Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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A41317
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The Failing & perishing of good men a matter of great & sore lamentation : held forth in a sermon preach'd the 26 of June 1662, being the day before the internment of that eminent and faithful gospel-preacher, Mr. John Sympson.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing F93A; ESTC R40573
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25,149
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50
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consider the great blessing and success that did attend his ministry He was through Gods blessing instrumental for the conversion of many souls he hath lâ—ft behind him many seals of his ministry Every faithful laborious preacher is not attended with such a blessing Many a Godly minister hath Isaiahs commision Chap. 6.10 To make the heart of his people fat and their ears heavy dreadful work and to shut their eies lest they see with their eies and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed It was the saying of a godly Minister in England after some years preaching to a people That he had preach'd his people dead I say not but that many might be the more fit for hell by the means of Mr. Sympson's ministry it might through the wickedness of the hearers be the savour of death unto death to many but this I say that God blest him above scores nay hundreds of Preachers in the great work of Conversion in turning souls from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God c. Now to lose a Minister whose ministry was attended with so great a blessing especially at such a time when it is rare to hear of one new Convert must needs be a great loss I shal here in the close of this Exhortation speak a word or two by way of Caution Caution and that 1. Though this stroke of God be a matter of sorrow and humiliation yet you must take heed of a murmuring spirit You have cause to bee displeased with your selves and your sins but not with God and that 1. Because God takes away nothing but what he first gave The person and gifts of this Saint were given unto you by the Lord he hath taken nothing but his own Learn therefore to say with Job Chap. 1.21 The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. 2. You have no cause to murmure and that because you had sorfeited this mercy long ago that God continued the Ministry of this his servant so long among you was a fruit of his superabounding love 2. Though you are to mourn under this stroke yet take heed of mourning as those without hope without hope I say 1. With respect to him his happiness is unquestionable your loss is his gain He is taken up into glory and hath there communion with God He is out of the reach of all his enemies they can now imprison him no more He is where hee 'l never have any thing imposed upon him contrary to Conscience hee 'l never suffer there for Non-conformity sake There God is served adored and glorified with one heart and with one consent 2. Mourn not without hope with respect to your selves as if God were not able to make up this loss I remember a relation of a Lady from whom it pleased God to take an onely Son that sometime after a friend coming to visit her and bemoaning this her sad loss she breaks forth into these expressions I profess saith she God can never make me amends for the taking away of that Son A dreadful speech it was take heed my friends of this spirit It 's true your loss is great but God is able to supply it and that either 1. By causing the spirit of Elijah to fall upon Elisha by anointing and raising up of some other to head and feed you in the room of this his servant Or 2ly he can feed you himself without a Minister God can fill up the room of Ministry and Ordinances Indeed let God be absent and there 's nothing can fill up his room It 's not husband wife children estate liberty Pastors Ordinances c. can supply the want of God but now let God be present and that is above and more then all And undoubtedly if God deny you a publick Gospel-Ministry it 's your duty to wait upon him for more secret and immediate feedings I am afraid that as formerly professors were greatly guilty of sleighting and despising the means and ministry of the Gospel so now they will be guilty of Idolizing the Ordinance of publick Preaching at such a rate as to think themselvs bound and obliged to hear men of any principles or practices rather then to neglect that Ordinance Arminians Socinians Jesuits c. any thing every thing rather then be out of publick worship Take heed of mourning in a spirit of unbelief saying Can God spread a table in the wilderness can God feed and teach without a Preacher To live without the true worship of God is bad but to be found in a way of false worship is worse It 's my duty to omit that Ordinance of Christ which I can't enjoy without sin Thus much for that part of the Exhortation which relates to Humiliation I shall give you two brief words further and so close First Is it so that the death of faithful instruments is a matter of great Humiliation Then let this stirr you up to be earnest with the Lord that he would continue and preserve those faithful ministers that do yet remain that he would double his spirit upon them hide them in the secret of his presence increase their number Not forgetting the prayer of Moses for the tribe of Levi Deut. 33.11 in these words Bless Lord his substance and except the work of his hands smite through the loins of them that rise against him and of them that hate him that they rise not again These words shall undoubtedly be made good with respect unto the ministry of the Gospel Christ will in his time smite through the loins of them that rise up against a Gospel ministry hateing and despitefully using his faithfull servants hee 'l so pierce through their loyns as that they shall fall and never rise more In the mean time take heed you that profess the name of Christ that you do not endanger the rest of the faithful labourers that are left amongst you and that neither 1. By slighting and despising the meanest of them 2 Chron 36.16 But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words misused his prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy Nor Secondly By idolizing those that are most eminent How many famous instruments to speak according to man's judgement hath the professors of this age sent to their graves before their time by idolizing their persons and gifts ascribing that honor and glory to them which was due to Christ alone This spirit and frame hath even forced the Lord in order to the convincing and humbling of his people either to take away the spirit of zeal and courage from such instruments thereby render them unfit for further service or else to remove them by death from earth to heaven out of the sight of all his people that dwell in tabernacles of corrupt clay Lastly Such strokes should teach us all to provide for death God takes away our leaders and we must follow them those that would not follow the counsel and advise of Mr. Sympson while living must follow him to the grave now dead to the grave wee must all go and the Lord knows how soon Of what import therefore is it that we all manage matters so while we live as that when we com to die we may dye in peace in ful assurance of our entrance into glory We should manage all our matters so in this world as those that must once dye and come to judgement performing every thing with this proviso That I may dye well I am so to buy sell and converse with creatures that I may dye well I am so to hear pray read receive the supper have communion with the saints as that I may dye well dye in peace all is to be done in order to dying well My beloved this life is the trimming chamber unto eternity by all the means and mercies that thou dost injoy thou art fitting either to bear the eternal weight of glory or the eternal weight of wrath thou art fitting either for heaven or hell thou wilt either be bound up in the bundle of life or else thou wilt be bound up for hell fire Now the Lord give us all hearts to provide for that everlasting state Amen and Amen FINIS ERRATA Page 1. line last for secret read severe and what literal mistakes or mis-pointings-hath escaped the Press you are desired to amend as you find them