To the Church of Christ lately under the Paftoral Care of the Deceas'd Mr. Thomas Harrifon. Beloved in our Lord, T HE Death of every ordinary Chriftian carries fomething in it very aweful and inftructive, much more the Removal of an Excellent Minifter. As the Stroke of Providence is greater, fo the Voice of it is louder; and as it admonishes thofe that furvive to prepare for an Invifible World, fo it does diftinctly report the Difpleasure of Heaven: For as Princes difcover their Refentments in foreign Countries by calling home their Ambaffadors; fo does the Prince of the Kings of the Earth bow how much he is difpleas'd with our Unprofitableness under the Means of Grace, when he calls them home that were Difpenfers of the Bread of Life. How How fuch a Providence is to be improv'd, I have briefly fuggefted in the following Sermon; which was preach'd at your joint Re queft, and is now publish'd at the fame Intance. I know, He, whofe Death occafion'd it, was dear to you: and tho the Character I have given of him be very imperfect, I have fome Relief in this, That his Works will praise him better in the Gate, than I have done either from the Pulpit or the Prefs. Thefe, these fhall be a more lafting Eulogy to his Name, than if I had fcatter'd all the Flowers of Oratory on his Hearfe. As for the Difcourfeit felf, and the Defects it may have, the Auihor has no Apology for expofing them and himself in an Age wherein Jo many think accurately, and write politely, but what is commonly us'd on fuch occafions. However, fuch as the Difcourfe is, I give it up at your Defire, and venture it abroad under your Patronage. Whatever be its Entertainment in the World, if it is but profitable to the Church, or ferviceable to others, you'll have your end, and I shall not not mifs of mine; who am Your Servant for Jefus fake, JOHN PIGGOTT. 2 TIM. IV. 7, 8. I have fought a good Fight, I have finish'd my Courfe, I have kept the Faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord the Righteous Judg fhall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but unto all them alfo that love his Appearing. UR Knowledg here is imper fect, and the Intricacies of Divine Providence do greatly amaze us: Yet this we may lay down for a certain Principle, That all the Acts of God's Sovereignty which are difplay'd in the Government of the World, are conducted by unerring Wisdom. For the great Apostle affures us, that God worketh all things after the Counsel Eph. 1. 11. of his own Will. Righteousness is the Habitation of his Throne, tho Darkness does encompass it about. We know not indeed what God does now; but we shall perfectly know hereafter: For For when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away. The Time is haftning when the unfearchable Wif dom, the impartial Justice, and infinite Goodnefs of God fhall fhine forth with a flaming Luftre; and we shall fee a Beauty and Harmony in all the dark Scenes of Providence, which were too hard for our Reafon, and a great Exercise to our Faith, while we abode in this misty Region. We are affembled at this time in the House of Mourning, not to arraign the Conduct of Heaven, but to humble our felves under God's mighty Hand, who has remov'd from the midst of us, One under whofe Shadow we have fat with great delight. The Almighty has broken to pieces an Earthen Vessel, that was excellently stock'd with Heavenly Treasure : He has extinguish'd a burning and a fhining Light: He has fealed up a Star in fudden and thick Darkness, which he held in his Right Hand; fo that we are depriv'd of its comfortable Light and its useful Influence. And how can we but mourn our Lofs? Yet let this Confide ration prevent an immoderate Grief, that He, in whofe Place I now ftand, could fay upon folid Grounds, when he drew near the Period of his Life, with the great Apostle in the Words of the Text, I have fought a good Fight, I have finish'd my Courfe, I have kept the Faith. Hence forth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord the Righteous Judg fhall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but to all them also that love his Appearing. This fecond Epiftle to Timothy, of which the Text is a part, was written by the Apostle Paul, when he was a Prisoner at Rome, and af ter ter he had made an appearance more than once before Nero the Emperor. And 'tis generally thought, both by Antient and Modern Writers, that this was the last Epistle which he wrote; and therefore Chryfoftom fays of it, That it was as it were his laft Will and Teftament. And indeed the Words immediately preceding the Text, fignify to us that he was very apprehenfive of his approaching Death: For (fays he) I am now ready to be offer'd, and the time of ver. my Departure is at hand. From the manner of the Expreffion we may conclude, that he expected a very fudden but violent Death, that he fhould fhare the Honours of Martyrdom: For the Original is very expreffive in amivdual; I am now offer'd, or, I am already pour'd out, (he alludes to the manner of Libations in Sacrifices) and the time of my Departure iqisuxo, iš inftant. He feems every moment to be expecting his Death, and reprefents it fo near, as if he had been not only drawing to Execution, but as if the facrificing Knife had been at his Throat. Whether the Menaces of the Emperor made the Apostle fo apprehensive of the nearness of his Death, or whether he had a new and special Revelation concerning it, as the Apostle Peter had of his, 2 Pet. 1.14. or whether that Apprehenfion was from both, I will not determine: But upon the whole, we find, he was not at all furpriz'd. He had Peace reigning within, and a Record abiding on high, and he exults like one that was more than a Conqueror: I have fought a good Fight, I As may be collected from 2 Tim. 4. 16, 17. as also from the have |