SORROW upon SORROW: OR, The much Lamented Death of the worthy Mr. Ralph Venning, BEING A SERMON Preached Upon the Sad Occasion of his Death before his Burial, From Acts 20.38.
Sorrowing most of all that they should see his Face no more.
By W. Beerman Minister of the Gospel.
And Devout Men carried Steeven to his Burial, And made great Lamentation over him.
LONDON: Printed for Francis Smith, at the Elephant and Castle neer the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1674.
THE PREFACE to the READER.
WHo ever thou art, to prevent misapprehensions of the Author that Preach'd this Sermon, or of the Person that Writ it, when Preach'd, we must tell thee that neither of them, by their so doing, design'd it for the Press, nor is it now publish'd for any other profit then thy own, (except the Printers, as the Labourer for his hire,) and this thou may'st see by its plain and evening Dress, in which it first appeared to the World, upon that sorrowful Occasion of the Death of Worthy Mr. Ralph Venning: I must acknowledge, through the modest unwillingness of the Author for its Publication, with the want of skill in the Pens Dexterity, many of its Ornaments, I mean those fine Illustrations then Delivered may be wanting, but the hearing of it Preach'd pleas'd so many, and abides so habitually on their spirits, as to press for its Printing, which makes us not doubt, but the Reading will delight many more, it being so suitable, on so sad an Occasion, as the loss of so Worthy and Eminent a Person as the Deceased was. We must also tell thee it was deferred the longer from Printing, in hopes the Author would have been so kind, if not to have Cloath'd it in its Pristine state, yet to have help'd any unwitting Errour in it, but the Parent is so far from owning this his Issue, that he cannot be prevail'd with (though by several Entreated) to help its lameness, occasioned by the bad Midwife that now brings it to thy view; therefore is thy favourable, not severe Censure desired.
If it meet with any such hearts abroad, as it met with in the place where it was Preach'd, we are sure there will not want watry Eyes, nor affected Hearts at such and so great a Dispensation, for if the feet of them that bring glad tidings are so beautiful, that the holy Spirit by way of Admiration saith, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad Tidings of the Gospel of Peace. On the contrary, must it not then be matter of great Lamentation, when the footsteps of such are taken away. Its eminently known while he lived, he laboured, and with the good Bee, almost, if not altogether, ended his labours with his life. For while Preaching at Joyners Hall on the Lords day in the Afternoon, March 1. 1673. he was taken ill, and after that, never more able to Preach, but Departed this life, and did to the last stand by, putting on (as he had exhorted others to do) the whole Armour of God, that thereby they might, as he did, resist the Wiles of the Devil, thus hoping as this that's Publish'd will not be chargable in the buying, so it will be pleasant in the Reading; If any advantage be to the Reader, let God have the Glory, which is all that ever is aimed at by the Publishers, who heartily subscribes themselves thy Souls servants for Christs sake.
- D. L.
- R. T.
A SERMON Preached on the Sad Occasion of the much Lamented Death of the Worthy Mr. Ralph Venning before his Burial.
Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, That they should see his Face no more.
WHen first I was desired by that Worthy Person, that used to stand in this place to Preach here, I intended to speak from another Text, but Providence having since alter'd his State, that Preached Blessedness to you, by calling him into Blessedness, I have now therefore pircn'd upon this Text, Sorrowing most of all, that they should see his Face no more.
[...] the better part of this Chapter you have the Declaration of two things; First, You have declared the carriage of the Apostle Paul, that was, he Preach'd while he was at the Church of Ephesus. Secondly, You have declared [Page 2]the Character of the Church of Ephesus, when they were parting with this blessed Preacher, in the words that I have read, and the verse before, or the two last verses, and it was full of love, and manifested in three things;
1. They fell upon his Neck and kissed him, that's the close of the 37. verse.
2. They accompanyed him unto the Ship, when he was to Launch into the Ocean: They went with him as far as they could, as some of them it may be will to the very edge of Eternity.
3. They shew'd to him their Love, by their Weeping, and sorrowing at Parting: They cannot part with dry eyes. Hence you may take notice of three things,
1. The Universality or Generality of them, it was not one or two of Pauls hearers, it was not many, or most, but all of them; And they all wept, Men and Women, Old and Young, or as the Dutch read it, There was a Weeping among them all.
2. You have the Degree of their Sorrow mentioned, and I may say of it, as its said of the Mourning in Zech. 12.10.11, 12. They shall Mourn for him, as one that Mourneth for his only Son; In that day there shall be great Mourning, as the Mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of [Page 3]Megiddon, and the Land shall Mourn every family apart. And 2 Chron. 35.24. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah: There was a great Mourning, and as the verse before my Text saith, They wept sore, or a great sorrowing, or an abundance of Tears came from their eyes at the parting with this Apostle Saint Paul.
3. You have the particulars set down where their sorrow lay, saith the Text, They sorrowed most of all, especially for this, that they should see his Face no more. It was not so much that Paul was to go from them, but that they should see his Face no more. Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. But you will say, where did Paul speak these words to them? see the 25. verse. And now behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone Preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Though I have been Preaching the Kingdom of God to you, and Preaching you to the Kingdom of God, Yet now you shall see my face no more. From this practice of this Church, I would lay down this Doctrine, That it is the property and practice of the Saints and People of God, to be sorrowful and affected at the final parting with their Pastors and Teachers; This [Page 4]was that that most of all cut their hearts, That they should see his face no more. If so be then that such an able Preacher, when by his withdrawing caus'd them to Cry for him, how should it be when you shall have him no more. For the Prosecution of this Doctrine, I shall do these three things, First, I shall prove it. Secondly, give you the Reasons of it. Thirdly, make Application.
First, for the Proof of it, That it is the Property and Practice of the Saints and People of God, when the Saints and Servants of God are taken from them, to be sorrowfully affected to Lament and Mourn for the loss of them.
I shall give you some instances out of the Old and New Testament, 4. or 5. out of the Old, the first is of the Patriarch Jacob, that Puny-God, that wrestled and prevailed when he came to die, as you read in Gen. 49. and the last verse, That he pull'd up his feet into the bed, and he's gone: Now see what a Mourning there was for him in Gen. 50.1. Joseph fell upon his Fathers face and kissed him, and vers. 3. And the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days; here was a Mourning for Jacob, and vers. 10. They came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they [Page 5]Mourned with a great and very sore Lamentation: and made a mourning for his Father seven days. They carried his Body to the Land of Promise, and they mourned with a very great and sore Lamentation, and made a Mourning for his Father seven days: Now mourn that Jacob is gone, a Man that used to wrestle for your Souls is gone, now mourn. A second Instance is Moses, that man of God, when he dies, and they see his face no more: and in Deut. 32.49, 50. God bids Moses there get up into the Mount Nebo and die there; God bids Moses go up and die, and you see Moses doth it in Deut. 34.5. Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord: and what then? Moses may die if he will, who will concern themselves for him? see vers. 8. And the Children of Israel wept for Moses thirty days: there is mourning for Moses, We shall see him no more, whose Doctrine dropt as the Rain, and whose speech distil'd as the Dew, whose lips dropt hony. A third instance is of the Prophet Samuel, he was an excellent Teacher; God forbid, saith he, that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you, but I will teach you (and he taught) the good and the right way of the Lord: but now observe, [Page 6]in the 1 Sam. 25.1. what mourning the people made for him when he died; its said, all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented him, that is, from all parts of Israel; all sorts of Israel came together and Lamented for Samuel; we shall never hear his Prayer for us more; and they lamented for him. A fourth Instance is that of the young Prophet in the 1 Kings 13. who without doubt in the main was faithful to God, though seduced out of his way, and out of his Life by an old Prophet, whereby a Lyon was appointed by God to destroy him, but see now how the old Prophet was affected with it as soon as he hears it, causeth the Ass to be sadled, and goes and brings the Carcase home to the City to Mourn, and to Bury him, and laid him in his own grave in the 30. verse, and brings all to mourn over him, and charges his Sons that when he was dead, that they bury him in the same Sepulchre where the man of God was, and lay his bones besides his bones. 5. One Instance more in the old Testament is that of the Prophet Elijah, a man that the Apostle saith was subject to the like Passion as we are; This Prophet that pray'd it should rain, and it did; and that pray'd it should not rain, and it did not; This Prophet [Page 7]in 2 Kings 2. tells his Servant, he should see him no more. In the 12. he cries out, My father, my father, and rent his cloaths in two pieces: that rending of Cloaths or garments, signifies sorrow; also as David did when he heard of the death of Saul, and also repeating it is argument of sorrow, as David did for Jonathan, 2 Sam. 1.17. to the last, and by Absalom, Oh Absalom my son, my son, my son Absalom. I shall now instance in the New-Testament, it was so with them of Ephesus when they parted with Paul, They should see his face no more. He had been such a Preacher that they could not part with him without tears, or with dry eyes; if you look into Acts 20.18. you see his labour, Ye know that from the first day that I came, after what manner I have been with you: At all seasons he Preach'd to them, in season, and out of season; and he was a faithful Preacher, he did not neglect to declare the whole Councel of God; and he was a couragious Preacher too, he did not care what became of himself for their good: Now if people loose such a Preacher, so painful, so laborious, it is no wonder if they mourn, when they shall see his face no more. A second instance is of Stephen, who was the first Martyr that ever was in the New-Testament; [Page 8] Stephen was the first Gospel-Officer that ever I read was chosen, he was the best read in Scripture, for Acts 7. he runs over all the Scripture, and in the 51. verse, he calls them stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; now this Stephen that thus Preach'd the Scripture to them, they put him to Death, as you may read in the close of the seventh Chapter of the Acts, but now how was he buried in cap. 8. vers. 2. Devout men carried Stephen to his Burial, and made great Lamentation over him. That Stephen that was so powerful a Preacher, and to Pray for us, We shall see his face no more. The last instance is that of our Lord Jesus, he is called by Nichodemas, A Teacher sent from God: By Paul in the Romans, The Minister of the Circumcision: By Matthew, As one having Authority, and not as the Scribes: Now this blessed Teacher being taken away, you shall find they were much troubled, Joh. 16.5. he tells them he was going away to him that sent him, He was going to his Father; In the 6. verse saith he, Because I have said these things to you, sorrow hath fill'd your hearts. Oh Lord Jesus, what? thou go away, sorrow was in their heart, and sorrow fil'd their heart because he was to go away; and when he was dead and [Page 9]buried, you find there was weeping and mourning; as you may see in Joh. 20.11.13, 15. there was weeping and mourning, and mourning and weeping, yea, & those that were his Persecutors, they were sorrowful, Luk. 23.48. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things that were done, smote their breasts: and in the 27. verse of that Chapter, when Christ was carrying to be put to Death, there followed him a great multitude of people, and women which also bewailed and lamented him, There was great lamentation: Oh they could not part with Jesus Christ without lamenting, That they should see his face no more. But it will be here objected in the next verse, that Jesus Christ in Luke 23.28. turn'd to these women that wailed, and wept, and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for your selves: That therefore there ought not to be weeping, or lamenting for the departure of any eminent Saint, seeing he forbids it for himself; It argues indeed we should not weep for them, but for the want of them, which is ours. Christ bids not by his forbiding weeping upon his account, but not to weep on his account, as if he had said, Dont weep for me, as for my suffering, or upon my account, but for your selves, and your own children: [Page 10]there are dreadfuler things coming upon you then these; Blessed are the barren that bare not: dont weep for me may this servant of God say that we are speaking of at present, Dont weep for me, I am gon from way to way, from triumph to triumph; but it is for the people of God to be heartily affected when the worlds Teachers are taken from them: but you may say, Why should it be thus? I will shew you in five particulars, why you and them should be greatly affected with this dreadful providence of God that hath lately befallen. First, because the death of such men possibly is for your sakes, for your sakes they had lived longer had it not been for others: and if it be so, then we had need to bedew their Hearse with tears, I'le give you a three-fold meaning. First, it is possible in our service that he lost his life, for it may be, that in the painful labouring for the saving of our souls, he lost his life, and will you not lament? Secondly, we may occasion the Death of godly Preachers thus, wounding their Spirits, grieving their Hearts, that we profit no more: if that be true in the 1 Thes. 3.8. where the Apostle saith, For now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord: Then it is beloved, if ye Apostatize ye kill our hearts. Thirdly, [Page 11]possibly we may occasion the Death of Godly Preachers by the non-improving of his Ministry. Sirs, God sends his Embassadors, & we give them not the hearing, or but the hearing, and if our unprofitableness and non-improving shall occasion this, shall we not mourn and lament that we should be the cause of their death. Secondly, why should those that are hearers be deeply affected at the final departure of holy Ministers. I answer, This arises from the love that is between them: there is a mutual love between a faithful Preacher and a sincere Hearer: Now beloved, you shall observe two things to attend this assertion of love, according to the Nature and Degree of it. 1. Where there is Love, there is delight of, and enjoyment. And secondly, where there is love, there is mourning in the absence of it, in the 3 John 29. saith our Saviour, He that hath the Bride, is the Bridegroom; but the friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth him, rejoyceth greatly, because of the Bridegrooms voice: so on the contrary, when he is taken from them, there cannot be but great mourning in the 37. Gen. 3. Its said that Israel loved Joseph more then all his Children, and therefore when News came to Jacob that Joseph was not: oh! saith [Page 12] Jacob v. 35. I will go down into the Grave unto my Son mourning. So David lamented for Absolon, oh Absolon my son, my son Absolon; and David lamented exceedingly for Jonathan in that 1 Kings. I am distressed for thee my Brother Jonathan; if you love your Preachers so as its said of them that could pull out their eyes for them while living, you will even weep out your eyes for them now dead. Thirdly, no wonder that the Children of God are under so much sorrow when Preachers are taken from them, for now they are under the Execution of Divine threatning: as the giving of faithful Teachers is the loving kindness of God, so taking them away, is of a great threatning in Isa. There is a promise, That I give you the water of affliction, yet your eyes shall see your Teachers, and you shall not be driven into Corners. Now see Isa. 3.1. There it is a threatning, I will break the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water. In Jer. 3.15. There is a promise, I will give you Pastors according to my own heart. It signifie great Love, and is a fulfilling of a great Promise when God gives them Pastors according to his own heart. Now, as it is a Promise to give them so it is a threatning when God takes them away▪ In Jer. 22.22. see how dreadful a threatning [Page 13]is, saith the Prophet, The wind shall eat up thy Pastors, surely then shalt thou be ashamed, and confounded for all thy wickedness. Fourthly, well may we mourn, when God removes our faithfull able Teachers from us, for we are like enough, soon after their departure from us, to corrupt our selves: I remember in Exod. 32.7. God speaks to Moses when he was in the Mount, God get thee down, for this people which thou broughtest out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: God tells Moses you have been here with me in the Mount 40. days; It is time for you to be gone, get thee down, the people have turn'd out of the way; no sooner are you turn'd from the people, but they turn their backs upon me. Deut. 31.27. Moses speaks to Israel, I know thy Rebellion, and thy stiff-neck: behold while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been Rebellious against the Lord, and how much more after my Death: as if Moses, as the Minister should say to this Congregation, I have had much a do to keep you a live, what will you do after my death; for in the 29. verse, saith Moses, I know that after my Death ye will utterly corrupt your selves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befall you in your latter days, because you will do evil in the [Page 14]sight of the Lord. In 2 Chron. 24.2. Its said, all the time that Jehoiada lived, Joash followed the Lord, but when he died, Joash turned to Idolatry, as you have it in the 18. verse of that Chapter, And they left the house of the Lord God of their Fathers, and served Groves and Idols. While the light is, we walk well, but when the light is taken away, then we fall and slip. Fifthly, why should the Servants and Saints of God be so much affected when God takes away faithful Teachers from them, because when they go, evil comes; if so be Sampson lays his hold upon the Pillars, the house will fall; but when Death comes to lay hold on the Preacher, what will the House do? I know, saith Paul, after my departure Wolves will come. In Luke 23.29, 30. saith our Saviour, The days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the Barren, and the Wombs that never Bare, and the Paps which never gave Suck. Absolute dreadful destruction was coming when Christ was going; I could tell you of a thing that I have look't upon as a piece of a Prophesie, it was Printed and Writ ten years before the Fire of London, and it was this,
[Page 15]The Rabbins say, that when the great Luminaries are Eclipsed, it abodes evil to the World: what shall stop when they go? assure you here is Eclipsed a great Luminary in this World; as soon as Noah got into the Ark, the Flood came there; as soon as Lot got out of Sodom, Fire and Brimstone came down from Heaven and destroyed it. When I consider who is gone, and who are going, I dread. What became of Prague when Jerom was dead: what became of Jermany when Luther was dead: and what will become of England when such as these are dead.
APPLICATION.
I now come to Application. If this be true, that it ought to be the Practise, and is the Property of the Saints, and the People of God to bewaile the final departure of their Preachers and Teachers. Then I infer this, that where God continues faithful Teachers, where God restores such faithful Teachers, or where God sends such faithful Teachers, it is cause of great Joy. Secondly, is it so sore an Affliction to loose and finally to part with a powerful Preacher, then beloved we should exceedingly stir up our selves to deprecate these evils, that is, to pray [Page 16]to God to prevent such evils as this is: I remember Jabez in 1 Chron. 4.10. calls on God, Oh that thou wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my Coast, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldst keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me, and the Lord grant him that which he requested: We should go to God and say, Lord don't take these and these from us, that will be a very great evil to us, surely if God hath taught us to pray, That the Lord of the Harvest should send Labourers into his Harvest, then we have cause to pray that such should not be taken out. Thirdly, if it be of concern for those to mourn that are the People of God, then this serves to reprove two sorts of hearers. 1. It reproves them, who when faithful Teachers are taken away, it glads their hearts; aye say they, would they were all there; The Saints they mourn because they shall see their faces no more; and you are nothing more glad then that you shall see their faces no more: These are like them in Judges 16.23. That gathered themselves together to offer a great Sacrifice unto Dagon their God, and to rejoyce for that our Enemy is delivered into our hand: And in Rev. 9.10. And they of the People and Nation, and Kindred, and Tongues, shall see their dead Bodies, and they that dwell upon the [Page 17]Earth, shall rejoyce over them, and make merry, and shall send guifts one to another. O Sirs, I send you away with this, and much good it may do you if it can, you that thus send guifts, and rejoyce when such Teachers go; you go the way to Hell, and none saith, whither go you. Secondly, they are to be Reproved too, though not so much as these; they are to be Reproved, I say also, that are not affected at all at the Death of faithful Teachers: there is such a one dead, alas say some, I never heard he was sick: what disease did he Die of, how long was he Sick? how hath he left his Family? and such things as these; and that he was a good Preacher, but no Tears at all; They are like the Gadeurens of old that liked not to part with a Hogg as with a Saviour: They are like them in Zach. 11.9. who said, That that dieth, let it die; and that that is cut off, let it be cut off. If such a man be sick, let him be sick; if he die, let him die: Come, come, if you had learnt any good by his Ministry, you could not have parted with him so loosly. Let me call upon this Congregation this Evening, that we would be in the Eph [...]sians Practise; they Mourned when Paul was going, and they should see his face no more: Your Preacher is [Page 18]gone, And you shall see his face no more. I would I could raise you to their height of Mourning; it is said of Scipio, that when he was gone out of the City, the wall of the City were fallen; so I may say of London, thy walls are fallen: Truly Beloved, I could, when I see what God hath done, and is a doing, I could cry out, Come out for your walls are fallen. I shall only propose three things, 1. This is not a single blow, this lot of the Servant of God, taken from this people, is not a single blow; it is not the first Minister that God hath taken away, nor is it like to be the last; we may say Joseph is not, nor Simion is not, and Benjamin is gone also. I have observed how many God hath taken since a black Bartholomew; that since men hath taken away their livelyhoods, God took away their lives; how could you think that he, he that Preach'd blessedness so little while since, should be so soon gone to blessedness. Secondly, consider this blow, a Saint, yea, a Minister, one of the many, one that excelled most, an able Minister of the New Testament, a workman that need not be ashamed: Beloved, whose ears was not taken with his Language? that one that but once heard him, but must come again.
He begat you in Christ Jesus, though none of his own, but Christs; and you may get one to succeed him, but not to exceed him, but I desire that man to tell me where.
Beloved, I find the Death of Christ, to differ from the death of the Saints, in Joh. 16.7. for saith our Saviour, It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you: It was well for Christ to go from us, because we should have the Comforter still, but it is not so with us when Ministers part, Paul saith not, Its good for you that I go, though it be best for me; Let us pray then to God that hath taken away a Moses, to send us a Joshua; and if he take a Joshua to send us a Caleb, and if he takes away a Caleb to send us an Eli, and if an Eli go, we may have a Samuel; Let us pray the Prayer of Moses, in Numb. 27.16, 17. Let the Lord, the God of the Spirits of all flesh, set a man over the Congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in, that the Congregation of the Lord be not as the Sheep which have no Shepherd. Let us Pray, that God would be pleased to send some to go in and out before us. Amen.