secretly mock him as well as those that publickly affront him Make sure work therefore for your precious souls see that you have that faith which is unfeigned the faith of Gods Elect that you do cordially imbrace the Truths of the Gospel and â—lose with an offered Jesus that you have that faith by which you may live that faith by which you may walk until you come to walk by sight I would not have any of you deceived and cheated to your own destruction as many poor creatures are who run away with a lie in their right-hand build hopes of Heaven and Happiness upon a sandy bottom please themselves in a lifeless Image of Religion which the holy One of Israel will despise when he awaketh unto judgment their faith is no better than a fancy their Godliness is not a Godliness of Gods making nor approving they walk about in the sparks of that fire which themselves have kindled and at last lie down in sorrow Be you wise for your souls and deal prudently get that faith which upon tryal will be found to praise and honour much more precious than gold that perisheth be ye provided with that Oyl which will keep your Lamps burning when the blessed Bridegroom cometh 3. Follow them in the actings of their faith Grace is given you not only for Ornament but also for use we are not only to be justified by faith and saved by â—aith but to live by faith Have you got it then suffer it not to lie dormant but exercise it Act your faith upon Christ his Mediation Merits and Intercession He is a full Christ it hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell a fulness that is far beyond your emptiness live upon him therefore and draw from him you can never draw him dry Act your faith upon the Covenant it is an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure God is ever mindful of it with it holy David comforted himself in it he placed all his happiness and sum'd up all his desires Act your faith upon the Promises these are exceeding great and precious you cannot measure them nor over-rate them In them there is an answerableness to every case a complete suitableness to every condition in which you either are or can be And you cannot over-trust them being Yea and Amen of most sure and certain accomplishment The Womb of Divine Promise never miscarried but shall bring forth at the time of life all the mercies and blessings with which it travails Ever count Gods Promise abundant security and believe that all Mountains which lie in the way of its performance shall be made a plain the darkest Providences are still subservient to the promise Iosephs being sold for a Slave and clapt up in a Prison were steps to his being made the second man in the Kingdom Act your faith upon the wisdom and power the love and care of your heavenly Father know he endears you and will look after you His Glory shall not be lost nor given to another his Truth is great and shall overcome his Church is built upon a Rock and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Iacob though small shall rise and though a worm he shall thresh the mountains the Beast and the false Prophet shall be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone and the glorious victory shall be the Lambs for he is King of kings and Lord of lords and they that be with him are chosen and faithful and true Believe and rejoyce while you believe that when Gods desperate Enemies are at work He himself is not idle but observes them is in the Conclave and the Cabal undermines them counter-acts them and will turn their counsels backward or headlong so that no weapon shall prosper which they form against his cause and people but he will accomplish the thoughts of his heart which shall stand in all generations and effect his own designs and be absolute Master of all his ends finishing all the work which he hath to do in the world and that without losing either time or ground as our days go off so Gods work goeth on it is never out of hand Thus act your faith upon God in all conditions and under all dispensations when you are high and when low yea at the lowest for still still still the everlasting arms arms are underneath In these actings of faith those holy men lived and so must you otherwise you will never be established much less in such gloomy tottering turning and tumbling times as these are 4. Lastly Follow them in the fruitfulness of their faith Your gracious Pastors were not neither may you be Solifidians As they did believe so they maintained good works and by that means obtained a good report While you know that faith justifieth you you must also know it is your duty to justifie your faith that faith which is alone is stark naught it is dead and rotten and stinks above-ground shew me and shew the world your faith by your works If you ask me what fruits they are which grow upon the root of faith and prove it genuine I Answer all the fruits of the spirit in which you must abound if you would have an abundant entraâ—ce into the glorious Kingdom of our God and Saviour But I shall speak only to three Holiness Love Ioy. 1. Follow them in their Holiness A wicked Believer is as meer an impossibility as a gracious Devil such a faith as will consist with the love and life and reign of sin is no better than what may be found in Hell among lapsed Angels and damned Spirits who as the Apostle Iames tells us Believe and tremble Wheresoever true faith is it purifies the heart and reforms the life and orders the footsteps according to the word As it cloathes the soul with the beautiful Robe of Christs Righteousness so it subjects the soul to his governing Scepter and Law it lets Christ in and casts corruption out when Christ dwells in the heart by Faith he shines in the life by Holiness The pearl of faith is never found in the dunghil of profaneness Study then study holiness and perfect it too in the fear of God think with your selves what manner of persons ye ought to be how acurate and exact in your whole course remembring That grace of God which bringeth salvation and hath appeared unto you teacheth you that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts ye should live soberly righteously and godly in this present evil world 2 Tit. 11 12. And that you ought to be like your Father who is holy in all his ways and righteous in all his works When therefore a temptation to any sin assaults you resist it with utmost indignation and say as Nehemiah did in another case Shall such a man as I do this or as Ioseph How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God or as that good Woman Christiana sum I am a Christian. This my dear Friends
praises from you When you are under smarting rods sore afflictions pore not so much upon them as to become by that means injurious to God Some that did too little mind and prize and improve mercies whilest they were in their hands do view them and curiously study them when taken away until their spirits be imbittered and discontent raised up against the Providence But Christians beware you of that I advise you to be sensible of your loss Let the Widow be sensible what an husband she hath lost the Children what a Father if their tender age will admit it the Family what a Governor the Society what a Shepherd I and others what a Friend and Brother But let us all remember to bless God that we had him once that we had him so long let this Congregation bless God that ever it was committed to the care and charge of such a Minister that ever such a shining and burning light was set up in this Candlestick that ever such a labourer was sent into this Vineyard My dear friends I do most earnestly beg this of you for my dear Master Whatever your loss is how great soever how painful and afflictive soever let not your and my God be a loser look carefully to that as you love your selves Gods loss is your loss Therefore how sad soever your case is how dark soever your day how low soever your spirits do not now do not at any time withhold from God those praises which are his due Truly he hath been good to you and he is so now and he will be so still if you will but do your duty therefore be sure to love him and bless him let the holy God ever inhabit the praises of Israel 2. Remember them so as to bewail the loss of them You ought indeed to moderate your sorrow keeping it within the bounds of Reason and Religion as becomes those that have hope nay let there be a mixture of joy with your sorrow being sure it is well with them perfectly unspeakably and everlastingly well their happiness doth exceed their thoughts and not only afford satisfaction to them but likewise raise admiration Oh what am I that God should ever bring me hitherto Yet mourn It becomes you to be both affected and afflicted in your spirits What! shall the Father be smitten and the Children not grieved the Shepherd taken away and the Flock not troubled that would be a grand Solecism both in Nature and Religion When Samuel dyed all Israel were gathered together and lamented him 1 Sam. 25. 1. The tears of an whole Nation may well be poured out upon a Samuels death When Stephen the Proto-Martyr was carried to his burial there was great lamentation made over him Acts 8. 2. Those devout and holy men broached their sorrow they went on weeping as they went When Elisha was arrested and confined to his bed by his last sickness Ioash the King of Israel wept over his face and said O my Father my Father the chariots of Israel and horsemen thereof 2 King 13. 14. And well may there be such great sorrow else it will hold no proportion with the occasion Losses of such persons are great how little and vile soever in the worlds eyes while they lived for they were their peoples blessings the Nations pillars the stakes in our hedg and their death is not seldom ominous it speaks a storm-brewing evil to come When they are hous'd in the silent and safe chambers of the grave what may we look for next but that the great God should come out of his place cloathed with righteousness and armed with vengeance to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity This know for certain the Lord is greatly offended it angers him at his very heart when he sees men stupid and insensible under such dispensations specially when they become ordinary when the righteous perish and are taken away none considering or laying it to heart It is true there is now joy in Heaven but let there be sorrow on Earth that will not be jarring Angels and perfect spirits above welcome those departed Saints with shouts and acclamations let us part from them with tears at least with sighs Possibly there are some who do rejoyce at such a mans death but whether they will believe me or no I will tell them they have no cause God will make them change their note even they shall mourn at the last 3. With your remembrance of them joyn heart-grief and trouble that you gained no more by them consult and listen to your own consciences see what they will say deal impartially and ingenuously Have not you been asleep in your seats when they have been at work in their Pulpits Have not your minds been wandring after vanity and your eyes gazing about upon this body and that this face and that fashion while they have been fixed and intent wholly taken up about the good and salvation of your souls Have not you been cold at heart while they were fervent in spirit serving the Lord They have mourned but you wept not they have piped but you danced not when they poured out their souls in confession of sins you were not humbled your hearts not broken within you many a sad and foul story hath been told of you yet you did not blush neither were you ashamed They have mightily wrestled with God and tug'd hard for mercy mercy for you your pardon and your lives but you have sate and seen all this with a most wretched indifferency as if you were persons altogether unconcerned and did not care whether they prevailed or no. How have you slipt the precious truths they delivered to you and been disobedient to the counsels they ordered out and have been little the better though they came to you in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ They have come and blown upon your garden now with the North-wind of dreadful threatnings then with the South of gracious promises yet your spices have not flown forth nay are not too many of you unto this very day like the dry and barren Heath And surely you have cause to be troubled and oh that you may be so the good Lord trouble you kindly let your souls have these losses and afflictions still in remembrance and be humbled within you 4. Remember them so as to be quickned by that remembrance Think of their death and go to their graves and fetch life and liveliness from thence We Ministers should do so When our fellow-labourers grow fewer it stands us in hand to work the harder What! shall some drop on our right-hand and others upon our left yea many round about us and shall any of us notwithstanding be idle and lazy and half asleep at our work Oh that the ratling of deaths Chariot-wheels might awaken and rouze us up When Elijah is taken up to Heaven let every Elisha look out for a double portion of the spirit and go forth in all
Ministry are two standing Ordinances and will be necessary so long as there are men on Earth and men to be sitted for Heaven Therefore my Brethren sit not down in this your Orphan-condition What I have told you is unquestionably your duty but not the whole of it Keep together Though the Shepherd be smitten let not the Sheep be scattered Look out for a good supply that your loss may be made up again and your Pastors place filled No loss is irrepairable but the loss of God and your souls Be wise before you fix consult together and ask advice of them who are both faithful and able to give it act with due deliberation yet defer not too long Above all go to God who holdeth the Stars in his right hand and then look out for a man Orthodox in judgment and holy in life who may not go about to raze but wisely to build upon the foundation which by my Reverend Brother hath been already laid And my prayer is That God would set a man over your Congregation even a man after his own heart And so I come to the second Duty incumbent upon you which you have in these words Whose faith follow Holy imitation doth most highly become all that profess themselves Christians Be careful in your chusing a Pattern and then curious in your imitation You must not follow lying vanities then you forsake your own mercies you must not follow vain fashions that is not suitable to the gravity and seriousness of your Religion You must not follow a multitude to do â—vil unless you have a mind to be damned with a multitude and think Hell is a desirable place because most go thither The most beaten road is not always the best you must not follow the world instead of being conformed you ought to be crucified to it You have far better Copies set you far more noble and excellent Patterns before you God be ye followers of God as dear children Christ he hath left you an ensample that ye should tread in his steps The Saints who while here walked in their integrity and now they are above sit in Robes of Glory Be ye followers of them that through faith and patience have inherited the promises And among them those that have held forth the word of life and shined as lights in the world Be wise now in making these your choice and follow them as close as you can live up to Scripture-rules and holy Presidents And truly my Brethren since God and Christ Godliness and Heaven are as good full out as good as ever they were I can see no just reason why Professors should decline and decay why our gold should become dim why the Saints of this Generation should fall miserably short of those that went before them why the present Christians should be so unlike the former both for Purity and Zeal as if they were not begotten of the same Father and did not suck the same breasts But so it is ah so it is our Nazarites were purer than snow whiter than milk whereas now the visage of many of them is blacker than a coal they can scarce be known in the streets and let this be for a lamentation Oh that you would do your endeavour to revive the old Godliness which is the best Godliness and to live over again the lives of the old Saints and in particular those of your Renowned Pastors Follow them in all that is good and within the compass of your sphere you must never go out of your places to follow your Pastors the Lord Jesus himself is to be imitated by you only in his imitable works That being premised I say with the Apostle Paul Phil. 4. 8. Whatsoever things you saw in them true honest just pure lovely and of good report whatsoever there was of virtue or of praise think on those things and follow them in those things In no other for they were but men imperfect men subject to like passions infirmities and failings and these you must not draw into an example nor use them as an argument why you should do so too as too many argue from Davids Adultery to their uncleanness for certain God never put such things upon record for an encouragement unto sin but for cautions to all you must not wander with them that wander nor fall because others have no follow them as they followed Christ and only so in all that is good in all that is well-pleasing to God and will be Ornamental to the Gospel But I shall confine my discourse to the Command in the Text Follow them in their faith And here I shall speak to these four particulars 1. Follow them in the Doctrine of Faith Be sound in your jâ—dgments and suffer not your heads to be fly-blown with Error Hold fast that which is good for otherwise you will lose your Crown The age in which we live is a learned age and it is a very inquisitive age and an hot disputing but with grief be it spoken it is an error-broaching and imbracing age there are too too many among us that act industriously toward the shaking of our foundation though the Virgin-daughter of Zion looks upon their attempts and laughs them to scorn for God himself the mighty God hath laid them and they shall not be destroyed But though our foundations are firm and lasting yet many of our professors are feeble and wavering yea some are removed to another Gospel They have rejected those great Points those main Truths which are the very vitals of Christian Religion and you may see them wallowing in the blood of their Apostacy Stick you to that faith which was delivered to you by your deceased Pastors who are now with God that is the faith which was once delivered to the Saints once for all The Doctrine which they held out to you is the Doctrine of the Church of England built upon the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Hold to that all that specially the Deity of Christ his satisfaction justification by him and faith in him not by works which we have done and the spiritual mystical Union that is between him and true Believers Keep these things as the Apple of your eye yea as you would your lives And though we or an Angel from Heaven should come and preach among you any Gospel contrary to or besides that which they have preached and you have received let him be accursed 2. Follow them in the Grace of Faith They were Believers be you so too look narrowly to it that it be the true Grace of God in which you stand Take not up my brethren with an empty name a verbal profession a company of bodily exercises and heartless duties Mind I beseech you the Power of Godliness and do not stop one hairs breadth on this side of it Painted Hypocrites are as odious to that God who requires and searches the heart as the openly profane his soul hates them that
of the burning lake They do not consider the pearl of price how orient it is how excellent and inestimable and therefore they do not sell all and buy it They do not consider the worth of their souls that they are immortal and their ransom precious and therefore they barter them away for a filthy lust and transient pleasure Men do not consider how sordid and odious a thing it is how ill-becoming them how hateful to God and how exceedingly it inflámes their reckoning and will one day add to their torments 〈◊〉 swill like a Swine to be filthy like a Goat to curse like a Devil and to swear like a Cutter to profane Sabbaths and 〈…〉 to hate the power of Godliness and 〈◊〉 â—hose that are peaceable in a Land Due and serious 〈…〉 my Brethren would correct all these things 〈◊〉 â—ould reform a thousand disorders and we should have another world And until this be the world will be the old world still we shall find it as bad as ever a wicked malicious and troublesome world Cain will kill Abel still And they that are born after the flesh will persecute them that are born after the spirit I shall not at all wonder to see men carry like Bedlams to see them raging-mad in sin so long as they live like fools without consideration Well my Friends if any will be vain and foolish still let them be so As for you reckon upon it as your wisdom and interest to do nothing rashly not to pass over things lightly not to run on headily look before you leap ponder your path try all things Consider those things which we deliver to you in the course of our Ministry and require of you in the Name of our God whether they be not most holy and just and good Consider those things we propound to you the great and gracious offers we make whether you can any where else better your selves and get a more gainful bargain see if we do not out-bid all the world and offer you such a match for your souls as is the chiefest of ten thousands altogether lovely without compare O ye fools be ye of an understanding heart We would not have you embrace our counsels and follow our directions blindfold We can say this We counsel you as we do our selves and we lay no other burden upon you than upon our selves and your souls are precious to us as our own and it sorely troubles us to think of your eternal miscarrying and our hearts would greatly rejoyce even ours if that danger were over and that we did but see you in that tender and mighty hand out of which none can pluck you yet we would not have you take all upon trust from us an implicit faith and a blind obedience do not please us No weigh things in right balances compare the service of Christ with the drudgery of a Devil and the service of sin peace of conscience with roaring in a Tavern the kisses of a Saviours lips with the caresses of a Minion the favour of Christ with the smiles of a Man a being filled with the spirit with a being drunk with wine in which is a brutifying excess Compare contrivances for God with plots for Rome and conspiracies against Princes an heavenly mind with earthly affections an interest in promises and an inheritance in Heaven with an ill-gotten estate in the world that hath a curse in it Compare I say these things together and consider and then chuse Let some men say what they will their tongues are their own only let them remember they must at last be accountable for their words as for us we would have you rational in your Religion rational in your believing and living use your reason in all things within its reach only to call that to determine in matters too high for it in points of faith that could never have been known by us but by Divine Revelation hath much more absurdity in it than to call a Countrey-clown from following tâ—e Plough to sit down at the Helm and determine in the Arcana Imperii mysteries and riddles of State Use all the reason you have only be not unreasonable in you reasonings and believe it we are not afraid of having things brought to a tryal the cause of Godliness is too good to be cast when it hath its hearing before a prudent impartial and righteous Judg. Consider then and that not only once but often so the Original word signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 considering again and again frequently repeat this act think of it now and think of it anon to day and to morrow every day The things of God the matters of Religion the product and issue of an holy life do deserve greatest seriousness and most frequent thoughts there is nothing in the world so considerable in it self as these things are and therefore nothing in the world is so worthy of your consideration Besides the merit of the things the dulness of the hearts calls for it Ahlas I we are not easily wrought upon our minds are blockish our wills stubborn our hearts obdurate our judgments do not readily assent to truth nor our wills close with goodness We are as the Disciples were slow of heart to believe and submit and embrace the things of God There must be precept upon precept and line upon line and there had need be consideration upon consideration and prayer upon prayer and all this is little enough nay all this and more than this would be too little were not God pleased to bare his Omnipotent Arm and to make it a day of power upon the obdurate and refractory sinner Slight thoughts and transient glances will make no impression will kill no sin nor kindle any holy heat it is the fixed eye that doth affect the heart as the Burning-glass must be for some time held with a steddy hand in the beams of the Sun before it will fire combustible matter Be much then in the work let not vain thoughts lodg but let holy thoughts abide and dwell within you So much for the Act. I now come to the Object What is it that we are to consider What truly you need never be at a loss for matter of consideration most choice and excellent matter viz. God himself and the operations of his hands in Creation-work and acts of Providence specially that admirable Master-piece sinners Redemption and Salvation Consider your selves your hearts and ways and latter end together with that infinite Ocean of Eternity into which you must lanch and those two places Heaven and Hell into which all Intellectual and Rational beings shall be gathered Consider the Sermons you hear and search the Scriptures daily bring all that is said in the Pulpit to the Law and to the testimony and see whether those things be so or not In Prayer consider in what a presence you are and with what a glorious Majesty you have to do what great Mercies and Blessings you have to seek
too weak and feeble to admit of so lofty a flight Let nature and the power of it be never so much commended by its admirers the natural man without a supernatural principle and the sweet yet mighty assiâ—â—ance of special grace never did never can make God his highest end No no self sâ—icks too close to him and is predominant it is both at the top and bottom of all his actions and doth indeed run quite thorough them Whereupon Theophylact said you cannot instance in one good Heathen because they did all for vain glory 2. Your deceased Pastors desigâ—ed the salvation of their own souls interest in God communion with him and fruition of him tasts of his sweetness sights of his beauty now and satisfaction hereafter They were of David's mind and rejoyced in the same hopes David had been speaking of the men of the world how they had their bellies filled with hid treasures Oh! that is good say some we wish we had our belly full too but stay that which spoiled all is this that they had their portion in this liâ—e The comforts of the wâ—â—ld are good enâ—oymenâ—s but they are a bad portion that holy man did think them so and therefore closed most sweetly thus Psâ—l 17. 15. As for me I will behold thy â—â—ce in rightâ—â—usâ—ess I shall be sâ—tisfied when I awake with thy likeness It is as if he had said Every one as he likes if these men see so much in the world let them take it and much good may it do them when they have their bellies full let them go to rest and sing themselves asleep in the lap of pleasures at the breast of creatures when God awakens them they will find emptiness and pain having fed all along upon wind and ashes As for me I will not be put off with these things they are but for the body but for the belly which must be destroyed for that part of man which shall never be glorified As for me I study the good of my precious soul and am set for a portion for my soul I would have my portion to take when their portion is spent I am for beholding the face of God and satisfaction with the likeness of God and when I once have that I am sure that I shall have enough both of his love and of his glory Paul laboured more abundantly than all if you should ask him what it was he laboured for he tells you I and my faithful Brethren labour that whether present or absent they might be accepted of God 2 Cor. 5. 9. We would gladly be accepted of the Saints but our chief desire and ambition is to be accepted of the God of Saints and to be received to live with him as his Children for ever And surely their greatest Adversaries may well allow them this We all know there is a scantiness in the creature and a narrowness in the world from whence proceeds shouldering and justling and scrambling but the Divine Love is infinite the fulness of a God inexhaustible and in Heaven there are many mansions room enough and happiness enough and glory enough for all that shall come thither let us not quarrel by the way nor at the Inne at home at our Fathers house there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore 3. Lastly They desir'd and aim'd at the spiritual good and eternal welfare of your souls To bring you unto Christ to build you upon Christ to keep you from departures from him and from unstedfastness with him in a word to be instrumental for the making you meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Your selves are witnesses of the pains they took among you God is witness of their studies for you the tears they shed in private the prayers they made in which they wrestled with great wrestlings that you might live in his sight and neither fall short of the grace which is bestowed upon his people nor of the Rest which remains for them I dare with highest confidence affirm these were the ends at which they principally aimed and do not fear being put to the blush at last as one that is found a lyar 2. But now let us consider the end of their daies their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 last end their going off the stage of the world and out of this vail of tears What Exist have they how come they off at last for that is the import of the word in the Original which saith a Learned Critick is a metaphor taken from those who being incompast about with thieves are in danger on every side how do they escape Faithful Pastors are tha light of the world but how many are there every where puffing at them They are the Salt of the earth but how do the wicked endeavour to cast all this Salt upon the dung-hill and what an unsavoury world should we have then They are troubled on every side and in all revolutions of Kingdoms and Nations none are so much exposed to hazard as they Well now observe and consider the end the last Act and blessed be our good God you shall find that in the Evening it is light Finis coronat opus Their End is such as that it crowns their works such as makes them free to tell the world that their labour hath not been in vain in the Lord because it fully answers all their hopes and expectations nay doth unspeakably exceed them It is such an End as is desirable for all men Even a Balaam wished thus Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his The vile wretch did not like the righteous mans life that was too refined and strict for him who loved the wages of unrighteousness but he would fain have his end And you will see no cause at all to wonder at it if you will but retire a little and in good earnest consider these things 1. The End of your faithful Pastors yea and of faithful Christians too is a welcome end Others like the fool in the Gospel have their souls taken from them there is a force put if they could resist they would in a sullen mood and disconted fit they will call for death but when it comes indeed they wish it â—arther off Whereas these resign their souls and give up the Ghost and commend their spirits into their Saviours hand They did according to their duty love their work and Relations and Friends and Comforts yea and glory in the Cross of Christ but they can freely bid farewel to all when they know they shall and think they do go to God Though their daies be few yet they depart hence full of daies because they have had their fill of living they do not only submit to God when he sends for them but also are well pleased the World was crucified to them and they to the World when things are once brought to that pass it is no hard matter to part the World
and everlastingly obliged And such injustice will cost them dear that are guilty of it Labour we to make men and women â—ound Believers Shew them the insufficiency of all they do to justifie them that they may never with the besotted Iews go about to establish their own righteousness but submit to the righteousness of God and by Faith put on that perfect spotless Robe which our dear Jesus hath wrought for humbled sinners It is that and that alone that can cover all our shame and adorn our persons and make our beauty perfect and us lovely in the sight of God Teach them to look after the inward glory which the King's Daughter had Psal. 45. 13. but withall to put on this clothing of wrought gold And let us also live up to the Laws of our Religion Away with covetousness and debauchery Away with envy malice and contention Let not the noise of Axes and Hammers and evil Tongues be heard among us Verily these things will not be for our honour Bespattering one another is not a likely way to beautifie our selves it is a diâ—ty trick and some of that dirt which you throw upon others will fly back upon your selves or if not the same yet some as bad This very work defiâ—es you That person hath no love in the family who is of a cross sâ—irit and delights in abusing Walk holily and humbly and in love Let not head-divisions cause heart-divisions Hatred variance â—mularions wrath sâ—rise envyings are works of the flâ—sh as well as seditions and 〈◊〉 These gratifie the Devil and please Papists but offend God and dishonour you Let all of us that fear God and love godliness keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace for we are Brethren We see the common Adversary is at work to ruine and destroy us all let not us strengthen his hands for it by weakening our own and devouring one another Vse 2. I would exhort you that are the People to remember your deceased Pastors and follow their Faith And in particular do you set upon these duties my dear friends who are the Members of this Congregation who sate under and rejoyced in the Light and Labours of my dearest Brother your late Reveâ—end Pastor Mr. Tâ—omas Vincent Concerning whom much very much may be said in his high and just commendation My acquaintance with him hath been short not full three years so that I cannot look back so far nor inlarge so much upon this noble and copious Subject as some of my worthy Brethren could have done had you pleased to have invited one of them to this service Blessed be God there is no need of many words for his works praise him in our Gates they will â—peak though I should be silent But I know you do expect something from me which you may please to take thus Reverend Mr. Thomas Vincâ—nt was a man really set for God having chosen him for his portion and for his Lord too He was devoâ—ed to his fear and honour and delighted greatly in communion with him him he served with his spirit in the Gospel of his Son Prayer was his daily work and great delight he was much at it mighty in it and successful too Many a gracious answer was given him from Heaven This wrestling Iacob was a prevailing Isâ—aâ—l a Prince with God He was a painful and industâ—uous Labourer in God's Vineyard laying out himself to the utmost for his peoples good Oh! how great was his zeal in the Pulpit what his hand found to do there he did it with all his might You his Auditors could not but conclude his Heart was in his work He put up his requests to God and delivered his messages to you with inlargedness of soul and in the sweat of his brows I can assure the world he was none of those idle drones those â—lothful servants who did the work of their Lord negligently He stayed with you here in the time of thâ—t noisom and greedy Pestilence which raged so furiously and devoured so hastily and numbred out many thousands and ten thousands to the Grave when others fled for their lives he kept his station all the while knowing he could not go out of Gods reach the arm of omnipotency could so bend his bow and draw his arrow to the head that it should flie as far as he could run He knew his duty and his safety lay together He was however freely willing to venture his life for the salvation of sâ—uls He was sound in his judgment and turned not aside to any errours upon the right hand or the left Hâ—s Doctrine speak his faith in Chriâ—t and both thâ—t and his life exprest his lovâ— to Mâ—râ—liâ—y and Piety I will tell you one passage which came from him about three or four daies before his death Asking him how it was within He answered me very well adding withal Blessed be God for an imputed Righteousness and blessed be God for an inherent Righteousness Dear Brother I must tell you if I had not an inherent Righteousness I could take no comfort from an imputed Righteousness He was of an unblameable Conversation I never heard of one dead flie in his Box of Ointment Did I say he was of an unblameable Conversation it was too little a word too short by much He was of an exemplary Conversation He reduced precepts into practice and was not only in his Doctrine but in his way too a shining light He was a sweet Companion Ah! my dear Brother how pleasant how very pleasant wast thou unto me Grace was poured into his lips and they dropt as an hony-comb I was beholding to him for frequent visits And though sometimes my own occasions were very pressing and urgent yet was his company never burdensom for he still detained me from business with delights and sweetnesses And if at any time I was not a gainer by his company it was mine own fault He was a warm Christian and carried up and down with him a heavenly fire a Divine heat both in his heart and his discourses Some opposition he met with in his work and discouragements yet he was not discouraged but held on his way and grew stronger and stronger Sub ponderâ— crevit storms made him root the faster and flourish the more He did not count liberty nor life dear to him so that he might finish his course with joy and the ministry which he had received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God And his blessed Master crowned his labours with admirable success he did not draw up his net empty nor had he cause to complain of labouring in vain spending his strength for nought in vain He did see of the travail of his soul in the conversion of many and will be able to say at last Lord here am I and the Children which thou hast given me But alas alas this bright and orient Star must fall he must fall not by the rail of the