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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64984	The death of ministers improved. Or, an exhortation to the inhabitants of Horsley on Glocester-shire, and others, on the much lamented death of that reverend and faithful minister of the Gospel, Mr. Henry Stubbs By Tho. Vincent, John Turner, Rob. Perrott, M. Pemberton. To which is added a sermon upon that occasion, by Richard Baxter.	Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678.; Turner, Robert, b. 1649 or 50, 4aut.; R. P. (Robert Perrot) aut.; Pemberton, Matthew, d. 1691. aut.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1678 (1678)	Wing V430; ESTC R221906	43,418	108

and affections the resolving and removing groundless doubts and perplexing fears concerning your spiritual condition the arming you against Satans temptations the guiding of you in the dark night of desertion and when under the Eclipse of th● light of Gods countenance and for your quickning and encouragement under affliction● and all oppositions and difficulties which you do or may meet withall in Heavens way But should we write particularly and fully to you of these things our Letter would grow into a treatise which is beyond our design therefore we must refer you for Counsel in these things unto the Word of God and those Books in our English tongue which are written on these Subjects and particularly to call to remembrance what your dear Pastor hath taught you and advised you who was the best acquainted with the state of your Souls All that we shall further add is to mind you of some duties and to suggest some considerations for your comfort and encouragement under this so great a loss The duties which God calleth you more especially unto after his taking away your Pastor from you are 1 Watchfulness 2 Fruitfulness 3 Prayer 4 Family-instruction First Watchfulness All Ministers are or ●ught to be the Lords Watchmen the Watch●●n whom the Lord set over you was emi●ently faithful but he is now gone and will ●●itch over you no longer and therefore you ●●ve the more need and are now called to ●atch over your selves the more diligently ●nd to watch over one another 1. Watch over your selves guard your ●●nses which are the inlets of sin and keep ●our hearts with all diligence from whence ●re the issues of sin it is not long since you ●ad the eye of your Minister over you ●ho was a faithful reprover now he is removed take heed you give not your selves the more liberty either to neglect duties or to comply with temptations whereby you may be enticed unto any sin were Mr. Stubbs alive and by you it may be you would not yield to such and such Temptations lest you should offend him and be reproved by him but think with your selves that God is by you always and being infinitely holy is more highly offended with sin than the most holy man on earth can be and you have also an observer within you a reprover we mean your own Consciences and take heed of offending them in offending of God for if God and Conscience should be against you it is a thousand times worse than to have all the men on Earth and all the Devils in Hell against you Watch not only against grosser and more scandalou● sins but also against lesser sins and such as a●● of more ordinary practice in the World an● that not only amongst the profane but all amongst professors of Religion themselve● amongst whom too many hypocrites will b● found at the last day Watch also again● errours especially such as are damnable su● as are in the foundations of Religion whi●● should you entertain would be mor● effectual to ruin your Souls than if you we●● guilty of the grossest immoralities Havin● received the truth hold it fast prize it abo●● Silver and Gold as being far more preciou● yea above life it self and let all go rather tha● let any truth go let truths be rooted in you● hearts imbrace them with love and delight otherwise you may be imposed upon with e●rours by some cunning impostors and be tosse● to and fro with divers winds of Doctrine● by the flight of men and cunning craftiness 〈◊〉 such as lie in wait to deceive always suspec● them as dangerously erroneous who endeavou● to bring the Ministry of Christ's appointme●● into contempt and perswade you to a neglec● thereof which you have reason above othe● ●ighly to esteem and keep close unto having ●●d so eminent and faithful a Minister amongst ●ou Secondly As you ought to watch over ●our selves so also to watch over one another ●hat so instead of one there may be many ●atchmen amongst you Watch over one ●nother in reference to sin and in reference to ●uty In reference to sin both to prevent sin 〈◊〉 one another and to restore such as are fallen 〈◊〉 it Watch to prevent sin so far as you have ●ower say not with Cain Am I my brothers ●eeper As you ought not to murder the ●odies of any nor to suffer any if you can ●inder it to murder themselves so you ought ●ot to murder the Souls of any nor to permit ●hem if you can hinder it to murder their ●wn Souls should you see any of your neigh●ours or acquaintance take Swords or Dag●ers and therewith to gash and wound them●lves lift up their hands to thrust them into ●heir hearts would not you run to them and ●atch away those weapons and instruments of ●eath from them Would not you argue and ●ead with them to forbear the laying such ●●olent hands upon themselves By sin your ●●ighbours wound themselves if they wound 〈◊〉 their flesh they wound their Spirit if they wound not their bodies they wound their Souls and as those wounds are most inward so they are the most deep and dangerous the wounds of sin are mortal wounds and not only temporal death but eternal will be the effect of them without a seasonable application of the blood of Christ. O do what you can to prevent sin in your friends do what you can to arm them against Temptations and to encourage them to resist the Devil to expose themselves to any kind of sufferings and pains and to deny themselves any kind of delights and gains rather than to offend God and wound their Consciences by their sins But if any of your Brethren have been tempted and have yielded if they are falle● and wounded watch to restore such and there in follow the direction of the Apostle Gal. 6 1● Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault 〈◊〉 which are Spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self lest tho● also be tempted If you hear of a fault in any of your neighbours be not forward to believe it unless the thing be evident by clear proof or the parties own confession and then think what the Law of love doth require Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him When your neighbours lie under guilt let love to their Souls prompt you to use your endeavour for the removal thereof don 't speak of their faults behind their backs to their defamation and the wounding of their names but speak of their faults to themselves in your plain and faithful reproofs in order to their amendment and the healing of the wounds in their Consciences and that your reproofs may be successful they must be managed with much prudence with a due consideration of the fault the person the place the time and the manner as to the manner the Apostle directs you to do it in the

Though it be an errour to be oft Baptized it is a hundred times worse errour never truly to understand consent and practice after so solemn a Vow and Covenant IV. When you have given up your selves to God as your God and Father your Saviour and your Sanctifier remember that your great relations have engaged you in the greatest business and the highest hopes in all the World And therefore now live as fellow Citizens of the Saints and the Houshold of God that have nobler converse work and hope than worldly unbelievers Remember now with whom and what you have to do and that it is not a by and trifling business but the best and greatest that you have undertaken V. Joyn with those that are for Heaven whose Counsel and Company may be your help separate from no Christians by way of division further than God commandeth you and do not easily forsake the judgment of the generality of godly men But make few your familiar friends and those such as are most wise and humble and sincere and cheerful in the belief and hopes of glory and suitable to your use and converse VI. In all doubts and difficulties of Religion judg not hastily before you have throughly heard and tryed Prefer a suspended judgment that stayeth till it have tryed before a rash and hasty judgment of what you know not and may repent of VII Carefully govern your fleshly appetites and sense and avoid needless temptations especially to sinful ●leasure For lust will conceive else and bring forth sin and sin being finished will bring forth death You will find sin and comfort contrary VIII Especially fear the flatteries of the world and hopes of a pleasant life to the flesh on earth and an itch after riches plenty or preferment and designs for the attaining them love not the World nor the things that are in the World the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and pride of life the portion of the wicked for if any man love the World for the flesh and it self so far the love of the Father is not in him 1 Ioh. 2.15 16. IX Value precious Time and live not in idleness spend time as you would hear of it at last and as those that know what it is to have but one short life to determine where they shall live for ever Hear and abhor all pastimes and triflings that would rob you of your time X. Converse daily in Heaven while you are on earth let Faith still see it Let Hope still make after it and let Love desire it and delightfully remember it There is our Father our Saviour our Comforter our friends with whom we must live for ever There let our hearts be as the place of all our hopes And let the strain of your Religion be as Heavenly as you can Let it consist in love in unity and concord in the joyful praises of Iehovah and in a pure holy life This will raise you above the sinful love of this transitory life and the fear of death and give you the soretasts of Heaven on Earth while you do Gods will on earth as it is done in Heaven But it is the Spirit and grace of Christ which you must beg and seek and on which you must obediently depend for the performance of all this and not upon your unconstant wills Without Christ we can do nothing but by his strengthening us we can do all things necessary to our Salvation and we are more than Conquerors even in our patient sufferings through the Captain of our Salvation who hath Conquered for us Thus we may finish our Course with Joy FINIS

departed our strength is decayed our Moses's our Iacobs our praying our wrestling Ministers are many of them gone lately to God and have we not reason to fear that God is about to remove his Gospel when he calls home his Embassadours so fast that a great storm is near when he houseth so many of his servants Is not our hedg in danger of falling when so many stakes are pluckt up and our houses of tumbling when so many pillars are thrown down When the righteous perish not only righteous men but Preachers of righteousness doth it not presage some great evil at hand which they are taken from to a place of rest and safety The times did look with a bad face before but do not they look worse and worse when so many Ministers are removed who by their prayers and ministerial labours might have been helpful to prevent those judgments which we are in such danger of The clouds do now gather blackness faster and faster and dreadful thunder storms do seem to be in their bowels and the Lord knows how soon all faces may gather paleness the most serious Christians and the most understanding and considering persons do look with trembling expectations when this Island will crack and break with a ter●ible voice over us and beat down with a fierce Tempest it may be in showers of blood upon us The loss of our dear brethren in the Ministry doth weaken our hands that are Ministers who have lost the advantage of their company and help but the loss is most near most sore to them who were under their charge and the loss of this our lately deceased Brother and Fellow-labourer should be bewailed especially and laid to heart by you who were under his care and Ministry There are two sorts of persons amongst you whom Mr. Stubbs hath left behind Unconverted and Converted persons we will speak to both First Are there not many unconverted persons whom your Minister after all his Soul-travel and pains in Preaching hath left unconverted Are there not many grosly ignorant persons with you notwithstanding all his Catechizing and instructions Are there not many openly vicious persons notwithstanding all his reproofs and admonitions Are there no profane persons among you no swearers Are there no unclean persons no adulterers Are there no intemperate persons no drunkards Are there no unrighteous persons none that are fraudulent in their dealings And amongst those who are civilized and outwardly reformed are there none among you who are secretly wicked none who are covetous under the reigning power of that sin which is inconsistent with the power of godliness Are there no hypocrites among you painted Sepulchres rotten at heart whatever your outward show and profession of Religion is Are there not too many among you who mind your Bodies but neglect your Souls who make provision for your flesh but neglect your Salvation Alas Alas What is like to become of you who are still unconverted and have not been wrought upon effectually by such Preaching such a Ministry now this Minister is removed If you were not converted whilst you had such powerful means are you now like to be converted when the means are gone and you are never like to have such powerful means of grace again Did not your Minister whilst alive call upon you frequently and that with earnestness and importunity that you would repent and turn from your evil ways presently and that you would not delay lest God should leave off calling you and take away the means of your conversion from you And hath not God left off calling you now by his mouth And if you should not be effectually called at all if you should not be converted whilst you live which now seems very unlikely to be better had it been for you that you had never been born better you had been Dogs or Swine or Worms or Toads rather than Men and Women with immortal Souls because of the dreadful miseries coming upon you which inferiour Creatures will escape Without Conversion there is no Salvation without Repentance and Faith in Jesus Christ and love to God and a holy life there is no escaping the Damnation of Hell Our design is not to drive you to despair only to awaken you who have been so long and so fast asleep under such an awakening Ministry if you sleep still and are not startled by the loss of your Minister we much fear the next thing will be the loss of your Souls Awake Awake Ye drowsy secure sleepy sinners God calls upon you once more by us he calls you to awake to repent and turn from sin before it be too late and the door of mercy be shut and death hath unexpectedly surprised you in your sins God by us doth command the vilest of you to repent Act. 17.30 And he threatneth death if you disobey him should an earthly King command you to come out of a dirty way into a clean path and that upon pain of temporal death would not you obey And when God who is the King of Kings doth command you to repent to come out of the dirty ways of sin into the clean ways of holiness and that upon pain of eternal death of everlasting torment and punishment in Hell will you not obey will you not repent Will you chuse to dishonour God and damn your own Souls rather than to repent of your sins Shall the threatnings of a weak man have more force with you than the threatnings of the great and glorious Iehovah who made Heaven and Earth Shall the threatnings of lesser evils which are but for a moment have more place with you than the threatnings of the most dreadful evils and eternal plagues shall have Moreover God doth invite you to repent and useth arguments to prevail with you Ezek. 33.11 Say unto them Thus saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die O house of Israel God doth encourage you to repent by his promises all the promises which you will find in the Scripture of Remission of Adoption of Salvation of Spiritual priviledges here and eternal happiness hereafter are made to those that repent and believe both which are always in conjunction See Prov. 28.13 Isa. 55.17 Chap. 1.16 17 18. And will not Gods invitations Gods promises and none of the rich Gospel priveledges move you to repent Will you slight pardoning mercy and chuse rather to abide under guilt Is it good to keep wounds in your consciences when you may have them healed Is it good to have God your enemy when you may be reconciled Is it desirable to continue Children of the Devil when you may be made the Children of God Will you prefer raggs before robes to cover you And chuse poverty when you may have Jewels to enrich you And eternal misery when by repentance you may attain everlasting happiness There

meditation of it It is sweet to read and think and speak of the essential love of God and of his unspeakable grace in Christ of his free reconciliation justification adoption and Salvation of those that were his enemies of the wonderful mysteries and methods of Gods love in our Redemption and Salvation of the Heavenly glory which we and all the elect of God shall enjoy for ever What sweeter food or business for our minds than such things as these Secondly The success of our work is an addition to our joy The success of it on our own Souls while they increase in holiness and are raised to the greater knowledg of God and greater love to him and Communion with him And our success on others while they are brought home to God and saved ●f it be pleasant to a succesful Physician to save mens lives it must be more so to a succesful Minister of Christ to further mens regeneration and to save mens Souls To add more to the number of them that love the Lord Jesus that are his members that are enemies to sin examples of holiness that pray for the World and that shall live in glory ●● not this a joyful work There is joy among the Angels in Heaven for every sinner that repenteth Luk. 15.10 Christ rejoiceth in it and all good men that know it rejoyce in it and shall not the Minister of it then rejoyce 3 Iob. 2 3. I rejoyced greatly saith St. John and I have no greater joy 1 Thes. 2.19 Ye are our joy and Crown of rejoycing Thirdly The honour of Christ and the pleasing of God in our labours and the success is the top of all our joy 2 Cor. 5.9 Heb. 12.28 Eph. 5.10 Heb. 13.21 11.5 For to please God and to be perfectly pleased in him is our Heavenly felicity it self Fourthly It is our joy to foresee the blessed end the everlasting glorious reward To live in the belief and hope of this and to taste the love of God in Christ which is the first fruits All this is the joy in which we may hope to finish our course II. How much of this joy may we here expect Answ. 1. So much as shall satisfie us that in our dedication of our selves to God we made a wise and happy choice which we need not to repent of Though we might easily have chosen a way more likely for wealth and pleasure to the flesh and in which we should not have kindled the indignation of so many against us nor have brought on our selves so much envy and malice so much slanders and reproaches to name no worse yet experience tells us that God taught us to chuse the most pleasant life as our deceased Brother and I have truly oft told one another that we have found it Even when we are sorrowful we are always rejoycing 2 Cor. 6.10 When we are falsly reported of our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Consciences that in simplicity and godly sincerity and not in fleshly wisdom we have had our Conversation in the World 2 Cor. 1.12 Paul and Silas could sing with their backsfore with scourging and their feet fast in the stocks Act. 16. And the Apostles rejoyced that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach and abuse for Christ Act. 5.41 Never yet did difficulty or suffering much tempt me to repent that I had not chosen another calling much less to repent of the Christian choice For saith Peter Joh. 6. Whither shall we go Lord thou hast the words of eternal life Secondly We may expect so much joy as shall make the duties of Christianity and Ministry easie and delightful to us Psal. 1. 2. and make us say that A day in his courts is better than a thousand and to be a door-keeper in his house than to dwell in the tents or palaces of wickedness And that it is good for us to draw near to God And if any time our diseased appetites shall lose their pleasure we are yet sure that we have chosen the only wholesome and delicious food and God hath Physick that can recover our appetites Thirdly We may expect so much joy as shall keep us from thirsting again for the world or longing for the forbidden pleasures of sin and as shall make even the house of mourning and godly sorrow pleasanter to us than mirth and feasting is to the ungodly and never desire to partake of their delights Fourthly We may expect so much joy as shall make all our sufferings very tollerable especially those that are for truth and righteousness Mat. 5.10 11 12. Believers took joyfully the spoiling of their goods and accepted not offered deliverence Heb. 11. As seeing him that is invisible and expecting a better and more enduring substance And that which is not joyous but grievous at the present will bring forth the quiet fruit of Righteousness Heb. 12. Fifthly We may expect so much joy as ●all encourage us to hold out to the end and ever to forsake Christ and a holy life as weary ●as hoping for a better Sixthly We may expect so much joy as ●all be some foretast of the heavenly joy and ●ome reward here of all our labours Yea some ●ay be filled with joy and peace in believing ●nd have unspeakable glorious joy Rom. 15.13 Pet. 1.7 8. Seventhly We may expect so much as shall convince the ungodly that we live a more com●ortable life than they Paul and Silas singing ● the stocks its like had some part in the con●iction of the J●ylor III. Whence and on what accounts may we expect this Ioy Answ. This may be gathered from what is ●id before 1. From the love and acceptance ●f the Father 2. From the grace of the Son From the Communion of the holy Spirit ●nd therefore 1. From the goodness of ●ur work before mentioned 2. From the ●uth of the promises of God 3. From the Communion of Saints 4. From the continued protection and other mercies of God 5. And from the certain hopes of glory All which I must now but thus only name There is another kind of joy which too many seek in this sacred Office thereby corrupting and prophaning it And the bes● things corrupted become the worst and such men most pernicious to mankind and thes● rotten pillars the greatest betrayers and enemies to the Church I mean such as Gregor● Nazianzene sadly describeth in his time eve● at the first general Council at Constantinople And such as Isidore Pelusiota in his Epistles t● Zosimus and some such others freely reprehendeth And such as Gildas describeth i● this land And such as Salvian rebuketh An● such as the Canons of abundance of Council tell us swarmed heretofore First Had there not been Prelates an● Priests that had placed their joy in dominio● over their brethren and getting into exalte● thrones in being rich and idle and bowed t● even by Princes and mastering Kings an● Kingdoms by cursing them from Christ making themselves as the Soul and Prince as the

and his success The greatest Benefice cannot please one that worketh for the fleece so much as he was pleased that his unwearied labour profited his flock How thankful was he to God and the Bishops connivence for that short liberty to work And to their honour I must say that he praised not only the friendly peaceableness of the Magistrates and Gentry of the County but also of his neighbour conformable Ministers that lived by him in love and envyed not his liberty This holy man so little cared for the hypocrites reward that no reproach of men did move him nor did he count his great labour or life dear to him that he might subserve him that came to seek and save the lost He took that for the joyful finishing of his course from which Satan and many mistaken men would have discouraged him As it was one of the greatest aggravations of Christs sufferings that he was crucified as a reputed sinner even as a blasphemer and an enemy to Caesar and a contemner of the Law so he knew that all things must be accounted dung that we may be found in Christ and conformed to him even in his sufferings And if a Seneca could say that no man more sheweth himself to be a good man than he that will lose the reputation of being a good man left he should lose his goodness it self and defile his conscience no wonder if this holy man accounted not his fame too dear to preserve his Conscience And indeed his Friends and Physicians suppose that his labours hastened his death He came from the Country to London again to work and after his journey Preaching almost every day and some days twice even after he began to be ill no wonder if the feaver and Dysentery that followed dispatcht him At first he fell down in the Pulpit but recovering went on and so again after till he was disabled Some will censure him for imprudence in such labours But they must consider what it is to be above the inordinate love of life and to long for the good of Souls And withal that which much emboldened him was that he was wont to go somewhat ill into the Pulpit and to come better out But the heat of the season seventy and three years of age gave advantage to the messenger which God did send to end his Labours and all his Sufferings Two things especially I commend to imitation 1. That he was more in instructing and Catechizing Children by familiar Questions than almost any man that I have known which shewed that he laboured not for applause 2. He prayed as constantly as he Preached and no wonder then that his labours had much success He omitted not his duty to God in his family by the greatness of his publick labours And a man of prayer is a man of power with God For my part I never saw him till his coming to live in London I think not seven years ago though I long heard of his succesful Preaching But to shew you how great his Charity was and what a loss I have my self and how faulty I and others are in too much forgetting of our friends I will tell you that he hath oft told me that as I remember above twenty years he never went to God in prayer but he particularly remembred me But his love hath not tempted me to say a word of him which I verily believe not to be true And I conclude it with this profession That I scarce remember the man that ever I knew that served God with more absolute resignation and devotedness in simplicity and godly sincerity and not with fleshly wisdom and lived like the primitive Christians without any pride or worldly motives or in whose case I had rather die And therfore no wonder that he lived in peace of Conscience and dyed with Pauls words I have fought a good fight I have finished my course henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Iudg shall give which both Paul and he might say without any injury to Christ or grace or free ●ustification Thus did he finish his course in eminent fidelity and constant peace of Conscience and what was wanting in fuller Joy ●s now made up VSE 1. AND what use should we make of all but to imitate such examples and not to be moved by any tryals nor count our lives dear that we may finish our course with joy and the Ministry which we have received of the Lord Jesus Christ to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God Run the same race and you may have the same joy and blessed end Would you have more particular counsel how to finish your course with joy I shall briefly give you some The Lord cause you and me to follow it I. He that never began well cannot finish well search the Scriptures and advise with the wise prove all things and hold fast tha● which is good Take heed that you take no● evil for good and good for evil set out in the way of truth If you are out of the way the faster and the further you go the more you have to repent of and lament Be honest and faithful in seeking truth and God wil● not forsake you But go not with Balaam● coveteous heart and pre-engaged purpose O● fear a false heart and false Teachers especially men that plainly prosecute a worldly interest and design II. If God Christ grace and glory be no● enough for you and seem not a sufficient portion unless you have also prosperity to the flesh undertake not the Ministry nor profess Christianity For without self-denyal contempt of the World taking up the Cross and forsaking all you have but the delusory name and image of Christianity Absolutely devote your selves to God and hope not for great matters in the world except nothing from him suspect and fear the hypocrites reserves serve Christ and trust him trust him with estate and liberty and life and Soul and all study your duty for your part and cast your care on him for his part Take no thought what ye shall eat or drink but seek first Gods Kingdom and the righteousness thereof You will never finish your course with joy if you be not absolutely devoted to God III. Preach to your selves first before you Preach to the people and with greater zeal O Lord save thy Church from worldly Pastors that study and learn the art of Christianity and Ministry but never had the Christian Divine nature nor the vital principle which must difference them and their services from the dead Do you love other mens Souls more than your own will a dead nurse give warm and vital milk Nothing doth more to make you good Preachers than that which doth most to make you good Christians I thank the Lord for the Method of his grace and providence that cast me divers years into the care of my own Soul before I purposed to Preach to others and made me read over the

the blindness of the minds of the ungodly If the Seekers or other Hereticks do but cry down Ministers and Universities you justly rise up against them as enemies to Christianity and the Church And yet you your selves destroy their Ministry as to your selves and would have but the name and garb and image He that would have the tenth part of all mens revenues to be setled to maintain Physicians in the land and yet would not have men be healed by them is a foolisher and worse enemy to the Country than he that would have none at all Fourthly And as you are lovers of mankind you should not deny us so reasonable a joy as your own Salvation especially to such as for the hope of this renounce the pleasures and honours of the world If you could do well enough without instructors Christ would not have appointed them nor if there had been any better way for your Salvation And for our parts we could have found out work and callings that would better have served us for worldly ends and we could live idle and seek preferment and flatter and please you and neglect your Souls in this calling that we are in But then wo to us as well as you O remember who hath said Obey them that have the rule over you for they watch for your Souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Heb. 13.17 He is not worthy to be called a man that will deny any joy or good to his neighbour which doth no hurt to himself or others But consider whether he be not herein worse than a Devil that will deny another the comfort of seeing him happy and freely doing him the greatest good Do you not see now how much you are concerned that you further our joyful finishing of our course I beseech you let Conscience judg you before God judg you speak as before God Have you been turned by them from darkness to light and from unbelief to a lively faith and from a fleshly to a spiritual life and from worldly love and hopes to the love of God and the hope of endless joys in Heaven Are you at a point with the flattering world and fleshly lusts and have you heartily taken God and Heaven for your portion and Christ for your Saviour and the holy Spirit for your Sanctifier and comforter and the word of God for your Law and Charter and the servants of God for your pleasantest company and the service and praises of God for your best and pleasantest work and sin for your worst and greatest enemy If this be so bless God that made the word so effectual to you But if it be not you have wronged your Teachers in robbing them of the joy which was their due This is it that we studyed prayed and Preached for This is it that we live and labour for This was to have been the chief part of our reward from you It is not your Tythes and Mony without this that will satisfie any but an hireling Many old Canons of the Church forbad Ministers to receive any offerings or gifts from unbelievers and wicked men As if they had said keep your mony to your selves and think not to stop our mouths with gifts Give up your selves to Christ or you give u● nothing I tell you it is you that are our great afflicters and you shall answer for it It i● much more to us to lose the Joy of your Salvations than to lose our estates or liberties o● worldly Honour and Reputation And you can never be saved if you will not be Sanctified nor happy if you will not be holy Oyet look back and remember what Counsel● God sent you by his Ministers and what importunities they used with you and if you have denyed them yet their joy O pity your selves if you regard not them and deny not your selves still the present joy of a holy life and the everlasting joy of heavenly glory which yet you may attain II. And have not you also a course that should be finished with joy as well as we O Sirs time is precious short and hasty This race is for all eternity and is to be run but once Heaven will be quickly won or lost for ever Can any one hear and believe this that hath the heart of a man and not be awakened presently to make hast Dare you die in an unholy unpardoned state Dare you go out of the World more foolishly than the unjust steward out of his stewardship before you have provided another habitation Dare you appear before God without his Spirit and image and without the wedding garment of sincere holiness and so without a part in Christ O Sirs no heart can now conceive what a dreadful appearing that will be Alas Sirs we are dying we are all dying one to day and another to morrow and we are all quickly gone And do you take no care whither you shall go next when God bids you care in a manner for nothing else Your course will soon be finished shall it be with joy or the beginning of everlasting misery O resolve now resolve this day as you would speed for ever Gods grace must save you but it lieth more on your present choice and resolution than careless sinners will well consider of Quest. But how should I finish my course with Ioy. Answ. You may gather it from what is said already Are you willing if I tell you to do your part Asking Questions will not serve instead of work I. Will you see that you perish not through your own meer carelesness and wilful neglect of what you can do for your Soul If you will not do what you can what good will directions do you If men will live as if they had not reason and self-love and knew not that they must die or care not what becomes of them for ever what can one do for the safety of such men As men cannot dispute that agree not in some granted principles so we cannot lead you to Christ by the Gospel if you agree not in some principles of humanity and self preservation A sottis● carelesness is the undoing of the most II. Set your selves to study the Gospel o● Christ till you understand what Salvation is and what is the way to it and know the nature of true Religion And then you will see in it so much truth so much necessity so much amiable beauty and fitness to make you wise good and happy that it will win your hearts to love and pleasure in it III. Study throughly the true meaning o● your Baptismal Covenant and solemnly before God consent to it with tongue and heart and live as under the Obligation of it all your days And also live in the belief of all the promises of it and expectation of all the benefits promised The sum of all your Religion for duty and comfort is comprized in your Baptismal Covenant