them But wherein consists the happinesse of our friends who are departed in the Lord I shall shew this in two particulars First in the evils that they are freed from by death Secondly In the good things that they are put into the present possession of so that their happinesse is both privative and positive What are the evils that they are freed from by death They may be reduced to these seven heads First They are freed from worldly cares businesses and troubles For its Gods institution since the fall that every one shall live either by the sweat of his brain or by the sweat of his brow And Eliphaz tells us that man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward Job 5. 7. and the Apostle tells us that he that careth not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denied the Faith and is worse than an Infidel 1 Tim. 5. 8. So then whilst we live here we cannot be free from multiplicity of cares businesses and troubles The world is like a tempestuous Sea where troubles succeed one another as one wave follows another Dolor voluptas Invicem cedunt brevior voluptas Joy and sorrow as one wittily saith make chequered work in our lives Sorrow bedews our cheeks with tears and joy wipes them off again Our condition in this life is not unlike to that of the Israelites in the wildernesse where they met with many troubles dangers and occasions of sorrow Are we hurt then if by a tempest of sicknesse we are driven out of the Sea of this world into the safe harbour of the grave the onely place where the weary are at rest Job 3. 17. where they enter into peace and rest in their beds Isa. 57. 2. For which cause amongst others they are pronounced blessed by God himself Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours Indeed the messenger of death is to most men and women very terrible but to a dying believer then acting faith it s nothing so but it s entertained by him as a welcome messenger sent from the Father to a child at nurse to bring it home where it shall be better provided for whilst it transmits him from all his cares and sorrowes into that place and state of blisse where all tears shall be wiped from his eyes and he shall never sorrow more Revel. 21. 4. Secondly they are freed from the company and society of the wicked which whilst they lived was a cause of much sorrow to them and that First because of their sins which were a continual grief to their godly hearts Hence David professeth that Rivers of waters ran down his eyes because men kept not Gods Law Psal 119. 136. and the Apostle Peter tells us that just Lot was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked For saith he that righteous man dwelling amongst them in seeing hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds 2 Pet. 2. 7 8 Gods children are so tender of their Fathers honour that they cannot see or hear his Name blasphemed his truths adulterated his Sabbaths profaned his Ministers and Ordinances despised c. but it goes like so many daggers to their hearts neither can they be free from such occasions of sorrow whilest they continue in this wicked world death only removes such objects of grief from them Secondly Because of the wrongs injuries and persecutions which they meet with from them These Goats will be pushing at Christs Sheep sometimes wounding them in their good names sometimes wronging them in their estates and othersometimes raising greater persecutions against them For the Apostle tells us that this is the portion of all Gods children in this life All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3. 12. and our Saviour Christ tells his Disciples that the time should come that whosoever killed them should think that he did God service Joh. 16. 2. Thus Cain persecuted Abel Ismael Isaac yea which of the Prophets or Apostles did not the wicked of their times persecute This made David to cry out Wo is me that I fojourn in Mesech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace Psal. 120. 5 6. But now in the grave the wicked cease from troubling There the prisoners rest together and hear not the voice of the oppressour Job 3. 17 18. Thirdly Death frees them from evils to come God herein dealing as Parents use who have children forth at nurse or at school when troubles or dangerous diseases come into those places where their children are they send for them home that they may be in safety So God many times takes his children out of this world that he may secure them from imminent dangers Or as when our houses are in danger of firing we remove our treasure and jewels in the first place into places of more security So where God wrath s like fire is breaking in upon a place he removes his children to heaven as to a place of greater safety It s the fathers love and care saith one then hastily to snatch away his child when the wilde Bull is now broken loose and running upon him The wise Husband-man hastens to get in his corn before the storm cometh or the swine be turned out into the field to root up all This is that which the Lord by the Prophet Isaiah long since assured us of Isa. 57. 1. The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and merciful men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come As it was a sign that Sampson meant to pull down the house upon the heads of the Philistines when he pulled down the Pillars that bare up the roof So its a shrewd sign that God intends to ruine a State when he takes away those that were the Pillars and props of it When Methusala died the flood came upon the old world when Josias was gathered to his Fathers the Babylonish captivity hastened When S. Augustine died Hippo was taken and sackt by the Vandals and Heidleburg by the Spaniards shortly after the death of Pareus Fourthly Death frees them from all sicknesses Diseases pains and all other bodily distempers It cures the blind eyes the deaf ears the dumb tongue the lame legs the maimed hands c. It easeth the tormenting stone the painful gout the aking head the intolerable twisting of the guts the loathsome strangury c. Death to the godly is the best Physician it cures them not of one disease but of all and of all at once and of all for ever yea it cures them of death it self Fifthly it frees them from the fiery darts and temptations of Satan from which they cannot be free whilst they live here For the whole world is the Devils Diocesse He goes to and fro in the
earth and walketh up and down in it Job 1. 7. yea as a roaring lion he walketh about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. No place can exempt us from his tentations whilst we live in this world He assaulted Adam in Paradise Lot in the Cave David in his Palace Josuah the high Priest in the presence of the Angel of the Lord Christ in the wildernesse Peter in the High Priests hall c. But when Death comes these Egyptians which you have seen to day ye shall see them again no more for ever Exod. 14. 13. Satan shall never more molest Gods children after this life is ended Hence saith Saint Ambrose Diabolus per quod potestatem habuit victus est The Devil who had the power of death Heb. 2. 14. hath by death his power abrogated and abolished Sixthly Death frees them from Gods frowns which sin often exposeth them to here and which to a child of God is more terrible than death it self For if in Gods favour is life as David affirms Psal. 30. 5. then in his frowns is death yea if Gods loving kindness is better than life Psal. 63. 3. then his frowns are worse than death There are no outward or corporal afflictions but a resolute and Roman spirit will stand under them the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity Prov. 18. 14. but the frowns of God and tokens of his displeasure are intolerable A wounded spirit who can bear It made David roar Psal. 32. 3. Hezekiah chatter Isa. 38. 14. yea Christ himself to sweat drops of congealed blood and to cry out in the anguish of his soul My God my God why hast thou forsaken me But after death the light of Gods countenance shines perpetually upon them and shall never admit either of a cloud or Eclipse when Lazarus died he who lay groveling at the rich mans gate was found in Abrahams bosome in a place of warmest love For seeing by Death Gods children are freed from corruptions therefore after death they have no need of Gods frowns or corrections Seventhly Death frees them from the very being and existence of sin At death the spirits of just men are made perfect Heb 12. 23. The death of their body delivers them from the body of death Death and sin do not meet in a child of God but so part that when the one comes the other is gone for ever As when Sampson died the Philistines died with him so when a child of God dies all his sins die with him Hence Ambrose saith Quid est mors nisi peccatorum sepultura what is death but the grave of our sins wherein they are all buried Thus death doth that at once which grace doth by degrees Grace indeed when it is once wrought in the heart under the conduct of the spirit it resists and fights against sin and gives it such mortal wounds that it never fully recovers again It dejects it from its regency but cannot eject it from its inherency It frees us from the raigning of sin but cannot free us from the remaining of sin After regeneration sin hath not dominion over us But yet there is a law in our members warring against the law of our minds and many times leading us captive unto the law of sin that is in our members so that we cannot do the good that we would but the evil that we hate that do we Rom. 7. 19. 23. But when death comes it wholly extirpates sin root and branch and not one or some few sins but all sin and that not for a time only but for ever when the souls of Gods children are dis-lodged from their bodies this troublesome and incroaching inmate shall be dis-lodged and thrust out of doors for ever Hence one saith Peccatum peperit mortem filia devoravit matrem Sin at first begat and brought forth death and death at last destroys sin as the worm kills the tree that bred it And as Bernard saith Death which before was porta inferni the trap-door of Hell is now introitus Regni the porch that lets us into heaven And Mr. Brightman saith what was before the Devils Sergeant to drag us to hell is now the Lords Gentleman-Usher to conduct us to heaven Thus I have shewed you in these seven particulars what are the evils that Gods children are freed from by death Now in the next place I will endeavour to shew you the priviledges that at death they are invested in and the good things that they are put into the present possession of But yet this must be premised that if I had the tongue and pen of men and Angels yet should I come far short of that which I aim at For whatsoever can be said of heaven is not one half as the Queen of Sheba said of Solomons magnificence of what we shall finde in that City of Pearl To expresse it saith a reverend Divine is as impossible as to compasse heaven with a span or to contain the Ocean in a nutshel And Chrysostom speaking of the happinesse of the Saints in heaven saith Sermo non valet exprimere experimento opus est words cannot expresse it we must have trial of it before we can know it But yet that which I shall say of it is contained in these six particulars First Death invests Gods children with perfection of all graces Here we know but in part we prophesie but in part But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13. 9 10. It 's true when God first regenerates and sanctifies us we have perfection of parts there is no grace wanting that is necessary to life and salvation For God doth none of his works by the halves But yet we attain not to perfection of degrees till death comes whilst we live here we are exhorted to adde grace to grace 2 Pet. 1 5 6 7. and one degree of grace to another We are commanded to grow in grace and in the knowledge of eur Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3. 18. To make a daily progress till we come unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Ephes. 4. 13. But yet when we have done all that we can our faith is mixed with doubtings our love to God with love of the world our tears in repentance need washing in the blood of Christ our humility is mixed with pride our patience with murmurings and all our other graces have defects in them But in death they are all perfected and thereby we are put into a far better condition than we were capable of in this life Secondly Death puts the Saints into the present possession of Heaven a stately place into which there never did or can enter any unclean thing No dirty dog ever trampled upon this golden pavement It 's called Paradise Luke 23. 43. Indeed Paradise which God made for Adams palace though the stateliest place that ever the eye of mortal man
to be comforted and said For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning Sorrow indeed and lamentation are the dues of the dead but it ought not to exceed either for measure or duration neither should we mourn so much for our friends departed as for our sins against God But our child that is snatched away by death was young and might have lived not only to have been a great comfort to us and the staff of our old age but very instrumental to Gods glory First we must not take upon us to be wiser than God or to teach him as when to give us children so how long to continue them unto us It 's his Royal Prerogative that He may do with his own what he pleaseth They are not so much our children as Gods Ezek. 16. 21. He doth but put them forth to us to nurse and may send for them home when he pleaseth We who are parents would not take it well if having set forth a child to nurse when we send for it home the nurse should refuse to part with it and grow into impatiency when we take it away Neither can God take it well at our hands Secondly Was your child young when he died Yet remember that it was Gods mercy to spare him so long For life is not long enough to deserve the title of time Eccles. 3. 2. There is a time to be born and a time to die He doth not say There is a time to be born and a time to live Death borders upon our births and as one saith Our Cradles stand in our graves Multos ostendunt terris bona fata nec ultra Esse sinunt finisque ab origine pendet God deals with some as a skilful Limner doth with his Master-piece brings it and sets it forth to be gazed at and admired by the multitude and after a while draws a curtain over it and carrieth it back into his house again so God sends some whom he endows with admirable parts to be looked upon and wondred at by the world and then draws the sable curtain of Death over them and takes them into his own habitation in heaven Indeed the longest liver hath but a short cut from the grave of the womb to the womb of the grave Orimur morimur we are born we die And considering the frailty of our lives it 's no marvel that we die so soon it 's rather a marvel that we escaped so long For Mors ubique nos expectat Death waits for us at every turn In the fields in the streets in our houses in our beds c. Mille modis morimur we come but one way into the world but we may go out a thoufand wayes Thirdly Did your child die young yet if he was ripe for heaven he lived till he was old enough Hierom saith of a godly young man that in brevi vitae spatio tempora virtutum multa replevit He lived long in a little time And indeed some live more in a moneth or two then others do in many years A good man saith reverend Doctor Preston prolongs his dayes though he dies young because he is ripe before he is taken from the tree He even falls into the hands of God that gathers him They that die soon in Gods fear and favour though as grapes they be gathered before they be ripe and as lambs slain before they be grown up yet besides the happinesse of heaven they have this advantage that they be freed from the violence of the wine-press that others fall into and escape many rough storms that others meet with Fourthly Did God take away your dear relation whilst he was young What then Hath God anywhere promised that all shall live till they be old Is not mortality the stage of mutability Doth not experience shew us that man is but the dream of a dream but an empty vanity but the curious picture of nothing but a poor feeble dying flash In Golgotha there are skulls of all sizes Bernard tells us Senibus mors in januis adolescentibus in insidiis Death stands at old mens doors and it lies in wait to surprize young men also It 's like lightning that blasts the green corn as well as the dry like the thunder-bolt that dasheth in pieces new and strong buildings as well as old Do you not know that as for our lands so for our lives we are but Gods tenants at will Mans life is his day and we see by experience that dayes are not all of a length but some longer some shorter Death is the Lady and Empress of all the World and from her sentence the youngest cannot appeal As the Rivers haste to the Sea and the Stars to the West so man hastens to the grave It's Domus Conventionis the House of Parliament where all estates and ages meet together Hence it is that we are exhorted to gather Manna in the morning of our lives To remember our Creator in the dayes of our youth Eccles. 12. 1. To present our first-fruits to God whose soul desires the first ripe fruits Micah 7. 1. and who will remember the kindnesse of our youth the love of our esponsals Jer. 2. 2. He would be served with the Primrose of our years and therefore he made choice of the Almond-tree Jer. 1. 11. because it blossometh first of all others and truly we have reason to obey his precepts and answer his expectation if we rightly consider the brevity of our lives Must we keep a mean in our mourning for our deceased friends This then may exhort and perswade parents to be careful in training up their children in the faith and fear of God in bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Ephes. 6. 4. and to labour to promote and see the work of grace in their souls that so if they die before them as oft-times they do they may have hope in their death and so not sorrow as do others that have no hope Probably this much aggravated David's sorrow for Absalon that he had cockered and not corrected him in his childhood and he now saw him taken away in his sinne and rebellion whereby he could have no hope of the Salvation of his soul So should all other relations do endeavouring to be heirs together of the grace of life that so when death makes a divorce betwixt them they may leave a well-grounded hope to their friends of their blessed estate and condition which cannot but much moderate their mourning for them It reproves and justly blames such as upon the loss of their godly friends give too much way to Satans tentations and their own corruptions whereby they become immoderate and excessive in their sorrow to the dishonour of God the disgrace of their profession the dis-fitting themselves both for the service of God and man in the duties of their general and particular Callings to the prejudice of the health of their bodies for
but moum moderately for those which die in the Lord and say with holy Job The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord How much better cause have such than Tully to cry out O praeclarum diem cum ad illud animorum concilium coetumque proficiscar cum ex hac turba colluvione discedam O what a brave and bright day is it to our friends when they go to the Congregation-house of blessed spirits and walk no longer in the way of this world which is like the land of Chabul dirty and dangerous Like the the vale of Siddim slimy and slippery full of lime-pits and pit-falls snares and stumbling-blocks laid by Satan to maim and mischief them Here is comfort also to the Parents and Relations of this young Gentleman now with the Lord in that they have and may have a well-grounded hope of his now blessed estate in heaven could he speak to you you should hear him saying Weep not for me but weep for your selves for I have made a blessed change and am gone from night to day from darkness to light from sorrow to sollace and from a troublesome world to a Heaven of happinesse And this brings me to the last thing which I intended which is to speak something of our deceased brother But before I begin I thought fit to make this profession That I shall speak nothing of him but what I either observed in him my self or have from the faithful relations of those which were neerer about him the truth of whose testimony I dare not call into question And what I shall speak of him I shall reduce to these two heads First to shew you what were his priviledges Secondly what improvement he made of them His priviledges were these First that he was born of godly parents Et nasci ex piis parentibus non minima laus est To be born of godly parents as it 's no small praise so it 's no small priviledg The glory of children are their parents saith Solomon Prov. 14. 6. It was a great honour to Jacob that he could swear by the fear of his Father Isaac To David that he could say I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid Psal. 116. 16. To Timothy that the same faith that was in him dwelt first in his mother and Grand-mother 2 Tim. 1. 5. To those children whose mother Saint John stiles the elect Lady To Mark that he was Barnabas's sisters son To Alexander and Rufus that they were children to Simon of Cyrene Mar. 15. 21. Now the priviledge of such children consists in these two things First that they have the godly example of their parents as a copy or continual pattern for their imitation and experience tells us that childrens manners are much moulded by the examples of their parents It s reported of the Harts of Scythia that they teach their young ones to leap from bank to bank from rock to rock and from one turfe to another by leaping before them by which means when they are hunted no beast can overtake them So godly parents by giving a good example of piety to their children when they are young preserve them from Satan that mighty hunter that he shall never have them for his prey Secondly Children of believing parents are by vertue of their parents copy Gods gracious entail within the compass of the Covenant as appears Gen. 17. 7. I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee and Psal. 112. 2. David speaking of the blessedness of that man that feareth the Lord adds His seed shall be mighty upon earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed and Act. 2. 39. Peter tells us the promise is made to you and to your children and Paul to the same purpose adds If the first fruit be holy the lump is also holy and if the root be holy so are the branches Rom. 11. 16. Secondly a second priviledge was that presently after his coming into the world he was by the care of his godly parents presented before and dedicated unto God being made a visible member of the Church by Baptisme which is called a Laver of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. yea Baptisme is said to save us 1 Pet. 3. 21. To wit Sacramentally because it seals up salvation to the believer Mar. 16. 16. and it is of perpetual and permanent use to him for that purpose throughout his whole life ut scaturigo semper ebulliens as a Fountain bubling up to eternal life And truly this his priviledge was the greater if we consider how many poor Infants are deprived of it through the default of their parents in these last and worst of times who yet pretend much to Religion Thirdly that with Timothy from a child he was taught to know the Scriptures which are able to make one wise to salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15. and his Christian parents were the more careful to instruct him therein because themselves had found it fit milk for babes 1 Pet. 2. 2. dainty and delicious food sweeter than hony Psal. 119. 103. wells of salvation Isa. 12. 3. Breasts of consolation Isa. 66. 11. the hony-drops of Christs mouth Cant. 4. 11. To be preferred before gold and silver Psal. 19. 11. Before pearls aad rubies Prov. 3. 15. Before all other learning Deut. 4. 6. They knew that the Scriptures are a lamp to our feet as saith David Psal. 119. 105. Gods Epistle to us as saith Gregory The souls food as Athanasius The souls physick as Chrysostome The invariable rule of truth as Irenaeus c. their care therefore was so to acquaint him with them from his childhood that he might love them as his sister Prov. 7. 4. that he might be ready in them and have them alwayes as Saul had his spear at his boulster as David had his stones at hand in his scrip And thus according to the Apostles rule Ephes. 6. 4. he was brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Fourthly It was his priviledge and happinesse to be brought forth in such a time and to be brought up in such a City wherein he enjoyed more plentiful means of grace and salvation than he could have done in former times and I dare boldly say in any other City or place in the Christian world besides We read of Plato that when he drew neer unto his death he rejoyced and gave God thanks for three things First for that he had made him a reasonable man and not a bruit beast Secondly a Greek and not a Barbarian And thirdly that he was born in the time of Socrates from whom be had learned many good instructions How much more cause had this Gentleman to praise God for making him a man a Christian and a Londoner at such a time as this
and affable nature and loving and courteous disposition Of his indefatigable diligence in his imployments and shunning yea hating of idlenesse I shall only adde one word more of his ingeniousnesse in and the usefulnesse of his recreations which were divers one while he exercised himself in the Art of Dialling another while he applied himself to Musick But I shall say no more of these because he attained not to any perfection in them that which he followed with most diligence and delight was the Art of Drawing Painting and Limning whereof he hath left many very good Pieces for so young a Practitioner and had he lived longer probably he would have attained to a great perfection therein He had also a Poëtical Vein whereof I shall give you a taste by and by His meditation upon the History of Christs Transfiguration Matth. 17. 1 c. Jesus Christ is so willing that we should have communion with him in this life that he takes us up into his most secret retirements Prayer is a divine ascention and whosoever would pray spiritually must have an holy elevation of spirit to meet God in that duty High Turrets of faith and mountains of graces are the real helps in prayer In prayer we are sure to enjoy Gods presence It 's a sure way to see God face to face and if I may so say in his natural complexion we may meet with God as Moses did in the Mount Sinai of Prayer It was in the Mount praying when the fashion of Christs countenance was altered It is in the mountain of prayer that Christs purity appeareth more and more to a believer Never more whitenesse do believers see in Christ then in their prayers to him In this life the Saints have a taste of the glistering and whitenesse of his out-side But in the life to come it is that they have immediate fruition of himself In this life we only see a sudden transfiguration to stay our stomacks as I may say till hereafter at what time we shall see him as he is and if this transfiguration appears white He began to write a Book in Verse which he calls Spuma Musarum which he purposed to dedicate to his Father and Mother I shall only give you an account of the first Verses in it that by them you may judge of the rest Rete venatur ventos To hunt the winds with a net Thou that do'st strive the windes with net to catch Unfruitful labours to thy self do'st hatch What! catch the wind If caught thou 'lt not enjoy Thy dear times worth to purchase such a toy And when y' have done look in your net you 'l find All that remains is folly yea and wind Many littles make a mickle 'T is Unity brings strength if then you 'ld have Strong Noble Vertues Vices to outbrave Unite your weak-limb'd forces and you 'l see Many a little will a mickle be T. B. FINIS Upon the death of that pious young Gentleman Mr. Thomas Bewlije Thomas Beulije Anagram O beati humiles If either Fate or Fortune had Made such a breach among us I should have call'd them blind or mad Or envious thus to wrong us I should have in my showers of tears exprest A weeping eye with furious anger drest That when in all the garden did But one choice flower appear It should be thus nipt in the bud Who can with patience bear But most in that in this one flower alone The sole hope of the Root is overthrown But stay it was a better hand More sacred and more wise Then Fate or Fortune can command Those Heathen-Deities The root 's not dead the flower is but transplanted With added beauty which before it wanted And happy they who humbly can submit To Him whose Wisdom hath transplanted it Thomas Beulye Anagram Thy Love-beams THY LOVE-BEAMS Lord so strongly shone on me That I impatient was of more delayes But needs must leave the Earth to go and see The sacred Fountain of those glorious rayes Thomas Beulie Anagram The Smile above * * The posie of the Ring given at the Funeral Set your affections on things above Not things of sence It was THE SMILE ABOVE loadstone of love That drew me hence Ad Parentes Thomas Beaulie Anagram Leave me as I both LEAVE ME AS I BOTH you 't is for our gain When you know how I do you 'l not complain Thomas Bewlie Anagram I 'me well as both I 'ME WEL AS BOTH you can be nay I am Better because triumphing with the Lamb Yet I 'me not gone for ever our parting is Till Death unlock for you this door of bliss J. C. A. M. On the Death of that Ingenious industrious and pious young Gentleman Mr. Thomas Bewlie Junior OH death of terrors King could nothing move Thee to suspend this stroak no not the love Nor cries of Parents Tutor Friends and all That knew his worth and now bemoan his fall Nor 's age but eighteen years nor that estate To which this onely Sonne was destinate Not's active soul and hand nor 's nimble head Nor 's skill in Common-Law could thee out-plead Nor 's tongues nor 's Logick nor 's Philosophy Nor 's drawing Limning nor his Poetry Not disposition sweet nor 's gracious heart Not's love to God! nor that he did impart To Saints not's pity great to poor and such As age and chance with want afflicted much No! Servant like thou but to passe didst bring The Counsel wise of God his Soveraign King Who at this time and thus hath cropt this Rose With 's hand of love and giv'n't a safe repose In heaven above where he doth clearly see What in his Mountain thoughts he spied to be Then cease you Parents Tutor Friends to waile He is with God your grief cannot avail Another VIew underneath this stone a fancy choice Invention good a Sed'lous hand to poise The greatest things a mind made wise by grace And Tongues with Arts not Scantlingly t' embrace His Parents joy now grief his kindreds losse O' th' Bewlies Phoenix here remains the drosse On the Death of his dear Friend and cousen Mr. Thomas Bewley Junior Gent. ARt fled dear Soul and is thy purer breath Become a Victime ah too rich for death Could not the Riv'lets from thy Parents eyes Prevail for once to drown the destinies Or 's death so envious that th' art onely shown Cropt like a bud before thou wer 't well blown Envious indeed in that he doth deny Us the enjoyment of thy company Which joyn'd with goodnesse and a candid mind Must few Aequators no Ascendent find But here methinks injustice taints my will In that while worth'less I would take my fill In Traffique sure Divine of which each part Throughout thy Soul might make a sev'ral Mart. I envy thee that perfect happy shore To which on earth 't was thy desire to soaere Injust perhaps it seems yet let me say That though I could have wish'd a longer stay So great 's thy gain in thy friends greatest losse That wee 'l conjoyn the harp unto the crosse To thee thy parents greatest love did run A fit Meridian for affections Sun And nature will have vent perhaps immerse Their eyes in tears attending on thy Herse Yet should but an Impartial Judge stand by He 'd think your tears from passions contrary Proceeded that that seeming dismal sound Did not through sorrow but through joy abound That 's love indeed if Parents don't complain At their own losse if 't be their childrens gain 'Twixt Joy and Sorrow T. E. Doct. Doct. Doct. Doct. Doct. Dr Tuck Doct. Doct. Doct. Doct. Doct. Doct. Doct. Quest Answ Object Ans. Quest Answ Quest Answ Dr. Sâ—ought Dr. Tuckney Rev. 21. 2â— Rev. 22. 20. Dr. Hall Dr. Reynold Mr. Trapp Quest Answ Object Answ Gen. 37. 35. Object Answ Vse 1 Pet. â— 7. Vse Joh 14. 28. Mr. Baines Object Answ Psa. 119. 60. Vse Gen. 31. 53. Mr. Pat. Drummond
it s a duty to mourn for the dead For as a reverend and learned Doctor saith sorrow and lamentation is the dues of the dead It is fit that the body when it s sown in corruption should be watered with the tears of them that plant it in the earth and to be without natural affections is an Heathenish sin Rom. 1. 31. and one of those that make these later times perilous 2 Tim. 3. 3. From whence we may observe It s lawful to mourn and sorrow upon the death of our friends and relations Our Lord Christ himself wept at the death of Lazarus Joh. 11. 35. And the Church made great lamentation for Stephen Act. 8. 2. And the widdows wept for Dorcas Act. 9. 39. And Paul sorrowed when Epaphroditus was deadly sick Phil. 2. 27. Seventhly As do others that have no hope i. e. as the Heathen do which are ignorant of these things Hence The Heathen use to be immoderate in their mourning for the dead becaue they want a hope of the present blessednesse of their souls and the future resurrection of their bodies Forbidden Gods people Lev. 19. 27 28. Eightly But I would not have you do so saith the Apostle Hence Christians which know these things must be moderate in their mourning Ninthly Vers 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again c. Hence observe first The resurrection of Christs body from the dead is a sure and certain pledge and evidence of the resurrection of out bodies So the holy Apostle Paul makes it 1 Cor. 15. 12 c. If Christ be preached that he rose from the dead how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead But if there be no resurrection of the dead then Christ is not risen and verse 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept c. Tenthly Even so them also which sleep in Jesus Hence observe That the bodies of the Saints departed sleep in the arms of Jesus He takes care of all the bones yea of the very dust of his Saints that none of it shall be wanting when he comes to raise their bodies again at the last day Our bodies even whilst they lie in the grave are members of Christ and therefore it s no marvel though he takes such care of them Eleventhly Will God bring with him Whence I gather That when Christ shall come to judgment then shall the resurrection of our bodies be This is an Article of our faith It was typified by the budding and blossoming of Aarons dry rod By Jonas deliverance out of the belly of the Fish where he had been three dayes and three nights It was believed by the Patriarchs of old Heb. 11. 13. And its an infallible truth that these bodies of ours that are sown in corruption shall be raised in incorruption 1 Cor. 15. 42. And for our further security Enoch before the flood and Elijah after the flood were taken into heaven in their bodies Neither indeed is this contrary to reason though it be above the reach of reason For why cannot Christ as well raise a body out of the dust as at first he made it out of the dust especially considering that the soul is preserved in heaven for this very end to be joyned to the body again This Job was confident of Job 19. 26 27. Though after my skin wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God c. Nay it s not contrary to the course of nature For we yearly see that the resurrection of the Spring succeeds the dead Winter the day the night and thou fool the corn that thou sowest is not quickned except it die saith Paul 1 Cor. 15. 36. and the same Apostle tells us Rom. 8. 11. That if the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in us he that raised up Christ from the dead shall quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in us Besides Christ is the second Adam and as we did bear the image of the first Adam in corruption so we must bear the Image of the second Adam in glory 1 Cor. 15 22. 45 49. Twelfthly But that which is the principal thing that I intend to insist on is a Doctrine held forth to us in the latter end of the fourteenth verse That ye sorrow not as do others that have no hope Whence A well-grounded hope of the happinesse of our friends deceased should moderate our mourning for them This without question moderated Abrahams mourning for Sarah Mourn indeed he did for the text saith Gen. 23. 2. that Sarah died and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her but that he kept a mean in his mourning appears by the next words v. 3 4. And Abraham stood up from before his dead and bespake a burying place to bury his dead out of his sight and this he did that the object being removed his sorrow might be mitigated This also moderated Josephs and the Israelites mourning for Jacob Gen. 50. 1. where it is said that Joseph fell upon his fathers face when he died and wept upon him and kissed him and vers. 10. it s said that Joseph and the Israelites made a mourning for him seven dayes but v. 3. It s said that the Egyptians who mourned as men without hope mourned for him threescore and ten dayes This also moderated Davids mourning for his child 2 Sam 12. 23. Now he is dead wherefore should I fast can I bring him back again I shall go to him but he shall not return to me And this was Martha's comfort when her dear Brother Lazarus was dead I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day Joh. 11. 24. In the prosecution of this Point I shall shew you First what is meant by a well-grounded hope Secondly Wherein the happinesse of our friends departed in the Lord consists Thirdly why the consideration of these things should put a mean to our mourning for them Fourthly I will answer some objections that may be made against it And fifthly make application of it For the first What do you call a well-grounded hope I use this Epithite to distinguish it from that ill-grounded hope wherewith so many do delude themselves as First because their friends were born of Christian Parents Baptized and brought up in the Church Secondly Because they had gotten some knowledge and made an outward profession of Religion Thirdly because they used to attend upon the publick ordinances and that with some seeming devotion Fourthly Because they were free from grosse sins and dealt justly with every man Fifthly Because they enjoyed outward peace and prosperity the Sun of God shining upon their Tabernacles Sixthly Because they died quietly like lambs and it may be went out of the world with some good words in their mouths Psal. 73. 4 5. There are no bands in
their death but their strength is firm they are not in trouble as other men From these and such like weak grounds they presume that their friends after death must needs go to heaven and therefore they comfort themselves and one another with these words whereas the truth is they may go to Hell after all these things Our Saviour Christ tells us Matt. 5. 20. that except our righteousnesse shall exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven And these men are so far from exceeding that they come short of the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees who were frequent in Alms-deeds in prayer in fasting Mat. 6. 2. 5. 16. and yet Christ calls them hypocrites Yea they made long prayers Matth. 23. 14. they compassed Sea and land to make one Proselyte v. 15. they payed even their smallest tithes v. 23. They outwardly appeared righteous unto men v. 28. they blamed their fathers for murthering the Prophets and by way of compensation to free themselves from the guilt they built Tombs for those Prophets and garnished the Sepulchres of the righteous v. 29. 30. notwithstanding all which Christ pronounceth many woes against them Thus we see what are ill-grounded hopes which prove but like a spiders web to those that trust in them I shall therefore in the next place shew you what is a well-grounded hope of the happinesse of our friends departed which consists in this When our deceased friends have in their life-time given us some good evidence of the work of grace and sanctification wrought in their hearts whereby we could discern that by Gods blessing upon the means their eyes were opened that they were turned from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God For then we may conclude that they have received forgivenesse of their sins and an inheritance amongst them that are sanctified by faith that is in Christ Act. 26. 18. But this work of grace being inward and secret how shall we be able to judge of it Our Saviour Christ gives us a rule for our direction in judging of others Mat. 7 16 17 18 19 20. Ye shall know them saith he by their fruits Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles even so every good tree brings forth good fruit but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them From whence we may gather that as wicked men for the most part may be known by their wicked lives so gracious persons may be known by their gracious lives For it s as easie to carry fire in our bosome or oil in our hands without discovery as grace in our hearts without the manifestation of it Now many signes might be given whereby we may judge of the work of grace in others but I shall content my self for the present with these three First if living with them we observe that they make conscience of and practise private and secret duties as well as publick Hypocrites when they do duties do all to be seen of men that they may have glory of men Matth. 6. 2. 5. 16. and therefore in their very private prayers they love to make them in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets v. 5. they have Jacobs voice but Esaus hands the Lord indeed is much in their mouths but far from their reines Jer. 12. 2. they lay claim to Christ but yet have no share in him they deeply affirm of him but have no manner of right to him their faith is but phansie their confidence but presumption they are like the mad man at Athens that laid claim to every ship that came into the Harbour when he had no part in any Like Haman that hearing the King would honour a man concluded but falsly that himself was the man or like Sisera that dreamed of a Kingdome whereas Jaels nail was neerer his temples then a crown and thus they deceive themselves with their shews and think to deceive others but Gods children can usually discern them and discover them to be like Harpyes that are said to have Virgins faces but Vulturs talons but on the contrary a sound-hearted Christian though he dare not neglect yea though he prefer the publick yet he also makes conscience of private duties and prayes to his Father in secret so that if we observe this in them its one good ground that they have the work of regeneration wrought in their hearts Secondly if we observe them that they labour to keep a conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men as Saint Paul professeth that he did Act. 24. 16. If they have had respect to all Gods commandments as David Psal. 119. 6. If they have made conscience of the duties of both Tables serving God in holinesse and righteousnesse all the days of their lives Luke 1. 75. hiring themselves unto him for term of life not desiring to change their Master knowing that they cannot mend themselves neither for fairnesse of work nor fulnesse of wages whereas an Hypocrite is versutulus versatilis he casts about how to deceive God and man with meer shews of devotion being not afraid to be damned so he may seem to be saved and seeking so long to deceive others that in fine he deceives his own soul Imposturam faciunt patiuntur as that Emperour said of them that sold glasse beads for pearl They deceive and are deceived Thirdly when we have heard them groaning and mourning under the remainders of corruption and the relicts of sin crying out with the holy Apostle Rom 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death When they have manifested their hatred against all sin and shunned every evil way saying with the wisest of men Prov. 8. 13. the fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogancy and every evil way do I hate whereas a dispensatory conscience is a naughty conscience Neither doth he Gods will but his own that doth no more nor no other then himself pleaseth as hypocrites use such holiday servants God cares not for Every one can swim in a warm Bath and every bird will sing in a Summers-day Judas will bear the Crosse so he may bear the bag and the carnal Capernaits will follow Christ for the loaves though not for love Joh. 6. 26. But Abraham will forsake all to follow God though he know not whither yea though God seems to go a cross way as when he promised him a land flowing with milk and honey and yet so soon as he came there he met with a famine Gen. 12. 10. If then you have observed these three things in your Christian friends whilst they lived you may have a well-grounded hope of their blessednesse after death which sure cannot but moderate your mourning for