There was great lamentation Oh they could not part with Jesus Christ without lamenting That they should see his face no more But it will be here objected in the next verse that Jesus Christ in Luke 23.28 turn'd to these women that wailed and wept and said Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but for your selves That therefore there ought not to be weeping or lamenting for the departure of any eminent Saint seeing he forbids it for himself It argues indeed we should not weep for them but for the want of them which is ours Christ bids not by his forbiding weeping upon his account but not to weep on his account as if he had said Dont weep for me as for my suffering or upon my account but for your selves and your own children there are dreadfuler things coming upon you then these Blessed are the barren that bare not dont weep for me may this servant of God say that we are speaking of at present Dont weep for me I am gon from way to way from triumph to triumph but it is for the people of God to be heartily affected when the worlds Teachers are taken from them but you may say Why should it be thus I will shew you in five particulars why you and them should be greatly affected with this dreadful providence of God that hath lately befallen First because the death of such men possibly is for your sakes for your sakes they had lived longer had it not been for others and if it be so then we had need to bedew their Hearse with tears I 'le give you a three-fold meaning First it is possible in our service that he lost his life for it may be that in the painful labouring for the saving of our souls he lost his life and will you not lament Secondly we may occasion the Death of godly Preachers thus wounding their Spirits grieving their Hearts that we profit no more if that be true in the 1 Thes 3.8 where the Apostle saith For now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord Then it is beloved if ye Apostatize ye kill our hearts Thirdly possibly we may occasion the Death of Godly Preachers by the non-improving of his Ministry Sirs God sends his Embassadors we give them not the hearing or but the hearing and if our unprofitableness and non-improving shall occasion this shall we not mourn and lament that we should be the cause of their death Secondly why should those that are hearers be deeply affected at the final departure of holy Ministers I answer This arises from the love that is between them there is a mutual love between a faithful Preacher and a sincere Hearer Now beloved you shall observe two things to attend this assertion of love according to the Nature and Degree of it 1. Where there is Love there is delight of and enjoyment And secondly where there is love there is mourning in the absence of it in the 3 John 29. saith our Saviour He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom but the friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoyceth greatly because of the Bridegrooms voice so on the contrary when he is taken from them there cannot be but great mourning in the 37. Gen. 3. It s said that Israel loved Joseph more then all his Children and therefore when News came to Jacob that Joseph was not oh saith Jacob v. 35. I will go down into the Grave unto my Son mourning So David lamented for Absolon oh Absolon my son my son Absolon and David lamented exceedingly for Jonathan in that 1 Kings I am distressed for thee my Brother Jonathan if you love your Preachers so as it s said of them that could pull out their eyes for them while living you will even weep out your eyes for them now dead Thirdly no wonder that the Children of God are under so much sorrow when Preachers are taken from them for now they are under the Execution of Divine threatning as the giving of faithful Teachers is the loving kindness of God so taking them away is of a great threatning in Isa There is a promise That I give you the water of affliction yet your eyes shall see your Teachers and you shall not be driven into Corners Now see Isa 3.1 There it is a threatning I will break the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water In Jer. 3.15 There is a promise I will give you Pastors according to my own heart It signifie great Love and is a fulfilling of a great Promise when God gives them Pastors according to his own heart Now as it is a Promise to give them so it is a threatning when God takes them away In Jer. 22.22 see how dreadful a threatning is saith the Prophet The wind shall eat up thy Pastors surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness Fourthly well may we mourn when God removes our faithfull able Teachers from us for we are like enough soon after their departure from us to corrupt our selves I remember in Exod. 32.7 God speaks to Moses when he was in the Mount God get thee down for this people which thou broughtest out of Egypt have corrupted themselves God tells Moses you have been here with me in the Mount 40. days It is time for you to be gone get thee down the people have turn'd out of the way no sooner are you turn'd from the people but they turn their backs upon me Deut. 31.27 Moses speaks to Israel I know thy Rebellion and thy stiff-neck behold while I am yet alive with you this day ye have been Rebellious against the Lord and how much more after my Death as if Moses as the Minister should say to this Congregation I have had much a do to keep you a live what will you do after my death for in the 29. verse saith Moses I know that after my Death ye will utterly corrupt your selves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you and evil will befall you in your latter days because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord. In 2 Chron. 24.2 It s said all the time that Jehoiada lived Joash followed the Lord but when he died Joash turned to Idolatry as you have it in the 18. verse of that Chapter And they left the house of the Lord God of their Fathers and served Groves and Idols While the light is we walk well but when the light is taken away then we fall and slip Fifthly why should the Servants and Saints of God be so much affected when God takes away faithful Teachers from them because when they go evil comes if so be Sampson lays his hold upon the Pillars the house will fall but when Death comes to lay hold on the Preacher what will the House do I know saith Paul after my departure Wolves will come In Luke 23.29 30. saith our Saviour The days are coming in which they shall say Blessed are the Barren and
SORROW upon SORROW OR The much Lamented Death of the worthy Mr. Ralph Venning BEING A SERMON Preached Upon the Sad Occasion of his Death before his Burial From Acts 20.38 Sorrowing most of all that they should see his Face no more By W. Beerman Minister of the Gospel And Devout Men carried Steeven to his Burial And made great Lamentation over him LONDON Printed for Francis Smith at the Elephant and Castle neer the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1674. THE PREFACE to the READER Courteous Reader WHo ever thou art to prevent misapprehensions of the Author that Preach'd this Sermon or of the Person that Writ it when Preach'd we must tell thee that neither of them by their so doing design'd it for the Press nor is it now publish'd for any other profit then thy own except the Printers as the Labourer for his hire and this thou may'st see by its plain and evening Dress in which it first appeared to the World upon that sorrowful Occasion of the Death of Worthy Mr. Ralph Venning I must acknowledge through the modest unwillingness of the Author for its Publication with the want of skill in the Pens Dexterity many of its Ornaments I mean those fine Illustrations then Delivered may be wanting but the hearing of it Preach'd pleas'd so many and abides so habitually on their spirits as to press for its Printing which makes us not doubt but the Reading will delight many more it being so suitable on so sad an Occasion as the loss of so Worthy and Eminent a Person as the Deceased was We must also tell thee it was deferred the longer from Printing in hopes the Author would have been so kind if not to have Cloath'd it in its Pristine state yet to have help'd any unwitting Errour in it but the Parent is so far from owning this his Issue that he cannot be prevail'd with though by several Entreated to help its lameness occasioned by the bad Midwife that now brings it to thy view therefore is thy favourable not severe Censure desired If it meet with any such hearts abroad as it met with in the place where it was Preach'd we are sure there will not want watry Eyes nor affected Hearts at such and so great a Dispensation for if the feet of them that bring glad tidings are so beautiful that the holy Spirit by way of Admiration saith How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad Tidings of the Gospel of Peace On the contrary must it not then be matter of great Lamentation when the footsteps of such are taken away It s eminently known while he lived he laboured and with the good Bee almost if not altogether ended his labours with his life For while Preaching at Joyners Hall on the Lords day in the Afternoon March 1. 1673. he was taken ill and after that never more able to Preach but Departed this life and did to the last stand by putting on as he had exhorted others to do the whole Armour of God that thereby they might as he did resist the Wiles of the Devil thus hoping as this that 's Publish'd will not be chargable in the buying so it will be pleasant in the Reading If any advantage be to the Reader let God have the Glory which is all that ever is aimed at by the Publishers who heartily subscribes themselves thy Souls servants for Christs sake D. L. R. T. A SERMON Preached on the Sad Occasion of the much Lamented Death of the Worthy Mr. Ralph Venning before his Burial Upon Acts 20.38 Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake That they should see his Face no more WHen first I was desired by that Worthy Person that used to stand in this place to Preach here I intended to speak from another Text but Providence having since alter'd his State that Preached Blessedness to you by calling him into Blessedness I have now therefore pircn'd upon this Text Sorrowing most of all that they should see his Face no more 〈◊〉 the better part of this Chapter you have the Declaration of two things First You have declared the carriage of the Apostle Paul that was he Preach'd while he was at the Church of Ephesus Secondly You have declared the Character of the Church of Ephesus when they were parting with this blessed Preacher in the words that I have read and the verse before or the two last verses and it was full of love and manifested in three things 1. They fell upon his Neck and kissed him that 's the close of the 37. verse 2. They accompanyed him unto the Ship when he was to Launch into the Ocean They went with him as far as they could as some of them it may be will to the very edge of Eternity 3. They shew'd to him their Love by their Weeping and sorrowing at Parting They cannot part with dry eyes Hence you may take notice of three things 1. The Universality or Generality of them it was not one or two of Pauls hearers it was not many or most but all of them And they all wept Men and Women Old and Young or as the Dutch read it There was a Weeping among them all 2. You have the Degree of their Sorrow mentioned and I may say of it as it s said of the Mourning in Zech. 12.10.11 12. They shall Mourn for him as one that Mourneth for his only Son In that day there shall be great Mourning as the Mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon and the Land shall Mourn every family apart And 2 Chron. 35.24 All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah There was a great Mourning and as the verse before my Text saith They wept sore or a great sorrowing or an abundance of Tears came from their eyes at the parting with this Apostle Saint Paul 3. You have the particulars set down where their sorrow lay saith the Text They sorrowed most of all especially for this that they should see his Face no more It was not so much that Paul was to go from them but that they should see his Face no more Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more But you will say where did Paul speak these words to them see the 25. verse And now behold I know that ye all among whom I have gone Preaching the Kingdom of God shall see my face no more Though I have been Preaching the Kingdom of God to you and Preaching you to the Kingdom of God Yet now you shall see my face no more From this practice of this Church I would lay down this Doctrine That it is the property and practice of the Saints and People of God to be sorrowful and affected at the final parting with their Pastors and Teachers This was that that most of all cut their hearts That they should see his face no more If so be then that such an able Preacher when by his withdrawing caus'd them to Cry for him how should
it be when you shall have him no more For the Prosecution of this Doctrine I shall do these three things First I shall prove it Secondly give you the Reasons of it Thirdly make Application First for the Proof of it That it is the Property and Practice of the Saints and People of God when the Saints and Servants of God are taken from them to be sorrowfully affected to Lament and Mourn for the loss of them I shall give you some instances out of the Old and New Testament 4. or 5. out of the Old the first is of the Patriarch Jacob that Puny-God that wrestled and prevailed when he came to die as you read in Gen. 49. and the last verse That he pull'd up his feet into the bed and he 's gone Now see what a Mourning there was for him in Gen. 50.1 Joseph fell upon his Fathers face and kissed him and vers 3. And the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days here was a Mourning for Jacob and vers 10. They came to the threshing-floor of Atad which is beyond Jordan and there they Mourned with a great and very sore Lamentation and made a mourning for his Father seven days They carried his Body to the Land of Promise and they mourned with a very great and sore Lamentation and made a Mourning for his Father seven days Now mourn that Jacob is gone a Man that used to wrestle for your Souls is gone now mourn A second Instance is Moses that man of God when he dies and they see his face no more and in Deut. 32.49 50. God bids Moses there get up into the Mount Nebo and die there God bids Moses go up and die and you see Moses doth it in Deut. 34.5 Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord and what then Moses may die if he will who will concern themselves for him see vers 8. And the Children of Israel wept for Moses thirty days there is mourning for Moses We shall see him no more whose Doctrine dropt as the Rain and whose speech distil'd as the Dew whose lips dropt hony A third instance is of the Prophet Samuel he was an excellent Teacher God forbid saith he that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you and he taught the good and the right way of the Lord but now observe in the 1 Sam. 25.1 what mourning the people made for him when he died it s said all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented him that is from all parts of Israel all sorts of Israel came together and Lamented for Samuel we shall never hear his Prayer for us more and they lamented for him A fourth Instance is that of the young Prophet in the 1 Kings 13. who without doubt in the main was faithful to God though seduced out of his way and out of his Life by an old Prophet whereby a Lyon was appointed by God to destroy him but see now how the old Prophet was affected with it as soon as he hears it causeth the Ass to be sadled and goes and brings the Carcase home to the City to Mourn and to Bury him and laid him in his own grave in the 30. verse and brings all to mourn over him and charges his Sons that when he was dead that they bury him in the same Sepulchre where the man of God was and lay his bones besides his bones 5. One Instance more in the old Testament is that of the Prophet Elijah a man that the Apostle saith was subject to the like Passion as we are This Prophet that pray'd it should rain and it did and that pray'd it should not rain and it did not This Prophet in 2 Kings 2. tells his Servant he should see him no more In the 12. he cries out My father my father and rent his cloaths in two pieces that rending of Cloaths or garments signifies sorrow also as David did when he heard of the death of Saul and also repeating it is argument of sorrow as David did for Jonathan 2 Sam. 1.17 to the last and by Absalom Oh Absalom my son my son my son Absalom I shall now instance in the New-Testament it was so with them of Ephesus when they parted with Paul They should see his face no more He had been such a Preacher that they could not part with him without tears or with dry eyes if you look into Acts 20.18 you see his labour Ye know that from the first day that I came after what manner I have been with you At all seasons he Preach'd to them in season and out of season and he was a faithful Preacher he did not neglect to declare the whole Councel of God and he was a couragious Preacher too he did not care what became of himself for their good Now if people loose such a Preacher so painful so laborious it is no wonder if they mourn when they shall see his face no more A second instance is of Stephen who was the first Martyr that ever was in the New-Testament Stephen was the first Gospel-Officer that ever I read was chosen he was the best read in Scripture for Acts 7. he runs over all the Scripture and in the 51. verse he calls them stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost now this Stephen that thus Preach'd the Scripture to them they put him to Death as you may read in the close of the seventh Chapter of the Acts but now how was he buried in cap. 8. vers 2. Devout men carried Stephen to his Burial and made great Lamentation over him That Stephen that was so powerful a Preacher and to Pray for us We shall see his face no more The last instance is that of our Lord Jesus he is called by Nichodemas A Teacher sent from God By Paul in the Romans The Minister of the Circumcision By Matthew As one having Authority and not as the Scribes Now this blessed Teacher being taken away you shall find they were much troubled Joh. 16.5 he tells them he was going away to him that sent him He was going to his Father In the 6. verse saith he Because I have said these things to you sorrow hath fill'd your hearts Oh Lord Jesus what thou go away sorrow was in their heart and sorrow fil'd their heart because he was to go away and when he was dead and buried you find there was weeping and mourning as you may see in Joh. 20.11.13 15. there was weeping and mourning and mourning and weeping yea those that were his Persecutors they were sorrowful Luk. 23.48 And all the people that came together to that sight beholding the things that were done smote their breasts and in the 27. verse of that Chapter when Christ was carrying to be put to Death there followed him a great multitude of people and women which also bewailed and lamented him