Discourse Previous to the Ordination of Joseph Sewell, Title page 1 – Dedication
A SERMON Delivered By Thomas Prince, M. A. On Wensday, October 1. 1718. AT HIS ORDINATION TO THE PASTORAL CHARGE Of the SOUTH CHURCH in Boston, N. E. In Conjunction with the Reverend Mr. JOSEPH SEWALL.
Together with The CHARGE, By the Reverend INCREASE MATHER, D. D. And a Copy of what was said at giving the Right Hand of Fellowship:
By the Reverend COTTON MATHER, D. D. To which is added, A DISCOURSE Of the Validity of Ordination by the Hands of Presbyters, Previous to Mr. SEWALL'S on September 16. 1713.
By the Late Reverend and Learned Mr. Ebenezer Pemberton, Pastor of the same Church.
BOSTON: Printed by J. FRANKLIN for S. GERRISH, and Sold at his Shop near the Old Meeting House. 1718.
TO THE SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON.
I HAVE many times wonder'd in my Travels aabroad at the mysterious Reasons of Providence in carrying Me forth *April 1. 1709.& detaining Me so long from Returning †July 20. 1717.to My Native Land. Tho' GOD has endow'd Us with the Power of Reason to direct Us in all Our Designs & Actions, & in the Course of my Travels I was then ready to think I was Generally Guided thereby; Yet I must needs acknowledge, that whenever I have made Reflections on that Part of My Life, I have not been able to see with Satisfaction the Reasonableness or Consistency of it. I have been often surprized to consider, how I have been unaccountably governed by various Views & Motives, & successively led on from One to Another till they all intirely vanished but the Prospect & Love of My Country.
UPON My Arrival, It seems as if I am awakened out of a long & continued Train of Dreams & Amusements, & have been insensibly wandering in Visionary Regions of Delusion & Errour. But now Methinks I clearly see that a Wise & Designing Hand has over-rul'd & led Me, & some of the Ends of His Mysterious Dealings appear with Amazement, …s the others remain concealed for the Exercise of my awful Reverence & profound Adoration.
MY Reception into My Native Country with so great Respect & Affection I must account to be One of the happiest Scenes in all My Life. I was so young & unknown when I left it, that I had hardly contracted any other Acquaintance than among my contemporary Students at Colledge: And I had spent such a Series of Years abroad, as I thought They had almost lost their Affection & Remembrance of Me. It must therefore needs be a surprizing & inexpressible Joy to find Myself at my Arrival embrac'd & surrounded with Numbers of Friends, & many that seem'd to know Me at Once, tho' They never saw Me before. I cou'd not forbear imagining Myself as Happy as the Roman Orator, if the Reader will forgive the bold Comparison, when He returned to the City in Triumph; Tho' I dare not speak as He, That the Pleasures of that single Day were almost preferable to Immortality.
BUT as there is an unavoidable & perpetual Succession of Delight & Trouble in Humane Life; I quickly found that I must exchange my Scenes of Diversion & Pleasure into the contrary Scenes of Care & Business. And these have surprized Me as much as the other.
THE sudden Invitation of so desirable & considerable a Church & Town as Hingham within Eight & Forty Hours of my Landing & their Call in a little Time after, together with Yours at the same Conjuncture and the Motion of Another, for which I bare a peculiar Esteem and Affection, as well as to Their most Reverend, Pious & Learned Pastors, must needs involve Me in the greatest Perplexities, & astonish my Mind.
I COU'D hardly imagine Myself duely Qualifyed for the Ministerial Office, & shou'd scarcely have ingaged in it, were it not for the Perswasion of Others, & the repeated Call of Providence by so many Churches. I had denyed the Sollicitations of Two in England before; Of Battisford & Combs *Jan. 29. 1713, 14in Suffolk, and afterwards of a larger Society that alternately meets at Winden and Clavering †Octob. 31. 1714.on the Borders of Cambridgshire and Essex. I was now therefore seized with Fear, lest GOD who knew My Unfitness & Sin, shou'd over-rule these extraordinary Things for my utter Confusion. The Anxiety & Distress of my Soul has been beyond Expression: And with a Concurrence at the same Conjuncture of various other Extraordinary Temptations & Troubles wou'd have overwhelm'd & sunk Me without a Divine Support: As indeed they have made such unusual Impressions on Me, that I have not yet intirely recovered that Sedateness of Temper which I thank GOD is so Natural to Me, & had been a firm & perpetual Proof against all the Difficulties of my Preceeding Life.
I HAVE spoken of some of these Things already in my Reply to Your Call & the succeeding Discourse, Together with the Principal Motives that determined me to Enter into the Sacred Office, & to Accept of Your Flock for My Peculiar Charge. I shall not therefore here repeat them, nor wou'd it be convenient o… prudent to offer the Reasons of My not yielding to the Call of Bristol. But You will give Me leave on this Occasion, Because 'tis Justice & Gratitude, To express My Grateful Resentments & the Singular Love & Honour I owe to that Kind & Worthy People, as well as the Others beforementioned, who have all unanimously Called Me, & all but One have surprized Me with the most undeserved Respect of Choosing Me as soon as ever they knew Me. May They all be the be…ter supplyed by My not settling with Them, as it is with great Satisfaction I behold the Church at Hingham to be.
BUT if You can bear Me with Patience, I wou'd now proceed to offer a few Things more before I conclude.
IN the First Place I wou'd Here observe, That I not only look upon those in full Comunion to belong to Our Ministerial Care; But all Those also at least that have been admitted Members of Your Ecclesiastical Body at their receiving the Baptismal Seal of the Covenant. I take it for Granted You will readily own it: But I mention it Her… to make You sensible of the cast & dreadful Aggravation which it gives of the Weight of Our Charge. You will easily conce…ve what I say, When it appears from the Records that the Church was founded on the 12. of May 1669; And since that Time to this which is not yet Fifty Years, to Seven Hundred Communicants & near as many more that have Own'd the Covenant, there have been about Five Thousand Baptized Persons. The Tho't of This … enough to shock the greatest Capacity, & to make us cry out with Moses Num. 11.14., We are not able to bear all this People alone, Because it is too Heavy for Us!
THERE is another Consideration which affects Me with the utmost Concern & Abasement; And that is My succeeding such Great & Illustrious Persons as have so conspicuously distinguish'd & adorn'd Your Society, & made it the more Renowned & Venerable throughout all this Country. Men on whose Hands if alive I were unworthy to pour our Water, as Elisha the Son of Shaphat on the Hands of His Master Elijah †2 Kings 3.11.. Oh that as I take up their Mantle, the Character & Badge of their Office, I might receive & enjoy their Ministerial Spirit!
THE First of Your Pastors which was the Reverend Mr. Thatcher, is beyond the Personal Knowledge & Remembrance of most among You. But by the Memorial of his Iafe… Dr. Mather's Church-H…story, He appears to have been a Man of Singular Abilities & Learning, & a great Variety of uncommon Accomplishments. To this Account, I have learned from Those that were acquainted with Him, That He was a Person of great Humanity, Meekness & Sweetness of Temper. He was settled among You on February 16. 1669, 70. & Died on October 15. 1678, at 58 Years of Age.
HIS Successor was the Reverend Mr. Willard, the Learned Vice-President of Harvard Colledge. We were all acquainted with Him, & shall ever revere his Memory. Mr. Pemberton has given Us His exquisite Picture with a Masterly Hand in his Funeral Sermon: And He has been universally owned to have been One of the Wisest & most Generous Men, & One of the Greatest Divines which these Parts of the World have produced. I shall never forget His admired Expositions Twice a Week in the Hall, His Gracious Deportment, nor the copious, exact, & pathetical Prayers He as frequently poured out among Us. I must ever Remember Him with peculiar Esteem & Gratitude for the Heavenly Gravity, Condescention & melting Affection wherewith he treated me in my tender Years, when he took me aside at Colledge to incourage & direct me in the Affairs of my Soul. He was settled among You on April 10. 1678. Mr. Sewall & I were Two of the last who received their Degrees from Him, which was on July 2. 1707, & He dyed the 12th of September after, at 68 Years of Age.
IT has been my great Unhappiness & Sorrow, that I was never in Company with the Reverend Mr. Pemberton, that extraordinary Person who follow'd Him, Before I went out of the Country I have often heard him with the greatest Admiration & Pleasure; methought he spake like a Flaming Seraph. Upon my Return I find he has left as Great a Character for Superior Abilities & Universal Learning as any that have gone before Him. The Reverend Mr. Colman & my Reverend Colleague have drawn it in its lively Colours in their Funeral Sermons. It is a very Grateful & Singular Honour to have the following & excellent Remains of His inclos'd in the same Cover with Mine. He was Ordained among You on August 28. 1700, & Deceased February 13. 1716, at 45 Years of Age.
WHEN I consider of My standing up in the Room of such extraordinary Persons as These, & in One of the most Numerous▪ Honourable, Learned and Judicious Auditories I know in the World; It must needs Surprize Me with Shame and Anxiety, and throw My Mind into a great Degree of Consternation & Terror.
HOWEVER, in the midst of all My Distress, I must own that thro' the over-ruling Wisdom & Goodness of GOD I am now settled in the Happiest Country & in One of the Delightfullest Towns upon Earth. It is an invaluable Priviledge that I now Here enjoy, In living among such Numbers of Persons of every Order that so illustriously shine in Piety, Justice, Temperance & Social Virtues. It is a singular Advantage which I could hardly find any where-else, to be fix'd in a Constellation of such Eminent Ministers, united in the same Design & Affection: Three of whom have done Me the Honour to accompany Me in the following Pages, and for their various Excellencies I find are justly Renowned & Esteemed abroad.
I MUST likewise admire the same over-ruling Wisdom & Goodness, in settling among you about Five Years before, Mr. Sewall Your Reverend Pastor, My Classmate, the Companion of My Youth, and one of My Dearest & most Intimate Friends at Colledge. As this has been a very powerful Incentive and Incouragement to Me to submit & associate with Him in the same Ministerial Service; So it seems to be a most hopeful Foundation, if GOD is pleased to continue Our Lives, of the greatest Advantage & Pleasure. Our Nearness of Age, Our Conformity of Inclinations & Principles, Our long & early Acquaintance & Friendship, the peculiar Communion & Intimacy, wherewith We have often unbosom'd Our Souls; and especially the Raising Our Respect and Affection on the substantial Basis of Religion & Virtue, does already support & animate Me to proceed in My Work, and afford Me the lively Prospect of so much Happiness as I am sometimes afraid is too great to be looked for, or not long enjoyed in this evil & changeable World.
MAY the Father of Lights with whom is no Variableness nor Shadow of Turning, & from whom every good & perfect Gift descendeth *James 1.17., Help Us to Preserve, Increase & Perfect Our Friendship, and improve it to Your great Advantage as well as Our Own. May We strive to Emulate in Piety, Learning & Usefulness; not that We may exceed Each Other, But that We may Quicken Each Other to exceed Ourselves, May We Unite in Pulling down the strong Holds of Sin & Satan and in Building up the Church & enlarging the Kingdom of CHRIST. May we Recommend His Religion & Person in Our Divine Discourses and Amiable and Heavenly Lives. May We attract Your Cordial and Religious Esteem and Love, and Return them into Your Bosoms, by more chearful and lively Indeavours for Your present Comfort and Welfare and Everlasting Happiness. May We be more and more ingaged and devoted to You, and be more heartily willing to Do and Suffer any thing for You, To Bare any thing from you, And to resolve with the Apostle, 2 Cor. 12.15. That we will very gladly spend and be spent for your Souls †foreign, Tho' the more abundantly We Love You the Less We be Loved.
To Conclude, Let us all endeavour to be mutual Incouragements & Consolations in this World, that we may be mutual Joys and Delights in the Other, Let us Remember and Imitate the many Ornaments of Our Church and diligently move on in the fair Tracks of Light they have left behind them till We ascend and meet them in the Heavenly World. And in the mean while Let Us also aspire to excell in Our Several Stations and Employments, and strive which shall appear to be the more Laborious and Watchful Pastors, or the more Peaceable and Fruitful People.
Finally, Brethren, farewell: be Perfect be of good Comfort, be of one Mind, live in Peace; and the GOD of Love and Peace shall be with You †2 Cor 13.11.. And the Lord make You to Increase and Abound in Love One towards Another, and towards all Men, even as We do towards You: To the end He may stablish Your Hearts unblamable in Holiness before GOD even Our Father, at the Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ with all His Saint… ‖1 Thes. 3.12, 13.. Now unto Him that is Able to keep You from falling, and to Present You faultless before the Presence of His Glory with exceeding Joy, To the Only Wise GOD Our Saviour, be Glory and Majesty, Dominion and Power, both Now & ever. Amen ‡Jude 24, 25..
THOMAS PRINCE.