Faithful Souls SHALL BE WITH CHRIST THE Certainty Proved and their Christianity Described and Exemplified in the truly-Christian Life and Death of that excellent amiable Saint HENRY ASHHURST Esq Citizen of London Briefly and truly Published for the Conviction of Hypocrites and the Malignant the Strengthning of Believers and the Imitation of all especially the Masters of Families in London By RICHARD BAXTER Luke 10. 37. Go and Do thou likewise LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Three Golden Cocks at the West end of St. Pauls Church 1681. To my worthy Friends Mrs. Judith Ashhurst Widdow of Henry Ashhurst Esq. and Mr. Henry Ashhurst their Son with all his Brethren and Sisters Grace Mercy and Peace Dear Friends I Am perswaded that the Image of so good a Husband and Father cannot but be deeply printed on your minds but yet it may not be wholly needless to be told of the Comfort and the Duty thence to be inferred It was you Sir his eldest Son and Executor who called me to the publick performance of that which I have thought meet to make more publick I have long known you so well that I am comfortably perswaded that your Father had great cause to place that great affection on you and confidence in you which he did Your dear Love to him and great Reverence of him and hearty Love to the good which he loved and your singleness and uprightness of Mind and Life are your amiableness and better than the greatest earthly birthright But I did purposely say little in the following discourse of your Fathers example as consolatory and obligatory to all his nearest Relations because I thought that their special interest in him did give them right to a special address which is the intent of this Epistle Gods Scripture blessings of the faithful and their seed doth make this relation honorable and comfortable to you all How chearfully may you all follow the footsteps of one so near you who sped so well in following Christ The greatest comforts and blessings are the greatest obligations to further duty and that duty is the way to get greater blessings It will be some help to you to Love God and Goodness good Men and all Men to remember how much all these were loved by one who so tenderly loved your selves You have not only heard but seen and felt that Holiness is not a bare name or dream and Religion a meer art or image but a Divine Nature a reall renovation of Heart and Life and that the effects of Gods Spirit in sanctifying Souls do greatly difference them from carnal minds You have seen that Godliness genuine and real is not a wearysom uncomfortable Life Live as he did and it will be a cure of melancholy passions and discontents and a constant tranquillity and delight What a help is his Example to you to live in true Love to one another to be of an humble meek and quiet Spirit neither vexatious to your selves or others As also to be absolutely devoted to God of publick minds and comforts to the poor and needy and to use all that you have as his Stewards daily preparing for your great account You have seen how you may live above the World even while you prosper in it and how to expound Love not the World nor the things that are in the World If any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 Ioh. 2. 15. For where your Treasure is there will your Hearts be also Matth. 6. 21. The Spaniards have a Proverb The World is a Carrion and they are Dogs that love it much more that snarle and fight about it One would think that to read and believe Matth. 5. 6. Luk. 12. 16. and Jam. 4. should affright Men from being deceived by such a shaddow whose speedy vanishing all foresee You have seen what it is to be a Christian indeed and how your affairs your conversations and your families should be ordered And you have seen how the best may suffer and must die and therefore what need we all have to be prepared with strong and well exercised Faith Hope and Patience and by daily conversing in the heavenly regions to get sweeter thoughts of Heaven than of the most prosperous state on Earth that we may die like serious believers and joyfully commit our departing souls to Christ when we leave these corruptible bodies to the grave O dear Friends the day is at hand the change is of unspeakable importance the work of Faith and Hope is high and difficult Set to it speedily with heart and might and let not flesh and the world entangle and deceive you The great love which your Father had to me and much more which he had to Christ his Church and all the Faithful obliged me to be the larger in describing his example for your use and comfort For as Christ gone to Heaven hath left here his servants called his Brethren that men in them may shew their Love and thankfulness to him which he will reward as done unto himself so the way which I must take to express my Love and gratitude to your deceased Father is by desiring and endeavouring the true felicity of his Wife and Children whom he so dearly loved And that must be by taking God for your God and Father Christ for your Saviour the Holy Spirit for your Sanctifier the Holy Scriptures for your Rule the Church for the Body of which you are Members true Pastors for your Teachers the Faithful for your most beloved Companions especially each other who are by so many bonds obliged to more than ordinary endearedness and Love and Christ for your chief pattern and such as your Father in following him Heaven for your felicity home and hope and this short life for the day of your preparation and salvation and the world flesh and Devil so far as they are against any of this for the Enemies which with all vigilancy and resolution must be overcome O how great how good and absolutely necessary a work is this which if any one of you should miscarry about you would be more unexcusable than most persons in the world But that you will all faithfully imitate such an example of holiness humility meekness mortification peace and dearest Love to one another and to all good men is the comfortable hope and hearty Prayer as it is the present faithful Counsel of Dec. 7. 1680. Your Servant for such ends Ri. Baxter JOHN 12 26. If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will my Father honour IF our Judgments and Wills had been the choosers and disposers of Humane events as the affairs of the world would be otherwise managed than they are so the meeting of this day would rather have been for a joyful thanksgiving for our deceased friends recovery to health than a mournful solemnizing of his Funerals But it is not we
London was a Garrison but always for the ways and works of Peace He was ever against Tumults Sedition and Rebellion And I never heard a word from him injurious to the King and higher Powers He was greatly troubled at the late resistance made by the Assemblies in Scotland and glad when his Letters thence told him that they were but a few hot-headed Men whom the generality of the godly Presbyterians disclaimed and would oppose Peace was his temper and peace with all Men to his power he kept and promoted and I never knew Man that lived in more Peace with his Conscience and with all Men good and bad I never heard that he was an Enemy or had an Enemy save Sin the Devil the World and the Flesh as all good Men renounce them Nay I never heard of any one Man that ever spake evil of him so strange a reconciling power hath such a Mind and such a Life XII He excelled all that ever I knew in the Grace of Meekness and Christ saith That such shall inherit even the Earth For Men know not how to fall out with such while no publick employment doth by cross interest cause it They that were nearer him than I say that they never saw him in any undecent passion He knew not how to shew himself angry no nor displeased otherwise than by mild and gentle words His countenance was still serene and his voice still calm and quiet never fierce or lowd no not to a Servant He oft used to women the words of Saint Peter 1. 3. 4 5. A meek and a quiet Spirit is in the sight of God of great price which is the ornament there commended instead of gold and gaudiness which now are grown into so common and excessive use as if it were the design to avoid the imputation of hypocrisie by wearing the open badges of folly and pride lest they should seem wise and humble as some will rant and scorn lest they should be thought religious hypocrites God sitted him for his place Had he been a Magistrate or a Preacher a little more sharpness had been needful And though I once knew one that for want of just anger was too like Eli and could not sufficiently reprove or correct a child yet it pleased God that his mildness had no such ill effect but his Family loved and reverenced him the more XII I never observed a Father carry himself to his Children as well as to his wife with more constant expressions of Love and with a greater desire of their holiness and salvation He spake to his Children with that endeared kindness as men use to do to a bosome friend in whom is their delight And indeed Love is the Vital Spirit which must make all Education and Counsel effectual which without it usually is dead both to children and all others Though there are seasons when we must be angry and not sin XIII Indeed he was so made of Love and Gentleness that I may say that Love was his new Nature and his Temper his Religion and his Life and that he dwelt in Love and therefore in God and God in him His lookes his smiles his speech his deeds were all the constant significations of Love XIV And no less eminent was his Humility His Speech Company Garb Behaviour and all his carriage did declare it He was a great disliker of proud vain attire boasting speech and pomp and inordinate worldly splendor especially that which was chargeable while so many thousands were in want He was poor in Spirit suited to a low condition though he was rich and condescended to men of low estate The poor were his pleasing friends He loved the Rich that were rich to God but he hated ambition and flattering great men XV. Indeed he was a plain Christian of the Primitive stamp strange to hypocrisie and affectation and all that is called the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and pride of life and the sins of Sodom Pride Idleness and fulness His Habit his Furniture his Provisions were all plain Nothing for excess as provision for the flesh to satisfie the lust thereof yet all that was needful for right ends No nigardly parsimony but sparing to do good sparing from all the ways of Pride and Pomp but never sparing from decency or good works XVI The Government of his Family and the worship of God there performed was wise cheerful grave and constant He worshipped God as other good Christians use to do Besides his secret Devotions reading the Scriptures after the craving of Gods help and giving some plain short notes which were suited to his Families use Catechizing and taking an account of their profiting singing Psalms and Prayer And on the Lords day hearing and repeating the Sermons A Nonconformist preaching an early Sermon to many in his house which so ended that none might be hindered from the further work of the day The whole day seemed not too long to him for the delightful employment of his Soul toward God O how far was he from being weary or needing any vain recreation In his Family-worship he played not the Orator nor was very tedious but in conference of good things and in his Counsels plain and short much like the Stile of Mr. Greenhams writings XVII He had a special care to place his Children in a way of Employment and with good relations out of the way both of idleness and ill company and worldly vanity and temptations And God hath so blessed him in his wise and holy endeavours for them that of four Sons and two Daughters there is not one whom we have not good cause to hope well of that they will in piety and welfare answer his endeavours XVIII Others can tell you more than I of his management of his Trade Only this I will say that God greatly blest his honesty and liberality and men knew that they might Trade with him without any danger of deceit so that he grew up to a very considerable estate And yet was never so intent on his Trade but he was ready for any service of God and help to others or publick work And those that say they shall lose their custom except they tipple and make their bargains in Ale-houses Coffee-houses or Taverns or use much prating and enticing words may see here that one hath thriven more than most have done that yet took a quite contrary course XIX He was a stranger to vain talk and frothy jests and also to a soure morose converse But good short cheerful discourse was his ordinary entertainment XX. It is no wonder if in such a life so absolutely devoted to God he lived in a constant serenity of mind He that had peace with God and men had peace of Conscience I never heard him speak one word which savoured of any doubt of his salvation or discouraging thoughts of the life to come He lived not in bondage to tormenting fears or sad apprehensions But studied fully to please God and
Ministers of Christ to help you where you found your self insufficient Have you daily beg'd the help of the Spirit of God as knowing that heavenly things must be discerned by a heavenly light Have you honestly obeyed so much as you did know If you have done this which reason requireth I do not think that thus waiting on God he will leave you to any damnable unbelief or to an unholy sensual life But because the strengthening of our belief herein is the most needful thing even to the best both for their hope and joy and duty and all that understand themselves must earnestly desire that their belief of the Gospel and the Life to come did reach to a satisfying certainty I will shortly repeat the proofs that must ascertain us Though I have largely done it in my Books called The Life of Faith and The Reasons of the Christian Religion and The Unreasonableness of Infidelity I care not how oft when necessary I repeat them and wish that they were more of the daily study of those that now study Controversies or only Superstructures I. And first Nature giveth us these Arguments to prove Mans future State 1. God hath made Man with an essential capacity to think and care as his greatest concern what shall become of his Soul when he dieth And God maketh none of his Works in vain much less so noble a one as Man 2. A bare probability of the life to come as now revealed with our certainty of the brevity and vanity of this Life maketh it the interest and certain duty of all Men in the World to be far more careful for their future state than for the Body and this present Life He liveth against Reason that doth not this 3. And can a wise Man believe that God bindeth all Men by their essential Reason to make the care of a thing that is not or ever shall be to be the chief business of their lives and that deceit and falshood should be the guide of all our greatest actions and Man should be made to follow a lie to his everlasting disappointment Judge reasonably whether this be like to be the work of the most Great and Wise and Holy God 4. History and experience assureth us that it is the expectation of a Life to come the hope of Reward there and the fear of punishment which are Gods means for the actual government of mankind And though many Atheists are in the World and more Saduces and Unbelievers yet few if any are wholly such but have Consciences that keep them in some awe And Laws and professed Religion tell you that it is hopes and fears of another life which are the ruling principles which as they reign in the best so few of the worst will directly contradict And were it not for such fears of punishment hereafter the Lives of no Princes or Enemies would be safe from destroying Malice Policy or Power And is it likely that this World is governed by a Lie by that God who wants no Power Wisdom or Love to govern it by Truth and who maketh the best Men the greatest haters of Lying that they may be like Him 5. And how comes the belief of the Souls immortality to be so common a principle in the nature of Man if it be not true II. But seeing it is the Gospel that must give us the full and satisfying certainty keep these few evidences of its Truth continually Printed on your Minds 1. Remember that Promises Types and Prophesies foretold Christs coming long before even Prophesies sealed with Miracles and fulfilled 2. Remember that Christs own Person and Doctrine did bear that Image of God which is unimitable and had that Power Wisdom and Love which prove them to be of God Gods Image and Superscription discernable by holy minds doth difference the Gospel from all the words of fallible Men. 3. Remember that it was proved to be of God by multitudes of open and uncontrolled Miracles And God will not work Miracles remedilesly to deceive mankind especially the great Miracle of Christs Resurrection long by him foretold and his visible ascending up to Heaven 4. The sending down the promised Spirit on the Apostles and on other believers then for Languages Miracles Prophesyings c. And the long exercise of these Tongues and Miracles by many and in many parts of the World and the gathering of the Churches by them 5. The full and certain Historical conveyance of these matters of fact to us in and by the sacred Scriptures Church Ordinances and Tradition as the Statutes of the Land are delivered us without any weakning contradiction of the said History or fact 6. Above all the continued Testimony of Gods Spirit in all true believers that is the same Spirit which indited the Scripture writeth it out on all holy Souls or formeth reneweth and disposeth them to answerable holyness even to the Image of God in holy Light and Love and Life and to a heavenly Mind and Conversation and to be sober â—â—st and loving to all And God would never bless a Lye to do the greatest work in this World to make Men good and like himself And remember that the whole frame and tendency of the Spirits sanctifying work on Souls is to prepair them for a Life to come by causing them to believe it desire it hope for it and seek it and hate sin and part with any thing to obtain it All sound believers have this work upon them and are of such a Mind and Spirit And this Spirit or holy nature in them is Christs witness and theirs They have the witness in themselves 1 Ioh. 5. 10. 7. And remember that even the Malice of Satan affordeth us much help to confirm our Faith It is notorious that he keepeth up through all the World a war against Christ and against our hopes of future glory How he followeth Men with inward importunate temptations against their own interest and reason and what proof of his malice we have in Humane wickedness and in Witches Witchrafts or operations on Bodies Apparitions c. I have so often proved to you that I will now forbear the repetition And doth not all this contain assuring evidence of the Truth of Christ his Gospel and our future hopes Use Come then fellow Christians Let us pray Lord increase our Faith Let us detest all suggestions which tend to Unbelief and so would bring us to the rank of Bruits and to despair Let us live according to our most holy Faith and shew our selves and others that we heartily believe that the Servants of Christ that follow him shall be with him where he is O pray for Faith Meditate for Faith Lament your Unbelief O fools that we are and slow of Heart to believe a Gospel so revealed and confirmed Why are we so fearful of dying O we of little Faith Were but this one Text written on our Hearts and turned into Faith and Hope yea did we believe Christ speaking it but as
compleat perfect Teacher who teacheth you by words and works and inspiration and can make you what he bids you be and leaveth out nothing that is necessary to your salvation 7. And you have the only sufficient Guid to happiness He is the Way the Truth and the Life and no man cometh to the Father but by him No man but he hath revealed the God and Glory which he hath fully seen and known All men are liers and deceivers not to be trusted further than some way they have learnt of him by the teaching of his Works or Word or Spirit And now shall we need to say more to men that are already vowed to Christ in their Baptism who profess themselves Christians who know that they must die and who know that there is no other hope or way to perswade them to be what they profess that they may not miss of what they hope for But the following Promises if believed will perswade you III. Where I am there shall my servant be They that Serve and follow Christ shall in their measure speed as he doth and be with him where he is Quest. And where is that Ans. It is certainly in no ill place Though it be a controversie whether Christ descerded to Hell it is certain that now he is not there And therefore his members shall not be there He is certainly in Paradise for there he promised the converted thief to be that day with him He is in Heaven Acts 1. 11. This same Iesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven Acts 3. 21. Whom the heaven must receive till the time of restitution of all things John 17. And now O Father glorifie me with thine own self Vers. 13. And now I come to thee It is in the Glorious presence of God that Christ now abideth in our nature Even at the Right hand of God Matth. 26. 64. Mark 14. 62. 16. 19. Luk. 22. 6. 9. Act. 7. 55. 56. Rom. 8. 34. Eph. 1. 20 Col. 3. 1. Heb. 1. 3 13. 8. 1. 12. 2. 10. 12. 1 Pet. 3. 22. Therefore though many Texts do seem to intimate that he will return to earth again and that the New Ierusalem shall come down from Heaven and that we look for a new Heaven and Earth in which righteousness shall dwell yet these Texts do fully prove that faithful Souls go presently to Christ who is in Heaven and that there will be no such descent to earth as shall be any diminution of the Glory of the Saints For it shall be no diminution of the Glory of Christ And we shall be where Christ will be If Heaven come down to Earth and the Vail be drawn it will be no loss 2. That departed faithful Souls go to him the Scripture elsewhere also tells us Ioh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me Luke 23. 43. To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luke 16. 9. When we fail here we shall be received into the everlasting habitations Vers. 22. The beggar died and was carryed by Angels into Abrahams bosome Vers. 25. Now he is comforted 2 Cor. 5. 1 8. We know that if our earthly house of this 〈…〉 were dissolved we have a building of God 〈…〉 not made with hands eternal in the Heavens For in this we groan earnestly desiring to 〈…〉 upon with our house which is from heaven that 〈…〉 might be swallowed up of life Vers. ◠We are confident and willing rather to be 〈◊〉 from the body and present with the Lord. Phil. 1. 21 22. To me to live in Christ and 〈…〉 gain having a desire to depart to be with 〈…〉 Heb. 12. 22 23 24. We are come to Mount Sion and to the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in heaven and to God the Iudge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect and to Iesus the mediator of the new Covenant Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them I heap all these Texts together for my self as well as you that we may see that as the faithful shall certainly have a blessed resurrection so their departing souls at death shall certainly be with Christ in glory For I take the assurance of the Souls immortality and felicity at death to be a point that deserveth as much of our thoughtful diligence as any one that we have to think of He is mad that doubteth whether there be a God if he live with his eyes open in the world And as for Christianity it is Life and Immortality which Christ came to secure us of and bring to light And he that by the light of Nature doth but believe the Souls immortality and a life of retribution is much prepared to be a Christian so suitable will he find Christianity to our everlasting interest But yet all will be dark to men and seem uncertain till Christ be their Teacher and they truly believe in him and take it on his certain word Truly believe that Iesus is the Christ and his Gospel true and there is no room for a doubt of the Immortality of Souls and future blessedness so plainly is it exprest in all the Gospel The Socinians that look for nothing till the Resurrection dream of a dreaming sleep of Souls but dare not talk of any cessation or annihilation of them For then a Resurrection is a Contradiction Another soul may be created but it cannot be the same that was annihilated And as no man can believe that Christ speaketh truth and is Christ indeed but he must needs believe his promise that the faithful Soul shall be where he is So no man can truly believe that all faithful Souls and only such shall be with Christ and partake of blessedness but it will constrain him to a life of serious holiness at least if it feast him not with the foretast of heavenly joys Can you imagine that any man can firmly believe that all and only holy souls go to Christ in glory when they leave the body and yet not seek first the Kingdom of God and make the securing of this his chiefest care and business in the World It cannot be every man loveth himself And no man can be indifferent whether his Soul be in Heaven or Hell for ever Dulness and present diverting things may make a man negligent and inconsiderate about lesser matters where the loss seemeth tolerable But I cannot believe that if a man be awake and in his wits any thing but secret unbelief and doubting can make one so dull or inconsiderate about his everlasting joy or
confidently as we believe and trust a parent or a tried friend for any thing promised which is in their power yea or but as confidently as we can trust their Love without a Promise O how joyfully should we live and die O bend your prayers and best endeavours against the unbelief and doubtings of the Gospel and the unseen World were your Faith here strong it would bring you to that Holiness which would much end your doubts of your own sincerity and part in Christ. Had we nothing else to prove the sinful weakness of our Faith but our uncomfortable thoughts of the Life to come and the State of our departing Souls alas how sad an evidence is it Come on then Christians Think further what this Text containeth and beg of God that you and I may believe it as we need and as Christ deserveth to be believed Think what it is to be with Christ We shall be with our compassionate great High Priest with him that came down in flesh to us with him that loved us to the death and redeemed us by his blood to God and will make us Kings and Priests for ever We shall be with him that is gone to prepair a place for us in his Fathers house he hath many mansions Ioh. 14. 3. It was not a meer man it was not an Angel that made us this promise but the Son of God who hath confirmed it by four Seals his Blood his Miracles and Resurrection his Sacraments and his Spirit Are you afraid that your Souls shall die with your Bodies Christ is not dead and we shall be with him It is his promise Because I live ye shall live also Ioh. 14. 19. The Article of his descending to Hades called Hell is to tell us that Christs Soul died not with his Body yea it went that day to Paradise Our Head and we shall not be separated Are you afraid of going to Hell Christ is not there Are you afraid lest God forsake you He forsaketh not Christ though for our sakes he once in part forsook him that we might not be forsaken Can you fear Devils or any Enemies Where Christ is glorified there come no Devils Enemies or Fears We are here with him as Chickens under the wings of the Hen Matth. 23. 37. How safely and how joyfully then shall we be lodged in the bosom of eternal Love But we see not the place nor what our depated friends enjoy But Christ seeth it who is there But we see not Christ. But firm Belief will make us Love him and rejoice with unspeakable glorying joy 1 Pet. 6. 8 9. But we cannot conceive of the state and operations of a separated Soul nor where it is nor how God is there enjoyed But is it not enough to believe that we shall be with Christ and fare in our measure no worse than he If you are afraid lest Christ be deceived or deceive you that is a sinful fear indeed But if you only fear lest you have no part in him Consent to his Covenant do but give up your selves in Obedience and Trust though not in perfection yet in sincere desire and resolution and then you have no just cause to fear it O Sirs why do not our Hearts rejoyce when we think that we shall shortly be with Christ Here we have ill company too oft implacable enemies unsuitable and sinful Friends and worst of all a foolish and perverted Heart that is in effect our greatest Enemy But where Christ is none of this is so With him we shall have the company of our holy departed Friends even all of them that we conversed with in the Flesh whom we lamented and wept over as if they had been lost We shall with Christ have the company of innumerable Angels and all the faithful from the days of Adam And O how much better will Christs own glorious presence be than his presence in humbled Flesh was to his followers on Earth Here Christ was a despised crucifyed Man There even his Body is more glorious than the Sun and the Heaven or holy City needs no Sun because God and the Lamb is the light thereof Spirits are there in confirmed Holiness and not left to that imperfect Liberty of Will which lets in by abuse all sin and misery on the World They strive not in the dark in ignorant Zeal or mixtures of Error and selfish partiality as we do here There are no silencers of the holy Ministers that continually sing Iehovahs praises There is no malignant calumny or persecution no envious reproach of one another or striving who shall have his will or be the Master of the rest But holy Love uniteth animateth and delighteth all For it is God that they Love in one another There is no selfish foolish fear lest individuation cease and Saints shall be too much one and all be one common Soul In a word to be with Christ is to be perfect in Holiness and Glory in God in the Heavenly society in the Joys of Sight and Love and Praise delivered from the bondage of corruption from sin and fear and from temptation and troubles of all our Enemies IV. But yet the promise here saith more If any man serve Me him will my Father honour The Fathers Love did give us the Redeemer and the Fathers Love shall Glorifie us with him What is the Honour that is here meant Honour some time signifieth Advancement in General making one Great and Happy Numb 22. 17. 37. 24. 11. 27. 20. 1 King 3. 13. 1 Chron. 16. 27. Psal. 8. 5. 1 Sam. 2. 30. And sometime it signifieth the provision and maintenance which is due to deserving superiors which is half the double honour due to the Elders that rule well especially that labour in the Word and Doctrine 1 Tim. 5. 17. And sometime it is taken for a magnified praised State God will honour faithful Christians all these ways He will advance them to the highest dignity they are meet for He will give them the most bounteous provisions of his houshold even more than they can now desire or believe He will make them Kings and Priests to God and coheirs with Christ in the glorious Inheritance Rom. 8. 17. Rev. 1. 6. 5. 1â— 20. 6. They shall Iudge the World and Angels 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. They shall see God Matth. 5. and be called his Children and all together the spouse and Body of Christ Eph. 5. Rev. 21. 22. c. They shall at Christs appearing who is their Life appear with him in Glory Col. 3. 4. When he cometh to be admired in his Saints and glorified in all them that Believe 2 Thes. 1. 10. c. We shall see face to face and shall see him as he is 1. Ioh. 3. 2. We shall behold the Glory that God hath given him Ioh. 17. 24. The Righteous shall have dominion in that Morning And shall shine as Stars Dan. 12. 13. yea as the Sun in the firmament of the Father
in his house and seen his children and servants carry themselves as reverently and respectfully to him as if he had been a Lord when yet he was so lovingly familiar with them will think there was some cause for this Those that hear it the common speech of Magistrates godly Ministers and people that we have lost the most excellent pattern of Piety Charity and all virtue that this City hath bred in our times will think that there is some reason for this praise Some of us seem to shine to strangers who are cloudy and contemptible to those that are near us And many excellent obscure poor Christians are taken little notice of in a low retired or unobserved station But his esteem and honour and love was at home and abroad by his Children Servants Neighbours Fellow-citizens that I say not even by some that loved not his Religiousness or that took him to be too much a friend to those whom their opinions and interest engaged them against And if you would truly know what was the meritorious cause of all this Love and Honour I will tell you It was the Image of Christ and the fruits of his holy Doctrine and his Spirit No man believeth that there is a God who doth not believe that the liker any man is to God the better and the more honourable he is All is Glorious that is Holy that is of God and for God separated to him from all that is common and unclean Base fools may more admire and reverence a proud Man or gilded Idol but all that know God and the almost nothingness of vain Man do value all things and persons in the measure as they are dispositively actively and relatively Divine The Spirit of God by David begins the Psalms with describing such blessed Men as these And Christ next after his preaching Repentance begins with such Mens characters and blessedness Matth. 5. I shall therefore now truly tell you what our deceased Brother was and what of God so shined in him as commanded all this Love and Praise While far greater Men by their filth and folly their sin and hurtful cruelty have made themselves the Plague and burden of their Times as the Children of him whose name is but the contract of Do-evil I. His Religion was only the Bible as the Rule He was a meer Scipture Christian of the Primitive Spirit and strein No Learning signified much with him but what helpt him to understand the Scripture The Bible was his constant Book and in it he had great delight And he loved no Preaching so well as that which made much and pertinent use of Scripture by clear exposition and suitable application He liked not that which worthy Dr. Manâ—â—n was wont to call Gentleman Preaching set out with fine things and laced and gilded plainly speaking self-preaching man-pleasing and pride For when Pride chooseth the Text the method and the style the Devil chooseth it though the Matter be of God Therefore he also highly valued those Books which are much in such wise and seasonable use of Scripture of which he commended above all the Lectures of Mr. Arthur Hildersham II. He neither much studied books of Controversie nor delighted in discourse of any of our late differences I scarce ever heard him engage in any of them But his constant talk was of practical matter of God of Christ of Heaven of the Heart and Life of Grace and Duty or of the sense of some practical Text of Scripture He so little 〈◊〉 and minded the quarrels that many lay out their greatest zeal on and find matter in them to condemn and backbite one another that he either carried it as a stranger or an adversary to such 〈…〉 III. Accordingly while Men were guilty of no 〈…〉 Heresie or Sin but held all great and necessary Truths in love and holiness and righteousness of Life he made little difference in his Respects and Love A serious godly Independant Presbyterian or Episcopal Christian was truly Loved and Honoured by him Indeed he Loved not Church Tyranny nor Hypocritical Images of Religion on one hand nor confusion on the other But the Primitive Spirit of Seriousness Purity and Charity he valued in all A differing tolerable opinion never clouded the glory of sincere Christianity in his Eyes He was of no Sect and he was against Sects as such being of a truly Catholick Spirit but he could see true godliness and honesty in many whose weakness made them culpable in too much adhering to a Side or Sect. IV. He greatly hated backbiting and obloquy Speak evil of no man was a Text which he often had in his Mouth I never knew any noted Men so free from that vice as Judge Hale and Mr. Ashhurst If a Man had begun to speak ill of any Man behind his back either they would say nothing or divert him to something else or shew their distast of it Sin he would speak against but very little of the Person Only one sort of Men he would take the liberty to express his great dislike of and that was The Hinderers of the Gospel and Silencers of faithful Preachers of it and Persecutors of Godly Christians and Oppressors of the Poor and their pretenses of Government and Order and talk against Schism could never reconcile him to that sort of Men But his distast was never signified by scurrility nor any thing that savoured of an unruly or Seditious Spirit V. His Heart was set on the hallowing of Gods Name the coming of his Kingdom and the doing of his Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven on the propagating of Religion and encouraging all able faithful Preachers and Practicers of it to his power Ever since I knew him it seemed much more of his serious business in the World than his Trade or worldly gain was He was a right hand to his faithful Pastor good old Mr. Simeon Ash How seldom did I visit Mr. Ash at any time but I â—ound or left them together And now they are together with Christ He did not Love with barren words nor serve God of that which cost him nothing Few but I knew from his own mouth that he gave these 18 years since August 24. 1662. an hundred pound a year to the ejected Ministers of Lancashire and some Schools there and in the neighbour parts and many Bibles Catechisms and other good Books to divers places besides the said 100l a year And a friend of his and mine tell me that it was to him that he yearly delivered it to be distributed save that lately twenty pound a year of it went to Northumberland VI. Indeed Charity was his Life and business Another mean man that was oft with him saith that he hath had of him many score pounds to give away which few ever knew of I do not think that there are many that can say that ever they were denyed when they askt him for money to a Charitable use I am sure I never was About 1662 and