AS I thought strange when Application was made to me, so I doubt not but several here may wonder that I should be ingaged in a Funeral Discourse at the Interment of this antient and worthy Minister of the Gospel: Such I would inform that it was nothing but the earnest Solicitations of his dearest Friends and Relations, together with the venerable Esteem I had for himself, that prevailed with me.

And having consented, I had many thoughts what Text to make the foundation of my present Discourse; but being assured that these excellent words of the Apo­stle were a very great Support and [Page 6]Solace to the Mind of this Reve­rend Person in the approaches of his Dissolution, and often repeated by him with much delight but few hours before his last Exit, I conclu­ded none more fit to be consider'd upon this solemn occasion; and the rather because they are the words of one to whom I will ven­ture to liken (tho in vastly diffe­rent degrees) this our deceased Friend, viz. an antient faithful Minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Apostle Paul, who was now a Prisoner at Rome, and un­der the apprehensions of a sudden Dissolution, not indeed (as our antient Friend) through the Infirmities of Age and Sickness, but as a Martyr of Jesus Christ; which Apprehensions were so far from being frightful and surprizing, that they were very comfortable and delightful to him, as appears v. 20. The ground of which holy Con­fidence and fearless Expectation of [Page 7]Death, was his consciousness that Christ was his Life, and that there­fore Death would be his Gain, as it is expressed in my Text; For to me to live is Christ, and to die is Gain.

In which words we have two Generals.

First, The Apostle in himself gives us a Description of a li­ving Christian in these words, For to me to live is Christ; or as Tremellius (from the Syriac) and others render it, Vita e­nim mea Christus est. For Christ is my Life, understanding that the Apostle useth the Infinitive [...]. to live, for the Noun [...]. Life; which is very usual both in Scripture and other Authors: and being thus understood, the words contain this Proposition;

That Christ is the Life of a true Christian; as Col. 3.4. When Christ who is our Life shall ap­pear, &c.

Secondly, The happy Exit of such a one. He that can say upon clear grounds with the Apostle, That Christ is his Life, may assure himself that Death will be so far from being the King of Terrors, that it will be Gain to him.

Doct. All those, and only those, who have Christ for their Life, shall be Gainers by their Death.

In handling this Truth, I shall endeavour two things.

• I. To shew what's included in Christ's being the Life of a true Christian.
• II. What are the Advantages that such gain by their Death.

I. The first thing we shall en­quire is, What may be included in Christ's being the Life of a true Christian, that thereby we may make some Judgment of our own [Page 9]State. I conceive it includes these following things, which I may little more than glance at.

1. Christ is the meritorious Cause of a true Christian's Life. We are all thro Sin dead in Law, and under Condemnation; but a true Christian is passed from this State of Death and Condemnation, into that of Justification and Life. But how? Rom. 3.24. Being justified freely by his Grace, through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ. 'Tis thro the meritorious Sufferings and Obedi­ence of the Lord Jesus imputed to Believers, in respect of the saving Benefits thereof. By Sin all are alienated from the Life of God; but the true Christian is rais'd up from a Death of Sin, to a Life of sincere Holiness. But how? 'tis by the gracious operation of the Spirit of God, which he shed on us abundantly, Tit. 3.6. through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

2. Christ is the Principle of the Spiritual Life of a true Christian, [Page 10]which springs from Ʋnion with him. 'Tis a dangerous Error for any to suppose themselves to live a Life of Justification, before they have some real experience of a Life of Sancti­fication; and 'tis impossible to live a Life of Sanctification before this vital Ʋnion. Gal. 2.20. I live, says the Apostle, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the Life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

3. The Laws of Christ are the governing Rule of the true Christian's Life. If we savingly receive Christ, we receive him as Lord, Col. 2.6. i. e. We as willingly receive him as our King to rule and govern us, and to save us from the Power and Dominion of Sin at present, and from Sin it self hereafter, as we re­ceive him for our great High Priest to atone for our Guilt, and pro­cure and maintain our Peace with God by his Sacrifice and Inter­cession. [Page 11] Christ is the sole Author of eternal Salvation, Heb. 5.9. but 'tis only to them that obey him.

4. The Love of Christ is the con­straining Motive of a true Christi­an's Life. None can upon clear grounds say with the Apostle, To me to die is Gain, but such as can, in some good measure, also say, The Love of Christ constraineth us. 2 Cor. 5.14. 2 Tim. 4.8. The Crown of Righteousness is pro­mised to all them, and to them only who love his appearing: And to be sure, none can love Christ's appear­ing but such as can truly say, 1 Joh. 4.19. We love him, because he first loved us.

5. Christ is the Pattern and Ex­emplar of a true Christian's Life. God hath predestinated all his Chil­dren to be conformed to the Image of his Son, Rom. 8.29. both in Grace and Ho­liness here, and in Glory and Hap­piness hereafter: And the former is the only and necessary way and means to the latter. 'Tis vain for us to pretend to be savingly in­terested [Page 12]in Christ, unless, in some good measure, we are like him in Holiness, Humility, Meekness, Self­denial, Zeal for the Divine Glo­ry, 1 Joh. 2.6. &c. He that saith he abideth in him, [...], 1 Cor. 5.10. must needs himself also so walk, even as he walked.

Lastly, The Glory, Honour and Interest of Christ is the great End of a true Christian's Life. He does not only sometimes speak or act for Christ, 2 Cor. 5.15. but habitually lives to him. Our Apostle tells us here, V. 15 —18. he re­joic'd while Christ was preach­ed and glorified, and his Interest carried on, tho himself was, by the same Persons, envied and de­spised. We must in this be like him, and hereby evidence that Christ is our Life, if we would say upon like grounds with him, Death will be our Gain.

These are brief hints of the se­verals I take to be included in this Phrase, To me to live is Christ, or Christ is my Life; which taken to­gether, [Page 13]I conceive, give us an ex­cellent Description of a true living Christian. He is one that, through the meritorious Sufferings and Obe­dience of the Lord Jesus, is vitally united to him by Faith, and thereby justified and sanctified; rul'd by his Laws, and influenc'd by his Love; his Life is conform'd to Christ's Life, and devoted to the advance­ment of his Glory and Interest. To all such, and such only, Death will be Gain. And so I come to the

II. General, to treat something of the Advantage that every true living Christian gains by Death. This we shall consider more gene­rally, and more particularly.

I would in a more general way premise two things:

1. Every true living Christian is a present and immediate Gainer by Death. When their Body returns to the Earth, Eccles. 12.7. their Spirit happily returns to God who gave it. Hence [Page 14]heavenly-minded Christians ear­nestly long to be absent from the Body, 2 Cor. 5.8. that they may be present with the Lord. Without presupposing this, I can't see what rational Ac­count can be given of the Apostles Option, ver. 23. Having a desire to depart, or [...]. to be dissolv'd, and be with Christ. Which Truth I think also plainly taught by our Saviour, in his gracious Promise to the pe­titioning Malefactor, Luke 23.43. Verily I say to thee, To day, or [...], hodie, q.d. hoc die. Pasor. this very day, thou shalt be with me in Paradise; that is, in heavenly Delights and Pleasures. Who also teaches all his faithful Servants by his own Example, Ib. ver. 46. to commend their expi­ring Spirits into the hands of their Heavenly Father.

But, 2. The fulness and comple­tion of their Gain by Death is re­serv'd for the glorious Appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Bodies of Saints shall be rais'd and reunited to their Souls, then [Page 15]they shall fully enter into the Joy of their Lord. Hence this is con­stantly spoken of as the great day of Redemption and Recompence. 'Tis when Christ who is our Life shall appear, Col. 3.4. that we shall fully appear with him in Glory: 2 Thess. 1.10. When he shall come to be most eminently glorified in his Saints, and admir'd in all them that believe. Whence all that have valiantly and victoriously fought the good fight, &c. 2 Tim. 4.7, 8. die in a comfortable hope of receiving a Crown of Righteousness at that day, viz. of his appearing. Thus much in general.

I shall now more particularly endeavour to set before you some­thing of the Advantages which living Christians gain by Death. And,

1. They gain thereby a perfect freedom from all Sin. I need not prove to any serious Christian that this is a very great Gain. Believers are indeed now characteriz'd to be [Page 16]such as are made free from Sin; Rom. 6.22. but this means no otherwise than as the Apostle afterwards explains him­self, — 8.2. made free from the Law, or Dominion of Sin. An absolutely perfect freedom from Sin, is pecu­liar to the future Life. The re­mains of this Plague in Believers, like that inveterate Leprosy in the Houses of Israelites, Lev. 14. can't be per­fectly cur'd without dissolving this earthly House of their Tabernacle. 2 Cor. 5.1. Christ will at and after Death com­pleat his Work, and present his Church, and each living Member thereof, Eph. 5.27. glorious, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy, and without blemish: Then they shall be without fault before the Throne of God. Rev. 14.5.

2. They are freed by it not on­ly from all Sin, but from all Temp­tations and Inclinations to Sin. This is much more than the former. Our first Parents in Innocency were wholly free from Sin, but [Page 17]'tis certain they were not free from Temptations to Sin: Yea the second Adam, our Lord Jesus, tho per­fectly holy and undefil'd, yet, in the state of his Humiliation, he was not only assaulted with Tempta­tions, but violently assaulted with most black and hellish ones; and tho he could not in the least be prevailed upon to sin by these Temptations, yet he suffered, Heb. 2.18. which seems to import some difficulty, in bearing and resisting of them; no wonder then that the best Christians very often find them­selves grievously tempted, and too much inclin'd to a sinful compli­ance, when yet through Grace they are kept from those Sins to which they are tempted. But Death will free the sincere Chri­stian not only from the destructive malignity of the fiery Darts of the wicked one, Eph. 6.16. but also from their afflictive Injections; not only from being overcome by those fleshly Lusts 1 Pet. 2.11. [Page 18] which war against their Souls, but also from being any more molested by the motion of them. Death will not only secure them from being destroyed by this present evil World, Gal. 1.4. but it will totally deliver them from it.

In this respect Death will usher the living Christian into a Life transcendently more excellent than the present Life of Grace, wherein whatever ground Christians have to think themselves to stand, 1 Cor. 10.12. or [...], 2 Cor. 13.1. to be established, they must still take heed lest they fall. And sure the most confirm'd Christian, while here, as well as the great Apostle, has need to maintain a cautionary Fear and Endeavour, 1 Cor. 9.27. lest he should be, or [...]. become a Reprobate or Castaway.

Yea Death will advance the li­ving Christian into a transcendent­ly better Life than that paradisical one of our first Parents in Inno­cency, as was hinted before: For [Page 19]tho they were free from Sin, and furnish'd with Strength and Abili­ty to have continued in that State, yet they were not freed from the possibility and danger of sinning, as the event wofully manifested. But Believers thro Death will be se­cur'd not only from Sin, but from all danger of sinning, and establish'd in an impeccable and immutable state of Holiness.

3. Death will free the living Christian from all Sorrows and Mi­series. They are already exempted by their Justification from liable­ness to future-Wrath and Condem­nation: 1 Thess. 5.9. God hath not appointed them to Wrath, but to obtain Salva­tion thro our Lord Jesus Christ. But while they have any remains of Sin, they must look for Sorrows and Afflictions, which are the inse­parable Concomitants of it. Job's Experience is as true of the best Christians, as of other Men, that as they are of few days in this [Page 20]World, so those few days are full of trouble. How many Sorrows afflict some thro want and penury; and no less Sorrows attend others in obtaining and using of Riches; and a while after it may be far greater accost them by the sud­den loss of an Estate, or great part of it, by some surprizing Cala­mity; Prov. 23.5. while Riches make them­selves Wings and fly away, as an Ea­gle towards Heaven. Many times they have great Sorrows from the Malignity of open Enemies, at other times no less from the Trea­chery of pretended Friends, and the Mutability and Fickleness of once real ones. The dear Children of God here labour often under Sorrows by reason of Pains, and dolorous Distempers in their Bo­dies, and many times by reason of Doubts and Fears in their Minds: They have many times Heart­breaking Sorrows from the woful Miscarriages of Children, or other [Page 21]dear Relations; and often very cutting Sorrows by a sudden remo­val of them thro a surprizing stroke of Death. It would be endless to enumerate the variety of Sorrows and Calamities that more or less afflict God's Children while here; but at their Dissolution God will wipe away all Tears from their Eyes, Rev. 21.4. and there shall be no more Death, neither Sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more Pain: for the former things are passed away.

4. At Death the living Christian is freed not only from the burden of a sinful, but also from the clog of an animal Body. A sinful Body is one thing, and an animal Body another. It would be equal­ly false and irreligious for any to say that our Saviour had a sin­ful Body, but it is certainly true that he had an animal Body like ours, liable to the like natural tho not moral Infirmities, which Sin hath brought into our Bodies. [Page 22]Whence I conceive 'tis said he was sent in the likeness not only of Flesh, Rom. 8.3. but of sinful Flesh. The Bodies of Saints in the present state, as they are to them an occa­sion of much Sin, so when they are not so, they are a great clog and hindrance, and as it were a dead weight, to keep their aspiring Souls from mounting upwards in Divine Contemplations and Com­munion with God. Tho the Flesh in them be not so strong as to prove a victorious Enemy, yet 'tis so weak as to prove a very untoward and sluggish Servant, even when they are bless'd with a willing Spirit in religious Duties. Whence the best Saints have con­tinual need not only to watch, Mat. 26.41. but pray earnestly for help from above, to secure them from being van­quished by Temptation. But Death will bring them into that blessed State wherein this contemp­tible, 1 Cor. 15.43, 44, 49. and, it may be, deform'd [Page 23]Body shall be made glorious and beautiful: This weak and frail Bo­dy shall be made vigorous and powerful; this Earthly and Terrene Body shall be made Heavenly and Celestial; this gross and sluggish Body shall be made pure and spiri­tual: Then I conceive they will be enabled even literally to mount up as with Eagles Wings, Isa. 40.31. to run and not be weary, and walk and not faint. In a word, our gracious Redeemer will change this our vile Body, Phil. 3.21. that it may be fashioned like unto his glo­rious Body, according to the work­ing whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself.

5. Their Souls at and after Death shall be freed not only from all sinful, but also from all afflictive Ignorance, and made perfect in the Knowledg of God, and his most excellent Works. This Knowledg our Saviour calls Life Eternal, Joh. 17.3. because as a present sanctified Knowledg of God is the only way to, so the Perfection [Page 24]of this Knowledg is of the Essence of Eternal Life and Blessedness. The most illuminated Saints here have cause, with Elihu, to complain we can't order either our Thoughts and Conceptions, Job 37.19. or our Words and Expressions aright, concern­ing him, by reason of Darkness. Indeed the most raised Notions and Conceptions, Words and Dis­courses even of an Apostle, while here, concerning the Mysteries of God and Religion, are but like the imperfect and confus'd Thoughts, or lisping and broken Expressions of Children, compar'd with what they shall be in Heaven, whence spring so many different Apprehensions amongst the most sincere Christi­ans; and hence they are too often vehemently contending and quar­relling like Children about those abstruse Difficulties which are clearly apprehended by neither of the contending Parties. But Death will cause all Scales to fall [Page 25]from their Eyes, and remove eve­ry Veil from their Heart: then their present obscure Knowledg shall vanish, as the twinkling Light of a Candle before the resplendent Brightness of the Sun. All which is fully and clearly expressed by the Apostle to the Corinthian Christians. 1 Cor. 13.8-12. Then will Saints be let into the full view of the Myste­ries of Redemption, 1 Pet. 1.12. which things the Angels desire to look into: Then will the infinitely wise and beau­tiful Series of Divine Providence be display'd, which here appears many times, to the best, dark and unaccountable for want of their seeing it from the beginning to the end: Eccles. 3.11. Then shall the Depths of the Divine Wisdom and Goodness in all God's Works appear to his Saints, who shall be the wondring and delightful Beholders thereof.

6. Death will let them into the immediate beatifying Vision, and full enjoyment of God and their blessed [Page 26]Redeemer: Then all that are pure in Heart shall, Mat. 5.8. according to our Saviour's Promise, be made compleatly blessed by seeing God: They shall see his Face, and his Name shall be written in their Fore­head. Rev. 22.4. How and after what man­ner Saints shall see him who is in­visible, Heb. 11.27. what human Mind can now conceive? and how much less can my Tongue or Pen express it? But in this the Holy Ghost is ex­press; 1 Joh. 3.2. We shall see him as he is; and as the blessed Effect of this Vision, we shall be like him. And well may this, according to the Apostle's design, raise admiring Thoughts and Meditations in our Minds concerning that State, and the Divine Love which gives us an Interest therein. 'Tis very un­christian to murmur and repine at the Death of our Godly Friends and Relations; which is only the accomplishment of the gracious Will and mediatory Request of our [Page 27]Saviour: Joh. 17.24. Father (saith he) I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my Glory, &c. O! what a desirable thing must it be to be for ever with the Lord, 1 Thess. 4.17. and in the perpetual and uninterrupted fruition of him? To all such who count it no less their Privilege than their Duty to behold his Glo­ry now, tho it be only in the Glass of Ordinances; to all those who often, in some good measure, ex­perience the Psalmist's Devotion, breathing forth with him, Psal. 42.20. My Soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come to appear before God? And again, —63.1, 2. My Soul thirsieth for thee, to see thy Power and thy Glory, so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary.

7. Death will bring them into the most blessed and delightful Socie­ty. They now enjoy not only a visible Fellowship with Saints, but a sweet and invisible Communion [Page 28]with holy Angels, who delight­fully perform that kind Office, in which they are imploy'd by our common Head, being by him made all ministring Spirits, Heb. 1.14. sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of Salvation. But they shall ascend from the valley of Death to the top of Mount Sion, Heb. 12.22, 23. and to the City of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an in­numerable company of Angels; — and to the Spirits of just Men made perfect. Made perfect! that is, freed from all those defects in Knowledg and Holiness, which here render the Society even of Saints sometimes very unpleasant and troublesom. But O what a Felicity will it be to meet in that perfect State with many of our dear Friends and Relations! and it may be some of our Enemies too, persectly reconciled to us! to enjoy intimate Society with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and [Page 29]all the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs; and, in a word, with all those Noble and Excellent Saints that ever we read or heard of. You can't but from the Consideration of these things, conclude with me in the

8. Place, That Death will bring them into the most ravishing Joys, and into the most pure and unmix'd Pleasures. The most refin'd Joys of this Life have a great alloy, and mixture of Sorrow: The most delightful Pleasures are at­tended with Pain, and Uneasi­ness: The most happy Estate here is often obtain'd with care, kept with fear, and lost with trouble: Honour and Greatness are commonly uneasy to those that have them, and hated and envied by those that have them not. Liberal Education and Knowledg is one of the sweetest Pleasures and De­lights of an ingenuous Mind; yet even this (if we may believe [Page 30]him who had the largest Expe­rience of it) is not without its Vanity and Vexation of Spirit. For in much Wisdom, Eccles. 1.18. saith he, is much Grief; and he that in­creaseth Knowledg, increaseth Sor­row. Yea, the very Sweets and Delights of Religion are here ex­ceedingly dampt; partly by the Consciousness of our great Im­perfection therein, partly by Me­lancholy, and partly by the Ma­lice of that malignant Spirit, who if he can't hale us with himself into Hell, will be sure to make us go as droopingly as possible in our way to Heaven. But Death transmits holy Souls into the immediate Presence of God, where there is fulness of Joy, Psal. 16.11. and at whose right-hand there are Pleasures for evermore. Then all the Doubts of sad and dejected, tho sincere Souls, shall be chang'd into full assurance; all their Dark­ness into the most clear Light, [Page 31]their Mournings into Melodies, their Sorrows and Sighs into Songs of Praise and joyful Halle­lujahs to him that sits upon the Throne, Rev. 19.1. chap. 5.13. and to the Lamb for ever and ever.

Lastly, All these Advantages will be eternal and everlasting. This is indeed but a Circumstance, but 'tis such a Circumstance, with­out which all the Happiness of Heaven it self would be imper­fect: Yea, the greater the Feli­city is, the greater and more a­mazing would be the damp it would strike upon the Spirits of those who are in the fruition of it, to think; Alas, one day I must be depriv'd of all this! and either relapse into my former Miseries, or else sink into the abyss of Nothingness. I believe there are few living Christians but are ready to cry out with Job, under a sense of the Sin­sulness and Miserableness of the [Page 32]present Life, Job 7.16. I would not live al­ways. But it is impossible any such thought should enter into the Mind of a glorified Saint: Where there is fulness of Joy, it can't but be an inconceivable Pleasure to know it shall be for evermore. As the Felicities of Saints after Death are call'd weights of Glo­ry, because of the Greatness of them; so they are call'd eternal weights, because of the Durable­ness and Permanency of them. O consider then what a blessed thing it is to be regenerated, and born again; for such are begot­ten to an Inheritance, not like the Inheritances of this World, fa­ding and uncertain, 1 Pet. 1.3, 5. but to an In­heritance incorruptible and undefi­led, and that fadeth not away, re­served in Heaven for you, who are kept by the Power of God thro Faith unto Salvation.

Thus I have set before you a little, and I may, without any Rhetorical Flourish, say but a little of the Advantages which eve­ry sincere Christian shall gain by Death. I am confident who­ever of you pass thro the dark valley and shadow of Death into those Regions of Light and Bles­sedness (and O that it may be the Portion of every one of you, who are my Hearers or Rea­ders!) you will then wonderingly say of this your Gain by Death, as the Queen of Sheba of Solo­mon's Wisdom, Behold, 1 Kings 10, 7. the half was not told me: and the Glory and Felicity far exceeds the Fame I heard.

I now proceed to make some brief Application of the whole.

And among many very useful Reflections, which might be made upon this excellent Subject, I shall shut up my present Dis­course [Page 34]with these brief ones fol­lowing.

1. Well may we hence infer the Wisdom of sincere Religion. If such be the end of a truly Chri­stian Life, then, as the Scriptures frequently, so they most fitly re­present sincere Religion and Pi­ety as the truest Wisdom. Let even Reason impartially speak whether it be not the truest Wisdom to prefer the Fountain of Living Waters, before broken Cisterns that can hold no Water; to prefer our Souls, in which we were made but little inferior to An­gels, before our Bodies, in which we are little superior to Beasts; to give the Preference to Heaven above Earth, to Eternity above Time; to prefer solid and endless Joys and Felicities, before empty and perishing Pleasures: and then the result of its Determination must surely be, that the seriously religious Person is the only wise one. And,

[Page 35] 2. 'Tis, on the contrary, the greatest folly to neglect that Life, which alone will end in this gain­ful Death. O what stupendous folly is it to make light of Christ! Mat. 20.2-5. who must be our Life, if ever we live indeed. 'Tis great folly in any measure to neglect, but what unaccountable Madness is it wholly to neglect this great Salvation! Nor is it less folly for any to satisfy themselves with the Name, with­out the Life of Christianity, with a mere Form, without the Power of Godliness; for any to please themselves because they eat in Christ's Presence, and sit at his Table, tho they secretly work Ini­quity, and indulge themselves in worldly and fleshly Lusts. Such have no part or lot in this whole matter. However such Hypo­crites may now flatter themselves with a vain expectation of Hap­piness, tho they are regardless of that sincere Holiness which is the [Page 36]only way to it, this their Hope shall at last utterly perish, and be suddenly cut off, Job. 8.14. and their Trust will be as a Spider's Web. Tho they feed upon Ashes, Isa. 44.20. and carry a Lie in their right-hand, and are so turn'd aside by a deceived and flat­tering Heart, as to entertain no serious thoughts of securing and delivering their Souls; they shall at length be rouz'd out of this delusory Dream. However they have lull'd their Consciences a­sleep, fancying themselves spiri­tually rich, by reason of their Profession and external Privileges, they shall not by all their empty Pleas be able to deceive their all-knowing Judg, nor appease him who will then be inexorable to their most earnest Intreaties; but, with wrathful Countenance, he will profess to them, Mat. 7.23. saying, I never knew you; Depart from me ye that work Iniquity. Death will not be to them any Gain, but the end [Page 37]of all their Delights, and the be­ginning of never-dying Sorrows and Woes.

3. Seeing none shall be admit­ted into Heaven, but those who have Christ for their Life, as far as in us lies we should admit and re­tain no other in Christ's Church, which ought to be an Emblem of Heaven, upon which account 'tis often call'd the Kingdom of Heaven. Such as make Christ's Laws the Rule of their Life, Christ's Life the Pattern of theirs, and make his Glory and Interest their ultimate End and Design; these are the only Persons likely to be a Repu­tation to, or receive benefit by Church Communion. One scanda­lous Sinner being indulg'd in the Church, tho but a little Leven, yet leveneth the whole lump, that is, 1 Cor. 5.6. renders the whole Church guilty by their abetting of him. It is a horrid Reproach to our holy Re­ligion to suffer any such in Christi­an [Page 38]Communion; and much more is it so, if such a one should be a magnified Teacher in any Society of Christians, as several of the Greek Fathers tell us, Theodoret, Chrysostom, &c. Vid. Poli Sy­nopsin in locum. Ver. 2, 6. that incestuous Fornicator amongst the Corinthi­ans was, and that therefore they were puffed up from a conceit of his applauded Eloquence, and profound Learning, instead of mourning and being humbled; and gloried in their connivance at his Wickedness, instead of being asham'd of it. Heb. 12.15, 16. Look diligently, saith the Apostle to the Christian Church, lest any root of bitterness be suffer'd to spring up, and be not rooted out; lest there be any For­nicator, or profane Person, and thereby many be defiled.

4. This should perswade all that have Christ for their Life, to love one another. Joh. 3.3. All such are born [...] Heb. 11.13. from above, and therefore are but Strangers and Pilgrims here below. The whole time of their [Page 39]continuance upon Earth, is but the time of their sojourning here: 1 Pet. 1.17. They are in the World as well as others, but they are not of it, but are God's elect ones, and peculiar Treasure, being, by their gracious Redeemer, chosen out of the World; Joh. 15.19. and therefore the World hates them, and carries it strangely towards them; and they likewise are, in the Temper of their Hearts, and in the Deportment of their Lives, alienated from the World: And because they are Strangers on Earth, Eph. 2.19. they are no more Strangers and Foreigners in Heaven, but fellow Citizens with the Saints, and of the Houshold of God.

As therefore Natives of the same Country, tho they may have lit­tle acquaintance and familiarity while at home, yet are much endeared in their mutual Affecti­ons by meeting together in a strange Land, especially if it be withal a barbarous Country, where [Page 40]they are Partners in Sufferings and Hardships; so Christians, considering they are all fellow Tra­vellers thro a wast howling Wilder­ness to the Celestial Canaan, should take that excellent Counsel good Joseph gave his Brethren, Gen. 45.24. See that ye fall not out by the way.

If Christ be our Life, then we are all Members of one Body, Ephes. 4.4. and Partakers of one Spirit, and call'd in one hope of our Calling; we are then all Subjects and Disciples of one Lord, Ver. 5. and have, in respect of the saving Essentials, but one Faith, and are all the Children of one God and Father; all which are very uniting and endearing Consi­derations: But especially, if, be­sides all this, we are visibly initia­ted into Christ's Church by that one Baptism which he instituted, different Apprehensions about more disputable Matters of Reli­gion, should not hinder us from jointly and studiously endeavouring Ver. 3. [Page 41] to keep the most close Ʋnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.

5. This yields great Support when our Godly Friends and Relations are taken from us by the hand of Death: We may then indeed have manifold cause to mourn, but not to sorrow as others who have no hope: 1 Thess. 5.13. seeing they are only fallen asleep in Jesus, they shall certainly a­wake, and be for ever with the Lord.

You, the surviving Relations of this our deceased Father, have cause to mourn for your Loss, and the Church of Christ hath great cause to mourn for hers; but you have both great ground of Support, in that God continued him with you to a good old Age, and especially in that his hoary Head was a Crown of Glory, Prov. 16.31. being found in the way of Righteousness. He liv'd near fourscore years, and more than threescore of them were solemnly, and (we have just [Page 42]reason to believe) sincerely de­voted to the Lord Jesus in his Church: Yea, he had been, as I am certainly inform'd, about fifty four years a Pastor or Bishop un­der the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls: About fourteen years of which time he spent in Suffer­ings, Bonds and Imprisonments for his Lord, and in the Testimony of a good Conscience.

He was indeed (in my opi­nion, and in the opinion of several other Christians) somewhat too strait and narrow in his Notions concerning the terms of Church-Communion; but even this, we have good reason to think, pro­ceeded from his sincere Zeal, and tender respect to the Laws of the blessed Jesus. I know of no dis­honour or blemish he brought upon our holy Religion in his so long Profession of it, but he was, I think, in general an Ornament and Reputation to it.

He bore his long Sickness and Pains with much Patience and Submission to the Divine Will, and to the last rejoiced in full assurance of hope: He being con­scious that Christ was his Life, thereupon comfortably concluded that Death would be his Gain. We have good ground, through Grace, to believe him among those blessed Ones who died in the Lord, Rev 14.13. who rest from their La­bours, and their Works follow them: And that he will hear that joyful Sentence, Mat. 25.21, &c. Well done good and faith­ful Servant, Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. Where we leave him. And,

In the last place, Let us labour to be Followers of him, so far as he followed Christ; and of all o­thers who through Faith and Pa­tience inherit the Promises. Heb. 6.12. Let us give all diligence, and labour with a holy Ambition, to grow in Grace and Holiness, and there­by [Page 44] make our Calling and Election sure; 2 Pet. 1.5-11. that so we may have an Entrance abundantly ministred to us into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This antient Minister of Christ now laying in the Dust, liv'd in­deed to be full of days; but who of you can promise your selves to be herein like him? James 4.14. For what is your Life? it is even a Vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. O remem­ber that the youngest and strong­est, and the most healthy walk but in a vain shew, Psal. 39.5, 6. and at their best, [...] Stans vel stabilis. most establish'd State, are altogether Vanity! Let us therefore earnestly pray, and la­bour so to number our days, Psal. 90.12. and consider the great uncertainty of our Life, that we may apply our Hearts to Divine and Heavenly Wisdom. We see many of our dear Friends and Relations sud­denly cut off as a Flower, and [Page 45] snatch'd from us; let us bless God for the good hope we have, thro Grace, of their being ready; and let us pray and labour that we may be also ready, Mat. 24.44. because our Lord assures us, he will come in such an hour as we think not. I close all with the Apostle's con­cluding Exhortation and Desire: Therefore my beloved Brethren, 1 Cor. 15.58. be ye stedfast, unmovable, always a­bounding in the Work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence, Heb. 6.11. to the full assurance of hope unto