A Burning yet Unconsumed Bush Exemplified IN THE Dolorous Life and Glorious Death Of that Young Convert And Most Excellent SAINT Mrs. MARY HARRISON Who Departed this Life June the 21st in the 23d Year of her Age. OR A Brief and Faithful Narrative Of the Effectualness of her Conviction The Painfulness of her Conversion The Dreadfulness of her Temptation The Deplorableness of her Condition And the Triumphant Joyfulness of her Dissolution Together with the Author's Speech to the Inhabitants of Havant at the close of her Funeral Sermon Published in General for Common Good but particularly at the Request of some of the New gather'd Church at Chichester of which she was a Member And especially to satisfie a Worthy Friend far off who by Letters importun'd the Author thereunto By C. NICHOLETTS Minister of the Gospel in HAVANT LONDON Printed and Sold by B. Harris at the Golden Boars-Head in Grace-Church-street 1700. To the Reverend Mr. Richard Robins Pastor of a Congregation in London My very Dear and much Esteemed Brother WHEN I Reflect on the blessed Providence that opened so wide a Door for the Occupation of your Talent the last Winter at Chichester and the strange and amazing Success that attended your Labours there I cannot but hope the Glorious Day which Zion's Converts have so long Mourned Prayed and Waited for is nigh at Hand even a plentiful Effusion of the Spirit upon all the Followers of the Lamb of which more than a Taste was given in the mighty Portion that rested upon you whilst you were delivering your Masters Errand in that Place Your Face like Moses did eminently Shine during your Commemoration on that Mount of Vision to the Observation and Admiration of all the Beholders none but your self was ignorant of it so that the Multitude was ready to Hosanna you as they did your Master before you and in the same Language too Never Man spake like this Man And so strange a Consternation was there in the Minds of all and so wonderful a Conviction in the Hearts of many as quite confounded the Opposers of Gospel Light and Truth and made them even gnash their Teeth for Madness Oh! how did the Dukes of Palestina tremble and the Inhabitants of Canaan melt away How did the Formal and Legal Rabbies Vex and Fume that a Nehemiah so suddenly so unexpectedly stood on the Wall with undaunted Courage and they could not pluck him down That there appear'd a Man whom with all their Machinations they could not hinder to seek in good Earnest the Welfare of Immortal Souls by Preaching the Truth fully and clearly as it is in Jesus so that the People which before sat in Darkness saw great Light and to those who were and a long time had been in the Regions of the Shadow of Death Light sprung up But though the Enemies of Free-Grace were grieved exceedingly by your so powerful and spiritual Preaching the Children of the Bride-Chamber were as much Comforted Enlivened Refreshed and many poor Dead Sinners Awakened Convinced and Perswaded to Embrace the Everlasting Gospel which was Sounded in their Ears in such a Strain that many though Old Hearers to my Knowledge did Profess they never heard the Gospel before And Oh! What an Astonishing Change was visibly Observ'd in the Faces of the Inhabitants of Chichester Such Crowding and Thronging to hear the Word dropping as sweet smelling Myrrh from your Lips the Oldest Man Alive never saw the like The Walls of the Meeting-house though in the coldest Season of the Winter Sweated with Heat a true Emblem of the Warmth many Frozen Hearth felt by the reflective Rays of Zion's Glory and the Spirits of the most Ignorant were strangely Reviv'd with the fragrant odoriferous Savor of Aaron's sweet Perfume so Plentifully and in a Theop-must Manner disfus'd amongst them Concerning this Perfume which I take to be an eminent Type of the Riches of Free-Grace there was a Law Enacted in the Court of Heaven Whoever made any Thing like it should be put to Death If that Statute was still in Force few Preachers in our Day would be in danger of its Penalty Alas they don't come near it their Preaching is far enough wide from it They are either bellowing Bulls of Sinai thundering out the Terrors of the Law and belching forth the Flames of Hell to affrighten and distract poor Creatures and make them run Mad or else they are for putting them to Earn their expected Happiness as Adam was doom'd to Eat his Bread with the Sweat of their Brow This they must do and that they must do to get an Interest in Christ And then we have a Learned Receipt so many Pints of Repentance that must be extracted from the Limbeck of their moist Brains so many Pounds of Duties that must be weighed at the Beam of their own Intellects to make them capable of God's Acceptance and they must be sure to come full Loaded with a Bundle of Qualifications at their Backs if they would have Christ to be their Saviour Oh! What pitiful Trash is this how far from that Gospel which the Lord Jesus sends his Ambassadors whom he anoints with the Unction of the Holy One to Preach and Hold forth to poor Sinners That sounds forth a free Offer and Tender of Mercy to all that Look to and Believe in a Crucify'd Jesus of which Ambassadors Sir you apparently and beyond Contradiction manifested your self to be One and a chief One too when you first lifted up your Voice as a Trumpet in the Audience of the Inhabitants of Chichester Oh! how Beautiful were your Feet shod with the Preparation of the Glorious Gospel for that you brought good Tidings to them that were ready to Perish you Published Peace even that Peace which the World cannot give and which the Devil cannot take away you brought good Tidings of Good the Goodness of Free-Grace the Immense Ocean of Divine Love You Published Salvation and that with a Gospel Spirit and in a Gospel Dialect as it was Published by the Lord Jesus himself and all his Apostles You said unto Zion thy God Reigneth on the Throne of Mercy dispencing Grace and Favour to the worst of Sinners For this were your Labours Accepted for this was your Person Honoured for this was your Ministry in very high Esteem among all sorts of Persons How many will have cause to Bless God to all Eternity they ever saw your Face Oh! How many visible Seals of your Apostleship did you leave behind you when you left the Place You never Preached a Sermon there in Vain but many Eyes were Opened many Hearts Affected and deeply Touched many Consciences Awakened whenever you opened your Mouth which made a worthy Person well Vers'd in Gospel Affairs Write me Word then at London he verily Believ'd you did more Good Two or Three Sabbath-days in Chichester than any Minister yea than all the Ministers in Sussex had done Seven Years before This was very refreshing News to my Soul it made my Heart
time of horrid and unheard of Temptation with poor Jonah Oh! what could he think and to be sure the Devil was not wanting to push him on to such Thoughts but that he was a Cast-away since God in his great Displeasure had imprison'd him in the bulky Walls of such an horrid Dungeon as never any Humane Creature was in before him Surely for this his Heart must needs be grieved for this he must needs be pricked in the Reins As Asaph said of himself Psalm 73.21 Yet notwithstanding this dreadful Temptation his Mouth was enlarged in Supplication for even then he prayed Thirdly This Then implies a time of some Glimpses of Gospel-Light For alas if he had not had some Rayes of Redeeming Love in that dark hideous hole he would not he could not with such Fervency have prayed unto God For in Death Ay and in despairing Darkness too there is no remembrance of God and in the Grave or in the horrible Pit of Despondency who can give him Thanks Psalm 6.5 So that Jonah in the Darksome Cavities of the Whales Belly through some little Cranny saw the dawning Light of Divine Favour Fourthly This Then also implies that Jonah had some Sense and Apprehension of his being safe in the main however dangerous his present State seem'd to be And 't is more than probable his being miraculously preserv'd so long a space of time as three days and three nights in such a gloomy Prison did not a little contribute to his so conceiving For he did not Pray as a Stranger but as one that knew God and had some dependence on his Mercy and therefore might breathe in David's Language Psalm 116.16 O Lord truly for all thou hast dealt so strangely with me I am thy Servant I am thy Servant and the Son of thy Handmaid thou wilt loose my Bonds Persons may be under very sad and dismal Circumstances and yet be safe in the main From the time I passed to the Act He prayed and shewed what he prayed for First He breathed after Freedom and Deliverance from his miserable Condition So Israel in their Anguish begged Moses to Pray to the Lord to take away the Serpents from them Numb 21.7 So Paul besought the Lord thrice that the Temptation might depart from him 2. Cor. 12.8 When any poor Soul is surrounded with Affliction either outward or inward it is his Interest as well as Duty to be Praying hard for Deliverance The Apostolical Rule is If any Man be afflicted let him Pray Secondly Jonah prayed for Strength to bear that Weight and Pressure of Grief under which he was then groaning Thus David prayed in the Bitterness of his Soul when under the Scorching of the Fiery Furnace Psalm 25.16 Turn thee unto me and have Mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted This turning includes God's coming towards him with help and assistance to inable him to bear what he was pleased to lay upon him Till God does deliver we should Pray for supporting Grace that we may not dishonour him in the Hour of Temptation Thirdly Jonah Prayed that is he humbly expostulated with his God concerning the present and unparallell'd Dispensation Thus we find Job often expostulating under his sore and severe Tryals So also Heman Psalm 77.7 Will the Lord cast off for ever Will he be favourable no more q. d. Thou lovest thy People with an everlasting Love and is there a Termination of this Love to me Oh! Clear up the meaning of this awful Providence of bringing my Soul into such Shades of hideous Darkness as to make me question the Continuance of thy Favour We may plead upon Gospel-Topicks we may expostu ate upon Gospel-grounds in an humble debased manner it is our Priviledge so to do when God's Hand is hard upon us Fourthly Jonah prayed for Faith for operative Faith in the Power and Goodness of God in this time and under this Dispensation Thus the Father of the Child prayed with Tears in his Eyes Lord I believe help thou my Vnbelief Oh! in time of Trouble we should Pray for the Faith the Leper had of whom we find it recorded Matt. 8.2 3. And behold there came a Leper and worshipped him saying Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean And Jesus put forth his hand and touched him saying I will be thou clean and immediately his Leprosie was cleansed Ah! what Encouragement have we to Pray for Faith in God's Power for that there is no Leprous State but he can heal I next viewed the second Verse which runs thus And said I cryed by reason of mine Affliction unto the Lord and he heard me cut of the Belly of Hell cryed I and thou heardest my voice From whence I took notice of two words here which Jonah made use of to set forth his present State Affliction and Hell First Affliction I cryed by reason of mine Affliction On which I grounded the following Conclusions First God knows every thing and every Circumstance belonging to the Affliction of poor Creatures It had been in vain for Jonah to have cryed to the Lord in his Affliction if God had not known his Affliction yea all and every part of it Leah called the first Son she bare Jacob Reuben Gen. 29.32 which signifies the Vision of the Son or the Son of Vision For he the Lord saw and knew her Affliction in being less esteemed by her Husband than Rachel We also read Exod. 3.7 And the Lord said I have surely seen the Affliction of my People which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their Task-masters for I know their Sorrows Oh! what a mighty Encouragement is it to cry to that God in our Affliction who knows every thing of our Affliction Secondly God hears the groaning Cries and bemoaning Lamentations of poor Souls under the heavy weight and pressure of Affliction Jonah here acknowledges God heard his Cry so he heard Hagar's Sighing and Sobbing in the Sense of her great Affliction when she wholly disconsolate and full of Heart-perplexing Grief was wandering in the Wilderness Gen. 16.11 And observe what he says of bemoaning Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19 20. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the Yoke Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my Thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the Reproach of my Youth Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my Bowels are troubled for him I will surely have Mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ah! this is Comfort indeed to the greatest Mourners upon what account soever they are in a mourning State that God knows their Sorrows Thirdly God has a gracious End and Design towards all that are his in their greatest
Mind about her sad Condition I at last called to mind the words of our Lord Jesus This kind of Devil goeth not out but by Prayer and Fasting It came therefore into my Thoughts to try once more that way that never-failing way when manag'd rightly and in good earnest And being not very well satisfied with the manner of keeping the First day upon several Accounts not proper here to mention I resolved to take another and as I judg'd a more effectual course that is to desire the Church to set a-part a Solemn day of Humiliation to cry mightily unto God on her behalf And I was mightily encouraged to this way by what I found recorded in Sacred Writ in which there was an overflowing Fulness as to me and a very Incentive to a Proceeding in my intended Design In Judah is God known his Name is great in Israel In Salem also is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion There brake he the Arrows of the Bow the Shield and the Sword And the Battle Selah And a little farther we find these words When God arose to Judgment to save all the Meek of the Earth Surely the Wrath of Man shall Praise thee the remainder of Wrath shalt thou restrain Now thought I musing on this Sweet Portion of Scripture as the Wrath of Man so the Wrath of Satan shall Praise God and the ramainder of that Wrath how fierce or boisterous soever God will most certainly restrain And this restraining is chiefly to be expected and looked for in the Sacred Boundaries of Zion For there he breaks the Shield that is the Carnal yet Obstinate Defence poor tempted ones make through the cunning Delusions of the Devil against the Saving Comforts of the Gospel when tendred to them in the day of their Conflicts There he breaks the Sword that is the Arguments poor tempted ones according to the Logick they have learn'd of Satan do form as it were in Mood and Figure to wound and gall themselves with Horror and Despair There he breaks the Battle that is the long and tedious War poor tempted ones are ingaged in with Satan in the fatal Course of which they are spoil'd of all their precious and pleasant things and by Satan's too prosperous Success they are miserably held down under the Hatches and cannot help themselves and pittifully a long time kept in horrid Darkness and can-see no manner of Light and lamentably made to walk in the Valley of the Shadow of Death and cannot in the least find any Comfort Oh! but when Prayers are made in and by a Gospel-Church for such tempted worried Persons God will in answer to those Prayers Arise to Judgment to save such meek ones of the Earth And then and there he will Graciously break the Shield and the Sword and the Battle My Thoughts ripening upon this comfortable Subject I forthwith repair'd to Mrs. Mary and acquainted her with what was upon my Spirit and what I had in my Thoughts resolved upon as to the calling my Church together to keep a Solemn day of Wrestling with God for her and ask'd her if she was willing to it She answered I might if I pleased but was something cold in the matter seeming to suggest it would be of little avail as to her nothing being likely to do her any good for she look'd upon her Disease as past Cure and her self as past Remedy I replied God had among other his Glorious Attributes entitled himself A God hearing Prayer And therefore upon this account and for this most Gracious Manifestation of himself Praise always waits for him in Zion and there the Vow shall be performed And there Prayers shall be answered and seasonable Mercies shall be bestowed Moreover as I farther alledg'd we are told The effectual or working Prayer of the Righteous avail much And if the Prayers of God's People solemnly met together would so far reach the Ears of God which I doubted not but they would according to his own word Where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them And had such Prevalency with him to awake for her and to visit her with the special Favour he beareth unto all his Her despairing Language would soon be turned into another Tone for then She would see the Good of God's Chosen then she would rejoyce in the Gladness of God's Nation yea then she would Glory with God's Inheritance And then a new Song would be put into her mouth even of Praise unto her God So leaving her pretty well satisfied I took the first Opportunity of propounding it to my People who very willingly and readily embraced the Motion We agreed upon Friday the twentieth of May 1698. and accordingly met in the Morning at a Private House in the Town after a little while being together Mrs. Mary Harrison come to us with a mournful dejected Countenance her Hood over her Face she sat down over against me at the Table I then address'd my self to the Company in a few words declaring the cause of our meeting at that time and opening as well as I could Mrs. Maries Case to them begging their assistance and concurrence with me in laying close siege to the Throne of Grace for her I began in Prayer and then called forth some of the Brethren who prayed very meltingly and affectionately for her Indeed the Lord opened their mouths and mightily help'd them with apt suitable and pathetical Expressions which was no small Comfort and Refreshing to me for I plainly perceived the Cause was the Lord's and he would own it since he enabled his Servants to plead it so notably with him And I could not but comfortably infer a pleasing Presage that God was not far from appearing since the Grace of Prayer and Supplication was so eminently poured forth by himself for it For thought I with a Transport of Joy little below an Assurance of the thing he never did yet say to the House of Jacob and surely he will not now assist any of the House of Jacob to seek his Face in vain After the Brethren had concluded I spoke from those words of Jonah Chap. 2.4 Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy Holy Temple I took notice of the first Verse Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the Fishes Belly And I began with the word Then as noting the time From whence I remark'd these things First It was a time of very great and amazing Surprize to Jonah to be in the State he was poor Creatures are often plunged into those Soul-troubles they never dream'd of But notwithstanding the Greatness and Amazingness of their Sorrows it is then an especial time of going to God as Jonah here did and of crying out with David Psalm 39.7 And now Lord what wait I for my hope is in thee Ah! God should be the Object of hope in never so hopeless a Condition Secondly It was a
being displeased with that way from such an unusual Manifestation of his special Grace and Favour has an Art beyond what I desire to be acquainted with Oh! that every Congregation in England that call themselves a Church had so full and clear a Testimony from Heaven of God's owning them and his reflecting so on them with the Rays of his Beauty and the Beams of his Glory our Land would be in a far better State as to Religion than now it is To you also my dear Friends do I therefore Dedicate the following Narrative Of the Life and Death of this sweet Lamb who was of your Fold When she first heard of the Breathings amongst you and the Spirit of Judgment and of Burning with the Lord of Hosts had poured forth upon you she could not be satisfied till she went to see you and seeing you she lik'd and liking you she joyned with you and joyning with you she met with the Comfort which before in vain she sought after The time to Favour her yea the set time was come when she entred her self a Member of your Society and became as one of your Infant Congregation Oh! then she found the overflowing Fulness to her of those Words spoke about Temple-work That God will not despise the Day of small Things in which there is a Meiosis that is something more Intended than Expressed God will not despise the Day of small Things No he will eminently appear in and Gloriously Honour the Day of small Things when those Things have a Tendency to his Glory 'T was a Day of small Things with you when this then Militant now Triumphant Saint became acquainted with you but as mean as you were in outward Appearances as despisable as you were in the Eyes of the World you were Precious in God's Sight who put this great Honorarium upon you in casting this unvaluable Jewel into your Bosome whom I am more than Confident the most Famous Church in the Nation would have been Glad of and Thankful for as a more than common Blessing Certainly you would not be more Honoured in a State of Mortality than to have such a Darling of Heaven take her last Step in the Borders of your Sanctuary immediately before her Translation unto Glory And now my dear Friends having this Opportunity of speaking to you from the Press which I may never have again I will make bold as a real Lover of you and the Cause you are ingaged in to commend a few Words of serious Advice which I pray take as the result of my Dying Thoughts for I am not like to trouble the World long and I hope they may have some Impression on you First Be much affected with the Footsteps of God towards you and his wonderful Appearance for you in your Church State We are told The Works of the Lord are Great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His Work is Honourable and Glorious and his Righteousness endureth for ever If ever People had cause to â—ook back with Admiration upon the Works of the Lord and to take Pleasure therein surely you have who have so abundantly experienced the Truth of what Bildad told Job Though thy beginning be but small thy latter-end shall greatly Increase Your beginning was but small and you are not yet come to your latter-end yet your Progression and the Accession to you is already very Great so that you are apparently in the most thriving Way of any Church I know or hear of And should you not remember even to Admiration the Divine Wisdom that has led you and the Divine Power that has help'd you though the many Briars and Thorns that â—ay in your Way Give me leave therefore though very briefly to make a Rehearsal and that ab initio of the many Difficulties you have met with and yet have been borne up as upon Eagle's Wings above them and how you have been carried on in your or rather God's Way in spight of them so that you may now say with David By thee we have run thorough a Troop and by your God we have leap'd over a Wall When the House where you now meet to Worship God was begun what Flouts and Jeers were there at it how did the Sanballats Mock and Scoff with a What do these feeble Jews some cry'd where will they have Money others cry'd where will they have Company And indeed they took what Course they could to prevent any Company by Ingaging all they had any Interest in from hearing a Sermon in that place What Lies and Shams did they make to Discourage poor People from attending on the Word there I know some of you Breathed unto God in the Words of Nehemiah Hear O our God for we are Despised and turn their Reproach upon their own Head which Prayer in an astonishing and terrible Manner you know what I mean has been already answered and that so visibly as was I am confident as much beyond your Expectation as Desire But the Sheet Anchor of your Adversaries Hope for a Blasâ— on your Undertaking was want of Money It seems they took Measure of the Spirit of God by their own Genius and so thoughts he would not nor could not Work without Money and where Money was necessary 't was above his Power to provide it But in this they found themselves wofully Mistaken for the Place was Finish'd and made Commodious to meet in and no complaint of the Workmen heard that they lack'd their Pay Ay But though there was Money procur'd for the Place how should you do for Money to maintain a Minister This was another Refuge they sled to as a comfortable Hope of the Works miscarrying But in this they have been as Successless as the former for that God whose is the Earth and the Fulness thereof has prevented even to Astonishment their Hopes and your Fears by opening such an effectual Door through the Key of his special Providence that there is though in a secret and unknown Way not only a comfortable but a plentiful and honourable Maintenance secur'd to your present worthy Minister And will you not now look up and admire will you not now look up and adore the interposing Goodness of God! who has a Wheel within the Wheel who can do who does do and who for you has done Great Things and unsearchable marvellous Things without Number I have so much Charity for the worst of your Opposers as to Believe that if they realy did know how strangely the Lord appear'd with respect to Supply they would have so much Christianity as to confess with that Cavelier Captain in the Civil Wars between the King and Parliament God does not stand Neuter But I must put you farther in Mind of God's exerting his Power for you not only in setting you as he has done above the Scoffs of your Enemies but in Reviving the Work after a fatal Damp had almost been put upon it by your Friends for though you cry'd to the great
other Voice but that of Wo Lamentation and bitter Bewailing was day and night to be heard Insomuch that she was an Heart-breaking Grief to her Friends a Burthen to her self and an amazing Spectacle of Astonishment to all that look'd upon her The Lord Pardon the Hardness of my Heart that having these things under review I am no more affected Never did I see such a Mournful Sight never did I hear such a doleful Sound and I think never was there a Creature more exactly like in Sorrow to her Redeemer in the day of his Humiliation when he said of himself My Soul is exceeding Sorrowful and heavy unto Death I had great Thoughts and Akeings of Heart about her what the Issue of these things would be my very Soul travelled in Birth till Christ was formed in her till she was made through the up-lifting of the Spirit to arise and shine as seeing Light to be come and the Glory of the Lord to be risen upon her I pray'd for her I pray'd with her I cry'd day and night to the mighty God of Jacob in her behalf I wept I sigh'd I sobb'd my Heart was ready to break my Soul mourn'd in secret places because the Chariot-wheels of Deliverance drove so heavily on I chose suitable Subjects as I thought for her Condition to Preach upon in publick and did many times apply what I delivered particularly to her She sate just against me in the next Pew to the Pulpit Her Eyes were continually fixed on me but with so ghastly and pittiful a look which had such an Impression on me that I could scarce refrain Tears whenever I cast my Eyes upon her She always repair'd after Evening Sermon to the Repetition Lecture in the middle of the Town carried on by a Godly Zealous Brother of our Church who never failed to pour out his Soul in Prayer to God for her and that in a most affectionate melting manner I was many times as oft as my Weakness would permit there my self and when all was over I used to take her by the Hand and smilingly ask her Come Dear Mrs. Mary how is it with you has God spoken any thing to your Soul to day Have you relish'd and savor'd any thing you have heard Her answer I very well remember was always the same No my Heart is too hard I have not been in the least sensible of any thing you have deliver'd this day you had as good have Preach'd to a Stone as to me And then pulling her Hood over her Eyes to hide her Tears would pensively go away for she could never bear to be long in any Company This Oh! this filled my Heart with unexpressible Sadness that no word how suitable soever would fasten that no Truth how Pertinent soever would take hold on her that one Sabbath came successively after another but she never the better her Soul was not at all refresh'd by any Waters flowing from the Sanctuary I want words to tell you how my wounded Spirit was upon the Rack how my disturbed Mind was in a Flame for this young disconsolate Gentlewoman who was so miserably walking in Darkness that she could see no Light who was so wofully under the Gripings of Satan that she could by no means be perswaded to trust in the Name of the Lord or stay her self upon her God In this deplorable State lying among the Pots she continued many Weeks without any sensible Alteration unless for the worse That she was in a lost undone Condition having an hard unbelieving Heart without any Interest in Christ or like to have any was the Versus intercularis or the Burthen of the Song in her continued uninterrupted dolorous Complaint At last in the midst of some serious Discourse she desired me to keep a day with her to seek the Lord for her to which I willingly consented as very glad of the Motion she desired some other Minister might be also assistant in the Work to which I freely gave way She then ask'd me what Minister would be most acceptable to me I answered I was very indifferent and desired her to please her self and she would not nor could not displease me She propounded Mr. Earl of Gospert who I think was some Relation to her I told her with all my Heart Accordingly we met at a Private House in the Town with several Christian Friends Mr. Earl began with Prayer and I with Preaching from these words Psal 43.5 Why art thou cast down O my Soul And why art thou disquieted within me Hope in God for I shall yet Praise him who is the Health of my Countenance and my God I directed my Discourse wholly to her and spake all as far as God help'd me that I could judge proper for her to hear under the Circumstances she at that time was she sate at the Table just against me fixing her Eyes constantly on me with a doleful and pitty-commanding look But nothing I said as I could by after-discourse perceive made any Impression on her After I concluded with Prayer Mr. Earl then Preach'd his Text was John 14.27 Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you not as the World giveth give I unto you She was in appearance a great deal worse after this day than she was before Her Temptations were more rampant her Breakings-out in bitter and dismal Complaints were more violent and her Sorrow great enough before did every way more abundantly increase which made my Soul mourn in secret breathing forth the sad words of the Church O Lord God of Hosts how long wilt thou be angry against the Prayer of thy People Thou feedest this poor Creature with the Bread of Tears and givest her Tears to drink in great measure One night very late I cannot forget it I was sent for in all haste to her when I came I found her in the most dreadful Agonies under the most horrible Consternation of Spirit as 't was possible for any of the Children of Men on this side the Lake of Burning to be possessed with She cry'd she roar'd out in a most terrible manner even beyond an humane Accent as if she had been at the brink of Hell ready to be swallowed up in the bottomless Gulf The Sorows of Death compassed her and the Pains of Hell took hold upon her yea she found Trouble and to the Amazement and Sorrow even to the Astonishment of all that were in the Chamber with her I was at my Wits end what to do to speak any thing I too evidently saw was but in vain and yet I could not I dar'd not be silent She took no notice of any words upon what Topick soever enforced nor in the least minded the Sluces of Consolation how Sweet and Pleasant soever that were opened to her I pray'd and intreated her I begg'd and beseeched her I spoke to her in the most moving and melting Language I was capable to utter and that with Tears in my Eyes with Contrition in my
and cannot see any Rays of Divine Light Fourthly Oh! Then even in such a State God is with poor Creatures though they may not know it As he was with Jonah in the Whales Belly Joseph was in a sad Condition and without doubt not a little dejected in Spirit when he was put in Prison in a strange Land among a strange People far from his Father's House But the Lord was with Joseph Gen. 39.21 And so he is with all his Suffering ones He is with them to uphold them that they may not be wholly crush'd by Satan's Assaults and to help them to quench all the fiery Darts of the evil one which he will most certainly do in his own time We have his positive word for it Isa 41.14 Fear not thou Worm Jacob and ye Men of Israel I will help thee saith the Lord and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel Though you find no help at present yet God will help you if you look to him according to his Promise for he is with you Fifthly Then God can open a Door of Comfort even in such a State as he did to Jonah here in the Whales Belly For his looking toward the Holy Temple implies no less As it was said of Ezra Neh. 8.5 And Ezra opened the Book in the sight of all the People for he was above all the People and when he opened it all the People stood up So when the blessed God who is over all and above all shall open a Door of Hope and such a Door he will open to every Mourner in Zion all his dejected ones that are now groveling in the Dust shall stand up yea they shall lift up their languishing Eyes as knowing and plainly seeing their Redemption draweth nigh See Oh! see what an overflowing Fulness there is in the Promise as to this Hâ—s 2.14 15. Therefore behold I will allure her and bring her into the Wilderness and speak comfortably unto her And I will give her her Vineyards from thence and the Valley of Achor for a door of hope and she shall sing there as in the days of her Youth and as in the day when she came up out of the Land of Egypt You see what God has promised to do and he has promised no more than he can do than he has done than he will do to all that are in Bitterness of Soul and do with patience wait for him Sixthly Oh! Then such a State may be in order to the fitting us more for God more for his Will and Pleasure as Jonah's being in the Whales Belly was in order to a better fitting and disposing him to deliver that Message he at first declined We are told Psalm 5.5 The Foolish shall not stand in thy sight We are all Fools by Nature and we cannot stand in God's sight nor do him any Service till our Folly be purged out by the Fire of some Spiritual Tryal We have a famous Story in the Gospel of a Woman of Canaan Matt. 5.22 c. who was frown'd upon in her approach to Jesus called Dog put off a great while with many other Discouragements and kept in the dark without being taken notice of to the Wonder of the Disciples But 't was all the more to fit her for that Mercy our Lord Jesus design'd to bestow upon her Oh! that all in Spiritual Trouble would believe that God is in and by that Trouble the more preparing them for himself and the Reception of his special Grace and Favour Seventhly Then in such a State God may be working for us even whilst he is laying his heavy Hand upon us As God was working Deliverance for Jonah even then when he cast him into the Whales Belly God was with David whithersoever he went 2 Sam. 7.9 and was working for him in the lowest Ebb of his Affairs yea when he was crying out I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul So in like manner he was working for Jacob when the good old Man thought his Condition most deplorable Gen. 42.36 And Jocob their Father said unto them me have ye bereaved of my Children Joseph is not and Simeon is not and ye will take Benjamin away Ad these things are against me Whereas the Event shews that every one of these things did wonderfully make for him Ah! How much would the Belief of this Truth lighten the Load of Spiritual Trouble how heavy soever it seems to be Eighthly and lastly Oh! Then such a State may be and yet no real Anger in God towards the Creature It was in Love not Anger that God put Jonah in the Whales Belly God was not angry with Abraham when he took away his Wife from him Gen. 23.4 No more is he with those many poor Souls under the Oppression of Spiritual Grief whom he wounds with the Wounds of an Enemy and with the Chastisements of a cruel one hedâ—ing up their way with Thorns and filling them for a time with Woe and Bitterness And he sufficiently manifests that he is not angry by the Conclusion of his Work upon all such which is excellently set forth in Zech. 13.9 And I will bring the third part through the Fire and will refine 〈◊〉 as Silver is refined and will try them as Gold is tryed they shall call on my name and I will heâ—r them I will say it is my People and they shall say the Lord is my God Tho' you are in the Fire if the Lord will as nothing more sure than that he will refine you by the Fire Though you are in Darkness and walk as in the Shadow of Death for the present And if the Lord will as most certainly he will e'er long say Thou art my Child And if God will make you as all that you now endure is in order to it e'er long say The Lord is my God yea The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my Song he also is become my Salvation Then there is no Anger in the present Dispensation how grievous and lamentable soever it may seem to be And this I verily believe and that upon good grounds even Scripture-grounds will be the Event Wait but a little have Patience for a while and you will joyfully find it so to be Amen and Amen Thus I have given you a brief Account of what was that day more largely insisted upon and more particularly applied to her for whose sake it was studied and to whom in a more especial manner it was delivered After all was over I had some private Discourse with her much longing to know how it was with her whither any thing had affected her And to my no little refreshing I found her in a more calm composed Frame than I had ever seen her before since the beginning of her Troubles And at that time or a very little after she told me with some Pleasingness of Aspect which I observ'd in her Countenance Sâ—e believ'd she should believe though she could not yet I do not remember she had any
to you that are now Mourning To you that are now Weeping To you that are now so full of Sadness for this great and irreparable loss and that in the words of the same Apostle in the same Chapter verse 18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words 3dly To you also of this Society my Brethren and Sisters of this Church I would next address my self on this awful Occasion And it is to beg you to have a deep sense of the Lords hand upon us in diminishing our number in Housing our little Flock apace But the last night we were in this place Solemnizing the Funeral of a precious and beloved Sister and now we are here at the Funeral of this triumphant Damsel 'T is true she was not actually a Member of ours but virtually and intentionally she was she walk'd with us sate down vvith us and really design'd if the Lord had spared her life to be dismiss'd to us and so to be wholly ours She extreamly delighted in this Society and dearly loved every one of you But we have now left her with several others of emminent use and worth which calls for no small Lamentation and therefore I may here justly make use of the Prophets words by way of Exhortation to you Jerem. 9. v. 17 18. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Consider ye and call for the Mourning-women that they may come and send for Cunning Women that they may come And let them make haste and take up a wailing for us that our Eyes may run down with Tears and our Eye-lids gush out with Waters Why what 's the matter What is it that calls for so much Mourning verse 21. For death is come up into our Windows and is entred into our palaces to cut off the Children from without and the young Men in the Streets Oh! How many lovely Children of God have of late been cut off in this place and now this young Flourishing Branch is so suddenly and so unexpectedly cut down from amongst us and we shall never see her more Oh How then for this sad and irreparable loss should we lament with Tears how should our Eyes be gushing out with Water for the Immature fading of so sweet a Flower Oh! Therefore from the sense of Gods displeasure in taking such Unvaluable Jewels from us Be afflicted mourn and Weep let your Laughter be turned into Mourning and your Joy into heaviness Though as to this Saint her self there is no need of it death is to her an unspeakable Gain And therefore Christs words to the Bewailing Women are applicable unto you Ye daughters of Jerusalem Weep not for me but for your selves and the Miseries that are coming upon You. Oh Methinks I hear her speaking aloud to all and every one of us in Davids Language Psal 34. v. 2.3.4 My Soul shall make her Boast in the Lord The humble shall hear thereof and be glad O Magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my Fears But for our own sakes there 's cause enough of Mourning especially from this awful consideration Accession to us does not answer the decession from us 4thly and lastly A word to all of you in this Congregation the Inhabitants of this Town and the parts adjacent And I will Preface what I have to say to you in the Words of Jotham to the Men of Shechem Judg. 9.7 Hearken I beseech you unto me that God may hearken unto you Some of you have seen all of you have heard what this deceased young Gentlewoman underwent for Heaven What Oceans of Troubles she vvas plunged in and what Fires of Soul-tribulations she was a long time burning in Now as Christ said to his Disciples Math. 18.2.3 And Jesus called a little Child unto him and set him in the midst of them And said verily I say unto you except ye be Converted and become as little Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven So say I to all and every one here Old and Young Rich and Poor High and Low except ye go thorough the Pangs of the New-birth as this young Damsel did I do not say in that same degree of Horror and Agony for that few do but except you be as really Converted Changed Renewed and Born again as she was you will not nay you cannot enter into the Joys of Heaven when you Die for they are our Lord 's own Words and spoke as plain as plain can be Joh. 3.3 Except a Man any Man every Man be Born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Now this deserves your most deep and serious Consideration for there is a Kingdom of God to be enjoyed and a kingdom of darkness to be avoided And believe it Sirs Heaven is no Feigned Elizium Hell and Eternty is no dream the worm that never dies is no fond Conceit And you will shortly know what the one or the other means You will er'e long be summon'd to spend the Ages of Eternity amongst the blessed or damned and that in a very little time And so I shall close the whole alluding to the words of my Lord and Master with an earnest Exhortation to and fervent Supplication for each and every Soul of you here present Oh! That you would therefore know even you in this your day the things that belong to your everlasting peace before even before they be hid from your eyes And that for ever Two Hymns composed for her Funeral the former of which was publickly sung at the close of her Funeral I Sought the Lord and him I found He did regard my Tears When I lay prostrate on the Ground He freed me from my fears I wept with Sorrow Grief and Woe 'T is God that Mercy gives God made me cry out Oh! I know That my Redeemer Lives And lives to comfort my poor Heart Who did my State condole As finding such an horrid smart Within my wounded Soul But now I 'm eas'd I feel no pain Oh! then rejoyce with me That have found Death so sweet a Gain My Saviour now I see When I through Weakness pin'd away And fetch'd my latest Groan Christ sent his Angels to convey My Soul unto his Throne Oh! Halelujah Lord I am Ravish'd with Joy and Love In Bosome of blest Abraham With all the Saints above The other A Person young late dwelt among Vs Militants below Oppress'd with Fears immerg'd in Tears Which from her Eyes did flow Her Spirit sad with Sable clad To think upon her Soul The Storm was great the Billows beat And Deeps did on her roul So fierce the Stroke her Heart was broke Her inward Man deprest Both Night and Day she pin'd away And had not any Rest. Till God did please t' afford her ease 'T is he that Comfort gives Then in her Woe she cry'd I know My dear Redeemer Lives With this sweet Breath in view of Death She did her Life resign Now wrapt in Love with those above She gloriously does shine Rest holy Saint where no complaint Shall vex thee any more Possess that Peace which ne'er will cease On Canaan's blessed shore Oh! Halelu-Jah he is true At length he 'll surely come He 'll come away without delay And take his Mourners home FINIS