and friendship You that admire the unparallel'd beauties of mortal creatures and judg That their happiness which is your envy or wish withdraw your eye and look to the Grave whence the rarest beauties are at last to rise whence the firmest strength the most desirable activity and the spiritfullest vigor And then say whether you can think them less than blessed who have their part in this Resurrection to allude to that of Saint John Nothing shall ever be able to hinder them from this which though exceeding great is yet followed with another part necessary to their happiness which is 8thly A publick solemn and full declaration of their absolution from the charge which men or Devils in their accusation of them would load them with nay the charge wherewith the Law would burthen them shall be fully and solemnly taken off when they shall be justified before men and Angels from all that from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13.38 which shall be when our Lord shall proceed in Judgment towards all when according to the order of the Resurrection those that are Christs shall be first called judged and absolved when according to the order of the Parable Matt. 25.34 Those shall be adjuged to glory first who fed the hungry cloathed the naked took into their houses those that were strangers c. This I doubt not you 'l confess is a great happiness indeed well when our Lord cometh thus happy shall all his faithful and diligent Servants be who in life laid out themselves in labour for the Lord who in death rest from their labours and whose labours follow them into Judgment to be examined pardoned and rewarded according to the riches of Grace 9thly Our Lord when he cometh will add another thing to their happiness They shall then with him as assessors and approvers of his righteous proceeding with the rest of the world sit Judges of the world of this we are assured Jude 14 The Lord cometh with or in midst of ten thousand of his Saints to Judg c. Of this the Apostle speaks more clearly 1 Cor. 6.2 The Saints shall judg the world Nay more we shall judg Angels saith the Apostle This honour have all his Saints and in this they are blessed and this is enough to make every condition good to them until the glorious coming of their Lord until they are thus advanced In a word Christ seems to promise to his who are more than the ordinary Servants in his Family a more than ordinary degree of this Honour Luk. 22. ver 28 29 30. with Matt. 19.28 I will not enquire how far faithful Stewards and Ministers are herein next to the Apostles concerned It is well for them their faithfulness to souls shall then be manifested and honoured 10thly and lastly Christ our Lord when he cometh in the Glory of his Father Judg of all will when the solemnity of Judgment is finished and the wicked world is cast into Hell thrown into the place of Torment where their worm dieth not where the fire is not quenched Then Christ will take all his faithful ones and pass with them into the inconceivable and eternal Glory of his Kingdom brought to the fullest degree of greatness and Majesty that is foretold to us When they shall ever be with the Lord and behold his Glory when they shall be like to him whom they see and be filled with that Glory that shineth on them when all the Saints of God and none others shall be amassed into one great and general assembly and all orderly ranged before the throne of God and the Lamb ministring in sinless praises love and adoration for ever Now certainly could you and I lift up our eyes towards this illustrious assembly could we view them there we should ever be satisfied That diligence in and faithfulness to the service of our Lord according to our capacity now is and will at the coming of our Lord appear to be as much our comfort and happiness as it is our Duty and ought to be our care Oh then let us consider What it is to be acquitted from guilt What to be approved and rewarded What 't is to be bettered by all providences What to die in safety at last Is not this to be blessed Is not this to die the death of the righteous Why Christians your faithfulness and diligence shall so be found and so end if you continue it Do we believe a glory succeeds our death a resurrection our burial a publick absolution our being judged shall we sit assessors approvers and witnesses to the Great Judg and pass with him into glory everlasting And shall not our unwearied diligence and faithfulness exercised in his Service prove we believe the truth and expect this benefit hereof I hope now you will be less moved with present difficulties and more fixed for future diligence in serving the Lord and doing good to his Family expressed here by giving the Portion of meat in season in which appears the wisdom and fidelity of Servants and Stewards and to which blessedness is annexed and appropriated in the Text. The Reason whereof is the fifth general head of discourse and which we shall now briefly touch upon 1. Wisdom and faithfulness in Servants and Stewards 〈◊〉 Gen. Why 〈◊〉 Ted who â—…e the Porâ—… of c. are the best qualifications and comprise all that a Lord and Master requireth or need require in them for wisdom makes them meet for such a trust and faithfulness encourageth their Lord to trust them And both these appear in their observing what is fit for each person and season and applying to both accordingly So when Fathers know what is fit for Children and Masters know what is fit for Servants and Ministers for their people and accordingly instruct reprove warn encourage or comfort them Here is both the widom and fidelity requisite to a good Servant and the Lord who intends in the Text to oblige us to all that good Servants and Stewards should do hath thus closely couched all our Duty in this comprehensive phrase So the blessedness is appropriated not to a single Duty but to the universal diligent discharge of all our Duty which is summed up in this giving to each other our Portion of meat in season 2. Thus we are seasonably minded of that great and necessary duty which the last and worst age of the world doth neglect we are minded of giving mutual help and furtherance to each other in the way of Holiness and Obedience Our disputing quarrelling censuring and condemning age is ready to turn one another out of the way to dispute each other out of the truth and to quarrel each other for doing their duty instead of helping each other to do it But this little becomes Servants and Stewards in the same Family this is no part of their wisdom or fidelity Christ knew we should unto his coming need each others help and hath therefore so
it if glory honour immortality and eternal life can be a blessedness to us we are assured of this For every soul that doth good as God requireth whether Jew or Gentile Rom. 2.13 There is a crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 for St. Paul who had fought a good fight c. Yea but if it were limited to his person none could rejoyce herein with assurance for themselves or were it limited to his excellent qualifications and unparallel'd diligence few or none of us could argue our own right hereby therefore it is added not for me only but for all that love his appearing It is then unquestionable that when the Lord shall come by Death and particular Judgment to any of us and when he shall come in the general Judgment to us all every faithful and diligent Servant shall be blessed And the blessedness of that future state will as much make and keep every state here in our way to it good and happy as gains of thousands yearly will make and keep him rich who loseth some farthings or pence now and then Thus in general the common and ordinary Servants find their diligence and fidelity to be their happiness Stewards and Ministers of the grace of God find it much more their happiness to have been faithful and diligent So the Holy Ghost seems to speak for encouragement to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna Rev. 2.10 And 2 Cor. 4.1 Ministers of the Gospel are mentioned who did handle the word of God faithfully and commended themselves to the consciences of men vers 2. Who did preach not themselves but Christ vers 5. Who were troubled on every side vers 8. Of these it is said that light and momentary afflictions work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory vers 17 18. The share Ministers shall have in answer to the diligence and faithfulness of their Labours shall be greater than the share of common or ordinary Christians at the coming of him who is Lord to them all When each Believer hath his Crown and all their joys are full then are those Believers an accession to the glory and joy of their faithful diligent Ministers who labour'd for their Conversion and helped forward their final and eternal salvation 1 Thes 2.19 20. And once for all that of Dan. 12.3 Who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the brightness of the firmament c. Each faithful Minister shall have his Aureola golden Ornament added to his Crown though all the faithful Servants of the Lord shall be as the stars yet one star differeth from another the most bright and glorious will be those who were on earth the stars that Christ held in his right hand Rev. 2.1 These Scriptures with others which might be added do confirm the blessed future state of faithful and diligent Servants and Stewards who in the Lords family attend to their work and serve the Lord by their affording what help they can to all and in proportion to their trust and fidelity shall be their happiness at Death and Judgment And in the mean time in what ever way of corrections or judgments the Lord may come to others and to them while they are among others and are liable to troubles yet they shall be found blessed in publick troubles blessed in private troubles blessed under personal trials at death more in the resurrection most blessed happy and in good state in all these cases Now wherein this blessedness consisteth is the fourth proposed head of our discourse to which your attention is now desired that you may be throughly affected with this undoubted truth and be brought to a greater resolution for fidelity and diligence according to your Talents and may at last have a larger measure of this present and that future blessedness which I thus range before you 4. Gen. What the blessedness of faithful Servants 1. The faithful and wise Servant of the Lord is blessed in the pardon of his sins and culpable blemishes which intermix with his services He that will be so wise for and faithful to his fellow Servants as to perswade direct encourage and help them to serve the Lord cannot be suppos'd will not be wise for himself or unfaithful to himself or neglect to sue out a Pardon for his known and unknown infirmities The good man Nehemiah cap. 13.22 sought this pardoning Grace from the greatness of Gods mercy when he reflected upon the great services he had done for God and his Church David the man after Gods own heart joins this suit for Pardon to his requests for guiding in the ways of God to which he was fully addicted Psal 25.4 5 6. and in midst of troubles he sueth for the same mercy Psal 25. ver 15.16 17 18. When his feet were in the net v. 15. when desolate v. 16. when troubles were enlarged into distresses v. 17. Then he pray'd that God would forgive all his sin So the returning Church Hos 14. ver 2 prays and God promiseth he will do it ver 4. And so Micah 7. ver 18.19 Now this maketh any condition good and safe The man whose transgression is forgiven Psal 32. ver 1 is in every place and in every condition a safe and happy man God who pitieth infirmities pardoneth them where he finds sincerity in his Servants He that faithfully warns another and calls on him to repent and seek his Pardon he that faithfully endeavours to engage others to do their Duty and seek for mercy is a man whom God hath affected so as to ensure the blessedness for himself which he perswades others to look after Parents Husbands Wives Friends and Ministers who heartily desire and labour to get others into the service of God on terms and encouragements sufficient to prevail with them are indeed the persons whom we must in charity believe are pardoned I should think he were pardoned who commended the Grace of his Prince who perswaded to all due Allegiance for future and urged his fellow Subject to sue for Pardon of what had been ill and undutifully done already It is certain the faithful are forgiven and blessed therein though perhaps they have not sense of it or we evidences to prove it of them Now no condition can come on such a man to render him miserable or in evil state 2. The blessedness of such faithful and diligent ones does lie in that gracious acceptance which God doth afford to them for all their sincere and willing obedience though imperfect in it self unsuccessful to others and altogether unprofitable to God It is a blessed thing to be accepted with God this is Heaven upon Earth this is Heaven after we leave Earth The Lord rejecteth none that he hath fitted for and who are faithful in his charge This was a blessing that David intreated of the Lord Psal 19.14 Let the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight c. This gracious acceptance did in Davids troubles
necessary we stay until his last coming wherein you will I hope and wherein I pray that you may meet the faithful and diligent Servants of God his Stewards wherein I perswade my self you will meet this faithful servant of Christ whom you now lament but shall then ever rejoyce with him Sirs I believe you will scarce doubt the truth I have preached I am sure you cannot with reason contradict it I hope you will not through slothful hearts lose the proposed blessedness which is last that it may be best to you I have now done with all the Doctrinal part and think I have spoken to as much as needed to be handled in it I proceed to the Uses of the Point which I shall confine to these two following 1. Information Hence we may learn 1. Use Information 1. That the care and business of Christians is as their priviledg very great Happiness in every condition and state is an exceeding great priviledg and to be faithful and diligent in the Lords Family according to our Talents and Relations is no light and easy care or work it requires much wisdom and much heedfulness I wish we were more apprehensive of both that our endeavour to be faithful might somewhat answer our hopes to be happy if you separate them now God will separate you from them hereafter when death shall cut you off from your opportunities and Judgment shall cut you off from your hopes Be holy and serve your Lord as ever you hope to be happy with your Lord. 2. Hence learn The first part of a faithful Servants and Stewards work is the more troublesome the last part is most sweet and satisfactory Sincerity and Diligence are sweetest at last The idle revelling Servant is most at ease when his Master is at farthest distance but the diligent and faithful Servant doth most rejoyce when his work is nearest an end his Master nearest coming and his reward nearest to his hand All that is difficult is at first somewhat harsh to our weakness but when difficulties are well nigh conquered it is greatest quiet and satisfaction to the diligent hand and willing mind Religion grows sweetest to us at last if we are sincere in it 3. Hence learn That best men though they shall be fully blessed at last yet that last shall not be but when the Lord pleaseth None have our times in their hands to prolong them or shorten them to their humors or passions Good Christians should live too little and serve God and the Church too little if bad men might measure out the time of their service such men would send them to their happiness sooner than would be convenient for those that neeed them And were our arrival in glory at the disposal of our friends and such as love us we should be kept longer from it than we would It is fit it should and 't is best that it be in God our gracious Soveraign and Lords hand to measure out the time of our Service and to fix the time of our reward which shall be when he cometh and he will come when he pleaseth and never to the loss of his faithful Servants 4. Hence learn To check the inordinate and excessive grief or impatience of Spirit under our losses in the death of our Relations A thousand disputing thoughts will start up in your breast which must not be allowed any debate It is the Lord who might have come sooner though we should possibly think he came too soon crush such like surmizes look rather to the known piety diligence faithfulness and labours of your deceased Christian Relations and consider to whom they lived Servants to whom they are passed with whom they now do and ever shall live Be followers of them as they were of Christ that in Gods time i. e. the best and sittest time you pass to them and be with your Lord and theirs in fulness of rewards and joys But Secondly By way of Exhortation 2. Use Exhortation Since the faithful and diligent Servant shall be blessed at his Lords coming be perswaded all whether Hearers or Readers especially you who have such examples and who have a more peculiar concern in the occasion of these lines Be perswaded to get such a temper of soul and lead such a course of life as may best become the Servants of such a Lord who will come and as may most comfort you when he cometh I will not prolixly direct how you may thus do nor farther move with argument I will suppose you willing already and desirous to hear how you may be blessed in your temper life and death 1. Wisdom is necessary the verse before my Text tells us as much therefore you must get wisdom from the Scriptures Read consider and remember them they are the rule our Lord hath left for direction of his whole Family The entrance into these giveth wisdom and this wisdom will attemper both heart and life that both may be holy and the end happy 2. Settle your resolutions to do all the known will of your Lord Let it be your motive why you do and your warrant when you have done the things that are proper to your places and callings An unresolved man will never be throughly faithful or diligent the full purpose of your heart must be to do all the good to all as you can which is the will of him who is good to all and whose tender mercies are over all his works 3. Whatever advantage you have on men whether it be advantage of Interest or Authority use it all for God and the good of their souls who in likelihood will hearken to you and be advised by you Perhaps you may thus save some Where you may forbid let not sin be committed unforbidden Where you may command let not good be omitted through want of your Command use the Power God gives you to engage others to serve God Abraham would command his House to keep the Covenant of the Lord so do you 4. Watch over your selves that you may watch over others and ere you pretend faithfulness to others and diligence and care to make them good be sure to be good your selves none can believe you are in earnest bent on the good of souls if you neglect your own First Do the good which your places require and then perswade others to mind their Duty in their places Masters Fathers and Teachers will do more hurt by bad examples than they can do good by best Counsels 5. Look frequently to the future blessedness under the conditions with which it is proposed to you and others in the Text Context and other places a frequent view of that blessedness will heighten your desires and hopes A frequent view of the conditions will awaken your care and provoke to diligence lest you should come short of your hopes and be disappointed of your best desires We are apt to forget our hopes therefore look often to that blessedness we are apt to