2 fort and Edification of the Churb of Chrift: But more especially were his Services known to the Brethren in this County of Bucks; most of which are fallen afleep, and but few remaining here, who knew him in his Beginning, or his first Services for the Lord, His Church and People; amongst whom be was a zealous Afferter of that excellent Difcipline the Lord had opened in, and led His People to, for the preferving His Church as a Garden enclofed: For which Caufe, how did many of those Libertines fet themselves fiercely against him, and fhot their Arrows at him; but the Lord defended him, and covered his Head in the Day of Battle, and his Bow abode in Strength, and his Bough spread over the Wall, and continued fresh and green: But a Blast from the Lord came upon their evil Work; and how have they melted away And how is their Strength failed, and their Work brought to naught? But the Bleffing of the Lord is with His People, even with the Faithful, to this Day, whom He hath preferved as a peculiar Treafure to Himfelf: Blessed be His holy Name for everAnd furthermore, it may be truly faid of this our dear Friend, that as the Lord fitted bim for His Service, fo was he eminently ferviceable in His Hand, in the Church of Chrift; particularly in thefe Parts, of which there are many living Witnesses, in this and the adjacent Counties, of his great Labour of Love, having ferved the Church freely, with great Diligence and Faithfulness: The true Senfe of which, toucheth me and others, with the deeper Senfe of the great Lofs the Church bath by his Removal; but being alfo fenfible through more. the the Lord's Goodness, that our Lofs is his eternal Gain, I feel in my Heart an humble Submiffion to the Will of Him, who doth whatsoever pleaseth Him, both in Heaven and in Earth; and who fball fay unto him, What doest Thou? And it is the tender Breathing of my Spirit to the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that He would be graciously pleafed, in Pity and Compaffion to His poor People, to raise up, fit and furnish more faithful Servants for His Work and Service, and make them zealous for His Name and Truth upon the Earth, that the Place of this my dear Friend, and other faithful Servants of the Lord and His People, of late removed from amongst us in thefe Parts, may be fupplied; and that the Spouse of Chrift may, amidst all her Tribulations, Afflictions and fore Exercises, be made to praise the Lord, and blefs His holy Name, who taketh away one, and raifetb up another, and blefleth His Children with His Goodness, according to His Promife made of old by the holy Prophet, Isa. xliv. ver. 3. Jaying, I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed, and my Bleffing upon thine Off-fpring. And thus bath the Lord preferved Zion from Age to Age: And I doubt not, but am fully perfwaded, that He will fill blefs His People, and preferve Zion, and deliver her from all her Enemies. And my dear Friends, Brethren, and Sifters, although it be matter of Sorrow to us, to part with our dear Friends, efpecially fuch as have been made ferviceable in their Day, and have faithfully ferved the Lord and His People in their Generation, as it may (I hope without juft Occafion of Offence Offence to any) be faid of dear T. Ellwood, that he was a Man who ferved the Lord in Faithfulnefs, and His People with Chearfulness, and his Neighbours with Uprightness and Integrity: And therefore both they and we have the greater Lofs; yet may we not forrow unfeafonably, as thofe which forrow without Hope, but believing that the Lord bath taken him to Himself in Mercy (though it may be in Judgment to fome who were unworthy) let us all learn Refignation to His bleffed Will, and Jay with holy Job, The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away: Bleffed be the Name of the Lord. And dear Friends, I may farther fignify unto you, that it being my Lot to be with this our dear Friend (of whom I am speaking) almost every Day of his laft Ilness, I did obferve in him, to my great Comfort and Satisfaction, a quiet compofed Frame of Mind and Spirit, and Refignation to the Will of God. When I came first to him, which was foon after I heard of his being taken ill, which was the 24th of the fecond Month, I found bim very much difabled by the Distemper, which was thought to be a Pally, that had feized him, efpecially on his right Side, fo that he could not ftand alone, nor help himself, but a little with his left Hand; and his Speech was also very much interrupted, infomuch that it was with great Difficulty, for the most part, that he expreffed himself fo as to be underflood: Some Time after I came to him, there being alfo other Friends with him, we fate down together under a weighty Exercife of Spirit, waiting upon the Lord in deep Silence, with our Eye to Him; it pleafed the Lord emi nently nently to appear amongst us, and to fill our Hearts with the refreshing Streams of His divine Love, and to open the Mouth of one of us in Prayer and Supplication; and the Lord was graciously pleased abundantly to replenish our Spirits, to our mutual Comfort, in a living Senfe of divine Goodness; and this our dear Friend, expreffed himself in great Tenderness and Brokennefs of Spirit, on this wife, I am fenfibly comforted and refreshed in this Vifit. And that Afternoon, he, fixing his Eyes upon me, with great Earnestness of Spirit ex preffed, as well as he could at that Time, a great" Concern that was upon his Mind for Truth, and the Friends of it, in divers Particulars; efpecially, in relation to our own Monthly and Quarterly-meetings, the Writings of both which, bad been under his Care for more than forty Years: After which, he was much eafed in his Spirit, and fo continued to the last, fo far as I perceived; often saying, when asked how he did? I am eafy, I am quiet. And he was often very tender in his Spirit, expreffing his Refignation to the Will of God, whether in Life or Death, faying, If the Lord hath no more Work for me to do, I am content and refigned to His Will; and my hearty Farewel to all my Brethren. And at another Time, nearer bis End, be faid to us prefent, in much Brokenness of Heart, I am full of Joy and Peace, my Spirit is filled with Joy; or to this Effect For by reafon that his Speech was fo weakned, feveral Things could not be fo well collected, which he at Times pake, in a tender Senfe of the Lord's Goodness; the Senfe of which deeply deeply affected Jome of us who were with him. And my Heart is forrowfully affected at this Time, in a Senfe of the great Loss which the Church of Christ (in thefe Parts especially) hath by his Removal: But in this I am comforted, in a living Senfe of the Lord's Mercy and Goodness towards him, in carrying him through his Affiction in great Patience and Quietness; under which he was fweetly refreshed by the Streams of divine Love, and his Cup was often made to overflow: And we, who were prefent, being touched with a Senfe thereof, were comforted therein, being in a Travail of Spirit for him, and did in our Measures truly fympathize with him under his Affliction. And I am fully fatisfied, he laid down his Head in Peace with the Lord, and is gathered to his everlafting Reft. He departed this Life the 1ft of the third Month, 1713, about the fecond Hour in the Morning, in the feventy fourth Year of bis Age. He received the Truth in the Year 1659, and lived in Fellowship with the Friends of it about fifty three Years. And I think it may be truly faid of him, that as he lived fo ke died, the Servant of the LORD and His People, and hath left a fweet Savour behind him, and bis Memory is blefed with the Righteous for ever. Amen. The eighth Month, 1713. GEORGE BOWLES. A |
