Elisha Lamenting after the God of Elijah, Half title – Dedication
Mr. Foxcroft's Funeral Sermon FOR The Reverend Mr. Wadſworth.
Eliſha lamenting after the GOD of Elijah.
A Funeral Sermon Preach'd at Boſton, March 27. 1737. Occaſion'd by the DEATH of the Reverend Mr. BENJAMIN WADSWORTH, Late Preſident of Harvard-College in Cambridge, and formerly Paſtor of the Old Church in Boſton. WHO departed this Life on March 16th. Having juſt enter'd the 68th Year of his Age.
By Thomas Foxcroft, Sometimes Colleague-Paſtor with him.
2 Kin. 3.11.
Here is Eliſha, which poured Water on the Hands of Elijah.
2 Tim. 3.10.
Thou haſt fully known my Doctrine, manner of Life, Purpoſe, Faith, Longſuffering, Charity, Patience.
BOSTON, New England, Printed by T. Fleet, for SAMUEL ELIOT in Cornhill, and JOHN PARKER at the Head of the Town-Dock. 1737.
To the Old or Firſt Church in BOSTON.
Dearly Beloved,
IT was a ſincere and high Reſpect for the Memory of my Reverend Father, your late excellent Paſtor, together with a View to your Edification, which induced me to entertain you, in my publick Diſcourſe on the Sabbath after his Funeral, with ſome Meditations ſuited to the mournful Occaſion of his Death: and I doubt not, the ſame Principles had their Influence in putting You upon ſo unanimous a Vote, to aſk a Copy for the Preſs.
I need not obſerve to You, with what Diſadvantages a Performance of this Nature from me (under my preſent Indiſpoſitions) muſt appear; while the neceſſary Care of my broken Health forbids that Application of Thought and Care of Exactneſs, proper in preparing and publiſhing a Sermon on ſuch a Subject and Occaſion: which would have ſufficiently pleaded in my Excuſe, if I had declin'd the Preſs. However, in Deference to your Judgment and Requeſt, I have ſacrific'd my own Inclinations; and venture into the publick Light, hoping for the ſame Candour to an imperfect Diſcourſe from others in the reading, as it met with from You in the hearing. It muſt be allow'd, that an affected Niceneſs of Method and Ornaments of Language make but an odd Figure in a melancholy Funeral Sermon: and therefore I give you mine very much in its original inaccurate Dreſs; tho' with ſome few Additions, which the ſcant Limits of a ſingle Hour obliged me to omit in the Pulpit.
As to the Character of the Deceaſed, ſo far as I went into it, 'tis a Satisfaction to me, that I have your Concurrence: for the World muſt think your printing the Sermon a loud Atteſtation to the Juſtice of my Obſervations on that head. I ſpake indeed with the greater Freedom, becauſe in your hearing, who could witneſs I ſpoke in the Words of Truth and Soberneſs.
It was the known Principle and Practice of the deceaſed Servant of God to uſe a remarkable Caution and Modeſty of Speech an ſuch Occaſions; nor could he reliſh the flow'ry Pomp of Funeral Oratory, ſo common, and ſo often abus'd, in praiſing the Dead, to flatter the Living: Yet where any appear'd to him Perſons of diſtinguiſh'd Merits, and ſuch as by general Suffrage wou'd be allow'd to have ſomething due to their Memory, he wou'd ſet an Aſteriſm on their honourable Names, recommend their bright Example to Imitation, and ſpeak of their excellent Gifts, Graces, and Services, to the Honour of that God, who bleſs'd them, and made them Bleſſings to their Generation. Witneſs in particular his Funeral Sermon for the late Rev. Mr. Thomas Bridge, his worthy Colleague in the Paſtoral Relation, and my immediate Predeceſſor: The Text and the Diſcourſe moſt ſitly applicable for the Author's own Funeral Sermon. And accordingly I recommend it to your ſerious Review on this Occaſion.
I take Leave now to remind You, with what a numerous Succeſſion of eminent Lights this golden Candleſtick has been diſtinguiſh'd. You have had your Wilſon, Cotton, Norton, Davenport, Oxenbridge, Allen, Bridge, and Wadſworth; precious Gifts to you from our aſcended Saviour, Paſtors and Teachers, who have fed You with Knowledge and Underſtanding: Beſides whom, You have enjoy'd the occaſional Labours of ſeveral worthy Aſſiſtants (Moodey and Bailey in particular) for many Months, or Years together. Your evangelical Advantages ſurely have been great: and if your ſpiritual Improvements be not in ſome Proportion, your Account will be awful. And for my own part, when I conſider, I am afraid. It hath often been a ſolemn Thought with me, In whoſe Room I ſtood up; what aged, learned, laborious, wiſe, and venerable Men of God have ſucceſſively gone before me in this holy Miniſtry: and the Reflection has been very humbling to me, by a Senſe of my own comparative Inſufficiency, Inexperience, Unworthineſs, Nothingneſs. Sure I am, I've the greateſt Reaſon to ſtand aſtoniſh'd at the Divine Patience towards me: and to admire your Candour to me, your kind Acceptance of my Labours, and the generous Tokens of your Love in Reward of them, while I have been with many Imperfections miniſtring among You, now full 20 Years. And tho' according to the general Run of human Life, I may have ſtill many Days to ſerve You; yet the ſurprizing Blow of God's chaſtning Hand upon me, not many Months ſince (when all about my Bed concluded me under a Sentence of Death) and my habitual Infirmities in Conſequence thereof, did awfully warn me, and do daily admoniſh me, not to expect a long Continuance in this preſent evil World. O join your Prayers with mine, that a Life ſo wonderfully reprieved from Deſtruction, may be employed more than ever for the Glory of God and the Service of your Souls, to which I hope it is ſincerely devoted; and that when called from You (God only knows how ſoon or ſuddenly) I may be found with my Work done, and my Accounts ready, and may finiſh my Courſe with Joy. I wiſh you a durable, as well as great Bleſſing, in my dear Colleague, your other Paſtor! And this I pray, that your Love may abound yet more and more in Knowledge and in all Judgment; that ye may approve Things that are excellent, and continue in the things which ye have learned, and be watchful to ſtrengthen the Things which remain that are ready to die.
Let us all concur in heartily lamenting the great and growing Degeneracies of the preſent Day: and let us unite our fervent Prayers, our ſolicitous Cares, and ſtrenuous Endeavours for the happy Reſurrection and Flouriſhing of Religion and Virtue among us, which is our Life, our trueſt proſperity, and brighteſt Crown. Surely it is Time to ſeek the Lord, till He come and rain Righteouſneſs upon us.
And have we not Reaſon to lay to Heart the many ſorrowful Inſtances of Mortality, we've ſeen in the Courſe of a very few Years, among our Pious and Uſeful, and our Aged and Honorable? For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hoſts, doth take away from us the Stay and the Staff, the Judge, and the Prophet, and the Prudent, and the Ancient, the honourable Man, and the Counſellor, the cunning Artificer, and the eloquent Orator. Verily by repeated Loſſes of Men of Note in the Congregation, a holy ſovereign God has been not only leſſening our Number, but thinning our Glory, impoveriſhing our Treaſury, and weakning our Strength. Their hoary Heads were a viſible Ornament in our Aſſembly; their ſhining Characters reflected a ſuperior Luſtre upon it; and their ſeveral Intereſts, Powers, and active Virtues abundantly ſtrengthen'd our Hands, and encourag'd our Hearts. But now a melancholy Emptineſs is ſeen, where they us'd to appear and act. Alas, how ſadly do we miſs them! What lamentable Vacancies do we behold in one Seat and another; and few of the like excellent Spirit and Talents ſucceeding to fill up their Places! Have me not Reaſon to cry out, with the Prophet! O Lord God, ceaſe, I beſeech Thee; by whom ſhall Jacob ariſe? for he is ſmall. — Come and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath ſmitten, and He will bind us up.
We are bleeding particularly by a freſh and deep Wound … the Deceaſe of that good and merciful Man, one of our worthy and faithful Deacons, the late Mr. Jonathan Williams; over whoſe Grave I cannot refrain dropping a Tear of Condolence with You, and paying a ſmall Tribute to his Memory. May the God of all Grace ſanctify the Death of his Servant to the bereaved Children and Relatives, to his mournful Brethren in Office, and to us all! We have loſt in him the amiable Example of a devout, juſt, peaceable, charitable, and humble Chriſtian, and the valuable Help of a very active, prudent, and uſeful Servant of the Church. The main Qualifications of a Deacon, as they are laid down by the inſpir'd Apoſtle in his Epiſtle to Timothy, were viſible in this our Brother; Gravity, Integrity, Temperance, Generoſity, ſound Faith, and a pure Conſcience. We muſt bear him this Teſtimony, that he hath uſed his Office well; and having ſerved his Generation according to the Will of God, he is (with Stephen) fallen aſleep. But if we believe that Jeſus died, and roſe again, even ſo them alſo which ſleep in Jeſus, will God bring with him: and for our further Conſolation, in the mean time, we ſee Jeſus who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the ſuffering of Death, crown'd with Glory and Honour; Head over all things to his Church, and the Saviour of the Body. Having aſcended up on high, he has received Gifts for Men: and of his Fulneſs may we ſtill look to receive, even Grace for Grace, Bleſſing upon Bleſſing. Ye that make Mention of the LORD, keep not Silence: and give Him no Reſt, till He eſtabliſh, and till He make our Jeruſalem a Praiſe in the Earth, as in former Years, and as in the Days of old; even until the Righteouſneſs thereof go forth as Brightneſs; and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth. Let it be your Prayer day and night, that a gracious God wou'd pardon our Sins, and heal our Backſlidings, whereby we have expoſ'd our ſelves to his fearful Judgments; That he wou'd return and viſit his People, made weak by the Fall of ſo many of his righteous Ones; and that He wou'd cloſe the Breaches in our Walls, by raiſing up a Succeſſion of Perſons of a like excellent Spirit and exemplary uſeful Life, as thoſe that have left us, and who may be like Bleſſings to us, bright Pledges of his ſpiritual Preſence in the midſt of us. He has promiſed his gracious Preſence to his Church to the End of the World. Let us be Followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promiſes. So we may hope, He will be with us, as He was with our Fathers, and will never leave nor forſake us. Rejoyce in the Lord alway: and again I ſay, Rejoyce in Him, the inexhauſtible Fountain of Life, who (whatever Streams are dried up) remains the ſame for ever. Be careful for nothing; but in every … by Prayer and Supplication, with Thankſgiving, let your Requeſts be made known to God: And the Peace of God, which paſſeth all Underſtanding, ſhall keep your Hearts through Chriſt Jeſus: To whom be Glory in the Churches, World without End. Amen.
Theſe are the ſincere Sentiments, Advices and Wiſhes of,
Your affectionate Paſtor, Thomas Foxcroft. Boſton, April 2. 1737.