Last Farewell to a Beloved People, Part
I Am now by the Providence of God upon the point of leaving, not only you, but the Land, and I know not whether ever I ſhall ſee the face of this Aſſemblie any more; and I would fain before wepart [commend you to God,] and leave you in the [Arms of His everlaſting Mercy, and the Boſome of his infaite Love] And O that I could do this with comfort, and with confidence concerning every one of you. Concerning ſome of you, I profeſs I can, and that upon the ſame account, that the Apoſtles commended the Churches unto God, in Acts 14.23. They commended them to the Lord on whom they believed. Well might the Apoſtles, and with holy boldneſs, commend theſe Chriſtians to the Lord, whom they knew to be Believers, whom they knew not only to have given up their names to Chriſt in an open and viſible profeſſion, but to have believed in him by a true and lively Faith, and to have received him for their LORD and KING, as well as for their Prieſt and Prophet. A Miniſter may deliver up ſuch a People to God with as much confidence and aſſurance, as a man can deliver up his child into the arms of his own deareſt, and moſt indulgent father. And ſuch are ſome of you, and through Grace many of you, Believers not in name only, and profeſſion, but indeed and in truth, and in power: Such I can heartily, confidently, and confortably commend unto God, and leave with him, in full aſſurance that He will never leave you, nor forſake you; in full aſſurance that however things go in Dedhaw, however things go in England, however things go with your ſelves as to the concernments of this life, it ſhall be well with you to Eternity.
O that I could think thus, and ſpeak thus, and hope thus of you all. But are there not with you, even with you alſo, ſinners againſt the Lord! are there not ſome among you, whom if a Miniſter ſhould deal with according to Goſple Rule, he ſhould rather deliver to Satan, than commend to God? Are there not ſome among you whoſe Crime and Character, if not Name, may be found in that black Bill of men excommunicate in Heaven, and from Heaven? which the Apoſtle preſents you, 1 Cor. 6.9. where he reckons up ten ſeveral ſorts of ſinners that are excluded from the Kingdom of God. Neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor Abuſers of themſelves with mankind, nor Thieves, nor Coveteous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, ſhall inherit the Kingdom of God: And are there not ſome ſuch as theſe amongſt you? Are there not ſome that walk, of whom I have told you often, and now even tell you weeping, that they are enemies to the Croſs of Chriſt? whoſe end is deſtruction, whoſe belly is their god, whoſe glory is their ſhame, who mind earthly things, Phil. 3.18. Do you think a poor Miniſter, after above twenty years ſpent amongſuch a People, in fruitleſs and unſuccesful labours, can with confidence commend ſuch unto God? O Sirs, what ſhall I ſay to you? what ſhall I do for you?
Parents when they lye a dying, and are about to commend, as their own ſouls, ſo their children to God, put a difference between good and bad, between gracious and graceleſs children. Look over Gen. 49. and you ſhall and that good old Jacob doth not commend Reuben, Simeon and Levi to God in ſuch a manner, as he commends Judah, Joſeph and Benjamin, and ſome other of his children. And I have heard of a Godly Parent, that having ſeveral children, whereof one was notoriouſly wicked and prophane; when the Parent lay a dying, all the Children were called together to attend at his death, and there the Parent gave ſeveral Prayers and Bleſſings to the ſeveral Children, commending them to God, But as for you, (ſaith the Parent, to one that was wicked and graceleſs) Child, as for you, I can look for no other but to glorifie God in your juſt condemnation to Hell, at the Day of Judgment. A ſad ſpeech for a dying Parent to leave at his laſt words to a poor Child, which yet God in infinite mercy turned to good.
Should I ſpeak thus concerning any of you, it would be more grievous to my ſelf, than to ſome of you, it may be. But the Lord knows this will be the portion of many of God's Miniſters in that Great Day; the Lord grant it be not mine. But many of God's Miniſters will be called out as bitter witneſſes in that Day againſt their Peoples ſouls; and God will ſay unto them, Did not ſuch, and ſuch, live under your Miniſtry? did you not warn them of their ſins? of their drunkenneſs, fornication, uncleanneſs, lying, ſwearing, worldlineſs, ſecurity, neglect of holy Duties? Did you not remonstrate to them the evil of their wayes? did you not call them, invite, exhort, perſwaede them to repentance? did you not foretel them of this Day, and of the Wrath and Vengeance prepared for ſinners? did you not acquaint them with my Name? did you not promiſe them Pardon and Forgiveneſs, Heaven and Happineſs upon condition of. their Repentance, Faith, and new Obedience? O my Brethren, when God in the preſence of his holy Angels and Saints ſhall put theſe interrogatories to-us his poor Miniſters, that have ſpoken to you in his Name; What ſhall we ſay, what can we ſay? Muſt we, can we, dare we, think you, to excuſe, or extenuate your wickedneſſes, lye againſt the Truth, and to our own ſouls, and ſay, we have not warned you, we have not admoniſhed you, exhorted, perſwaded you, when our conſciences know we have, and your conſciences know it too? We muſt ſay, Lord, thou knoweſt all things, and thou knoweſt we have in ſome meaſure of truth, through Grace, though with much human infirmity, ſought and deſired, and endeavoured the ſalvation of theſe mens ſouls, as of our own: We have many and many a time warned them, and that with tears; but they would not be warned: We have perſwaded them with all the arguments our reaſon, helped by thy Grace, could invent, but they would not be perſwaded; we have entreated them with all the moſt urgent and affectionate importunity we could uſe, but they would not be entreated.
Then will the Lord ſay unto us, his poor Miniſters, I pronounce you pure, and innocent from the blood of theſe men. O bleſſed, O joyful Word for us! But as for you, He will ſay unto you, Your deſtruction be upon your own heads, Go ye curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels. O doleful word for you to hear! and doleful for us now to think of, while we are in this fleſh. But let me tell you, all creature relations and affections ſhall in the Saints be ſo ſwallowed up in the Glory of God, and in the joy of their own Salvation, that Saints and Angels ſhall rejoyce in the condemnation of all wicked and ungodly men; and with loud acclamations ſhall ſing Hallelujahs, Salvation, and Glory, and Honour, and Power unto the Lord our God; for True and Righteous are his Judgments.
But Ah Brethren, my hearts deſire, and prayer, is for you all, that you may all be ſaved. Shall I therefore be bold with you, yea Brethren, let me be bold with you in the Lord. I have heard of a very holy and eminently learned and pious man, that lying upon his deathbed, and having his Children about him,Mr. Bolion. among other things, he uſed this remarkable expreſſion; I charge you, ſaith he, that none of you dare to appear before me in the Day of Judgment, in an unconverted condition. Intimating that if they did, he ſhould be one of the firſt that ſhould ſtand up as a witneſs againſt them.
Give me leave to uſe a like expreſſion unto you. I a poor unworthy Miniſter of Jeſus Chriſt, yet his Miniſter unto you, I hope for good, that have often heretofore admoniſhed, and charged you in his Name, being now by His Providence to leave you, never more to ſee you faces, nor to ſpeak to you in His Name any more; I charge you all from the higheſt to the loweſt, from the least to the greatest; I charge you before God, and the Lord Jeſus Christ, who ſhall judge the quick and the dead at His Appearing, and before all the holy Angels, who are preſent, and Witneſſes to theſe words, I charge you, That none of you appear in the Day of Judgment, in an unconverted condition; lest even theſe words of mine, be brought in on that Day as a Witneſs against you.
And now, Brethren, I commend you to God; having thus admoniſhed you, thus warned you, thus charged you; you that are yet in your ſins, I now commend you to God. O that God would make this laſt Warning, this laſt Admonition, this laſt Charge, theſe laſt Words more effectual, than a thouſand others have been: That as Sampſon ſlew more Philiſtines at his death, than in all his life, ſo I might be the happy Inſtrument, to ſave more Souls now at my departure from you, than in all my life before. I can do no more but commend you to God, that God who gives being to things that are not, who is able to raiſe the dead, who is able even of ſtones to raiſe up children unto Abraham. That great, and mighty, and almighty God ſhew his Saving Power to you, and in you. Thoſe that are dead in their ſins and treſpaſſes, God Almighty quicken you; you that are yet hardened in your ſins, God Almighty humble you, ſoften you, change you, make you of ſtones the ſons and danghters of Abraham. And as for you, my dearly beloved Brethren, that are converted, and in the ſtate of Grace already, I commend you to God, as unto a gracious, reconciled, tender, merciful, indulgent, alſufficient Father; he will be unto you a little Sanctuary, Ezek. 11.16. He will be unto you a place of broad Rivers, and Streams, Iſa. 33.21. He hath begun a good Work in you, and will perform it to the Day of Chriſt, I am confident, Philip. 1.6. Be not anxiouſly careful what you ſhall do, what ſhall become of you; take heed of Security, Luke-warmneſs, leaving your Firſt-Love; Remember former Times; Do your firſt Works; ſtrengthen the things that remain, that are ready to dye. And God he is able to keep you, and he is faithful, and will keep you from falling, and preſent you faultleſs before the preſence of his Glory with exceeding joy.
Jude 24, 25. Now to Him that is able to do this, to GOD onelyonly Wiſe, be Glory, Majeſty, Dominion and Power, both now, and for ever. Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Matthew Newcomen, Last Farewell to a Beloved People (1663)