A SERMON Preached at the FUNERAL OF M R. Tho. Whitchurch October the 15 th 1691. AT CHALFONT St. PETER ' S. By HENRY PARSLEY A. M. Rector of Hedgerley in the County of Bucks LONDON Printed by W and J. Wilde for G. Conyers in Little-Britain 1692. Imprimatur Ex Aedibus Lambh Augusti 11 mo 1692. Ra. Barker TO Mr. Richard Whitchurch SIR I Here present you with a Discourse which was preached at the Desire of your Father and is now published for the Satisfaction of some of your Relations and as a lasting Testimony of that Esteem and Respects I have for your self The Subject is of the greatest Concernment how meanly soever it may be handled and if well thought upon and considered would have a mighty Influence upon us in the due Conduct and Government of our Lives Which that it may have is the hearty Prayer of SIR Your Obliged Friend and Humble Servant HENRY PARSLEY A SERMON Preached at the FUNERAL OF Mr. THOMAS WHITCHURCH REV. XIV 13. And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me write Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them IT is the common and universal Judgment of Mankind a Truth generally received and which cannot be contradicted by any that to be in such a State or Condition as is not obnoxious to Pain and Trouble and where true and real Happiness is to be found is the true Interest and ought to be nay is the constant Aim and Desire of all men as they are reasonable Creatures for the Soul of Man can never be so far corrupted as not to design in all its deliberate and advised Actions it s own Happiness and Felicity as its End insomuch that those who have made it their Business to understand Humane Nature have thought it enough barely to intimate and needless to prove this Point because it is already by every one confess'd no Notion more common or more generally owned than this viz. That every Man desires to be free from Pain Grief and Trouble from any thing that is uneasie and vexatious to him and to live in an Estate of Delight and Happiness There is another universal Judgment of all Mankind not denied by any man that will give himself leave to consider and weigh the worth of things and that is this that the greater and more durable Delight is to be chosen before the shorter and the less for Delight and Happiness being in the Opinion of all Men esteemed a thing innoffensively good of which there can be no noxious or harmful Excess it followeth that the more of this excellent Condition any man enjoyeth it is so much the better for him or he is so much the happier Now if we look into all those outward things that 't is possible for us to enjoy here in this World we cannot find Happiness inscrib'd upon them much less the greatest Happiness Riches Honours and Pleasures here as they are unsatisfactory to the Soul of Man when enjoyed so they are uncertain and easily interrupted and oftentimes intermixt with Troubles or Evils of one sort or other either by some Casualty 〈◊〉 Accident they may be taken from us or else we by Diseases and Sicknesses made unfit to enjoy them or at least we are by Death utterly deprived of them Now therefore if we will be wise we must chuse something for our Happiness that is more pleasurable and satisfactory more lasting and durable and that is a virtuous Life and Actions a Life lead according to God's Will and Command to Right Reason and true Religion and this will even here amidst the Troubles and Afflictions of this Life delight our Souls with solid Joys and go along with us into the World to come to our unspeakable Comfort for saith the Text Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord they rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them From these Words I shall endeavour to describe unto you the Happiness of those that die in the Lord after they are delivered from the Burden of the Flesh and to prove that in Heaven God hath provided for virtuous men an Estate of Happiness that is in all respects the greatest that possibly can be imagined or enjoyed And this you cannot but grant if you consider those Parts and Properties of it which in the Text are either explicitely or implicitely affirmed concerning it As I. The First Property thereof is the Absence of Grief and Security from it Thâ—â—â—est from 〈…〉 Labours II. â—he Second â—â—s the actual Possession of Joy and Happiness for Blessed or happy are they saith the Text which Blessedness without doubt shall be in the highest 〈◊〉 and greatest Measure suitable to the Goodness of God who gives it and to the Capacities of those who are to receive it III. Thirdly and Lastly This Blessedness shall be of the greatest Duration and this is also implied in the Text for otherwise there cannot be a Freedom from all Sorrow if it were possible for their Happiness to be interrupted 1. The first Property of this Happiness is that they have the Absence of Grief and Security from it They rest from their Labours This is necessarily supposed to a State of Happiness for that cannot be where Pains or Sorrows are mixt or fill any part of the Soul there being 〈◊〉 Foundation for true and real Happiness where the Place is already possest with Grief For as the School-men use to argue that the Privation â—r Absence of Cold is necessarily required for the introducing of Heat so they affirm also that the Absence of Grief or Sorrow is as necessary for the Production of Delight and Pleasure Freedom from Evil is the Ground or Basis of Delight and is in many places of Scripture expresly asserted to be part of the Happiness of the Blessed â—n Heaven especially by St. John who we know in the Gospel was a Person so very dear to our Saviour that he chose him out of all his Disciples more particularly to shew unto him those things that were to come to pass at the end of the World He saw the Heavens and the Earth fly away from before the Face of God and there was no place found for them Rev. 20.11 He saw also a new Heaven and a new Earth and a new Jerusalem coming down from God richly adorned as a Bride in expectation of her Bridegroom Rev. 21. Ver. 1 2 3. And I heard saith he a great Voice out of Heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with Men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his People and God himself shall be with them and be their God And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more Pain Behold here you have a particular Revelation of the first part of the Happiness of good men
common to all Although the Angels are distinguished by their several Orders and Ministrations yet a Chain of holy Love and Charity binds all their Affections together and though the Saints shine with different Degrees of Glory yet as in a Chorus of Musick the different Voices make one entire Harmony so there they are all united by the most â—â—â—ent Love and Affection There where there 〈◊〉 no cross Interests to contend with no Maâ—â—â— or Envy no Mistake or Prejudice no Storms or Tempests of unruly Passions or inordinate â—â—â—res to ruffle or discompose their Happiness to 〈◊〉 Eternity There the Righteous shall enter 〈◊〉 those blessed and peaceful Habitations where â—â—â—e of those Jars and Contentions with which â—â—â—s World is exercis'd disturb their Rest no â—â—sputes or Controversies no Ill-will or want of â—â—â—rity marr that everlasting Qâ—â—â— which they always enjoy when they adore the God of Peace and follow the Lamb the Prince of Peace The â—â—â—tests and Divisions amongst us must needs â—â—ke all the Sons of Peace grow weary and with â—â—â—h the Psalmist that they had Wâ—â—gs like a â—â—ve that they might fly away and be at â—est 〈◊〉 hasten their Escape from the stormy Wind 〈◊〉 Tempest and make them long for those cool 〈…〉 Shades of the Grave and for that Peace 〈◊〉 is in the Region beyond it that Peace which 〈◊〉 never be interrupted which bâ—ing mâ—â—o â—he 〈◊〉 Property of the Happiness of the blessed 〈◊〉 That it shall be of the loâ—gest Duration and that is Eternal and Everlasting without which it could not indeed be the greatest Happiness for such a Life cannot be the most happy which is not secure of its own Eternity If therefore any thing be design'd for the full Satisfaction of Humane Nature it must be a Delight that shall last for ever and that is such that it must needs be satisfactory seeing no man can wish for more than eternal Happiness The most full Enjoyment of all the good Things this World affords is nor to be called or accounted Happiness not only because they are vain and empty of true Satisfaction but also because not permanent and lasting they are soon gone soon decay'd and quickly parted withal Riches are not for ever neither doth a Crown endure to all Generations Prov. 27.24 but Heaven is an Inheritance as safe as great Here we are subject to Time that carries us and all our Goods down its swift Stream but there Eternity that is fixt and unchangeable embraces us in its Bosome As God's liberal Hand bestows so his Powerful preserves our Happiness the Blessed shall sing everlasting Hymns of Glory and Songs of Thanksgiving to the great Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier who hath prepared and purchased that Felicity for them and hath brought them to the secure Possession of it But when we have said all we can of the Happiness of Heaven we must acknowledge that we 〈◊〉 infinitely short of what it is in it self It is â—â—â—pared in Scripture to a Crown a Kingdom â—â—â—â—ast but is indeed much more than all this 〈◊〉 a Kingdom without Cares a Crown without a Cross a Feast without Satiety It is called by these Names because these are the greatâ—â— things this lower World hath These Words amongst us sound high and speak Power and â—â—â—our and Plenty and Pleasures and what 〈◊〉 World calls good and therefore Heaven is represented by such things which we understand and regard God Almighty saw our Infirmity that we cannot well Judge of Delights that are purely Intellectual and Spiritual and hath so far â—â—â—descended to us as to draw us sâ—me Scâ—â—â—â— of Heavenly Joys in the Shapes and Figures of our 〈◊〉 earthly Pleasures such are thâ—â—â— of â—â—astings the Possession of Riches Honours and the â—â—â—e but then these are but low and â—hort Represâ—â—â—â—tions of the things themselveâ— such 〈◊〉 of Heaven as the Tabernacle and Temple aâ—â—â—g the Jews were oâ— this aâ—d the other World They were Images in little but came greatly 〈◊〉 of what they represented 〈◊〉 these things 〈◊〉 Heaven for without any such 〈◊〉 deceitful â—â—â—gs there shall be abundance â—f Peace and â—â—â—ness of Joy an exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Finally In the present State we are not capable to receive the full Knowledge of Heaven what we understand is infinitely desiâ—able but thâ— most glorious part is still undiscoverâ—d The Apostle tells us in the First Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 2. Ver. 9. Eye hath not sâ—â—â— our Ear heard neither hath iâ— entred into the Heart of Man to conceive what God hath prepared for those that love him We have reason to break forth in the Language of the Psalmist and say How great is thy Goodness O Lord which th◠〈◊〉 lâ—â—d up for them that fear thee We have nothing else to do but to supply the Defects of our Understanding with an holy Admiration and make good use of what is discovered to us As 1. From what has been said we may learn this great Truth that Heaven alone is the Place of Happiness and that t is only the good and â—he 〈◊〉 Christian that shall beâ—â—â—â— in 〈◊〉 only such wâ— sâ— good Works do â—ow 〈◊〉 not that the best Works of the 〈◊〉 Men 〈…〉 any such Condition but that these Works which also are persâ—â—ed by the Grace and Assistance of God do qualifie them for that Happiness which is purchased for them by the Merits of Jesus Christ If ever therefore we expect to arrive at Heaven and Happiness as our End we must endeavour after Holiness and Righteousness as the Vâ—â—â—â—â— through Jesus Christ our Lord and let 〈◊〉 â—ing divert us from it neither the Hopes of 〈◊〉 not the Smiles or Trowns of this World If this Principle be but â—â—nly fixed in us through God's Grace the greatest Difficulties not the hardest Labours â—ill scarcely discourage our Resolution or hinâ—â— our Endeavours to obtain it If it be difficult for Mankind to reduce their natural Inclinations to a Compliance with Christ's Precepts to deny the inordinate Appetite of sensual Pleasure to deny unlawful Gains and Interests to the Desire of Wealth and Riches to mortifie Pride to subdue Malice Anger Revenge and other sinful passions to retain Piety towards God in a profane and wicked Age Truth and Justice towards Men in a deceitful and injurious VVorld if it be difficult thus to do yet he that hath â—â—â—nly fix'd this Principle in his Mind that this is the Way to Heaven and Heaven alone the Place of Happiness will attempt to make his way thither through these or any other Difficulties in the View of the Glory set before him For 2. A Prospect of this Happiness should reconcile our Minds to any Condition to any Circumstances of Life which the Divine Providence may think fit to bring us to We are to remember that God sent us into the VVorld for Religion we are but to pass through our pleasant Fields or our hard Labours but to lodge a little while in
our fine Fields or our meaner Cottages but to bait in the way at our full Tables or with our spare Diet. Let us not therefore have any great Esteem for the things of this VVorld there is no other reason why they should be loved or valued by us but as they conduce to our chief End which is God and his Glory and our Happiness and Felicity VVe should here imitate the Traveller who when fix'd in his Determination of arriving at some certain Place if he meet with two or three several VVays desires not this more than that but only as this may more readily bring him to his Rest He cares not much whether the VVay be plain or hilly whether it lead to the Right Hand or the Left all is indifferent so it brings him whither he would go After the like manner we are to behave our selves in the Use of the things of this World we are not much to love the good things thereof nor fear the Evils of it but free from both make only choice of that which leads to our Salvation and fits us for that Country we are seeking If Poverty or Meanness brings us to God we are to embrace it with both Arms and esteem it 〈◊〉 Riches or Honours would withdraw us 〈◊〉 him we must trample them under foot and cast them from us if Sufferings and Affâ—â—tions Disgraces and Neglect the unjust Reproâ—ches and Calumnies of men assist us to 〈◊〉 Heaven we are to rejoyce thereat and to â—â—â—ive them with all Submission and Willingâ—â—â—â— We are neither to desire or abhor the â—â—â—â—d or evil in this Life but as it unites or seâ—â—â—â—es us from God as it brings us nearer to 〈◊〉 drives us farther from our supream Happiness always remembring that compleat Happinesâ—â—s only there to be expected where our â—â—â—â—â—ey ends And who would not contentedâ—â—â— go through a Prison to a Palace a barren Wilâ—â—â—ness to a Land of Promise Who would be uneasie under all that Load of Afflictions that may befall him here by the Malice and Contrivance of evil men Nay who would not endâ—â—e the Cross and despise the Shame for the 〈◊〉 that is set before him Did we always thus act how unmov'd would the Rumours of Wars and Devastations leave us which invade and agitate mens Breasts and disturb their most pleasant and compos'd Hours We should let him alone to rule the World that made it to take care of us who hath engag'd it whose Providence watcheth over us and whose Eternal Happiness awaits us Were we but once arriv'd at a true Indifferency of Mind Acquiescence in and ready Compliance with the Infinite VVisdom Power and Goodness of God and feared Doing instead of Suffering Evil how serene how full of Tranquility-should we be amidst the Changes Tumults and Commotions of this stormy Region this uncertain State and how absolutâ—ly resign'd to the VVill of God in all things 3. From what hath been said concerning the Nature of the Ha â—iness of Heaven This should â—â—â—en us to endeavour after that Frame and Temper of Mind here those good Dispositions of Soul as may fit us for the Enjoyment of it For instance Does the Happiness of Heaven consist in the Perfection of your Knowledge â—eg of God that he would open your Eyes here enlighten your Understandings and translate you from Darkness to Light Believe and consider that wilful and gross Ignoranâ—e here is but a bad Preparation for Perfection of Knowledge hereafter and that those are not likely to come to Heaven that will not be at the Pâ—â—â—s to understand 〈◊〉 very first Principles of their Religion And this as it will put you upon endeavouring after Knowledge so it will stir you up to practice and live up to the Knowledge of those things which God hath been pleased most clearly and plainly to reveal in his VVord for without Practice all the Knowledge in the VVorld signifies nothing and the â—â—â—y way to encrease in Knowledge is to practice what we already know to him that hath shall be given is as true of Knowledge as of Gâ—â—ce Further Does the Happiness of Heaâ—â—â— consist in a clear Knowledge and Sight of God and in an Imitation of his Perfections Then endeavour to turn away your Eyes from beholding Vanities Make it your Business to follow after Holiness without which no man â—â—all see the Lord. Labour to see God here that to you may be the fitter to see and enjoy him hâ—â—eafter to see him in his Works to search aftâ—r behold and admire that infinite Power Wisâ—â—m and Goodness which are visible and legible 〈◊〉 the VVorks of Creation and Providence but â—â—re especially study to see and know God as â—e hath reveal'd himself in his VVord to see his Holiness in his Precepts his Justice in his Threatnings his Grace and Goodness in his Promises 〈◊〉 so by a Sight of the Righteousness and Equiâ—â— of his Commands you may be brought to an â—â—â—rvation of and an hearty Compliance with 〈◊〉 Divine Will here and be in a good Capacity for ever to adore admire and imitate the Divine Perfections hereafter Finally Does the Happiness of Heaven consist in a Union of Affections amongst the blessed Inhabitants thereof Let us then endeavour to remove far from us all Anger Malice and Revenge all those hateful Qualities that will render us sit only for the Converse of wicked and apostate Spirits and endeavour after such calm and quiet such charitable and peaceable Tempers as may make us with infinite Delight when we go away from this wrangling and contentious World conseit our selves with the blessed Inhabitants of the other I should now conclude had not Custom made it almost necessary to say something upon these Occasions which I shall do very briefly of 〈◊〉 deceased Friend and Neighbour He 〈◊〉 take his Sickness very patiently in that 〈◊〉 a perfect Resignation of himself 〈…〉 God He was very sensible of his approaching End and earnestly desired to receive 〈◊〉 Sacrament of the Lords Supper which he did with great Devotion He express'd â—imself very charitably of all and said He ow'd â—o Man the least ill will but was in perfect Charity with all the World forgiving all those that any ways offended him and if he had given Offence to any desiring the like from them relying upon the Merits of Christ for the Pardon of his Sins and the Salvation of his Soul I might perhaps say a great deal more but I love not to speak much on these Occasions and what I have here to add is only this That He was a kind Husband to his Wife an indulgeâ— Father to his Children and a good Neighbour to his Friends and Acquaintance But to conclude That which now only remains to be done is from this Instance of Mortality here before us whose Soul we hope is at rest with God earnestly to exhort you to think on your own Mortality and to prepare for Immortality In this short Life to prepare for an endless one 〈◊〉 it may be happy This Life is in it self 〈◊〉 worth any thing but the right use of it is oâ—â—â—â—ite Importance It is like the very first step 〈◊〉 â—â—ght or wrong Way tending to a Palace 〈◊〉 Prison which indeed is a small thing in it 〈◊〉 but its Efficiency and Tendency is of as muâ—â— Concern as the whole Way and End it seâ—â— Which Preparation is in short by a Forsaking all former Sin and Wickedness which God will pardon for Christ's Sake and an Embracing of Vertue and Goodness This is that only which will be accepted of God and not bare Repentance without Amendment unless it be where God sees good Fruits would follow We are to endeavour to forsake all Sin and sincerely to practise our most excellent Religion live Soberly Righteously and Godly which will bring here with it Godâ— Blessing with the Peace and Satisfaction of a good Conscience and qualifie us for that Happiness which Christ hath purchased for us and will give to all such as are meet to be Partakers of it FINIS Some Books Printed for George Conyers in Little-Britain A Guide to young Communicants Or plain Directions so the Receiving of the Lord's Supper In twelve Questions and Answers with Meditations and Prayers c. Price 〈◊〉 A Guide to the Alâ—ar Or A Preparation for a worthy Receive of the Lord's Supper with Meditations and Prayers for every Day of the Week Price 1 s. The 〈◊〉 Man's Path way to Heaven Wherein a Man may see plainly whether he shall be saved or damned By Aâ—ther Dâ—nt A Trâ—atise of Prayer By George Bright Dean of St. Aâ—â—ph Rector of Loughborough and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty