being met the whole charge of entertaining you here had been the province and task of some other of my brethren that had been every way more able to have discharged it than my self It may I hope be a pardonable excuse if I allege for my self that my meditations have been much very much discomposed by my sorrows that mine eyes have sometimes vyed drops with my pen while I was about this sad task And probably had I loved and honoured him less I might have performed this service better But t is fit I leave Apologies and come to my remaining task that is to make some honourable mention of our Israel now he is dead whom we deservedly honoured while he was alive I shall not stick long upon the Parallel yet shall I first observe that our Israel like him in the Text was by God made happy in the number of so many surviving children as were the heads of the twelve Tribes though not all of the same Sex and had the addition of one grandchild more than Joseph presented to departing Israel to receive his benediction Of all which our Israel made frequent and affectionate mention and to which together with his own he bequeathed his blessing as old Jacob did to the sons of his son Joseph 2. The name Israel as you heard before was superadded to the former name of Jacob as some think or rather given in its stead because he was Rectus Dei an up right man Jacob signifies a supplanter some conjecture he was so called because he got his brother Esaus birth-right by a wile but the word signifies properly plantam tenens and the child was in likelyhood called Jacob because about the time of his birth he held his twin brother by the heel Our Honoured Lord could not be called Jacob at all for whose birth-right had he taken We may say with St. Paul he had wronged no man defrauded no man but he might be called Israel for he was rectus Dei had an upright plain dealing soul like Nathaniel a true Israelite in whom was no guile 3. Israel was vir videns Deum a man that saw God and so I doubt not but this Honourable Person did too though not as Jacob face to face yet by some such means by which God is pleased to make discovery of himself to men in these latter times Lyra upon Genesis thinks it was by vertue of the Spirit of prophecy that old Israel foretold his death before it came and said I dye But whether he had the Spirit of Prophecy or no I do not question Sure I am there is no great need of any extraordinary Revelation to let a man of an 147. years of age as Israel was know that the time drew nigh that he should dye but I have reason to believe that there was something more than ordinary in it though being a man of singular reservedness he did not discover it that this Honourable Person when he was but about 52. years of age and under no visible distemper of body or mind should above three moneths ago even then when he accompanied his dear and honourable Mother to her long home in his passage from the house to the Church say with some kind of confidence that he should be the next that should go that way And before he was seiz'd with any sickness let fall some expressions in the hearing of his dearest relations whom he yet was most unwilling to grieve signifying his expectation that ere long they should have occasion to Mourn for him And I am the more confident that he had some foresight of his approaching end from one expression uttered to my self in the time of his visitation which was upon this occasion We that were about him and observed how little he was afraid or spoke of what we so much suspected doubted that the nature of his disease had made him insensible of his danger that though Death made irresistable though slow assaults he did not apprehend it hereupon I did as I conceiv'd I was oblig'd make my private application to him and dealt plainly with him discovering to him our just fears and his own great danger and admonished him to prepare himself throughly for Death which we doubted he could not avoid And I was satisfied that he foresaw his danger and therefore had prepared for it when I heard him say and that with a serene countenance and a very grave utterance Parson I was sensible of this before any of you were And we were afterwards satisfied why he was so long desirous to conceal his danger for when he saw it was to no purpose to endeavour to hide what his dearest relations had discovered and therefore thought fit to yield and in effect to say with old Israel Behold I dye and saw his dearest Confort and the rest about him thereupon to give vent unto their passion and let it out in a floud of tears he presently added these words I this is it I was afraid of thereby declaring that the reason why he seem'd to take so little notice of his danger was not because he was insensible of it but because he would not have his Relations understand it nor be troubled at it 4. Israel was so called as most do probably think because he was Princeps cum Deo and prevail'd with God when he wrestled with him for a blessing Gen. 32. 28. It was our Israels custom to wrestle with God as Jacob did Devotion was one part of his dayly exercise And it hapned to him as to Israel Gen. 32. For coming from his morning exercise he was seiz'd as Israel with a lameness in his thigh And I make no question but that as he did with Israel go away with a bodily foyl he receiv'd a spiritual blessing and though he came or rather was carried off with a maim in the body he was princeps cum Deo and prevail'd for a blessing on his soul And I do not think fit nor can I let pass this observation without commending it to the careful notice and consideration of all that hear me that the great stroke by which God call'd him to himself befell him presently upon his rising from his private devotions as if God had said to him Thy prayers are come up and I come down to fetch thee up likewise Thy work is done and now I will do mine and give thee a reward Sure happy is that devout soul whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing standing upon his watch and calling upon his God Oh consider it how much more comfortable it is for a man to be found so doing than to be snatch'd away with his Dalilah in his arms or with an intemperate cup in his hand or a dam-me in his mouth or any Idol in his heart which might make him incapable of communion with his God! But I leave the Parallel and offer him 2. To your consideration as a Person of Honour different indeed from most other men of
JACOB AT HIS Journeys End OR Part of his last words uttered to his Son JOSEPH and the rest of his Children Immediately before his being gathered to his Fathers A SERMON PREACHED At the Interment of the Truly Noble and Right Honourable WILLIAM Lord Brereton of Brereton in Cheshire For the benefit of those who are Lovers of Piety Virtue Loyalty and true Nobility By A. B. Psal 116. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Satnts LONDON Printed for R. Lowndes at the White Lion in St. Pauls Church-yard 1665. IMPRIMATUR Joh. Hall R. P. D. Episc Lond. à sac Domest Ex adib Londinens Jan. 10. 1665. Gen. 48. 21. And Israel said unto Joseph Behold I dye THe words are a part of that discourse which old Father Israel had with his Son Joseph a little before his death They are so plain and intelligible considered by themselves that I need not nor do I think it convenient to wear out any part of that short time I am to detain you here in showing you the coherence of them with the former We have considerable in them 1. The Speaker Israel the Father 2. The Person spoken to Joseph the Son 3. The Subject matter or thing spoken of Death the death of the Speaker I dye 4. The weight or great concernment of the truth or subject spoken of intimated by the Ecce Attentionis or note of Observation prefixed Behold Behold I dye I shall trouble you but with a very short discourse of the Persons and say but little of Israel the Father who is the Speaker and less of Joseph the Son spoken to and yet a word or two of either 1. Concerning Israel the Father and here the Speaker two things may be considered First his Person who and what manner of man he was It was the same person known formerly by another name that is by the name of Jacob. God Gen. 32. 28. chang'd his name Gen. 32. 28. so also chap. 35. 10. Thou shalt no more be called Jacob but Israel So God before had made an addition to Abrams name Gen. 17. 5. and chang'd Sarah's too ver 15. And it is observed by some that God hath not usually added to nor given a new name immediately to any but such as in their generations were eminent and extraordinary persons Such a one was Israel as Pererius observes totius solius Populi Dei Parens The Father of Gods people and of them only that were in covenant with God Abraham and Isaac were famous in their generation and men of renown yet could it not be so said of them For Abraham was Father to Ismael as well as Isaac and so Father of the Ismaelites as well as of the faithful and Isaac was Esaus Father as well as Jacobs and so Father of the Edomites as well as the Israelites but Israel was the Father of the Israelites only from him the people of God had their names and were called Israelites as we are called Christians from Christ And this is enough to shew he was an excellent and extraordinary Person 2. We may consider the name Concerning which I have nothing to say at present but what I have from Rivet in his exercitations on this book of Scripture who tells us â— the word signifies Rectus Dei a right or upright man of God and this he says was St. Jeroms opinion 2. Vir videns Deum a man seeing God And it is indeed true first that Israel was an upright or a plain down-right man as we use to say as our Saviour by his allusion seems to confirm when John â—â— 47. he says of Nathaniel that he was a true Israelite in whom was no guile And true it is secondly that he had several visions of God and one particularly when he received this name Gen. 32. 30. when he saw God face to face But yet as Rivet says it is most probable in the third place that he received this name because he was Princeps cum Deo prevailed and had Hos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. power with God as the reason is given by him that gave the name Gen. 32. 28. Compare these three several conjectures together and there is reason to believe he was an eminent and illustrious person 2. Concerning Joseph the Son the Person here spoken to it may be demanded how it came to pass that Israel directed his speech to him who was the youngest of all his sons but Benjamin of which this perhaps might be the reason because Joseph was in highest power as being advanced in Egypt above his brethren and able to make provision for them The old man looked upon him as if he had been his first born and gave him a portion above the rest ver 22. Therefore leaves he the charge of carrying his bones out of Egypt to him and puts him in mind that now he was neer his death Behold I dye which is the third particular in the Text the Subject matter or thing spoken oâ— Death Behold I dye 3. The meaning I suppose to be this I must dye dye within a short time So Junius and Tremelius read it Brevi moriturus sum And this interpretation is confirmed by what we read before in the 23. chap. and 29. ver The time drew near that Israel must dye I shall speak to this point in this method 1. First by shewing that what Israel said of himself was a truth and that he might have said it of Joseph and all his posterity as well as of himself Behold I and thou and all thy posterity must dye 2. It is a truth to be owned acknowledged apply'd and every man is to say with Israel I dye 3. It is a notable and observable truth as appears from the additional note of aâ—bention Behold I dye First it is a truth not to be denied or gain said Solomon tels us of a time to dye as well as to be born Eccles 3. 2. And he that denies this doth in effect give God the lye who told Adam and in him his posterity in the day that thou eatest thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2. 17. So that it is true First because of mans sin and Gods threatning and curse thereupon So St. Paul Rom. 5. 12. As by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin so Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Man gave sin its entrance into the world and sin procures mans exit and removal out of the world Secondly there is nothing can preserve or rescue from Death none ever yet lived nor do nor ever shall live but have dyed or must dye those only excepted who were miraculously translated and such as shall be found alive at the second coming This the very Jews believed for truth and therefore when they heard our Saviour say if a man keep my saying he shall never see death John 8. 51. they mistaking his meaning and thinking he had spoken it of bodily
death were offended at his words and fell foul upon him telling him that now they knew that he had a Devil for say they Abraham is dead and the Prophets are dead If any thing could reprieve from death probably it must be either greatness or goodness 1. Not Greatness For man being in honour abideth not but is like the beasts that perish that is must dye as well as they Psal 49. 12. So again Psal 82. 6. I have sayd you are Gods but ver 7. Ye shall dye like men Death knocks as boldly and enters as irresistably into the rich mans palace as the poor mans cottage Lazarus died and so did the rich man also and was buried with more pompous solemnity it is likely but with less comfort and advantage as you may collect if you view the passage Luke 16. 22. Death when it comes with its commission makes no distinction all in this respect are alike and go to one place saith Solomon and are dissolved into the like indistinguishable dust 2. Nor Goodness Jacob who was loved dyed as well as Esau that was hated nay though Greatness and Goodness meet they cannot exempt nor rescue from the grave Israel was Princeps cum Deo and Rectus Dei He wrastled with God and prevailed yet when he came to grapple with Death he had the foyl None so great none so good as our Blessed Redeemer yet when he was pleas'd to take our nature and to bear our sins he sunk under the unsupportable load and the bitter cup of Death must not pass by but he must tast and drink it And sure the servant is not greater nor hath reason to expect to fare better than his Lord. If he dyed before he entered into glory so must wee too we must dye with him if we will reign with him and partake with him in death if we will share with him in glory It hath been observ'd by others that Moses was bid go up and dye but that we must dye before we can go up But I add that it was but to Mount Nebo whither Moses must go up before his death Neither he nor we can ascend Mount Sion that is above before we descend unto the Hades that is below We must stoop to the grave ere we can rise to glory So it is a truth Israel and we too must dye 2. It is a truth that Israel did and we must apply I dye sayd old Israel I am a stranger and a sojourner with thee as all my fathers were Oh spare me before I go hence saith David Psal 39. 22. My days are swifter than a Weavers Shuttle saith Job cap. 7. 6. and my days are vanity saith he ver 16. The time of my departure is at hand said S. Paul 2 Tim. 4. 6. And my life draws nigh to the grave saith David again Psal 88. 2. So that unless a man can say that he is better than David Abraham Isaac or Jacob than Moses and the Prophets and all his Predecessors he must say with Israel I die And he must not say it onely but take notice of it For 3. This is a notable and observable Truth as the word Behold which is prefixed doth imply 1. It is a considerable Truth in respect of a mans self and his own death For First this consideration will make the thoughts of death less troublesome Elijah could pray for death when he considered it had been the portion of his fathers and that he was no better than they 1 Kin. 19. 4. Though the thoughts of company cannot abate the miseries of the second death they may lessen the terrours of the first St Paul could desire to be dissolved when he thought of being with Christ who was dead before him 2. This consideration that we must die may by Gods blessing make us more careful how we live It is the indiscreetest folly and the greatest improvidence imaginable for a fleeting soul to feed it self with hopes of going to this or that place and getting this or that gain to morrow when it may be lost to day To bath it self in pleasures when 't is ready to be ravished into everlasting burnings or promise it self rest for many years when it may be snatch'd from its deluding delights before the approaching night If we must die t is fit we take time to live to live to the Lord that we may dye in the Lord and live hereafter with the Lord. 3. This consideration that we must die should make us strive to do all the good we can while we live Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might or do it quickly saith Solomon Ec. 9. 10. and he adds the reason for his advice for there is no work nor device nor knowledge in the grave whither thou goest Death is that night when no man can work Therefore while we have time let us do good to all Gal. 6. 10. to our selves and to others too Dives Luke 16. had no permission to return to his Fathers house to warn his Brethren When a man is dead and gone hence his place shall know him no more Job 7. 10. The grave is the den of that roaring lion from whence vestigia nulla retâ—orsum the place to which all go and from whence none return But perhaps the young gallant may think that though this doctrine may be seasonably preach'd to those of old Israels age and to his own decrepit friends or father that are as weary of the world as he is of them it is yet too soon to have his delights eclips'd or his delicate ears struck with such un welcom and terrible truths But let him consider he is growing up and ripening for death from the time he first had life 'T is true what Seneca says tunc quoque cùm crescimus decrescit vita each day that makes the time he hath lived longer makes the remainder shorter Thy glass is still running and the more sands are spent already the fewer are behind 2. And as we are concerned in respect of our own so it doth concern us to take notice of the death of others also First when we see or hear of the death of another we should remember and prepare for our own Joseph a son is not privileg'd above Israel the father though he was born after him he might have dyed before him 2. Since others as well as our selves must dye it is our part to do all the good we can unto them and get all the good we can from them before they dye If they live in the fear of God imitaâ—e them and so shalt thou dye like them and live for ever with them I shall detain you no longer in the prosecution of the Text already treated on there remains another subject I mean that Honourable though liveless spectacle that hath brought us unwillingly hither and is the sad occasion of this solemnity I could wish had God seen it good there had been no such occasion of this concourse or that