AN ELEGY Upon the DEATH of that Faithful Servant OF the LORD, And my Dear and Never-to be-forgotten FRIEND Mr. JOHN WELLS, M [...]nister of the GOSPEL, who was suddenly taken out of this V [...]le of Misery June 18. 1676.
HARK! Hark! you Heaven-bound-Souls, do you not hear
A fresh Alarum Tingle in your Ear?
A Cedar falls! A Star does disappear.
A Summons sent you to prepare for Death,
And shew the fleeting state of Mortal Breath?
Man is a World, and Death's the Ocean found
Wherein that Worlds Inferiour Pa
[...]ts are drown'd;
This Sea Encircles All; And, though as yet
God hath set Marks and Bounds 'twixt us and it;
Still it does Roar, and daily Threatnings send,
And breaks our Bank whene're it takes a Friend;
But when our Prophets too are swallow'd there,
'Tis a sad Sign an Inundation's near.
Ah, how may we our
Sodom fate bemoan,
And look for Fire when all our
Lots are gone!
When storms of Vengeance are on Whirlwinds hurl'd,
To punish this our Sin polluted VVorld;
VVhere is the
Moses in the Gap to stand,
And with loud Prayr's disarm
Jehovah's Han
[...]:
The Shepherds thus Removed, who shall keep
From VVolves of
Romulus, the scatter'd Sheep.
I' th' Path of Duty how may we not stray,
VVhen our best Guides so fast are took away.
Grave pious VVELLS so suddenly was snatch'd,
As if an
Ambuscade of Angels Catch'd
His Tow'ring Soul, which long'd for Heav'n before,
And now is Crown'd in Bliss for evermore.
Yet could not Death surprize him (though so nigh)
For 'twas his Practice,
every day to dye.
About his
Gospel-Labour* he was going,
Blest Servant whom his Master sinds so doing.
Christ was his study, Gods
Glory his Aim,
It was his
Heav'n to advance the same.
He was not like
Wells without water, dry
And empty Readers of
Morality.
But from his Lips
Wells of Salvation flow'd,
And every gracious Heart that heard him, Glow'd;
By lively faith
He being dead yet speaks,
And still his
Works shall
Praise him in the Gates;
Long since we know he fixt a steady Eye,
And Pointed others to ETERNITY.
Long since he taught enravish'd Saints to sing
Loud
Hallelujahs to their God and King;
And now joyns Consort in such
Songs of Love,
VVith all the Quire of
Seraphims above.
Original Corruption he display'd,
How
Heirs of Wrath by Nature all are made.
O'th'
Holy Sabbath Learnedly he wrote
A
Treatise that shall never be forgot,
That day he Hallow'd both in's life and death,
And on the same Resign'd his latest Breath;
Entring, Just when temporal Sabbath ceas'd,
Into a Sabbath of eternal Rest:
He was a VVatchman could not well be blam'd,
A VVorkman such as need not be a
[...]ham'd.
No
Proteus that could change to every shape,
No servile-spirited Preacher that could scrape
And Cringe to please the lusts of wanton men,
He would not say and streight unsay agen;
But[?] full of
Truth and Power his season'd words,
Did pierce iike
Nails and Cut like
sharpned Swords,
His Minister'al
Accomplishments were rare,
His constant Pains, his
Diligence, his Care
For souls in
Holy Things, who can express?
He might have
longer liv'd, had he
liv'd less;
Oh melting
Suppliant! whoe're did know
His
Prayers to Heaven without some
Tears to go:
The
secret Ravishings poor Souls have sound,
VVhen from his Mouth the
Word of Life did sound;
But—
[...]ings hold not
Histories, who can rehearse
His v
[...]st
Perfection in a narrow Verse;
Take
Vertues, Graces, Gifts, and all you can,
All were
Concentred in this Holy M
[...]n.
THE EPITAPH.
A Minister under this Tombstone lies
Enshrin'd, not
Dead, for Vertue never
dies.
Life's Great
Example, one whose well-spent
Days
Began with
Goodness, and Expir'd with
Praise;
His
Lamp was ever Burning never
Hid,
And when his
Tongue Preach'd not, his
Actions did,
His
Body to
Earth's Custody's Confin'd.
But
Heaven (which always had) enjoys his
Mind.
His Work was
Preaching here, and so 'tis
still,
And
Preach his
Name we
hope for ever will.
FINIS.
LONDON, Printed [...]r B. H. 1676. ⟨88.⟩