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A23696 The art of patience and balm of Gilead under all afflictions an appendix to The art of contentment / by the author of The whole duty of man. Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Pakington, Dorothy Coventry, Lady, d. 1679.; Sterne, Richard, 1596?-1683. 1694 (1694) Wing A1096; ESTC R20086 106,621 176

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the days of a mispent Youth so now accomplish thine own Work give me an Heart faithfully to adhere unto thee that I may constantly Endeavour to Redeem the many Errors of my life past by becoming a Pattern of Faith and Obedience in all those with whom I Converse with for the Future Lord fill me with thy Holy Spirit that I may bear more fruit in my Age Forsake me not now I am Old and Gray-Headed Neither Remember the Sins and Follies of my Youth 2. O let thy Power appear in my Weakness and the Operation of thy Spirit in the Decays and Ruins of this Earthly Tabernacle by the evident repair of thine own Image in me Mortifying the remainds of Sin and assuring me of my Election and Calling in Christ Jesus And now O Lord that the time of my departure draweth nigh give me a vigilant Spirit that I may be ready when thou Summonest me Lord there are but few steps between me and this Worlds period O strengthen me with thy Grace give me a lively Faith an Invincible and Constant perseverance in this Race of the few and evil dayes of this Earthly Pilgrimage that by thy merciful Assistance I may so run that I may obtain That when thou pleasest to give me rest from my Labours and gather me to my Fathers I may against all the pains and Sorrows of Death willingly and cheerfully yield up my Soul into thy Gracious Hands in full assurance of my Redeemption and Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen SECT XVI Of Mortality 1. THOU fearest Death The Holiest Wisest and Strongest have done no less He is King of Terrors and must command Thou mayst hear the Man after God's own heart say Psal. 116.3 The sorrows of Death compassed me And Psal. 88.3 4 5. My Soul is full of troubles my life draweth nigh to the Grave I am counted with them that go down to the Pit as a Man that hath no strength free among the Dead And Good Hezekiah upon the message of Death Chattered like a Crane or a Swallow and went mourning as a Dove Isa. 38.14 2. THOU fearest as a Man but must strive too ver-come as a Christian which thou mayst perform if from the terrible aspect of the Messenger thou cast thine eyes upon the Amiable Face of God that sends him Holy David shews the way Psal. 18.5 6. The snares of Death prevented me In my distress I called upon the Lord and cryed unto my God and he heard my voice out of his Temple and my cry came before him even into his ears He that is our God is the God of Salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues of death Psal. 68.20 3. MAKE God thy Friend and Death shall be an advantage Phil. 1.21 It is true what the Wise Man said VVisd 1.13 Chap. 2.24 that God made not death but through envy of the Devil death came into the VVorld But though God made him not he is pleas'd to employ him as his Messenger to Summon some to Judgment and Invite others to Glory and those the Psalmist makes mention of are these latter Psal. 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the Death of his Saints And what reason hast thou to abom●nate that which God accounts precious 4. THOU art afraid of Death Acquaint thy self with him more and thou wilt fear him less Bears and Lyons at the first sight affright us but upon frequent viewing lose their Terror Inure thine eyes to the sight of Death and that Face shall not displease thee Thou must shortly dwell with him for a long time for the days of darkness are many Eccl. 11.8 but in the mean time entertain him as the blessed Apostle doth 1 Cor. 15.31 I protest by your rejoycing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord I dye daily 5. INVITE him to thy Board lodge him in thy Bed discourse him in thy Closet and walk with him in thy Garden as Joseph of Arimathea did and by no means suffer him to be a stranger to thy thoughts This familiarity shall bring thee to delight in his company whom thou didst formerly dread then thou mayest with the blessed Apostle say Phil. 1.23 I have a desire to be with Christ which is far better 6. THOU art gievously afraid of Death Fears are apt to imagin and aggravate evils Even Christ himself walking upon the waters and the Disciples trembled as at some dreadful Apparition perhaps thou lookst at Death as some utter abolition or extinction of thy being and nature must needs shrink at the thought of not being at all This is an ill and dangerous misprision For it is but departing which thou call'st Death 7. SEE how God stiles it to Abraham Thou shalt go to thy Fathers in peace thou shalt be buried in a good old Age Gen. 15.15 And Jacob Gen. 49.33 When Jacob had ended commanding his Sons he gathered up his feet into the bed and yielded up the Ghost and was gathered unto his People So that dying is going to our Fathers and gathering to our People with whom we shall live in a better World and re-appear Glo●ious Let but thy Faith represent Death to thee in this shape and he will not appear terrible 8. DO but observe in what familiar terms God Confer'd with Moses concerning his Death Deut. 32.49 Get thee up into this Mountain Abarim unto Mount Nebo which is in the Land of Moab and behold the Land of Canaan which I gave unto the Children of Israel for a Possession and dye in the Mount whither thou goest up and be gathered to thy People as Aaron thy Brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his People So it is no more go up there and dye should it have been go a days Journey in the Wilderness to Sacrifice it could have been no otherwise expressed or as if it were all one to go up to Sinai to meet with God and go up to Nebo and dye Neither is it otherwise with us only the difference is that Moses must first view the Land of Promise and then dye whereas we must first dye and then see the Promised Land 9. THOU art troubled with the fear of Death What reason hast thou to be Afflicted with that which is common to Mankind Remember the words of Joshua Josh. 23.14 Behold this day saith he I am going the way of all the Earth If all the Earth go this way couldst thou think there is a by-path left thee to tread in were it so that Monarchs Princes Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles were allow'd any easier passage out of the World thou mightst perhaps repine at a painful dissolution but now since all go one way there can be no ground for a discontented murmur 10. GRUDGE if thou wilt that thou art a man but grudge not that being a man thou must dye It is true those whom the last day shall find alive shall not dye but they shall be changed 1 Cor. 15.51 52. but this change shall be
fortitude takes off his terror If as a Messenger of God he is sent to convey thee to happiness what reason hast thou to be afraid of thine own bliss It is one thing what Death is in himself a privation of Life such as nature cannot chuse but abhor Another what he is by Christ made unto us and introduction to Life and a harbinger to Glory 21. WHY would the Lord of Life yield unto Death and by yielding vanquisht him but to alter and sweeten him to us and of a fierce Tyrant make him a Friend and Benefactor And if we look upon him thus changed and reconciled how can we chuse but bid him welcome 22. THOU art afraid of the pangs of Death Some have dyed without any great sense of pain Some have yielded up their Souls without a groan And how knowest thou what measure God hath allotted thee Our Death is a Sea-Voyage The holy Apostle desired to lanch forth Phil. 1. wherein some find a rough and tempestuous passage others calm and smooth Such thine may prove and so thy dissolution may be easier than a fit of sickness 23. BUT if God had determined otherwise look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith Heb. 12.2 the Son of God the Lord of Glory see with what Agonies he conflicted what torments he endured for thee Look upon his Bloody Sweat Bleeding Temples Furrowed Back Nailed Hands and Feet Rack'd Joints and Pierc'd Side Hear his strong Cries consider the Shame Pain and Curse of the Cross which he underwent for thy sake Say whether thy sufferings can be comparable to his He is a Cowardly and Unworthy Soldier that follows his General sighing Behold these are the steps wherein thy God and Saviour hath trod before thee Walk on couragiously in this deep and bloody way and after a few paces thou shalt overtake him in Glory For if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him 2 Tim. 2.12 24. THOU shrink'st at the thoughts of Death Is it not for over-valuing Life and making Earth thy home Rich Persons that live at ease are loth to stir abroad especially upon hard and stormy Voyages Perhaps 't is so with thee wherein I cannot but much pity thy weakness in placing thy contentment where a wiser Man could find nothing but vanity and vexation 25. ALAS what is our Exile if this be our home What entertainment to be enamour'd on Distempered humours hard usages violent passions and bodily sicknesses sad complaints disappointed hopes and frequent miscarriages Momentany Pleasures mixt with sorrows and lastly umbrages of joy and real miseries Doth these so bewitch thee that when Death calls thou art ready to reply as the Devil to our Saviour Mat. 8.29 Art thou come to torment me before the time 26. ARE these such contentments as allures thee to the World as St. Peter was to Mount Tabor Mat. 17.4 Master It is good for us to be here if thou have any Faith in thee look up to the other World where thou art going and see whether that true Life pure Joy perfect Felicity and Eternity may not be worthy to draw thy heart to a longing desire of Fruition and a Contempt of what the Earth can promise in comparison of infinite blessedness 27. IT was one of the defects which Sir Francis Bacon found in Physicians that do not study Remedies to procure the easie passage of their Patients through the Gates of Death Such helps I leave to the care of the skilful Sages of Nature the use I supose must be with caution lest whilst they endeavour to sweeten Death they shorten Life 28. BUT let me prescibe this spiritual means of thine happy Euthanasia which is a faithful disposition of the labouring Soul that can truly say with Timothy 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and Chap. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day 29. THOU startest ar the mention of Death How canst thou but blush to read of Socrates when the Message of Death was brought him applauded the News with much joy Or of a Cardinal of Rome that received the Intimation of his approaching Death Cry'd out the news is good and welcome Is not their Confidence thy Shame who believing that when our Earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 yet shrinks at the motion of taking possession of it 30. CANST thou with dying Mithridates be unwilling to forsake this light when thou art going to a light more Glorious than the Sun It is our infidelity that makes us unwilling to die Did we think the Soul sleeps as well as the Body from the moment of the dissolution till the day of Resurrection death might be unwelcome 31. OR did we think we should wander to unknown places to uncertain entertainment or fear a scorching Tryal upon the Emig●ation in flames little inferiour to those of Hell there were some cause to tremble at the approach of Death But we can boldly say with the Wise Man VVisd 3.1 2 3. The Souls of the Righteous are in the hands of God and there shall no torment touch them In the sight of the unwise they seem'd to die and their departure is taken for misery and their going from us to be utter destruction but they are in peace 32. OH thou of little Faith why fearst thou ●hide thy self as that dying Saint of old and say my Soul go boldly forth what art thou afraid of Lo the Angels are ready to receive thee and carry thee to Glory leave there this wretched Body and be possess'd of Heaven After a momentary darkness upon Nature thou shalt enjoy the Beatifical Vision of God Be not afraid to be happy but say in Faith what Jonah said in Anger Jonah 4.3 It is better for me to dye than to live 33. I am afraid to dye This is Natures voice But wilt thou hear what Faith saith To me to live is Christ and to dye is gain If therefore Nature reigns in thee thou must be affrighted with Death But if true Grace be prevalent in thy Soul that Guest shall not be unwelcome Was ever any Man afraid of Profit and Advantage Such is Death to the Faithful Whosoever finds Christ his Life shall be sure to find Death his gain for he is thereby brought to a near Communion with him Whereas before he enjoyed him by the dim apprehension of Faith now he clearly and immediately enjoys that Glorious Presence which only makes blessedness 34. THIS is it that causeth Death to change his Copy and renders him who is formidable pleasing and beneficial I desire to depart and to be with Christ saith the Man who was rapt up in the third Heaven had it been only departing he