreement of persons different in Judgment for it was a divided place in calling him he consented to their Choice and undertook that Charge As he had experienced Gods owning and Sealing of his Ministry in his first Catechistical Exercise in the Colledge and his first Sermon after his Ordination with much happy success also in Cambridge so here he had the same encouragement God making his first Sermon effectual upon the heart of a Dutchman and his second or third upon another person noted for a Sinner who came out of Novelty to hear him Concerning whom he might say as St. Paul 1 Thess 1. 9. They shew of us what manner of entring we had to you But it fared with him here at Colchester as it did at Cambridge he thought he did not work enough and therefore asked leave and freely offered himself to preach also on the Lords day Mornings at St. James's Church not desiring any outward reward for it which was granted and accepted He was to this place a very great Blessing not only as to their Spiritual but Temporal concerns also It was observed that during his abode and the liberty of his Ministry there the Town prospered and exceedingly flourished in Trade For even the good things of this life doth the Gospel carry with it Here he laboured in the Word and Doctrine till by the Act of Uniformity he was with the rest of his Brethren debarred from the publick Exercise of his Ministry Yet not thinking himself bound to be his own Executioner and there being mutual obligations by Contract between the Town and him that the one should not eject nor the other desert without so long warning he did after the fatal Bartholomew continue his publick Preaching some time till having occasion to take a Journey into Cambridgeshire in his absence another was put into his place by the B. of L. From thenceforth with St. Paul Act. 28. 30 31. he dwelt three whole years in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him Preaching the Kingdom of God with all confidence till God sent the raging Pestilence into the Town An. 1665. at which Providence he was greatly affected and while he saw many and even the Shepherds of the flock hastening their flight from the pestilence that walked in darkness and the Destruction that wasted at noon day and others smitten with the Arrows of the Almighty daily passing into eternity Such compassion he had for perishing souls and Such Zealous desire of their salvation and Such hope that the word might be more effectuall in that day of Gods sore Judgment that he sent to the Magistrates and freely offered if they would indulge him the liberty of a publick Church to stay and preach to that poor distressed people till either God should take him away by death or cause the pestilence to cease Which being denied him he entertained thoughts of removing out of Town And having sought of God a right way for himself his little ones and his substance He received Satisfaction concerning the lawfulness of removing in time of Pestilence from Isa 26. 20. Hide thy self for a little moment until the Indignation be over past and encouragement to hope that the presence of God should go with him from Gen. 28. 15. I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest c. adding thereto Gal. 3. 7 9. where he observed that all Believers have right to the promises made to Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Accordingly Aug. 25. 1665. He removed his Family to Chattisham â—n Suffolk about 12 miles distant from Colcheâ—â—er Being now come to a place where he was a perfect stranger having no acquaintance with the neighbour-hood and considering the evil and danger of the times He had many doubts and fears within himself concerning the comfort of his abiding there but quickly received satisfaction from the holy Scriptures his dailydelight and Counsellers which he thus recorded Aug. 27. Being the first Sabbath after I came to Chattisham In the morning as I was reading in my private devotions Ezek. 37. which was the Chapter that fell out in course in my private reading I was much affected with some passages in the beginning of the Chapter From whence I observed for my instruction 1. Not to question my call to Chattisham though it should be a dry place where I should want that communion of the Saints which I had at Colchester and my wonted opportunities of doing and receiving Good Ezekiel a prophet of the Lord fitted by his gifts and call to do God Service when he was carried into a valley where there was no living creature to converse withal but dead mens bones yet he was carried thither by the hand and spirit of the Lord. ver 1. 2. God may have Special Service for us to do in those places were we judging according to sense think there can be no opportunities of â—ervice at all Who would have thought there had been any work for Ezekiel as a prophet amongst dead mens bones yet even there he had Prophesying work and composed that Prophecy which raised up the dying faith and hope of the whole House of Israel 3. When God commands us to Prophesie or to preach his word the greatest improbabilities of Success imaginable should not discourage us from our work Though we should think there is no more hopes of doing good to them to whom we preach than there is by speaking to the wind or Preaching to dead mens bones yet we should go on with our work Ezekiel at Gods command Prophesies to dry and dead bones concerning which when he was asked whether they could live he replied that he could not tell God only knew v. 3. And they have the Spirit of life breathed into them He Prophesieth to the wind and that obeyeth v. 9. 10. This Scripture
witness to him The Widow the Fatherless the Stranger the Sick the Sufferers have all been refreshed from his compassions Though he offered to Preach freely at St James's Church in Colchester on Lords day Mornings as hath been before mentioned not desiring or expecting any reward yet the civility of the people did gratifie him for his pains The greatest part of which I am assured from an hand privy to it he distributed to charitable uses And this I read under his own hand Nov. 1. 1665. I made a Vow to God to give him the tenth of all that he should give unto me the ensuing year That which occasioned me to vow this Vow was the reading Gen. 28. which fell out that morning in my ordinary course where I observed that most of those blessings which Jacob mentions as his inducement to his Vow God had given me He had vouchsafed me his presence he had graciously preserved and kept me from my Enemies and the noysome pestilence he had given me bread and Raiment I added Pro. 3. 9. Honour the Lord with thy Substance and with the first fruits of all thine encrease I Considered also that what I gave to God should be fruit abounding to my account Phil. 4. 17. Math. 25. 34 35 36. I considered which way I should give it to God and I saw from Prov. 19. 17. that what was given to the poor was given to God Especially what was given to the poor Saints and members of Christ Math. 25. 35 40. And as to the Suffering Ministers of Christ I determined to bestow part of what I had dedicated to God on them and that though they were not brought to such extremities as not to know how to Subsist I was moved thereunto by Phil. 4. 10 11 14 18. The Apostle Paul was not in such want but that he knew how to live comfortably and contentedly yet he saith the Philippians did well in Communicating with his afflictions and tells them that their Charity towards him was an odour of a sweet smell a Sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God Towards the Church of God in General his indefatigable Labours in Preaching and Writing his frequent Fastings and Humiliations his fervent and wrestling Prayers for the peace of Jerusalem his affectionate sympathizing with her in her Sufferings are the undeniable Testimonies of his Love His own Liberality and stirring up of others thereunto for the Education of such poor Schollars as were hopeful for the work of the Ministry is the effect of the same Principle To which must be added his Last-will and Testament wherein out of pure zeal and Love to the Service and Enlargement of the Church he hath bequeathed the greatest part of his well furnished Library even the choicest and most valuable of his Books to Gonvile and Caius Colledge in Cambridge with five Hundred pounds to be laid out by his Executrix in purchasing a Free-hold Estate or Impropriation to be setled upon the said Colledge for the maintenance of a Schollar and Fellow there successively for ever Providing that such only be Elected thereto as are poor or Orphans or the Sons of poor Ministers of the best and most hopeful parts obliging them to the Study of Divinity and the Ministerial work taking special care that such be well grounded and established in the Orthodox Faith the true Reformed Protestant Religion and in case any such Elected shall become corrupt in Doctrine or Scandalous in life then after due admonition and Non-Reformation his place to be declared void and another to be chosen in his stead and none to enjoy it longer than twelve years Besides which he hath also bequeathed in Case his only Daughter shall die before she shall accomplish the Age of one and twenty years Twenty pounds per Annum to be setled upon the Colledge in New England for the Education of a Converted Indian or any other that will learn the Indian Language to be a Minister and go to Preach the Gospel to the poor Indians Nor was this the first expression of his pious regard to that remote part of the world for when he heard of that wasting Fire that laid so great a part of Boston in N. E. in Ashes he sent thither freely to be distributed among the Sufferers a considerable quantity of his Books Entituled Counsel to the Afflicted which he had wrote upon the occasion of the Burning of London Beyond which he hath also given Twenty five pound to Charitable uses Which bequests he hath made yet with all due respect to his Family not in the least declining from the kindness of an Husband or the tenderness of a Father so ordering his Charity to others as withal securing to his Widow and Fatherless Child not only a necessary and Competent but even a liberal and plentiful Subsistence reserving to them the Rent of what he hath bequeathed to the Colledge during their Natural lives Hitherto the Reader hath had an account of this Eminent Saint given him for the most part from those Acts and Exercises of his life by which he was visible to the discerning and judicious eyes of those that knew him We shall now proceed to give a further account of those his own observations and experiences of himself through which we may look into the very frame and temper the thoughts and affections of his heart some of which he hath thus recorded His Observations and Experiences Jan. 10. 1653. In reading of Calvins Institutions I met with that place in Isa 44. 3. Upon the reading whereof having been the the night before under Conviction of the emptiness and barrenness of my Soul and some despondency of Spirit thereupon I conceived some hope and found my Soul lifted up towards God to wait for and expect the shedding abroad of his Spirit in my Soul seeing he had said he would pour it out upon the dry ground but alas the lively sense of this was but momentany it was soon gone and my old deadness of heart returned upon me Hence I observe that it is of singular use both for the Establishment of true and discerning of false Comforts to see upon what grounds our Souls take in and upon what grounds they let go their Comforts The letting go of our Comforts oftimes proceed from our letting go of the promises When Satan can prevail to beat us off from the promise he will quickly rob us of our Comfort I find that at several times I have been kept under doubts and fears and jealousies and yet have had no Scripture grounds for them so that I perceive they proceedeâ— from Satan darkning my heart and keeping me in unbelief and trouble of Spirit Feb. 16. My Soul being dejected because after long wâ—iting upon God for the fulfilling of his Covenant in giving his Spirit and carrying on the work of Faith and Sanctification with power it had found no sensible in-comes when I was reading the Scripture according to my usual Custom the Lord did rebuke the despondency of
strength of Adversaries Jan. 1. 1673. I awaked about four of the Clock in the morning and had many sweet meditations in my Bed for the space of about two hours I then resolved with my self to engage my heart afresh and to renew my Covenant with the Lord the beginning of this New year to be the Lords Servant to serve the Lord and his Son Jesus Christ all the remainder of the days I have to live in this world in such service as he should see meet to employ me The encouragements and inducements that were brought to my mind and drew out my heart willingly and cheerfully to give up my self to the Lord to serve him and his Son Jesus Christ were these 1. His promise of affording his Presence and Assistance to such as are his Servants and to be their God Isa 41. 8 9 10. 2. The great and precious promises made to his Servants Isa 54. per totum Which concludeth thus v. 17. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. 3. We glorifie God when we serve him Isa 49. 3. Thou art my Servant O Israel in whom I will be glorified 4. God hath done great things for me both for my outward and inward man and the only thing that he requires of me is to serve him in truth and sincerity 1 Sam. 12. 24. 5. All Christs Servants shall assuredly be with him where he is and shall be honoured of the Father Joh. 12. 26. and shall enter into the joy of their Lord. Mat. 25. 21. May 19. 1676. Reading Levit. 22. 3. Whosoever of the Priests in their generations went unto the holy things which the Children of Israel did hallow unto the Lord having his uncleanness upon him that Soul should be cut off from the presence of the Lord And the ensuing Sabbath being Sacrament day I considered with my self 1 st That greater Reverence is due to the Lords Supper than to the holy things under the Law 2 ly Moral uncleanness is greater than Ceremonial 3 ly Therefore I considered how I might go to this Ordinance and Administer it to others without having my uncleanness upon me that is how I might be purged from my uncleanness To that end I determined 1. Humbly to acknowledge confess and bewail the uncleanness of my heart lips and life before the Lord. Isa 6. 5 6 7 8 9. When the Prophet bemoaned his uncleanness the Lord purged it away and sent him to do his Office 2. To go to the fountain set open for sin and for uncleanness Zech. 13. 1. that is to act my faith on the blood of Christ which cleanseth from all sin 1 Joh. 1. 7. 3. To rest upon God by faith for fulfilling his Covenant wherein he hath promised to cleanse me from all my filthiness and to save me from all my uncleanness Ezek. 36. 25 29. Act. 15. 9. 4. To plead earnestly with God to take away all iniquities Hos 14. 2. and to create in me a clean heart Ps 51. 10. and to succeed my prayers with endeavours to put away evil and uncleanness out of my heart and life Isa 1. 16. 18. 2 Cor. 7. 1. These are many of those judicious observations which this holy person made and those spiritual experiences he found and recorded for his own use that he might always have at hand before him the manner and method of Gods dealing with his Soul the workings of Corruption and grace his lapses and recoveries his combates and victories over world sin and Satan his perseverance and progress in holiness the secret intercourse between God and his soul the withdrawings and Returns of the Holy Spirit the faithfulness of Gods Covenant the truth of his word sensibly felt in his heart food for his faith encouragement to walk with God with experimental instruction how to comfort troubled Consciences In which part of the ministry he had a peculiar excellency beyond most part of his Brethren for partly by his diligent searching of the Holy Scripture partly by observing and recording the method of the Holy Ghost towards himself and partly by discoursing with troubled Consciences wherein as he was much exercised so he took much delight he was so acquainted with the various cases of Conscience and so well understood both Case and cure that it may be truly said of him The Lord God had given him the tongue of the learned that he might know how to speak a word in season to the weary On which account he might be sirnamed Barnabas a Son of Consolation It was his usual manner in preaching to foresee and raise such objections as troubled Souls are prone to make against themselves and to solve them with much clearness and satisfaction And many applications of such Souls were made to to him in private as to a Skillful Experienced Spiritual Physitian whose advice God succeeded with his blessing to the encouragement of the faith and hope of many doubting Christians that walked in darkness which are here published not only as Instances and demonstrations of that Spirit of Light and grace that power of Godliness which possessed and governed his heart and life and fitted him to be such a useful instrument for the Service of Christ and his Church on which account his memory is worthily honourable and precious to all good men But especially for the Instruction direction relief support and encouragement of others who are following him though at a great distance in that narrow way which leadeth to that life to which he is arrived They who labour and are heavy laden who are bowed down under the power and weight of their sin wrestling with Corruption and temptation exercised with darkness and doubtings with fears and faintings They who are called to difficult service which require much labour and diligence and self-denial and may expose them to the hazard and danger of this evil world may hence take Counsel and encouragement while they read the sense and workings of their own hearts in the experiences the method and practicablenesse of their duty in the example of this Eminent Saint We have hitherto seen somethings of his Conscience of Sin and duty his industry and zeal for the Service and glory of God his combates with the flesh and Satan his Love to Christ and his Church his Spirituality in Religion His longings and breathings after God His remembring God upon his bed and meditating on him in the night watches his wise improvement of the Holy Scriptures his due fulfilling of all Relations his Holy manner of Living to God From whence we may rationally conclude that surely he gave this diligence unto the full assurance of hope that he tasted the Consolation of God and received the earnest of Glory that he walked upon the top of Pisgah in the light of Gods countenance and in the sight of the Heavenly Canaan Which priviledge indeed the God of peace and comfort did not deny him He was a man as of much grace so of much peace an instance of that