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T H E DEATH CF MINISTERS Jrnproved, pr, an Exhortation to the Inhabitants of Ho1',fley in Glocéfter -fhirc, and o- thers, on the much Lamented Death of that Reverend and Faithful Mini- fter of theGoipel, Mr. Henrj stsbbrs B y (tho. 'Vincent, JohnTurner, ?_ Rob. Perrott, A?. Pemberton. To which is added A. ERMO upon that Occa{ion, by `&ICHARD B XT".Ro itinted in the Year 2678. _.. b
To the inhabitants of HorJley it Gloceflerjhire, and other places of the Country, who did ordi- narily attend upon the Mi- nifiry of Mr. Henry Stubbs, lately Deceafed. Beloved Friends, Lthough you, whofe Habitation is f remote, are unknown by face untous as we whofe work and Minii$ry is in London, are unto you ; yet becaufe of the great Love which Mr. ,Henry Stubbs (your moft worthy and laborious Pallor, and our moft dear Friend and Reverend Brother) did bear: towards you, whilft he had the over- fight of you ; we are willing to give forne Teítirnony of our great repes to the party deceafed, whole memory will always be pre- cious to us, by (hewing our refpeds to you in fending you forme lines to further your im- provement of this.fàd Providence which hat.h taken away your Minifter ; looking uponour felves as under a particular Obligation topay our mite, by endeavouring to promote the A fpirithait
4 1 fpirittal benefit of Mr. Stubbs's hearers in the Countrey, after he bath taken fuch indefati- gable pains for the advantage and Soul welfare of our Hearers in the City. We want words to exprefs this fo great and publ%ck lofs, of this fo great And excellent Min leer ; who as he was ,generally known by the bet of people 'in the City, and adjacent parts ; and as his Miniftry was highly priíed; although but fornetimes .tatted when he came occafionally to London : fo his death both by Minifters and People here hath been greatly Lamented. But what Tongue can utter your fors, who were more efpecially under his Paftor'al charge and in1 etion, his care and inftrugkion ! We fuppofe it was grievous to you to part with him for a while when he came Taft to the City, although it were with hopes of receiving him again But when you heard from London that your Paftor was fallen fick, take fick in Preaching, fo lick that he could Preach (and then he was.fick. indeed), when. heard of his Feaver, theviolence ofit, and his danger ; O what thoughts of heart had you ? What fears did there then arife in your hearts ? What wreftlings at the Throne of grace ? Lord fpare him! Lord refore him to to again .` Lord tly u az,lin a little longer with this mercy ! kfVat care was there among you, and folicitude about his
_i his health and recovery 1. Not without forne hopes; that th ,Lord might be entreated, and lend a gracious ear to the many prayers both in City and Country put. up in his behalf, fo as to raife hirn and reicue him from the aws of death, in order to his further fervic ble- neis in the land of the living. But hen the doleful tidings came to you that Mr. Stubbs was departed, that your Paftor was dead, that he had fnitthed his course, and reigned up his fpirit ; what were your looks, your thoughts, your fpeeches then ? What fighs, what forrows, what tears, what bitter mournings and lamentations were there gene- rally then to be found amongft his acq'J: intance and hearers in the Country ? fnd is he gone indeed ? Shall we no more fee his' face ? No more hear his voice ? Will he pray. amongfl us, and pray för us, no more ? Will he appear in the Pulpit and Preach to as no more ? Did we thin! that the laß Sermon which he Preached before his la4t journey, Idbe the 141 Sermon whichwe jliould- have an - .:gar from him ? He lately Preached 'to as of praying without ceafïng, and did we think, he would fo foon ceafe to. pray himfelj ? He called upon us with great importunity that wr would pray fervently, andhe lived in the praCiice of his own Sermons ; we have heard of his con fant fecret Devotions, his dayly prayers with his Wefe, and in his Family ; and he did-hear u A 2 upon
[6] upon his heart in his private addreffil onto God , Sut 0 how did thisgood man wafle andfpend his fpirits in his fervent prayers with 144 and upon our account, when he prayed amongJt us on or- dinary and etraordinary occafions ? We have often known him to continue five or fix hours to- gether in Preaching, chiefly in prayer on fafling- days ( being in the Country deflitute of the help Of anyother Minifler) and that without imper- tinencies, tautologies, tedious repetitions, or any crude, raw, rude, and naufeating expreffions, but with a great and delightful variety of holy plea4' and arguments, and ifour bafe hearts have been tyred fimetimes with the length of his ad- minifirations, yet he himfelf hath feemed to be little tyred, at leafs his fpirit loath been unwearied withall his pains and labour. We remember how affeaionately he ufed to make acknowledgment of fin, of our fins, which he walmoregrieved for, than our felves we remember his fighs and groans which froman oppreged heart brake forth at his mouth, 119:nibing an inward fare beyond the utterance of words : we remembe how the tears didoften fleal from his eyes, and run down his old cheeks, how he hath often wept for to, when our eyes have been dry, our hearts flupid and hard like a flone within to. We remember his humble Fetitions, his fervent fitpplications at the throneofgrace for pm, how he would wreftle Ipith God ikepeob. endwhen we thought he had been
C7] been quite fpent , how he bath recovered his Jlrength, and renewed his hold, as one refolved to take no denyal, and not to let the Lord go, with- out his bleffing for u as well as for himfelf-. ednd did we think, t'"at thefe extraordinary motions and affec`lions in one fo ancient did pre- fage his near approaching death? that he was come vowvery nigh to the endof bis race ? That being fo ripefor Heaven, he would not be long out of ,Heaven, in the Suburbs of which he feem'd to be, when he was in his Devotions ? Did we think that the Lordwouldfo foon gather him and receive him to himfelf, and fay to him, pray no more for this people ? We remember his intro- dufkions to his work, when he firfl entred his Pulpit, beyond the ordinary cujtorne of other A'Jiniflers (and indeed there were many things extraordinary in him) how before his Sermon and Prayer too, he ufed to befpeak.our attention, and endeavoured to incite and flir up our of fe[ion with varioues arguments ; fometimes mind- ing us of Gods Omnipre,ence and his all-feeing eye ; fometimes of the Divine Authority of the word which he was to Preach, that it was indeed the word of God by which we Jsould be judged at the lafl day , fometimes minding us of the worth of time, efpecially offuck feafons o1 grace ; fomet nes of the worth of our Souls, which the gain of all the world could not cornpenfote the lofs of :s fometimes of the worth of grace beyond A 3 all
[8] all the treafures of the Tarth, which wO were capable of gaining by over diligent hearing ; fonetines'minding ua of our death and the eter- nitywhich we fhould enter upon immediately after the feparation of our Soul. from our Body ; but did we think his own death was fo near, and that he Would enter into eternity fo loon himfelf? We remember with what gravity, fcrioufnefs and fincerity- he ufed to Preach unto us, with what plainnefs he did accommodate the word to our capacity, with what zeal and fervency be did Make application to us of the great truths of Religion bow he prefledfinsupon our confciences bya clear, clofe, and powerfulconviftion, adding the molt moving confderations to awaken us unto á fenfë of them, a hearty grief and repentance fog them. We rememler hone feelingly he made known to us the glad tidings of Salvation byfaith in jof t.s Chrifl , how earneflly he urged upon us our duty towards God, andone towards another, backing his exhortations with the moll cogent ;arguments ; and how notably he did infînuate what he [peke hereby into our affeflions we re- ìember hovbe thught us not only by his Doffrive, but àl/o by his example, going before us in the way Of- duty and the way to 1-leaven; but did we think_however in Heaven be would be above us, that he wouldbe alfo in Heaven before us ? He came to my haute not long before he went toLondon (it may be one may fay, and another may
[9] may fay, and poílïbly many of you may fay) although I were unworthy to receive filch a one under roof ; and methought his face did loo, like the face of an e4ngcl. I remember his humble grave 1006 his image is fill upon my mind, as if his perfon were fill b(fore mine eye I remember his kind plealing countenance, his fwe d ,ebliging fpecches he came not to eat of my bread, but to feed me with the breadof life, and how did he entertain me holy and hccvven,y diJcourfe ; he fpk to mfr Pelf, and be Jpall to my Wifè about oar Souls, I hope IJiall neverforget his la[1 words fo long ai Ihavebreath and a me:,: ory to retain any thing; he fpake to my Children and my SETyan s, he would needs have them all called, that he might give them foie words of infruëion, that he might fpeak fometh.ing to, awaken and quicken them to mind J their Seals and Salvation' ; He told its all of death and judgment, how near we were to Eter- nity, but did I thinkhis own glafs was fo near run out, and that he would fo quickly be himfelf in that eternity which he' fpake of fo frequently and affec`llionately to others e Whenhe went forth, of my doors, did 1 think he world never fet foot. , within them again ? end that when he went 414'41y-, ÿe r'-asgoing andwas fo near unto his lone borne ? The la f Lords day of his Preaching to ass, he gave us notice of his journey that ke intended on
C io on the e.2íonday, and defred to fee us the next morning, not at his houfe, but in the Church, that there he ?night take leave of us ; and there feveral of us came together tofee him, and there we heard his laß Sermon to us : his Text was, Prov, 3. 6. In all thy ways acknowied hhn, and he ihall dire& thy paths We well remember the words that dropped then fromhis mouth, but did we thinlyhey wou d be his laß words to eu ? Didwe think when God was direc`ling his path to London, that he was thereby direUing his way fo foon to Heaven ? Dicl we thinlyhat when he too;;,. his Farewelof us, that it was his laß Fare- wel, and that we fhould meet him no more until the .Heavens fball be no more ? O that we had pertwaded him (for he was a man eafy to be entreated) that he would have flayed in the Cou,trey with us forne weeks longer, and have forbore fisch frequent Preaching, until the heat of the feafon were over, which his old body and walled fpirits could not fo well brook, although he thought himfelf able to bear it well enough, and that he fhouldgo thorow it as he bad done in former times . Hadwe forefeen the iffue andvent of this journey to London, rather than fail we would have raifed the whole Countiey of his acquaintance, and come about hire with earnefi defires and requefts to flay him here:, we would have Ug about his arms and neck, we would le' c ta' en hold of his hands and his fèet, and forcibly
forcibly (if we could not otherwife) have detained him among ¡u, that he might have eft-aped that arrow and flroke of death which was prepared for him in London : 'Ifhe had been refolved to go,that he might haflen home to his Fathers pouf, we would have ufed our endeavour to alter his refolutions, we would have wept, and cry'd, and prayed with i :7. portunity, Good Sir don't leave us yet, good Sir flay with us a little longer ; pity fun and fuch ignorant Families, which when you are gone are like to perifh for want of ir;f ruFtion ; pity filch and fuch uncon- verted perfons, who are hallning and rulhing forward in ways of fin to their own damna- tion ; and although they have not hearkened to former calls, it may be fore further calls from your mouth may (through Gods bring) prevail with them, and be effectual to convert and fave them. Pity your Wife who is like to be left a Widow, and what a forsowtu1 Widow is the like to be ? Pity your. Children which will beFatherlefs, and if fòtne of them be provided for, yet you know who of them are low and fhiftleis, and quickly will feel your lofss, and all of them will .greatly mils your company- and your help of them in Heavens way. Pity your Spiritual Children, ibrne of whom are but new born Babes in Chrií, Who are not like to thrive ti,ould they , ib fbon weann'd from the breat`?-, who have' tieed that you
îÌ C 12 you fhould give themmore of the fincere 1Vlilk of the word (which they have tamed and fo well relifh) in order to their Spiritual growth and nourifhment,; pity your poor flockwhich you are leaving, think what grievous Wolves, when you are gone, may enter arnongft them to rend and tear them : force of them are forrowful, and they have need of you to com- fort them, and how will their fadnefs and for row be encreafed when they hear of your deceafe ? Some of them are weak, and they have need of you to ftrengthen them; force of them are ftaggering, they have need of you to eftablifn them; yea, force have loft their way already, and are wandring, and they have need of you to reduce them : force of them are bruited , and they have need of you to bind them up ; and the molt of them are exceedingly difèafed, all have their Spiritual _ maladies, and they have need of you to ad- rninifter Soul- Phyfick to them in order to their cure and healing; andwill you leave your flock in fuch a condition, when there is fo much need of fuch a Paftor, and they are not like in haft to get another to fucceed you, who will watch over and feed them, as you have done ? In- deed after fo much toil and labour, you may well long to be at reft ; after fo much work, you may well look and long for your reward ; but will not your rat be the fweeter if you labour
C. 13 labour a little more ? Will not your reward be the greater, if you add further work tò what you have done already ? if you long to be in Heaven, O flay a little for us till we be more fitted for that place ; good Sir abide a little longer with us, that you maygain more Souls foT Chriíf, who will add to your glory and joy at the day of Chriíls glorious ap- pearance. Thus we might have arguedandpleaded with him to fay, hadwe known that he was goingfrom tu, not to London only, but alto unto Heaven. ,But it was the will of God, he fhould tale this journey to London and that he fhould finifh his courfe there ; his glafs was run, his workwas done, the bounds ofhis years anddays were de- termined, over which hecould not pafr, had both he andwe never fo much defired it. He is gone, he is gone ; never to return to us again in this World. We have loft amoll dear, tender hearted, faithful, laborious and painful Minifier ; but our lofs is his gain ; he is happy, we do not envy his happinefs, but he bath left us behind forlorn And forro;, fain a World offinandmifery. Such Ianguage as this we may iuppofe to have been amongíf you in the Country ; and as you are moil deeply concerned in the lofs of Mr. Stubbs , fo that you have been greatly affe&ed therewith beyond what we can fet forth. Two
Two Funeral Sermons on Ira Stubbs death have been Preached in the City, one on the Lords day by Mr. Yhoríí &WWtfon, the other on theweek day by Mr. Richard Baxter, both which we fuppofe will come to your hands. The Chara.ier which Mr. Baxter in his bath given (the only Sermon of the two, vghich we have feen) of Mr. Stubbs his Spirit, .íTá. Jcctrine., manner of Life, converfation ; his great dili- Bence and unwearied pains in publicly Preaching and private inaruaion, when:the Sermon doth corne forth, will fufficiently evidence to others as well as your felves, what a lofs above others you have fuftained. Should we employ our Pens in drawing further lineaments of this .excellent perfon, they might prove hut t`ha- dows, not to fet off, but obscure the piture of his fpirit already drawn io lively by a far more skilful hand ; and therefore we forbear any further commendation; of him, who is above our commendation. Our design and busrefs is to mind you of your duty in re- ference to this fad providence which' hath be- reaved you of fùch a Paftor as Mr. Stubbs was tinto you. One great duty is to lament and lay to heart your Pafors death ; to afea you herewith, what we have already writtenbath a tendency; we know:all of you have reafon to grieve, but are there not too Many of you unfenfible óf this
E. 151 this great lofs ? And is not this lofs the greatefi to fuch ? When good old yaccb dyed, his death was lamented iórely, not only by his own Children, but alío by the Egyptians, Gen. 5o. io, i i. When Mofes and c.'1aron dyed, the ifra:lites mourned for each of them thirty days, Numb. 20.29. Deut. 34, 8. When the good King .ofiah was (lain, there was a great mourning for him amongft the Yews,called the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. When Elifha the Prophet lay on his death-bed Yoafh although a wicked King did weep over him 2Kings' 3.14. NowElifha was fallen fickof his ficknefs whereof he dyed and joafh the King came down to him, andwept over his face and [aid, O my Father, n'y Father, theChariot ofIfrael andHorfemen thereof. And we read, (Aft. 8.2. whenStephen the Proto- martyr was ífoned by the yews, Devout men carryed Stephen to his burial, and made great, Lamentation over him. Eccief. r 2.5. Mangoeth to his long home,and the Mourners go about the. ftreets. But when fuch men go, men of God, Ernbaffadours, Minifters, fuch eminent Mini-. fers as yours was, O what mourning fhould.. therebe for him : you have loft a Soul- friend, yea a Soul- Father, an old Disciple, a Soul@ couniellor, a true fhepherd, a Soul-feeder, a fin- cereNathanael, a Barnabas,a Soul comforter you have loft an Angel, a Reward, a labourer, a
II [ 16 . a watchman, a builder, one that f tidied fox your Souls, i'reached, prayed for your Souls, watched for your Souls : wept for your Souls; (pent himfelf for your Souls good, and {hall not filch a lofs be bewailed ? As Paul {aid to the Ephefiansconcerning hirnfelf,we may {ay to you. concerning Mr. Stubbs, iì61.20. 25. Behold all ye amongß whom he hath gone for force years Preaching the Kingdom of God, ye jhall fee his face no more: and it is {aid, Verfe 37. 3 S. And they all wept fore, and fill on Pauls neck, and killedhim ; Sorrowing moll of all for the words which he fpake, that they fhould fee his face no more. Mr. Stubbs bath feveral times come to the City and returned to you again, but now he will return to you no more ; he bath done Preaching to you, he bath done praying for you, he will weep and wrellle for you no more, he will never more inftruet and counsel you never more warn and admonifh 'you , never more exhort and perfwade you, never more comfort and encourage you ; the'doors are now Phut, the doors of your ears have been too often Phut againft his meffage, and now the doors of his lips are Phut up, and never will they be open to youany more. It would have been a juíf caufe of great trouble if your Mi- niíler had been removed into a corner, or had been thruft into a Prifon, although there you might have vilited him fometirnes and received a
C 171 a Spiritual benefit by his private convenfe, and not have beenwithout hopes of his deliverance and enjoying the fruit of his labours again but now he is gone from whence he will not return; his Soul is fled beyond your reach, and his body is gone down to the place of filence, the Lord hath put him to filence ; men could not do it, he would preach fo long as he had a Tongue to (peak: but God hath filenced him in the grave, fò that how you mull not look that he should pray more, and put up further fupplications for you, or preach more,and give further inftruCtions unto you this is a Lamen- tation and fhould be for a Lamentation. Efpe- cially you fhould lament your fins which have procured this lofs, this fad ifroke : have younot finned away your Minifer by your un'teach® ablenefs under the word which bath been taught by his mouth , your unfruitfulnefs under Gods íhowringupon you, Gods dreffing and manuring c you by his hands ? We have had our lofs too here in the City not onlyof him, but alfo of many other eminent and faith- ful Minifters ; our glory is in a great meafure departed, our ftrength is decayed,our Mòis's, our Yacobs, our praying our wreftling Miniíters are many of them gone lately to God, and have we not reafon to fear that God is about to remove his Gofpel, when he calls home hiß Ec bal:
Eí87 Embaffadours fo fait? that a great ftorm is near when he houfeth fo many of his fervants ? Is not our hedg in danger of falling, when fo many #takes are pluckt up? and our houfes of tumbling , when fo many pillars are thrown down ? When the righteous perifh, not only righteous men but Preachers of righteouinefs; doth it not prefage fome great evil at hand, which they are taken from to a place of reft and fafety ? The times did look with a bad face before, but do not they look worfe and worfe, when fo many Minifters are removed, who by their prayers and minifterial labours, might have been helpful to prevent thofè judg- ments which we are in fuch danger of ? The clouds do now gather blackneís falter and falter, and dreadful thunder {forms do feem tobe in their bowels, and the Lord knows how foon all faces may gather palenefs : the molt ferious Chriftians and the molt underftanding and conlidering perfons, do look with trem- bling expectations, when this (land will crack and breakwith a terriblevoice over us,and beat down with a fierce í'empeit, it may be in fhowers of blood upon us. The lofs of our dearbrethren in the Miniftry doth weakenour hands that are Minifters, who have loft the advantage of their compan and help ; but the lofs is moft near, molt fore to them who were under
rÌ9] under their charge and the lots Of this our lately . deceafed Brother and Fellowlabourer Mould be bewailed efpècially, and laid to heart by you who were under his care and Minifry. Thereare two forts ofperfons amongft you, whom Mr. Stubbs hath left behind, Uncon- verted, and Converted perfons we Will fpeak to; both. Firf, Are there not many unconverted per- fons, whom your Mini(fer after all his Soul. travel and pains in Preaching hath left t :con- verted ? Are there not many grofly ignorant perfons with you , notwithflanding all his Catechizing and inftruetions ? Are there not 'many openly vicious perfons, notwithftanding all his reproofs and admonitions ? Are there no profane perfons among you, no íwearers ? Are there no unclean perfons, no adulterers ? Are there no intemperate perfons, no drunk- ards ? Are there no unrighteous perfons, none that are fraudulent in their dealings ? And amongft thofe who are civilized and outward- ly reformed, are there none among you, who are fecretly wicked ? none who are covetous, under the reigning power of that fin which is inconfiftent with the power of godlinefs ? Are 13 2 there
C 2«] there no hypocrites among you, painted Se- pulchres, rotten at heart, whatever your out- ward fhow and profeffion of Religion is ? Are there not too many among you who mind your Bodies, but neglea your Souls ? who make provifion for your flefh, but negleft your Salvation? Alas ! Alas ! What is like to be- come of you who are (till unconverted, and have not been wrought upon effetually by fuch Preaching, fuch a Miniftry, now this Mi- nifter is removed ? If youwere not converted whilft you had fuch powerful means, are you now like to be converted, when the means are gone, and you are never like to have fuch powerful means of grace again ? Did not your Minifter whilft alive call upon you frequently, and that with earneftnefs and importunity that you would repent , and turn from your evil ways presently, and that youwould not delay, left God fhould leave off calling you, and take away the means of your conversion from you ? And hath not God left off calling younow by his mouth ? And if you fhould not be effeftu- ally called at all, if you fhould not be con- verted whilft you live (which now feemsvery unlikely tobe) 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,
C 21 Souls, becaufe of the dreadful miferies coming upon you, which inferiour Creatures will ef- cape. Without Converfion, there is no Sal- vation ; without Repentance and Faith in Jefùs Chrift, and love to God and a holy life, there is no efcaping the Damnation of Hell. Our defign is not to drive you to defpair, only to awaken you, who nave been ib long and fo faft afleep and r f ich an awakening Miniftry; if you fleep Rill and arenot fta.rtled by the lofs of your Minifter , we mt h ;fear the next thing will be the lofs of your Souls. Awake ! Awake ! Ye drowfy, fecure, Sleepy (inners, God calls upon you once more, by us he calls you to awake, to repent and turn from fin before it be too Iate,and the door of mercy. be Phut, and death flath unexpeaecily fúrprifed you in your fins. God by us doth command the vileft of you to repent, eArd.. 17. 3o. And he threatneth death if you difobey him : fhould 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, cloth .command you to repent, to come out of the dirty ways of fin into the clean ways of:holi- nefs , and that upon pain of eternal death, 13 3 of
C 22 ofeverlafting torment and punifhment in Hell, will you not obey, will you not repent ? Will you chufe to difhonour God, and damn your own Souls rather than to repent of your fins ? Shall the threatnings of a weak man havemore force with you, than the threatnings of the great and glorious yehovab whomade Heaven and Earth ? Shall the threatnings of leiTer evils which are but for a moment, have more place with you, than the threatnings of the moll dreadful evils and eternal plagues (hall have? Moreover God doth invite you to repent, and ulèth arguments to prevail with you, Ez.e{_; 3 3. z i. Say unto them, Thus faith the LordGod, l have no pleafure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way cnd litte ó Turnye, turn yefrom your evil ways, for why will ye die, O houfe of1fracl ? God doth encourage you to repent by his promifes ; all the promifes which you will find in the Scrip- tureof Remiffion, of Adoption, of Salvation, of Spiritual priviledges here, and eternal hap- pinefs hereafter, are made to thofe that repent and believe, both which are always in con- 'F' junaion, See Prov. 28,13.. Ifa. 55. 17. Chap. . 16,1 -7, i8. And will not Gods invitations, Gods promifes, and none of the rich Gofpel pry"
[23] priveledges move you to repent ? Will you flight pardoning mercy, and chufe rather to abide under guilt ? Is it good to keep wounds in your confciences when youmay have them healed ? Is it good to have God your enemy, when you may be reconciled ? Is it defirable 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 chufe poverty when you may have Jewels to enrich you ? And eternal. mi- fery, when by repentance you may attain ever. failing happinefs ? There are three forts of un- converted and impenitent perfons amongyou ; fome of you are young, forne in your middle age, and fome of you are arived unto old age, we would apply this Call to every one. Firff, You that are young men and young women, repent ofyour fins, and turn fromyour evil ways whilíi you are young ; as you ought to remember your Creator fo as to turn to him in the days of your youth, fo you ought to remember your fins fo as to turn from them, in the days of your youth. Had any of you been born without fin, and lived without fin, there would have been no occafion for yoùr repentance; But who among you can fay he is innocent-? Have you not original fin and B 4 a(tual
C 24 aaual fin to repent of ? Will not your con- fciences witnefs the corruption ofyour natures, how averfe naturally you are to good, how prone to evil. Is there not a RegiFter in your bofornes of fins committed in your childhood, together with your more late and more ag- gravated youthful try nfgrefflons ? And do you not then need to repent ? Are you too young to repent, when you are not too young to fin ? You have heard of yofi h, who had á tender heart in his tender years; and ofTimothy whowhen a Child did know the holy Scrip, tdíres,which taught him the leffon of Repen- tance ; and if others have attained repentance in their Childhood and youth, why may not you attain it ? TheDevil will perfwade you it is too foon, and theflefh will perfwade you it is too foon to repent ; and your companions in fin will perfwade you to hold on with them Mill in your finfull praìices : many carnal arguments you may find out to move and plead for indulgence of your felves'till in your fen- Alai and finful delights; and you may be prone to think graver years will be molt futable for the ferions and fevere work of Repentance; andyoumay prefurningly hope, when you are gro*n up to years of more maturity, then you will mourn for your iniquity, then you will turn ovex a new leaf, return unto God and lead
[25] lead a new life. But doth.God' allow'you to' prociafiinate your Repentance- ? Doth God give you a difpenfation to fin, fo long as you are fo young ? If it be a duty to repent here- after, is it not now as much your duty ? If it be good to repent at all, is it not good to re- pent w.hilíl you are young ? Are you fure to live till you are grown risen, and grown wo- men ? Did you never fee or hear that others, have died as young as your felies, and as likely to live, and that notwithftanding their hopes . and prefumptions of long life ? Indeed you may live to,be old, but think alf° that you may die whilfr you are young ; you may die fuddenly before you have time to call upon God for mercy, and if you die in your irnpeni- tency youwill moff certainly be thrown for your fins into Hell, that place of moll hor- rible and unfpeakable mifery ; and will you venture your everlaíling damnation on pre- fumption of long life, and future Repentance Befides, are you fire to repent, fhould your life be continued ? Is Repentance in your own power ? If you have not hearkned unto for mer calls of your deceafèd Miniiler, and if you will not hearken to the call of divers Mi-. nifiers now together, are you fure God will call you any more, that he will fend any other Minifter to you ? Or if he fhould, maynot he %Vitlh
C26I withhold his bleffing, and fwear in his wrath that his Spirit which hath been ftriving with you fo, long, thall drive with you no more ? Moreover, can there be a more fit, a more rea- fonable time for your Repentance, than whilft you are young ? Will not your Repentance now be with the leis difficulty ? It it be difp ficult to repent when your fins are fewer, will not the difficulty encreafe when your fins are encreafed and grown morenumerous ? If it be difficult to repent when your fins are leffer, will not the difficulty greaten when your fins are greatned and grown more heinous ? Is not a twigmore eafily bended, than a grown Tree ? Will not long cuaom in fin added to your na- tural propenfity, add to the difficulty of your repentance ? Is it not eafier to repent when you have lefs fin and more time, than when you ¡hall have lefs time and more fin ? Will not fin be more eafily mortified whilft it is more weak, than when by long continuance it hath gather- ed more ftrength ? Will it not be very hard to remove long contrafted hardnefs ? Do you think the Devil will be eafily cart out, when he bath had long poffeffion. Or can your laíí Ñ Repentance , if it were eafily attainable , be fo pleafing and acceptable unto God , as Repentance in your youth ? Doth not God call for your firft fruits ? Shall the Devil, and the
e E. 27] the flefh, and the World ravifh your Virgin- affeE}ions , and then will you repent ? Hath not God work enough for you to do although you begin never fo young ? And will you \chute rather to ferve the Devil and your own luf}s in the fpring, the prime, and vigour of your years, than to fave the glorious yehovah, when the fervice of the former is fuch slavery, fuch drudgery, and the ways will be eternal death, and the fervice of the latter is fo ho- nourable, fo beneficial, and its reward eternal life. May this Call, thefe arguments prevail with all of you that are young, without any, further delay to repent of your fins, and to day, whilíf it is called today to hearken unto Gods voice , and no longer to harden your hearts through the deceitfullnefs of fin. Secondly, You that have continued in your finful ways and pra&ices to your middle age ; it is high time that you fhould repent. If your Spring be over,and yourSummer be come, and hitherto you have neglected yourSouls, and al- lowed your fèlves in your fins; O delay no lon- ger time, repent of your fins, and repent that you have repented no fooner. God ftretcheth forth his hand all the day long to a flubborn, and gainfaying people ; if you have been flub born hitherto ; If you have deafned your ear to
[28] to former calls, don't deafen your ear to this call, which may be your Tat call. God hack been very patient withyou, he might have cur you off in your fins long ago, and think where. your Soûls would have been now Have not force of you been vifited with ficknefs, and brought down to the fides of the pit, and been raifed again beyond your own and others expeaations ? Have not others of you r aped great perils and dangers, and been w ac rp fully preferved when your lives were in great jeopardy? And fhall your refforatior.of vi._r prefervation, be but a refervation unto more dreadful deffru&ion ? Or rather final not Gods patience and goodnefs lead you o Re-. pentance ? Will you return evil for goo( ? Be caufe God doth not fpeedily executehis venge- ance upon you, {hall your hearts be fully fet in you to do evil ? If your youth bath been given away fromGod.don't give the ftrength of your years too. Let the time paf be fufficient where- in you have ferved divers tufts, and let the re- maining part of your days be devoted untoGod It is likely that manyof you are now got into in.tanglements, and will be hindred by incum- bring bufinefs in the work, which is like to be more difficult than if you had begun betimes : but think, although the difficulty of Repen- tance be never fo great,yet the neceffity of Re- pentance
L 29 T pentance is far greater; Repentance is both uriiverially and abf lutely, altogether indif- penfably neceffary ; you mutt repent, all of you muff repent, otherwife you are loft irre- coverably, and will periíh everlaffingly; It may be hard to you now, and grievous to uñ- ravel all your fmtut works, to undo what hi- therto you have been doing, to begin another life now after you have fpent, or rather mif- pent fo much of your time ; It may be very grievous to you to cut off your right hands, to pluckout your right eyes, but better do fo than that the whole body be caft into the fire ; we mean, it is better to part with your molt beloved lulls, called in the Scripture, and by our Saviour, the right hands, and the right eyes, than that the Soul fhould perifh in fin, and be tormented in Hell furely Hells tor- ments is far more grievous than repenting work and converting work can be. O be not befoofr- ed by the deluding Devil, and your own de- ceitful hearts, to defer fo great and neceffary work any longer ; you have thought to repent at this time, and thought to repent at that time, and yet this time hath come, and that time bath come, and both have flipt and are gone, and ífill you are where you were ; as far from Repentance, yea further from it, more in iípofed, more averfe to it thanat the be- ginning.
[30] ginning:. Sinners, what do you refolve upon will you hold fait fin ítill ? Will you purfue your lufts to the burning lake ? Or will you defer again this work of Repentance until a fitter feafon.? What feafon can be more :fit than the prefent feafon, when Godcalleth you, commandeth you,and ttr,etcheth forth his hand- to encourage you unto this duty. Thirdly, And lafly., We luaul add one word to call old finners toRepentance : your Spring is part, your Summer is ended, your Winter is come, and yet you have not repented, yet have not amended. And what do you think now to do ? Are you refolved to finifh your courfe as you have begun it ? Are you re- folved to fill up the measure of your fin, with yourdays;and will you deafen your ears again{ all Gods calls unto the tart ? Youhave one foot in the grave, and don't you fometimes think of Death ? Can you think to live here always Don't you feel your rtrength to decay ? Have you no Harbingers and forerunners of death with you ? Do not your Silver hairs mind you of the tooling of the fitver cord ? and your . daily breakings through the infirmities of old age, of the breaking of the golden bowl and pitcher at the fountain, and wheel at the cirtern,' whom dur} (hall return to the earth as it was. and
[3'] and the Spirit to God that gave it; that by him yoti may be judged ? .Eccl.12. 6,7. Young onesmay die in youth, but you m4die in old age : you cannot laft much longer ; in a mo- ment you may go down into your duff, and what do you think will become of your Souls when they are separated from your bodies? Will not God call you to an account for all your fins ? Shall you not receive according to what you have done in the body ? Can you be content that Cod fhould banifh you from his prefence for ever , and punifh you amongf'c Devils in Hell ? Can youdwell with devouring fire ? Can you inhabit everlafting burnings ? Can you endure to be tormented and that to eternity , and that with extremity of tor-. ments ? But you will fay, is there no hope ? I anfwer, the Devil may tell you there is no hope ; when you were young the Devel per- fwaded you it was too loon to repent ; and in the ftrength of your years, that it was too loon, time enough hereafter ; and now it may be he would perfwade you it is too late ; yet however grey- headed Converts are very rare, force fuch there are and have been found : We read, Math.20.6. ofTome called to work, in the vineyard at-the eleventh hour. Indeed your Repentance now will be with the greateft dif- ficulty ; but confider what bath been faid of its
C32 .1 its neceffity,and you may take fame encourage- ment from its poffibility. It is poffible for you to obtain Repentance, and Remiffion, and Salvation, if without further delay you feek it, if you diligently feek it. You have need to ranfackyour hearts, to read over the Regifter of your Confciences, to draw up bills of in- ditement againft your felves : you have need to retire within, to go down into your Spirits with the candle of the Lord in one hand, and th' word of the Lord in the other hand, that yuu may find out, and bring out,and flay thofe tufts there, which war againff you, and which if they be not (lain, will be your ruin : you have need to humble your felves greatly before the Lord, to lie very low, to cry very loud, to mourn and weep, to grieve and lament over fo many fins, and thofe fo highly aggra- vated as yours have been ; And then know there is mercy enough in ftore for fuch as you, free-grace can fave the oldeff and greaten ¡in- ner ; themerits of Chriffare fufficient for your pardon; the promifes of the Covenant are large and may reach the worft of you. O then break: off your fins by Repentance , and lay hóld on the Lord Jefus by faith, and devote what remaineth of your life until God, and it is pofbte that fuch as you may get into the Kingdom of Heaven, and eternally admire the infinite
[ 33 infinite. Riches of Gods free grace in your Salvation. Our Letter would fwell too much fhould we. add particular dire} ions in order to this work we therefore exhort you to call to Remem- brance what your own Paffo.r hath Preached. to you for your guidance and help, and it i4 poflible that the feed Which. he (owed whìlf . alive, may fpring up after his death; and the. Sermons which he hath Preached amongft you, and the Ceunfels which he bath given to you, may (through Gods, bleffìng and your icemen brante , and Application) have their effea even now , he is gone, in your Conversion and Salvation. Befides unconverted perfons, we hope there µ. are many true Converts, truly gracious per=; fons amongyou, and not a few who have beers the Seal of. Mr. Stubbs's Miniftry, Some of you are new born, others well. grown Çhri-, ilians ; fome of you are in a declining firate others are thriving Chrif'ians ; we might: be, as large in our writing to you, as we have been inour call of the Unconverted; we might giVe particular counfel and advice, in order to the- healing of wounded Confciences, the reviving' ecay d graces and affections, the refolvinn C and A
[ 34 and removing groundlefs doubts, and perplex- ing fears concerning your fpiritual condition the arming you againft Satans temptations; the guiding of you in the dark night of de- fertion, and when under the Eclipfe of the light of Gods countenance ; and for your quickning and encouragement under afflittions and all oppofitions and difficulties which you do or may meet withall in Heavens way. But fhould we write particularly and fully to you of thefe things, our Letter would grow into a treatife, which is beyond our defign ; there- fore we muff refer you for Counfel, in thefe things,unto the Word of God,and thole Books in our Englifh tongue, which are written on thefe Stibjeas ; and particularly to call to re- membrance what your dear Paftor hath taught you, and advifed you, who was the belt ac- quainted with the ¡fate of your Souls. All that we (hall further add,is to mind you of fone duties, and to fuggeft force confider - ations for your comfort and encouragement under this fo great a lofs. . The duties which God calleth you more ef. pecially unto,after his taking away your Paftor from you,are, i Watchfulnefs. 2Fruitfulnefs. 3 Prayer. 4 Farnily-inftru&ion. Firft,
[35] Firft, Watchfulnefs : All Minifters are, or ought to be the Lords Watchmen ; the Watch- man ; whom the Lord fet over you, was emi- nently faithful, but he is now gone and will watch over you no longer, and therefore you have the more need,- and are now called to watch over your (elves the more diligently, and towatch over one another. i. Watch over your (elves; guard your fenfes which are the inlets of fin, and keep your hearts with all diligence, fromwhence are the iffues of fin, ; it is not long lance you had the eye- of your Minifter over you, who was a faithful reprover; now he is re- moved, take heed you give not your felves the more liberty either to negle(i duties, or to comply with temptations,whereby you may be enticed unto any fin ; were Mr.Stubbs alive, and by you, it may be you would not yield to fuch and fuch Temptations, left you íhould offend him, and be reproved by him ; but think with your felves; that Cod is by you always; and being infinitely holy,is more high- ly offended with fin, than the moft holy man on earth can be; and you have alfo an obferver within you, a reprover , we mean your own Confciences, and take heed of offending them in offending of God 5 for if God and Con- C 2 fcience
[ 36 fcience fhould be againft you, it is a thoufand times worfè than to have all the men on Earth, and all the Devils inHell againft you. Watch not only againft groífer, and more fcandalous fins, but alto againft leffer fins, and fuch as are 6f more ordinary prauice in the World, and that not only amongft the profane, but alto amongft profeffors of Religion themfelves, amongft whom too many hypocrites will be found at the laft day. Watch alfo againft errours,efpecially fuch as are damnable, fuch as are in the foundations of Religion, which fhould you entertain would be more effectual to ruin your Souls, than if you were guilty of the grofreft immoralities. Having received the truth, hold it fait, prize it above Silver and Gold, as being far more precious; yea above life it fèif, and let all go rather than let any truth go ; let truths be rooted in your hearts, imbrace them with love and delight, otherwife youmay be impofed upon with er- rours by fome cunning impottors, and be toffed to and fro with divers winds of Doctrines, by the flight of men and cunning craftinefs of fuch as lie in wait to deceive; always fufpe t them as dangerouflyerroneous,who endeavour to bring the Miniflry of Chrift's appointment into contempt, and perfwade you to a neglea thereof, which you have reafon above others highly
t40 [37] highly to efteem and keep clofe unto, having had fo eminent and faithful a Minifter amo.ngft yQU. Secondly, As you ought to watch over your (elves, fo alto to watchover one another, that fo inftead of one, there may be many watchmen amongft you. Watch over one another in reference to fin, and in reference to duty. In reference to fin, both to prevent f ft in one another, and to reftore fuck as are fallen into it. Watch toprevent fn,iò far as you have power; fay not with Cain'. Am I my brothers keeper ? As you ought not to murder the bodies of any, nor to fuffer any (if you can hinder it) tomurder themfelves; fo you ought not to murder the Souls of any, nor to permit them (if you can hinder it) to murder their own Souls : fhould you fee any of your neigh- bours, or acquaintance,take Swords, or Dag- gers, and therewith togall and wound them- felves, lift up their hands to thruft them into their hearts, would not you run to them, and fnatch away thofe weapons and inftruments of death from them ? WouPd not you argue and plead with them, to forbear the laying fucli violent hands upon themfelves ? By fin your neighbours wound themfelves ; if they wound not their fleefh, they wound their Spirit if C 3 they
C387 theywound not their bodies, they wound their Souls ; and as thofe wounds are moft inward, fo they are the moft deep and dangerous; the wounds of fin are mortal wounds, and not only temporal death but eternal will be the effect of them, without a feafonable application of the blood of Chrift. O do what you can to prevent fin in your friends, do what you can to arm them againft Temptations, and to en- courage them to refift the Devil; to expofe themièlves to any kind of fufferings and pains, and to deny themièlves any kind of delights and gains, rather than to offend God , and wound their Confciences by their fins. But if any of your Brethren have been tempted and have yielded, if they are fallen and wounded, watch to reftore fuch s and there- in follow the direEticn of the Apoftle, Gal. 6. i, Brethren, if a man be overtalgn in a fault, ye which are Spiritual refloré fuch a one in the fpirit of meek,nefs, confidering thy felf left thou alfo be tempted. If you hear of a fault in any of your neighbours, be not forward to be- lieve it, unless the thing be evident by clear proof, or the parties own confeflìon, and then think what the Law of love loth require, Lev. 19 17 . Thou fhalt not hate thy Brother in thine hears, thou limit in any wife rebuke thy neighbour,
[39] neighbour, and not fifer fin upon him. When your neighbours lie under guilt, let love to their Souls prompt you to ule your endeavour for the removal thereof ; don't fpeak of their faults behind their backs to their defamation, and the wounding of their names ; but fpeak of their faults to themfelves in your plain and faithful reproofs, in order to their amendment and the healing of the wounds in their Con- fciences : and that your reproofs may be fuc- cefsful, they rnuft be managed with muchpru- dence,with a due confiderationof the fault, the perfon, the place, the time, and the manner; as to the manner the, Apoftle directs you to do it in the fpirit of meeknefs, don't ufè op- probrious terms, railing angry accuiàtions, re- membring that the wrath of man worketh not the righteoufnefs of God, and anger in your reproof is apt to beget anger in the parties re- proved, the effea of which is like to be excufe and extenuationof theii faults, a hardning of them in their fins, recriminations and retorts on your felves : whereas it you reprove them mildly in a fpirit of meeknefs, and they per- ceive your love therein, and deign of their good, you may the more probably reach their C'onfciences , and through Gods bleffing im- print a conviction upon them, and be inftru- mental for their reftoring; a loft Tongue break- C4 eth
E4ä7 all bone, and a mild reproof may mollify a heart that is like a' bone, or like a ftóne in hardnefs.. And as you ought to watch over one ano- ther in reference to fin, fo alib' in reference to duty; as you occalionallyor purpofely meet to- gether, watch to advife and counlèl one ano- ther, to quicken and encourage one another in your duties both to God and man, 'read Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord; fpake oftenone toanother, , and the Lord'hearkyed and heard it, and a Boo, of remembrance was Written before him,for them that feared the Lord, andthat thought upon his name. Here youhave, . Your duty,to fpeak oaten one to another; and.what it is yoti fhould fpeak : The wicked fpeak often one to another, but they-" fpeak vanity and fin, as if their Tongues were their own, and they had nq Lord over them; their difcourfe is froth and filth, they have a Trea- fure of evil things in their hearts, and thence they bring forth that which is evil ; but you who fear the Lord, have a Treafureof good things in your hearts, and thence you fhould bring forth that which is good-: your words fhould be like choice" Silver to enrich one ano- ther; your lips like a Tree of righteoufnefs to ed o :e ánother, your difcourfe Mould be A- way
[41 way with grace unto your mutual edification, that you may excite one another in the ways and service of the Lord. 2. Here's a motive to quicken unto theduty, the Lord hearkneth , taketh efpecial notice hereof, records this on his Book, in order to the reward he intends and hath prepared for filch in the other World. Look into another Scripture, Heb. to 24, 25. Let taa confider one another to provoke (not to anger, but) unto love and good workf; not forfak. ng the af"embling of our felves together, as the manner of fame is, but exhorting one another, and fo much themore as you fee the day approaching. We have not room in this Letter to enlarge in expofition of this Scripture, but mull leave it with your felves to do it in your Meditations, mull: an contra& in the other particulars. Secondly, The fecond duty which God cal- leth youunto, on the lofs of your Miniíier, is fruittulnefs. Your Miniver was a spiritual fower , and we hardly know any. who hath fown fo much feed of the word, as he ufed to do in all places where he came; none more fre- quent in Preaching on the Sabbath days, on the week days, on ordinary, on extraordinary occafions, publickly, and fromhoule ro houfe, he
[42] he ceafed not, whilff he had a Tongue and Breath,to Preach the word. We need not tell you how much feed he hath fown amongff you; and what it is that God doth look for, after fuch a feed-time as you have had. But that the harveft of your fruitfulnefs should be in fame meafure anfvverable hereunto; that as you have had more feed fcattered among you than o- thers, fo you fhould bring forth more fruit than others : Take heed now your Minifter is dead, that his Sermons don't die with him, and be forgotten by you, as if they had never beenPreached, never been heard. Take heed you be not found barren after fuch fowings ; that you be not found dryafter fuch droppings; that you be not like Pharaohs kine, lean after fuch plenty of fpiritual food, and fuch abun- dant means of Spiritual nourifhrnent as you have enjoyed. The fruits which God doth look for are the fruits of Repentance, humi- lity, meeknefs, leif-denyal, patience, content- ment, diligence, righteoufnefs, filial fear of God, faith in Chrit`f, love to God, and one to another, zeal for Gods honour, lively hope of Heaven, thankfe\lnefs for mercies. God looks that you fhould Ile fruitful in good words, and in good works ; l t the feed your Minifter hath fown, fpring up after his death in fuch fruits as thefe filch things he hath often taught you, and
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