500 s BAXTER'S FAREWELL. SF TiMION. day. But things unreVéaled belong _only unto God. It suf- ficeth me to be sure of this, that as our kingdom, so our com- forts are not of this world, and that as Christ, so his servants under him, maysay, "Behold I and thechildren which Godbath'given me, Heh. ü. 13.) and that we shall present you as chaste virgins unto Christ ; " 2 Cor. xi. 2. " And therefore we have preached, taught, and warned, that we might present you perfect in Christ Jesus;" Col. i. 28. "For what is our hope, or joy, or cráwn of rejoicing ? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his- coming? For ye are 'oúr glory and our joy;" 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20. But yet the resemblance between death and this our separation holdeth not in all things. 1. It is not I, nor any pastor, that is the church's soul or life. This-is the honor of Christ, the Head. Being planted into him, you niay live, though all his ministers were dead,or all your teachers driven into corners ; Isa. xxx. 20. 2. Thecontinuance ofyour church state dependeth not-on the con- tinuance of any one single pastor whatsoever. `Godpan provide you others to succeed us, that may do his work for you more success- fully than we. And could I but hope that they should be as able, and holy, and diligent as Í desire; how little- should I partake with you in this day's sorrows.! Had I not given you these exceptions, malicious tongues would have reported that I made myself your life or soul, and take the churches to be all dead, when such,as I are silenced and cast out. But I remember Psalm xii. Though what I have said, and what you feel, may make you . think that a funeral sermon is most seasonable on such a day, yet I have rather chosen to preach to you the doctrineof rejoicing, be- cause you sorrow not as men that have no. hope, and because I must consider what tendeth most td your 'strength and steadfast- ness ; and that you maysee herein I imitate our Lord, I'have cho- sen his words to his troubled disciples, before his .departure from them; John xvi.""22. And though I make notluestion but it will be said with scorn, that thus I 'make myself as Christ, and that I seditiously encourage you by the expectations of mq'restitution, yet will I not therefore forbear to use my Savior's consolatory words, but will remember to whom, and On what occasion; he said, "Every 'plant which my heavenly Father bath not planted,'shall . he rooted up. Let them alone ; they be blind leaders ofthe blind; and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fail into the ditch ;" Matt. xv. 13, 14. , The words are Christ's comforts to his orphans, sorrowful disci- ples, expressing, first, their present condition, and that which they were now to taste of, and, 'secondly, their future state. Their pres- ent case is a state of sorrow, because that Christ must be taken
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