A Farewell SERMON, PREACHED BY MR. William pen: On Sunday last, being the 13th instant, at the QUAKERS MEETING-HOUSE at Westminster. Beloved: Take heed that ye observe good council, and let not the Light depart from ye: Yea, Let the Wonderful counselor▪ be your Guide. licenced According to Order. IT was the blessed Encouragement that our Lord Jesus Christ gave to his Disciples, and ●ll his Followers( when he took on him the Nature of Man, and was made Flesh, and dwelled ●mongst us) and therein to all the Sons and ●aughters of Men, who should follow him ●hro▪ and many and great Tribulations, and give up ●eir Names and Hearts to him, to be Witnes● of his Truth, and of that Holy Testimony▪ which he should communicate to them near his farewell, and a little before his being offered up, Let not your Hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me: In my Fathers House are many Mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also: Now my Friends▪ These Mansions they are the recompenses o● Reward that are set in the View of the Righteous, and promised of God by Christ Jesus▪ These many Mansions are the manifold Rewards, Diversities of Rewards, that refer to the Diversity of States, and Conditions, and Persons, unto whom these many Mansions do belong. As all are not of the same stature an● growth, neither are all these Mansions of th● same degree of Glory and Felicity. There i● one Glory of the Sun; another Glory of th● Moon, another Glory of the Stars; for one Sta● differs from another Star in Glory; yet all these Stars shine with a Lustre and Glory, and th● least Star hath a Beauty and Excellency in it and so the least of these many Mansions hav● a marvelous Light and Glory in it. This refe● to the state of every Man and Woman here below. All Members are not the Hand, all are not the Head, but every Member of the Body hath its Service, and will have its Reward. This is that which did Spring in my Soul this Morning, as I sat here among you. O that all here present may become the living members of Christ Jesus our Blessed Head, and live the Life they live in the Body, by the Faith of the Son of God.— He that made us, knows our Frame; He that created us, and formed and fashioned us after his own Image, and gave us Powers and Faculties to glorify and serve him, that we may come to enjoy him for ever, he requires of no man or Woman more than he hath given them Power and Ability to perform. It concerneth us all therefore to live in the Exercise of that Divine Gift, and Grace, and Ability, which our Lord Jesus Christ hath Distributed and Communicated to every member of his Body, that we may come to shine as Stars in the Firmament of Glory.— We should do good in several Places and Stations, according to our different Powers and Capacities. And as every member is by the Circulation of Blood made useful and beneficial in the Natural Body, so the Divine Life and Blood of the Son of God Circulates through his whole Mystical Body, and reaches Life to every living member. Here is no Obstruction through Unfaithfulness, or Inordinate love of the World, or any Temptation from without us, or Corruption from within us. Here is a free Channel, here is an open Passage for Life and quickening Influences from Christ our Glorious Head, to all his members. There is in Christ( in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily) A River, whose Streams make glad the City of God: A Fountain to Supply and Refresh the whole Generation of the Righteous, that desire to be found in him( as the Apostles speaks) not having their own Righteousness, but clothed with the rob of his Righteousness, which is the Garment of Salvation. Therefore Wait this Day, My Dear Friends, to have your hearts filled with the Love and Life of the Son of God, that you may appear with Joy at his Tribunal, mankind must appear, and every one give an Account of what he hath done in the body, whether it be good or evil. Let every one of you be careful to Live according to what you know, and improve the talents that God hath given you, and you shall find that in keeping his Commandments, there is a great Reward, and that God is good to Israel, to them that are of a Clean Heart. Had not the Lord been on our side, may Israel say; Had not the Lord been on our side when Men rose up against us, may we say, they had swallowed us up, and the Temptatious of the Devil would have prevailed over us, and we had fallen long ago; It is not we that have stood firm in times of trial and trouble, but it is the Lord that hath stood by us, and made us to stand: And the love of God to his People now, is as great as ever it was: His Arm is not shortened that it cannot save, nor his Ear heavy that it cannot hear; Therefore travail on and Faint not, and you shall come with Joy to the end of your Journey, and you shall be satisfied with the Fatness of God's House, and say with the Psalmist, Blessed are they that dwell in thy House, they shall be still praising thee. It is the Faithful and sincere that shall dwell in the House of the Lord for ever, and enter into his everlasting Kingdom. O My Friends, Live as a People bowed down in the presence of the Great and Holy God, and walk humbly with him; Be humbled under his mghty Hand, and you shall be exalted in due time. The God of Heaven hath Visited your Souls with his Divine Power and Grace, and given you a refreshing Sense of his Love, that you may perceive and feel a Daily Renewing of your Strength. O Wait upon the Lord for his Divine Power to enable you to Conquer the Power of Satan, that you may go on Conquering and to Conquer, till you come to the New Jerusalem, the City of God and Land of Peace and Rest. Beware of Idolatry! Bow not down to the Work of your own hands: For tho' you may not be Guilty of Gross Idolatry, yet there is a secret, and more hidden Idolatry, that too many are Guilty of. Who set their Hearts and Affections on low and Earthly things: This sticks but too near to many. Let the Word of Exhortation of the Apostle enter into your Hearts; Little Children keep yourselves from Idols. Let this be the Cry of your Souls, Lord Preserve and keep me this Day, every Day and to the end of my Days, that I may be not only Convinced of the Truth, but really Converted to it, and Walk in the Truth, and Persevere therein to the end, that I may be saved. Remember Lots Wife; Look not back to Sodom: Walk in Light as Children of Light, with your Faces Sion-ward; and rejoice in hope of Glory of God. Ye were some time in Darkness, but now( saith the Apostle) Ye are Light in the Lord. O Shine as Stars in the midst of a Crooked Perverse Generation. Shine in the Beauties of Holiness, and Walk in the Light of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, who was given for a light to lighten the Gentiles▪ and to be ●he Glory of h●● P 〈…〉 〈◇〉 He shall be th● Desire of all Nations; the mighty Saviour upon whom God hath laid Help. Believe in him, cleave to him, and follow him, and you shall be Saved, both from your Sins, and from the wrath to come. God is Light( saith the Apostle John) in him is no Darkness at all; If we Walk in the Light as he is in the Light, then we shall have Fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Ch●●st his Son Cleanseth us from all Sin; We know him to be the true Rock and Foundation of Go●●hich standeth Sure, and which will stand Sure, in Stormy and Tempestuous Times: Blessed are they that Build upon this Foundation which God hath laid. Blessed be God, who hath opened your Eyes, and given you to see this sure Foundation, which we must build all our Hopes of Salvation upon; And not upon any other Foundation whatsoever. We that are made Living Witnesses of the Pow●●, and Wisdom, and Goodness of God, let us sink down into Self-Abasement and Humility, and we shall feel the Living Openings of the Spirit of Truth in our Hearts, and receive with Meekness that engrafted Word, in which is Light and Life, that is able to save our Souls; and submit to the Authority of God therein; That the Word of Christ may dwe●● Richly in us, and become the Power of God to our Salvation. Now the God of 〈…〉 again from the Dea● our Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd of Sheep, through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you perfect i● every good Work, to do his Will; Working in you that which i● well pleasing in his Sight, to whom be Glory, Praise, and thanksgiving, who alone is Worthy, who is God over all, Blessed fo● ever and ever. Amen. FINIS. LONDON: Printed for A. B. near Chancery-Lane. 1699.