man may dye in a time when God forbids and yet dye when God permits and live out all Gods time who wickedly shortens his own The murmuring Isralites were buried in the wilderness notwithstanding their promise of seeing Canaan their infidelity anticipated their funerals The wages of sin is death and may as justly be payd in the morning as in the evening of our lives Indeed temperance doth not alwayes prove an Antidot against the Pestilence nor Abstinence a preservative against Famin nor innocence a security from the stroke of injustice but they are likely meanes The flagitious impiety of the old world sent a Deluge which possibly might have been prevented had their repentance been as visible as the Ninevites was who were repreived from execution after the sentence of death had passed upon them whereby omnipotence did demonstrate that he hath reserved a power in his own hands to length then or shorten the lives of men as he pleaseth and to make the sands in the glass of time run swift or slow according to his pleasure it is very observable how the Patriarks out-lived all their titles of consanguinity yet none lived to a compleat thousand years some indeed give this reason for it be cause God would make good his threatning to Adam that in the day he eat he should dye the death and so they would compute a day for a thousand years as St. Peter speaks but this is trifling and foolish A more probable reason may be to declare to the world the vanity of life when those who lived longest could not arrive to such a period which in comparison of Gods eternity is but a day CHAP. XXXVII SIn brought death at first and as sin increased death came near er by 500 years presently after the flood man sinned still and built Castles in the air and then it is reduced to 200 years and by Moses time half that remnant is taken away and threescore and ten is the period had God gone on still to shorten our dayes as we increased in sin our life by this time had not been a day long and therefore he no longer destroys the kind but punisheth the individual and sets it down for a rule viz. evil shall slay the wicked So that not one in 500 arrive at that state which they might attain unto by the course of nature but end their dayes in sin and folly and in a period appointed in anger we may easily observe how the blessing of health is contradicted by an impious life for from surfeting proceeds disolution of members relaxation of nervs fractures of bones inflamation of the liver crudities of the stomach which Solomon sums up besides the uncleanly consequences of lust which hunt for the pretious life and like a dart strike through the liver and the casual deaths caused by Jealousies and animosities thus providence intervenes and suffers not nature to take its course by reason of impieties CHAP. XXXVIII IT is observable that not a Son dyed a natural death before the Father for three thousand years untill Terahs time who was the first that taught the people to make Images of clay and corrupted the Worship of God his son Haron was snatched away by death before him The Jewish Rabbins do observe that during the standing of the second Temple there were 300 high priests but in the time of the first but 18 which stood within 10 years as long as the first which may be much attributed to their impieties It is thought by some of the antients that Balaam's wish to dye the death of the righteous was not only that he might be sav'd at last but also seeing what judgments God had purposed to bring upon the Moabites that he might come to his grave in a good old age with his father in peace we live by the word of blessing out of the mouth of God every command if observ'd like food and physick tends to the length of our natural as well as spiritual lives CHAP. XXXIX THe fear of God is the best Antidote against sickness as it is a direct enemy to sin which brought in death If sin destroy soul and body why should not piety preserve both If the sting of conscience torment body as well as soul doubtless peace of conscience releives both Why may not the soul as well conduce to the prolongation of the body as to the immortality of it Why may not the body have the perfection of life viz. health from the soul as life it self CHAP. XL. THe circumstantial actions of piety are influential towards the lengthening the lives of men as the sweet sleeps of temperate persons and their freedome from violent and inraged passions and the admirable contentment that dwells in a holy conscience these must necessarily conduce to a healthfull life Dying to sin is an excellent means to preserve life if men would try the experiment It is observed that the male heir of Ely's family dyed as soon as born for many generations according to a divine threatning until they set themselves unto a serious humiliation and solemn repentance We live not at an adventure but the manner and moments of our death come under a divine appointment the Jews could not prejudice our Saviours life untill his hour was come viz. that hour which by a special providence was appointed to be his last hour although St. Paul was in deaths often yet he dyed not before providence thought meet it is appointed to men once to dye that is it is once appointed to men to dye CHAP. XLI A Man may shorten his own dayes but he cannot shorten a Divine determination the date of Hezekia's life was lengthened with respect to himself but not in respect of Divine purpose that is the same be our time long or short CHAP. XLII Object But if Piety doe so prevaile with God to lengthen our lives how comes it to pass that many good and holy men dye whilst in the prime of their years Answer Those that reason thus doe not consider that the righteous may be taken away from the evil to come and by their deaths God may serve other ends of his Providence and yet make his promise good by recompensing Temporal with Eternal life Although God hath promised long life to them that obey yet he never promised that he would not borrow our natural lives as it were and make a glorious exchange CHAP. XLIII DEath may sometimes be a great mercy and life a great misery It is observed that from Adam to to the Flood by the Patriarks were eleven Generations but by Cains line eight they being shorter lived because God intending to bring a flood upon the World rescued the Elect from the fatall Deluge And the same reason is generally given in case Infants dye before the use of reason for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Although Abijah came to his grave whilst young yet ther was some good thing found in him towards the Lord God of Israel
those means which may preserve them in health and vigor King Asa was not condemned for using but for trusting to the Physitians CHAP. VI. IT is a great sin upon the pretence of Gods power to be disobedient to his will in despising Physick which God hath ordained to be the means to restore us to health this is to try what God can doe and yet neglect what he commands in not adminstering those things which are necessary for the body c. The miraculous cures which the Apostles effected by their Handkerchiffs and by Oyntment and laying on their hands these wholly ceased according to that rule cessante causa cessat effectus the cause of that miraculous power being only to confirm their Doctrine in its first preaching that being done that miraculous way ceaseth and therefore now men must use more ordinary means found out by reason and experience as the extraordinary way of understanding tongues is ceased we must doe it by humane industry and natural study The life is more then meat and the body then rayment and therfore queen Hester preferred life before liberty and importuned the King to grant the life of the Jews and told him if they had been sold for bondmen and bond-women she had held her peace CHAP. VII THe father of lyes never spake a greater truth then when he said skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life It is a precious Jewel and Solomon saith the Adulteress hunts for the precious life That which was sick was not to be offer'd in Sacrifice why should we not therefore indeavour to present our bodies a healthfull as well as a holy Sacrifice which is but reasonable service When the body is in a weak and languishing condition it is not fit for holy service and therefore one part of the happiness of heaven consists in a freedom from sickness and distempers there Leah shall not be blear eyed nor Mephibosheth halt Saint John prayeth for Gaius that his body might prosper and be in health even as his soul was And Saint James bids us pray for one another that we may be healed Now if it be our duty to pray for one anothers health much more ought we to indeavor to preserve our own CHAP. VIII THe soul sits uneasie in a diseased body The body it is the sheath of the soul as Daniel calls it if the sheath be defective or impaired it is prejuditial to the blade so when the Golden bowl is broken and the sound of the grinding is low and the strong men bow themselves then the Sun and the Moon and the Stars will be darkned That is all the faculties of the Soul will be clouded and not so fit to perform their several offices the understanding the memory and the fancy will not be so clear strong and lively and desire it self must needs fail Barzillai took small delight in the pleasures of the Court when his sight and his tast fail him Our bodies are members of Christ therfore we ought to have a respect for them neglecting of the body is by St. Paul reckoned as a peece of will Worship The best way to keep the body under is by a virtuous mind CHAP. IX THe cure of the Leprous persons under the Law was appointed to be managed by the Priest rather then by the Physitian because it concern'd him to keep back men who were Leprous from the Sanctuary although it is probably though he might have the advice of the Physician for their profession was ancient as we may observe in the 50 of Genesis It is very remarkable the conformity between the Leprous contagion and the Law of cleansing the Leprosie did putrifie the skin and opposite to that was Cedar-wood commended against putrefaction it was of an offensive colour opposite to that was the colour of scarlet of an ill sent contrary to that was the sweetness of Hysop it did consume the flesh and bring death there was the sparrow let loose a significant sign of recovery and continuance of life It is probably thought that the prohibition of many sorts of meats in the 11 of Leviticus was not only upon a moral but also upon a physical account because they yield no good nourishment but are unwholsome CHAP. X. THe world is very full of complaints of the ineffectual application of Medicines in order to the procuring of Health when it is lost or the preservation of it when enjoyed and doubtlesse the the cause of these complaints must arise from the imprudent and preposterous use of so excellent an ordinance of God for the good of mankinde for who but a person whose reason is unhinged and whose intellectuals are Eclipsed with the fogs of ignorance or prejudice can reflect any deficiency in those remedies themselves which are designed by the God of nature to be good for food and physick even every herb bearing seed therefore he that dare to say in his heart ther is no God who hath given every herb for the service of man his folly is manifest to all men doubtless that profession which hath received a pattent from the King of Kings and the great preserver of men must needs be of great utillity transcendent excellency Shal the Almighty himl f prescribe an Emolient Cataplasme for the plague-sore of Hezekias in order to the addition of 15 years to his life and shall any condemn so noble a faculty as physick is in it self if rightly applyed CHAP. XI HOw many singular examples of physical applications do the inspired penmen of holy writ exhibit to us and whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning Were not the waters of Mara made salutiferous by the casting in of medicinal ingredients Without doubt the sons of the prophets had a physical intention in the composition of ther Broth with physicall herbs although it was attended with a mistake as to the nature of the simple CHAP. XII KIng Solomon who had the priviledge granted him from the only wise God to be the only wise man made it his business to enquire into the nature of vigetables from the tallest Cedar to the contemptible Hysop and shall we cast the Imputation of folly upon him whom the spirit of God hath recorded for the most eminent example of Wisdom and imagine that he spent his time in such a study as was not likely to be profitable to human nature shall he whose brow was incircled with a glittering Diadem whose Gold was so plentious as to pave his palace whose orchards were replenisht with delicious fruits whose eares were entertain'd with the most harmonious melodies and had all the delights of the sons of men shall he I say condescend to the study and improovement of physick and yet Contemptible fooles despise it The wiseman doth not onely tell us with what remedies the Almighty heales men and takes away their pains in his discription of the variety of plants a book which possibly the world hath lost or else
our selves for the solemnities of our funerals sicknes it is a gradual puting of this vail of flesh that we may be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven it is the the harbinger of death that we may say with that holy man when sickness comes death worketh in us death works apace it works away our health it works away our strength it works away our ease and works us into our graves CHAP. LII LOrd make me to know my end was the sickbed prayer of holy David When patient Job was almost suffocated with the violence of his distemper he concludes thus I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living CHAP. LIII ANother design of God in sickness is to communicate experience of his power and goodness in strengthning and supporting under it Then is his strength made perfect in weakness then hath the pious soul experience of Divine power strengthning him upon his bed of languishing and making all its bed in its sickness when flesh and heart failes then God demonstrates to the soul that he is the strength of its heart and portion for ever Thus sickness is sometimes laid upon us is that we may experience the excellency of divine visits that in the end we may say thy visitation hath preserved my spirit CHAP. LIV. SOmetimes sickness is laid upon us to make us sympathize with others in the same condition David speaking of his very enemies when they were sick sackcloth was his clothing how much more should we sympathize with the members of our spiritual head and be sensible of the afflictions of Joseph CHAP. LV. ANother end of sickness is to teach us to pray when our bodies are the sinks of filthy humors our souls should be vialls of precious Odors Hezekias turned his face to the wall and prayed when his life was like to be cut off with pining sickness when our natural beauty doth consume away like a moth then we begin with an O spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be seen no more And we begin to pour out a prayer when heavens chastising hand is upon us CHAP. LVI SIckness is many times sent to try whether we will resign our selves and Relations up by Death as Job did his children and as holy Ely said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Sometimes the knife of sickness is ready to slay an Isaac to try whether we will be willing to sacrifice him to the will of God If he will have our friends to eternity who can give a randsom for them We are apt to cry after them as Elisha did when Elijah was taken to heaven My Father my Father but he stopt not to answer him O Absolom my Son my Son cryeth the affectionat parent would God I had dyed for thee Why should we mourn and weep for our dying Relations when all tears are wiped from their eyes and they are singing Hallelujahs with harps in their hands to him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever The more lovely and excellent the friend was we parted with the more admirable was our obedience CHAP. LVII SIckness sometime coms to try whether we are willing to leave this world and to come to glory We should live so as to be ready at an hours-warning to leave all and to go to eternity Thou shal call me out of this life and I will answer thee said the holy man Sometimes a Feaver or a consumption stands at the bed-side and cries Husband come away from thy wife Parent come away from thy child now how ready should we be to be offered and how willing that the time of our departure be at hand that upon the least intimation we may readily go up to mount Nebo and dye CHAP. LVIII MAny times divine providence bids us go into a distemper and dye and go into a sick bed and dye and certainly did we but with an eye of faith see whether our diseases would carry us it would be a thousand times harder duty to be content to live then to be willing to dye if sincere Christians CHAP. LIX ANother arrant that sickness comes upon it is to try whether we will hold fast our integrity when the hand of Heaven toucheth our bone and our flesh he that can trust God although he kill him the trial of that mans faith is more pretious then Gold and will conduce to his praise honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ CHAP. LX. ANother end it is to conform us more more to the divine Image one great part of sick bed chastisements is to make us partakers of Gods holines although the outward man decay the inward man is thereby renewed day by day after the image of him that created it outward pains often procure inward peace The loadstone of mercy draws us not so nearly unto the likeness of God as the cords of affliction CHAP. LXI ANother arrant sickness comes upon it is to turn men from the ways of sin and iniquity unto virtue and obedience hence God complains of the Jews I have sent amongst you the pestilence yet have you not returned many times a fit of sickness it doth more good than an hundred Sermons Sickness it comes to convince of sin which is the meritorious cause of all diseases When our own wickedness doth correct us we should then know and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter to forsake the Lord in all our weaknesses God looks upon us to see if any say I have sinned and it profiteth me not This was the effect of holy David's sickness for he cryeth out There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin CHAP. LXII IF we did but behold the plagues the Consumptions the inflamations and the extreame burnings that attends as pageâ— upon our pride wantoness carnallity and intemperance we should stand in awe and sin not but commune with our own hearts upon our sick beds and our spirits would make a more dilligent search into the causes of our distempers CHAP. LXIII ANother errant of sickness is to convince us of the vanity of the creature what a vain treasure is that which a lump of phlegme may take from us a dead corps is a poor thing it must return naked as it came into the world If we could but view our selves as we lye in our Graves and Coffins what a poor thing would the World be in our eyes When a man looks upon his stately buildings and sees the sweet situation the wholesome aire the convenient rooms oh what golden dreams a man is involved in but did we see Death coming up into our windows what pleasure then hath a man in his house after him when the number of his moneths are cut of in the midst How vain are Noble Pedigrees and generous extractions and ancient Families when we must
say to corruption thou art my father and to the worm thou art my mother and sister CHAP. LIV. ONe end of sickness it is to hide pride from man what a vain thing is humane power it will not avail in the day of sickness and death if God doe not withdraw his anger the proud helpers stoop under him men of high dègree are vanity although a man flourish like a green bay tree yet he shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither like the green herb Sickness teacheth us the vanity of strength though a mans bones be full of marrow yet when sickness coms his strength shall be dryed up like a potsherd How can our hands be strong in the day that God contends with us by sickness although a bow of steel hath been broken by our armes yet when sickness comes we are powred out like water and all our bones are out of joynt then the keepers of the house the arms will tremble and the strong men the limbs will bow themselves and we shall have reason to say verily every men at his best estate is all together vanity It may convince us of the vanity of children they are indeed mercies in themselves O that I were as in months past saith Job when my children were about me though the fare be but course yet it is the more pleasant to have these plants about the table but sickness eomes and then these sweet flowers like a posey wither that we must conclude childhood and youth are vanity An aking tooth will damp all the pleasures of the world CHAP. LXV HOw vain must the World be whose comforts are not valuable then whiles we have them not What will all the glittering nothings of the world be worth when God shall let fall great drops of burning wrath upon that part of our souls which is most tender when he shall with a heavy hand chafe our consciences with fire and brimstone when the worldling that wallows in thick clay shall behold that judge which Gold and Silver cannot bribe when the voluptuous will relish little pleasure in carnal delights God writing bitter things against him what a vain thing will musick be to him that hears nothing but the screeches of his own conscience what will cups avail him that must drink only a cup of Fury what are titles of honour to a man whose conscience calls him Reprobate CHAP. LXVI SUppose our tongues faultering our eye-strings broken our limbs trembling for fear of an arrest by this grim sergeant death mingle the best ingredients the world can afford it cannot make a cheering Cordial Honour is but a blast of Popular breath and like an eccho vanisheth into silence The misers Angils are all winged and fly away as an Eagle towards heaven Doth any man lye the safer because his bed posts are gilt doth our meal relish the better because served up in gold are our clothes more fit because more fashionable what is gold and silver but diversified earth and shining clay the entrails of the earth the place of its birth upbraid us for accounting them so precious the best perfumes are but the sweet of trees or the mucous excrement of a beast the softest silks are but the workings of a vile worm the most generous wines but puddle water straind through a vine and our choisest dellicacies are but dirt Cook'd up in various forms Why should we lay the foundation of our happiness upon such phantacies But sickness comes and gives us right notions of these things and it teacheth us the right conduct of our Passions to love these things as if we loved them not it is like wormwood to wean us from the breasts of the creature The most considerable design of sickness is to prepare us for Death and Judgement to make us listen to the strikings of the clock of time with the more attention to bring us to a more familiar acquaintance with that stinglesse Serpent and makes us apprehensive of our pilgrime state there is nothing in death to make it dreadfull to a good Christian many times our bitter cups are but as mornings draughts to eternity by sickness we knock at the gates of the grave every little accident stops our breath the roughness of a grape stone the reflections of a Sun beam the dust of a wheele the aspect of a star introduce death let us therefore with Joseph take a turn or two in our garden and visit our Sepulchre Old age is but a young death and a man may read the sentence of death in some mens foreheads written in the lines of a lingring disease CHAP. LXVIII ALthough we came into the world but one way we may go out a thousand Thus we see sickness hath many ends when it comes and unless these be answered we cannot expect its removal It is like a faithfull messenger it will not go without its message CHAP. LXIX ANother means to procure the influence of a Divine blessing is by imploring a Heavenly benediction by fixing our eyes upon Him who laid the sickness upon us We should look to the hills from whence cometh our help for our help cometh from the Lord that made heaven and earth it is he that wounds that must heal it is his hand that must make whole Hence David calleth the Pestilence a falling into the hands of God and when diseased he cryeth out Thy hand presseth me sore and I am consumed by the blow of thy heavy hand Diseases are called Gods arrows he shoots the arrow of a Consumption into the lungs of a man the arrow of a Fever into the heart of a man or the arrow of the Gout into the limbs of a man like a shot dear he walks and eats and sleeps yet the arrow sticks friends pull and Physitians pull but he may say Thy arrows stick fast in me If he give a commission to the small-Pox or any other disease then the wounds stink and are corrupt and the body is filled with a loathsome disease and there is burnings in stead of beauty Our times are in Gods hands he appoints the frequent returns of our distempers At the noise of his water spouts his waves and his billows pass over us He appoints how long the distemper shall last many continue in a languishing condition some years so that their lives hang in doubt as Moses expresseth it or as Heman saith of himself I am afflicted and ready to dye from my youth up and so Job complains I am made to possesse monthes of vanity and wearisom nights are appointed to me CHAP. LXXI SO may we observe men spitting their lives away notwithstanding their friends provide good dyet the Physitians prescribes good remedies the Minister puts up fervent prayers yet as Job speaks God is of one mind and who can turn him to restore health But when he speaks the word the man is healed I am the Lord that healeth thee is the name he gives himself and this is acknowledged by the