Δ 901 death of the righteous: it is not so much a calm, and sweet, and easy passage, but a safe harbour: one may go to heaven in a storm, and to hell in a calm; and which is better? judge you: those wretches in Ps. lxxiii. 4. have no bands in their death, and yet death hath dominion over them. Comfort is not the great thing you need. ! 6. The same course, for substance, is to be taken for the conversion of both sick persons and those in health. There is but one way to heaven for all; and there18 fore consider with yourselves what you would do if they were in health, and what were necessary then; why, that same course you must take now: and if it be more troublesome to sick persons, they may blame themselves for it, who neglected the time of their health, &c. Indeed, sick men are apt to favour themselves, and to think God will accept of less from them than others; whereas, if possible, they have need to do more than others, and to make the more haste, having the less time to work. The greatest care must be taken to keep sick persons from those errors whereby they commonly miscarry, such as 66 time-serving and man-pleasing minister. But let a serious and faithful minister come to them, and show them their sad and sinful, and hazardous condition, and they will not admit it; but, as Peter says, are willingly ignorant." 2 Peter iii. 5. (3.) Carelessness and listlessness. This is the temper of many: knowing the difficulty of believing, repenting, &c. and remembering their own wicked lives, they cast off the care of that which they think will be to no purpose. You must therefore strive to possess them with the necessity of Christian carefulness. What madness it is to be careless now, which is the only season of caring to any purpose? What folly it is to free themselves from the care of a few days, to assure to themselves everlasting care and torment ?— (4.) Resting in generals. This has fatally deceived many. You may discourse excellently against sin in the general, and raise in them some passion against it, yet not profit them at all; true repentance takes notice of particular sins. And as generals have no existence, but in the particulars; so it is sin, in particular, which doth primarily affect the heart of a true penitent. To(L.) Insensibility of their danger, (5.) The concealment of some whereas the first step to a cure is to hidden way of wickedness, I beknow one's malady. It is a dread- lieve, hath sent many to hell. They ful thing to see poor ignorant and would never make their disease unconverted sinners at the brink of known, through fear of shame, as the pit, ready to drop into hell, and some persons have died of those not at all affected with it, &c. If diseases which they have concealed. ever you mean to do them any good, It is true, a man is not bound to you must awaken them out of that make confession of all his sins to a mortal sleep of lethargy, with a con- minister, as we rightly assert against viction of their danger, lest they Papists: but yet in many cases it sleep the sleep of death. is both expedient and necessary to acknowledge his guilt to men: and to say nothing of those cases wherein it is sometimes necessary, I shall only instance one, that the physician knowing more exactly the malady, may more effectually proportion his remedy. Possess them 19(2) Willingness to be deluded. You may know it thus: If an ignorant minister or friend offers comfort, how greedily they catch at it: They will receive comfort upon any grounds, nay, upon no grounds, but upon the bare words, it may be, of a with this in such cases. How much better it is to have some shame he fore a friend, who will cover your shame, and not reproach you with it, than before all the world? Conwinee them what folly it is, to be unfaithful to themselves. 8. Take heed of healing the souls of sick persons slightly. This we are very apt to-From the sick man's greedy desire of comfortFrom the expectation and desire of carnal friends-From our own careless hearts, that love not to put ourselves to any trouble; however, take heed of it, Jer. viii. 11. "They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace." This is the case: A soul (whether in sickness or in health) must first be wounded, then healed. There must be sorrow and travail ere the man-child be brought forth. There must be true repentance and godly sorrow-deep sorrow, great heaviness of heart, &c. Repentance is neither a short nor a superficial work. Persuade them to wait God's leisure, and in God's way for the cure, not to precipitate your work. Persuade them not to be afraid of sorrows, troubles, &c. but rather to fear the want of them for here is a common and a fatal mistake: most men are afraid of sorrow, and labour to drive it away; whereas indeed sorrow is the midwife of all true joy. Tears of penitential sorrow are the streams that lead as to the rivers of pleasure, which are at God's right hand. And on the contrary, to be a stranger to godly sorrow, is one of the worst signs of a lost soul." Perhaps some useful additions may be made to these hints-the result of the observation and experience of ministers and others who have been much in the habit of visiting the sick. If such hints, Mr. The conviction forced itself on my mind (which perhaps it was sinfully reluctant to admit,) "The trea sure is in an earthen vessel; perhaps the vessel is about to be broken up!" My heart was overwhelmed I trembled and almost sunk under the anticipation-Oh, what shall I do, if deprived of that wise and holy and faithful instructor, under whose valuable ministry my soul has for many years been fed with the bread of life? of that condescending and sympathizing and affectionate friend; that judicious counsellor in perplexity and difficulty? he who has ever been ready to participate in our feelings of joy, and to lead the expressions of our cheerful gra titude, when the candle of the Lord shone upon our tabernacle; and when it was overshadowed by a cloud of deep affliction, who like a brother born for adversity, adminis tered the balm of heavenly consola tion to soothe the agitated mind? When I remembered these things, I poured out my soul within me, with feelings somewhat resembling those of Jacob, " My parents are not-my beloved partner is not and must my pastor also be taken from me?" All these things are against me. This tumult of feeling subsided a little, and gave place to reflection. Faithful memory unlocked her cell, and exhibited the stores of gleanings with which she had enriched her treasury from those fields of heavenly truth in which she had been permitted to range under the pastor's guidance; recounting, with mournful delight, his striking illus trations; his forcible appeals; his soul-searching addresses; his seasonable application of promises to believers; his earnest invitations to sinners to come and taste the blessings of salvation; and faithful admonitions to saints, to guard against temptation. to walk worthy of their high vocation, and, in the strength of divine grace, to persevere even unto the end. And must the highly valued channel be cut off, through which these refreshing streams have been so long and so sweetly communicated? Most earnestly we besought the Lord that this cup might pass from us. Prayer also was made continually in the Church for the recovery of our pastor And the Lord turned his affliction" as the streams of the south." The glimmerings of hope, at first very faint and feeble, became gradually stronger and brighter; and were at length confirmed and crowned in the joy of once more beholding the servant of God take his accustomed place among us, to declare those things which he had "handled and tasted and felt of the word of life." And who can describe the feelings of an affectionate people on this interesting occasion?" Then were we like them that dream-then was our mouth filled with praise and our tongue with singing. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." But sorrow and joy are not the only feelings which such a dispensation ought to excite. Surely it demands lively gratitude to have been favoured with such a minister; and to have enjoyed his ministry so long, even though now we had been deprived of it; but what shall we render that the privilege is renewed to us, even when we expected that it should have been cut off? "Bless the Lord, O our souls, and all that is within us, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!" Let it lead us also to more constant and entire dependence on the great source of ministerial excellence and success; however admirable the vessel in which the gospel treasure is conveyed, may we never forget that the excellency of the power is of God; and let this thought lead us to earnest prayer while our ministers are continued to us, that abundant measures of the Spirit of Christ Jesus may be imparted both to them, and to us under their ministry. And let it guard us against despondency under their removal; though the vessel be frail, the treasure is imperishable. Often are we painfully reminded, that "all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass; the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:" how solid the support, that "the word of the Lord endureth for ever," even that word which by the gospel is preached unto us! By our recent alarm, very serious and humbling considerations are suggested to us. Surely we have not duly improved the mercy that God has threatened to withdraw from us. If the candlestick be removed, may it not be because we have neglected to walk in the light? Have we not been too apt to rest satisfied with attachment to the persons of our ministers, and admiration of their talents, while perhaps the great ends of their ministry have not been accomplished in us? Have we not listened to their words as to a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; but have not our hearts meanwhile gone after their idols? At best we have deep calls for self-abasement on account of the past, and to diligence for the future. Here in particular let us feel deeply humbled. Oh, what has been my progress in religion, compared with what it ought to have been? What a dwarf, what a babe in grace, for one who has been so long fed on the sincere milk of the word! How like the barren wilderness, when the culture bestowed demanded a character rich and fruitful as the harvest field; ornamental and amiable as the flowery garden! How often have I been delighted, but how seldom profited! "How cold and feeble is our love, How negligent our fear! How few affections there!" Well, but at eventide it is light. Our Pastor is spared to recover strength and administer to our souls, and we are yet spared a little longer to receive the word at his mouth. Oh then, let me be up and doing; let me be roused to double diligence through the evening, " for the night cometh when no man can work." The circumstances through which we have lately passed, have tended to impress the often-repeated sentiment, "How blessings brighten as they take their flight!" we Perhaps we never set so high a value upon the labours of our Minister, as we did at the period when we thought they were about to close for ever. Perhaps, too, may look back on times past, when some slight plea of indisposition, or engagement, or difficulty, has prevailed to keep us back from the sanctuary, which would not have been admitted had we entertained the idea that it was the last time our beloved Minister should address us. May we each be enabled to resolve that, so far as in us lies, his remaining days shall be made more comfortable by seeing his people walking together in love, increasing in grace and holiness; for that end let us be more constant and fervent than ever in our prayers, that being brought among us again, it may be "in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ," and that the pleasure of the Lord may increasingly prosper in his hand. In our late experience, we have a renewed instance of the efficacy of prayer. The Scriptures record many instances of a spirit of prayer being poured out when the Lord designed a blessing and perhaps it may not deserve the charge of enthusiasm to have all along entertained a hope of our Pastor's recocovery, because, that He who will be known as a God hearing and answering prayer, both allowed space for prayer, and excited an earnest spirit of prayer, on that behalf. It has been repeatedly remarked on the sudden removal of ministers, that he who designed to remove them to glory would not. give his people an opportunity of praying for their continuance on earth. Our prayers do not always. prevail for the particular blessing we ask; but it is very sweet to receive a mercy in answer to prayer, and to know that prayer is the means either of improving our mercies, or of obtaining support and profit under our trials. Encouraged. by past experience, we may grate fully adopt the language of the poet: "In every new distress We'll to his house repair, The circumstances referred to, lead us to anticipate the day when II. THE subject derives strength from the opinion and conduct of eminent ministers. Here the range might be very extensive, but selection must suffice. "Our own counsel should be delivered plainly, and so should the counsel of God much more. It is sad to gather clouds, or rain, or mist about our hearers, when we are professing to hold out the light. To puzzle and amuse those whom we undertake to teach is one of the worst accidents (it is too bad when it is the intent) of a teacher."* "That is the best preaching which woundeth the heart; it is most for the glory of God and for the good of souls. Speaking pleasing things to tickle the ear, better becometh the stage than the pulpit. He is not a wise preacher who doth not mind his end; whose speech is fuller of fiashes of wit than of savory wholesome truths; that thinketh rather to please the ear than to awaken the conscience. He does not act like a master of the assemblies. The work of a minister is not to gain applause to himself, but souls to God; that maketh you go away and say-not how well hath he preached! but-how ill have I lived! That ends with self-loathing, *Caryl on Job, vol. ii. p. 1880. rather than commendation of his + Manton's Works, vol. v. p. 580. 1710. |