the Heart and struck them with their Meat in their Mouths Numb 11.33 We see daily some die a natural others a violent Death some by this some by that and some by the other kind of Sickness some go out of the World by a Death that gives them long Warning others short Warning and others none at all and in this respect I say Death is an unseen thing with you and me we know not which of the many kinds of it whether this or that or the other is a coming to let us into another World Rev. 6.8 there we have Death riding on his pale Horse described in the 7th verse we may see whence he came And when he had opened the fourth Seal I heard the Voice of the fourth Beast say Come and see and I looked and behold a Pale Horse and his Name that sate on him was Death Mark he came from under a Seal broke out upon the opening of a Seal Death is sealed thy Death and my Death are remaining under the Seal of the Everliving God concealed from thee and me and all Mortals and not to be known till he open the Seal and send them out Death I say is sealed and as no Man knows what is in a Letter till the Seal be opened so no more do we know at what Time or in what Place or by what manner of Death we must go out of this World before the Lord break open the Seal and send Death on Horseback to our Doors 4. I might add the nature of Death is unseen we hear much of the Name but alas we see little of the Nature of Death we are acquainted with the word Death O but we have little Acquaintance with the work or thing Death now we talk of it and discourse of it at a distance but verily Sirs when that which is called seeing Death and tasting Death meets us Death will be another thing than now it 's commonly taken to be with many Deut. 32.29 O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter End Well this is the first Death as I told you in the entrance on the Particulars is the Door the Way to things which are not seen and I tell you here again in the close of it that this Door to things unseen is also unseen Pray think of it you that are here to day 1. You believe you must die 2. This thing that you call dying or Death is I tell you a Door an Inlet to unseen things things behind all that have ever been seen in the World 3. This Death that is thus a Door to those unseen things is it self an unseen thing the Time of it is unseen and the Place of it is unseen and the Kind of it is unseen you know neither when nor where nor how it will come upon any of you Therefore certainly Sirs it concerns you to look at this and to look how you are provided to meet this unseen thing that is the beginning of unseen things Unseen Judgment is next behind this an unseen Heaven or Hell Salvation or Damnation is next behind that you know not when or where you may see Death but as soon as ever you have seen Death you must see Judgment and as soon as ever you have seen Judgment you must see Heaven or Hell for ever I pray you think of it art thou not a Drunkard why the next Time thou goest to the Ale-house thou mayst see Death there and so never see House more but Hell-house Art thou a Fornicator or Adulterer Art thou a Swearer art thou a Profaner of the Lord's Day O remember Death that is now unseen may surprize thee in the very act of thy Sin this is the Porch and Door to the unseen things of another World and it 's also an unseen thing a thing not seen that leads to things not seen an invisible thing that is an Introduction to invisible things that are Eternal the things of Death I say are unseen SERMON II. 2 Cor. 4.18 While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal SEcondly The things of the great Day of Judgment are unseen things things which are not seen There shall be such a Day as this a general Judgment of all Men Acts 17.31 Because he hath appointed a Day in which he will judg the World in Righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given Assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the Dead 2 Cor. 5.10 For we must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Mat. 12.36 but I say unto you That every idle word that Men shall speak they shall give Account thereof in the Day of Judgment There shall then be such a Day a Day of Judgment and I say the things of that Day are unseen are things which do not appear therefore it is called the Day of Revelation Rom. 2.5 But after thy hardness and impenitent Heart treasurest up unto thy self Wrath against the Day of Wrath and Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Patefactionis the Day of the Manifestation of the righteous Judgment of God in this Day the righteous Judgment of God shall be fully manifested and appear to all Men in this World Eccles 8.14 There be Just Men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the Wicked again there be wicked Men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the Righteous And upon this the Justice and Equity of God is oft-times questioned and accused by the Rash and Preposterous Judgment of Men Good Men are apt to think they have hard Measure and ill Men are ready to think that God is such a one as themselves but there shall be such a Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God as shall set all Matters and Men too to Rights and it shall appear to all that the Judgment of God is Righteous and the Heavens shall declare his Righteousness for God is Judg himself Psal 50.6 i. e. as Diod. God's Justice shall in this Judgment of his be manifested to all the World as plainly as those things which from Heaven are seen here upon Earth And when these things are tried The Heavens shall record That God is Just and all must bide The Judgment of the Lord. It will be I say a Day of Revelation Ambae civitates terrena coelestis temporalibus vel bonis pariter utuntur vel malis pariter affliguntur donec ultimo Juditio separentur percipiat unaequaeque suum finem cujus nullus est finis Aug. De Civit Dei Lib. 18. Cap. 54. O the righteous Judgment of God shall be seen as clear as the Light at Noon-day in that
others the scope of all his Studies Prayers and Sermons was directed by him to the saving of himself and those that heard him And in his Conversation were so expressed the Power and Life of all his Ministerial Acts in a Holy Imitation of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ as did shew him to be really perswaded in his Heart that there was more than ordinary Care required of him to keep himself in all Respects pure from the Blood of Souls and the Lord who is the searcher and trier of the Heart and who loves Truth of Grace in the inward parts did crown his Ministerial Endeavours with great Success He did not run in vain nor labour in vain nor spend his Strength for nought but he had Seals of his Ministry all along from the beginning to the close thereof and the Lord ordered it so wisely in his Providence that sometimes the notice or the saving Success of his Ministry was then brought unto him when it conduced most to his inward Support and Consolation Then to give one Instance of many when he was banished by the Oxford Act at the first House he took up his Lodging as a poor Exile from his own Home he who saluted him as his Spiritual Father related to him that he was the Instrument of his Conversion by preaching a Lecture-Sermon at Leigh Church Mr. Nathaniel Hilton of London gave a Stipend for a Weekly Lecture at Bolton every Monday of the most eminent Ministers in the County to four in their Courses among whom this worthy Servant of Christ was chosen one other two were Mr. Roger Baldwin and Mr. Henry Newcome who are both sometime since removed by Death Cease Lord by whom shall Jacob arise for he is small He was a great redeemer of his Time there was not so much as a Day spent by him in Idleness the sense of unseen things was so deeply imprest upon his Spirit as made him fill every Leaf in the Book of his Life with those great and weighty Works which were incumbent on him in his Place When Persons that had been converted by his Ministry gave notice to him thereof he would with great Humility lift up his Eyes and Hands towards Heaven and say Lord who am I that I should be so far honoured as to be the Instrument in the converting of one Soul He was Eminent for Contempt of the World he never sought great Places for himself and when they were offered him he declined them he was content to move in an obscure and low Sphere so he might but be an Instrument of doing good to Souls he would not be drawn nor driven away to any other Business but continued in his laborious Course of Preaching twice every Lord's Day administring the Lord's Supper Monthly He was a constant Mourner for the Sins of the Nation and was greatly concerned for the rising Generation and bent his Discourses tâ— establish them in the true Religion He welcomed his last Sickness with deep Submission to the Will of God He expressed his Contentedness if his Lord and Master whom he served with his Spirit in the Gospel had any more Work for him to accomplish in the Church below but if not he was willing to depart desirous to have his own Blessedness among the Saints above and to be with Christ as being far better He had little pain in the beginning of his Sickness and was much in blessing of God for dealing so gently with him and carrying on his long Visitation with so great ease to him He kept his resigned Frame to the Will of his Heavenly Father and said I have had more Time to work for my own and others Souls than I made accompt of when I was Young and so if God have no more Work for me to do I am free to go to my Rest I have had enough of Living and am filled and satisfied with this Life upon Earth There came Friends from all Places where he had preached to visit him to whom he always dropped some word of sutable Counsel He advised those who told him they were converted by his Ministry to give God the Glory and to walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith they were called He exhorted those who had profited and were built up in Grace by his Labours to go on their way rejoicing tho they should see his Face no more He cautioned rich and trading Professors to take heed that they lost not their Souls in a croud and hurry of earthly Business he charged them to remember the Saying of Sir Thomas Moor there is a great Truth in it as well as a Scum of Wit There is a Devil that is termed Business that carrieth more Souls with him to Hell than all the Devils in Hell beside O beware of the Devil when you come to be in my Condition your full Bags your full Shops and full Houses will stand you in no stead Some of his Reverend Brethren in the Ministry did visit him with whom he freely conversed and whom he always desired to pray with him as he did all his other Christian Friends and amongst the rest Reverend Mr. O. H. was with him and in his Discourse propounded these Queries here inserted to which be returned with great composedness of Mind the following Answers What are your Thoughts as to Justification by Christ's imputed Righteousness I look only to be justified by Christ's Righteousness received by Faith Being ask'd What Evidence he had for Heaven He said he had good grounds of Hope many Years ago concerning his State of Grace tho be was full of defects yet the Merits of Christ were alsufficient on which he trusted Are you satisfied that you have delivered in your Sermons nothing but such Gospel-Truths as you can own at the Tribunal of Christ Excepting humane Frailty so far as I can remember I have never delivered any thing to my Hearers but what I dare die with and go with to Judgment Mr. H. continued Whether have you any comfortable Seals of your Ministry He answered I bless God I have and have had more Fruits appearing since my Lying down than I knew of before especially many young Persons have appeared hopeful What are your Thoughts now as to your Non-conformity Do you repent of it I bless God I am abundantly satisfied with it and if I was to make my choice over again and if it were possible for me to see all the Sufferings which I have undergone for it which are nothing to what many of the precious Servants of God have suffered and if they were all laid together I would make the same Choice which I have made and take my Non-conformity with them and I bless God that I never so much as tampered with them What Legacies have you to leave I am unfit to give Counsel to you my Brother but the words of the Apostle I leave with you Be not weary of Well-doing and you shall reap in due Time if you faint not In the latter
Invisible Realities THE REAL CHRISTIAN'S Greatest Concernment In several SERMONS On 2 COR. 4.18 By HENRY PENDLEBURY A. M. late Minister of the Gospel at Rochdale in Lancashire Author of the Plain Representation of Transubstantiation LONDON Printed by J. D. for Ann Vnsworth of Manchester and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1696. To the Right Honourable HUGH Lord Willoughby of Parham My Lord THE favourable Aspect your Lordship is pleased to afford to the living Ministers and Members of Christ encourages me to address unto your Honour these worthy remains of a Reverend Minister now with God And as I would humbly implore your Lordship's kind and noble Patronage to these Discourses so I do with the profoundest Deference and Submission commend them to your Perusal and Practice Your Lordship is not without a just Apprehension of the Caution and Vigilancy which they more especially stand in need of who possess an high Station and manage great Concerns in this visible World lest they should be diverted thereby from seeking that which is Invisible and Eternal The Considerations presented in the following Sheets will contribute no small Assistance to your Lordship's Christian endeavours in this weighty Affair They do not only make future Invisible Things a match to cope with those that have the Advantage of a Sensible Visible Presence but if duly attended to may by the Blessing of God give them a victorious Sway and Empire in the Thoughts and Affections of Men. That your Lordship's Conduct may entirely correspond with the Profession you make of a most holy Religion and with the clear Knowledg of Divine Things wherewith it hath pleased God to endow you that to your noble Extraction and great Abilities you may add many honourable Atchievements and happy Performances for the Glory of God the Good of his Church and the Prosperity of your Native Country to the everlasting Honour of your Person and Family in this World and to the Salvation of your precious Soul in the World to come is and shall be the Prayer of May it please your Lordship Your Lordship 's most humble and most obedient Servant JOHN CHORLTON A Brief ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR MR. Henry Pendlebury the Reverend Author of the ensuing Discourse was born the 6th of May 1626 at Jokin in Bury Parish in Lancashire His excellent Memory is owing to the following Account He was from his Childhood of a solid and reserved Spirit there did then appear in him an aversness to Vanity and an inclination to Seriousness he had an aptness for and love to Learning and pursued it with great Closeness and Diligence There then seemed to be an early Foundation laid in him upon which afterwards a high Fabrick of Learning and Goodness was to be erected He was at several Schools but perfected for the Vniversity at Bury School After he had taken his Degrees at Cambridg he returned into Lancashire and preached his first Sermon at Ashworth in the Parish of Midleton August 16. 1648. where afterwards he spent some time as Probationer in the Ministry He was set apart to the Office and Work of the Ministry at Turton-Chappel in the Parish of Bolton in the Moors Octob. 3d 1650. The Reverend Ministers that invested him in the Ministerial Office were Mr. John Tilsley Mr. Thomas Pitts Mr. Jonathan Scolefield Mr. Toby Furness Mr. Robert Bath They who were present observed him to make his Ordination-Vows and Promises with great Humility of Spirit After his Ordination he preached near a Year at Horrigde-Chappel in the Parish of Dean From thence he removed to Holcombe Chappel in the Parish of Bury October 16. â—651 where he laboured hard in his Master's Work till he was excluded from the publick Performance thereof in that Place on Black Bartholomew Day 1662. when about 2000 Ministers were turned out for Non-conformity The Adjacent Ministers and People had him in high Estimation for his Life and Labours When he was there he had a Call from the People at Ringley but they at Holcombe being sensible what a burning and shining Light he was amongst them would not be brought to give up their Title to him He had a large measure of natural Gifts and Parts which furnished him with great promptness and readiness for all his Ministerial Performances but they did not render him the less studious for he would not serve the Lord with that which cost him nothing Much of his Time was spent in his Closet where he gave himself to Prayer Reading and Meditation This was the only Place upon Earth where he took the greatest Pleasure next to his Pulpit He did not concern himself in any secular Affairs pertaining to his Family but devolved the whole Management of them upon his vertuous Consort All his Sermons both as to the Heads and Enlargement of them were premeditated and penned and afterwards preached with little variation without the help of his Notes which manifested beside the strength of his Memory the vastness of his Pains to fix them therein considering the variety of Matter and the number of the Texts contained in them So great was his Industry that in his Weakness when there were some small Hopes of his Recovery he set himself to study a new Discourse sutable to his own and his Hearers Condition Before his Exclusion from this Work in Publick beside his constant Preaching every Lord's Day at Holcombe among his People he preached much to other Congregations both far and near in the Country which had their Monthly Exercises and after he was silenced he continued as Laborious in Preaching as before And indeed the Dissenting Party of Protestants in all the Parishes adjacent to him were very desirous of his Labours amongst them and he was free to spend and be spent for the promoting of their Souls good He was ever mindful of his Ordination-Vow and could not think that any Power upon Earth could null his Commission which he had received from Christ to preach the Gospel He was most eminent for Humility Meekness and Self-denial herein he shined above his Fellows His Modesty was such that tho he was one of the tallest of his Brethren for Ministerial Attainments and Performances yet he did really esteem himself the least of them all his Humility cast such a Vail over all his Abilities that he could not discern them though they were very conspicuous to others He was able to maintain the Truths of the Gospel committed to his Trust against the Opposers and Subverters of them The Controversies both as to Faith and Worship between the Protestants and Papists were throughly understood by him his small Treatise of Transubstantiation is a sufficient Evidence of his Ability to defend the Protestant Cause And he has left behind him another piece on the Sacrifice of the Mass not inferior to it in Worth and Excellency He had a Transcript of all those Divine Truths and Graces upon his own Heart which he disclosed unto