' It was the saying of an eminent saint, on his death-bed, that he had much peace and quietness, not so much from a greater measure of grace than other Christians had, or from any immediate witness of the Spirit, but because he had a more clear understand- ing of the covenant of grace than many others, having studied it and preached it so many years as he had done. [Qu. William Strong? — G.]
' Misprinted ' kinds,' — G.
3 Ponder upon that Deut. xiii. 6 : Thy friend which is as thine own soul.
* Qu. Homer ? Smyrna was one of the seven cities which claimed him. Strabo, I. c. Cicero, Arch. 8. — G.
^ Memoriajwsti erit Celebris, ^o Batti. [Qu. Bernard ?—G.] Ego si bon am famam xenassj, sat dive.") ero. If I may but keep a good name, I have wealth enough, saith the hmthen— Plautus. * Claudian, De. Cons. Mall. Theod. v. 3.— G.
' Ileb. xi. 13, 39. A good renown is better than a golden girdle, saith the French proverb.
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carried with him to the grave — yea, to heaven. There is nothing raises a man's name and fame in the world like holiness. The seven deacons that the church chose were ' holy men,' Acts vi. 5 ; and they were men of ' good report/ ver. 3. They were men well witnessed unto, well testified of, as the Greek word imports, ^ Cornelius was a 'holy man,' Acts x. 1-4 ; and he was a man of * good report' among all the nation of the Jews, ver. 22. Ananias was a ' holy man,' Acts ix. 10, 20 ; and he was a man of a ' good report,' Acts xxii. 12. ' Caius and Demetrius were both ' holy men,' and of a ' good report ;' witness that Third Epistle of John. The patriarchs and prophets were * holy men,' and they were men of a ' good report,' Heb. xi. 1, 2 — * For by it the elders obtained a good report;' their holiness did eternalise their names. The apostles were ' holy men,' 1 Thes. ii. 10 ; and they were men of ' good report,' 2 Cor. vi. 8. Now certainly it is none of the least of mercies to be well reputed and reported of. Next to a good G-od and a good conscience, a good report, a good name, is the noblest blessing. _ It is no great matter, if a man be great and rich in the world, to obtain a great report ; but without holiness you can never obtain a good report. Holiness, uprightness, righteousness, will em- balm your names ; it will make them immortal : Ps. cxii. 6, ' The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance/ Wicked men many times outlive their names, but the names of the righteous outlive them. Holy Abel hath been dead above this five thousand years, and yet his name is as fresh and fragrant as it was the first day he was made a martyr, 1 John iii. 12. When a sincere Christian dies, he leaves his ' name as a sweet and as a lasting scent behind him ; his fame shall live when he is dead. This is verified in your precious father, who is now ' asleep in Jesus,' 1 Thes. iv. 14.
Now you both very well know that there was no Christian friend that had so great a room in his heart, in his affections, as I had, and you can easily guess at the reasons of it. Neither can you forget how frequently, both in his health, sickness, and before his death, he would be pressing of me to be a soul-friend to you, and to improve all the interest I had in heaven for your internal and eternal good, that he might meet you both in that upper world, Mat. xxv. 33, and that you might both be found with him at the right hand of Christ in the great day of the Lord. I know that your glorified father, whilst he was on earth, did lay up many a prayer for you in heaven! My desire and prayer is, that those prayers of his may return in mighty power upon both your hearts ; and having a fair opportunity now before me, I shall endeavour to improve it for the everiast- ing advantage of both yoUr souls; and therefore let my following counsel be not only accepted, but carefully, faithfully, and diligently followed by you, that so you may be happv here and blessed here- after.
1. The first word of counsel is this : Let it be the principal care of both of you to look after the welfare of your precious and immortal souls. If your souls are safe, all is safe ; if they are well, all is well •
*i ' Tv'jj ^'^^^'^J^s seldom write their king's name but in characters of gold. Throughout the Old and ^ew lestamente God haa written the names of just n^ftn in golden charac- ters, as I may speak.
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