will handle apart in the Explication and proof and joyn them together in the application and use For the first then that A Christian is not perfect without patience Our Saviour exhorting his Disciples to patience in the fifth of Matth. because they should meet with many enemies injuries in the world he concludeth be perfect faith he as your heavenly father is perfect What perfection speaks he of here Such a perfection such a work of Grace as might inable them to carry themselves as became them in the middest of those many enemies and opposites they should meet withal I will not stand upon this I will endeavour to make it appear to you First it may appear thus There is a twofold perfection of a Christian There is a perfection of parts and a perfection of degrees A child is a perfect man in respect of parts but not in respect of degrees because it is not come to that measure of strength for that age is not capable of it which a man hath Now there is a necessity that there should be a perfection of parts First perfection of parts in a Christian is but the making up of all those graces which are necessary to a Christian and without which he cannot obey God nor walk according to the rule All these are necessary Now Patience is one of those parts one of those habits of grace with which every renewed soul is indowed and without which a man is not truly sanctified without which a man expresseth himself not to be regenerate And for this observe what the Apostle Peter saith Ad moreover to your faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledg temperance to temperance patience to patience godlinesse to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse to brotherly kindnesse love What is the reason of it If these things be in you and abound you shall neither be idle nor unfruitful in the work of the Lord. As if he should say you will be idle and unfruitful professors unlesse that these graces be in you and abound in you Now what are the Graces you shall see the necessity of every one of them The Apostle exhorteth beleevers there to the giving all diligence to the making their calling and election sare to make it certain to themselves that they are effectually called But might some say there are many graces necessary to a Christian but there is one principal which we call the radical and main grace of all Faith I but saith the Apostle there are many others necessary besides that as you must have faith towards God so you must also carry your selves so as may adorne your profession among men therefore adde vertue to faith But they might say vertue that is that that guideth a man in all Morrals in all the course of his life and conversation You shall have many provocations to sin therefore adde to vertue temperance But we have many discouragements to good therefore adde to temperance Patience But what though you should have both temperance and Patience these are but moral vertues Therefore adde to Patience godlinesse that you may in all things you doe ayme at God and approve your selves to him But when we have carried our selves in a holy manner according to the rule and word of God yet nevertheless there are many Christians that require offices of love from us and what shall we doe to these Therefore adde to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse But then again beside that conversation we have with beleevers there are many men in the world that expect certaine duties from us Therefore adde to that Love that extendeth to all men according to their necessities So you see how the Apostle takes all graces as it were into several parcels and sheweth how they cannot be without one parcel of grace they cannot goe through the course of Christianitie except they heve every thing they cannot carry themselves toward God without faith they cannot adorne their profession without vertue they cannot escape temptations without temperance neither can they be encouraged against discouragements without patience Therefore he bringeth patience in amongst the rest as a necessary part and dutie of a Christian without which he cannot goe through the worke of Christiantie and religion Again in the second place as it appeareth by the parts of a Christian and Christianity that a man cannot be perfect without Patience so it appeareth by another argument and that is this A Christian cannot be perfect without that without which he cannot keep that grace he hath Look what ever grace is in the soul a man cannot keep it without Patience By Patience possesse your souls The soul which is the seate and subject of Grace cannot it self be kept without Patience therefore neither can any grace be kept in the soul without Patience because as the riches and treasures in a Castle cannot be kept when the walls are beaten downe so those treasures of grace in the heart of man cannot be kept when once patience which is as the wall of the soul that keeps it from the battery of tentations from the enemie that would steale them away while men sleep I say unlesse these walls these supporting graces specially this of Patience be in the soul it cannot stand intire For indeed let impatience once into the soul and you let in all sin with it impatience is a destroying of all grace a pulling downe of the wall Nay what is sin indeed but impatience in a sense What is pride but the impatience of humilitie What is uncleannesse but the impatience of chastity What is drunkennesse but the impatience of sobrietie Every sin beginneth in impatience when a man cannot bear with that abstinence and forbearance as formerly cannot keep that strict course in his wayes but groweth impatient against the rule of God he runneth into a course of sin presently So you see that for the very preserving the soul the subject of grace and grace the treasure of the soul it is necessary that we should have patience And then again thirdly It will appear thus to you that a Christian cannot be perfect without patience because he cannot doe his worke without Patience he cannot doe the works of Religion the taske that God layes upon him without Patience Looke in what measure Patience is defective in that measure he halteth in his dutie in the very actions of Religion he goeth about Take any one duty of Religion that you can name see whether a man can doe that without Patience Suppose it be Prayer How can a man goe on in the duty of prayer without Patience Sometimes God delayeth the grant of a mans petition A man will now sink and give over in discouragement if he have not Patience to support the soul The Canaanitish woman when she came to Christ and spake once to him and he did not answer a word she had so much Patience as to make her speak the second time to him then he answered her
rendring unto him his due That is the first Vse Secondly let it stir up every one of us to a care of his duty of embracing opportunities And when we perswade you to take opportunities we would draw you a degree higher not only to take them but to seek them for how shall a man obtain the advantage of taking opportunities if he first seek them not and therefore we perswade you to that We see Abraham sitting in the door of his Tent that he might observe opportunities of doing good he stayed not till the men knocked at his door for reliefe but took notice of their passing by that he might call them We see a good old man in Judges 19. As he perceives a stranger passing the streets first takes occasion to question his wants and forbears not till the man complain so willing was he to administer to his necessities and to embrace a fit opportunity of doing him good We see David expressing his thankfulness to God and to Jonathan He enquires if there were any of the house of Saul that he might shew him kindness for Jonathans sake So should we do Is there any of the houshold of Faith as the Text faith and as the Scripture calls them unto whom I may shew kindness for the Lords sake He hath been better to us then Jonathan was to David and yet we are much more backward to Retribution and expressions of thankfulness then David was to Jonathan But the Scriptures are plentiful in this we need not stand on it I say this is a duty that every one should discharge this task not to stay and forbear till the reports of mens wants are brought to them but to be circumspect and seek for all accasions that may deserve the extent of their goodness If you live in a Parish wherein happily there remains not many poor yet you live in a City there are many there if there be not many in the City you live in a Country in a Kingdom doubtless where there are many if there be none there yet thou hast further means to extend thy charity Thou livest in a Church is there any member of the Church in all the World dispersed in Bohemia in the Palatinate in any place of the earth where the poor abide enquire after them that you may know their wants and relieve their necessities I come now to the second from the determination of time to the declaration of duty while we have time Let us do good I told you what this goodness is in the intent of the Apostle in this place Doing good is a releeving those that are in necessity for that is the Apostles meaning as we may see in the context and coherence of these words with the former So then the main Point is no more but this It is the duty of Gods servants as to make advantage of their times so to employ themselves in releeving of others Take it more briesly It is a doing good to releeve others that is the duty of Gods servants and it well becomes them to be employed in this work while we have time on earth and means to do it to employ our selves in doing good and relieving others And there is familiar appearance of this in Scripture and by reasons also By Scripture it is commanded in precept and commended in practise of the Saints If any of thy brethren among thee be poor faith God thou shalt not harden thy heart thou shalt not shut up thy hand against thy poor brother The not opening of the hands to relieve him God accounts that as proceeding from the hardness of the heart Thou shalt not harden thy heart against thy brother c. Cast thy bread upon the Waters for after many dayes thou shalt find it Is not this the fast that I have chosen for a man to give his bread to the hungry and that a man should release those that are in Captivity and to let the oppressed go free The Apostle wisheth that as they abounded in knowledge and in vertue and in faith and goodness so they might abound also in this Grace of God The Grace of God that he there speaks of is the willing readiness to the doing of good To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased You see thereby doing good he means distribution the latter word doth prove the former and both explain this Text. You have it likewise commended in the practice of the Saints I need not be large in discoursing to you the carriage of Abraham of Lot of David of Job the practice of Cornelius yea of Christ himselfe The Scripture is plentiful in this I and that which is more to be observed that although Christ himselfe were relieved by others yet out of that he gave a share to the poor It wil appear likewise in reason that this is a necessary duty and these may be taken First from the equity of it for it is equal you should thus employ your time and estate and those advantages of life which God hath made you doner of partly to that purpose and a man commits an injury in neglecting these holy duties and is not only become an unmerciful but an unjust man and so in the plainest phrase a dishonest man he is not just that doth not thus Therefore with-hold not the good from the owner thereof faith God when it is in thy power to give The poor is owner of the estate of the rich so farr as his necessity requires it and it proves but a matter of justice and equity to bestow his riches where it ought to be bestowed and a man is unjust in that respect if he do it not Riches are called unrighteous mammon as hath been expressed before when they are unrighteously with-held from them to whom they should be given as well as when they are unrighteously gotten So that detaining it from those unto whom it is appointed by Gods direction converts that riches perchance honestly procured into the mammon of unrighteousness Secondly as it becomes a matter of justice so it proves likewise a matter of wisedome a man makes wise provision for the present and the future also by this course And therefore it makes way for the felicity of the servants of God to employ their endeavours in the execution of this duty and to lay fast hold on the forehead of opportunity First it proves a consequent of wisedome for themselves in procuring their own good Blessed is the man that judgeth wisely of the poor why so The Lord will consider him in the day of evil and he will not give him over to the will of his enemies What is the thing that a man is most subject to fear in this World but that which David faith concerning Saul I shal fall sometime or other by the hands of some enemy of some mischievous person or malicious person or other You
avenge our blood on those that dwell upon the earth All the Saints departed their souls cry to God to finish these dayes of sin and hasten the coming of Christ And besides this this further benesit we have that we are all members of the same body there is a gathering under one Head as the Apostle calleth it under Christ they are the superiour members we the inferiour all joyned under one common Head Lastly the Saints on earth have interest one in another by vertue of this communion they have interest in the prayers in the gifts in the wealth one of another sofar as necessity and love requireth Fifthly and lastly as in earthly Cities and Corporations there is trading and traff quing buying and selling c. So here this heavenly conversation consisteth in a kind of heavenly traffique as the word importeth We either are all or should be all heavenly merchants even here upon earth The kingdome of heaven is compared to a treasure hid in a field which when a man findeth he hideth it and for joy departeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field It is compared to a Pearl which when a man descrieth the excellency of it he giveth all that he hath to possess that Pearl There is a heavenly thing that is worth all that we can give and it must be bought too It is our Saviours counsel come buy of me yea come buy wine and milk without money without price It must be bought but bought without money there is nothing that is subject to corruption that can buy heavenly things Buy of me eye-salve that you may see and gold that you may be made rich and garments that your nakedness may not appear This must be bought but what must we give for it Christ tels us he saith that he himself is the Pearl the treasure and that which we must give for him is no more but this Let a man deny himself and take up his cross and then follow him He must deny his worldly pleasures his carnal affections the love of his lusts he must renounce his sins If thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee What is that that a man should dismember himself No such matter What then To do that which a man accounteth as harsh a peece of work as to pluck out his eye or cut off his hand that is to mortifie his carnal affections to part with his sweetest lusts which a man holdeth as dear and sets as high a rate upon as on his right hand or his right eye there should he no sin so precious no gain so sweet no pleasure so delightful but a man should be willing to let it for Christ there should be no worldly thing whasoever that a man should so set his heart upon but if persecution for the Gospel should come he should be contented to leave it for Christ and in the mean space to let his affections hang loose to it that whensoever Christ shall call him to part with his estate with his contentments with himself he may let all fall for his sake and the Gospels This is the heavenly traffique of a Christian I might here lay down some tryals by which men may be able to judg of themselves in this particular whether their conversation be in heaven I will instance but in some generals because I hasten to that I principally intend See how thy affections stand such as is a mans mind such is the man such as is a mans affection such is his conversation a heavenly affection argueth a heavenly conver sation a heavenly conversation presupposeth a heavenly affection for it is impossible for any man to walk in a heavenly course but he that is of a heavenly mind It sheweth the errour of those men that think that that pitch of holiness and careful walking with God in newness of life is too strict a point to be pressed what say they will you have us to be Saints are we not men shall we not have infirmities still Yes that thou wilt when thou hast done what thou canst But here is the thing What is the bent of thy heart what is the strength of thy mind what is the endeavour of thy whole man which way are thy affections carried What dost thou mourn for most what dost thou rejoyce in most what dost thou hope for most According to thy affections so will thy labour and endeavour be A heavenly heart sorroweth most for sin a heavenly affection rejoyceth most in Christ Many say who will shew us any good but Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast given me more joy of heart then they had when their corn and wine and oyle abounded A heavenly affection hopeth most for heaven and that not so much that thereby he way be released from worldly troubles as that he may be possessed of those heavenly joyes that are to be had in the presence of God and in a perfect communion with him that he may be freed from sin and fully brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God And this is that which stirreth him up with all industry and endeavour and carrieth him along mainly and chiefly to seek after not the wealth and honour and pleasure of the world but how he may get into the Covenant of grace and an interest in Christ how he may attain evidences of heaven and testimonies of the love of God He speakes of heaven as the worldly man speaks of the world A worldly man speaks of the world and the world heareth him faith Christ every table ringeth of his worldly talke every company soundeth of his worldly affections in every meeting he sheweth his worldly disposition So a heavenly-minded man is alwayes talking of heavenly things alwayes labouring to draw heavenly uses out of earthly things let crosses come he can draw comforts from thence he makes them means to take off his heart from the world to set it more toward heaven as Noahs Arke the more the waters increased the neerer it was raised to heaven so a heavenly man the more worldly crosses come the higher his soul riseth toward heaven the worldly man sinketh under afflictions but he is lifted up neerer to Christ This is a heavenly conversation But I will not stand on this The second thing which I told you was observable from the first part of the Text was this That in this very life the children of God are stated in a heavenly condition Our conversation is now in heaven faith the Apostle When a man is brought by repentance and faith unto Christ he is brought into a heavenly state actually possessed of heaven And that in two respects In respect of right and title In respect of possession First in respect of right and title and that also first in respect of
is called His because by it he bringeth life and immortality to light as I said before which in former times was hid as it were in the dark and not made known so publikely to the sons of men The Gentiles knew little or nothing of it The Jewes knew what they knew with much darkness and obscurity He that was almost the first Preacher of this Gospel in clear terms without any vail or darkness John Baptist who was as it were between both he did delives this doctrine not so darkly as the Prophets before him nor so clearly as after it was by our blessed Saviour and those that succeeded him Therefore I say it is the Saying of Christ by an excellency because he did in a manner first begin to teach and declare the same in the cleareness and sweetness thereof and he sent his Apostles abroad to make it plain and manifest to all the world that a man may run and read it And His likewise it is called because he is the Author of it for he is the worker of that salvation which it declareth to us Now his Doctrine of the Gospel hath two parts The first acquainting us with our misery The second with the Remedy For as the Bond and Acquittance specific the debt but to different purposes the one to 〈◊〉 the Debtor to the payment the other to absolve and acquit him even so the Law and the Gospel both declare the misery of man the one to tye it fast upon him the other to help him the better to lease it from him The Physitian intreateth of the sickness as well as the Cure but of the sickness alone for the cures sake The Judge passeth a sentence of condemnation and then largly rehearseth the crime and punishment due to the offender the Pardon likewise makes mention of the fault and the punishment but in a different manner and to a different end So the Gospel declareth mans misery and borroweth so much of the Law that may lay down our wretched estate in our selves and so draw in that which is the main and principal part of it the remedy of our souls And this part of the Gospel the Apostle St. Paul succinctly delivereth in a few words Rom. 3.23 All have sinned and are come short of the glory of God All have sinned and All have sinned in such a short and measure and degree that they are fallen short of the glory of God by which the Apostle I think meaneth life Eternal that Glory that had it not been for sin he would have bestowed upon the sons of men by vertue of the first Covenant he made with them The second part of the Gospel the words of Christ is concerning the Remedy whereby a man may be helped against this misery And for that purpose it sheweth us Who helpeth us And how he helps us And what is to be done by our selves that we may obtaine and enjoy this help The Person that helpeth us is the Son Manifest in the flesh the Son of God taking our nature upon him and cloathing himself in the similitude of sinful flesh the Eternal Son of the Father assuming I say the very nature of man into the unity of his Person so becoming God and Man in the same Person he is the sole Redeemer neither is there any other name under heaven by which we can be saved but by his alone Again it sheweth us by what means he saveth us as the Apostle speaks plain enough in the next verse to that I spake of before being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ To the intent that he might free us from the Curse of the Law and wrath of God and the danger of eternal Death he vouchsafed to be made sin for us to satisfie the justice of his Father by enduring the Curse of the Law and to accomplish the Righteousness of the Law by being made in our stead under the Law so he became a Propitiation for the sins of the sons of men as the Apostle saith in that place Thus Christ by his perfect satisfaction made to his Father and by that perfect Righteousness whereby he was subject to the Law for our sakes hath absolutely and fully delivered us from the power of sin and of Death and performed the work of our Redemption by vertue whereof by the merit and worth and value whereof we are delivered and saved and Redeemed from this Death and from all other evils that crosse our eternal happiness And thirdly the Gospel sheweth us by what means we may become partakers of this happiness and Redemption in Christ and telleth us of three things as it were Conditions of the Covenant of Grace of the New Covenant which is ratified by the bloud of Christ I say of three things the Conditions on our parts of that Covenant which if we do we shall certainly be saved by the Redemption in Christ. The first is Repentance The second is Beleeving The third is our New obedience All and each of these plainly exprest in the word of God As for Repentance it is that where with John the Baptist began his Preaching It is that that our Saviour commanded his Apostles to declare to the Jewes Repent for the kingdome of heaven is at hand It is that which himself preached at the first as Saint Mark witnesseth chap. 1.15 It is that which Saint Paul began with when he came to the Athenians Acts. 17. and now he admnisheth all men every where to repent It was the first of the foundations of the Doctrine of the beginning of Christ that was wont to be taught in the Ancient Church as withesseth the Authour to the Hebrewes chap. 6. not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and then he proceedeth to the rest This Repentance is that which the Lord requireth absolutely of the sons of men as a condition of the new Covenant the Covenant of Grace without which they cannot possibly be made partakers of the same And this Repentance hath four parts every one of which is so needful that without it the rest is little worth First lamenting for our sins and being sorry for our iniquities as David said of himself Psal 38. I will declare my iniquity and be sorry for my sins And so the Apostle Saint James expresseth it chap. 4.9 Afflict your selves mourn and weep let your laughter be turned into sorrow and your joy into tears Therefore Christ you know was sent to Preach glad tydings to the Prisoners and Captives and the opening of the prison to the prisoners and to bring the oyle of gladness to those that mourned in Sion A man must first be a Mourner in Sion one that simiteth on his thigh and saith with Jeremy Woe to me because I have sinned Secondly to this Sorrow must be joyned acknowledgement and confession of sin to Almighty God
Bayliff that arrests men at the suit of Death but many a one hath been made the prisoner of Death that was never arrested at the suit of Death yea know Abel was murthered in the field Eli broak his neck from the chair Absalom was snatched up in an Oke the disobedient Prophet was slain by a Lyon the disobedient Prince was trodden to death in a crowd Abimelech was slain by a peece of a milstone Pope Adrian was choaked with swallowing a flie Pelus slain with a fall of a tile Such is our life as a vapour as the sand of an hour-glass ever spending and ever running out as Gregory hath it in his Morals Look how many dayes a man adds to his life so many steps he takes to his death So Jeremie to Heliodorus we are ever dying for we every day change when I am writing this all the points of my pen spends a point of my life nay while we are hearing this Sermon we are passing on I will make a little Use of it and then I have done First make the Use the Apostle doth to them that build upon futurity and think they may do what they list you that think you will do to day and to morrow what you list Oh faith the Apostle what reason have you to build on to day and to morrow when ye know not what a day will bring forth We may not promise our selves life for to morrow much less may we do as the fool in the Gospel promise years when we cannot assure our selves of a moment of life if we might assure our selves of a moment of life in which it might be said it were impossible to die we might possibly be immortal and not die at all but as Ambrose faith corruptible is not so capable of incorruption but since it hath been subject to fall till it doth fall it is ever declining there is no building nor trusting to uncertain futurity we must not rest and trust on those things which are to come but only upon God and speak conditionally of them not absolutely refer the success and disposing of all things to come to the will and good pleasure of God remembring what our life is so make less accompt of our life and of our selves and all Secondly seeing our life is so vanishing let us ever prepare for death for sudden death because life is vanishing Thou knowest not in what hour thy master will come Therefore every hour we should so bestow our selves that our Master may find us at work For this two things are requisite First ever think of death death cannot be sudden to that man that ever thinks of it Secondly be careful to lead a godly life the goodness of the life consists not in the long continuance of it but in the well imploying of it it may be any mans case to live well it can be no mans to live long our comfort is though our life be momentary yet notwithstanding this very moment of time is enough to gain to us here-after eternity and how much better is a short time well spent for the purchasing of eternal happiness then a short time ill spent for the purchasing of eternal misery your life is momentary yet eternity depends on it if it be spent ill eternal misery if well we are eternally happy howsoever here we vanish as a vapour yet one day we shall become as fixed starrs in the right hand of Christ we shall shine as starrs for ever Thus I have shewed how the life of man is compared to a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanisheth away Beloved I pray let not this Sermon pass as a vapour let not all of it pass away in the found you here but fix it as a nail in a sure place in your understanding in your memory in your affections and remember how short and sudden every mans end and life is or may be O that my people were wise they would understand this they would consider their latter end We have a spectacle here before us that was a real comment upon this Text She did understand the Doctrine of it and was excellent in the practice of it A Gentlewoman that deserved a better Orator to commemorate the vertues that were in her and to give her praises due it had been a fitter work for your reverend and worthy Minister whose absence at this time I supply he could have spoken more fully of her then I can because he was acquainted longer with her then I was I account it a part of my unhappiness that I knew her so little a while and peradventure you will say it is a part of her unhappiness that this office is done by one that knew her so little a while It is true indeed I am not able to say much of her for my knowledge of her was but a few weeks or months by reason of our neighbour-hood in the Country but then I observed her to be one of the ornaments of her sex and every thing that came from her was graceful and comely the sweetness of nature and grace in my opinion concurred in her But I must deliver the most that I have to say from the report that I have from others yet from very good hands Solomon faith A good name is as a good oyntment poured forth like the precious Alablaster-box that Mary broke on the head of our Saviour the smell of it perfumed all the house I may say of her as the Apostle faith of Demetrius She was well reported of by all and I am perswaded she was reported well of the truth it self she had a name answerable to her vertues Solomon faith A prudent wife or a good wife is the gift of God she was a Theodosia that was her name The gift of God and a gift God bestowed to the comfort of him that had her She was constant both in the performance of publike duties and private in hearing Gods word not only on the Lords day but as occasion gave leave on the week-dayes and she was not only constant at good exercises abroad but which was the crown of her commendations she was so at home also she was constant in reading the Word I am credibly informed that she read over the Bible seven times in the seven years that she was married she constantly made use of that she heard I my self saw no less then two quires of paper writ out with her own hand collected partly out of other books out principally out of Sermons not noted at Church when she heard them but when she came home being in this like Mary that laied up the sayings of Christ in her heart her daily spending of her time was commendable and exemplary in the morning up to prayer with her family and then unto private prayer by her self from prayer to reading and then to work and then to prayer and to dinner and then to work this was her continual course of life without interruption She was
a Sarah for obedience Rebecca for wisedome Mary for piety Martha for houswifery a true Lydea she heard and God opened her heart that she attended to those things she heard A true Dorcas full of good works they that knew her knew her so far as wisedome and discretion dictated to her full of charity of good works and almes-deeds But her life was a vapour that appeared for a little while and then vanisheth away She verified my Text too truly in that it pleased God suddenly to call her even in the prime and strength of her years she was but a young woman and she dyed in Child-bed You that are Child-bearing women I wish you to set this pattern and example before your eyes and learn by this spectacle to see how neer you walk to the brink of your grave when you come to be delivered of child I wonder therefore by the way that any should find fault with that solemn thanks-giving that is appointed by the Church to be rendred to God for women for his preserving them from the great danger of Child-birth there is but a step between you and death you should then have a care to prepare for your death I see a great deal of time spent to prepare all brave and fine God may quickly turn all your chambers and hang them with black and turn your jollity into mourning therefore you shall rather prepare for your winding-sheet and for your grave for undoubtedly she did so and I may in some sence apply that litterally of the Apostle to her In bearing of children she is saved It is true the Apostle gives that as an argument of comfort to women because before he had preached obedience to them a doctrin that they do not well relish yet he gives two reasons because Adam was first made and she first sinned that is another reason yet lest she should be too much discouraged with that of the Apostle and because the pain of child-bearing was threatned to women for a part of their curse the Apostle adds that as a comfort In bearing of children they shall be saved Notwithstanding the pain and sorrow of child-bearing was inflicted as a punishment upon them yet under that curse there is a way of salvation opened if they be such women saith the Apostle as continue in faith and charity with holiness and sobriety These vertues being eminent in this dear Christian sister of ours no doubt but in bearing of children she is saved that is she found under that curse a way to a blessing an everlasting blessing of salvation How she disposed her self in the time of her sickness those of the family well know truly I have not oft scarse ever heard of a woman of her rank and quality for she was a woman well descended and well bred and yet I never heard of a woman more beloved and more bewayled her Husband complains of his loss never man lost a better wife all the servants never any had a better Mistriss and all the neighbours never any had a better neighbour Concerning her in the time of her sickness they can give a better and more particular testimony then I I only did one office and service to her when in the absence of your reverend Pastor I was called I visited her an hour or two before she went when God knowes she was faint and weak and able to breath but a few words but they were sweet I told her I hoped and doubted not but that as she had made a Christian profession in her life time so now she would seal it up she answered I have endeavoured to serve God but with a great deal of infirmity and weakness I rest not upon that I rest upon my evidence and there is my comfort I doubt not but he that hath given me the evidence will also give me the inheritance I think these were the last words she spake Thus she is gone to her rest her body to rest as a prisoner of hope till the Resurrection her soul rests in the arms of God I have no more to say to her or of her then that Christ said to the woman in the Gospel Woman go in peace thy faith hath saved thee SAINT PAULS TRUMPET OR AN ALARM FOR SLEEPY CHRISTIANS SERMON XXVI ROM 13.11 And that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep THe holy Apostle in this Chapter he delivers a number of precepts and general rules for satisfaction and enforceth them with sundry reasons Among them all the words that I have read they are one principal both Precept and Reason enforcing it Considering the season it is time that ye arise from sleep These few words may be called Saint Pauls Trumpet to rouze the sluggish Christian They were the occasion of the conversion of that famous instrument St. Austin as he saith in the eighth Book of his Confessions the last Chapter He reports that when the time of his Conversion came near he was in a marvellous great agony and conflict beset with a number of Temptations whereby Satan would still have detained him in the spiritual sleep he was in being in this marvellous conflict he could not but go from his Chamber to his Garden and there he prostrated himself on his face before the Lord and earnestly and ardently called upon God And in his Prayer as himself records he seemed that he did hear the voice of a Child speak to him Tolle lege Take up the book and read Hereupon running back again to his study his Book being open the first place that he cast his eye upon was this Verse It is now time considering the season that you awake ouâ—… of sleep And saith he with the end of the sentence I found an infused life He found in the reading of this sentence as soon as he had read it the life of grace infused into him and his conversion was compleat This place of Scripture hath been famous in the Church for the conversion of that famous instrument I would to God as we do not despair that the Lord would bestow the same blessing among some of us who not only hear these words read but are now to be expounded in your ears For the understanding of which we are to inquire of divers things for the meaning of the words First we are to inquire what is here meant by sleep It is time to awake out of sleep Secondly what is meant by arising or awaking out of sleep Thirdly who they be that must arise or wake out of sleep Fourthly and lastly why the Apostle doth bestow this exhortation upon sleepy persons that cannot hear what he saith For the first of these what is meant by sleep Sleep in Scripture is threefold Natural Moral Spiritual Natural sleep is that spoken of Psal 3.5 I will lay my self down to sleep and rise again This natural sleep is the rest and restitution of nature Moral sleep is natural death
First by way of detestation Secondly by way of confutation By way of detestation in the first verse and part of the second What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that Grace may abound God forbid Secondly by way of confutation the argument whereby he confutes it is by a necessary consequence of our justification that is our sanctification these are so inseparably united together all that are justified are sanctified And upon this ground the Apostle frames two arguments to confute this errour taken from the two parts of sanctification The first is from our mortification from the third verse to the end of the seventh and the argument runs thus Those that are dead to sin cannot sin that Grace may abound but all that are in Christ are dead to sin therefore they cannot sin that Grace may abound Now that all that are in Christ are dead to sin he proves by their union with Christ testified in Baptisme and by the effect of that union which is conformity to Christ that as Christ was dead for sin so they are dead to sin The second argument is taken from the second part of our sanctification which is our quickning to a new life and that he handles in the 8 9 10. verses and that argument runs thus Those that are quickned by Christ to newness of life cannot sin that Grace may abound but all that are in Christ are quickned by Christ to newness of life therefore they cannot sin that Grace may abound That all that are in Christ are quickned to newness life he proves in verse 8. If we be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall live with him still by our union with Christ whereby there comes a conformity to Christ in his resurrection as well as in his death And from these premises he infers by way of application the conclusion that is here in the words of the Text I have now read to you likewise reckon ye also your selves dead unto sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. As if he should say do not rest your selves satisfied in the bare knowledge of these things in the discourse of them in general but bring them to particular application make the case your own what we say of death to sin and of newness of life we speak to you if ye be in Christ therefore you must make account of it to be your case likewise reckon ye your selves dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We see now the coherence of the words with those that go before and the main intent and scope of the Apostle in the Chapter wherein we might note divers things The first is out of the very connexion that by vertue of the union of beleevers with Christ there is in them a conformity to Christ They are made like unto him he had said before that Christ died and rose again likewise reckon ye your selves like him in this Every one that is in Christ is conformable to Christ and made like him Then again secondly we might note hence this also that Rectified and sanctified reason ever concludes to God and for God Reckon ye make account conclude this so the word signifieth reason thus conclude thus as it is used Rom. 3.28 We conclude saith the Apostle where the same word is used That a man is justified by Faith without the works of the Law So conclude this rest on this conclusion do not make it a matter of conjecture and opinion onely but when you consider things wisely when you weigh things seriously you shall see great reason to infer those things from these premises that God would have you infer Therefore whatsoever reasoning is against the Word whatsoever disputes the minds of men uphold against any truth in Scripture it is but the reasoning of corrupt reason If reason were sanctified it would conclude as 2 Cor. 5. We judge if one died for all then they that live should not live to themselves but to him that died for them When men come to deal judiciously and advisedly when they come to conclude of things wisely they will conclude then that what use the Word and the Gospel would have them make of any truth that they will make of it Likewise reckon ye judge thus Thirdly we might note hence thus much also that The best and most profitable knowledge of the Scriptures is in applying it to a mans own case and person and condition Reckon ye also your selves saith the Apostle make account of thus much that this is a truth concerns you in particular Judge your selves so far profited by the Word you hear as you can make good application of it to your own estate and condition Whensoever men come to hear the Word they come to hear somewhat that concerns themselves therefore whatsoever we say befals them that are in Christ apply it to your selves and make account this is my case if 〈◊〉 in Christ Fourthly hence we might note thus much also that When a man is in Christ there is a real change There is an evident change from what he was before he was in Christ For so the Apostle reasons now you are in Christ there is such a change as from death to life there is a marvellous great change in you If there be not this change in you neither are you in Christ and all the hopes you build on of being in Christ they are without a foundation they are upon an imaginary Christ not upon Christ that is yours indeed If you be in Christ let it appear in a change let us see how you are changed since you were in Christ from that you were before for this make account of conclude thus much for your selves that all that are in Christ are changed But fiftly and lastly he expresseth wherein this change confisteth and he makes choice of such terms as are most acquisite and sit for his purpose He would express this spiritual change and mark what expressions he useth to manifest it by no less then life and death There is such a change when you are once in Christ from what you were before as there is between a man that was dead and is now alive or a man that was alive and is now dead and this is that that I will infist now upon wherein note these particulars First the Analogy and proportion the aptness and fitness of the terms wherein the Apostle expresseth the spiritual change of those that are in Christ how sitly they may be said to be dead and alive Secondly it is observable in what order the Apostle expresseth these first dead and then alive Make account that the work of Grace in the effectual change in your hearts it proceeds in this order First you are dead and then alive dead to sin first and then alive to God Thirdly note the certain connexion of these two together so there is not onely a certainty in the object but a certainty
themselves and pay him So liberal a Patron he was that he not only freely bestowed all the Benefices that fell in his gift but was also at all the charge of institution induction composition first-fruits and whatsoever burthen fell upon the Incumbent Such patterns of Patrons we may rather wish then hope for after him what shall I need to add more concerning him whose birth was illustrious his education liberal his Patromony great his Matches sutable his life exemplary and his death comfortable Single vertues we meet with in many but such combinations as were in him such affability in such gravity such humility in such eminency such patience in such trials such temperance and moderation in such abundance as we have just cause to bless God for in him so we have great cause to pray for in others of his Rank In his tender years he was set as a choice Plant in the famous Nursey of good learning and Religion the University of Oxford where living as a Commoner in Corpus Christi Colledge under the care and tuition of Doctor Sebastian Wenfield he very much thrived and grew above his equalls both in grace and in knowledge gaining to himself as much love as learning After he was removed from thence he fell into very great troubles as well before as after the death of his Father but the Lord delivered him out of all These crosses and afflictions served but as Files to brighten those gifts and graces in him which shined afterwards most brightly in his more setled estate and eminent employments being chosen Deputy Lievetenant in Wiltshire Commissioner in three Shires Four times High-Sheriff and often Knight for the Shire in Parliament in all which places of important negotiations and great trust he so carried himself that all men might see in all his actions he had a special eye to the Motto in his Escouchion Jeay bonne cause for with Mary he alwayes chose the good part and stood up for the truth which he confirmed with his last breath You have heard what he was in publick but what was he in private we have seen him in the Sun how demeaned he himself in the shade True Religion is like the precious stone Garamantites which casteth no great lustre outwardly but semper intus habeat aureas guttus but we may discern as it were golden drops within Three of these after I have presented to your view I will then set free your patience and give your sorrow full scope to vent it self in tears The first of these was tenderness of conscience which is one of the most infallible tokens and marks of the Child of God so tender was he that he would undertake no business before he was fully perswaded of the lawfulness thereof both by clear texts of Scripture and the approbation of most learned and conscientious Divines he made scruple not only of committing the least known sin but of imbarking into any action which was questionable among those that love the truth in sincerity And therefore although God blessed him with great wealth and store of coyn yet he never put it to Usury or Intrest thereby to increase it for he held the tolleration of the Law in this Kingdome to be no sufficient warrant for any violation of the divine Law the destinctions lately coyned of toothless and biting Usury he no way allowed judging truly that all Usury according to the Hebrew Etymology is biting and hath not only teeth but Adders teeth envenomed for all Usury if it bite not our Brother as per accidens sometimes it may not yet it biteth the conscience of all such who have any remorse of sin The second aurea gutta was Christian compassion whereby he took to heart the afflictious of Joseph and misery of Lazarus whose fores he cured with the most precious balsamum he could buy for his money What Pliny writeth lib. 32. c. 8. Attalus usus est Thynni recentiores adipe ad ulcera on the Fish in Latin Thynuus that it is a soveraign remedy against many diseases and cureth all kind of ulcers was truly verified in him for he furnished himself with the best cordials and the rarest medicinal receipts and when he heard of any poor sick or hurt he not onely sent them money but Bezar and balsamum thinking nothing could cost him too dear whereby he might save the life or recover the health of the poorest member of Christ Jesus In the years of death and sickness he sent provision to all the Parishes about him and thrice a week relieved a hundred at least at his gate neither did his compassion die with him for in his Will and Testament confirmed by him the day before his Death he bequeathed divers Legacies to the poor whereof these following came to my notice To Saint Margarets in Westminster 10. pound To Kempsford 60. pound To Cosley 60. pound To Froome and the Woodlands 100. pound To Warmester 100. pound To Deverill and Mounten 100. pound The last aurea gutta which I shall present to your view at this time was his servency of zeal for the truth of the Gospel in all the Benefices which he bestowed he took special care to make choice of men sound in the Faith no way warping either to Popish superstition or schismatical seperation as he made greatest accompt of those Ministers of the Gospel who were servent in spirit zealous for the truth so he hated none more then temporizers and luke-warm Loadiceans he seldome spake of any Romanist without expressing a great detestation of their idolatry and superstition the night before he changed this life for a better after an humble confession of his sins in general and a particular profession of the Articles of his belief in which he had lived and now was resolved to die he added I renounce all Popish superstition all mans merits trusting only upon the merits of the Death and passion of my Saviour and whosoever trusteth on any other shall find when he is dying if not before that he leaneth upon broken reeds Here after the benediction of his Wife and Children being required by me to ease his mind and declare if any thing lay heavy upon his conscience he answered nothing he thanked God yet like an obedient child of his Mother the Church of England both heartily desired and received her absolution and now professing that he was most willing to leave the world he besought all to pray for him and himself prayed most fervently that God would enable him patiently to abide his good will and pleasure and to go through this last and greatest work of faith and patience and the pangs of Death soon after coming upon him he fixed his eyes on Heaven from whence came his help and to the last gasp lifted up his hand as it were to lay hold on that Crown of righteousness which Christ reacheth out to all his children who hold out the good fight of Faith to the end and conquer in the end Which