him Moreover I am informed that this deceased Gentlewoman was observed to spend much time in Closet-Prayer of late consider then I say whether we may not hope confidently that the Grace of God had savingly and effectually wrought upon her who was both visibly in Covenant with God and whose heart also God had disposed and prepared by such special Means of Grace which he had bestowed upon her And this is yet more evident if we reflect upon Gods dealing with her in her last Sickness whereby God did seem to seal Instruction deeply upon her Soul Her distemper was one of the worst sort of Small Pox At her first being taken she had strong apprehensions that she should dye she therefore did fall closely upon the work of Examination desiring the assistance of some Ministers therein and she was visited by many she opened her case to us all and God was pleased to make her to suspect and be jealous of the worst and to confess and condemn her self for her Sins both of Omission as well as Commission and humbly to inquire after the only way of Pardon And it pleased God so to bless these last helps as that none of us who visited her do doubt but the same Spirit who convinced her of Sin and of Righteousness did at length seal her up to the day of Redemption The Alpha the first Beginning and Foundation of all practical Religion is that act whereby a Soul doth deliberately resolvedly freely and expressely dedicate and devote it self unto God and his Service Thus the Saints in 2 Cor. 8.5 The Omega the last concluding and consummating work of a devout Soul is to commit and commend its Spirit into the hands of God as to a faithful Creator thus did Stephen Acts 17.59 Yea thus did our Lord Jesus himself Luk. 23.46 Thus also did this blessed Person she did I hope begin well in an early Consecration of her self to God I am sure she did end well and 't is the end that Crowns the work she did reckon that she had not fully Finished her course nor rightly laid the Top-stone of her spiritual Building so as to cry Grace Grace unto it untill she had most devoutly and humbly offered up her Soul to God in Prayer by the assistance of some Friend and Minister Accordingly although it were midnight and although my Habitaâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 did send for me and with the clearest use of her Reason and the most fervent desires of her Soul she did entreat me that I would in her Name solemnly and expressely surrender and Give up her Soul into the Arms and Bosom of her Saviour in whose precious Blood she did hope that all her sins were now fully washed away I did readily obey the Call and did comply with her desire for I did and do judge that this desire of hers proceeded from some extraordinary Impulse and work of the Holy Ghost And Reader thou wilt think as I doe if thou shalt read and observe the effect and consequence hereof as it is related to thee in the close of the following discourse Almost such another extraordinary Impress as it may be thought was made upon her Spirit on occasion of this Author 's presenting her with a Funeral Sermon which he had preached but a little while before she was taken sick which Sermon she having received and read and diligently considered she was heard to say That she did think that her own change would not be far off and that she could wish that the Author might preach her Funeral Sermon also and she then named the Text now insisted upon and said That she hoped that God would make her Funeral Sermon as profitable to other young ones as the Former Sermon had been to her self Her Prognosticks were too true as to the shortness of the time which she lived after those words were spoken by her God grant that her hopes be not frustrated but that all her dying words may prove truly Prophetical and especially those which related to the profitable success of the Sermon here before thee The Author hath done his part like himself as well in this as in the former Discourse Oh that he might find as diligent and as considering Readers as she was many excellent Considerations very subservient and conducing to thy Conviction and Salvation are proposed herein but all will be in vain and to no purpose without thine own Meditation and the Spirits application Concerning the Discourse I must say no more and I can do no less than to allude to the words of the holy Ghost Eccl. 12.9 And moreover because the Preacher was wise therefore in this Discourse he hath Taught the people Knowledge and hath given good heed and sought and set in order many Arguments for thy preparing for Death and moreover for preferring of Death before Life The Lord convince thee by them and also carry thee comfortably through all Time to Eternity My Paper is short and my Time shorter I must therefore conclude for the Sermon is wholly Printed and stops only untill I have told thee that I am Thy Friend and Souls Servant 〈…〉 A Funeral Sermon PHIL. I. 23. For I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better SAint Paul writing from Rome to the Church at Philippi in this Chapter acquaints them with his Bonds and other Discouragements which he tells them by their Prayers and the Assistance of the Spirit of Christ obtained thereby V. 12. would turn to his Salvation and the furtherance of the Gospel 13. and had already been attended with some considerable success in that kind 14. to fortifie and confirm the Professors of the Christian Faith 19. and to propagate and promote it even in the Court of Caesar and in other places and if Christ might be magnified 20. he was perfectly indifferent to Live or Dye For to me to live is Christ and to dye is gain v. 21. His Life he hop'd might advance the Honour of Christ and his Death would be subservient to the same design by his further service if he live and by his sufferings if he dye by his Ministry supposing his Life and by his Martyrdom in case of his death V. 22. But if I live in the flesh this saith he is the fruit of my labour or it is worth my Labour to glorifie the Redeemer by continuing in this World Yet what I shall choose I wot not For I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better To Depart or be dissolv'd the Original word is used both by Christian and Heathen Writers for a departure from any place to return home Luk. 12.36 And when the same Apostle speaks of his approaching death he tells us â— Tim. 4.6 that the Time of his departure was at hand Having a desire to depart a vehement and earnest desire as the word imports and
Religious Exercises which cool our Zeal and abate the fervor of our Spirits in the service of our Redeemer which weaken our Confidence in Prayer and shame our faces before the Lord in secret And is it not far better to part with the body of flesh that thereby we may be rid of this body of sin and death Rom. 7.2 and be like our Saviour in perfect purity Do we not complain of our Ignorance of Divine Truths and the blessed Mysteries of the Gospel notwithstanding all our means of knowledge of our Earthliness and unbelief of unbecoming Thoughts of God and holy things of proud Imaginations and carnal reasonings against his Works and Word of languishing and imperfect Graces to be recovered and perfected c And is it not better be with Christ where that which is imperfect shall be done away Is not God dishonor'd and provok't by our frequent Omissions and slight Performances of duty do we not resist and quench and sadden his holy Spirit and are we not often griev'd by God's rebukes and frowns by the wounds and smart regrets of our own Conscience so that we remember God and are troubled and cry out in the bitterness of our Souls Hath he forgotten to be gracious and will he be merciful no more Are not our holy Purposes inconstant and our best Resolutions wavering and unsteddy and very quickly very easily shatter'd by the breath of a small Temptation Have we not a constant Watch to keep over our Hearts and wayes a perpetual War to manage with the Infernal Trinity the World the Flesh and the Devil and do we know his rage and malice and serpentine policy with the Multitude Strength and Power of his Temptations How often we have been foil'd already and how soon we may be so again and shall we not be desirous of a sinless state in the presence of Christ where no Tempter no Temptation shall ever be admitted Yea had we no corruption or Sin of our own to be delivered from yet our concern at God's dishonour by the sins of others should make us willing to depart as much more desirable than our abode on earth Job 24.9 〈◊〉 24.4 Which is given into the hands of the wicked and defiled by its Inhabitants Where the very Air is infected with Oaths and Blasphemies prophane discourse and filthy Talk Where the very Being of a God is question'd his Providence denyed and his Authority mock't Where the Gospel of Christ is disparag'd and despised his Laws contradicted his Worship polluted his Institutions subverted and his holy Name made a cloak for Licentiousness and his faithful Servants trampl'd on by the foot of Pride and scorned by men at ease and forc't to own his Truth with the peril of their Lives And can we say It is good to be here or is it not far better to forsake such a Place and Company that we may be with Christ 3. Let us consider what are the grounds and Principles by which a Christian is assured of this Blessedness in the presence of Christ after his dissolution This Inquiry is necessary because the discourse of our future Bliss with Christ cannot be supposed to have any effect or influence upon us to make us desire our departure while we disbelieve or make a doubt of the matter I hope it were needless to prove the Possibility of the Souls existence in a state of seperation from the Body Whether in the body or out of the body 2 Cor. 12 2. would not have been a doubt to this great Apostle if he could not possibly have liv'd but in it neither could he desire to depart that he might be with Christ if after his departure he should not be at all And supposing the existence of the Soul notwithstanding the dissolution of the Body we have as full an assurance as the nature of the thing is capable of that holy Souls shall be present with the Lord in glory when absent from the body 1 Thess 4.17 Joh. 17.24 Matth. 25.23 Rev. 3.21 c. But because the Text hath a special relation to Christ and to be with him is the Blessedness on the account whereof 't is desirable to depart I shall only mention his Death and Resurrection as a sufficient ground to confirm our Faith in the certainty of being with him and to excite our Desires of a departure in order to it 1. The Death of Christ He hath cancell'd the Hand-writing against us and put away Sin Eph. 1.7 which is the sting of Death by the Death of the Cross a way is now open for us into the holy of holies by his blood not for our Prayers only but our Persons Heb. 10.19 He hath wounded the Head of the old Serpent even by permitting him to bruise his Heel by crucifying his humane Nature which was only Vestigium Deitatis 2 Sam. 23 21. Heb. 2.15 As Benaiah slew the Egyptian with his own Spear Having destroyed death and him that had the power of it and delivered those who were all their Life time subject to bondage through the fear of death He hath set his foot on the neck of this Adversary disarm'd it of it's weapon and rob'd it of it's sting and abolisht the ugliness and poyson of it He hath dismounted Hell and Damnation from behind him who Sat on the Pale-horse Rev. 6.8 Whether the first Adam were buryed in Calvary where the second was crucifyed as some affirm I need not enquire we know that his Death was our Victory and his Cross may be our Triumph since the Devil is conquered and death Sanctified and the Grave perfum'd by his burial so that we need not be afraid to lodge in a Sepulchre where our Lord himself hath slept Yea since the effusion of his Blood there is an amiable ruddiness in the Face of death for that which was the Instrument of Justice is now the messenger of Peace and Joy that which was the gate of Hell is the way to Life He hath brought sweetness out of the Strong and meat out of the Eater 1 Cor. 3.21 and therefore Death as well as Life is reckon'd in the Inventory of the riches of the Saints All things are yours because you are Christs and Christ is Gods 2. His Resurrection and Exaltation his rising from the Dead not only discovers the possibility of our Resurrection and gives us a pledge and assurance of it as declaring the sufficiency and acceptation of his Sacrifice Rom. 8.11 Is 26.19 that therefore the Dead in Christ shall live and with his Dead Body arise But being punctually effected according to his prediction and promise it confirms the Truth of all his Word and seals the promise of eternal Life unto all Believers He hath open'd the Prison doors and loos'd the bands of Death 1 Cor. 15. â—0 and roll'd away the heavy Stone from the Graves of his people he is now become the first fruits of them that Sleep in Jesus And
hath the Keyes of Death and Hell Rev. 1. even the two most formidable enemies are under his Dominion who though once he were dead doth now live yea live for evermore And for this very end did God raise him up 1 Pet. 1.2 that our faith and hope might be in him in reference to the Blessedness of another Life Yea saith the Apostle concerning that Act. 13.3 he raised him from the dead no more to see corruption God said I will give you the sure mercies of David Is 55.3 or an Everlasting Covenant which Death shall not dissolve and his being risen is the ground of our Faith and Hope that the promise shall be fulfill'd For the Resurrection of Christ is the evidence of the validity and Efficacy of his Death and Sacrifice and a sufficient proof that his Precious Blood shed upon the Cross Heb. 13. â— was the blood of an Everlasting Covenant Establishing a Covenant of Grace and making it truly Everlasting for we know that he is a Priest for ever after the Power of an endless Life And therefore know Heb. 7. â— to our unspeakable Satisfaction Incouragement and Joy in whom we have believed and that he is able to keep unto that day what we have committed to him 2 Tim. 12. Phil. 1. Jude 2. Col. 3.3 to perfect what he hath begun and at last present us blameless before the presence of his glory with exceeding Joy For our Life being hid with him in God we are fully assured that when he who is our Life shall appear 1 Joh. 3. we shall appear with him in glory and because he lives we shall live also and when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 4. Let us consider Whence it comes to pass that notwithstanding the Blessedness of being with Christ and our assurance of it by his Death and Resurrection that yet we are so backward and unwilling to depart What is the true reason why so many of those who acknowledge it far better to be with Christ yet cannot say with the Apostle That they desire to be dissolv'd that they may be with him 1. The weakness of Faith concerning the Invisible World and the future Glory of the Saints is the reason why so many Christians are unwilling to dye They are very sensible of the inconveniencies of their present abode they complain to God and men of Corruption Temptation and Sin and they hear of a blessed Deliverance from all these by Death and a perfect Felicity in the presence of the Redeemer after their dissolution but unbelief makes them stagger at the Promise They are not fully satisfied that such a transcendent Glory will be Consequent to Dying Did they but soundly believe the Testimony and Revelation which God hath given in his Word concerning it they would choose to be absent from the body Some of the Ignorant Heathens have been desperate in their Choice of death only as the Period of present Calamities but others who were doubtful of the Consequence have yet entertained it with an hearty Welcome As Socrates for instance who profess'd That he ought not to fear death because he could not tell whether it were good or evil And shall not we who understand the Grounds and Principles the greatness and certainty of a future Blessedness after Death be as willing to depart A confirmed Faith is therefore necessary and adviseable in the present case and the rather that thereby we may quench the fiery darts of Satan who if he cannot hinder us of our Crown would rob us of our Joyful Prospect of it if he cannot prevent our future Glory would render us dejected in our passage thither if he cannot prevail to exclude and banish us for ever from the Presence of Christ would darken our present comfort by the desire and Hope of it but more especially at the prospect and approach of Death for that is his hour and the power of darkness But by this shield of Faith Eph. 6.11.16 we may be able to stand even in that evil day of our dissolution 2. The Pains of Death They pray that God would hasten his Glorious Kingdom and bring them to it and believe it to be most eligible to be with Christ yet are loth their own Prayers should be answered and the end and object of their Faith obtain'd through the discouraging apprehensions they admit of a dying hour Would we not be with the Lord and know him better and Love him more and enjoy him fully and shall we stick at a little pain as introductory to so great a Happiness A Pain that will speedily convey us to Eternal ease and rest which thousands of Holy Souls in Glory have indur'd more of than we can fear But suppose the Agonies of Death are ne're so frightful to Flesh and Blood hath not Our Redeemer a Rod and Staff to comfort us in the dark Valley Ps 23.4 Doth he not know what it is to dye and how much we dread it doth he not understand our weakness remember our frailty pity our infirmities and bid us ask for support and Strength Ps 73.2 yea hath he not promis'd that when Heart and Flesh shall fail that he will be the Strength of our Hearts and our Portion for ever Shall Ignorant hopeless Heathens without God in this world without the expectation of being with Christ in the next be so desirous of Immortality as to dispatch themselves and be their own Executioners to force an escape from the Body and shall we resist and struggle draw back and fear object and be unwilling when our Saviour calls us to endless and unspeakable Felicity Is not this the last Experiment of our Faith and Patience and holy Resolution the last essay of our Christian Courage Are not the antecedent pains of dying the fruit of sin no less than the throws and pangs of Travelling Women and are the Latter tolerable in hopes of Children and their own deliverance and may we not support the Former by the assistance of a greater and better Hope Are they at all considerable and worthy our fear if put in the ballance with the promised Salvation to follow on our departure Are they comparable in the nature of evil to the blessed Life they lead us to in the nature of good or comparable to the gripes of Conscience which unpardon'd sinners meet with in Life and Death yea do we not think them greater and make them worse by our foolish fears than most do find them Is not the sting of Death remov'd and the Heavenly Mansions prepar'd and promis'd and is it a reasonable request that God should vary from his settled course and fixed Law upon our Sole account will nothing else content and please us but that Heaven must descend to Earth or we be in a moment translated thither to prevent our pain and supersede the necessity of our dissolution which we fear will be so
design and private interest some hypocrysie flattery and dissimulation some inequality unsuitableness or inconstancy in our friendships here Are not the best of those we love Ignorant and mistaken erroneous deceiv'd weak and impotent and as likely to defile and grieve us by their Corruption as to edifie and rejoyce us by their Grace but hereafter when that which is imperfect is done away they shall all have suitable qualifications to recommend them to our most sincere and constant Affection and be every way more fit for our Content and Joy We shall then be never weary of each others company we shall fully understand one anothers mind we shall live in perfect harmony and full Satisfaction without the dread of Absence or fear of Separation Now if we have some Friends we have many Enemies but in the presence of Christ there shall be none but Friends and such as shall for ever be so their Persons being more amiable and their Society more desirable than now it can be Now if we are pleased with their Converse we may quickly lose it Exek 24.16 and the desire of our eyes be taken from us by a sudden stroke that we know not how to value or use them till 't is too late And shall we be unwilling on their account to depart and be with Christ since they are hastning after us and after a few daies absence we shall meet them again and dwell with them for ever 5. The Application remains which shall be only in four particulars as Inferences from what hath been said 1. We may hence take notice of the great Efficacy and Power of the Christian Faith and Hope That notwithstanding our fondness and affection to the Body and the contrariety of death to our sensitive Inclinations that yet this Faith and Hope can urge us to desire a dissolution in order to it 2. We may hence inferr that the Soul doth not sleep in the grave with it's companion the Body untill the Resurrection but immediately pass into a state of bliss For the Apostle to abide in the flesh was more expedient for the Philipians for him to Live Ver. 21. would be Christ i. e. For the advancement of his glory how then was it better to depart or in what strait could he be whether he should choose a longer Life or a present departure if no Blessedness were expected till the final Judgment And why doth he mention his being with Christ as that which made death desirable Is not the presence of Christ with us on Earth and our serving the ends of his Glory in this world much more eligible than to Sleep in the grave till dooms day 3. Is it better to depart and be with Christ than abide in the Body then the Fable of Purgatory is hereby exploded Were we to be transported by our dissolution only from Lesser pains to Greater or from a Life of Sorrow to a state of Suffering such as the Romanists imagine their Purgatory to be equivalent to the Torments of Hell in the extremity of them though different in duration How were it far better to depart that we may be with Christ 4. Is it the object of a Christians desire to depart and be with Christ and is that far better than to continue in the body Then let us not Grieve immoderately at the departure of those who have obtain'd their wish and enjoy their desire Did they long to be with Christ and choose to be dissolv'd in order to it and is it their unspeakable Satisfaction that they are so and do we express our Love and Kindness to them by repining at their Felicity shall their desired Repose and Rest and Happiness be our Torment Grief and Sorrow would we that contrary to their own welgrounded Inclinations they should continue longer here on Earth or return back again from Heaven meerly to gratifie our fond Affections Have they obtain'd a speedy Victory after a short Conflict and receiv'd the Crown of Life as soon almost as they begun their Christian race the glorious recompence of Reward though they had wrought but one hour in the Vineyard when others must Labour twelve and shall we mourn like utter Strangers to the Christan Faith and Hope Would we delay the Glory of God in their Salvation and deferr their Felicity in the blessed presence of the Redeemer and be content that a Voice should be wanting in the Heavenly Quire rather than we be Sadned by their departure Would Parents have their Children continue alwayes in their Swadling-cloaths or when advanc'd to riper years wish them back again to Infancy and hinder their possession of that Inheritance which they are born to and dispos'd to enter on and enjoy Are not you your selves hastening to the Grave and Hope e're long to be with Christ and is it not a refreshing Thought to consider that your Treasure is there before you with their Father and your Father with their God and Saviour and yours I mean your Holy Children and Friends whom you dearly Love The Primitive Church was wont to Solemnize the Funerals of Holy Persons with singing Psalms and Hymns of Praise to God for their deliverance and felicity obtain'd by dying And shall we refuse to be comforted for the death of those who sleep in Jesus and desired to do so as if in this Life only we had Hope in Christ Something 't is true of Grief and Sorrow must be allow'd to Nature Duty Custom and contracted Friendship and the Honour of the deceas'd for they are reckon'd to dye miserable who are hurl'd into the Grave without the attendance of a Sigh or Tear or Funeral Lamentation But our assurance of the future Glory they possess with Christ which they themselves preferr'd to a longer abode on Earth should wipe our Eyes and prevent excess We mourn that they are gone and desire their company but we know they do not wish themselves back again for the sake of ours no they are gone to better Friends above than those they have left below And were it not for the weakness of our Faith and Hope in reference to the invisible world were it not for the remaining Power of unmortified Selfishness and our immoderate Love of this present Life were it not for the remisness of our Love to Christ and the blessed Saints we could not but desire to be with them rather than wish that they should be longer with us Therefore instead of an intemperate Mourning at their departure let us imitate their Examples and propound their holy Lives and Deaths as our Pattern and Encouragement § 1. SInce the Honour of Gods Grace may be very much advanced by our taking notice of the Influence and power of it in Believers Since to praise and imitate the holy actions of our departed Friends is the only Communion we can now have with them and their Example though they are dead may yet speak to the Instruction and comfort of the Living I shall conclude with some brief