man hath true Faith in some degree or other or else to what purpose do these men talk of mens giving an assent of Faith to the Divine Truths of the Gospel but this is as gross as the other if Paul may be believed 2 Thes 3. 2. That we may be delivered from unreasonable men for all men have not faith 3. IT supposeth that all men by nature have Power to obey the Gospel if they please or else why do the men of this Notion talk as they do of mens living in obedience to the Rules of the Gospel but this is as foreign and wide from the Scripture as any of the former if Paul may be believed by an Arminian Rom. 8. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So that unless a man have new Eyes put into his Head and a new Faith put into his heart and a new Will put into his Soul it is wholly Impossible that men should either see believe or obey the Gospel to the Salvation of their Souls but Regeneration which is right is another thing than these men dream of it is supernatural work carried on by the Holy Ghost in the Heart where and when he pleaseth it is called a new creation Eph. 2. 10. Is this supernatural or is it not it's called a being born again 1 Pet. 1. 23. Now who is there which can contribute to his own Birth It 's called a Resurrection Rom. 6. 5. Rev. 20. 6. And who is it that can contribute to his own Resurrection all as able is a poor Sinner to convert himself from sin to God or believe and obey the Gospel if Christ himself may be believed Joh. 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing therefore see that this work be done upon your Souls before you dye or else your corporal death will lanch you into an eternal death for ever 3. Rule LAY in a good stock of Prayer against a dying hour comes it is Paul's Exhortation Lay up a good foundation for the time to come Oh let it be your Prayer night and day to God that he would prepare your Souls for Death Undoubtedly those who pray mostly for this mercy in time of life have mostly the joyful comfort of it in an hour of death they that live prayingly will dye prayingly 4. Rule IF you would prepare for Death make your selves as familiar with it as you can in a time of Life then will it be the less dreadful to you when it comes it is in the case of death as it is with a Lyon death is called the King of terrors to men as the Lyon is to the rest of the Beasts of the Forest and little less a terror to men also But if you take a Lyon when it is but a whelp you may train it up to so tame a rate that you may lead it up and down by a Chain in your Hand when others would tremble to look on it so if you would but make Death so familiar with your thoughts you might find it to smile upon you when it looks grim upon others Last Use MUST good men dye as well as bad men Yet here comes meat out of this eater and honey out of this strong one to a believer Oh what sweet and pleasant thoughts should every believer have of Death when they dye and never till they dye shall they be fully brought home to God. Death to the Saints is the door by which they enter into the enjoyment of God. The dying Christian is almost at home yet a few Pangs and Agonies more and then he is come to God in whose presence is fulness of Joy. I desire saith Paul to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Phil. 1. 23. It should not scare us to be brought to Death the King of Terrors so long as it is the office of Death to bring us to God. That dreaming Opinion of the Souls sleeping after Death is as ungrounded as it is uncomfortable the same day we loose from this shore we shall be landed upon the blessed shore where we shall see and enjoy God for ever Oh if the Friends of deceased Believers did but understand where ond with whom their Souls are while they are mourning over their Bodies here certainly a few believing thoughts of this would quickly dry up their Tears I SHALL conclude with that word in Psal 37. 37. Mark perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace FINIS
AN ACCOUNT Of some of the Dying-Sayings OF SUSANNAH YEATS Late Wife of SAMVEL YEATS of the Parish of Minching-Hampton in Glocester-shire WITH A SERMON Preached at her Funeral By THOMAS WORDEN Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed for William Marshall at the Bible in Newgate-street 1688. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER IT is storied of Latimer the Bishop that on a time when he was to Preach before King Edward the 6th his Theme was Take heed and beware of Covetousness and so kept on the Repetition of it five or six times together as if he intended that his Sermon should consist of no more words than his bare Theme viz. Take heed and beware of Covetousness BVT if the Bishop were now alive he would see cause to alter his Subject in turning of it from Covetousness to Death FOR as he made use of after Arguments to dehort his Auditors from that Sin so now would he see need to make as often a Repetition of the word Death as the Prophet did of the word Earth O Earth Earth hear the word of the Lord and all would be too little to affright this Age from more gross Sins IT is our unhappy Lot to live in an Age wherein our most sharp Brains are more enclined to exercise the Vanity of Wit than to labour after true Wisdom which would render the ensuing Subject the less pleasant to them For how is it possible that Men should read a Subject of Death with pleasure who so much abound in Sin while they live with so much pleasure IT was the saying once of Queen Elizabeth That of all the Books which she had read she prized mostly these two viz. Senica and the Bible and it would be no small mercy to the most of our Age if they could say That of all things in the World they mostly love these two viz. to live to Christ and to dye to Sin because to such a man Death will not appear as a Lyon but as a Lamb. For those whose bleeding Wounds by Sin are not healed by the Blood of Christ their Death will make the greatest Wound at last IF the Preaching of Death to mens Ears would be the Death of Sin in their Hearts the ensuing Subject then might be as Solomon speaks of seasonable Words viz. like Appels of Gold in Pictures of Silver But instead of any hope this way may we not sit down with the Prophets complaint and cry out as he did Isa 28. 10 12. Tho line upon line be brought to this People and precept upon precept here a little and there a little yet they will not hear As to the following Subject treated upon it was preached at the Funeral of one of my Congregation But if any shall expect quaintness of Words or elegancy of Phrase he will find but little which would suit that humour THEREFORE those that usually read Books to please their Fancies more than to encrease their Faith and love to have their Ears tickled with fine Words rather than their Hearts toucht with real Truths will little applaud the Discourse IF thou readest rather to acquaint thy self with flourishing Sentences than to affect thy Heart with real Substances thou must leave the School of Christ and betake thy self to a Heathenish Academy THE greatest care taken about the following Discourse hath been to trim it up in a Jacob-like Dress plain and pious It s Garment is like to the Israelites Robes for their Humiliation not Silk but Sackcloth Therefore what Beauty lieth in it resembles the stile given of the Church Psal 45. 13. It 's only glorious within It s beauty appears not so much in the Letter without as it doth in the Spirit within AND if thou contemn it only for want of an external Beauty that will but bespeak to thy face thy want of Spirituality I DO declare I never had any further intent in the Study of the ensuing Discourse than to content my self with the bare Preaching of it For to say all I never deem'd it worthy of so publick a view as it 's now arrived unto only strong Importunity hath drag'd it out of my Hand and that it 's now published it 's rather to humour my Friend than to please my self any further than it may be serviceable to some poor Soul. But that God that can make dry Bones to live if he shall make this dry Bone of any quickning-use to thee give God the Praise and me thy Prayer That God would make me in his hand A means that some may understand What slavery their Souls are in Who wilfully do live in Sin That so they may be brought to see The captiv'd State and Misery That Satan have them in beyond all doubt Unless the Lord of Life do work them out And then when they to Christ by Faith do run As Persons that are quite undone And so by Faith on him do clinch Their fiery heat of guilt to quench Which will make Sin the greatest pain And Godliness the greatest gain And by believing rest upon The Lord of Life when this is done Do live to him in Righteousness Its wages being Blessedness Which alters Death from being a foe Which will also free them from woe And land them in their Haven of Rest Where they shall ever be and blest The good of which will make my Crown So heavy that it will weigh down All the discouragements which attend My painful labours to the end Yet do but me thy Prayers give And that will always me relieve Until my painful work be done And I at rest to Joy am come Thine and the Churches Servant THOMAS WORDEN The Dying-Sayings of Susannah Yeats the Wife of Samuel Yeats an Inhabitant in the Parish of Minching Hampton c. ON the Monday night after she fell sick was a night of great temptation to her who lay under the violent assaulting hand of Satan for four hours together the next morning she related her Condition to a Friend which came to see her When after her Friend had asked her how it was with her She replied in these words I remember what my Pastor said once That when Satan is busy with his Tempations to a Person in a Sick-bed it is a sign of Death But said she he hath been busy with me this Night After she had thus said she related what her temptations had been the Night before First she had a sight of Satans appearance to her claiming a propriety in her and that all her endeavour would be but lost labour at last Unto whom she replied O thou Coward that knowest I am a weak Woman weak in Body and weak in Faith if thou hast any thing to lay to my Charge get thee gone go to the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah he will plead my Cause for me if there be not Mercy enough in God if there be not Merit enough in the Blood of Jesus Christ if there be not worth enough in his Righteousness nor Grace enough in his Sanctification
must go to Meetings and wait at the Posts of Wisdoms gates A Kinswoman which came to see her sitting down by her unto whom she said this Oh Cousin it is sweet sweet all is made sweet to me by Jesus Christ I tell you the truth and I speak no lye At another time tells this Kinswoman of hers that she had been at Prayer and Oh Cousin says she Jesus Christ hath offered up sweet oh sweet Incense to God the Father for me oh it is perfumed it is sweet THE day before she died came in two Persons to see her to whom she gave this Admonition Friends I desire you to go to God more humbly than ever you have done and desire of him that you might know whether that Worship you wait upon be according to Christs Institution ONE time amongst the rest of her Husband 's coming to see her she exhorted him to have a special care not to trust to his own Righteousness also she piously exhorted her two young Cousins which lived in the House with her to look to it that they did serve the Lord. AT another time a Relation of hers which came to see her this dying Woman fixing her Eyes on her said Oh Cousin I have now something to say to you you are a hot Spark for the World and cold in Duty The other replied again Ay Cousin that is too true but seeing I am so dead in Duty I hope you will pray for me that I may be quickned to whom she replied again Yet Cousin I do believe that you do receive the Truth in the love of it the other replies again But I fear I do not receive the Truth in Love this dying Woman replies again Yes Cousin and it will be all well SHE asked of her Cousin where Mrs. Smith was her Cousin replied That she was gone to Nailsworth and she feared in some Discontent to which she answered Oh think not so for she is a good Woman she was a Ministers Wife therefore you must pass all by and not be offended at her nor count any thing a trouble which you do for her THERE was a Christian Friend touching whom she was Conscious to her self that she had not carried matters towards her in the time of her Health so respectfully as she ought to have done therefore desired that in all hast she might be sent for which accordingly was done and when the Party came to her and asked how it was with her She answered her again You must not come to me with a how do you do but you must say to me Dear Sister in the Bonds of the Gospel how do you do and you must kiss me Then putting forth her hand out of the Bed and taking her Friend by the hand she pluckt her to her self and saluted her Friend again and again concluding with these Words Oh there must not be that strangeness between us After this She desired that her Pastor might be sent for and when he was come and presented himself to her she lookt earnestly upon him and gave him this Admonition Oh Sir God make you humble you are our Leader and such should labour to be Examples to the rest God will teach the humble and dwell with the humble AFTER the uttering of this Words her Pastor asked her this Question Have you any doubt upon your spirit touching the way of Worship and Order of the Gospel which I have practised amongst you or words to the same effect unto which she replied No Sir I must tell you that you have dealt very faithfully with our Souls and God will own you in your Work and you must not abate any thing And I do believe that God will make this Work a very glorious Work in the Eyes of the Country round about AT another time her Pastor came to her and asked how it was with her To whom she replied What would you have me to say The Vessel can be but full and I am as full as a poor Creature can hold meaning with Joy and Comfort from the Lord. THE Thursday before her departure her Pastor turning into see her as he was going to Preach his Lecture-Sermon at Strowd and asking how it was with her she replied That at the present she was enclinable to Slumber but bid him farewell and desired the Lord to bless his Labour where he was going IT was observed by several how wonderfully her Spirit was filled with the Sense of Christ's Church and Kingdom in this World She would say That she was satisfied that the time was hastning that Sion should become the Praise of the whole Earth She did more than once say That the Kingdom of Darkness was coming down and the Work would be most amazing Work and wo to them that should be found in it Oh says she it will be a fearful day the Ears of wen will tingle to hear what will be the Portion of those that shall remain in that Kingdom then But says she God will bring his People out of it She named some particular Persons which she did hope God would not suffer long to abide under the Shadows of it With which she repeated these Verses which she had read about it so exactly that the perfectest Memory could not be more exact Leave off your Vanity my People at my call Lest for her sake you should partake her Sins and Plagues withal Because her Sins have reach'd unto the Heavens high Therefore God finds and calls to mind all her Iniquity Reward her to the full as she rewarded you And fill her Cup twice double up as She was wont to do Look how much She hath been a proud luxurious Liver So much inflict her Torment strict and so much Sorrow give her For thus within my Heart I sit a Queen saith She No desolate poor Widows state nor Sorrow shall I see And therefore shall her Plagues come on her in one Day Famine and Death and mournful Breath to make her Pine away And She shall utterly be burnt with Fire at length For God the Lord that doth Reward and judg her hath such strength WHEN she had ended her Poem her Pastor being by and wondring within himself at her sudden and ready casting forth of the Verses he asked her how she came by them Unto which she answered casting her Eye about towards the Window Look Sir there did once lye a Book out of which I learned them THIS is as just an Account as could be taken from the Lips of several Persons some hearing some of the Passages and others hearing of some other INDEED as she drew nigh her end there would now and then appear some short flashes of Giddiness through want of Sleep but they did not last long at a time BUT take her generally during the greatest part of her Sickness her Memory was as good and her Reason as clear a have ordinarily been found in any dying Person that hath departed this Life from these parts for years together THERE hath