The Peoples Need of a Living Pastor, To the reader
To the READER.
Courteous Reader,
THere is not a truer Maxim in Nature, then that Man paſſeth away like a ſhadow, and vaniſheth like ſmoke, as the flower of the field, it to day flouriſheth, and to morrow withereth. Nor a truer Principle in Divinity, then that the Prophets do not live for ever. Theſe are both of them witneſſed daily, not only by audible voice of Mourners for the dead, but alſo viſible objects, ſpectacles of Mortality. Death is a condition ſo common and inevitably certain to the Sons of men, that neither age, nor excellent endowments can ſtave it off: but young and old fools, and wiſe men, are followeed to the Grave. An evident and undeniable teſtimony hereof is eminently hopefull Mr. John Froſt, Being 30 years old.who in his youth, ſtrength of dayes, and ſparklings of glory, is fallen to the duſt: and thereby calls for the diſcharge of duty due to dead men, viz. mourning for him, and memoriall of him: both which as they are commended by us, by the counſels and conſtant practiſe of the wiſest Heathen, not affected with a Stoicall ſtupidity, and ſenſeleſſe apathy; ſo alſo by Scripture, if Moſes or Samuel die, all Iſrael muſt mourn, and the Holy Ghost will dictate the memoriall of them. Jer. 16.5. Ezek. 24.23. Jer. 22.It is a judgement threatned againſt the wicked, they ſhall not be mourned for, and their memoriall ſhall periſh from the earth; but the remembrance of the righteous ſhall be bleſſed, it is their priviledge to die lamented: God takes notice of it as laſie, that the righteous periſh and no man layeth it to heart: Yet it is the common guilt of our age, to let the Prophets die without lamentation; nay, amongst too many with high inſultations for their death. God hath of late taken from us many a Samuel, and Paul, and hopefull Timothy, and yet our Iſrael are not affected with it, nor in themſelves afflicted for them; they mourn not over them, nor mind the memoriall of them. Certainly the great cauſe of this evil, is inſenſibility of their worth and ſerviceableneſſe, and our own want of their Miniſtrations. As a cure therefore to this cauſe, this Diſcourſe is put into thy hands; let me intreat thy ſerious reading of it, and ſecond thoughts about the neceſſity of Miniſters lives, for the Churches good: And certainly if there be in thee any meaſure of Grace, thou wilt ſorrowfully bewail the loſſe of ſo many needfull and ſhining lights, and ſadly fear it to be a preſage of ſome future judgements upon our Nation and City. And to the affecting of thy heart, the memoriall of their parts and endowments, will be deſired by thee, and the Narrative thereof be read with much pleaſure. And amongſt others thou wilt find Mr. Froſt (at whoſe ſad Funerals this Diſcourſe was uttered) not to be the leaſt lamented. Not therefore to hold thee in the Preface, or ſwell with Apologies, I caſt this work on thy cenſure, hoping that thou wilt exerciſe a ſpirit of candor and charity, if not towards the living Author, yet the dead man, of whom it is thy duty to think and ſpeak no way detractive; and whoſe life thou haſt annexed on the moſt certain and cleer account that could be had from Naturall relations, Academicall acquaintance, and the Perſonall knowledge of him, who hath done his duty for the deceaſed, (deſiring thee to own nothing that may come abroad under his name, unleſſe atteſted by his ſorrowfull Father, Brother, or my ſelf, who ſhall freely midwife what is fit for publique uſe) and now pray that thou mayſt have grace to do thine, and to that end, find helpfull this Diſcourſe.
Thine in the Lord, Z. C.