praises from you When you are under smarting rods sore afflictions pore not so much upon them as to become by that means injurious to God Some that did too little mind and prize and improve mercies whilest they were in their hands do view them and curiously study them when taken away until their spirits be imbittered and discontent raised up against the Providence But Christians beware you of that I advise you to be sensible of your loss Let the Widow be sensible what an husband she hath lost the Children what a Father if their tender age will admit it the Family what a Governor the Society what a Shepherd I and others what a Friend and Brother But let us all remember to bless God that we had him once that we had him so long let this Congregation bless God that ever it was committed to the care and charge of such a Minister that ever such a shining and burning light was set up in this Candlestick that ever such a labourer was sent into this Vineyard My dear friends I do most earnestly beg this of you for my dear Master Whatever your loss is how great soever how painful and afflictive soever let not your and my God be a loser look carefully to that as you love your selves Gods loss is your loss Therefore how sad soever your case is how dark soever your day how low soever your spirits do not now do not at any time withhold from God those praises which are his due Truly he hath been good to you and he is so now and he will be so still if you will but do your duty therefore be sure to love him and bless him let the holy God ever inhabit the praises of Israel 2. Remember them so as to bewail the loss of them You ought indeed to moderate your sorrow keeping it within the bounds of Reason and Religion as becomes those that have hope nay let there be a mixture of joy with your sorrow being sure it is well with them perfectly unspeakably and everlastingly well their happiness doth exceed their thoughts and not only afford satisfaction to them but likewise raise admiration Oh what am I that God should ever bring me hitherto Yet mourn It becomes you to be both affected and afflicted in your spirits What! shall the Father be smitten and the Children not grieved the Shepherd taken away and the Flock not troubled that would be a grand Solecism both in Nature and Religion When Samuel dyed all Israel were gathered together and lamented him 1 Sam. 25. 1. The tears of an whole Nation may well be poured out upon a Samuels death When Stephen the Proto-Martyr was carried to his burial there was great lamentation made over him Acts 8. 2. Those devout and holy men broached their sorrow they went on weeping as they went When Elisha was arrested and confined to his bed by his last sickness Ioash the King of Israel wept over his face and said O my Father my Father the chariots of Israel and horsemen thereof 2 King 13. 14. And well may there be such great sorrow else it will hold no proportion with the occasion Losses of such persons are great how little and vile soever in the worlds eyes while they lived for they were their peoples blessings the Nations pillars the stakes in our hedg and their death is not seldom ominous it speaks a storm-brewing evil to come When they are hous'd in the silent and safe chambers of the grave what may we look for next but that the great God should come out of his place cloathed with righteousness and armed with vengeance to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity This know for certain the Lord is greatly offended it angers him at his very heart when he sees men stupid and insensible under such dispensations specially when they become ordinary when the righteous perish and are taken away none considering or laying it to heart It is true there is now joy in Heaven but let there be sorrow on Earth that will not be jarring Angels and perfect spirits above welcome those departed Saints with shouts and acclamations let us part from them with tears at least with sighs Possibly there are some who do rejoyce at such a mans death but whether they will believe me or no I will tell them they have no cause God will make them change their note even they shall mourn at the last 3. With your remembrance of them joyn heart-grief and trouble that you gained no more by them consult and listen to your own consciences see what they will say deal impartially and ingenuously Have not you been asleep in your seats when they have been at work in their Pulpits Have not your minds been wandring after vanity and your eyes gazing about upon this body and that this face and that fashion while they have been fixed and intent wholly taken up about the good and salvation of your souls Have not you been cold at heart while they were fervent in spirit serving the Lord They have mourned but you wept not they have piped but you danced not when they poured out their souls in confession of sins you were not humbled your hearts not broken within you many a sad and foul story hath been told of you yet you did not blush neither were you ashamed They have mightily wrestled with God and tug'd hard for mercy mercy for you your pardon and your lives but you have sate and seen all this with a most wretched indifferency as if you were persons altogether unconcerned and did not care whether they prevailed or no. How have you slipt the precious truths they delivered to you and been disobedient to the counsels they ordered out and have been little the better though they came to you in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ They have come and blown upon your garden now with the North-wind of dreadful threatnings then with the South of gracious promises yet your spices have not flown forth nay are not too many of you unto this very day like the dry and barren Heath And surely you have cause to be troubled and oh that you may be so the good Lord trouble you kindly let your souls have these losses and afflictions still in remembrance and be humbled within you 4. Remember them so as to be quickned by that remembrance Think of their death and go to their graves and fetch life and liveliness from thence We Ministers should do so When our fellow-labourers grow fewer it stands us in hand to work the harder What! shall some drop on our right-hand and others upon our left yea many round about us and shall any of us notwithstanding be idle and lazy and half asleep at our work Oh that the ratling of deaths Chariot-wheels might awaken and rouze us up When Elijah is taken up to Heaven let every Elisha look out for a double portion of the spirit and go forth in all
a gloe-worm or the blaze of a candle who do injoy the help of Scripture that hath brought life and immortality to light who do through the riches of mercy injoy the gracious beams the warming and quickning influences of the eternal Son of Righteousness Let us not disparage the God of Israel by repairing to the forges of the Philistines or borrowing their weapons for our spiritual warfare none like to the sword of the spirit the Word of God which is mighty through God We need not go to those puddles since the Lord hath been pleased to open to us the Wells of salvation out of which we may with joy draw living waters for the refreshing of thirsty and reviving of fainting souls Those Ministers are to be remembred who bring not their own idle dreams but Gods Truths not the Precepts of men but the Doctrine of Jesus who have determined as Paul did to know nothing among you but Iesus Christ and him crucified Those Pastors which like the woman spoken of Revel 12. 1. were cloathed with the Sun and had upon their heads a crown of twelve stars The Truth of Christ and the Doctrine of the Apostles in short men sound in judgment 2. They are such as did believe what they Preached therefore you have mention made of their faith Whose faith follow Oh that I could say all Preachers are Believers But I cannot but tell you though I desire to be very charitable I have not faith enough for that all ages having sadly proved the contrary The woful defections and apostacâ—es of many in the Pagan Arrian and Antichristian Persecutions are undeniable demonstrations of the contrary God forbid I should take upon me to judg any particulars much less whole Parties that very word Party is exceeding bitter and unsavoury to me I heartily wish there were no such name or thing and oh for that day when will that day come the God of love and peace hasten it in which his people shall serve him with one shoulder and with one consent in the beauties of holiness In the mean time I am firmly perswaded that there are those who fear God and work righteousness and study to approve themselves by a sincere desire and care of walking up to Scripture-rules and the dictates of their consciences among all those Parties in England which hold the Head and have not drunk in damnable heresies as the Apostle calls them yet yet I fear there are also those that have not faith Rest they do in floating notions take things upon trust are beholding meerly to education or the profession of the Countrey where they live for their being Protestants or Christians And I also tremble to think how many would be found stark rotten if they should be shaken by a temptation found dross if they should be cast into the furnace Those deserve to be remembred who are rooted and grounded in the faith who can say Lo this we have searched this we have experienced so it is Those that see the truth in its own evidence that have found it mighty in operation upon their own souls those that have held the mystery of faith in a pure conscience and would not let it go upon any terms or in any times but chuse rather to venture all to part with all to throw all over-board than to make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience 3. They are sâ—ch as practic'd what they Preach'd and lived their own Sermons such as exprest the virtues of him who had called them out of darkness into his marvellous light and advanced them to be lights unto others Such Masters of the Assemblies as did drive home and fasten the nails of serious wholesome counsels aâ—d exhortations with the forcible hammer of a spotless gracious and heavenly deportmeâ—t in the world such as preached Christ and lived him too such as received him and walked in him such as did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foot it right and could boldly say to their flock Walk so as ye have me for an example Such as did not mind earthly things nor hunt after the world as if it had been their god did not sinfully serve the times nor turn into all shapes and wound their souls to save their skins did not prodigally spend their precious hours nor unchristianly smite their fellow-servants nor eat and drink with the drunken but were the companions of them that fear the Lord and placed their highest delight next to God in the Saints those excellent ones of the earth and did shew out of a good conversation their works with meekness of wisdom making it their inward desire great care and utmost endeavour in all things to adorn the Gospel Holy men of God who were good in the Pulpit and in the House too and in all places in all companies against whom there could be no exception save in the matter of their God abating them for those natural humane infirmities which are inseperable from the most holy persons whilest on this side of perfection tabernacling in houses of Clay The good Lord increase the number of such Pastors in England yea all the world over in all places where he hath caused his holy Name to dwell and unto them mine honour be thou united unto them shall my soul adhere in sincere and most intire affection whatever smaller and circumstantial differences are or may be between us May so much suffice to be spoken concerning the object about which the following Acts are to be exercised unto which I now come Quest. Next then What is to be done by that people whom God did bless with such Pastors Answ. Two things Remember them follow their faith Of which in order Remember them Your memories are precious Cabinets too good for dung and trifles lay up nothing in them but what is excellent there is enough of that Remember your Creator in the days of your youth yea and in the days of your age so shall you be satisfied as with marrow and fatness Remember your dear Saviour his love his life his death attend upon Ordinances and receive the Sacrament in remembrance of him remember his love more than wine Remember the mercies you have received so as to be thankful the promises you have made so as to be faithful the sins you have committed so as to be humble the experiences you have had so as to be encouraged Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them them that are in straits and necessities so as to be compassionate and liberal to them Remember your latter end so as to be diligent and quicken your pace and withal remember your deceased Pastors who obtained mercy to be found faithful They they are some of Gods Jewels allow them therefore a choice room in these Cabinets Quest. You will ask me howâ—they are to be remembred Answ. I Answer in these following particulars 1. Remember them so as to bless God for them Have not you had great benefit soul-advantages by them Oh! let God have
secretly mock him as well as those that publickly affront him Make sure work therefore for your precious souls see that you have that faith which is unfeigned the faith of Gods Elect that you do cordially imbrace the Truths of the Gospel and â—lose with an offered Jesus that you have that faith by which you may live that faith by which you may walk until you come to walk by sight I would not have any of you deceived and cheated to your own destruction as many poor creatures are who run away with a lie in their right-hand build hopes of Heaven and Happiness upon a sandy bottom please themselves in a lifeless Image of Religion which the holy One of Israel will despise when he awaketh unto judgment their faith is no better than a fancy their Godliness is not a Godliness of Gods making nor approving they walk about in the sparks of that fire which themselves have kindled and at last lie down in sorrow Be you wise for your souls and deal prudently get that faith which upon tryal will be found to praise and honour much more precious than gold that perisheth be ye provided with that Oyl which will keep your Lamps burning when the blessed Bridegroom cometh 3. Follow them in the actings of their faith Grace is given you not only for Ornament but also for use we are not only to be justified by faith and saved by â—aith but to live by faith Have you got it then suffer it not to lie dormant but exercise it Act your faith upon Christ his Mediation Merits and Intercession He is a full Christ it hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell a fulness that is far beyond your emptiness live upon him therefore and draw from him you can never draw him dry Act your faith upon the Covenant it is an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure God is ever mindful of it with it holy David comforted himself in it he placed all his happiness and sum'd up all his desires Act your faith upon the Promises these are exceeding great and precious you cannot measure them nor over-rate them In them there is an answerableness to every case a complete suitableness to every condition in which you either are or can be And you cannot over-trust them being Yea and Amen of most sure and certain accomplishment The Womb of Divine Promise never miscarried but shall bring forth at the time of life all the mercies and blessings with which it travails Ever count Gods Promise abundant security and believe that all Mountains which lie in the way of its performance shall be made a plain the darkest Providences are still subservient to the promise Iosephs being sold for a Slave and clapt up in a Prison were steps to his being made the second man in the Kingdom Act your faith upon the wisdom and power the love and care of your heavenly Father know he endears you and will look after you His Glory shall not be lost nor given to another his Truth is great and shall overcome his Church is built upon a Rock and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Iacob though small shall rise and though a worm he shall thresh the mountains the Beast and the false Prophet shall be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone and the glorious victory shall be the Lambs for he is King of kings and Lord of lords and they that be with him are chosen and faithful and true Believe and rejoyce while you believe that when Gods desperate Enemies are at work He himself is not idle but observes them is in the Conclave and the Cabal undermines them counter-acts them and will turn their counsels backward or headlong so that no weapon shall prosper which they form against his cause and people but he will accomplish the thoughts of his heart which shall stand in all generations and effect his own designs and be absolute Master of all his ends finishing all the work which he hath to do in the world and that without losing either time or ground as our days go off so Gods work goeth on it is never out of hand Thus act your faith upon God in all conditions and under all dispensations when you are high and when low yea at the lowest for still still still the everlasting arms arms are underneath In these actings of faith those holy men lived and so must you otherwise you will never be established much less in such gloomy tottering turning and tumbling times as these are 4. Lastly Follow them in the fruitfulness of their faith Your gracious Pastors were not neither may you be Solifidians As they did believe so they maintained good works and by that means obtained a good report While you know that faith justifieth you you must also know it is your duty to justifie your faith that faith which is alone is stark naught it is dead and rotten and stinks above-ground shew me and shew the world your faith by your works If you ask me what fruits they are which grow upon the root of faith and prove it genuine I Answer all the fruits of the spirit in which you must abound if you would have an abundant entraâ—ce into the glorious Kingdom of our God and Saviour But I shall speak only to three Holiness Love Ioy. 1. Follow them in their Holiness A wicked Believer is as meer an impossibility as a gracious Devil such a faith as will consist with the love and life and reign of sin is no better than what may be found in Hell among lapsed Angels and damned Spirits who as the Apostle Iames tells us Believe and tremble Wheresoever true faith is it purifies the heart and reforms the life and orders the footsteps according to the word As it cloathes the soul with the beautiful Robe of Christs Righteousness so it subjects the soul to his governing Scepter and Law it lets Christ in and casts corruption out when Christ dwells in the heart by Faith he shines in the life by Holiness The pearl of faith is never found in the dunghil of profaneness Study then study holiness and perfect it too in the fear of God think with your selves what manner of persons ye ought to be how acurate and exact in your whole course remembring That grace of God which bringeth salvation and hath appeared unto you teacheth you that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts ye should live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil world 2 Tit. 11 12. And that you ought to be like your Father who is holy in all his ways and righteous in all his works When therefore a temptation to any sin assaults you resist it with utmost indignation and say as Nehemiah did in another case Shall such a man as I do this or as Ioseph How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God or as that good Woman Christiana sum I am a Christian. This my dear Friends
Dragon but by the hand of death did I say he fell no no he rose higher and is now in the highest with the highest This Star is removed into another Orb His Mantle of flesh he dropt and left behind but his Spirit mounted and returned to God that gave it And Si verbis audacia detur give me leave to saâ— a great man is fall'n in London His work was done and his dear Master would not permit his stay after it but took him home and gave him his Crown Hear a little my Brethren of those precious sayings which fâ—owed from him abundantly that Night before a full surrender was made What he spake was taken by the Pen of a ready Writer Out of that large Garden I have pickt some few flowers which I thus make up and present unto you He had his light of comfort in that day of trouble though not a bright Sun-shine yet under the thickest Cloud he could see grace in his Heart and read his Evidence These words assure us of that Dear Iesus dost not thou know that I love thee though not with that activity which others do yet with truth of love Oh! thou knowest that I love thee and wilt not thou love me and manifest thy self to me Lord thou knowest the bent of my heart was toward thy self thou knowest I laid up my treasure with thee and made choice of Heaven for mine Inheritance thou wilâ— not forget it nâ—w He had his experiences ready to produce as Cordials to himself and Arguments with his God will you hear them Oh dear Iesus a glimpse of the light of thy Countenance is worth an age of pains and prayers I have had formerly not only tasts but large draughts sometimes Ah my dear Father thou hast given me sweet encouragement in waiting upon thee and of late thou hast not wholly turned thy back Oh my dear Iesus didst thou not manifest thy self to me at the Sacrament when I was so very weak didst not thou give me some tasts that thou art gracious and that thou didst love me in particular and that thou wouldest never leave nor forsake me nor suffer me to depart from thee is this so long a time ago He had high thoughts of God when he was at the lowest he justified him and that in this very Lauguage O my Lord I will not complain of thee though I must complain to thee I complain of my self but not of thee I have deserved thou shouldest let me die in a Cloud and though I do I doubt not but I shall be happy He could with a composed Spirit take his leavâ— and shake hands with all His expressions were these Farewell the world the pleasures profits and honours of the world farewell sin I shall ever be with the Lord. Farewell my dear Wife farewell my dear Children farewell my Servants and farewell you my Spiritual Children whom he was at leisure thus to advise be careful in your choice of a Pastor choose one who in his Doctrine life and manners may adorn the Gospel I shall be glad to meet you all in Heaven This spake a calm within a sedate frame of Spirit He could welcome death observe how his words were dipt in oyl when its hands were to be imbrewed in his blood Oh noble Death welcome welcome Would you know how this came to pass these words tell you Death hath wounded my head death hath wounded my breast which was full of pimples but he hath not wounded my conscience blessed be God He could with importunity call for Death Hasten hasten oh hasten Death where is thy bow where thine arrows come come come I am yet in the body I am yet on earth but it is Heaven Heaven Heaven I would fain be at I seek death but 〈◊〉 find it How long O Lord holy and true He would scarce be reconciled to the means of rebuking his disease and prolonging his 〈…〉 was conscience of duty that put him upon use of them That learned and excellent Physitian who applied to him in his sickness and whose heart was set upon his recovery though he much question'd it told me he said to him why do you come to keep mâ— out of Heaven Hâ— could play with Death thus Praythee take possâ—ssion of my Body see whaâ— thou wilt get by it fatten thy Grave with thy Sacrifices He had high and admiring thoughts of Jesus Christ read them thus Oh dear Iesus what or who art thou Oh! that glorious Spirit that laid â—he foundations of the Earth and stretched out the Heavens like a Curtain Oh what an excellent person aâ—t thou oh what an excellent person art thou thou art all lovely in every part from the Crown of the head to the Soal of the foot thou art all love all excellent thy bounty is divine thy love is divine thy beauty is divine He was not satisfied with what he had of Christ. Observe how desires flam'd Dear Iesus dear sweet Iesus come unto me and manifest thy self unto me that others may see and know that thou lovest me Now if ever now now now if ever now if ever O dear Iesus I am going out of the body to be with thee to deal only with Spirits Oh that I might have the light of thy countenance the sense of thy loâ—e oh bome unto me I see but a little of thy beauty and excellency oh that I might see more and taste more and enjoy more that I may have more than ever I had and â—ast more than ever I did And he longed to be with Jesus was in a kind of holy impatience sick of love and desires to delight himself in clear vision and full fruition of him Witness these groans Dear Iesus come and take me away I have no business hear my work is done my glass is run my strength is gone and when my work is done why shall I stay behind Oh come come be as a Roe upon the Mountains of spices How long shall I wait and cry how long shall I be absent from thee And again O come and take me to thy self and give me possession of that happiness which is above the vision of thy self perfect likeness to thy self full fruition of thy self without any interruption or conclusioâ— And yet again O come deâ—r Lord Iesus how long before thou â—end thy Chariots O come thou down to me and take me up to thee Having â—ain some time silent and still a Friend desired him to give him his hand if the clouds were scattered whereupon he reached out his hand and said as those present understood him I am upheld in the Arms of a Mediator Thus died this precious Saint this eminent Minister thus he lived and thus he died Let him never be forgotten he shall not he cannot be forgotten And let us who survive be followers of him and others who serv'd and walked with Christ on earth and now sit and reign with Christ in glory FINIS