how deckt with stars as with sparkling Diamonds What would wee say if wee could see into it Mat. 17.1 and behold though with Peter Iames and Iohn at a glance or blush superficially the goodly pauement of heauen within whose floore is of gold and wall about it garnished with precious stones Mat. 4.8 And what is a kingdome here where all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them were shewed in the twinkling of an eye Luke 4 5. as it is in the Gospel if there were not hope of a better kingdome where all shall be kings and reigne with Christ eternallly And they which here haue reigned as kings vpon the earth shall lose nothing but gaine immeasurably by the change yea kings and queenes which haue beene nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Church of God as the Prophet speaketh when they come thither Isay 49.23 shall cast away their Crownes as Elias 2. King 2.13 when hee went vp by a whirlewind into heauen let his cloake or mantle fall from him and they shal repent nothing there saue that they came no sooner thither and when they shall compare their earthly and heauenly kingdomes together they shall say as S. Peter said of the mount Mat. 17.4 bonum est esse hic It is good to be here in heauen but for the earth they shall bee as loth to looke backe vnto it as Moyses to goe backe into the land of Egypt For their pallaces shall then seeme prisons their golden chaines golden fetters their crownes crosses and all their earthly honors but burdens and vexations But when they shall looke vpon the face of God they shall say to him with triumph as it is in the Psalme With thee is the well of life Psal 16.11 in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore Thirdly if Adams paradise and garden was so delightsome and pleasant how pleasant and glorious is Gods owne seat of his owne residence He spake it with a wondring tongue whose heart could not comprehend so infinite an excellencie in saying as we haue heard before How glorious things are spoken of thee O thou city of God! Psal 87.3 For though in the letter this worthy Prophet spake of that earthly heauen which he confessed to be in the material tabernacle because of Gods presence and the godly exercises of Gods people performed there yet his meaning was vnder the cloud of the phrase to direct Gods children to a higher tabernacle and house of greater glory then that which was earthly and vnder the doome of time Againe saith the blessed Apostle 2. Cor. 3,7,8,9,10,11 If the ministration of death written and ingrauen in the stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance which glory was to bee done away how shall not the ministration of the spirit bee rather glorious For if the ministration of condemnation be glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glorie For euen that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glorie that excelleth For if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious And if the preaching of the Gospel whereby God giueth his quickening spirit working the life of grace in his elect be glorious then much more shall the true professors of the Gospel be made partakers of farre greater glorie in the kingdome of heauen Againe wee doe reade in the first booke of Samuel 1. Sam. 18.23 that when Dauid was perswaded by Saul by the meanes of his seruant to become the Kings sonne in law it is there said by Dauid Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the Kings sonne in law seeing that I am a poore man and lightly esteemed Then if it be accounted a great honor and glory to be a sonne and childe to an earthly King much more honorable and glorious it is to be the sonne and childe of the King of heauen Behold saith Saint Iohn what manner of loue the Father hath bestowed vpon vs 1. Iohn 3.1 that wee should bee called the sonnes of God Which glorie all the tongues of men and Angels as wee haue heard before can in no wise expresse as witnesseth the blessed and glorious Apostle Saint Paul himselfe who was in it 2. Cor. 12.1,2,3,4,5 and saw it and therefore he saith I knew a man in Christ aboue foureteene yeeres agoe whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the bodie I cannot tell God knoweth such a one caught vp into the third heauen and heard vnspeakable words which it is not lawfull or possible for a man to vtter So great and infinite are the glory and ioyes of the kingdome of God as they cannot enter into vs and therefore it is appointed that we must enter into them Therefore it is said Matth. 25.21 Well done thou good and faithfull seruant thou hast beene faithfull ouer a few things I will make thee ruler ouer many things enter thou into the ioy of thy Lord. Now if the Queene of Sheba as we heard before pronounced the seruants of King Salomon happie 1. King 10.8 for that they stood continually before him and heard his wisdome then much more happy are the Saints and seruants of God who doe continually with his holy Angels stand and behold the glorious presence of one which is greater then King Salomon Matth. 18.10 euen the God of glory himselfe In which respect Saint Ambrose on his death bed said We are happie in this that we serue so good a Master Yea happie is the people saith the Psalmist that is in such a case Psal 144.15 yea happie is that people whose God is the Lord. Yea blessed and happie are all those which so liue in this world that departing hence they may be assured to come into so glorious a place and presence Wee see by experience when a Country-man hath beene trained vp sometime in the Court he forgetteth his clownish kinde of life and becommeth a Courtier let vs therefore leaue the speeches habite fashion and manners of this wicked world wherein we liue and inure our selues with the customes and course of the Court of heauen let all our thoughts words and communication testifie that in spirit wee are alreadie there Let my minde saith Augustine muse of it let my tongue talke of it let my heart loue it and my whole soule neuer cease to hunger and thirst after it In the meane time till thou come into this glorious place and presence aske of God by heartie and faithfull prayer to giue thee grace entirely and from the bottome of thy heart both to vnderstand and desire the ioyes and glory thereof and so to be affected and rauished with the delight thereof that euer and euery where thou mayest be stirred vp to serue
this may bee well and wisely done if the last will and testament be vnmade in the time of our health which is a great fault it is with godly aduice and counsell to be then made in the time of sicknesse according to the practise of ancient and worthy men Gen. 25.5.6 Gen. 27. Gen. 49.1 Abraham before his death makes his will and giues Legacies so did Isaak and Iacob in whose last will and testament are contained many worthy and notable lessons blessings and prophecies of the estate of his children And our Sauiour Christ Ioh 19.25 when he was vpon the Crosse prouided for his Mother especially in remembring her vnto Iohn his welbeloued Disciple And indeed this dutie of making a Will is a matter of great consequence for it cuts off much hatred and contention in families and it preuents many troubles and suites in Law It is not therefore alwaies a matter of indifferencie which may or may not be done as many falsely imagine who vpon blinde and sinister respects abstaine from making their last Wills Some because they feare they shall die the sooner and others for such like carnall respects but all such are greatly deceiued For by disposing thy worldly goods in thy will and testament thou shalt not thereby die the more quickly but the more quietly and shalt thereby preuent the jarres and brawles that otherwise when thou art gone may arise amongst thy children kindred and friends And herein remember that thou partest from earthly possessions and art going to take possession of heauenly And in the bestowing of their possessions and goods it must be principally vpon their wines and children This man saith God vnto Abraham Gen. 15.4 of Eleazar a stranger shall not bee thine heire but the sonne which shall come forth of thine owne bowels shall be thine heire Therefore it is vtterly a fault in any man to alienate his lands or goods wholly and finally from his bloud and posteritie it is a thing which the very law of Nature it selfe hath condemned Againe it is vtterly a fault to giue all to the eldest and little or nothing in respect to the rest as though the eldest were borne to be the gentleman onely and the yonger brethren borne to beare the wallet Yet in equity the eldest is to haue more then any of the rest Deu. 21.17 because vnto him there belongeth by the law of God a double portion and because Stockes and families in their persons are to bee preserued and maintained and because also there must alwayes bee some that must bee fitted thereby to doe some speciall seruice for the good both of Church and Common-wealth In the second place in the will there must bee prouision made for the godly preaching Minister and poore of the place and for others well deseruing the same according to euery mans abilitie Num. 27.1 Num. 36.1 and especially for want of children the next of kinne must be remembred in their stead The second dutie of the gouernour and master of the family concerneth the good of the soules of all those that are vnder their charge and gouernment And this consisteth in teaching and instructing of them in the feare of the Lord and to giue them charge that they may perseuere and continue in the same after the example of faithfull Abraham whom the Lord himselfe commendeth to his euerlasting praise and commendation for the performing of this duty as appeareth in the booke of Genesis Gen. 18.19 For I know him saith the Lord that he will command his children and his houshold after him that they shall keepe the way of the Lord to doe iustice and iudgement that the Lord may bring vpon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And after the example likewise of King Dauid 1. King 2.1.2.3.4 who gaue his sonne Salomon on his death-bed a most excellent and solemne charge And this dutie is also commended vnto vs in the second booke of Esdras 2. Esdr 14.13.14.15 where it is said Now therefore set thy house in order c. Thus if masters and gouernours of families shall so carefully dispose of their estate and giue such a godly charge to them whom they shall leaue behinde them then they shall hereby greatly honor God dying as well as liuing O that they were wise saith Moses Deut. 32.29 that they vnderstood this that they would consider and prudently prouide for their latter end Wherin foure things are commēded vnto vs to wit knowledge vnderstanding wisdome and prouidence whereby it is apparant that God would haue vs to know vnderstand and wisely prouide for our end But first to know what This our life to be both short and dangerous stuffed with miseries subiect to vanities defiled with sinnes corrupted with lusts and desires and euer slyding toward an end Likewise God wisheth vs well to vnderstand what Our owne fraile estate that as naked as we came out of our mothers wombe so naked we must returne againe and as earth we are so to earth eftsoone we are to be conuerted Well may wee be compared vnto men scaling the walles of a beseiged Citty Ecle 5.15 at whom the Citizens discharging their peeces encounter their assault with darts stones other munition the better to defend themselues and to offend their enemie Who as they be wounded fall downe some from the top some from the midst and at the bottome of the wall some being wounded with gun-shot some with darts and some with stones some with one thing some with an other euen so it fareth with the men of this world if we wel vnder stood it who while they labour to climbe vp to the top of honor wealth are tumbled downe by death some frō the highest degree of honor some from a midle estate some frō a low poore estate some in their old age some in their midle age some in their youth and some in their infancie If a man were tyed fast to a stake at whom a m◅ cunning archer did shoote wounding many about him and neerer him some aboue some vnder and some against him and the poore wretch him selfe so fast bound to the stake that it were not any way possible for him to escape would it not be deemed madnes in him if in the meane while forgetting his misery and danger he should carelesly fall to bibbe and quaffe to laugh and be merry as though he could not be touched at all Who would not iudge such a man beside himselfe that would not rather in this case prouide for his end And are not we much rather to be accounted starke mad who doe or should know and vnderstand that the most expert Archer that euer was euen God himselfe hath whet his sword Psal 7.12.13 and bent his bow as the Prophet saith and made it ready and hath also prepared for him the instruments of Death and ordained his arrowes Yea he hath already shot forth his darts and arrowes