Moses Death, Title page – Errata
Moſes his Death: Opened and applyed, IN A SERMON At Chriſt-Church in London, Decemb. 23. MDCLVI. AT THE FUNERAL OF Mr. Edward Bright, M. A. Fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and Miniſter of the Goſpel there.
By Samuel Jacombe M. A. Fellow of Queens Colledge in Cambridge, and Paſtor of Mary Woolnoth, Lumbardſtreet, London.
With ſome ELEGIES.
Nec unquam magnis ingeniis cara in corpore mora eſt. Exire atque …rumpere geſtiunt: Aegrè has auguſtias ferunt, Vagi per omne ſublime et ex alto aſſueti, humana deſpicere. Inde est quod Plate clamat Sapientis animum totum in mortem prominere, hoc velle, hoc meditari, hac ſimper cupidine ferri, in exteriora tendentem.
Seneca lib. de Conſol. ad Martiam, c. 23.
London, Printed for Adoniram Byfield, at the Bible in Popeshead Alley neer Lumbardſtreet. 1657.
To the Reverend and Learned WILLIAM DILLINGHAM, D. D. Mr. of Emmanuel COLLEDGE in CAMBRIDGE.
And to the Fellows of that Religious Foundation.
HONOURED SIRS,
HE whoſe memory is a faithful Regiſter of former practice, and whoſe judgement doth not much miſcarry in his obſervation of preſent experience, will as eaſily acknowledge this truth as I can propoſe it, viz. That men of noble and gallant ſpirits, able to ſcorn injuries, bravely to conquer, yea to revenge themſelves upon the baſe attempts of malice, by not vouchſafing ſo much as to take notice of them; yea men whoſe magnanimity is heightened by danger, and their courage increaſeth with it; that theſe generous mindes, have been diſconſolate at the abſence of a friend, have been male-contented at the death of a beloved relation. Hee who could not bee aſtoniſhed by Hectors valour, nor his attendants rage; yet when the news comes that his friend Patroclus is dead, it is then ſaid. — foreign, &c. Iliad. 6.6.Sorrow like a thick cloud ſate upon his countenance, and obſcured thoſe ſparkling rayes which uſed to come from it. The victorious David that trembled not to ſee Goliah, but with undaunted reſolution, though a young ſtripling, ſets upon him; yet Jonathans death, makes him ſay, I am diſtreſſed, 2 Sam. 1.29.when hee was grown elder, and had more experience of Gods preſence with him.
The Holy Jeſus, that great exemplar of piety, who alwayes ſubmitted to his Fathers will, and therefore could not bee obnoxious to the corroding thoughts of diſcontent, yet by his practice, ſhewed how much our nature was liable to bee afflicted with the loſs of Friends, for hee who wept but twice (that I remember) wept once for impenitent Jeruſalem, Joh. 11.33, 35.dead in ſins and treſpaſſes, and another time when the beloved Lazarus lay in the grave, and the chorus of mourners came lamenting him.
Nature it ſeems quickly opens the flood-gates, the ingenuity of Chriſtianity allows a ſerious ſenſe of the preſence and abſence of a reall friend; true goodneſs promotes compaſſion, — foreign, the great skill is to moderate the paſſion, that the ſtream may keep within the channel, and not over-flow the banks: I hope all you, by your piety and prudence ſecured your ſelves from diſcontent, when you heard of the ſickneſs and death of our dear and truly honouréd Friend. But I for my part muſt confeſs, that few Providences in my life, have hitherto been made ſuch arguments to it, by the tempter to mee, as this was; and becauſe it is poſſible, that ſome in your Famous Univerſity, might feel the ſame diſeaſe with my ſelf, I ſhall make bold to tell you (I am ſure I ſpeak to my Friends) the courſe I took for my Cure.
The Dictate of the Imperious Stoick, ſoon came into my minde, Non ſentire mala non eſt hominis, non ferre, non eſt viri, Not to feel an evil, ſpeaks no humanity, not to bear it, ſpeaks no man-hood.
This I thought was ſoon ſaid, but all his arguments (though I deny not their uſefulneſs) yet were too ſhort to bring mee to that manly, I will rather ſay that Chriſtian foreign, peace and tranquillity which I deſired: Two things I found foreign, that had the true vertue of Nepenthe in them; partly awing mee, and commanding down impetuous tumults; partly relieving, and refreſhing mee in my combate with them.
The firſt of them was the command of our Saviour to his Diſciples, Let not your heart be troubled. Joh. 14.1.When I conſidered the occaſion of it, the command was ſtrange, but the ſtranger it appeared at firſt ſight, the more emphatical and remarkable it was. The great evidence of Gods love to man was now withdrawing; the Prince of life was to ſuffer death. He whoſe preſence animated the poor Diſciples, as the Generals doth the unskilful Souldiers; Hee whoſe Miracles kept them from contempt. Hee for whom they had forſaken Father and Mother, goods and lands. Hee who asked them moſt pathetically when others forſook him, Will yee alſo go away? Hee is now leaving them,John 6. will go away himſelf, and yet hee ſaith, Let not your heart bee troubled.
I from hence concluded, that if I had been in the Diſciples caſe, I ſhould have ſeen more reaſon for diſcontent than now I do: And if it was not lawful at the farewel of the bleſſed Jeſus, it could never bee lawful.
Whilſt I thus ſtated my duty, I found ſomething refreſhing mee, and it was nothing elſe that ſatisfied mee, but that which was the occaſion of the grief of the Diſciples, and of all good men before them, and ſince: — (viz.) That Chriſt dyed,Thus the wiſe God can make uſe of this ſad providence to ſatisfie under another. and all the holy men that lived before him, and all that had given up themſelves to him as his ſervants ſince his coming into the world: For I conſidered there was no reaſon why God ſhould work Miracles for my ſake, and ſince ſo many were dead, that I knew were the love and delight of God; I concluded death could not bee to a good mans loſs; and ſince I ſaw God had provided for the world, notwithſtanding the death of ſo many uſeful perſons thus long; I concluded hee could ſtill, and if for the world, and the Church, ſure hee could for my peace and comfort.
Whilſt I concocted theſe meditations, and ſurveyed the examples recorded in Scripture. None ſooner came into my thoughts, than Moſes, who by his Country man is truly called foreign, and the Heathen not at all miſtaken, when hee ſaid, foreign,Philo Judaeus. lib. 1. Longinus. a man not of the ordinary rank, but rarely accompliſhed, of whom God himſelf gives moſt full teſtimony. His death in the Wildernſs, when one would have thought his life might with much confidence have been expected,foreign. Diadorus Sic. lib. ult. made mee thinke a diſcourſe on it, was pertinent to the preſent occaſion, and would tend both to awaken ſome, and ſatisfie all others that were perplexed at the death of our Friend, ſo ſuddenly upon his coming hither, and entring on the Miniſtry in this City.
This Diſcourſe, ſuch as it is, is yours, and though there are many things in it, that will need your pardon, and a ſecond reading makes mee obſerve more Errata's in my own copy,Nam & mihi prope ſemper ſermo meus diſplicet. Auguſt de Catechiz. rudibus. cap. 2. than in the Preſs; yet becauſe I know it is next to impoſſible for mee to pleaſe my ſelf; and becauſe I know it will bee welcome for his ſake, whoſe death was the occaſion of it, I preſent it to you, with confidence of your acceptance.
The Almighty God bleſs your Society: Make your Colledge a Nurſery of Religion and Learning: Sanctifie this providence to us all, convince us by it, more fully of the vanity of all things, Quod cuiquam conting it, cuivis poteſt.yea of learning, that moſt curious peece of vanity, make us to provide for ſickneſs and death; Make us thankful for life, health, the uſe of reaſon, and underſtanding, carefully to improve all for the glory of God, that wee may dye with the teſtimony of a good conſcience, and the love of good men, yea of God himſelf.
So prayeth Your moſt real Servant, Sam. Jacomb.
TO The Inhabitants of Chriſt-Church Pariſh, LONDON.
IF the care of a moſt compaſsionate,Dr. Cox and ingenious Phyſitian: If the prayers of good men in this City, and in the Univerſity, had been ſufficient preſervatives againſt the aſſault of death, there had been no occaſion for the preaching, or publiſhing of this Sermon: That I ſhould preach at his Funeral was his requeſt, to whom I might lawfully deny nothing: that I ſhould publiſh it, is the requeſt of his Friends, whom I heartily reſpect, whom I was the more induced to gratifie, that I might have an opportunity to tell you what thanks my dead Friend had for all the expreſsions of your love to him; how deeply hee reſented them, and how much reſolved hee was to teſtifie his thankfulneſs by a ſerious and conſcientious care of your ſouls.
I am confident you cannot eaſily forget him; I beſeech you, let his memory put you in minde of theſe two things.
1 Of the vanity of all the world: Alas you ſee all the joyes of this world are not big enough to counterpoiſe the trouble of one diſeaſe; you cannot with all your eſtates buy a faithful friend: and when you have him, you cannot keep him from the ſtroke of death: — nay, you cannot (Nebuchadnezzar a greater man than any of you, could not) keep out one melancholly fancy: was any of you great as the Roman Caeſar; beloved like Titus, wiſe as Solomon, learned as the beſt Philoſopher; yet you could not tame the rebellion of one pertinacious humour, nor preſerve that which is as dear to you as life.
2 Look after a better world ſeriouſly, and to that end bee ſure to prize the next conſcientious Miniſter God ſhall give you: To preſſe you to more care in your choice would bee ſuperfluous, ſince I am not ignorant how ſolicitous you have been already. I hope hee upon whom you have pitched your thoughts, will accept that charge: and if hee do, I can eaſily bee confident, hee will bee a great bleſſing to you: but when you have him, or any other faithful preacher of the Goſpel; then remember what reaſon you have to profit by every pious Sermon, when you know not but that your next Miniſter may bee taken as ſuddenly from you as Mr. Bright; but this duty with diverſe others are at large preſſed in the Sermon it ſelf: I have nothing to deſire of you, but this, if you forget Mr. Bright, remember the welfare of your immortal ſouls, that Chriſt may ſee the fruit of the travel of his ſoul in you, and may bee ſatisfied; that the godly Miniſters you have had, or ſhall have, may rejoyce in the day of Chriſt, that they have not run in vain, nor laboured in vain; this is his requeſt to you, who is
Your Servants for Jeſus ſake Samuel Jacombe.
ERRATA
THe ingenuity of a Scholler will either not take notice of, or eaſily pardon the miſtakes of the Preſſe, in accenting Greek words; as foreign for foreign, p. 1. and in theſe words themſelves, captius, p. 21. Marg. for captivus. Antonio p. 26. Marg. for Antonino. foreign p. 4…. for foreign p. 47. for foreign, &c. The miſtakes which prejudice the ſenſe are; And p. 12. l. 4. for An. Grace p. 26. l. 18. for Grave.