his Love and Power shine with greatest Lustre Remember âour Sanctifier but forget not his most Sanctified ones I conclude with a saying of one âcquainted with God above thouâands He never knew a heavenly âonversation that pretending to know God alone hath no converse with his âoly ones that attend Him and doth âot live as a Member of their Society ân the City of God that doth not with âome delight behold their Holiness ânity and Order But as it is time ãâã proceed to my next Observaââion D. 2. The holy Faith and Conversation of godly Ministers and Friends deceased must be considered and followed So the Text in terms most plaiâ Follow their Faith to wit considereâ by you And that Comma consâdering the end of their Conversation imports evidently a command to follow it For the sake of these waâ the remembrance of their Persons fore required Which without thââ use of their Faith and Conversatioâ would be to little purpose Bâ it considered therefore strictly 1. What this Faith is 2. What this Conversation And 3. What the Reasons for our coâsidering and following both 1. Faith is considered as Objectively taken or Subjectively A the first it is the truth of the Goâpel by them held Viz. 1. Thâ Gospel-History of the Primitiââ Friendship between God and Man of the Enmity raised by the first siâ between them and of the Reconcâliation made by the Son of God 2. The Gospel Offer and Invitation of Sinners unto Grace and Salvation ây a New Covenant one of admiraâle Promises and most equitable and âracious Demands 3. The Gospel-Rule and Directory for the Worship ând the whole Walk of all embracing ând entring that Covenant This History they Credited this Offer âhey Accepted this Covenant they Entred this Rule they Followed âubjectively taken their Faith is that ârace of God in them whereby âhey so received the Gospel Now âhis grace of Faith is either general ând so 't is their Assent and Consent ânto all God's Revelation as perfectây true Or special as it relates unâo Christ Jesus the sum of all God's Revelation and so it is their accepâance of Him in all his Offices as Teacher Saviour Ruler The deâarted Saints we speak of had a Faith which was unto them instead of Possession and Sight One that made things said by God as credible as if they had seen them with their Eyes And things promised by God as comfortable as if they had had them in their hands I would be understood of the Truth only not of the degree of Credibility and Comfort They had also a Faith iâ their Hearts which was unto them a Marriage Knot whereby they joyned themselves unto Christ Jesus in everlasting Covenant Resigning themselves to him to be Taught Saved and Ruled Committing themselves to God's saving Mercy lodged in Christ's Hand And submitting themselves to God's governing Authority lodged in the same This Faith of theirs in both acceptations is that which we are to consider and follow Conversation is the way and course of humane life Respectively of all Duties towards our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier towards the Church the World and our Selves And this as under all Circumstances of our various Conditions in our Pilgrimage The way and course of the Saints we speak of was Holy and Exemplary Through their Faith in Christ working by Love purifying their Hearts conquering the World and chasing the Devil they sincerely and perseveringly glorified God They held Communion with the Father Son and Spirit in Faith Hope and Love in Worship and Obedience They loved the Church as Christ's Body served it and sympathized with it as members of it The Unregenerate World they pitied and spent their days in pains and prayers for it's conversion Their Hearts that is Themselves they kept with all diligence preferring always the man above the Brute the Soul above the Body In a word their life was an Exercise of Grace a Warfare against Corruptions and Temptations a putting of their Talents to Usury and merchandizing to and for Heaven All their days were Humiliation-days for their Sins their Own and their Relations and Thanksgiving days for their Mercies and Hopes They walked after the Spirit and not after the Flesh And this their walk is that their Conversation that we are called to eye and to imitate We shall briefly enquire the Reasons for this practice To wit of our considering the Faith and Conversation of our glorified Brethren And of our setting our selves to transcribe both Our own vanity is apt to charge the Divine Wisdom foolishly for commanding it And to ask Unto what purpose is this our cost and pains Being we have the perfect rule of the Gospel and of our Saviour's own transcendent Example St. Austin's word is of great weight WHY God commands any thing I need not trouble my self He will look to that Let me ever look well to WHAT he commands Whether we see them or no there are infinite reasons for every thing God requires But yet when those reasons are obvious their use is rich and various Of the Practice foresaid I shall therefore point out a few such as are most clear and apparent R. 1. This practice unites the upper and lower House of God The Church above and that below It holds together the Members of the Family in Heaven and upon Earth It engageth us to keep eyeing of them As Scholars of the lower Form eye those of the higher whom they must imitate It even necessitateth the Houshold of Faith to hold great conversation with them that live by Sight This is no light reason with such as consider how God stands for his Children's Union and Association Such as hath been forespoken of and therefore shall have no more here said of it R. 2. This Practice doubles our help to the Life of Faith and Holiness The Instructions and Precepts of the Gospel are a blessed Help But not all that we need Who feels it not After that we have heard our Master's best and brightest Doctrines we need our Fellow Servants instructive and motive Examples Which are indeed the most instructive Comments to the understanding of them and most motive Encouragements unto the obeying of them as Experience certifieth By what is here said no disgrace is cast upon the Gospel 'T is meerly from our own dulness that we need superadded Examples And the shame of that want rests singly upon our own Head While in the mean time unto God belongs the glory of the additional Mercy Admirable Mercy For the Gospel shews us but the Duty But the Example of deceased Saints shews also the possibility of living by Faith and in Holiness Because what has been done may certainly be done again We are emboldned to believe we may so live when we consider others to have lived so And let it not startle you if I say this Jesus Christ's own Example is in this one respect a much less encouragement than one of his least and poorest Servants For it doth
not only Healed but Beautified Often have I heard you complain of Wounds Bruises and Putrifying sores like my own And now methinks I see you without Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing While the cure of my own Diseases is little more than begun In you in you it is that I read the high Praises of Christ your Physician and mine Should I let go the memory of you I should lessen the Honour of Him In you it is that I read the praises of the Holy Ghost Then it is he appears to me a most wonderful Builder when I look on you his most glorious Temples Then I conclude sure he is able to raise me also out of my ruins O ye Conquerors and more than Conquerors whom I knew when you were Warriours And under my own hardships of warfare My own who was your unworthy Fellow-Souldier under Christ's Banner How congratulate I your Conquests and Triumphs How admire I the Truth Power and Love of your and my Captain How uneasie doth the sight of your Crowns make me till I am with you and like you If I forget you O ye Angels-fellows let my Tongue cleave to the roof of my Mouth If mine Eye keep poring always upon my SEA my SICKNESS and my WARFARE if it be not also turned on your PASSAGE your CURE and your CONQUEST let my Arm fall from my Shoulder-blade The ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Contemplators of the blessed End of godly Friends are Christians that thus converse with themselves I say thus unto the true end and use thereof And unto this end do converse or consider not transiently think There is a great difference between a step and a walk And there is no less between a thought and a consideration I come therefore to the last particular P. 4. This consideration of godly Friends escápe unto Heaven is a motive most necessary unto imitation of their Faith and Holiness The Apostles use of it as such proves it such But to give measure pressed down and running over it shall be added 1. The best of Christians do need motive Considerations Which is acknowledged by all that are so much as titularly Christians 2. Of motive Considerations this is of the best Which will appear from the natural effects of it in which its motive virtue is most resplendent Of these the seven following ones are not the least principal E. 1. This Consideration confirms our Faith Our Faith of the holy God's bountifulness and of holy men's blessedness It is true that the H. Spirit 's Light dispels our darkness and enlightens our minds And he giveth us the Gospel for a Lamp and Faith for an Eye But can any man doubt it The Gospel is cleared and Faith strengthned more than a little by Examples Examples of the promised goodness of God to Men and the blessedness of men in that goodness of God Especially by the examples of Persons known and dear unto our selves Put the case you know and believe ever so well of a Physician Yet let him once make perfect Cures on many of your most dangerously diseased Relations Your confidence of his ability and his Patients safety will be encreased You will be somewhat more fearless to trust him with your own Life than you were before The Application is easie E. 2. This Consideration raises our Apprehensions Our Apprehensions and Estimations of God of Christ of the H. Spirit and of the Gospel-Covenant You cannot see your dear Friends saved by them but you must the more esteem and value them Their so great Salvation that certifies the goodness of the Efficients and Instruments unto you must needs enhance the value of them in you Great and grateful Effects never fail to raise the price of Causes and Means I mean with any but Idiots or Lunaticks Creatures of undisposed minds or distracted ones E. 3. This Consideration strengthens our Choice Our choice of our Redeemer for Prince and Saviour The sight of our Tempted Persecuted Afflicted Brethren here on Earth is but too often a scandal unto us Makes our Hearts to stagger Tempts us to go back and follow Christ no more But the Spiritual sight of our Crowned and Triumphant Brethren in Heaven hath on us a contrary operation It strengthens our Resolution and steels our Courage to trust and obey him who gave such a Life and Glory unto them It makes us anew to resign our selves unto him Yea and bitterly lament that we chose him not more early and more fervently E. 4. This Consideration quickens our Desires Our Desires and our Hopes Our desires to be with Christ and his triumphant Friends above And our hopes that as laden with sins as now we are divine Grace may unburthen us at last and lodge us with them The thoughts of their wonderful Advancement will work upon any Heart not stone dead When carnal men think of any of their Equals that are risen above them unto high Places what is the effect Why they are straitway inspired with an unwonted Ambition for themselves Yea and affected with a new Perswasion also that 't is as possible for themselves to break through the difficulties which are in the way to Preferment Why should not the Ambition and Expectation of Spiritual men be excited by the same Medium Surely as Desire and Hope are the springs of Action glorious Successes of mean Agents be Springs of Desire and Hope in their Spectators E. 5. This Consideration provokes our Diligence The Victory of Miltiades took sleep from the eyes of Themistocles The thoughts of anothers honour spurred him on unto his more successful Labour And will not the matchless conquests of our glorified Friends take our hands out of our bosoms They will unquestionably if they be considered solemnly They will urge unto that holy Violence without which the heavenly Kingdom cannot be taken E. 6. This Consideration sweetens our Life of Religion Joy is our strength Heaviness in the heart weakens if not binds our hands and feet Indeed many Objects of God's Love and true Saints are of sorrowful spirits But the chiefest Instruments of his glory are for the most part Souls of much alacrity To be sure whatever doth sweeten doth also heighten our Duty For Delight exonerates Body and Mind takes off dulling Indispositions from them Gives wings to both and intends their actions It doth marvelously but as certainly encrease our Force to act and our Accuracy in acting Cogendi vis inest saith Pliny it makes the very Lame to walk yea leap For this reason it seems that Musick hath ever been used in Wars because it doth delight and by delighting strengthen the Nerves of flesh and spirit But what can delight a Soul that is any thing heavenly like contemplation of the celestial Society For Contemplation doth in a sort unite the Soul unto its Object And eminently this Contemplation ministers Hope which is the greatest Parent of Joy next to Fruition When you are musing of Heaven's Inhabitants your Soul has a place
History give us Testifying still âgainst the frauds of all Temptations âgainst the folly of all our distractâng fears and unto the Duty Safeây and sure Victory of persevering Faith By consequence it must be the Will of God that in all our Tryals we ever and anon consider the Eyes of these excellent Persons thus upon us And their Testimony as hath been said that is ever upon the side of our Duty That we do so consider and lay this to Heart as to turn it unto our motive encouragement And a provocation to put forth the utmost of our Spiritual strength Whereby alone we can answer the gracious End of God in vouchsafing unto us this encompassing Cloud and encouraging one In short God's Preceptive Will makes a perfect Necessity And this his Will is revealed for the remembrance of Saints deceased So that his Fear cannot be duly before your Eyes when these Persons are not duly kept in your minds C. 9. Your God's promises do bind you to remember your Godly Ministers and Friends deceased Know ye not that he hath promised an honourable and lasting Memory unto his righteous Servants And that Memory to be among your selves the only persons Qualified to bear it Now his promises speak that Will of his that is the Rule of yours If you Consent not to it you Oppose your God If you but Consent to it with an Unoperative and Ineffectual Will Sola voluntas est cadaver Scalig. that is as if you Consented not If you Consent entirely you remember those we speak of with sweet memory And by that Practice ye fulfil the divine Promise Add hereto God hath honoured this gracious Practice with considerable Promises unto such as hold it The very promise of dwelling in his holy Hill is made unto such as honour them that fear Him And 't is a wonderful mistake if any think it made to such as honour them but for term of life Such as honour them here as the Excellent of the Earth but cease to honour them at all when God honours them most taking them to Heaven as âudged to be too good for this World âf this Promise then be a cord of Love wherewith God draws us to âhe Honour and Love of the Saints in Light as well as of the Household of Faith what must be inferred They break it daringly do they not as many as Love and Honour Saints but unto their Deaths Accounting themselves to have don their last Office indeed when the have followed their Corps unto the grave's side Giving the grave thâ Victory over all their regards unto them C. 10. Lastly Your own Prayer and Promises bind you to remembeâ your Godly Ministers and Friends deceased A word shall serve in thâ plain Argument You pray that Gods will may ãâã done by you and by others on Earth ãâã it 's done in Heaven As there it ãâã done by all the Spirits about thâ Celestial Throne But how prâphanely must you thus pray without some very lively thoughts câ those Spirits and of their Obedience Without which it is as if yoâ prayed plainly that his will may bâ done by you like you know not whom and as to manner you mind nââ how Your Prayers all are full of viâtual promises Praying that yoâ may you do constructively promise that you will labour to obey God as the Heavenly Host do Consequently that you will well consider them and their performances Even with the accuracy and frequence of those who set themselves to imitate greatest Exemplars And is it a trivial thing in your sight to lie unto God! And that in your very prayers Or do you not so if you exercise not your minds in the foresaid consideracy of your glorifyed Friends Other considerations might be added but I will hope what is said hath inforced your Belief and raised in you full purposes of Obedience unto this Truth Granting that it hath so done some may ask what will the Belief and Obedience of it make for Edification Urging that this remembrance of Godly Ministers and Friends deceased is a subject they have rarely heard preached And notwithstanding all the caution wherein it is expressed it is one very liable to be abused unto Superston c. I answer If indeed it be a Trutâ the less it hath been insisted on thâ more it ought now to be insisted or And must not be kept from all People for fear it should be abused bâ some I have convincingly prove it to be a Truth And one whoââ faith and regular Obedience contrâbutes more than a little unto thâ love of God unto the life of Faith unto all Grace and Consolation which I must believe is to Edifie Neveâ theless I acknowledge it's use untâ Edification to be more manifesteâ in the sequel of this Discoursâ Wherein are set forth those holâ things whereunto the foresaid Râ membrance is an Antecedent botâ most Conducive and Necessary Wherefore I will but briefly suggest a few Inferences from this firââ Doctrine and proceed unto a second I. 1. The best of this World must âave it In Death's War there 's no Discharge The Prophets and Apostles âre dead John the beloved Disciâle is not left behind It was the advice of a Heathen Reckon your best friends as least duraâe things And it is the Sentence âf holy Scripture the Body is dead âecause of Sin Rom. 8.10 I. 2. God honours them in their Deaths that honour him in their lives ând that here where they have hoâoured Him For as He commands ââe Church above honorably to receive âhem So Chrysostom Clem. Vatablus Menoch and Lud. de Dieu in loc construe the Text. He commands âe Church below honoââbly to remember ' em âe will have their âames shine here as âell as their Souls âere Abel so long ago murdered ãâã to this day most honourably menââoned Heb. 11.4 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Being dead he is yet spoâen of with renown immortal I. 3. Every Believer hath a Jacob 's Ladder I mean he hath that whereby he can in his Thoughts ascend the Heavens and Spiritually view his glorified Ministers anâ Friends there In his mind he caâ see where they are what they are and what they are doing as we shall hereafter shew I. 4. Sorrow for godly men deceased ought to be moderate For we are tâ remember them honourably and foâ imitation not scandalously to oââ distraction True we may aââ ought to mourn When Lazaruâ died Jesus wept But we may nââ sorrow unmixedly and as withoââ Hope The Israelites mourned nââ so much for Jacob as the Egyptiaââ did The grief of Saints muââ know its bounds I. 5. Although God be to be remeâbred by us principally he is not to ãâã remembred only For he commandâ us to remember his and our hoââ Friends that are in glory attendinâ him Remember your Father but âorget not his Children who carry âost of his Image and Likeness on âhem Remember your Redeemer âut forget not those his Redeemed ân whom