them although for the most part silently by reason of the expence of his spirits and much rejoyce that he had once more imployed his Masters talent and enjoyed the pretious society of Saints in whom was all his delight To his friends at such times rejoycing with him and blessing God for him he would often say I am nothing but a voyce as troubled at the growing decays of nature more and more disabling him from serving his still active soul unlesse with an enfeebled tongue no longer able to speak out and so often as he would have it What he shunned in his Ministery In his Ministery he never flew at vain glory nor of men sought he praise disdaining to stoop at the lure of popular applause Therefore he ever shunned those more gay and lighter flourishes of a luxuriant wit which like glorious weeds good for shew at a distance stink neerer hand wherewith the emptyest Cells affect to be most fraught as they who for want of wares in their shops set up painted blocks to fill up vacant shelves He fed not his flock with airy dews of effeminate Rhetorick which a masculine Orator would shake off from his lips and pen as Paul the Viper from his hand nor yet with the jerkes and quibbles of a light spirit which he ever abhorred as the excrementitious superfluities of frothy braines and unhallowed hearts but he ever led them out into the green pastures of solid and favoury Truths as their necessities and capacities did require He had administred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rational unadulterated milk for babes in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong meat for men What foundation he laid and what points he handled He was a wise Master builder who intending to raise a beautifull and stately Fabrick laid a solid foundation sufficient to bear and strengthen all his superstructures Therefore he began his Ministery with a nervous and perspicuous handling of such Texts as might discover to his people the divine authority sufficiency purity and energy of the holy Scriptures the Decalogue Articles of Faith Lords Prayer Sacraments God in Trinity His Decrees Creation Providence the Fall Sinne Christ the New Covenant the Mediator the Gospel Faith Calling Regeneration Justification Adoption Sanctification Glorification the Church the last judgement the Christian Warfare and such like all which in tract of time he opened and applyed sometimes more largely sometimes more succinctly but always profitably and sweetly as a workman that needeth not to be ashamed but rightly dividing the word of truth in a practicall way His Guide and lesser Catechism extracted out of them Out of all which in his more mature years greatest strength of parts and depth of judgement he after many serious reviews compiled that excellently compacted Systeme of Divinity in a Catecheticall way which he deservedly intituled The Guide to true Blessednesse mentioned before And out of it he again extracted that Lesser Catechism which he often used with very profitable and delightfull explanations both in his Church and Family a most profitable course of teaching and learning the true knowledge of Christ Entire Scriptures handled by him He went also through many intire Scriptures which is both a good trying and great improving of a Divine and the more obscure any place was the greater his diligence with happy successe to bring light unto it Difficulties which are Lions in the way of the sluggard became spurres to his industry He handled all the 1.2.4.6.10.14.19.22.45.50.122.127 Psalmes the twelve first chapters of Isaiah Lam. 3. Hab. 3. the Prophesie of Malachi Mat. 5.6.7 All the examples both of good and bad men in the Scriptures for imitation of those detestation of these all the Miracles and Parables of Christ all Johns Gospel an admirable Commentary Rom. 12. Ephes 2. Col. 2. and 3. 2 Thess 2. Heb. 11. Rev. 2 3. chapters with many more befides very many Texts De tempore on every occasion being exceeding happy in the choyce and prosecution of them His humility Whensoever his preaching day happened upon Jan. 17. which was his birth-day he still noted his years complete with this penitential Epiphonema 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God be mercifull to me a sinner a memorable evidence of his pious sense of his own unworthinesse in the sight of God how much soever cryed up and esteemed by men No excellency of naturall abilities no eminency of spirituall endowments no acceptation of his labours ever puffed him up but he still walked in all lowlinesse and humility towards all in his greatest exaltations in the hearts of men His Catechising Much might be said of his long continued course of Catechising that most profitable and speedy way of implanting knowledge by which he hath set up so great and clear a light in his Congregation as will not onely discover the excellency of the workman and guide their feet in the ways of truth and holinesse who have been illightned thereby but much facilitate the further dolation and polishing of those living stones by succeeding builders His prayers His divine spirit of prayer see med to excell all other his excellencies I appeal to the hearts of all that heard him in publick or private and ever knew what a prayer of faith elevated to the highest by the holy Ghost meaneth whether they ever found any to excell him or many to come neer him O! those penitent unbowelling confessions earnest deprecations petitions panting longings and sighings after God and his grace those mighty Arguments whereby he set all home feeling thanksgivings and divine raptures carrying up his soul to heaven in the sacred flames of his own sacrifices sweetly perfumed with the incense of Him who presenteth all the prayers of his Saints on the Altar of Grace Conceived prayer He first brought conceived Prayer into use in those parts wherein he was so happy so free from impertinent expressions vain repetitions so rich in piercing supplications patheticall thanksgivings and gratious wrestlings with the Almighty so dextrous to apply himself to preferre all suits and to fit every occasion like an exquisite Archer able to shoot at an hayr 's breadth and so prompt and full in expressing the very hearts of those that indeed joyned with him in whatsoever they desired for themselves or others as if by a kind of transmigration their soules had entred into his and spake the very bottome of their hearts by his tongue which their own could not utter And this was such an opening and warming of his hearers hearts before his Sermons and such a sweet closing up of all after his preaching as added much to the power and profit of all his labours and was to him a transcendent advantage in his whole Ministery And verily his pattern took so well with all godly Ministers that heard him that they accounted it their great happines and honour to imitate him with whom very few could keep pace in that most important part of a Ministers office whereby they might be more
not farre from Cambridge and in some other places thereabout where beside the prosecution of other studies and performance of sundry exercises in the College he had preached 28 Sermons within the space of eleven Moneths A rare thing then in Fellows of Houses who were more commonly hinderers then furtherers of so good a work if undertaken by younger men His thankfulnesse After he was transplanted from that Nursery and setled in a Pastorall imployment many miles distant from that University to shew his thankfull acknowledgement of the honorary supports of his breeding received from those famous Seminaries he gave to Pembroke-Hall Library Great Basils works Graeco-Lat 2 vol. in fol. with these verses which tanquam ex ungue Leonem discover a specimen of his happy strayn and genius of purer Poetry as well as thankfulnesse Quae mihi formasti teneros impuberis annos Grandaeva at gravida ingeniis foelicibus Aula Penbrochiae Fas sit minimo veneranda tuorum Ingentis tenuem officii deponere partem And to Emmanuel College Library he gave all the Councels Graeco-Lat Edit Bin. Fol. five volumes with these Verses Sacra 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 studiis domus hospita sacris Emmanuel mihi quae juvenilibus arbitracoeptis Culturam comites victum gratissima Musis Otia porrexti sic te nascentia porrò Foecundam claris mirentur saecula natis Donato ut liceat tantillum reddere tantis And to the University Library he gave all Greg. Naz. and Greg. Niss works Graeco-Lat fol. 4 Vol. with these Verses Accipe parva tui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mater alumni Sic te perpetuâ florentem pube Nepotum Sera manus sophiae lumen morúmque Magistram Artis praesidium Britonum decus orbis amorem Delicias Regum fidei venerentur Asylum His calling to Wrington Having thus traced his ways and procedure in the University I shall now follow him into the Country In Sept. 1602. he was by the cleer providence of God without concurrence of the plottings or contrivances of cunning or infinuating friends fairly and freely called to a Pastorall charge of a great Flock at Wrington a market Town in the County of Sommerset being presented thereunto by that Honourable and famous Knight Sir Arthur Capel of Little Hadham in Herdford shire Great Grandfather to the Lord Capel now living His setling there There did he in obedience to this Call forhwith settle himself and immediately set upon the work for which he was sent to instruct and turn unto righteousnesse that great people who had never before tasted the blessing of a preaching Minister or ministery among them which therefore required the greater skill and industry of the spirituall Husbandman to manure and manage such an uncultured plot So that he was to them if not to the whole Country adjacent the first that by preaching of the Gospel brought religion into notice and credit and discovered the heavenly Canaan before to most of them a Terra incognita and thereby left them much richer both in spirituals and temporals in so much that he might at length in a proportion say of that place as once Augustus of Rome Lateritiam reperi marmoream reliqui His Moderation Having thus pitched fixed his Pastorall staffe as he never sought higher or other earthly preferments though his capacity and credit to attain greater things were well known to be great so he never accepted of any additions or accessions of maintenance or honour although honourably proffered by Persons able to advance him The course of his Ministery Touching the course of his Ministery and carriage his proceedings were correspondent to his beginnings yea his workes most and best at last For as he preached so he practised His whole life being but one continued Commentary upon his Doctrine and an exemplary Sermon consisting of living words or of words translated into works as I shall further shew in due place Few men ever came into a place with greater expectation which yet he not only satisfied but exceeded Few men could draw after them that affection and admiration which yet were deservedly increased rather then diminished even to his last among all that had learned Christ in humility and truth His behaviour to the seduced And as for those few silly seduced ones that being carryed away by a Spirit of giddinesse through the secret and subtile insinuations and whisperings of false Teachers in corners who with as much ignorance as confidence lowbell the simple by portentous words and phrases abhorrent from christian religion sobriety truth and which wise men lament while fools ignorant of the depths and methods of Satan applaud and admire towards his last endeavoured in their vertiginous fits to eclipse his splendor yet his pious and affectionate Essays to reclaim them with the spirit of meeknesse and his fervent prayers and yearning bowels for their reducing turned all their revilings to his greater lustre and glory among all that were able to discern of things that differ and willing to approve the things that are excellent His Marriage Not long after his first setling in his charge he happily married a wife of his own Tribe heart the eldest daughter of that Reverend M. Walsh a holy Minister in Suffolke a great and rare Light in his time and famous for his ministeriall labours his fervent zeal and abundant charity She was a very prudent and gratious woman a most loyall loving and tender wife zealous and active for his incouragement credit comfort in all things especially in his ministery to which she constantly and cordially bore so much respect and reverence as did much quicken and inlarge him in the work of the Lord and was continually studious and carefull to ease and free him of all emergent avocations and businesses of ordinary concernment that he might more freely follow what his soul most delighted in his diviner imployments and himself and friends in his necessary relaxations In a word her behaviour was and still is such as becometh holiness a teacher of good things to the younger women and to her family a worthy pattern and a great promoter of godlinesse in all that conversed with her and to her husband a meet helper indeed all the days of their conjugall relation Children he left none beside those spiritually begotten unto Christ by the Gospel His printed works The issues of his brain and heart made publick were onely these first that exquisite and accurate Guide to true blessedness so often re-printed and so highly esteemed by all that read it through with understanding and care Then at severall times he gave way to the printing of four occasional and select Sermons viz. The Waking Sleeper The Ministeriall husbandry The discovery of the Heart and Death subdued His Characters never finished That wherein he had taken most pains which yet never saw the light was an excellent Treatise wherein his main design in very apposite and acutely distinguishing Characters was to lay open not those more
Gospel unless in times of sicknesse or necessitated restraint for the space of forty seven years wherein he could give an account of above seven thousand elaborate Sermons preached by him are so well known not onely in this or the neighbour Parishes but thorough the whole County and the Country round about that I need not mention them Few men ever ran so long a race without cessation or cespitation so constantly so unweariably so unblameably All which time he was a burning and a shining light joyfully spending and being spent for the good of Gods people Many many of whom he hath guided to heaven before him who received the beginnings of spirituall life from his ministery and many more shall walk in that light after him And from his splendent lampe divers faithfull ministers some Triumphant before him some Militant after him have lighted their candles His Tuesday lecture being more profitable to teach usefull Divinity then an Academy whereby he did not only dolare lapides sed artifices Two things rarely met in one man were both eminent in him A quick invention and a sound judgment and these accompanied with a clear expression and a gracefull elocution To which integrity and humility being joyned made him a transcendent Minister and a compleat Christian In his sicknesse full of biting paines which he bore with great patience it was his greatest griefe that God had taken him off from his labour which was his life and joy His heavenly minde like the heavenly bodies counted his work no wearinesse If he were weary in work he was yet never weary of work His spirit was still willing when the flesh was weak And he often used to say in his health Si per hanc viam mors sum immortalis and in his weakness odi artus fragilemque hunc corpor is usum desertorem animi And when he saw no more ability for labours he counted it superfluous to live and cheerfully not only yeelded but patiently desired to die in a satiety and fulness of life Not as a meat loathed as many times naturall men doe but as a dish though wel-liked that he had fed his full of He had his intellectuals strong in a weak body witnesse his last swanlike song in this place the sweet doctrine of our Adoption in Jesus Christ on Rom. 8.16 so far he had gone in that chap. most cleerly and accurately delivered and aptly distinguished from Justification and Sanctification yet that day October 16. going to Church and sensitive of his own weaknesse he said to a dear friend who told him that he came to see and hear him perhaps it may be my last as to all our losse it was indeed And as if his motion in Gods work had been naturall he was more quick more vigorous towards his Center and like the Sunne shewed his greatest light when he was nearest his setting His last ministeriall duty privately done in great weaknesse of body unable to go to the Church was the baptizing of two children wherein he streamed such beams of Divinity sounded such bowels of humanity shewed such sweetnesse of affection to his charge that I seriously wished his whole Congregation had heard him in this departing farewell And being told how well it was approved he replyed with tears in great humility Lord what am I What am I To divers of his loving Neighbours visiting him he often protested that doctrine which he had taught them was the Truth of God as he should answer at the Tribunall of Christ whereunto he was hasting exhorting them to stand fast therein as he most affectionately prayed for them professing of them with joy I have kind friends kind neighbours Lord reward them all and grant they may find mercy with him in that day His desire was to give to his neighbours if enough could have been had his printed Catechism which to my knowledge hath had the approbation and commendation of the profoundest and acutest judgements in both Universities and well it might being a compleat body of orthodox Divinity and to have this assertion of the Apostle Peter written before it Exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand and to subscribe his name to it After he had in himself received the sentence of approaching death which he chearfully did when he saw no more likelihood of labour he desired his friends not to pray for life but pray God said he for faith for patience for repentance for joy in the holy Ghost and God heard him in that he desired for he was a rare pattern of all these as among many these gratious words of his may witnesse Lord cast me down as low as hell in repentance and lift me up by faith unto the highest heavens in confidence of thy salvation I wish our proud presumptuous impenitentiaries had heard him crying for repentance and seen him weeping for grace It might perhaps have melted their stout hearts As he was full of days so was he full of grace full of peace full of assurance The tuesday before he departed This day sennight saith he is the day on which we have remembred Christs Nativity and on which day I have preached Christ I shall scarse live to see it but For Me was that child born Unto me was that Son given who is Wonderfull Counsellour the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace And no lesse full was he of true honour for his worth and work sake in the hearts of all that fear God His memory shall be blessed and his name a sweet perfume to posterity when the names of his reproachfull scorners the last brood of Beelzebub shall rot and stink and be an abhorring to all flesh He is now come to the end of his labour and the begining of his rest His work was with his God and his reward shall be from God Now he sees the blessed and blessing face of God which is the glory of all sights and the sight of all glory Thus set this bright occidentall starre A starre of the first magnitude One of the first and I dare say without envy of any that knew him and knows himself one of the most glorious Lights that ever shone in this Orbe or ever is like to arise in this Horizon O! how is such a publick losse to be lamented of such a Champion of Christ such an Atlas of truth that set his shoulders to support the shaken pillars thereof in these days of abounding and abetted errors Well may this Parish mourn well may this country well may his friends his family well may we of the Ministery bewail it saying O my Father my Father the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof Ah my brother my brother I am distressed for thee very pleasant hast thou been unto me lovely and gratious in life lovely glorious in death Heu tua nobis Morte simul tecum solatia rapta I end in one word of Exhortation You that have heard the