themselves under Judgments and pray and seek my face and turn from their evil wayes I will hear from Heaven I will forgive their sin I will heal their Land Job 33. 27. If any say I have sinned and perverted that which is right and it profiteth me not he will deliver his Soul from going into the pit And this is the use you and every one in your circumstances should make of Gods Correction to humble your self under his mighty hand To say as Job 34. 31. I have born chastisement I will not offend any more Ver. 32. That which I see not teach me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Commune with your own heart Psal 4. 4. Ask your Soul how it doth Am I in Christ Am I born again Is there a work of Grace wrought upon my heart That will appear by your walking Do you walk as becometh the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. Do you live soberly righteously godly Is this your constant walking Do you pray continually in your Family In your Closet Do you sanctifie the Lords day duely Do you teach your Children the knowledge and fear of God Do you Catechise them Do you set them a good Example Do you fill up every Relation with Duty Have you not sat with vain persons Psal 26. 4. Are you a companion to all that fear God Psal 119. 63. Do you honour such above others Psal 15. 4. Do you delight in their company Psal 16. 3. This is that we are commanded to do to bethink our selves 2 Chron. 6. 37. To consider our wayes Hag. 5. 7. To judge our selves 1 Cor. 11. 31. To examine our selves whether we be in the Faith or no. 2 Cor. 13 5. Now let Conscience speak deal faithfully and truly with your self and where you find Duty neglected Sin committed confess your faults to God freely bewail them with a broken and contrite heart pray earnestly for Grace and a new heart for power over your corruptions resolve on a new course of life to become a new man by the assistance of Gods Grace Abandon ill Company and all occasions of sin for the time to come run not into temptation but watch and pray and keep your self from your own iniquity Psal 18. 23. If I regard iniquity in my heart i. e. allow my self in any one sin God will not hear my prayer Psal 66. 18. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and offend in one point i. e. wittingly knowingly he is guilty of all is obnoxious to condemnation as if he had broken the whole Law Jam. 2. 10. Let your future practice and reformation speak the truth of your Repentance And if you thus turn to God with your whole heart make application to Christ by Faith and his Bloud shall cleanse you from all sin So God will receive you to Mercy as the Father received the Prodigal Son with all expression of Love He that covereth his sin shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy Prov. 22. 13. If you dare not set up a Judgment-seat in your own Heart and keep a privy Sessions in your own Conscience how will you appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ and give an account of all your Thoughts Words and Actions at the great day For then must every one of us give account of himself to God Then blessed are they whose sins are forgiven They may lift up their faces at that day with boldness when impenitent sinners shall be confounded and call to the Rocks and Mountains to fall on them They who live in sin are in danger to dye in sin and to be damned eternally for sin Sin will be sure to find them out to punishment who will not now search and find and cast it out by Repentance and amendment of Life Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine Ezek. 18. 31. Thus I have shewed you the good and right way to improve this present cross and to prevent worse things Joh. 5. 14. Sin no more lest a worse thing come to you If God give you an heart to imbrace and hearken to this advice you will have cause to say with David Psal 119. 67 71. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy word And it is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes And I beseech you do not reject the Counsel of God against your own Soul Put it in practice without delay Break off your sins by Righteousness forthwith to day while it is called to day lest your heart â—e hardened by the deceitfulness of sin Heb. 3. 13. All flesh is grass And no man knoweth the day of his death But it may be said to any of us This night shall thy Soul be required of thee You seem to have a crazy Body You have had divers warnings of late to mind you of your frailty And it is an high point of wisdom to consider of a Mans latter end Deut. 32. 29. What if Death should come like a Thief suddenly and give no warning Then happy are all they who with the wise Virgins have got Oyl in their Lamps saving Grace and Sincerity If a Flood come happy are they who with Noah have prepared an Ark for the saving of their Souls Make sure of Christ keep Conscience pure so it will be peaceable keep integrity and uprightness so you may look Death in the face without fear I will conclude with the words of Solomon Prov. 19. 20. Hear counsel receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end Tender Love and Compassion to your Soul was the only motive which set my Pen on writing these Lines Take them in good part and pass a favourable construction on them peruse them ponder them for they are of weight of worth the very Word of God useful and necessary to be followed nearly conducing to the Salvation of your Immortal Soul Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things 2 Tim. 2. 7. To his Grace I commend you being Your Servant for the salvation of your Soul BEcause my former Letter found so good acceptance with you I am incouraged once again to write to you to let you know how welcome and joyful a thing it is to your Friends to understand that you are become a new man that you have put off your former Conversation and abandoned all vain Company that you keep much at home and take delight in your Wife and Children as you have just cause for they are sweet Children Dutiful and Obedient also that you pray constantly with them and frequent the most lively and powerful and Soul-saving Preaching of Gods Word on the Lords dayes Oh how good and how pleasant a thing it is to all that love you that love your Soul to hear these things of you Now I pray you suffer a word of further Exhortation and give me leave to beseech you as
is a sore affliction to your Wise family and relations it impoverisheth your Estate causeth a neglect of your business and calling it unfits you for holy duties though you do not altogether lay them aside If you regard iniquity in your hearts God will not hear your prayer he heareth not sinners that is not such as live in sin for in prayer we are commanded to lift up holy hands 1 Tim 2. 8. Lay all these together in the ballance of the Sanctuary Weigh your Actions Do I well to turn from my Righteousness and commit Iniquity Do I well to forsake God the fountain of living water and to dig to my self broken Cisterns that can hold no water Do I well to grieve the holy spirit to bring an evil report on the holy ways of God Do I well to run the hazard of damning my Soul To encourage sinners in sin to harden the wicked and offend the godly to undo Wife and Children and make sad the hearts of my friends will it not be bitterness in the end I conceive you to be under a sore temptation The hand of Joaâ— of Satan is in all this you are discontented and pressed with heavie burdens of debt and some outward concerments and the Devil draws you to the Ale-house as a diversion and to drive away sorrow But this a sinister course a remedy worse then the disease as to be sure all remedies are of that enemyes prescribing Will any wise man hearken to the counsel of an enemy consult but your own reason Is spending your money and wasting your time laying aside care of business the way to lesson or encrease your debts If there were no sin in it it might divert your mind a little for the present Just like impenitent sinners who are convinc'd of the necessity of Repentance but because Repentance and Godly Sorrow is bitter to the Flesh they defer and delay from time to time and singer as Lot did in Sodom till a shower of Fire and Brimstone overtook them to their eternal undoing Be not so unwise as to make light of Eternal Happiness by giving way to Alehouse mirth and merryment which is a poor remedy and to be sorrowed for with bitter tears Prov. 14. 13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness Now if you will hearken I will give you advice and the Lord shall be with you Repent and be converted and return to God from whom you are deeply revolted bewail your backsliding forsake your evil courses Enter not into the path of the wicked Prov. 4. 14 15. Pray lie at the Throne of Grace beseech God with importunity beg pardon for what is past and Grace to keep you from the path of the destroyer for the time to come Break off from all ill company Say as Psal 119. 15. Depart from me ye wicked I will keep the Commandments of my God It may be said he that hath drawn you into the snare will discourage you from recovering your self by Repentance by telling you it is too late your sins are too many and too heinous to be forgiven but believe him not he is a lyar he is a murderer of Souls Believe the Word of God the God of Truth which assures to repenting sinners that there is hope in Israel If we confess and forsake our sins we shall find mercy Prov. 28. 13. Isa 1. 16 18. 1 Joh. 1. 7. Psal 130. 4 6. I will heal their backsliding Hos 14. 4. Jer. 12. This course if you will follow to set about it without delay then shall you obtain forgiveness through the rich mercy of God in Christ Read and consider well the parable of the prodigal Son Luke 15. and doubt not of Gods favour and reconciliation and so the worst and most dangerous of your debts are discharged And for your Money-debts you may find a better way of cure for them than the company of good fellows in an Alehouse You have secret Prayer a sweet solace for a Soul in trouble Psal 119. 4. you have good Books to read you have Godly Ministers of the Word you have Christian Neighbours whose Society and Counsel you may make use of you have Wife and Children to delight and recreate your self in their company you have Friends and Relations not far distant who are able to give you advice if you will make known your case unto them and not smother your grief by reserving and locking it up in your own breast which is not a good way This is to keep the Devils Counsel till you sink under your burden with despair Take need of it I know your Brother loveth you dearly and is not so far off but you may have his help at hand and assistance to manage your Estate so as to clear all your Debts in a 〈◊〉 time make him of your Counsel and take his Advice I am no Counsellor in Worldly affairs I pray you regard what I say from God concerning your Soul and let your Brother be of your Counsel touching your outward Estate And so I commend you to God praying that you may duely weigh what I have said that my Counsels and Reproofs be not as Water spilt on the ground but rather as good seed falling on good ground that by Gods Blessing it may bring forth good fruit even true Repentance in you and amendment of Life c. Your Loving Friend for the Salvation of your Soul J. H. BEcause I have no Worldly good thing to present you with I now and then let a word of Spiritual Counsel drop from my Pen. I desire to commend to you one Scripture which I pray you to meditate on frequently Deut. 4. 9. Only take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul diligently Is there any thing in this World of equal concernment If the Soul be safe all is safe It shall go well with the Body if the Soul be saved If the â—oul miscarry we are undone for ever Shall we be careful of the Health of the Body and careless of the Immortal Soul Shall we keep our Money safe our Lands and Evidences of Estates and not keep our Hearts diligently Prov. 4. 23. Let us preserve our Money our Estates as charily as we can Death will strip us of all we must carry nothing away with us no more than we brought with us into the World Naked we came and naked we must return as to the Body But Spiritual treasure Soul riches will accompany us beyond the Grave to Eternity Our works shall follow us i. e. The reward of them O let us labour to be found in Christ to be made new creatures to be rich in good works for as we sow so shall we reap I was hungry and ye fea me or I was hungry and ye fed me not c. According to one of these will the doom pass at the great day Blessed is the servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing At that day an upright heart
sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehojada's Instructing him But fell off at his Death you must expect Temptations as Joash had But pray that you may resist and overcome them Sixth Advice Long for that Blessed day when you and your Dear Mr. Hieron and your good Neighbours and whole Society shall meet again and part no more have and keep an Eternal Sabbath eat Bread and drink Wine in your Fathers Kingdom of which your Sacraments here were but an Antepast have the Harvest of your first fruits the whole sum of which here be but earnests when all you that received him as a Prophet of God shall share with him in his reward even a Prophets reward as I told you upon the occasion of his death You have not my word for it but Christs word for it who is the Amen the true and faithfl witness Matth. 10. 41. and so I come to my closing Corollary COROLLARY 6. Sect. 7. And now my Pen is expressing my sad thoughts about our great loss of Mr. Hieron let me lead my Reader a little further on to weep upon the Graves of some other Derbyshire Ministers Oh my Derbyshire Friends bear with me if I go on and give my mind a little vent upon this doleful Subject Derbyshire is a beloved Country to me I am no Native of it but it being the Country wherein I began and ended my Publick Ministry I am as it were Naturalized of it By my great affections to it my heart points towards it And when I can breathe in that Air and breathe out my self amongst them I am refreshed and in my Element I desire my Limbs that I might get over to them and help them Besides unworthy I am survivor to divers of my Brethren there their memory is precious to me I cannot but build some little Monuments for them and set them about this larger Monument of Mr. John Hieron they wrought the work of God as he did they were his Companions in labour his fellow Souldiers They were driven into corners lived in obscurity dyed in obscurity so far as men could cloud them they were lights put under bushels but they were lights These Candles were not extinguished when men put them into dark Lanthorns as the Blessed Jesus in his state of Humiliation his Deity in its Glorious Rayes did dart forth So these Holy Servants of God did as they had opportunity manifest their graces and gifts though covered with a cloud by the just anger of God Adored be his Justice and by the causeless displeasure of men Cursed be their Wrath These I think I am bound to give some short account of To awaken my Derbyshire Friends to bethink themselves what a Ministry God hath blessed them with and hath bereaved them off it well becomes you Oh my Friends to reflect whether you be Vines so flourishing so fruitful as answers such Vine-dressers Whether you were a Crown to them that were a Crown to you The staple Commodities of your Country are Wooll and Lead You are Traders in these many of you and are grown up to great considerableness Let me tell you the Ministry of Derbyshire was a more advantageous price than them Your Shepherds were far beyond your Sheep And those Earthen Vessels your Ministers had such an excellency of treasure as is of more value then your rich Mines Oh have you traded with them You have cause to suspect it because these Shepherds are smitten these Vessels are broken these Mines fail these Crowns are fallen from your heads Again I do it to enlarge those short hints in Mr. Hierons Life wherein I have said that we have not only him a single Minister to produce but we have many like him in Parts like him in Fidelity like him in Laboriousness like him though few equals to him to shame the contemners and to silence the silencers of them And lastly to preserve their Names and Memories and to provoke the Ministers that yet are in the Vineyard to quit themselves like Ministers to play the men for the Congregations of God to emulate their gifts and graces that so people may not be straitened in their Ministers that the loss of such Worthies may be lessened that the decay of the bearers of burdens may not wholly discourage nor make the work to cease Let no offence be taken if I do not mention all It is not disrespect to any good man but only forgetfulness and the want of some good Remembrancer at my Elbow For I am in the stocks shut up cannot go out to others and few have the kindness to come at me 1. After the killing Uniformity Act had disseized Mr. Thomas Shelmerdine Death followed he was Lancashire born bred in Christs Colledge Cambridge served God in the Gospel of his Son was a diligent Preacher at Criche divers yeaâ—s where he was encompassed with many good old Puritans that lived in that Parish and about it who did strengthen his hands much in his work he was a man very chearful in converse He was a kind Husband to an holy but very melancholly Wife From Crich he removed to Matlock where he did the work of his place lived peaceably with his Neighbours and found more benefit by his peace than his successor found by his contention From Matlock after Aug. 24. 1662. he removed to a dwelling in Wicâ—sworth where he lived not long but fell sick of the sickness of which he dyed In his sickness he would say to his very Friends that he was going to his Preferment and some few dayes before his death he said to an Honest Soul that informed me that next to my hopes of Heaven I rejoyce that I turned out of Matlock He lived not to have any more removes by renewed violence but was housed and laid in his bed of rest at Wicksworth a place that he had laboured much in being one of them that kept a Weekly Lecture there and lives in his Son Mr. Daniel Shelmerdine who is an active spirited man in the Ministry and goes about doing good 2. After him went Mr. Stanley of Eyam A man of worth and had been long a painful Minister in the â—eake After he was outed the Plague siezed that place and there if I do not mistake he continued and though not then a Minister of that place yet he shewed himself both a Minister and did many good offices to that place during that â—ore and very mortal Visitation My acquaintance was slender with him but they that knew him spake very well of his Praying and Preaching I am not certain what year he dyed 3. Mr. John Oldfield or Oâ—efield born near Chesterfield brought up at Dronfield School at that time famous He was outed from Carsington A general Schollar a great Master in the Tongues and Mathematicks He had a Mechanical Head and Hand capable of any thing he had opportnity to get insight into I mention not his University Education For what some would reflect upon him as a
never be taken from you I know no business of greater weight than this is therefore I beseech you do not slight it but lay it to heart Thus with due respects to you I rest Yours truly John Hieron Losco June 14. 77. THE only intent of this Paper is to give you a word of Spiritual Advice and Direction to carry your self so in this World that you may be happy for ever in the World to come You know every one hath a Soul an Immortal Soul which must live â—ternally either in bliss or misery And every one of us must be careful to save his own Soul Deut. 4. 9. Only take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul diligently The more precious any thing is the more careful we are to preserve it and more fearful to lose it In this respect the Soul deserves more care than all the things in the World besides for it is infinitely more worth What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his own soul Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul Saith our blessed Saviour Matth. 16. 26. Wherefore let my Counsel be acceptable to you and I will shew you the right way how you may save your Soul and be for ever happy which I shall do in two words First Be careful to shun and avoid whatsoever is destructive and dangerous to the Soul and that is sin and sinful lusts 1 Pet. 2. 11. Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul Dent. 23. 9. Keep thee from every wicked thing Jer. 44. 4. Oh do not this aâ—ominabâ—â— thing that my soul hates faith the Lord God For the soul that sinneth shall dye Ezek. 18. 4 And as you must watch against all sin so must you flee all occasions and temptations to sin Beware of ill example Follow not a multitude to do evil Exod. 23. 2. for the way to Hell is broad the gate that leadeth to destruction is wide and many there be that go in thereat Take heed of bad company which are infectioâ—s Shun them as you would shun the Plague For a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump He that walketh with the wife that is the Godly shall be wise But a companion of fools that is of wicked men shall be destroyed Prov. 13. 20. Be not among wine-bibbers Prov. 23. 20. Come not near the door of an Harlot or Harlots house Prov. 5. 8. Blessed is the man c. Psal 1. 1. This is the first part of my Advice which is the same you are engaged to by the Vow of your Baptism wherein you renounced the World the Flesh and the Devil and are under a solemn obligation to maintain a continual War against them as being enemies to your Soul And if you shall neglect to do it you would be a forsworn creature This is a consideration well worthy your laying to heart In the next place you must carefully use those means that God hath appointed to work grace and holiness in your heart for by this we are saved And without holiness no man shall see the Lord or be happy Heb. 12. 14. Let sin be the grief and burden of your heart yea sin original chiefly as well as actual sins for we are all born in sin and Children of wrath by Nature and must be born again that so Natural Corruption the plague of our heart may be healed in us by a new birth from Heaven If any man be in Christ he is a new creature For this you must pray to God earnestly and with importunity that he will create in you a new heart Psal 51. 10. and work in you a lively Faith that you may kiss the Son believe in Jesus Christ for pardon of Sin and Salvation For this end you must diligently and constantly attend on the Word which is the ordinary means which God hath appointed to beget and increase Faith Rom. 10. 17. Faith cometh by hearing Have a care to keep holy the Sabbath day constantly and no day neglect reading the Scripture And let fervent Prayer be your Morning and Evening Sacrifice continually and pray God to put his fear in your heart that you may never depart from him Blessed is the man tâ—aâ— feâ—reth alwayeâ— Prov. 28. 14. Daily be faithful and diligent in your Calling he courteous to all men do evil to none speak evil of no man live soberly be temperate in all things Let the chief care of your heart and endeavour of your life be to serve and please God that he may bless you here and save you hereafter So God shall have Honour your Friends Comfort in you and your Soul be eternally â—â—ved which is the desire of Your true Friend and Lover John Hieron Losco June 19. 1680. Thus this Holy Man was taking and making opportunities of doing good to Souls The conversion quickning and saving of Souls was the desire of his Heart what he earnestly prayed for and the design of his Sermons and of his Letters and of his private Discourse too and that to the last As a Kiâ—swoman coming to visit him not long before he dyed and staying all night when she came into his Chamber to take her leave after much good Counsel given her sayes he Are you going But who came along with you She answered Her Man And Payes he where is he I have something to say to him Then he was told that the Man was on Horse-back waiting for his Mistress He replyed Call him up Shall any one come and lodge a might in my House and I say nothing to him concerning his Soul Bid him alight and come to me for I must speak to him Thus he shewed his Care for the Soul of a Servant as well as of the Mistress his Love to the Soul of a Stranger as well as to any of his own Kindred FINIS Books Printed for and sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers-Chapel A Second Volume of lives of sundry eminent persons in this latter agae in two parts I. of Divines II. of Nobilicy and Gentry of both Sexes By Samuel Clark M. A. sometime Pastor of Bennetsink in London The life and Death of Edmond Staunton D. D. to which is added I. his Treatise of Christain conference II. His Dialogue between a Minister and a stranger Octavo The true Dignity of St. Paul's elder exemplefied in the life of that Reverend Holy zealous and faithful Servant and Minister of Jesus Christ Mr. Owen Stockton M. A. sometimes follower of Gonvile and Câ—jâ—s Colledge in Cambridge and afterward Preacher of Gods Word â—t Colchester in Essex With a Collection of his observations Experiences and Evidences recorded by his own hand to which is added his Funeral Sermon by John Fâ—â—rfax M. A. sometime Fellow of C. Colledge in Cambridge and afterward Rector of â—â—rking in Sâ—ffolk Invisible Realities demonstrated in the Holy Life and Triumphant Death of Mr. John Janeway Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge By James Janeway Minister of the Gospel A Narraitive of the Holy Life and happy death of that Reverend faithful and zealous man of God Minster of the Gospel of JesusChrist Mr. John Angier many years Pastor of the Church of Christ at Dunton near Manchester in Lancashire Wherein are related many Passaged that concern his Birth Education his entrance into the Ministry discharge of his trust therein and his Death Octavo A Believers Triumph over Death exemplified in a relation of the last hours of Dr. Andrews River and an account of divers other remarkable Instances being an History of the Comfortable end and dying words of several eminent Men. With other occasionall Passages attending to comfort Christians to the fear of Death and prepare them for a like happy Change The Life and death of Mr. Tâ—o Wilson Minister of Maidstone in the County of Kent M. A. A True History of the Capâ—ivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson a Ministers Wife in New England wherein is set forth the cruel and Inhumane usage she under went amongst the Heathens for cleven Weeks time and her delieverance from them Written by her own hand for her private use and now made publick at the earnest desire of some friends for the benefit of the Afflicted whereunto is anexed a Sermon of the possibility of Gods forsaking a People that have been near and dear to him preached by Mr. Josph Rowlandson Husband to the said Mrs. Rowlandson so it being his last Sermon Carracters of a Godly Man both as more and less grown in grace By Daniel Burgess Minister of the Gospel Octavo Of National Churches their description Institution use preservation danger Malides and cure partly applyed to England quarto Again the Revolt to a Forrain Iurisdiction which would be to England its Perjury Church R â—un and slavery in two parts I. the History of Mans endeavours to Introduce it II. the Confutation of all pretences for it Church Concord containing I. A Diswasive from unnecessary Division and Separation and the real concord of the moderate Independants with the Presbyterians instanced in ten seeming Differences II. the Terms necessary for concord among all true Churches and Christians These three By Richard Baxter Minister of the Gospel FINIS