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Upon the DEATH of that Aged, Pious, Sincere-hearted CHRISTIAN, JOHN ALDEN ESQ: Late MAGISTRATE of New-Plimouth Colony, who dyed Sept 12th. 1687, being about eighty nine years of age.
THe staffe of bread, and water eke the stay,
From sinning
[...] God will take away,
The prudent
Counsellour, the
Honourable,
Whom Grace and Holiness makes
delectable,
The
Judge, the
Prophet and the ancient
Saint,
The deaths of such cause sorrowful complaint,
The Earth and its Inhabitants do fall,
The aged
Saint bears up its pillars all.
The hoary head in way of Righteousness
A crown of glory is. Who can express
Th' abundant blessings by Disciples old!
In very deed they 're more than can be told.
The guise 'tis of a wanton generation
To wish the
aged soon might quit their station,
Tho' truth it be, The Lord our God does
frown
When aged Saints dy death do tumble down.
What tho' there be not such Activity,
Yet in their Prayers there's such
Fervency
As doth great mercy for a place obtain,
And gracious presence of the Lord maintain.
Tho'
Nature's strength in old age doth decay.
Yet th'
[...], day.
The very presence of a Saint in years
Who lifts his soul to God with pray'rs & tears
Is a rich blessing unto any place
Who have that mercy to behold his face:
When Sin is ripe and calls for desolation
God will call home
old Saint: from such a nation
[...] of th'
Aged weary be.
God give us grace to mourn most heartily
For death of this dear servant of the Lord,
Whose life God did to us so long afford:
God lent his life to greatest
[...] of dayes;
In which he liv'd to his Redeemer's praise.
In youthful time he made
Moses his choice,
His soul obe
[...]ing
[...]
JEHOVAH's voice,
[...] forsook the world for sake of GOD,
In His House with His Saints to have abode,
He
[...] GOD into this Wilderness;
Thereby to all the world he did profess,
[...] the Saints a better part
And more delightful to his holy heart
Than
[...] lasting out a season:
Thus said his
Faith, so saith not carnal
Reason
He came one of the first into this Land,
And here was kept by
God's most gracious hand
Years
sixty seven, which time he did behold
To poor
New-England mercies Manifold:
All God's great works to this His
[...]
From first implanting what to them befel:
Of them he made a serious Observation,
And could of them present a large Narration,
His walk was
holy, humble, and sincere,
His heart was filled with JEHOVAH's Fear.
He honour'd GOD with much integrity,
God therefore did
him truly magnify.
The hearts of Saints intirely did him love,
His Uprightness so highly did approve,
That whilst to choose they had their
[...],
Within the Limits of this
Colony
Their
Civil Leaders, him they ever chose.
His
Faithfulness made hearts with him to close.
With
all the Governours he did
[...];
His Name recorded is within the List
Of
Plimouth's Pillars to his dying day.
His Name is precious to eternal Ay.
He set his Love on God and knew His Name,
God therefore gives him everlasting Fame.
So good and heav'nly was his Conversation,
God gave
long life, and
shew'd him His Salvation.
(His work now finished upon this earth,
Seeing the death of what he saw the birth)
His gracious Lord from heaven calls him home,
[...]
Thou hast done good, been faithful unto Me,
Now shalt thou live in bliss ETERNALLY.
On dying bed his Ailes were very great,
Yet verily his heart on GOD was set.
He bare his greifs with Faith and Patience,
And did maintain his lively confidence
Saying to some, The work which God begun,
He would preserve to be perfection.
His mouth was full of blessings till his death
To Ministers and Christians all: his breath
Was very sweet by many a precious word
He utter'd from the Spirit of his Lord.
He liv'd in
Christ, in
Jesus now he sleeps:
And his blest soul the Lord in safely keeps,
JOHN ALDEN. Anagram End al on hi'.
Death puts an
End to
all this world enjoyes,
And frees the Saint from all that here annoyes.
This blessed Saint hath
[...] of all
Wordly perfections. Now his Lord does call
Him to ascend from earth to heaven
high,
Where he is blest to all Eternity.
Who walk with God as he shall so blest,
And ever more in Christ His arms shall rest.
Lord, Spare thy remnant, do not us forsake,
From us do not thy Holy Spirit take
Thy Cause, thy Int'rest in
[...]
Thy gracious presence ay
[...].
J.C.