exulting Victors and Strength enough to hold them in its Dungeon till the Resurrection This Mouth of Infidelity is presently stopped Here follows A justifying Reason such as clears the Triumph from the Charge of Absurdity It is confessed if Death were but it self and not Pars minima sui it would be unworthy of the Honour of being insulted over it would be an Insect of an inconsiderable Sting if not a perfect Drone An Enemy too despicable to be triumphed over with Harp and Psaltery nor would Christians blow a Trumpet for the Overthrow of a Wasp But Death's Name is Legion and as it 's an Host of Enemies in one it is a formidable one The Sting of Death is Sin q. d. Sin is the whole Element of Evil it is all the Evil of Doing Nothing beside is Evil essentially or meritoriously This Hell of Sin being infused into Death makes it like it self even the whole Element of Misery and all the Evil of Suffering where then if not here shall be found a Trophy for Faith Here in Death envenomed by Sin By Sin whereof a Spark made Devils of the most blessed Creatures And no more than the imputed Guilt made the ever-living God to sweat Blood Seems this to be a Paradox Hear then The Strength of Sin is the Law q. d. No wonder that Sin is so pernicious a thing for the Curse of the Divine Law is on it And who can think what is God's Power or his Law 's Terror His Law must be like himself as in its Precepts and Promises so in its Threats The Punishments of so great a King must necessarily be great The Breach of his Law 's Duty can deserve no less than Extremity and Eternity of Misery and the Curse laid upon it is no less No marvel then that Sin 's Guilt maketh a Hell of Death being the Law 's Curse maketh Sin a worse thing than Death or Hell an Evil that Hell it self must have all Eternity to punish But over both Law and Sin God giveth us the Victory As fiery as this Law is Christ's Blood quencheth it As boiling a Furnace as it makes of Sin it cannot make Sin to be the Death of a Believer's Soul These the worst of Enemies are first slain For upon our first believing Christ's Righteousness is imputed and by that Imputation the Law 's Curse and Sin 's Condemnation are removed Over them we have Triumph sounded Rom. 7.4 Ye are dead to the Law by the Body of Christ And ver 24 25. Who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Death's Dominion is therefore at an end though its Power to kill the most holy Body and to detain the most sacred Dust for a time be not taken from it In short the Grace of Christ hath made Sin a broken Enemy the Law a kind Friend and Death a useful Servant Doth the Saints Triumph therefore precede or exceed Victory let the Wise judg When Israel was brought through the Red Sea what Songs of Praise were straitway sung though they had a howling Desart to be passed through and were not presently in Canaan Their Songs injected Terror to the Dukes of Edom and the mighty Men of Moab Yea the Greeks no sooner heard the Articles of Peace purchased for them by Titus Flaminius but they cried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Saviour a Saviour Plutarch in vit T. Flam. And with such Shouts of Joy as made the Air to ring and the Birds to drop down astonished A deep Lethargy it is that maketh Christians Joy to be less while their Reason for it is infinitely more That restrains them from such Triumph as would make the Infidel World to tremble But O where shall Offerings and whole Burnt-offerings be found For this Victory this Inchoate one Lebanon is not sufficient or the Cattel upon a thousand Hills But as Jehoshaphat in Berachah the Saints throughout the Earth do bless the Captain of their Salvation and Conquest The next Verse and Breath is An holy Gratulation A lovely Heaven of it in a little Globe of Words Thanks be to God! To the Father Son and Spirit our One God be all holy Obedience Whereof Gratitude is the principal Part that which contains and animates all Laws bind to Obedience and Benefits unto Thankfulness But God our Law-giver is in all things our Benefactor His very Laws all are Benefits To him be therefore all Obedient Thankfulness and all Thankful Obedience To him Who giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Of his Saints Victory we publish the Truth We declare his Gift of Grace to be the Original We testify the Limitation of this Gift unto Believers only and the Extent of it unto all Believers As well to Babes in the Cradle of Christianity as the oldest Mnason's in God's Kingdom We proclaim the never to be forgotten Purchaser of it the Lord Jesus Christ Whose Death gave the Angel of Death his mortal Wound Whose Resurrection certified and exemplified Believers Whose Righteousness by Faith received instateth them in the Power of an endless Life Whose Sanctifying Spirit mortifieth sinful Lusts which be not the least Stings of Death Whose Comforting Spirit takes out the Pain and Anguish that Sin sticketh into our Souls And whose Glorious Appearing one day will fulfil his old Word to a tittle O Death I will be thy Plague O Grave I will be thy Destruction Waving all others the Argument I take hence is this Holy Believers on Christ do rejoice in their Victory over Death Truly Righteously and Holily they rejoice in their Salvation by Christ They sing O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory c. The Plural Number in which he speaks may assure us that the Apostle sung in Consort Thanks be to God who giveth us the Victory And it shall be shown that this Text is all the Holy Catholick Church's Song Which while Militant is so far triumphant We may say of Death and of all Enemies in Combination with it as St. John saith of the World Whosoever is born of God overcometh them And this is the Victory that overcomes them even our Faith Consequently he that overcometh and shall not be hurt of the second Death must take it for his Duty and make it his Practice to joy in the Lord and rejoice in the God of his Salvation But lest with the Dogs I should shut Children out of the Church-Doors and wound any that have already the Arrows of the Almighty sticking in them I must premise two things Obstructions are allowed for It is not affirmed that all or any Believers do always rejoice Full oft they are hindred by Bodily Maladies by Mental Mistakes by Satan's Buffetings and by Divine Desertions Under which their Harp is turned to Mourning and their Organ into the Voice of them that weep And Secondly Degrees be wondrously different Of them that sing Triumph the Voice of some is as Thunder which all
The Church's Triumph over Death A Funeral-Sermon PREACHED Upon the Decease of Blessed Mr. Robert Fleming Late Pastor of a Church in Rotterdam By DANIEL BVRGESS Miseri Infideles appellant Mortem Fideles vero quid nisi Pascham Bern. de Divin Amor. Mors Christianis Ludus est Vinc. Lirinens London Printed by J. D. for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside and Andr. Bell and J. Luntley at the Pestle and Mortar in Chancery-lane 1694. To the Right Worshipful Sir Henry Ashhurst Baronet SIR THERE is a Frenzy abroad of which Men do together Adore the Pipes and Neglect the Fountain Make great court to his Ministers and slight the King the King eternal Worshipping the Stars that do lead to Christ and crucifying to themselves afresh the Christ that they lead unto yea by Unbelief and Disobedience putting him to open Shame But I must Hope better things of You. And believe it to be your Love of Christ that constrains you to receive a Paul and an Apollos as an Angel of God yea as Christ himself Wherefore as your extraordinary Kindness to another renowned Saint hath been told to the World by incomparable Pens By Mr. Baxter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by Dr. Bates in Dedicat. Epistles I do resolve that wheresoever this Sermon shall be read your like Affection to our heavenly FLEMING shall have its Memorial Very deeply I am impressed with your Favours done unto both For their Love was eminent and much exceeded the Fame of it to a Man Born to Reproach And not pretending to be Richer than his Brethren in any other Treasure A Love to be wondered at had it not been so known that God is Love And that therefore Love is Godliness And where Godliness abounds Loving-kindness overflows As we see in Angels that do flagrantly Love the least of Abraham's Children And highly honour the meanest of sanctified Worms As for the Former Jonathan must needs have known his David and the World will by and by have his Life in Folio to read And as concerning the Latter as little as any Man do you need to be told with what a Fulness of God he was filled Sir Your wondring Eyes were your Witnesses The great Love he bare you gave you more than common Knowledg of him whose Humility and Modesty hid him so that he was not much known unto those who knew him most As Ezekiel speaks of other Angels his Wings so covered his Feet However so much you saw that as very well you might you singularly loved him And esteemed his Love unto you to be of that Kind which is most valuable next unto God's own Love For the Information of others somewhat is said of this Man of God in the following Pages Whereto I can add this which was said of the famous Antonine He hath this Praise crowning all the rest that he hath no Gain-sayer of his Praises I hear not of any Dust to be blown off from this Diamond Honoured Sir Two or three of your Letters to me bewailed the World's Loss the Church's and Your own in the Departure of holy FLEMING Nor do I doubt but the best of the Church and World do lay it to heart Even generally all that hear how much Light and Salt and Balm is taken from a needy Age. For your Relief and others this is all in this Place to be said It is elsewhere shewn how we may hold Departed Saints in our Sight and in our Service Commemoration of Saints departed on Heb. 13.7 If the Course there prescribed be duly followed I am certain that this Saint's Death shall not be only his own Gain But his Ascension to Heaven shall be made to further our Conversation therein And notably contribute unto the Victory Joy and Triumph of Faith which this Sermon describes Thereto I dismiss you without any Sallies of Flattery the common Sin and Scandal of Dedications It must be confessed that if all Praise of Sir Henry Ashhurst be Flattery Old England and New are overrun with that Leprosy And the Israelites are much more sick of its Plague than the Egyptians be The Name of ASHHURST was left richly perfumed by your excellent Father And I hear not but it is so kept by your Self and your Right Honourable Brother Sir William A. Lord-Mayor Otherwise you had before this time loudly heard of it For they do sink deepest who fall from Pinacles highest they who were at first the best Angels are now the worst Devils saith Du Moulin And by the Old Law you had been condemned to be burnt for the Profanation of such a Father's Name Comprehenditur cum filiâ filius c. Calv. Lev. 21.9 Surely the Sun must have looked Pale and the Spheres have cast out their Stars if such as You and my Lord had forsaken your God and the God of your Fathers And had left no better to be said of you than Philostratus says of Perinthius Barely that he was the Son of Rufus But Sir as you very well know my Office is to bring low all Mountains and Hills not the contrary And as my own Heart sweetly knows my Ambition is to Edify not Magnify you to serve your Faith not your Fame which as it less needs it doth less deserve it Much rather would I provoke you to one good Work than make known all that ever you did And be the meanest Instrument to make you a better Man than a Trumpet to proclaim you a good one Plain dealing is a Jewel and will appear so one day though now there be much more of it at the Mill than about the Throne And I do account that Earthly-Gods themselves are seldom so richly treated as my Friends that be entertained with these Complements Sc. That BARONETS must perish without the New-Birth That A Repenting Lazarus is of better Estate than a Jovial Dives That A Grain of holy Faith is worth more than a Mountain of pure Gold That In the Day of Judgment Christ will be Ashamed of the Greatest that are now Ashamed of Christianity That Royal Heads Honourable and Worshipful Ones must worship God's Majesty or bear his Fury That There is no Safety for the Highest on Earth without Trust in the most High in Heaven That They shall suffer eternal Death who Love not Christ Jesus above the richest Life That No Greatness can save them from Vengeance who deny Christ Reverence That Whatever their Rank is in this World their Portion shall be everlasting Shame who do not all that they do to God's Glory That The most Prosperous who will not submit to God's Afflicting-hand shall not escape his Revenging-hand That If they Love not their Enemies and Bless them that Curse them and Do good to them that Hate them and Pray for them that Despitefully use them and Persecute them they shall not be the Children of God Finally that Whosoever of them shall Live without Dying Thoughts he shall Die without Living Comforts SIR My
State of Grace but verbis mentalibus by secret spiritual Words by internal mysterious Whispers testifying unto them that they are in that blessed State For the Matter of Witnessing is more than Enabling a Person to read his Evidence In Westminster-hall he would not be taken for a Witness who should do no more than hold a Candle to one reading his Evidence But the Holy Ghost the Comforter is expresly named a Witness to Believers of their being taken into the Number and being bless'd with all the Privileges of the Sons of God Ordinarily therefore I say that Believers do know the Cause of Joy that they have Though as hath been foresaid Times of Desertion there are in which they know it not And it is most certain the heavenly Comforter doth not at all times comfort Nor is joyful Assurance of the very Essence of justifying saving Faith But by reason of fore-named Obstructions Children of Light may sit all their days in the Dark and in the Deeps And ascend to Heaven at last in a thick Cloud Otherwise we do all generally believe and teach that the Spirit of Adoption being given unto Sons as Sons of God he is given unto every Child of God And commonly they do know themselves Conquerors who are in Christ and are not reprobate unsound Christians This being admitted they must be dead and not lively Stones as St. Peter calls them if they Rejoice not They must cease to be Men if they become not joyful Ones They must be stupified as soon as Justified and Adopted For the Humane Nature hath an inseparable Instinct and Power which on good Tidings heard doth transport Minds and Bodies into Expressions of Gladness Diffusing Spirits and by them sending forth the News trying as it were by communicating to multiply it Gaudio cogendi vis inest The Roman Orator says and all Men feel it Joy enters with a Violence and with a grateful Violence that we are not able to resist breaks forth from us Who thinks that David was able to forbear his Dance before the Ark Or that the healed Cripple could contain himself from Running Leaping and Praising God We have read of them who have died of Joy and it is true which one saith Should Believers have the Degrees of Assurance which imprudently they do sometimes desire they must presently Die for Joy or be kept Alive by Miracle In short then Believers must put off Nature if they rejoice not in Christ's Grace They must be without natural Affection if they be without any spiritual Consolation if ordinarily they be so Secondly Believers are wise Men And it is Wisdom to rejoice in such Felicity as Victory over Death In the Day of Prosperity Nature necessitates Joy and Reason enforces it For Happiness is a Feast made for Mirth and how monstrous a Folly must it be to frustrate so kind a Design upon us Wisdom is a true Gust and right Relish of things Sapit cui res sapiunt ita ut sunt But how far be they from it who taste no Sweetness in the Milk and Honey that flow in this Victory Hearts delighting not themselves in Substances do most certainly delight themselves in Shadows And what a Delusion is that what a gathering together of all Folly and a very Sea of it The Laughter of Wretches laden with Irons or standing on the Ladder ready for Execution seems not greater Madness than the Disconsolateness of them when they are both pardoned and advanced Should the Saints and Angels in Heaven cease rejoicing it were to be asked What Wisdom is in them They would be to be charged with extreme Folly Unreasonable it would be for them to give over Rejoicing as it would be for Devils and damned Ghosts to begin And yet it is most certain that Justified and Adopted Believers have as true Cause of Joy as Angels and glorified Spirits are in a State only in Degree less blessed consequently have as true Reason to sing Hosannah's here below as they to sing Hallelujah's above and cannot but hold on Songs of Joy in the House of their Pilgrimage without first becoming sensless of their Conquest Joyful Praise is comely for them Nor is Triumph on the way to Hell more unreasonable than on the way to Heaven it is discreet In a word To think that Saints did ordinarily incur and indulge the Guilt of its Neglect would be to think them what the World stiles them Men besides themselves This Guilt would be a dead Fly in their Ointment and make it to send forth so stinking a Savour of the most loathsom Folly Thirdly Believers are Righteous Men and it is their Justice to be glad and triumph in their Victory over Death Justice witholds not what is due when it is in the Power of its Hand to repay To repay Vengeance to Evil-doers and Praise to them that do well Death and its Complices the Law Sin Satan and Hell are Enemies that have tragically used Believers made them to bear God knows what shamed them and tempted them to curse the Day of their Birth held them subject to Bondage through Fear all the time that they laid under their Power A holy Revenge is now owing to Sin and to Satan and now that through Christ they are taken out of those cruel Hands they are able to pay it able to expose them and put them to open Shame to shew abroad how they themselves have been used by one mightier than they how the Law as damning is abolished Sin is condemned Satan's Head is bruised Death is plagued the Grave is destroyed and Hell hath its Mouth stopp'd On the contrary there is no finding out to Perfection the Breadth and Length the Depth and Height of God's Grace The Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord passeth all Vnderstanding His Grace and his Gift by Grace unto Believers are ineffable infinitely free without Merit in us or any Motive Astonishingly rich while we were Enemies most defiled and deformed ones and equally without Power to resist damning Justice and without the Prudence to ask Saving-Mercy Angels our Elders and Betters were not pitied but irreversably doomed to Destruction More than Angels and all the Creation was worth was given to redeem us even as much more than they are worth as God by Essence exceedeth the mere Creature Christ is God by eternal Essence and yet God spared not that his Son but gave him up to redeem Rebels whereat Hell envies and Heaven wonders A vast Tribute of Praise must hence rise due so due that if Believers be silent the Stones must needs cry out Believers that now are no longer Mutes have the dumb Devil expell'd and their Mouths opened for Praise their Tongues touched with a Coal from the holy Altar and qualified to lift up the Name of their Redeemer But what save Triumph in their Victory through him can render to Death the things that are Death's or to Christ the things that are Christ's If Faith doth not now play
c. 4. That I of all my Father's Sons being four should be spared when the other three were so promising and desireable above me and should thus come to be the only Male-heir surviving of such a Stock 5. That solemn and memorable Day of the Communion at the Gray-Friars in the Entry of the Year 1648. where I had so extraordinary a Sense of the Lord's Presence yea whence I can date the first sealing Evidence of my Conversion now 40 Years past 6. The Lord 's gracious and signal Preservation and Deliverance given me at Dunbar-Fight 7. Those solemn Times and near Approaches of the Lord to my Soul the first at the Elve when I went there and the other a little after my Eather's Death in the High-study 8. That Scripture Acts 12. was by an observable Providence given to be my first Text and how I was unexpectedly and by a surprizal engaged therein 9. Those two great Deliverances at Sea in going to Dundee the first time in Company with the Duke of Lauderdale the other time in Company with Mr. Andrew Grey of Glasgow 10. That extraordinary Dream and marvellous Vision I had twice repeated with the unexpressible Joy after the same 11. Those memorable Impressions and Presages about my Health when it seemed hopeless at my first Entry upon the Ministry and the strange Expression of Mr. Simpson to that purpose at New-mills 12. The Lord 's immediate and wonderful Appearance for me in my first Entry upon the Ministry with that extraordinary Storm on the Day of my Ordination and the amazing Assault which followed the same in what befel wherein Satan's immediate Appearance against me was so visible 13. The great and conspicuous Seal given to my Ministry from the Lord in the Conversion of several Persons with that marvellous Power which then accompanied the Word on the Hearts of the People 14. That signal Appearance of the Lord and his marvellous Condescendence in my Marriage-lot and in the whole Conduct of the same 15. My Deliverance from so eminent Hazard of my Life in my Fall from my Horse at Kilmarnock 16. The Lord 's marvellous Assistance and Countenance at the two Communions of Cathcart and Dillop with that great Enlargement I had at the last of these Places at the last Table 17. That as my Entry to my Charge was with so bright a Sun-shine so no less did the Lord appear at my parting from that Place wherein all things did meet in a remarkable Juncture to make the same both honourable and comforting 18. The Lord 's special Providence as to my outward Lot after my Removal thence in many Instances that way 19. His gracious sparing my dear Wife so long when her Life was in such Hazard in the Years 65 and 72. 20. The Preservation I had in going over to Fife in the Year 72 with the solemn Times I got there 21. That Dream at Bonssy wherein I got such express Warning as to my Wife's Removal with the Lord 's marvellous Appearance and Presence with me the Thursday after at St. Johnstown 22. That extraordinary Warning I got again of my dear Wife's Death and of the Manner of it at London in the Year 1674. 23. Those two remarkable Scripture-places given me at Westnisbet in my return from London 1674 viz. that in Rom. 4. in the Forenoon and that in 115 Psalm in the Afternoon 24. Those great and signal Confirmations given me at my Wife's Death And that extraordinary Voice so distinct and clear which I had a few Nights after her Death 25. Those special Confirmations given me at my first leaving my Country at Westnisbet Ridsdale Stanton and the first at Sea from the Sheils 26. Those solemn Passages to confirm my Faith from Heb. 11. and Exod. 33. and at other times at London and the last Night there before I went away 27. Those extraordinary and signal Times I had at my first entry at Rotterdam 28. Those two observeable Providences which did occur to me at Woerden and about the Business of William Mader 29. The marvellous Sign given me of the State of my Family in what happened as to sudden withering of the Tree and its extraordinary reviving again at my first entry into my first House in Rotterdam 30. The great Deliverance from Fire in the High-street 31. The special Providence in preserving my Son from perishing in the Water 32. The good Providence in returning my Diary after it had been long lost 33. That surprising Relief when cited by the Council of Scotland to appear with that sweet Resignation to the Lord which I had then under so pungent a Trial. 34. The remarkable Event of a Warning I was forced to give that some present should be called away by Death before the next Lord's-day 35. The Lord 's immediate supporting under a long Series of pungent Trials in this Place by a Series of Wonders I may truly say for which I am obliged in a singular Way to set up my Ebenezer that hitherto hath the Lord helped 36. The remarkable Appearance of the Lord with me which I omitted in its place in that strange Providence relating to Mr. Moneyenny's Death at Preston-pans 37. That most solemn Providence and Wonder of my Life my Fall under the York Coach in Aug. 1674. when the great Wheel went over my Leg so as I could feel it pressing me without hurting far less breaking my Leg as if it had been carried thus over in a just Poize to let me see how Providence watched over me c. 38. The Comfort God gave me in my Children and those extraordinary Confirmations I got from God upon the Death of those sweet Children whom God removed from me to himself Now go Reader go and do thou likewise For Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Mat. 24.26 〈…〉 to the Memory 〈…〉 Reverend and Worthy Mr … E RT FLEMING who de … sed July 25 1694. By a Friend My Pen must be like to an Angel's Quill And my weak Parts must equalize my Will Should I presume him fully to set forth Though in rude Characters or draw his Worth Extol him as you please yet still you shall Remaining find behind This is not All. Renowned Men and righteous are this Day O sad Prognostick quickly pluckt away Rehold how fast he 's gone as if he griev'd Enjoying of his Life whilst here he liv'd Rare Fruit's soon pluckt and Souls to Ripeness grown Too good for Earth are snatcht up to the Throne Free and unbiass'd for the Truth he stood Liv'd all he knew knew all that 's understood Each Vertue in him did so equal dwell Men hardly could perceive which did excel In endless Bliss he 's now whilst mournful I Nothing can think but how he pierc'd the Sky G'ot into Heaven and seem'd amaz'd to cry Reviewing O Behold Eternity's Rich Throne From Living Earthly Mounted I'm Now Gone Vivacem nolo Dolorem Sed memor aeterno tempore vivat Amor FINIS