Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A62048
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The life and death of Mr. Tho. Wilson, minister of Maidstone, in the county of Kent, M.A.
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Swinnock, George, 1627-1673.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing S6277; ESTC R34633
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41,246
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112
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admired it but he knew it not He had not the least affectation or shew of oftentation in his carnage or language or any other thing Empty Vessels make the greatest sound and noise those that are full are more silent Ignorance and Pride emptiness and arrogancy are usually concomitants He knew much yet the more he knew the more sensible he was of his ignorance and nothingness and unworthiness and walked the more humbly with his God as a Bough laden with Fruit or an Ear with Corn the fuller and weightier the more they bend down-ward he as the Violet hung down and hid his head though his fragranacy and sweetness discovered him what he was In his cloaths he was always grave and sober never minding the whimsical modes or fashions but ever keeping to the same manner of his attire I stood once with him at his door when a great Gallant antickly drest went by upon which he secretly said I have made a Covenant with mine eyes why should I be hold vanity How accomplished was this good man when he had such rich natural gifts and such great gracious Habits which as the Diamond to the Ring add true value to naturals Alas what are all natural abilities which act grace but as Ciphers which act a figure insignificant and in Gods account standing for nothing nay usually the greater part which act grace the greater prophaneness Satan makes most use of such acute Wits and sharp Swords to do the more mischief At best they are but as Toads with a Pearl in their Heads and Poison in their whole body But Mr. Wilson had this happiness to have his great gifts adorned and ennamel'd with great grace hourly he became the greater instrument of Gods Glory CHAP. XXIII His Wives and Children WHen he was about twenty six years of Age he married a Daughter of Sir Zinzans who being in a consumption before she married him and as I have heard for love of him her Parents judging him much below her died within seven or eight months after her marriage About a year after her death he married Mistress Damaris Cable Daughter of Mr. Iames Cable of London Merchant who was a meet help to him in his Civil and Spiritual concerns by her he had eleven children one whereof viz. his eldest son Samuel who feared the Lord in his youth died young the other ten he left at his death with his disconsolate Widow He had little of this world to leave his many Children about one hundred pounds a piece as I have heard after their Mothers death but he hath left them much if we consider the many fervent prayers which night and day he poured out before the Lord on their behalves I have read of one that when she came to die told her Children I have little to leave you but this I must tell you there is not one Room in the House which is not perfumed with prayer for you Often did good Mr. Wilson cry out to God O that my children might live in thy sight Lord come down by thy Spirit into their hearts least my children die least they die eternally The God of all grace who hath promised to be a God to his and their Seed in his own day give a gracious answer to all the Requests that are on the sile in Heaven for them He had the happiness promised the good man Psal. 128. 3. Thy Wife shall be as a fruitful Vine by the sides of thine House thy Children like Olive Plants round about thy Table O that he might have that happiness to meet all his Children with joy at the great Day CHAP. XXIV His Sickness and Death THat piety which did shine so brightly in his life did wonderfully sparkle in his death The messenger which God sent to call him hence for morbus est via ad mortem was a violent Feaver which he welcomed as knowing it was sent by a gracious Father to call him home to his Fathers House No guest comes at any time a miss to him that keeps a constant Table no providence no not death it self comes at any time amiss to him that is always ready and dieth dayly while he liveth His Lamps were burning his Oyl was ready in his Vessel when the Bridegroom came His Feaver had continued but a little while before his friends did Prognosticate that it would prove mortal and remove him from thence whom they loved as their own souls and under whose Ministry they had sat with so much delight But what he had been in the course of his life the same did he continue to be to his death Though his desease was violent and his fits often acute and sharp yet he never complained he might groan but he never grumbled his pain might cause him to mourn but it did not make him murmur he reverenced the rod in the hand of his Father and that Cup which his Father gave him to drink he submitted to In his extremity his Faith and patience would eminently shine forth to the honour of God and comfort of those that visited him Being sensible of his approaching death he was exceeding solicitous for the Town and Parish whereof he was Minister It s a worthy speech of Laelius in Cicer. de Amicit. Mihi non minori Curae est qualis respublicae post mortem meam futura sit quam qualis bodis sit My care is as great what shall become of the Common-wealth when I am dead as what it shall do while I live So this good man was very anxious what should become of this people when God should call him away As Moses before he died was careful to appoint a Successor that might lead Gods people whom he had brought into the borders into the Land of Promise the Earthly Canaan So Mr. Wilson before he died took care for a Successor that might further that good work which he had begun through grace in many of them and be helpful to conduct them to their Heavenly Canaan To this end he called some of the Town who were wise and gracious to him and advised them to consider of some able good Minister to succeed him and he commended Mr. Iohn Crump a worthy Minister to them as the fittest that he knew to be their Pastour Afterwards Mr. Crump did succeed him not only in his place but also in his faithfulness and diligence and serviceableness to the comfort and advantage of the people As Iacob before his death called his children together to direct and advise what should befall them so he called his Wife and Children to him desiring his Wife not to be discouraged at his death or to sorrow as they that have no hope but to continue to serve God in Christ to trust God and to be chearful in him adding this for her comfort Though now we are parted for a time yet there is a time coming that we shall be joyned again never to part more His children were most little but those that were capable
he exhorted to fear God be times and directing his speech to his eldest daughter he said Look to it that you meet me not at the day of Iudgment in an unregenerate estate He commended all his Children to the Lord and left them with him in much Faith in the Covenant which God had made to him and his When Christian Friends came to visit him he always laboured to require their kindness in Godly counsel and exhortations he wisht them to be frequent in reading the Scriptures to prize highly and meditate much on the promises to be holy and blameless in their conversations by no means to forsake but to stick close to ordinances and to hold on in communion with the people of God in the Town When Epictetus broke his leg it s reported of him he discoursed as if his soul had been in another mans body And when the bones of Mr. Wilson were sore vexed with the violence of his disease he would discourse in such a composed Heavenly manner as if he had ayled nothing When one or two of those who had separated from communion with him came to see him he did with much affection bewail their Schism prayed that God would bring them back again and told them that he could willingly lay down his life so they might joyn in Communion with the other Godly people in the Town As Iacob when he was dying worshipped leaning on his staff Heb. 11. 21. So he on his dying bed was frequent in praying to and praising his God It was but two nights before his death though he were very sick yet he made his bed his Pulpit out of which he preached to some that came to see him concerning the preciousness of the promises bid them look the 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding rich and precious promises we are made partakers of the Divine Nature and concerning the preciousness of Christ to Believers desired them to turn to 1 Pet. 2. 7. Vnto you that believe he is precious And oh with what affectionate expressions would this Minister and Member of Christ Commend his head the Pearl of great Price and the Promises he had purchased saying to his visitors that one Promise was more precious then a World He kept a pure conscience while he lived and through mercy had a peaceable conscience when he died It s said of 〈…〉 Lampadius that being asked on his death bed by one whether the light did not offend him clapping his hand on his breast answered Hic sat lucis Here is light within Mr. Wilson all along in his sickness manifested much peaceableness and calmness of Spirit Dr. Taylor when he came within two miles of the place of Execution leaped saying God be praised I am almost at home and have not past a mile or two and I shall be at my Fathers House Mr. Wilsons apprehension that Death drew near was very comfortable to him A Gentlewoman of his society coming to take her leave of him being to remove out of the Town he pleasantly said to her What will you say good Mistriss Crisp if I get the start of you and get to Heaven before you get to Dover When another came to see him he asked her what she thought of him who answering truly Sir I think you are not far from your Fathers House he replied Oh that is good news indeed which would make one to laugh for joy When others spake to him of his death in a mornful way he said to them I bless God who hath suffered me to live so long to do him some service and now after I have done the work appointed me is pleased to call me away so soon Thus in the breathings of his Faith and hope he departed this Life and commended his Spirit into the hands of him that redeemed it and that on the Lords Day that day on which he was wont to work so hard was the day of his entrance into eternal rest to keep an endless Sabbath He needed no Picture or Monuments to preserve his Memory His good works though transient in themselves are yet permanent in the hearts of many and praise him in the Gate for as Agesitaus dying said If I have done good that will be my Monument if ill all the Statues you can make will not keep my good name alive He was when he died about 52. years of Age of a strong constitution for strength and might in a course of nature if God had so pleased have lived much longer But he brought forth fruit early and was ripe when others of his age began but to blossom and therefore no wonder that he was gathered by God so soon He was in his Meridian when others were but just peeping above the Horizon and so might well set before them It was much desired and prayed for that his life might have been lengthened but his time was come he had fought a good fight he had finished his course he had kept the Faith and his Master call'd him to receive his Crown It may be said of him as one did of Bishop Iewel in Seneca's Phrases Diu vixit etsi non di◠fruit He lived long and much though he was not long on Earth he did not wast out with the rust of idleness but wear out with labour yet he was a light that did not blaze out needlesly and unprofitably but burn out for the enlightning many and directing them in the way of life which life he now enjoyeth and happy are they whom their Lord when he cometh shall find so doing of a truth I say unto you he shall make them Rulers over all that he hath Heb. 12. 43 44. Master Bright Minister of Gondhust in Kent his Testimony concerning Mr. Wilson in a Letter directed to a Friend in Maidstone SIR FOr Mr. Wilsons practical actings in Preaching and Life I need say nothing your self feelingly and experimentally knowing more then any can relate his natural parts were generally known to be very high in depth of Judgement readiness of Memory and quickness of Apprehension he was the best at much in a little with clearness of Judgement and exactness of method that I have heard or am ever like to hear His Spiritual endowments for graces and gifts were answerable in his Ministerial abilities he was taller by the head and shoulders then most of his Brethren his indefatigable pains answerable to his parts wore out his Spirit and spent him for good to be the sooner with God and that which to me adorned all was the depth of his humility in the height of his Sanctity He had much learned that hard lesson to receive much from God yet to be little in his own eyes his memory is still precious to my thoughts the general loss is great yours in particular greater I shall heartily desire his indefatigable labours and pious exemplary life may still live in your lives in which he dead yet speaketh c. Yours in Christ Edward Bright ARTICLES Objected