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.

2. Here is Modus agendi, the rule and measure of doing; worthily. Do; but no more haste then good speed; as good

do nothing, as nothing to purpose. Do, but be advised how; Do worthily.

Worthily, how is that? Nobly: so some read it. Gild thy actions with ho∣nor; let thy large heart appear in thy liberal hand. * 1.1 Elkanah gave Hannah par∣tem honorabilem, a worthy portion: Do honorably, and do worthily.

Worthily; that is, ingenuously, * 1.2 if we follow others. Si fuerit vir bonus, says Solomon of Adonijah, If he shew himself a worthy man, if he deal fairly and ingenu∣ously. And such a signification we meet with Mat. 10.11. Into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; who keeps an open heart to en∣tertain the Gospel, and is so ingenuous to give a free welcom to those precious guests that bring it. Do ingenuously, and do worthily.

We shall contract all the several expo∣sitions of Doing worthily, into four parti∣culars. To do worthily, is,

1. To do decently; to do suitably and beseemingly: To act in a proportion to our natural selves, to do as men; to our civil selves, to do as such men; to our religious selves, to do as Christians. Thus our Saviour exhorts to bring forth

fruits 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, * 1.3 worthy of repent∣ance, that is, meet for repentance, suiting with that contrition and consternation of poor broken Penitents, those Doves of the vallies mourning for their iniquities. * 1.4 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, is S. Paul's expres∣sion, works worthy of repentance. And so, To walk worthy of the Lord, worthy of the vocation, denotes every where Decentiam quandam & convenientiam, a certain suit∣ableness and becomingness, * 1.5 as the Learn∣ed observe. And one place for all the rest so renders it in plain English, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, * 1.6 as becometh Saints.

Men and brethren, did we always con∣sult this suitableness, it would give check to folly, and keep us from unworthy acti∣ons. * 1.7 Remember your selves you that are born of God, and do nothing unworthy so high a birth: Remember the calling wherewith you are called, the mansions prepared, and the hope laid up in heaven for you; the great and precious promises, the rich reversions of the life to come; the inheritance incorruptible, and the glory to be revealed: And do in some pro∣portion to these, to all these, do as be∣comes persons of such pregnant hopes and expectations; Do decently, and do worthily.

2. To do deservingly. Worthy and deserving are terms of equivalencie: The laborer is worthy of, or deserves, his hire. So the Elders of the Jews being sent to invite the help of Jesus for the sick ser∣vant of the devout Centurion, that Rarity of his profession, (for he was a Church-building Soldier) they speak his deserts, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. He is worthy for whom Christ should do this, * 1.8 for he loveth our nation and hath built us a synagogue. There is no worth, but what deserts bring in: That Honor is too cheap to be good, that was purchased without atchieving, that cost nothing: And that Fame de∣serves to starve, that cannot live but at the charge of anothers actions. Win then the honor you intend to wear: deserve of the place, the persons, where and a∣mong whom you live. Bid for a Name in doings, and pay for it in deserts. Please not your selves with the petty thoughts and pitiful dreams of posthume honor, not only born, but begotten after death; That the Poet and Artificer shall con∣trive a fair (though false) Remembrance of you; That you shall have a Marble to mourn over you, and a Monument to tell some golden Lye for you when you

are gone: But work your selves into the hearts, and out of the mouths of men; make every breast your monument, and every tongue your epitaph: Do deser∣vingly, and do worthily.

3. To do exemplarily. And in this I follow the Vulgar Latine, which ren∣ders this [worthily] an example of vertue, as before: It is worthy doing, to do exemplarily. Men can do unworthily, without a pattern; but they must be good indeed, that make others good by the convincing power of their examples. Few leaders in our expedition for the other world; we are so far from being leaders, that it were well if we could follow examples. In our walkings abroad do we not stumble upon the husbandly provident Ant? And yet who considers her ways to be so wise, as in summer to forecast for winter, and in time to pro∣vide for eternity? In our sittings within and recesses, does not the Swallow sing a confutation in our ears, whilst she is an example of observing an appointed sea∣son, * 1.9 and we will not know the day of our visitation?

Men and brethren, As it is your shame not to follow, so it will be your honor to

make examples; * 1.10 in all things shewing your selves patterns of good works, cut∣ing out work for the imitation of others. The most holy and humble Jesus, among the many exemplarities of his heavenly life upon earth, commends to his ambiti∣ous Disciples that condescending act of his in washing their feet, * 1.11 under this ex∣pression, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. And S. Paul exhorts, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, * 1.12 Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. A Christian must be both 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a visible, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a legible example: The word is taken from those letters and marks which arti∣ficers in iron or brass use to make upon their instruments by stamping. Let good∣ness be instamped upon you, wear a Divine impress; * 1.13 bear the image of the Heavenly, and the inscription of a great∣er then Caesar; let there be upon you, as upon the bridles of the horses in the Prophet, Holiness unto the Lord. * 1.14 There was never such a crooked and perverse Nation; therefore nev r more need you should shine among them as lights in the world: Now, if ever, let your light so

shine before men, * 1.15 that they may see your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven. Do exemplarily, and do worthily.

4. To do excellently: Actions of a taller pitch then ordinary, to emerge the sleepy Age, and strip the dull drousie World. Worth hates levelling, and dis∣dains the pitiful thoughts of a parity. The Saints those Worthies of God, are called The most Excellent; * 1.16 and Tertullus the Orator coming to claw Felix, and flatter some favor out of him for the Jews against St. Paul, calls his acts for that Nation very worthy deeds: * 1.17 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; Right and straight works being done by thee, such as stand true by the rule, such as others swerve from, or come short of.

Davids Worthies had their names and honors from their great atchievements and actings above others. * 1.18 There were the thirty, the three, and the first three. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada had the name among three mighty men, * 1.19 he was more honorable then the thirty, but he attained not to the first three; these were all such as out-did the generality, and acted above the common rate of men.

Such worthies would our Saviour have all his Disciples and followers to be: What do you more then others? do not even the Publicans the same? what worth is there in common actions? were Gold but like other Clay, the Cabinet would be no place for it; were Jewels as obvi∣ous as the stones in the streets, who would call them, would count them pre∣cious? He that keeps pace with the multitude, shall never reach Heaven: There is none climbs that hill, but he leaves many behinde him.

—Jam monte potitus Ridet anhelantem dura ad fastigia turbam.

Men and Brethren, would you have worth in you? Seek that you may excel, * 1.20 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that you may abound, and have overplus and run over; that you may overrun others, as the Disciple did, that strip'd Peter and came first at Jesus. * 1.21 So run that you may obtain. Get a name among thirty, if you cannot attain the honor of three, of the first three. How∣ever, keep within distance; get beyond the pitch of a Publican, do more then others, then many others, then most others. Do excellently, and do worthily.

That for the Modus agendi, the mea∣sure and rule of doing: Do worthily.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Sam. 1.6.
• * 1.2

  1 King. 1.52.
• * 1.3

  Lu. 3.8.
• * 1.4

  Ezek. 7.16. Act. 26.20. Col. 1.10 Eph. 4.1.
• * 1.5

  Davenant in Col.
• * 1.6

  Ro. 16.2.
• * 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Act. 17.28. Joh. 14.2. Col. 1.5. 2 Pet. 1.4. Col. 3.4. 1 Pet. 1.4. Ro. 8.18.
• * 1.8

  Luk. 7.4, 5.
• * 1.9

  Jer. 8.7.
• * 1.10

  Tit. 2.7.
• * 1.11

  Jo 13.15.
• * 1.12

  1 Tim. 4.12.
• * 1.13

  Mat. 22.20.
• * 1.14

  Zech. 14.20. Phil. 2.15
• * 1.15

  Matth. 5.16.
• * 1.16

  Psa. 16.3.
• * 1.17

  Act. 24.2.
• * 1.18

  2 Sam. 23.
• * 1.19

  Vers. 23.
• * 1.20

  1 Cor. 14.12.
• * 1.21

  John 20.4. 1 Cor. 9.24.