The Profit of Godliness, Speech
A Speech delivered to the Inhabitants of Walsall, April 30. 1662. at the close of the Sermon preached at the Funerals of the Reverend Mr. Thomas Byrdall, late Minister of Walsall: By that Eminent and Learned Divine Mr. Anthony Burgess, late of Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire.
YOU that are the Inhabitants of this Town, met here together upon this sad occasion, let me speak a little to you of our sad meeting at this time: had the Lord done that which the Apostle acknowledged concerning Epaphroditus, when he was sick and nigh unto death, Phil. 2.27. (the Lord had mercy on him, viz. in restoring him again) had the Lord been pleased to hear prayers, and answered the requests that were put up, you had not lost a Pastor, we had not lost a dear friend and relation: but the will of the Lord is done. And now Funeral Sermons are for the living, not for the dead; like your flowers upon the Corpse, not for the Corpse, but for those that have the smell of them; therefore it is my way (for the most part) to wave to speak of those that are departed; yet I do not so tye up my self, as not to speak something upon such an occasion as this of a Godly Minister, and faithful… Brother, whose life and death preacheth.
If I do a little improve this sad occasion, pardon me; This our Brother was dear to me, not only upon the account of the relation as a Minister, but also of a particular relation to my self, which it may not seem in vain to speak of. When it pleased God to call me into these parts to undertake such a great charge as the care of souls, then this our Reverend Brother, and your dear Pastor came as Collegiat with me; he did not stay long there, but was chosen your Pastor and Minister; and now, if so be that in the speaking of him, a little grief doth any way interrupt me, do not think it unmanly. Our Saviour Christ did discover his tears about Lazarus, and the Jews said, Behold how he loved him! John 11.35, 36.So if in speaking of such a relation, such an acquaintance, and such a loss, there be any interruption, it is not unmanly.
I have but two things to speak to; As he that commendeth a Picture or Image, doth not so much commend that, as the Artificer that made it; so if I tell you, what gifts, abilities, graces God wrought in this your Pastor, it is not so much to speak of him, as of Go… in him, and to glorifie God. An… therefore I shall speak (and tha… but briefly) to two things, viz.
To his Preaching;
To his Life;
those two things being the Urim an… Thummim for the building up of … Minister. As for his Preaching,
1. It was an able, Scriptural, instructing preaching; it is great proficiency in any people to know what is good Preaching, and what are good Sermons; now this one thing, the foreign, the ability and dexterity of a Minister in applying of Scripture to peoples hearts; he that instructeth and convinceth by Scripture, he that reproveth, that comforteth by Scripture, he cometh with [Thus saith the Lord] and the wit of man cannot overcome him: Thus saith the Lord; and then the lust and pride of man, and all must yield. Now this our Brother was such a Preacher; A man may be an excellent Scholar, and yet want dexterity of preaching; Where there is a great deal of learning, there is not alwayes this dexterity: Our Brother was a foreign, which signifies, one that hath skill in Scripture, one that instructeth, enliveneth, enflameth: so that when a man cometh and heareth such a man, he saith, Verily this man hath more than Books, learning, parts: he hath God in his heart and tongue, working in him and wish him: that is one thing; the doctrinal abilities of this our Brother in this way of preaching which you can witness.
2. The second thing was his useful, practical, profitable, and powerful preaching: the Sower went out to sow Wheat: not Chaff, but Seed-wheat; and now this you may witness too, that our Brothers preaching was a useful, powerful, practical way, in all things tending to your edification: to what purpose is it for a man to have a golden tongue, if the heart be not enflamed therewith? and therefore this way of practical preaching, whereby the Kingdome of sin is destroyed, and grace begotten, and people edified, this is the great, the excellent way: Eloquence is commendable, and Divinity doth not renounce it, but it becometh subservient to heavenly preaching, if it be the handmaid. But there is little in affected words and charms of meer Bumbaste: though many men may delight to hear them, yet give me that which will rather make thy heart weep, than thine ears to tingle; that which will send thee home, and make thee cry, Oh I cannot sleep for my sins! that which will make thee cry out, Oh my sin, my sin! as David cried out of his Son, O Absolom, my Son, my Son! this affectionate way is the powerful and profitable way.
This our Brother did use all kinds of wayes of preaching: he tried a Metaphysical and a Rhetorical way of Preaching, (I mean according to humane wayes) and he saw that would do no good; therefore he betook himself to a powerful, practical way of preaching, that way whereby the mind is enlightned, and the heart wrought upon, and this was our Brothers preaching. Oh it is better to speak one word to edification, then five hundred words in a meer vain, empty, fantastical way!
3. His preaching was affectionate, serious, inward; it was more than Books or words, more then studied words, and learned Sermons, though these be necessary, and of great use (mistake me not) it was inward and affectionate; it was with inward workings of heart, with love to God, with love to your souls, and to the edification of them: this is a great matter when we come (as the Apost…e saith) in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit: though we come with learning and all lawfull arts, yet there is more; the heart and the affection of a Preacher is more: this warm milk from the breast is that which nourisheth the Child: for a man to speak of regeneration, and himself not know what it is for a Minister to preach of living by faith; and other truths, and for himself not to know the meaning of them experimentally, what is it but even as Sampson's Lion? he had honey in his mouth, yet was a dead carcass, so that he was never the better for it, he tasted it not: so let a Minister deliver never so excellent divine truths; if he have not the working of these upon his own heart, he is but as Sampsons dead Lion with honey in his mouth; he speaks that he knows not the meaning of.
4. His preaching was constant, diligent, assiduous preaching: these very walls, this very place can tell you how diligent he was in preaching. His diligence appeared that notwithstanding the pain he felt, yet he was constant in preaching to you: he hath been in torment in his body, and in great pain, whiles he was in declaring the will of God unto you: this declared his constancy and diligence, that he would not spare the pains of his body, nor the torture he had, but travelled in soul and body for you at the same time together; thus much for his Preaching.
As for his Life, your selves also are witnesses of a holy life, which is the great commendation of Gods servants. It was the great complaint of Luther, nothing made him so weary of his Ministry as this, I cannot live as I have Preached; And truly nothing may affect a godly Minister so much as this, that he cannot live as he preacheth: that he cannot put forth those works of grace which he declares to others: Ministers are not Angels; we are not freed from infirmities; but God by his good grace keeps those that are faithful, that they are unspotted in the world. I dare not to be of the Donatists mind, that thought that the Administration of Sacraments, and the Preaching of ungodly Ministers, could not be of Edification to Regeneration or Conversion: no, the Church hath exploded that Opinion; for that would be to make the Promises of God to be made not to the Institution it self, nor to the right disposition of the subject employed therein, but to the qualification of the Minister, and the Dispenser thereof: Whereas we see the Scripture is otherwise: Yet it is certain that the prophaness of Eli's Sons made the people to abhor the sacrifice of God: therefore drunkenness, profaness, wickedness, unprofitableness in a Minister, are great aggravations of their sin. As a deformed Limner drawing a curious Picture, makes himself the more ridiculous: so the better Sermons a prophane Minister preacheth, he doth but make himself the more ridiculous; he sheweth what himself should be, but is not: But now by the grace of God our dear Brother his life was a confirmation of his doctrine; you know it among you, and it was convincing of you: Our lives ordered with all tenderness and prudence according to the will of God, are convincing, converting and teaching lives.
And the Lord to increase his graces, and to exercise his faith and patience, was pleased in his latter dayes to afflict him with that sad and grievous pain of the Stone, and the consequences thereof; a pain so great, that one of the Philosophers was of the judgement, that all pain was but a Phantasie, and a meer imagination, yet being under the pain of the Stone (as I remember) he cryed out, he was deceived: It pleased the Lord to exercise our dear Brother thus, afflicting him with this disease, and that a long time together, and so made him as it were a Prisoner in his house: he was often afraid that he should die a miserable, tormenting, painful death: it was his great fear because of the torturing pain that was upon him: but behold the mercy and goodness of God to him, that gave him an easie death, so that he scarce felt what pain was: see how often we trouble our selves with needless fears, which the Lord never brings upon us! This our friend feared a tormenting death, and it pleased God to deal otherwise with h…m. Death hath now cut him down, he is fallen to the ground: Oh his fall! Your Pastor is gone, and hath now finished his course, about the five and fiftieth year of his age: I judge it by my own, he was a little younger then I: yet although he set out after me, he hath over-gone me: he died as I have observed, in the best of ages, about fifty five, the best time to die being then, as one that hath had the Wine of this life, and goeth out of the world without the dregg… of it: and thus the Lord hath disposed of him, and brought him to Heaven, tears cannot bring him b…ck again: he would not come hither again if he m…ght: he is in glory and happiness: there is only this to be said, Nevertheless for him to have abode in the flesh was needful for you: Are not the Sun, Moon, and Stars needful? are not light and salt needful? to these are faithful Ministers in Scripture compared.
I have a word of Exhortation to you, viz. to humble your souls under this hand of God: it is sin that makes us unprofitable and unfruitful, and that causeth God to say not only of the barren, but (even as now) of the fruitful tree, Cut it down. Under the Law, when a City was to be besieged, God took care that no fruitfull trees should be destroyed, no Axe was to be forced against them, Deut. 20.19. yet notwithstanding the Lord hath done it to you: Oh that we were so wise, that we could prize mercies rather by the enjoyment, than by the want of them: It is pitiful to say, Give us our Minister, give us our Byrdall again: it is as to say, let the Sun come back again: therefore humble your selves under this sad Providence: and say, Hath not my contempt of the Word, my unprofitableness, my ingratitude been as so many blows to cut this tree down! the Lord forgive it me, and pardon me. And although he be now dead, yet let his Sermons, let his Exhortations live: as Paul said to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 3.2. Ye are our Epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: So you of this Town of Walsall, you have your Pastors Sermons written in your hearts and lives: the whole Country knoweth that you have had a Prophet among you: you must one day answer for every Sermon he preached among you: you must be accountable for all his studies, for all the pains he took and endured, for all the strength and blood that he spent, for the life he spent in doing good to your souls: these things you must come to an account for: therefore entreat ye the Lord that he would make you sensible of these things, and that they may be useful to you for your good; And now therefore seeing the Will of the Lord is done, be earnest with God that he would provide such a Pastor for you, that what your deceased Pastor planted, he that shall succeed may water, and the great God of Heaven give increase. Amen.
THE PROFIT OF GODLINESS.
1 TIMOTHY 4.8.
But Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.