The Puritan Thomas Shepard on His Deathbed

Dear saints, this little excerpt is from "Lives of the Puritans" by Benjamin Brook, which is reprinted by the Soli Deo Gloria publisher. I would consider my life very well spent if I could have the same testimony before my passing to eternity:

"Mr. Shepard, when on his death-bed, was visited by many of his friends and brethren in the ministry. Several young ministers having called to see him, he addressed them as follows:

"Your work is great, and requires great seriousness. For my own part, I never preached a sermon which, in the composing, did not cost me prayers, with strong cries and tears. I never preached a sermon from which I had not first got some good to my own soul. And I never went up into the pulpit but as if I were going to give an account of myself to God."

Before his departure, addressing his friends, he said: "Oh I love the Lord Jesus very dearly. That little part which I have in him is no small comfort to me now." He died August 25, 1649, aged forty-three years. He was a person of great learning, a hard student, an admirable preacher, and an excellent writer."

Thank you for sharing this Paul.

To preach is a great responsibility to both God and to those who will hear. A good reminder indeed.

Steve

I don't know who brother Shepard was, but I am blessed by his testimony. See the goodness of the Lord by this! Imagine! To be blessed today by a man who past away 358 years ago!

If the Lord should tarry for an unlikely period of another 358 years, this would be like someone in the year 2366 being blessed by words you spoke today!

I never preached a sermon which, in the composing, did not cost me prayers, with strong cries and tears. I never preached a sermon from which I had not first got some good to my own soul. And I never went up into the pulpit but as if I were going to give an account of myself to God."

I am afraid I have already fallen short in this. I once entered the pulpit with unsettled business in my heart. I knew something was wrong during my sermon. On the way home I realized the problem was me. It took quite some time to get past…to truly work it out. I learned a lot. God is good.

I believe this is where my problem with Mark Driscoll lies. This is a very serious thing. To be treated with the utmost respect. This is where my love for the Puritans comes in.

I shall read this often. Thanks for posting this brother.

I just noticed the word “Moderator” by your name. I am glad of this. May God’s grace and peace be with you in your new ministry.

I’m always the last to notice such things. Is this new?

If the Lord should tarry for an unlikely period of another 358 years, this would be like someone in the year 2366 being blessed by words you spoke today!

Absolutely concur! Such words, such wisdom, and such a heart for God transcends time and space. These Puritans had hearts burning on fire for Jesus, and I pray that we might catch a spark of this old time prophetic fire here in February 2008. God delights in blazing hearts, and when I say "fire" I mean flames of humilty, sobriety, charity, purity. These days we equate fire with zeal; in those days they equated fire with love and purity. May we all return in our hearts to those flaming paths of old, drenched in the Word of Holy Scripture, full of faith and love.

I am afraid I have already fallen short in this. I once entered the pulpit with unsettled business in my heart.

Never fear, brother. The road we travel in our Christian growth is full of victories and defeats, ups and downs, more downs than ups while we first learn to walk with God and mortify flesh by the Spirit. Growing is painful, growing is full of trial and error, but growing is also progressive...no matter how slow at first. If we endure with Christ we'll begin to see more ups than downs, and soon notice more victories than defeats. If it were the other way around, we would be overcome with pride and grossly misrepresent God in our youthful, zealous preaching. I am guilty of this. If I told you how many failures I've experienced since my conversion, most preachers wouldn't even consider me born-again or a "true" brother.

But God's ways are not man's ways, and I thank God for the deep and profound purpose He has in the many failures of His growing children. All things work together for good for those who love God. I bless His name.

I just noticed the word “Moderator” by your name. I am glad of this. May God’s grace and peace be with you in your new ministry.

God has seen fit to entrust this ministry unto me recently, and I do thank you for your prayers of further grace and peace to be upon it. I desperately need all the prayer I can get. Brother and brethren, I covet your prayers.