land of darknes and to the shadow of death that is before I dye yea even the souls also of all wicked men shall after death abide in darkenesse everlasting And so their misery is expressed Mat. 22. 13. Cast him into outer darknesse there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth Secondly Observe the reason why he would have these dayes of darknesse to be remembred and thought upon because they are many saith he a great many more then the time we can hope to spend here In which respect death is called Ier. 51. 57. a perpetuall sleepe and we use to call our grave our long home And even for this cause it behooves us to be more careful to provide well for our future estate then for this present life As all wise men will care more for and bestow more cost upon that house and land which they hold in free hold or by inheritance then upon that where they are but tenants at will or hold for term of life onely Thirdly and lastly observe the conclusion which he infers upon this admonition and charge all that cometh that man getteth and enjoyeth heere is vanity and emptinesse no sound comfort or contentment of heart is to be found in it The principall point then that is to be observed you see in these words is the admonition and charge that Salomon gives heere to remember the dayes of darkenesse and from thence this Doctrine ariseth for our instruction That it is profitable and necessary for all men even in their best health in their greatest prosperity to remember and thinke oft of their death and of their future estate Two sorts of witnesses I will produce for the confirmation of this The first is of good men who have thus judged of the meditation of death This appeareth 1. by their practise they have beene wont to thinke much of their change This was Iobs daily meditation All the dayes of my warfare saith he Iob 14. 14. for so I read it with sundry of the best interpreters will I waite till my change come Neither did he onely in the times of his misery and affliction thinke thus of his change and wait for it but in the dayes of his greatest prosperity also as appeares by that which he saith Iob 3. 25. the thing that I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of it come unto me When he was in the height and strength of his peace and health hee lived in continuall feare and expectation of a change Secondly It appeares that they judged it profitable and necessary to thinke much of their end by the helps they were wont to use to keepe their death alwayes in their remembrance For 1. they counted it their wisdome to visit the sick and goe oft to the house of mourning even for this purpose The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning saith Salomon Eccl. 7. 4. and why did they account it their wisedome to do so he had given us the reason of that in the 2. verse for this is the end of all men saith he and the living will lay it to his heart Secondly to this end also they were wont to make their sepulchers in their lifetime so did Asa one of the good Kings of Iuda 2 Chro. 16. 14. and so did good Iosia also 2 Kings 23. 30. and so did Ioseph of Arimathea Mat. 27. 60. Thirdly and lastly they were wont in their prayers earnestly to beg helpe of God this waye Teach us to number our dayes say Gods people to God in their prayer Psal. 90. 12. that is teach us to consider the shortnesse and uncertainty of our life as David interpreted that prayer of Moses in another prayer of his to the same effect Psal. 39. 4. Lord make â—ee to know mine end and the number of my dayes what it is that I may know how fraile I am Because they knew well on the one side how usefull and necessary it was for them oft to thinke of the uncertainty and shortnesse of their life and on the other side how hard a thing it was for them to keep this in their mind how apt they were to grow forgetfull of it therefore they did earnestly sue unto God that by his Holy Spirit he would please to helpe them in this case And this is my first sort of witnesses The second is the Lord himselfe for hee hath also declared himselfe to judge so of the benefit and necessity of this meditation 1. By that earnest charge which our Saviour giveth to his Disciples concerning this Mar. 13. 35. Watch yee therefore for ye know not when the master of the house commeth at even or at mid-night or at the cockerowing or in the morning and verse 37. And what I say unto you I say unto all that is live in a continuall expectation of your end and of the account you must bee called unto because you know not how soone and suddaine it may be 2. By that patheticall with the Lord uttereth Deu. 32. 29. O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end He wisheth his people would understand and consider also think and meditate seriously of their latter end and he accounts it a high point of wisdome for them to doe so I know well that the meditation and thought of death is bitter to the flesh and useth to breed much heavinesse and feare in the heart And this is a chief thing that makes men unwilling to entertaine it But as many other bitter things are most wholsom and soveraigne even so is this Thus doth Salomon answer this very objection which hee knew men would be apt to make against that which he had said shewing the benefit of going to those houses where people are mourning for the sicknesse or death of their friends Alas will men say if we should use to doe so we should never be merry but sad and pensive and melancholick O saith he Eccl. 7. 3. but sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better Three great benefits we may receive by thinking oft and seriously of our latter end Which may serve for the Reasons and Grounds of the Doctrine 1. This would season all our pleasures and earthly contents so as we should be kept from surfetting of them He that is perswaded of the necessity of watching continually for the Lords comming and resolved to doe so will keepe himselfe sober from being overcome with the immoderate love of any earthly thing As he that knowes he must keepe the watch in a besieged City will be sure to keepe himselfe from taking too much drink Because the time is short saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 29. therefore let him that rejoiceth be as though he rejoiced not As if he should say take heed of rejoycing too much in any earthly thing because our time here is but short Therefore our Saviour at
8. Yea they have been brought to the very point brink of despaire before they could come to comfort So was Asaph when he cryed Psal. 73 26. My flesh and my heart faileth And so was Heman when he complained Psal. 88. 15. While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted And so was David also when he said thus in his prayer unto God Psal. 40. 12. Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so as I am not able to looke up they are more then the haires of my head therefore my heart faileth me But these were fouler sinners thou wilt say then ever thou wert I will shew thee therefore examples of such as whose sinnes were as small as thine Iob was never tainted with so fowle sinnes as thou hast been and yet his eyes were wont to poure out teares unto God 16. 20. He for that very forwardnesse and impatiency he shewed in so great affliction abhorred himselfe and repented in dust and ashes Iob 42. 6. Davids heart was so soft and tender that it smote him when he had but cut off the skirt of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24. 5. The poore man whose child Christ dispossessed burst out into teares even for the weakenesse of his faith Mar. 9. 24. Paul was marvellously humbled even for his originall sinne Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Consider these examples well and thou must needs conclude with thy selfe 1. Surely it must needs be a good thing 2. Surely it must needs be a necessary thing that all Gods people have beene so much given unto Surely I have as much cause as they had to weepe and bee deeply humbled for my sinnes But I will give thee another example farre greater then all these thy blessed Saviour that had no sin was much given to mourning and weeping for the the sinnes that thou and such as thou art have committed Mar. 3. 5. He mourned for the hardnesse of the hearts even of his enemies He wept over Ierusalem Luc. 19. 41. His soule was exceeding sorrowfull unto death Mat. 26. 38. He offred up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares Heb. 5. 7. Say not I have the lesse cause to grieve for my sinnes because hee grieved so much for them Esay 53. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrowes For thou must become conformable unto him in his sufferings or thou shalt never have comfort in them Rom. 8. 29. 6. 5. Say therefore to thine owne soule if all Gods people have beene so apt to weep and mourne what am I But before I proceede to the second Motive two questions and doubts must be ansvered that may arise from the first Can I not be in the state of grace unlesse I match these examples and be so tender hearted and apt to mourne as they I answer first thou mayest All Gods children have not beene humbled nor broken in heart in the same measure and degree and two reasons there be of the difference First In the persons themselves Some of them have beene more hainous sinners then others And according to the proportion of mens sins hath and must be the measure of mens humiliation The hainouser the sinne the deeper and of the longer continuance must the sorrow be Of Manafâ—es it is said 2 Chron. 33. 12. He humbled himselfe greatly before God Of David Psal. 51. 8. that his anguish and sorrow for sin was like to the paine a man feeleth that hath his bones broken Of Mary Magdalen that she wept so aboundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares Luc. 7. 38. Thinke upon this thou that hast beene guilty of murther persecution whoredome or such like hainous sinnes thy sorrow must be proportionable to the hainousnesse of thy sinnes The second reason of the difference is in the Lord who is the only worker giver of this grace For as in other graces he is pleased to give them in greater measure to some of his elect then to others Mat. 13. 23. In some elect ground the seed of the Word yeelds but thirty in some sixty in some an hundred fold So is it in this Ordinarily the Lord useth by the spirit of bondage and legal terrors to prepare men to their conversion and deeply to humble them to give them the spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. But we read of no such thing in the first conversion of Matthew though he had beene a Publican For at his very first conversion he made a great feast to Christ Mat. 9. 9 10. nor in those that Peter converted for though they were pricked in their hearts and deeply humbled before they beleeved Act. 2. 37. Yet did their sorrow and feare continue nothing so long upon them as Davids did they quickly attained to comfort in the assurance of pardon Act. 2. 41. 46 Lydias example I doe of purpose omit for shee though shee beleeved not in Christ till she heard Paul Act. 16. 14. yet was converted and feared God before Verse 13. Secondly Yet know this that all Gods elect 1. Find in themselves this humiliation even with legall terrours at one time or other For Christ was sent to preach the Gospell to none but to the broken-hearted to the captives to the bruised Luk. 4. 18. that is to such as had the spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. 2. All Gods faithfull and true hearted people are in some true measure humbled and can mourne and afflict their soules for sinne for they are all oft in scripture stiled by this title They are called the humble Psal. 34. 2. an afflicted and poore people Zeph. 3. 12. the poore of the flâ—ck Zac. 11. 7. 11. poore he meanes in spirit Maâ— 5. 3. Psal. 34 6 3. They hold themselves bound to aime at the best marks and to strive to be like them that have most excelled in this grace of brokennesse of spirit ability to mourne for sin Phil. 3. 17. Brethren be followers together of mee and marke them that walke so as ye have us for an ensample Thou art then in a wofull case if thou neither canst mourne for thy sinne nor strivest to doe it But yet there is a second question to be resolved For we heare may some say that Iob and David Peter and Paul and Hezechia and Iosia and Christ have been much given to weeping in their mourning for sinne they have wept much Can I not bee in the state of grace can I not have truely repented nor beene humbled for my sinne unlesse I can doe as they did unlesse I can weepe for my sinne I answer First That the griefe and mourning for sinne be absolutely necessary unto unfained repentance teares are not alwayes so And I will shew you two reasons of the difference that is to be observed betweene Gods people in this point First The constitution of some mens bodyes makes them much more unapt to weepe then others are Secondly The
they lived The spirits of just men saith the Apostle Heb. 12. 23. when they are once separated from their bodies and translated to heaven and not before then are made perfect 3. And lastly their workes follow them Rev. 14. 13. Death puts them in possession of their eternall happinesse and of that blessednesse whereby God hath promised to reward their obedience and all that care they have had to please him Certainly the least thing that any child of God hath done in love and obedience unto him shall not be forgotten nor unrewarded of God no not the dutifulnesse and diligence and faithfulnesse of a poore servant to his master Knowing saith the Apostle to such Col. 3. 24. that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. And whosoever saith our Saviour Mat. 10. 42. shall give to drinke unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water onely in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward But this reward is many times not given to Gods servants in this life When the even is once come and we have done working then will the Lord of the vineyard as we read Mat. 20. 8. give unto all his labourers the wages he hath covenanted to give unto them Now because of this great advantage and benefit that in all these three respects comes to our Christian friends by their death we faile much in the love we pretend to have borne unto them if we mourne immoderately for their departure from us Old Barzillai was willing even out of his love to his sonne to part with him and forgo the great helpe and comfort he might have had from him in his age because of the great preferment he knew it would be to his sonne to leave him and live with David in his court 2 Sam. 19. 37. And what comparison is there betweene that preferment and this that every child of God is advanced unto by his death 3. And lastly out of respect unto ourselves we should moderate our griefe for the departure of our Christian friends because we have not quite lost them but we shal be sure to enjoy them againe with much more content and comfort in their society than ever we did here By this consideration David moderated his sorrow for the death of his child 2 Sam. 12. 23. I shall go to him but he shall not returne unto me For though we shall not know one another nor enjoy the society and company one of another in the life to come in that naturall and carnall manner as we did in this life yet shall we certainly rejoyce much more one in another than ever we did in this world And this comfort that the faithfull shall have in heaven in their mutuall society is oft mentioned in the holy Scripture as one part and degree of that unspeakable happinesse that they shall enjoy there They shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob saith our Saviour Matthew 8. 11. in the kingdome of heaven They shall be admitted into the general assembly and church of the first-born which are written in heaven and to the spirits of just men made perfect And the Apostle saith of the Thessalonians who were won to God by his ministry and in whom he had taken great comfort in this life 1 Thess. 3. 19 20. that he knew well that in the life to come even in the presence of our Lord Iesus and at his comming they â—â—ould be his glory and joy and crowne of rejoycing he should take farre more comfort in them then than ever he had done in this world And this may suffice for answer to all thâ—se foure things that have been objected and to settle your hearts in this truth that the man that lives a godly and fruitfull life may be sure to die happily and comfortably and none but he And thus much also shall serve to have been spoken at this time Let us now praise God for his mercy and commend this that we have heard to his blessing by humble and faithfull prayer FINIS TO HIS MOST WORTHY AND MVCH HONOVRED PAtrone Master William Cokayne Merchant at his house in Austine Fryers in London SIR I Hope the world will not blame me for increasing the crowd of Englishwriters with which it is so much troubled nor censure me of folly for thrusting this little Booke into the throng where it is like to be smoothered if I may be admitted to put in this plea. To the first that as a dutifull sonne in honour of my deare fathers Name and memory I strive for some place for this Monument which may be some meanes to perpetuate the same in Gods Church as a faithfull Executor I am carefull to discharge this part of his though but nuncupative will to endeavour the publishing of this and some other of his Workes which himselfe intended and had prepared for the presse To the latter I plead that though it be in it selfe but small yet will it finde in the throng a booke to which it is neerely allyed a childe of the same Authors braine and heart the Lectures on Saint Iohn 4. which having found free and speedy passage will make way for this and easily procure it welcome and entertainment where it selfe hath found the like and I presume elsewhere also for somuch as the company of this may be procured at a farre easier charge then the former and as it hath one already to lead the way so God willing ere long I hope it shall be seconded by another of later bâ—â—th but greater growth It no way becometh me to commend this or any other worke of his let me rather strive to imitate him my selfe then to commend him or any thing of his to others his very name will commend them And least under that name the reader should suspect he may bee abused I heere solemnly promise that what is or shall be by me published under his name shall not be loose notes that have beene taken by some ignorant Scribe nor shall it be made up with additions and alterations of my owne buâ— the Copies under his owne hand carefully transcribed And as for publishing these Sermons I have good reason so for dedicating them to your selfe The occasion of them was that heavy Visitation which was then upon your City the drift of one part of them was to moove his auditors to commiserate the then wofull estate of it to you therefore as a Citizen of no meane note have I directed them but principally to you as my Patrone I have not nor expect anything of mine owne worthy publique view this I owne not as Authour but as Heire to the Authour and it being in mine hands I thought it my duty being the first booke I had to dispose of to present it first into those hands which freely bestowed the Presentation to this Parsonage upon me I have beene for above these foure yeeres covetous of
2 Pet. 2. 8. that in seeing and hearing hee vexed his righteous soule from day to day with the unlawfull deeds of the Sodomites This hath a great promise of speciall protection in the dayes of common calamity Goe through the midst of the City through the midst of Ierusalem saith the Lord to the man clothed in linen with the writers inkhorne by his side Ezek. 9. 4. and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof 3. For the sins especially of our owne families for they should trouble us most Nehemiah in his fast complained chiefly of his owne and of the sinnes of his fathers house Neh. 16. And it is said that when God should poure the spirit of grace and of supplications upon his people they should mourn every family apart Zac. 12 12. And Iob eveÌ„ out of the feare that his sons in their feasting might have sinned offred burnt offrings which were alwayes accompanied with profession of humiliation for them Iob 1. 5. Certainly he that careth not how much lewdnes there bee in the towne where he liveth nor in his owne family and that is not unfainedly troubled for it nor endeavoureth to reforme it was never yet rightly humbled for any sinne of his owne FINIS A SERMON PREACHED IN Ashby-Chappell Oct. 4. 1629. BY ARTH. HILDERSAM LONDON Printed by George Miller for Edward Brewster 1633. A SERMON PREACHED in Ashby-Chappell Octob. 4. 1629. Eccl. 11. 8. But if a man live many yeeres and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the dayes of darkenesse for they shall be many All that cometh is vanity THe occasion of these words and the dependance they have upon that went before is this Salomon in the six first verses of this Chapter had earnestly exhorted to the works of mercy and charity and enforced his exhortation by many strong and perswasory arguments In this verse and that which goeth before it hee concludes that exhortation with another forcible argument taken from the consideration of our future estate And the summe of his argument is as if he should have said thus Doe all that thou art able to doe that thou maist provide well for thy future estate It is the very same argument in effect which our blessed Saviour useth to the same purpose Luk. 12. 33. Sell that yee have and give almes provide your selves bagges that wax not old a treasure in the Heavens that faileth not where no theef approacheth neâ—ther moth corrupteth As if he should say bestow your goods so while you live here as you may have most use and comfort of them in the life that is to come As our Merchants that trade into Turky or Persia will lay out their mony there upon those commodities that will bee most beneficiall to them heere when they shall come home againe This argument Salomon propounds heere by way of answer to an objection that men specially voluptuous men are apt to make against all this that he had said to perswade them to workes of charity and mercy and whereby they are made most backward unto this duty The Objection is set downe in the 7. verse Truely the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sunne Where it is to bee observed for the opening of the words that by light is meant a pleasant and prosperous and comfortable life For as our life is called in Holy Scripture the light of the living Psal. 56. 13. because life it selfe is sweet and comfortable to man so is a comfortable estate in this life oft set forth and resembled by this metaphore When Eliphas would perswade Iob how beneficiall a thing it would be unto him to returne unto the Almighty not onely in respect of spirituall and eternall but even of worldly and temporall blessings also that he should be sure to receive by it he expresseth it thus Iob 22. 28. thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee and the light shall shine upon thy wayes that is thou shalt prosper in whatsoever thou takest in hand and have comfort in it The Iewes saith the sacred Story Est. 8. 16. upon the advancement of Mordecay and the reversing of Hamans letters had light and gladnesse and joy and honour So that the Objection which the voluptuous man maketh verse 7. is in effect thus much Certainly life is sweet and it is a great happinesse to live plentifully and prosperously neatly and pleasantly in this world which I can never doe if I should not bee carefull to keepe that I have If I should hearken to thy counsaile and be so liberall and bountifull to the poore as thou wouldst have me to be This Objection Salomon gives answer to in this verse And in his answer 3. points are to be observed 1. A supposition of two things 1. Suppose saith he that a man doe live many yeeres which yet no man specially no voluptuous man hath cause to looke for For what is your life saith the Apostle Iam. 4. 14. It is even a vapour that appeareth for a litle time and then vanisheth away 2. Suppose also that he rejoyce in them all which yet is more unlikely and in a manner impossible for all men good and bad are subject in their whole life to many occasions of sorrow which they can by no meanes avoid Man is born unto trouble saith Eliph Iob 5. 7. as the sparkes fly upward Yea every day of mans life will bring forth some new occasion of sorrow unto him or other sufficient unto the day is the evill thereof saith our Saviour Mat. 6. 34. Yea it is thus even with the best men all the day long have I beene plagued saith the Prophet Psal. 73. 14. and chastened every morning Then followes the 2. point to be observed in the words and that is a charge or admonition as if he should say admit both those things that I have thus supposed yet for all that I advise and charge him Let him remember the dayes of darkenesse Wherein also observe for the opening of the words 1. that by the dayes of darkenesse he meanes all that time that we shall spend in the estate of the dead For though the godly in respect of their soules be presently after death translated into Paradise according to that speach of our Saviour Luk. 23. 43. this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and there is no darknesse there nothing but light and comfort unspeakable the inheritance of the Saints is in light saith the Apostle Col. 1. 12. In thy presence is fulnesse of joy saith David Psal. 16. 11 at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore yet in respect of the bodyes of all men as this life is fitly compared to light so is the state of the dead unto darknesse And so speaketh Iob of it Iob 10. 21. Before I goe whence I shall not returne even to the