The Shining Forth of the Righteous, Title page – Preface
ΕΚΛΑΜΨΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΝ: OR, THE Shining forth of the RIGHTEOUS: A SERMON PREACHED Partly upon the death of that Reverend and Excellent Divine, Mr. STEPHEN CHARNOCK, And in part At the Funeral of a godly Friend.
By JOHN JOHNSON, M. A.
foreign,
Greg. Nyſſen. Orat. de Mortuis.
foreign
Chryſ. hom. in Matt. 49.
Cum a propriâ & ingenita Corruptione immunes — ab aſcittiâ improborum inquinatione ſeparati, non tum ut alim ſicut Luna, quae ſuâ Luce mutabilis eſt, ſed ut ipſe Sol infinito fulgore fulgebunt.
Cartwr. in Mat 13.43.
LONDON: Printed for the Author, and are to be ſold by Tho. Parkhurſt, Will. Miller, and Benj. Alſop, at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapſide, at the Acorn in St. Pauls Church-Yard, and at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1680.
TO THE READER.
Courteous Reader,
I Thought when it was told me that my only boſom-friend amongſt the Miniſters, that excellent Divine Mr. Stephen Charnock (foreign) lay a dying, that I heard a Voice from Heaven which whiſpered to him, Go up and Die, but ſpake aloud to us, Do the Prophets live for ever? It awakened me to review a Sermon which I had preached at the requeſt of ſome godly friends in Leiceſterſhire upon a Text given by their Father the day before his Death, and to repeat it to ſome very few of Mr. Charnocks Hearers. My intent in publiſhing of it is not ſo much to gratifie them both, as to endeavour ſome ſmall benefit to the ſouls of ſome weaker Chriſtians as well as theirs, before I go hence and be no more. May not a little milk be handed by me to new born babes, but one or another muſt think ſtrange of it? What if they ſhould? I leave it to others to ſeed ſtrong men with ſtronger meat. This prevails with me, Mr. Charnock is dead, I'm a dying. Some other reaſons I have acquainted him with who knows my thoughts afar off. Here's nothing of an Elogium on my Country friend (that I delivered formerly to his Relations) little concerning Mr. Charnock. I ſhould have ſaid, at leaſt attempted,Pictores P. Ichram abſolutámq faciem rarò niſ in pejus effingunt. Plin. ſec. lib. 5. c. 10. much more; but I heard a Narrative of his Life will be drawn by an able hand. All my skill could not have done it to the life. If this Sermon beyond my intention ſhould fall into the hands of any Miniſters, beſides ſome few my acquaintance and Juniors, who may challenge it from me, I ſhall add only this following character taken out of ſeveral of the Fathers Writings, more applicable (I dare avouch it) to Mr. Charnock than thoſe to whom they affixed it. I cite not the places, they are known to Scholars.
He was, foreign.
foreign.
I pray they may be delivered into this expreſſed form as theſe lines were into their Types; and commend them and the following Diſcourſe to the bleſſing of our good God, and reſt
Thine in our Lord, John Johnſon.
THE Importunity of ſome conſtra…ns me to render into Engliſh the Character in the Epiſtle to the Reader, though far ſhort of the copiouſneſs and elegancy of the Greek Language. i. e. He was as to manners and comportment venerable and grave, like an aged perſon from his youth: Then well train'd up and learned in all the wiſdom couched under exotick and foreign languages: In his skill in both the Originals of Sacred Writ, the wiſdom taught by the holy languages, was he inſtructed, and ſo augmented and grew ripe (as in years) even to perfection; and became not only the lively repreſentation, but the original it ſelf of humanity, love and kindneſs towards the ſons of men; Keeping no conſort but only grace and vertue. He was the Rational houſe of God, Chriſts ſpiritual building, the Temple of the Holy Ghoſt, framed, made up of Orthodox Doctrines and good works. A perſon really transformed into the very Image of God himſelf. Always ſerving the only true and living God, as becomes ſuch a God. All the work wherein he employed and exerciſed himſelf with diligence, skill and conſtancy, was love to God and ſouls. His life he examined and ſquared until it was in every thing exact according to the rule of the Word. His Gravity not affected in the leaſt; his very ſilence was more efficacious many times than his own, very often than the ſpeech of others. But all his Miniſterial ſervice always ſuch as brought down fire from Heaven upon the ſpiritual Sacrifices. He being a fountain of Divine Truth, a larger beam of great light, which always carries much warmth and heat as well as light along with it. He was the very mouth by which the Lord Chriſt ſpake, and a genuine Interpreter of the Holy Ghoſt of his mind in the words, of his meaning in the Doctrines of the Goſpel. That Golden Urn (in the Ark of God) that preſerved Divine Manna, and was fill'd to the brim with Coeleſtial food to nouriſh ſouls in ſpiritual, unto eternal life; his heart ever-flowing, and over-flowing love, and grace abundantly poured round his lips. The Doctrines he ſet forth before his Hearers for food and phyſick, were moſt Divine, whom he never directed into any way of truth wherein he had not walked before them. Chriſts moſt fruitful Vine over-ſpread the walls of his Auditory, well hung with lovely cluſters, and flouriſhing with pleaſant fruit of all the ſalutiferous Doctrines of the Goſpel, whence Miniſters, others carried home baskets full to rejoice the hearts of new-born babes which they were to bring up for Chriſt. Herein lay his Eminency, he had reſigned all into the hands of his Lord and Saviour that had received him, viz. his Eſtate, Reputation, Health, Life, and what ever might be for his comfortable being here, even his Learning and Learned Diſcourſes; enjoying only thus much of all theſe things that he over-looked them, and had wherewith he might make it appear how much he pre-eſteemed Chriſt before them.