The worthy of Ephratah represented in a sermon at the funerals of the Right Honorable Edmund Earl of Mulgrave, Baron Sheffield of Botterwic. In the church of Burton-Stather, Sept. 21. 1658. / By Edward Boteler, sometimes fellow of Magdalen-Colledge in Cambridge, and now rector of Wintringham in the county of Lincoln.

First for the Agendum, Do. Men must be active for heaven in their generations: Souls are high metall'd, and it is a shame to rust them in their scabards: They are Inanimates, or ill thriving Vegetables, that gather moss. A torpid life misbe∣comes any man, most a Christian. We came not on the Stage, as Cato on the Theatre; who is said to have entred, only ut exiret, that he might go out a∣gain: But we have our parts to act, something is to be done by us whilst we live in the world.

As vertue is the lustre of action, so action is the life of vertue: Faith without

works is dead. It is not only the voice of the Law, Do this and live; but Gospel-impulses upon the hearts of candidate Christians and Converts work them to this importunate sollicitation, What must we do to be saved? We have enough to do, work cut out for every day, not an hour but we may find employment: Mortifie your earthly members. Strive to enter in at the straight gate. So run, that you may obtain. Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. Let us labor to enter into that rest. Work out your own salvation with fear and with trembling.

Who can look, who can think upon all, upon any of these, and not see enough to do, should he do nothing else? And yet how slack are men at doing, though it be to do themselves good? Do not most men like the people of Laish dwell careless, and after the manner of the Zidonians quiet and secure? Is it not the language of most hearts, when they are motioned to remember their im∣mortal souls, and to be doing somthing for eternity; Away tormentors before the time! Mortifying motions and four precepts of repentance, you are up too early, you are stirring too soon; go, and

come again at threescore, or when a sick bed may make you seasonable! Come, now let us enjoy the good things that are present; bet us fill our selves with costly wine and ointments, and let no flower of the spring pass by us; let us crown our selves with rose-buds before they be withered; let none of us go without his part of our vo∣luptuousness, let us leave tokens of our joy∣fulness in every place. Heart follow thine own ways, soul take thine ease, let us lie upon beds of ivory and stretch our selves upon our couches: I charge you O ye daughters of Hierusalem, that you stir me not up nor awake me (from my beloved idleness) till I please.

— juvat molli torpere veterno.

Men and Brethren, Never was there such an idle generation, for all our new∣found word of Generation-work: The chymistrie of these days hath so rarified Religion, that it is become a meer air, a wind, a next to nothing. Wo unto us, for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out! But how short is the substance? how many have their tongues tipp'd with Purity, but how few have made it the living of their

hearts? Is not a mouth-full of holiness enough to justifie both hands full of violence, and a heart full of hypocrisie and rottenness? So that like the Church of Sardis, we have a name to live, and are dead; we are nominally the Church of God, but really little better then the synagogue of Satan: like the Pharisees we enlarge our Philacteries or Conser∣vatories, scrolls on which the Law was written, as if we grasped at all and every punctilio of it, when indeed too like them we say, and do not. It is time then to call upon men to be more practical, and less prating; to set their hands to their words, and witness their profession by their a∣ctions; and that upon a fourfold ac∣count.

[ 1] Our time is for doing; our life is our day, our working-day, a day which lays a necessity of work upon us. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work. Life is a portion of that general duration from the rise of the world to the ruines of it, taken out and allowed to Individuals to do their work in. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labor until the evening. Sudore temporis

paranda sunt praemia aeternitatis; Let the sweat of time bring in the sweets of eter∣nity: As we have opportunity, let us do good. Time is for doing.

[Doct. 2] It is time we were doing. It were well if that taunt of Seneca to the Jews in reference to their Sabbaths, that they spent the seventh part of their lives idly, might not charge us further, to the fifth, the fourth, nay the half, the greater half of our lives, which we have squan∣dered away by doing nothing, or nothing to purpose, or worse then nothing. To pass by the toys and trifles of the lap and cradle, the vanities and excursions of our youthful days, how unprofitable have our riper years been? Let the best of us take a serious view of our years and graces, and how much may we be asha∣med of the disproportion? May we not see the Almond-tree flourish, where the Tree of life never yet budded? Old men in the world as far to seek for the New∣birth, as Nicodemus who knew no other way then entring a second time into his mothers womb to be born? It is ordi∣nary for men to reckon many years, whilst their good works cannot begin a number: It is the eleventh hour with

some, it may be hora novissima, the last hour. Into the vineyard then, and be do∣ing; that when even shall come, the Lord may say unto his Steward, Call the laborers and give them their hire. It's time we were doing.

[Doct. 3] Time will quickly be done. The Sun and Moon, those great clocks of the Creation, were not wound up for ever; No, He appointeth the Moon for certain seasons, and the Sun knoweth his going down. Time is that strange something, nothing, whose transient nature never yet had its own parts together: It will not stay till I tell you what it is: If I should go about to describe it and say, It is — I should consute my self before I had done, and you might tell me, it is not. But allow us to speak properly, when we say, that is time which is to come; yet alas! how coming is it? Dum labitur, lapsum est; it is gone, whilst it is going. Particular time is short; Mensurabiles posuisti dies meos, Thou hast made my days measurable. And his measure every man carries about with him; Behold thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth. And general time cannot be long: The Angel lift up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that

liveth for ever and ever, that there should be time no longer. Which is a truth, as well to the dissolution of the world, as the desolation of Babylon, of which some expound it. The ends of the world are come upon us; the Judge is at the door: The watchman saith, the morning cometh, and also the night; if ye will enquire, en∣quire ye; return, come: Come quickly, drive not in the momental matters of another world, hazard not your unal∣terable Eternity upon peradventures; What you have to do, defer not; Time will quickly be done.

[Doct. 4] Not doing in time, will be our undoing for ever. The servant who hid his talent is charged, not for misdoing, but for not doing; for not acting his share in the Commission, Negotiamini dum venio, Be doing till I come. It will be long enough ere we talk our selves into heaven: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven. No question but if talking would do it, it would be a general plea: Many have been full of tongue for him, and will say, Lord, Lord, have we not pro∣phesied in thy name? Yes, it may be so:

But where are the hungry which you have fed, the thirsty you have given drink to, the strangers you took in, the naked you cloathed, the sick and priso∣ners you visited? You have been all tongue and winde, and nothing you have done; you have sown the wind, and now you shall reap the whirlwind. Behold the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind, it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked, in the latter days ye shall consider it. Oh that men were wise, that they would consider this before the latter day! The last day will be a late day: When the cry is made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh! providing of oil and trimming of lamps will be out of date. I will therefore close this with that suitable exhortation of the Preacher, preached upon in this place the last day that ever the deceased honorable Lord was a h••••rer: Whatsoever thine hand find∣eth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wis∣dom in the grave whither thou goest.

That for the Agendum; Do.

Notes

• Lev. 18.5
• Act. 16.30.
• Col. 3.5. Lu, 13.24 1 Cor. 9.24. 2 Pet. 1.10. Heb. 4.11. Phil. 2.12.
• Jud. 18.7
• Wisd. 20.6, 7, 8.
• Jer. 6.4.
• Rev. 3.1.
• Mat. 23.5
• v 2.
• Joh. 9.4.
• Psal. 103.23.
• Eccl. 12.5.
• Joh. 3.4.
• Mat. 20.8.
• Psal. 104.19.
• Ps. 39.5. Rev. 10.6.
• Isa. 21.12.
• Lu. 19.13
• Mat. 7.21
• Mat. 25.42, 43.
• Hos. 8.7.
• Jer. 30.23.
• Mat. 25.6.
• Eccl. 9.10.