evil but as he was Israel so his Days were many and good He had two Names Jacob and Israel Genesis 49.1 2. both given him from his Wrestling the farmer Name was given him for wrestling with his Brother for the Birth-right in the Womb wherein he Miscarried but the latter for his Wrestling with his God for the Blessing at Penuel wherein his Valour through Divine Condescension obtain'd the Victory When the Messiah saw Jacob's undaunted Courage in resolutely detaining him Asks him his Name Gen. 32.24 26 27. As if he should say Thou art such a Fellow as I never met with who though thou be lamed and laid Hard at yet wilt not let me go without my Blessing Thou hast let thy Flocks go and thy Herds go Thou hast let thy Wives go and thy Children go yet thou wilt not let me go nor my Blessing go I will not let thee go except thou Bless me saith Jacob v. 26. Hereupon He Honours Him as it were with the Honour of Knighthood saying to him Kneel down Jacob Rise up Israel for as a Prince thou hast had Power with God and with Men and hast prevailed Gen. 32.28 Hos 12.3 4. Now Jacob is a Name of Weakness the poor Worm Jacob Isa 41.14 Trampled upon and trodden under foot This Afflicted State made Jacob sigh out those Sad Words All these things are against me Gen. 42.36 and those of my Text also Few and Evil have the Days of the Years of my Life been But so far as he had Princely Power as Israel signifies both with God and with Men In this Sence his Days were many and good One Day with God is a Thousand elsewhere VSE Hence learn we the Reason why the Church is called Jacob through out the Scriptures when Speech is of her Weakness and Calamity But she is frequently call'd Israel to signifie her Splendour and Glory and as it is thus with the Church of God in General so it is with the Children of God in Particular Some times they are run down with strange Temptations and with strong Tribulations then are they the poor Worm Jocob Isa 41.14 The Shulamite found two Armies Warring in her The Army of the Flesh and the Army of the Spirit Cant. 6.13 When the Army of the Flesh or Amalek prevaileth as Exod. 17.11 then the Seed of Jocob droops but when they are made strong in their Weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 Strengthned with all Might Col. 1.11 and made able through the Supplies of Christ's Spirit Phil. 1.19 to Tread down Strength as Judg. 5.21 even the strongest Temptation without then are they called the Israel of God Gal. 6.16 for their Prince-like prevailing over Flesh World and Devil III. Observation From the Circumstances of the Text. The Third Observation ariseth from the Conjunction of these two Parts This Question and the Answer to it which is 'T is a Duty Incumbent upon all Mankind to be Asking and Answering How the Days of the Years of their Lives do pass away It was Moses's Prayer Lord teach us to number our Days that we may apply our Hearts unto Wisdom Psalâ— 90.12 In which Psalm it being â— Meditation of Man's Mortality corresponding with my Text therefore Mark 1. Moses mentions the Brevity and Uncertainty of Man's Life comparing it to a Watch v. 4. which is but the fourth part of a Night Mark 13.35 Then he goes on and compares it to a Sleep to a Dream all vanishing things and to a Tale that is soon told and is as soon forgotten lastly to Grass which we well know if it be not cut down in Summer or Autumn doth wither in Winter So such Mortals as are not cut down with the Sithe of Death in their Youth do yet wither away in the Winter of Old Age. Quid est Vita nisi quidam Cursus ad Mortem said the Ancient Father Life is nothing but a Posting to Death The 2d Occurrence in this Meditation of Moses upon Man's Morality is his assigning the proper procuring Cause of this Humane Miseâ—y to wit Divine Displeasure â—gainst Sin which causeth God to â—urn Man to Destruction ver 7 8. Man at the first was made Immortal he had then an Immortal Body a Suitable Companion for his Immortal Soul These two Sweet Associates had never been severed each from other if Man had not sinned against his Maker Had Adam stood on his State of Innocency He should then have rendred to the Lord a time of perfect Obedience and Service here upon Earth and when that Homage to his Great Landlord had been accomplish'd he should then have been Translated from Earth without the least taste of Death to Heaven the Soul should never have been separated from the Body as now it is for the Wages of Sin is Death Rom. 6.23 It was that one Man's Offence that pulled up the Sluce and let in Death as a Deluge with a Regal Authority over all the World Rom. 5.14 to 17. and Sin did not only let in Death but also all sorts of Sicknesses Sorrows and Sufferings that are Forerunners of it Then 3ly Moses Condemns Mans Dulness in taking no more notice of this Divine Displeasure ver 11. All other Creatures know their Times and their Seasons Jerem. 8.7 but Man knoweth not the Day of his Visitation till He come to be Snared in an Evil Net c. Eccles 9.12 Though Man's Life be a Life full of all Inconveniencies of Indignities of Injuries of Infirmities and of Iniquities also yet such is the Stupidity of the Fall'n Nature that Man puts the Thoughts of these things far from him Amos 6.3 Fourthly Hereupon Moses begs God for Illuminating Grace wherewith to make a more Distinct Discovery of all Humane Frailty Lord teach w to number our Days c. ver 12. And the Sweet-Singer of Israel David will be of the same Chorus with Moses sighing as well as singing out these Synonimical Sentences Lord make me â—o know my end and the Measure of my Days what it is That I may know how frail I am c. Psal 39.4 5. Thus likewise Jacob in my Text carries on the like Concord and Consort to compleat the Harmony complaining here Few and evil have the Days of the Years of my Life been c. Adding only this one Note of Discord for making better Musick that God had taught him this great Truth concerning his own Frailty He had seen it for time past and He would be sensible of it for time to come his Days had been few and Evil Now they might be fewer and worse seeing He and all his were famished out of Canaan the Land of Promise into Egypt the place where his Posterity would be evilly intreated Gen. 15.13 VSE Moses teacheth us what use to make of the knowledge of our own Frailty It should strongly stir us up to an earnest imploring of Divine Mercy He maketh a loud Out cry after Mercy Crying Return O Lord How long c. Oh satisfie us early with thy Mercy
shall eat drink or put on They hunger and thirst no more they are then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Angels that need no such things Mat. 22.30 The Lamb there Leads and feeds them Rev. 7.16 17 they are then clothed with Glory 2 Cor. 5.2 c 2. From Labours of Infirmity they have their Writs of Ease No more pain as well as no more pains Rev. 21.4 No Grief nor Gripes then Job in no fear of the Caldeans there Job 3.17 18. Their Bacah is then turned into Berachah their sighing into singing misery into majesty All Tears are wip'd from their Eyes 3. From the Labours of Iniquity All men are under a Sinful Necessity here Eccles. 7.20 Sin will keep house with us whether we will or no 'T is an heart-greiving Inmate till Death turn it out of doors as Sarah did Hagar Gen. 21.10 c. This the Anti-Type Typified by the fretting Leprosie that could not be scraped out of the walls of the house infected with it until all the Stones and Timber thereof were taken down to the ground Levit. 14.45 44 45. As Vltimus morborum medicus est mors Death heals all the Diseases of the Body So Peccatum erat obstetrix mortis mors erit Sepulchrum peccati Sin was the. Mid-wife to Death and Death shall be the Sepulchre of Sin in the Soul A believing Soul is not taken away in his sins as John 8.21 but from his sins Till then we are all bound to this Body of Sin which makes us cry out O Wretched men that wc are c. This brings down with Sorrow to the Grave But then Christ Delivers us from that Bond Rom. 7.24 25. Causing the Death of the Body quite to destroy that Body of Death till then mans life is a sore Travel Eccles. 1.13 2.23 While the Plummets of Sin hang at the heels of our Souls we are Restless altogether Restless but when Death comes to Strike off those Plummets Then there is a Rest in deed The Third and last Resemblance in Job 9.26 is from the Eagles Flying the Climax here is very observable An Eagle is swifter than a Ship as a Ship swifter than a Post The Eagle of all flying Fowls is reputed the swiftest flight and hath the strongest Wing Habb 1.8 Prov. 30.19 The way of an Eagle in the Air is High Swift Strong Thus Life hasteth from us and Death hastens to us as doth the Eagle to the Carcass it desireth to devour Matth. 24.28 Then is the Eagle most swift when hunger as it were doth add Wings to his Wings then comes he upon his Prey like a Thunder-Bolt upon the Earth swiftly and suddenly before it can shift for it self Thus Death is not said to walk on foot but is mounted on Horseback Rev. 6.8 Death rideth upon the Pale Horse Death Rideth Post as above upon a winged Horse to us as Life doth the like in Posting from us Oh how suddenly some persons are surprized with sudden Death The Sixth and last Observation is from the Quality of it mans life is also a most miserable Life 'T is not only a poor Pilgrimage but 't is also a short and miserable one 'T is called here a Pilgrimage and that made up of a few daies and those evil ones also When Man came first out of Gods Mint in his state of Innocency he was a curious Silver-Peice which shone most gloriously Psal 8.5 Eccles. 7.29 c. But now since the Fall he is become a poor thin worn lost Groat Luke 15.8 9. Which hath lost its lustre weight the sound of silver and its image and superscription He is now the Prodigal lost and a Pilgrim wandering in the Wilderness of sin when cast out of the Garden of God Man is now become miserable every way miserable in his Name Enosh which signifies mere misery And in his Nature but a bagg of Dung a lump not only of Vanity but of Misery also Man is miserable 1. At his Birth Antequam natus est Damnatus saith Ambrose He is Condemned as he is Conceived His Birth is polluted Psal 51.5 and Ezek. 16.4 5. Job 14.12 He comes crying into the World prophecying as it were that he is now launching out of the Haven of the Womb into the wide Ocean of Care and Calamity So 2. He is miserable in his Life A Life Full of Trouble Job 14.1 He is Born to misery Job 5.7 His Childhood and Youth is not only Vanity Eccles. 11.10 But if not villany 't is yet misery Yea his Middie-Age is made miserable by grasping too greedily of that bundle of Thorns the World c. Much more his Old-Age which is expresly called an Evil Age Eccles. 12.1 Thus in these four respects man is more than thrice miserable as to his life 3. At his Death most of all if not Bornagain before he Dye then he doth but Begin his Endless Misery VSE I. Oh that I could be a Boanerges or Son of Thunder to awaken souls out of the fleep of Sin what meanest thou O thou Sleeper arise c. Jon. 1.6 Awake awake why sleepest thou c. Eph. 5.14 Call upon thy God and be not still fast lull'd asleeep by a Soul-undoing Devil in the bewitching Cradle of Carnal Security Knowest thou not that upon this moment and God only knows how short it may be depends no less than thy Eternity of Woe or Weal As the Tree falls so it lyes and so it rises again what way the Tree leans that way it falls either to South or North and it leans that way it hath most boughs on O then enquire on what side most boughs grow that to Heaven or that to Hell Ye had better dye in a Ditch Dunghil or Dungeon as Dye in sin Joh. 8.21 VSE II. Then Study this Patriarchs Opticks who had a Right Prospect of mans life that it is but a Lingring Death a Poor Short and Miserable Pilgrimage wherein thou must expect foul way and weather as well as fair A Returna Brevi Term may ere ever thou be aware determine thy Pilgrimage The Angels Question to Hagar Whence comest thou and whither goest thou Gen. 16.8 Whether to Heaven or Hell is of Infinite Importance He that gathers in Summer is a wise son Prov. 10.5 As this Young-Man whose Funeral we are Solemnizing did He had learnt to look upon all worldly things with a Pilgrim's Eye and to make use of them in his way Home with a Pilgrims Heart Much more might I say from my own personal Knowledge were it not that it is not my manner to Paint Sepulchres or to Beautifie the Tombs of the dead which is a work fitter for a Pharisee Mat. 23.29 than for a Gospel-Minister c. VSE III. Oh that all Young Men were such Mortified Timothies as He was who lived much in a little Time And though he be deprived of the residue of his dayes Isa 38.10 And hath not the long life promised to Piety yet God keeps his
to take him then were my thoughts fixed upon Christ though they had been wandring two days before and I had lost my beloved yet nothing could give me peace till I here found Him and Sweet communion with Him wherein I heard him say to my Soul thy sins smal and great are pardoned and thy pardon is sealed I saw as it were his precious blood spurting out of his sides into my heart Oh my Soul ever for ever love this Lovely Lord admire and adore him who hath sealed thy pardon Never sin more but walk suitably to all this c. The Fourth Sacrament was November 6. 1681 whereof he saith thus I have longed for this ordinance because I had more than ordinary sins such as pride that I had long groaned under which made me long for the sprinkling of my Dear Redeemers blood to wash them away I was also pestered with passion as well as pride with unbelief with wandring thoughts and some times with Blasphemy O cursed cursed sin and O wicked wicked heart once to think whether God was or no when thou hast had such clear evidences of a Diety these were my five deadly odious sins which I begg'd might be purged from me O that I may never see nor feel them more At this Ordinance I found relief and feeling the Wine falling down lower and lower I desired it might carry of all my filth so as to leave none remaining and there did I resolve through grace to leave those five sins and never have any thing to do with them c. The Fifth Sacrament was December 4. 1681. wherein saith he I did again lay my sins before the Lord fearing their return upon me did desire a meek and humble heart against my pride and passion I did again resign my self to God having broken Covenant with Him and begging with the Syrophaenician Woman to touch the Hem of Christs garments that I might be cleansed from my issue of sin but could not at that instant get so nigh him but afterwards had I a clear representation of Christs sufferings in the Garden where he bore the wrath of God sweating drops of blood through his cloths in a cold season so that he came as from Bozra with died garments then I saw the crown of thorns upon his head and his head beaten with the Soldiers iron-gloves which made the thorns wound his Holy Head in 72. places so that the blood ran down upon his body I saw also the heavy weight of the cross laid upon Him and how he was spit upon reviled and derided this blessed sight prevented wandring thoughts till the last prayer though I did not deserve the least crumb of comfort for unpreparedness to so great a work which had God dealt out my desert would have been no less than Hell c. The Sixth Sacrament he did partake of was January the first 1681 2. upon which he makes these remarks I had been some days before more than ordinary in my preparation and prayer for a profitable receiving and when I came to it I was sore afraid that I should lay stress upon preparatory actings therfore begged I of God that he would not deal with me accordingly I laboured to act my requisite graces As 1. Repentance laying open before the Lord all my old year sins to that New-years day and laboured to mourn for them more than formerly especially for my deadly deadly sins Spiritual pride Passionateness Wandring Thoughts in Holy Duties unbeleif worldliness c. and I hope God gave there both pardon of them and power against them 2. My thankfulness I actuated as well as I could for so rich a mercy begging for it both hard and always 3. My love though I had much too little experiencing the sweet Kisses of Christs mouth and Embraces of his love I saw Christ on the Cross Embracing me as vvell as I him and saying to God I have paid a Ransom for him this man is he c. This was so sweet that I could embrace the stake or even go into hell so I might thus enjoy him whom my Soul loved and when I heard the Minister say mourn for your sins that murdred your Lord I answered within my self How can the Children of the Bride mourn while the Bridegroom is with them Twice did wandring thoughts offer themselves but were by grace suppressed at the first rising having now obliged my understanding will memory affections conscience yea all to attend Gods service While thus fill'd with this enjoyment I longed to be in Heaven and desired that welcom welcom friend death that I might sing with the Holy Saints and Angels Hallelujahs to to the Lord then said I O my Soul let nothing draw thy love from thy Lord For the World Friends Relations Pleasures Profits all things put together can never give such joy to thee as thou hast found from lovely lovely Jesus in this blessed ordinance therefore lay not out thy love upon any thing besides Him who hath done and is doing great things yea and will do greater for thee Such was my warming warming loves at this Supper The Seventh Sacrament was February the 3. 1681 2. Upon which he remarks thus when I found my heart not fully fixed by my New years Day Sacrament but notwithstanding all my striving I was yet troubled with distraction in duty I longed for this ordinance very much and thought it long till it came that accounts might be made even between God and my poor Soul I was dull for 2. or 3. Duties before and could not get my heart raised whereby I saw that I deserved nothing though wandring thoughts pressed upon me yet were they cut short 2 or 3 times I found relief from those sins I had laid open before the Lord in the foregoing Sacrament I bewailed my breaking covenant my distraction my deadness and coldness in duty c. And at this Sacrament my Dear Redeemer met me said to me I have pardoned those thy sins at thy request this much affected and inlivened me in love to him seeing him then as it were coming from Heaven to the Earth and from Earth to the Cross shedding his precious blood for me and from the Cross into Glory and methought Christ said to me go sin these your sins no more which obliged me to a close walking and to be more watchful than before all this month the Lord kept me from pride but alas my other sins returned to foil me The Eighth Sacrament was March 5. 1681 2. Upon this he saith thus I had more than ordinary communion with God before it and have not had a sweeter season for a long time which made me long till it came in this ordinance I saw my dear Redeemer as it were dead with a company of Holy Angels holding of Him and a great darkness over all the place this was grief to my Soul but presently he that was dead I saw him alive again and comming into the midst of us to see
is impossible for Nature to endure without murmuring the loss of such a mercy as health but Grace can weigh these Considerations First Consider who is the Author of your affliction it springs not out of die dust nor comes by chance but 't is my Fathers hand that appoints the time place measure and manner so must not murmur Second Consider though you be a Son of God yet your sin has deserved Hell and thither had you been cast had not your Dear Redeemer dyed for you But seeing you are Delivered from wrath to come and this is all your Hell you are like to have to wit this present chastisement therefore you may not murmur c. Third Consider God never Afflicts willingly but when need is and for gracious ends to subdue sin and to strengthen Grace to wean from the World and to make Heaven more desirable c. his bowels still yearning while his rod is on our backs if this be so should you not be patient Fourth Meditate much on the joys of Heaven and the happy rest there prepared for you which transcends our apprehensions while we tabernacle in houses of clay O the Rivers of pleasure the Mansions of bliss the Regions of happiness the Crowns of life the scepters of power the Robes of Glory and the thrones of honour that are there prepared for the Lambs followers no sinning is there to provoke God no suffering to molest us no weeping eyes sighing breasts or complaining tongues are found there No crying there O my Head my Head and O my bowels be pained c. But all rest in the arms of love and in the Bosom of Christ O happy Souls that are now got thither and since you will shortly be there should you not be submissive to and rejoyce in the will of God That he give you both an Happy and a Comfortable departure out of time into eternity is the prayer of c. The last Character is that of mine own from my own personal knowledg of him which though it was not so much as was that of many others who were more conversant with him yet was enough to give me a prospect of his almost unparallel'd piety I never conversed with a more mortifyed Young-Man from youthful vanitys so serious in his deportments so savoury in his discourses with so grave an aspect and and so composed a countenance as I seldom law in this our English Israel He had so faithfully followed these following rules First Let not God find me in my bed when he looks for me on my knees Second Nor wandring thoughts eat out the life of my Duty Third Nor be slight in reading Gods Word or hearing it preached which I should digest in my heart and repeat in my life Fourth I must redeem time Fifth Deny my self Sixth Do more than others Seventh Be careful of my company Eighth Leave the Savour of Grace behind me in all companies Ninth Be Holy in all my relations as a servant c. Tenth No sin must sit light Eleventh Nor may I live in that which I know or fear to be a sin Twelfth 'T is my duty to mourn for sin my own and others Thirteenth To be much in Holy Ejaculations having God oft in my mind and Heaven oft in my sight Fourteenth To be oft looking into my own heart Fifteenth To resist the first risings of sin Sixteenth To bridle my tongue Seventeenth To feed in Gods fear at my meal times Eighteenth To do all my secular and sacred affairs for Gods glory the good of others as well as my self c. That he familliarizing his Soul with these and the like helps and duely and daily weighing himself in the ballance of the Sanctuary soon became a None such in Christian attainments so that the way of this Godly-wise Young-Man was above as Prov. 15.24 Raising the feet of his Soul to walk in a higher Region and above the heads of most other young-men Sure I am his Conversasion was in Heaven as Phil. 3.20 while his commoration was on Earth the Rabbins say that Cain's sin was not dividing aright for God for which fault they suppose God brought that brand of going about eversighing and trembling c. but I may without vanity affirm that if any young man learned to divide aright betwixt his General and particular calling this Holy Young-man did who seldom or never would suffer them to justle out one the other As he would not give his Masters-time to Gods worship so nor Gods time to his Masters service I wish all apprentices would learn to write after so fair a copy and to dress themselves by so lovely a looking-glass I know also how the Spirit of God rested upon him in most eminent actings and emanations and I stand admiring not only at his most Evangelical Experiences Exercises Examinations and Evidences above mentioned but also at his most sensible and savoury letters not only writ with his own Mortal hand but with a most Gracious Heart In one of which I find how he obliged his Correspondent a Godly Young man to Holiness with these arguments First We have covenanted not to allow our selves in any known sin but to use all means for the death and destruction thereof Second To forsake all that is dear to us in this world rather than forsake God and his Gospel Third To watch over our own hearts against the temptations both of prosperity and adversity least we be drawn from God Fourth To take the Laws of God for the rule of our thoughts words and actions squaring our whole life thereby Fifth To neglect nothing we know to be our duty Sixth To resign up our selves to God and avouch him for our Lord. Seventh To own Jehovah as our portion promising to serve him all our days Eight To improve Christ as he is the new and living way for access to the Father Ninth To be marryed to Christ accepting him for our Head and Husband in all states and times taking our lot as it falls though sufferings and death do accrue we must renounce our own will and wisdom c. In another I find the Saints pedigree First What Christ is to us He is Our Lord 1. Cor. 1 2. Our Friend Cant. 5.16 Our flesh and blood Heb. 2.14 Our Brother Ver. 17. Our Father Isa 63.16 Our Husband Rom. 7.4 what we are to Christ His Servants Rom. 6.22 His Friends John 15.14 His Kinsmen Mark 3.21.35 His Brethren John 7.3 His Sons Gal. 3.26 His Spouse Sister Love and Dove Cant. 4.9 The Church is one Vine John 15. 1. One Seed Gal. 3.16 One Temple Eph. 2.16 One Body Rom. 12.5 One Spirit 1. Cor. 6.16 and one Christ 1. Cor. 12.12 and upon the survey of this Pedigree he Cryeth out Lord what is man thou art thus mindful of him making him in some respects Higher than Angels Thou hast crowned him with Glory and Honour c. Psal 8. In another letter to his elder Sister writ about three a clock in