Funeral Sermons you may reade about it I say Life is sweet and Death terrible many in several distempers may call for it neither minding what it is nor whither it leads Job describes it in his Agony and Heathens could say The first good was not to be born and the next to dye quickly Paul above any desires it upon right grounds Yea the last words in the Canticles and the last in the Bible are for the Lord Jesus to come quickly yea to come to judgment as if it were the breathings of the spirits of the Just in the last times of which spirit if you be these will be your Reasons as theirs First That you may see Him of whom you have heard so much who hath done and suffered so much for you Secondly That you may have full draughts of what you now tast only Thirdly That your Beloved may come to you or you to Him for whose sake and love you may undergo here many frowns brow-beatings if not worse thus the absent Spouse waits for her Beloved Fourthly When the Sanctuary is troden upon Isa. 64.1 Fifthly That the double Vail of Corruption and Affliction may be taken off from you Thus to wish for Death is to wish for Life These things I pray study and to help you further remember Balaam would fain die the Death of the Righteous which you can never do unless you live the Life of the Godly to which I have written so much before Only let me adde That you must live in daily Expectation of this great Change for though there be but one way into the World there are many out I know nothing to sweeten it but the Death of Christ who suckt out the poison of it and saves to the uttermost Romans and Fools can dye bravely write their own Elegies I am sure a well-led life is the best Monument If one at your door should cry every morning You must dye it would not reach far but Christ dyed for you My Child 30. They say and truly Where Death leaves you there Judgment finds you Nothing flies so swiftly than as the soul out of the body and you know Eternity hangs upon a moment and such is our Life and especially such is the last groan and pang and thither it leads It is a vast Ocean hath neither bound nor bottom where you are to come before an impartial Judge with a naked and open breast it is unavoidable and the miscarriage there intolerable Many Books are written by many about these last things and Apothegmes not a few the World and the Flesh will not appear for you the former can lend you but a few Ceremonies and Complements the other dare go no further than the Judges door but a good Conscience sprinkled by the Blood of Christ will enter with boldness and plead and hear the voice of Come ye blessed Your wisdome will be to carry your Pardon in your bosome there Wit and Learning Parts and Wealth will get no hearing there the Eloquent Orator is dumb no Coin is currant but the Blood of a loving Saviour No man can appear there by any other Proxy there Greatness must give way to Goodness there Hypocrisie is unmask'd Truth naked there your fellow Saints shall sit Judges though dispised amongst men there the Son of man shall appear because despised as the Son of man there Preaching Miracles Casting out Devils will not profit but a Name written in the Book of the Lamb Oh that you would consider betimes what a nothing a thousand years are to Eternity yea where you shall be an hundred years hence if the Grave make no distance betwixt the Scepter and the Mattock what will Eternity do when that shall make the difference Wherfore I pray measure all your works by Eternity eat drink sleep work by Eternity the cry of a damned soule is I never minded Eternity how many are every day carrying faggots to burn them to Eternity Call that good that holds for ever Let but the Judge be your Husband and fear nothing The ever-living God love you and keep you to all Eternity My Child 31. And because I have brought you so far as the Great Day give me leave to awaken you with the condition of the place Heaven and to let you know it in the particulars which are the presence of all good and the absence of all evil the former commends it self unto you in these First in the universality of it whereas all things here below are but partial so in the suitableness of it they are there spiritual and suitable to the Spirit Secondly for their Continance the good things are not like Cherries drawn by the lips or Comforts tasted and gone but they stay and are good for ever Thirdly Evil knows no place there Sin cannot dwell with that Holiness Sorrow cannot mingle it self with that Joy no more fading Riches dying Friends changing Honors perishing Beauty no more aking heads nor languishing diseases no more hearing the chain of the Prisoner nor anger of the Oppressor no cry of what do you lack every Bottle is full and every Bed easie being of never-blasting Roses and Sweets where every Room is paved with Love where Wisdom Power Mercy and Grace have combined to make all glorious and pleasant Then never be troubled about a dunghil-world when the Apostle to the Thessalonians sayes all in a few words We shall be with the Lord for ever and that includes all answers all hard Questions all hard Labours under the Sun Remember the Swaggerer that met the poor man ever mourning over his sins quoth he What still mourning c. But what if there be no Heaven Ah Sir quoth the other what if there be a Hell The Doctrine of Hell was never enough preach'd some thinks and there on the contrary is the presence of all evil and the absence of all good you may study it by the former where the Tormented never die and the Tormentor is never weary where thought and fear despair punishment extremity meet altogether in Eternity The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve you to his Heavenly Kingdom My poor Child Union with Christ and Knowledge sound The Scriptures reade in Pray'r be found A constant Watch and growth in Grace Good Conscience Time short Work apace Contentment in Condition Low No Trifling Spirit in you grow Nor Busie nor Pragmatical Truth still appearing in your All Wisdom directing soon and late In Calling and in Marriage-state The World describ'd in its bad wayes A Friend indeed beyond all praise And Sin the Mother of all Grief Grace often question'd for relief With Providences running crosse Fears sinfull causing Doubts and Losse Dayes of Adversity and Evil Errors that spring from Self and Devil Sabbath for Rest and Worshipping And Free-grace pitying pardoning With accurate and holy walking Hard to believe though easie talking Death ghastly looking and Sins daughter With Judgment that will follow after Heav'n in its great Magnificence Hell's punishment in
this you must know that all labour tends not to growth no more than Ants grow in bulk though very much in labour Every great Hearer is not a great Grower Nay a tree may grow in parts though not in all Grow soundly in the Root Jesus Christ and the Freeness of his Grace and then you wil not grow as Weeds do but as good Grain To which purpose I advise you observe what you gain against Corruption and so much you may hope you may thrive in Grace as the House of David and the House of Saul Do not therefore keep the Devils counsel but let some able Friend watch you to whom communicate your Decays or Growth When a Ship is observed by a Land-mark her way is easily observed Therfore mind much this one thing in all make much of a Rule and keep to it as few under the warm Gospel but know whether they be hypocrites or otherwise Even so you shall feel your Growth An old stock will not serve turn which hath been the delusion of many when every day needs new Incomes of the Spirit and so advancement to Heaven Long to grow strive to grow bewail decayes grow in both the Tables Duties The Apostle tells us of growth from Vertue yea at last to patience by affliction if we hear the Rod c. Christ's method is He hath all Grace He giveth out what he pleaseth He maintains what he gives He perfects what he maintains He crowns what he perfects And thus Christ loves you more than ever you could hate him without whose watering by his Blood you can never grow The best Evidence of Growth is to grow more humble more holy attend that well and see how it is from Meal to Meal from one Sabbath to another one Sermon to another are you fed or surfeited A very very little Grace if true is saving a little Growth if right is comforting Believe and live Believe and grow all decays comes through want of Faith to fetch blood from the life vein the Lord Christ The South North blow upon thee for Growth my Child 7. In all things as you will have use so you need to study Conscience well for it eats drinks walks sleeps buyes sells accompanies you to every duty service work doing or suffering for which you have Ames his Cases and some others It is a judging your self according to the judgment of God I write none of these Heads to you as intending any common place which this and others would make but only to leave with you a few practical thoughts upon each Our Saviour made the Jews to buy a Knife to cut their own throats when he told them the Parable of the Servants and Son sent and killed and so the Spirit by the Jews Isa. 5. when he made them impannel a Jury among themselves and by Conscience their Judge So Nathan by David it is a witness with a witness and Judge Paramount therefore I wish you to observe it narrowly if you suffer it to be defiled with the least sin whilst it hath life you may hear of it and therefore Samuel and Paul in all kept all clear there the least filth must be washt out by the Blood of Christ David paid dear for it Cains Building and Sauls Harping will do but little to cure it it may be quiet and good unquiet and good and so on the other hand but this I have noted that false Lights or dim ones have helpt much to the violation of it present things and the out-sides of things have also broke in upon it and in sinning whether the wound be in the Head or Conscience first is a question but not hardly resolved Your wisdom will be to live upon a directing word and then Conscience will make a soft bed for you in your greatest sorrow A wounded Conscience who can bear Go to our first Parent and he will tell you so who might have gathered fruit to eat rather than leaves to cover himself Do not grieve Conscience twice it must be your best friend yea when friends and world and all leave you to sollitariness If it whimper a little do not make it roar out and yet do not stifle it but attend it and carry it up to Mount Calvary for peace Remember good Conscience and Sin cannot live together Let but this Bird sing sweetly within and let Heaven and Earth come together thou shalt be safe my poor Child 8. Next I am to remember you that you have much work to do in a little time which calls you up to labour as the Day the Lark and the Lark the Husbandman Eccles. 12. the whole Chapter I hope you have it About Redemption of time you have many Treatises The greatest of your work in your short time is to get Christ and live upon him and to him And this is the life of Faith which you can never live unless Faith have to live upon it self which will digest nothing but word and promises Therefore now you are young lay in a good Stock for Faith to live on but you must do it seasonably you are young I say and may have a little time before you which certainly hath Eternity hanging upon it called a Race a Day or Hour the old World had their Day Jerusalem a Day the Gospel is called the Day of Grace Therefore lay in seasonably and not only so but abundantly for your market may be at the highest foolish Virgins had Oyl in their Lamps none in their Vessels Store is no Sore for you know not what Promises you may need for Want for Reproach for Sickness and Death The Kingdom of Heaven must suffer Violence Violent Faith Love Prayer must storm it The time will come when wishes will not help your own Works and Righteousness will fail Lastly Lay up your stock for Faith conveniently that you may reach a word when you need it most Ah that you would be wise Ask your heart at night what you have done that day in this point because every night may be your last Therefore secure your Principles walk up to the compass of every duty clear your Evidences keep close Communion with God Look out to growing Evils and fit for them And these is the work of your Generation I say it is your work you may easier make barrs to the Sea and order the Influences of Heaven than call back yesterday Therefore work and pray repent believe get assurances of Heaven to day I say to day and be happy for ever Dear Child 9. I must also invite you to Content in a Low Condition for which you have great furtherance as Mr. Burroughs for Contentment whose Writings are all savory But for my own thoughts they are these That though many write and speak of the Contempt of the World some cloyster up themselves from it yet very few are Masters of this Art which the Apostle himself had been long learning Constitution Age Experience Parts Afflictions Fulness Honor Glory will
about God before they change about his Waies I could be very large in this accounting it my very great Mercie that temptation never led me from that Honest Old Godly Puritane Profession of the everlasting truths of the Gospel Secondly Inquire whether they have been carried more to God and Holiness since their change For that which comes from God will carry us to God but if onely to Pride Censuring Libertinisme c. you know what to make of it Beware of Leaven of the Pharises Christ saies for Leaven will sowre the Dough will swell it will harden it and these you meet with in mens spirits leavened with Error Where men once leave the Rule there will be no end of their running till they come to Atheism Therfore stand in awe of God and fear him alwaies Hold to the Word as to Life Question not Truths Look to your Company Value the meanest Ordinance You will need all Be very low and humble before the Lord and Grow in Grace 2 Pet. 3 18. My dear Child 24. And because the first Child that appears in view of this Jesabel the Mother of Mischief Errour so called by John Rev. 2.20 is about the Sabbath either wholly slighting it or counting it Jewish or our day not the right day not the Seventh yea that every day is a Sabbath with the like I mean besides all such as profanely look upon it as a day of Sport Pleasure and Vanity I think it my duty to Charge you as ever you mean or hope to enjoy that everlasting Rest hereafter that you would value the Sabbath Read Dod and others about it I do not remember that I have ever met with a truly Godly gracious soul that lived above or beyond this The first Commandment sets up the true God The second his Worship according to his own will The third his Reverence and Honour and The fourth Time the seventh part of Time for him is holy Time Works of Necessity and Charity not crossing that Holiness I say the seventh part of Time because it is Night in one place when Day in another which Time begins at the Evening as Time is distinguished into Daies Gen. 1. And though the Questions about the Sabbath and Baptism breed much Dispute in the World yet we must Study to know Gods Will in both I must say more to you Where the Sabbath is at an undervallue in any Country say it be France Holland Germany c. there you shall find Religion low and at best wasting it self into Disputes But know that England which is most famous for Religion got it from the Sabbaths upon which day the Lord is pleased as Princes by their Almoners to give out his Gifts and Craces to the sons of men I was a witness that Middleburgh in Zealand grew famous for Religion by Teeling their Preacher fetching the keeping of the Sabbath from England Certainly the Fourth Commandment is the Key to all the rest for how shall the rest be practised if not taught and how taught if not time allowed and what time more likely to carry a Blessing than Gods Appointment It were as good to take down Ministry and all Ordinances as to take down the Sabbath The wonders of God have born witness as Burton and others write against the Breakers of it Wherefore look well about you Isa. 58.13 Love the Lord in his Sabbaths as you would have rest hereafter Look to this Rest here and remember the Sabbath that is Prepare for it all the week long especially the Evening before The Jewes had two Preparations to the Sabbath at Three and Six Do you keep on and gather home all Affections to wait upon the Work and let the day be dear to you The God of Sabbath be yours dear Child 25. The Premises considered I should a little open what I mean by Free Grace to which I send you so often for succour in Cases and truly it hath been much spoken of and as much abused as if men from thence might take leave for any evil and on the other hand also filth cast upon men that have labour'd to hold it forth for which Dr. Crisp suffered also and some of that mind who meant faithfully to the Church of Christ and have written much for the abasement of the Creature and lifting up Grace I wish we may judge right judgement of all men and things But a little Practically to cast in something to profit you The Grace so spoken of should mainly be minded as the Root and Fruits of the New Covenant Jer. 31. and that in Hos. 2. 19 20 c. Which you will find lie upon two-Parties Christ and the poor Believer and Christ to be considered in a double Act of his First In his loving or rather manifesting his love in time to the soul And Secondly In passing over that Right he hath in himself to the believing soul Answerable whereunto the soul first from Christs love is warm'd to love again and from his bounty in his second Act turns over all the soul hath to the Lord Jesus Christ whether Name Estate Wit Parts yea all its Interests Now Christ thus loving the soul and giving himself upon no Meritorious or procuring Cause on the souls side is called Free Grace indeed when the Father shall freely give his Son and the Son freely his Heart-blood and the Spirit freely all its operations and make a free Covenant of grace and mercy to pardon all sin to receive a sinner into his bosom without money or price nay not to offer any thing of his own either Duty or Righteousness Isa. 55.1 this call Free Grace though when Christ comes to manifest this he by the Law gets Parly with the sinner he means to save by some uncouth waies and often very cross to flesh and blood which makes the work hard to judge of at first yet be assured that the whole work will be Free in the Whole Frame of it But because this point is of such singular concernment and that I have formerly delighted to speak to others touching the same and would have the comfort of it my self I shall let you know what I know about the order of the working hereof that you mistake not 26. And in the letting you in this Light to give you the summe of true practical Divinity and therefore observe with diligence That when a discovery is made of this Love to the sinner the Lord Jesus makes a double approach to the soul the first is by the Law where he takes three steps And first by the Law he stops the sinner in his course and makes him to see sin in the very nature of it not in the Hell onely and consequence but in that it separates the soul from the greatest good Romans 7.7 And Secondly makes the soul bear the burden and weight of it which makes David himself cry out often and so others It pincheth hard where sin hath got time and strength c. Thirdly it lets
who hath washed us from our sins by his own Bloud and made us Kings and Priests unto God the Father To him be Glory and Dominion for ever For that part of my Lord Craven's Estate which I have took no small place in my trouble You may know that I was not in the City when that Act was made nor urged my Lord Grey to buy nor ever advised the said Lord as I had time but to good and just things and company against that Spirit of Levelling then stirring and do heartily wish that taken offence might dye for it was not intended by me who could and can be as well contented without Land as with it never being ambitious to be great or rich since I knew better things 34. And now I must return to your self again and to give you my thoughts about your own Condition I do first commend you to the Lord and then to the care of a Faithfull Friend whom I shall name unto you if a Friend may be found in this Juncture that dare own your Name though there be more of your Name and if such a Friend advise it that you serve in some Godly Family to which you seem to incline and must it seems but truly if not a good Family what will your Condition be Dwell where God dwells and be in such Company as you must be with in Heaven and then you do but change your place not your company though it be unexpected and uncouth yet remember the best of men have been servants Moses kept his fathers sheep so Jacob and the Patriarchs David to Saul and many more I have before given thee Rules for it and be sure to be steady to Family and Private-Duties your life will be dead without them call your Condition Gods Ordinance and he can blesse it to you But if you would go home to New-England which you have much reason to do go with good Company and trust God there the Church are a Tender Company a little will carry us through the world yea very little Oh Godliness with Content Your faithfulness to me and your Mother will find acceptance in Heaven I trust My dear Child tell me how couldst thou be without God's Rod remember he hath a Staffe also For your Mother considering her distemper I have and shall say more unto you To his Grace who is able to do above all we can ask or think I commend you both And if I go shortly where time shall be no more where Cock nor Clock distinguish hours sink not but lay thy head in his Bosom who can keep thee for he sits upon the Waves Farewel 35. And since we must part must part take my Wishes Sighs and Groans to follow thee and pitty the feebleness of what I have sent being writ under much yea very much discomposure of spirit My WISHES I Wish your Lamp and Vessel full of Oyl Like the Wise Virgins which all Fools neglect And the Rich Pearl for which the Merchants toyl Yea how to purchase are so circumspect I wish you that White Stone with the New Name Which none can reade but who possess the same I wish you neither Poverty nor Riches But Godlinesse so gainful with Content No painted Pomp nor Glory that bewitches A blamelesse Life is the best Monument And such a Soul that soars above the Skie Well pleas'd to live but better pleas'd to die I wish you such a Heart as Mary had Minding the Main open'd as Lydea's was A Hand like Dorcas who the Naked clad Feet like Joanna's posting to Christ apace And above all to live your self to see Marryed to Him who must your Saviour be For ENGLAND c. I Wish that Prince and Rulers all that guide May be good and do good which is God-like And that their care appear so to provide That those of Strength do not the Weaker strike The End of Rule's from Christian Policy To live in Godlinesse and Honesty I wish Religion truly pure may grow Above Prophanenesse and Idolatry Which strive to nip it and to keep it low Throughout the World from the Seeds Enmity I wish this present Government surmount All went before and that in Gods Account I wish Religion Learning and the Poor May find sound Patrons and that Holy Life Make the distinction still and that no Door Be stopt where Christ would enter to his Wife And that the Saints would learn to suffer where Nothing can help more than a Groan or Tear Amen Amen Whosoever would Live long and Blessedly let him observe these Following Rules by which he shall attain to that which he desireth Let thy Thoughts Be Divine Awful Godly Let thy Talk Be Little Honest True Let thy Works Be Profitable Holy Charitable Let thy Manners Be Grave Courteous Cheerful Let thy Dyet Be Temporate Convenient Frugal Let thy Apparil Be Sober Neat Comely Let thy Will Be Confiant Obedient Ready Let thy Sleep Be Moderate quiet Seasonable Let thy Prayers Be Short Devout Often Fervent Let thy Recreation Be Lawful Brief Seldom Let thy Memory Be Of Death Punnishment Glory FINIS