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A87265 A sermon preached at the funerall of Mrs. Alice Bray, wife to Francis Bray of Farthingo, neere Brackley in the county of Northampton, Gent. Vpon Psalme 37. and vers. 37. March the 2. 1645. / By W.I. minister there. W. I. 1646 (1646) Wing I19; Thomason E345_6; ESTC R200985 15,414 34

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disposition Phil. 1.23 having a desire to depart or to be let loose and you may see in him the true disposition of a religious man of a perfect and upright man or woman so farre was he from endeavouring to put death out of his minde as if it were a terrour to think thereon As that contrarily he took comfort in remembring it So farre was he from fearing least it should come too soone upon him that he rather desired it and the delaying thereof was irkesome to him This therefore is an argument that Pauls thoughts respectively to death were very comfortable and his end peace when as that which man naturally feareth he desired with all speed to come unto having a desire to depart The like may be seen in that good old Simeon who did even in a manner beg of God to be dismissed Luk. 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace And to assure us that his desire herein proceeded not from any worldly discontent he speakes of a departure in peace as an evidence of some feeling of peace betwixt God and his soule and giveth his reason of it for mine eyes have seen thy salvation He had now as much spirituall comfort and contentment as in this world could be hoped for and was therefore now desirous if it might stand with Gods good pleasure to end his dayes in the midst of that sweet peace which he felt in great abundance in his soule It was the blessing that God promised to Abraham Gen. 15.15 that he should goe to his fathers in peace which is to be referd not only to the rest which God meant to give him before his death from all his former travels but also to the comfortable disposition of his soule at the end of his life that then he should goe to his fathers in peace Thus it is plaine that the godly man or woman shall make a peaceable end their mind and conscience shall be very comfortable in death Neither is it thus with the godly the perfect and upright men and women without cause for 1. it fareth so with them through the assurance which they have of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ How can this but breed peace and quietnesse in the mind and conscience when I am perswaded and assured in my soule and spirit that all cause of danger after death is utterly removed and that God both is and ever will be gracious unto me in his Son Christ Jesus This was the ground of the Apostles confidence Phil. 1.23 he knew that so soone as hee was departed hence he should be with Christ which is farre better and therefore he desired this departure He that felt himselfe now in Christ could not but be assured that hee should afterwards be with Christ and so at peace To whomsoever God gives Christ he gives all things for all things are in Christ and therefore he that hath Christ hath life and all things pertaining thereunto righteousnesse peace c. Now if it bee questioned whether the servants of God the perfect and upright have this assurance of their reconciliation and so of peace I answer it is certaine that sooner or later they all have it in some measure for it is said plainly They which are Christs have the Spirit of Christ and if any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 And againe vers 10. This Spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit of our adoption that we are the children of God Here is a double testimony Gods Spirit and our spirit and these give evidence of our adoption and consequently of our reconciliation and peace 2. This peace proceedeth also from the comfortable testimony of their conscience touching their former care to glorifie God in uprightnesse of heart and holinesse of conversation Hence came Pauls comfort 2 Tim. 4.8 I have fought a good fight saith he and this encouraged him to expect that Crown of Righteousnesse which the Lord reserves for all which love his appearing Consider to this purpose the example of Hezekiah Isa 38.1 c. he knew no doubt that he must dye but at that time there mentioned when the Prophet Isaiah came unto him from the Lord with this dolefull message Set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live Whom would not these tydings have strucken to the heart and what could Hezekiah then expect but present death Well then all things thus threatning his end the common condition of nature the mortality of the present sicknesse being as it is thought the Plague and above all the doome brought from the Lord by the hand of such a Prophet Where now was the staffe of Hezakiahs comfort but even the witnesse of his soule and conscience testifying unto him the sincerity and holinesse of his former course Remember now O Lord saith he vers 3. how I have welked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Even so also could that good old Simeon with a glad spirit have besought the Lord even instantly to dismisse him if his conscience had not told him that all his life past had been an intentive waiting for the consolation of Israel Luk. 2.25 26. thus the piety the purity the sincerity of their former courses hath secured these worthies of the glory to come and withall procured their present peace and the same ground of peace hath every perfect and upright man and woman Neither is this so because of any connexion between work and wages a● if Gods children should build their hopes upon merit or deserts for they know that when they have done what possible they can they are yet unprofitable servants c. but because they know good workes to be the way to the Kingdome but not the cause of reigning God hath ordained that we should walke in them Ephes 2.10 And they find by the Scripture that an holy life here is the first fruits of a glorious life herefares and so the conscience of their former course is the assurer not the deserver of their happinesse the evidence not the cause of their peace Thus for peace internall in the minde and conscience whereof the godly are partakers not onely in life but in death they shall make a peaceable end their conscience very comfortable in death For mark the perfect man c. for the end of that man is peace It is also equally true touching their peace eternall for at the end of his life the perfect or righteous shall enter into peace they shall rest in their beds c. Isa 57.2 they shall enter into eternall peace and rest The Apostle Paul is an evidence to us of the condition and state of all perfect and upright men or women Now he speaketh confidently that no sooner should his soule be seperated from his body but it should be by and by with Christ Phil. 1.23 Death should bee but as a door opening unto him a speedy