but of two Viz. Joseph and Benjâ—min Now Herod slew all the Children that were in Bethlehem and in all the Coasts thereof So it must take in all the descendants from Jacob or Israel But because that Rachel was the most true and proper VVife of Jacob the VVife of his Covenant and Labour and because she was most concerned and affected for her Children therefore the Holy Ghost makes use of her Name for indeed she was somewhat a Type and Signification of the Church of God And Answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in Bondage with her Children Gal. 4. 25. The Enemy meant and spoken of in Scripture is Sin Death and the Devil And He shall thrust out the Enemy from before thee and shall say Destroy them Deu. 33. 27. O thou Enemy Destructions are come to a perpetual End Psal 9. 6. This Enemy in both these places spoken of is the Devil who makes use of those two his Instruments Sin and Death for to Destroy So that conceive and put all this together seeing that Sin Satan and Death are the Enemies of Mankind And the Devil would fain yea He doth by the means of Sin and Death bring them at last into his Land which is a Land of Darkness of Dragons and Scorpions where the shadow of Death and no Light is And when He hath them there He would keep them there unless here again Almighty God who is Greater in Power and Might should cause them to return from this Land of the Enemy VVhich He will do in the Resurrection and only to such who shall be Accounted worthy to obtain that Resurrection That will be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth to Poor Mankind But here again as for them as Hezekiah will be one of them who shall be Accounted worthy to obtain this Resurrection and to return again from this Land of the Enemy The Lord God will wipe away Tears from off all their Faces How so By doing what is there aforesaid He will swallow up Death in Victory Isa 25. 8. And as they have in the mean while the well grounded hope thereof They may well refrain their Voice from Weeping and their Eyes from Tears It is observed that some constitutions are more subject and inclinable to weeping then others as Children Young People and VVomen are more apt and ready to it then Men of full Age and again some are more inclinable to it then others for in some Men it is evidently seen that their heart is become like the nether Milstone which nothing in the VVorld can make to shed Tears oâ— to really weep But there is no Person living who doth not sometimes Lye and Labour under the thing signified thereby that is Vexation Grief Pain and Sorrow or iâ— somewhat which is a Feeling and Resentment of Misery And Tears of VVeeping are but outward signs of expressing these forth As VVaters when they are deep are most silent and make the least noise in running So that sorrow of mind is then greatest like as fire when Pent in is most raging and violent when it is kept in and not expressed forth in Tears and Weeping for it 〈◊〉 felt and experienced That an Ease and Mitigation thereof is had by sending forth of Tears and by the Voice oâ— VVeeping But when any one is under a Great deep anâ— remediless Misery and He is throughly knowing and sensible thereof it is hard to refrain from Tears VVe shalâ— experience it so When the Rain shall descend and the Floodâ— come and the winds blow and beat upon our Earthly House 〈…〉 In order to make it fall When dangerous Diseases and Death it self shall be upon us Or when we shall be undeâ— deep Poverty with the miserable train thereof Hungeâ— and Thirst Cold and Nakedness or in Imprisonmentâ— when one lies in a low deep and dark Dungeon Saitâ— Jeremiah I called upon thy Name O Lord out of the loâ—â— Dungeon Altho' People make now a Laughter or Jesting 〈◊〉 VVeeping and Tears and some are so Puffed up th 〈…〉 they think themselves above it and as unbecoming them Yet if they did know and consider throughly on the other side That Fear Pit and the Snare are upon them ye Inhabitants of the Earth And how it stands in the Nature of Things and their Establishment And then 〈◊〉 Man look throughly upon his own Frame and Constitution his own Vileness for we are here in Vile Bodies VVeakness and Mortality how he is Dust and Ash 〈…〉 walking up and down like a shadow a little dependaâ—â— Being and much more there is to bring us into a Loâ—â— Trembling and VVeeping condition for lay all this 〈◊〉 heart and it will appear that VVeeping is much more becoming Man then Laughter Nay properly and in Truth Laughter is as unbecoming Men and Women whatever Fashion it be in amongst the Company of the VVorld in this weak imperfect mortal and miserable condition here on Earth who are liable to Death here and Damnation hereafter As Laughter is not becoming any one in Bedlam who is under Shackles and Fetters and lies upon a Bed of Straw For as the Poor Lunatick or Mad Person Laughs because He knows not throughly his own miserable Imprisoned condition devoid of Reason The same also is the very Reason of that Laughter now in use in the VVorld amongst Sinners who are Children of the Devil He who committeth sin is of the Devil and the Servants of sin for they are subject to Death here and endless misery hereafter but this last they know not or do not throughly consider of and therefore it is That they spend their Days in Mirth and in a moment go down to the Grave and from thence to Hell VVe may now hear one speaking from Heaven unto all the Inhabitants of the Earth what He did once to the Daughters of Jerusalem Weep not for me but for your selves who are in the VVilderness which may be properly called Bochim A place of VVeeping because of that manifold kind of Tribulation and Trouble ye meet with all in the VVorld and yet ye will have more before ye come to my Kingdom VVe should VVeep yet more especially for those sins which caused the Death of our Lord Christ so as to turn all our VVeeping into Mourning for Sin for this is to lay the Ax to the Root of the Tree For Sin or Ignorance which Ignorance is also a sin is the Root and Antecedent cause of all Sorrow Trouble Affliction and Misery And I will pour upon the House of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication and they shall look upon me whom they have â—ierced and they shall Mourn for him as one Mourneth for his only Son and shall be in Bitterness for him as one that is in Bitterness for his first Born Zech. 12. 10. Here we should turn all our Mourning and Bitterness into Mourning and Bitterness for those very Sins Iniquities and Transgressions which Pierced the Lord of Life
Israel And the Eyes of all Israel as of one Man shall be towards the Lord As God Eyeth us even so we should Eye God But how can this be seeing that God is invisible It must be done by Faith Which being the evidence of things not seen makes them as if they were seen After the Fruits and Effects thereof are reckoned up in Heb. 11. It is said in an observable manner of Moses By faith He forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for He endured as seeing him that is Invisible This is a constant Lesson of Instruction and Admonition to us upon whom the ends of the World are come that by faith we should in like manner forsake and not give way unto the Pleasures of sin for a season nor yet the Titillations of Lust nor yet fear the Terrours of Men nor yet to be perverted and turned aside by their favours but to endure all things in Uprightness and Innocency and according to the Dictates of a Good Conscience as seeing him that is invisible With our Souls which are Invisible we may see or at least understand the Invisible God All one as the outward Eye doth see things visible As all things are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom wâ— have to do Hell and Destruction are before the Lord 〈◊〉 how much more then the Hearts of the Children of Menâ— Prov. 15. 11. So all People both Godly and Ungodly Righteous and Wicked Saint and Sinner they do alâ— walk in the sight and presence of the Invisible God With this difference The Godly Righteous and Saints do walk as in the sight and presence of the Invisible God That is they have a knowledge and sense thereof and they do thus and thus with an Intention and Thought at the very time that God seeth them and iâ— present But the Ungody and Wicked and Sinners do walk only leaving out the Particle as in the sight and presence of the Invisible God For Hell is Naked before him and Destruction hath no covering God seeth all things He filleth Heaven and Earth all things and all places with his presence So that of necessity they must be in his sight and presence if they are any where but these do not walk as in his presence and in his sight So it is in that sense also All People of both sorts Good and Bad walk before God that is they are in his sight and knowledge But only the good so walk before him as in his obedience and well-pleasing to get his favour and acceptation The Generality of People do not walk before God as Hezekiah did but they â—â—ve at Random and all one as if there was no God to see their doings and as if He would not Judge them and they were to give no future Account for the same God both Sees and Remembers where the least Portion of our Precious Time is not spent in his Service and Obedience but it is Consumed and done away in Loytering or Idleness in Sinful or Vain Things I my self have too much to Answer for in this Nature And my self have too much to Answer for in this Nature And so God sees and Remembers where we do not live up to that Grace â—nd Knowledge He had Given and Intrusted us wâ—thall And so he Remembers also where we are not so Good and Holy as we might have been And also where we have not Improved our Christian Graces and Talents as we might have done When God comes to enter into Judgment He will shew himself to be a Remembring God These things hast thou done and I kept silence Thou thoughtest I was altogether such an one as thy self as if such and such things were over and forgotten In no wise but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine Eyes Psal 50. 21. Things will then appear vastly different over what they do now For now Fools make a mock at sin They follow it with Greediness and Merriment and account it as a thing of naught as to the doing them any harm But then they will find that this which was formerly so light in their Opinion will sink them down to the lowermost Hell That it will be as a Talent of lead which is Wickedness Which will press down the Souls of those that are Loaded and Encompassed therewith into the lowermost parts of the Earth the Land of Darkness and of the shadow of Death where no Light is of Comfort or Freedom from misery Happy is He that hath the God of Jacob for his help and whose hope is in the Lord his God Happy is He that can make his appeal and sweet Recollection with our Saint in the Text Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in Truth Such a review will be comfortable but it will not be altogether so to have it then said unto them Son Remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy Good things Luke 16. 15. For this will be but so much the more Torment when they are slipped and passed away finally and eternally and they are in that place where they want a drop of Water to Cool their Tongue Even we know Experimentally by our selves that when we are now in any Pain or Misery the Remembrance of what Pleasures of Life we have formerly had or what good things we have heretofore enjoyed will not administer one Drachm of present comfort Nay contrariwise It is an Enhancement of the present misery How much she hath Glorified her self and lived Deliciously so much Torment and Sorrow give her Rev. 18. 7. So it will be meted out Adjusted and Proportioned in the future State of the Restitution and Distribution of all things How much Pleasure any one hath had hereon Earth the less He will have after he is removed and gone off from it yea There will be so much Torment and Sorrow given to the Person that had it This is an unanswerable Argument and Terrible consideration against Living in Pleasure on the Earth or being wanton therein or Nourishing their Hearts as in the Day of Slaughter And it should make us to equally fear to enjoy Pleasure however Agreeable or Grateful it may now seem to Flesh and Blood as we would be to take a Snake or Adder into our Bosom for altho it may seem smooth or tickle yet at the last it may sting us unto Death Or as we would be to suck in the Cruel Venim of Asps For so stands the Case with Poor Mankind that their Wine is mingled with Gall and the Clusters out of which it is made are bitter For so it stands in the Order and Connexion of things as they are decreed and appointed by God That for faring sumptuously every Day they must come to the place after these Days of their Flesh are ended where they shall be Tormented for so much Pleasures of Life and Delicacies they have had here after Death they must have so much Torment and
same thou shalt receive Reward or Punishment Gain or Loss at the last Day O that we could once have a lively true and through sense how that we Live and Act all along in the sight of the unseen God whom tho' we do not see yet He seeth us And then we should be as careful to please and approve our selves unto him in all things as ever any Servant was to his Master any Maiden to her Mistress or as any Poor Person is to his Rich and Bountiful Benefactor or as we study to please those whom we most Love and are most beholden unto As God standeth behind the skreen of the visible Creatures and always looketh on the Inhabitants of the Earth So we should abstract from these visible things and outward objects and with the Eyes of our understanding being enlightened and turned inward We should look towards our Maker and as both our selves and all our ways are in his sight He seeth the way that I take even so we should with the Eye of Faith continually see him that iâ— Invisible And this is to walk before God or with God as the Scripture doth express it and recommend the same unto us And Enoch walked with God and was not for God took him Gen. 5. 24. Even so for us severally to walk with God whilst we dwell here on the Face of the Earth that when here we shall be no more as it is evident that here we do not continue by Reason of Death God may take us unto himself into the highest Heaven for evermore It was not without good Reason that when Hezekiah had received the sentence of Death which is a removal from this Earth that He should then in a most proper manner make his appeal unto God oâ— this wise Remember O Lord how I have walked before thâ— in Truth and with a Perfect heart and have done thâ— which is good in thy Sight For He knew this to be thâ— ready way by his having done thus that now He wâ— to be taken away from the City of Jerusalem for Gâ—â— to take him up to himself into the Habitation of 〈◊〉 Holiness The same God who in wisdom made and ordereth 〈◊〉 things sent us so many Days here on Earth on purpoâ—â— to call us to an Account and to Judge us for the samâ— The consideration and inference whereof should be this 〈◊〉 to our selves Namely That we should so live every Day as we will averr and justify and stand by the same at the Bar of God and as we will Answer for it at his Judgment Seat For if we are resolved and purposed on this wise then we should do nothing but what is Lawful and Right For when God enters into Judgment nothing but what is so shall be justified in his sight And whether we are of that foregoing Purpose and Resolution of mind or not yet still we must unavoidably give Account and be Judged for the several deeds done in the Body whether they be Good or Evil. We must be Judged as certain as that we must die which again is as certain as that we now live This is the difference between the Godly and Righteous and the Wicked Ungodly or Ignorant People of the World The former part so live as thinking and knowing before hand that they must be judged and therefore they are for preparing and making up their Account before hand They are for doing all things that they may stand in that Day and they do intreat their Judge in the mean while for his Favour Acceptation and Reconciliation and Acquital against the Great Day of Everlasting Decision But the Wicked Ungodly and Ignorant do live at Random and in Forgetfullness or Unmindfullness of the future Judgment They being resolved on their way I have loved strangers and after them I will go They do things at a venture and they run the risque of the future Judgment and so they are in danger to be broken snared and taken to fall and be Condemned in that Day In a word Let People do whatever they will in the mean time yet the Great Day of Judgment will surely come and will not tarry one moment longer beyond the appointed Time This we are now warned of again before hand that when it shall come we may have the less excuse or Plea that of this and of every Day of our Life after Years of Discretion we are not only in danger but we shall be certainly called to an Account As the Wise Man saith Remember the End and thou shalt never do amiss So it may be applied and reasoned a little further keep the Judgment of God always in thine Eye and thou shalt never go much astray And Hezekiah wept sore In the Margent it is with great weeping Here it may be â—urmised and asked What need had Hezekiah to weâ—â— sore or with a Great Weeping seeing that He had led so Good a Life which must needs Administer much Comfort and Rejoycing But a manifold Reason may be assigned thereof as will appear in the Sequel of our Discourse One is from that Natural fear and dread which all Men both Good and Bad have at the Instant Approaches of Death especially those under the Old Testament Dispensation as Hezekiah was under that wherein future Life and Immortality were not so clearly and distinctly revealed and made known as under the Gospel Altho' in the midst of Youth Life Health and Vigour we can think of Death without Weeping Probably a Melancholly sigh or a secret inward and sad thoughâ— may arise at the serious and through apprehension thereof But when indeed it shall stand before us like an Armeâ— Man or Messenger and say to the Soul Come along with me then it is no easy matter to Refrain our Voice from Weeping and our Eyes from Tears for that our works shalâ— be judged and we are going away from the Land when we had if not all yet most things comfortable and convenient for us thoâ— none truly satisfactory unto us Aâ— in the midst of Prosperity we do not know throughâ— what Adversity is and as in the midst of fulness we cannot then so well feel what Pinching Hunger is even sâ— in the midst of Life Tho' we are in Death that is subject unto and drawing towards Death yet then we know not throughly what Death is The Ruffling Royster 〈◊〉 the Jolly Merry Man of the World may cast a Contemptuous Smile or Pish at the Hearing of Death when it 〈◊〉 afar off from him but when it shall approach nigh anâ— touch him when He shall be Death struck and the shadow of Death shall sit upon his Eye-lids then his force Smile or Proud Scorn and Disdain will be turned intâ— Weeping and Real inward Sorrow If People will be ever serious they will be so when they come to lie on the Death-Beds and as Death doth Naturally fix the Coun 〈…〉 nance so it is evidently and sensibly seen to work Peopâ—â— into a great Composedness
ye shall Mourn and Weep But it is Pitiful and Miserable thing to be despised and not 〈◊〉 regarded by God which is to be a foreâ—orn wretch a 〈…〉 cast off by our Maker To be cast out of thy sight Jo 〈…〉 7. 4. As Jonah complained and feared he should 〈◊〉 when he was in the Whales Belly which yet he was 〈◊〉 there altho' many others are out of Gods sight in tâ—â— sence even when they breath move and live on 〈◊〉 Earth But he quite gives them over as a Father doth 〈◊〉 Continued Provoking and Disobedient Child But if any of us should be disowned by and separated from God our Creatour and Preserver as he will do so by a great many at the last Day Depart from me I never knew ye ye Workers of Iniquity Alas What Despicable and Vile Beings should we be Who thereupon must 〈◊〉 necessarily fall down and sink into Misery as the Body when the Soul is out of it sinks and turns into Corruption and Dissolution Even so the Soul or whole Man without God will be nothing else but Restless â—nd Tormented As the Danger and Misery is very great yea unexpressible to be without God so is the Benefit and Happiness as great on the other side yea to be greatly desirâ—d and sought after to have God Propitious Favourâ—ble and nigh unto us in all Things that we call upon â—im for If we once have God for our Friend then we have him who possesseth all Things and what can that â—oul want As was aforesaid If God hears our Prayâ—â— here on Earth this is an earnest and assurance before â—and that we shall one day stand in his presence in the Highest Heavens so it is here again If the Lord sees â—ur Tears and hears the Voice of our Weeping in these Days of our Flesh when it is upon the very same account as Hezekiahs and the Psalmists was for the bleâ—â—ing and advantage belongs not unto Wordly sorrow which Worketh Death but Godly sorrow which Worketh Repentance to Salvation not to be Repented of so the â—orrow towards God Worketh and Effecteth it so for 〈◊〉 that we shall come into be Partakers of the Consoâ—â—tion even the Consolation of Israel I say this also 〈◊〉 an earnest and assurance before-hand that when these â—ays of our flesh are Ended The Days of our Mournâ—â—g shall be Ended Isa 60. 20. And we shall come to â—â—at place where it shall be said Behold the Tabernaâ—â—e of God is with Men and he will dwell with them â—nd they shall be his People and God himself shall be their â—od And God shall wipe away all Tears from their â—yes and there shall be no more Death Mark here â—gain how fitly this is put in the first place for all Tears and the things next named are by Reason of Death neither Sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any 〈◊〉 Pain for the former things are passed away Rev. 21. 3 〈◊〉 As one Scripture saith Wo unto us for the day giveth away for the shadows of the Evening are stretâ—â—ed out Jer. 6. 4. And hereupon Anguish ariseth in 〈◊〉 heart and our Eyes are ready to burst forth into 〈◊〉 because we must severally yea we shall shortly Tastâ— Death Do ye know what kind of Taste it is It is 〈◊〉 terness for so we conceive it and Agag truly Phrasâ— it And we have every one of us yea the non he 〈…〉 ers of the Word also for God hath shewed and m 〈…〉 known as much unto them received the Message 〈◊〉 Word of Command from the Lord of Life who 〈◊〉 put and now holds our Souls in Life and can call 〈◊〉 them out again whensoever he will Set your Houâ—â— your Souls the Inhabitants of your Earthly House 〈◊〉 order for ye shall die If it was this Night that 〈◊〉 Souls should be required of us we should Fear yea 〈◊〉 we should be apt to weep sore also Here againâ— would revive us if God did see our Tears and say◠〈◊〉 each of us Behold I will add unto thy days Fift 〈…〉 Years Some in this assembly may Probably live Fift 〈…〉 Years longer same Thirty Forty Fifty together 〈◊〉 the odd Years Mouths and Days according as to 〈◊〉 his Time is appointed and his days upon Earth are 〈◊〉 that of an Hireling And so if I should Dogm 〈…〉 cally affirm and Preach set your Souls in order for 〈…〉 shall die that is very suddenly and quickly e 〈…〉 this Evening to Morrow or this week at furthestâ— have no warrant â—o to say Several of ye may hear 〈◊〉 perceive the Decree and Sentence of God otherwiâ—â— Behold I will add unto thy Temporal Life so maâ—â— Years Months Weeks and Days more as it is knoâ— in the Purpose and Mind of God concerning each 〈◊〉 us though it is Uncertain and Unknown to every 〈◊〉 of us therefore ye would not give much heed 〈◊〉 nor believe such a Doctrine of Mine that should 〈◊〉 quaint ye that ye should die within a week or sucâ— little Time But if I should teach and affirm const 〈…〉 ly as I do this day Set your Houses in order For ye shall most certainly die one time or another this ye must Necessarily assent unto And also this ye cannot do otherwise than assent unto that the few and Evil Days remaining of your Pilgrimage will run out and Elapse as the former days of your Life are gone Vanished and passed by already As suppose a Man should live to Fourscore and Ten Years of Age to which length of Days not more than one of Ten Thoussand do arrive if he hath lived Threescore Years already the Thirty Years which are yet to come will pass and at length be quite expired out and finished as the Threescore Years already have been An End will come as it is Emphatically noted and doubled for our the more taking notice thereof by the Prophet An End is come the End is come it watcheth for thee Behold it is come The Morning is come upon thee O thou that dwellest in the Land The time is come the day of trouble is near and not the sounding again of the Mountains Ezek. â—â— 6 7. The Time of last Sickness or Death hath already come upon many Millions of past Generations and upon a very great many of the present The same also watcheth for thee who art as yet Breathing on this Earth and it will very quickly be returned and said as â—o thy case and feeling Behold it is come The Mornâ—ng of Futurity and Immortality is come upon thee O thou that dwellest in the Earth the Time is come and if thou hast sinned and done Evil the day of Trouble is near even that Indignation and wrath Tribulation and Anguish which shall be upon every Soul that doth Evil for the day of Death unto such is not the End but the beginning of Sorrows And not the sounding again of the Mountains There is no more Resorting to the Pleasures and comforts of Life