as long for him as for any one God now puts them upon something more It is not enough to do only as the People that went to see Christ crucified Luke 23.48 They smote their breasts and returned A transient Pang of Passion is not so much as the least that God calls for Therefore III. Prop. III. When God takes away his Eminent Ministers there is more work devolves upon others both Ministers and People by it 1. The Work they did must be done by others that the Church of Christ may not be a looser by their death And this you 'll find to be hard work for many to perform what some one hath done whom God hath taken from us One Moses did more then the seventy chief of them who were to ease him of his burthen he did more with God and Man in Egypt and in the Wilderness by Sea by Land in Peace in War more by lifting up in hands in prayer than the whole by lifting up their hands in fighting Exod. 17.11 When Moses held up his hand Israel prevailed and when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed More for the quieting and satisfying of a murmuring People than any of them than all of them could do What is now therefore next to be done and by whose hands they might tremblingly enquire for Moses is dead and if the deliverance he begun be not carried on they must perish Who dare now undertake it But I 'll speak of Moses as a Minister and of such things wherein we are all concern'd 2. Repentance of the Sins they reproved which are not yet repented of and the Performance of the Duties they called to which they have not yet obeyed the Call Zach. 1.5,6 Your Fathers Where are they And the Prophets do they live for ever But my Words and my Statutes which I commanded my Servants the Prophets did they not take hold of your Fathers and they returned and said Like as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings so hath he dealt with us q. d. Where are disobedient Fathers though the Prophets die that threatned them Did not the Threatnings pursue and overtake them and so the Word will have the same effect upon you though the Ministers that preach it do not live to see its Accomplishment 3. New Duties spring as it were out of their Graves There should be a Progress in the Knowledge and Practice of serious Godliness Can you think that God requires no more of you now than he did of our Forefathers when he first sent the Gospel amongst them that we should know no more now than those who had the first dawnings of Gospel-light out of worse than Aegyptian darkness that God expects no more fruits from you who have been so long cultivated than from those that scarce ever heard a Conscience-awakening Sermon Surely you cannot perswade your selves I hope all the Devils in Hell cannot perswade you to think so Besides every Age hath its peculiar Truth The Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 1.12 when he mentions his departure tells them he would have them established in the present Truth And the Apostle Jude tells those to whom he wrote Jude 3. that 't was needful for him to write unto them and exhort them that they should earnestly contend for the Faith which was first delivered unto the Saints Doth it not concern us diligently to enquire what may be the Doctrine of Faith which God calls us now earnestly to contend for Give me leave to propose it to your Enquiry Whether it may not be the Doctrine of the Kingly Office of Jesus Christ Mistake me not I urge no other Contentions than that which every one will grant to be a Duty namely strive with God in fervent Prayer for his fulfilling all the Promises that concern Christ's mediatory Kingdom in short that God would grant what Christ hath taught us first to pray for Thy Kingdom come that Christ's Kingdom may be advanced and Satan's Kingdom may be destroyed And strive with Men by the most forcible Arguments that the Scriptures furnish us withal to be Christ's willing People in this day of his Power And to strive with Enemies with the most piercing Convictions that those Arrows may be sharp in their Hearts to wound and heal them Christians pray let it be your great care to approve your selves to be the faithful Subjects of the Lord Jesus Christ without any reserve of either Sin or Duty 4. New Sins like new Diseases are peculiar to special times for the Cure of which we must apply proper Remedies We yearly speak of new Fevers when they are but the same with some peculiar Circumstances So in spiritual Diseases several times have their several dangers Acts 20.29 After my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock v. 30. Therefore watch c. and v. 25. And now behold I know that ye all among whom I have gone Preaching the Kingdom of God shall see my face no more When ravening Wolves can no more worry then Seducers will be busie to pervert and when watchful Shepherds are taken away 't is then time for the Sheep of Christ to be sensible of their danger that they may neither be frighted nor flattered out of the Fold of Christ Prop. IV. IV. While the Sense of the Death of any Eminent Minister is fresh upon us we should take that advantage of getting an abiding benefit When the Iron is hot then is time to strike to fashion it into that useful form that it must abide in till it is worn out Whose heart is heated and mollified by such a Providence as this let it not cool again without some powerful Improvement 1. The Circumstances of such a Providence which are most affecting will wear off if there be not great care to preserve them in their present vigor We are in many things more affected with the Circumstances than with the things themselves Do but observe it in those signal Passages of God's providence towards you which you did presently put down in writing to keep by you when some Years after you read them doth it not bring to mind those Circumstances that were forgotten 2. Several things of great moment fall out but once in our Life and perhaps you 'll find this to be such a Providence when you considerately consider of it I think every one that will but seriously reflect upon the Providences of his own Life will find himself furnished with instances of this kind both in the things of this Life and a better Some speak peremptorily that every one hath some time of his life some providential offers of worldly advantage which if it be let slip they never have a second offer like it Nay more they say there 's never any one under overwhelming pressures but if he had complied with some hints of Providence he might have prevented it I will not divert strictly to examine
desirous he was of the Welfare of that Family in every sence was clearly seen in his joy when things went well there and his trouble if they did not I doubt not but the root and all the branches of that House are ready to make their grateful Acknowledgments thereof he being more concern'd for the Honourable Lady and her Children than for himself when any Trouble threatned He was not long there before his amiable Deportment and instructive Discourses insensibly drew in the best of the Neighbourhood into his familiar acquaintance that they might enjoy the Blessing of his Labours here he soon preach'd twice every Lord's-day and frequently a third time on the Lord's-day evening at two miles distance repeating his Sermons examining and instructing the Family and praying with them at his return All this he continued till he procured for them an excellent Preacher whose preaching was deservedly esteem'd by the Serious and above the Contempt of Scoffers This besides weekly Lectures at several places and a monthly Fast These Lectures were set up by him and carried on by him or by others of his procuring I forbear naming the places A zealous Minister for a Neighbour Corporation was procur'd and maintain'd by him and his Friends In short his Labours and Expences for Souls was abundant and thro' Grace his success was answerable many very many there will bless God for him to Eternity But all this while he durst not undertake the Office of the Ministry he had such awful thoughts of that tremendous Office and so low thoughts of himself that he durst not venture till Providence thrust him forward in this as in other things to undertake what he trembled at Now Reverend Mr. Pointall dying a door is opened for more public Service to which God and Man so call'd him that he is not able to withstand it Now tho' his stay was earnestly desired and affectionately urged by all in the Family who might say to him what was said of Jacob Gen. 30.27 I have learn'd by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake yet he was deaf to all Sollicitations being easily perswadable in any thing concerning himself but inexorable in the Cause of God But he did with great Conscience and Ingenuity introduce a worthy Successor whose great Piety and ministerial Abilities were beyond vulgar Much about this time not long before or after God sent him to a Burrough in Sussex where he hath occasionally acknowledged he met with peculiar assistance of the Spirit of God compassion to Souls in a case somewhat more then ordinary moved him to set up a Meeting there what Difficulties he grappled with I will not mention many wearisome Winter Journeys he had which were not tiresome to him thro' hopes of doing good which made all pleasant and he was not disappointed in his hopes The Lord was with him wheresoever he went and gave wonderful success to his Labours He procur'd eleven more Ministers to join with him to set up constant Preaching there Among many Remarkables there I 'll mention only this One Lord's-day being to Preach the Doors were no sooner open'd but the place was crowded full and many that cou'd not get in stood about the Door in his Prayer he had such a strong Impression on his Spirit with respect to the Multitude that Christ would have compassion on the Multitude and not send them empty away his Soul was so vehemently carried out in earnest Prayer for the Multitude that he had much ado to contain himself and some of the Hearers were sutably affected In short while there was Liberty and afterwards when Liberty was restored tho' he was removed at a great distance from them he ceased not to be mindful of them but his Care and Purse procured them one Minister after another till they were settled as they were before he died under the Guidance of a Master Work-man in the Lord's Vineyard But to return to Staplehurst about this time God lift him up above his sinking fears about Ordination He that to the Apostles question Who is sufficient for these things hitherto as it were answer'd not I Lord not I I would not be excused from being a Preacher for I love it yet would feign be excused from being a Pastor For I fear it Now answers God's question to the Prophet Whom shall I send here am I send me Isa 6.8 I think few ever undertook the feeding of a Flock of Christ with lower Thoughts of themselves yet with more humble expectation of Help and Success from the great Shepherd than he did The Lord Jesus spent the whole Night in Prayer before he ordained his Twelve Apostles compare Luke with Mark. Luke 6.12 Mar. 3.14 The manifold suspence of this Servant of Christ plainly implies that he spent a good part of many Nights and Days if not Weeks and Months perhaps Years in fervent Prayer and conscientious Thoughtfulness about his Ordination But now as he durst no sooner venture so he dares no longer delay Thus his wary entring into this Office presages a careful fulfilling of it He now studied the Necessities of his Hearers and did suit his Sermons accordingly to this end did he frequently converse with the most ignorant of his Neighbours that he might know what their Apprehensions Objections and Prejudices were about or against a serious Holy Life accordingly did he frame his Discourses to inform convince and perswade them He was Constant and Zealous in this weighty Work On those days when he had assistance in his own Congregation he would ride out and Preach where there was necessity A while after this when he was settled as much as in those times could be expected he was near marrying a young Gentlewoman but before the time appointed for the Marriage Christ took her to himself About two Years after that he married a gracious Widow by whom he had several Children but they all died young but her having living Children was a Mercy she never enjoyed by her former Husband but had only abortive Births The first living Child he had I have cause to remember the more then ordinary workings of his gracious Soul about its solemn Dedication to God by Baptism what the inward workings of his Soul were is only known to the Heart-searching God but so much burst out beyond his intention to be taken notice of that I never did see before nor ever expect to see the like again I have many a time reflected on it with admiration There you might have seen the Covenant improv'd and what might well make you more serious ever after in the Celebration of that Ordinance But I 'll say no more of this because I know not whether any besides my self took notice of it Some expected that now he had a Family to provide for his Charitable expences must be retrenched the Stream must run in another Channel but they were mistaken those that most narrowly observed his constant Charity could perceive no
I 'll single out one instance of a Person who was very tender of him in his weakness and expressed a more then ordinary concernedness for his health to whom he spake to this effect You are thus kind to me you seem to be very religious but I fear you are not hearty nor sound and then mentioned the grounds of his fear and urged a through Conviction He did not only himself Preach with a more than usual Zeal but I should welcome him who could tell me of any other who has contributed to the setting up or building so many Meeting-places and contributed so largely to the supplying them with such Ministers Work men that need not to be ashamed as he hath done He never thought much of any Charge so he could but serve Christ and Souls I am loth to mention what unreasonable Opposition he hath met with in some places where they endeavour'd to eclipse his Reputation which soon shone more clearly But I will rather incur being censured for a Baulk in my Narrative then for mentioning what I hope the Persons guilty have repented of which if they have not the Lord give them Repentance and Pardon And go on to bless those places with flourishing Churches where the Devil struggled most to keep his dominion He lived to see it to his great Satisfaction May the Harvest answer the Seed time to the Salvation of Thousands Catechising Next to his Preaching I 'll mention his Catechising which in some respects he preferr'd before it saying if he were to be confined to Preaching or Catechising and might not do both he would choose Catechising He had a more than ordinary Dexterity at insinuating Truths not only into the Heads but God hereby testifying his Approbation of his Zeal impressed it on the Hearts of greater Numbers then I dare mention lest it should seem incredible He had so throughly digested the whole Body of Divinity and so throughly acquainted himself with all sorts of Catechisms and so continually exercised himself in sifting and instructing all he conversed with that he experimentally knew how to propose such questions as were sutable to the Capacities and Necessities of all sorts of Persons so as to discourage none but to benefit all He would ask questions of all who he thought capable to inform him and his Humility made him willing to be any Man's Disciple what method was most likely to be most effectual He parcelled out the Catechism into several Sections and sent them about to his Brethren requesting them to write down what they judged pertinent and proper to be proposed to the Catechis'd Persons for the furthering of their Knowledge and their Establishment in all things necessary to be known and practised He had a singular Dexterity at insinuating himself into the Affections of young People and overcoming their unwillingness to be instructed Some that were more in years who though they were ashamed of their Ignorance but were more ashamed to learn at that Age yet were prevailed with by his importunity to come to this publick Exercise And where Intreaties and Arguments would not do he would hire them by giving them new Bibles many whereof were gilt and bound in Turky-Leather or good Books so that he hath acknowledged with thankfulness to God that he seldom failed to gain at last those who were very averse at first And though the Instruction of young and ignorant People is the usual design in Catechising yet he was so full and accurate in illustrating the several Heads of Religion the aged and more improved Persons did frequently attend his Catechetical Exercises with great satisfaction and delight For his custom in reading not only bodies of Divinity but practical Books was to collect what was most valuable in them and refer them to their proper places in his Catechism which was interleaved for that purpose whereby he was ready furnisht to give a grateful Entertainment as well to the most judicious as to the meaner Christians He would often express how difficult as well as necessary this Work was and therefore he took much pains to have the most clear understanding of the Doctrine of the Gospel He was a diligent Observer of the Practice Method and Success of his reverend Brethren in this Matter all which he improved and his Success was answerable to such preparations and endeavours He would frequently say That he never experienced more of the Assistance of God in any Duty than in this God making him an instrument of conveying very much knowledge hereby some that had been under his instruction have proved most judicious and able Christians In short he saw so much need and so much good effect of his Labours in this way that he would say While he had breath he would spend it in Catechising Besides his own weekly Catechising and Catechising in all the Schools which he erected He hired some Persons in distant places to Catechise all Children and others who were willing to learn and once a Month or oftner He rode about from place to place to Catechise them himself And then to incourage those who did well he gave some Reward either in Books or Money according to the Quality of the Persons And to incourage Parents and Masters to send their Children or Servants he presented them with some Books curiously bound and gilt that might be most acceptable and if they were Poor he gave them many more than they could have earned in the time of their Learning And his Discourse with Parents and Masters was really Catechistical though so managed that they could not think themselves disparag'd by such Instructions He had a way of so proposing his Questions that the Question should lead them to or furnish them with an Answer I have occasionally heard him examin a Boy his Questions were such as I never heard before yet so instructively worded that any one of ordinary capacity who took but notice of the Question could not miss the right Answer And tho' his way of trying their Knowledge was more critical than others yet through Grace and Exercise he had attained such a Skill for it that his Examinations were not only acceptable but desirable where-ever he came For he carried with him prevailing Motives that were morally forcible to all sorts of Persons That when he visited his Schools the Children would rejoyce more then for a Play-day When he preached in Neighbouring Congregations they waited for his Catechising as earnestly as Beggars for an Alms. When he visited any Family they expected his Instruction as a Sucking Child the Breast Yet all this did not suffice him but all those Ministers towards whom he contributed maintenance which were not a few he engaged them to set up Catechising and enquired how it thrived And all those Ministers with whom he conversed he provok'd to set up Catechising He gave away I can't say how many thousands of Catechisms many hundreds with Expositions upon them neither did he consine his Catechumenists to the