THE LIVING Dead Pastor YET SPEAKING In two SERMONS Preached on Bartholomews day Aug. 24. 1662. in Bewdly Chappel by Henry Osland then Minister there And now Published by some Friends of TRUTH MICAH 7. 8 9. Rejoyce not against me oh mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me I will bear the Indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause He will bring my soul to light and I shall behold his righteousness LONDON Printed in the year 1663. Courteous Reader THE Reverend Author of these Sermons is known far and near for his Labour Diligence and Zeal in Preaching the Gospel since he entered on the Ministery but could never be perswaded to Print any one of those Sermons that God made so successfull in the Preaching These ensuing we have made bold to Publish not as the best but the last Sermons of our beloved Pastor The aspersions that were cast upon him for his frequency in Preaching made him as on his death-bed in these Sermons speak more of himself then in all that ever we heard him Preach before These Sermons were preached with good approbation of those that heard them though of contrary perswasions if any thing offend let it be imputed to us that Published them not to him that only preached them and the rather because we cannot say that this is verbatim that which was Preached Reader if the reading of these Sermons draw so many tears from thy eyes and resolutions from thy heart to be the Lords and to serve him as it did from those that heard them thou wilt not lose thy labour nor we our Pains The loss that we and the Church hath had of such burning and shining Lights is so great that it calls loud for our prayers moans and tears to the Lord of the harvest that he would send back such Labourers into his harvest wherein you shall have the joint assistance of your sorrowfull friends for our dead yet living Pastor I. D. T. F. R. W. HEBREWS 13. 20 21. Now the God of peace that brought back again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever THIS Text is Pauls farewell prayer for the Hebrews in the close of a large Epistle to them And it may be the subject of my last Sermons after many years labours with you And in it you may observe three things 1. The person prayed unto and that is God who is described from the rich fulness of his Majesty to be 1. Yhe God of peace this expressed and 2. The God of all power which is mplyed yet amplified by one of the most mighty works that ever was done to wit the raising from the dead the Lord Jesus which Jesus is also described from his Relation to the Church to be the great Shepherd of the Sheep And withal how he came to a Flock and to be a Shepherd and that was by the shedding of his blood which blood is called the blood of the Everlasting Covenant which the God of peace made with the sheep and was confirmed by the bloodshed of the Shepherd 2. The things prayed for 1. That the Hebrews might be perfect in every good work 2. That they might do the will of God 3. That God would work the thing that was pleasing in his sight wherein you have for whose sake by whom or through whom this must be wrought that is Jesus Christ And 2. In whom that is in you the Hebrews Lastly You have the doxology to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Pauls prayer for them is and shall be mine for you And that you may know the things prayed for you I shall open them unto you if God permit I do observe that when Friends part they usually part with prayer Jacob when he parted with Benjamin he sent him away with a prayer Gen. 43. 14. Paul when he parted with the Ephesians Acts 20. kneeled down and prayed with them all And observe it was to God not as the Papists do to Saints and Angels but to God through Jesus Christ The Doctrines from the words are many 1. That God is the God of peace i. e. of all blessings temporal and spiritual 2. That Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd of the Sheep 3. That the great Shepherd of the sheep was dead for a time 4. That God did bring back again from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep 5. That there is an Everlasting Covenant 6. That this Covenant is established in the blood of Christ 7. Through his blood-shed Christ hath purchased a sheepfold or flock of sheep Verse 21. 8. That a Believers duty is to do the will of God 9. That the doing of the will of God only is a good work 10. That the sons of men must be fitted adopted made perfect to do good works 11. That God must work in us and co-work with us to do the thing that is pleasing in his sight 12. That glory is due to Christ for ever and ever The Doctrine that I shall first speak to is this DOCTRINE Yhat Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd of the sheep He is frequently so stiled Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my Shepherd Psalm 80. 1. Give ear O Shepherd of Israel Ezek. 34. 23. I will set over them one Shepherd i. e. one great Shepherd John 10. 14 16. 1 Pet. 2. 25. the Shepherd and the Bishop of our Souls 1 Pet. 5. 4. Yhe chief Shepherd and in the Text the great Shepherd Which holds forth to us that Christ hath a Fold that he is to those as the Shepherd to his sheep that Christ hath more interest in his flock and people then any then all Gospel Ministers have It is true they are Shepherds but he is the great Shepherd The Prophets Apostles Ministers Pastors are Shepherds but they are all under Christ So that what ever is the work or may be the care of a Shepherd over his flock or a Minister for his people the same more eminently is the work and care of Christ over and for his people which principally consists 1. In gathering together and keeping his Sheep Jer. 31. 10. I will gather him and keep him as a Shepherd doth his flock Amos 3. 12. As the Shepherd takes out of the mouth of the Lion the two leggs and a peice of the ear so will this Shepherd pull his sheep out of the Lions Jaws they shall not be devoured Ezek. 34. 22. 2. In nourishing and feeding his sheep Ezek. 34. 10 11 12. He will make them lye down in fat pastures And though men would famish his sheep and cut them short and separate the Shepherds from them which feed them with knowledge and open to them
the Books written on both sides in conversing with the intelligent to find out what my duty is I have concluded upon nothing rashly but with much deliberation I did not set the examples of men before me nor drew any resolution from their practice And if more had conformed then do I should have stood in the same judgement And I seriously profess that one of those that stand off in these parts weighs more with me then ten of the Conformists The gain or loss of the world hath been nothing in my eye I have had no thoughts of what I shall eat what I shall drink or what I shall put on but I have impartially studied the truth and the rules by which our wayes and actions must be guided And upon all this I do most cleerly see that it is not my duty but it would be sin for me to close with the things that are proposed and enjoyned To give you my reasons is not safe for me nor profitable for you The new Liturgy I have not seen and therefore will neither approve it or disallow it lest I be one of those that speak evil of that which I understand not And though perhaps it is so composed that I may or can assent to the greatest part of it yet if I and my brethren assent not and consent not unfeignedly to it all we must speak an untruth and against our consciences and knowledge in the face of a Congregation where God is present and his Saints and where we must speak as Gods Oracles and no more then we are confident our Lord and Master Christ would speak or else we must refuse it altogether And indeed let it be how or what it will whether it be through my weakness and Ignorance I could not pass my unfeigned assent and consent to any book as I remember that ever I read of that bulk excepr the Bible and how I should to this I cannot imagine sith the old one hath so much said against it and this as it s said is not much different from it And although I know it is determined by our Rulers that I shall preach the Gospel no more and that I must leave the most honourable sweet and most desirable work in the world the solemn publick service of God in being his mouth unto his people And although I must leave a people whom I dearly love and am perswaded of their abundant love to me whose service in the Lord I love above all people and have refused much of the world to dwell with them Yet I say with Paul That God needeth not my lye for his glory He hath not put me upon a necessity of sinning to do him service But the Apostle hath told us that that mans damnation slumbereth not that saith he must do evil that good may come thereby It is true many people say that they are but small things that are imposed indifferent things and trifles and wonder at us that so many Ministers will leave their places and cease preaching of the Gospel for such things as these that any man may do and not scruple and many good men do yield unto and keep their places To all this I say God hath not taught me to call or account any sin small it is in its nature damnable an offence unto an infinite Majesty a provocation of his wrath to break the least of Gods Laws or slight the smallest of his commands 2. I say they are not small to me and I am confident they will not be small things to our conforming Brethren in the day of Christ however they seem now They are not small neither to such as are in bitterness and trouble for what they have done Oh that you could perswade the afflicted tormented souls of wounded men that they are very small things If we that refuse thought them small would we lose our livelyhood in the world for them Have we not love to our selves our Wives and Children Do we not desire to live as comfortable as other men Some say it is through an humour that we refuse A strange humour that will make men lose 50. l. or 100. or 200. l. per annum How many Ministers are there that have many children and little provision made for them but what is in the promise that cannot yield but lose all let not the world for shame call these men covetous any more Nay do you think that we would cease preaching the Gospel that delightfull work of God if they were such small things as some would make them Hath not God given us ability assistance and success Are not ye many of you our glory and Crown if you stand fast Why should we lose and leave the best employment upon earth There is nothing but the fear of sin that could ever cause us thus voluntarily to depart out of the Lords Vineyard 3. What others do is no rule to me I judge not their parts or piety I have seen some of their Reasons and have weighed them in the ballance and find them too light to bring me up to them We know what Ministers did in King Edward the sixths dayes and what the same men did in Queen Maries dayes and what the same men did again in Queen Elizabeths dayes Because Peter denyed his Master under a temptation and afterwards Judaized through dissimulation the wayes of Apostacy and deceit are not the better because so great an Apostle was found in them But I will not dispute the case God will be judge himself shortly Judge nothing before the time As for you my deâ—rly beloved in the Lord by the cost and care of my Parents I was brought up for the Ministry and by the providence of God I was designed for you In this Town I had part of my Education and therefore here I was the more willing to imploy my Talent It was not wages that I sought for or that drew me hither but work and labour not yours but you Many thought my time would not have been so long with you but I thought if God had spared life it should not have been so short Had I hearkened to Calls for greater preferment and accepted them I had not been here to take my leave now but I had amongst you that which pleased me most and as the hopes of it invited me to sit down with you so it provoked me to stay with you even the success of my Ministry in the converting and consolating of your souls But now my Sun is gone down at noon and I am divided from you in the best of my dayes before the grey hairs have come upon me As you were contented to sit under my Ministry in my tender years had it pleased the Lord you should have had the benefit of my riper studies But our Times are in Gods hand and he metes us out the work and places where we must be By this sad parting it too plainly appears that I have been an unprofitable Preacher to
you and you unprofitable Hearers and Oh that we might joyn in one solemn day to humble our selves both for the sins of my Preaching and you for the sins of your hearing but it is now too late I will crave leave to speak a word in my behalf I know not what aspersions may be cast upon me as there have been as to my design amongst you in my work God is my record that I aimed at nothing but the Conversion Sanctification and Salvation of your souls I was glad when I heard of any of you that were willing to leave your sins and to set upon duty and I could no further delight in you then I saw you delight in God and his wayes My Ministry was not with the affected words of mans wisdom I never delâ—ghted to speak a word which I thought the meanest in the Assembly could not understand I studied not for a name or a praise one hour in my Ministry but how the truth might be made more fit for you And blessed be the God of our mercies our labour hath not been altogether in vain in the Lord. When I came hither I found many in Christ some of which have continued with me on earth a support encouragement and comfort to me to this very day some of them are in glory with Christ Others there were that were strangers to Christ at my coming but since have subscribed with their hand and set to their seal to be the Lords Yet of these some have continued upright others have turned aside to sin and folly broke their resolutions made again and again and have not performed their vows but they that sate at the table with me have lift up their hand against me and sit in the seat of drunkards and scorners and it is to be feared will be found persecutors of those that are good and grow worse and worse and not only leave but lose their first love and if they persevere they will be ranked amongst Christs enemies at the last Oh that this might be an awakening word to them this day and that God would turn their hearts once again once again to his holy wayes and keep them therein to the end that they may be a comfort to me and not a terrour to themselves at the dreadfull day There are another sort that I found wicked and I fear so must leave them on whom the powerfull word hath had no power but to this day are sinfull disobedient following divers lusts and hardning their hearts in the wayes of death refuse the terms the means and the Lord of life And now my beloved having given you an account of my life with you and my death approaching my glass haveing a few more sands in it I must proceed to my dying words and they shall be in twenty Directions for your practice of godliness and twenty requests I shall make to you in the behalf of God and your everlasting souls And I beseech you if you will do any thing for my sake or will regard the voyce the words the last words for all I know of your tender and hearty friend hear and obey my words as follow 1. Some of you are Magistrates and act in a larger sphere then others Behave your selves beseeming the place you are put in you sit in the Seat of God and you must judge for him O sit not in the seat of Drunkards and Scorners of God his wayes and people as your trust is greater then others so will your account be If you sin now you doubly sin and be sure your sin will find you out Some of you are lately put in the places of men of prudence piety and zeal for God that were not the off-spring of Sequestrations or the issues of divided parties but chosen into the company for their real worth and personal abilities to serve the Town And such they are which have given you demonstrations of Justice running down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream They left you a Town well ordered where prophaness seeks corners and impiety dare not shew its head it hath been a shame and reproach for a drunkard to reel or a Sabbath-breaker to appear in the light The mouths of swearers have been stopped and the horn of the ungodly durst not lift up it self It is not for their impiety that they are laid aside or unmeetness to rule but through their own dissatisfaction and you that inherit their trust through favour inherit their graces diligence and upright lives that we may hereafter say of you as we can of them You left the place better then you found it Love not sin in your selves for then you will not punish it in others put not such in your bosoms against whom you must draw the Sword Let not the enemies of holiness be your friends and favourites least you spare Agag when God sayes kill 2. Endeavour to settle with you a Preacher after Gods own heart that will endeavour to please God and not man Prayers without Preaching will not save the ignorant and carnal that are yet amongst you those that God hath joyned let them not be separated we read more of the Apostles preaching exhorting warning the people then we do of their praying with them Paul did desire that utterance might be given him not to read a few prayers again and again but that he might open his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel Ephes 6. 19. Col. 4. 3 4. he tells us that he was not sent to baptize but to preach that is especially principally to preach the Gospel as his main and only work and by the foolishness of preaching God saveth such as believe and he chargeth Timothy in a most solemn and dreadful manner before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and dead at his coming to preach the word to be instant in season and out of season to reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering doctrine When I read all the texts that enjoyn preaching and frequent preaching of the Gospel and see the practice of Paul how at all times he was ready to preach Rom. 1. 15. whereever he came and how he strove to preach the Gospel where he could get in and had liberty to do it Rom. 15. 20 and how he travelled up and down to preach 2 Cor. 2. 12. 2 Cor. 10. 14. yea though he had weakness upon him and infirmities in his flesh Gal 4. 13. All these things make me conclude that it is an excellent work and the work of a Minister and not to be neglected where we can have freedom on honest terms And I wonder that men can content themselves with a Reader only or that any that are called to this work can satisfie conscience with reading a form only to the people and slight or preach against preaching God hath vouchsafed a preaching Ministry to your Fathers and you at least sixty years Oh continue it still and take care of