FUNERAL For no doubt while he lived he sowed the sincere word of life in the souls of men, and in his life and death, posuit eleemosynam in sinu pauperis, he put his alms into the bosom of the poor;' and shall I say, Oravit pro eo, ‘It prayed for him,' and by it he procured himself a strong army, and bellatores fortes, valiant soldiers,' whose many prayers and blessings God could not resist, the rather because they knew him not? That is too short, and the text goes further, Exorabit, ‘It shall pray and prevail too;' and he and they have prevailed, and [Rev. 14. he is now at rest and peace in heaven, and "follows the Lamb wheresoever He goes.' 4.] And after him let us all send this blessing, which the voice Rev.14.13. from heaven uttered, "Write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." For the Lord, there was no cause he should dic; but he died "in the Lord" because he always lived to the Lord, and a happy death must needs accompany and crown such a life. "From henceforth, saith the Spirit, they rest from their labours;" all tears are wiped from their eyes, and all sighs from their hearts, and "their works follow 1 Tim. 3. them;" opera sequuntur et opera præcedunt, 'their works go before them.' So no doubt but his works have done, as the [Acts 10. prayer and alms and fasting of Cornelius did; they have procured a place for him in heaven, and his works shall follow him, and the fame of them shall stir up many to follow his example. 24. 4.1 . And so I end, beseeching God to give to us all, as He gave [Rev. 20. to him, our parts in the "first resurrection" from sin to grace ; 5.] and to grant to him, and all the faithful and saints departed, and us all with him, a joyful resurrection to everlasting life and glory in Jesus Christ. Amen. A PREPARATION TO PRAYER. SERMON I. 2 COR. iii. 5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. [Non quod sufficientes simus cogitare aliquid a nobis, quasi ex nobis ; sed sufficientia nostra ex Deo est. Lat. Vulg.] [Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. Eng. Trans.] TOUCHING Our hope which we have concerning the performance of God's promises the Apostle saith, that unto "the Heb. 6.11. full assurance of hope" there must be "diligence" shewed, and that we are to prepare ourselves to receive Christ, and also having received Him with all His benefits to strive to hold Him fast, and never suffer our hope to be taken from us. Upon which points, the doctrine that is to be delivered out of this Scripture doth follow by good consequence, for of these points of holding fast our faith in Christ two questions may arise, which may be answered by the Apostle's words in this place, where it may be demanded first, Whether we be able of our own strength to shew forth that diligence that is required to assure us of our hope. The Apostle resolveth us of that doubt in saying, "We are not able of ourselves to think any good of ourselves." Secondly, because it may be objected, If we be not able of ourselves, from whence then may we receive ability? he addeth, that "our sufficiency is of God," from Whose goodness it cometh that we are able to do any good thing whatsoever; to the end that when God stands without, knocking I. Rev. 3. 20. SERM. at the door of our hearts for the performance of such duties as please IIim, we, in regard that of ourselves we cannot do the least thing that He requireth, should knock at the gate of His mercy, that He will minister to us ability to do the same Mat. 7. 7. according to his promise, "Knock, and it shall be opened to you." That as by the preaching of the Law there was Acts 14.27. opened unto us "the door of faith," and as the Creed is unto us "a door of hope," so the consideration of our own insufficiency might open unto us a door unto prayer, by which we may sue unto God for that ability which we have not of ourselves. So this Scripture hath two uses, first, to preserve us from error, that we seek not for that in ourselves which cannot be found in us; secondly, for our direction, that seeing all ability cometh from God, we should seek for it where it is to be found. Hosca 2. 15. Both these things are matter very necessary to be known: Rom.3.27. the first serveth to exclude our boasting; we ought not to boast of our ability, because we have none. The second is a means to provoke us to call upon God by prayer, that from Him we may receive that which is wanting in ourselves. To speak first of the negative part, both heathen and holy writings do commend to us that saying, Tvôlɩ σeavròv, but in a diverse sense. The heathen use it as a means to puff up our nature, that in regard of the excellency which God hath vouchsafed us above other creatures we should be proud thereof; but Christian religion laboureth by the knowledge 2Cor.10.5. of ourselves and of our misery "to cast down every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring into captivity all imaginations to the obedience of Christ." Whereas heathen philosophers will us to consider the excellent virtues wherewith man's nature is endued, the Scriptures all along put us in mind of our insufficiency and tell us, Gal. 6. 3. that "if any man seem to himself to be something when he 1 Cor. 8. 2. is nothing, he deceiveth himself” in his own fancy. And "if any man thinketh that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." Amongst the places of Scripture which the Holy Ghost useth to shew our insufficiency, none doth so much disable our nature as this place of the Apostle, which denieth unto |