Elishas Lamentation Upon the Sudden Translation of Elijah, Title page – Dedication
Eliſha his Lamentation, Upon the ſuddain Tranſlation of ELIJAH. Opened in a SERMON At the Funeral of Mr. VVilliam Strong, That Eminently Faithful Servant and Miniſter of CHRIST.
By Obadiah Sedgwick, B. D. and Preacher of the Goſpel in Covent Garden.
ZACHARY 1. 5.
And the Prophets, do they live for ever?
HEBREVVS 3. 7.
To day if ye will hear his Voice.
LONDON, Printed by R. W. for Francis Tyton, at the Sign of the three Daggers in Fleet-ſtreet, near the Inner-Temple Gate. 1654.
To the Right VVorſhipful, Colonel Boſwell, Henry Scobel, Eſq Mr. Thomas Ruſhall; and to all the reſt of the Congregation, lately pertaining unto the care of that Faithful Paſtor, Mr. WILLIAM STRONG, Preacher of the Goſpel at Weſtminſter ABBEY.
YOu were pleaſed to put me upon that ſad ſervice of Preaching at the Funeral of your worthy and dear Paſtor; And ſhortly after that, upon another ſervice of Printing what I then had publikely Preached; I confeſs that I never Preached a Sermon (in this kind) with more grief of heart, and never did I diſcern a Sermon heard and attended with more weeping eyes: certainly God had given in unto him the affections of many perſons, who loved him in his life, and bitterly lamented him at his death.
I was almoſt fallen out with the thoughts of publiſhing any occaſional Sermons, as being moſt proper for ſcope, and uſe, and working, to the preſent Auditory: But your generall deſire hath prevailed upon me to deny my own judgement; and ſince it muſt be ſo, here you have thoſe ſudden and weak fruits (ſuch as they are) and the bleſsing of the Lord go with them.
Of what other advantage they may be (beſides the keeping up a while the name and memory of ſo pretious a ſervant of Chriſt) I know not; but yet I truſt that God may intend them, and now doth ſend them abroad for the good of the living.
Of this I am ſure, that every perſonal change in the world is an effect of his providence; and that there is a doctrinal will for the living, in every providential will of God concerning the dead: and the greater that any perſon is in his relation of uſefulneſs, and ſerviceableneſs to Chriſt and his Church, the more emphatical Selah doth the Lord (in the removal of him) print out for the children of men.
There was honey found by Sampſon in the carcaſe of the dead Lyon, ſo are there many ſweet inſtructions and leſſons to be gathered, not onelyonly out of the lives, but alſo out of the deaths of the Miniſters of Chriſt. The laſt Sermon which a people are to ſtudy, and diligently to peruſe, is the death of their Godly Paſtor; for in this God himſelf doth immediatly preach unto them.
As when Miniſters do live, it is but hypocriſie to give them onelyonly a few good words: ſo when they dye, it is but a formality onelyonly to ſhed over them a few ſad tears.
O that you your ſelves, (& the many other Congregations) who of late have carried their Faithful and laborious Miniſters to the grave, would ſeriouſly remember that you muſt anſwer God for the quick and for the dead, for your living Miniſters, & for your dead Miniſters: there are living uſes to be made out of dead inſtances: Live, and live the better, live up to the power of Truth and Godlineſs, live like ſuch as are even parting with life, and in hazzard about a ſeaſon: Live like ſuch, who did enjoy, and who again would enjoy a choice ſervant to your Miniſter.
Though Minſters dye, yet Chriſt lives, and he is preſent with you, & he obſerves all your heart & ways: therfore as you formerly have, ſo now eſpecially ſtrive to abound much more in heavenly wiſdom, in ſound Iudgement, in Faith and Love to our Lord Ieſus, in meekneſs, and gentleneſs, and profitableneſs one towards another, and in all exactneſs of holy walking before your God; hereupon ſhall you find your late great loſs gratiouſly ſupplied in the anſwer of your fervent prayers: hereupon ſhall you find the teſtimony of a good conſcience; hereupon ſhall you find peace in death, and after that, the Crown of life, which God will give to all that love him.
And for other People, let them Repent of the evil handling of their Faithful Miniſters, and beſeech the Lord to give them hearts in their day of Grace, yet to know the things which do concern their Peace; which that we all may do, ſhall be the prayer of
Your Servant in the Faith of Chriſt Obadiah Sedgwick.