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<DATE>2013-06-24</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>THE Righteous Mans death LAMENTED. A SERMON PREACHED At St. <HI>Au&s;tins, London, Aug.</HI> 23. 1662, AT THE Funeral of that Eminent Ser|vant of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Mr. SIMEON ASH Late Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel there.</P>
<P>By <HI>EDMUND CALAMY,</HI> B. D.</P>
<Q>The righteous &s;hall be had in everla&s;ting remembrance, <BIBL><HI>P&s;al. 112.6.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed in the year 1662.</P>
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<HEAD><HI>To the</HI> READER.</HEAD>
<P>AS the Words of Dying Men are remarkable, &s;o the words &s;poken of at the Funerals of dead Mi|ni&s;ters are mo&s;t ob&s;ervable. Now Reader, this Sermon claims thy &s;erious peru&s;al upon both the&s;e accompts; for as the Mini&s;ter who&s;e funeral he preached was dead, &s;o the mini&s;ter who preached it was civilly dying; for it was the la&s;t Sermon but one that the Reverend Author of this Sermon preach'd. Thus two Lights were put out together, although in a different manner; the one, his
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<PB REF="5">light (as to us) is put under a clod of earth, and the other is put under a Bu&s;hel.</P>
<P>I will not &s;ay, this Sermon is in every word the &s;ame in publication, that it was in preaching; but this I &s;hall &s;ay, I do not know, that there is one Cubit added to its Stature,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thy</HI> Friend <HI>and</HI> Servant, M. D.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>ISAIAH LVII. Ver. 1.</HI></BIBL>
<P>The righteous peri&s;heth and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none con&s;idering that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come.</P></Q>
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<P>_WE are here met this Evening, to perform the la&s;t Office of Love for an eminent and ancient Servant of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and excellent Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, Mr. <HI>Simeon A&s;h,</HI> one who hath formerly performed this Office for many other Mini&s;ters; and now we are met to perform this Office for him; and it is not long before others will meet to perform the &s;ame office for us; &s;o frail, &s;o brittle, and &s;o uncertain is the life of man.</P>
<P>Now the Text that I have cho&s;en, is &s;uitable for this occa&s;ion: For this Reverend Mini&s;ter was fir&s;t a righteous man; he was righteous in an Evangelical &s;ence, he was one that was ju&s;tified, and &s;anctified. Secondly, He was a mercifull man, both in an active and pa&s;&s;ive &s;ence; he was one that &s;hewed mercy to the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Members of Je&s;us
<PB N="2" REF="6">Chri&s;t, and he was one to whom God &s;hewed mercy; this righteous and merciful man is now peri&s;hed, as to his outward condition, not as to his everla&s;ting condition; but as to his outward bodily condition he is peri&s;hed, and he is taken away; the word in the <HI>Hebrew</HI> is very emphatical; <HI>merciful men, Colligu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">tur,</HI> are gathered; it is the &s;ame word that is u&s;ed concerning <HI>Jo&s;iah,</HI> 2 <HI>Kings</HI> 22.10. <HI>Thou &s;halt be gathered to thy Fathers, and go to thy grave in peace, and &s;halt not &s;ee the evil that I will bring upon this Nation.</HI> This godly and righteous man is now gathered, as ripe Corn in the Barn of Heaven; he is taken away from the evil that is to com, from the beholding that evil that is coming upon the &s;inful World; he is taken away in mercy, that he may not be troubled with the troubles that are coming upon many; he is taken away from the evil to come.</P>
<P>And thus you &s;ee how &s;uitable the Text is to the occa|&s;ion; there is only one particular that I de&s;ire may prove un&s;uitable; for <HI>the righteous and merciful man</HI> in the Text, <HI>peri&s;heth, and no man con&s;iders, nor layes it to heart;</HI> The&s;e words are <HI>Verba Commentantis &amp; objurgantis;</HI> the words of the Prophet bemoaning the &s;piritual &s;ecurity of the people of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> chiding and reproving them for their &s;piritual Lethargy: Now I de&s;ire that this part may not prove &s;uitable, but that all of you may lay to heart the death of this ancient, merciful, righteous man.</P>
<P>The Ob&s;ervations from the words are the&s;e Six.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That the righteous man mu&s;t peri&s;h as well as the un|righteous.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>That the peri&s;hing of a righteous man is nothing but his gathering to God, Chri&s;t, and the ble&s;&s;ed company of Saints and Angels.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>That a righteous man as long as he liveth, is the pre&s;ervative of a Nation, and the &s;upporter of a King|dom,
<PB N="3" REF="6">the Chariots and Hor&s;men of a Nation.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>The death of a righteous man is a Warning piece from Heaven, a Beacon &s;et on fire to give notice of evil ap|proaching.</HI></P>
<P>F fthly, <HI>That God doth on purpo&s;e take away righteous men, that they may not &s;ee the evil that is coming on a Nation.</HI></P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>That it is a great and common &s;in, not to con&s;ider and lay to heart the death of a righteous man,</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is a common &s;in, and therefore it is &s;et down in the greate&s;t latitude; <HI>the righteous peri&s;heth, and no man layes it to heart;</HI> that is, very few: <HI>And merciful men are taken away; no man con&s;idering!</HI> that is, very few.</P>
<P N="2">2dly, It is a great &s;in; and therefore the Prophet <HI>Jeremy</HI> in the former Chapter calls to all the Bea&s;ts of the Field to devour, that is, all the Enemies of the Church to de&s;troy the Children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> becau&s;e they drank &s;trong drink, filling them&s;elves with merriment, and promi&s;ed them&s;elves happy dayes, but did not con&s;ider that <HI>the righteous were taken away from the evil to come.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall begin with the fir&s;t, <HI>That the righteous peri&s;h as well as the unrighteous.</HI></P>
<P>How is it that the righteous peri&s;h? not in their &s;oul, they cannot peri&s;h &s;o; nay, the truth is, they cannot peri&s;h properly in their bodies; for the bodies of the Saints never totally and finally peri&s;h; for the very du&s;t of the Saints in the grave, is precious in God's &s;ight, and they are a&s;leep in Je&s;us, and by the power of Je&s;us Chri&s;t they &s;hall be rai&s;ed again glorious bodies: Nothing peri&s;heth of a righteous man by death totally, and finally, but &s;in; and therefore the meaning of the word is, as <HI>Mu&s;culus</HI> and <HI>Ju&s;tin</HI> Martyr ob&s;erve, <HI>perit,</HI> peri&s;heth; that is, not accord|ing to the truth of the thing, but according to the opinion of the world; and the proper language of this expre&s;&s;ion
<PB N="4" REF="7">is this, <HI>The righteous peri&s;h,</HI> that is, the righteous mu&s;t dye, and go down to the hou&s;e of rottenne&s;s, as well as others, and that upon a four-fold account,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e the righteous are included within the Statute of death as well as the unrighteous; <HI>&s;tatutum e&s;t:</HI> Heb. 9.27. <HI>It is appointed for all men once to dye;</HI> the righ|teous as well as the unrighteous: Indeed it is true, Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath taken away the hurt of death; but not death it &s;elf; Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath di&s;armed death, made death like the Viper that fa&s;tened upon <HI>Paul</HI>'s hand, but did not hurt him; he hath made it like the brazen Serpent that hath no &s;ting, but a healing power in it: Chri&s;t hath &s;anctified death, conquered and &s;weetned death; at pre&s;ent we are all under the Statute of death, but at la&s;t this Enemy &s;hall be de&s;troyed, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15, latter end.</P>
<P N="2">2dly, The righteous con&s;i&s;t of peri&s;hing principles as well as the unrighteous; the righteous are earthly ve&s;&s;els, made of du&s;t; their foundation is in the du&s;t; their lives are a vapour as well as the lives of the unrighteous.</P>
<P N="3">3dly, The righteous mu&s;t dye as well as others, becau&s;e they have a body of &s;in that they carry about with them; for there is no man &s;o wi&s;e, that lives and &s;ins not, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 7.20. Wherefore there is that which de&s;erves death in a righteous man.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, and e&s;pecially, The righteous mu&s;t peri&s;h upon a peculiar account; <HI>For if we had hope only in this life</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>we are of all men mo&s;t mi&s;erable,</HI> and therefore they mu&s;t peri&s;h to keep them from peri&s;hing, they mu&s;t &s;ay as <HI>Themi&s;tocles, Perii&s;&s;em ni&s;i perii&s;&s;em;</HI> they mu&s;t dye, that they may re&s;t from their labour; for here is not our re&s;t, <HI>Micah</HI> 2.10. There remaineth a re&s;t for the people of God; there is no re&s;t in this World; the word <HI>quies</HI> wants the plural number.</P>
<P N="3">3dly, The righteous mu&s;t dye, that they may have
<PB N="5" REF="7">their reward, their Crown of glory that God hath laid up for them; they mu&s;t fir&s;t fight the good &s;ight, and fini&s;h their cour&s;e, and then they &s;hall receive a Crown of glory.</P>
<P N="3">3dly. They mu&s;t dye, that they may be free from &s;in; for they &s;hal never put off the body of &s;in, till they put off the body of fle&s;h.</P>
<P N="4">4thly. They mu&s;t die, that mortality may be &s;wallow|ed up of life, that corruption may put on incorruption.</P>
<P N="5">5ly. They mu&s;t dye, that they may be perfect in Grace.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, They mu&s;t die, that they may &s;ee God face to face, and be for ever with the Lord, which they cannot do till they dye; therefore ble&s;&s;ed be God that the r gh|teous mu&s;t peri&s;h. If a man &s;hould bring news to a righ|teous man, that he &s;hould always live on Earth, always be young, rich and healthful, it would be unwelcom news; for while we are in the body, we are ab&s;ent from the Lord, and &s;ubject to &s;in; and therefore when <HI>Peter</HI> asked Chri&s;t what &s;hould be done with <HI>John,</HI> Chri&s;t tells him, <HI>If I will that he tarry till I come, what's that to thee?</HI> from hence|forth there went a report abroad that <HI>John</HI> &s;hould not die, <HI>John</HI> 21.32. Now the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf was much di&s;plea|&s;ed with this report, and look't upon it as a great affliction that he &s;hould not die, and therefore he him&s;elf confutes it; <HI>But yet Je&s;us</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>&s;aid not that he &s;hould not dye;</HI> as if he had &s;aid, God forbid that I &s;hould not die.</P>
<P>Before I come to the Application of this point, give me leave to &s;peak &s;omething to the &s;econd point, and &s;o I &s;hal apply them both together.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Doctrine is this, <HI>That the peri&s;hing of a righteous man, is nothing but a gathering of him to God, Chri&s;t, and the ble&s;&s;ed Society of Saints and Angels in heaven.</HI></P>
<P>This is contained in the &s;econd expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>Merciful men are taken away;</HI> the word in the Hebrew is <HI>colliguntu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> they are gathered; it is exegetical of the former; they
<PB N="6" REF="8">did not peri&s;h, but they are gathered to God and Chri&s;t; there is a great deal of excellency, &amp; a magazine of &s;weet|ne&s;s in this expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>they are gathered;</HI> It implies two things:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That the righteous are in a &s;cattered condition while they are in this World, and that three ways:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, They are &s;cattered among the wicked and un|godly of the World, as Sheep among Wolves, as Lambs among Lions, rent and torn in pieces, forced to wander up and down in &s;heep-skins and Goat skins.</P>
<P N="2">2dly, The righteous are &s;cattered in the world one from another, and that two ways: 1. They are &s;cattered by their different habitations; for the godly are forced to &s;eparate one from another, as <HI>Lot</HI> from <HI>Abraham.</HI> 2. They are &s;cattered one from another by the cruel per&s;ecution of wicked men; and therefore you read <HI>Acts</HI> 8. that at that time when there was a per&s;ecution again&s;t the Church at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> that <HI>they were all &s;cattered abroad.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3dly, The godly are &s;cattered in this life from the glo|rious pre&s;ence of God in Heaven; indeed they are never &s;attered from the gracious pre&s;ence of God, but &s;ome|times they are &s;cattered from the comforting pre&s;ence of God; and as long as we live in this World, we &s;hall be &s;cattered from the glorious pre&s;ence of God; for while we are in the body, we are ab&s;ent from the Lord.</P>
<P>Secondly, This implyes a bringing of God's people out of this &s;cattered condition; it is a gathering of the righteous out of this world into another, from a &s;infull per&s;ecuted world, into a &s;inles glorious world, from diver|&s;ity of dwellings on earth, to dwell altogether in one hea|ven; it is a gathering out of the reach of men and divels: a gathering them not only to the gracious, but to the glo|rious pre&s;ence of God and Chri&s;t, and to the &s;ouls of ju&s;t
<PB N="7" REF="8">men made perfect, and to the general a&s;&s;embly of the fir&s;t born, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly <HI>Jeru|&s;alem,</HI> where they &s;hall live together, never to be &s;cattered again. To under&s;tand this the better, let me offer 3 things to you, &s;hewing you that the godly are gathered to God 3 wayes: In this life, at death, and at the day of judgment.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the righteous are gathered to God in this life, and that is at their fir&s;t conver&s;ion; for by nature we are all aliens and &s;trangers to God; &s;cattered from any union or communion with God: not only &s;cattered from the glori|ous, but from the gracious pre&s;ence of God. God made man at fir&s;t to enjoy communion with him&s;elf, but <HI>Adam</HI> lo&s;t this by his &s;in, and now we are all <HI>Cains,</HI> and Vaga|bonds, &s;cattered from the love of God, and from union and communion with God; but when God converts any of the elect, he gathers them home to him&s;elf; for conver&s;ion is nothing but God's gathering them to him&s;elf in the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> that were &s;cattered from him in the fir&s;t <HI>Adam;</HI> the fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI> was a root of &s;cattering, a root of &s;eparation from God; but the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> was a root of union and conjunction. Chri&s;t is the head, and all the elect are all gathered together in him, 1 <HI>Eph.</HI> 10. that he might gather together in one all things in Chri&s;t; &s;o that conver&s;ion is nothing but a gathering of the elect of God to Chri&s;t by faith, and a gathering to one another by love and charity.</P>
<P>Secondly, Gods people are gathered at death; here they are gathered to Chri&s;t by grace, but at death they are gathered to Chri&s;t in glory, here they are gathered to God by hope, but at death by fruition; here Chri&s;t is gathered to us, he comes down, and dwells with us; but at death we &s;hall be gathered to him, we &s;hall go up, and be joynd with him. There's a great deal of difference between <HI>e&s;&s;e cum Chri&s;te,</HI> and <HI>e&s;&s;e in Chri&s;to; e&s;&s;e cum Chri&s;to,</HI> to be one
<PB N="8" REF="9">with Chri&s;t is a Chri&s;tians great &s;ecurity; but <HI>e&s;&s;e in Chri&s;to,</HI> to be one in Chri&s;t, it is a Chri&s;tians great felicity: In this life we are gathered to God by faith, but at death by vi&s;ion.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, we &s;hall be gathered to God at the day of Judg|ment; it is called the day of the gathering of the Saints to|gether; A day when all the Saints that are, have been, or &s;hall be, &s;hall all be gathered together. 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.1. I be|&s;eech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and by our gathering together unto him at the great day; At the day of judgement we &s;hall all be gathe|red together, and &s;hall be all taken up to heaven, I mean all the righteous, and be ever with the Lord; and &s;o much for the opening of the doctrine.</P>
<P>But here it may be objected; Are not the unrighteous gathered by death as well as the righteous?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, it is true, the unrighteous are &s;cattered in this life, and gathered by death as well as the righteous; but with a great deal of difference.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the wicked are &s;cattered in this life, but they are &s;cattered from God; but the godly are &s;cattered for God and for a good con&s;cience many times, as they as <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> were &s;cattered: The godly are &s;cattered from the glori|ous pre&s;ence of God in heaven; but the wicked are &s;catte|red from the gracious pre&s;ence of God on earth. Again the &s;cattering of the wicked is a cur&s;e to them, and it is threatned as a cur&s;e, <HI>Levit.</HI> 26.32. I will &s;catter you among the heathen, and draw out my &s;word after you; and wherever the wicked come, in what part &s;oever of the world the wicked are &s;cattered, they bring the cur&s;e of God with them, and they bring the judgments of God on Towns or Cities where they are, as plauge, famine, and &s;word, and all mi&s;eries. But the godly, when they are &s;cattered, they are &s;cattered as a ble&s;&s;ing; into what
<PB N="9" REF="9">Country or Town &s;oever they come, they come as a ble&s;|&s;ing, they come like a &s;hip laden with corn, to a Town ready to peri&s;h with famine; they come as a ble&s;&s;ing four ways.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by their prayers, to pray down a ble&s;&s;ing on the place where they come.</P>
<P>Secondly, they come as a ble&s;&s;ing by their holy life and conver&s;ation, that is a load&s;tone to draw others to holi|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they come as a ble&s;&s;ing by their holy advi&s;e and coun&s;el that they give to the place where they come.</P>
<P>Nay fourthly, their very pre&s;ence is a ble&s;&s;ing; as long as <HI>Lot</HI> was in <HI>Sodom, Sodom</HI> could not be de&s;troyed; &s;o long as <HI>Paul</HI> was in the &s;hip, the three hundred could not be drown'd. So that the godly come as a ble&s;&s;ing where|ever they are &s;cattered; but the wicked are as chaffe &s;cat|tered by the wind, and they are &s;cattered as the du&s;t of the earth: You know when the du&s;t is &s;cattered, it gets into mens eyes and blinds them, and falls upon their cloaths and fullies and defiles them; &s;o the wicked, where-ever they are &s;cattered, they defile the place where they are &s;cattered. The godly are as planets, that wander and move from one part of heaven to another, carrying light to the world.</P>
<P>Secondly, as the wicked are &s;cattered whi&s;e they live, &s;o when they dye, they are gathered, it is true; but how? not to God, and Chri&s;t, and his Angels, but they are ga|thered to the divel, and his Angels, and to damned &s;pirits: not as bundles of wheat into the barn of heaven, but as bundles of tares to be burned for ever in everla&s;ting fire.</P>
<P>Now, if the righteous peri&s;h as well as others, and if their peri&s;hing be nothing but a gathering to God and Chri&s;t; then,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, learn hence the preciou&s;ne&s;s of every righteous man; the great God will not gather things of no value;
<PB N="10" REF="10">great men do not u&s;e to gather chaffe and &s;traw; and therefore, when God &s;aith of <HI>Jo&s;iah,</HI> I will gather thee to thy Fathers, it was a &s;ign he was a precious pearl worth the gathering, and of a high value and account in the &s;ight of God: and &s;o is every true child of God; right dear and precious are they in the &s;ight of God, both living and dying; they are bought with a great price: not with gold and &s;ilver, and other corruptible things, but they are bought with the precious blood of the Son of God: They are as precious to God as the apple of his eye; &s;o precious that be hath given Chri&s;t for them and to them: &s;o preci|ous that he called them his Jewels, his peculiar trea&s;ure, <HI>Jedidiahs,</HI> and therefore God will not &s;uffer them to peri&s;h, but gather them to him&s;elf before the evil day come, as the husbandman gathers in the corn before the bea&s;ts go out into the field.</P>
<P>Secondly, Learn here what rea&s;on we have to be com|forted in the death of a righteous man or woman, becau&s;e their death is not a peri&s;hing, but a gathering to God and Chri&s;t, and the &s;ociety of Saints and Angels. The death of a righteous man is no more then if a Merchant that hath abundance of Jewels in a far country, &s;hould &s;end for them home. Why death to a righteous man is nothing but Gods &s;ending for his Jewels home. Such a phra&s;e there is in <HI>Mal.</HI> 3.17. In the day that I make up my Jewels, they &s;hall be mine. In this life they are imperfect Jewels; they are like gold in the oar, mingled with a great deal of dro&s;&s;e; and death is nothing but a perfecting of the&s;e Jewels; death is nothing more; and God doth nothing by death, but as a gold-finder gather up all his ends of gold and &s;ilver: It is nothing but ju&s;t as if a Father &s;hould &s;end for his Son home that had been a long while ab&s;ent from him to his own Hou&s;e; it is a carrying us to our Father's hou&s;e: And therefore let us be comforted when
<PB N="11" REF="10">our righteous Friends dye; though their death be matter of &s;orrow to us, in regard of the lo&s;s that we &s;u&s;tain by their death; and becau&s;e their death is a Warning piece of evil to come; yet in regard of them we have no cau&s;e to mourn. I &s;peak this to tho&s;e that are related to the righteous when they dye: Did you ever hear of a Hu&s;|bandman that mourned for the carrying of his Corn into the Barn? or a Jeweller mourn for making up of his Jewels? Let us mourn rather that we are left &s;cattered among the wicked of the earth, and from the glorious pre&s;ence of God and Chri&s;t; and let us mourn for tho&s;e that are &s;cattered from Chri&s;t, and from grace; and for tho&s;e that while&s;t they live, are &s;cattered, and when they dye, are gathered to the Devil and his Angels: Let us not mourn for tho&s;e that dye in Chri&s;t, but let us mourn for tho&s;e that live out of Chri&s;t; let us not mourn over the body that the &s;oul hath left, but let us mourn over the &s;oul that God hath left.</P>
<P>The third U&s;e is of Con&s;olation to all the people of God in reference to evil times that are coming upon us, or to the evil of times. Whatever befalls a Child of God in this life, though he be &s;cattered by wicked men, from <HI>England</HI> into other Forreign Countreys, though he wan|der up and down in De&s;arts and Wilderne&s;&s;es, though he be &s;cattered from hou&s;e to pri&s;on, yet there will be a gathering time &s;hortly, there will a time come when all the Saints &s;hall be gathered to Chri&s;t, and to one another, never to part any more. The death of Gods people is not a peri&s;hing, but a gathering: comfort your &s;elves therefore with the&s;e words, again&s;t the fear of death: look upon death as a gathering, as a gathering to Chri&s;t: You are here as <HI>Daniel</HI> in the Lyons Den, as <HI>Jeremiah</HI> in the Dun|geon: yet there will come a gathering, and if you dye in a good cau&s;e, you &s;hall not peri&s;h, but be gathered to Chri&s;t, and to his Saints and Angels.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="11">
<P> But you will &s;ay, <HI>If I were &s;ure when I dye, that I &s;hould be gathered to Chri&s;t, to live for ever with him, this would be matter of great con&s;olation to me, but you told me, the wicked are gathered by death as well as the godly, how &s;hall I know whether (when I come todye) I &s;hall be gathered to the Devil and his Angels, or to Chri&s;t and his Angele? How &s;hall</HI> I <HI>know whether</HI> I <HI>&s;hall be gathered at death as a bundle of tares to be burned in Hell, or as a bundle of wheat to be carried up into the Burn of Heaven?</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer, You may know it by four things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, If you are righteous, then you &s;hall be gathered to Chri&s;t at death, <HI>for the righteous &s;hall go into everla&s;ting life?</HI> Heaven is entailed upon righteous men by righteou&s;|ne&s;s I mean the imputed righteou&s;ne&s;s, and the imparted righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; I wave the explication of them, becau&s;e time will not give leave. <HI>Know you not</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>that no unrighteous man &s;hall inherit the King|dom of God?</HI> Damnation is entailed upon unrighteous men.</P>
<P>Secondly, If you are merciful, the merciful man &s;hall be gathered to Chri&s;t, if you are one that is full of bowels of compa&s;&s;ion to the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Members of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for Chri&s;t hath &s;aid it, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the merciful, for they &s;hall ob|tain mercy.</HI> Now if you are hard hearted, covetous, world|ly minded, remember that Text, <HI>He &s;hall have judgement without mercy, that &s;hews no mercy.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, He that is gathered to the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> by faith in this world, &s;hall certainly be gathered unto Chri&s;t by vi&s;ion in the other world, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us will &s;ave all his members, and you mu&s;t know, that Faith is a tran&s;plan|ting Grace, it is not onely a heart purifying, but a world-overcoming grace, it takes a man out of the old <HI>Adam,</HI> and put's him into the new <HI>Adam;</HI> it takes a man out of the root of &s;cattering, and puts him into the root of union
<PB N="13" REF="11">and conjunction: Wherefore you that are now joined to Chri&s;t by faith here, &s;hall be joined to Chri&s;t in glory hereafter: But now you that are Vagabonds, <HI>Cains</HI> and Aliens from the life of God, and from the life of Grace: You that are wooden Members wooden Legs in Chri&s;ts body, that have no real conjunction with Chri&s;t, you &s;hal not be gathered to him in glory.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, If you are gathered here to the Saints by love, then you &s;hall be gathered to the Saints in Heaven, and to the everla&s;ting enjoyment of God with them to all eter|nity. Con&s;ider this, Every man &s;hall be gathered (when he dies) to tho&s;e whom he delights, and choo&s;eth to keep company with while he lives in this world: If you are ga|thered to the wicked in love and affection here, you &s;hall be gathered to them at death in Hell and de&s;truction, for it's pity companions &s;hould be parted: Wheat mu&s;t to Wheat, and Tares to Tares, for Wheat and Tares &s;hall not be bound together at the la&s;t day.</P>
<P>The la&s;t u&s;e is of Exhortation: It the righteous mu&s;t pe|ri&s;h, and if their death be nothing but a gathering, then take this threefold Exhortation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Let us labour to make the be&s;t u&s;e we can of our godly friends and Mini&s;ters before they are gathered, let us do as <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> did, he was told that his Ma&s;ter <HI>Elijah</HI> was to be taken up to Heaven, and therefore he would never leave him till he had got the &s;pirit of <HI>Elijah</HI> doubled upon him: If <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> had not thought that <HI>Elijah</HI> would have been taken up that day, he would never have followed him &s;o punctually and in&s;eparably as he did. O beloved, did you believe that text, <HI>Zach.</HI> 1.5. of which we have often had experience, <HI>your fathers, where are they; and the Prophets, do they live for ever?</HI> Indeed if they did live for ever, we might get good from them when we plea&s;e, be|cau&s;e we are &s;ure never to lo&s;e them; but they live not for
<PB N="14" REF="12">ever, but mu&s;t peri&s;h, and be taken up to heaven: And therefore whil&s;t we have them, let us make what u&s;e we can of them, before they be taken away from us. It is a great fault among the people of God, that they make no more u&s;e of their godly Friends and Mini&s;ters. I have known many that have godly Relations that have died, that it hath been the greate&s;t burthen on their Con&s;cien|ces, that they got no more good by tho&s;e godly Relati|ons while they lived. Many of us deal with our Mini&s;ters as we do with a &s;trange &s;ight that is to be &s;een near our doors; we are not much &s;olicitous when we &s;ee it. But a &s;tranger that comes from a far Countrey, is curious, and very carefull pre&s;ently to &s;ee it. So do we in this City e|&s;pecially, I have had experience of it by being here many yeares; &s;trangers that come out of the Countrey, many times get that good by a Mini&s;ter, that his own people do not, becau&s;e they think their Mini&s;ter is continually with them: But a &s;tranger knows he is there but for a day, and he hears &s;o, that he carries Chri&s;t home with him, and a great deal of con&s;olation al&s;o. Beloved, this is a great fault; I be&s;eech you remember, the righteous mu&s;t be ga|thered; let us therefore do with them as we do with Books that are borrowed; if a man borrows a Book, he knows he mu&s;t keep it but for a day or two, and therefore he will be &s;ure to read it over; whereas if the Book be a mans own, he layes it a&s;ide, becau&s;e he knows he can read it at any time. Remember, your Mini&s;ters are but lent you, they are not your own, and you know not but God may take your <HI>Elijahs</HI> from you this night: Therefore make what u&s;e you can of them, while you have them.</P>
<P N="2">2dly, Mu&s;t the righteous be taken away? Then let the righteous make con&s;cience of doing what good they can before they are taken away. Beloved, if it were po&s;&s;ible for the godly to grieve in Heaven, this would be their
<PB N="15" REF="12">greate&s;t &s;orrow, that they have done God no more &s;ervice here upon Earth. Be wi&s;e for God, O ye righteous; do as old men do that have rich places and offices; they labour to buy the rever&s;ion of their places for their children: &s;o mu&s;t you to whom God hath given great gifts and graces, labour to propagate your gifts and graces, that there may be no lo&s;s by your death. Ob&s;erve the care of St. <HI>Paul</HI> the aged in his exhortations to <HI>Timothy,</HI> 2 Tim. 4.5, 6. <HI>Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an Evange|li&s;t, make full proof of thy Mini&s;try:</HI> why &s;o? <HI>for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand:</HI> and therefore work thou, &s;ee that thou endure affliction, preach the Go&s;pel as becomes a Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, that there may be no lo&s;s by my departure: &s;o in 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2.2. <HI>The things that thou ha&s;t heard of me among many witne&s;&s;es, the &s;ame commit thou to faithful men that &s;hall be able to teach others al&s;o.</HI> Hath God committed any thing to you? a trea|&s;ure of Learning or grace? commit it to young Mini&s;ters, that they may commit it to others, that &s;o there may be a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of gifts and graces: Do as Phy&s;icians do, that labour to communicate their skil to their Children, and to others: &s;o &s;hould we, that &s;o there may be a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of godly ones, that godline&s;s may be entailed upon us and our Relations.</P>
<P>Thirdly and la&s;tly, let us all labour to be &s;uch, that when we die, when we come to be gathered, we may be gathered to Chri&s;t, and his Angels; and not to the Divel, and his Angels. And for that purpo&s;e, let us labour to be merciful and righteous, and let us be gathered to Chri&s;t by faith, and to one another by love and dear affection: and then we &s;hall be gathered at the great day to Chri&s;t, and the ble&s;&s;ed company of <HI>Saints</HI> and <HI>Angels.</HI></P>
<P>There are Four Ob&s;ervations yet behind, but I mu&s;t waye them at this time.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="13">
<P> I have now another Sermon to preach, and I cannot without injury to you that are alive, and without wrong to the memory of my dearly beloved brother, but &s;peak &s;omthing of him at who&s;e funeral we are met this evening, no &s;o much for his commendation, he needs it not, but for our imitation: It is pitty, great pitty &s;omthing &s;hould not be &s;aid, that this reverend Mini&s;ter though dead, may yet preach this night; and I have &s;o much to &s;ay of him, that I know not where to begin; and when I have begun, I hardly know how to make an end: I mu&s;t confe&s;s, the little time allotted me for the providing for this &s;olemn work, and the nece&s;&s;ary avocations in this little time, have hindered me from informing my &s;elf about his breeding and manner of education at <HI>Emanuel Colledge</HI> under Mr. <HI>Stooker,</HI> and his excellent carriage and conver&s;e with Mr. <HI>Hild<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">r&s;am,</HI> Mr. <HI>Dod,</HI> Mr. <HI>Ball,</HI> Mr. <HI>Langley,</HI> and other Mini&s;ters, famous in their generations; and the many pre&s;&s;ures and hard&s;hips that he &s;uffered in tho&s;e parts and times, for the keeping of his con&s;cience pure from that which he counted &s;in; and therefore I mu&s;t draw a vail over that part of his life, and confine my difcour&s;e only to the time &s;ince his coming to live with us in <HI>London,</HI> which is about the &s;pace of twenty two, or three and twenty years; all which time, I have had the happine&s;s to be intimately acquainted with him, in&s;o|much as that I can freely and clearly profe&s;s, and that with a &s;ad heart, that I, and many others, have lo&s;t a real, wi&s;e, and godly friend, brother, and fellow-labourer in the Lord; the Church hath lo&s;t an eminent member, and choice pillar: and this City hath lo&s;t an ancient, faithful, and painful Mini&s;ter; who by his prayers and holy life, did &s;eek to keep off the judgments of God from faling upon us; and the le&s;s &s;en&s;ible the City is of this lo&s;s, the greater is the lo&s;s. I fear we may too truly repeat the words in the Text, <HI>The righteous peri&s;heth, and no man lay it to heart; and
<PB N="17" REF="13">merciful men are taken away, none con&s;idering that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come.</HI> I have read of <HI>Philo</HI> the <HI>Jew,</HI> and by chance met with the &s;ame in the life of Saint <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> that when they came to any City or Town, and heard of the death of any godly man, though never &s;o poor, they would both of them mourn exceedingly, be|cau&s;e of the great lo&s;s that place had by the death of that godly man, and becau&s;e it was a warning-piece from God of evil approaching But we have had many godly men, and godly Mini&s;ters, taken away of late, and yet I fear me, but few lay it to heart; and therefore as I &s;aid, the lo&s;s is the greater to this City, becau&s;e it is &s;o little &s;en&s;ible of it. It is a great lo&s;s al&s;o to his Relations; his wife hath lo&s;t a dear and loving husband, his &s;i&s;ter a dear brother, his Pari&s;h and Congregation a faithful Pa&s;tour.</P>
<P>The mini&s;terial Excellencies of many Mini&s;ters were collected &amp; concentred in one <HI>Simeon A&s;h,</HI> he was a <HI>Bezaleel</HI> in Gods Tabernacle, a Ma&s;ter-builder, and old Di&s;ciple, a <HI>Polycarpe,</HI> a Chri&s;tian of long &s;tanding in the School of Chri&s;t, a burning and a &s;hining light, one whom many Mi|ni&s;ters and other good Chri&s;tians called Father, in&s;omuch that it was a common Proverb in this City, Father <HI>A&s;h;</HI> and I believe, many experimentaly lament over him, as the King did over the Propet <HI>Eli&s;ha; My Father, my father, the chariots of I&s;rael, and the hor&s;men thereof!</HI> For he lived de&s;ired, and died lamented, not only in the city, but I believ in very many places in the Country where he was known. But more particularly, there were twelve excellencies that I ob&s;erved in this reverend Mini&s;ter, and my dear Brother, that were as twelve jewels or precious pearls in that crown with which God had crowned him: I &s;hall name them for your imitation and benefit; he needs them not, for he is above our Eulogy.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t and chief Jewel that I did beautifie and adorn
<PB N="18" REF="14">this our brother, was his &s;incerity and uprightnes of heart; which indeed is not a &s;ingle grace, but the &s;oul of all grace, and the interlineary that mu&s;t run through all grace; for what is faith if it be not unfained? what will love to God profit you if it be not without di&s;&s;imulation? what is repentance worth if it be not in truth? as the body without the &s;oul is a rotten carka&s;s, &s;o is all grace without &s;incerity; this is the &s;oul of all grace, this is the girdle of truth. Since|rity is that which girts all our &s;piritual armour together and makes them u&s;eful; what advantage is it to have the brea&s;tplate of righteou&s;ne&s;s, the &s;hield of faith, the helmet of hope, if they be but painted things? it is the girdle of &s;in|cerity that makes all the other parts of our armour u&s;eful. Now this excellent grace of &s;incerity was eminent in this our dear brother; he was a true <HI>Nathanael,</HI> in whom there was no guile; I mean, no allowed hypocri&s;ie; and this was that which carried him through the pangs of death with a great deal of comfort; for he was able to &s;ay with <HI>Hezekiah, Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart.</HI> He could &s;ay with <HI>Paul, This is my rejoy|cing, the te&s;timony of my con&s;cience, that in &s;implicity and godly &s;incerity, I have had my conver&s;ation in the world.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Another Jewel was his humility; this is a grace that he was cloathed withal, and it is a rare grace; for God dwells with the humble; he re&s;i&s;ts the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. This Reverend Mini&s;ter was low in his own eyes, and therefore very high in Gods eyes; he had a mean e&s;teem of him&s;elf, and therefore he was in high e&s;teem with God. He was as <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;aid of him&s;elf, le&s;s then the lea&s;t of God's mercies, and therefore he was made partaker of the be&s;t of God's mercies. He was like an ear of corn, full of fruit, bowing down in thankfulne&s;s to God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, another Jewel was the fruitfulne&s;s, of his
<PB N="19" REF="14">di&s;cour&s;e; for it may be &s;aid of him, as it was of Chri&s;t, he went about doing good; wherever he went, he &s;catte|red his goodne&s;s; this all that knew him, know to be true. He was full of good di&s;cour&s;e wherever he came; when I was with him in his &s;ickne&s;s, he took occa&s;ion to com|plain much, and not without ju&s;t cau&s;e; (God grant his complaint may make impre&s;&s;ion upon our hearts) he com|plained that it was a great fault among Mini&s;ters, that when they met together, they di&s;cour&s;ed no more of Chri&s;t, of heaven, and of the concernments of the other world; and profe&s;&s;ed, that if God &s;hould re&s;tore him, he would be more careful in his di&s;cour&s;e; and more fruitful then ever yet he had been.</P>
<P>Fourthly, another Jewel that beautified this righteous man, was his mercifulne&s;s; He was a merciful man, whic he manife&s;ted not only in his charity to the members of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but in his frequent vi&s;iting of &s;ick per&s;ons, and per&s;ons that needed his &s;piritual phy&s;ick. I know not any Mini&s;ter in the City more careful in vi&s;iting the &s;ick then he was.</P>
<P>Fifthly, another Jewel was his prudence and &s;piritual wi&s;dome; he was not only a pious and godly, but a wi&s;e and prudent mini&s;ter; that had zeal for God, but knew how to mingle his zeal with di&s;cretion; di&s;cretion indeed without zeal is nothing but carnal policy; but zeal with|out di&s;cretion, is nothing but frantick fury; di&s;cretion without zeal will quickly eat out the heart of religion, and eat religion out of the heart-Zeal without di&s;cretion, is not a coal from the Altar, but a coal kindled by the wild fire of pa&s;&s;ion, that is able to &s;et a Nation on fire; but this reve|rend Mini&s;ter had zeal &s;weetly tempered with di&s;cretion.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Another Jewel was his patience; God was plea&s;ed to exerci&s;e him with long and great afflictions by rea&s;on of the Gout, that did often, e&s;pecially of late years
<PB N="20" REF="15">affix him to his bed, and afflict him with great pain; but God was plea&s;ed to put his everla&s;ting Arms underneath him, &s;upporting him under all his pains, and giving him a great mea&s;ure of patience, in&s;omuch that in patience he did po&s;&s;e&s;s his &s;oul, and patience had its perfect work in him.</P>
<P>The &s;eventh Jewel was his high valuation of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; a written copy for us to follow, and for you his people al&s;o. Being with him in his la&s;t &s;ickne&s;s, he ex|horted me and other Mini&s;ters with him to preach much of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and to &s;peak to him of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; and he &s;aid, <HI>when I con&s;ider my be&s;t duties, I &s;ink, I dye, I de&s;pair; but when</HI> I <HI>think of Chri&s;t,</HI> I <HI>have enough, he is all; and in all.</HI> I think the&s;e were his very words. <HI>I de&s;ire</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>to know nothing but Je&s;us Chri&s;t and him crucified: I account all things dung and dro&s;s, that</HI> I <HI>may be found in Chri&s;t:</HI> To this effect he &s;pake in the morning before the evening in which he died, &s;peaking much of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Eighthly, Another jewel was his diligence in preach|ing the Go&s;pel in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on; in the time of his health he was a painful, laborious Preacher; one that did not Preach to tickle the ear, but to wound the heart; not to plea&s;e, but to profit; not &s;eeking the applau&s;e of the people, but the &s;alvation of their &s;ouls: This all know to be true.</P>
<P>Ninthly, Another Jewel that did beautifie and adorn this Reverend Mini&s;ter, was his excellent gift in Prayer; and herein he was very eminent, and did exceed many, nay I may &s;ay mo&s;t of his Brethren: As <HI>Apollos</HI> was mighty in the &s;criptures, &s;o was he (as you all know) mighty in Prayer; he was a <HI>Iacob,</HI> very skilful in wre&s;tling with God, like <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> he often &s;tood in the gap, and at mo&s;t Fa&s;ts in the time of his health, he was the Mini&s;ter that was cho|&s;en to conclude with Prayer; and this heightens the lo&s;s
<PB N="21" REF="15">that we &s;u&s;tain by the death of this godly Mini&s;ter, be|cau&s;e we have lo&s;t the benefit of his Prayers, which is an invaluable lo&s;s; for though I doubt not but he prays in Heaven for the Church in general, yet I believe he prays not for any in particular, as not knowing what our con|dition is; <HI>For Abraham knows us not;</HI> for the Saints in Hea|ven know not what is done upon earth. The lo&s;&s;e there|fore is the greater, becau&s;e we have lo&s;t not onely a prea|ching, but a praying Mini&s;ter: And give me leave to add, that this excellency in this Mini&s;ter, is &s;ufficient to prove, 1. That there is a gift of prayer, which &s;ome again&s;t al rea|&s;on do deny. 2. That conceived prayers when uttered by one that hath the gift of prayer, are not in vain <HI>Tautologies,</HI> or empty repetitions, and a rate of non&s;ence as&s;ome unju&s;t|ly charge men with; but they are the breathings of God's Spirit, that pierce not onely into the ears and hearts of the hearers, but into the ears and heart of God him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Tenthly, The next jewel was, He had great acquaintance and communion with God; for he was of a long &s;tanding in the School of Chri&s;t, and a good Proficient in that School. Much acquaintance he had with God he was often in the Mount with God, and came down with his face &s;hi|ning, though he in his mode&s;ty did not &s;ee it; and when he came to dye, he was able to &s;ay as <HI>Dr. Pre&s;ton</HI> did when he lay a dying, I <HI>&s;hall change my place, but not my company.</HI></P>
<P>Eleventhly, Another jewel was, his comfortable pa&s;|&s;age out of this world, dying with a great deal of calmne&s;s and &s;erenity upon his Con&s;cience; The morning before he dyed, <HI>I heard him</HI> &s;ay the&s;e words, <HI>It is one thing to &s;peak of Chri&s;t, and of Heaven, and another thing to feel the con&s;o|lations of Chri&s;t and of Heaven, as</HI> I <HI>do;</HI> calpping his hand on his brea&s;t. Another time I heard him &s;ay, <HI>The comforts of a holy life are real, &s;oul-&s;upporting, and that he felt the reality of tho&s;e comforts, and that by him we might know it was not in
<PB N="22" REF="16">vain to &s;erve God.</HI> And I cannot forget this &s;peech the mor|ning before he died, I <HI>am a little &s;traitned, but</HI> I <HI>care no more for my lifs, then</HI> I <HI>do for this fill<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">p:</HI> That which was &s;aid of old <HI>Simeon,</HI> Luk. 2. may be &s;aid of this Reverend mi|ni&s;ter, <HI>Mr Simeon A&s;h,</HI> who was a <HI>Simeon,</HI> a ju&s;t and de|vout man, an old Servant of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> one that waited for the con&s;olation of <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> one that dyed, though not with Chri&s;t in his bodily Arms, yet with Chri&s;t in the Arms of his Faith; and when he died, could &s;ay as it is there, <HI>Now Lord, lette&s;t thou thy &s;ervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have &s;een thy &s;alvation.</HI> La&s;tly, Another Jewel was his con&s;tancy and per&s;everance; he was not a Reed &s;haken with every wind, but as firm as a Rock: an im|movable pillar in God's Hou&s;e; he was unchangeable in changeable times; in Religion he was a hou&s;e built on a Rock, not on the Sand; and as he lived, &s;o he dyed holily, even as the ancient Patriarks that dyed in the Faith, and endured faithfully unto the death.</P>
<P>Now this excellent Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t thus beautified with the&s;e jewels, is now peri&s;hed as to his outward man, gathered to God, to Chri&s;t, and the ble&s;&s;ed company of Saints and Angels. The application that I &s;hall make of this Di&s;cour&s;e, is this:
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. To us Mini&s;ters.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To you of this Pari&s;h and Congregation.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t to us Mini&s;ters. God hath of late years taken to him&s;elf many famous men: Seven of the Lecturers of <HI>Cornhill</HI> are dead, <HI>Mr. Burroughs, Dr. Bolton, Mr. Sedge|wick, Mr. Whitaker, Mr. Cranford, Mr. Vines,</HI> and now <HI>Mr. A&s;h.</HI> I might name many other excellent Mini&s;ters that are dead, as <HI>Dr. Gouge, Mr. Walker, Mr. Gataker, Mr. Mar|&s;hal, Mr. Robin&s;on,</HI> and lately <HI>Mr. Cook,</HI> with many more: Now all the&s;e are warning-pieces from Heaven of judge|ments approaching; <HI>For the righteons peri&s;h, and no man
<PB N="23" REF="16">lays it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none con&s;idering that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come.</HI> Thus <HI>Methu&s;elah</HI> dyed a year before the Flood: Now <HI>Methu&s;elah</HI> in <HI>Hebrew</HI> &s;igni|fies <HI>a mi&s;&s;enger of death.</HI> Thus <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> dyed a little before <HI>Hippo</HI> was taken; and <HI>Pareus</HI> a little before <HI>Hiddleburg</HI> was taken, and <HI>Luther</HI> a little before the Wars in <HI>Germany</HI> began. The death of the godly is like the &s;eparating of the I&s;raelites from the tents of <HI>Corah</HI> and his company; like the taking of <HI>Lot</HI> out of <HI>Sodome.</HI> When the I&s;raelites departed from <HI>Corah</HI> and his company, the earth &s;wal|lowed them up; and when <HI>Lot</HI> departed out of <HI>Sodome,</HI> God rained down fire and brim&s;tone upon them. Let the thoughts of the&s;e things cau&s;e us to provide our Arks, to get our <HI>Zoar</HI>'s. Let it teach young <HI>Samuel's</HI> to ri&s;e up in the room of old <HI>Ely's;</HI> young <HI>Eli&s;ha's,</HI> in the room of old <HI>Elijah's,</HI> and young <HI>Timothy's;</HI> in the room of <HI>Paul</HI> the aged; that there may be a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Go&s;pel Mini&s;ters to hold forth the word of life to this Nation. And let us labour to be inheritours of the&s;e twelve Exellencies, that beautified this our reverend Brother.</P>
<P>Secondly, Let me &s;peak a few words to you of this Pari&s;h, the Auditors of this worthy Mini&s;ter. There is &s;carce one man of a hundred, that under&s;tands the tye and obligation that is betwixt a Mini&s;ter and his people. O the love and affection that ought to be betwixt them! <HI>Paul</HI> tells the <HI>Galatians,</HI> that they could a pluckt out their eyes for him if need were. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI> tells us, that when <HI>Miletius</HI> was taken away by death from his people, their heart &s;unk with &s;orrow; and &s;uch love had they to him, that they called all their children by his name, and got his picture engraven on their rings. And I have read of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> that when he was ba|ni&s;hed from his people, there was not a corner in the City, but was full of people weeping and lamenting. The lo&s;s of a godly Mini&s;ter, is a publick lo&s;s, and therefore there ought to be publick mourning; it is a &s;oul lo&s;s, and therefore, methinks, every one of you &s;hould weep and mourn; you have lo&s;t your common father, your &s;piritual &s;hepherd; you have lo&s;t your eyes, your guide; and indeed it is you that are his flock that mu&s;t commend your mini|&s;ter by practi&s;ing that which he preached; &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.1. <HI>Do we again begin to commend our &s;elves, or need we as &s;ome others, Epi&s;tles of commendations to you, or letters of commendations from you? Ye are our Epi&s;tle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.</HI> As if the Apo&s;tle &s;hould &s;ay, Do we need letters of commendation? is it nece&s;&s;ary that we &s;hould &s;pend time in commending our Mi|ni&s;try? you are our letters of commendation; your holine&s;s and
<PB REF="17">piety commends a Mini&s;ter above all other things. As when a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> comes into an Orchard or Vineyard, &s;aid <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome,</HI> and &s;ees every thing skilfully handled, and neatly trimmed, he need not &s;pend time in commending the Vine-dre&s;&s;er, or Carpenter; the work it &s;elf commends them. So ought it to be among you; when we preach the Funeral Sermons of Mini&s;ters, we mu&s;t look into his Pari&s;h or Congregation, and &s;ee what letters of commendation there are; whither the proficiency of the Auditors commend their Mini&s;ters. I grant, it is not always true God doth not always give &s;ucce&s;s to a godly Mini&s;ter; but the wor&s;t is yours; I had almo&s;t &s;aid the cur&s;e is yours; but I will &s;peak mode&s;tly, the wor&s;t is yours. Tel me how many of you are able to &s;ay, I ble&s;s God that ever &s;uch a Mini&s;ter was &s;ent among us; ble&s;&s;ed be God that ever we heard him preach, what &s;eal of his Mini&s;try is there here among you? he was in another, and another place in this City; it may be here are people from all places that have been his Auditors; what &s;eal of his mini&s;try is there now to be found among you? how many &s;ouls hath he pluckt out of the &s;nares of the devil? how many of you have gone away weeping from a Sermon, knocking your brea&s;ts, and pricked at the hearts for &s;in, crying out; <HI>Men and brethren, what &s;hall we do to be &s;aved?</HI> your tears and mourning for &s;in; the&s;e are the auditors that commend your mini&s;ters. Go home now, and think with your &s;elvs, What can I remember of all the Sermons that I have heard from Mr. <HI>A&s;h?</HI> and give me leave to tell you, wo be to you, if as your mini&s;ter be dead, &s;o all the Sermons that he made dye with him: For as <HI>Abel</HI> being dead, yet &s;peaketh; &s;o &s;hall the Sermons of this worthy Mini&s;ter, at the great day, &s;peak for you, or again&s;t you; for they are &s;piritual talents that God hath betru&s;ted you with, and you mu&s;t be accountable; both he and you &s;hall appear before the Tribunal of God; your Mini&s;ter &s;hall be examined, how he can free him&s;elf from the guilt of &s;oul blood; and you &s;hall be examined, what fruit you have brought forth, an&s;werable to the means that you have enjoyed; and if it appear that you have been unprofitable and unfruitful Hearers, Chri&s;t will &s;ay, <HI>Ca&s;t the unprofitable &s;ervant into utter darkne&s;s.</HI> But I hope better things of you, and things that accompany &s;alvation. Whatever was good in this reverend Mini&s;ter, let it live in you; and though he be dead, yet let not his Sermons that he preached dye with you, but let them be in you, that at the great day, when he and you appear before God, he may be able to &s;ay, <HI>Here am I, and the Children that thou ha&s;t given me.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="17">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
