mighty Influence upon those about them Now the Deportment and Expressions of this Servant of Christ in his long languishing Condition were so holy and heavenly that though his Life has been very useful yet he more glorified God dying than living When he was summoned by painful Sickness his first Work was to yield himself with resigned Submission to the Will of God When a dear Friend of his first visited him he said I am in the use of Means but I think my appointed time is come that I must dye If my Life might be serviceable to convert or build up one Soul I should be content to live but if God hath no work for me to do here I am let him do with me as he pleaseth But to be with Christ is best of all Another time he told the same Person That now it was visible it was a determined case God would not hear the Prayer to bless the means of his Recovery therefore desired his Friend to be willing to resign him to God saying It will not be long before we meet in Heaven never to part more and there we shall be perfectly happy there neither your Doubts and Fears nor my Pains and Sorrows shall follow us nor our Sins which is best of all After a long continuance in his languishing Condition without any sensible Alteration being asked how he did he replied I lie here but get no ground for Heaven or Earth Upon which one said Yes in your Preparations for Heaven O yes said he there I sensibly get ground I bless God An humble Submission to the Divine Pleasure was the habitual Frame of his Soul Like a Dye that thrown high or low always falls upon its Square thus whethe hope of his Recovery were raised or sunk he was content in every Dispensation of Providence His Patience under sharp and continuing Pains was admirable The most difficult part of a Christian's Duty the sublimest degree of Holiness upon Earth is to bear tormenting Pains with a meek and quiet Spirit Then Faith is made perfect in Works and this was eminently verified in his long Trial. His Pains were very severe proceeding from a cancerous Humour that spread it self in his Joynts and preyed upon the tenderest Membranes the most sensible Parts yet his Patience was invincible How many restless Nights did he pass through without the least murmuring or Reluctancy of Spirit He patiently suffered very grievous things through Christ that strengthned him and in his most afflicted Condition was thankful But what Disease or Death could disturb the blessed Composure of his Soul which was kept by the Peace of God that passes all Vnderstanding Such was the Divine Mercy he had no Anxieties about his future State but a comfortable Assurance of the favour of God and his Title to the Eternal Inheritance He had a substantial double Joy in the reflection upon his Life spent in the faithful Service of Christ and the Prospect of a blessed Eternity ready to receive him This made him long to be above He said with some Regret Death flies from me I make no haste to my Father's House But the wise and gracious God having tried his faithful Servant gave him the Crown of Life which he hath promised to those that love him His Body that poor Relick of Frailty is committed in trust to the Grave His Soul sees the Face of God in Righteousness and is satisfied with his Likeness The Hope of this should allay the Sorrows of his dearest Friends When the Persons we love and have lived with are to be absent a few Months it is grievous but at the last lamenting Separation all the Springs of our tender Affections are opened and Sorrows are ready to overwhelm us But the stedfast Belief of the Divine World and that our Friends are safely arrived thither is able to support our fainting Spirits and refresh all our Sorrows The truth is we have reason to lay to heart the Displeasure of God and our own Loss when his faithful Ministers are taken away When the Holy Lights of Heaven are Eclips'd it portends sad Things When the Saints are removed from Earth to Heaven their Souls freed from the interposition of their dark Bodies they truly live but we that remain dye being deprived of their Holy Lives their Examples that are a preservative from the Contagion of the World A due Sense of God's afflicting Providence is becoming us But always allayed with hope of our being shortly reunited with our dearest Friends for ever in the better World O that our serious Preparations our lively Hopes and the Presence of the great Comforter in our Souls may encourage us most willingly to leave this lower World so full of Temptations and Trouble to ascend into the World Above where perfect Peace full Joy and the most excellent Glory are in Conjunction for ever FINIS Rom. 12.11 Luke 1.74 75. Et si adhuc viliorum materiarum obtulisses fecisset quod ex illa fieri optimum possit Sic sapiens virtutem si licebit in divitiis explicabit si minus in exilio Quamcunque fortunam acceperit aliquid ex illa memorabile efficiet Senec. Ep. 78. Tit. 2. Rom. 13. Acts 26.18 Col. 1.12 Rom. 1. Phil. 1. 2 Tim. 2.14 Mat. 13.52 Mat. 24.45 1 Tim. 4.14 15. Cui ideo reor veteres pagani tam speciosae appellationis titulum dederunt ut quia in eo non erat numen vel nomen esset Et quia non habebat aliquam ex potestate virtutem haberet saltem ex vocabulo divinitatem Salv. de Provid l. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hippoc. Aphor. Lib. 6. 2 Tim. 4.1 2. Col. 1.28 Acts 20.24 Miser ego semper aeger caloribus impatientiae Confiteor ad Dominum Deum satis temere me si non etiam impudenter de patientia componere ausum cui praestandae idoneus omnino non sim. Esa. 44.12 Psal. 103. Dan. 9. Psal. 118.181 Idoneus sui operis aestimator magno pretio nos redemit Arnob. Luke 11.21 Acts 18.5 1 Pet. 3.12 Rev. 3.21 Deut. 7.8 Col. 3. Nam ut mens per diem veris visionibus avocatur ne dormiat ita falsis nocte ne excitetur Lactant. de Opific Dei c. 18. Quae in ipsis visceribus medicaments epotis Originem futuri hominis extinguunt paricidium faciant antequam pariant Minus Fel. 1 King 2.38 Jussisti Domino sic est ut poena sit sibi omnis inordinatus animus Aug.
Glory of Heaven and represent it to the Eyes of Christians so as to ravish their Hearts In short to make such a convincing Discovery of Things unseen that Men may judg that only the Saints above are truly and perfectly Happy and only the Reprobates in Hell are really and finally miserable and accordingly regulate their Lives I shall add to this that the Language of Sermons should be suitable to the quality of the Matter and the end of that Divine Ordinance A Minister must speak as becoming the Oracles of God With solemn Expressions according to the Sanctity and Importance of the great Mystery of Godliness The Apostle tells us his Speech was not with the enticing Words of Man's Wisdom A Luxuriant flourish of Words a vain Ostentation of Wit debases the Majesty enervates the Vigour and corrupts the pure taste of the Gospel True Eloquence is always suitable to the Subject and springs from it as the native Beauty of the Countenance that springs from a sound Complexion of Body and is not varnish'd with the Paint of Art When the Truth of Eternal Things is planted in the Heart and the vital Sense of them is shed in the Will and Affections it will furnish us with fit and powerful Words to express them Besides in the managing of a sacred Argument salus populi suprema lex esto The Salvation of Souls is the Rule to which the Language of Sermons must be parallel Divine Truths must be represented with those clear and solemn Expressions as may powerfully affect the Conscience and excite the practick Faculties of the Soul with such weighty and serious Words as may awaken Sinners to fear the powerful and terrible Judg of the World and to hate Sin that provokes his Displeasure The curious Contexture of Words of pleasant Sound without Substance is an elaborate Folly 'T is the framing a Net only fit to catch Flys the vain Applauses of the injudicious not to take Souls the Divine Work of a Minister And the Account must be woful for those Ministers to the Redeemer of Souls whose Study Thoughts and Time are wasted for so guilty and base an end 3. The Motives of their Affections and Endeavours in this Holy Service must be the Love of Christ and precious Immortal Souls Our Saviour with repeated Earnestness recommends this to St. Peter Lovest thou me feed my Lambs feed my Sheep The Salvation of Souls is his dearest Glory and satisfying Pleasure As it was prophesied that he shall see of the Travel of his Soul and be satisfied And our zealous Endeavours to save them from Death is the natural and necessary Effect of our Love to him A true Minister of Christ has a diviner Principle a sublimer Soul than to aim at carnal Fruitions at temporal and terrestrial Rewards The blessed End of his Office must be the End of all his studious Thoughts and Labours the Honour of his Master in the Conversion and Salvation of Sinners If the World be in their Eye and Heart as the Scope of their Ministry they are guilty of the most unnatural Disorder by employing the most excellent means for low and sordid Ends they use God to enjoy the World this corrupts and stains their Service Such Mercenaries are empty Vines that only bring forth Fruit unto themselves They have their Reward here But the Love of Christ and Souls reigns in the Heart of a faithful Minister this regulates his Work in order to their spiritual and everlasting Good This will make him descend to the Capacity of the meanest and plainly to instruct them in things concerning their Salvation As Elisha put his Mouth upon the Mouth and his Eyes upon the Eyes and his Hands upon the Hands of the dead Child and thereby conveyed a living Heat into him so a Minister should apply himself suitably to their Capacity who are but Children in Knowledg 'T is his Duty to raise the low Understandings as well as to humble the high and swelling Passions of Men. This Love to Souls will inspire him with tender melting Affections without which unless God renews the Miracle of Aaron's dry Rod blooming and bearing Almonds our Discourses will be barren without Fruit in the Hearers A plain Sermon dictated from the Heart with a holy Heat of Affections makes a solid Impression upon the Hearers When an elaborate Discourse not animated with the Affections is of little Efficacy As a blunter Iron if burning hot pierces more easily and deeply into a Piece of churlish Wood then a sharper that is cold The Love of Christ and Souls inspires with Joy and Alacrity in his Service No Element is heavy in its own Sphere A mercenary Spirit performs the Work as an irksom Task but Love sweetens all the Duties of the sacred Calling even such as are most distastful to the Carnal This entitles to the blessed Reward The Apostle saith If I preach the Gospel willingly I have a Reward Otherwise his abundant Labours would be of no comfortable account at last 3. The Ministers of Christ must with most faithful Diligence attend his Service The Subject and End of their Work challenges this of them The Conversion and Salvation of Souls What earnest and repeated Calls are necessary to awaken those who are involved in carnal Security to perswade them to love what they hate and to hate what they love and when the Foundation is laid in serious Repentance and the Work of Grace begun what Diligence is requisite to raise it to Perfection How does the malicious incessant Enemy of our Salvation strive by a thousand Temptations to blast our Endeavours The Work of a Minister is not like the Work of an Artificer A Statuary with long Labour cuts the Marble to form it into a noble Image but he leaves his work at his Pleasure and when he resumes it the Matter being durable 't is in the same state towards finishing as when he left it But the Heart of Man is of a strange Nature hard as Marble and fluid as Water Heavenly Impressions are with difficulty made in it and easily defac'd When by many Prayers and Tears many tender Addresses of Ministers the Heart is softened and the Image of Christ the Lineaments of his Divine Graces and Vertues are first drawn in it without a continual Eye and Attendance upon the Work how soon are those blessed Beginnings spoiled and the carnal Lusts regain the Heart How hard is it to prevail with Men to enter into the narrow Way and to preserve them from defiling Lapses in it or woful Excursions into the pleasant ways of Sin and to bring them safely to Heaven The solemn Adjuration of the Apostle to Timothy should excite Ministers with the most watchful Care and useful Diligence to attend their Work I charge thee before the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judg the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Preach the Word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering
the pure Possibility of Being without the giving actual Being to us The natural Law that shines in the Minds of Men in the Knowledg of what is just and good and in the Conscience of what is evil binds them with the deepest Humility to acknowledg the Greatness and Goodness of our Creator and in the sense of this first and fundamental Benefit to consecrate our selves for ever to his Service 2. We are his Servants not only upon the general Title of Creation but in a more peculiar manner by Redemption Man by his Disobedience was fallen into a woful Bondage his Guilt subjected him to the threatning that contained two Deaths in one Sentence the temporal and present of the Body and the eternal of the Soul The righteous Judg of the the World whose Law was broken required an honourable Reparation of it the most costly Sacrifices of Beasts a Sea of Blood could never atone his Displeasure Nay the Obedience and Sufferings of Men and Angels were of no value to satisfy his injured Justice Thus Mankind was desperately lost our Ruines if I may so speak were sowed with Salt we were concluded under his most righteous and fearful Wrath If the Love and Wisdom of God had not accorded to find out that astonishing expedient of uniting the eternal Son of God with the human Nature in one Person that as Man he might voluntarily submit to bloody Sufferings and as God give an infinite Merit and Value to them and thereby purchase our Redemption This is accomplished by Jesus Christ The Lord laid on him the Iniquity of us all he gave his Life a ransom for us From hence a new Right springs of his Dominion over us as the Apostle invincibly argues Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your Bodies and in your Spirit which are God's The naked representing of this to the serious Mind must awaken a dear Sense of our Obligations to our Saviour but if we solemnly and deliberately contemplate this amazing Benefit out of what Rock is the Heart framed that is not soften'd and melted in Love and Obedience to our Blessed Redeemer To heighten the Sense of our Obligations Consider 1. A more excellent Goodness is visible in the redeeming Man than in creating the Angels upon the account of the distance of the Terms and the Difficulty of the way to effect it In the Creation of Angels Goodness was rich indeed there being no Possibility of desert in pure nothing but it was simply free whereas in our Salvation it is merciful beyond all Imagination for by our Rebellion we were justly fallen under the Wrath of God Their Creation was without the least strain of his Power He spake and it was done But there was a legal Bar against our Restitution To remove it his Son endured the Curse of the Law for us and bore our Sins in his own Body on the Tree Divine Love in our Redemption not only exceeds what was shewed in the Creation of Angels but is admirably illustrated by a higher comparison For the Father seemed to love us above his only begotten Son whom he spared not but delivered him up for us all and the Son loved us above his Life which he laid down for us 2. By the way of our Redemption he has infinitely honoured our Nature that was so vilified by the Fall Man whose Soul was an immortal Spirit stamped with the lively Image of God capable of everlasting Communion with him in Glory was sold for nought Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be very desolate That Man who had the two great Lights of Natural Reason and Divine Faith should prefer the pleasing an irregular Appetite before the Favour of God and for a vain Fancy lose the most substantial Happiness Thus Man being in Honour and understood not became like the Beasts that perish nay viler than the Earth And all the Children of Adam sin according to the Similitude of his first Transgression O the cheap Damnation of Sinners For transient Pleasures and mean Profits they venture upon eternal Death This guilty and woful Folly not only defiles but debases Men to Hell Now the Lord of Life and Glory by suffering an ignominious Death for us has with the clearest evidence discovered the true Worth of Souls That they are precious beyond comparison since the whole World is not a valuable Compensation for them We are not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot and blemish That sacred Treasure of Heaven that was laid down for us exceedingly increases our Obligations to the Blessed Redeemer 3. By giving himself for us he has not only freed us from the Wrath of God but restored us to his dearest Favour We are translated from the fearful State of being God's Enemies into the amiable joyful State of his Children And consequently our Redeemer has purchased for us not only Salvation from Hell but eternal Glory a Life more divine and durable than the natural Life in Paradise How can we seriously think of this transcendent Benefit without a rapture of Affection He infinitely deserves our Love and Service who has bought us with so dear a price and purchased for us a glorious and incorruptible Inheritance 3. We are his Servants by his Deliverance of us from our Spiritual Enemies Satan Sin and Death Since the Devil obtained a woful Victory over us in the Fall of Adam great was the Triumph of Hell And though he be an Usurper of God's Right which could never be extinguished yet by our Overthrow he has a kind of a Title to us and keeps us as the Spoils of his Victory And having revolted from God we are justly though miserably under the Powers of Darkness We are chained in the lowest and the vilest Bondage The Soul and Body are under his tyrannous Dominion and suffer the deepest Wounds of Infamy and Cruelty He fetters our Minds with dangerous Delusions our Wills with divers Lusts and Passions and leads Men Captives in the ways of Sin till they fall into Hell the Centre of Misery Now as in redeeming a Captive there must be the paying the Ransom and the breaking his Chains that he may be restored to Liberty So besides the Price that was payed to God the Supreme Judg for our Discharge our Saviour has broken our Chains he by the sanctifying Spirit dispels the Darkness of our Minds softens the Hardness of our Hearts subdues the Rebellion of our Wills rectifies the Disorder of our Affections that we may be freed from the Domion of Sin as well as from the Obligation and Terrors of the Law He has broken the Powers of Darkness that conspired to keep us fast in the Intanglements of our Iniquities he has freed us from the spiritual Pharaoh and his cruel Task-Masters the imperious violent Lusts that are seated in the Heart and restores us to the glorious
the Glorified Saints who are the Princes of his Court and the Heavenly Nobility And the nature of the Work that is sublime and excellent becoming an Intellectual Soul that is Spiritual by Nature and Divine by Grace 'T is the most sweet and easy Service This will seem incredible to those who judg of the Delights of the Spirit by the Principles of the Flesh. In this Sense also the Carnal Man understands not the things of the Spirit Who can discover the Pleasure of Musick to one that was born Deaf or describe the Light of the Sun to one that was ever Blind who can see a Taste The Truth is the Life of Carnal Men has the appearance of Joy but not the reality And the Life of the Saints has a gloomy Melancholly appearance but has an inward cordial Joy incomparably above all the vain flashy Delights of the World A Carnal Man that serves divers Lusts and Pleasures is sometimes rack'd and vex'd betwixt contrary Passions Every Lust has a secret Sting with its Honey And as the corrupt Heart is its own Tempter so the guilty Conscience is its own Tormenter Besides the fearful apprehension of what shall follow in the next World when the revenging Justice of God and the cruel Malice of Satan shall concur to make the Sinner miserable is sufficient to poyson the sweetest Pleasures of Sin But the Life of a Saint is regulated by a Law that is always at Union in its Precepts He has Divine Assistance to enable him to perform it His gracious Master will pardon his Infirmities The Content of Conscience the Joy of the Holy Ghost that rewards our Duty here far exceeds all the Severity and Difficulty that the Carnal Nature complains of in obeying the Divine Law The Yoke of Christ is truly easy and his Burthen truly light His Service is the most profitable He will protect maintain and everlastingly reward his Servants Is there any Master so rich so liberal so faithful as Christ How often do the Slaves of the World complain that they have spent themselves in vain As Jacob reproached Laban Thou hast deceived me and changed my Wages ten times so may the Worldlings say whose Hopes have been often charm'd with the specious Promises of the World and deluded in the end Dear bought Experience at last convinces them of their woful Folly in seeking for Happiness where it was not to be found and neglecting to seek it where it was But the Servants of Christ have at the present their Fruit unto Holiness and in the end everlasting Life The Service of Christ here is Freedom Victory Empire and hereafter a triumphant Felicity I shall now address my self to the present Occasion which is to pay our last solemn Respects to the Memory of the Reverend Dr. Thomas Jacomb who was so universally known esteem'd and beloved in this City that his Name is a noble and lasting Elogy I shall not give an account of the time he spent in Cambridg where he was Fellow of Trinity Colledg and worthily esteemed in that flourishing Society But confine my Discourse to his Ministry in London Here the Divine Providence disposed him into the Family of a Right Honourable Person to whom he was deservedly very acceptable and whose real and most noble Favours conferred upon him were only to be equalled by his grateful and high Respects and his constant Care to promote serious Religion in her Family He was a Servant of Christ in the most peculiar and sacred Relation And he was true to his Title both in his Doctrine and in his Life He was an excellent Preacher of the Gospel and had a happy Art of conveying Saving-Truths into the Minds and Hearts of Men. He did not entertain his Hearers with Curiosities but with Spiritual Food He dispens'd the Bread of Life whose vital Sweetness and nourishing Vertue is both productive and preservative of the Life of Souls He preach'd Christ Crucified our only Wisdom and Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption His great design was to convince Sinners of their absolute want of Christ that with flaming Affections they might come to him and from his Fulness receive Divine Grace This is to water the Tree at the Root whereby it becomes flourishing and fruitful whereas the laying down of Moral Rules for the exercise of Vertue and subduing vicious Affections without directing Men to derive Spiritual Strength by Prayer and in the use of Divine Ordinances from the Mediator the Fountain of all Grace and without representing his Love as the most powerful motive and Obligation to Obedience is but pure Philosophy and the highest effect of it is but unregenerate Morality In short his Sermons were clear and solid and affectionate He dipp'd his Words in his Soul in warm Affections and breath'd a Holy Fire into the Breasts of his Hearers Of this many serious and judicious Persons can give Testimony who so long attended upon his Ministry with delight and profit His constant Diligence in the Service of Christ was becoming his Zeal for the Glory of his Master and his Love to the Souls of Men. He preach'd thrice a Week whilst he had Opportunity and Strength He esteemed his labour in his sacred Office both his highest Honour and his Pleasure At the first appearance of an Ulcer in his Mouth which he was told to be Cancerous he was observed to be not much concerned about it than as it was likely to hinder his Preaching that was his delightful Work and when he enjoyed Ease and after wasting Sickness was restor'd to some degrees of Strength he joyfully return'd to his Duty Nay when his Pains were tolerable Preaching was his best Anodyne when others fail'd And after his Preaching the reflection upon the Divine Goodness that enabled him for the discharge of the Service was a great relief of his Pains His Life was suitable to his Holy Profession His Sermons were Printed in a fair and lively Character in his Conversation He was an Example to Believers in Word in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith in Purity He was of a staid Mind and temperate Passions and moderate in Counsels In the managing of Affairs of Concernment he was not vehement and confident not imposing and over-bearing but was receptive of Advice and yielding to Reason His compassionate Charity and Beneficence was very conspicuous amongst his other Graces His Heart was given to God and his relieving beneficent Hand to the living Images of God whose pressing wants he resented with tender Affections and was very instrumental for their Supplies And as his Life so his Death adorn'd the Gospel which was so exemplary to others and so gracious and comfortable to himself The Words of Men leaving the World make usually the deepest Impressions being spoken most feelingly and with least Affectation Death reveals the Secrets of Mens Hearts And the Testimony that dying Saints give how gracious a Master they have served how sweet his Service has been to their Souls has a