that preach'd Christ of envy and contention but he was glad however that Christ was preached Phil. 1.18 But above all it might have been expected that our Saviour Christ should have forbidden him that cast out Devils in his Name indeed but wâ—s not of his company he did a good thing indeed but he did it disorderly he followed not him The Apostles indeed would have had it so But Jesus said forbid him not Mark 9.38 39. But if any man will shew me any Scripture-instance of restraining the Ministers of the Gospel I doubt not but to shew him in it an instance of such restraint falling out to the furtheraâ—ce of the Gospel 2. Such ministerial Restraint doth fall out to the furtheraâ—ce of the Doctrine of the Gospel in that it gives the mâ—re occasion to and layes the greater necessity on Christians to reade the Scriptures and other good Books That 's evident Now by this means Professors come to have good Judgement as well as good Affections and knowledge to their former zeal I am loth to speak here lest I should be thought to offend against any of the generation of the Just But I pray God to sanctifie the reading of the Scriptures and other good Books to this end That as Preaching hath made forward Professors and drawn forth affections so reading may make them solid Christians and settle their Judgments in the Truth 3. It ought to open the mouths of private Christians to discourse the things of the Gospel to declare to their neighbours the things of God and instruct and edifie one another in Soul-concernments And if they by this means shall be brought to preach to their neighbours I mean not that they should usurp the Ministerial Function not called thereunto but by Godly Conversation and Communication As David preach'd in the 66. Psal ver 16. Come and hear and I will declare what God hath done for my soul If it shall be thus and that instead of one Ministerial Preacher there shall be many Charitative Preachers in a town then I doubt not but it may fall out to the furtherance of the Gospel And thus I beseech you Christian Friends let it be Declare the great things of the Gospel in the way in which you may do it now if ever But lest I should be thought to preach faction it 's good I think to shew my Authority It is that of the Apostle Heb. 10.25 Not forsaking the Assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching 4. This Ministerial Restraint may fall out to the furtherance of the Gospel in giving occasion and opportunity to the persons so restrained to furnish themselves better for the work of the Ministry Who knows but that God may take some off from laying out that they may the better lay in lay in stock lay up store make provision and then call them forth again to the Churches greater advantage when they shall return far more richly leaden than before Nay who knows but that some constitutions almost wasted some spirits almost spent do require some cessation and God is pleased to give a nights rest to his labourers that they may hold out the longer and the better in his Service As the husbandman givs a fallow year to his Land not because he would not have Corn but that he may have so much the more So here that it may be to the furtherance of the Gospel They depart for a season that their People may receive them and enjoy them the longer 2. Ministerial Restraint or the suspension of the Ministers of the Gospel from their Ministry doth sometimes fall out and God can make it fall out to the furtherance of the interest of the Gospel and that by such wayes as these 1. In making the Gospel to be valued and more dearly esteemed by Professors who perhaps began to look upon it with too common an eye and to grow secure cold and wanton under it When the meat shall be taken away and the surfet cured and the stomack restored then Oh then welcome any wholsome meat The Word of the Lord will be precious in those dayes And not only in making the Gospel to be more valued by Professors but also desired by others that till then never knew the worth of it If God send a famine of hearing the Word it will make men run to and fro to seek it Amos 8.11 12. nay perhaps make them run that never found their legs before The very want of the means and ordinances of conversion may be a means ordained of God for the converting of some or at least for the preparing of them for Conversion I may add under this head too that it may fall out to the furtherance of the Gospel by making the Ministers of the Gospel more prized Their Restraint may well conduce to this end Virtutem incolumen odimus sublatam ex oculis quaerimus invidi good men grow precious cous by their absence It may be proper for a Minister of the Gospel bidding farewel to an unthankful and unkind People to speak in his Saviours words to Jerusalem Mat. 23.39 Ye shall not see me hence forth till ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. And if restraint of Ministers shall bring forth this fruit then certainly it will fall out to the furtherance of the Gospel for if the Messenger be prized the Message will be more likely to be received 2. This Restraint may be to the furtherance of the interest of the Gospel In making former Truths to be remembred repeated digested Alstedius used to say That all Learning consisted in that one word Repete Repeat And truly I had almost said all Religion too Certainly it is wonderfully to the advantage of Religion when Doctrins formerly delivered and received are frequently brought back to mind and memory The business of Professors in England hath been to hear new Truths and fresh Doctrines still but not to make good as far as they have gone This fault it may be God will mend by this means As the beast taken off his meat falls to chewing what he had eaten before Some have rightly observed that they that want their sight have commonly the strongest memories who knows but that God may bring it to pass that your eyes should not see your Teachers on purpose to help your memories in recording old Truths 3. It may fall out to the furtherance of the interest of the Gospel by quickning and stirring up Christians so much the more to private duties The Restraint of Ministers may make many Priests I mean Priests in their own families Methinks it should do thus Christians should labour to make up in their Families what is wanting in Congregations And if it do thus it will be to the furtherance of the Gospel if the loss of one Priest in a Town shall bring forth in every Family one Thus
thy walls are continually before me 9. Expect and prepare for Troubles A Christian's way to Heaven is not alwayes strewed with Roles Piety hath heen persecuted from the beginning of the world Wicked Cain killed righteous Abel because Abel's deeds were righteous Ishmael persecuted Isaac even in Abraham's family Christ left this Lesson to his Disciples when he left the world John 16.2 These things have I told you beforehand that ye should not be offended They shall excommunicate you from the Synagogues Yea the time comes when he that kills you shall think he doth God service If you resolve to follow Christ you must resolve to bear his Cross after him as Simon did Forgo the love of friends rather than the love of God 2 Tim. 3.12 Christ doth not always call His do die for him but he expects they should be willing and prepared to do so if he require it See Luk. 14.26 27. Whosoever leaveth not father and mother cannot be my Disciple Leaveth not that is in affection and disposition and when the time comes in execution and reality Every Christian must be an habitual Martyr though all are not so actually To this end lay up suffering Graces as Faith Love Patience c. get your hearts warmed with a sense of Christs love to you in doing and suffering so much for us let your love be so vehement that many waters may not be able to quench it and then sit loose to every creature A man will with ease part with that to which he is dead already 10. Prove all things 1 Thess 5.21 Take not upon trust do not jurare in verba Doctoris believe any Doctrine meerly because such an one delivers it as is cryed up in the world for some-body Be like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things they heard were so or no. Whoever shall preach to you if he brings any Doctrine or adds any new Article of Faith try them Every Christian hath a Judgment of discretion left him whereby he may try whether that which is pressed upon him either for belief or practice be according to the Analogie of Faith We must not rest in a blind implicit faith it 's for Romanists to believe as the Church believes and what it is the Church believes they understand not Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to that it is because there is no light in them And so if they preach any new Worship bring it to the Touch-stone see if it be not without Warrant from the Scriptures try whether it be not gilded Superstition or will-worship under the cloak of Decency and Order If any scruple arise in your minds and you not able to satisfie your selves consult with able Christians or some able and faithful Guide Seek knowledge at the Priests lips even in private as well as publick All is not Gold that looks like it See what the great Doctor of his Church saith Matth. 23.7 9. Call no man Rabbi that is do not tye your Faith to his Dictates do not believe because he saith it Many dubious and controverted things are creeping even at this time into the Church therefore â—â—y them Satisfie your minds and judgments before you proceed to practice Be sure that what you do shall have God's approbation Worship God from Judgment not from Presidents 11. Be frequent and diligent in reading and meditation For ought I know this may be one of the greatest helps we may have 1 Tim. 4.13 Take that advice of Paul to Timothy Till I come give attendance to Reading So till God's Ministers be returned to you again give attendance to Reading When you cannot have Scriptures read and preached in God's House then make a Church of your own house Phil. 2. Paul commends himself to Philemon and the Church in his house this is a high Commendation of him that he had Domesticam Ecclesiam a house-hold Church As Calvin in loc In Mal. 4.4 we meet with this Exhortation Remember the Law of Moses my Scrvant which I commanded to all Israel with the Statutes and Judgements Doubtless they had been commanded frequently before this time to remember the Commandments of God therefore there is a peculiar reason why the Prophet repeats it and concludes his Prophecy as it were with this Exhortation the reason is this Malachi was the last of the Prophets after him the Jews were not to have any more Prophesying till the coming of the Messiah he knew how prone they were to follow the dictates of their own hearts and to walk in their own inventions to swerve from God's Institution as how soon did Israel fall to Idolatry when their Prophet Moses was absent from them but forty dayes Exod. 32.1 2 3. he therefore adviseth them in this interim to attend to the Law of God delivered by Moses and the Writings of the Prophets which were as Commentaries upon that Law that they would continue to reade and meditate and act according to that Law till the great Prophet should come Brethren I cannot say that we that are about to be silent are the last Ministers you shall hear no I suppose you may have others succeed us whose Apprehensions and Judgments concerning the things in controversie may be different from ours and may suffer them to condescend to and close with more for the continuance of their Opportunities than others can Now if God doth provide you a Successor if he be one that speaks according to the Law and prophesies according to the Analogy of Faith I would not advise you to separation from publick Ordinances no when they may be had in God's Way when the preaching of the Word is sound and the Substantials of the Ordinances observed and may be enjoyed without sinful Appendixes though you should take pains to fetch them or go some considerable way to enjoy them they are to be prefered before private exercises But this I say if it should be your hard lot after our departure from you to be deprived of publick Ordinances at home and to be out of a capacity to enjoy them abroad then I say you may freely and comfortably close with the advise propounded In this fore-mentioned case let the Bible preach to us when Ministers cannot when we cannot hear living Prophets let dead Prophets preach to us I mean this see what good you can get out of the wholesome Discourses of God's departed Prophets Many Ministers preach by their surviving Works when they themselves are in their Graves by their works though they be dead do yet speak Let the Bible be your rule alwayes refer to that in things to be believed and in things to be practised Scholars use to study their Rules well and then they cannot do amiss 12. Endeavour to walk in the Comfort of the Holy Ghost This was Christ's advice to his Disciples when he was about to leave them John 14.1 Let not your hearts be troubled In the world ye shall
believing hungry souls sake that are to be found in this place God may provide you in his due time with some such Teachers as may give you some wholsome food and not feed you with stones instead of bread For some such I doubt not will be found if God shall vouchsafe to you the mercy of a faithful Minister Though I dare not advise you actively to join in any thing that is in it self or in your judgement evil till you be satisfied about it yet I must advise you to take heed of separation from the Church or from what is good and God's own Ordinance If sound Truth be powerfully preached make use of and improve that though you cannot approve every thing the Minister doth I the rather add this because there are many that if Ministers do but mention the loss of Ministers are ready presently to accuse them of monopolizing all Religion to themselves and to their party But far be this from me and others I well know while the best of men are on earth there is likely to be variety of apprehensions and some men of sound judgements in the main of holy lives may satisfie themselves in the lawfulness of some things which others judge sinful And if God send such to you though I do not bid you approve their practice or justifie what they do yet bless God for them and improve their gifts and graces And yet at the same time you have just cause to bewail the laying aside of so many hundreds of Ministers Had so many hundreds of Ministers dyed a natural death in one day you would have looked upon it as a great judgement And sure it is no less when so many shall dye a civil death 2. A second means to enable you to hold fast what you have received is To be much in conference in considering one the other to provoke to love and to good works As this is a help to remembring so also to holding fast what you have received Heb. 10.23 24 25. 3. Hold fast the Word and Ordinances by prayer that God would continue them and that he would keep them in your minds and hearts 4. Be sure you hold fast God and Christ by faith It is God that vouchsafeth all these to you If the streams should fail be sure you hold fast the Fountain and you will be and do well enough 5. The fifth and last Counsel and Direction Christ gives to this languishing Church is To Repent Whence observe Doct. That Repentance is a soveraign means to repair decayed Religion and Godliness in a Church and in the souls of men Repentance is the souls Physick that purgeth out ill humors heals the souls distempers and restores it to a healthful constitution I intend not to handle this but to turn it into an Exhortation Let me leave this Counsel and Exhortation with all of you this day as that which probably may be the last and I am sure is the best Counsel I can give Oh Repent Repent both sinners and Saints Repent thou Drunkard Swearer Sabbath-breaker Unclean person thou Opposer of Godliness or what ever else thy sin be Remember thou hast been called on to repent this day O repent while it is called to day before the things that belong to your peace be hid from your eyes Repent even all both bad and good of those sins that have brought these Judgments upon us which this day we lie under More particularly 1. Repent of that Opposition against the Gospel and against the Ministers and Ordinances of Christ that any of you have been or aâ—e guilty of For this sin provokes God to take away Gospel-Mercies from a People 'T is true indeed that we may say and bless God for it that for the time we have laboured among you we have met with as little of this as any have done in a place of this bigness Yet some there have been that have been guilty of this though not many and they may have time enough to repent the hastning of their own calamities Repent of this sin Consider what God saith of such 2 Chron. 36.16 2. Repent of your Unthankfulness for the Gospel Repent of your not enough prizing Ordinances of your too much loathing or at least even by the best too little loving Spiritual Manna 3. Repent of your Barrenness and Unfruitfulness under and too little improvement of the Word Sacraments and Sabbaths you have enjoyed Bewail your sin that you have got no more good by all these that you have laid up no more in your years of plenty against years of scarcity 4. Repent of that too much Wantonness in Opinion and Practice that hath been to be found among Professors under choicest Gospel-enjoyments that you have played by the light and with the bread that God hath vouchsafed to you and not wrought by the one or fed heartily upon the other which may justly provoke God to put out your light and take away your bread 5. Repent of your decayes in Religion and Grace for which God threatens to remove the Candlestick from a Church and people Rev. 2.4 5. 6. Lastly Repent of that Deadness and Formality in Religion and in the Worship of God which you see to be in others but most of all of that you find and feel to be in your own hearts For for these and such like Sins it is that God comes as a thief on Churches or Persons And to stir you up to repent Consider First If you do not Repent God will come as a thief on you even suddenly unexpectedly when you least think of it and that to take away your Treasure your most Precious things which are so in themselves and should be so in your esteem even his Word Sacraments Sabbaths Ministers and all the tokens of his Gracious presence This will God do if you do not repent but remain hard-hearted and formal still contenting your selves with a name to live 2. Consider If you do repent of the evil you have done against God God may yea you have ground to hope he wil repent of the evil he is doing unto you He can find out ways agreeable to his Word and Will to continue or restore Ministers to People and People to Ministers He may yet return and leave a blessing behind Him O therefore Repent let us all set upon this work of Repentance And now Beloved I have finished what I at this time intended to speak upon this Text and probably with that my Testimony in publick among you Let me beseech you seriously to consider and set upon the practise of the Duties I have in the Name of the Lord from this Scripture exhorted you to Beloved It is no small grief and trouble to my self and Fellow-labourer to part with you It was in our hearts to have lived and died with you and among you if God had seen it fit But the will of the Lord be done We must acknowledge to the glory of God and â—our just
souls our work is with the Lord and our Reward with our God we are to receive our Reward not according to our success but Sincerity but our fear Beloved is as to you lest you should have received the Grace of God in vain Should you now stumble and take offence at our Sufferings it might undoe what hath been done in and upon you by our Labours Were there no more in iâ— but our suffering in our names or estimation with you I think I should have either wholly forborn or but lightly touch'd upon this matter but the danger is yours you may lose as to your souls prejudice against â—our persons upon the account of our sufferings may be prejudicial to the effect that the Doctrine we have delivered might have upon your hearts 2. I am afraid lest Religion and the Cause of God suffer As to our persons 't is a small matter what you or others say of us 't is a small thing to be jugded of you or of mans judgement count us what you please let us be as Reprobates only we would not that the Cause of God should suffer that Religion should be wounded this we fear lest you should stumble in or turn from the Way which we have endeavoured to lead you in May you but stand fast in the Faith and presevere in practical piety then though we be offered up upon the Sacrifice and Service of your Faith we shall joy and rejoyce with you all but if you stumble at our Sufferings as to dislike Holiness to dis-esteem the sweet and good Wayes of God it will be a bitter ingredient in our Cup. 3. I am afraid lest you should lose the benefit of ouâ— sufferings Beloved 't is not for our own sakes only that we suffer 't is for your benefit that you may be comforted confirmed Read 2 Cor. 1.6 Whether we he afflicted it is for your Consolation Salvation which is effectual in the enduring of the same Sufferings which we also suffer Should you take offence and be discouraged or otherwise stumbled at our Afflictions you would lose that advantage you might otherwise get by them yea that which might be to your benefit would then become your bane and ruine Upon these and the like enducements let me resume to press the Caution upon you all I shall rank you under two Heads 1. On one hand Such as are already prejudiced against our Persons and Ministry that have stood at a distance and would not come in nor comply with our Endeavours for your good I beseech you let not our Sufferings heighten your prejudice or give you occasion to charge censure or condemn us I see divers things at which you will be like to stumble in this kind give me leave to remove some of them First You will be ready to say nay it is already said by some That we are justly buffeted for our faults that it is nothing but what we deserve as having been busie censorious and pragmatical Fellows making divisions and separations amongst our People taking upon us power to suspend you from the Lord's Table admitting and excluding whom we pleased exercising a power more arbitary than ever the Bishops did this is a Prejudice deeply rooted in the hearts of many To which I say 1. We wil in part own the Charge we wil not justifie our selves before the Lord but will say as Nehemiah Nehem. 9.33 Thou O Lord art Righteous There is sin enough in us to provoke the Lord thus to deal with us 2. Yet we have cause to bless the Lord that you have no worse things to lay to our charge that you cannot write drunkards loose debaucht unclean profligate Persons upon our doors when we are gone I hope we shall not in the thoughts of those that are most prejudiced against us suffer as Theeves Murderers Evil-doers nor justly be charged as busie bodies in other mens matters 1 Pet. 4.15 It will not I hope be lookt upon as presumption if we take up Samuels Apology 1 Sam. 12.3 Whose Oxe have I taken Or Pauls Acts 20.33 2 Cor. 7.2 that we have not been rigid exactors of that which was our own muchless required that which was not our own both our and I hope your Consciences will bear us witness 3. As to that which the generality of our People have taken most offence at viz. Our Strickness about the Sacrament First Have we done more than our Commission warrants us Have we not often told you the danger That to eat and drink unworthily is to eat and drink your own Damnation Can you blame us if we have at once consulted your and our own safety Will you quarrel or censure us because we would not give you that which in the state you were would be to you a Cup of Poyson and would certainly aggravate your Damnation Forgive us this wrong But Secondly Who hindred or deprived you of that Ordinance was it not your own fault Have you not been exhorted and entreated to come to us that you might be instructed and fitted for that Ordinance yea if you thought it too much to come to us have we not offered upon the least invitation to come to you for that purpose know you not that the Priests lips should preserve Knowledge Mal. 2.7 and that you should seek the Law at his mouth yet we have sought to you and intreated that you would not refuse instruction but with many of you have prevailed nothing nay have we not often urged you with this consideration That your absenting your selves upon the account of your ignorance would be no excuse that as it is a great sin to come without preparation so to refuse those helps whereby you might be prepared to come You have been told That it was the duty of every one professing Christianity to commemorate the Death of Christ in that Ordinance and that it was an undervaluing and a high Contempt of Christ and his Benefits wilfully to withdraw That in the sight of God your willingness to come in your ignorance and prophaness and your refusing to come because you might not come in that state was as if you had so come and that God look'd upon you as profaners of his Ordinance because you would have done it if you might so that I hope you will have no just cause to blame us in this particular What other motive I pray you can be rationally imagined should enduce us to this severity but fear of sinning against God and of wronging your and our own souls had we not been convinced of our Duty and the Danger of neglecting it we could have been content to have purchased your favour by a general Admission As for other Crimes charged upon us as preaching Sedition intermedling with State-Affaires c. I shall only intreat that you would review our Sermons consider our Course of Preaching which for the most part hath been upon Catechetical Points and see if there be any just cause to fasten such a