Sin and death are two twins born at a birth yea howsoever sin be the elder Brother in time because it 's the cause of death yet in nature they come verâ— near each other for as soon as eveâ— sin was committed death entered according to the commination of God to Adam Si nòn peccasset Adam nòn erat expoliandus corpore sed supervestiendus immortaliter August Gen. 2.17 Had it not been for the sin of man nothing had ever discomposed his quiet the seasons had not been irregular nor the Elements waged warre against him the earth had been fruitfull without the labour of man no thorns or briars had ever covered the face thereof no drowning deluges nor scorching drought nor raging pestilence nor devouring sword nor wasting famine should ever have made any devastation upon an innocent state the two parts that compose man had not been seperated nor the master-piece of the Creation been ruined as Austin speaks and the soul reigning with Angels had not beheld her body devoured by worms of all the strings of the worlds great Instrument Adam's only brake and caused a jar and having run from God hath drawn all his posterity after him the sin of Adam is the fountain of all the evils and miseries that befall his posterity we sinned in him because we lived in his person and the offence of one man is become the obliquity of whole nature because it was included in him as the tree in the kernell Ball 's Treatise of meditation now that man enriched with so many graces and priviledges should in such a place as Paradise and in the sight of the tree of life and having familiar converse with God and leave to eat of all other trees of the Garden yet that he must tast of the only forbidden tree having power from God to have resisted the temptation of the Devil these are great aggravations of Adam's sin as a judicious Divine hath well observed Sect. 5. Of the nature of sin the number of our sins with the aggravations of them 〈◊〉 fifth subject meditation is 〈◊〉 nature of 〈◊〉 c. Order will require that we should now meditate on the nature of sin the number of our sins together with their aggravating circumstances sin came not into the world by Creation but was the Devil's bird brought in afterwards by corruption Gen. 3.1 2 3. Jam. 1.13 14 15. where the manner of sins conception and birth is described Now for the nature of sin consider 1. That sin is a spot 〈◊〉 â—s a spot staining the soul the mind and conscience is defiled by sin Tit. 1.15 things that are unclean clean are vile and loathsome so is sin it is very odious it makes a man like filthy Swine like a spotted Leopard it corrupts him as the flies did Aegypt Exod. 8.24 so as the Lord saith they are become filthy or stinking Isa 64.6 Thence it was that so many washings and purgations under the Law were appointed We are all as an unclean thing saith the Prophet and all our best righteousnesse is but filthy rags thence it is that holy men have been so earnest with God to cleanse them and wash them from the filthinesse thereof Psal 51.2 We have need of washing and cleansing â—rom the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there being nothing whole â—herein nothing but wounds bruises â—wellings and putrifying sores Ad incuâ—iendam horrorem a peccato tanquam à re immundâ Musculus This Metaphor is used in Scripture saith Musculus to strike terrour into a man to â—un sin and fly from it as an unclean â—ing They that are all clean have need 〈◊〉 wash their feet saith our Saviour to â—hich devout Bernard alluding hath his meditation That though we choose â—â—r way and cull out our paths to walk in â—oiding the mire and dirt yet in the best â—â—d cleanest wayes our feet will gather some 2. Sin is in Scripture called by the name of folly Sin is folly sin is the greatest folly of all other a good understanding have all they that do Gods Commandments Psal 111.10 therefore sin being the transgression of the Law of God the sinner is the greatest fool to call a wilfull sinner a fool will bear no action of slander in the Court of Heaven 1 Sam. 25.25 thus Abigail said of her Husband Nahal is his name and folly is with him thus Job calls his Wife Job 2.10 and God calls all Atheists so Psal 14.1 and Christ calls the rich man in the Gospel so Luk 12.20 Who dares call a rich man a fool yet so doth our Saviour call him that is rich to the world and is not rich towards God Every one bereft of reason and judgement is a fool He doth not â—ean that sin had abolished the substance of their hearts secundum esse naturale but perverted and spoiled the qualities thereof secundum esse morale so be sinners there be some sins that take away the heart Hos 4.11 Ephraim is a silly dove without heart the sinner like a fool seeks after trifles and le ts go things of the greatest importance he prefers a Counter before a piece of gold and will not leave his bable according to the Proverb for the Tower of London he knowes not where a good bargain is to be had like children running up the hill to catch the Moon sweating and toiling themselves to catch Butterflies so the sinner chooseth vain things that cannot profit him Sinners like fools are fool-hardy and will not be corrected or reclaimed being struck by Aaron's rod or reproved by the Spirit of God and as fools mock at wise mens actions so do the wicked scorn at the wayes of the godly Fools only care for a little meat and drink for the present pins and points and such like trash but look not after an inheritance so sinners are creatures of sense and like bruits are altogether for present ease and present contentments 3. Sin is called a burden Sin is a burden Mine iniquities saith David are gone over my head as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me Psal 38.3 The Prophet Zachary compares it to a talent of lead the heavyest of all mettals the women that are led aside by seducers are said to be silly women laden with sins 2 Tim. 3.6 Salt sand and a lump of Iron Ecclus 22. is easier to bear than an unwise foolish and ungodly man saith the son of Syrach and it 's proved to be a burden by the effects of hanging on and pressing down Heb. 12.1 We see this made good by the example of Jonah that the sin of one private person is likely to sink a Ship in the Sea for he being laden with a Commission for Nineveh and disburdening himself of this Message of God became such a burden to the Ship that though the Mariners had cast out all their wares into the Sea yet the greatest burden was behind the sin
I did it at such a time after confession of sin and sorrow for sin after I had renewed my Covenant against sin after some grace and strength received to resist sin these and such like aggravations will make a small sin to become exceeding sinfull Now the serious meditation of our sins is very profitable 1. It brings us to a true sight of our sins and makes us to hate sin so much the more and to groan under the burden of sin bringing us to Christ with a desire to be eased of its burden 2. Like Peters Cock it will be our awakener and bring us to weep bitterly it will wound our conscience and lead us to bitterness in spirit who by our sins have wounded so sweet a Saviour 3. It is a great advantage to humility that man cannot be proud that daily meditateth upon the nature and number of his sins 4. It makes us ply the Throne of Grace more earnestly wherein we shall finde matter enough to beg daily for the pardon of sin and matter of praise to God upon the meditation of many by-past sins remitted to us 5. It is the best salve against all our sores knowing we have no reason to complain of our sufferings when we meditate on the number and greatness of our sins and that we suffer justly because we suffer for our sins and so ought to kiss the rod and quietly to bear the indignation of the Lord because we have sinned against him Sect 6. Of the Sufferings and Death of Christ The next subject of meditation I shall treat of is The sixth sub of meditation the sufferings and death of Christ the Sufferings and Death of Christ who was wounded for our transgressions whose soul was made an offering for our sins The sufferings of Jesus began with his life he had enemies as soon as he had subjects when the wâ—se men were doing him homage at his Cradle Herod at the same time was conspiring his death he commits his safety to his flight and seeks a Sanctuary in Egypt passing his minority in a Country where his people had long before for four hundred and thirty years been in bondage his whole life varied little from his beginning he was not in security but while he was unknown he never was at rest but while he got his living by daily labour No sooner did this glorious Sun appear to the world but he was persecuted the Pharisees hate him for his Doctrine and envy him for his Miracles they plot his death when he had raised Lazarus from death to life and never cease till they bring him to his Cross and his Grave The matter of his sufferings were all the miseries whereunto the life of man was subject whether we mean pains of body or grief of heart and sorrows of minde he suffered them all in an extraordinary measure and manner as I have elsewhere more largely declared The ends of his sufferings wherein also I may include the form thereof sc his meritorious satisfaction for the sin of man may be discussed for had not the first Adam sinned the second Adam had not suffered and whatsoever he did by his active obedience or suffered by his passive obedience was to make up that rent and breach which was made by Adams transgression as Auâ—in tells us Nos in Adamo immortalitate malè usi ut moreremur Christus mortalitate benè usus est ut viveremus Aug. We all in the first Adam behaving our selves ill in a state of immortality forfeited it and became liable to eternal death therefore Christ the second Adam behaving himself well in a state of mortality recovered again for us and restored again to us thâ— right of eternal life Joh. 1.29 John Baptist calls him the Lamb of God that takes away the sinâ— of the world and Paul tells us how he was delivered to death for our sins Rom. 4.25 He was apprehended arraigned condemned and crucified that we might be acquitted pardoned and discharged the Death of Jesus Christ is the last testimony of his love his wounds are so many bleeding mouthes breathing forth his love unto us And this is very admirable his power was encreased by his death he was never more absolute than upon the Cross spoyling Principalities and Powers this Sun never darted forth more rayes than when he was in an eclipse nor did the Lord Jesus ever more triumph over his enemies than when they upbraided him with his infirmities and made a mock of his sufferings then was it that he conceived the Church in his wounds giving his children life by his death and founding his Church with his blood His Church cost him much more pain and trouble than Eve did the first Adam his Spouse never broke his sleep Sicut dormientis Adae costa detrahitur ut conjux efficiatur ita Christo morienti de latere sanguis effunditur ut ecclesia construatur communicantes namque corpori sanguinis efficimur ecclesia Christi conjux August rising from his side without any pang or violence he awoke from his sleep into a Marriage with her that was a piece of himself but Jesus Christ laid down his life to give it to his Church his body was pained and his heart pierced to form his Bride this Spouse was to be sought for in the bowels of her Father yet even then did our Lord Jesus in his lowest abasement act like a Soveraign he pardoned Delinquents when himself was numbred among transgressours he gives eternal life when they bereft him of a temporal life he disposeth of an heavenly Kingdome when they disputed his Kingdome on earth he made his power appear in his weakness his glory in his shame his innocency in his execution his grandeur in his reproaches and now was the Son of man glorified upon the Cross making his innocency manifest at his death that to the confusion of the Jews the Judge that condemned him should plead his excuse that the Theeves that dyed with him should publish his Soveraignty that the Souldiers that nailed him to his Crosse should become his adorers yea that the Sunne the great eye of the world should hide his head and whole nature be in mourning for him lamenting his death who was the Prince and Lord of life and however Christ was accounted of yet the Robes of Kings are not to be compared with the rags of Christ nor the Thrones of Princes with the cross and thorns of our Saviour Joh. Wall Serm. in Heb. 9.12 upon which consideration one breaks forth into this meditation O Lord if thy shame be glorious what is thy glory how shall we be advanced by the strength of thy power that are so dignified by the weakness of thy sufferings 1. This may teach us in our meditations to distinguish between Christs sufferings and the sufferings of all Saints and Martyrs whatsoever for theirs were private and profited onely themselves but his were publick and the vertue thereof extended and redounded
which others pollute themselves otherwise men in high places may not unfitly be resembled to the Planet Saturn of whom Astronomers and Philosophers tell us that in sphear and place he is nearest to the Heavens but in nature and quality most unlike them and least of all partaking of the influences of Heaven Let me beseech you still to keep close to God and then the Lord will stick close to you and vouchsafe his presence with you Among all Rules of policy these are the chiefest to be faithfull and upright to the Lord to aim at his glory to be guided by his Spirit and walk according to the rule of his Word then may you be assured that you are more safe under his protection than any arm of flesh can make you I humbly crave your pardon for this my boldness and that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may bless you with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ is and shall be the prayer of Your most humble Servant in the Gospel WILLIAM GEARING From my Study in Lymington Sep 30. 1661. INDEX RERVM CHap. 1. The Porch or entrance into this Work Text Gen. 24.63 opened Chap. 2. Sect. 1. Shewing that Meditation is a duty that concerneth persons of all ranks conditions and ages Sect. 2. That Meditation is constantly to be practised Chap. 3. How Meditation and Contemplation differ one from the other Chap. 4. How Study and Meditation differ Chap. 5. Of the Gate of Meditation Chap. 6. Of the kinds of Meditation and first of rapt Meditation Chap. 7. Sect. 1. Of set and solemn Meditation the definition and branches of it Sect 2. Of the ends of solemn Meditation Chap. 8. Of the subject of Meditation Sect. 1. Of meditation on the Works of God Sect. 2. Of meditating on the Word of God Sect. 3. Of meditating on Man his Creation his body his soul his priviledges Sect. 4. Of meditation on the fall of Adam Sect. 5. Of the nature of sin the number of our sins with the aggravations of them Sect. 6. Of the sufferings and death of Christ Sect. 7. Of meditation on the Resurrection of Christ Sect. 8. Of meditation on Death Sect. 9. Of the fewnesse of them that shall be saved Sect. 10. Of meditation on Hell Sect. 11. Of meditation on the glory of Heaven Chap. 9. Of timing our Meditations in the best manner Chap. 10. An Exhortation to the practice of Meditation shewing also the necessity thereof Chap. 11. Objections against setting about the work of Meditation answered Chap. 12. Setting down the Rules about Meditation Chap. 13. Of the excellency and usefulnesse of Meditation Chap. 14. The Motives to Meditation The Authors cited in this Treatise A AMbrosius B p Andrews Anselm Aquila Aretius Aquinas Aristotle Arias Montanus Augustine Ainsworth B Ball. Sr Francis Bacon B p Babington Beza Bellarmine Bernard Boetius Bodinus Brathwait Bonaventure C Causin Calvin Cassius Severus Climacus Chaldeus Cassiodorus Charron Cicero Chrysostome Columella Clemens Alexand. Chytraeus Cyril Concil Melevit D Dearing Downham Diogenes Drexelius E Erasmus Euseb Emyssen F Fenner Fulgentius Dr Fulk G Gasp. in Heracl Gaul Goulart Genevens Gerrard Gerson Gregor Gualter Glosse H B p Hall Hebr. Hippolit Hieronym Hoord Sam. Hieron Hugo Hpyocrates I Iosephus â—tal Junius Isidor Pelus K Kempis L Lorinus Lumb Sent. Luther Lyranus Leo. M Macarius Martial Marc. Herem Marlorat Melch. Adam Minut. Faelix Moller More 's Demonstr Mountague Musculus Montaign N Gr. Nazianz. Nebrissens O Onkelus Ovid. P Pet. Mart. Perkins Plato Plinius Philo Jud. Plutarch B p Pilkington Philips Polan Synt. Prosper Priorw Q Quintil. S Seneca Dr Sibs Senault Sozomen Stiles Strong Struther Suetonius Suidas Symmachus Symonds Stella T Tertullian Theodoret. Tostatus Turner V Jac. de Valent. Vatablus Vega. W Wall White Woodward THE MOUNT OF Holy Meditation Genesis 24.63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide Chap. I. The porch or entrance into this Work AFter the death of Sarah Abraham feeling himself wholly broken with old age and ready to go the way of all the earth resolved to seek a match for Isaac his son and for that end he calleth the steward of his house and most faithfull servant and having commanded him to lay his hand on his thigh he conjured him by the Name of Jehovah to seek a Wife for his Son in the Land of Haran which being done this wise Nuntio began his journey in order to the fulfilling his Master's commands and departing from Beersheba he went directly to Mesopotamia carrying with him ten large Camels laden with the choicest things that the house of Abraham could afford In short time he arriveth at the City of Nahor ver 10. meditating with himself of the readiest means for the expedition of what had been given him in charge and first he repaireth to a place without the City where women in their turns used to draw water there resting his Camels waiting upon God's providence for the opportunity he desired during which expectation he powreth out his request to God begging him propitiously to favour the designs of his Master which he had scarce ended when Rebeckah appeared with an earthen pitcher under her arm to draw water of whom no sooner had Eliezer desired a little drink but Rebeckah presently assented doing all that which charity and curtesie required should be done to a stranger Eliezer seriously weigheth all the actions of Rebeckah as being one in whom he was to discern the footsteps of God's conduct concerning his Master and his Master's Son This prudent Embassadour having presented some ear-rings and bracelets to Rebeckah takes occasion to inform himself of the conveniences that were in her Fathers house for himself and those that were with him together with his Camels and being well instructed of the alliances of the Damsell and being astonished that all should fall out so soon and so even with his desires throwes hsmself on the ground to render thanks to God adoring his inexpressible goodnesse to his Master Rebeckah hastens to her Parents to let them know what had hapned which her Brother Laban understanding he repaireth immediatly to the well from whence Rebeckah came finding Eliezer he earnestly entreated him to follow him to his Father's house and having brought him thither he gave hay and straw to his Camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of those that were with him and meat being set before him as a trusty servant he is more carefull to fulfill his Master's businesse than to fill his own belly then he openeth his Commission which he had from his Master and declareth the artifices himself had used to bring this businesse to good effect labouring thereby to know the will of God that Rebeckah should be a Wife to Isaac then orderly and exactly he declareth how his Master was blest by God and honoured by men that he was rich and wealthy and that Isaac was heir to all his substance the silence
conceit himself to be any great matter 2. Art thou God's creature then meditate thus with thy self when thou art in afflictions that God takes no pleasure in the destruction of his workmanship preservation is a greater mercy than a simple being God will not leave any of his most excellent works done to halfes but perfect what he hath begun 3. Let the meditation of thy Creation spur thee on in the service of God even by nature we tender him our service from whom we receive our being saith Aquinas Aquinas in the first age of the world there was no thought of any idolatry blessings are then most taking with us and work most upon us while they are freshest in memory man came then but newly out of his Makers hands and could not so soon forget him When we consider likewise that the creatures were made to serve us let us also consider that the end why he created man was for the service of himself Excellent was his meditation who imagined the beasts to intimate thus much to man Qui fecit me propter te fecit te propter se He that made me to serve thee made thee to serve himself if therefore the creatures that were made to serve us do now as many times they do annoy us and rebell against us this should put us in mind of our rebellion against God by sin for had not Adam from whose loins we are all descended and who was God's Viceroy and the first created Ruler on earth been disobedient to his Maker and broken the Laws of the soveraign Lawgiver of Heaven unrulinesse had not broken forth neither of subjects against their Princes nor of the inferiour creatures against man their superiour Marvell 〈◊〉 saith Austin Mirari noli si ea quae deseruit superiorem paenas patitur per inferiorem Aug. de verbis Apostol Serm. 12. B p Pilkington in Haggai Vide Theodor. Graecor affect curat Serm 4. if that creature man who forsook his superiour be punished 〈◊〉 his inferiour There is not a Horse a Dog or an Oxe or any other living creature but it must have many stripes before it waâ— be brought to any good order to serve us Bishop Pilkington observeth In word our disobedience to God wâ— the cause of the disobediâ—nce of othâ—â— creatures to us so that when we 〈◊〉 any disorder in nature in what kind soever we must neither blame God nor the creatures but only thank our selves and our sins Sect 4. Of the fall of Adam The next subject of our meditation is the fall of Adam The fall of Adam the fourth subject of meditation Compurationes multas Arias Montan. in Latina versione Adam and Eve were happy in their Creation but alas this happinesse is not long lasting Man being in honour abideth not Psal 49.20 God made man upright but man sought out many inventions many computations as one renders Eccl. 7. ult seeking what in him lay to mar God's workmanship and deface his image Eve being overcome by the Serpent eats of the forbidden fruit and Adam overcome with the perswasion of his Wife takes from her hand that fatall Apple that choaketh all his posterity which being done he is smitten with sudden fear seeth his nakednesse and is ashamed and hides himself and his eyes are now opened to see evil by experience for before his fall he had no experience of the evil of sin and of the curse of God therefore he brake the command of God and did eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he sinned because he knew not the miscry of sin but after his fall he seeth the difference between grace and sin what he is himself and what he was before and all the future miseries that are like to befall his posterity and he that before treated him as a son cannot noâ— look upon him but as a slave and vagâ—bond Adam blames his Wife Eâ—â— the Serpent and instead of pleading guilty to their inditement to sweeten the rigour of the Judge they frame excuses to inflame his anger and to render themselves more uncapable of pardon Ah how far more wisely had both of them done Aug l. 11. ad lit c. 3. saith Austin if prostrate oâ— the ground with tears in their eyes oâ— sighs from their hearts and humbe confeâ—sions from their mouthes they had crieâ— out Lord pity us and all our miserable pâ—sterity Causin Histor sacr It was for this saith Gregory thâ— God called them and his voice as it weâ—â— sollicited them to humble them by the sweeâ— accents of his fatherly goodnesse but alas they are insensible God passeth a severe doom upon them the womaâ— shall conceive with pain and in sorrow bring forth children the maâ—â— to eat his bread in the sweat of his â—rows and put his hand to the Plough and be the companion of beasts in tilling of his ground which though he trod â—nder his feet he could not subdue without the labour of his hand and throughout his whole life which is a â—ife of sorrows he is to combate with all distempers never suffering him to be at rest till he return into the boâ—ome of the earth from whence he â—ame and immediately a flaming Cherubim bars up the gate of Paradise and shuts it for ever against these miseâ—able exiles And now he that was the Monarch of the world the father of all mankind the first the richest and â—reatest Lord that ever was on earth he began the fray whereof all his miâ—â—rable posterity have felt the blows his fall being their foil and his punishment the pattern of their pain and miâ—ery and now his heart is the fountain which powrs out its qualities into the substance of his childrens souls Rom. â— â—0 〈…〉 8. and â—ver since this infection hath passed â—rom father to son as by hereditary â—ght and now man is naturally void of all goodnesse and righteousnesse and become a vassall of sin Joh. 8.34 a slave of corruption 2 Pet. 2.19 a slave of Satan Eph. 2.1 2 3. and liable to eternall death that we are all by nature stained with sin appeareth Job 15.14 where Eliphaz saith This is that which our fabulous Poets have shadowed unto us in the tale of Pandora's Box which she opening through her curiosity filled the whole world full of all manner of diseases What is man that he should be clean and he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous and the Kingly Prophet makes this dolefull ditty to a lamentable Elegy and sad plain-song Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me and what he saith of himself in particular Paul affirmeth of all men in generall Rom. 5.12 saying that by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin whereby he understandeth the bitter root of originall corruption which daily and hourly brings forth the cursed fruits of actuall transgressions whereby we become culpable and liable to eternall ruine
is more than to touch him 1. Some say Resp. she believed the resurrection by seeing him therefore needed not this further confirmation by feeling but Thomas would not believe unlesse he both saw and felt Joh. 20.25 the rest are so affrighted that they know not what to make of it 2. Others say Marlorat ad loc he would not then be toucht of her to intimate to her that she came with too much a carnall mind to touch him a mind too low in regard of this glorious occasion Christ being now risen and glorified for his resurrection was the first degree of his glorification it did not satisfie her to answer Rabboni but she runs to him and claspeth him and clingeth about him as the affection of love did dictate to her but saith Christ Touch me not in â—uch a manner Dr Sibs Serm. on Ioh. 20.16 Vide B p Andrews Serm. in loc this is not a fit manâ—r for thee to touch me in now I â—m risen again She thought to conâ—erse with him in that familiar manner as she did while he was on earth when she powred ointment upon his head though he were the same person yet his condition was changed he was before in the state of abasement now in a state of glorification and that she must not touch him carnally Aretius ad loc nor any longer expect his bodily presence upon earth but follow him in her heart and affections to Heaven but touch him by the hand of faith when he was ascended to his Father as Austin saith Mitte fidem in coelum tetigisti Send up thy faith to Heaven and then thou touchest Christ Calv. ad loc 3. Others say it was not an absolute peremptory prohibition of touching him at all but only of immoderate embraceing for both she and other holy women afterwards took him and held him by the feet Mat. 28.9 Oh how glorious are the feet of the Lord of the Gospel 4. Cardinall Bellarmine Bellarm. hath a conceit that perhaps may be sound enough that it was not a perpetuall prohibition but only to be in forcâ— for the present time which he conjectureth from the reason for I am not yet ascended or ascending I am not yet leaving you but have yet many dayes wherein I am to be conversant with you during which you shall have time and leisure enough to touch me and therefore forbear now at this time and do that first which is most needfull Go to my brethren and tell them that I am risen and that I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God 1. The meditation on the Resurrection of Christ may teach us that Christ arose as a publick person and therefore all the faithfull shall rise again the Resurrection of Christ is a certain pledge of their resurrection as in the first fruits all the rest were sanctified so by Christ all the harvest of the faithfull is consecrated to a joyfull resurrection 1 Cor. 15.20 Hence Christ is said to be the first begotten from the dead because he is the cause of the resurrection of all the faithfull Joh. 11.25 Col 1.18 That God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ doth testifie to all the children of God that the guilt of their sins is taken away for if there had been any sin that Christ had not satisfied for he should have lyen in the grave to this day 1 Cor. 15.17 3. That the vertue and power of our Regeneration in this life cometh from the power and vertue of Christ's Resurrection Eph. 4.8 10. This confuteth the Socinians that hold Christs Resurrection onely exemplary and the Pelagians that say we have power to raise our selves therefore every one of us should labour to know the vertue of his Resurrection by an experimental and practical knowledge according to that of the Apostle Phil. 3.8 10. and because we cannot have this knowledge of our selves let us pray to the Lord to give it us Eph. 1.19 1. Let us labour to know the power of God in raising up Christ from the dead our faith and hope is grounded upon the power of God 1 Pet. 1.21 that raised him from the dead that therefore he will bestow all good things upon us And here we must consider the will of God for his power is effectual when it is according to his will Joh. 6.39 40. God hath promised to be our God and to bestow all good upon us thus considering of the power of God as it is an effectual and working power joyned with his will it is a means whereby our faith and hope cometh to be in God 2. Let us meditate on the goodness of God in raising Christ from the dead we call him our Father and Almighty Father for otherwise if we consider the power of God without his goodness it will make us to flye from him rather than to trust in him this goodness of God is manifest in that God raised him up and gave him glory and all for us and our glory Sect. 8. Of meditation on Death The next subject of our meditations is is Death The eighth subject of meditation is death Life and Death are common accidents to all living creatures saith Aristotle God made not death but death crept and entred into world through the envy of Satan and man's disobedience If God had made death he would not with tears have bewayled dead Lazarus whom therefore he restored to life that the Devil might see it is but lost labour with rage to pursue the children of God to take them out of the world forasmuch as those whom men may deem utterly lost and destroyed do live unto God The meditation of Death belongeth to all sorts of persons seeing it is appointed to all men once to dye and that by reason of sin Rom. 6.23 Obj. The Pelagians say That Adam should and must have dyed though he had not sinned even by the necessity of nature and by the condition of his creation being made of corruptible or mutable matter and with a mortal body Resp I answer That as some things are mutable which nevertheless shall never be changed as the good Angels might have fallen as the evil did before they were confirmed so there may be something mortal which yee for all that need not dye for as the * Mortale duplicitèr vocatur viz. vel quod naturae necessitate mori oportet vel quod peccati merito mori potest Quod quicunque dixerit Adam primum hominem mortalem factum ita ut siâ—è peccaret sive nòn peccaret moreretur in corpore hoc est de corpore exiret non peccati merito ed neessitate naturae Anathema sit Concil Melevit cap. 1. Learned have observed A thing may be called mortal two wayes either that which must dye by the necessity of nature or that which may dye by the desert of sin For the first Adam's body was not so mortal that it must have dyed by
condition of his creation for he was created to live and not to dye being made in the Image of God whereof immortality is a part and therefore it was directly concluded by one of the Councils that whosoever should say that Adam the first man was made mortal so that he should have dyed corporally whether he had sinned or not sinned that is that he should have gone out of the body not by the desert of sin but by the necessity of nature let him be accursed and God doth not make it the cause that Adam should dye because his body was made of the dust of the earth as the Pelagians falsely collect from Gen. 3.19 but becauss he had disobeyed the voice of God hearkning to the voice of his seducing wife Vid. Polan Syntagm Satan's Instrument to tempt him and so took and eat the forbidden fruit as appeareth vers 17. therefore he should dye and that which cometh afterward doth not declare the cause why he should dye but onely let him understand Lumb Sent. lib. 2. Distinct 9. that there was no impediment but that he might dye and that his body which was before onely mortale of that nature that it might dye he now by sin had made morti obnoxium subject and liable to death thus Paul tells us plainly that sin brought in death as the wages thereof Object It may be demanded seeing Jesus Christ hath abolished death and that by him we are reconciled to God to obtain eternal life how is it then that we are subject to death Resp. St. Austin answereth that heretofore death came and was by sin brought into the world but now death takes away our temporal life to the end we should cease from sin and that the meditation of our death doth keep us in our duty and so by Gods mercy the punishment of sin is become a shield against our sins Chrysostome censureth those wretches who fear death and fear not sin wherein they are insnared nor the unquenchable fire which gapeth for them to fear death is an evill more dreadfull than death it self Stella de contempt mundi A wise mans life is the meditation of death saith Stella Good reason it is that we should betimes meditate on death and think upon the freedome liberty life and immortality which ensue he giveth death a joyfull welcome who is before hand prepared for it Shall any man think that death doth not approach because he thinketh not of it or shall he think it draws nearer because he meditateth upon it Gerrard Meditat 43. Whether thou thinkest upon it or no saith one it hangeth alwayes over thy head life was lent unto thee not given thee as a freehold Verily the meditation of death is not irksome nor ought we to defer it from one year to another but on the contrary to think that nothing doth so much safeguard us in the midst of adversities and dangers as the meditation of death it is that which makes us sober in prosperity and ready prepared for all events death would be vanquished as soon as it should come if it were well thought on before it cometh and indeed he is unworthy of comfort in his death who in his whole life is forgetfull of death Guericus hearing those words out of Gen. 5. read in the Church And all the dayes that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years Drexel considerat de aeternit and he dyed and all the dayes of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years and he dyed and all the dayes of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years and he dyed c. Hearing I say these words read the very thoughts of death wrought so strongly upon him that he gave up himself wholly to a devout life that he might dye the death of the righteous and attain to eternal life I have read a story of one that gave a costly Ring to a young gallant with a death's head in it upon this condition that for some weeks he should spend one hour every day in looking and meditating upon it he took the Ring in wantonness but performed the condition with diligence but it pleased God after a frequent view and meditation thereof it wrought a notable change upon him so that he became an excellent Christian well were it if men of all ranks would frequently meditate on death and then by the grace of God they would finde a great change upon their lives Nil sic revocat a peccato quam frequens mortis meditatio August Nebrissens Dec. 2. lib. 3. cap. 1. there is nothing doth so effectually call a man back from sin as the frequent meditation of death Lewes the eleventh King of France did on his death-bed restore two Counties to the heirs of John King of Arragon to which before in his life time he would never condescend Cùm igitùr mortem nòn meditamur molestior vitae finis expectandus nobis est Diogenes in Epist ad Monemum Death is the clock by which we set our life in an order and the memory thereof doth restrain our immoderate love to worldly things did we frequently meditate on death we should finde a bitterness in those things which now seem sweet unto us the meditation hereof cleanseth the heart as a strainer cleanseth all the liquor that is poured into it A man is never more heavenly minded then when he meditateth on his own frailty Sicut cibis omnibus panis utilior est magis necessarius ita praestat omnibus operibus mortis cogitatio Climacus Grad 6. de discret and thinketh that he must shortly dye Let us herein take heed of the arrogance of the Stoicks and the vain confidence of the Epicures who never think on death but think they are in league with it perswading themselves it shall be easie for them to put by the blows of death and let us have no part in their effeminency Mons Goulart Viel who are affrighted at the very name of death not thinking that in death it self there is so much evil as in the solicitudes and fears with which many times in a day they kill themselves without any ease to their unbeleeving hearts Such meditations of death are foolish and unprofitable seeing as the Prophet tells us There is no man living that shall not see death and be able to save his life out of the hand of the grave Psal 89.90 Sect. 9. Of the fewness of them that shall be saved The ninth subject of meditation The small number of them that shall be saved In this Section the subject of our meditation shall be the small number of them that shall be saved Christ's flock in Scripture is called a little flock Luke 12.32 the number of the Elect is but small and by consequent there are but few that shall be saved Thus much one of the Fathers collecteth out of the destructions mentioned in the Old TeTestament August de verb.