THE LIFE OF FAITH IN DEATH, In expectation of the Resurrection from the DEAD. Opened in a Sermon at the Funeral of the Right Worshipful Mr Thomas Slany late Mayor of the famous Town and Corporation of Kings-Lynn in the County of Norsolk, who deceased in the year of his Mayoralty, Jan. 10. 1649.  
PREACHED THERE By JOHN HORN an unworthy Servant of God, in the Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ, whereof he is a Preacher to the Congregation at Lynn Allhallows.  HEBREWS 6.12. 
Be not slothful, but follow the steps of those who through faith and patience have inherited the promises.  HOSEA 13.14. 
I will ransom them from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death, O death, I will be thy plague, O grave, I will be thy destruction, repentance is hid from mine eyes.  Fiducia Christianorum Resurrectio mortuorum, Contemplatio est spei in hoc spatio, non praesentatio, expectatio, non possessio. Tertul. de Res Carnis. Haec fidei vis est, quòd mediat inter vitam & mortem, & mortem transmutat in vitam, Luther. 
LONDON, Printed by Abraham Miller dwelling in Black friars. 1649.   

To his beloved Friend Mrs. MARY SLANY Relict of the late Worshipful Mr Thomas Slany, with his and their Children, Grace, Mercy and Peace, from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.  
Beloved,  
AT your motion and by your request these papers are become more public than was intended: not for any rare worth in them, but to satisfle your desire and esteem of them, which though at first I was more inclinable to, considering that they bear some testimony, though not much, against some spreading evils of these times, yet upon second thoughts I began to recoil, and should have contented myself with your private enj●ment of them, considering the plenty of books, and the slenderness of what these contain, and what the temper of the world is, that they would be ready to laugh at and deride my do, and accuse me of arrogancy and soolishnesse: of arregancy as if I sought to be known and taken notice of, of footishnesse in endeavouring it by (or in filling the world with) such dead discourses, and this had stifled it in its birth, and made it never for me to have seen the Sun in this way, had not my respect to you and your desire, made me to disregard these reasonings which yet it did with some reluctancy, while I further considered, that as my weakresse would provoke some to sleight the witness born against their evils, so my plainness might perhaps offend others, and engage them against me into some contentions, not which but their bettering and profit is my desire: but Gods will be done in it, he is a fr●● agent and can do all things, and oftentimes worketh by most unlikely means, and doth most good where least is expected. One talon put to the improvement may bring forth a second with is blessing on it, and though some may hart themselves, yet others more sober minded may happily pick something from it that may serve to their profit, yea, some perhaps may find leisure to look on such a Paper who either want it for, or money to procure larger volumes: for your sakes then and for theirs I have adventured it to public censure.  
And seeing you were so much his whose furerall this solemnised, To you it's meetest in the first place with these portions of himself he hath left surviving him, that I commend it, not to provoke you to renewed gries in thought of your less of him, but to stir you up to imitate his virtues in mi●ding his gains by them May you his and yours be so minded hereby of his or those for●er worthies saith and walkings, as thereby to be stirred up to receive embrace and where you have enbraced to hold fast the word and premises, and so to follow their virtuous footsteps in contempt of the world, and earnest pursuit of the promise ●rest as to live by saith and die in saith 〈◊〉 I shall thank ●y labour b●rciy well bestowed, whose hearty prater is your prosperities, subscribing myself with my endeavours,  
Yours, to serve you in the Gospel of Christ, J. H.   

To the Right Worshipful Mr THOMAS REVET Mayor of the Town and Corporation of Lynn in Norfolk, with his worshipful Brethren and Assistants, Grace and Mercy in Christ Jesus.  
Right Worshipful,  
I Am bold to present you with these Papers, because you were not only auditors of, but also much interessed in what they contain, they present you with a me nortall of a late head of yours, though untimely (as to your wished benefit by him) cut off by the hand o● death, providence so ordering that the lesser body should therein be the praeludium and forerunning reprelentation of a greater, of whom you bear the image and superscription: what was wanting to his honour here by the shortness of his Mayoralty, I have endeavoured herein to supply, by adding to his memory, which though he need not for himself, yet in some things may be useful for us, something it may afford us for instruction, something for imitation. He was a man of parts, that's known I think to all of us, and yet I have heard intelligent men say they were known to few; what they were would best have appeared in their improvement: but before you and he came to that point (as to Magistracy) he and they too were almost gone: there is something in that worthy of our instruction; when God gives you men of parts, make use of them (as to office) while ye may enjoy them, chief such as are also exemplary for piety, and worthy imitation: and such as have parts, be ye willing to improve them while ye have opportunity Post est occasia calvae.  
When God presents us with a mercy, it's wisdom to meet i● in the face, and not let it slide by us, till it be past recovery. He was a man of integrity, mercy, piety, one that affected honesty more than his honour, in these things he was worthy imitation. It's wisdom (so far a● we may) to imitate in ourselves whatsoever we are convinced of is good in others But have these Papers nothing else but a mention of him? perhaps your wisdoms may pick out something else, though through my little ability but weakly handled, yet that may afford some spiritual profit. If it be but to put you in mind of death: that's worth the thinking of, that well considered may make you the better while you live, but ●ndeed there are some other things that inclined me to the publishing it, chief the witness herein born against a threefold spreading and overcommon malady, one that dame, the extent of the Gospel-dectine of the death of Christ, and good will of God to sinners, something akin to the old Pharisaison, that would tie it up to the elect, the Iews and people proseluted into themselves, whom they therefore also judged of the same election with themselves: denying it to Publicans and sinners not so regulated, and to uncircumcised gentile (the body and generality of them) not so proselyted. The second is the common pro●hannesse of superficial Christians and turners of the grace and Gospel ●f Christ into wantonness, that rest in a name and notion of Christianity, but deny the power of it, of which sort there are every where too many, The third is the sect of the Sadduces, that deny the resurrection, the visible coming of Christ personally again, and the glorious performance of the promises at that his appearing, a too too spreading generation. May God make it useful to you to lead you besides all these tocks, in the true ancient Scripture-doctrine and faith formerly also attested to in the Church in England, so to embrace and love the promised salvation, and so to follow the steps of this good man, and of other Worthies that have gone before him, in the belief of and hearty love to, closing with an entertainment of the Word of God, that it may produce like fruits in you as in them, unto death and in death, that you with them also may partake of the glorious resurrection unto life and happiness, I shall have cause of much rejoicing: The fountain of mercy and wisdom flow down upon you, fill you with truth, with peace and righteousness, direct and bless you, and make you blessings in your places and generations, So prayeth,  
Your Worship's Servant to his ability, J. H.   

Upon the subject of this Book, An INSTRUCTION and HYMN.  

REader, see here how great a mystery  
Lies cropped up in Christianity.  
Strange Paradoxes! h●r●'s a bush o● flame  
Burning yet no● consumed by the same,  
By Coll●quintida death in the set,  
And yet so healed that it his teth not,  
Drink from a rock, in gravel w●●●some feed,  
In darkness light, in midst of eval good,  
In sickness health, the sweetest case in pain,  
In weakness strength, in loss the greatest gain,  
Yea life in death, and in absurdities  
The depth of wisdom, baffling all the wise.  
The tell how men by falling rise, and how  
By losing what they have they richer grow▪  
How by dishonour m●n may mount on high,  
By being overcome have victory.  
Here hast thou meat out of the eater, here  
Sweet from he strong, holdness in greatest fear,  
A dying man sild full of life and breath,  
Conquered and yet triumphing over death,  
But whence all thu? or how can these things be?  
Shall Paradoxes be Divinity?  
Behold, here's God with ma●, Emmanuel,  
That only word 〈…〉 d●th unspell.  
In God is good, light 〈…〉 strength case and gain  
In man all, darkness, sickness, weakness, pain,  
Yea sorrow, less, and misery, and death,  
God fountain is of bless, jor, life and breath.  
In Christ these 〈◊〉, Behold the mystery,  
manhood united with the Deity.  
Yea, all those properties and consequents  
Of each, found place in him: a battle thence  
In him was fought, while sin on righteousness,  
Death on eternal life, and curse on bless,  
Made their assault, for these on him did seize,  
Cause God to bruise his precious soul did please.  
Death with us train could find but small alode,  
Though the humanity did yield thereto,  
The Deity soon resoued is therefrom,  
And since our evils in that death did meet.  
The eater yielded meat, and the strong sweet.  
God shened himself in man, in weakness strength,  
In darkness glortom light, in shortness length,  
Even length of days and immortality,  
Death being swallowed up in victory,  
Of which man's nature being dispossessed,  
Is now become in him God's endless rest,  
Yea, men is there the seat of blessings all  
Ascended, and captivity made thrall,  
Which treastored are in him for us, from thence  
Blessing of every kind God doth ●●spense.  
Christy his ho●y Word and Spirit, by which  
He peace and pardon in 〈◊〉 Name doth preach●▪  
By these he worketh saith, and that the 〈◊〉  
'Twixt us and Christ bringing to unity  
With him, from which doth such communion slow  
That he and we no longer are as two;  
soyned in one spirit as he took our flesh,  
So he gives us his Spirit, which doth refresh  
And fill our hearts with joy: God's power he is  
Conquering death and its accomplices  
In us, as once in Christ, with whom joined thus,  
He writes his Name upon us, God with us,  
He is our life in death, hope in despair,  
Our strength in weak●sse, and he doth repair  
Our breaches all, while he doth make us see  
That we shall r●st and reign as well as he.  
Oh glorious death by which our life appears!  
Oh glorious Spirit that our hearts no bears!  
Oh gloricus Word that doth this tidings bring!  
Oh glorious Cha● where our heavenly King  
Comes riding to 〈…〉, precious Faith  
That such a spring and such an issue hath.  
Oh precious Lord that bar●st to us such love!  
Try self so to abase, ●ll to remove  
From 〈…〉 whom it lay, and would have wrought  
Our and esse ruin, Thou to is hast brought  
Life, yea, immortal life. Thou art the day  
That lightnest our night. Thou art the way  
By which God comes to 〈◊〉 in he great night,  
By which he give to 〈◊〉 his holy Spirit,  
By which we come to him and find his power  
Infusing life into us in death's hour.  
Th●●s art the Word, on thee the Spirit is put  
To open eyes that blind are, and unshut  
The stepped ears, from bondage to set free,  
And to get over d●●th full victory.  
Oh show thyself to us, be thou our life,  
Fill us with piece and joy, end all our strife,  
Be thou our All, open our hearts to see,  
And fill us with●ly glory, so shall we  
Triumph in midst of death, and sing thy praise,  
Full well assured that thou then●e wilt raise  
Us up again, and set us on thy Throne,  
For evermore with God to be at one.    

THE LIFE OF FAITH IN DEATH.  
The Text.  HEBREWS 11.13, 14. All these died (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) in (or according to) faith, not having received the promises, but seeing them afar off, they were persuaded, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and sojourners in the earth. 
For they that say such things manifest that they seek a Country.  
THe custom of a solemn interring of the dead bodies of deceased friends, and of making lamentations over them is very ancient and laudable, the mention of it is as old as Abraham's time, we find it was then a custom usual in the Eastern countries, as we read in the book of Genesis of the Patriarches and Egyptians, and surely in its original it was tessera & fidei & amoris, a pledge and testimony both of their faith and love, fidei a witness of their faith that they believed and looked for the resurrection of the body, and therefore would decently bestow cost upon, and inter the body: amoris, of their love to the deceased, whose relics therefore they so far honoured, and whose loss (or absence rather) they lamented, as in their presence formerly they had been delighted: thus I might show you Abraham himself the father of the faithful, Gen. 23.2. burying the Corpse of his deceased Sarah, and weeping for her, and yet it is observable that the Jews writ the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies to weep very small 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to intimate the practice of Abraham to have been suitable to what the Apostle Paul expressly wishes that believers in the like cases should be, 1 Thes. 4 13. a moderate mourning for their dead in the Lord, as those that believing the doctrine of the resurrection, are not without hope for them, I might point you likewise to jacob's burial of his wife Rachel, and his and Esau's burial of their father Isaac, Gen. 35.19, 20, 29. and to Joseph and his brethren, with many of the Egyptians, making a very great lamentation for old Israel when they buried him, insomuch that the place where they stayed lamenting him, got from thence a new denomination, being afterward called Abel Mizraim, 
Gen. 50.10, 11.  or, the Egyptians mourning, because of the excessive mourning of the Egyptians, by which it seems that the Egyptians though least akin to him, yet made the greatest lamentation, surely not because they loved him better than his children, but because they were not so well instructed, and therefore had neither so much knowledge, nor so much hope of the resurrection which should have put more bounds unto their mourning, except we shall say that the whole company coming out of Egypt had the common name of Egyptians put upon them, because so adjudged to be by the people thereabout inhabiting. I might tell you too of the interring of Aaron, Miriam, and the lamentations made for them, as also for Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and many others: but then as the Apostle sales in this Heb. 11. in another case, the time would fail me, or my strength would fail me by exceeding the time: I shall therefore content myself with what is said to that, and turn from this discourse to my text, and see what it will afford for our observation and usefulness, before we make further application of our discourse to the present occasion.  

All these died in (or according to) faith  
The Apostle in this Epistle had most sweetly opened the doctrine of Christ to the Hebrews that were partakers of the heavenly call, and thereby brought to believe, and thence called holy brethren (ch. 3.1.) and from his natures, offices, sufferings, and from the dignity of them all, he had abundantly evinced and cleared it, that they had good ground to hold fast the faith and profession of him firm without wavering, and not be moved therefrom by any cause or reason: In the 10th Chapter he had laid down many other arguments also to press them thereunto, as from the danger of willing backsliding, If we sin wilfully, after the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sin, etc. vers. 25, 26. and from the consideration of the excellency apprehended by them in Christ in their illumination, and the effects of that apprehension in them, etc. vers, 33, 34. Remember the days in which after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of affliction, etc. from the greatness of the reward promised, and to be certainly enjoied by them in its season, if they hold fast their faith and confidence, and were not turned aside therefrom. vers. 35. Cast not away your confidence which hath great recompense of reward, to which he adds an instruction about their need of patience, ver. 36. and usefulness and excellency of faith, as that which most suiteth with the condition in which God useth to lead his, and in which they should meet with preservation unto the enjoyment of the reward promised them, vers. 38. Now the just shall live by faith, or, the just by faith shall live: without that the profession will be worthless, the confidence will vanish, and patience will have no place: but there will either be an open revolting or a secret withdrawing in a barren, empty, dead adhering to an outside profession. Now in this Chapter he confirms what he had there said, that faith is that in which God exerciseth his people, and gives them life, that God doth not use to keep them by sense, in giving in an enjoyment of things promised, so much as by faith in his word without sensible feelings and experiments: but first of all, he lays down a definition of this faith, v. 1. It's the subsistence of things hoped for, and the evidence or argument of things not seen, that puts an end to vain empty disputations, How do you know that God made the world, or that the Scriptures are the word of God, or are true & c.? Faith makes it evident to me. God hath said thus, and in his saying I am convinced and persuaded to believe, though I see not the things of which he speaketh to me, and in believing I am stayed and satisfied about it, and it's become to me as firm a principle as if I had seen. It's an argument leaning upon God's authority, speaking and manifesting itself unto the conscience, that gives a subsistence to things hoped for, as to my mind: so that though we see not the things we hope for, nor are they as yet in being, yet they being believed, have a kind of subsistence in the heart: and the soul acteth upon that subsistence towards them as really as if it saw them with the bodily sense, as if they were already existent and had a being, which also they shall have in their season. From that the Apostle proceeds to give divers instances of the excellency, usefulness and efficacy of this faith in the prime and choice Saints of God in all ages, how they have lived by it, and in the exercise of it, without the enjoyment of the things set before them and believed: and he gins at Abel, v. 4. and so passes on to Enoch, ver. 5. Noah, ver. 7 a● thence to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ver. 8, 9 and Sarah, ver. 11. or whom he h●re saith in the text, All these dieà in faith, not having received the promises, etc.  
The words (these all) seem to refer to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah, both because of Enoch, of whom its said vers. 5. that he was translated that he should not see death, who therefore cannot be here included (except we take his change in his translation to be equivalent to death) and also because that he tells us vers. 15, of these forsaking their Country, which we find not where affirmed of those others mentioned before these. But let us come to the words, and note something from them, that present themselves unto us, for I shall not spend time about a curious supersluous cutting them in pieces: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were worthy persons highly favoured of God, chosen by him to peculiar dignity and privileges, Princes and Prophets, and very famous in their proper seasons, yet behold what the Apostle in the first words of the text affirmeth of them all, These all died, Whence let us note (and I shall but briesly note things, and not bound up my discourse unto the unfolding of some one only proposition)  
That no dignity or privilege though very great will exempt us from dying. 
Note 1.   
Death is a due debt to nature, Omne quod generatur corrumpitur, whatsoever hath a natural generation is also subject to corruption, death is in the present principles of every earthly living being, and that as by man's sin meritoriously, so by God's just sentence upon man's sinning judicially, 
Heb. 9.27.  Statutum est, etc. It's enacted, resolved upon and ordained for man once to die, and that once, though for time uncertain to us, yet that it shall find a time, nothing more sure, yea, many a time it seems very near us, and we are in a tendency to it from our birth to our last gasp. By many ways, diseases, infirmities or providential accidents we may, and by some or other of them we are sure to arrive at death: we read of none exempted save Enoch and Elias, the first changed, the other assumed (for as for the Virgin Mary we have not such authentic authority or warrant to believe it) those two did God exempt from the common way of flesh, to show in them his power over all flesh, over nature and natural principles and inclinations, and that we might the more readily be induced to believe the benefit of Christ in the resurrection of the dead, when we hear that he preserved some from death and made them as pledges to us of the certainty of that glory and immortality that is the promised portion of all that believe in him through his death. And yet surely even they underwent a change equivalent to death, though they slept not in death, as the Apostle says, 1 Cor. 15.51. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, though we lie not in death, yet we must pass through it, we must put off this mortality, these innate principles of death: we shall not be as now we are, when we come to inherit what now we believe for. But for us and the rest of mankind death in a more proper way is to be expected by us, and will come upon us (except the coming of Christ should suddenly prevent us, and then such a change might be allotted us) It's not the being great or gracious that exempts from that event, These all died, many have lived many years, yet (as the longest day hath its night) so this hath been the constant Catastrophe and winding up of them all in their genealogies, They all died: Jared lived nine hundred and sixty two years, and then he died: Methuselah lived nine hundred sixty and nine years, but than it follows too, he also died: so Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, all gracious and holy men, and found righteous in the● generations, and yet these all died. It's that that David propounds to all, Psa 49.1, 2. high and low, rich and poor, one and other, because its the lot of all, that death will overtake them all, none can shift from it, None can give a ransom to God for his brother, that he should live always and never di●, the price is too great and it ceaseth for ever. We see wise men die as well as fools, righteous men as well as sinners, Magistrates as well as Subjects, rich as well as poor, one as well as another, there is no escape of any in this battle, nay men as well as the bruit beasts, for as to this common condition of flesh, there is one event to them both, though not as to the spirits of both, nor as to the supernatural work of the resurrection of the body, but as to death, one thing happeneth to both, both are of the dust, and both go to the dust: 
2 Sa●●. 14.14.  Not only they but we also must needs all die, and our strength is as Water spilt upon the ground, neither is there any respect of persons with God. Serius aut●citius, etc. sooner or later we must all stoop to death in the flesh, These all died.  
A truth known to all, and to be experimented by us all, and yet a truth as little though of as almost any, and as little made use of, well might David cry out as he did, when he was about to speak thereof Audite hoe omnes populi, etc. Psa. 19.1. Hear this all ye people, for though we all see it, and shall feel it, yet we mind it not, few incline their ears to hear what God says to us in it, but hear this all ye people, rich and poor, high and low, one and other, All must die: Ye that are rich and wealthy, and have seraped much together, and laid it up for posterity, ye must die, and leave all this that ye have gotten, and ye know not who shall possess it after you. Hear this all ye gallants of the world that are fine and fashionable, and delight to deck up yourselves in costly apparel, Quid ita colitis escam vermibus? you must die and leave these bodies which you so dress up, for the worms to feed upon. Hear this ye that addict yourselves to pleasures, and rejoice in a thing of nought, and make yourselves merry with mere vanities, ye must all die, and death will put an end to your mirth and jollity, to your pleasure and voluptuousness, chambering and wantonness, and nothing but the guilt of these things shall descend with you. Hear this ye that are poor and pinched with want, and bitten with sorrow, that fill yourselves with cares, and pine away with grief, ye must die too, and then your poverty and afflictions here shall have an end, ye shall then have no more need of what now ye murmur, or grieve, or turmoil yourselves for want of: It's but a momentany condition that you are here afflicted with, ye must die, and death will put an end to it, yea, death will put an end to all these things, weal and woe, sorrow and mirth, riches and pleasures, and whatever here we have, as to us. Surely man in his best estate here is altogether vanity, 
Psal. 39.6.  like a bubble full of wind and emptiness, easily broken and blown away with a blast, and then that that was swelled up into a great appearing magnitude, proves as nothing, makes no further show or appearance that we should look after it; Oh! why then do ye pursue after vain things? why sport ye yourselves so eagerly in voluptuousness? or spend so much cost on dust and ashes, and pride yourselves of that ye have no hold on? or care so much for that that strangers or victors may devour up when you are gone? why labour ye for that that perisheth, and delight in that that will not endure? Sure the very thought of death might instruct us all to sobriety in all conditions: Sobriety in earthly delights, for we must leave them, Sobriety in honours and preferments, for we must leave them, Sobriety in apparel, for we must leave it, Sobriety in caring for and getting in the things of this world, 
1 Tim. 6.7.  for we must leave them: As we brought nothing into this World With us, so we are sure We can carry nothing out With us, Sobriety in all things for we must die to them, Sobriety in fears of growing enemies, 
Psa. 49.17, 18.  Be not thou afraid When one is made rich, and the glory of his house is increased, yea, though he be one that b●tes thee, and so hath more power visibly to harm thee, for his day will come, he also is but mortal, and death will overtake him, and bring down his excellency, and when he dies, he shall not take any thing with him, nor shall his glory and pomp descend after him; 
Isa. 57.12.  who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the Son of man that shall be made as grass? though here enemies be strong and potent, and use their power wickedly to persecute the innocent and oppress them, yet this their state is but for a moment, they also shall die and go down to the dust, and then where is their fury? in the grave we shall be quiet, and they have no power to harm us: 
Job. 3.17, 18, 19  There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest, there the prisoners rest together, and they hear not the voice of the oppressor, the small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master, yea, the thought of death might further us in taking of our Saviour's counsel, Joh. 6.29. Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that that will endure to life eternal. Set not we our hearts on these things, whereof death will surely deprive us, and we know not how near that is unto us: but look we after those things that will abide with us after death, and carry us through death, which it hath no power over, nor can take from us, the favour of God, the light of his countenance, faith and a good conference, assurance of eternal happiness, when thou hast these things thou must rejoice indeed: and thy joy. nor men, nor death can take away from thee. These all died.  
But wherefore died they? There might be many reasons given, but I will not insist upon them, they died that they might be removed from the evil of the world, and not always therewith burdened, Isa. 57 1. The righteous is taken away from the evil to come, and they died that they might rest from their labour, Rev. 14.13. that having done their work and served their generation (as is said of David, Act. 13.36.) they might go to bed and sleep, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  they shall enter into rest or peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness, Isa. 57.2. thence death is usually in Scripture called a sleep, such a one fell asleep, and such a one slept with his fathers: thence the heathen Poets have also called sleep Placidissima mortis imago, and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the pleasant image, resemblance, and as it were the premeditation of death. But I pass from these things, and go forward with the text, for this is not the business that the Apostle here mainly propounds, though very useful for us to consider, and at this time also very seasonable and suitable with our present occasion, that we also might be stirred up with earnestness to pray as that good man of God, Psa. 90.12. So teach us O Lord to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom: but the Apostle adds,  
These all died (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) in (or according to) faith, Secundum fidem, after the faith. What? Did they die in faith? Did their faith die? Verily no, they did not cast away their faith when they died, but exercised it: their act of dying too was done in faith, and according to their faith, they died in an exercise of faith, that it might be further manifest (according to the first proposition and prime intent of the Apostle here) that they did live by faith, as they did believe in God while they lived, so when they came to die, they yielded up themselves to God in that belief, and were not shaken from it, no not by death: they feared not in the valley of the shadow of death, Psa 23.3. nor fainted in the hour of death, Gen. 49.18. even then also they waited for God's salvation, though death seized on their bodies, yet they retained, and let not go their confidence: though the day of their lives here was expired, yet died not their hopes and hearts within them, but were supported by faith, with the expectation of another day, in which the promises should be enjoyed, and here we may further note the excellency of faith.  
They that live by faith die in faith, the just by saith fi●de life through their faith, even in the midst of death.  
These all died in faith, In this these righteous ones differ f●m others, All die, but die not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as becometh fa●th, or with an experiment of the power of faith, all die passively, they s●ffer the pains of death, and have their lives fetched from them, but all are not active in death, willingly and believingly to resign up their spirits to God, and cast themselves into his arms with confidence that he will keep and restore them, and notwithstanding death intervene their receipt of his word and the performance of his promise, yet he will not fail of his word, but perform every jot and tittle of it to them. This is the carriage and privilege of those that have the word of God abiding in and united by faith with them, These all died in faith, these die in the Lord, 1 Th. 4.16. Rev. 14.3. Through faith they close with and are enclosed in the power, strength and virtue of the Lord Jesus Christ, by which their souls are acted and carried with lively hope and expectation of good from God through him, and as they live in him so they die in him too, as they walk in his virtue and power while alive in the body, so in the same virtue & power putting forth itself in (yea encompassing) their souls, through faith they depart out of the body unto God, and depo●e themselves with God, till the time in which he shall restore them. These hold fast their faith to the death and in death, that they mighthe examples and encouragem ●s to us also to hold ●sast● that we may have the like use and bene●●● of it in our deaths▪ But may some object.  
But how do these things stand together, 
Object.  Faith and Death? When Christ hath said, that if a man keep his saying he shall never see death? Joh. 8.51. What is it to keep his saying but to believe his say, and hold fast that belief? and did not Abraham keep his say, and the Prophets keep his say, might not we be offended at Christ as the Jews were, and say with them, All these had faith, and kept it to the death, and yet as the Apostle here witnesseth, they all notwithstanding that, died, how is it then that Christ saith, If any man keep my say he shall never see death?  
Oh how mysterious is the word of God, 
Answ.  and what a riddle to fleshly wisdom and humane ●nse! It's to be believed and held for true by faith, not to be judged of as true or false by the verdict of our sense: certainly both Christ and his Apostles said the truth, he that keeps his say shall not see death, and yet these that kept his sayings (for before A●●ah●m was Christ was, and his say they were that he received) did all die, yea, the Apostle here hints a solution to that doubt of the appearing contradiction in them, when he says these all d●d in faith, for in this very thing that they died in faith, they were so preseryed that they did not see death, for this very fa●h in which they died, carried them above sense, and took their eye off from death, and set it upon life, so that they saw, sou●d felt, experimented life in death, even when they d●ed according to the fl●●h, yet the then lived in their spirits; their bodies did but sleep in death, while their splits lived above death, being made partakers of Jesus Christ (as he word of God to be made flesh, who is the resurrection and the life) and the very death of death, putting it to death, they passed through the shadow of it, but they saw not, felt not, found 〈…〉 of it, they saw God in their death, and the sight of him ●o ●ook up and filled their eye that they could not see death Or 2. they saw not that death that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, for ever, for indeed that is death and worthy the name of death, the second death, the other, the first death, 
Rom 3.12,  the condemnation that came by the first man upon all men, that spent it sell upon Christ, being by the wise and merciful God ●a▪ slated upon him, 
2 Tim. 1.10  and he hath abolished it so in and by himself, that nothing but the carcase and shadow of it abideth for us to see or grapple with, so that he that sees but it, sees not death properly but only the shadow and shell of it: Its life, power, and proper vigour is by the death of Christ swallowed up, abolished and gone▪ he than that never sees the second death, sees not death, for there is no other death by way of punishment of man for his sin, that's prope●y death, but it, remaming, and that hath no power upon Christ or any in him: the just shall live by faith in the midst of the shadow of the other death, and he shall live out of the way and danger of this second death, he shall never be hurt of it either by the bearing it or fearing it, his faith shall keep him from the first, and being exercised carry him through and above the second, and he shall never be overcome or overpowered by it, thence blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection, 
Rev. 20.6.  that hath part in Christ the first begotten from the dead, the resurrection and the life, that in their spirits are raised with him, and shall have their bodies raised with the just at his glorious appearing.  
Seeing then that we must all needs die, 
Appli●.  and that's our portion in the flesh, and there is a way by which we may so die as not to see death, viz. to die in faith, what wisdom is it to take that course that we may so die, that we may see no death when we die, feel no sting in death, find it but a shadow that hath no deadly substance in it, nay rather find it lighted with the glory of eternal life, seen and tasted through it? that we may see life in death, a life beyond, above and without death. Oh how terrible is death to men when they see death in it! when they experiment and feel a sting in it, the sting of a self-condemning conscience, and the pricks of the second death in the first death. When they see death and nothing but death, when life is hid from their eyes, and so their hearts and thoughts die within them together with or before their bodies: when they die full of despair, strangers from and hopeless of ever finding the life of God: that will be a black grisly day to a soul that sees not life in it, what need then to cry to God here, so to teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to Wisdom? the wisdom of God in its say, reproofs, counsels, calls, that it pouring out its spirit upon us, and opening its precious words to us, we may be filled with faith and courage, and be in such a state as in which to see no death, that we may so believe and live in and by faith in the power and exercise of it, that in all our dying conditions, yea, when we come to breathe out our souls we may die in faith, die according to faith and not according to sense; Even some believers not living and dying in an exercise of faith, are many times filled with sorrow, fears, faintings, especially in their dying cases, because they judge not, and so die not according to faith, they judge according to sense, they feeling pain and feeling temptations, and seeing grisly things represented to them by Satan, they are affrighted and rerrified at them, though they be false illusions, whereas exercising faith, and so judging according to it, they are carried above, and get the victory over sense and temptation. Let us therefore so follow on after wisdom, that her words may dwell richly in us, that her spirit may be a spirit of faith in us, that we may live in faith, and have a living exercise of faith in all conditions, so shall we also dying have our hearts born up by faith, and shall be enabled to lay down our tabernacle with peace and joy, as that will lead us, and not with trouble, as sense would carry us, and unbelief affright us, while we judge of God and Christ, life and death, sin and righteousness according to faith, and not according to carnal sense and philosophical speculations, we shall be from seeing death when we die, yea, shall find and feel life in the shadow of death, according to that Joh. 5.24. He that heareth my Word, and believeth on him that sent me hath eternal life, and shall not come into judgement, but is passed from death to life, and that Joh. 11.25, 26. I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and he that liveth and believeth, shall never die.   

Those all died in faith.  
Faith? Ay, but what is faith, and how may a man come by it? 
Object.   
The Apostle in this Chapter Heb. 11.1. tells us what it is: 
Answ.  It's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (or as the paraphrase hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the argument and demonstration of things not seen, of invisible things that are not the objects of sense, but that are declared in the word of God: such is the virtue and power of faith, that it gives as great a certainty of those unseen things to the soul or mind, as can be made over by any scientifical demonstration, for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies, a demonstration to the mind, not a presentation to the bodily essence, as the Greek Scholiast upon it, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etc. Faith presents invisible things as visible: how? to the mind and hope: which hope also springeth from it, and is upheld by it, as it there follows, it's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too, the basis or subsistence of things hoped for, It so presents divine things to the mind, that it also draws in the soul to trust in God, and hope for good from him, and the good things it hopes for, faith gives bottom to, and enables the soul to act towards them, as if they had a real existence as was before noted. 
Rom. 10.17.  And for the way to come by this faith, the Apostle tells us Fides ex auditu etc. Faith is by hearing, by that means God ●fi●ct●th it, whence that in Isa. 55.3. Hear, and your souls shall live, 〈◊〉, but it's not every hearing that produces this faith, but that which i● by the word of God, the hearing of the Gospel or word of faith, that's both mother and nurse of it, from that it springs, and by that it's nourished: in listening to that God puts forth his mighty arm, and enables the soul to believe, as sometimes he did to the Israelites by the brazen Serpent, and to Naaman in the waters of Jordan to heal them, He that hears my Words and believes on him that sent me, etc. Joh. 5.24. Hearing the Word is the way to believe in God.  
First, God declareth the truth, which is truth when declared by him, not made truth by our believing: this truth heard persuades the soul by the divine power and spirit, which is therewith ministered, to close with what it hears, and closing with what it hears, the same power and spirit doth therethrough further (while therein are opened excellent things, as the hatred and justice of God against sin, and yet his love, mercy and good will in Christ toward the sinful soul● etc.) p●swade the soul to embrace and close with Christ himself, of whom the truth witnesseth, and unto whom as its proper body and fountain (as God is in him and he is God) it leadeth, and so the soul is by th● Word heard, and through the divine power of God therein, brought unto Christ, and in and through Christ unto God, by the beam to the body of the Sun, and in that to all that fountain, fullness of glorious light that sils that body, and makes it so glorious.  
But indeed the nature of this saith in which these holy men of God died, and which is of so glorious use in life and death, is in the text itself by acts and operations notably laid forth and described. I shall briesly and but briesly touch upon them: These all died in faith not having received the promises, faith stands not in men's having in possession o● actual fruition the things promised, for then faith and sense should be confounded, but 1. they see them (the promises) afar off,  
That's the first act of this faith, though alone of itself it is not faith, for it's said of some they have seen and hated Joh. 15.24. yet this is I say, the first act of this faith, or the first act tending to this faith, through which the following acts are also generated where this is rightly seated, and the abiding in this and of this, is that in and through which the other acts are carried on too and perpetuated: this act being the first product of the Word heard, and that which most immediately springeth from it: for while God speaketh, he presents in his speakings truth to the soul, and the soul hearing and receiving in the word spoken, finds therein and therewith a divine power illuminating and giving light to it, and power of discerning that light, as if the light of the Sun coming to a blind man in a dungeon, should both present light to him, and in the same moment give him a faculty and power of seeing: thus in Psa. 119.130. the entrance of thy word giveth light, and giveth understanding to the simple; the soul receiving or looking upon divine word sees things set before it, that it never so saw before, as his own vileness and filthiness, and God's goodness and compassions, and the great and glorious things in his way (his Son) to be met with and enjoied. But these are said to have seen them afar of, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 
Isa. 46.10.  God shows the end from the beginning: things to be done never so long time hence, yet being revealed in the word and there presented, are by faith seen; indeed men not harkening to the word, miss of much light and knowledge therein held forth, and see not many things which in witted viewing or diligent attention they might come to see, things afar off, the things promised, which were not of a long time to be performed, whence neither had they so full and clear a sight of them as those that see them in nearer times, as things seen afar off at a great distance are not so fully and clearly seen, as when they are seen nearer hand. Now they are brought near to us, these being the last times, yea, some of these promises that they saw through the word at a distance are already in part performed, and are become Gospel declarations to us, as the coming and resurrection of Christ, of the former whereof Mary could in her time say (much more may we now) He hath helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our forefathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever, Luk. 1.25. And the Apostle Paul declares the latter as another step of the performance of these promises, saying, we declare unto you good tidings, how that the promise that was made unto the father's God hath fulfiled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus from the dead. We believing see them by faith as things already done, and they are the grounds of our believing in him for those further things contained in those promises, which are yet unfullfilled, and which we are to expect the performance of in his season, but then there must be with this seeing a further act, even that that follows in the next place of them, viz.  
2. They were persuaded.  
That's the second act in this divine faith, it's not a bare speculation of truths in the proposition without a persuasion, that they are truths, and worthy to be heeded and embraced by them, the discerning of divine truths as propounded is a means to persuasion, and so to believing (Joh. 6.40. Every one that sees the Son, and believes on him, &c,) and is itself augmented, and flows in more upon the soul through believing, but is not itself faith without persuasion, nor can it be so called: these worthies in their faith saw and were persuaded they were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children of unperswasibleness, disobedient to the heavenly vision, like men that see things at a distance presented to them, but yet cannot be persuaded they are indeed the things they seem to be, because they know not how or which way such things should come there, and they must have their reason satisfied in that, or else they will think it's an illusion and strong misapprehension in their senses. No it is not so with faith, though they saw but afar off, yet they were persuaded of the truth and certainty of what was showed them, and of what in that showing they did see: In which they differed from many that now though they have the Gospel more nearly, clearly and plainly presenting the things of God to them, yet they are not persuaded of them, they see such things affirmed, but cannot think they are so as they seem to be affirmed of; they exalt their reason, and cannot deny themselves, and be willing to become fools to follow the word of God, and to come to its say, they have many questions nauseously lie upon their stomaches through the exercise of their fleshly wisdom, of which they are sick, and in which they must be fore-satisfied, or else they cannot be persuaded: like Nicodemus, How can this and that be? Can a man enter into his mother's womb again, and be born a second time? or like old Zachary, how can persons so stricken in years have the pr●mise of a child made good unto them? or those in the wilderness, Can God prepare a table? etc. But so it is not with faith, it says not, 
Rom. 10.6, 7.  Who shall ascend up into heaven to fetch down Christ? or Who shall descend into the deep to bring him up? it raises not up questions, it stumbles not through its reasonings, but is persuaded through the consideration of God's authority, They were persuaded, and yet it rests not there neither, but as it follows of these holy ones  
3. They embraced them.  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and saluting or kissing them: ay this is the completive, intr●nsecall act of faith, the faith which the just do live by. It's not a bare sight and persuasion, but such as in which the heart liketh, and closeth with the things presented, and whereof they are persuaded. It's possible a man may see and be persuaded of truth, and yet not like but hate it, not salute and embrace it, but turn his back upon it and reject it: 
Mat. 21.38.  some were persuaded that Christ was the heir, yet were so far from embracing him, that they added, Come, let us kill him: even so many a man when he sees a truth which reproves his way, and is not for his turn, his lust, purpose or design, though he see and be persuaded its true, yet his heart loves it not, but boggles against it, he cannot like to entertain it, the young man that came to Christ Mat. 19.22, could not nor did object against Christ's doctrine, nay, it seems he was in some measure persuaded it was true, why else should it have troubled him, and made him sad? had he given no credit to it, it would never have come so near his heart, he would lightlier have got rid of it, but yet he could not embrace or welcome it, though there was a precious promise set before him, yet he could not like it upon those terms on which it was propounded: it was not his case alone, many could like to have the happiness promised in the Gospel, and are persuaded that upon such and such terms they might and should have it, who yet not liking those terms do not embrace it, like Boaz his kinsman, 
Ruth 4 4, 6.  he could like to have redeemed Naomies' lands, till he came to see the terms, that it would spoil his own inheritance, and upon these terms he would none of it: many would own and embrace truth, were it not that it would spoil them of their self-interests, if it lead them not to such self-denial. But this divine faith here spoken of carries the heart above those stumbles, and makes it with cheerfulness and joy to welcome the glorious grace and promised portion that truth presents it upon its own terms: It so acts the will and affections too, that they like what the soul sees in truth, and is persuaded of, and take it home, and give it the best entertainment they possibly can, it unites the soul unto the promise, and the promise finds a subsistence in the soul: It's as a march that God hath propounded, and the soul accepts it upon God's terms, owns, loves, sides with and rejoices in it: upon which follows,  
4. They confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth, thereby declaring plainly that they seek a country.  
Here we have faith completed inwardly in its own essence, further perfecting itself in its fruit and operation, as the tree may be said to be perfected in its bearing fruit: Here's an inward hope and expectation of the thing promised, and in that a seeking after it, a country, another and a better state, a new heaven and a new earth, 
Act. 3.21.  that's the ultimate thing promised, the state of restauration of all things, and therein the full enjoyment of God: now through faith (that is through the word of promise, seen, 
1 Pet. 1.3.  persuaded of and embraced) they are begot to a living hope, and that puts the soul upon pressing after the glory promised, and purges the soul from the earthly affections, that fill the hearts of those that have not so believed: all they had before were now nothing to what they see and were persuaded of and embraced. These promises or things promised are so welcome to their souls though yet they possess them not, but only have the faith of them, that earth and world and all things here are not to be compared with them, they reckon themselves not at home till they enjoy them, their minds are after them, and off from these things that they lived upon, before these better things were revealed to them: Here's mortification on effected both in mind and conversation, the affections removed from the things below, and set upon these things that are above, taken off from present enjoyment and advantages for enjoying the world, and set upon the promised future happiness, the heart is taken and gone after another city and country, and that heart-belief and inward affection, produces mouth and practice-confession to salvation, they confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims in this earth, they find not herein a resting place, they have a better home, and that they seek after, I know others may utter such like words upon other principles, as men seeing the brevity and uncertainty of man's life, may think they have here no staying continuance, as Cicero the heathen Philosopher speaks somewhat to that purpose, I go (saith he) out of this life, 
Ex hâc vitâ ita discedo tanquam ex hospitio, non tanquam ex domo, commorandi enim diversorium natur● nohis, non habi. tandi dedit.  as if I went out of an I●●e, not out of my dwellinghouse, for nature hath given us here a place to bait in only, not to dwell in. Thus a moral man may be led to say by the sense and knowledge he hath of this life's uncertainty and passing swiftness, but their confession proceeded from their faith in an earnest seeking after God's heavenly promises: the belief of God's word, and the complacency they had therein in the expectation of the things set before them, made them so to reckon themselves as strangers and pilgrims in the earth, and therefore not to love or covet after the enjoiments of the earth, not to mind to return back into their own country, whence by faith they had departed to follow after God: all see they cannot here always continue, but all know not that they have a better country: and therefore all that so see are not mortified in their minds to the things whose vanity they see: all reckon not (nor so walk as if they reckoned) themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth seeking another country.  
Two things we may principally note from what hath been said he to about the nature of faith and efficacy thereof.  
1. 
Note 3.  That that divine faith that will indeed do us good in death stands in the word of God, the word of the promise or Gospel, closes with and springs from that, sees, is persuaded of and embraces the testimony of God held forth in that.  
2. 
Note 4.  That that divine faith is exceeding operative and working inwardly and outwardly, embracing the heavenly things propounded, it leads to look for, expect and seek them, and to despise these earthly things, in comparison of them. 
Tit. 2 11, 12.  It leads to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for the blessed hope, the promised inheritance at the appearance of Christ Jesus. It's neither a groundless humane conception and presumption, nor an empty, barren and idle speculation. It's such an heart-closing with the word as in which the word is vigorous in the heart, and brings forth fruit unto eternal life: this in both parts we have seen already, in the opening of the text, they saw them afar off and were persuaded, and embracing them confessed that they were but strangers and pilgrims in the earth.  
Would we have faith, or would we that have any measure of it grow, 
Applic.  therein? let us take heed to the word, the word of faith, the doctrine of the Gospel, and let us be swift to hear, slow to speak, or make confessions or protestations of our faith further than that herd effecteth them in us: be more ready to hear what God says to us, then to boast ourselves of what is in us, or to offer the sacrifice of fools, 
Eccl. 5. 1●.  such as the power of the truths we hear spring not up in us: much more be we slow to speak against the Gospel of God, because we comprehend it not with our reason, or to be wroth and offended thereat because it comes to lay us low, and pull down our proud swelling conceptions. Harken diligently, and your souls shall live. 
Isa. 55 3.   
And so, would we be means to bring others to faith? preach we and hold we forth the word to them, not our dictates and placitas, but God's word, the Gospel as attested in the Scripture, that men may believe as the Scripture hath said, for to such faith is the promise made, Joh. 9.38. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall slow rivers of living water, and for such believers Christ hath prayed, Joh. 17.20. for them that shall believe through their word, 
Joh. 17.10. Gal. 4.28.  the word given by Christ to his Apostles whom he sent out into the world: preach the word of promise, for of that it is that the heirs are born that shall enjoy the inheritance, the word of the death and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for men, which is part of the promise made to Abraham, as was showed before, that's the foundation doctrine: upon this foundation build them, and then exhort them to walk worthy thereof in all wellpleasing. There's many a man's faith detected to be vain by these two things; by its want of a right bottom, and by its want of right fruits and operations. 1. Thou sayest thou believest and trustest in God, but according to what dost thou believe? it's with many a man because of and according to their works, diligence, endeavours, sense, feelings, not according as it is said in the word to us (as it's said of Abraham, he believed according to what was spoken to him, So shall thy seed be, Ro. 4.17.) Now as that's not right faith that carries not on the soul after God, and causes it not to seek the country promised, so neither is that right faith that springs from man's own strifts and endeavours after the love of God, as that's not a good faith that's without works, so neither is that good that's bottomed upon thy works. It's the character of true believers in Act. 18.27. that they believed through grace, not through works, I believe says one, that Christ died for me, and is a Mediator for me. Well but how camest thou by that faith? whereupon is it grounded? why they will say perhaps from the word: Well, let us see how the word evidenced it to thee? why, I found such and such effects wrought in me, I was convinced of my evil way, and humbled, and mourned, and reform, and was thus and thus changed, therefore I perceived that I was one of the elect of God, and Christ died for me. Oh but now believest thou not according to the word but deceivest thyself, grounding thy faith of Christ's mediation upon thy works, or the effects of law and conscience in thee, etc. I fear when thou comest to the trial, thy works will be found light and vain. What dost thou tell me of fruits and effects of faith, evidencing thine election before, and as the ground of thy believing Christ a Mediator for thee? No changes or fruits will evidence election, but such spring from faith in Christ in whom the election is, nor is there any faith rightly in Christ as now come, but in his blood and mediation, Rom. 3.25. by his blood We have access to God, to believe in him, and approach to him, and see his love to us: and canst thou have faith in his blood before thou knowest whether he shed any for thee, that thereby thou mightest know he shed it for thee? faith in the blood of Christ is this, through the knowledge and belief of his blood shed, to be emboldened to approach to and rely on God, and expect good from him as from one that thereby hath testified his good will toward thee, and opened a way of access to himself and to his Kingdom for thee, that thou mightest come to him, and hope in him for it. It's strange that Christ's blood should give thee boldness to rely on God, when thou knowest not whether ever it was shed for thee, or that thou hadst any thing to do with it: thou sayest it was shed for all that believe, and thou believest, etc. That it was shed for all that believe, is not questioned, but that very believing is to be in that blood: Now the doubt is of thy believing in it, before thou seest God's word hold it forth as shed for thee, that so thou mightest know it's shed for thee: I say that believing of thine was not a right believing in it, that preceded thy belief of it by divine testimony to be shed for thee: It was shed for enemies and ungodly, that being preached to them they might believe in it, as well as for them as believing in it, that they might be sanctified and saved by it. If thou believest in it or thinkest to have salvation by it, because of thy former self-actings to sorrow and to reformation, then is not this faith right, because not springing from the word, yea, thou inverttest the order of the Apostle, 
Tit. 2.11, 12. & 3.4, 5.  he tells us they were saved from their filthiness and disobedience, and led to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts by the grace, the love and pity of God to man appearing, and thou first art led to reform and alter and deny thy lusts, and to believe as thou thinkest before thou apprehendest his grace, and then drawest an inference of his grace from those thy works and denials, thou endeavourest and conceitest thyself to work well, and thereupon buildest an opinion that God loved thee, and Christ came and died for thee, this faith springs from thy works and not from the word, the testimony of God is not believed by thee. Oh but thou wilt say, Even all those frames were begotten by the grace of God in thee, else thou couldst not have had them, and it was in hearing his word that thou wast led to them. Ay, but what meanest thou by grace? the good will of God in Christ fore-manifested to thee in the word of the Gospel? No, for that thou sawest not, but fetchest in by consequence upon thy changes: what then? a certain secret insensible working of power in thy heart to persuade thee to confess thy sins, and mend thy actions, and do better than formerly? Now thou speakest in the dialect of that Pharisee, Luk 18.10, 11. He had such a like considerce that he was a righteous, justified person, and was in state of grace: but how came he by it? he trusted in himself, he says not to be made righteous, but that he was now a righteous one, one that should have benefit by the Messiah in his coming, and should partake of the promises, he fetched the arguments of his confidence from himself, and yet what he speaks of as in him he attributes to God's grace as if he had wrought it in him, God I thank thee that I am not thus and thus, he doth not ascribe it to himself but to God, and it's not likely but he thought God had persuaded him so and so to walk by what he had heard of his will in the Scriptures, in the law of God, he thought of a secret working of power in the word, but he never apprehended or believed the grace, that is, the good will of God, as it was preached to Abraham in the Gospel and promise, he was ignorant of God's righteousness, 
1 Cor. 10.13. Gal. 4.23, 24.  he was born of the bondwoman, his changes and righteousness sprang not from love and grace fore-apprehended, but from the Law enjoining and adding promises to man's observation, and therefore this plea would not serve him, his confidence was not currant, nor did God accept him. Such is thy profession, thou findest it said, If thou believest thou shalt be saved which (in itself only considered) is but like a legal promise, and nothing differs from it, for that says, if thou dost thus and thus, thou shalt live or be saved; but herein the Gospel differs from it, that it lays down a foundation of love demonstrated from God to a sinner, in the first place to move him, empower and enable him to the thing required of him: so doth not the law, but only holds forth a conditional promise upon obedience, and while a man sees or closes with no more of the Gospel, the Gospel is but a legal doctrine to him, it's not the Gospel, he sees not the love declared, the glad tidings of Gods good will to him a sinner and ungodly in the gift of Jesus: in the belief of which he should be principled to the thing required: but I say thou meeting with such a conditional promise, thou endeavourest after faith, and humility, and fruits, and from thy self-endeavours, changes and self differings, which thou thinkest are notable fruits of faith, thou concludest and trustest in thyself, that thou art righteous, a believer, a justified one, and so that Christ is thy Mediator, and died for thee, and attributest this to God as if thou wert no enemy to grace, but a Preacher of it in opposition to freewill, and thus many men do whenas they never yet saw or discerned what grace is, nor had any other principle in what they did, but the law, its threats and promises, and their own will; whence though they have as strong confidence of their being righteous as the Pharisee had, yet it is but a strong fancy and groundless conception of faith, the bottom of it is a legal covenant, and their own work and endeavour, not the word of the Gospel, the declaration of grace, they receive not the word that should beget it. I know they say they believe all the Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis to the latter end of the Revelations, but come to the point, let us examine thee in the testimony of God, whereof the Apostle Paul was made a Preacher, a Crier, or Herald for the obedience of faith, we find it 1 Tim. 2.4, 5, 6, 7. Dost thou believe this? God wils all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth: and that Christ gave himself a ransom for all, etc. by and by they cry our, A damnable heresy, I see it there written, but I am not persuaded it is meant as it was spoken, I cannot embrace it: Well, how then? God hath good will to none but an elect number in the world, Christ gave himself a ransom for no other. Where readest thou that? not such a word in all the Bible: well, but how knowest thou then for thyself? thou wilt say, God forbidden that I should not think that Christ died for me: Why so, if not for all? yes, I hope so (will the very drunkards say, though they deny it for all) Every one will flatter himself in a good conceit of himself, and make his own good conceit the ground of his faith, and so the faith proves thereafter, but the most general plea is, I am thus humbled, changed, etc. as if he should say, God I thank thee I am not as other men are: Now though they say, they believe for themselves that that is in itself true, yet, this being not the effect of the word of the Gospel in them, but a conclusion drawn by themselves from their own changes or self-flattery, it hath not the nature of divine faith in it, but of opinion: and what good works they do or seem to do, they are not fruits of the word of God working through faith in them, and so not the lively evidences of faith, but things endeavoured after by the power of law and conscience in them, to annex and pin them to their faith, or rather to maintain and uphold their own opinion of their having faith. Too many Preachers there are that are in the fault, for building up men in this manner, not preaching the word of God's grace to them, according to the tenor of the Apostolical commission, some of whom while they plead for unity, in the mean time departed from the unity of the faith, and will not strive together with us, for that tenor of it once delivered to the Saints, 
Phil. 1.27. Rom. 16.17.  but have made a division besides and contrary to that wholesome doctrine, whereas all unity should stand in verity, and then it will be lasting unity: oh that they would believe the word of God, that it may appear that the power and force thereof operates in them, and that their faith and works spring therefrom, and we are ready to embrace unity with them: yea, in the mean time we will love them and be at unity with them in what they had according to the word, though we must reprove them, when they disclaim, dissent, and draw people from the credit of the word, as if our reproving their strayings from that, 
Maledi● a fit illa charitas propter qua● periclitatur vel amittitur veritas. Luth.  or holding forth the word as we find and believe it faithfully to the people, make or occasion division, we cannot help that, we must not lay down the truth of God to gain peace with men. Let men lay aside opposition then to the Gospel-declaration, and if they hold it not forth, yet deny it not, disclaim not against it, oppose not evident Scripture-saying, and we shall readily endeavour to be at one with them. Many deal with men as Pharaohs officers with the poor Israelites, they took away the straw, and yet required the tale of brick, so men now press men upon faith and repentance, and yet in the mean while withhold from them the doctrine of God's love and goodness: to what purpose is it to tell men of the privileges of believers, and withhold from them, or render doubtful to them those motives of Gods good will toward them and Christ's death for them. which God in the Gospel holds forth to them to bring them to believe? to what purpose talk ye to men out of Christ, and uncalled, of a secret election that is only in Christ, and no where else to be met with nor enjoied, suppressing the doctrine of the death of Christ for them, that should draw them unto Christ, and tell them stories of an eternal reprobation, without respect to their rejecting God's grace: yea, with an affirmation that there was no such grace for the greater part of mankind to be received or rejected by them, as is affirmed in the Gospel for them: so obstructing the way of their apprehending that grace that should lead them to repentance, or to put them upon a form of repentance, that hath no power in it, that they might presume themselves elect (for better it cannot be) while the doctrine of God's grace and goodness is not held forth and magnified toward them, which leadeth to a true and living repentance and faith of Gods elect.  
2. Again, how many talk of faith, and yet show no fruits of faith? Qui Curios simulant & Bacchanalia vivuxt, call themselves Christians but neither have the anointing, nor do the works of Christianity, that profess the Gospel, yet rest in the letter or shell of it, and look not into it to behold the glorious grace discovered in the Gospel, nor embrace the reproofs of self and flesh, fleshly wisdom, strength, righteousness and affections that come along to them in and with the Gospel, that talk of grace, but receive it in vain, and yield not up the inmost of their hearts to grace, welcome it not in its teachings to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, receive not the love of the truth to be saved by it from Satan's temptations, and their own corruptions, thou sayest thou believest and hopest to have heaven and happiness, but yet thou art a drunkard, a whoremaster, a blasphemer, covetous, thy works proclaim thee to be a liar, such faith as consists in opinion, and saying thou believest, and yet hath no power in thee to break thee off from vanities, will never save thee from destruction. It's true, Saints have had their failings, but they have been but failings, and they have been saved out of them, they have not lain and wallowed in their sin, and yet said, tush, these are but failings, their failings and fall through temptation can be no plea for thee, that never yet arose from sin, and that livest and sportest thyself in thy sin. O deceive not thyself with a vain conception, to think the outward profession of a Christian will save thee, when nothing of his divine power and spirit dwells within thee, turn not the grace of God into lasciviousness, backslide not from the escapes you have had from pollutions through the knowledge of Christ to be entangled again with your corruptions, and yet flatter up yourselves with the Saints failings, and say, ye may be true believers and real Saints for all this: thou sayest thou seekest a country too, an heavenly city, and yet thy care is altogether for, and thy love eager to this country, how to live bravely, and far deliciously, uphold thy name and reputation, with men, though by vanity and iniquity, miss no advantages of grasping in the world to thyself, of satisfying thy affections, and enjoying thy vain pleasures, etc. sure these are not the works of faith, thou walkest not as the good old Patriarches who counted themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth, and regarded not to return to their own country, which they came out of at God's commandment; as the former sort of men deny the word of faith, and discover their defect of faith by opposition to the word, so these by their works declare the vanity of their words: neither of these faiths, faith upon works and not grounded on and springing from the word, nor faith (or rather a saying a man hath faith) without works (inward operations and outward testimonies through the power of the word feeding it) will suffice to make a man just, or cause him to live, nor will either of them be sufficient for dying to keep a man that he see not death. But there's one thing more yet, they received not the promises, though they believed and saw them afar off: they died in faith, but yet enjoyed them not: how may we understand that, and what shall we note from it? The promises metonymically for the things promised, which are either for this life or the life that is to come; for this life, such as these to be a shield to them, to protect them, provide for them, give them children, etc. for the life to come, such as the country or city that hath foundations, the full enjoyment of himself and his glory: and as the way to that, the Messiah to be born of their seed, to die and rise, etc. as also to bless all nations in him.  
Again, the word [promise] sometimes in Scripture signifies the word of promise, or the promise itself made in words to us, and by these distinctions and considerations we may resolve a doubt, for whereas it's said here, these all died in faith, not having received the promises, it's said, as we read it in ver. 17. that Abraham had received the promise, He that had received the promises offered up his only begotten Son, and so chap. 6.15. after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise. The solution, that the word of a promise he had received from God, God made his promise with and to him, and that promise as a thing made in word, he had received it, he heard it and believed it, but he had not received the things spoken of in that promise, or in those promises, as the word promises in the text signifies the things promised.  
2. He did before he died obtain and receive the promise in some things but not in all, the promises for this life of having God a shield to him to protect him and be his God, and own him and give him a Son, these he had obtained and received before the died, yea, before he offered up his son Isaac, but not all the promises, nor the main things promised, as neither the land of Canaan, nor the multiplying his seed as the stars of heaven, nor the Messiah coming and blessing all nations, nor (which is the main, the full thing aimed at) the heavenly country or kingdom, the enjoyment of God and Christ in glory with his seed, and yet these they were heirs of, these fell to them by lot from God, Heb. 6.12. yea, these they received in semine, in Isaac, and Isaac in jacob, etc. they had them in pignore, but not in plenitudine, in the first fruits or pledge, but not in the full enjoyment, They all died in faith not having received the promises, the greatest part, the glory and the inheritance promised they received not, and yet though they had them not till their death, yet they left not off believing and hoping for them, nay, in their very death they held fast that faith and hope of them, and that upheld them in death, they knew themselves heirs of them, and judged God faithful not to deprive them. But how could that be, seeing now they died without them? Sure then they looked for another day and time in which they should enjoy them, and in which we also that now believe should enjoy them with them, as is said, ver. 39, 40. These all being Witnessed of by faith, or having received a good report or testimony by saith, received not the promises, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. God hath provided another time and day, in which they and we together shall receive and enjoy them: M●nde we here then a little: these dying believed still the receipt of the promises, though even at the time of their death they had not received them: how did they then believe, wrong or right? was the thing they believed true or false? Surely their faith was good, for the holy Ghost here commends it, and God therefore vouchsafed to be called their God, having prepared a city for them, vers. 16. and if so, then surely they must yet have the promises performed to them though now dead. What shall we say then? Verily we must needs hence further note,  
That there shall be a resurrection from the dead, 
Note 5.  death shall not frustrate the promises of God, and make void their faith.  
There shall be a time when they shall be brought out of the power of death and grave, and then shall receive the promises that they died short of: then shall the word of God be performed to them: and indeed here was the triumph of their faith: that though God kill them and take their lives from them, and they never see the fulfilling of the prime things promised, yet they believed that they should receive them: death itself, wherein according to sense, there was an end put to them, and all further hope and expectation, could not make their faith to fail them, for they believe in God that raised the dead, and calleth things that are not as if they were, Rom. 4 17. and so above hope believed in hope, according (not to sense, but) to what was spoken of God, so shall thy seed be. O the power and virtue of divine faith, supported by the power of God in the belief of the resurrection from the dead! Surely if they believed not in vain, as without doubt they did not, than it undeniably follows that they shall have (and so that there is) a day of Resurrection, when the promised country and glory shall be made good unto them. Verily if this doctrine were not true, our faith were vain, and the Gospel preaching with its promises vain, we could have no ground for faith in death, but faith and hope and all must die with us: but now they died all in faith though they had not yet received the promises: verily there shall be a reward for the righteous, for all their faith and patience: verily there shall then be a resurrection of them that they may be rewarded: the time of the resurrection of the just is the time of their remuneration, as in Luk. 14.14. Thou shalt be rewarded in the resurrection of the just: deny the resurrection of the just, and thou takest away the hope of their reward, and thou makest them of all men most miserable, because here they have a time of deeper sufferings and sorrowings then others, and thou tellest them that they must never rise more to receive a reward for them, here they die, and have not received the promises, and if death swallow them up, and they never rise, they must never receive them: Look to this, you that deny the resurrection, I know your evasion, you say they have it already, they are in Christ, and risen with him, and he is the resurrection and the life, and so they have their reward: but harken thou vain man, though they be risen with Christ in their spirits, risen from earth to heaven, yet this is not all their resurrection, nor have they herein their reward, their full reward: for thus Abraham was raised in his spirit to look after the heavenly country, even before he died (as they that are raised with Christ in their spirits are exhorted to seek the things above, Col. 3.1, 2.) but yet even after that he died in saith, and had not received the promises, he neither was raised above faith to live without any further exercise of faith (as some vainly prate) nor had he or any of them received all the reward of faith, but they all died in faith not having received the promises, and therefore must have yet another resurrection, or a completing of that resurrection in the redemption of their bodies, that they may receive those promises, according to that Rom. 8.23. We that have received the first-fruits of the spirit, yet wait for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies: for indeed the promises are to the man, the whole man: now a man is not a man without his body too, 
Hominem proprte carnem diet, qu●a vocabulum bominis occupavit.  the soul is but part of the man (nay as Tertullian hath well noted, the body is rather called the man, because it first had the denomination of man: God form man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life, he was called man before the breath of life was breathed into him, Gen. 2.7.) therefore the resurrection is of that also, that must be raised and united to the soul, that so the man may inherit the promise made to him: yea, what is resurrection, but a raising to life that that died? but the spirits of just men die not with their bodies, they were raised up and enlivened before, and live by faith even when the body dies, therefore it's the body must be raised, He shall change our vile body, and make it like his own glorious body, Phil. 3.21. yea, not the righteous only but the wicked too must rise, Act, 24.15. There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. Hark you Allegoriarum nimium amantes, nimium amentes, you that dote on All gories, where will you find ground of Allegory for this? will ye say the unjust and wicked too have Christ, and are risen with Christ? perhaps you will say, they shall rise from sin to righteousness, and so into and with Christ, but (beside that this crosseth the Scripture, all shall not so rise) you make that the resurrection of the just, and if that shall be the unjusts' resurrection, than I pray, what is that that's further spoken of, of the just seeing that they have already, and yet speaking in the future tense, he saith, they shall arise? but what need we many words, when our Saviour is so express in Joh. 5, 29. All that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation: not from sin to righteousness in this life, but to condemnation for their unrighteousness acted in this life. But we need not go so far from the text, to prove that there shall be a resurrection of the body. Seeing by that that here follows that God is not ashamed to be called their God. ver. 16. our Saviour hath to our hands confuted that opinion of the Sadduces, and proved that there shall be a resurrection even of them that are dead in the body: for that was the thing that the Sadduces oppugned, and not the quickening up of men's spirits to God, as we may see by their way of arguing, Mar. 12.18, 27. Then it is at that glorious resurrection that all things shall be made new, when the bodies that are dead shall by the power of God be raised, new heavens and new earth prepared, and given unto the Saints, in which dwells righteousness, that is, then shall they have and enjoy remainingly the righteousness of God in the full accomplishment of all his former promises, in the faith of which they died, but had not received.  
Dear friends, hold fast this doctrine of the resurrection, 
Applic.  for as Tertullian well gins his book upon this subject, Fiducia Christianorum, resurrectio mortuorum, the resurrection of the dead is the hope and expectation of Christians, there is no doctrine more properly Christian then it, none more comfortable, none now in greater danger to be let slip, these being those shaking times of the most fundamental doctrines of Christian truth, which the Apostle Peter long since warned us of, 2 Pet. 3.2, 3, 13. There shall (says he) come mockers, Walking after their own ungodly lusts, that shall mock at the performance of God's promises, in the coming of Christ, and restitution of all things, saying, where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers f●ll asleep, all things continue in their state. As if they should say, they are like to receive no more than they had before they died: but let not this doctrine be shaken from you, for what then will follow but a rotall falling off from the faith, a denying of the resurrection of Christ, 
1 Cor. 11.17, 18.  and of the kingdom of Christ? yea, then faith and preaching and all is vain, yea, than the reins are given to all licentiousness, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die, and when we are dead, there is a sinal end with us, and that's indeed the issue of that wickedness, they that say, Where is the promise of his coming? Will not fear to walk after their own ungodly lusts: It's true, one principle upon which they lean in denying it, and way to insinuate the slieghting of it unto others (as Tertullian hath long since observed, and as experience of their words yet teacheth us) is a disrespect they seem to bear to the flesh, so our spirits enjoy God (say they) and go up to God, what's matter for this flesh? it's but dust, and to dust let it go, and no matter whether ever it rise or not, but as he also well observes, Sunt tamen ●arnis amicessimi, nemo enim tam carnaliter vivit, quam qui resurrectionem mortuorum negat, though they seem to sleight the flesh, none love better to please the flesh, none live more after the flesh: prayers and ordinance and discipline than is nothing with them, to trim up themselves, and wear, and eat, and drink the best, to play and game (and perhaps do worse things) these they will not deny the flesh, they will please it what they can here, because they think it shall have no pleasure, or good hereafter. But oh! take heed to the Scriptures, both Pharisees and Sadduces err in not knowing and believing them: 
Mat. 27.29.  ye err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God: they pretend to know them better than others, while they can pervert them more than others: and while they pretend a more spiritual understanding of them, they contradict the spirit of understanding speaking in them, and through fraud and subtlety seduce the simple, seeming at first to speak as they, till they wind them into their snares, as Tertullian observed of them in his times, 
De Res. Car.  they would say to the simple-hearted, Vae qui in hâe carne non resurrexerint, Woe to them that rise not in this flesh, which the simple hearted hearing oftentimes were led to judge they meant honestly and according to the Scripture only, whenas they meant (says he) Dum in hâc carne sunt, that rise not while they are in this flesh, and so by one part of truth seemingly confessed the rising of our spirits here by faith with Christ, they would by little and little undermine the faith of the simple-hearted, and doctrinate them not to matter, and then to deny the resurrection of the body, running themselves and them that listened to them into the error of Hymenaeus and Philetus, 2 Tim. 2.17. that say, the resurrection is already past, in whose very footsteps many also now walk, not knowing the Scriptures, yea, departing from the Scriptures, and not acknowledging the power of God: thence say they, how should the bodies that are long since dead, and divers ways dispersed, and that have endured so many transmutations be possibly raised? and how can the world itself contain them? as if they did not believe God Almighty, and that all things are possible to him beyond our thought, to whom I might say with the Apostle Act. 26 8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? But I say again, mind we the word of God, and so mind and keep it that we may be kept by it in the faith from this dangerous error of the wicked, dream not with them of all our resurrection here: no coming of Christ but what they meet with here, no performance of promises but what they have here, all enjoyments and fullness and perfection here: sure if that was true Paul was very low and ignorant to them, when he says he had finished his course, 
2 Tim. 4 8.  and kept the faith, and yet adds, henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that day: he had done his work, and yet he had not received his reward: it was but laid up for him, and laid up to be given him, not in this but in that day, in another day, the day of Christ's appearance, sure than the Apostle was out here too, when he said, these all died in faith, and yet had not received the promises. Nay, the Apostle ' Paul instructs us, that we shall not one prevent another in the receipt of them, 1 Thes. 4.15. They that live at the coming of Christ shall not prevent them that are asleep: They that now live shall not have them till Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have them, nor they before we have them, Heb. 11.40. the dead in Christ shall be first raised at his coming, and the living changed, and both be caught into the air up together to meet him, certainly they say false then that say Christ is come to them in his glory, and they are raised and have the promises, all they look for, or all that any shall have, and yet many of their brethren died without them, and are not yet raised, and if we will believe them never shall be, and many yet are uncalled to them. But beloved, regard we not their say, but know them to be false and vain, and look we to Christ that died for us and risen again, and know that as he risen, so shall we also, and together with Abraham and the Patriarches and Prophets, and all the Saints shall be caught up at his appearance to meet him, 
1 Thes 4.18.  as the Apostle exhorts us, comfort we one another for our deceased brethren with these say. And indeed what comfort could we have for one another in respect of them, if we believed that all their portion they are to have, they have had it already, and when they and we die, our spirits go to God, and our bodies to the dust, and there's an end of the matter, we shall never enjoy them again, there shall be no resurrection; away with such unchristian and unsavours conceptions, and let ns where we have believed hold fast the faith, and not upon any pretence or by any Philosophy or vain deceit of man, depart therefrom, let us live in it, that we may die in it, or according to it.  
And thus I have given you a view of the text, I suppose you expect I should now return to our present occasion, and say something about our deceased brother: Truly the text is such a comment on him, as that we might go over it again and apply it to him, or you might understand that spoken of these Worthies here, as if said of him, he believed the Gospel, and had insight in it, and oftentimes rejoiced much in it, was persuaded of it, embraced it, loved it, counted himself a stranger and pilgrim in the earth, walked with that contempt and carelessness of it (how it thought of him and esteemed him) as if he judged it not his habitation, but had his eye (as indeed he had) upon a better country, an enduring city that hath foundations, he lived in this world as if he had his heart in another world, not regarding, nor scarce suffering the honours of this world or of this place to be thrust upon him; his name was nothing to him for the Gospel's sake, that he would approve whoever disproved him, he would stop his ears against, and not endure to hear of their say, who deny Christ's mediation, and impugn the doctrine of the resurrection, and professing his joy and comfort to be therein, and in the hope he had therethrough of an enduring happy condition: for justice, uprightness and honesty, it was his aim and endeavour, and therein hath not left many to exceed (I doubt I may say to equalise) him, we may say of him, the righteous man is taken away, and the merciful man from amongst us: In both which respects I fear many will miss him, as the loins of the poor blessed him alive, so I doubt they will find cause of mourning for his death: as he affected not honour with men, so did he not long enjoy it, God not judging us worthy the improvement of his abilities for the good of the Town, perhaps because no better respected (when more able) by them: he was more like the selfdenying Olive, than the aspiring bramble: he looked upon earth's honour as a burden, having his chief desire upon that which is from heaven, therefore God hath taken him from his burden to give him his desire: in a word he was upright in his life, faithful to the truth to his death, patiented under affliction (though long in great pain) and very desirous of his dissolution, that he might be with Christ. Let it be ourcare to imitate him in these good steps, that with him and all those who through faith and patience have looked after the promises of God, we may in due time be raised up, and brought to inherit them. I shall only add an Epitaph upon him, and I shall leave both you and him.  
* ⁎ *  
FINIS.    

AN EPITAPH.  

QVi cum vixit erat Major, major moriendo est  
(Morte repurgatus) quam fuit ipse prius.  
Majestatis erat brevita cadaveris umbra,  
Vix ea majestas, illius umbra brevis:  
Spe laetus, multumque gemens mala publica, corpus  
Mandate humo, plenam numine caelo animam.   

In English thus.  
This man alive was mayor, now dead is more  
Advanced (death bettering him) then heretofore.  
Short shade o'th' corpse of Royalty he was,  
That Royalty scarce shadowed what he was.  
Who joyed in hope, did public woes condole,  
Left earth his corpse, to heaven his graceful soul.   
FINIS.