A Spiritual Legacy, Title page – Dedication
A Spiritual Legacy; Being a PATTERN OF PIETY FOR ALL Young Perſons Practice, in a faithful Relation of the Holy LIFE and Happy DEATH OF Mr John Draper.
REPRESENTED Out of his own and other Manuſcripts; containing his Experiences, Exerciſes, Self-Examinations, and Evidences for Heaven.
Together with his Funeral SERMON.
Publiſhed by CHR. NESS, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
LONDON. Printed by H. Clark, for the Author, and are to be ſold by L. Curtis, at Sr. Edmundbury Godfrey's Head, near Fleet Bridge, 1684.
THE Epiſtle Dedicatory TO YOUNG MEN
THE Boſom and beſt Beloved Diſciple ſaith, [I write to you Young Men, becauſe ye have overcome the wicked One, becauſe ye are ſtrong, and the Word of God abideth in you, &c.] 1 Joh. 2.13, 14. And poor I (the leaſt of Saints, and greateſt of Sinners) write accordingly unto you, that it may be ſo with you in this preſent Time, as it was with thoſe Young Men in the Primitive and Apoſtolical Times: What they (through Grace) did, and Had the honour of, the ſame ye ought to do, and have the like Ambition, both for Valour and for Victory: Solomon ſaith alſo, That the Glory of Young Men is their Strength, Prov. 20.29. The Hebrew word there for Young Men, ſignifeth Choice men, to wit, for Military Employments, which may be underſtood in a Myſtical as well as in a Literal Senſe, ſeeing there is a Spiritual as well as a Temporal Warfare, Iſa. 40.2. 1 Cor, 9.7. & 2 Cor. 10.4. & 1 Tim. 1.18. There is the Figurative Fighting, the good Fight of Internal Faith, 1 Tim. 6.12. 2 Tim. 4.7. Heb. 10.32. As well as that which is Corporal by External Force: Nor can Young men be reputed more truly Valorous in any Heroick Exploits, than in Vanquiſhing the Prince of Darkneſs.
O ye Young men, your Strength is indeed your Glory, and you are prone to Glory in your Strength as your peculiar Priviledge above all other Ages, but forget not that word of Wiſdom which tells you [Let not the mighty man Glory in his might, &c. but let him that glorieth Glory in the Lord] Jerem. 9.23. 1 Cor. 1.31. And remember to uſe your ſtrength well, not in Quarrelling and Duelling (as thoſe Youngſters at Helketh-Hazzurim did, who ſheathed their Swords in each others Bowels, for a Play and Paſtime, 2 Sam. 2.14.16.) Not in Vanity or Villany, &c. but in following your particular Callings, (as well as in fighting for your native Countries, as thoſe Young men of the Princes of the Provinces did, 1 Kings 20.20. from ver. 13, 14, &c.) As you are Strong Young men; more eſpecially in purſuing your General Calling, as you are Strong Young Chriſtians. Thus Young Timothy became a good Souldier of Jeſus Chriſt, 2 Tim. 2.3. not dreaming of any Carnal Delicacy, but Enduring Hardſhip, and living ſo abſtemiouſly among the luxrious Epheſians that the Apoſtle was conſtrained to preſcribe him Physick, 1 Tim. 5.23. As Godly Timothy's daily Task was to war a good marfare, ſo it ought to be yours.
DIRECTIONS.
Firſt, Make Religion your buſineſs, not a By-buſineſs; let it be jour Alpha and your Omega, that muſt be in the Beginning and in the Ending, yea and in the Middle alſo of all your Actings. Inure your ſelves ſo to it as to make it your familiar Exerciſe or Recreation, Acts 24.16. Yea beſtirr your ſelves luſtily in it, as your buſineſs of greateſt Importance,1 Tim. 4.7.
Secondly, Arm your ſelves with the whole Armour of God, both that part which is Defenſive (as the Girdle of Truth, the Helmet of Hope, the Shield of Faith, the Breaſt-Plate of Righteouſneſs, and the Shoes of Peace and Patience) And that alſo which is Offenſive, as the Sword of the Spirit, and Darts of Prayer, Eph. 6.12, 13, to 19.
Thirdly, In this Armour fight ye the good Fight of Faith, 1 Tim. 6.12. Be men of God, ver. 11. and Quit your ſelves like men, 1 Cor. 16.13. Be more than men, be ſtrong, 2 Tim. 2.1. in the Grace which is by Je ſus Chriſt. Be Strong Young Men, Reſiſt the Devil and he will flee from you, James 4.7. 1 Pet. 5.9. Satan is therefore but a Coward, who (like the Crocodile) when you follow him, he fleeth you, but if you flee from him, he followeth you.
Fourthly, In this Armour alſo do ye war a good warfare, 1 Tim. 16.18. againſt thoſe Fleſhly Luſts, which war againſt your Souls, 1 Pet. 2.11. That like the Syrians, are commanded by their Maſter to war with neither Small nor Great, but with the King of Iſrael, 1 Kings 22.31. All their Spite is againſt the Soul, to deſtroy it and its Grace and Peace. If ſuch a Chaſt and Chaſtened peice as Mortified young Timothy was bid to Flee youthful Luſts, 2 Tim. 2.22. How much more you in theſe debauching daies, and in your ſlippery Age, as ſlippery as Glaſs.
Fifthly, Tremble to turn This Celeſtial Armour into Carnal and Effeminate Amours: If you embrace Vice in your Youth, 'tis a thouſand to one but you will refuſe Vertue in your Old Age: Trees that bloſſom not in the Spring, will hardly bear fruit in Autumn. Beſides, is this fair dealing to give God the Devils leavings? How can God like to be Gleaning at laſt where the Devil hath been reapimg all your Time? to ſay nothing of the Strains and Cramps of Conſcience, which you will carry with you to your dying Day, as poſſibly you may do ſome ſtrains and cramps (while young and preſumptuous) in your body.
Sixthly, But to be ſhort, conſider what Solomon (in his ſapiential Sermon, concerning the most ſoveraign good) ſaith by his moſt emphatical Irony for deterring all youngſters from perſuing ſenſual pleaſures [rejoyce O Young-Man in thy youth?] Eccles. 11.9. That is [Do if thou dareſt] As God ſaid to Balaam [Go ſince thou wilt go.] Numb. 22.20. But know that thou goeſt upon thy death. Thus this Ironical Conceſſion intimates that Young-Men have ſtrongeſt Inclinations to, and the ſtoutest Abilities for all kind of ſenſuallity, and they are moſt impatient both of reproof and reſtraint, therefore do they indulge their own jolly and frolick humours, in takeing their full of delights: In eating drinking, being madly merry, &c. Let them do ſo (ſaith Solomon) but at their peril. [But know, &c.] O this ſtinging [But &c.] marrs all their mirth, and is a Cooler to the Youngſters courage; one thought of an after reckoning ſpoils all his ſport, [For all theſe things] which are accounted but Triffles and Tricks of Youth, [God will bring you to judgment,] either in this life (as he did Young Abſolom and Adonijah, Hophni and Phineas, Nadab and Abihu, and other Young Men, or however in the next life. Your Death Day ſhall unavoidably become your Dooms Day, then God will force you to appear before his dreadful tribunal, (though never ſo much againſt the hair and againſt the heart) thereto receive the direful ſentence of [go ye curſed &c.]
Young-Men (of all men) are apteſt to put the evil day of death and judgment far from them: But this avails not any, yet undoes many, lulling them aſl…ep in the cradle of ſecurity. For (as Bernard ſaith) Senibus mors in Januis, Adoleſcentibus in inſidiis, Death is at the Door for old Men, yet lays in ambuſh for the young, and breakes oft in without knocking at the door, it oft comes like the lightning or thunder, both blaſting the green corn, and breaking yea burning down the neweſt and ſtrongeſt buildings.
Laſtly. Let it be your care and your Conſcience to Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days of old age come upon you, Eccles. 12.1. Sure I am, the ſtrongeſt obligations to this Duty lays upon you; for God is the firſt Author both of your being and well being, &c. To forget him therefore (as the Wicked do and ſo are turned into Hell, Pſal. 9.17.) is most Unnatural, Inhumane, and Diſingenious: Doe yo… Remember your Maker practically, ſo as to fear and love him, and faithfully ſerve him: Thus this Young-Man your pattern and my ſubject here (I am perſwaded) did: You muſt accordingly ſerve God with the beſt of your time and ſtrength, while you are most able to do ſo, and have the best oppertunities, for poſſibly you may not live till old age. Go forth to gather Manna in the morning of your life, in the flower of your age, this will be most acceptable to God whoſe Soul deſireth the firſt ripe fruits, Mic. 7.1. And who will remember the kindneſs of your youth in your remembring him, Jer. 2.1. This will be moſt Comfortable to your ſelves, knowing that you have mortified (in part through grace) thoſe impetuous paſſions, and inordinate affections, which drowns ſo many thouſands of Young-Men in the pit of perdition: O be not like the Circaſſians (a kind of Mongrel Chriſtians) who divide their lives betwixt ſin and devotion dedicating their youth to rapine, and their old age to repentance, Breerwoods inquiry, Pag. 135. But curſed be that cozener (faith the Prophet Mal. 1.14.) that hath a male in his flock, yet offereth to the Lord a corrupt thing. God likes not thoſe loiterers, that think to come into his Vineyard at the last hour of the day, to ſerve God then, when they can ſerve their luſts no longer. That would put off their Creator with the Dreggs and Snuffs of their time, when the Tempter hath taken the cream & beſt: though your memoryes lay in the Hinder part of your Heads, yet may you not put off the Remembring your Creator to the Hinder part of your Lives, and poſſibly that may be Now, for aſſoon goes the Lambs skin to the market, as the old Sheep, let this young-Man, be a Pattern for your Practice: That your firſt fruits may ſanctify the whole lump, Rom. 11.16. that you may be the bleſſed Hope of another generation, 1. King. 20.14. and that you may be delivered from wrath to come 1. Theſ. l. 10. Yea and be accounted worthy (with this dear one deceaſed) to inherit Glory is the unfeigned deſire of an Old Servant of Chriſt.
CHR. NESS.