The Last Sermon and Sayings, Sermon 2 – Prayer 2
The Subſtance of a SERMON preached the next Lords Day after the death of the Reverend Mr. John Oakes, by Mr. W. Williams, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
Pſal. 39. 4.
Lord, make me to know my end, and the meaſure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am.
THe meaning of the words of David is this, Tho' I am convinced I'm a dying man, and am perſwaded that I ſhall not abide long here, here is no abiding place, yet do I not féel this on my heart and mind, do not anſwer and comply with theſe convictions, I do not underſtand this truth aright, therefore Lord teach me; let it come with ſuch light and power on my mind, to influence light into my mind, heart, and life; make me to know my end▪ clear up this truth to me, that I may know how frail I am.
Doct. That Man is frail, and that every Man ought to intreat GOD to make him to know how frail he is.
Man is frail, as appears by the ſhortneſs of his daies; Man's daies are ſhort, though he ſhould live to his full Age; Man lives by Divine ſupport, he lives not by his own ſtrength. 2ly, It is evident Man is a poor frail Creature, ſubject to be cut off in his full ſtrength; ſo ſaies Job ch. 23. one dieth in his full ſtrength, being at eaſe and quiet, very many do ſo without ſaying, I am ſick, they ſuddenly drop away, as many of you were ſpectators of an inſtance in this very Pulpit: Our breath is ſoon ſtopt, and we drop, the Thread is very ſhort that holds every man, he ſteps into his grave in the midſt of his walk, therefore mans life is compared to a vapour which ſoon empties, and is gone: Lord, teach me, as a dying man, that I may be earneſt and diligent after the things by which I may honour and glorifie thée; therefore he that would obtain the honouring and glorifying of God and enjoying of him, muſt d… theſe things by which he will be glorified: Firſt, we muſt believe in God, and we muſt repent of our ſins; we muſt be examining our ſelves, know our ſelves, we muſt live above the world, we muſt converſe with God, and be ſanctified and made pure before we can glorifie or enjoy God; therefore we ſhould pray, Lord help me as a poor dying Creature, to ſée my néed of believing …o…k of repenting and ſanctifying work; Lord, teach me ſo to number my daies, as to apply them to true wisdom; Lord, help me ſo to live, that I may be alwaies ready for death: Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the maſter of the houſe cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning, leſt coming ſuddenly, he find you ſleeping; for men are very backward to know their frailty; there is no ſeaſon plainer, and yet how backward are men to learn it!
Uſe of Reproof to thoſe that are ignorant of their Frailty.
Haſt thou a thorough Conviction of this? but oh how little do we live in the conſideration of this! Death is far off the thoughts of young ones; they have made a Covenant with Death and Hell, but their Covenant ſhall not ſtand: Yt young ones, how many are dead younger than you, and ſome of the ſame age! and might not that have been you? doth not every diſtemper tell you how frail you are, and may be ſoon ſnatched away? How many diſtempers might have béen your death, had not God ſealed your Deliverance? and yet you know not how ſoon you may be called away, to give an account of your ſtewardſhip. O how attentive would carry one of us be unto this Sermon, did we believe it would be our laſt Sermon!
The next ſort of perſons this reproves, is Worldlings, who lay out their ſtrength and time only in preſent things, which are not worth the looking after. Oh, let me urge this upon you: Firſt, Conſider how ſoon your breath is gone, and you come to nothing; you who pleaſe your ſelves in vain f…ncies▪ and think, if you may be rich, your Riches may laſt, oh conſider, all you have or deſire can do no good wh…n Death comes: Conſider, Heaven will be worth all you can do for it in ſo little a time as this Life is; none can ſay their labour is loſt that they laid out for Heavens Glory.
Again, You who were careleſs Chriſtians, even you will repent that you were no wiſer when you come to die; you careleſs negligent Chriſtians, when you come to die, you will cry out, Oh that I had béen more circumſpect in my waies and walking! Oh that I had made Religion my buſineſs! oh that ſuch and ſuch a day had been better ſpent! oh that ſuch and ſuch a ſeaſon had been better improved! Such wiſhes you will have at death: And, Why will you not be as wiſe now as at death? Conſider that the eſtate of your Souls will afflict you when you come to die under your neglect.
2. Vſe, by way of Exhortation.
And I beſéech every one of you to beg of God to make you know how frail you are; be earneſt with God, that he would make you know it; let every one go home under a thorough Conviction of it; I am a poor fading Flower, periſhing Duſt, yea, a Bubble. And reaſon thus with thy ſelf; Have I imployed my time to its proper ſence, for to learn this Leſſon, and to live it? I may die ſoon, therefore live alwaies on your watch, do, and do what you would be contented to do and be when you come to die, if Death ſhould ſeize on you ſuddenly: Now think how few your daies may be, and how ſoon they may be gone, and that I may never have time to receive or do good: Oh labour to know your own frailty.
Sirs, I am willing to take the advantage of the awful Providence which was on this Congregation, very lately, on the ſudden departure of your Miniſter Mr. John Oakes.
Certainly this I may ſay of him, That few were fitter to die ſuddenly than he was, and no man could deſire to die in a better Work; no Miniſter who died ſuddenly, could die in a better Imployment than he did; no Miniſter could die fitter than he; all who was ſeeing him ſo ſuddenly ſtricken by death, in the Pulpit, could not but perceive him in the view of Eternity, and that very Text he was at his departure upon, tells you of the great Rejoicing he was under, the words are theſe, rejoice rather becauſe your Names are written in Heaven: This ought to have refreſhed your minds, he was preſſing you to labour after this ſubject of Ioy: He was of an acute temper, not of a moroſs ſpirit, but of an even meek ſpirit: He could not, I ſay, deſire to die▪ a better paſture, he in his Work with his God; and indeed many Divines deſire to die in ſuch a paſture to be found in their Lord's Work when he calls for them: He was ſtruck with death in his work in this place, in this very Pulpit; and you who often and uſually heard him calling on you to cloſe with Chriſt, to leave your ſins, and to turn unto God, and be converted; but as to this day, all of you have not hearkened to your Miniſters calls and entreaties, in the Name of his Lord, but you are ſtill in an unconverted eſtate; Will you believe now theſe words to be his laſt and dying words unto you? You cannot hear me any more; you will hear me to declare the Truths of God no more; you can hear me no more to urge you to do your duty; you are as like to die, and may die ſuddenly as I, you may provoke God to cut you off as ſuddenly as I am; you may provoke God by your Sins to cut you off as I am, by your provocations of and rebellions againſt God.
Sirs, your Miniſter is gone, have you gotten all the good you ſhould have gotten? God hath cut him off without his taking his leave of you. Oh therefore labour to reflect on what ye have done; ye were often under his Miniſtry, and yet are unconverted, and were ſpectacles of this ſad and ſudden ſtroke; conſider with your ſelves what ye have done: Oh, what have I done to contribute to my Miniſter's death? was he not thus ſtricken ſpeechleſs for your Rebellion againſt his calls; O Lord, what have I done? Haſt thou no hand in thy Miniſters death, by your unfruitfulneſs under his Miniſtry? the thoughts of your Miniſters death is matter of bewailing, sſpeciaſly to you that do know the eſtate of your Souls are concerned in it: Howe…er, I beg this of you, who ſtood and beheld this ſad ſpectacle, of the ſudden departure of your Paſtor, never to let the ſight go out of your minds.
Oh, how ought I to die, and be in a readineſs to be diſſolved! and, how ought I to pray, and never to ſet the thoughts of death out of my mind! how ought I to pray, and to be earneſt with God, that I may die in my Work, as this Miniſter did!
The Dying Miniſters laſt Prayer.
O Moſt Gracious and everlaſting Lord God, whoſe mercy endures for ever, whoſe bleſſings have cheriſhed me even from my cradle to this very moment of death, that now am lauching forth into the ocean of eternity; be pleaſed to aſſiſt me in my dark paſſage through which I muſt go, before I can come to enjoy the bleſſedneſs of thy preſence. Into thy hands O Lord, I recommend my dear and immortal Soul, ranſomed by the blood of thy Son, from the lake of bitterneſs; in and through whom I expect to be made eternally happy, & a coheir with the Saints and Angels: For his ſake I humbly beg the pardon of all my tranſgreſſions, hoping to live with thee for ever in thine everlaſting Kingdom of Glory. Lord hear my Prayers. and grant my Petition for his ſake in whom thou art well pleaſed; to whom with thee and thine ever bleſſed Spirit. Be all honour, glory and praiſe, Amen.
A Prayer for his Moſt excellent Majeſty King WILLIAM.
ALmighty God, who in times of Trouble, and Danger, doſt raiſe up Deliverers of thy people, and ſilleſt their hearts with zeal for thy Service, We beſeech Thee to bleſs His Majeſty King William, whom thou haſt ſent to be the Defender of our Laws, and Religion; Protect his Perſon, ſtrengthen his Hands, let thy holy Fear evermore Rule in his Heart; that, having Thee only before his Eyes, he may in all things ſeek thy Honour and Glory, and ſtudy to Unite this divided Nation, and eſtabliſh it upon the ſure Foundations of Mercy and Truth, Righteouſneſs and Peace. This we beg for Jeſus Chriſt his ſake, our only Lord and Saviour, Amen.
With Allowance.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Oakes, The Last Sermon and Sayings (1689)