this kinde though probably he might be able to give better excuses then any of these forementioned yet nothing would satisfiy till God did speake pardon and peace In his relation to the Church he shewed himself to be a true member by his compassionating of the missereies and relieving the necessities of the members even of forrein Churches when oportunities were offered and also by his lamenting the divisions and fearing the dangers of our own Church at home He was a lover of good men and especially of good ministers that for their work sake And in testimony thereof it was his desire and endeavour that in all places either in Church or Common-wealth that were in his power to dispose of there might be such set up as be judged able and like to do good in them Neither was he willing that this affection should die with him But he commended it as one of his last charges to him whom he desired to be an heir to God and his grace as well as to him and his estate In his relation to the commonwealth I meane the common good of his country He was a resolute assertor of his countries liberties not fearing to reprove or withstand the irregular actings of any to their prejudice How much was he grieved at his countries sufferings How earnestly did he desire the hastning of her deliverance How sorry that the way and meanes of deliverance were so much and so often obstructed His judgment was as he was pleased with some freedom to expresse himself even in the greatest excesse of all the actings to the contrary that the only person under heaven that was likely to heal our breaches was he whom we trust the Lord in mercy hath made to be such indeed even our gracious soveraign And whereas some have been apt to conceive some prejudice against him because he suffered not himself to be perswaded into that height of action which was expected when they thought it seasonable I doubt not but that he did concurre with them in their generall end but might not be so well satisfied in the meanes It was not I am assured through want of will and readiness to do his Country service but because the wayes proposed appeared to him more likely to increase then ease her burdens There is none that knew him laying but their passions aside that would easily judge it to be sloth or cowardise that he was not more apt to hearken but rather prudent warinesse Decipi non potest qui non est facilis audire He is hard to be deceived that is not easie of belief The simple believeth every word but the prudent man looketh well to his going Prov. 30.6 Peritia est non segnities quum sensum miles veteranus accendit It ought to be esteemed wisedom or skillfullnesse when an experienced soldier doth stir up and awaken his sense to looke before he leap He was not apt to be rash in undertaking but what ever he undertook for the service of his country he was resolved to go thorough with it with all faithfullness and integrity professing himself ready to loose all but a good conscience Yet even then when others were censuring of him he was not wanting to do his country good and that in such wayes as were more safe and sure And doubtlesse a wise patient will preferre the leysurely working of a skillfull Physitian in a way that is safe before the violent attempts of such as may pretend to a speedier cure As knowing that violent actings are even hazardous and doe but seldom prosper In his relations to his family friends and neighbours he was not wanting in any respects that might belong unto them As to his compassionating of and liberality towards the poor in relieving them in their necessities I cannot deny him this testimony that in requests of that nature I have not only obtained what I desired but also thanks for the motion His sobriety temperance and moderation in his health his meeknesse and patience in his sicknesse were known to all that converst with him In a word he was such a one as deserved to be honoured in his life and to be lamented in his death Be therefore sensible all ye his relations and lament your losse Children you have lost a dear and tender father who as his expression was feared nothing more then that he should love you too much Brethren and sisters I nead not mind you who may be apt to be more then enough sensible of the reality and constancy of his love towards you and delight in you even unto the last Kinred and friends and neigbours rich and poor I need say no more but that you have lost a great friend and truly that is a great losse Servants you have lost a master that loved you while he lived and was not unmindfull to make some provision for you when he was preparing for death I shall adde no more but this The Church hath lost a generous and an uncorrupted patron and his country a constant and a faithfull patriot But yet if any there be that shall be ambitious of adding to their own praise by detracting from his or of extenuating their own errours by aggravating of his I know detractors may be apt to mutter and whisper saying it were well if all this were true and it were well if somthing else were not true And why are not his failings censured as well as his virtues praised Such I shall answer as our Saviour doth those importunate Jewes who were so severe in demanding justice upon others He that is without sin let him cast the first stone at him Joh. 8.7 There is no doubt but he had his failings and sins yea and if you will hear and believe him bearing witnesse against himself They were many and great But yet this is the manner of Gods proceedings 1 Cor. 11.31 such as judge and condemn themselves shall not be judged nor condemned of the Lord. And shall mortall man be more just then God shall a man be more pure then his maker Job 4.17 Yea but peardventure some good men may be troubled because he did no more good Brethren It is desireable that good should be done by others But it is more profitable for us to be found doing of good our selves I have said that I have often found him ready to do good and willing to communicate and had the Lord given him but a little more time I have reason to believe that he would have done much more good and that he did no more I cannot but in part impute the blame unto my self in that in some respect I had not been his remembrancer more seasonably The truth is in great men it is something to find some good and not rare to find much evill their actions are subjest to many observers if they do well they lose no praise if they do evill no reproach If Jeroboams son hath but some good thing found in him towards the Lord
goeth out Now thy dominion over these is in the hands of Jesus Christ he hath them all in his power and at his dispose He hath vanquished all these enemies and triumphed over them And by death destroyed him that had the power of death that is the devil And delivered them who through fear of death were all their life time subject unto bondage Heb. 2.14 15. He hath led captivity captive And he must raign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet 1 Cor. 15.25 He shall have a full and absolute conquest over them They shall be so thoroughly subdued that they shall never rise again 2 As he can remove all hinderances and oppositions that nothing may resist him So he can command all helps furtherance what ever may be requisite He can command the sea to give up the dead that are in it and death and hell to deliver up the dead that are in them Rev. 20.13 even with more ease and better successe then a conquerour can command his captives that are at his mercy He can give power to all meanes that they shall be effectuall if he speake but the word it shall be done By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth and all power both in heaven and earth is in his hands as was shewed even now And if this be so that the power of raising of believers from death to life spirituall and eternall be so fully and absolutly in the hands of Jesus Christ then how much doth this commend and magnify the priviledge and happinesse of believers He that is their Lord and Master their brother and friend head and husband who is so inseparably and unchangably theirs and hath loved them better then his own life hath all things in his own power life and death both temporal and eternall are in his hands and he can dispose of them at his pleasure so that they may boast and glory in this saying with the Psalmist He that is our God is the God of salvation Ps 68.20 And I may say unto every believer as the women said unto Neomy Blessed be the Lord which hath not left thee this day whithout a kinsman who shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life and a nourisher of thine old age for thy daughter in law which loveth thee which is better to thee then seven sonnes hath born him And blessed be God for Jesus Christ whom he hath given unto thee and who hath loved thee better then his own life behold even he it is that hath the power in his own hands to be the restorer of thy life yea the raiser of thee up unto eternal life And it is better that it is in the hands of Christ then in the hands of any friend in the world were there but such a power put into the hands of a father or brother or kinsman or friend we should be apt to rejoyce in it and to esteem it a great priviledge and yet it is possible they might faile us But it is impossible that Christ should faile Yea it is better then if it were in our own hands for had we such a priviledge and were but left to the liberty of our wills as Adam was we should be as apt to commit a forfeiture as he was And therefore that the foundetion of God might stand sure and that the Lord might know who are â—is He hath reserved it in a surer hand God hath raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power 1 Cor. 6.14 and 2 Cor. 4.14 But here it may be Questioned that if there be such a full and absolute power in the hands of Christ of raising up believers when he please and that to life spiritual and eternal in respect of all the degrees of it even a full power of raising them up from the death of sin to the life of grace and of recovering them after all their relapses the raising them up to higher degrees and at last to raise them from death naturall to life eternall and from the grave to glory Quest 1 1 Why should Jesus Christ suffer so many of those whom the farther hath given him to lye so long dead in their sins before he raise them up to live the life of grace Quest 2 2 Why should it be so long ere he raise them up to perfection in grace Quest 3 3 Why should he suffer the bodies of believers which are holy the temples of the holy ghost and members of his own body to lie so long in their graves to corrupt and putrify and that there should be no difference between the condition of the believer and unbeliever neither that their dust shall be capable of being distinguished the one from the others For answer unto these though there were no other reason to be given but this in generall that it is the will and good pleasure of God to have it so yet that were sufficient to set bounds to our curiosity in inquiring after the reasons of his dispensations But yet it may be farther said though all that I shall adde will be in order to the better understanding of that Ans 1 To the first That Jesus Christ doth suffer many of those whom the father hath given him to lie long dead in their sins before he raiseth them up unto the life of grace I answer first Negatively 1 He doth not do so by all some are sanctified and raised up in the very womb 〈◊〉 1.15 Jer. 1.5 and from the womb Some in their youth and some not untill they are ready to drop into the grave 2 That he raiseth up some sooner or more early then others doth not proceed from any worthiness that is in one more then another either in respect of birth that one is born of better and more gracious parents then another or that one hath had better education then the other or that the one hath better natural or acquired parts or hath had better means or opportunities or naturally had better inclinations to be wrought upon Manasseh the son of good Hezekiah who in all likelihood as he had the priviledge to be born of a very Sincere and gracious father who doubtlesse was not wanting in the duty of a father either in precepts example or prayers besides other good meanes were not wanting neither for any thing that appears did he want parts to apprehend and approve them And yet we see it was long ere he was raised up Josiah the son of wicked Amon in a worse time and under lesse means and yet he is raised up betimes 2 Chron. 34.3 3 I answer affirmatively It is 1 To manifest the liberty and power of his own will in the dispensation of his grace It is in his power to do with his own as he please Neither have they that were called in at the first hour reason to boast of themselves or to envy at
Obser 4 To be rightly informed in the doctrine of the power and interest which Jesus Christ hath in the resurrection and the life is an especiall meanes to cure the ignorance and to prevent the errours we are apt to be corrupted withall conceruing the power and Godhead of Christ That which hath been already spoken in the handling of the first observation I suppose may save me the labour and the time that otherwise might have been employed in inlarging upon this There you have heard that Jesus Christ is the author or efficient cause of the resurrection and the life And in the application we made use of it for the confirming of our faith in the Godhead of Christ I shall therefore adde no more for the proof or application of this point but only this That he which doth know and believe that Jesus Christ is the author and efficient cause of the resurrection and the life cannot doubt but that the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily or substantially 2 From the words in relation to the context Whereas Jesus Christ for the moderating quieting and comforting of Martha's spirit now apt to exceed in mourning and grieving for the death of her brother doth especially make choise of and insist upon the doctrine of the resurrection and the life and the informing her in and affecting her with his absolute power in it and Soveraignty over it Obser 5 The observation is this Rightly to be informed in and to be affected with the doctrine of the resurrection and the life and of Christs power in it is of especiall use to comfort the sorrowfull and mourning friends of such as die in the faith I say to be informed to exclude ignorance and to be rightly informed to avoid errour I say first to be informed in it and then to be affected with it Because the information of the judgment must go before the motions of the will and that not only as a guide to conduct unto the right end but also as a counseller to advise unto the proper meanes and also as Gods minister in some sort to command that is not by any power or authority of its own but by manifesting what is the will of God whereunto our wills are to be subject and by proposing the promises and threats either to quicken the dullnesse or to check the unrulinesse of our affections And I say both to be rightly informed and affected because both are necessary To have the mind inlightned and the heart not affected is to have light without life and much affection without knowledge is but distempered passion Jam. 3.6 not unlike to hell fire which hath much heat but no light There is neither profit nor comfort in the want of either But to have the mind rightly informed in the truth of the docrine of the resurrection and the life and of Christs power and interest in it and to have the heart sincerely affected with it quiets the minde and revives the spirit And he that layeth his friend in the grave being perswaded of his interest in Christ will have his fears so tempered with hope and his grief with patience as it is with the husbandman Amos 9.13 in a time of peace when the plowman overtakes the reaper and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed Jam. 1.2 The believer is allwayes sowing and reaping together he reaps good out of evil and comforts from crosses and joy in temptations The life of a christian is much like unto that of those Troglodites in Ethiopia amongst whom it is said toto anno seritur ac metitur All the year they are sowing and reaping Scalig. Exercit 249. distinct 2. The use of this piont is to shew the vast difference that is between the sunerall mournings of Christians and heathens The heathens indeed made death a Goddesse because of her power beatting down all before her but yet they gave her no divine honours nor temple nor priest nor altar nor sacrifice nor festivall dayes because they looked upon her as one that did them all the mischief and from whom they hoped for no good And for a like reason they crowned Pluto by whom they signified death or the grave with the leaves of the Cypress tree The like is said of the Piâ—e tree which also for that cause is used by some for an emblem of death which as they say is a tree of that nature that being once cut down never buds nor grows again And therefore it is not to be marvelled at if they exceeded in sorrow for their dead Since it is manifest they were men without hope But for Christians it ought not to be so with them To such the Apostle speaks Brethren I would not have you to sorrow even as others which have no hope 1 Thes 4.13 Eph. 2.12 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thes 4.13 14. They that die in the faith die in the Lord they sleep in Jesus Christ is still their head and they his members and if he be risen they must needs rise also As long as the head is above water the members cannot be drowned The heathen complaind that their dead were ingratefull Flebant Ver. Aeued l. 6. cineri ingrato suprema ferebant Though they cryed never so loud yet there was no reply though they performed never so many rites and services yet there was no return but for believers their faith speakes when they are dead Heb. 11.4 Their faith in God their covenant with God their prayers to him and all that ever they did or suffered for God are written in Gods book and are as so many speaking remembrancers before the Lord. Exod. 17.14 1 Sam. 15.2 Isa 37.35 Exod. 20.5 6. Deut. 9.27 Wicked mens evill works speak also but it is for vengeance upon their wicked off-spring the speaking of believers is for good to their posterity that walke in the same faith 2. Use This shewes what they are concerning whom their friends may thus comfort themselves in their death they are beliâ—â—â—rs and none but they None but such as believe in Jesus do sleep in Jesus and none but such as sleep in Jesus will God bring with him If ever we desire that our friends may have any thing to comfort themselves withall concerning us when we are dead we must be of the number of those that die in the faith otherwise we leave our friends comfortlesse and to mourn without hope But here it may be questioned 1 What is it to die in the faith 2 Who are they that as we may judge do die in the faith For answer 1 To die in the faith is to die in a constant dependance and reliance on the truth and faithfullnesse of God in the promises for remission of sins and life eternal in Christ in whom all the proses are yea and amen that is made and
God of Israel it is not forgotten Be you therefore perswaded to be alwayes doing of more good your selves lest you should be found guilty of the same neglect you condemn in others And intreat the Lord with all earnestness that whereever he gives a large estate he would also give a large heart or else it is but in vain for us to looke for a large hand I hope that which hath been spoken may be of some use for the support of such as are mourning over their dead But yet if any shall exceed the last observation raised from the text relatively considred may be of some advantage to them Which is this When any are apt to exceed in mourning over their friends dead body wishing it might be restored again to life temporal It is seasonable to mind them of the most effectual meanes of raising up their own dead souls unto life spiritual and eternal Thus dealt Jesus Christ with Martha here she is ever minding and speaking of the death of her brother and of the raising up of his body And Christ takes her off to a more serious and profitable consideration of the spirituall and in some respect dead estate of her own soul and of the meanes of quickning and raising it up to the perfection of life spiritual and eternal And believe it this is the greatest concernment we have to look after even the resurrection of our souls and to that end we are to lay hold upon Christ by faith which is the only means of raising up and quickning dead souls He that live and believeth in me shall never die Believest thou this saith Jesus Christ to Martha Thou hearest that Christ is the resurrection of the body from death temporall and of death spiritual and eternall and that he that believeth in him shall never die but doest thou believe Believest thou this What would it have availed Martha if Christ should have raised up Lazarus his dead body frow the grave and have left her own foul to lie dead in sin And what would it availe us if Christ should now raise our dead friend to life temporall and not raise our dead souls unto life eternall Let us stirre up our selves to take hold on God let us live the life of faith and we shall be so far from being over grieved at the death of our friend that we shall joyfully entertain our own We shall be as willing to leave the world as the tired mariner is to leave the sea after he hath been spent with the tediousness of a long dangerous voyage after he hath passed many a painfull day and tedious night and bitter storme with much longing expexctation and yet sees no land If at length he once more comes within ken of that his whished shore how is he then ready to leap for joy and to cry out with him in the poet Italiam Italiam primus conclamat Achates Virg. Aneid l. 3. Oh my friends my companions be of good chear behold I see I see that so long lookt for and desired shore Behold yonder is the place of our rest the habitation of our parents and wives and children and kinred and friends It seems to me as if I saw how they rejoyce at our arrivall Oh slack not but hast that we may be in their bosomes Even so is it with the dying believer he is come within sight of heaven and is ready to cry out with Steven even then when his enraged enemies were round about him and that cut to the heart and gnashing on him with their teeth He can then cry out and say looking up stedfastly unto heaven Behold I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing on the right hand of God How willing and cheerfull is he to bid the troublesom inconstant and envious world adieu being now ready to enter into that haven of rest the armes of his saviour Let us be sound and stedfast in the faith let us be servent in charity constant lively and a bounding even to the full assurance of hope Let us live in a conscionable and cheerfull exercise of every grace and let patience have her perfect work for asmuch as we know in so doing our labour will not be in vain in the Lord. This will evidence that we have our part in the first resurrection and blessed and holy are such for over them the second death shall have no power FINIS Curteous READER These bookes following are printed for and sold by Edward Prwster at the Crane in Pauls Church-yard 1661. MR. Elton his Commentary on the 7.8 9. Chap. of the Romans foll Mr. Hildersham his 108. Lectures on 4th Iohn foll Mr. Hildersham his Lectures on 51. Psal foll Mr. Georg Newton his Commentary on Iohn 17. foll Dr. Iermium on all the Proverbs foll Bp. Williams his right way to the best Religion wherein at large is explayned the principle heads of the Gospel foll The Largest Church Bible foll Mr. Pryns Hidden works of darknesse brought to light foll Mr. Ball his Treatise of the nature and life of faith 4. Mr. Ball his larg and small Catt 8. Mr. Bonthams Christian conflict Mr. Baxter of Crucifying the world by the crosse of Christ 4. Dr. Burges several select sermons preched before the Parliament 4. A collection of several select sermons preched before the Parliament 4. Mr. Cawdrey of the Inconsistency of the Independent way with Scripture and its self 4. Mr. Cawdrey he Answers to G. Firmium about Baptisme The Agreement of the associated Ministers of Essex and Chester Canans Calamity or the destruction of of Ierusalem 4. Mr. Coohe learned Treatise of Babtisme 4. Mr. Collye of the Salbate and against free admission to the sacrament severall sermons of Mr. Paul Baycon Mr. Barlowes guid to Glory 4. Mr. Calvin on Ieremiah 4. Mr. Negus of faith and obediance 4. Mr. Ienkins sermons 4. Mr. Ienkins his answer to Iohn Goodwin 4. Mr. Gattaker against Lilly 4. Galleni Opuscula Varia Annotonic 4. Spelinam consilia foll Spelinam Psalterium Saxonicum 4. Mr. Geree against Anababtists 4. Mr. Josselynes state of the Saints departed Gods cordiall to comfort the Saints remaining a live 8. Mr. Randoll on 8th Romans 4. Mr. Randoll on the Church 4. Dr. Hollidayes Motives to a good life in ten sermons 4. Mr. Rutherfords divine right of Church Government 4. Dr. Potter of the Number 666. 4. There is now in the presse a book entituled Fides Catholica or a vindication of the Church of England c. by Mr. William Annand Minister of Gods word at Leighton in Bedford-shere