Shoot shoot saies Satan all 's our owne 4. Fond foolish Rome how dat'st oppose Whom God in his safe bosome laies Thy malice may it self disclose But frustrate still shall turn to praise 5. The Crozier staff thy Triple Crown Those ensigns of deceit and pride Thy Purple Robe thy blaz'd Renown The dust shall ever ever hide 6. Thy Merchants shall thy fall lament Thy Lovers all in sackcloath mourn While Heav'n and Earth in one consent Shall sing Amen let Babylon burn 7. Then Lord thy Spouse whose dropping eyes Whose sighs whose sufferings prove her thine Shall from her pensive sorrows rise And as the Lamb 's fair Bride shall shine 8. Sweet day sweet day when shall it be Why staies my Lord Dear Saviour come Thy mourning Spouse cries after thee Stay with me here or take me home He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed Isa. 53.5 1. THus died the Prince of life thus he That could not die even died for me My thoughtful heart Lord shall arise And ponder these deep mysteries 2. What means his death who knew no sin Or what my life who live therein Mine was the debt and death my due Though thou wast pleas'd thy Son to sue 3. Thou Lord I wast pleas'd on him to lay The debt and he the price to pay Thy Gospell feasts though sweet to me Are th' Emblems of his Agony 4. And oh how great his sufferings were Who th' wrath of God and man did bear The Father then forsakes the Son And Creatures 'gainst their Maker run 5. Iudas betraies Disciples flee Whil'st Jews and Romans crucifie Hereat the Sun furls up his light And cloaths the Earth in sable night 6. The joyless Stars even seem'd to say Israel had quench'd the Lamp of day The stubbourn Mountains they lament The Rocks they are asunder rent 7. The Graves their sealed doors unclose The Dead awakened also rose Th' amaz'd Centurion mourning cries Oh! 't is the Son of God that dies 8. Thus these all labour to consels Thy Deity thy righteousness Enough dear Lord these offer me Supports for th' utmost faith in thee God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Iesus Christ Gal. 6.14 1. MY Song is love unknown My Saviours love to me Love to the loveless shown That they might lovely be Oh who am I That for my sake My Lord should take Frail flesh and die 2. He came from his bless'd Throne Salvation to bestow But men made strange and none The long'd-for Christ would know But oh my Friend My Friend indeed Who at my need His life did spend 3. Sometimes they strow his way And his sweet praises sing Resounding all the day Hosannah's to their King Then Crucifie Is all their breath And for his death They thirst and crie 4. Why what hath my Lord done What makes this rage and spite He made the Lame to run He gave the Blind their sight Sweet injuries Yet they at these Themselves displease And 'gainst him rise 5. They rise and needs will have My dear Lord made away A Murderer they save The Prince of life they slay Yet cheerful he To suff'ring goes That he his Foes From thence might free 6. In life no house no home My Lord on earth might have In death no friendly tombe But what a Stranger gave What may I say Heav'n was his home But mine the tombe Wherein he lay 7. Here might I stay and sing No story so divine Never was love dear King Never was grief like thine This is my Friend In whose sweet praise I all my daies Could gladly spend The Pilgrims Farewell to the World For we have here no continuing City but we seek one to come Heb. 13.14 1. FArewel poor World I must be gone Thou art no home no rest for me I 'll take my staff and travel on Till I a better World may see 2. Why art thou loth my heart oh why Do'st thus recoil within my breast Grieve not but say farewel and fly Unto the Arke my Dove there 's rest 3. I come my Lord a Pilgrims pace Weary and weak I slowly move Longing but can't yet reach the place The gladsom place of rest above 4. I come my Lord the slouds here rise These troubled Seas foam nought but mire My Dove back to my bosom Flies Farewel poor World Heav'n's my desire 5. Stay stay said Earth whither fond one Here 's a fair World what wouldst thou have Fair World oh no thy beautie 's gone An heav'nly Canaan Lord I crave 6. Thus th' ancient Travellers thus they Weary of Earth sigh'd after thee They are gone before I may not stay Till I both thee and them may see 7. Put on my Soul put on with speed Though th' way belong the end is sweet Once more poor World Farewel indeed In leaving thee my Lord I meet Christs future coming to Judgment the Christians present Meditation Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him Rev. 1.7 1. BEhold he comes comes from on high Like lightning through the flaming skie The Saint's desire the Sinner's fear Behold that solemn day draws near 2. He comes who unto Judgment shall All flesh to his Tribunal call Me thinks I see the burnish'd Throne Whereon my Saviour sits alone 3. Me thinks I see at his right hand His smiling Saints in triumph stand Me thinks I hear condemned ones Howling their never-dying groans 4. Me thinks I see even Time expire The Heav'ns and Earth on flaming fire Think not my Soul thy self to hide Thou canst not 'scape but shalt be tri'd 5. Loe here the Book whence Justice reads Sentence on Sinners sinful deeds Loe here the Mercy Psalm wherein My Judge speaks pardon to my sin 6. I tremble Lord yet must I say This is my long'd-for wedding day My Bridegroom is my Soveraign Lord My Joynture drawn in his fair Woâ—d 7. My Mansion built by him on High Where I may rest eternally Then come my Lord dear Saviour come And when thou pleasest take me home Amen Even so come Lord Iesuâ— come quickly The Resurrection Though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God Job 19.26 1. MY Life 's a shade my daies Apace to death decline My Lord is life he 'l raise My dust again even mine Sweet truth to me I shall arise And with these eyes My Saviour see 2. My peaceful grave shall keep My bones till that sweet day I wake from my long sleep And leave my bed of Clay Sweet truth to me I shall arise And with these eyes My Saviour see 3. My Lord his Angels shall Their Golden Trumpets sound At whose most welcome call My grave shall be unbound Sweet truth to me c. 4. I said sometimes with tears Ah me I 'm loth to die Lord silence thou those fears My life 's with thee on high
it Which made the Prophet cry out so earnestly to some insolent and over-daring spirits in his time Now therefore be ye not mockers lest your bonds be made strong He that hath not so much Reverence as to spare Religion from reproaching that not Humanity as to forbear godly persons from deriding them let him yet have so much Wisdom so much Pity as to spare himself It was the setled and unalterable description which David long ago gave of a godly man a man likely to dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. The Image of God should be exceeding lovely his grace highly honourable wherever we find it though but in the meanest of his people What we discern of weakness not yet removed not yet healed may be pitied but must not be scorned Where Religion is wantonly scoffed at without doors in others It is to be feared and more than feared it is neglected enough and wretchedly trodden under foot at home 2. Not one given to foolish gaming Oh! no It is not for him that comes into the world a Child of wrath born in sin it is not for him whose very Condition and Religion if he seriously bethinks himself of either call aloud unto him for tears and dayly repentance It is not for him who hath no more but these few and frail daies wherein to provide for that solemn thing Eternity or else lie down with everlasting burnings It is not for such an one to become a vain gamester He hath other things matters of greater weight and moment which will call for his time and utmost care he is scarce at leisure to trifle with unmanly games Ingenuous divertions where they are wisely chosen harmlesly and seldom used timely and willingly parted with might possibly be winked at Both body and mind may sometimes modestly beg their remedy And let them have it so they take it but as a remedy and make it not worse than the disease Generous actions Religion is not so Stoical as to condemn them They are commanded they shall be commended Whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are lovely if there be any vertue if there be any praise we have free leave and are invited to address our selves unto them And happy is that young man whose hopeful disposition presseth early as David into the Camp and even longeth to employ it self in such noble undertakings He that passeth by shall bless him in the name of the Lord and say Go on and prosper But effeminate games can claim no kindred neither can they expect that they should ever be recorded in Letters of Gold or mentioned in the Congregation of the Lord like Mordecay's good services unto honour No no They are as Alexander wittily said in Plutarch neither true Iest nor good Earnest Neither fair Play nor sober Work But of a far sadder nature when such serious things as Estates and the welfare of whole Families are unnaturally thrown away upon idle and foolish Dice They are too commonly seeming sports real vexations Actaeons hounds kept for pleasure but in a short space devour their Mâ—ster the deflouring of the mind the gratifying of Satan the unhinging of the whole man from things of nobler worth toward God or toward our Country Experience hath too often stood with tears in her eyes and even wept in the sight of all men over these things complaining what you account the pastime of particular persons I must lament as the danger of thousands as that sore evil which unworthily softens and corrupts the Spirit of Nations into degeneracy and sloath opening the gates to any enemies inviting and letting in the Trojan horse of all calamity Thus with the Roman Emperour we greedily take the Cup because it is pleasant but it proves poyson and in conclusion our death These things please not so much one way but they wound as much another Whosoever seems here to win all are sure to go away great losers The Gamester alwaies rashly stakes and too commonly plaies away his dear immortal soul in his games 3. Not a Sabbath breaker Oh no He that dares be so bold on the Lords day will not stick to be fâ—â— worse upon another Where a Sabbath of so few hours becomes wearisome to us on Earth Good Lord what would that man do with an everlasting Sabbath in Heaven It becomes the true Disciple to awake and arise early that morning To awake as the Apostle saies out of sin unto righteousness and to put himselfe in remembrance that this is the day of his Saviours Resurrection the flower of time a Princess amongst all other daies the day for his solemn avouching of his Religion in the sight of God Angels and Men that this is the day wherein the Lord hath appointed to speak with him and hear from him wherein to give him â— meeting about the great affairs of his Soul He dares not neglect so blessed an opportunity he knows not whether he shall ever live till another Sabbath comes about He saies within himself as in the Primitive times I am a Christian and dare not omit the due observing of this day Oh the sad ruins of thousands for the controversie of violated Sabbathsâ— Persons Families Countries have died under it For Gods sake even for Gods sake let the terrour of the Lord in the remembrance of such sad Judgements perswade you And charge your selves afresh every Sabbath morning with what solemness you possibly can not to speak your own words not to think your own thoughts but thoughts meet for a Sabbath and settle your selves heartily to sanctifie this day of the Lord. Where the religious care of these choice Seasons dies it is too too commonly and sadly seen little goodness little loveliness little of the true fear of God there lives 4. Not one given to vain speech Oh! no The sober Young Man finds a field large enough to walk in to refresh himself and others with harmless discourse he desires not to break the hedge or run over to speak with sin He understand those words which are but Cyphers as to sense may be Figures of too great number as to sin He hears there may be and often are whole slouds of words in bulk where there are scarce the least drops of good reason or wisdom to be found in them And it makes him still the more cautious that he opens not his lips at any time foolishly He judges speech should be a Lecture of wisdome to the hearers The matter alwaies weighty the manner of expression ingenuous and comely without which he concludes with the great Philosopher Speech about vain things when all is done will be but vain and worthless He chooseth to have his discourse rather of things than of persons Sometimes of Vertue and the amiableness of that Sometimes of the great Works and Providence of
you Factious they are it may be loâ—h you should be Superstitious but still they would have you Pious See then Sweet Youths I how little of real discouragement lies before you Your nearest Friends are ready to say unto you as once Cyrus to the trembling and willing Iews Go up and the Lord your God be with you Be ye then I pray you toward God Children of great willingness toward your Parents blameless and without rebuke drawing the love of all unto you in the Families wherin you dwell CHAP. XI The Conclusion of the whole by way of Exhortation ANd now what hinders but that all this might be willingly imbraced faithfully practised the life of grace cordially espoused and your Souls for ever saved Your Friends they desire it Your own everlasting welfare is bound up in it And God himself from Heaven calls unto you for it What answer can you now tender but as Christ in the Psalms Loe I come to do thy will oh God! Concluding with the Father He were justly worthy to be cut off by death that should refuse on such sweet terms to close with a gracious life Oh! require not the Lord and your own Souls so unkindly Give not your years to vanity nor your precious time to that which will not comfort in the end Sins in Youth will most certainly become sorrows in Age. It is usually said Youth laies in and Age lives upon it The one sows the other reaps Oh! sow that now which may be worth the reaping afterwards How loth would you be to have your own life now become your death hereafter To have the foolish sins of your Youth to stand between you and your everlasting real happiness Your present vain pleasures made your arraignment your condemnation your utter undoing in the day of Judgement This would prove like the Roman Souldiers Grapes short pleasures sorry pleasures joyless pleasures dearly bought and dearly paid for Thus might you feather the Arrow that wounds you from your own wing and in the end sit down with that sad number who all the year long sigh over this doleful note For a few short pleasures have we purchased to our selves innumerable and everlasting torments Well however I pray know you cannot be so slighty so careless now but you shall be as solemn and perplexed then Sin cannot please so much in the commission but it will torment far more when it comes to be suffered for and the Sinner to be brought forth to execution Go Christless before the Lord and there shall be no Parent there able or willing to countenance you no excuse there to be made for you no hope no comfort left in your own consciences to relieve you Oh! treasure not up to your selves wrath against that day that dreadful day of wrath How tremendous and heart-piercing are the Examples which God hath set as so many flaming swords before you that you might take timely warning and not rush upon your own destruction Ishmael scoffs at Religion and is cast out of his Fathers house and the house of God for ever Absalom proves rebellious against his Parents and shortens his own life untimely by it The Children mock the Prophet and die under the fierce anger of the Lord while they are doing of it I tell you Sirs God will be avenged of Children as well as Elder people of poor of rich of any if they shall dare to sin against him Let not the Devil deceive you oh slatter not your selves These things hath God written for the particular admonition of young people and will expect that you should bear them in mind Oh! lay such memorials upon your hearts and receive instruction from them But if after all any of you should be secretly unwilling and all this counsel from the Lord should be a burden and weariness unto you you must then once more go with me to the door of the Tabernacle that I may there reason further with you before the Lord. And truly I must now even heartily chide with you Oh Sirs do but consider what you do How unreareasonable how unrighteous it is How unanswerable how unsafe it is like to prove Will you have Bibles and will you not believe them Will you be called Christians and will you live like Heathens Have you immortal souls shining with such bright raies of the sacred Image of God upon them and will you needs wilfully damn them Hath God given you religious Parents tender of you as of the apple of their own eye and will you not be counselled by them Are you resolved to be a shame to your Friends in Life and a terrour to your selves in Death Can it possibly enter into your minds to think that ever any good will come of sinful courses Or that ever you should have cause to repent your selves of any thing heartily done in obedience to the Commands of God for the good of your Souls Hath God solemnly sworn The soul that sinneth be he who he will that soul shall die and can you suppose he will break his word for you Can you so much as imagine that the most holy God who is a God of pure eyes and hateth iniquity can you any way encourage your selves to hope that he will open Heaven Gates at the last day to the impenitent to the ungodly who scorn their duty who slight their mercy Do you expect a new day of Grace when this is gone that you make such waste of your present time Do you think everlasting burnings are so easily undergone that you make such slow haste to flee from the wrath that is to come Is it not enough that you were born in iniquity but you will stubbournly die in your sins also Nay then Ichabod Ichabod your glory and our hopes are both departed Sons of Belial against all the sweet counsels of God to the contrary will you needs wretchedly make your selves Children as the word too sadly imports that have broken the yoke becoming henceforth altogether unprofitable both to your selves and others never likely to emerge or rise more to any glory Then may Satan justly enough take up his taunt and triumph as the Father represents it He a Servant of thine No Lord It is my work that he all the day does it is my sinful motions he chiefly delights in There can be no plea made for him He is whatever he may vainly think of himself not thine but mine Yea then your Parents though loth such words should ever come from them will be enforced to cry out How have we brought forth to the grave and our breasts given suck to the Destroyer Then may Davids mourning be heard again in their Tents Oh Absalom my Son my Son how art thou fallen and dying as the sinful dieth in the crimson guilt the bloudy gore of all thy sins At these sad rates are the righteous counsels of the Lord rejected and set at nought But ere we thus part I
your evil waies for why why indeed will ye die oh house of Israel Such are the Fathers bowels toward us too too regardless of our selves What answer as the Father piously said can ever be solidly made if such bowels of love such dear such free salvation as this should be ungratefully slighted Oh let your hearts even melt and your very souls be dissolved within you If the Lord be willing be not you unwilling neither let these tender arms of mercy be spread forth all the day long in vain Behold the Lord Jesus Christ at the Fathers right hand making continual intercession and the poor of the flock are his care the weary and broken in spirit the Objects of his pity It is their names he bears on his breast-plate and commends with such endearing arguments unto the Father Suppose your selves hearing him calling to you and arguing with your trembling thoughtful hearts on this wise Wherefore thinkest thou poor soul was I numbred amongst the transgressors and made a man of sorrows Wherefore was my Side pierced with the Spear my Head with Thorns and my dearest Bloud poured forth What dost thou conceive should move me to take upon me Humane Nature and become so near akin unto thee if it had not been to perform the office of a Kinsman and take the right of thy Redemtion upon me What could have perswaded me to sustain the bitter the accursed death of the Cross if it had not been to save such as thou art from thy sins Hast thou no need of my Righteousness What shall I do for thee What dost thou want What is it thy thirsty affections most pant after for thy souls good Speak freely and forbear not I am now ascended to my Fathers right hand and able to relieve thee Where are thy Prayers and I my Self will present them to my Father as from me perfumed with the sweet incense of my righteousness and he will shew favour unto thee Oh blessed encouragement here is the Golden Scepter held sorth indeeâ— What answer wilt thou now return to all this such overflowing love of so dear a Saviour Sit down with thy self poor Heart Advise by meditation what to aske and then send forth Faith and Prayer as the trusty and successful Messengers to fetch in supply Go thy waies take thy life in thy hands as once Hester did present thy Petition and say as she still did If I have found favour in thine eyes oh Lord let my life the life of my soul be given me at my request Do thou cry and he will hear He will graciously wash thy leprous soul in his own bloud and send his blessed Spirit as the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel to prepare and bring thee safely to glory Behold also the holy Angels of God waiting ready to rejoyce in your even in your Conversion There is not the meanest the poorest of you but your Repentance might become an occasion of much joy in Heaven It is a fresh feast to those noble Creatures to see the least encrease of the Kingdom of God To see though but one single sheep added to the flock of Christ. So precious is Grace so dearly is the recovery of a lost soul esteemed on high I might further tell you the damned themselves even groan unto you saying as in the Parable Oh! take warning by us and come not into this place of torments There is not one no throughout the whole Creation there is not so much as one that can heartily say unto you Go on in evil waies and prosper I charge you before the elect Angels and as you tender their comfort I charge you by the flaming pâ—ins and cries of the damned and as you would be loath to share with them iâ— all their Mâ—series take heed take serious heed to the saving of your souls All the divine threatnings of God stand naked and open before you as the hand-writing upon the wall that stand not there for nought They sound as so many shrill Trumpets from Mount Ebal and they also charge you to break off your sins by repentance Or else as sure as God is in Heaven iniquity will one day become your ruine All the sweet Promises are lastly appointed to attend your encouragement and furtherance in your Salvation They are sent forth in Gods name to invite you to his blessed kingdom and to assure you from him whatever pains you faithfully take heavenward your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. These are the Christians choice Feast and Banquet the Promises that you so joyfully should study that speak so comfortablie and withall as truly to the wearie soul. God himself hath made them and he will fulfil them It is the Concern of his glorie to make good the word that is gone out of his lips his faithfulness lies at stake therein Whosoever cometh unto him thus filiallie quoting and relying upon hiâ— Fathers word he will in no wise cast him out Come you and welcome Your work is good your wages will be great your fellow Servants the Excellent of the Earth your Master you are to go unto the lovingest the â—blest the Faithfullest the justest the kâ—ndest that ever was served Whaâ— can you possibly scruple Or where can you mend your selves Speak your hearts and spare not What danger think you can come of being safely reconciled unto the Lord What hinderance shall this be to any to be made an Heir of the Crown of life What wrong to others to save our selves What discredit to become a Child of the most High What Embasement of spirit to be renewed in our minds to the blessed Image of God Or what sadness can this ever occasion to be intituled to everlasting joyes We must even blush and holily fall out with our selves in the language of the Father saying as he Whence oh my soul whence is this horrid this strange and unreasonable thing that thou wilt be under no Command accept of no mercy heavenward Men may revile and our own wretched hearts may suspect the holy Counsels of God but the waies of the Lord are right and happy is that man that chooseth to walk therein He shall be able to lift up his face with Comfort not ashamed of his God nor disappointed of his hope â—hen the greatest pâ—rt of the World â—n the very depths of all distress and horrour shall call but alas in vâ—in 〈◊〉 Rocks and Mountains to fall upon them Awake then I beseech you for the Lords sâ—ke while it is yet the morning of your life the flower of your yeâ—rs Let your life be what indeed â—ll our lives ought to be a living Epistle a fair exemplification of the Gospel thâ—t men may see in you what in Primitive times the very Heathen saw so legible in Christians then The true portraiture of your Saviours life the just account of his Doctrine in the answerableness of your deportment and conversation Awake and arise