not feel the stroaks death daily giveth We must needs die and be as water spilt Upon the ground involv'd in Adams guilt That they shall die the living know full well The Grave 's the house where all ere long must dwell This is the way of all the earth Decreed It is by God the Worms on all shall feed Natural Causes may be given why All bodies perish necessarily The elements striving daily to Supplant Some one in time will be predominant Next the first matter burning with desire Of new forms longs th' old subject may expire And fresh succeed Thirdly the Radicall Moysture consuming still threatens a fall After it s pass'd the height of augmentation And wasted needs must follow dissipation Fourthly the Blood as it grows old grows thick By slow degrees and so corrupteth quick The Spirits also natural in the veins And vital in the Arteries by means Whereof the life 's maintain'd and animall In nerves whereby Sensations made these all By use and labour wast These causes cry All humane bodies must consume and dy 2 Cor. 4.7 Eccl. 9 2. Heb. 13.2 Testaceous Vessels and obnoxious To casualties that are most various Two ranks of men there are some good some bad Deaths Cannon plays against them both 't is sad To think why these must die that they may go To their own place Acts 1.25 to live in endless woe Death is to them an entrance into Hell Not so to those who study to do well Yet they must die that being freed from sin And death by death they may have entrance in To heavenly mansions and be ever there With God and Christ loving without all fear Receiving their reward of Gods free grace With joy beholding his most glorious Face The point is prov'd the reasons rendred why All as well good as bad must doubtless dye The circumstances where and when and how Are onely known to God and we must bow To his good pleasure First for time it is Determined by a Decree of His The criticall and punctual time Before Which none shall part with life on any score Beyond it shall not live a moment Whether The term of life be fixt or altogether Moveable Job hath stated some i th' womb After a short dark life do find a Tomb A thousand Sculls found in one Nunnery Some born alive die in their infancy In Childhood Youth and man-Man-age very many The rest filled with years Death spares not any The Poem stil'd Mortification Transcrib'd may prove edification How soon doth man decay When Cloaths are taken from a Chest of sweets To swaddle Infants whose young breath Scarce knows the way Those Clouts are little winding sheets Which do consign and send them unto Death When Boys go first to bed They step into their voluntary Graves Sleep holds them fast onely their breath Makes them not dead Successive nights like rolling Waves Convey them quickly who are bound for death When youth is frank and free And calls for Musick while his veins do swell All day exchanging mirth and breath In Company That Musick summons to the Knell Which shall befriend him at the hour of Death When man grows stay'd and Wise Getting a house and home where he may move Within the Circle of his Breath Schooling his Eyes That dumb inclosure maketh love Unto the Coffin that attends his death When age grows low and weak Marking his Grave and thawing every Year Till all do melt and drown his Breath When he would speak A Chair or Litter shews the Bier Which shall convey him to the house of Death Man ere he is aware Hath put together a Solemnity And drest his Herse while he hath breath As yet to spare Yet Lord instruct us so to dy That all these dyings may be life in Death We all are full of holes and take in Water At many breaches made of brittle matter At any time may be depriv'd of breath We know not when God knows our hour of death And as the Time the Place is known alone To God scarce any of us but can own The place where first we took our breath but where We shall breathe last this doth to none appear But him whose breath gave us both life and shape The place assign'd by him none can escape That strives to shun't Th' infants of Bethlehem Crying in Cradles Souldiers murther them Eglon is kill'd in 's Parlour In the field King Saul is slain His temple would not shield Sennach'rib from dying in 't Ishbosheth Upon his bed bereaved is of breath Joab at th' very Altar As the place Uncertain is where we shall end our Race So is the manner how A thousand ways There are whereby men terminate their days By sicknesses most ordinarily Of other ways there is infinity The Children of Jerusalem do dye By famine Sodom's by Saturity Some dye by Bears 2 Kin. 2.23 24. so Children that did jeer The new seen baldness of the Zealous Seer And some by Lions so that Prophet dyed 1 King 13.24 Who did obey not God but him that lyed Herod by worms gave up the Ghost Acts 12.23 Job 1.18 19. Jobs Sons And Daughters had their dissolutions In midst of feasting by the sudden fall Of that House where they fed together all Corah Numb 16.31 32 33. and his Complices Swallowed were By th' earth that opened so they payed dear For their rebellion By a broken Stone Cast from a Tower Judg. 9 53. 2 King 16 18. Abimelech is gone Two Captains and their fifties were by Fire Call'd for and sent from heaven forc'd t' expire Zimri was burnt in his own Palace 1 King 16.18 by A Fire himself did kindle wittingly Some dye by Dogs Euripides did so Some by a Fly a seeming silly foe So did a Pope of Rome A Counseller Of the same City strangled with an Hair Tullus Hostillius was with lightning struck Homer because he at a riddle stuck Propos'd by Fisher-men dyed with grief And Sophocles with joy being judged chief By one voice onely in a prize of learning Wherein he shew'd a judgment best discerning A Raisin stone did stop Anacreons breath Thus numberless have been the ways of death O by how small a thread does our Life hang When such small things can give a deadly pang In what shape death unto him will appear No man can tell these are to none made clear Time place and manner of mens dying known Are unto God and unto him alone These being secrets hid i' th breast of God Let us not search them but while our abode Is here below and while we move within The circle of our breath let us begin To school our eyes and minds at length and try What use to make of deaths necessity SECT III. An Enquiry why men decline fitting themselves for that Death that is thus certain Three Reasons of it assigned directions how to overthrow any force that is in them an Exhortation to dye dayly and the way
Harvest-Home BEING The Summe of certain SERMONS upon Job 5.26 One whereof was Preached at the Funeral of Mr. 〈◊〉 Musson an Aged godly Minister of the Gospel in the Royally Licensed rooms in Coventry the other since continued upon the Subject by J. B. D. D. Late Pastor of the Holy Trinity in that Ancient and Honourable City The first part being a preparation of the Corn for the Sickle The Latter will be the reaping shocking and inning of that Corn which is so fitted LONDON Printed for the Authour 1674. The Preface THis small Treatise concerning the happy and heavenly end of an holy life the Authour hath presumed to send to some of his noble and most worthy friends as an Earnest and Token of his hearty thankfullness for sundry expressions of their bounty in his now declining Age humbly desiring of them to receive it as such and of Almighty God that they who have thus ministred to one of the Labourers of his harvest may be by this or other means found wheat meet to be laid up in the Garner of him who is the great Husbandman which will be the great rejoycing of him who is their bounden servant and dayly Oratour at the throne of Grace J. B. Iob 5.26 Thou shalt come to thy Grave in a full age like as a shock of Corn cometh in in his season SECT I. The certainty and necessity of Death to all the priviledges of the godly both in every State of life and in death it self THis Text presents to every heedfull eye The unavoidable necessity Of dying naturally or violently There is not one That lives on Earth but shall ere long be brought Unto the Grave yet they may sing that sought To God in truth and righteousness have wrought To God alone Committed have their cause Ver. 17 resigning Themselves into his hands not once repining At the Almighties Chastning nor declining When God doth call At least Endeavour with their utmost might To seek commit submit as in his sight Walking continually with hearts upright These surely shall Find Ver 18 when God maketh sore He bindeth up Into their hands gives an all-healing Cup And when he others wounds they Dine and Sup With bodies whole In six Ver. 19 and seven troubles he delivers Each evil in those troubles breaks to shivers At shapes whereof each ill man quakes and quivers Also the Soul Of every godly man untouched stands Free from the force of Body-killing bands Their persons also scape their Enemies hands And they are hid By powrfull providence from the scourge of tongue Ver. 20 Nor shall they fear destruction coming strong Upon them but thereof ere it be long Be fairly rid At famine and destruction they shall smile Ver 22 Ver. 23 Yea laugh at both for God shall reconcile Both beasts and stones within a little while Friendly to them Though for a while some Creatures may annoy And trouble them yet shall they not destroy Nor when their forces all they do employ Ever undo them Ver. 24 And they shall know their Tabernacle shall Be in sweet peace their habitation small Capacious enough to hold them all And theirs shall be When they it visit Ver. 25 nor shall they offend Sinningly likewise shall their seed ascend To greatness and as Spires of Grass at end Their Eyes shall see It spring and flourish the Posterity Of pious Parents have this honour high They 're under influences heavenly Lastly when fate Knocks at their door they heartily are willing To open to it Sith it is not killing But opens to them Promises fulfilling The glorious Gate That lets them into lasting happiness They therefore hear Deaths call with joyfulness Embrace him in their Arms with cheerfulness they sigh and groan To dye and be with God and Christ at rest From Sinfull passions which they much detest From Travels Troubles wherewith sore opprest They sadly moan They come unto their Graves Ver. 26 even as it were Upon their own Feet without any fear Going into them and while they are here In life abiding They shall have health strength and wealth at will And multitude of years their Age shall fill A Comely buriall also nothing ill At all betiding O Then who would not be a godly man When such a Troop of good does all it can To make him happy Let us further Scan His thriving Bliss He shall ascend come in as doth a shock Of Corn into the Barn there shall no Block Be laid to hinder his free pace no Lock No Bar there is To stop his passage thither when the time That he must dy is come the bells shall Chime Church-bells above the Stars thus calling him Come come up hither Angels and blessed Saints crying aloud Make haste to us and leave the sinfull crowd That wraps poor Wights on earth as in a shrowd Shut up together An entrance in among the heavenly Quire Shall patent be according to desire And there with Love as hot as any Fire His panting Heart Shall filled be his tongue shall also sing The praises of his tender-hearted King Who dyed that he might live each one shall bring His several part Joyning together Hallelujahs sound To all eternity and there sins round Coursing it in a ring shall not be found Compleat perfection Of holiness and happiness possest By all alike from greatest to the least Both souls and bodies ever fed with blest And sweet refection These Lessons two thus taught i th' Text The certainty of death and next The promises of good to such As pious are wee 'l briefly touch SECT II. The certainty of Death proved by the joynt Suffrages of Heathens Testimony of Scripture and Concurrence of Natural Causes the time place means and other circumstances of it unknown to us are known only to God And we are exhorted thereupon not to search after the knowledge of them ANd first that every Mothers Child must dy Serius aut citius metam properamus ad unam Hear Heathens first speaking thus seriously We all do tend one way and soon or late Lanificas nulli tres exorare puellas Contigit We clasp our Earth in Lifes expired date Th' impartial Fates whom all mankind are under With keenest Scissars snip lifes thread asunder Deaths tract we all must tread our lives fair light Must be obscur'd and set in Deaths dark night Both crowned Kings Non Ducis imperium non regia mitra and mitred Popes must yield To Death's subjecting Rod and quit the Field Corona Pontificis snmmi c. Pale Death stands knocking at the lofty Towers Of Kings as well as Beggars Huts all hours Pallida mors equo pede pulsat pauperum Tabernas Regumque Turres With equall foot this debt we all must pay Heathens thus heard what sacred Scriptures say Let us hear next Psal 89 48. 2 Sam. 14 14 Rom. 2.12.14.17 Eccl. 9.5 Job 30 23. Jos 23.14 1 Kings 2.2 Job 24.20 What man is he that liveth And shall
is No work device any man minds In grave whither he goes nor any bliss There to be had Deferring therefore 's bad And as to matter we should look So to the manner too upon this ground Hypocrites doing good ' i th' Book Of God not to their good are often found No small pains taking Marring good works i th' making Cain brought fruits Esau lamented Jehu reform'd Herod did many things Pharisees fasted Judas repented Many such instances the Scripture brings To let us know More is requir'd than so And that God loveth Adverbs better Than Adjectives calls for sincerity In Spirit resting not in letter Yea that we do all duties fervently Each service so As we the last would do Now would we hear read meditate Confer sing Psalms receive for blessings pray Work in our callings recreate Our selves if we knew we should dye this day Draw out at length We would our utmost strength So when thou read'st a Chapter read As if thou never should'st read Chapter more Every time thou hear'st take heed Attend apply each word open the Door To let truth in To mortifie thy Sin Make thee to live a life of grace Hear as if this Sermon should be last Let meditation run apace On heavenly things this day as if when past Thine eye behold Another never should So praise and pray to God to day As if thou never shouldst praise pray again So eat and drink and work and play And buy and sell with all thy might and main Strive to do all As if God should thee call Presently hence to give account Of all these things that thou hast done what care Would'st thou take higher much to mount Than a bare outward form no labour spare To be upright Not playing th' hypocrite Followes the third means of repelling The reasons taking off mens minds from thinking Seriously on death hold them rebelling Against right reason which if it were sinking into their hearts They would act better parts The Poem tit'led Vertue teaching That many spectacles do death present A Lecture of Great Herberts Preaching From his Theorbo's let us be content That shoul'd make way To what we have to say Sweet day so cool so calm so bright The Bridall of the earth and sky The dew shall weep thy fall to night For thou must Dye Sweet rose whose hue angry and brave Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye Thy root is ever in his Grave And thou must Dye Sweet spring full of sweet dayes and Roses A box where sweets compacted lye My musick shew's you have your closes And all must Dye Only a sweet and vertuous soul Like season'd Timber never gives But though the whole world turn to Cole Then chiefly lives Let vertuous pious men not fear this King Of frighting fearfull terrors Christ Jesus rectifying errors Heb. 2.14.15 Having death suffered for this very thing This very end to cure this fear of death Which gracious hearts Was wont to pierce with poyson'd darts As with a sharp sword drawn out of its sheath To wound them so and work them such unrest In bondage they With Israel serv'd in brick and clay But their Redeemers Death their wounds hath drest Delivered them from former Bondage now They may and ought To beds of ease and rest be brought No fear of dying in themselves allow But in triumphing wise with voices shrill Merrily sing O death where is thy mortal sting There is in thee much good nothing of ill Death thou wast once an uncouth hideous thing Nothing but Bones The sad effect of sadder groans Thy mouth was open but thou couldst not sing For we considered thee as at some six Or ten years hence After the loss of life and sence Flesh being turn'd to dust and bones to sticks We look'd on this side of thee shooting short Where we did find The shells of fledg Souls left behind Dry dust sheds no tears but may extort But since our Saviours death hath put some blood Into thy face Thou art grown fair and full of Grace Much in request much sought for as a Good Therefore we can goe dye as sleep and trust Half that we have Vnto an honest faithful Grave Making our Pillows either down or dust The Dialogue Antheme's likewise worth our hearing The Christian first Questions with death in 't self accurst Which questions too but sans the Christians fearing Alas poor death where is thy Glory Chr. Where is thy famous force thy Ancient sting Alas poor mortall void of story Death Gospell and read how I have kill'd thy King Poor death and who was hurt thereby Chr. Thy curse being laid on him makes thee accurst Let loosers speak yet thou shalt dye Death These arms shall crush thee Chr. Spare not do thy worst I shall be one day better than before Chr. Thou so much worse that thou shalt be no more Death should be unto Godly men no more Terrible than Sleep is unto a weary man A rest from labours crosses many a Score Unruly passions which do vex them here From winnowings Of Satan dreadfull buffetings They 'r freed from these by death and from their fear The day of death is unto them a day Of Liberty Beginning of felicity Ferfect in part which after a small stay Shall be consummate at the resurrection When they shall be Rewarded for their industry Have vision and fruition in perfection While they live let them make their lives as free From fears and griefs as possibly they can Eating and drinking merry let them be Singing cares fears away during this span Let all clouds scatter What shall befall hereafter make no matter The Lords Prerogative royal it is Future events to order as he pleaseth Let come what will nothing can come amiss To those that love him this the Spirit easeth When 't is opprest In midst of cursed chances these are blest Every wind blowing them profit griefs The greatest are if taken in their way Ready to prove themselves greatest reliefs However every drooping Christian may Utter these words Which by his Servant God to him affords Awake sad heart whom sorrow ever drowns Take up thine eyes which feed on earth Vnfold thy forehead gather'd into frowns Thy Saviour comes and with him mirth Awake awake And with a healthfull heart his comforts take SECT IV. The several blessings and comforts comprised in the Text for good men instances of such as have enjoyed them Objection that experience tells 't is otherwise with many of the Godly Severall Answers put in to this THe severall comforts in this text held forth To every pious person we Will mention first next prove apply the worth Of each of them that each may see Who will take pains Till he an int'rest in the promise gains A healthfull sound fresh lively constitution Is the first blessing promised He shall until his day of dissolution From sole of foot to crown of head Free from attaches Of sickness weakness in no part feel