The Plain Mans Senses Exercised to Discern Good and Evil, Memorials
Some MEMORIALLS of this godly, able, profitable Minister of Christ, William Lyford, being the whole of what was delivered concerning him after his Funerall Sermon, by W. H. D. D.
Together with Two remarkable clauses taken out of his last Will and Testament.
ANd it was the same staffe of comfort, namely, The looking for the appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which did uphold our dear deceased friend and Brother, whose Funerall we are now to solemnize, in the long time of his sicknesse; and in what ever former trialls, the Lord was pleased to exercise him with: He still had an eye to that blessed hope, which he did so firmly believe, was laid up for him. They be materiall pithy expressions of his own, to this purpose, which I think fit to acquaint you with, out of two or three of the last Christian Letters I received from him. In one of them he doth thus expresse himself: However it shall please God to dispose of my health, I rest comfortably assured of his everlasting love to me in his Son Christ Jesus; who loved me, and gave himself for me. In another thus, In the use of the means I doe wait, what the Lord will doe with me; I know it shall be well with me at the last, having so many pledges of his everlasting love to support me. In a third he hath these words, My wasting continues, and my stomach also faileth me, but my God faileth me not: in him I have refreshings, in the consideration and experience of the great things, he hath done for me here, and in the contemplation of farre greater things, yet prepared for me. Some few daies before his dissolution, being desired to give some, that visited him, a little tast of his present hopes, together with the grounds of them, for their comfort and instruction. He cheerfully answered, I will let you know, how it is with me, and upon what ground I stand. Then stretching forth his hand, he spake to this effect, Here is the grave, the wrath of God, and devouring flames, the just punishment of sin, on the one side; and here am I, a poor sinfull soul, on the other; but this is my comfort, the Covenant of Grace, which is established upon so many sure promises, hath salved all: There is an Act of Oblivion passed in Heaven: I will forgive their iniquities, and their sinnes will I remember no more, saith God. This is the blessed priviledge of all within the Covenant, among whom I am one. For, I finde the Spirit, which is promised, bestowed on me, in the blessed effects of it upon my soul, the pawns of Gods eternall love; by it, I know my interest in Christ, who is the foundation of the Covenant, and therefore my sinnes being laid on him, shall never be charged on me. When the time of his dissolution approached, He called for his nearest relations, his Wife and Children; He commended them to God, the living God, the everlasting Father, with blessings and prayers, that they may have their part and interest in the everlasting Covenant, laying a charge upon them all, that they should continue still to give themselves to reading the Scriptures. When the earthly house of his tabernacle was even upon the point to be dissolved, with much adoe he uttered these words, My dissolution is more comfortable to me, than was my marriage-day. 1 Cor. 15.57, 58.Now thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved Brethren be ye stedfast, unmoveable, alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Though it was the desire of our deceased Brother, that I should not make any solemn narration of his demeanour here among you, yet I cannot but speak something of him, that we may glorifie God in him, and for him; and to stirre up my self, and you, to an imitation of those graces of God, which were so eminent in him. We are to take special notice of it, that by the strength of Gods grace he remained stedfast and unmoveable in the Articles of our holy Religion in these declining times. Being asked upon a time, why he continued so resolved in his way, when as so many did in divers things alter their opinions? His answer was this, Because he did ground himself upon the Word of God, which is not altered. He was not a reed shaken with the winde, but a pillar in the house of God. He could professe it with holy Job, according to his degree and measure,Job 23.10, 11, 12. But he knoweth the way that I take, when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold; my foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined, neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have esteemed the words of his mouth, more than my necessary food. He could professe it with the Psalmist,aPsal. 119.31. I have stuck unto thy testimonies, and thy bVer. 111.testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever; for they are the rejoycing of my heart. With those sincere converts,Acts 2.42. He continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers: in breaking of bread, when as we have so many half-Ministers of late, who doe only preach the Word without administring the seals, the Sacraments which are annexed to it. He had a singular dexterity in Catechizing, in opening the grounds of our holy Religion, in a perspicuous clear manner, to the capacity of the meanest. He did feed Christs lambs, as well as his sheep. He took great delight in it, he would often say, That if he had done any good here among you, it was by catechizing. Where let me in a word commend this necessary part, though so generally neglected of our Ministeriall function, to his Fellow-labourers, who have so lovingly assisted him for so long time together; that they would effectually set themselves to it, that so they may by Gods blessing reap the like benefit and comfort that he did. How cheerfull was he in his going out, and coming in among you, in publick, and in private? How was his heart lifted up in the waies of the Lord? He did serve the Lord with his spirit, in the Gospel of his Son; he was a workman that need not be ashamed; he preached in demonstration of the spirit, and in power; He was able to convince gain-sayers. In his Sermon, which he was importuned to print at Oxford, after he had preached it there, how does he wooe those that are off from family-exercises, to remember from whence they are fallen, and to doe their first works? His words are to this effect, When you were wont to pray with your Families, to repeat Sermons, to instruct and catechize your Children and Servants, was not that your best time? and it is great pity they did not listen to the voice of this charmer, who did charm so wisely. He went over the whole body of Divinity among you. He acquainted you with the whole counsel of God. He spent himself for you. God grant your profiting may prove in some sort answerable to his endevours. He was constant in the duty of prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving; 'twas a branch of his daily devotions, That God would be pleased to assist him mightily in his last conflict; and he did, as he told some of his friends that were about him*Blessed be God., reap the benefit of it. He was so farre from being affrighted at the approach of death, that he lifted up his hand, and his eyes, and with a serene cheerfull countenance yeelded up his soule into the hands of his faithfull Creator, and Redeemer. He was daily mindfull of you, the people of this place, which he had the cure of, in his prayers. Not long before his departure he lifted up his heart to God, for a good successour for you, as Moses, the servant of the Lord did,Num. 17.16. when he was to be gathered to his Fathers, Let the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out and in before them; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepheard. The Lord make good that gracious promise to you,Ier. 3.15. And I will give you Pastours according to mine own heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. OnelyOnly acknowledge your iniquity as the Prophet exhorts,Ver. 13. That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and that you have not obeyed his voice, which so oft sounded forth unto you in his Ministery. Now suffer I beseech you one word more of exhortation,Heb. 6.11, 12. and it is that of the Apostle, And we desire, that every one of you doe shew the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end. That ye be not slothfull, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises. O that this may be the issue of our thoughts and meditations, as touching our deceased Brother, and Fellow-labourer, and your faithfull Minister, of our coming to the house of mourning, of our accompanying the herse, of our solemn assembling our selves together in this place, that we may be excited by occasion hereof, and so effectually wrought upon, that we may tread in his steps. Non est amicorum prosequi defunctos ignavo questu, sed, quae voluerint, meminisse, quae mandaverint, exequi. It is not sufficient for friends, that they doe bewail and mourn over those that are departed from them after a dull fruitlesse manner, but it is by all means required that they follow the counsell and good advice they gave them, that they imitate the good example they left behinde them. Let us think with our selves, that we doe hear our deceased Brother, and your Pastour, speaking thus unto us, as the Apostle did to his Philippians, Finally brethren, Phil 4.8, 9.whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatseever things are of good report: if there be any vertus, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, doe. And then we shall be in a capacity to expect the blessing there promised, and the God of peace shall be with you.
The first clause;
I Give and bequeath unto the President and Fellows of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford, for the time being, and their successors for ever, the summe of One hundred and twenty pounds, to be paid unto them by my Executrix, within seven years, next after my decease; and by them, or my Executrix, and Over-seers, to be laid out, to raise an Exhibition for, and towards the maintenance of a godly poor Schollar of that Colledge, in manner and form as is here expressed, that is to say, My Will is, that the Schollar, to be chosen from time to time to partake of this yearly Exhibition, shall be nominated, and chosen by the votes of the President, the senior Dean of Arts, and the Moderator of that form, whether Logick, or Philosophy, wherein the said young Schollar, shall be a disputant, or by any two of them. And my earnest desire, and will is, that the Schollar, to be nominated from time to time, to partake of this small encouragement of studiousnesse and piety, be such a one, and so qualified, as doth give the best evidences for the present of his sobriety, ingenuity, studiousnesse, and proficiency, and for the future the best hopes, of being a godly, able, and profitable Minister of the Gospel, in the Church of Christ. It being dedicated unto God, by way of thankfulness, for his mercy to me, in that Colledge, and in way of restitution, for a summe of money, which according to the corrupt custome of those daies, I did receive for the resignation of my Fellowship in that Colledge.
The second clause,
And now I commend my self and them all: 1. his dear Wife and Children, unto Gods grace and mercy, giving thanks unto him from my soul, for revealing his Son Jesus Christ in me, and to me, and for justifying me, and his whole Church, freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, and for honouring me to be a Minister of the Gospel. And I doe humbly beseech the God of all grace and mercy to continue and preserve the power and purity of his Gospel in this Land, together with a faithfull and learned Ministery to dispense the same. Also my humble prayer to the God of all grace is, that he will be pleased out of the riches of his grace and goodnesse to guide and preserve all my poor children, and all his people into all saving truths.