probable that Dorcas had been Sick before but not unto Death but now She was Sick and Dyed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will not break forth into any Rhetorical Declamations against the cruelty of Death yet the Scripture calls it an Enemy and the last Enemy 1 Cor. 15. and it doth the worst it can even to Gods own people But it may be said of it as Socrates said of his Enemies they may kill me but they cannot hurt me For what Basil said of Martyrdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is true of any kind of Death to Gods Children it is but a way to passe from a Temporal Life to an Eternal She Dyed The Holyest and most Religious persons are subject to Death The Apostle speaking of the Patriarches these all Dyed saith he 11 Heb. 13. Grace gives comfort in Death but not power against it It is one of the Statutes of Heaven which cannot be revoked Statutum est 9 Heb. 27. it is appointed for all Men once to die There is no man hath power over the Spirit to retain the Spirit neither hath he power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that Warr 8 Eccl. 8. no union unseperable but that between Christ and a believer Death will seperate the union between Husband and Wife between Children and Parents between David and Jonathan yea the union between Soul and Body for a time Privilegia singularia regulam non faciunt regulam non infringunt Personalis Actio moritur cum persona nec sunt amplianda privilegia but not the union between Christ and the Soul for when the people of God are dissolved then they go to be with Christ which is best of all If it be objected that Enoch and Elias never saw Death the Answer is that singular privileges neither make a Rule nor break a Rule these were personal privileges and a personal Action ever dies with the person Neither are privileges to be amplified for then they are no privileges Though Christ hath taken away the sting of Death that it cannot hurt us the strength of Death that it cannot always hold us yet hath he not as yet altogether destroyed it But the best men must dye that as Sin brought in Death so Death may again cast out Sin Death was first inflicted as the punishment of Sin now it is the end of it 2 Cor. 5.4 Therefore do the holyest men dye that their mortality may be swallowed up of life Again sometimes God takes away his dearest Children by Death 2 Chro. 34.28 â—7 Isa 1. as he did Josiah from the evil to come Lastly that of the Apostle is considerable speaking of the Martyrs he saith of whom the World was not worthy 11 Hebr. 38. The World is apt to deride revile maligne and cast aspersions upon good men they will not profit by their Admonitions and good Examples therefore the World is worthy no longer of their Societie and God takes them away He thinks that he hath let them live but too long to have no kinder usage and therefore he takes them up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Justin Martyr speaks to their heavenly kindred where they shall be more made of 5 Wisd 4. Hence we learn that as they are Fools who account the Godly mans life madness so are they that think their end to be without honour It is not the misery of good men that they die For he is not miserable that dyeth but once and for a moment that death may for ever be swallowed up of life But he is miserable that is ever dying and yet lives in torments infinitely worse then death Thus it is with the wicked in Hell who passing out of this life are immediately seised on by the second death but for the Godly the Scripture saith blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death shall have no power but they shall be Preists of God and of Christ Secondly the Godly are desirous of death 20 Revel 6. 1 Phil 23. for love is an affection of Union Now Christ is with the Saint here there is security in that but the Saint also would be with Christ for in that there is full foelicity Lastly though the holiest Persons die yet God suffers not Death to put in his Sickle before they be ripe There is no question what age soever Dorcas was of being so full of good works She could not but be fit for Heaven For this reason a Christian can never die out of season Paul saith that he was as one born out of season 1 Cor. 5.8 because he had not seen Christ on Earth but he could not die out of season because he was sure to see Christ in Heaven That Dorcas died the Text tells us but how she died it doth not tell us neither was it very necessary for we may be confident that She who lived so piously could not but die peaceably She that was so full of good works in her life we may probably think that she was not full of fears at her death The wise man tels us that the wicked is driven away in his wickednesse but the righteous hath hope in his death 14 Prov. 32 Dorcas being so righteous a woman could not but have hope in her death and it is very probable She had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The full assurance of hope 6 Heb. 11. It is likely She had that full assurance of hope that filled her with joy But to be sure She had that hope in her death 5 Rom 5. which would not make her ashamed at the day of Judgement I will only add this now Dorcas is gone her works we are sure have followed her long since and our praises can add nothing to her glory only they are an excitement to our selves To him that soweth righteousnesse there shall be a sure reward 11 Pro. 18. Which reward Dorcas now hath For God is not unrighteous that he should forget Dorcas works and labour of love which She shewed towards his name in that She ministred unto the Saints 6 Hebr. 10. That Dorcas Soul is blessed I can tell you But how blessed if I had the tongue of Men and Angels I could not tell you The Scripture hath left us but a Negative description of the Saints blessedness Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard c. 1 Cor. 2.9 Paul was translated out of himself to behold it 2 Cor 12. and being returned into himself could not express it Doe not envy Dorcas her happiness but imitate her holinesse 14 Rev. 13. 2 Pet. 1.13 25 Math. 4. She hath rested from her labours and received her Crown but left us still to sweat and toil in Gods Vine-yard Nor must we think to come to Heaven upon easier terms than Gods Saints have done before us Wherefore let us gird up the loyns of our minds let us every day be adding more Oil to our Lamps that
and likewise of Alms-Deeds in Particular As Mr. Hieron calleth her a discreet compassionate cheerfull and Simple-hearted Almoner I come now to the sad part of my Text and that is her sickness and death It may be you have heard me hitherto with delight if I now stirr up your grief I cannot avoid it But I must go as I am led by the Text and the occasion Who would not be ready to say it was pity that Dorcas so good a Woman should all any thing that she should be sick but much more that she should die But so it seemed good to Divine Providence For it came to passe in those days that she was sick and died And it came to passe Observ There is a providence in and to be observed in the Sicknesse and Death of Gods Saints Pretious in the sight of the Lord 116 Psal 15◠is the Life and also the Death of his Saints And if they be so pretious to God how can we think but that there should be a special providence in their Sicknesse and Death If the hairs of their Heads are numbred 10 Mat. 30. much more the days of their Sojourning and if one of their hairs cannot fall to the ground but by the providence of their Heavenly Father much lesse can their whole bodies There is a threefold Providence of God First General which he exerciseth over all his Creatures Secondly Special which he exerciseth over Man Thirdly Particular which he exerciseth over his own People Of this last the Psalmest speaks 56 Psal 7. Thou tellest my wandrings put thou my Tears into thy Bottle are they not all in thy Book God in his providence orders the time when his people shall be sick and Dye the place where the Disease of which with all other circumstances of that nature and which is above all he doth fashion their Hearts by the same providence to bear Sicknesse and so disposeth of things that they are not taken away by Death till they have finished their work and are fit to enter into Glory Well then let us see his providence and submit to it acknowledging the Justice Wisdom and Goodnesse of it We are apt oft times to wonder that God should cast his people into Sicknesse and take them away by Death at such a time that he casteth them into such places it may be where they are at a distance from their Habitation that they are taken away by such a sharp Disease and violently that he doth not spare them a little to recover their strength before they go hence and be no more seen 39 Psal 13. Now we must answer all such questions as these with a sic evenit so it came to passe by the most wise providence of God whose respect to his Children is such that if he had seen any thing better this had not been Observ It came to passe in those days that She was Sick Gods dearest Children are not exempted from Sicknesse no more than any other affliction Si amatur quomodo infirmatur it is said 11 Joh. 3. Behold he whom thou lovest is Sick Augustine asks if he were beloved how came he to be Sick But in outward accidents of this life God makes no difference Nay it is usual in providence that they who have Gods Heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feel Gods Hand most heavy It is a very pretty saying of Clemens Alexandrinus Gods Children are not neer him unlesse they be within the reach of his Rod. They sit as Augustus said he did when he sate between Virgil and Horace Inter suspicia lachrymas the one melancholly the other troubled with sore eyes between sighing and weeping All the day long have I been plagued and chastned every Morning saith David 73 Psal 14. When yet it is said of some wicked worldly Men 73 Psal 7. that they were not in trouble like other Men neither were they plagued like other Men. You have read it may be or heard the Story of the holy Hermite that having lived to a compleat Age though very piously yet made a question of Gods love to him because all that while he had not which he could remember felt one hours sicknesse It pleased God in some short time before he dyed to visit him with an Ague which he blessed God for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and received as a Love-token not scrupling that so much afterward which formerly had troubled him Paul had a racking pain which he expresseth by a Thorn in the flesh 2 Cor. 12. Mr. Manton A learned Man thinks that he alludes to such kind of punishment as Slaves or Men not free were put to for great offences They sharpned a Stake and pointed it with Iron and put it in at his Back till it came out at his Mouth and so with his Face upward he Dyed miserably And therefore by that expression the Apostle intendeth some grievous bodily distemper or racking pain 2 Coo. 12.5 Certainly he speaketh of such an infirmity wherein he would Glory and therefore it is not probable that it should be meant of Sin or some prevailing Lust as many expound it but rather of some extreme corporal pain Yet I have observed that Gods Children are not apt to question his Love so much as in Sicknesse For Satan takes the advantage of the solitude of a Sick person to tempt him more and makes use of the pain and distemper of the Body to disturb and disquiet the mind But however Gods people have no more cause to doubt of Gods love in Sicknesse than any other affliction That which troubles them most is that hereby they are rendred unserviceable but where God disenableth from duty he looks not for it but accepts of the desire for the deed Besides Sicknesse it not such an unserviceable Estate may not one serve God acceptably in suffring as well as doing As it is said in the Revelation 14 Revel 12. here now is the Faith and Patience of the Saints Therefore if God shall cast your Bodies into Sickness be not dejected cast not down your Spirits 38 Isa 1. 7 Job 3 4. 38 Psal 7. 2 Phil. 27. Gods dearest Saints have had experience of sore Sicknesses such as Hezekiah Job David and Epaphroditus The Children of God have Bodies of the same matter and making with other men They are but earthen vessels subject to knocks and cracks as others are only they have a more pretious Lamp shining in these earthen pitchers than others have I mean a more pretious Soul Therefore comfort your selves and remember that in Sickness all your desire is before God and your groaning is not hid from him 38 Psal 9. And though your bodily distemper indispose you for duty yet God accepted Hezekiahs prayer 38 Isa 5. though when he prayed he did but chatter like as a Crane or a Swallow 38 Isa 14. So much of Dorcas Sickness I come now to her Death It is very
death Cùm stellae caduâ—t venti sequentur Arist and others like her that they will be worse When such Stars fall it is a sign of storms about to arise The Lord in mercy prevent them She was Sick and Dyed Sicknesse is the summons to Death the time of Sicknesse is that which God in mercy vouchsafeth to his Children to fit them for Death Her Sickness was but short therefore you may say her time of preparation was not long There was no such need of it her whole life had been a preparation for Death and now she had little else to do but to render her Soul into Gods hands Her Disease was judged to be a Plurisie it began with a pain in her side and so increased It brings to my mind that which I read of Peter 12 Act. how the Angel smote him on his side saying arise up quickly and his Chains fell off from his hands So did the Lord smite her on her side and her Chains of Sin and Sicknesse and Mortality quickly fell off from her And now her Soul being unpinioned is mounted up above the Clouds till the day that she shall come with Christ in the Clouds to Judgement In her Sicknesse I apprehended her very patient yet she desired me that I would beg of God for her a greater measure of patience for though the Spirit was willing yet the flesh she said was weak 26 Mat. 41. She was Sick and Dyed So our Doâ—cas not inferiour to her in the Text though so holy a woman yet could not be exempted from paying her last debt to nature Some it may be will be inquisitive to know how she Dyed I answer first though she Dyed soon yet not suddenly I perceive she hath for a long time Dyed dayly in her expectation and hath frequently told her Friends that she might not stay long with them There are many events and second causes that help to hasten Death and beside the infirmities of her Bodie I believe the late losse of her most dear Husband might be a means to shorten her dayes Secondly She Dyed most comfortably Being asked of one about her the Morning before she Dyed how she did She said she was all peace peace within and peace without About two days before she Dyed when I asked her how it was with her Her answer was Sir I am very ill I have a great pain in my side and spit blood But I thank God I have passed the great Gulfe for I am assured and she went over with it again speaking more heartily than at other times Ey I am assured that God hath pardoned all my sins and then she fell into an admiration of Gods mercy to her but said she how unworthily have I walked off and unsutably to such great love and at the uttering of these words I know not whether she did refrain her self from weeping When I farther asked her whether she did not believe that God had pardoned this Sin to her as well as the rest She answered she doubted it not yet it could not but trouble her to think of it Thus she continued to her Death for any thing I heard to the contrary She knew she said her State was safe but she desired if God saw good that he would rebuke Satan that it might be comfortable so long as she lived To this purpose we prayed with her several times and it pleased God to grant her request So I have given you the Parallel between Dorcas and this worthy Gentlewoman deceased I am sure I have not represented things to you in such lively colours as they deserved but I have not set a false Glosse upon any thing What remains but as I have done this to excite you to follow her steps so that I exhort you in the words of the Apostle 6 Heb. 11 12. I desire that every one of you would shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end tint you be not slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises FINIS