A Funeral Sermon for Nathaniel Oldfield, Title page – Publishers advertisement
A Funeral Sermon, PREACHED Upon the DEATH of The Reverend Mr. Nathaniel Oldfield: Who Deceaſed Decemb. 31. 1696. Aetat. 32. With ſome Account of his Exemplary Character.
By JOHN SHOWER.
LONDON, Printed by J. Aſtwood for John Lawrence, at the Angel in the Poultrey. 1697.
TO His Worthy Friend and Brother, Mr. Joſhua Oldfield.
SIR,
THE Honour which it pleaſed God to beſtow on Your Deceaſed Brother, to be ſo much a Bleſſing, and Beloved, while Living, ought to qualifie your Sorrow for his Death; and make you the more ſoftly to lament your Loſs therein. If the reading of this Sermon do any way renew your Grief, you muſt thank your ſelf, and thoſe who join'd with you, in deſiring to have it publiſhed.
'TWAS his Serious Godlineſs, that made him ſo valuable, and in ſome reſpects, You and I are more obliged than others, to Follow his Faith, or Chriſtian Piety; (in * 2 Tim. I. 5. Chap. IV. 6.that ſenſe you know the word is ſometimes uſed.) The Integrity of his Heart towards God, joyn'd with a true Zeal for his Glory, qualified him for great Service as a Miniſter.
WILL you ſuffer me to mind my Self and You, (who I am perſwaded, need it leſs than I do) that it was his ſolicitous Care and Concern about the Salvation of his own Soul, that made him ſo Diligent and Succeſsfull for the Souls of others. He had very much Help herein, by the frequent and Attentive Peruſal of the cloſe Warnings and Directions given Miniſters in * Mr. B's. Gildas Selvianus, The Reformed Paſtor foreign. Chap. 1. §. 9. Chap. V. §. 5, 6, 7, &c.The Reformed Paſtor, To take heed, leſt we be Preachers and no Chriſtians, dedicated to the Altar as God's Prieſts, and not ſanctified by dedication to Chriſt as his Diſciples, and ſo worſhip an unknown God, and preach an unknown Saviour, an unknown Spirit, an unknown ſtate of Holineſs, and Communion with God, and a Glory that is unknown, and like to he unknown for ever.—If we ſoundly believe, and are affected with the Truth we ſtudy and preach, we ſhall preach it more heartily. Experience will direct us to the fitteſt Subjects, and furniſh us with Matter, and quicken us to ſet it home. Whereas he is like to be but an Heartleſs Preacher, who is a Stranger to that Chriſt and Grace, he preacheth of to others. And ſo if he do not firſt preach to himſelf, what he teacheth them; for if our own Hearts be cold, our Preaching will be ſo: And if we have but an affected Fervency, we cann't expect a Bleſſing ſhould attend it.
THERE are many Paſſages in that Book of the like Tendency, which we can hardly read without Fear and Trembling; ſome of 'em, as I remember, he own'd did moſt deeply affect his Soul, and I have ſometimes thought, they had ſome good impreſſion on mine. I deſire to be more under the Awe and Influence of ſuch Conſiderations. It may be the Recital of a few more of 'em, may be of uſe to ſome of the Younger Miniſters; tho' I know your Character ſo well, that I do not add them for your ſake, but my own, and others. As Face anſwers to Face in a Glaſs, ſo doth the Heart of Man one to another: What was of uſe to him and me, may reach more.
HOW many have preach'd Chriſt, and periſht for want of a ſaving Intereſt in him? Many may be now in Hell, who have told their Hearers of the Torments of Hell, and warn'd them to avoid it. Who have preach'd of the Wrath of God againſt ſinners, and are now feeling of it. O what ſadder Caſe can there be in the World, than for a Man whoſe Buſineſs and Calling it was to proclaim Salvation, and help others to obtain it, yet after all, himſelf to be ſhut out! That we ſhould have ſo many Books in our Libraries, that tell us the way to Heaven, that we ſhould ſpend ſo much time in reading thoſe Books, and ſtudying the Doctrine of Eternal Life, and after all to miſs of it! That we ſhould preach ſo many Sermons of Eternal Salvation, and yet fall ſhort of it: And this becauſe we preached of Chriſt, but neglected him; of the Spirit, but reſiſted him; of Faith, but did not heartily believe; of Repentance and Converſion, but continued in a ſtate of Sin; of an Heavenly Heart and Life, but remained Carnal and Earthly our ſelves. Do we not know, that God is no Reſpecter of Perſons, and that an Holy Calling will never ſave an Unholy Man? That the Preachers of the Goſpel, muſt be judged by the Goſpel; ſtand at the ſame Bar, be ſentenc'd on the ſame Terms, and dealt with as ſeverely as other Men? — It is a fearful thing to be an unſanctified Profeſſor, but much more ſo to be an Unholy Preacher. When we open our Bibles, ſhould we not tremble, leſt we read our own Condemnation? When we pen our Sermons, little do we think we are drawing up Indictments againſt our own Souls: When we are arguing againſt ſin, that we are but aggravating our own: When we magnifie the Riches of Chriſt, and his Grace, and declare it to others, we publiſh our own Iniquity in rejecting him, and our own Miſery in being Strangers to him. O Miſerable Life! that a Man ſhould ſtudy, and preach from year to year againſt himſelf, and ſpend his dayes in a Courſe of Self-condemning. — What aggravated Miſery will it be, to periſh in the midſt of Plenty, to famiſh with the Bread of Life in our Hands, while we offer it to others, and urge them to receive it, but we our ſelves will not:
NEXT to His Piety, or as a part of it, his Peaceableneſs and Charity, in oppoſition to Bitterneſs, and Dividing Zeal, and a Narrow Spirit, was very Commendable and Exemplary. He could unite with all Chriſtians in Things Neceſſary, and was not for making more Fundamentals and Neceſſaries than Chriſt hath made; or for other Terms of Church-Communion, than the Terms of our Common Chriſtianity: And therefore was ready to receive All, whom he believ'd Christ would receive. He was of one Church with All thoſe, whom he hop'd to meet in Heaven. Endeavouring to hold the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, becauſe he acknowledged that there is but One Body, one Spirit, one Lord Jeſus Chriſt, one Hope, one Faith, one Baptiſm, (and conſequently but one Holy Table,) one God and Father of all, from whom, and by whom, and for whom are all Things.
'TIS from this Principle, as eſteeming the Piety, Learning, and Uſefulneſs of Men of all Perſwaſions, that I cannot be unaffected at the Death of the Reverend Dr. Horneck, of the Savoy, this Week: His Devotion, Zeal and Diligence in Preaching, Writing, and otherways endeavouring to do good to the Souls of Men, makes him to be deſervedly and generally lamented; tho' I had no particular Acquaintance with him, I reckon my ſelf bound to value and love every Man, who endeavours to promote Reformation, and Practical Religion, and ſpends his Time, as he did, to help to make the World better. I Rejoice in the Gifts, and Graces, and Succeſs of All the Servants of Chriſt, of whatever Name or Denomination. Yea, I will Eſteem and Love Them, whether they will Own and Love me or no.
THIS Charitable Spirit, (let who will call ſuch Moderation Lukewarmneſs,) with ſerious Diligence to pleaſe God, and do what Service we can in our Several Places, will be accepted with God, and yield us Comfort, living and dying. And will, I doubt not, be better thought of hereafter, when the little Names of Diſtinction and Matters of Diſpute, that now divide Chriſtians and Proteſtants, ſhall be forgotten. As to all the Opinions and Cenſures of Men, while we endeavour to do our Duty, we ought to be firmly perſwaded, that every Man's Reputation and Credit, is as much at the Diſpoſal of God, and under the Conduct of his Providence, as his Eſtate or Health, or Life; and accordingly we ought to truſt him.
SIR, By what I already know of you, I do not queſtion your Agreement with me in theſe things. I hope I ſhall know you better, by a nearer and more intimate Acquaintance, if it ſhall pleaſe God to Direct and Guide you, to comply with the Invitation you have (by a unanimous and ſpeedy Choice) to ſucceeed your Brother. However that may be, I beg of God to ſanctifie this Providence to you, to the Congregation, and to all his ſurviving Friends and Acquaintance: May I have Wiſdom, duely to improve it! I am
SIR, London, Febr. 3d. 1696/7. Your Affectionate Brother and Servant, John Shower.
Advertiſement.
THere will be ſpeedily Publiſh'd a Funeral Sermon, on the Death of Mr. T. Heaſy, an Hopeful Student, Aged 19. With Serious Counſel to Young Students, and Candidates for the Miniſtry, &c. And ſome Meditations on Several Subjects, Collected out of the Papers he left.
By J. S.
BOOKS Written by the ſame Author, and Sold by John Lawrence, at the Angel in the Poultrey.
WInter Meditations: Or a Sermon concerning Froſt, and Snow, and Winds, &c. and the Wonders of God therein. 4to.
A Thankſgiving Sermon. April the 16th. 1696. 4to.
An Account of the Life of Mr. Henry Gearing. 12o.
A Diſcourſe of Tempting Chriſt. 12o.
A Diſcourſe of Family Religion, in three Letters. 12o.