that look out at the Windows are darkned in a fourth the Dâ—ughters â—f Musick are brought down Physâ—cians tell us of hundreds of diseases at leasâ— that are thus Incident to Mans Body and by reason of these he spends his Days many times in Pain and his Nights in Sorrow But here is the comfort of good Men death will be a remedy against them all It will deliver them or set them at rest from them all there shall be saith St. Joâ—n Speaking of the New Jerusalem no more Death nor any more Pain Râ—vel 21.4 As the Blind Martyr told the Lame when they met at the Stake yâ—â— may throw away your Crutches now if you please Dâ—â—th will â—uâ—e us both you of your Lameness and me of my Blindness The great Physician of Souls the Lord Jesus Christ will by Death cure all the Diseases and remove all pains from good Mens Bodies And consequentially they shall then be at rest from all sufferings with respect to the Body 2. They shall be at rest too then from all sufferings with respect to the Soul Many and Sore are the sorrows and troubles of a Christian in this Life in this respect also Sometimes the Afflictions of the good set him on weeping By the Rivers of Babylon we sate down and Wept when we remembred Zion Ps 137.1 viz. The Afflictions and Desolations of Zion and of Gods People that had once lived there Sometimes the Transgressions of the wicked fetch tears from his Eyes Rivers of Waters run down my Cheeks Saith David because wicked Men keep not thy Laws Ps 119.136 Sometimes the Sense of his own corruptions stabs him as it were at the very Heart When they heard this they were pricked in their Heart And said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brâ—thâ—ren what shall we do Acts 2.37 And O Wrâ—tched Man that I am cries St. Paul who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death Rom. 7.24 Sometimes God hides his Face and he is troubled thou hidest thy face and I am troubled Ps 30.7 And Tears have been my Meat Day and Night whiles they continually say unto me where is thy God saith he Ps 42.3 Thus the Christians whole Life here many times is as it were a field of Sorrows but now Death will set him at rest from them all It will be the Funeral of all his sorrows and the resurrection of all his joys The Day of Death is the good Man's Marriage-day and at that Marriage day of his Christ will turn again as one Expresseth it all his Water into Wine all his Sighing into Singing all his Mourning into Mirth Then indeed shall the ransomed of the Lord return and come to the Heavenly Zion with Songs and Everlasting Joy upon their Heads They shall obtain Joy and Gladness and all Sorrow and Sighing-shall flee away that I may Allude to and Conclude this particular in the Prophets words Isa 35.6 But that is the first reason that is given in my Text why the dead that dye in the Lord are Blessed Because they dye that they may rest from their Labours And that both in respect of all further sinning and all further suffering I come now to the second that is here given us why they are Blessed and that is 2. Because their works shall follow them their works i. e. the good fruits and good eâ—fects of their works or rather the reward of them the great reward that God will then give them though not for yet according to their good works and this is and will be indeed very great so great as that no mortal can declare the greatness of it for Eye hath nâ—t seen nor ear heard neither did it ever yet enter into the heart of man to conceive what great thinâ—s God hath prepared for them that love him As the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 2.9 The Eye of man hath seen wonderful things in nature and the Ear possiâ—ly hath heard of more and as for the heart or mind of man what almost can't that conceive And yet it can no way conceive the greatness of the glory which God hath prepared and laid up in the other world for those that love and fear him in this and yet that hath been and will be still done by all that have love shall die in the Lord therefore all that die in him are and shall be blessed 'T is true indeed this blessedness that I may prevent all mistakes will not 1. Be given out to all alike as there are different degrees of grace upon Earth so there will be different degrees of glory in Heaven There is oâ—e glory of the Sun another glory of the Mâ—on another glory of the Stars for one Star differs from anotâ—er in â—lâ—ry i. e. shines more gloriously than another so also shall it be saith he in the resurrection of the dead 1 Cor. 15.41 42. And they that be wise saith Daniel speaking of the same thing shall shine as the fiâ—mament and they that turn many unto righteâ—usnâ—ss as the Stars for ever and ev r Dan. 1â— 3 Now there are we know different degrees betwixt the light of the firmament and the light of the Stâ—rs and so there will be betwixt the glory of one Saint and the glory of another in the future life 'T is true indeed all good Men when once got to Heaven shall have glory enough He that hath the least glory there shall have enough to make him unspeakably and unconceivably happy every Vessel of glory shall be full but some shall have more of it thâ—n others as being more capacitated to receive it God will then and there reward every mâ—n accordâ—ng to his wâ—rks as the Scriptures do abundantly assure us Now look as there are diversities of gifts and graces amongst Gods people here upon Earth so there are of works some do and suffer more for God others less and therefore some shall have more glory others less because every mans glory shall be proportionâ—ted according to his works since mens labours are different in this world their reward and glory will be different also in the world to come This happiness therefore I say will not be given out for degrees alike to all 2. Nor secondly will it be consummated or compleated to any till the last day till the general day of Judgment when their bodies shall rise again be reunited to their Souls though good men such as die in the Lord are immediately admitted to happiness after their death yet not to all that happiness that God intends hath designed for them in the other world this is indeed reserved for that great and general day of Judgment so often mentiâ—ned in the Holy Scriptures when Christ to whom the Judgment of the world is committed shall come in the glory of his Father with his Holy Angels to render to every man fully according to his works as you have it Mat. 16 27. But in the interim and as soon as they
being and dwelling in the best of Gods people here but when once the Souls of good men are dislodged and have taken their flight from their Bodies this incroaching inmate as one terms sin shall be turned out of doors shall never have so much as any being or existence any longer in them shall never more give them any further labour or trouble The death of a Believers body shall perfectly deliver him from this body of Death as the Apostle calls sin Rom. 7.23 Christ will present unto himself in the other world a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it shall be holy and without blemish as the Apostle assureth us Ephess 5.27 And hence the souls of just men when once got thither are said to be perfect Heb. 12.23 and death is call'd by one Peccatorum sepultura the burial or grave of sin and that is one thing that speaks out the happiness of those that dye in the Lord they shall then be at rest from the labour of sinning which is of all labours and troubles the worst and greatest the most afflictive to a good man whence the Grecians in their Language term a wicked man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from a word which signifieth with them labour and pains To denote as the labour and pains that wicked men are at many times to accomplish their wicked designs for they rest not except they have done mischief and their sleep is taken from them unless they cause some to fall as Solomon tells us Prov. 4.16 so possibly to denote that labour and trouble which sin and the remainders of it give to good men in this life Well from this labour from this trouble they shall be perfectly freed and delivered in the other life they shall be at rest then from the labour and sorrow of sinning any more Yea I may add here as a supplement to this Head the dead that dye in the Lord are not only at rest from sinning but from all suggestions and temptations to it there will be an end put then to all Satans temptations as well as to our sinning He is very busie here in suggesting of bad things to the minds of good men he is dayly dogging them and disturbing them in every thing they go about he buffetted St. Paul we read he desired to winnow St. Peter he stirr'd up David to number the People and whiles Joshua was ministring unto the Lord he was at his right hand to resist him as we are told Zach. 13.1 and it 's no small unhappiness to us that we are thus continually followed and haunted with such an ill Ghost yea but now Death will deliver such as dye in the Lord from this trouble also It will set them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the reach of his batteries and gun-shot though his darts be all fiery darts and so its likely he is able to fling them high as one saith yet not high enough to reach the Saints in glory The Saints on earth indeed are in a Militant Condition part of Gods Militant Church dayly sighting with him and he with them but the Saints in Heaven are in a Triumphant Condition Members of the Triumphant Church wholly above him and more than Conquerours over him and over all their other enemies thro' Christ that loved them as the Apostle assures us Rom. 8.37 His walk is indeed to go to and fro on the earth as he told God himself Job 1.7 but he can't enter the Confines of Heaven When he fell from his integrity he was turned out of that place of felicity and shall never be restored to it again This great Accuser of the Brethren is cast down neither shall his place be found any more in Heaven as we are assur'd Rev. 12.8 this spiritual Pharoth as one terms him may pursue good men to the hour of their death and it may be may then most fiercely too assault them may muster up all his forces in Battle-array against them but at death it may be confidently said unto them in respect of Satan what Moses said once to the Children of Israâ—l in respect of the â—â—gyptians Exod. 14.13 with which I shall conclude this particular Fâ—ar ye not oâ—ly stand still and see the salvation of the Lord whiâ—h he will work for you to dâ—y for the Aegyptians which ye have seen to dâ—y ye shall see them no morâ— forever 2. Such as dye in the Lord shall be at rest as from the labour of sinning and of all temptations to it so also from their labours in respect of suffering their death will put an end to all those sorrows and sufferings to which by reason of sin they are here exposed God will then wipe all tears from his peoples eyes and tâ—ere shall be no more sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain fâ—r the fâ—rmer things are passed away Revel 21.4 and this indeed followeth upon the former for sublata causâ tollitur eff ctus remove the cause and the â—ff cts will ceâ—se dry up the fountain and the streams will not run Sin the cause of sorrow and suffering being removed as you have heard then it will be sorrow and suffering the effects of sin must needs then cease Now if need be saith the Apostle ye are in heaviness 1 Peâ— 1.6 now men have strong corruptions and therefore need strong corrections Now there is Chaff mingled with our Wheat and therefore there is need of Gods Fan to separate it Dross with our Gold and therefore need of his Fire to refine it Now his Rod and Châ—stiâ—ements are very necessary to teach us out of Gods Law aâ— the Psalmist tells us Psal 89.32 but at Deâ—thâ— thâ— Scholar in Christs School will have perfectly learn'd his Lesson and herefore there will be no further need of correâ—tion Thus De th will set good men at rest from the labour of suffering as well as of sinning yea and that both with reference to their bodies and with reference to their souls that I may enâ—arge a little here 1. Death will set good Men at rest from all Sufferings with respect to their Bodies Many and Gâ—eat are the Suâ—fâ—rings which good Men meet with here by reason of their crazy inâ—irm Bodies by reason of the greâ—t variety of Disea es that are inc dent in this Life to them to mention now none of those other sufferings which some have been forced to undergo by reason of the Racks and Wheels of Persecutors Jo had we know his Botches Hezekiah his Boyl David his Sores the poor Widow of the Gospel her Issue of Blood One Man wasteth away with a Consumption till all his Moisture is Exhausted another is Burnt up with a Feaver a third is as it were Drowned with a Dropsy In one the kâ—eepers â—f the House that I may Allude to that Elegant Allegory of Solomon Eclâ—s 12. Tremble in another the sound of the Grinders is brought low in a third those
Son remember saith Abraham to Dives that thou receivâ—â—st thy good things in thy life-time and Lazarus evil things but now thou art tormented and he is comforted Luke 16.25 Look in short as to this use what Difference there is betwixt Bliss and Misery betwixt Heaven and Hell betwixt being Eternally Blessed in the one and Eternally Miserable in the other that Difference there will be betwixt the Wicked and the Righteous in the other Life For the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal as our Saviour assureth us Mat. 25.46 Great therefore will be the Difference betwixt them 3. Are the dead that die in the Lord so blessed then who would not with Balaam die the Death of the Righteous Yea Who would not live their Life that they might die their Death Who would not live to Christ now that they might die in Christ hereafter Bear his Cross in this World that they might wear his Crown in the other Suffer him by his Spirit and Grace to reign in their Hearts and Lives here that they might reign with him in Glory for ever hereafter Methinks if there were nothing else in a Godly Life but the great Happiness which you have heard will attend those that live it after their Death though there is much very much besides Yet I say if there were nothing else but this every one that hath but the Face of a Man the least Spark of humane Reason left in him should be in Love with it should heartily and solemnly devote himself to it and that presently too without any further delays or put-offs as not knowing how suddenly Death may arrest us nor how soon it may be our turn to die and we can never die in the Lord and so be happy after Death unless we first live in him and to his Glory Look saith Cornelius A Lapide upon my Text as he can't be said to die at Rome that never lived at Rome so he can't be said to die in the Lord that never lived in or to the Lord and therefore if thou designest or desirest to die in the Lord and so to be happy after Death as thou must do if thou beest but still a Man and wilt give thy self leave to consider I say if thou designest or desirest this be persuaded immediately without any further delays to become a good Man to devote thy self heartily to the Service of Christ and to live to his Honour and Praise 4. Are the dead that die in the Lord so Blessed Do they thenceforth rest from their Labours And will their Works follow them Then this may be for Comfort to all good Men. And that 1. Under and against all their present Trials and Troubles their present labours and sufferings death will e're long come and when it comes it will put a period to them all You shall rest shortly from all your labours and sorrows and your works i. e. the reward of your good works will follow You have but a step or two more to take A stile or two more 〈…〉 as the Martyr said and you will be in Heaven at yâ—ur 〈◊〉 â—râ—sently and therefore you have great reason to bear 〈…〉 our present labours and troubles with great patience and â—â—â— erâ—ulness For how great and how sharp soever they may be â—ey will be but short The longest life we live here you know is but short Man that is born of a wâ—man is but 〈◊〉 feâ— dâ—ys as Job tells us Job 14.1 And few aâ—d eâ—â—l have beeâ— the dâ—ys of the pilgrimage of my life said Jacob Gen. 47.9 though he had lived then many more days than any livâ— now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Life f Man is but a poâ—â—t saith Pâ—â—â—arch yea 〈◊〉 â—ctuâ— est quod vivimus adhuc puncto minus saith Seâ—â—â—â— â—â—s lâ—ss than a pâ—iâ—t if any thing can be so at least in respect of that Eternity which is to ensue Our labours and troubles therefore will not cannot last long for this lâ—â—e will not last long and 't is only whiles we live here that we shall be exposed to them Death will set us at rest free us for ever from them and besides all those troubles of ours if we be good men which are but thus for a moment as the Apostle phrazeth it 2 Cor. 4.16 For no more in deed if compared with Eternity will not only in the end work together in the general for our good according to that of the Apostle Rom. 8.28 We know that all things shall work together for good to them that love God But if born aright by us they will work for us as he tells us 2 Cor. 4.17 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the Apostle makes use of such Rhetorick as is scarce to be parallell'd as is scarce to be met with in any human Authors an Hyperbole upon Hyperbole an exceeding an exceeding eternal weight of Glory whiles we look not saith he at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal and so be sure will the good mans troubles only be but the things which are not seen are eternal So will his reward be if he bears them as he ought to do ver 18. For we know saith he in the first Verse of the following Chapter that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved as it will be when death comes and that will come as you have heard shortly we have a building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens And this amongst other Considerations supported them and kept them from fainting as well it might under all their troubles and afflictions as he tells us 2 Cor. 4.16 But then 2. This may comfort good men too as against all the troubles of this life so against the fears of death Why should you be afraid of that which will make you happy which will bring you to your rest and to the end of all your labours and sorrows as you have heard your dying will do 'T is true indeed I grant that death to nature is terrible and to wicked men to such as are still in their natural condition it is as the Philosopher stiles it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the terriblest of terribles even the king of terrors as Job terms it Job 18.14 that which will bereave them of all their good things and expose them to all evil the very porta Gehenna as one stiles it that which ushers in into Hell The Devils surly Sergeant as another calls death with reference to the wicked sent forth on purpose to drag them thither Hell followeth immediately as we read Revel 16.8 the pale Horse on which death rides with reference to wicked men and therefore such have reason great reason to fear it But to good men it is the introitus Regni their entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven an out-let to all their misery an in-let to all bliss the
been well informed to retire Morning and Evening notwithstanding that croud of business which he had Generally upon his Hands to his Closet or Study for his private Devotions as firmly believing what our Saviour saith that such as Pray in secret shall be rewarded openly And as he was thus careful and diligent in the first place to serve God in a Religious way So was he also 2. To serve his King and Country in a Civil way He was indeed a Gentleman that hated Idleness and loved Business and seemed to delight in nothing more than how he might be useful and serviceable to God in his Generation Look as God had well fitted him for publick imployment so he delighted in it And would Ordinarily Balk no pains nor charges to promote the publick good and to serve his Countrey Witness the great Expences the many tedious and dangerous Journeys which he made for many Years together to that end those especially which he made to Braintree to quiet the people and to provide for the Poor there When that Town was so sorely visited with the Sickness and when few or no other Justices durst venture themselves amongst them He was a Gentleman that it may be hath been as useful and as serviceable to this Hundred yea indeed to the whole County ever since he was Justice of the Peace Which is nigh now 30. Years ago as most in it and possâ—bly may be as much missed This Parish I am sure and the Neighbouring Parishes Yea the whole Division who always had free and easie access to him for Justice for advise in all dubious cases will much miss him As also will the Poor round about us for his daily Dole and Charity He was a sound Protestant and had more than an Ordinary Zeal against Popery and for the reformed Religion and did much pitty those that suffered for it Witness his Charity to and most kind reception of worthy Mr. Schamiere one of the French persecuted Ministers into his House Who I am confident too might have been with him to this very day had not God by Death took him to a better place He was a Gentleman that did much and often bewail the many differences and divisions that are amongst us especially in the Church and though he were himselfe a true Church-Man Yet he had a great deal of Candour and Christian Charity for all that differed from him so be they did but live well and carried themselves Honestly and Peaceably He was one too that had a great sense of the Worth of Learning and of the great necessity of the good Education of Youth and therefore was resolved as he told me often this Summer if God spared his life to repair our School and had lately purchased Lands to the value of 16 l. per Annum to which I believe he would have added more too if he had lived to endow it with for the incouragement of a Master which I hope his Worthy Executors and Relations will see performed And though the Poor not only of this place but of all places round about us did continually partake of his great Bounty and Charity whiles he lived yet was he not unmindful of them when he dyed but gave in his Will not only Legacies to the Poor of this Parish but also to the Poor of two other of the Neighbouring Parishes besides that considerable Dole which was given by his Executors to all the Poor that came to his Funeral In short he was I am very confident a very good Man as to the main a great Hater of all Vice and Immorality a true Lover of all Vertue and Goodness an Understanding Magistrate a Faithful Counsellor a Loyal Subject a True Friend a Loving Husband a Kind Master a Merciful Landlord and in a word all I hope a very Sound and Serious Christian It pleased God indeed for these two years last past to visit him with much sickness and weakness but he gave him withal much Patience and Submissiveness of Spirit I never heard that there fell any word from his lips that did bewray the least discontent or impatience but his mouth was full of submissive and Heavenly Expressions under his greatest Pains and Agonies yea when his Pains and Weaknesses were very great as they were lateward and his Strength small yet he seemed to bear all with such Patience and Courage with such Calmness and Evenness of Spirit as if he had not much wished to be in any other Condition than what he was in His usual Expression when his Pains or Sickness were greater than ordinary as sometimes they were That this was but one Chop more to the Tree that must down and that he never expected to be well again in this World but that he hoped he should be so in the next 'T is true indeed when he went off he went off suddenly but it was no more than what we in reason considering his great and long Weakness might well expect and what he I hope was for a long time as to the main well prepared for The only Thing which I shall further Remark upon and which I think is worthy our Observance is this That it pleased God to take him to himself and so to his rest upon the Sabbath or Lords-day which you know is a Type of our Rest in HEAVEN and ought to be a Day of Rest from all Worldly Labours to us here and this too God did I think within less than two hours after he had been publickly serving and worshipping God here in his House which was too the place and work he always seemed to take greatest Delight in and where we shall be sure much to miss him For we shall never Sirs have the happiness to keep another Sabbath or to worship God with him any more here on Earth I pray God we may in Heaven where I trust he is now gone to keep an everlasting Sabbath with God with his Saviour with the Holy Angels and with the Souls of all Just Men made perfect and where he will be at rest from all those painful Labours which he did with us and for us whilst on Earth and find his Works that is the good Fruits and blessed Reward of them eternally following him in Heaven The good Lord grant that we may be all so instructed by his Death as timely to lay to heart our own and seriously to prepare our selves for it that so when we come to dye as God only knows how soon and how sudden it may be we may dye in the Lord as I trust he did and rest from our Labours and be blessed and happy after we are dead as I believe he is For blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works follow them FINIS Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chappel CONVIVIVM COELESTE A plain and familiar Discourse concerning the Lord's Supper Shewing at once the Nature of that Sacrament as also the right way of preparing our selves for the receiving of it In which are also considered those Exceptions which Men usually bring to excuse their not partaking of it Charity directed Or the way to give Alms to the greatest Advantage A Sermon Preached before the King and Queen at White-Hall the Fifth of November 1692. All three by Richard Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells A Treatise of Knowledge and Love compared In two Parâ—s First Of falsly pretended Knowledge Secondly Of true Saving Knowledge and Love 1. Against hasty Judging and False Conceits of Knowledge and for necessary Suspension 2. The Excellency of Divine Love and the Happiness of being Known and Loved of God Written as greatly needful to the Safety and Peace of every Christian and of the Church The only certain way to escape false Religions Heresies Sects and Malignant Prejudices Persecutions and Sinful Wars All caused by falsly pretended Knowledge and hasty Judging by Proud Ignorant Men who know not their Ignorance By Richard Baxter Who by God's Blessing on long and hard Studies hath learned to know that he knoweth but little and to suspend his Judgment of Uncertainties and to take great necessary certain things for the food of his Faith and Comforts and the Measure of his Church-Communion Advice to an only Child Or Excellent Councel to all young Persons Containing the Summ and Substance of Experimental and Practical Divinity Written by an Eminent and Judicious Divine for the Private Use of an only Child now made Publick for the Benefit of all The Confirming Work of Religion Or It s Great Things made plain by their Primary Evidences and Demonstrations Whereby the meanest in the Church may soon be made able to render a Solid and Rational Account of their Faith Written by R. Fleming Author of the Fulfilling of the Sciptures Now Published by Daniel Burgess