you and bring you to his right hand where are joyes unspeakable and pleasures for evermore May you fare well in your Shops and in your Fields at Sea and ashore in your going out and in your coming in shall be the hearty prayers of your dying friend May you be blessed in your basket and in your store and in all things you put your hands unto and the God of love and peace be with you May you be blessed in your Yoak-fellows in your Children and Servants in your Ministers and all your relations and the God of love and peace be with you May you be blessed in the exercises of your graces and duties and Ordinances and the God of love and peace be with you and make them easie fruitful and delightful May you fare well in the hour of death the God of love and peace then speak peace unto you and shew his reconciled face unto you in Jesus Christ May you fare well at the great day of Judgement and the God of love and peace then set you at his right hand smile upon you acquit and dissolve you May you fare well in the day of eternity and the God of love and peace then lead you to the fountain of living waters to the enjoyment of himself that sorrow and sighing may then flie away that you may live in praising and singing Hallelujah in the Quire of Angels to all eternity May none of you here present know what Hell means so as to feel the Torments thereof but that you may enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven where the God of love and peace shall be with you May mine enemies do well though I know but of few except those who were once my friends those that are the God of love and peace be with them and bless them for ever Those that have spoken ill of me the good will of him that dwelt in the Bush be with them and pardon all their sins enrich them with Grace and bring them to his heavenly Kingdom I do from my soul forgive them and earnestly desire of God that I may know what it is to live in their company to all eternity whose favour here I could not gain This I can say there is none I have more heartily loved then my enemies to do good for evil to pass by provocations hath been my endeavour let them enjoy the love of God whose company here I could not enjoy May my friends be rewarded let them be reaping in the day of eternity for every good thought word and work towards me however so unworthy seeing it was done in the name of a Prophet let them receive a Prophets reward the upper and the nether springs be their portion all the graces and priviledges of the Gospel be bestowed on them and the God of Grace and Glory be with them I cannot say more the Sun is even down my civil life is near an end my strength is almost spent but the remainder shall be spent for your good Let all the treasures of Divine Love be the reward of all those who have shewed love unto me May every particular Family in this place be blessed Let every House wherein I have been and every person therein be blessed especially those Families wherein I have been particularly engaged Let every one of them be the heir of Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Glory the Lord binde up their souls in the bundle of Life Now as to my Administrations Farewel Sermons and farewel Sabbaths farewel Fasting and farewel Exhortations farewel this House and farewel this Seat for ever farewel my Preaching farewel your Hearing and farewel your Faces in this place and farewel this world when we shall arrive at eternity both old and young My Brethren and Sisters all farewel and God give us himself which is all in all And now to conclude with the farewel in my Text and so to commend you all to God by Prayer which is my last work Finally my Brethren farewel Be perfect be ye of one minde be of good comfort live in peace and the God of love and peace be with you all Amen Mr. Edward Hancock's Prayer before his Farewel Sermon at St. PHILIPS in Bristol August 24. 1662. Holy Lord God Thou who art the Spring of Being the Root of the World the Foundation of all the Centre of Immortal Souls unto thee shall all Flesh come Souls must have vent they have not a competent happiness at home to live upon they must look out and seek abroad and it is vanity to give vent to the Soul any way except upwards Prayer is the greatest vent and hearts ease in all the world unto immortal Souls Lord at this time lift up our Hearts by Prayer unto thee in and through the Lord Jesus Christ O Lord we are unworthy to come into thy presence at this time truly we do confess it being considered in our state of Nature Oh how were we by the transgression of our first Parents born Children of Wrath and Heirs of eternal Damnation and our whole Life ever since hath been a life of Sin and actual Rebellion against thy Majesty Alas we are unworthy to pour out our desires before thee we are Dogs yet truth Lord the Dogs may eat of the crumbs that fall from thy Table O Lord are there so many now about thy House and shall none of them be filled with good things that they be not sent empty away O Lord thou art a bountiful House-keeper that deals out a large deal of spiritual gifts for every poor soul that is poor and hungry and empty in his own apprehension Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Thou hast bid us open our mouths wide and thou wilt fill them Oh open our mouths abroad our hearts do thou open at this time that they may be filled O Lord time would fail us strength would fail us and memory would fail us to make a particular recapitulation of all our Sins and Transgressions committed against thee We carry bad hearts about us hearts that are never weary of offending a good God that waits that he may be gracious O Lord we would fain lay open the desires of our souls before thee it is pardoning mercy and healing mercy we would beg of thee for Jesus Christ his sake pardon all our Sins original and actual and wash our souls in that fountain opened for the house of Judah and Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness Change our natures chain up our corruptions Oh subdue our iniquities and give us thy Holy Spirit For by nature we are prone to all wickedness we have not a rag to cover our nakedness Lord cover us with the Robes of Christs Righteousnesse O Lord we pray thee bring us into the bond of the Covenant sanctifie our hearts and lives for ever to the honour of thy great Name Take this opportunity of working upon us deal with us mightily by thy Spirit who knows what a day may bring
before your eyes and provide for it there are none wise but those and all such are truly wise that keeps death before their eyes most people in the world are looking the other way they are providing for long life not for their death Put your hearts into a serious meditation of death and seriously consider that although troubles here comes thick upon you and temptations daily assault you death when it comes will put you out of the reach thereof and make you happy for ever and ever Ninthly Conform solemnly to the terms of salvation to wit impartial dependance and affiance upon the Lord Jesus Christ if ever thou wouldst be truly wise here and eternally happy hereafter do this until thou hast done this thou wilt never be happy depend wholly on Christ exercising faith upon Jesus Christ alone for life and salvation And lastly Be resolved never to depart from faith and holiness let the issue and event be what it will never depart from it faith and holiness are the pillars that fail not heaven and earth shall fail us e're these shall go away therefore if God doth scourge thee and chastise thee keep fast faith and holiness whatever would keep thee from faith and holiness is not of God live therefore in the exercise of it here and thou shalt live in the reward of it for ever hereafter Pray consider these ten things and dwell upon them take my last counsel be truly wise Oh that they may stick upon your hearts and dwell there until your hearts come to dwell with God for ever which I wish from my soul may be your portion Give me leave to take my leave of you now I have endeavoured to give you the whole counsel of God and to nurse you up that you may grow stronger and stronger thereby My time approacheth that I must leave you stay but until I bid you farewel and then we will part here and I hope to meet you again at our journeyes end where we will rejoyce in the Lord our righteousnesse and our joy shall no man take from us The providence of God brought me hither at first in a way and by a means which many of you were pleased to acknowledge had much of the hand of God in it I was destinated from all eternity to be your Minister For you was I ordained you have I loved you have I taught with you have I lived and with you could I have continued nothing but the keeping of a good conscience could have hindered it on my part I came not hither on my own head neither do I go away upon a whimsie of my own making Great proffers of preferment formerly moved me not but the terrors of the Almighty now makes me afraid my heart could not be strong nor my hands endure in the day of the Lord should I against my conscience have continued amongst you This I can say Brethren in the presence of the Lord that although in much weakness and infirmity and much slightness and little seriousness I have laboured amongst you to the salvation of your souls for which I have prayed and waited for I desire this day to humble my self before God and you and beg the mercy of God in our Lord Jesus Christ for all my miscarriages and neglects and failings amongst you for the want of so good an example as I should have been before you that I have not melted in pitty and compassion over your souls nor have been so zealous in private admonition as I should yet let the good you have seen and heard of me abide with you let the spiritual rules and motives you have abundantly heard dwell richly in you take heed of hypocrisie be sincere watch and examine your hearts look into eternity and live by faith upon Jesus Christ I heartily bless God for my continuance hitherto amongst you for your willing reception of me for all your courtesies and civil deportments towards me for all your chearful and hearty hearing the word of God by me preached and most of all I bless God for any good that any of you have received by me I thank you for all the entertainments of my requests I thank every particular person that hath done me any good the Lord reward them I have endeavoured to live affectionately in the midst of you and pray if any person have any thing against me I desire to make it known unto me before my departure and I will give him satisfaction let no man lay any thing to my charge when I am gone that will not make it known before I go I thank you all for your desire of me to stay the Lord knows how loath I am to leave you might I continue amongst you with a good conscience Oh! that the Sermons you have heard of me may be practised we shall one day meet at the bar of Christ and then I wish I may not be a witness against any soul here present If any of you have been my spiritual children do so much in requital as to pray for your spiritual Father if I have been only a waterer and no planter yet let me reap the fruits of your Prayers and let my name live in your private prayers when it is dead in publick send tokens for me to Heaven when you shall see my face no more on earth let us meet at the Throne of Grace though we shall not meet in this house no more let your Prayers to Almighty God for me be continued that my whole soul and body may be ever present as a living sacrifice unto God holy and acceptable in his sight that I may live onely to Jesus that he would use me so as is best to his own glory in doing and suffering and enable me to be faithful to what he hath called me to and that himself would be my exceeding great reward and that he would not deny himself unto me for whom I have desired to have been stripped of all things Neither shall your prayers be without the answer of mine the Road where I travel on the Bed that I lie on the Room that I shall lie in shall testifie how much I bear you that have been my hearers in my bosom And my prayers continually shall be for you that you may fare well and the God of love and peace be with you that shall ascend from my heart and lips when you are asleep at work standing or sitting in your Shops or abroad in the Fields Oh may you fare well in all Estates in the day of your temptations and trials and the God of love and peace be with you Oh! may you fare well in the dayes of your sorrows and afflictions and the God of love and peace be with you in the fire and in the water that you may come out seven times refined and give you the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness May you fare well in your joyes and comforts and the God of love and peace be with
forth we know not how soon death may beat up our quarters and storm our castles the next messenger that knocks may be the messenger of Death let us therefore be serious and betake our selves to soul concernments Let us consider Sabbaths were not made for nought to please an itching ear or unruly fancy but to save our souls O Lord make us diligent and careful at this time to receive spiritual good from thee Put us into thy Covenant carry us safe through this world bring us out of a natural condition give sincerity to souls that groan under hypocrisie give us a heart to know thee the Lord our Righteousnesse do saving good to us this day our last dayes are not the least but of the greatest concernment the desires of our souls unto thy Majesty is that it may go well with us at those two last great dayes of Death and Judgement O that our dying dayes and dooms dayes may be delightful and pleasant dayes to us We are but seeming Actors in a play in this world we are but a shadow how soon are we gone and our Habitations shall see us no more O Eternity Eternity Eternity that our souls must shortly launch into a vast ocean where there is a great account to be given how we have behaved our selves in this life Oh grant that we may so provide for that day that we may render our account with joy and not with grief O Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life make us like thy self partakers of thy Divine Nature deliver us into the mould of thy word thou knowest the condition of us let thy Word reach us all Oh Lord run up thy Sword to the Hilt in the hearts of all impenitent Sinners make thy Word sharper then a two-edged Sword O Lord thou hast done good by thy servants in their departing from us do good at this time amongst us Oh let thy strength be put forth to the conviction humiliation enlightning and converting of many a Soul this day Our strength is but small we cannot be so importunate with thee as our hearts doth desire thou knowest our state and wants do exceedingly for us above and beyond what we are able to ask or think O Lord thou art willing to do us good thou professest thou takest no pleasure in the death of a Sinner what then should hinder in all the world but a secret unwillingness in our hearts to come over to the Lord Jesus Christ For his sake by this last throw of the Administration of thy Grace let some poor fouls that sticks and stayes long in the place of bringing forth be born to Jesus Christ at this time Although this be the last Sermon in an ordinary way that ever thy unworthy servant is like to preach in this Congregation let it be a quickning Sermon an effectual Ordinance sanctified by thy Spirit to convert many and many a Soul work like a God work like thy own self let the power of the Lord be seen in the weakness of thy Servant Lord shew mercy unto all carry on thy glorious Churches design let not the gates of Hell prevail Let not the rod of the wicked alwayes rest upon the back of the righteous stand by thine in this hour of temptation though they be but weak in grace yet they have a strong God O support them and let the name of the Lord be great in the midft of them In much mercy look on these sinful Nations Oh bless our Sovereign Lord the King in his person and in his Relations thou that knowest all things doth know that it is the desire of our souls that thou wouldest bless him with a competency of Spiritual Temporal and Eternal Glory Oh make him a King after thy own heart we are resolved to wait on thee who knoweth what a day may bring forth what a God can do to the terrour and astonishment of all his enemies Let them see that the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord and he can turn it as pleaseth him and make him the choicest instrument of thy Glory and the good of thy Church that ever was Thou art a good God in great faithfulness dost thou afflict us let us learn our lesson quickly deliver us from dulness and security Lord we pray thee let instruction and correction go together thou doest appear in thy Providence as a God that art going about to sit upon the Tribe of Levi even that is most precious as a Fullers fire c. Oh take away the dross that they may offer to God acceptable service It hath been much upon the thoughts of some of thy People that God had a scourge for the Ministry because of their failings and defects send thy Spirit with thy Rod we look upon the dispensation as corrections for Sin humble Ministers for their Defects and People for their Sins We look upon it as matter of Thanksgiving and so have cause to bless thy Name that thou countest any of us worthy to bear a testimony of thy Name Lord whatsoever thou takest from us in this World make it up with the Emoluments of another World with the Incomes of thy Grace that shall make us more glad then when their Corn Wine and Oyl increaseth We have spiritual wants and it is nothing but spiritual remedies that will cure us Oh be thou nigh unto us in all that we shall call upon thee for Oh look upon all in affliction upon those that have begged our Prayers the Lord be merciful to them lay no more on them then thou shalt enable them to bear those that complain of unprofitablenefs under the means of Grace Lord convince them convert them turn their hearts take away the stony heart and give them a. heart of flesh take away the old rotten disposition and give them a soft and flexible Be in the midst of all Congregations this day met together in the faith and fear of the Lord we beg that thy servants who have had the seal of their Ministry may now at their departure prove powerful Instruments in thy hands of saving good to their people Oh let them destroy more lusts more temptations beget quicken and raise up in the hand of thy Spirit more Sons and Daughters unto the Lord this last time then in all their lives before Be with us in this Congregation prepare our hearts to handle thy Word which is able to save our souls give us suitable affections proportionable abilities both in Soul and Body Do thou the work thou shalt have the glory Let Satans Kingdom at this time lose a little ground that those who are yet in a Christless condition may now make up the match between Christ and their poor souls And for those who have given up themselves to Jesus Christ and yet have back-slidden from him let them this evening be recovered and give up themselves to Jesus Christ in an everlasting Covenant and and in a day of Confession take a part with God and side with a power of Godliness against all things that hinder Carry thy servant through his work at this time remove corruptions give in grace let not thy word come as a slight thing but with a deep and serious impression upon every one of our hearts and all for Jesus Christ his sake but dear Redeemer To whom with thee and thy Blessed Spirit be ascribed as is most due Kingdom Glory Power and Praise now and to all Eternity Amen FINIS