Several Works, Title page – Dedication
Several Works OF Mr. IOHN MURCOT, That Eminent and Godly preacher of the Word, lately of a Church of Chriſt at Dublin in Ireland.
CONTAINING,
I. Circumſpect Walking, on Eph. 5. 15, 16.
II. The Parable of the ten Virgins, on Mat. 25. from ver. 1. to ver. 14.
III. The Sun of Righteouſneſs hath healing in his wings for Sinners, on Mal. 4. 2.
IV. Chriſts Willingneſs to receive Humble Sinners, on John 6. 37.
Together with his Life and Death.
Publiſhed by Mr. Winter, Mr. Chambers, Mr. Eaton, Mr. Carryl, and Mr. Manton.
With Alphabetical Tables, and a Table of the Scriptures explained throughout the whole.
LONDON, Printed by R. White, for Francis Tyton, at the three Daggers in Fleet-ſtreet, near the Inner-Temple Gate. 1657.
To the Right Honourable the Lord Deputy FLEETWOOD, and the Lord HEN. CROMWELL.
My Dear and ever Honoured Lords,
THough you love not applauſe, nor I can give titles to men, leſt in ſo doing, my Maker ſhould cut me off; Yet muſt I perform my duty to God and to you, in bearing witneſs to the truth as it is in Jeſus, and effectually and exemplarily dwels in you. Your piety, faithfulneſs, zeal towards God, tenderneſs to the Saints, in whom is aliquid Chriſti, your ardent love to the faithful Miniſters of Chriſt, and to this our dear Brother departed, with his dearly beloved conſort and children, challengeth no leſs at my hands; who was my Partner and Fellow-helper in the work of the Miniſtry, an earthen Angel, and an heavenly Mortal (that I may ſo ſpeak;) of whom I may ſay, (as the Apoſtle of that Brother) his praiſe is in the Goſpel throughout all the Churches: I have ſeldom known of his years a head better hearted, or heart better headed: The enlargement of whoſe heart was the enlargement of his abilities: He was a burning and bright ſhining ſtar in the Firmament of our Church: holy for Doctrine and Piety, but ſhining with a borrowed light from the Sun of Righteouſneſs, (which he was very ſenſible of.) For he did not offer to God that which coſt him nought, but gave up himſelf wholly to the Miniſtry of the Word and Prayer, and the Lord was with him: Who did not only (as he ſaid) lay it on but with a warm hand rub it in. I have ſometimes thought (when I have come into the Congregation) that the Church-meeting-place was filled with the ſmoke of Gods preſence; ſuch a power there was that went along with the word: for he firſt did, then taught, and taught and did again. Acts 1. Mat. 5. living over in the week time, that which he preached to others on the Lords day; (as the Prieſt did of the Shew-bread which was ſet upon the Table, which none but themſelves might feed upon) his life being a Commentary Non loqu…nur mag…a ſed vivimus.upon his Text: and doubtleſs the Word is as efficacious to a gracious diſpenſer, as to any of his hearers. This is that which made his Miniſtry ſo efficacious, Mat. 21. John wrought no Miracles, but (acting in a way of Righteouſneſs) he was more prevalent than if he had wrought Miracles; for to obey is more than to work a Miracle, (as Luther ſaid:) Hence it was that in him all Miracles (almoſt) met in one; the blind ſee, the deaf hear, the dumb ſpeak, the lame walk, the leapers are cured, and the poor are evangelized, foreign, and turned into the mould of the Goſpel, not only the word delivered up to them, but they delivered into the form of the word. His ſtyle did (piſcatoriam ſimplicitatem olere) ſavoured of Fiſher-like ſimplicity, (as Chemnitius ſaid) he did not ſore aloft in high expreſſions, ſhooting over his hearers, but did condeſcend to the capacities of the meaneſt, which is an excellence in any: A gariſh attire doth not become a chaſt matron, neither doth the affectation of humane eloquence become a grave ſober Miniſter of Jeſus Chriſt; as much affection as you will, but no affectation, for nothing affected affects, nihil affectationum afficit; aeger non querit medicum eloquentem ſed ſanantem.
We ſay of a Diamond, quicquid abſconditur perditur, whatſoever is hid of it is loſt; thoſe Rethorical flouriſhes are like the painted glaſs in the windows, that make a fair ſhew, but hinder the light: therefore (ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 3.) becauſe the Goſpel is glorious, we uſe plainneſs of ſpeech.
But that which was the glory of all in this our dear Brother, was this (I may boldly ſay) his labours were crowned with the converſion of many ſouls; which is an evident ſign of the truth of the Miniſtry by which they were converted: He was ſweeteſt (as Chriſt) towards his latter end, for he was not as a ſtaff behind the door, but being planted in the Houſe of God, and enjoying Communion with many precious Saints, he grew faſt: whereas many with Thomas, Joh, 20. 24. abſenting themſelves, have fallen ſhort of that intimate Fellowſhip and Communion with Chriſt they might have attained to. But he was not like Joſhuah's Sun that ſtood ſtill, nor Hezekiahs Sun that went back; but like Solomons Sun, ſhining more and more to the perfect day; neither did he ſet in a cloud (as many that have ecclipſed Gods glory, and therefore he ecclipſeth theirs) but ſets gloriouſly in this world, and riſeth (I am perſwaded) more gloriouſly in another; therefore well may I cry out, (bitterly lamenting his death) as that Prophet did, My father, my father, the chariots of Iſrael, and the horſemen thereof; or as David concerning his ſon Abſalom, O my ſon Abſalom, my ſon! my ſon Abſalom! would God I had dyed for thee! O Abſalom, my ſon, my ſon! for I may truly ſay, it hath been no ſmall trouble to me, that the Lord ſhould take away this eminent inſtrument in the prime of his daies, and leave me behind (being a dry barren tree, and declining faſt) as the dreſſer of his Vineyard: but as in the means of grace, God grants them to ſome that will not make uſe of them, but denies them to others that would, (for his waies are unſearchable) even ſo he takes away ſome more hopeful inſtruments, and leaves behind ſuch as are leſs hopeful.—To prevent that foreign, incident to many, that we might live above all, having our hand upon the ſtern of duty, and our eye on the Star Chriſt.
My Lords, I preſent to your ſerious view, this piece of this our dear Brother, tranſcribed by his beloved Conſort, which (though it hold forth the ſtate of the Virgin-Church to come in the latter daies) yet is it very ſuitable to the preſent times, in which you may ſee, like Peters Cock, he claps his wings, and calls upon 2 Tim. 2. 26.others to waken out of their drunken ſleep. When the Cocks begin to crow, the day begins to dawn, when the Cocks crow young and old, we ſay its clear day: but when they haſten to their rooſt (with the ſweet chirping birds, Cant. 2.) night draws on: Now the Lord look back upon us as he did upon Peter: And give us to remember our Rulers, even ſuch as have been (as foreign eſt ſubſtantivum foreign.appears by the words following) our Rulers; and have taught us the Word of the Lord again and again, conſidering the end of their converſation, &c. for aſſuredly, the living ſpeeches of dying Prophets live for ever, Zach. 1. Their word took hold, that is, it did purſue, overtake and ſeize upon that generation. And ſo will the word of this our dear Brother faſten upon many a ſoul (if not to his ſalvation) certainly to his eternal deſtruction, who if he were alive again, would he not ſpeak as now (though dead) in this preſent diſcourſe he ſpeaketh? Oh! reſt not ſatisfied with the Lamp of profeſſion, but get the oyl of ſaving grace into the veſſels of your hearts, and go forth to meet the Bride-groom, that when he cometh, whether at midnight, cock-crowing, or at the dawning of the day, you may not be found ſleeping, but may enter in with him. Its ſaid of Arrius, that as his errour, with the ſad effects thereof, ſpread after his death, ſo his torments were increaſed in hell; for the Lord will render to every man not only according to his doings, but according to the fruit of his doings: If ſo (as I believe it is a truth) O then! would we add to this our Brothers Crown, and make it more maſſie, and fuller of thoſe choice pearls another day, let us remember, and forget not what by him was done and taught; but ſay, (as ſhe ſaid) Lord lay up this for me, that whenever I have occaſion to make uſe of it, (as when not) I may ſo remember it, as that I may practiſe, and be bleſſed in my deed.
But I detain your Lordſhips too long, I ſhall conclude with my hearty prayers to the Lord, that as he hath made you eminently inſtrumental, ſo he would take pleaſure in you both, to make you more and more inſtrumental in the hand of Chriſt, (which next to our ſalvation, is one of the greateſt priviledges in this life) and lengthen out your daies, that you may return ſlowly to heaven; which is the humble deſire of,
My Lords, Your moſt devoted ſervant, Sam. Winter.