mighty Herds of Cattel which himself possessed in abundance he tells us they are but Snares and Thorns either to entangle or torment us gotten with labour kept with fear and lost with sorrow All external forms of worship where Christ is not in the heart or not met with in the Ordinance is no more then a fools Sacrifice or as the word carrys it the service of hypocritical light and unconstant men These and many other gatherings he makes out from his own experience After these discoveries he prescribes many excellent rules for the settlement of the soul in reference both to its present and future good An humble acknowledgment under and dependance upon the providence of God in all events singleness and sincerity of heart in his worship and service The right use of wisedom in discerning times and judgments contentednesse and sweet reposedness of soul in every condition of life Obedience and Loyalty to Superiors Conscientious walking in our particular Callings Preparedness of spirit against all tryals and afflictions Moderation in the use of comforts in this life and preparation through the fear of God and obedience for death and judgment in the words of my Text Hence he may well be stiled a Gatherer and his Book a Book of gatherings The grand enquiry of the whole Book is that Summum Bonum that puzzled all our blind Philosophers The Preacher here discovers that Stone that turns all things into Gold which they have long tired themselves in seeking for and could never finde to this day Observe I pray you how he begins this Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and how he ends it He begins it with Vanity of vanities All is vanity Idols light vile things of naught as the breath of ones mouth or the bubble in the water vapours soon vanishing Vanity of vanities vain vanity or extream superlative vanity This our first Parents saw and therefore called their second Son Hebel or vanity David confirms it Psal 144 4 Adam is as Abel or man is like to vanity there is an Allusion in the Original to both their names And herein he makes out the insufficiency and disability of the Creature to confer any true happinesse upon the Soul And secondly observe how he ends his book Fear God and keep his Commandments methinks it is not much unlike to that of Christ to Martha thou art troubled about many things Luke 10.41 42. but one thing is needfull Mary hath chosen the good part c. He begins you see with nothing he ends with all things he shews us what our first estate is an observance of lying vanities and forsaking our own mercies he shews us what our best estate is Fear God c. We begin at Idols and vanity and never know what our beginning was till we come to this end never know that we are vain till we arrive at the true fear of God My dear people whom I love and must ever love in the bowels of Christ Jesus and must ever call you so though now unhappily torn from you let not my words this day fall to the ground lay them up in your hearts let it suffice that you have spent your time past in vanities and Idols things of emptiness and torment let us not be like the people of those countries that whatsoever they chance to see first every morning they worship solemnly all the day after if sin have had the morning let the evening be Gods it is time we should come home to that only true happiness the Lord Jesus Christ Content not your selves with any outward blessings til you be sure you injoy him to the Salvation of your souls other excellencies may set you out in the eys of men generosity obligingnesse wisedom learning valour c. every one of these is sufficient to be a sober mans Idol render a man praise worthy but it is Christ only that makes us blessed other blessings you may injoy and perish with them but he that injoys Christ by true faith Ioh. 3.16 shall never perish but hath everlasting life The Text is Solomons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after a solicitous inquiry or the treasure of true happinesse discovered it is in it self an exhortation or a duty you may call it whether you please the substance is the same There is not any thing remarkable in the Preface save that in the Original it begins with a Capital Letter as pointing out some high subject and stirring up the more serious attention to the matter in hand which indeed rightly weighed is an Epitome of the whole Gospel Would you know after my long observations what you are to trust to What is the sum and substance of the whole matter Where true and durable felicity may be found It is in this Fear God and keep his Commandments without this man is but as one calls him praestantissimum brutum which puts me in mind of that saying Job 28.28 where the holy man concludes his speech as the Preacher here doth his book Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisedom and to depart from evil is understanding man then becomes wise when he fears God when Christ the wisedom of the fatheres dwels in him We shall not need neither did I ever love to name a Text the conclusion riseth plainly and naturally from it To fear God and keep his Commandments is the whole duty of man or as it is in the Hebrew the whole man and so the LXX render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the true fear of God is once planted it carries the whole man with it spirit soul and body guides and directs the whole man rectifies and reforms the whole man it is all in all and through all sets a price and worth upon the whole man in this life and crowns and glorifies the whole man in the life to come There is a natural fear arising from the sense of humane weaknesse which is not in it self sinfull we have examples of it in the Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea and in Christ himself Mat. 26.38 Heb. 5.7 he was heard in that he feared which though the Rhemists translate for his reverence and charge us with the corrupting of the Text contrary to the version and sense of Antiquity and the ordinary use of the Greek words yet I find it signifying as well a natural as a pious fear Acts 23.10 where a commotion being raised the chief Captain or Tribune is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afraid lest Paul should be torn in pieces which could not be a pious fear in him that was a Pagan but a natural civil fear lest a Roman a Prisoner and under his present charge should have been violently and tumultuously murthered between the Pharisees and the Sadduces 2. There is a carnal fear I may call it a fear of diffidence because arising from unbelief Apoc. 21.8 They are liable to the second death and joined with unbeleevers the Apostles are called 〈◊〉
a high esteem upon this grace to look upon it as the most glorious Stone in the Ring The rest have their luster this is both resplendent and medicinal heals broken souls It is no wonder if St. Jude give it the preheminence since it is both the leading grace and brings the first glad tidings of salvation and also the Mother grace whence all others have their birth and original Without this what are all our works and duties but as we say of the vertues of Heathens Splendida peccata Where faith is not layd as the foundation all our devotions acts of piety charity observance of Sabbaths Ordinances nay that great performance of Prayer are but like that structure built on the sand Mat. 7.26 Without this we can no more appear before the Tribunal of Gods justice then stubble before a consuming fire In the word it is faith that must make us profitable in obedience it is faith that must make us cheerful in prayer it is faith that makes us successfull and in all performances it is faith that makes us acceptable This is that wisedome Job 28.16 17 18 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1.8 the price whereof is above Rubies the Topaze of Ethiopia cannot equal it it cannot be valued with pure Gold This will give comfort joy and peace under all distractions make the soul skip like a Lambe leap and dance for joy Other divine qualifications may make you confident but it is faith only that must give you your assurance There cannot be such an abasement where faith will not lift up the head and render you victorious Justice gives every man his own temperance will restrain lusts magnanimity will bear and go through any hardship prudence is an excellent guide to our actions but it is faith that overcometh the world in this Paul insults and triumphs over men and Angels Heaven and Earth Rom. 8.38 39. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am confident or perswaded That neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You will have a better heart both to the price and the esteem of it if you seriously advise with these considerations The Author The Offices and the Effects of it First Look upon it as Gods gift from whom every good and perfect gift cometh as a fruit of his Spirit Gal. 5.22 This will make it excellent and lovely Let us a little view it in that great interest of our souls the high act of justification we shall there finde it to justifie Infundendo creat creando infundit not as mans faith but as the work of God in in the soul It is an excellent place Eph. 2.8 By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God faith may be in us but it is not of us that is not from any power of our own but it is a meer gift of God both in the habit and in the act of it Justification is is a free Act of and from eternity without any condition on our parts and that Evangelical righteousness by which we are justified is without us in Christ It is the finger of God that works faith in the soul and having wrought it puts it upon acting thereby to evidence justification to the soul As a father having layd up for his son a great Treasure in some secret place tells him of it and bestows it freely upon him but wanting the possession and enjoyment of it the son is no richer for it till the father lights a Torch guides his son to the hidden Treasure and puts him into the actual possession of it Thus is Faith Gods Instrument by which he discovers to our souls the unvaluable riches of Christ which in the minds and purpose of the Donor was ours from Eternity and evidenceth us to be freely justified lending us that light of faith whereby we apprehend enjoy and apply Christ to our souls It is called the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 Whose evidence Gods evidence given us by which he declareth and manifesteth to our consciences those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the invisible things of our justification and salvation and when given it is our evidence also by which we possess Christ and pleads our actual justification against all the accusations of the Law sin and Satan then we have the witnesse in our selves 1 Joh. 5.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods witness so it is sometimes read witnessing to our spirits that we are the children of God we are justified freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there answering to the Hebrew Chinnam excluding all both hope of advantage on Gods part and preceding desert in man upon any account whether of faith or works excluding as well merit as rewards hereby intimating that all our works are the works of God in us yea faith it self in that great and high Act of justifying is Gods gift I have here made a little digression to acquaint you with the excellency of this grace that you may set a higher value upon it not only because it is Gods gift but so high and precious a gift of his right hand whereby he gives us an interest to Christ and all his promises and evidenceth eternal life to our souls 2. Consider the Offices of faith which besides union to and communion with Christ formerly named are these two First acceptance wherby we are made willing to receive Christ upon Christs own terms what his terms are he himself tells you Luke 9.23 If any man will come after me he must deny himself and take up his Crosse daily and follow me This is the receiving act of faith and is therfore called the hand of the Soul not for its working quality purifying the heart reviving the dead spirit working by love carrying the Soul through all discouragements these are indeed the works of faith but for its receiving and accepting quality accepting righteousnesse in Christ receiving him as a gift of his fathers love imbracing the promises afar off and laying hold on eternal life The working righteousnesse is Christs the Office or act of faith is accepting applying receiving yeelding consent to that righteousnesse The other Office or Act of Faith is resignation whereby we give our selves wholly up to Christ spirit soul and body to be guided and byassed by him this is that spiritual marriage Eph. 5.17 betwixt Christ and the Soul by which as the soul hath a propriety and right to the body name goods table possessions and purchase of Christ so she doth reciprocally become all his by an unconstrained resignation of her will ways and desires unto his guidance and government we become the servants of Christ to be ruled as well as to be aided and protected by him then doth Christ own us and he stands ingaged to watch over and care for us Then
ways of his Ordinances in hearing the word attending at the Gates of Wisdome in the honour and use of the Sacrament in prayer and other Divine Institutions This is the way Christ hath prescribed and in all ages wonderfully blessed to his Church I have experimentally found it in my self and to my great comfort have had the acknowledgment of it from many of you by and under my Ministry These are the Channels of grace the Conduit-pipes by which God conveys himself and the waters of life to his people here will your souls meet with God and finde the enjoyment of him and the due observation of them is a strong Test of your obedience I know that after my departure you will meet with Foxes and Wolves some crying down all Ordinances as things carnal and below a spiritual and raised estate they will tell you they are weak and low administrations no more then walking by Moon light they will tell you that Seraphical men are above and beyond all Ordinances and their Enthusiasms of greater concernment then the Ordinances of Christ you will meet on the other hand with those who so far cry up Ordinances that they make Idols of them slighting him who is the substance men of Pharisaical Spirits and Interests who while they should preach Christ and him crucified will preach themselves their own parts passions and interests whereby you may probably be made weary both of them and their preaching My ever dear people let none of these things drive you from the Church of God or deter or discourage you from following Christ in those ways he hath prescribed let it be your care to wait on him I have known some who taking offence at these things wo in the mean time to him by whom the offence cometh have in these times declined either to Popery or Atheism I beseech God blesse you I hope better things of you and should be heartily grieved to see such sad failings in any of you I have two things to commend to you in this Point for your better satisfaction First Rest not in a bare formal attendance upon the Ordinance The Harlot can say I have made my peace offerings to day the Ordinance is but the means the end is Communion with Christ and fruition of him The Jews promised themselves much from the naked presence of the Temple Ier. 7.4 though they had but small honour for the Lord of it Iudges 17.13 Micah promised himself mountains when he had got a Levite to be his Priest though he still retained his Idols The Pharisees boasted they were the seed of Abraham when they did the works of the Devil Ioh. 8.33.44 How many poor souls have thus turned the means of salvation into the means of destruction feeds upon busks instead of the true bread nay turned their food into porson not finding Christ in the Ordinances nor being led home to Christ by them My good people think it not enough that you havâ— Geheza with his masters staff that you have Christs Minister and Christs word but as that Shunamite 2 King 4.30 lay hold on Christ himself where every faithful soul sees casts receives enjoys in these Ordinances Secondly when thou hast done thy best and purest service and met with Christ in the Ordinances rest not in the work done loath yourselves with a sincere acknowledgment of your ownunworthinesse and the unprofitablenesse imperfections and iniquities of your most holy things ever resting upon free-grace Be so careful of duty as if there were no grace to justifie you and so rest upon grace as if no work were to be done by you And then secondly wait upon God in the ways of his providence and dispensations this is that excellent grace a fruit of the sanctifying spirit of God whereby the soul freely submits not to the will only but to the wisdom of God in all the crosse acts of Providence we meet with in this life enabling us to bear our own burthens without inordinate sorrow or fretting discontent As by faith we injoy God and by love we injoy our neighbour so through humble waiting and submission to the wisedom of God we possesse our own souls This is an excellent lesson but hard for flesh and blood to learn to beleeve that God can chuse best for us better then we our selves Are not Abanah and Parphar Rivers of Damascus better then all the Waters of Israel 2 Râ—g 5.12 Kinds of age a few fatherly kisses and imbraces a portion in my hand this nature cries out for and would be well pleas'd with but the soul that fears God hath learned with Paul to be content in every condition of life hath learned that sublime Phylosophy of subscribing to Gods wisedom not to his will only that he will force us to and he is a kind of mad Atheist that should deny it but to his wisedom to acknowledge God the best chuser for us the stripes he sends more suitable to us then all the blessings we pray for his denying our demands the most divine way of granting them resolving whatever he imposes upon us is best for us his thoughts are not like our thoughts Heaven and Earth are not alwaies of one opinion Good is the Word of the Lord says good Hezekiah when destruction was denounced to his whole family It is the Lord Iet him do what seemeth him good says old Eli when besides the losse of both his children in one day God tells him there should not be an old man in his house for ever All things saith Paul work together for good to them that love God This submission to the Wisdom of God and the consequent of it Rejoycing in Tribulation is that waiting upon God which I would now instruct you in that better days may teach you humblenesse which is a part of this fear Prov. 22.4 and worser days may teach you that Christian patience whereby you shall be inabled to undergo the hands of heaven to look after deliverance in the ways and accept it upon the terms of God My dear people you are my glory and crown of rejoycing let me commend the serious remembrance of this to your Spirit It was never of more use then in these times of the Churches persecution You shall see men strangely and severally wrestling and tugging under Gods Dispensations In one man a supine stupidity in another the relieving his melancholy thoughts in a cup of Lethe a sleeping Pill of good fellowship like Sauls sending to the Minstrel when the evil spirit came upon him or his second address to the Witch to charm the judgment that was ready to invade him you shall see a third multiplying his sins as fast as God his judgments like the Elephants in the Maccabees whom the blood of the Mulberies more enraged hardning like Pharaoh under the rod like Ahab and Ahaz growing worse under the judgment you will meet with more plausible effects then these in one a contempt of the world his
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat 8.26 carnally fearfull so the word signifies if you look Revel 21.8 and why because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were of little faith and this fear is directly sinfull when we fear the creature more then the Creator blessed for ever This is that fear the Lord speaks of Isa 8.12 Fear not their fear and our blessed Saviour Luke 12.4 5. Fear not them that kill the body c. And though this fear may have and frequently hath natural weaknes for its foundation yet it is only then sinfull where nature outvies grace and self interests are more valued then the glory of God I deny not but there is a fear due to man upon Gods account Rom. 13.6 Fear to whom fear c. there is a reverence due to the persons and a regard to be had to the Laws of men But God being alone the proper object of our fear makes that fear which is due to man due to him only in and for the Lord whose image he beareth in a more high and eminent manner by vertue of some Authority or dignity derived to him from God who is the Fountain of honour and whose sole propriety it is to ordain powers the words implying both invention and ratification Rom. 13.1 the Powers that be are ordained of God 3. There is a spiritual fear and that is a filial reverential fear of God arising partly from a sense of want in our selves which fear commonly supposeth and partly from the apprehension of Gods excellency not in his greatnesse only but also in its goodnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is that fear which keeps the whole man in a religious respect a holy dreadfulnesse a sweet dependance upon God that commands him to walk as in the presence of God that his whole conversation seems one undiscontinued holy and religious adoration take that one example of Joseph Gen. 30. This is that we call the grace of fear the affection of fear is in all men naturally but the grace of the fear of God is a part of Sanctification and is not found but in the elect natural and carnal fear betray the succours of the soul but this strengthens and confirms it I call it spiritual first from the Object which is God second from the efficient or working cause of this fear which is the Spirit of God called therefore the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord Isay 11.2 Thirdly from the Subject the inward or spiritual man hence is the fear of God inward and spiritual the worship of the mind the heart the conscience will and affections all hereby carried out to God Fourthly From that spiritual work or effect it hath upon the soul spiritualizing and sanctifying both our selves and our sacrifices changing the whole man from a carnal worldly sensual selfish interest to a holy heavenly spiritual frame of heart Now this spiritual fear may either be taken generally and so it includes all graces and gracious dispositions of spirit As faith includes all Evangelical graces in the New-Testament so doth the fear of God in the Old compare Prov. 13.14 with Prov. 14.27 Or else more particularly for that single grace whereby the Soul is over-awed with the excellencies of God the greatnesse of God working the fear of him as a Judge and the goodnesse of God working the same fear as a father It would be a task too large for the small time I have to spend to run through all the branches properties and effects of this fear I shall now speak only to a few of them and those the most useful for you in reference to the present times and your present wants there are no words like those in due season Pro. 25.11 or upon their wheels you shall have them without nicenesse or affectation the common itch of the Pulpit according to my wonted manner with all plainnesse plain instructions best beseem a dying father and are the best remembred by his children I shall now wave all other accounts and present it to you as a New-years gift a rich Ring set with precious stones which I shall desire may be continually worn and carried about with you And first to fear God is to have faith in him a precious stone this is called by St. Peter precious faith without this we can neither fear him nor please him 2 Pet. 1.1 What the Apostle saies Rom. 10.14 how shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved the like we may say of other graces how can we either love or serve or fear or glorifie God except we believe in him it was faith that made Enoch's work acceptable and was the ground of the translating there spoken of whether the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11.5 mean exemption from death as Elias is said to have been under the Moral Law or some other deliverance it matters not certainly it was through faith the Embleme of the Gospel it is sometimes called the mouth and the ear Crede mandu casti August 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but most properly the eye of the Soul hereby we see through the things of this world and above them we meet with an object worth our loving and looking on we see Christ and God in Christ and in him mercy peace salvation we look out of our selves Heb. 12.2 and meet with Gospel truth righteousnesse in another a Surety a Mediator we see the brazen Serpent that cures out wounded souls John 3.14 therefore the words here used for fear is by the LXX in the seventh verse of this Chapter rendred to see noting that to fear God and have faith in him is to see God and beyond reason to have an in-sight into those Mysteries which were denyed to the Angels 2 Pet. 1.12 As the eye in the body is the Organ by which we see things visible so is faith in the soul to see the things of God hereby we peep through the Curtains of earth and mortality and take a view of Heavens Treasures Hence come our great priviledges union with Christ Eph. 3.17 and consequently an intimate and familiar communion with him in his promises Sonship Victories Intercessions Faith is that spiritual Ligament that makes us one with Christ Other graces as Love Patience Meekness c may be the grounds of a moral Union and make a man like Christ but it is faith only that is the foundation of a mystical Union and makes a Beleever one with Christ I do not intend to insist upon the Nature Properties and Effects of Faith I have heretofore made them out to you My present Task relates to the present times and your-both present and future benefit There is not any grace more disesteemed and misesteemed slighted and mis-judged then this branch of Divine fear Let me therefore commend to you two main Remembrances to be treasured up by you when your eyes shall be deprived of your Teacher And First I would advise you ever to set
A Farewel SERMON Preached in VVAKE-FIELD January 1 1655. By Thomas Parker Master of Arts late Minister of that Church Published upon the importunity and for the satisfaction of the good People of Wakefield 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11.4 LONDON Printed by J. M. for Richard Lownds at his Shop at the White Lyon in St. Pauls Church-yard 1656. To the ever Honoured and my very good friend Mrs. Frances Hustler at Lupset Madam IT was not any Ambition to be seen in the Press but the daily importunities of my ever dear people which brought this Sermon to see the light when I Preached it I had no other thoughts of Printing it thâ—n in your breasts I shall think my pains well bestow'd if the eye may so second the ear that both may be an advantage to the Soul and leave so deep an impression of the true fear of God in your hearts that you may be the Epistle of Christ written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God Madam You will meet here with the words of truth and sobernesse in a plain and homely dresse that which an age never more wanted nor could lesse indure Truth is like Beauty never more fair then when she goes the plainest This discourse will meet with my Adversaries but be welcome to my friends to whose Consciences rather they their Closets I desire to commend it For my own part I desire to refer my self to the wisedom of God who knows how to chuse best for me and through his blessing whatever it cost me to run the Ermin's fate fall into the hands of the Hunter rather then foul her body The great share that New-Years day had in your tears makes me bold to beg some interest in your Prayers and I shall not despair in Gods good time of my restauration to the Vineyard In the mean time I commend you and yours to that bloud of sprinkling which speaketh better things then the blood of Abel Madam I am Your affectionate friend and servant in Christ Jesus Tho. Parker From my study at Northgate-head June 24. 1656. ECCLES 12.13 I Am this day to take my leave not only of you my good people but of the Pulpit also To bid farewell to that High Calling the great Harvest of Heaven wherein I have for these eighteen years painfully and faithfully and I bless my God fruitfully laboured I do not herein strive to justifie my self God knoweth my heart if there be any glory it is the Lords I know the Apostles Rule very well Not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth 2 Cor. 10.18 I know not well upon what account to commend this Sermon this day whether as a Farewel to you or a Funeral to my self for so indeed it is To impede the execution of that Calling wherein we are employed and whereby we should do God that service for which he hath Commissionated us To force the rusting of the Talents which our great Master hath commanded us to put to usury To stop our mouths and put out our eyes when our hands are at the Plough What is it but to bury a man alive or to leave him like that wounded Pilgrim in the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 10.30 How bitter would this Cup be if the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ had not sweetned it What an excellent saying that is The servant is not greater then his Lord nor the Disciple above his Master If they have persecuted me they will also persecute you c. And lest they should forget so necessary and useful a Doctrine he puts a special Memento upon it Joh. 15.20 Remember the words that I have said to you c. What ever shall befall me or any of my fellow Labourers We shall ever pray that God may bless his Church and I doubt not but he will in his good time restore her to her Purity and her Peace Old Mercies thankfully received are strong ingagements for new Your spirit will witnesse with me this day what cause I have to blesse God as much I think as any man that ever laboured in his Vaneyard First for my persecutions It is an excellent saying of St. Paul 2 Cor. 12.10 I take pleasure in persecutions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words is a Gospel Expression and signifies a willing pleasing Approbation not without much inward contentment The most precious thing that good Apostle ever desired to receive he expresseth by this word namely to be present with the Lord. 2 Cor. 5.8 And the most precious thing that ever he desired to give he expresseth by the same words namely The Gospel of Christ and his own soul 1. Thes 2.8 and here he makes use of it to shew how well he was pleased and how much he did approve of himself and his Doctrine because of these persecutions as being undoubted evidences of the truth of Christ I should for my own part have suspected my self yea and my Doctrine too if both had not been persecuted I look upon my persecutions as love Tokens from Heaven Pledges of Gods love and Badges of my own Sonship Let me tell you my good people there is no condition in the world so highly desireable as that of suffering for and with Christ Jam. 6.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this was Divinity in St. James his days Was it not the minute of his sufferings wherein Steven saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at his right hand Shall we think our selves worthy to be stiled the Disciples of Christ and run away or deny him when he comes to the Crucifying When she who is the Mother of us all is abused branded and struggles under pangs and agonies with the most hellish and unthankful children that ever Mother bare shall we therefore forget to be Sons or be ashamed or afraid to suffer I mean the Church of England which every knowing and moderate Spirit not biassed with factions or self-interest must needs acknowledg to be the brightest and most glorious resemblance of Primitive purity that ancient and holy faith which for these twelve hundred years any man ever had the honour of contending or suffering for Tell me have not I great cause to look upon it as a blessing or have you any cause to be ashamed of my troubles What my persecutions have been and of what nature in relation not to my person only but my Doctrine also the proper work of Hell with what bitterness violence and injustice they have been carried on your own eyes and ears can sufficiently witness I blesse God this day for the innocency of my own heart and shall have another day more cause to rejoyce in my sufferings 2 Cor. 1.12 then my Persecutors in their victory Our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience The second Mercy I desire we may take notice of is the support and constant supplies of the Spirit of grace in and under all these sufferings a high and
unexpressible Mercy Psal 61 2. When my soul was over-whelmed he laid my hands upon a Rock a Rock that was higher then I. The more my persecutions grew the more did the hand of the Lord appear in with and for me when the wickedness of my Persecutors grew so high and their sin so shameless that they durst appear like those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those Noon-day-Divels and declare their sin as Sodom when they durst come into Bethel it self a House of Prayer a place set a part for divine Worship and there with faces harder then flint out-dare the God and Master of that House and being Whores to out face Angels the Attendants of that Place when neither the sacrednesse nor dreadfulness of the place nor my own performance of publique Duties could safe-guard me from their hellish practises whose only capacity is like Machiavels undertakers to be wicked enough even then the Angel of the Covenant whose I am and whom I serve stood by me Then was the grace of the Lord with me to uphold and support me What shall I render to my God for these his mercies I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord The third Mercy to be remembred by us is the continuance of mutual love betwixt Minister and People a Divine love doubtless because lasting unto the end The reproaches and scandals dayly heaped upon me could never alienate the heart of any one of my hearers so far as to a desertion of me Must we not needs say this was the work of God Love built upon human foundation is as the foundation it self changeable But here was more then the work of man God himself herein owning my integrity and approving my Doctrine I look upon all this as a fruit of that Sacramental love wherein our foundation was laid at my first coming to you I cannot as I have desired longer serve you in my Preaching yet my Prayers shall never be wanting for you to that God who is love that for those Bowels of love wherewith you have refreshed me you may finde mercy in that day when you shall most stand in need of it But I must to my Text My first entrance to you was in love and the main end of my undertaking here was this That among this great people I might be an Instrument of gaining some poor souls to God God is my Record I lye not I cannot say but there were some other Considerations went along with it but they were all subservient to this How far I was from that sin of Covetousness wherewith the people too much brand the Clergy and sometimes deservedly I appeal to your selves I never made any Compact or Covenant with you upon that account your offerings have been of free will and God hath blessed them What my Conversation and Deportment hath been amongst you notwithstanding the many provocations I have had I refer to you all I have not made the Pulpit where the glory of God and the riches of Christ and the salvation of poor souls is concerned a Stage or Theater to act my own parts and passions in I have endeavoured to walk inoffensively towards God and towards man This also was the Lords work Such was my Entrance and such hath my progress been your Tears do abundantly witness this day the sad parting of a Minister and his people God forgive them if at least it be lawful to pray for them who have robbed us one of another where there was so much love and so much delight in each other that we have found God delighting in us all to do us good We are now come to the Conclusion and to that purpose I have made choice of a plain Text and I shall speak to it with as much plainness You have it ECCLES 12.13 Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandments this is the whole duty of man THat Solomon the Son of David was the Penman of this Book I think is without dispute the Style is his and there was no other Son of David King in Jerusalem but he The dispute is of the Title Choheleth which the Lxx. render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We the Preacher and concerning that there is a double Query First Why it is used in the Feminine Gender some say the word Nephesh is to be understood and so it must signifie a Preaching soul but how that can hold it being a proper name and never used but in this Book as Drusius observes upon the place I see not Others tell us it is usual with the Hebrews to put Feminines names upon men so the Gospel Preachers are called Mebaseroth Psal 68.11 The Lord spake the words great was the company of Preachers or Publishers Annunciatricum But whether they did this to set forth the purity of the Preachers of Christ Prov. 9.3 Where they are called Wisdomes Maids or those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which the Apostle relates Gal. 4.19 thereby making out not only the great Throws but the tender and motherly affection of a faithful Preacher to his people I shall not now stand to enquire But the second and main Query is why it is called Sepher Choheleth a Book of Gatherings or Congregations Some will have it to be one of the names of Solomon as Jedidiah or Lemuel Some say because it was publiquely delivered by Solomon himself to the Congregation and so it is in his Fathers stile giving God the glory in the great Congregation Psal 40.10 We read of his blessings prayers and sacrifices 1 Reg. 8. here of his preaching Petagl upon the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thus Schindler seems to expound it of a gathering of men Others will have it so called from Solomons being gathered or re-uniting himself after his foul Idolatry and Apostacy from the Church and the Book to be the words of a soul or person brought back to the unity of the Church or Congregation of the Saints But I rather think without any straining of the words it relates to the subject or matter of the Book It is a Book of Observations experimentally gathered from Natural Moral Political Domestical and Divine things Wisdome is the souls great Endowment nothing more precious more sweet more coveted Read Eccl. cap. 2. especially such as Solomon's was it pursueth such high objects as may improve and not vitiate the intelectuals yet he tells us what the fruit of of it frequently is hellish policy pride violence oppression and cruelty wisedom to do evil Pleasures suite well with the inferiour and brutish part of man but in the exact enjoyment of them there is a mixture either of folly or want they grow in time loathsome and tedious to the possessors he tells you of buildings and Vineyards and Orchards and Fish-Ponds and Musick Vocal and Instrumental and he concludes upon the survey all is vanity Riches the great Idol of the world the Gold and Silver the