the Sermon Bell. Nor was he thus desirous to Preach but as desirous that the word Preached might not slip out of the hearts or memories of such of the hearers as he conversed with turning all discourses to what was lately Preached saying that as the Bell when it was done ringing leaves a humming behind it so should Sermons after they are Preached He was a man mighty in Prayer he would often say a man of much Prayer was a man of much grace and a man of little Prayer was a a man of little grace As he was of a melted spirit in Prayer so he was another Jacob a great wrestler with God His Prayers were not only affectionate but very argumentative He had a very great excellency in pleading with God from Scripture Topicks which he would wonderfully improve And as his communion with God was great so the Lord did to admiration let out himself 〈◊〉 him not only eminently answering his prayers but revealing many secrets to him in and after prayer some of which for the encouragement and comfort of the Godly Reader I shall here take the liberty to relate In his younger years he had a Law-Sute with one about a Living he was possessed of of good value at last he was about to resign it as being unable to withstand so potent an adversary The people hearing of his resolution came to him and besought him that he would not but consider their precious Souls His tenderness was such that he held on the Sute to the expending of a very great summ of money and in the end was overcome His then Wife was much cast down for that so great a part of their estate was spent in that Sute whereupon being abroad one day hâ— besought the Lord exceeding earnestly to quiet his and her spirit with hiâ— providence whereupon he said hâ— saw the Skie open and heard a voicâ— which said to him that seeing hâ— was willing to spend his estate for his Glory neither he nor his should ever want which when he came home he told his Wife with great Joy saying he would not for 〈◊〉 he was worth want that comfortable answer to his prayers At an other time being without his knowledge noâ— minâ—ted in Parliament to go with their Commissioners for Ireland his wife was unwilling he having a precious people and great living where he was Some also of his Wives nearest Relations coming upon that occasion to visit them disswaded him from going himself also was fearful of the Sea in this Streight as his usual manner was he retired to his Closet where having spread the matter before the Lord and with much earnestness begging Counsel of God the Lord so satisfied him that he told his Wife he must go for he was assured he should be carried thither in safety and should be an Instrument to convert many Souls there In both the Lord was pleased to fulfill his word after a wonderful manner as there are other Instances at hand were it needful to multiply as that of his perswasion of the recovery of Mr. J. Mrs. M. and Mr. J. W. Even when sick in an other Land and his perswasion of Gods great care over these Nations for the sake of the many thousands of the Righteous in them Touching which in the close of a day of prayer he said he had an assurance by an audible voice and a glorious brightness that shined before him It is not unknown to some how great an encourager he was of godliness in all especially in such as under his Government in the Colledge were designed for the Ministry whom he would prefer in fellowships or other places before others And the like tenderness he showed his Brethren in the Ministry when under any discouragement because of their own weakness biding them to look up and telling them that the way to have legs was to use legs He was very communicative for he loved to be asked questions especially touching the sense of difficult Scriptures to which even upon the Sudden he would answer admirably His great humility he showed in his delightful Converse with the meanest Saints What he was in other Relations needs not my recital As he was a loving Father so a Husband of many which leaves the deeper impression upon the heart of his Relict Surely he was a true friend an useful Neighbour But that I may draw to a Conclusion having already exceeded the bounds of an Epistle what I have here spoken I desire may provoke imitation and that Ministers may thereby be excited to do all the good they can in their day seeing the Prophets do not live for ever that their words may live when they are dead that having so served Gods providence in their generation they may enjoy that Crown of which he is in full possession and I desire all may seriously consider why the Lord continues to remove our Lots and to pluck up our stakes and to fear lest it may be in Judgement to us of these sinful times as it is in mercy doubtless to them And I do heartily wish that these loud Voices of Gods providence might put us upon our Watch that keeping Faith and a good Conscience we may be in a readiness to enter into the Joy of our Lord when we shall be Called off the Stage of this miserable world Which the great God graciously vouchsafe in and through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen The Life and Death of the Reverend Learned and holy Doctor Samuel Winter sometime Provest of Trinity Colledge by Dublin DOctor Samuel Winter was born in the year of our Lord 1603. at Balsal His Birth and education in the wood-land part of Warwickshire about seven miles from the City of Coventry of Religious Parents About the twelfth year of his age it pleased God by the Ministry of one Mr. Slader then Preacher at the Chappel of Knowl near unto Balsal The Doctors Father having a great hand in bringing him thither to awaken his conscience and to make him serious about the things that concerned his everlasting Salvation His Conversion as also to stir up in him earnest desires of doing good to the souls of others for which end one day as he came from School about a mile from his Fathers house he retired himself under an hedge to pray and among other Petitions he begged of God that he would quallify him for the work of the Ministry and make his labour effectual and successful therein At which time he thought that he heard a voice saying God hath heard thy Prayer Prayer Answered and hath designed thee for that Work and thou shalt be an Instrument of Converting many Souls to God This exceedingly cheared up his heart insomuch as coming home he applyed himself to his Father requesting of him that he might be trained up for the work of the Ministry His Father asked him the reason of his desires He told him what Prayer he had made and what return he had from God to it
so with much earnestness of spirit looking up towards Heaven he begged of God that the words of a dying man might make a deep impression upon the hearts of his Hearers And that as God had made him an Instrument of converting many Souls unto him in his Life so he would bless what he had now spoken that some one Soul might be brought to Jesus Christ by this his last Sermon Then he proceeded to further Heavenly discourses and Instructions quoting sundry Texts of Scripture for the proof of what he spake naming the Chapters Verses and words of the Texts which he opened and explained out of the Originals with that acuteness and strength of words with that zeal and fervency of spirit as was admirable so that he drew tears from the eyes of all that were present whether young or old And left any there present should think that his understanding and memory were grown weak oâ— that he was overcome through the abundance of Revelation which he had the night before to let them know that he had spoken to them the words of truth and soberness and that with a perfect understanding of what he spake he made this Narrative following He told them the manner of his education in Religion from his childhood and of the vanity which did attend his youthful daies and where and how God did appear to him for his Conversion at twelve years of his age and of the assurance which God had given him as is before related that he should be an Instrument of converting many Souls to God As also of his proficiency in learning from that very time He farther declared with tears trickling down his cheeks that he had many and many a time A faithfull Pastor in private before he went to Preach put God in mind of that Promise so made unto him and earnestly besought him to make good that Promise by giving a blessing to that Word of his which he was then going to deliver that some Glory might redound to his holy Name thereby To which his Prayers God had often been pleased to give a gracious Answer and to let him know it by the Conversion of some by those Sermons One of his Relations then present fearing that his Spirits would be weakened and spent by that his continued discourse desired him to repose himself for a while To whom he replyed with much earnestness and strength of voice No His Zeal were I sure that this should be my last night as indeed it proved and the last Sermon that I should Preach I would continue it two hours longer Adding that he was not afraid of Death And turning his Head backward he said Death is a Coward he comes behind me His Triumph He dares not look me in the Face And farther he said The Devil hath oft assaulted me in my Life time But God stoâ—d by me and give me strength to resist him so that he could never hurt me All that day following he lay in Heavenly Contemplation and Raptares His Raptures often breaking forth in Praises unto God for Jesus Christ And would sometimes desire his Wife and other Friends to tell him whether he were in the Body or out of the Body for he could not tell And a Minister being the in the House he desired that he might be called in and when he was come he propounded the same Question unto him who answered That he was in Life and among his Friends on Earth and therefore in the Body To this he replyed It is true and therewith rested satisfred and desired the Minister to pray with him which he did accordingly His Wife told him that some Friends present hoped that he might yet live To which he answered Can a Dead man live Will God work Miracles Shortly after he said God is doing great things in the world and he much bewailed the sad condition of the Church of Christ c. In the afternoon The power of Death finding Death to approach he often cryed out O the power of Death Not that he feared it for it shrunk from him but he found such a Power in Death as none could know but those that were under it He wished that his Sons had been present that they might see what the Power of Death was and what it was to die He desired also that some Neighbours of the Town might be called in that he might Preach his last Sermon to them And indeed to this very time his spirits speech and memory continued very active and strong About four a clock in the afternoon his Wife and his Wives Brother and Sister standing by his bedside asked him how he did He answered Very Weak Adding That he was going to Jesus Christ Death not to be feared Bid them not be afraid of Death with which words he put forth his hand and said Brother Sister Take Death by the Hand Be not afraid Death is a coward He flies from 〈◊〉 They found that his Hands were cold and Clammy whereby they perceived that he grew near to his end And himself not long after feeling that the dissolution of this earthly Tabernacle was now approaching lifting up his eyes towards Heaven he cryed out Câ—me Lâ—rd Jesus His blessed Death And presently with a smiling countenance he added Art thou Câ—me And so he breathed out his laâ—â— Thus Reader 〈…〉 through the more considerable passages of this blessed mans Life and Death Pause here a while and take a view 〈◊〉 all again and then surely thou canst nâ—â— but wish though it is desired for thee that it may be from a better Principle than was in Balaam Let me die the Death of this blessed man and let my last end be like his But in vain shak thou wish for this if the pattern of his Holy and Exemplary Life be neglected by thee It is Storied that a person of a loose Life that hearing what a comfortable end St. Bernard made said to his companions I would willingly die like St. Bernard but I would live like you It s too certain that many are of the same mind but as it is impossible but that an holy Life should have a blessed and happy Death Mark the perfect man and behold the Vpright For the end of that man is Peace Psalm 37.37 So it is as impossible in an ordinary way that a loose and wicked Life should have any other than a miserable and uncomfortable Death though some delusive fadeing flashes of seeming comfort they may sometimes have yet are but as a blaze of Thorns that is suddenly extinct For God himself hath said it There is no Peace to the wicked Isa 48.22 And again The wicked are driven away in their wickedness But the Righteous hath Hope in his Death Impius dum spirat sperat Sed Justus cum exspirat sperat The wicked Hope while they live with a vain ungrounded Hope But the Righteous hope when they die with a lively and well-grounded Hope that never
all the claimes that Justice would make and when Satan verily thought he had dispatched him out of the way He being buryed and that as a malefactor so that either he should not rise at all or not in glory and reputation among men now Christ riseth in despight of Hell and the Father gives him glory 2 Pet. 1.17 That our faith and hope may be in God and therefore Christ expresseth a dissatisfaction and discontent at them for their unkindness and unthankfulness as if he had said Time was when you were glad to know any thing that concerned me when you hung upon me and whatever I said to you was a Law and catertained with greediness Why then are ye so backward now Are my merits ere a whit the less Or are you not sensible of your need that you are so slow of heart to believe in me your everlasting Redeemer Now consider what Christ spake to them He speakes to you for all Scripture is writt for our Learning and though Christ will not condemn you yet he may and he doth it seems upbraid you and such upbraidings and frowns of Christ are or should be as much as death yea Hell it self to a believer as Hell was before we believed For the Conscience is mâ—n wounded by way of Gods special love as a Friend than by his hatred as an Enemy If it were possible for a man to be thrown out of Gods armâ— of Love into Hell Hell would be more to him than any other For this made Christs sufferings so great because he was so infinitely beloved of the Father as alwaies lying in his bâ—some Consider what I say as Christ takes it ill that we should question his Love so of all sins he will bear with none less than that of Vnbelief The Disciples had many failings but he upbraids them with no sin so much as Unbelief as being of all sins the most grievouâ— to him therefore as you would make Conscience of any other sin see that you make Conscience of this namely of not believing in the Son of God 1 John 3 23. Consider further why were these doubtings of Thomas and the Disciples â—ecorded but to strengthen our faith they doubted of the Resurrection of Christ that the world might not doubt and t is observable that Thomas doubted more than all the rest therefore he bore a more eminent testimony to Christ than they did crying out My Lord and my God being the first that â—wned Christ as God Go you and do likewise Trust perfectly in the grace of the Lord Jesus and to encourage you remember 1 you have his Word for salvation and that Word to us surer than that voice from Heaven This is my well beloved Son hear Him 2 Pet. 1.19 And the Earth shall sooner reel than the Word and Promise of God fail 2 You have his Covenant the sure mercies of David Jer. 31.3 17. If Heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the Earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that which they have done 3 You have the Attributes of God for you the Pillars of Heaven yea the Pillars of God and are not these sufficient to support your soul There is not one Attribute of God against you but all for you yea Justice it self so that you may plead with God not only in point of mercy but of Justice also for Christ hath satisfied for all your sins therefore with reverence be it spoken God cannot in justice require the same debt twice of your Surety and of you also see Rom. 3.2 4 You have this attested by the broad Seal of Heaven namely the Sacrament and Privy Seal of the spirit called the Earnest of the Spirit against that day and then there will be no need of that Earnest when we have the purchased possession but his Earnest shewes you that he is in Earnest not in Jestâ— and Gâ—d will not assuredly lose his Earnest which is pare of the bargain and confirms it to you 5 Consider all the glory of the Father 〈◊〉 upon Christ was that our faith and hope might be in God the Jews slighted Christ 〈◊〉 him but had they seen him in glory they would have believed on him 6 Christ should not discharge his office if he should not reâ—eive such as you and do you think that Christ will be unfaithful to his Father or to poor souls that come unto God by him I tell you the Lord hath made two sorts of Promises 1 of Faith John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me namely by Faith 2 To Faith as it Follows in the same verse and he that cometh I will in no wise cast out 1 Of the Church 2 Of my heart 3 Of Heaven Therefore make a venture and cast your soul on him who will not sail to keep safely that which is committed to his trust And let me tell you farther we are the Embassadours of Christ to treat with sinners in Christs name upon his own terms and therefore if you come in upon the terms of the Gosspel out of the sense of the poverty of your spirit and close with Christ as seeing an excellency in him above all the world so as to give your self to him and never to part with him I say then that Christ is bound and must of necessity make good what his Embassadours have propounded and concluded in his name in whose name according to the contents of your Letter and the former knowledge I have had of you I do declare as a Minister of Christ that all your sins are forgiven you and therefore I charge you that you rowle your self upon the Lord the burden is too heavy for you to bear but what you cannot bear that rowle upon the Lord and know assuredly though we be unfaithful yet he abideth faithful and cannot deny himself the Promise is made to the truth and not to the degrees of grace Lastly if you persist in unbelief consider how grievous this is to Christ forget not what was said before that Christ upbraided the Disciples and doubtless the anger of Christ was never greater than the offence nor the reproof unsutable unto the fault therefore chide your soul Why dost thou cast down thy self O my soul Why art thou disquieted within me still trust in God who is the help of my faces that is who saves eminently perspicuously so that a man may see Salvation in the face If all that I have said will not prevail know I have your Hand and Seal against you and must needs witness against you in that day but I hope better things of you that the Bowels of Christ will melt you and his arms open'd upon the Cross allure you to run to him who never rejected any that came to him and do you think that you shall be the first As to that Query What is the lowest degree of faith I answer some say the lowest act of faith is to see a possibility of mercy but if I should say so I should exclude many a precious Saint out of Heaven I say then the lowest act of faith is to put a high estimate upon Christ as the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 So as to cleave to him and not to part with him for ever though the soul see no probability no not possibility of mercy this is poverty of spirit the lowest round of Jacobs Ladder To make this plainâ— suppose such a Maid hath strong affections to such a Person but he is otherwise inclined yea ingaged so that there is no possibility of obtaining him yet there is true Love The Case suits with many a soul that cannot see any possibility of enjoying Christ yet Loves him dearly could be content to begg with him why here is true Love and therefore faith for faith worketh by Love Wherefore I say look after Christ with a wishly eye with a long look and you shall be saved Isa 45. For the prayers made toward Christ the living Temple are heard as well as the prayers that are made in the Temple though they cannot evidence their union with Christ My Dear Friend I commend these lines to you The Pin of the Dyall points at the hour of the day but cannot tell what a Clock 't is unless the Sun shine unless the Lord shine upon your heart you can see no light of grace or comfort The Lord create the fruit of the lips peace which I begg for you Pray for me still as I desire to do for You Your assured Friend S. W.